According to the AAMC, the average premed studies 240 hours for the MCAT. Since you probably want to score above average, let’s budget 300 hours of studying time. That lands you at about six hours per day, with one rest day per week. That is a lot of time spent in a chair, so only use this study plan to prep for the MCAT in two months if it is absolutely necessary; otherwise, we recommend scheduling a minimum of three to five months to prepare, particularly if you are in school or have a full-time job. 

If you absolutely only have two months to prep, you must use each day wisely. Here, I break down the week-by-week plan for getting the job done (AKA maximizing your MCAT score). 

How To Create a 2-Month MCAT Study Plan

MCAT Prep Materials and Studying Resources

There are tons of resources available to premeds studying for the MCAT (Blueprint even offers some free MCAT prep). In general, you will need a way to review what’s on the MCAT (content review books or videos), MCAT practice questions, and full-length practice exams, as well as track your studying. The AAMC MCAT Official Prep resources are mandatory, but additional practice questions and content review resources are also necessary for MCAT success. Here’s what I recommend to my students: 

1. AAMC MCAT Official Prep Bundle: This tool includes four full-length exams, section banks, and question banks. It is a non-negotiable resource for MCAT studying and is regarded as the most realistic and reliable way to prepare since the AAMC writes the MCAT.
2. Blueprint MCAT Practice Questions: Blueprint’s AI-powered QBank consists of 4,000 practice MCAT questions and detailed explanations to target your weaknesses. You can filter the QBank by specific topics to work in tandem with your content review. Additionally, MCAT-style questions allow you to apply content and strategies in test-like conditions.
3. Textbooks: Blueprint’s textbooks reflect how the material is actually tested on the MCAT. They provide a comprehensive review of MCAT science content, strategy and reasoning skills, and concise one-page must-knows to summarize each chapter’s main points.
4. Online Self-Paced Courses: Students with limited study time will appreciate the Blueprint MCAT Self-Paced Course, which boasts a time-efficient personalized curriculum and helps students target weaknesses and build on their strengths. Offering a customizable study planner tool with integrated learning modules, practice questions, powerful analytics, live office hours, and so much more, your studying is centralized into one convenient (and pretty to look at) dashboard.
5. Full-length exams: You should take the six official AAMC exams (four paid and two free) while studying for the MCAT. In addition, Blueprint offers supplemental practice exams, which are most representative of test-day scoring (second only to the official AAMC exams).
6. Flashcards: If you haven’t heard this already, let me be the one to tell you: spaced repetition is extremely important for the MCAT! Flashcards are an essential tool for practicing spaced repetition. Get started with 1600+ free Blueprint MCAT flashcards.
7. Tutoring: A personalized MCAT tutor is an invaluable resource, particularly when you’re short on prep time. All Blueprint tutors are MCAT experts who guide you with highly specific strategies and content tailored to you and your needs.
8. Live Courses: In my humble opinion, accountability is the key to MCAT success. The Blueprint MCAT Live Course features two instructors, online course access, and all AAMC prep materials. The instructors will guide you through content and strategy for test-day success and keep you on track to complete your studying on time. Moreover, the classes are downright fun – students engage with each other and the content and ask questions in real time.
9. Lessons Learned Journals: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome. You can improve your MCAT score between your diagnostic exam (see more info under week one below) and test day through careful reflection, pattern identification, and action plans for improvement.

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Week One:

• • Start by taking a diagnostic exam. Whether it is half-length or full-length, the idea is to figure out your baseline MCAT performance and diagnose content weaknesses and strengths. From here, you can optimize your study time by planning to target the most challenging areas. You can access Blueprint’s free diagnostic exam by signing up for a free Blueprint MCAT account.
    

• Plug everything into a study plan. You can make a free one using your free Blueprint MCAT account.
  • You should aim to take one rest day per week to prevent burnout. Try to plan something fun on this day!
  • Plan one day per week to take a full-length and a consecutive day to review it. Many students choose Saturday to take the full-length and Sunday to review. Your plan should include the six AAMC full-length exams. 
  • Each study day should include a minimum of three hours reviewing science content, practice questions, one CARS passage and question set, and flashcards.
• The first week is the best time for trial and error, so allow yourself some grace. Figure out study habits that work for you and are sustainable over the next eight weeks. Reflect on your studying and itemize your mistakes in a “Lessons Learned Journal” to make an actionable plan to improve your performance. 

Weeks Two Through Seven

• In week two you will take your first AAMC full-length exam. Mimic test-like conditions to the best of your ability. This means beginning the exam at 8 am, taking the prescribed test-day breaks, and minimizing distractions. Full-length exams are the time to build stamina, diagnose weaknesses and strengths, and assess performance as you progress through studying. Be sure to thoroughly review the full-length and use it to adjust your study plan as needed. 
• Continue working through your study blocks and practice questions, utilizing AAMC resources. Make daily CARS practice a top priority. 
• Be flexible and adaptive in your study plan. As you uncover weaknesses and excel in other areas, change your approach to optimize your study time. Try methods such as time blocking or the Pomodoro method and find the best way to study for you.

Week Eight (The Final Week)

• In the final week, reduce your daily studying hours to about 75% – so if you’re studying six hours per day, reduce that to 4.5 hours. 
• Do not take a full-length within four days of your exam. Not only will you need additional time to review and reflect on the full-length, but you also want your mind to feel fresh for test day. 
• Try not to study at all the day before the exam. Some flashcards are okay, but anything more than that will likely do more harm than good. At this point, you will not learn anything new to improve your score, so relax and do some self-care! 

Conclusion 

It is absolutely possible to study for the MCAT in two months, but you will need to be highly dedicated to content review, practice questions, full-lengths, and careful reflection. As a benchmark, you should be within five points of your goal score at least two weeks before your exam. If you aren’t within that range, consider postponing the MCAT and giving yourself more time to study. 

The key to a successful MCAT study plan is organization and adaptability. Blueprint MCAT is uniquely posed to help you reach your goals by providing you with a personalized, detailed study schedule and support from instructors, tutors, and peers.