MCAT 515+ — what does a realistic 6-month study plan actually look like?
I'm a junior pre-med with a 3.7 GPA in biochemistry and I'm planning to take the MCAT next June. I've been told 515+ is the target for the programs I'm applying to and I want to build a realistic study plan rather than just picking up whatever Kaplan package and hoping for the best.
My weak areas are CARS — I've always been a slow reader — and psychological/sociological foundations. My science foundation in bio and chem is solid. I'm looking at 20-25 hours per week available for studying given my courseload.
What does a realistic 6-month plan look like for someone at my starting point?
20-25 hours per week is sufficient for 515+ if the time is focused. The biggest mistake is passive re-reading of content rather than active retrieval practice. Every review session should involve answering questions, not just reading notes.
Months 1-2: content review across all sections including P/S. Don't skip P/S just because it feels like memorization — it's 25% of your score and very learnable. Months 3-4: practice passages and section banks. Months 5-6: full-length AAMC practice exams and targeted review.
The MCAT practice tests on this site are useful for non-AAMC full-length practice in the early months. Save the official AAMC materials for months 5-6 — they're the most predictive of your actual score and you don't want to burn them early.
CARS is the section you can't cram. Start it now, today, regardless of where you are in your broader plan. Do 1 CARS passage every single day for 6 months. It's a reading skill that develops over time, not a knowledge base you can frontload.