The Premed Playbook Guide to the MCAT: Maximize Your Score, Get Into Med School

by Ryan Gray, Next Step Test Prep

Did you know that the MCAT (and more importantly, your MCAT score) is one of the biggest determinants of whether or not you are going to get into medical school? Every year, we talk to students who underestimate the MCAT and do poorly, severely hindering their ability to get into medical school their first time applying.

The Premed Playbook: Guide to the MCAT gives you the high yield information that you need to know so that you understand what to expect when registering for the MCAT, buying MCAT books and other prep material, looking at MCAT prep courses, finding your MCAT study group, and creating your studying plan. (Use the promo code in the book to save on Next Step's MCAT test prep materials too!) As soon as you know you have to take the MCAT, you need this book. With a solid plan to prep for the MCAT, you can take your application from something that may get overlooked to one that grabs the attention of admission committee members and gets you an interview and an acceptance.

Expert Advice: With over ten years experience in MCAT test prep, Next Step Test Prep helps half of all students taking the MCAT every year. Dr. Ryan Gray has been helping students on their journey to medical school through The MCAT Podcast, co-hosted by Next Step Test Prep, The Premed Years, and other podcasts and services at Medical School Headquarters.

Genres: Medical

178 pages, Paperback

Published May 14, 2018

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Dr. Ryan Gray is a former United States Air Force Flight Surgeon who found a passion for helping premed students on their journey to medical school. Best known for his podcasts, which have been downloaded over 3,000,000 times, Dr. Gray has interviewed numerous Admissions Committee members and deans of admissions for medical schools. Through The Premed Years podcast and the Medical School Headquarters, Dr. Gray has helped thousands of students gain the confidence they require to successfully navigate the premed path. Dr. Gray lives outside of Boulder, CO with his wife Allison, who is a Neurologist, and their daughter Hannah.

Check out all of Dr. Gray's podcasts at Meded Media (http://www.mededmedia.com)

Reviews

[Carina Shephard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars // read December 2022

For context, it’s going to be a while before I take the MCAT (likely May 2024).

“The Premed Playbook: Guide to the MCAT” is exactly the detailed guide I was looking for. It covers what the MCAT is; study strategies and prepping tools; what you can expect on test day; if/why you should retake it; and answers other commonly asked questions. To be clear, it’s not a study guide, but rather a way to strategize and figure out when and how you’re going to prepare for the MCAT.

I took off a star because there is a fair amount of self-promotion (take the Next Steps diagnostic test! etc.), but there are coupon codes, which is nice.

Overall, I’d definitely recommend this book to other premeds who are starting to freak out about how exactly they’re going to conquer the MCAT and have a lot of questions about it.

[Alex Shepard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a pretty good book. It has a lot of helpful tips to perspective MCAT takers and provides examples of how to attack questions and passages by showing the reader how to think about them and move through them efficiently.

[Jared Reeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Studying for the MCAT right now, and now would say that this book is a BIG TIME recommendation to anyone interested in taking the MCAT at any point in the next few years!

[Susanna]

Ofc I have to add it to the list