Two months is a short runway for the MCAT, and it's normal to wonder whether you can fit everything in! It works when most of the science is already familiar and you can study close to full-time.
This 2-month MCAT study plan lays out all eight weeks, from your diagnostic exam to test day, with the hours each week takes and what to do if you fall behind 🙂
How to Study for the MCAT in 2 Months: MCAT 2-Month Study Plan
Eight weeks is enough time to prepare for the MCAT when the content comes back with review and you can put in about 30 to 35 hours a week.
The plan runs the same five phases as our 3-month MCAT study plan, packed into eight weeks, so the days are longer and there are fewer spare ones!
Who This 2-Month MCAT Study Plan Is For
- Your test date is about eight weeks away.
- You've finished biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics and biochemistry, and most of it comes back with a quick review. Psychology and sociology are fine to learn as you go.
- You can give the MCAT about 30 to 35 hours a week, so it's your main job for these two months.
If you're working full-time, your diagnostic lands far below your goal, or a subject would be new to you, the 3-month MCAT study plan gives you more room. That's completely okay!
Our guide on how to study for the MCAT covers the five phases every plan follows.
- 1-month MCAT study plan, about four weeks out, content mostly done
- 2-month MCAT study plan (you're here)
- 3-month MCAT study plan, about 25 hours a week
- 4-month MCAT study plan, more room for content review
- 5-month MCAT study plan, inside the 6-month plan, fits around classes or work
- 6-month MCAT study plan, a steady pace from the start
Week 1 is your diagnostic. Weeks 1 to 6 are content review, with practice questions after every topic, and timed passages start in week 2. Weeks 7 and 8 are full-length exams, review and rest before test day!
How Many Hours a Week the 2-Month MCAT Study Plan Takes
Plan on 30 to 35 hours a week. A content week runs about 30 hours, and a week with a full-length exam runs about 35, since the exam takes about 7.5 hours and the review takes most of another day.
Across the eight weeks that adds up to about 250 hours!
About five to six hours a day, six days a week, with one day off. That's close to a full-time job, so if you're also working or in classes, a longer plan will be kinder to you 🙂
Week-by-Week 2-Month MCAT Study Plan
Each row below is one week of the 2-month MCAT study plan. Every content week covers each science subject, so nothing goes cold for long!
Five content days with two or three topics a day, one review day for your problem areas, and one day off 🙂 CARS runs every day, one to three timed passages, and so do your flashcards.
How to Adjust Your 2-Month MCAT Study Plan If You Fall Behind
Almost every plan slips somewhere, so try not to panic when yours does! Eight weeks leaves less slack than a longer plan, so catch up within the same week when you can.
- A topic ran over. Finish it on that week's review day and keep the next week's topics on schedule. Keep CARS and your flashcards going every day.
- You lost a few days. Fold the missed topics into your next two review days, and keep your day off.
- Your full-length scores aren't rising. Spend a review day sorting your mistake log by cause. Content misses go back to practice questions, and timing or misreading misses get more timed passage sets.
If you'd like a 515+ scorer to look over your mistake log with you, our 1:1 MCAT tutoring lets you book a session whenever you hit a wall 🙂
For more on each phase, from the diagnostic to test week, see our full guide on how to study for the MCAT.
Is 2 Months Enough to Study for the MCAT?
Two months is enough when your content is mostly in place and you have the hours. These five questions help you decide, and you can answer most of them after your diagnostic 🙂
If your answers land mostly on the left, the 2-month MCAT study plan above fits you! If most land in the right-hand column, give yourself three months or more.
Our guide on how long to study for the MCAT helps you pick a timeline, and if test anxiety is part of it, our guide to managing MCAT anxiety can help!
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What to Know Before You Start Studying for the MCAT
It helps to know what test day looks like before week 1. The AAMC's MCAT Essentials covers registration, test-day rules and scores, and the AAMC asks every examinee to read it.
The exam has four sections, and our guide to the MCAT format walks through each one.
Each section is scored from 118 to 132, for a total from 472 to 528, and test day runs about 7.5 hours with breaks. Our guide to what a good MCAT score is shows how scores compare for the schools you're aiming at.
CARS gives you everything you need in the passage, so it improves with daily timed practice and a careful review of each passage. That's why it runs every day of this plan, and our CARS strategy guide shows how to review one :)
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A 10+ point increase in eight weeks is possible, and we have watched it happen. It has to be the right eight weeks.
The 515+ Scorer MCAT Master Map orders the phases so your eight weeks go where the points are.
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MCAT Preparation Resources for a 2-Month Plan
With eight weeks, a short list of resources used fully goes a long way. These are the ones this 2-month MCAT study plan is built around!
Additional FAQs on How to Study for the MCAT in 2 Months
Is 2 Months Enough to Study for the MCAT?
Yes, if most of your content comes back with review and you can study 30 to 35 hours a week, which is what our 2-month MCAT study plan asks for.
If you're working full-time or learning a subject for the first time, three months or more is a kinder timeline!
How Many Hours a Day Should I Study for the MCAT in 2 Months?
About five to six hours a day, six days a week, with one day off. Full-length weeks run a little longer, since the exam itself takes about 7.5 hours.
Can I Study for the MCAT in 2 Months While Working?
A full-time job usually leaves room for 15 to 20 hours a week, which suits a four- to six-month plan. Our guide to studying while working or in school has schedules for that :)
What Is the Best Month to Take the MCAT?
We recommend testing by May of the year you apply, so your score is back early in the application cycle. Scores come out about a month after test day, and our guide on when to take the MCAT covers the timing.
Can I Study for the MCAT in 1 Month?
It's possible if your content is mostly done and you can study about 35 to 40 hours a week. Our 1-month MCAT study plan lays out those four weeks!
Are MCAT Study Plans Effective?
Yes, when you check yours every week against your mistake log. Writing down your hours and topics each day shows you when you're slipping, and you can fix it the same week!
Eight weeks goes fast, and you can do this! If you'd like live passages with mentors, our 6-Week Live MCAT Accelerator fits within these eight weeks, and every class is recorded.
And if the cohort dates don't line up, 1:1 MCAT tutoring lets you book a 515+ scorer whenever you hit a wall :)
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