If you’re a student gearing up to start preparing for the MCAT, the planning can seem almost as intimidating as the actual material.
- How many months should you prep for the MCAT?
- How many hours should you study per day?
- What MCAT prep materials should you use?
- How will you know that you’re ready to take the official MCAT exam?
All of these questions are influenced by another common query: how many full-length MCAT practice tests should you plan to take?
How Many MCAT Practice Tests Should You Take?
In general, it’s best to take somewhere between five and ten full-length exams, including the official AAMC exams and then additional representative MCAT full-length practice tests. The AAMC currently offers five practice exams for purchase and two free practice exams. To figure out how many total MCAT practice tests you need, check out these tips:
First-Time MCAT Test Taker
If you’re a first-time test-taker and/or have problems with endurance, aim to take eight or more full-length exams.
A large portion of MCAT prep is accomplished outside of MCAT practice tests, including review of content and practice working through individual passages.
However, the one aspect that is difficult to master in any format other than full-length tests is endurance. If you tend to lose focus or get tired easily, consider taking more tests in a test-like setting (no time cheating!).
Don’t fret if you become exhausted by the bio/biochem section of the first few tests you take; keep working through more until you feel relatively mentally sharp throughout all four sections. Similarly, if you tend to run out of time on certain sections, try to assess whether this happens more often when you are already tired.
Trouble Staying Focused
If you have little trouble staying focused for more than six hours, five to six exams may be closer to the perfect number for you.
It’s not uncommon for students to score extremely well on the MCAT after taking only five full-length exams. However, these are typically the students who are already suited to the MCAT style and format – either retakers, those with naturally good endurance, or those who (in other facets of life, such as work) already practice remaining focused for long durations. If you fall into these categories, you may be able to get by with only five or six MCAT practice tests, but be sure to complete sufficient practice outside of full-lengths to fully master the MCAT science material.
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Don’t Take Too Many MCAT Practice Tests
Avoid taking more than one full-length per week!
Students–especially those with only one to two months until their test date–often fall into the trap of packing multiple full-length MCAT practice tests into the same week. However, each full exam takes approximately one full day to complete, and an ideal review should take that amount of time or even longer. Trying to take even two full-lengths in a week, then, leaves very little time for other studying, and it risks burnout or exhaustion.
If you have limited time until your test date, try instead to limit yourself to one full-length per week, and fill some of your remaining time with individual exam sections, if possible. This way, you can complete the equivalent of one-and-a-half to two full-length MCAT practice exams per week without risking the fatigue that comes with taking multiple full exams in a row.
Taking more MCAT practice tests is NOT always better
We’ve seen several students with the same grave misconception: “If five to ten full-lengths are good,” they say, “then more than 10 must be even better!”
While this sounds sensible in theory, students who try to take more than ten MCAT practice tests typically sacrifice some valuable review time. Taking six full-lengths and reviewing each carefully–making note of your mistakes and weaknesses and tracking them in a Lessons Learned Journal–is far more valuable than taking 15 and skimping on the review.
Further Reading
💻 How to Set Up MCAT Test-Day Conditions for a Practice Exam
Final Thoughts
Of course, every student is different, so it may take some time to decide what path is right for you. But regardless of the number of practice exams you end up completing, never skip the review process or burn yourself out.
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