Hey everyone! I'm an international student from India who recently graduated with a undergrad Honours from Canada (3.3 GPA). I'd had my heart set on medical school in Australia since before starting undergrad (as Canada says no international students in med lol), but somewhere along the way, I got a little derailed haha.

Throughout undergrad, I struggled with recurring burnout, motivation, and periods of mild-to-moderate depression. My final year was particularly messy, juggling coursework, extracurriculars, and my honours thesis (which I somehow managed a 90 on with a sick mid-way PI, and tbh I feel like I bullshitted my way through this and learnt nothing??). I even missed all my master's application deadlines because I was so fixated on everything else, yet couldn't get myself to study for the MCAT. Shortly after graduating, I was diagnosed with ADHD, which explained quite a lot.

I sat the MCAT after graduating and did terribly. I'd studied fewer than 50–60 hours over two months, if that, with only one FL completed (on which I scored higher 7 points than my actual exam).

It's been almost four months since I returned to India. I've been slowly improving my routine, although there have been several arguments with my parents about my future. My parents are still loving and supportive as long as I'm making progress and aim to start something next year which I desperately want to (a job/masters etc.). So, I guess this is an unexpected gap yr which isn't expected in asian families tbh...

I'm now considering funded, thesis-based master's programmes for 2027 as an alternative and go into bioinformatics or something idk/idc a lot, but I cannot seem to let go of the MCAT. At the same time, I just cannot commit to studying for it. Part of my main hesitation is the lengthy pathway to specialist training in Australia, especially when I'm not sure I'd want to settle there permanently. I go back and forth almost every day on this.

If I retake the MCAT, I'm considering testing sometime between late January and April 2027, giving myself a longer preparation period.

Has anyone else struggled with wanting to pursue medicine but being unable to commit to the exam itself? How did you finally get yourself to sit down and study consistently?

Tbh, at this point, I just want to give the MCAT my absolute best shot without ruining myself, apply to medical schools again, and see where life takes me while I start my masters or a job as soon as possible. I don't even feel the need to have my entire career figured out right now. I just want to know I've genuinely tried.

Am I being unrealistic? I'd really appreciate any advice to get some clarity or perspective! I JUST CANNOT SEEM TO GET MY HEAD STRAIGHT AND THINK THINGS THROUGH.

I got 476 on my diagnostic (122 in cars and everything else 118). I'm 2 years out of undergrad and work 40-45 hours FT, 10-12 hr shifts. I’m taking the MCAT May 7, 2027!

I’m very pressed for finances and will need to work w low cost materials. I can’t do UWhale. Relying on free resources and AAMC material closer to the exam date. I’m using KA and YouTube, Miles down review sheets. I tried Anki, not helpful imo, except for Bio and P/S section tbh.
It took me an entire weekend to finish 1 physics chapter. At this rate, I'll have a very hard time being well prepared for the MCAT. I'm aiming for a 510 (w 130+ in CARS at least and 127+ in Bio). C/P- I sucked it at all thru high school and uni, and I’m hoping to get a 125 tbh.

Any advice to fast-track content review while working full time and how to content review- aka take notes or review sheets- like what worked best for you guys! Thanks a ton <3

From MilesDown deck.

I'm currently studying for the MCAT and trying to figure out how in-depth I need to go with memorizing metabolic pathways.

These are the pathways I'm planning to study:

1. Glycolysis
2. Pyruvate oxidation (pyruvate dehydrogenase)
3. Citric acid cycle (Krebs cycle)
4. ETC + chemiosmosis (oxidative phosphorylation)
5. Gluconeogenesis
6. Glycogenesis
7. Glycogenolysis
8. β-Oxidation

My main question is: Do I need to memorize every single step, enzyme, and intermediate for all of these pathways? Or is it enough to understand the overall purpose, where they occur, and important inputs/outputs?

Also, are there any major pathways I'm missing that I should add to this list?

This is your sign to go read ANYTHING other than CARS passages

And yes I will be going to the midnight release party for book 7 and reading it before my 1/29 exam

I got behind in my first week because I didn’t allocate enough time for reading and flashcards but now that I’m in a rhythm it’s manageable. I think its easier because it’s all fresh in my mind from classes. I can’t imagine studying for this after taking a few gap years.

However this is only my content review portion so maybe I’ll be screwed when I get to practice Q’s and actually applying the knowledge.

I’m skipping the psych/soc kaplan book. Is it better to read that 300pg document or just watch khan academy series or find an anki deck? I really don’t wanna read that document.

Hi everyone.

I took a diagnostic on blueprint. I haven’t studied for real yet for this exam…… I plan on taking the MCAT in April. What is a realistic score I can get? I am aiming for 515 +.
I kept running out of time for many of these sections, I hope I can get accommodations ( I have them for my pre req classes) which could be helpful…

What should my study plan be? Any suggestions from those who had a similar diagnostic/ any advice in general.

Planning a third take on exam. Did UWorld twice during my first two attempts at mcat (first time was barely 30%, second time was 45%, reset in between). Following my second round of studying, depending on category I have between 50-70% of questions remaining for Bio, Biochem, Gen chem, Orgo, and Physics. My Behavioral is fully ran through. Is it worth rebuying and creating a new UW account or should I just extend it and work with my current status?

Were you full time studying or did you work part-time/full-time?

The uni I want to apply accepts both MCAT/GAMSAT, I’m aiming to apply next September. For GAMSAT they have a 90th percentile cut off, but no cutoff for MCAT

I’m from non-science so I did GAMSAT for first time this September, haven’t received my score yet. I’ve been studying AP level content as well. As now I’m more confident on contents, I’m considering moving to MCAT. The rationale is MCAT is far more resourceful, practices are up to date, more testing dates (GAMSAT only happens twice a year)

However I’m unsure if I should just give up on GAMSAT next March, go straight for MCAT. Or do another GAMSAT next March regardless (this means I will need to dedicate time for essay writing and section 1, which is basically CARS but more humanities heavy), using MCAT practice material. Since MCAT is far more content heavy. If there are anyone with similar experience, I appreciate your suggestions

Not sure if I’m just super distracted and have undiagnosed ADHD or what but it takes me like 3+ hours to go through my anki reviews and new cards. I’m doing like 80 new cards a day and average like 200-300 reviews and it’s so hard to sit and crank them out. I’m trying to be anal about really knowing the cards so I feel like it takes me a bit longer. I’m not even halfway done with my deck and I cant even imagine how long it’ll take for me to go through like 500+ reviews. Is this normal??

I’m scheduled to take the MCAT on February 12, and I’m honestly feeling pretty lost right now.

I’ve spent the past month doing content review using the Kaplan books, but I feel like barely anything is sticking. I’ve recently started moving on to practice problems, but I’m struggling to apply what I’ve learned, and even when I review my mistakes, I still feel like I’m not fully understanding the concepts.

I’ve also been trying to keep up with Anki, but I’m having a hard time with it. I know everyone swears by premade decks, but for some reason, they just aren’t working for me. I’ve tried making my own cards, which seem to help a little more, but I’m worried they won’t be comprehensive enough.

I’m not sure if I’m just overwhelmed, studying inefficiently, or approaching everything the wrong way. It’s frustrating because I feel like I’m putting in the time and effort but not actually retaining or understanding the material.

Has anyone else experienced this? If so, what helped things finally start clicking? I’d really appreciate any advice on how to approach content review, practice questions, or Anki when nothing seems to be sticking.