u/aliabuzahra

1. Stop treating C/P like a memorization section. A lot of it is pattern recognition: units, equations, relationships, and knowing what the passage is asking for.
2. Learn equations by meaning, not just symbols. Don’t just memorize F = ma. Know that force increases when mass or acceleration increases. The MCAT loves testing relationships more than plug-and-chug.
3. Units can save you. If you forget an equation, look at the answer units and work backward. For example, if the answer is in Joules, you should be thinking about energy/work units.
4. Don’t waste too much time on low-yield details. Focus on acids/bases, electrochem, fluids, circuits, forces, work/energy, gases, thermodynamics, kinetics, lab techniques, amino acids, enzymes, and basic orgo patterns.
5. For orgo, focus on logic: functional groups, acid/base, nucleophiles/electrophiles, oxidation/reduction, and lab techniques. You do not need to memorize every random reaction.
6. Start practice earlier than you feel ready. C/P improves when you do questions, get them wrong, and figure out exactly why you missed them.
7. Review missed questions deeply. Ask: Was this a content gap, unit mistake, wrong equation, passage misunderstanding, or trap answer?
8. Keep an equation sheet and rewrite it often, but also write what each variable means and when to use the equation.
9. Don’t jump between 10 resources. Pick one organized content source, then use AAMC-style practice to train application.
10. Timing matters. If a question is taking too long, flag it and move on. C/P rewards calm decision-making.

The biggest thing is learning how to think through the section, not just knowing facts. Chem/Phys gets much easier once you understand the high-yield patterns and stop trying to study every tiny detail.

I made a condensed Psych/Soc document for MCAT studying, and the main goal was to make P/S feel less overwhelming.

The document is 40 pages and follows the Khan Academy Psych/Soc videos in order, but it’s written in a simplified way so it’s easier to review. I focused on breaking terms down in baby-step language, connecting concepts to real-life examples, and organizing topics so they actually make sense instead of feeling like random definitions.

One thing I noticed with P/S is that it can feel “easy” at first because a lot of it looks like memorization, but once you start doing passages, you realize you need to actually understand how terms show up in real scenarios.

The structure that helped most was:

Simple definitions
Real-life examples
High-yield organization
Khan Academy order
Condensed review format

For anyone studying P/S, I’d recommend organizing terms by concept and attaching each definition to a real-life example instead of memorizing random words by themselves.