Im starting college in the fall and I have read through many forums about when to start studying for the MCAT (usually everyone says by junior year ish). I have very poor critical and analytical reading skills, and was wondering if I should start now? And if I should, what resources should I use? Also, as this test will probably be the most important test in my college career, should I begin to at least get familiar with it this year?
If you know that reading skills are a weak area for you, you should start working on remediating that now. Critical reading is the most difficult area to gain improvement in.
Some suggestions:
–check to see if your college’s study skills center offers a reading skills class/seminar and take it.
–start reading information dense but non-technical, non-fiction material. (People often recommend taking a subscription to The Economist or The Atlantic Monthly). Practice writing abstracts that capture key idea of the arguments presented.
– buy some critical reading MCAT prep books (Exam Krackers, Princeton, Kaplan, etc.) and start working through them.
–read, read, read and read some more. Even reading fiction helps. But pick material that is college-level.
Too soon to “get familiar” with the MCAT. You only have access to a very limited number of practice exams. (And AMCAS charges $$$ for them.) You want to save those until you’re closer to taking the exam so you can see if you’ve prepped adequately.