• Updated on Aug 29, 2025 by Santana Banerjee
MCAT Preparation Tips 2025: For the best results, candidates can take the MCAT during or before the summer, when most students have fewer classes and more time to focus. They must start by taking a free practice test to understand their strengths and what needs improvement. A good study plan includes around 20 hours per week for 3 months. In the first two months, their focus should be on learning the key subjects: Biochemistry, Biology, General and Organic Chemistry, Physics, Math, and Behavioural Sciences. Some other MCAT Preparation Tips 2025 include taking full-length practice tests and spending full days reviewing them. Practice tests by Kaplan, Blueprint, Altius, and Princeton Review can also be useful for students to understand the question types.
Other helpful resources for MCAT Exam 2025 include Kaplan’s QBank for practice questions with explanations, the Complete 7-Book Subject Review with online tests and videos, and 1,000 flashcards to help boost memory. For experiencing a real testing environment, they can consider taking a prep class, Live Online, On Demand, or In Person, to improve their score.
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MCAT Preparation Tips 2025
Preparation for the MCAT exam needs dedication and a fixed study schedule. AAMC offers numerous resources and practice tests to help aspirants get familiar with the exam environment. Candidates are suggested to create a study plan and understand the exam pattern first. Then they should focus on noting down the main contents of the MCAT Exam. Refer to the information below to check some MCAT Preparation Tips to start the preparation journey:
- Target a specific exam timeline: Taking the MCAT during the summer or before the summer is the best time. During this time, candidates have minimal or no classes, which allows them to stick to a fixed MCAT study timeline.
- Take a free practice test: Before diving into the study schedule, candidates must take a free diagnostic test to understand their strengths and areas of improvement.
- Allocate sufficient hours in a day: Candidates should allocate 20 hours a week for 3 months to cover all the contents of MCAT Syllabus 2025.
- Create a 3-month study plan: In the first and second months, candidates should focus on strengthening the concepts of Biochemistry, Biology, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physics/Math, and Behavioural Sciences. In the third month, they should take continuous practice tests and follow up with a full day of test review.
- Use prep programs by AAMC: AAMC offers videos of thousands of hours, including self-prep materials. Candidates can use these for free to learn the smart tricks to crack the MCAT Exam.
- Join Reddit and Facebook study groups: Candidates who are taking self-preparation might have several confusions about the overall strategy tips. In that case, they are suggested to join Reddit and Facebook study groups to get answers to their questions for free.
- Choosing the right MCAT Exam Books: A lot of books are available for MCAT preparation, but to prepare effectively, students must choose books by Kaplan, Princeton Review, and Exam Krackers.
- MCAT Prep Videos: Candidates are suggested to watch videos from Khan Academy and AK lectures to learn useful concepts of science subjects.
- Solve MCAT Practice Tests: Students must take a full-length practice test every week to track their progress. Some famous practice test takers are Kaplan, Blueprint, Altius, and Princeton Review. Candidates can take the practice tests from these test takers to boost their chances of getting a score of 518 or above.
- Use Quizlet to take notes on important parts: Quizlet is flashcard software that candidates can use for taking notes. Thus, it will help them with long-term memory.
- Practice time management: To practice time management, candidates must create some blocks of 20 science questions in 30 minutes. Practising 40 questions in 1 hour can help candidates increase their pace.
MCAT 3-month Study Schedule
Three months is the minimum time most students should study for the MCAT exam. Below is a detailed 3-month plan for the candidates to score 518 or higher.
MCAT Study And Practice Materials
Taking MCAT Practice Tests is the only effective way to test candidates’ content knowledge. Most importantly, it helps candidates work on weaknesses to ensure score improvement. Below are some names of MCT Study and Practice Materials that are useful to get a score of 500+ in MCAT Exam 2025.
- MCAT Practice Questions: Kaplan’s MCAT QBank consists of targeted questions. Candidates can learn from their mistakes and raise scores with in-depth explanations.
- Kaplan’s MCAT Complete 7-Book Subject Review + Online Resources: This study material includes three online full-length practice tests and additional science videos.
- MCAT Flashcards: Candidates can get access to 1,000 essential flashcards to help them master the material and increase their MCAT score.
- Take a Class: Candidates should consider taking an MCAT prep class, Live Online, On Demand, In Person, or the 515+ MCAT Course to score high. This will help them to learn strategies and skills needed to apply to the MCAT Exam.
MCAT Prep Resources
AAMC offers several resources, such as practice questions in natural sciences, behavioural sciences, and social sciences, MCAT section banks which contain passages and questions from old MCAT tests on Biology, Physics, Chemistry, and Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS). Below are some names of the MCAT prep resources:
- Kaplan
- Blueprint
- Princeton Review
- Quizlet
- Berkley Review
- U World
- Khan Academy
- Jack Westin
- MCAT Bros
- MCAT Ladder
- Next Step
- Altius Prep
- AAMC Prep
- Anki Flash Cards
- Exam Krackers
- AK Lectures
- Shemassian Consulting
- Crashing course videos
MCAT Preparation Tips 2025 FAQs
How to prepare for the MCAT Exam 2025?
Candidates must target a specific exam timeline, take a free practice test, allocate sufficient hours in a day, create a 3-month study plan, use prep programs by AAMC, join Reddit and Facebook study groups, watch MCAT Prep videos and solve MCAT Practice Tests.
Is three months enough to study for the MCAT Exam 2025?
Yes, 12 weeks are enough to cover all sections of the MCAT Exam Syllabus. However, candidates should study at least 20 hours per week and practice sample questions each week to strengthen their preparation.
Does preparation for the MCAT exam differ for examinees applying to MD-granting or DO-granting medical schools?
MD- and DO-granting schools follow a similar curriculum to prepare their students for entry into ACGME-accredited residency training programs. So, preparation for the MCAT exam does not differ for examinees applying to other schools.
How many hours a day should one study for the MCAT for 3 months?
Students must study 3 hours per day to study all the MCAT sections in 3 months. Besides, they must take full-length practice tests, use AAMC resources and flashcards.
What is a good MCAT score?
A good MCAT score depends on the target schools and their cutoff range. Based on past year trends, it has been found that average MCAT scores for applicants are generally between 515 and 518. So, scoring 515+ can be considered a good MCAT score.
What is 90% correct on the MCAT Exam 2025?
90% correct on the MCAT Exam indicates 90th percentile with a total score of 515. Accordingly, the score for each section is between 128 and 130.
What should I do before starting MCAT Preparation?
Candidates must spend at least one full day reviewing full-length practice exams to understand their areas of improvement. Moreover, they must spend as much time reviewing the problems they got right and wrong.
Which is the best way to take the MCAT Exam 2025?
‘Summer is the most popular time to take the MCAT because students do not have other classes to focus on, and they can devote more time to preparing.
What are some useful MCAT resources to achieve a 515+ score?
Kaplan, Blueprint, Princeton Review, Reddit, Quizlet, Berkley Review, U World, Khan Academy, Jack Westin and MCAT Bros are some useful MCAT resources to achieve a 515+ score.
Why should I focus more on full-length practice tests to prepare for the MCAT Exam 2025?
Candidates must start with full-length practice tests as they simulate the test experience as closely as possible. Start practice exams before they are entirely done with the content review. It can help them understand what to work on.