During this spring semester, the Mallory-Wilson Center held a test-prep workshop for its premedical and pre-health students to become familiar with their respective professional school entrance exam. Taking a deep dive into the MCAT, DAT, OAT, and GRE, Natalie Hicov and myself were able to speak on various aspects of each exam to cater the presentation to many different students. Within the material, we shared key insights into the testing subjects and format, what Miami courses would be advised to take beforehand, what study materials are available to students, a tutorial of Anki flashcards, and any tips we had for creating a detailed study schedule. Based on my personal experience of taking the MCAT twice, I was additionally able to share what the testing days looked like and offer what I had learned about study habits from the first occurrence to the second (spoiler, it was a lot). 

I know before I had taken the MCAT, I was completely lost on what to expect, where to find resources (both free and paid), and what my timeline would be. Even talking with older friends about their experience, it all seemed so daunting. Knowing I was going to take a gap year, I planned to take the MCAT in the summer between my junior and senior year. As the test date quickly loomed, I realized that I had spent too much time on content review instead of active recall of concepts or practice questions, and I was ultimately burned out by the end. But I took the exam anyway, almost as a trial run to become familiar with the setting and see if I would score well. When the results didn’t go the way I wanted, I registered again for January of my senior year and devoted all of winter break to studying. I found that being able to set a routine, find a quiet study space away from home, take time to exercise each day, and do more flashcards and practice problems were the key to my success. These exams are tests of knowledge as well as endurance, so planning ahead and supporting your mental and physical health is crucial — something I highlighted throughout the talk. 

Now, Natalie and I are both premedical students who are well-versed in everything MCAT. That meant we had to teach ourselves enough about the other entrance exams so that we could be of proper assistance to any students with questions. Therefore, we conducted extensive research on each exam, combed through plenty of articles, pasted the clearest details in the slideshow, and were then able to give test-specific resources and website links to all of the students. The two aspects of the presentation I thought were the most beneficial to everyone had to have been the advice on creating a study schedule and the Anki flashcard tutorial. Getting started is normally the most difficult part of studying, so by making that easier through creating familiarity in the online resources and teaching how to set smart goals to cover countless weeks was important.

Overall, this workshop was extremely beneficial to our students because they were able to be introduced to their exam at a basic level, acquiring tons of helpful information no matter whether they were a freshman just getting started on their path or a junior about to begin the exam process. Plus, several of the study skills and use of flashcards can be widely transferable to their undergraduate academic work every day. The MWC has generously offered a few other workshops throughout the semester, from professionalism to specific application writing methods, all of which help students like myself be placed in the best position to succeed. Looking back, I felt especially fortunate to have composed and presented this keynote as mentorship is a major passion of mine and something I wish to pass along to others!

Nolan Kutchey is now a Miami graduate, from Oxford, MI who’s majoring in biochemistry with the premedical studies co-major and a healthcare sales certificate. Besides the Student Advisory Board, Nolan is involved as the Community Service chair for Rotaract, and former Fundraising chair for the Phi Delta Epsilon, Safety Officer for Club Baseball, and VP of Risk Management for Beta Theta Pi.  In the community, Nolan volunteers locally at McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital, TOPSS, and the Booker T. Washington Community Center in Hamilton.