MCAT w/o Orgo II/BioChem

[Dr.USMC]

Hey guys,

I'm pretty new to this website. My older brother is a doctor who is about halfway done with his residency. He told me this site "holds all the answers" to my questions. Anyways, I decided after 2 years of college to give the Marine Corps a try. Five years later, here I am finishing my degree in Health Science and prepping for medical school. After this fall semester I will have completed all of the following science courses with a 3.87 gpa: A&P I & II, Chem I & II, Physics I & II, Bio I, and Organic Chem I.

My question is this: with a solid prep course, strong work/study habits (thanks to the Corps), is it possible to achieve a solid MCAT score WITHOUT having completed Orgo Chem II, Bio II, and BioChem?

I have been thinking about taking my spring semester off (2 semesters from graduating) to solely focus on MCAT prep and volunteering. Once I take the MCAT, I want to put together my med school app and send them out. While waiting to decide/start medical school (assuming/hoping I get accepted to a few), I would finish my last 2 semesters worth of classes and graduate. Is this a good plan?

I was told an MCAT prep course and hours per day of studying is more than enough for a strong MCAT score w/o the science classes I had listed.


....choices, choices, choices...


Any advice would be great. Thanks for your time.

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[GoljansRightBicep]

I'm hesitant to fully answer your question since 1) I'm only studying for the MCAT and haven't taken the actual exam yet, and 2) I don't feel qualified to give you a direct answer that may steer your life in a significant direction. With those caveats in place, I'll give you my candid opinion. Take it with a grain of salt please.

I have heard a lot of talk on these forums that taking extra classes for the MCAT (outside of the prereqs) is not necessary or really that beneficial. I wholeheartedly disagree. As a fourth-year biochem major who has taken WAY more classes than the minimum prereqs for this exam (microbio, ochem 1-4, a year of biochem/metabolism, a year of anatomy/physiology, and much more) I can say that each and every one of these classes has helped me study for this test. I am downright shocked as what we're required to know based on the official AAMC MCAT outline compared to the prereq classes. I am consistently surprised by some of the questions, and feel very fortunate that I've taken so many classes already.

All this to say: the new MCAT is biochem-heavy. I am so glad that I've taken more than the prereqs for biochem, and I cannot imagine teaching myself this subject to the level of mastery that the MCAT requires. I would not want to take this test without having taken a biochem class. But that's me, not necessarily you. I love the classroom setting, and I am horrible at doing preliminary learning from a textbook - that may not be the case for you. As far as ochem goes: that subject was gutted on the new MCAT, and apparently it's heavily applied to biochem. You've taken ochem I, and I don't imagine you'd have to work very hard looking up the specific reactions and their applications that you haven't covered yet.

In summary: I wouldn't sweat ochem II much at all, but if I were in your shoes I would be very cautious about how I proceed with biochem. Having a class would likely be very helpful before you take the MCAT.

I hope this helps at least a little. Good luck to you!

 

[usvickpremed]

I agree that O chem II is less present, but you should still review the topics covered. Kaplan, Princeton Review and Khan Academy videos are good sources for orgo prep. The Khan videos especially are good for a review of o chem I and II (I'm guessing it's been a while since o chem)

 

[umgoblue2008]

You need biochem, period. Both the physics/chem and bio sections are heavy heavy on biochem 1. Don't take the MCATs without taking biochem first if you want to do well.

 

[Caffein3]

I had multiple MCAT passages discussing topics we learned in my biochem 2 class. I would definitely recommend you take at least biochem.

Also, organic 2 (while it may seem intimidating) is an extremely useful class for biochem and for the majority of other science classes you'll take (and the MCAT). Fundamentally understanding how molecules work and interact with each other allows you to creatively figure out a problem you've never seen before.

Just my two cents.

 

[panda16]

Biochem was unequivocally essential for success on my May 22 MCAT. Unequivocally essential as in if I had not taken that class at my school I would not have been able to learn the necessary information to succeed from my Kaplan prep course.

 

[Dr.USMC]

Thanks a lot guys. So what I'm getting from most of you is that orgo II isn't necessary, but would help. And biochem is an absolute must.

Greatly appreciated.