Here I highlight my experience with Blueprint MCAT study resources and the role they played in my MCAT journey. I’ll talk about what the Blueprint resources are, how to use them, and what I did or didn’t like about them. Let’s get started!
I also wrote about Jack Westin CARS passages and what I used it for when I took MCAT.
Just starting out studying? Check out MCAT timing and how to study for the MCAT.
What are the Blueprint MCAT resources?
Blueprint is a company that makes MCAT resources including practice exams, a preparation course that can be self-paced or taught, a question bank, an MCAT diagnostic half length exam, and personal tutoring.
Here’s a link to their website: MCAT Prep Courses & Tutoring – Blueprint MCAT Test Prep
Back when I took it, they gave a free diagnostic half length, but that was it. They now have a free full length exam along with the diagnostic half length, so that’s great news for you!
Briefly, the question bank they have consists of 5,000+ questions and appears to have AI to assist with explanations. I had some friends do their course which is essentially a series of classes every week for a month or two. You sit in on the lectures and they teach all the content that is on the MCAT. It’s helpful if you need a structured and rigid way of reviewing. The diagnostic exam is half length and can be done in like an hour or two. It’s SO useful before you start studying in my opinion as it tells you roughly where you are knowledge wise and gives you an idea of the practice problems you would see. More detail on these below!
What resources did I use?
When I was preparing for the MCAT, I used blueprint as my secondary source of practice behind UWorld. UWorld was the primary and what I learned from. I used Blueprint’s diagnostic exam before I started the whole study grind to see how I was doing and what to expect. Also, you have to simulate a test-like environment at some point and this is where Blueprint’s practice full lengths came in.
For the diagnostic, I just took it one day when I decided it was time to start studying. It only took an hour or two and it was very informative to see where I needed to make progress. For me, I had a high CARS section, decent Bio section, and a lacking psych/soc and chemistry section. From here, I knew I needed to start hitting the chemistry and the Miledown Psych/soc deck hard. This is how I recommend utilizing their diagnostic. Just a note! So you don’t get discouraged, do understand that these companies benefit from you panicking. Therefore, their diagnostics may be very difficult or may be scored slightly lower than you really are so that you buy a course. It’s a great data point though.
Blueprint’s practice exams are really good for getting test experience without burning through AAMC materials. They have like 10 exams at this point and the nice thing is, the questions are harder than the real MCAT. Since they are harder, this should make AAMC appear easier when you finally get to their material.
You should take these just like you would on MCAT exam day. Same time, same morning routine, same night before routine, and same section timing, snacks, and breaks. It’s really important because the test center is so much different and you don’t want to get caught off guard. I tried to do my test days like this and I think it helped and in fact, I wish I had done even more to be strict and be just like test day.
I bought a 5 pack of the exams and took all of them throughout my studies. The key was to review them and this is another strength of Blueprint.
Do Blueprint Full length MCAT practice exams have good explanations?
The answer is yes! I found the explanations to be pretty strong and comparable to UWorld. They were easy to follow, easy to learn from, and I could make anki cards based off of it pretty easily. Honestly, their quality being comparable to UWorld should be enough evidence.
Are Blueprint’s courses helpful for MCAT studying?
I had 2 friends use blueprint’s courses and they are both in medical school now. I know this is n=2, but I think it definitely helped them. Can you do it for free on your own? Yes. BUT, if you need structure and sometimes feel like you don;t know where to start, this can be a good option. They all said it was helpful when I asked them and also said they liked that it went along with their practice exams etc from Blueprint. So just keep this in mind. There are other courses, but I am not familiar with anyone that used them. It was much more common to self study for MCAT. Read up on the others and get other opinions before pulling the trigger, because these cost over $1,000 each!
Is blueprint better than the other resources?
Well, it has its own use in my opinion. I think you stick with all the AAMC materials, Anki, and UWorld no matter what. Then, you should have one additional source if you have funding. I picked Blueprint because of their strong practice question explanations and they were cheaper at the time for their full lengths. Take a look at the others like Princeton Review etc and make a decision based on your best intuition. Hopefully this serves as a good overview of the source and why I chose it.