u/Halca1113

Let me explain the things I did well to score 520, and things I wish I had done differently if I had to take this exam all over again.
Spam Anki everyday: for the MCAT, the name of the game is breadth over depth**.** Choose a Reddit MCAT deck and do cards everyday. I personally used the Miledown deck, as I found Jacksparrow to be too minimalistic and not engaging enough. If you are easily bored doing flashcards, download Anki add-ons that "gamify" studying so that it is at least 10% more enjoyable.
Prioritize Exercise: I think this singlehandedly made my score. Countless studies point to the benefits of exercise on cognition and mental performance. If you sit in your chair all day, you're not only doing your health a disservice, but also your mental functioning. My main form of exercise was heavy lifting, but if that's not your thing, go play a sport or go on walks/runs.
(extension of #2): eat a healthy diet McDonalds Burgers, soda, and candy is not going to provide adequate vitamins/minerals for you to function at a high level, especially for long-term studying. Eat the same meal during your practice tests as you would for your real exam so your stomach doesn't experience any surprises on test day.
Figure out your learning style early: I started out purely using the Kaplan books for content review but quickly realized that I wasn't retaining as much information as I would've liked, and that I really needed some sort of visual demonstration, especially for physics problems and biochem pathways. If you learn best with visuals or audio, like me, I highly suggest supplementing textbook material with Khan Academy.
Learn from mistakes: up until a month out from the exam, I was still scoring in the low 510s, and was seriously worried about my upcoming exam. The turning point was when I stopped attempting pure memorization of questions I missed, and started trying to understand the AAMC test logic itself. The most important skill for the MCAT is NOT memorization, but problem-solving. Make an excel sheet of EVERY SINGLE missed question from AAMC practice materials and FLs, and understand exactly where your line of thinking went astray. Think of concepts and how they relate to build a network of information in your brain, and everything will start to come together.
Use reddit as a resource: if you miss a question on AAMC material or FLs, chances are that someone else also missed that very question and posted a question about it here. Way more people are willing to help you than you might think
Practice POE (process of elimination): even though this subreddit has some fantastic Anki decks that helped me tremendously with getting concepts down, no one deck, or any combination of decks for that matter, will be completely comprehensive. I 100% guarantee you that you will see several terms that you've never seen before on FLs or your actual exam (as I did). Here is where implementing POE can add a few points to your section score. If any answer choice is even 10% wrong, X it the fuck out. A correct answer choice sometimes might not seem or sound like the correct one, but it definitely won't contradict the passage or AAMC content.
(What I Would've Done Differently)
Start practicing CARS earlier: as you can tell from my score, CARS was obviously my weak point. In high school, I scored a perfect score on ACT reading, so I assumed my reading skills were sufficient enough to score well without practice. Boy was I wrong. I learned (too late, unfortunately) that MCAT CARS is a completely different beast from any other reading test I had ever done. Unlike the other sections, it's basically impossible to suddenly improve at reading in a short timespan. If I could've redone this entire studying process, I would make it a priority to do 1-2 CARS practice passages from AAMC or Jack Westin everyday
Spread out AAMC materials: as we learned from the Yerkes-Dodson law, increased pressure leads to decreased performance due to increased stress. I would described myself as someone who maintains calm very well under pressure, but even I was stressed af during these last two weeks. Don't do what I did and cram all the AAMC materials into the last two weeks--spread it across a month or so.
Don't get hung up on FL scores: my AAMC FL scores were as follows for S/1/2/3/4/5: 508, 513, 516, 517, 519, 515. Clearly, you can see that I didn't score 520 (my goal score) on any of my 6 FL exams. The 508 and 513 two weeks out from exam really messed with my head, and I thought there was no way I was going to reach my goal score. Remember that at the end of the day, the practice exams are primarily just learning opportunities. Use them to learn from your mistakes, catch up on small content gaps/misconceptions, and to understand AAMC logic.

The Hua Moa is a Polynesian banana variety, likely originating somewhere in the Marquesas Islands, that made its way to Hawaii and eventually South Florida, where small farms still grow it today. Unlike a standard grocery store banana, it grows short, thick, and almost melon-shaped, sometimes reaching 10 inches long and 4 inches across, with dense, creamy flesh that turns a distinct orange-pink as it ripens.

It's technically closer to a plantain botanically, but unlike true plantains, it doesn't need to be cooked, it can be eaten raw once fully soft, tasting rich and almost custard-like. Production in Florida has dropped off hard since its 1990s peak, mostly due to hurricanes and plant disease. You'll probably only see this in photo than irl probably, unless you go to Hawaii.

The image is one of Dennis Rader’s own self-timed Polaroids, Rader being the “BTK” killer (Bind, Torture, Kill), a Wichita, Kansas man who murdered at least 10 people between 1974 and 1991 while working as a compliance officer, church council president, and Cub Scout leader. When police finally arrested him in 2005, after he was traced through a floppy disk he’d mailed to a TV station, then confirmed via his daughter’s DNA, they found what one investigator called the “mother lode”: hundreds of photographs Rader had taken of himself using a tripod and timer, bound, gagged, and often dressed in his victims’ clothing.

Rader later told investigators he engaged in “auto-erotic activity,” restricting his own breathing during these staged sessions to relive the feeling of the murders, hanging himself from trees, tying himself to chairs, recreating the exact poses he’d left his victims in. Rather than being random fetish photography, these images turned out to be forensically significant: decades later, in 2023, investigators in Oklahoma used newly recovered self-portraits and drawings from Rader’s “hidey holes” to reopen and potentially link him to additional unsolved murders outside Kansas. Rader is serving 10 consecutive life sentences; CNN’s 2023 reporting and A&E’s case retrospectives are solid sources for the ongoing investigative angle.

Hotels can be a good place to study or work because they’re usually quiet, comfortable, and let’s not forget the aesthetics! I feel like royalty whenever I get to visit one xd

Of course, there are a few things to keep in mind before you settle in with your laptop and notes. The easiest way to avoid awkward situations is to be respectful of the space, keep your things organized, and make sure you’re not disturbing other guests. Basically: pretend you’re a very boring business person on a work trip. I usually act like one and nobody seemed to care.

Worst case scenario, if the hotel doesn’t allow it and they let you know, just be polite and leave. If they’re not that strict, though, it’s still a good idea to buy something from the hotel. Maybe buy a coffee or something from their café or resto. At least show a small way of supporting the space you’re using.

Choose your spot wisely!