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Burnout during the MCAT is a common and challenging experience, often characterized by physical and emotional exhaustion, decreased motivation, and a sense of overwhelm caused by the demanding and extensive preparation required for the exam. The intense pressure to perform well can lead to burnout among test takers, making self-compassion and balanced study practices crucial for maintaining well-being and achieving success.
What does it take to conquer the MCAT, push through burnout, and come out stronger on the other side?
In this episode, Vera sits down with Priya Leghari, a determined and resilient individual who shares her transformative experience of preparing for the MCAT. From facing burnout head-on to adapting study strategies, Priya opens up about the challenges she encountered while striving to achieve their goal score. Throughout their conversation, Priya provides invaluable insights on conquering various sections of the exam, including psychology, chemistry, and physics, while emphasizing the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
Join us as we delve into Priya's inspiring journey of endurance, growth, and ultimate success in conquering the MCAT. -
At the beginning of her MCAT journey, Julia was discouraged by how little progress she was seeing in her practice exam scores. In January, she scored a 499, and even after a month and a half of pushing herself in her studying afterwards, she only improved by 1-point… which was a long way from her dream score of 513. In particular, she struggled with the C/P section, which is something we think a lot of us can relate to as well! It’s so tough!
So it was around this point that Julia decided to reach out for some help. Through tutoring with us and her own personal perseverance, Julia doubled down during the final 8 weeks leading up to her exam, and was eventually able to raise her score all the way up to the dream she’d had from the beginning– a 513!! With a 128 in C/P (a 5-point increase from her initial section score)! That’s so amazing!
In this interview, we’re going to launch into exactly how she achieved a 13-point score increase in just 2 months, how she motivated herself through a plateau, what strategies she used for each section, and so much more…
Additionally, she attributes much of her success to enrolling in an MCAT Mastery course. Here's what she says about her MCAT Mastery experience:
“I had Merrina as my tutor and I cannot recommend her enough. She’s great at what she does and knows the MCAT frontwards and backwards. She gave me a lot of tips and strategies to help with my weakest areas. She also let me work through problems with her during our sessions so she could see where I was getting hung up and not performing as well or efficiently. Really thankful for all her help!!” -
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Preparing for the MCAT is hard enough on its own, but with a learning disability, it can become a lot harder! The good news is that even with a learning disability, you can ace the MCAT. How? Well, we'd like you to meet Michael, who was diagnosed with a learning disability and Tourette Syndrome before high school, and scored 517 (94th percentile) on the MCAT!
He's truly an inspiration and has put in the effort to create this episode for you on how to study for the MCAT when you have a learning disability.
We encourage you to watch it - whether you have a learning disability or not, you'll get something from it 🙂 -
With an exam as massive and important as the MCAT, nerves are inevitable! But how do we prevent these feelings of anxiety from getting the best of us? In this episode, Savannah Runge, 517 scorer MCAT Mastery mentor, shares easy and effective strategies you can put to use the second you feel a negative emotion coming up while you're studying or during an exam!
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Ever ask yourself 'am I ready for the MCAT'? There comes a point in every premed's journey where we ask ourselves this question and need to decide whether we need to push back or test date. After successfully walking many students through this decision, AND making the right decision during her own MCAT prep, Ariana (MS2, 515 scorer, and MCAT Mastery Mentor) has created this video to guide you on when it makes sense to push your test date back and when it doesn't!
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Has any of this ever happened to you when preparing for the MCAT?:
- You UNDERSTAND the passage but get the questions wrong (and when you review the passage, the answer was so obvious!)
- You're afraid to choose an answer because it seems too easy (so you don't choose it, but it was the right one!)
- You constantly get stuck between two answer choices (and end up choosing the wrong one because you second guess yourself!)
Don't worry. We’ve all been there! It took a lot of disappointing scores before we figured out what was really going on, and what the real culprits to our low scores were…
We'll let Ryan (130 CARS scorer) explain them to you in this episode, so that you can be one step closer to conquering MCAT CARS! -
At the start of his exam experience, Jake found himself very stressed out when it came to studying for the MCAT (especially with the CARS section). After scoring a 498 on his first practice exam, he knew he needed to increase his workload, but he sacrificed a lot of sleep and relaxation in the process. All of this stress and anxiety culminated in him led to him scoring a 509 on his first real exam day and although he knew that others might consider the score to be good, he knew that he could do even better if he was able to get adequate sleep and take care of himself better before the exam.
So– on his second time around, with only 3 months to study, Jake made sure to prioritize his mental and physical well-being to reduce some of the stress that had been plaguing him on his first attempt. By creating a study schedule, working hard to increase his CARS score, and even more that we’ll cover today, he was eventually able to feel calm and confident about the exam, and on his test day, he ended up scoring a 516 (an 18 point increase from his original starting place)!
In this interview, we’re going to launch into exactly how Jake was able to increase his score as a retaker, how he studied overall, how he scheduled his prep, what strategies he used for each section, and so much more…
He also credits a lot of his success in CARS to taking an MCAT Mastery course. Here's what he says about MCAT Mastery:
"Their CARS dissection videos are a must-watch! They are what caused me to get out of my plateau. The other tips in the CARS course helped me in my other sections as well. Would definitely recommend!” -
Just a month before her exam date, Kayla was scoring at a 500 on her practice exams. Although this wasn't a position that she wanted to be in, like a lot of us, she maintained her motivation and decided to push through to her exam. However, at that point, Kayla also realized that she didn’t have to go through her final prep month alone-- and that’s when she reached out to us for help. From there, she started working on her approach to the exam but was still only scoring at a 503 two weeks before her exam. Still, though, she didn’t let up with her prep-- and even with such a short amount of time to improve, Kayla was eventually able to raise her score to a 513 by her exam date!!
Overall, Kayla increased her score by 13 points in a month, with 10 points of that improvement happening in just the final two weeks before her exam, so in this interview, we’re dive deeper into exactly how she became a top scorer, focusing on how she studied, what she did to increase her score so quickly, how she scheduled her prep, what strategies she used for each section, and so much more… -
Maintaining a healthy balance between school, family and self-care had been Stephanie’s constant struggle. Taking her score from 496 to 505/506 took 11 months, then with 30 days left before her test day, her score skyrocketed to a 513! This is how she did it.
As you'll hear from the interview, Stephanie found our strategies to improve her score! Here's what she had said about them:
"One of the best resources for my MCAT journey! I wish I had found it sooner, but the MCAT Mastery guide & the CARS guide were so helpful. My score on practice FLs went from 506 to a 510 after reading this guide and learning how to correctly review my FLs. Scored a 513 on the actual, so thankful for these guys.
They sent emails every day with stories from other top scores testimonies and I would listen to them on my way to campus. Just hearing about others' determination and success made it feel more real for me. The Top Scorer MCAT Strategies and CARS Mastery with the CARS Dissections showed me how to really dissect a CARS passage to the point where I was only missing 5 questions per full length."
If you're looking for a similar score increase or are in a similar situation, check out these same strategies that Stephanie used. They'll help you as well! 👍 -
Today we'd like to introduce Jennifer Nagel, an MCAT top scorer, and our guest in today's MCAT Master Interview!
Although Jennifer always felt confident with the sciences, the MCAT is enough to make anyone second guess their skills.
Having taken the exam once in 2015, where she scored a 494, and again in 2019, where she scored a 502, she could have let her dream end there, but she didn’t...
Jennifer’s story with the exam is one of overcoming test anxiety, cultivating persistence, and determination...
All of which led her to score 513 on the MCAT on her third attempt! 🙌 -
It's holiday season!! 🎄 If you're in the midst of studying for the MCAT, you might be feeling all kinds of ways...
You might be feeling trapped, having to study while you see others around you taking breaks from their busy lives and having fun.
You might be feeling guilty, not studying as much as you think you should be, while spending a lot of time with family and friends.
We've been there. Those of us who tested in Jan or March were dealing with the same struggles during the December holidays.
In fact, this is an issue regardless of when you're taking the MCAT (it's no different if you're testing in the summer!).
We got through it but today as we're tutoring students, we're seeing history repeat itself!
Here's the deal:
More often than not, we're too hard on ourselves.
We're seeing students completely isolate from social interactions, facing burnout, and losing our on both ends; their scores don't increase because of the stress, and they don't get to enjoy the holiday season either!
We're not saying you have to pick one or the other (good MCAT score or chill with fam/friends)...
We're saying it's possible to have both! How?
That's what Monika and Ariana are discussing in this special podcast episode!
Both dealt with these inner conflicts, yet they both scored 90+ percentile on the MCAT! 🙌
Here's their advice for you. -
Like so many others, Abbi Shrontz found herself overwhelmed by the MCAT. When she began her prep, she was juggling 2 jobs and was a full-time student. And although she did thoroughly review content, her scores plateaued around the low 500s.
In this episode, Abbi shares how she turned that around into a success story - in 30 days, she went from the 63rd to a 92nd percentile score! 🙌
As you know, Abbi worked 1:1 with an MCAT Mastery Mentor and used the strategies that are now available in our self-paced courses!
Here's what she had to say about her experience with us:
"MCAT Mastery was honestly the best resource I found for studying for the test. Lots of companies have content resources, but MCAT Mastery's guides helped me so much with strategy and my overall mindset! I also really appreciate how affordable the tools are! I bought a few guides from the company, and then ultimately decided I would benefit from the one on one tutoring. My tutor was so helpful! He helped me with my weekly study schedules and helped me solidify my strategies for each section. What I really appreciate about this company is that they provide so much help for students outside of content review. They also make sure to let students know that there is no single way to take the test that is better than another. They encourage students to find a strategy that works for them, but provide so many helpful tips and ideas. I have recommended this company to all of my pre-med friends and will continue to do so!"
Abbi decided on tutoring a month before her test day. Does that mean you should wait that long too, before you invest in getting help from previous top scorers before you?
Not at all! The sooner you start studying the right way with the right strategies, the higher your score will be on test day 👇
You can sign up to work with one of us here: https://mcatmastery.net/mcat-tutors/ 🤝
You can enroll in our MCAT Strategy Courses here: https://mcatmastery.net/mcat-strategy-courses/ 👩💻 -
Kartik Goswami went from having a 510 score goal but scoring 480s to 490s for four months straight, to taking the MCAT four separate times over a year, before finally achieving an impressive 514! He is truly an inspiration to anyone feeling frustrated on this journey and to anyone who feels like giving up their dreams...
As you'll hear from the interview, Kartik worked 1:1 with an MCAT Mastery Mentor!
Here's what he had to say about it:
"The tutoring experience was amazing! I really had a great tutor. And I have to say the MCAT Mastery pricing for tutors was much better than any other company out there. And I don't regret it at all. He helped me with every section. Essentially, he gave me tips and tricks on everything."
If you also need some hand holding to reach your goal score, we got you 🙂
You can sign up to work with one of us here 🤝 https://mcatmastery.net/mcat-tutors/ -
One of the most difficult parts about the MCAT is that it pushes us past the boundary of what is comfortable.
This includes:
→ Sitting for 7 hours at a time
→ Mastering physics (or any other topics you aren’t a fan of)
→ Missing problems on practice questions, exams, even the real MCAT
→ Emotions: exhaustion, frustration, fear, imposter syndrome
All of these can lead you to want to back away from what is causing you negative feelings. In this case, the MCAT.
So how do you overcome this?
This is what Ariana and Monika discuss in this episode of the MCAT Mastery Podcast.
Both Ariana and Monika dealt with these struggles during MCAT prep but came out scoring 515+ on the exam.
📝 Get show notes, links to resources mentioned, and more here: https://mcatmastery.net/learning-to-like-the-mcat -
When Kalei first started studying for the MCAT, she was worried that she wouldn't have enough time to study and was overwhelmed by her busy schedule on top of preparing for the exam.
All of this culminated in her scoring a 498 at the beginning of her prep, which was definitely not as high as she wanted it to be. So going forward from there, she began to focus on developing efficient study strategies and was able to raise her score to an astounding 514 by her test date, that's a 16 point increase, which is extremely impressive!
Kalei's Review:
"My MCAT journey really shows that MCAT Mastery can give any student the confidence and direction they need to be successful, regardless of their schedule. I am a military member studying at a Service Academy (West Point) therefore my journey was pretty unique. I balanced my MCAT studying with 22 credit hours, an honors research independent study, and my extracurriculars including tutoring, intramural coaching, and club president. I was extremely worried I would not be able to have enough time to study, but MCAT Mastery showed me how to be efficient and effective in my preparation. It was also extremely encouraging to read other stories of students overcoming unique circumstances in their MCAT journey -- it helped give me confidence!" -
Nate went from 32 med-school rejections because of his 500 MCAT score, to a 514 and med-school acceptance 2.5 years later! This is his success story :)
"I applied to medical school last cycle and got rejected from 32 schools, and the harsh reality of having to take the MCAT again was a rough one to embrace. But the reason I want to do this interview is because I want to help other premed students not have to face that reality, so they can crush it the first time and go to their dream school!" - Nate
🚀 Get the CARS Strategy Course Nate used to improve his score: https://mcatmastery.net/mcat-strategy-courses -
As a full-time student, Anne spent the beginning of her MCAT prep, balancing studying with her classes. Over two weeks before her test day, she began to realize that she might have just been passively studying because she scored a 501 on one of her practice exams.
Upset by the score, she contemplated rescheduling, as it had already been rescheduled once before. So, she decided to push through Instead. She worked hard, signed up for tutoring, and most importantly, changed her mindset towards the exam. All these paying off by the time her test date actually came around.
After just two weeks of this intense study, and with the help of her tutor, Anne was able to increase her score from that initial 501 to a 514 by her test date. That is a 13 point increase within 14 days!
In this episode, we're going to learn more about how she studied, how she increased her score, how she kept herself motivated, how she scheduled her prep, and what strategies she used for each section, specifically, and so much more. -
With 4 weeks left before MCAT test day, Yusuf Amawi found himself plateauing at a 500 on practice exams and he was aiming for a 512. This is a large increase, but like we tell all of our students, it’s absolutely possible. Struggling and unsure what to do to increase his score, Yusuf began trying to change his study methods and approach to the exam, and that’s what ultimately brought him to us. With his tutor and his own perseverance, his hard work eventually paid off and 30 days later on test day, he scored a 512 (his exact goal!) on his official MCAT!!
In this interview, we’re going to find out exactly how he increased his score by 12 points in just 4 weeks, how he studied, how he scheduled his prep, what strategies he used for each section, and so much more… -
As part of our ongoing mission to put together the formula for achieving a top MCAT score, we understand that it is important to not only focus on the content and the practice questions but also to have that growth mindset to keep moving forward.
So, in today's episode, Monika and Ariana talk about the common issues students are struggling with, what grit is and how each characteristic applies to the MCAT prep.
Can't wait to share this with you and help you become an MCAT top scorer! -
In this MCAT Master Interview, you'll meet Samantha Main. Samantha began MCAT studying almost 8 months before her test date, with full dedication really in the last 2-3 months, but by her test date, she wasn’t feeling ready. She even pushed the MCAT back 2 weeks, but still ended up scoring a 499 on her first attempt! She was far into applications and knew she had to do better to get accepted, so she decided to shoot for another test date just four weeks later! Which was also the last test date of the year. In those 4 weeks she ended up increasing her score by 12 points to a 511!
Her story exemplifies the importance of not giving up on yourself, and shows that even if you have a short amount of time left, you can definitely still improve. The way to do so is exactly what Samantha will tell us more about in this interview!
So to get into all of that, we’re going to dive into understanding exactly how she studied, what she did to increase her score so quickly, how she scheduled her prep, what strategies she used for each section, and so much more… - Vis mere
