MCAT
One of the most-dreaded parts of any pre-med’s application process is the Medical College Admissions Test (endearingly shortened to the MCAT). It is a 7.5 hour long standardized, multiple choice, computer-based test that is administered every year by the American of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and is used as part of the admissions process for the majority of medical schools. The content tested includes chemistry/physics, reading comprehension, biology, and psychology.
I was fortunate, or perhaps unfortunate, enough to be one of the more than 85,000 students that wrote it in 2024, having to pay the $600 registration fee to do so. My preparation was fairly unorthodox — I started my slow content review (memorizing flashcards and skimming the $350 Kaplan textbooks for each subject) in the first year of university. Typically, most students will opt for a shortened, intense three-month study schedule with content review much closer to the test date. Six months out from my test, I started ramping up my daily flashcards and aimed to have all 6,000 cards completed by three months out, so I could focus more on completing practice questions, practise full-length exams, and reading passages.
If you look online, most will advocate for three resources at the bare minimum: UWorld question bank ($360), AAMC official prep materials ($600), and the Jack Westin Daily Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills Passages (free online). At the very least then, one could expect to pay just under $2,000 to give themselves the best fighting chance.
I ended up receiving a 526 — a 100th percentile score — on my first attempt and I learned a lot throughout this process. There are some things I’m glad I did and some things I wish I knew before I started. First, I’m happy that I started content review early. Going over the same concepts over and over again really helped cement my understanding and the base it provided made it much easier to apply my knowledge to the questions. Second, I wished I had planned better when booking my test date. I didn’t know early testing dates sold out almost immediately when I booked mine. If you anticipate having to rewrite the MCAT, or even just want that safeguard, you have to stay extra vigilant when bookings for the next testing year open. Third, and most importantly, leave the AAMC practice problems for the very last month and a half of your prep. These questions are the most representative of what you’ll see on the real thing, and the scores you get on the full-length exams will likely be around your real score. Get all your practice and content gaps addressed first so you can better anticipate how well you’ll do on the real thing.
To anyone planning to write the MCAT this year: best of luck! The process is undoubtedly challenging and time-consuming, but you’re not alone — thousands have navigated it before you, and thousands will follow. The MCAT is a test of resilience as much as knowledge, and with careful preparation and perseverance, success is within reach.
Christiano Choo, Senior Editor
LSAT
The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is probably one of the hardest parts of applying to law school. The test requires months of studying and practicing to achieve your dream score. The LSAT is a mandatory part of the law school application process in North America. Its purpose is to assess an applicant’s critical reasoning, reading comprehension, and persuasive writing, all of which are important and necessary skills to thrive and survive law school. The test is administered by the Law School Admission Council and costs $238. The test is about three hours long with four 35-minute multiple choice test sections. There is a 10-minute break between the second and third section. The four sections currently consist of reading comprehension and logical reasoning.
My experience with LSAT was definitely a long journey that took a lot of patience. I started studying in May 2023 and took the test in April 2024. I chose to take almost a year to study for it because I was working and doing school at the same time. To prepare for the test, I decided to take a course called 7Sage, which is an American LSAT course. The course provided me with a study schedule, learning modules, and practice tests to help me succeed. The course had three main sections that helped me master the respective section of the LSAT. The first section of logical reasoning involves examining a given set of facts to deduce other facts or a conclusion. There are about 15 questions types in logical reasoning, including flaw questions, assumption questions, and strengthening/weakening questions. The second section of the course was reading comprehension, which involves reading a passage and answering questions about it. The last section of the course was logic games, although this is no longer part of the test as of August 2024.
By the end of September 2023, I completed the course and was now taking practice tests every week. I made sure to take all of the ones offered by the course. By the beginning of January 2024, I was scoring a 160 constantly, which is in the 75th percentile, but I wanted to aim for a 165 so I continued practicing until April. In the April 2024 LSAT, I ended up scoring a 167, which is in the 88th percentile. I was beyond satisfied with my score and didn’t plan on taking the test ever again.
I learned a lot through the study process and the biggest piece of advice I would give is to give yourself enough time to practice. I realized how much better I started doing once I kept taking more practice tests. This process can get mentally exhausting so it is important to give yourself some breaks along the way. Using a LSAT course worked out great for me but it doesn’t work for everyone and some people might want to get a tutor. Everyone learns in a different way and it’s important to take this into consideration when deciding how to study for the LSAT. If you are preparing for the LSAT, I wish you well and hope you attain your dream score.
Humreet Sandhu, Staff Writer
