For pre-meds
MCAT error log (free template)
Use on paper, in a spreadsheet (import the CSV), or in your notes.
How it works
Log every question you miss AND every question you guessed correctly. The goal is to find patterns in why you miss, not just what you miss.
Columns
- Date: Day you did the question
- Source: Where it came from (book, practice exam name, section number)
- Section: Chem/Phys, CARS, Bio/Biochem, Psych/Soc
- Topic: e.g., enzyme kinetics, action potentials, main idea
- My answer: What you chose
- Correct: The right answer
- Cause tag: One tag from the taxonomy below
- Why I missed it: One honest sentence
- Rule for next time: A short, specific rule
- Redo date: When you will retry it cold
- Redone OK?: Y / N
Tag taxonomy
- C: content gap (did not know or recall the fact)
- R: misread (question stem, passage, or axis label)
- M: math, unit or sign slip
- L: logic trap (extreme wording, attractive but unsupported answer)
- D: data/graph reading error
- T: timing (rushed or ran out)
- G: lucky guess (right answer, wrong or no reasoning)
Weekly review routine (30 minutes)
- Count tags from the week. Which tag leads?
- Pick the top 3 rules; rewrite them on one card.
- Redo every item whose redo date has arrived, without notes.
- For each C tag, make one flashcard or one-line summary.
- Choose next week's drills based on the leading tag (e.g., many R tags: practice slow, underlined reading of question stems).
- Note your timing for one passage set to track stamina.
Filled example rows (original, illustrative)
| Date | Source | Section | Topic | My answer | Correct | Cause tag | Why I missed it | Rule for next time | Redo date | Redone OK? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03-02 | Practice set 4, Q7 | Bio/Biochem | Competitive inhibition | C | A | C | Mixed up which intercept shows Vmax | On a double-reciprocal plot, y-intercept = 1/Vmax | 03-09 | Y |
| 03-02 | Practice set 4, Q12 | Chem/Phys | Ideal gas | B | D | M | Used Celsius, not Kelvin | Convert temperature before touching the formula | 03-09 | Y |
| 03-03 | CARS passage 2, Q3 | CARS | Author's tone | A | C | L | Chose the "strongest" statement; text was hedged | Match the strength of the author's wording | 03-10 | N |
| 03-04 | Practice set 5, Q2 | Psych/Soc | Classical conditioning | B | B | G | Guessed between B and C | Define CS, US, CR, UR before choosing | 03-11 | Y |