[MCAT Success Story] — From 501 To 514 In The LAST 2 WEEKS Before The MCAT!

February 20, 2024

minute read

MCAT Mastery Podcast: Show Notes

About The MCAT Master Interview Series

Welcome to the MCAT Master Interview series!

We’re on an ongoing mission to put together THE formula for achieving a top MCAT score.

We’ve been doing this by gathering the most effective MCAT study strategies from verified top scorers, and then we bring them to you in the form of blog articles, daily emails, YouTube videos, strategy courses, through tutoring sessions and anything else that can help you along on this journey to reach YOUR maximum MCAT score.

We’ve been researching and holding interviews with top MCAT scorers for many years now, until recently we thought "Why not let you all in and give you a seat at the table during these interviews!”.

So, that’s what this series is for ????

We hope by listening to these interviews, you learn proven MCAT study strategies you never thought of, that you can start implementing right away!

And most importantly, we hope you feel an increase in inspiration and motivation because the MCAT journey can be very tough and it can be easy to fall into negative mental cycles...

But as you’ll learn from these success stories, every top scorer had to deal with the struggles, the challenges, and through perseverance, through strategy, through mindset work, they all made it to the top score that was right for them. ???? ???? ????

About Anne Pino

As a full-time student, Anne spent the beginning of her MCAT prep, balancing studying with her classes. 

Over 2 weeks before her test day, she began to realize that she might have just been passively studying because she scored a 501 on one of her practice exams.

Contemplating on rescheduling, as it had already been rescheduled once before, she decided to push through instead. She worked hard, signed up for tutoring, and changed her mindset towards the exam. 

After just two weeks of this intense study, and with the help of her tutor,  all these paid off by the time of her test date.

She was able to increase her score from that initial 501 to a 514 by her test date.

That is a 13 point increase within 14 days! 

In this episode, we're going to learn more about how she studied, how she increased her score, how she kept herself motivated, how she scheduled her MCAT prep, and what strategies she used for each section, specifically, and so much more.

Topics Discussed

  • [2:14] About Anne Pino and why she wants to be a doctor
  • [6:25] How she came up with her study schedule
  • [12:45] Her biggest challenges and how she overcame them
  • [15:07] Her tutoring experience with MCAT Mastery
  • [19:25] Advice to students who only are struggling to increase their scores
  • [21:03] Strategies for Psych/Soc, her highest score
  • [22:50] Tips on CARS section
  • [25:02] How she studied for Bio/Biochem
  • [26:53] Chem/Phys strategies
  • [28:34] MCAT Test Day!

Memorable Quotes

  • One of the things you have to adapt for when you're taking the MCAT is the unexpected.
  • Just relax, because MCAT is a very mental exam.
  • Practice is so vital to building endurance and learning strategies.
  • You don’t need every single resource, you just need a few things that work for you.

  • Be a little bit kinder to yourself and stay positive.
  • Having someone on the outside to tell you about your mistakes and how to improve quickly is a huge help.

  • The end is the most important time of your MCAT studying, that's when you need to kind of take a deep breath.
  • Take one less practice exam and take the day before the exam completely off. 

  • Getting a MCAT tutor is a really small investment compared to everything else in your long journey.
  • Keep drilling those AAMC materials. Understand why every single answer is wrong and if you see a term and it's not even the answer, search the topic.

  • There is no easiest section in MCAT so do not dismiss any subject.

  • Spend time early on in studying CARS. Try different strategies and then choose one and stick with it.

  • Changing CARS strategy on the day of the exam is not a good idea.

  • Focus more on relationships rather than the five kinematic equations. 

Resources Mentioned

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Learn more about each mentor on The MedLife Mastery Team here.
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Anne's Testimonial for MCAT Mastery Strategies!

"With only 2 weeks left before my exam I was extremely anxious and nervous. Rather than postpone or cancel my exam, I decided to invest in private tutoring and it was well worth it! After my first session, my practice exam score increased by 9 points and my actual MCAT score was higher than I scored on any of my practice exams. I am really grateful for [my tutor's] help and strategies!"

Additional Reading -- MCAT Success Stories:

Your MCAT Success Mentors

About the Author

We're a team of future doctors passionate about giving back and mentoring other future doctors! All mentors on the team are top MCAT scorers and we all are committed to seeing you succeed in achieving your physician dreams ???? To help you achieve your goal MCAT score, we take turns hosting these Live MCAT Courses and are also available for 1:1 private tutoring!

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Learn from multiple 515+ scorers on how to:

  • Master MCAT content quickly and for the long-term
  • Breakdown MCAT questions and identify correct answers
  • Plan your MCAT prep schedule to ensure you stay committed
  • Take and review practice exams in the most strategic way
  • Cultivate the right MCAT success mindset
  • Know how to study as a retaker to ensure this is the last MCAT prep
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