Top 4 Lifestyle Changes You Can Do to Make Sure You Score Highly on the MCAT Exam

When you being your preparations for the MCAT exam, you will begin an odyssey unlike one you have ever undertaken when you prepared for your Final Exams as an Undergrad.  This is a very important test and is a big stepping stone for your career in Medicine.  It is important that you do everything in your power to ensure that you are as effective as possible to make sure you are maximizing the precious time you have before the MCAT.  In this article, I will present the Top 4 Lifestyle Modifications you can alter to make sure you are positioned to score highly on MCAT.  

Number 1:  Quit Your Job or Take Prolonged Time-Off If Possible 

Regardless of how well-paid you are at a job you hold, it is paramount that you do not forfeit valuable study time.  You need to set aside about 6 months to prepare for the MCAT so it is essential that you limit the distractions that you have during this time.  If you are financially strapped, try to do whatever you can to get overtime bonuses or some type of additional revenue before this 6-month window approaches.  It is a foolish idea to try to juggle working and studying because you will need to study at least 6-8 hours a day within minimum breaks to prepare yourself for the grueling endurance challenge you are about to partake in.  If you have a job to worry about, you will spread yourself too thinly and exhaust yourself during your preparation.  A 6 month sacrifice is nothing in comparison to a potential career in Medicine.  If you choose to not forfeit the time, your score may equate to a much larger amount of free time when you don't have to worry about Medical School. Don't risk it.  

Number 2:  Establish a Study Schedule That Has Absolutely No Flexibility 

When you are studying for your examination, it is important that you develop a habit of consistency where you are beginning to get in the habit of dealing with pressure on a daily basis.  You should set your alarm as if it was a the MCAT Exam Day and follow a routine that you will be able to mimic on Test Day.  Wake up at 6:30 a.m., have your coffee and breakfast, and then sit down to start studying until your lunch break around 11 a.m.  Take your lunch break and then make sure that you get right back to studying.  You can finish around 3 p.m. and have the rest of your day to fill with your other commitments.  It is wise to make sure that this schedule is strictly adhered to because the second you start incorporating study breaks or phone conversations, you can easily burn an hour of your time.  This test is about establishing a series of good habits to make sure you are as prepared as possible.  You must approach the MCAT the same way an athlete prepares for a game. Through constant repetition, you will train your brain to perform accordingly. After you are done studying, it is a good idea to something active so you can allow your brain time to process the information.  Going to the gym or even a jog can be a great way to refresh your brain and keep you from fatiguing as you move closer and closer to the deadline.  

Two More Adjustments to Make to Position You to Do Well 

Number 3:  Study Without a Phone and Limit Your Internet Pages During Studying 

You will be surprised at how often your brain will try to trick you to do anything but studying when you being this journey. Tracking a fly on the wall can even be a more entertaining activity than reading another passage or answering another question.  In these circumstances, you need to force your brain to keep working and stay focused.  It is absolutely essential to make sure you are limiting potential distractions while you are studying.  Turn your phone off and limit your Internet pages while studying for the MCAT.  Facebook, ESPN, or even Reddit are not going to help you do well on the exam and represent distractions that can actually derail all the efforts you have already given.  This is a good habit to establish while you are studying for your MCAT because if you get into Medical School, this is absolutely the only way for you to retain all the information that you need to process. There is no interesting Facebook post or tabloid report that is more important than your studying.  

Number 4:  Make Sure You Review Material That You Have Already Studied and Synthesis It All Together 

It is one thing to study the material, and it is something entirely different to make sure that you retain everything.  It is impossible for you to retain information effectively if you are dedicating a week to studying Biology then switch over to a week of Physics and then finally a week of Organic Chemistry.  By the time the month is over, you will forget everything that you reviewed and potentially even mastered in Biology because our brains are not able to process information that effectively.  This is also another good change to make in your life to set you up well for how to succeed in Medical School because with such a fast pace, you need to be able to not only learn new material but make sure you do not forget the material that you have already learned.  

A good strategy is to make page summaries of each chapter that you read with an emphasis on mnemonics and diagrams as opposed to bullet points.  It is easier for your brain to recognize smaller tidbits of information and details found in pictures and diagrams. This will help you retain the information more rapidly and as an added bonus, you can save time by not having to reread chapters if you have sufficient notes on the page summaries that you produced.  As you complete your practice exams, reference this material and add to the diagrams to make sure you are retaining the right information.  Getting a question wrong is a great way to engrave a concept into your head but make sure all the details are recorded so when you look at the information a month later, you are able to remember it as fresh as it was on the day of the practice test.   

Another good technique to make sure you are thinking like you will have to on the Exam is to try to synthesis pathways and components from different disciplines.  You will be surprised at how an enzyme in the Kreb's Cycle can somehow creep its way into a Physics problem. The MCAT loves to make you apply material from various disciplines together in order to solve a problem so make sure you are accustomed to that mental exercise well before seeing it on Test Day.