Advice on MCAT timing

[TheLadyVanishes]

I'm working full time, doing ECs and taking courses so I'm trying to schedule the MCAT around those courses.

Spring semester (Jan-May)
BREAK (May-June; could take 6/21 MCAT which leaves me about 1.5 mos to study)
Summer semester (Jul-Aug)
BREAK (mid-Aug to Sep, about 1/2 month; could take 8/23 MCAT)
Fall semester (Sep-Dec)

1.) Take the 6/21 MCAT since I'll have a decent chunk of time to study
2.) Use the 1.5 mos to study, try to study a little while I'm taking my summer class, then use the 1/2 month in late summer to take practice tests and brush up, then take the 8/23 MCAT

Also if I do badly I'm giving myself leeway to take the March 2013 MCAT. Judging by the March 2012 MCAT the scores should be back in time to apply in May-June 2013.
Thanks!

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[Chip N Sawbones]

It's hard to give informed advice without knowing how much studying you need to do. Have you done all the prereq courses? Don't take the MCAT without them, except maybe for OChem II. Did you take the classes long ago, or is the material fresh in your mind? Did you understand everything in the classes, or are there concepts that you'll need to spend serious time on to master?

A good first step would be to take AAMC's practice test #3, the free one. Go over the questions you missed and try to analyze why you missed them, and whether the question would need a lot or a little extra study time to get right next time. Based on responses in the MCAT forum, the score on the free practice test is a reasonably good indicator of actual score on test day, so this should give you a better idea of how much study time you will need.

 

[NTF]

Assuming you'll have taken all your prereqs, the June MCAT would be wisest. This way if you're not happy with your score you can always retake in August. 1.5 mo is plenty of time to study for the MCAT. IMO anything over 1mo of dedicated study is overkill.

 

[montessori2md]

Take practice tests. If you're ready, you're ready. If you're not, you're not. Schedule accordingly.

 

[DocGodfather]

Take the free exam AAMC offers and go from there. If you feel ready and have a full grasp of bio, physics, and chemistry, and rocking the previous exam tests, then go handle your MCAT.

 

[Dan1804]

Take all the practice tests you can get. Work your way up to doing full exams. Do all the AAMC exams online, timed. Go back and review everything you miss, as well as everything you got right, to make sure it wasn't a fluke. Take the real MCAT once you are consistently getting good scores on the AAMC retired exams.