Raleigh used Traverse to study for his MCAT and got a 99th percentile score
- Traverse made it easy to organize all the learning material without getting overwhelmed
- The mind mapping feature allowed Raleigh to visualize and deeply understand complex topics like Glycolysis and the Endocrine Pathways
- Spaced repetition flashcards helped him memorize in the shortest possible time
The challenge of studying for the MCAT
In early 2022, Raleigh was studying for the MCAT exam to enter medical school - a difficult test where more than 78% of the test-takers score below the minimum score medical schools are looking for (510).
It is difficult for two reasons:
- It covers a vast array of subjects from biology and chemistry to physics and social sciences
- It requires exceptional critical thinking and analytical skills to interpret complex passages and solve problems under time constraints
The combination of extensive content and cognitive demands can be overwhelming, making the MCAT a big hurdle on your path to medical school success.
Raleigh soon realized his old methods of (re-)reading study material and highlighting the significant bits weren't going to cut it this time.
After doing his research, he discovered how organized note-taking apps like Notability and flashcards apps like Anki improved his recall.
But he kept asking himself, “Is there an even better way to learn?”
How Traverse supercharged Raleigh’s MCAT prep
Raleigh tested many study apps, but none really helped him create an effective study practice.
Until, after a few months, Raleigh discovered Traverse. It allowed him to connect ideas visually and see the big picture, while still offering active recall and spaced repetition flashcard practice.
Take the Krebs Cycle for example, an important topic to study in the MCAT Biochemistry section. Rather memorizing every step as an isolated fact, Traverse allowed Raleigh to visually draw out the cycle, and add his notes and flashcards in the place where they logically belonged.
Raleigh’s favorite way of doing that, is by creating ‘map occlusion’ flashcards, which let him hide part of biological pathways and other diagrams, and review them with spaced repetition flashcards:
Using existing resources in Traverse
Before coming across Traverse, Raleigh had already started studying with the popular flashcard app Anki. Luckily, Traverse is 100% Anki compatible, and offers an easy Anki import function.
What’s more, Raleigh used videos from YouTube and Khan academy, which he could directly embed into Traverse.
Using study strategies in Traverse
Apart from studying difficult topics, Raleigh realized that Traverse’s visual organization is also perfect to organize study planning and strategies. He mapped out the perfect strategy for each sections (Chem/Phys, CARS, Bio and Psych/Soc), and organized it in Traverse to always have the information at hand.
The result: a 523 MCAT Score and his dream medical school acceptance
After studying with Traverse for 3 months, Raleigh was ready to take the test! And when the results finally came in, it confirmed that he made the right decision: he got a 523 score (99th percentile), with 132/132 on the psychology and sociology section!
With this score, Raleigh was ready to start applying to medical schools. He got accepted into multiple schools, including his dream school: the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas.
Raleigh is exciting to take his academic career to new heights as he is starting to use Traverse for his studies in medical school as well!
About Traverse
Traverse is a learning tool which helps students and researchers learn better using scientific learning techniques. Our values are the search for truth, simplicity, joy and connection. We’ve helped over 10.000 people learn better so far, learning languages, medicine, computer science and other subjects.
