Studying for the MCAT and Submitting the Application

[jamie123]

I had a few questions about the timing for studying for the MCAT. I have looked at several of the threads on this forum and they gave great information, but I still had some questions.

I do not want to take a gap year after I graduate from college. I have just finished my freshman year and from what I have read, I need to take my MCAT some time in June of 2014 to be sure I will be on time for the 2015 cycle (please correct me if I am wrong). I really did not want to study for the MCAT during my school year, but I feel like I may have no choice. If I started studying in December 2013 (rigorous studying), moderate studying during the school semester, and then once again rigorous studying during May, should I be alright? Also, would the best time to take the MCAT be early June or late June/beginning of July? I really want to be considered for all the scholarships possible, so I want to take it as early as possible. I will definitely try to cut down on my hours the spring semester of my junior year so that I have time to study for the MCAT (maybe stick with 15).

I have read that it is best to take the MCAT only once, however a good score is never guaranteed. If I again think about staying away from the gap year, could I take the MCAT in June, again in August, and still be safe? I know there is no sure answer, but any advice would help.

Finally, if someone could actually explain how the timing works with the application and scores, that would be wonderful. I know it takes one month for you to get your scores back, so is it better to send in your application beforehand? I was just really confused about that process.

Thank you very, very much for all the help!

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[Arbor Vitae]

I had a few questions about the timing for studying for the MCAT. I have looked at several of the threads on this forum and they gave great information, but I still had some questions.

I do not want to take a gap year after I graduate from college. I have just finished my freshman year and from what I have read, I need to take my MCAT some time in June of 2014 to be sure I will be on time for the 2015 cycle (please correct me if I am wrong). I really did not want to study for the MCAT during my school year, but I feel like I may have no choice. If I started studying in December 2013 (rigorous studying), moderate studying during the school semester, and then once again rigorous studying during May, should I be alright? Also, would the best time to take the MCAT be early June or late June/beginning of July? I really want to be considered for all the scholarships possible, so I want to take it as early as possible. I will definitely try to cut down on my hours the spring semester of my junior year so that I have time to study for the MCAT (maybe stick with 15).

I have read that it is best to take the MCAT only once, however a good score is never guaranteed. If I again think about staying away from the gap year, could I take the MCAT in June, again in August, and still be safe? I know there is no sure answer, but any advice would help.

Finally, if someone could actually explain how the timing works with the application and scores, that would be wonderful. I know it takes one month for you to get your scores back, so is it better to send in your application beforehand? I was just really confused about that process.

Thank you very, very much for all the help!

If you absolutely do not want to do a gap year, I would try and take as many classes and summers sessions as possible to free up your last semester of college to study for the MCAT. It probably takes 1-2 months review of material, and then 1-2 months of working through passages and practice tests to feel ready. You will also start to peak on your score and that's where you want to be when you take the test. Stretching out the studying too long will make you burn out and start losing info.

A gap year is NOT a bad thing if you can afford it. You can get more experience, more studying, and more maturity, which are all worth it when you apply.

Then for your last question, I would submit as early as possible even if you haven't received your score, otherwise you will be submitting a month late, which in a few years will probably be worse than it is now.

 

[jamie123]

Thank you very much for your advice! I was talking to my parents about it, and I am considering taking it next summer. The only problem is that I will not be taking physics until my junior year so I will not have the experience of those classes. However, I will have from May-August to study without any deadlines or classes to worry about. I feel like although I may be risking it, that will work out better for me. I will just have to spend a greater amount of time going over all the physics material. Plus, if I do not like my score, I can retake it in May or June without too much of a hassle. I'm not sure if my way of thinking is correct, but it is the only safe and reasonable route I see.

 

[BlueLabel]

I am by no means an expert on this process so I really can only speak from my own experience and how I felt about the one test I have taken (which I managed to do reasonably well on - for me at least).

I think it would be a mistake to test before completing the prereqs. I am sure this is very common, but top notch scores are not very common. Personally I'd rather do what the top 10% of scorers do than what "most people" do. Not only will this dramatically streamline and facilitate your prep for the exam (it is much easier to review than to learn for the first time), it will give you a sort of knowledge base safety net. Even if you didn't explicitly study the concept behind some off the wall question, you are significantly more likely to have some clue how to approach it if you have spent time listening to a prof three times a week, studying for exams, and working out homework problems on top of studying for the MCAT as opposed to just the latter. I think this safety net would be particularly valuable on the PS section, which is relevant to your situation.

Naturally, I think this depends on your own ability to perform well in a relatively easy class like university physics. If you don't totally blow it off and actually learn something, it can be a tremendous asset to your MCAT endeavors.

A final word of advice: don't psych yourself out about the MCAT. Other premeds and certainly the ravenous, cash-hungry test prep companies do a great job of generating a palpable atmosphere of MCAT terror. Study hard and, more importantly, study smart and you will earn an excellent score. Just my two cents.

 

[jamie123]

Thank you for your reply! I just really tend to worry quite a bit about this whole process. Is the physics covered on the MCAT very complicated material? If one were to go through an MCAT course to study, would that possibly be sufficient? (if the person was able to grasp the concepts of course)

 

[slwnstdy]

Take physics first as the other poster has suggested.
It is nice hearing the material for a second or event third time.
As opposed to learning it on your own for the first time or in a prep class that is moving forward at a rapid pace (because they assume you have taken physics).