How did you study for the MCAT while taking classes?

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I intend to take my MCAT next May, and intend to study throughout the semester, starting from February. I will be taking 18 credits, chemistry 2 and physics 2 included. I also am involved in several extra-curricular activities. Generally, I do research in a lab for 15 hours but will be taking time of from the lab from February to May to use that time to study for the MCAT. I have a good GPA and want to maintain that also. Do you think this schedule is possible? Do you think I will be able to study with this load and score 36+?

Did anyone here have a similar schedule and/ or workload and attain this score? Or, did you have this schedule and/or workload and end up not being pleased with your score? Please share your stories? Thanks.

Why are you in such a rush?

Unless you have a really good reason, you should try everything in your power to try and set aside time to dedicate to the MCAT. Check out this thread written by the deity of these forums "SN2": http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=602186 . He makes some good points that are often overlooked.

If you are able to minimize your other obligations, this will immensely increase your chances of scoring high on the MCAT. I understand we are all Pre-meds and are always busy with things we "have to get done", but I think most traditional students are able to make time for studying for MCATs if they really tried. Definitely make sure you take all your pre-reqs before you start studying for the MCAT and go all out when you study for this beast. You do not want to be applying in the future and be forced to ask yourself if you would have done much better if you dedicated more time to studying for the MCAT.

Why did you want to take it in May? Are you planning to apply in June? It seems odd that you are taking your physics/chem this late into your studies. A strong base in the sciences is vital for doing well on the MCAT so I recommend finishing these classes before you begin studying.

I would recommend that you try to postpone the MCAT until the summer when you can dedicate more time towards it. If your planning to apply next summer and want to get your application in early, think about taking it in June. Besides having an incredibly busy semester, if you have not finished the pre-reqs yet you'll end up working twice as hard when studying for the MCAT to learn, rather than review, those physics and chemistry topics which you havn't gotten to in class.

I took 15 hours of courses and continued all of my ECs while studying for the MCAT. I managed to get a 4.0 that semester, be genuinely involved in my activities, and scored a 41 on my MCAT. So yes, it's possible.

That said, it was very difficult and requires some major discipline. You also need to make sure you review a realistic amount of material each day; I would aim for no more than 2 hours of studying each day. You also have to accept that there will be stretches of time where you just can't study. I studied from the end of December to May 1, and in that span I probably didn't study for a total of about four weeks due to other commitments.

I would recommend scheduling your studying at least partially during a break so that you can really maximize your studying then in the event you'll be too busy during the school year. While I was successful, looking back I definitely wouldn't recommend it for others. It was stressful and overall sucked big time.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by PingPongPro

Why are you in such a rush?

Unless you have a really good reason, you should try everything in your power to try and set aside time to dedicate to the MCAT. Check out this thread written by the deity of these forums "SN2": http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=602186 . He makes some good points that are often overlooked.

If you are able to minimize your other obligations, this will immensely increase your chances of scoring high on the MCAT. I understand we are all Pre-meds and are always busy with things we "have to get done", but I think most traditional students are able to make time for studying for MCATs if they really tried. Definitely make sure you take all your pre-reqs before you start studying for the MCAT and go all out when you study for this beast. You do not want to be applying in the future and be forced to ask yourself if you would have done much better if you dedicated more time to studying for the MCAT.

Why did you want to take it in May? Are you planning to apply in June? It seems odd that you are taking your physics/chem this late into your studies. A strong base in the sciences is vital for doing well on the MCAT so I recommend finishing these classes before you begin studying.

Yes, I do intend to apply in June. The reason I will be taking physics and chem at that time (I have bio and orgo) is because I had transferred credits from AP courses I had taken in High School. The credits were accepted by my school but I later found out that several medical schools do not accept transfer credits from the Caribbean.

I wanted to take my MCAT in May so that I could be an early applicant for June. I mean, I could study over the summer and apply early the following year (senior year), but I'd have a gap year and that's not really the route I want to take. I guess, I could look into that option though.

Originally Posted by NickNaylor

I took 15 hours of courses and continued all of my ECs while studying for the MCAT. I managed to get a 4.0 that semester, be genuinely involved in my activities, and scored a 41 on my MCAT. So yes, it's possible.

That said, it was very difficult and requires some major discipline. You also need to make sure you review a realistic amount of material each day; I would aim for no more than 2 hours of studying each day. You also have to accept that there will be stretches of time where you just can't study. I studied from the end of December to May 1, and in that span I probably didn't study for a total of about four weeks due to other commitments.

I would recommend scheduling your studying at least partially during a break so that you can really maximize your studying then in the event you'll be too busy during the school year. While I was successful, looking back I definitely wouldn't recommend it for others. It was stressful and overall sucked big time.

Good luck.

Thank you. Great score. What study strategy did you use and had you already completed all your pre-reqs at this time?

Originally Posted by cybermaxx12

I would recommend that you try to postpone the MCAT until the summer when you can dedicate more time towards it. If your planning to apply next summer and want to get your application in early, think about taking it in June. Besides having an incredibly busy semester, if you have not finished the pre-reqs yet you'll end up working twice as hard when studying for the MCAT to learn, rather than review, those physics and chemistry topics which you havn't gotten to in class.

Thanks. Have you taken your MCAT yet, when did you schedule yours and when did you study for it?

Originally Posted by kimicurtis

Thanks. Have you taken your MCAT yet, when did you schedule yours and when did you study for it?

Yup, when? I'm curious about that too.

Some people are really freaking smart with great disciplines.

Some people aren't.

You have to figure out which you are...

Originally Posted by kimicurtis

Thank you. Great score. What study strategy did you use and had you already completed all your pre-reqs at this time?

I describe my strategy/study plan in the 30+ thread, so I'll let you find it there (just search). I used EK for all of my studying.

Again, I want to emphasize that this really wasn't an ideal way to do things. I definitely would've been a little smarter with planning my schedule if I had to do it again.

You could still schedule your test for the end of June and not be late assuming you stay on top of your secondaries. That way you'd still have a month and a half of dedicated studying in the summer.

Originally Posted by NickNaylor

I describe my strategy/study plan in the 30+ thread, so I'll let you find it there (just search). I used EK for all of my studying.

Again, I want to emphasize that this really wasn't an ideal way to do things. I definitely would've been a little smarter with planning my schedule if I had to do it again.

You could still schedule your test for the end of June and not be late assuming you stay on top of your secondaries. That way you'd still have a month and a half of dedicated studying in the summer.

Hmm, I guess I could consider a June date, I will be doing my personal statement and secondary's before hand. Applying in May does maximize an applicants' chances at admittance and scholarship though, but I suppose something has to give.

I took the MCAT on the 8th of this month. I followed the pretty standard SDN wisdom of studying for the MCAT over the summer using SN2ed's study plan and then taking it at the beginning of the school year. If you feel confident about your abilities then I'm sure you could take it during the school year. I knew that I was going to need to devote a lot of time to reviewing material and figured that studying over the summer would allow me to maximize my score. In the end, you should do what you think is going to give you the best results.