For those who just "winged it" - how'd it go

[Happensinvegas]

Hey y'all:

I have a question for those who essentially "winged" the MCAT. By this I mean, people who only self studied for less than a semester (no formal classes, no semi-official self study program). How did it go. What was your score and did you feel like you should have taken a class?

I ask this because I am most likely not going to be able to take an official class due to money and time issues. I plan on self studying, but I am really bad at following self-study and self-help programs that have a schedule you're supposed to follow.

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[super-scribe]

I wouldn't say that I "winged it" because I did put in a lot of self-study time, even though I didn't take a class or follow a particular schedule. I read and annotated the PR review books then worked through the hyperlearning workbooks. This was before I found SDN and even knew people posted semi-formal study schedules and tips. All in all I spent about 2 months preparing over the summer and I was happy with my score (35 on old MCAT). I think for me a class would have been a waste of time and money. What really helped me was that I had taken 2 semesters of biochem prior, as well as physical chemistry and genetics. As long as you're sufficiently motivated you should be ok.

 

[femmegoblue]

Studying for "less than a semester" could mean 3 months, I wouldn't consider this winging it.

 

[beOncogene]

What is the point of this thread? Everyone is different. Some could get away with studying for a few weeks and ace it. Others couldn't even break a 508 studying for months or even a year (yes, I have seen a few). The point is that, it's not about the time. It's about how efficient you are in your studies. You know yourself better than anyone else. Use the practice tests to gauge your performance and to determine whether you are ready or not.

 

[partypantss]

Hey y'all:

I have a question for those who essentially "winged" the MCAT. By this I mean, people who only self studied for less than a semester (no formal classes, no semi-official self study program). How did it go. What was your score and did you feel like you should have taken a class?

I ask this because I am most likely not going to be able to take an official class due to money and time issues. I plan on self studying, but I am really bad at following self-study and self-help programs that have a schedule you're supposed to follow.

Just because someone self studied does not = "winging it." Self studying is a perfectly viable strategy as long as you are responsible and disciplined. Many self study. I took the MCAT twice, self studied both times. I got a 29 first time, 516 second time. I suggest you leave yourself plenty of extra time in your schedule, especially if you are worried you won't be able to follow it. Although, not to sound harsh, but at some point you need to put your grown-up pants on and actually follow the plan you set for yourself. It won't be any easier in medical school. You shouldn't need a teacher or mother reminding you to get your work done, you just gotta do it. Good luck!

 

[beebreezy]

I studied about 6 weeks and only "really" studied 4. I studied mostly out of EK and supplemented some subjects, notably ochem and physics, with Kaplan. Only took the two AAMC FLs.


I scored a 509. I'm pretty confident I would have done significantly better with more study time, but I *think* (I'll tell you how I feel after I see how my application fares) I'm glad I just went ahead and got it out of my way. Studying was really impacting many areas of my life.