Thought I'd chime in with my strategy especially because I really focused on getting the costs down because I was unemployed for the entire time I was doing my MCAT studying. I spent only ~$500 dollars on my prep. I also started studying at around the middle of May and took the very last September test date.
1) Your individual scores and composite score
C/P: 131
CARS: 128
B/BC: 128
P/S: 130
Total: 517
2) The study method used for each section
C/P
The shift to a more biochem focused C/P section really worked in my favor. I have a strong chemical biology/inorganic chem background from grad school and so things like protein structures, metal analysis, M/M plots, lipid/carbohydrate/small molecule analysis, spectroscopy, and the synthesis/purifications were pretty easy for me from the get go, and didn't focus too much attention on those.
In terms of actual studying, I used 2012 Gen Chem and Physics TPR prep books (given to me so they were free, but these would be pretty cheap on amazon). I simply read through them, and jotted down important trends or the equations. I would then do stand alone questions using a 2012 TPR Hyperlearning book or the in class compendium I got for free. This really helped in familiarizing how to manipulate equations, and nail down concepts. When I felt comfortable with the material, I would try out some of the passages in the TPR HL again.
When I got closer to my test date (~1.5 months or so), I started mixing some of the AAMC Q-packs and Khan academy stand alone questions and passages, just so I can orient myself on the tone/style of the questions that might actually be asked.
I was really lucky that my actual test was very biochem/protein chem heavy, with gen chem/organic chem material that I was very comfortable with, and physics problems that were pretty simple plug and chug calculations.
CARS
I struggled the most with this section, both with the studying and in the actual test. I bought the 2015 TPR CARS book, but I realized after that all the content was exactly the same as the 2012 TPR verbal prep book... I also had the TPR hyperlearning verbal book. I spent the first month or so doing practice passages untimed and really focusing on getting questions right. But when I tried doing passages timed, I SUCKED. So first I would do passages with a 12 minute limit. I did my best to figure out the questions I typically got incorrectly (not reading questions/answer choices completely for instance... or the kinds of questions I usually missed).
When I was getting 5/6 questions right, I set my passage time limit to 10 minutes. Then from here, I had to now focus on the right way for me to quickly read through passages. For me, the most important thing was to read most of the passages word for word, except if examples were given. In which case I would highlight "For example" and scan through the examples. I realized that really understanding the tone/main idea of the passage was the easiest way to get answers correctly. The correct answers were mostly very obvious if you understand the tone of the author. Is he trying to persuade you to choose a side? Does he agree or disagree with a topic? Is he simply narrating a story?
Also, right before starting my CARS practice, I always wrote notes to myself telling me of all the things I keep doing wrong and things that I need to correct, so I can really focus on what I need to improve on.
Then, I switched to official AAMC prep material and khan academy passages when I was closer to the test date.
Last, tip. I suggest that you spread out your CARS practice. Do 3 or 4 passages each night, or every other night. This way, you can get constant practice while also getting some time to reflect on what you need to work on.
B/BC
I just memorized as much as I could, straight up from the kaplan biology and biochem prep books. I also tried to think of how different systems are connected to each other and how an imbalance in one system could affect another. So, if something is messed up with a specific hormone, what would happen to the liver, or muscles, or the lungs or kidneys? The last chapter of the kaplan biochem book I think is really really helpful. Everything is there for you and they're all really pretty simple to understand. There's just a lot of information to absorb. I also used the TPR Hyperlearning science book for my practice passages to nail down concepts. Much like the other sections, I used as much khan academy as I could and did the AAMC Q-banks. Khan academy is especially useful, because there are quite a few experimental type passages there and it really helped in getting into the mindset of seeing figures and understanding how the data is related to the pathway/hypothesis presented in the text. It was important for me too to keep reviewing all the chapters, so I would always try to "re-memorize" 2-3 chapters of my prep books every 2-3 nights, and then going back and re-reading specific topics after doing practice questions.
P/S
Again, just like B/BC, I just really focused on memorizing everything that I could from the TPR P/S prep book. There was also a word document of someone's notes on the khan academy videos, which I also used for a bit. This was the simplest section to prepare for, mainly because there wasn't much to work with haha I also did all the khan academy practice passages, and I thought those were very very good. There was a lot of experimental passages, and some of the questions were excellent in helping you understand the difference between different, but similar sounding terms.
3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, TBR, etc)
Kaplan biology and biochemistry prep books, 2012 TPR Gen Chem and Physics prep books, 2012 TPR Hyperlearning science and verbal work book, 2012 TPR in class compendium, 2015 TPR CARS and P/S prep books, all of AAMC Q-banks, and khan academy passages.
4) Which practice tests did you use? (Optional: include scores)
TPR Demo - 501 (124/125/124/128)
TPR Review Test 1 - 500 (124/126/125/125)
TPR Review Test 2 - 503 (125/125/125/128)
NS 1 - 508 (127/125/128/128)
AAMC FL - 85%/89%/86%/85%
NS 3 - 509 (126/127/128/128)
5) What was your undergraduate major?
BS Health Science Chemistry Minor, MA in Chemistry
6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
1. ALWAYS HAVE A REST DAY. A lot of people think that going all out MCAT 24/7 is important when prepping, and I disagree. I always took Friday nights off and never started studying until afternoon of Saturday, because I know I would get lazy and burnt out if all I did and think about was the MCAT. You need to be healthy physically and mentally to properly prepare for this test, and if what you need is a day off every week to get into that groove, so be it.
2. 2-3 hour bursts of intense studying is way better than forcing yourself to study for 10 hours straight. Maybe this is just me, but I lose focus after maybe an hour or so of staring at my prep book and trying to memorize all the crap on there. So again this goes back to being in the right mindset. You need to figure out the study schedule that could best maximize your time. For me, it was hardcore memorizing for 1:30-4:30 in the afternoon, then I wouldn't do any studying until 9 pm.
3. Spread out your practice passages!!! Don't binge practice all your Q-packs and khan passages in 4 days!!! Do 3 passages of physics, 3 of chem, 5 of bio, 3 of CARS and 3 of P/S, or whatever. Just make sure you're practicing every day a month or so leading to your MCAT.
4. Do your practice FLs with timed test taking conditions. That means your sections are timed, and your breaks are timed as well. No stopping the test in the middle of CARS because you gotta pee! Also, practice your entire MCAT day! This was really important for me, because I have a weak bladder and I gotta pee very often. When I did my FLs, I would wake up the time that I would for the real test, and have breakfast that I would eat for the actual day of the test, so I know that I'll have my breaks by the time I gotta use the bathroom. This is extra neurotic, I know, but you gotta know your body! The test is already really stressful as it is, so if timing your bathroom breaks accordingly will reduce your overall stress level, then do what you gotta do!
5. Also, practice writing the equation sheet/notes you want to have for each section! This way you already know which equations you want to write, where it would be written on your scratch paper so it'll be easy to find later, and also figure out if you have enough time and space to write down all the notes you want!
6. Be aggressive with using Process of Elimination. It'll save you a ton of time.
7. If you don't know the equation what equation to use to solve a problem, check the units of the answers! That's a good hint to see what values you'll need to multiply/divide together.
8. HAVE FUN!!! JK that's impossible this test is as horrible as it can get.
7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
~5 months
