Why is mcat so hard

The SAT also only assesses what you learned in high school. You need stamina, patience and confidence to do well in it. Many students claim doing well on the SAT with little to no study at all. One of the areas of overlap is the CARS-style passages. The sheer length of the exam calls for solid and repeated practice. Your chances are infinitesimely small.

Anyone can do well on the MCAT with enough and the right type of preparation. You just have to be dedicated, disciplined and very well practiced. That means putting in a ton of hours in deep-focused study. As well as employing strong evidence-based study methods that help you recall information long-term check out my MCAT anki deck recommendations for help here. Continue your research, gather your resources, set out a steady study plan.

Most of all, believe in yourself. They get so bogged down and overwhelmed, which makes doing well on the MCAT seem even harder than it is. Other students find a way to thrive under this pressure. Some students are able to shift their mindset to make preparing for and taking the MCAT almost like a game.

The MCAT takes everything you know about taking tests and turns it on its head. Anecdotally, many students report that they scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT with little to no studying but that they could not replicate this with the MCAT.

Even with many hours of studying for the MCAT, these same students report scoring below the 70th percentile. The main reason for this many of these students report: the MCAT is a different beast. Most standardized tests and college exams largely test what you know.

The MCAT also tests what you know, but moreso, it tests how you think. It asks you to think in ways most other exams do not. Are you able to think critically, synthesize information, and analyze what is being presented to you — all within a short period of time? Additionally, the MCAT has many questions that combine content from different subjects — this is difficult for students who tend to compartmentalize information. The section students tend to find most difficult deserves its own difficulty analysis entirely: CARS.

The lowest average section scores overall and for matriculants are in CARS. Students report struggling with CARS because it takes the idea of using critical thinking and logical reasoning and puts it on steroids. The questions in this section are so different from anything students have studied in their undergrad science classes. You could easily ace every med school prerequisite and be completely baffled the first time you see a CARS practice question.

This is because questions in CARS are not designed to test your scientific content knowledge. The questions are completely designed to test your thought process, what you can infer from reading a passage, and how well you can separate important and useless information. Because it includes long, complex passages, it also tests how quickly you can read and comprehend passages. Additionally, according to AAMC , CARS tests content from ethics, philosophy, studies of diverse cultures, population health, and a wide range of social sciences and humanities disciplines.

For this reason, students who majored in the humanities might find CARS easier than students who majored in the sciences. The fact is that CARS might not be inherently more difficult than other sections, but it is likely to be the most different from the ways students have studied and been tested in the past. Is the MCAT difficult? The short answer is: yes. A test that assesses your critical thinking skills and analytical skills via your knowledge of scientific facts and concepts, all under a timer and with immense pressure to do well?

This test does not require you to remember the concepts but to understand them as well as know how they work, and maybe even apply them. They will also help you understand them thoroughly through effective discussions and answer explanations.

As mentioned above, the MCAT also tests critical thinking. What most previous test-takers will agree on, however, is that its difficulty level will vary from one test-taker to another. Some will find it very tough while others might be able to breeze through it.

Because despite its difficulty and as long as you follow a good MCAT study schedule , there are certain elements of this test that will allow you to take it on without a hitch. Some of example of these are the following. Before you step away and think that only geniuses can do well on the MCAT, you also have to know that the topics covered in this test are the basic ones.

You just need to know and understand the basics of the science courses you took. The challenge, actually, is the breadth and presentation of the test questions and not the content itself. You will be able to deal with the content with ample preparation but the number of items that will be tested and the trickiness of the questions can make the test harder than what it has to be. Nonetheless, with ample preparation, you will be able to take on this test effectively. Like any other standardized test, you can thoroughly prepare for the MCAT exam.

The charm of standardized tests is the fact that they not only have a specific format and formula, but also have a set length as far as time and number of sections go. What you should focus your energy on is the actual preparation process.

With the difficulty level of this test, you should make sure to cover all your bases and prepare thoroughly for it. You can even use the same test prep techniques with minor tweaks to tailor fit the MCAT to get successful results. As mentioned above, one of the things that make the MCAT hard is the fact that it tests your understanding of concepts and ideas related to the medical field. So if you can completely grasp the ideas behind the concepts and how things work, the MCAT might not have to feel too tough for you.

And to be honest, this is exactly the case. The test itself is tricky so preparing for it should be done correctly and properly for you to yield great results. To help you in this regard, here are a few items that you should remember so you can effectively get ready for this test:. Experts in the field of test prep always recommend that you start preparing for a standardized test months ahead of your test date.

This is true for MCAT as well. Experts believe in and have seen positive results from months of preparation for this test. This includes taking your required pre-requisite science courses to get into your top medical schools.

Take them seriously and you won't need to prepare as much for the test. You can sign up for an MCAT prep course and have an expert help you get ready for the test. These programs are pricey, so you have to make sure to make the most out of your investment. Getting to know the MCAT thoroughly will also help you get ready for it effectively.