Finding the best youtube channels for studying the MCAT can be hard and you don’t want to waste time with trial and error. I’ve listed my top 9 channels that I watched for MCAT and some I still watch while in medical school! Check it out.
Need the Anki decks for MCAT? Check out these download links: Miledown, Aidan, JackSparrow, Mr. Pankow
Want to know the topics on the MCAT? Check it out here.
These youtubers each have their own niche in the MCAT studying universe with each helping out with a specific need, in my opinion. So, look at each one as a way to fill some sort of gap in your knowledge or type of approach you are trying to go in with.
When to use Youtube to study for the MCAT
I think using Youtube is a fantastic way to study for the MCAT. It was a key part of my journey to doing well and eventually going to medical school. The honest truth is that it may not be the most efficient way of studying AT FACE VALUE. You have to make it an efficient method. There are a couple ways I do this. In all, you have three situations:
- The videos need to be efficient
- The video is watched at 1.25 or 1.5x speed
- The video is listened to while you are driving or running or doing something where you can’t do flashcards
The above situations are when I exclusively use videos. Anything above 1.5x speed is really hard to encode and remember. A lot of times, I use 1.25x and this is the perfect speed for retention. If the person speaks slow, I use 1.5x to achieve a similar effect. When watching a video, you want someone who only hits the HIGH YIELD information. If they have a ton of pauses or are going way into depth, they may not be the ones for you.
Driving can be a peaceful time for everyone’s day. I use it as a study time when I’m driving home from school. I would go home a lot and I went to school about 2-3 hours away. As a result, I realized I had all that time to learn or else I’d just be listening to music. You may be in the same situation, so just keep that in mind! It really adds up and you can always alternate music and videos to give the brain a break
Khan Academy Youtube Channel
This channel is the premier for MCAT studying. They are FREE, comes with practice questions, and is very efficient in how they teach. They teach well and it is relatively all high yield info.
At its core, Khan Academy’s mission is “to provide a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere.” This vision underpins every aspect of the platform, driving continuous development of personalized learning resources for students of all ages, alongside free tools designed to empower parents and educators in guiding progress and identifying areas for growth
Specifically what makes them so great is they did a collaboration with the AAMC (the makers of the MCAT) to create a series of video reviews specifically over the stuff on the MCAT topic list. I personally watched every single video and thought it was a great review of my Anki cards and also a great introduction to topics I’d forgotten about.
Ninja Nerd Science
This youtuber is one of the very high yield and in depth you can find. He literally explains it all so well and in ways that I have never seen so well explained. It really was impressive. I use him in medical school even, that’s just how good he is. Check him out.
The guiding mission of Ninja Nerd is “to create compassionate healthcare professionals who positively impact the field of medicine and the communities they serve,” emphasizing the production of evidence-based, high-quality educational materials that complement traditional instruction and foster deeper understanding for learners and educators alike
He goes into very specific detail, so if you want to use it as a review AFTER doing the basic anki for a topic, I think it can help you move up a level in your understanding. If you use it as an intro to a topic, I think it may be difficult at times. I usually listen to him at 1.25x, because his videos tend to be very long and maybe not as efficient as some of the others. It is balanced by how well explained and in depth the topics are though.
Andrey K MCAT youtube reviews
I used this guy for a lot of the physics and biology reviews and explanations throughout my studying. It was a very high yield review and honestly, he doesn’t label his videos specifically for MCAT, but I felt like they were direct reviews. It was almost like it was straight off of the topic list.
The platform’s mission is “to create a library of lectures that provide simple explanations to many difficult topics in the sciences,” driving its focus on clear, concept-driven teaching for audiences from undergraduates to medical students. In line with this vision, AK Lectures has systematically chosen some of the most challenging medical-school-level subjects and distilled them into concise, board-style presentations that demystify complex material.
I’d pair his videos with the anki decks to make sure that you are reinforcing the data, but he explains everything just so well. I found he was more efficient/high yield than ninja nerd. What I mean by that is that he hit specifically what you need for MCAT and did so with just enough detail. It wasn’t more than you needed to know, in my opinion.
Leah4Sci MCAT Youtube Channel
Leah4Sci was my go to for a lot of the math equations and problems you have to do on the MCAT. She explained a lot of the general chemistry topics such as balancing equations, newton’s laws, and really all of the physics topics. She saved me on my physics section and is really useful for practice problems.
She will fill in your need for practice problems that are guided by an instructor and will lay out all of the types of problems you’ll encounter on the exam. She is high yield and efficient, so you won’t waste much time. The only downside is you can’t really watch her in the car on your rides, because it’s very visual and equation oriented.
At its core, Leah4sci’s mission is to demystify challenging science concepts by focusing on “the how and why” rather than rote memorization, ensuring that learners not only know the right answers but truly understand the underlying principles. This philosophy drives every aspect of the platform—from hand-drawn mechanism walkthroughs to personalized study guides—so that each student’s unique learning style and pace are honored through customized explanations and clear, concise whiteboard tutorials.
Bozeman Science Youtube channel
Bozeman was pretty good overall. I enjoyed him specifically for biology. He had good, simplified explanations for everything. Specifically, he was really good at explaining mitosis, meiosis, and all of the viruses and bacterial knowledge.
At its core, Bozeman Science’s mission is to deliver inquiry-driven, three-dimensional science education that makes complex concepts accessible to learners of all levels. Emphasizing evidence-based explanations and alignment with standards like the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), the channel seeks to empower both students and educators by fostering genuine scientific understanding rather than rote memorization
One of the things he does especially well is he has graphics and visuals that he talks about and labels as he goes through his explanations. Some of these videos they draw on a board or just have really rudimentary illustrations. They can be hard to follow sometimes, but he does a great job of having nice diagrams and graphics which makes following easier. He can sometimes be listened to in the car.
Professor Dave Explains Youtube channel
Professor Dave is really one of those very efficient, short videos that you can watch. He is super good for introductory lessons or some very short reminder of a topic you may have forgotten about. I think he provides a simple layout that has good graphics.
At its core, the channel’s mission is twofold: “to provide the best resource for self-education in existence,” as stated in its welcome video, and “to raise the bar of scientific literacy in the world,” a vision Farina reiterates on his Patreon page
I would often use him for a quick fix explanation of a topic I missed on UWorld or on a full length while I was reviewing. Sometimes, you just need a quick example or short explanation, and this is where he comes in.