The main goal of MCAT Prep is to improve your score from diagnostic/baseline test score to your official MCAT score. Many students wonder how to achieve a higher MCAT score and what they can do that will most help. If you are in a similar boat, this article is for you! 

We Crunched the Numbers, So You Don’t Have To

Blueprint Prep wanted to determine which metrics helped students improve the most over their study time—was it coming to class, taking practice tests, or watching content videos? While all of those activities had some correlation to test-day success, by far the most powerful was answering test-like practice questions. 

We collected data from over 4,000 students who enrolled with Blueprint in 2021. This data shows that as you increase the number of full-length practice exams, your overall score increases. Students who completed four Blueprint practice tests on average improved four points more from their first test to their best test. Most students will also complete AAMC exams after Blueprint exams and will continue to see score increases. 

This trend is due to lots of reasons, but the main one is practicing with test-like questions. Each exam contains 230 MCAT-like questions, testing a multitude of MCAT-level concepts. 

Don’t Forget Thorough Review

While taking MCAT practice exams is important, don’t forget thorough review. You need to know what you got right and wrong—and why. Look for patterns.

For example, if you take a practice exam that has two electricity passages and find them tricky and time-consuming, you’ve identified a significant content gap. Build this into your MCAT preparation  schedule. In the next few weeks, review electricity and do more practice problems to cover that gap. 

Plus, taking more full-length exams also leads to being more comfortable in a test-like environment, meaning that test day does not come as a surprise. This helps reduce the inevitable anxiety that comes with test day and translate your expertise to the MCAT exam. 

Build Your Endurance

The more MCAT prep exams you take, the better equipped you are to deal with fatigue. Doing 230 taxing questions is no easy feat and takes a lot out of you. When reaching the end of sections, you could trail off in your focus and start to make more errors on the MCAT exam.  

Building that endurance is no different than running a marathon; it takes a lot of practice and content review.. While regular practice on most study days is great to shore up content gaps, it does not effectively prepare you for the long-term focus that you need for the MCAT. And let’s face it, marathon runners don’t run marathons every day, but they do build in regular longer distances! By doing more MCAT preparation  exams, you are able to build that endurance and improve your average MCAT score.

So, How Many MCAT Practice Tests Should You Take?

Bottom line, we recommend you do at least seven full-length exams before your test date, using both AAMC and Blueprint Full Length material. We also recommend that by the end of a Live Online Course, you complete at least 1,500 practice questions, totaling to over 3,000 practice test questions. Now, we know this sounds like a lot, but the data backs it up and you won’t be worried about how hard is the MCAT!

We will work with you to plan and work through these practice test questions! By breaking down these questions over the course of an entire medical school prep schedule (usually three to four months), this is much more doable, and you will reap the rewards on MCAT test day!

Plan Your Study Schedule

Overall, if you’re just getting into planning your medical college admission test study schedule and are wondering if it is really worth setting aside two days a week (one for writing, one for reviewing) for practice tests, we say yes! 

And if you need help creating a MCAT study schedule that you can personalize with your materials, days off, and test date, get the Blueprint study planner! Good luck with your prep!