How I Scored in the 97th Percentile on the MCAT

How I Scored in the 97th Percentile on the MCAT | 3 Month Study Plan

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Күн бұрын

My Written Study Plan (With Links to All Resources): www.zhighley.com/how-i-scored...
Hopefully this helps those of you preparing for the MCAT! This is just what worked for me, it may not work for you. Make a plan that works for you and how you study best. I followed this 3 month study plan exactly the summer before I took the MCAT.
*I suggest buying the materials directly from the source (i.e. from Examkrackers and NOT Amazon, because EK will give you the most current version AND associated resources, so those are where I link to).
MCAT Study Tips That Improved My Score 10 Points: • MCAT Study Tips that I...
0:00 Intro
1:56 Materials
4:47 Content Revision
10:32 Practice Testing
11:23 Conclusion
12:20 Bonus
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Who am I:
My name is Zach. I'm a second-year medical student in Philadelphia. I make videos about medical school, entrepreneurship, and other cool things. I love trying new things and often mess up. However, every time I screw up I usually learn something. Whatever I learn I post either on KZfaq or my website 🌐 (zhighley.com/).
I write a weekly newsletter 💌 (zhighley.com/newsletter/) linking the best things I read, watched, and listened to that week. Not a single person has unsubscribed from this list (yet 😬).
📸 Instagram - / zachhighley
🐧 Twitter - / zachhighley
The Gear I Use to film videos: zhighley.com/resources/#_YouT…
What I'm Reading: zhighley.com/resources/#_Books

Пікірлер: 118

@angelicatheresemejia8776 2 жыл бұрын

I started doing your method of turning wrong FL questions into Anki cards and combining it with targeted review and I kid you not, my practice test scores jumped 11 points in ONE week. You're a real one bro!!!

@Karinafing 3 жыл бұрын

Smart, Handsome and Humble! Thank you so much for posting this and helping us out !! It’s one of the best videos I have seen so far

@Dagnar1478 3 жыл бұрын

You did 3 chapters in one day? That's pretty crazy, I feel like it sometimes takes me half the day just to parse through and understand all of the concepts in a chapter

@haleemaahmed911 Жыл бұрын

Not really, he learned a new chapter everyday, the other 2 are testing/reviewing chapters already learned.

@husnaibrahimkhail3320 3 жыл бұрын

You are doing a great job, please keep up posting videos. We are learning a lot from you. I am glad we have people like you in our community who truly cares.

@ZachHighley 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the nice words!

@jessicabattle7665 3 жыл бұрын

This might be the best MCAT study video I've ever seen. And can we talk about how stylist his apartment is!

@toddfernandez6288 3 жыл бұрын

All I heard at the beginning was “the MCAT is hard and the MCAT is important and to do well on the exam it matters how you prep not just how you prep” lol great vid though

@saravargas6094 3 жыл бұрын

My husband and I quote this daily. Even he has heard it too much. 😂 I’ve been getting that ad since the beginning of my pre med journey.

@matthewliu2887 2 жыл бұрын

Your video is so helpful man! It contains a lot of insights that would take a very long time for me to obtain. Much appreciation!

@Deardhra 3 жыл бұрын

This was really helpful! Exsp studying in 8 hour blocks to mimic test day! Never thought of this! TY!!

@ZachHighley 3 жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@Blixknits 3 жыл бұрын

This is so helpful, I love the organized excel doc, Thanks for making this vid!!

@red.4ng41 2 жыл бұрын

This is actually amazing I didn't want to just read and hope it would stick. Reviewing 3 times is an awesome technique!

@404TRUCKERTV 2 жыл бұрын

I'm an accounting student, these are some good strategies for just studying in any subject. Thank you very much!

@jitendrabillaiya1392 3 жыл бұрын

You are such a inspiration man!!

@JairaWaller 2 ай бұрын

You are an inspiration! 🙌 Your 98-day strategy is genius. It's amazing how you went from the 50th to the 97th percentile! You've totally convinced me that it's all about studying smarter, not longer. Thank you for sharing your tips!

@sarailyas8401 3 жыл бұрын

Your channel is going to blowup one day so proud to have subbed early lol keep it upp

@kelechiumunna8742 3 жыл бұрын

So helpful, very descriptive and detailed helped a lot . Thanks 🙏

@ZachHighley 3 жыл бұрын

Glad it helped!

@TyTy-mr7cc 2 жыл бұрын

thank you Zach! I studied alot from your video

@george_edward_ 3 жыл бұрын

this is dope dude. SUBBED

@ZachHighley 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks George! Appreciate the sub.

@cynthiabasulto3191 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for sharing your MCAT study journey! It is definitely a scary and overwhelming process, but after watching this video and your Anki videos I feel SO motivated to study hard 💪🧠😁Thanks again and best of luck in Med School!

@tsalamic114 3 жыл бұрын

I love the way you respect our time

@CliffYudkoff 3 жыл бұрын

gosh ur smart ... and handsome to boot! what a package deal

@ZachHighley 3 жыл бұрын

Wow high praise, thanks

@iswear4619 3 жыл бұрын

Haha God really said "ima bless this kid"

@saragallego208 3 жыл бұрын

You're really handsome too, Cliff ;)

@jirachayaa9189 3 жыл бұрын

Your content really helps me. I hope i will pass the college entrance exam with these methods!

@gill.guntas 3 жыл бұрын

I am in India and Preparing for Indian Medical Entrance Exam NEET (National Entrance cum Eligibility Test), and I found many tips very HELPFUL and PRACTICAL.

@kthom6466 3 жыл бұрын

This is motivating!!!

@aditiyadav8762 3 жыл бұрын

It helped me a lot. Ty

@cupcake19986 2 жыл бұрын

great video!

@matthewso5698 3 жыл бұрын

Incredible Video.

@jerickvitoriano4173 3 жыл бұрын

Hi bro! Do you have any exercise or workout vids? Pls also do some, I like how you create content. Very very insightful.

@zumanakhair1227 3 жыл бұрын

After taking the exam twice, I've decided to use TBR and study this way. Looking at your schedule, how much time did you spend each day on cards, the EK chapters and then TBR passages? Also how did you study for CARS? Doing all these takes me at least 12 hours a day....so would really appreciate your response :)

@rokeyaelapreety885 3 жыл бұрын

the smile on your face on the vid is priceless!

@duhawa9443 Жыл бұрын

Amazing 👍

@jjjjj2261 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Zach

@ZachHighley 3 жыл бұрын

welcome!

@notusingthisemail7989 3 жыл бұрын

Did you study during the summer? Or did you fit in 8 hours of Mcat studying into your semester?

@mohamadekrama Жыл бұрын

Hi Zach thanks for the video , can we get a shortcut for the questions needed from Berkeley there are a lot of practice not needed please ?

@plantsthatgrow 3 жыл бұрын

You mentioned you did this studying over the summer. Is this the summer of your junior -> senior year, or the summer after you graduated?

@umidaburkhanova6965 2 жыл бұрын

Did anyone find the Amino acid video that he mentioned? Map video or something, could you please share?🙏🏻 the one I found in the written description of the video is not opening - it says this video is private

@chentharris8957 3 жыл бұрын

great video

@ZachHighley 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you sir

@sarahsedits9739 3 жыл бұрын

I don’t see the links you’ve said you will include below?

@davidagiraldo Жыл бұрын

I know you make Anki cards on content that’s difficult to understand, but do you first take notes in your textbook or a notebook?

@JonesNoahT 3 жыл бұрын

I got “C”s in all of my science classes, barely studied for the MCAT (did some practice questions), and got the 98th percentile on the MCAT. Idk what the answer is.

@janestone1849 3 жыл бұрын

Oh wow. lol

@coolbeans2380 3 жыл бұрын

I have never felt so jealous and bitter by a comment before in my life. Must be nice 😭

@JonesNoahT 3 жыл бұрын

@@coolbeans2380 lol nah you’re probably better off with a good GPA. The rest of my app is pretty stellar, but I didn’t get a single med school interview this past round.

@nicolcacola Ай бұрын

Did you get into a med school with as a C Science student?

@JonesNoahT Ай бұрын

@@nicolcacola I did not 🤩. I’m doing great in research, though!

@abdelkrimzaouidi3072 3 жыл бұрын

we want videos on how to create relevant flashcards with anki and mistakes that we should avoid when doing so with your real own flashcards you created

@ZachHighley 3 жыл бұрын

On it

@guillanasocorrofajardo8085 2 жыл бұрын

Am I dumb or did I miss the Reddit compilation link? Where can I find it! Thank you for this.

@alecdecontreras3151 3 жыл бұрын

how did you not get tired when studying for 6-8 hours a day? Also was this everyday or were there shorter days or rest days?

@ZachHighley 3 жыл бұрын

I took one day off a week, where I did absolutely nothing. Pomodoro method is the main thing I use when I study (25 minutes studying, 5 minute break) and repeat that. Every fourth break I take a 30 minute break. However, in this method in the video I would copy the same interval that is tested by the MCAT. Also exercise/sleep/food are essential for me to maintain efficient studying. Finally, when it's break time, take a break! Chill out. I am currently studying 8 hours a day at least right now and plan to up it to ~12 hours when I start dedicated study time for my Step 1 exam.

@Aaliyah_Matyevna 3 жыл бұрын

Me as a middle schooler struggling more than you to cope up with higher maths and extra subjects. And my memorization weaker than water. I start forgetting biology after 4 to 5 days

@tiger191673 3 жыл бұрын

Did you go to the gym too or just study all day long?

@sittingstill3578 3 жыл бұрын

I have no idea why your channel was recommended to me. Interesting but I’m wondering how this will apply in my life. I’m a deep dive person and generally never skim. I don’t even drink skim milk, grew up on the stuff and can’t stand it.

@flipperman7302 Жыл бұрын

Should I take a practice test first day of studying as a baseline? or is that unnecessary?

@miezuni 3 жыл бұрын

im curious why u started doing yt vids. will u do a q&a soon? 😁

@stephdesauguste 3 жыл бұрын

Where can I get the amino acids maps ?

@beyondknowledge9149 3 жыл бұрын

Do we get scholarship based on MCAT score in med schools?

@sheldyshin2690 3 жыл бұрын

I’ve took mcat once and felt my understanding of the contents were bad. So I changed my method of studying for a month but still seeing gaps of understanding😭 I deciding to change my studying method since yesterday and saw your video thinking the method is good to take. Do you think it’s okay to change my studying method again? I don’t feel confident with my own studying method😢

@ahmedaizi1477 3 жыл бұрын

A handicap I’ve noticed I always put in my own path was switching something that worked for something else because I was insecure that it was adequate enough to achieve my goals. I would say do practice tests to gauge your understanding of the material you have studied. If it works, continue with your strategy, if it doesn’t, implement his strategies to bolster your studying. :) good luck!!

@karamtahera4339 3 жыл бұрын

One question bro, how did you end up scoring on the AAMC fl's and the section bank?

@kayaforrestal849 3 жыл бұрын

if you click on the link under the video its his written article of everything he says in the video, and he gives all of this practice exams and their scores

@michaelbarry7490 3 жыл бұрын

How am I able to do this with a job?

@psalmr98 3 жыл бұрын

I'm in the same boat. I'm working 40 hrs/week and trying to figure out what's the best study plan for me :(

@levibeam100 3 жыл бұрын

It’s not about the 90 day period, it’s about the amount of hours studied. He said he studied around 650 hours. If that isn’t doable for you in 90 days/3months, plan for a 6 month schedule. If you still don’t think that’ll work, do a 9 month schedule. It’s not about the time, it’s about the hours put in

@jenngu7377 Жыл бұрын

What's your strategy on cars?

@jared394 3 жыл бұрын

Great video! Did you use TBR books for the actual content review or did you use them just for the passages? I've seen that the TBR books can be quite dense and a bit of a slog to get through. Seems to me like you used EK for content review and supplemented that with all the great passages from TBR. Accurate? Thanks!

@ZachHighley 3 жыл бұрын

Hey Jared, you are spot on, they are dense. I *only used the TBR books for practice questions/passages.*

@jared394 3 жыл бұрын

@@ZachHighley thanks for the reply boss

@ZachHighley 3 жыл бұрын

@@jared394 you are welcome - good luck studying

@cortneyhammond-cortes9521 3 жыл бұрын

Great question! I was wondering the same thing. I’m glad I looked through all the replies before I asked.

@capgains 3 жыл бұрын

Seems to me you’ve got a strategy in how to do well on exams. I’m curious to know the depth of your knowledge however

@livelovelaugh6405 3 жыл бұрын

Umm pretty sure it’d be good if he scored that high

@capgains 3 жыл бұрын

@@livelovelaugh6405 ok so good grades = deep learning

@Im0nJupiter 3 жыл бұрын

@@capgains It doesn't matter. It's neither here nor there, you're a blank slate with foundations and that's all you need. Undergrad is silly anyway, you're not going to get depth in med school prereqs, sub 300 level courses are all memorization and lower order thinking

@sinceremage9 3 жыл бұрын

thankyou so much for content like this, I don't lack the brains but my god do I find it impossible to stay on track

@sagardobariya5487 Жыл бұрын

what books do you suggest!?

@christinanguyen8364 3 жыл бұрын

So I'm looking at the excel sheet and it seems like you only correlated the TBR questions to the topic that you were doing a first pass of for that day. Does this mean you did the TBR practice questions during day X.1 for the topic and then the EK practice test for day X.2? So X.1 is first pass+TBR questions, X.2 is skim+EK test, and X.3 is for incorrect questions?

@lindseycook4313 3 жыл бұрын

Did you work, intern, or do anything else during these 90 days? I was enrolled in university classes and worked last spring during my first MCAT test preparation period. Needless to say I scored poorly on this attempt. I do not think having enough study time was solely to blame, however I think it played a factor. I plan to take the MCAT for a second time this upcoming spring and need to formulate a study schedule. I worry that if I block off 90 days of only studying the for the MCAT, it will be viewed negatively by admission board members? Otherwise I am very tempted to try this approach.

@levibeam100 3 жыл бұрын

How would the admission board members know how long your study block was? That makes no sense

@bouchser000 2 жыл бұрын

I pretty much have a similar schedule to yours, but 4 month prep while working full-time.

@arunjangir1798 2 жыл бұрын

Does this 97 percentile really got you into a good medical school !?? In India, you can't even look at any medical College at 97 percentile, (unless you got a caste quota) usually 98 percentile is borderline. 99+ percentile gets a decent college.

@coolbeans2380 3 жыл бұрын

Has anyone tried his study plan?

@muskanbakes 3 жыл бұрын

Lol that 2+2 flashcard

@preciousedi1422 3 жыл бұрын

You look like Dr Mike

@helenedemol4058 3 жыл бұрын

11:03 reassured that the screen of an organised person looks as dirty as mine!

@ZachHighley 3 жыл бұрын

haha well spotted - my screen definitely needs a good clean

@alexissyms9310 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for posting! I noticed on your schedule it reads “tpr” is that the Princeton review? If so what book or edition is it

@ZachHighley 3 жыл бұрын

Hey, yea that's referencing The Princeton Review 2015 Psych and Biology/Biochem books. I didn't mention it because I would not recommend them, they were just "ok." I would instead use Anki and the reddit resources I linked on my website post.

@alexissyms9310 3 жыл бұрын

@@ZachHighley Thanks for getting back so quickly. Also I do have UWorld would you recommend using both TBR and UWorld?

@ZachHighley 3 жыл бұрын

@@alexissyms9310 No problem, I didn't use Uworld but I hear it is a top resource, so I would prioritize UWorld. The only issue is correlating questions to the certain content you are learning at the moment. What I would suggest is make sure you do all of Uworld, and then throw in TBR supplementally. So, for example, if you calculate that if you just used UWorld you would run out of questions before you transition to taking FL tests, I would add in some TBR question sections.

@alexissyms9310 3 жыл бұрын

@@ZachHighley perfect suggestion!

@taranehdaryaee3554 3 жыл бұрын

Is it that good of a score? Asking for a friend

@ArcheryOlympian2 3 жыл бұрын

Yeah 97th percentile will get you in and open some doors. Really the 99th range is where it’s out of this world but any 515+ is pretty darn good. Also don’t discount GPA and extracurriculars

@meenamanely8328 3 жыл бұрын

How did you choose which passages to do on TBR? Ex: based on high yield? or the content that you were unsure of? Would you randomly skim through the books and hand pick the passages or do an entire phase I and II sections?? Also on average a day how many passages would you do from TBR?? Sorry, I'm in the process of also tackling the TBR books for practice passages, with using kaplan as my main source for content review

@ZachHighley 3 жыл бұрын

At the beginning of every TBR book, there is an index of the content per section/chapter. So just correlate the sections to EK sections. So, for your Kaplan, you could do the same thing. It depended on the day how many I would do. I would try to get to as many as I could before I finished my "study time."

@vicwillis4295 2 ай бұрын

anyone have success studying 3/4 hours a day for those of us who need full time jobs to live?

@mylesm7641 3 жыл бұрын

You’re so cute

@oshkosh22 3 жыл бұрын

Close your eyes...it’s Jake Gyllenhaal teaching you how to prep for MCAT

@Indy1987 2 жыл бұрын

Damn you.. now I can’t unsee it 🤣

@hijabzia 3 жыл бұрын

Idk why am i so jealous with you🤷😂 but it's ok

@jayrollo1352 3 жыл бұрын

Is arguably? Man this shit be the most important crap in peoples' lives. Why AAMC???????? Why? I just wana be a physician.

@ZachHighley 3 жыл бұрын

Agreed, all these tests can drive you insane. We will get there in the end, just keep pushing!

@mattiek7526 3 жыл бұрын

Why are you studying in a mask? Do you sleep and bath/shower in it too?

@tonifriedrich7191 2 жыл бұрын

Do you think it makes a big difference which books we use to study? (i.e. exam krackers or Kaplan?) (amazing proven study methods by the way! Thank you)