17-20 hours + studying for the MCAT?

[Sutter]

There's nothing anecdotal. Look up info published by the AAMC. People who retake rarely score outside of 2 points from their initial range. Whatever your talking about is based off a sample of your friends. What I'm talking about is based off thousands and thousands of people over a number of years. Case closed.

"I've seen people study rigorously full time for 8 months take the test 3 times and never crack 24( people with 3.6+GPAs I might add)."

Yup, not anecdotal at all. Thanks Judge GrapesofWrath. Are you in high school?

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[GrapesofRath]

"I've seen people study rigorously full time for 8 months take the test 3 times and never crack 24( people with 3.6+GPAs I might add)."

Yup, not anecdotal at all. Thanks Judge GrapesofWrath. Are you in high school?

You're literally too stupid to insult. Cheers.

 

[Afp0731]

https://www.aamc.org/students/download/271680/data/retestertotalscorechange.pdf

Let's actually use data for how people do on re-takes. Real data not something your friend did.

For people who scored a 21-32 on their first attempt: Around 36% scored more than 2 points better the second time around on average. 24% scored worse the second time around(which is definitely somewhat of a red flag) on average. So the chance of doing significantly better isn't outweighed much by the chance of doing worse.

For those who scored 21-23: To get to the DO average(27) would require scoring 5 points better(on average) the second time around: 18% did this.
For those in the 24-26 range: To get a 30 would require a 5 point swing on average. 15% achieved this.

Keep in mind in both cases the impact of a 27 or 30 would be diluted to some extent by having a poor score on their record from the first time around.

Bottom line: These significant improvements that actually make a difference happen less than people think. It's not just a matter of suddenly "Working hard" or "Trying".

I will argue that they happen less than people think because the majority of testers don't believe that they can make that jump and thus, don't put in the work needed to make a significant jump. I jumped nine points(in the pre-2015 grading scale of 0-45 ) between tests and I did not slack off the first time, I simply did not prepare how I should have. If you master every bit of content info and practice/review/self-correct to the best of your ability, big increases are absolutely doable. Most people don't practice the introspection or embrace the commitment needed to make those leaps. Perhaps if you just keep doing the same thing "harder" than those stats will be relevant but that is a personal choice. I know of more than one person who took the MCAT multiple times and could barely break into the 20s for that reason. Unfortunately, they took that experience as a reflection of the exam rather than their preparation which was the problem in the first place and went on to perpetuate bad information to fellow students. Lets try to help the OP rather than throw out stats without constructive meaning and to put down another poster's experience.

OP, is there any way you can wait to take the MCAT in the summer? The content and application mastery it takes to do well on that exam requires a lot of effort, dedication, and energy(I have always excelled at standardized exams and I had to put in 7ish hours a day for 2.5 months to get it right). What are the risks vs rewards of studying during the semester? Taking the exam once and doing well should be more important than rushing an app if that's what the matter is. If you explained this in the thread and I missed it, I apologize.

 

[efle]

I found it doable with 10 weeks of time while also doing 25 hours/week of class.

I think doing it during a full coarseload spring is probably a minority route these days. Lots of people take gap years or take it during a summer, or at the very least would time it in January and cram for the month of Xmas break. I only know like two people who did it in April/May of a typical upperclass semester.

 

[deleted577188]

Because someone who can handle a courseload like yours and still make a 522 on the MCAT while studying during the semester is not typical. Of course OP may not be typical pre-med either. Who knows.


You say you arent smart to get that score.... I beg to differ. There is only so much effort one can put in to increase their score. Time management only gets you so far. Hard work and time management alone are not enough to get a 522 IMHO.

Edit: I never said it wasnt doable... but taking a 17-18 credit courseload while studying for the MCAT doenst work for most people.

But then I always forget this is SDN. I'm like the only average Joe on here.

I'm probably much more average than you and I disagree with you. Taking 15 credits and studying is normal where I go to school.

Edit: I go to a place of over 55k students and over 7k are pre-med. Not everyone is the same but not everyone can dedicate 12 hours a day for a month straight of nothing but MCAT studying. Some people... many people I mean, have to maintain a full course load and study simultaneously in order to graduate on time.

 

[bee17]

I took 17 credits this past semester while studying for the MCAT and ended up doing well in classes and on the test. At times, it was hell. However, I was able to do it. I agree with the previous poster who said that there isn't much advice we can give without knowing more about OP. Is it possible? Yes. Is it a good idea? Probably not, if you can avoid it. OP will have to evaluate his/her own situation to make a decision. OP, is there anyway you can knock that semester down to 15 credits or less? Even one fewer class would make things easier.

 

[chocoholicsoxfan]

Didn't read all the responses because they're too long, but started studying for the MCAT on January 21st, 2015 with a test date of April 18th, 2015. Concurrently, I took Genetics ( 3 cr), Pharmacology (2 cr), Endocrinology (3 cr), Comparative Physiology (3 cr), Behavioral Ecology (3 cr), and Introduction to Francophone Studies and Cultures (4 cr). This totals to 18 credits, 14 of which were science credits. I did very well on the MCAT (100th percentile) and got a 4.0 (for the first time ever!), but not without sacrifice! I completely gave up my social life, seeing my friends (not including my best friends, who are my roommates) maybe only once every ~2 weeks and bringing my review books with me when I did. I did, however, watch every single Blackhawks game in the regular season and playoffs without any sort of study material in front of me, so that was my break- I probably could have given that up for some semblance of a social life, but I didn't. Let me know if you have any questions!

 

[Flashfan]

I only got a 95% but I basically did a full course load (luckily it included physics and biochemistry) and studied at least 2 hours a day from December break until school was out. My friends missed me, but it was only one semester. I then studied 4-5 hours a night for a couple of weeks until the test. It is a rough semester, but it can be done. If there is any way you can lighten the class load, do it.