ChatGPT is an amazing tool for a lot of things. It can explain the difference between competitive and noncompetitive inhibition in 15 seconds flat, remind you of the ideal gas law, or give you a quick overview of glycolysis. But when it comes to nuance, which the MCAT is full of, ChatGPT often misses the mark.
As an MCAT class instructor, I’ve seen students try to follow study strategies, timing plans, and test-day advice straight from AI. Sometimes this works out well, but sometimes the outcome is confusion and inefficiency. The problem isn’t that ChatGPT is wrong all the time – it just doesn’t always know when it’s oversimplifying something that requires depth, and sometimes it spews false information with a scary amount of confidence.
For science, I spent some time playing around and asking ChatGPT for advice. Here are five real tips that I’ve seen ChatGPT give that could derail your MCAT prep, or lead you astray, plus what you should actually do instead.
AI MCAT Prep Advice From ChatGPT You Should NOT Take
🤖 ChatGPT Tip: “Start with a few months of content review before beginning practice questions.”
🟡 Why this sounds good: It’s logical. Build a foundation before you apply the knowledge.
❌ Why it’s not good advice: The MCAT is not a content regurgitation test. It is a critical thinking test! Spending months reading and reviewing without doing any questions will give you a false sense of mastery. Then, when it comes time to apply the content, scores fall short, and many students have to re-review content in the context of how the MCAT is testing you later on (read: a big waste of time).
✅ What to do instead: Start doing MCAT practice as early as possible, even as early as the first day you start reviewing. The goal is to learn how to apply content in context. That is a skill that takes time to develop. AI-generated study plans from ChatGPT and similar LLMs often miss this because they prioritize neat sequencing over practical integration of reviewing and practicing.
Instead, you can use Blueprint MCAT’s Study Planner Tool to create an MCAT study plan tailored to your schedule and timeline, with a perfect balance of content review and practice!
🤖 ChatGPT Tip: “Only read the first and last paragraph of CARS passages.”
🟡 Why this is misleading: I asked ChatGPT to help me be more efficient working through CARS passages, and this tip is just straight up unhelpful. It borrows from old test-taking tricks that might work on the SAT or ACT, but CARS is much different.
🧠 Why nuance matters here: CARS questions are tricky. They test subtle shifts in argument, tone, and logic. ChatGPT, which excels at summarizing facts, often struggles with this kind of complexity. If a question asks about the author’s attitude or subtle inference, ChatGPT might point to a main idea, which is not always enough to answer the question.
✅ What to do instead: Read the entire passage. Don’t skim. Focus on argument structure. Ask, what is the author trying to say here? How do they build their argument? CARS rewards comprehension, not shortcuts, and nuance is everything!
🤖 ChatGPT Tip: “Skip tough passages on test day and come back later.”
🟡 Why it sounds strategic: Save time, stay confident, and come back when you’re mentally fresher.
❌ Why it backfires: Most students do not manage time well enough to actually return, which ChatGPT would know if it actually worked with MCAT students. Plus, skipping breaks your focus and rhythm.
✅ What to do instead: Tackle passages in order, unless you really know you gain from skipping and you have been able to do this successfully in your practice exams. For test day, have a plan and stick to it, and practice your full-length MCAT practice tests like they are the real deal. Switching things up last minute often leads to panic and you not performing at your best.
Sign up to get expert tips and exclusive invites to free MCAT classes and medical school admissions workshops!
🤖 ChatGPT Tip: “Save AAMC materials for the last few weeks before test day.”
🟡 Why ChatGPT recommends this: It assumes AAMC materials are a final benchmark and a good way to simulate the real test at the end.
❌ Why that misses the point: AAMC materials are your best teachers! The logic, question styles, and passage tone are unique to the MCAT because they are written by the people who administer the MCAT. If you wait until the end of your prep to start any AAMC materials, you lose the chance to let that style shape your approach and your studying throughout your prep.
✅ What to do instead: Use AAMC materials throughout your study plan. Do section banks and question packs early on, and intersperse third-party materials. Use full-length practice tests strategically across the last six to eight weeks of prep. However, not only at the end. The earlier you adapt to the AAMC style, the better.
🤖 ChatGPT Tip: “The square root of 2 is 2 — just estimate it to keep things simple.”
Yes, this was an actual tip ChatGPT gave me. While asking for help with MCAT-style mental math strategies, it confidently told me that the square root of 2 is 2. Not “approximately,” not “close to 2.” Just 2.
🟡 Why this matters: This was not just a small mistake, but rather a reminder that ChatGPT can sound confident even when it is wrong, especially with math and estimation tips. On the MCAT, where fast mental math is key, blindly trusting inaccurate shortcuts can cost you points.
✅ What to do instead: Learn your high-yield approximations, know your logs, and PRACTICE! Practice your estimation strategies under timed conditions and always double-check the math tips you get, especially when you are taking MCAT tips from AI.
Final Thoughts
ChatGPT is fast and it is helpful. It is impressively good at explaining surface-level facts. However, the MCAT is not a fact-based test. It is about critical thinking. The real work of MCAT prep comes from making connections, identifying your personal weak spots, and developing strategies that work for you. ChatGPT cannot always tell when a piece of advice needs a caveat, or when a student needs encouragement versus redirection.
Use ChatGPT and other LLMs to reinforce content you already know, not to design your entire study plan or teach you something from scratch. And if something feels off, or a little too generic, trust your gut. Better yet, get feedback and advice from someone who has successfully taken the MCAT.
And that’s where our experts come in! Blueprint MCAT students increase their MCAT scores by 15 points on average. Whether you need the flexibility of a Self-Paced Course, the instruction of a live 515+ Course, or the 1:1 attention of a private MCAT tutor, Blueprint MCAT has the MCAT prep option that works for your learning style!
