Applying to Med/PA School
The 3 Best Ways to Get Free MCAT Questions of the Day
About Stephanie
A native of Indianapolis, Stephanie Asdell is a first-year medical student at Indiana University. In 2018, she graduated from Duke University with a major in cultural anthropology and double minors in biology and global health. In addition to medical school, she plans to later pursue a Masters in Public Health to further her interests in community and women’s health.
So you’re preparing for the MCAT…
Looking for a free, bite-sized piece of MCAT prep material delivered to your email inbox daily? Whether you have already designed an MCAT study plan and are looking for an additional tidbit of high-yield info or want to get exposure to MCAT-style questions early and often (and well in advance of the more intense preparation), Questions of the Day are a straightforward, quick, and consistent way to assess how ready you are for the MCAT — at no cost!
Check out these three top-notch ways to subscribe to free MCAT Questions of the Day:
1) Varsity Tutors
Varsity Tutors is a one-stop online tutoring platform that offers several free MCAT resources, including a Question of the Day, delivered to your email inbox as often as you choose — ranging from everyday to one day a week.
Pros:
Questions are broken down by the four sections of the MCAT: Biology, Physical Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Verbal (the former name for Critical Analysis and Reasoning), allowing you to hone in on a particular section. (Check out this blog to read more about the sections and scoring of the MCAT.)
Want to take weekends off from questions? Varsity Tutors allows you to customize your subscription to tailor the frequency of the questions to your needs (see image below). This feature is unique among the other free Question of the Day resources, which by default send daily questions.
Varsity Tutors provides feedback on Questions of the Day, including an explanation with some elaboration on the correct answer. This service also will stack your performance against the statistics of all question takers, showing your score and answering time compared to others. Keep in mind that these statistics are not representative of all test takers, just the ones using Varsity Tutors.
Subscribing to the Question of the Day is free, but requires you to set up an account. With the account, Varsity Tutors also provides access to hundreds of practice tests, “Learn by Concept” pages with practice questions and answers, and flashcards with single practice questions broken down by the 4 sections of the MCAT as well as more specific subject content (see below). Varsity Tutors is great if you are looking for a quick Question of the Day as well as an extensive selection of free practice material broken down by section and subject matter.
Cons:
If you are looking to do practice questions selected randomly from all MCAT subjects, Varsity Tutors only offers questions separated by section.
Although creating a free account will allow you to track progress on the website’s practice tests, learning by concept pages, and flashcards, you cannot track progress on Questions of the Day.
2) M Prep
The M Prep website is a prep resource with a more singular focus on its free MCAT Question of the Day, which has attracted a large fanbase over the years for its simplicity and consistency.
Pros:
M Prep offers paragraph-style explanations for correct and incorrect answer choices to the daily question, as well as a percentile of how many question takers answered correctly.
M Prep also allows you to view older, random Questions of the Day if you want more than one question per day.
Cons:
M Prep does not offer any additional free material to reinforce topics, so if you are having trouble with a specific subject, you will need to look to another resource for background information.
On M Prep, you cannot change the frequency of Questions of the Day sent to your inbox, track your progress, or narrow down questions by test subject.
3) Jack Westin CARS Question of the Day
The Critical Analysis and Reasoning (CARS) section of the MCAT is dreaded by many for its intimidation factor – long, wordy passages and questions that can seem convoluted. One way to tackle CARS is to accustom yourself by reading and analyzing articles on a frequent basis. Jack Westin’s MCAT prep website is tailored to the CARS section only, with specialized questions and strategies available for free through a Question of the Day format.
Pros:
If you are looking to enhance your exposure to CARS passages and questions in order to boost your score, Jack Westin is the place to go for a free daily question delivered straight to your inbox. Since CARS passages similar to the actual MCAT can be tougher to find, this resource is a valuable, free way to practice thinking and analyzing in the CARS mode.
Jack Westin also has free single passages or longer practice tests in a realistic MCAT format available on the website if you want to view several passages at a time rather than once per day.
Cons:
Of course, Jack Westin is limited only to CARS practice, and CARS passages and accompanying questions might take longer to complete than Questions of the Day in the other subjects. Additionally, you are not able to track progress over time or control how often you would like to receive Questions of the Day.
Here’s a summary of some pros and cons of each of these free Question of the Day resources:
Take advantage of these free resources early and use them often. When test day comes, you will be thankful for the time you spent working through content-specific, MCAT-style questions. And remember: you can practice one question on the go — even as you brush your teeth — as a quick additional study boost.
Looking for more easy, free MCAT study tips? Check out these 2 awesome study habits!
Our Alumni Enter Great Medical Schools
John Daines
- Atlantis '17
- Brigham Young University '19
- Washington U. in St. Louis MD '23
Zoey Petitt
- Atlantis '17
- U. of Arizona '18
- Duke MD '23
Zoey Petitt
Hungary ’17 || University of Arizona (undergraduate) ’18
Completed Atlantis Program Location and Date:
Hungary, Summer 2017
Do you believe your Atlantis experience helped you get into your graduate program?
I believe it was very helpful.
Generally, why do you think Atlantis helped you get into your graduate program?
For me, my Atlantis experience played a key role in confirming my decision to go into medicine. This was important for me to discuss during the admissions process.
Specifically, did you talk about Atlantis in your interviews?
Yes
Yong-hun Kim
- Atlantis '17
- Stanford '19
- Mayo Clinic MD '24
Yong-Hun Kim
Budapest, Hungary ’17 || Stanford University
Program:
Budapest, Hungary – Winter 2017
Undergraduate:
Stanford University class of 2019
Major:
Computer Science
Honors:
Bio-X Grant (award for research)
Undergraduate Activities:
President and Founder of Stanford Undergraduate Hospice and Palliative Care, Volunteer for Pacific Free Clinic, Research Assistant in Wernig Pathology Lab, President of Hong Kong Student Association, violin performance
Describe Atlantis in three words:
Eye-opening. Spontaneous. Exhilarating.
Why did you choose Atlantis?
I chose the Atlantis program because it combines opportunities to shadow physicians and travel abroad, both of which I had little prior exposure to.
What was your favorite experience as an Atlantis participant?
My favorite experience as an Atlantis participant came in the stories exchanged over meals or excursions and the breadth of conversation that reflected the diversity of backgrounds within our cohort and site managers.
What was the most meaningful aspect of your time shadowing?
I appreciated the chance to speak with physicians in Budapest and hear their personal motivations for pursuing medicine because it really helped better contextualize and validate my own interest in medicine. The physicians were also just really welcoming, relatable, and down-to-earth people.
How has Atlantis helped equip you for the future?
The Atlantis program has equipped me with a better understanding of what a career in medicine looks like, which I think is an invaluable gift considering the long road ahead of those who aspire to be a physician.
How has Atlantis equipped you for active leadership in the medical field?
The ability to interact and empathize with patients of diverse backgrounds and communities is a necessity to be a leader in the medical field. I think the Atlantis program, through my interactions with mentors and their patients, has helped me take my first steps toward attaining the cultural vocabulary and literacy required of a physician.
Megan Branson
- Atlantis '18
- U. of Montana '19
- U. of Washington MD '24
Sarah Emerick
- Atlantis '19
- Eckerd College '20
- Indiana U. MD '25
Snow Nwankwo
- Atlantis '19
- Catholic U. of America '21
- Georgetown U. MD '26
Tiffany Hu
- Atlantis '16
- U. of Maryland '17
- U. of Michigan MD '22
Tiffany Hu
Tereul, Spain ’16 || U Michigan Medical School
Program:
Teruel, Spain – Summer 2016
Undergraduate:
University of Maryland class of 2017
Admitted medical student at:
University of Michigan Medical School
Major:
Neurobiology
Honors:
Honors Integrated Life Sciences Program, Banneker/Key Scholarship
Extracurricular Activities:
American Medical Student Association Co-President & Advocacy Day Liaison, Alternative Breaks Experience Leader, Health Professions Advising Office Student Advisory Board, Biology Teach Assistant, Health Leads, Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, NIH Research Intern, Physicians for Social Responsibility Environment & Health Intern
Describe Atlantis in Three Words:
Educational. Eye-opening. Exhilarating.
Why did you choose Atlantis?
I wanted to expand my horizons and understand a culture of health different from the ones I am accustomed to. I had shadowed doctors in the United States and Taiwan prior to my Atlantis program experience, and being able to see first-hand the healthcare system in Spain allowed me to draw comparisons between the different complex healthcare systems.
What was your favorite experience as an Atlantis participant?
Bonding with the other participants and celebrating our time together along with the doctors we shadowed. We would discuss our interests, passions, and motivation for medicine, and it was an incredible experience to learn from and alongside them.
What was your experience with the doctors you were shadowing?
Because of the pre-established relationships with the hospitals in which we shadowed, all the doctors were very welcoming and accommodating. They were willing to translate for us and explain in detail all of their medical decisions. My doctors and I had wonderful conversations about the differences between life in Spain vs. the United States.
What was the most meaningful aspect of your time shadowing?
I was excited to scrub in on surgeries and watch as the doctor explained what he was doing throughout the operation. Before and after surgeries, as well as in my other rotations, I observed how the doctors reassured and communicated with their patients. I was able to glean insight into differences between the experience of health in Spain versus the United States through observation as well as conversations with the doctors.
How has Atlantis helped equip you for the future?
Besides the wealth of medical knowledge I gained from shadowing the doctors, I challenged myself to step outside of my cultural comfort zone and explore more than I thought I was capable of. Atlantis allowed me to make connections with people from all around the United States and abroad, and the friendships I gained helped me learn so much more than I would have on my own.
Lauren Cox
- Atlantis '18
- Louisiana Tech '20
- U. of Arkansas MD '24
Lauren Cox
Libson, Portugal ’18 || Louisiana Tech
Completed Atlantis Program Location(s):
Lisbon, Portugal
Year of most recent program:
Fall ’17 – Summer ’18
Season of most recent program:
Summer
Do you believe your Atlantis experience helped you get into your graduate program?
Extremely helpful
Generally, why do you think Atlantis helped you get into your graduate program?
It exposed me to shadowing that was hard to come by in the states. It also gave me a chance to see other systems of healthcare.
Specifically, did you talk about Atlantis in your interviews? If so, how much relative to other topics?
Yes – they wanted to know about my experience, and specifically how the healthcare I saw in another country compared to what I had seen in the USA.
Kayla Riegler
- Atlantis '18
- U. of Kentucky '20
- U. of Kentucky MD '24
About Atlantis
Atlantis is the leader in pre-health shadowing and clinical experience, offering short-term programs (1-10 weeks) over academic breaks for U.S. pre-health undergraduates. Medical schools want 3 things: (1)healthcare exposure, (2)GPA/MCAT, and (3)certain competencies. Atlantis gives you a great version of (1), frees you to focus on (2), and cultivates/shows (3) to medical school admissions committees.
Watch Video: The Atlantis Shadowing Experience and How it Helps In Your Med/PA Admissions Future
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