Studying for the MCAT is a highly time-intensive and challenging process. Many students take multiple months of full-time studying to fully prepare for their tests. To aid in this process many companies have provided both free and paid resources to help you succeed. The following is a fully compiled list of the best MCAT prep books and online resources. It has been made using the opinions of current and applying medical school students.
This website is not affiliated with any of the companies or resources we are about to recommend.
Paid MCAT Prep Books
Paid MCAT Prep Books provide an extremely detailed and in-depth review of all topics covered on the MCAT. However, students studying for MCAT should not solely rely on these books for their prep. We highly recommend that test-takers first take the recommended undergraduate courses for the MCAT and use these prep books to supplement and review learned content.
Of the prep books listed below, two tend to stand out in the eyes of medical school students. Both the Princeton and Kaplan review sets have the most in-depth topic review and contain multiple practice questions and tests. Of the two, we recommend the Princeton Review book set as we find that it is more comprehensive than its Kaplan counterpart.
- The Princeton Review 6-Book-Set
- Kaplan MCAT Complete 7-Book Subject Review
- The Berkeley Review (10 books)
- Mometrix MCAT Prepbooks
- Examkrackers MCAT Study Package
- AAMC Official Guide to the MCAT Exam
All the following options have various advantages and disadvantages and we recommend you learn about what each one offers, check reviews, and choose the one that best meets your needs.
Free MCAT Video Resources
There are various free MCAT video resources that help review and teach material to students preparing for the MCAT. Combined with Anki Decks, these websites offer some of the best free preparation for the MCAT. Some of these resources also offer paid plans, however, we are only recommending them for their free videos.
Without a doubt, of the following choices, we recommend the use of the MCAT course provided by Khan Academy with support from the AAMC. Not only does Khan Academy have detailed videos covering most topics on the MCAT, but also free practice questions.
- Khan Academy MCAT Prep
- Study.com MCAT Prep Course
- Gold Standard MCAT Videos
- MCAT For Me Videos (Many of their videos just link back to Khan Academy)
Free MCAT Prep Sheets
The following is a list of free MCAT Prep sheets that can be used to aid in your studying. Although we do not recommend relying solely on these prep sheets, they can be used to help review content and materials.
Topic Specific MCAT Prep Sheets
These resources are not created specifically for the MCAT and may include material that is not covered on your test. That being said they do provide some good free online resources for students looking for written material covering MCAT topics.
- Online Biology Book (Introductory Biology Only)
- Introductory Chemistry Course Notes from Purdue (General Chemistry Only)
- Virtual Textbook of Organic Chemistry (Organic Chemistry Only)
- Introductory Physics Course Notes from Boston U (Introductory Physics Only)
- Psychology: An Introduction (Introductory Psychology Only)
- Introduction to Sociology from Carter Center (Introductory Sociology Only)
