After her experience studying for the MCAT, Hanna wanted to share advice to students just getting started. First and foremost, Hanna stated that students do not need to study for as many months as they may assume. Instead, she found that her score significantly improved when she entirely dedicated herself to studying for ten weeks. Hanna stated that studying for longer wastes time and energy that students could use elsewhere to strengthen their medical school application.

Science Sections Advice

Whenever Hanna first began a science section, she took a minute to slow down and breathe. Once she started the section, she found it best to answer every question in a row. Since most questions are passage-based, Hanna realized it took her less time to answer complex questions as soon as she ran into them instead of coming back to them later. If she had skipped the question, then returned to it after some time, she would have had to reread portions of the passage. Therefore, Hanna recommends to at least select a best guess and cross out incorrect answer choices.

After taking five practice exams, she became comfortable with the timing of the test. She learned to pace herself, so she would not need to look at the countdown timer continuously.

Chemistry & Physics Section Advice

Hanna memorized the formulas covered in the MCAT for Victory course. She advises students to thoroughly understand the equations rather than use rote memorization. Due to her studies, whenever a question required an equation, she quickly figured out which formula to use and looked for the appropriate variables in the passage.

On the other hand, questions dealing with graphs took Hanna more time to answer. She recommends following these steps whenever a question involving a graph is encountered:

1. Read the passage carefully to understand the hypothesis and measurements.
2. Look at the title and labeling of the graph's axes.
3. Understand the numbers and purpose of the graph.
4. Orient yourself to how the researchers record the measures.
5. Answer the question appropriately.

Biology & Biochemistry Advice

Hanna felt very comfortable in this section as she majored in biology. She was fascinated by the subject and found it easy to learn and remember the information. Hanna says students should review unknown terminology to help connect and cement the content.

She also stated that amino acids are heavily tested, so she recommends memorizing all the MCAT for Victory mnemonics. Finally, she suggests that test-takers highlight words that influence the products (e.g., stimulate, inhibit) whenever a passage involves a pathway.

Psychology & Sociology Section Advice

Hanna had the most difficulty with this section since she never took a general psychology class in college. At first, she consistently got confused by terms that sounded similar (e.g., social loafing, social facilitation). However, Hanna learned to easily differentiate the vocabulary words by using the MCAT for Victory Anki deck.

CARS Section Advice

Hanna shared that her CARS score drastically increased when she switched from the Princeton Review method to the MCAT for Victory method. Before starting MCAT for Victory, she used to read each paragraph independently and wrote a brief description before advancing to the next paragraph. However, she found this method inefficient, tedious, and confusing.

Hanna recommends reading frequently – she says reading helps with overall comprehension and understanding of the author. During the MCAT, she highlighted names and transition words (e.g., however, additionally, moreover). Once her performance improved, her anxiety went down, which further helped her perform even better. Hanna stated that using the MCAT for Victory method created a positive feedback loop for her CARS score and experience.