The Ultimate MCAT Strategy Session with Dr. Jasmine Weiss

Unlock the secrets to conquering the MCAT as Dr. Jasmine Weiss guides you through the pitfalls to avoid on your path to medical school. Prepare to elevate your test prep game beyond what you thought possible, because Dr. Weiss doesn't just share tips—she transforms the way you approach studying. This episode of the B-MED Connect podcast is an essential listen for any aspiring medical professional, packed with strategies and insights that promise to morph potential stumbling blocks into stepping stones for success.

Please tune in for an enlightening conversation with Dr. Weiss, where she lays out the top three blunders students make while prepping for the MCAT and how to sidestep them with finesse. From the dangers of underestimating the exam to the necessity of a tailored study plan and the power of daily practice questions, Dr. Weiss has your back. She even throws in a bonus tip about the critical role of full-length practice exams and shares resources like Khan Academy, where you can find these tools for free. It's not just about studying harder; it's about studying smarter, and this episode is your key to doing just that.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hey you, yes you Are you taking the MCAT soon. Well, let me help you out and give you three mistakes that people commonly make so you don't make those mistakes when preparing for the MCAT. Let's jump right into the episode. Welcome back to the BlackMadeConnect podcast. I'm your host, dr Jasmine Weiss, and here on the Be man podcast we share inspiring stories of Black physicians and physicians in training, and today we're going to talk about three mistakes I want to help you avoid while you're preparing for the MCAT. Number one I want you to make sure you don't wing it. That's right. I know everybody has taken a test where they may have studied a little bit less than they really wanted to. Well, the MCAT is not the test where you do that. The MCAT is the test where you actually take the time to take a few months actually to prepare for the exam, so you make sure you ace it on that first try. So the first mistake to avoid is winging it and just going to take the test like it's a regular exam. So how do you do that? The second mistake people make is not having a study plan when they're actually preparing for the test. This test, again, is like no other test you've ever taken. There are portions of the exam that you need to make sure you set aside time for, and it may take weeks at a time to make sure you review all of the subject matter. The way to make sure you create a study plan is to first take a practice test. That's right. Take a full practice exam at the beginning of your months where you're going to study. Why is this important? It's important to take a practice test early so you can identify your strengths and your weaknesses. If you know the things that you are not strong in, you can take the most time to prepare for that section of the MCAT. That's the second mistake to avoid not having a plan, not taking a practice test early so that you can create your plan as you proceed and get closer to your MCAT date.

Speaker 1: 2:15

The third mistake to avoid is not doing enough practice questions. This is a huge part of taking the MCAT. Again, most times when you're in your classes, you can do the homework assignments. Potentially, you can read the chapters that you need to read for your class and then you can go take the test. The MCAT is not like that. I want you to do practice questions every single day. Let me repeat that At least one or two practice questions every single day in the months leading up to your exam. This test is much longer than any other test you've ever taken. It's not one hours, it's not two hours, it's a full half-day exam. So you have to get into the habit of doing practice questions that correlate with the subjects that you are practicing for. So that is the third mistake to avoid not doing enough practice questions.

Speaker 1: 3:11

Now I want to give you a fourth bonus mistake that a lot of people make they never sit down to do a full-length exam. Like I just said, this exam is longer than any other test you've ever taken, and if you don't build up your stamina, if you don't practice the sections with the appropriate time limits that they have, then you will potentially rush through the exam or, on the other side to that, you may think you have more time on each section than you truly do and then run out of time for each section. So I want you to make sure that you sit down, whether that be on a weekend or a day where you don't have classes, and I want you to take multiple full-length exams. So a few key resources where you can get free full-length tests include the Association of American Medical Colleges or the double AMC. They have a free full-length test that you can take. A few other resources include Kaplan and Princeton Review. They also have free MCAT tests that you can take. Another great resource when studying for the MCAT that has tons of free videos and practice questions is Khanacademycom. So be sure you check out that free resource to help you as you prepare for your MCAT exam.

Speaker 1: 4:26

We just explored three common mistakes that people make when preparing for the MCAT. Number one some people just think they can go straight into the exam without actually taking time to prepare. The second mistake is not actually creating a study plan, not starting off your study time with a practice exam to make sure you're setting aside time to really attack your weaknesses and take lots and lots of practice questions related to those weaknesses. And the third thing that people commonly do is not actually take a full-length exam before preparing to actually take the real test. And I want to rephrase that it's not one full-length exam.

Speaker 1: 5:06

You need to make sure you take at least three or four exams to be sure that your test score is increasing over the months leading up to the MCAT. One thing I want you to remember is you can retake this test more than one time. So you want to make sure you really lean in that first time you're taking the exam to get the best score possible. But do not get discouraged. If it's not the score you want, you can always take the test again. But to do that, you cannot wait to the last MCAT date to take your test. So be sure to take the test early in the spring and summer so you can get that score back and decide if you need to take it again before your application is due.

Speaker 1: 5:49

And Be man is a huge resource for you too. We're so excited because the Be man app is launching very soon, in the coming month. So I want you to remember on this app you'll be able to join other people just like you who are studying for the MCAT. You'll be able to add them as friends and ultimately create groups around studying for the MCAT. If you want to join that MCAT study group in the Be man app, be sure to sign up for the waitlist today.

Speaker 1: 6:18

We hope you enjoyed this episode. We do this because we want to make sure we give you all the tools and resources you need to be successful as you go to apply for medical school. So if you want to stay connected with us and you want to build your community as you go along this journey, then I want you to like, comment and subscribe to BlackMed Connect and share this with a friend if they're studying for the MCAT too, to make sure they get all the tips and tricks to be successful along their journey to prepare for the MCAT. Until next time, always remember to drink without limits.