MCAT Question of the Day practice can be awesome for your overall exam technique.
But knowing what services to use, and which are actually worth your time (and money), can take some time.
To help, I’ll run through all the ones I feel are worth looking at in this article.
The six best free MCAT question of the day practice services are:
- Jack Westin MCAT Passage of the Day (best overall)
- Varsity Tutors MCAT Question of the Day (best for subject-specific practice)
- Kaplan MCAT Question of the Day (best email-based practice)
- Blueprint MCAT Question of the Day (most accurate AAMC-style practice)
- M Prep Question of the Day (best for measuring progress)
- MotivateMD Question of the Day (best cross platform solution)
I’ll run through what each offers, detailing the quality of their questions and anything else worth knowing about.
Hopefully, using these can bring a whole new dimension to your MCAT study plans.
Ready to get started? Let’s go!
Best Free MCAT Question of the Day Practice
Jack Westin MCAT Passage of the Day
Jack Westin’s MCAT Question of the Day is definitely the most useful when it comes to question of the day practice.
You can sign up to do questions both on the platform or get them sent to your email.
You’ll see how many other students have attempted that question the same day, how many got the answer correct, and any other comments from users of the platform.
This makes measuring your progress, and troubleshooting areas of strength/weakness easy.
Its focus on one of the toughest parts of the MCAT, the CARS section, can also lead to big improvements long term.
Jack Westin’s questions are the closest free thing you’ll see to actual AAMC-style question passages out of all the services on this list.
The paid platforms, which offer more MCAT practice passages and CARS practice exams, offer coaching, tutoring, and courses to help you master all sections of the exam.
You can read my broader thoughts on the paid course here…
Related: Is Jack Westin CARS Course Worth It? (Plus Beginner Tips!)
But at least sign-up and start practicing questions as soon as you can. You won’t find any better!
Varsity Tutors MCAT Question of the Day
Varsity Tutors has a free MCAT Questions of the Day page that doesn’t require an email sign-up.
They change out the questions for each of the following sections daily:
- MCAT Biology Question of the Day
- MCAT Physical Question of the Day
- MCAT Verbal Question of the Day (useful help for CARS)
- MCAT Social and Behavioral Sciences Question of the Day
What’s neat about their platform is that it’s completely browser-based (meaning you can access it from any digital device) and has a timer to help with pacing.
Questions range in quality but a few are passage-based and make good practice for memorizing and applying the MCAT’s core concepts.
Kaplan MCAT Question of the Day
Kaplan’s MCAT Question of the Day is one of the best email services out there.
That’s because it tracks the total number of responses it gets so you know how many other students have attempted the question each day.
The questions are brief and direct, so probably not the best representation of the passage-style questions you’ll see on the MCAT.
But still, for concept practice though they can be very effective.
Especially as there’s a large pool of free questions, meaning you’re unlikely to see the same question twice.
What would make it that little bit better is an explanation for each incorrect answer.
Still, as a free resource, you can’t really complain!
Blueprint MCAT Question of the Day
Blueprint Prep, formerly Next Step, has an AAMC-style free MCAT Question of the Day service that you can get in your inbox every day (except weekends).
The actual questions are very similar to Kaplan’s (not many are passage-based), but make for nice additional practice to help drill you on the most high yield facts you’re likely to be tested on.
The solutions are a little basic, however.
M Prep Question of the Day (Testing Solutions)
Testing Solutions (mcatquestion.com) has a useful platform that offers shorter and faster question reviews.
You can sign up to get free questions via email or do them directly on the site.
What’s awesome about this service is that you get to see the answer breakdowns and the percentage of students choosing each.
That helps in measuring your progress alongside others and gives you instantaneous feedback on which areas of the MCAT to work on.
The solution answers provided are some of the most detailed and easy to follow while the “Try a Random Question” feature is another nice touch.
MotivateMD Question of the Day
MotivateMD has a free MCAT Question of the Day app (for both Android and Apple).
As part of The Premed App, you’ll have to sign up for it and fill out a form first, but it can be worth it.
Having access to a quick question in an app (and not having to go via browser or email) helps make study more of a habit and ensures you don’t miss out on practice.
The questions are a mix of passage-based and direct questions.
They cover all the major concepts involved in chemistry, biology, and physics too.
Definitely worth checking out if you want questions direct on an app.
Other Free MCAT Question of the Day Practice
MCAT Question of the Day
MCAT Question of the Day (mcatquestionoftheday.com) isn’t the most up-to-date site, nor does it feature any special bells and whistles.
But it does promise what its domain name offers!
You can get questions delivered to your email or practice on site.
The latter option enables you to practice by topic, meaning you can pick out chemistry, biology, physics, and ochem questions individually.
Quality-wise the questions are a bit simplistic but they can help solidify your knowledge on the key parts of the MCAT exam syllabus.
Paid MCAT Question of the Day Practice
Magoosh Question of the Day
Magoosh is an online learning platform specialized for the MCAT.
It has a free 7-day trial where they’ll give you access to daily practice questions.
Upgrade to their self-paced platform at $399 for 12-months and you’ll get access to 740+ questions with the type of detailed answers you can find below.
What’s cool about the platform is that you get explanations for each answer (incorrect and correct). That’s important when it comes to helping you contextualize your answers and work out your reasoning.
Seeing the question’s difficulty and your pace compared to other learners is another niche feature.
MCAT Question of the Day: Reddit’s Recommendations
Reddit has a few good tips on the effectiveness of using question of the day services for MCAT prep.
Here’s the best advice I could find…
Do them earlier in the day
I personally use mcatquestion.com and Kaplan’s question of the day. I try to do them earlier in the day to kickstart my studying, but I would recommend UWorld for better practice as I think it will be a bit more representative to AAMC style.
– dederashkeban
Don’t mistake all questions for accurate practice
They do a decent job of looking like the discrete questions from AAMC. However, the MCAT is mostly composed of passage-based questions, and those are the ones that actually tend to be more difficult.
– drizzydrakerogers69
Do them long term
I was going through these for a while and they helped me achieve an MCAT question mindset. I scored a 512, and I’d say this was a huge factor in my 130 on P/S.
– u/YasuoMain528
Other Free MCAT Resources
Question Banks
Question of the Day services aside, there are also several excellent free MCAT question bank websites and resources you can study from.
Unlike many of the resources above, you don’t even have to register or use an email to start practicing with these.
Check out this article; 4 Best Free MCAT Question Banks 2021 (3500+ Questions, No Sign-Up!), for my top recommendations.
MCAT Anki Flashcards
Another great free resource that can go a long way to helping you memorize all the core concepts you’ll need for the MCAT are pre-made digital flashcards.
I make a big effort to keep the following article up to date with all the best ones; Best MCAT Anki Decks (Free & Fast!).
Related Questions
Who are these services for?
Question of the Day services are best suited to students early in their MCAT study plan. Taking the time to routinely practice is where you’ll see the most benefit.
Why are some free?
Many of these services are offered free in the hope of upselling you into paying for other products/services. Kaplan, with its MCAT review books and prep courses, is a good example of this.
But you don’t have to spend money studying for the MCAT!
Related: Are MCAT Prep Courses Actually Worth It? (Major Pros & Cons)
Why do a question of the day?
Practicing a question of the day is an easy, low-effort commitment.
Quizzing yourself with questions is also one of the few effective evidence-based study techniques out there.
It’s also a technique you can use once you’re actually in med school too.
Check out my article; How To Study Medicine Effectively (Quick Hints & Tips), for more info on that topic!
Is there an Examkrackers MCAT Question of the Day?
No. Not any more.
Examkrackers do still have an excellent free study guide though, as well as their popular 1001 questions MCAT book series.
Is there a Next Step MCAT Question of the Day?
Technically no. Next Step now exists as Blueprint. We cover Blueprints MCAT Question of the Day above.
If you enjoyed this article, you might find the following useful:
- How Hard Is It To Get Into Medical School? (Reddit’s 19 Best Opinions)
- Is Anki Good For MCAT? (Pros & Cons, Alternatives & Important Tips!)
Born and raised in the UK, Will went into medicine late (31) after a career in journalism. He’s into football (soccer), learned Spanish after 5 years in Spain, and has had his work published all over the web. Read more.