MCATs- hints/suggestions..?

[saffronrain]

Hey, I am planning on taking the MCATs next summer, and I wasn't sure how to get started with all the preparing. One of my friends told me it will be computer based by that time, and I've got no clue where to start, what will be on it, etc. I'll be taking Organic Chem this coming Fall (I'll be a Junior), and yeah I know it's pretty late.. but.. if any of you people out there have hints or suggestions, I'd really appreciate it. I guess I am confused about what to expect, and whether it's worthwhile investing in an MCAT prep book a year ahead of time..?
I'll be taking Physics this summer.. and my advisor told me to take the MCATs next August, instead of April. (Wouldn't that be too late?) Not too sure what to do...! Right now I've got a GPA of about 3.92, but we'll see how long that lasts, esp. with Orgo coming up.
I'm so confused...

~S~

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[fahimaz7]

the answer is a

 

[saffronrain]

the answer is a

wait.. so do you mean take it in august....?

 

[lorelei]

You'll probably get better responses in the dedicated MCAT forum: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=31

 

[saffronrain]

You'll probably get better responses in the dedicated MCAT forum: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=31

oo.. thank you! I'm a little new to this.. I appreciate that!

~S~

 

[45408]

biggest suggestion is that you only take one of them - taking MCATs would be overkill.



IBtheOPdoesn'tgetit

 

[kenmc3]

Well the most important thing is your score… So unless you think that your score is going to be a lot higher (2 or 3 points) by taking it in August – I would take it in April. You really need to get your applications in as early as possible – By the end of June, early July. By not taking the MCAT until Aug, schools won’t look at your application until Nov. Many students are already accepted by then – I was accepted in October. My MCAT score was rather low (27) – I took it in April. I chose not to retake the MCAT because I felt taking it in Aug would hurt my chances of getting accepted to med school.

The second most important thing is to start studying early. The key to success for the MCAT is to do as many problems as possible to learn the secret to answering the questions. I didn’t take the MCAT seriously until it was too late, hence my score. You really need to start spending and hour or two a day begging in October –November. In Jan this should prob increase to 3 hours a day. I don’t think it will hurt to buy a book and start preparing for it now…

 

[lakersfan]

I second the notion of taking it in April unless you feel you can get a 35+ in August. Taking the MCAT in August appears to put one at a significant disadvantage (but it varies a little depending on what state you are from). If you are a Cali resident, I would really aim for the April test.

 

[Erasmus]

I'm going to reiterate what everyone else has said. If you think you will

1. have more time to devote to the August MCAT
2. be less stressed out for the later examination,

I would take the chance and go for the second administration. Score is most important - although you've got a pretty hefty GPA which helps. I don't know if I'd buy an MCAT prep book just yet, as you've yet to take orgo and physics; studying for the MCAT might be more of a hindrance than a help at this point.

If I were you, I'd shoot for doing well in your upcoming courses...having a good foundation with the course material will make MCAT studying a breeze later on.

To get you started though, I'd gloss over these pdfs off the MCAT website. It'll give you an idea of what to expect without forking out $$ for a prep book which may not be useful by the time you take it.

Preparing

Student Manual: Topic Sections and Tested Topics

HTH

 

[ScarTissue]

Take a lot of practice exams. over and over and over again. make sure you time yourself too. Then check the answers and see why you missed what you missed. Helps loads, I promise.

 

[Crake]

Take your time. Oh, and look in the MCAT forum.

Hey Lorelei, great name! And that makes two people on this site that actually get that reference.

 

[Crete]

Hey, I am planning on taking the MCATs next summer, and I wasn't sure how to get started with all the preparing. One of my friends told me it will be computer based by that time, and I've got no clue where to start, what will be on it, etc. I'll be taking Organic Chem this coming Fall (I'll be a Junior), and yeah I know it's pretty late.. but.. if any of you people out there have hints or suggestions, I'd really appreciate it. I guess I am confused about what to expect, and whether it's worthwhile investing in an MCAT prep book a year ahead of time..?
I'll be taking Physics this summer.. and my advisor told me to take the MCATs next August, instead of April. (Wouldn't that be too late?) Not too sure what to do...! Right now I've got a GPA of about 3.92, but we'll see how long that lasts, esp. with Orgo coming up.
I'm so confused...

~S~

APRIL!!! If you're this prepared that you're worrying about this now DEFINITELY APRIL. Bring up my last few posts. APRIL APRIL APRIL

 

[patzan]

biggest suggestion is that you only take one of them - taking MCATs would be overkill.



IBtheOPdoesn'tgetit

AMEN!!! Should I post the link to my MCATs thread?

 

[LauraMac]

what year are you applying for? fall of '06 or fall of '07?

if fall of '07, definitely take it in april for the above mentioned reasons. i was in the same position with an advisor telling me to wait, and i am SO glad i didn't listen. taking the MCAT in august will screw you over so badly it's not even funny.

if fall of '06, god help you cause you have a lot to fit in in that time. and then yeah, you'd have to take it in august, cause you'd never be ready by this april.

if you really want to start doing something, take a practice exam just to get a feel for what the test is like. you'll do really badly, but don't worry about it. everone does on the first one.

other than that, just wait til you have gone through more of the classes and then buy a comprehensive review book to start reviewing. and if you have the money, sign up for a class through kaplan or princeton review.

and as everyone has said, check out the MCAT forum for more advice.

good luck.

laura

 

[saffronrain]

Wow, thanks guys for all your responses. Hmm.. majority said April.. I think I'll really look into it, although I know getting a good score is the important part. I'll be applying for Fall '07 so we'll see... I've heard that Examcrackers, Kaplan, and Berkeley Review are the best bets for MCAT prep books.. any other good ones out there I should know of?
Again, I appreciate your responses!

 

[Jody Sadler]

study...a lot...even more than you ever thought you were capable of...take a 4 month LOA from work...study until your head is about to explode...take a prep course...then finally take the exam...make a slow adjustment back to reality...then apply to med school and feel even more pressure...good luck.

 

[saffronrain]

study...a lot...even more than you ever thought you were capable of...take a 4 month LOA from work...study until your head is about to explode...take a prep course...then finally take the exam...make a slow adjustment back to reality...then apply to med school and feel even more pressure...good luck.

ahh.. okay.. sounds..good......... thank you!!