I’m really struggling with timing and don’t know what to do. I have documented ADHD, but I can’t afford the additional documentation the AAMC requires. So I have no choice but to push through.

For every section (other than PS) I am rushing through the last 10-15 questions. It’s rare for me to ever finish a section on time. What baffles me is how people can finish a section over 20 min early and have time leftover to review. I just can’t do that.

It takes longer for me to read passages because I lose my spot or I lose focus and start glazing over the passage. For questions requiring a lot of inverted logic or a lot of math, it takes me longer to reason through simply because of my slower processing speed.

For CARS, I’ve worked over several months to increase my reading speed and time it takes to work through passages. 3 months ago, I was averaging 16 min per passage. I’m now averaging around 11 min. I want to be at at least 10 min but my consistent practice is yielding diminishing returns. My brain can only handle so much.

My practice exam scores are low because I’m getting all the questions toward the end wrong because I’m rushing through them. Most of the questions at the beginning and middle are correct. Reviewing the practice exams proves to me that I know the material but just that I need time to work through it.

Not sure if anyone has any advice. I’ll try anything at this point.

Hi guys, I took the AAMC sample test yesterday and I run out of time for all sections. I am really disappointed and sad about that. I read so fast and I couldn’t absorb the information in the passage or think about the questions and still run out of time ���� I did all of SB my averages were c/p 78% P/s 78% B/B 70% And I am doing it again now English isn’t my first language :( I am aware everyone is different but please can you tell me how you manage the time I want to try methods and see which will work for me And many thanks in advance

I’ll start by saying that this is what worked for ME. Others may disagree and have their own approaches that they feel work better for them, which is totally fine... Experimenting is a powerful tool if u have enough time and it means u can identify what system works best for YOU… everyone has dif circumstances, ambitions, preferences, etc. If this approach is in line with yours, great! If not, totally fine too… all that matters is that u identify YOUR ideal system and stick to it:)

My approach:

Sometimes if ur in a rush ur better off skipping through passages, answering all discretes, THEN going back into unanswered passages (use the main navigation table and go to incomplete Qs) and subsequently tackle tough passages questions (from least to most intimidating). Before doing a deep dive though, understand that there are often several questions attached to a passage that require very little info, if any, from the text and can be easily answered by just skimming for key values/equations/data… others, on the other hand, require deeper interpretation and understanding of the passage (do these last)… When u answered all the Qs u can without deep reading, then pick the easiest looking passage and read it more actively and subsequently answer any deeper Q’s. Then, if u have time, repeat for any other skipped passages. Higher likelihood of successfully answering more Qs.

This is, in my opinion, superior to rushing aimlessly through passages and having to reread a million times. I’ve noticed I get more total Qs wrong when this happens and that I preserve more points by acknowledging I may need to sacrifice a couple points on insanely hard Qs in favor of several more points from answering less complex ones.

If, for instance, u only have 30 secs left tho, ur only focus should be ensuring that NOTHING is left unanswered. No penalty for guessing.

Also, flag sparingly. If ur completely unsure, just pick one and move on. Only flag something that u are 50/50 on or that requires deep thought (fresh look with a less noisy brain helps).

I use quarterly time checks. Assume all sections are 90 mins (5 min buffer for science sections) and 60Qs…. Write timer checkpoints at the edge of ur notepad/scratch paper at the beginning of the exam during tutorial (Question 15 = 23 min mark, Q 30 = 45 min mark, Q45 = 68 min mark, etc.)… I personally like to put the specific time that I will see on the clock since it’s a countdown timer (Q15= 1:03, Q30 = 00:45, etc…). A bit longer to set up/more math upfront but saves time on the back-end trying to calculate how much time has elapsed based on how much time u have left… if i’m behind schedule, i know to kick it up a notch. If I’m not, I give myself permission to slow down and be a bit more deliberate in my thinking.

The MCAT is a video game. All that matters is points. The C/P question that requires 3 mins of math and unit conversion is worth just as many points as the basic hydrogen bonding question they snuck into one of the passages at the end…. Invest your time and mental resources accordingly. Bank as many as possible. Small sacrifices can pay off BIG if made strategically and frequently practiced

Again, this is what worked for me. Others may and are free to disagree. Experimenting is fine if it means u can identify what works best for you… Good luck!

Hey everyone, wanted some advice from people who might have had to manage multiple things while working on the MCAT. I'm currently about a month into my study for the April 30th MCAT (I can't say I've been entirely focused in studying for the past month). I am also planning on applying to medical school in the upcoming application cycle. Since I was looking to apply to the upcoming cycle, I'm concurrently working at my lab -- which probably takes up around 20 hours a week -- and am also planning on working as a scribe (to make up for low in-person clinical hours) which would need around 20-30 hours of commitment. I'm also a student at university, however am taking a light course load so I can focus on these other things. I have some clubs to manage but those are only a few hours of work a week. With all these commitments, I still want to make sure that I can get quality time to focus on the MCAT (My goal score for the MCAT is above a 520). At this point, I have a feeling that I'm overextending myself and will inevitably not be able to study for the MCAT. However, I was wondering whether any of you have been in this situation, and if so how you were able to manage your time to get a good score. Any advice is appreciated!

I just remembered this from my previous mcat attempts and haven’t seen much people talk about it. I’m testing august 16th but just remembered something that might help out others who are taking it for the first time. There is a 2 minute period between each section before you start the next section. For example, after you are done c/p and the 10 minute break, there is a 2 minute window where you get to just relax, breathe, and get yourself together before the next section!

I’m currently taking a gap year to gain more research and clinical experience. My original plan that I laid out earlier this year was to continue with research/other clinical experience while prepping for the MCAT over the summer to take in September. Fast forward to now, most of my summer was spent with research and I barely had time to study for the MCAT. I ended up canceling my September exam because of this. I should also mention that I an involved in a computational research, and a significant portion of my time was spent debugging my code. Fortunately, I think there is a potential for paper publication (and I may even be first-author depending on how things go), but I’m still very concerned about my progress with the MCAT.

How were people able to manage their time in situations like this? I’m starting to think I need to work on my time management skills and would like to ask for some advice. Any comments would be much appreciated!

Hi everyone, I'm writing my MCAT this summer and was hoping if someone who's wrote the MCAT before could help a fellow premed out. I'm really new to all of this and feel so overwhelmed with the amount of information in terms of schedule and resources, I have been lurking and found a couple guides but I would appreciate if anyone can DM me and give a run down based on what materials I'm working with. Any help is appreciated!

I find myself spending all day studying yet actually not finishing everything. I’ve been tracking my time and I am only spending 4-5 hours actually studying..following a routine during these times have been difficult for me. Anyone else?

P.s. I could use a little pick me up