MCAT Resources

The essentials:

I view the following as the most important resources you need to succeed in the MCAT:

 
Everything above is what EVERYONE should use on their MCAT preparation. Obviously the questions best representative of the official MCAT would be questions from official AAMC practice exams; it is thus vital that these FL’s are all taken, and thoroughly analyzed afterwards to resolve questions you were unsure of or got incorrect. Similarly, the official AAMC questions (from the Question Packs and Section Bank) are questions representative of actual MCAT questions. 
 
UWorld is a paid resource that contains thousands of MCAT-resembling questions, for every single subject. These questions are not only relatively accurate to how official MCAT questions look, but they all have comprehensive explanations on which answers are correct and which are incorrect. I view this as the best third-party resource for questions. Unfortunately, it can get pricey, however there is a 15-day free trial.
 
Khan Academy has an entire trove of videos on every subject covered in the MCAT. The videos are easy to understand and to-the-point, and make for adequate content review especially if you have a science background in college. These videos are officially sponsored by the AAMC!
 
Finally, Anki is a powerful tool to utilize for content review. It is a free desktop program that enables you to create flashcards that utilize spatial recognition to improve retention of the content. It is effective to create your own flashcards based on what you’re studying, however many utilize already-made card sets to study from. Please look at the Anki subsection for more information, as it can be tricky to use for first time users.
 
 

reddit resources

Reddit has by far one of the biggest and best compilations of MCAT resources. Although I’ve compiled what I deem the best on my website, Reddit has a staggering amount of content that could serve useful to you.

Reddit.com/r/mcat
Reddit.com/r/premed

Browse r/mcat for more test resources, tips, study strategies, and success stories. Similarly, r/premed has posts on being premed in undergrad, as well as interview tips, essay-writing and personal statement tips, and information regarding the med school application process. 

Reddit.com/r/Mcat/wiki/contentreview

The link above in particular is a reddit wiki link with comprehensive breakdowns on every single MCAT resource under the sun. It has links for paid and unpaid resources, along with general information regarding them. While I believe the best option for content review is Khan Academy + pre-built Anki cards, this link provides MANY more you may want to explore. 

other resources

content preparation books

Many people, especially those from a non-science background, choose to have a more in-depth form of content review, usually in the form of official MCAT preparation books. The three most popular brands are Princeton Review, Kaplan, and Examkrackers. In my opinion, these books can be a bit hit or miss, and quite pricey. They often have way too much information, and go more in-depth than necessary. However, many still find them helpful. Look at the graphic for the pros and cons of each brand, provided by HastyReader.com. There is definitely NO reason to purchase the latest versions of any of these for full price…look for used copies if you can, and anything from 2015 onwards is good enough! Don’t spend money needlessly!

mcat preparation courses

Many people think paying for an MCAT preparation course is necessary to get a good score, but this simply is not true. Not only are they overpriced, but for the most part all they’re doing is providing a schedule and telling you what to do. With some self-discipline, you can do this yourself.  And the notes and resources from this website are better than anything you would find from prep courses. However, there are some that truly need the structure from a “classroom” setting. In which case, there are lots of different options for prep classes, the most popular being Kaplan. 1-on-1 tutoring is an option as well, for a more personalized approach while still retaining structure from an external source. These are usually pricey as well. In my opinion, the best way to study is to self-study! (Also, don’t take too seriously the biased graphic on the right by NextStep, quite obviously trying to sell their 1-on-1 tutoring service. Most of the “cons” they put for self-study aren’t true, especially the part of having few resources.)