take MCAT w/o 2 semesters of physics

[smc927]

Great responses on my last post - very, very helpful. I appreciate it. <br>
<br>
I'm facing two options. Once is to cram in organic chem this summer and take the August MCAT. The biggest obstacle I see here (besides the challenge of cramming both semesters of org chem into one summer) is PHYSICS .......<br>
I will have taken one physics course, but not the other. Is it possible to take the MCAT and do well, having spent several months using Kaplan (and others) with all med school requirements completed <i>except</i> the seconds physics? <br>
I've read of people who never took the pre-reqs but took the MCAT (for whatever reason, not to get into med school though) and did very well.<br>
Option two is to wait all of next year for the April 05 MCAT. This is when I graduate and would leave me another year before I could actually start med school.<br>
I really don't want to wait another year. I like the idea of graduating med school at age 30, not 31. In the big scheme age doesn't matter, I know. I am willing to do what is best, and not just be impatient at the cost of my MCAT scores, but I would like to get it done!<br>

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[EReze]

The MCAT essentially only goes up to Physics I, not too much physics II is on there. The little bit that is could be crammed in your brain without really taking the second part of the class. Just worry about the organic--- there in lies the torture.

 

[that dr. jack]

eek, although most of PS is newtonian physics, there tend to be plenty of questions on most versions that deal with wave properties, circuits and such. trying to take both semesters of o-chem in one summer sounds like a crappy summer to me.

what's another year? i'll be 31 too when i graduate (assuming i get in for 2004), and although it sounded sucky at first, my "gap" year is turning out to be the best thing i ever did. work some, save some money, and get some travel/ general partying done before you figuratively die for a few years. in the grand scheme of things, it's not very long.

 

[Tbonez]

Originally posted by EReze
The MCAT essentially only goes up to Physics I, not too much physics II is on there. The little bit that is could be crammed in your brain without really taking the second part of the class. Just worry about the organic--- there in lies the torture.

HUH??? What the HE "double hockey sticks" are you talking about? Organic doesn't have anything to do w/ the Physical science section. Ok, heres the lowdown. The newest versions of the MCAT have the folllowing in each section:

BIOL SCI:
Quite a bit of biology, a greater than proportionate amt. of genetics (more than prior years), and some organic,mostly Org. I, but some Org. II stuff, like carbonyl chem, IR spectroscopy, aldol condesation rxs, and a few basic rxs.

PHYS SCI:
A fairly even split between gen chem 1 and 2, and Physics 1 AND 2!!! Remember, no matter how the questions are set up, there is certain sections of each course that are tested over (see the MCAT testing and grading format at the sample test site at www.aamc.org. In this case, in Physics 2, there are several concepts tested including simple harmonic motion, electricity & magnetism, and optics.

Trust me, do not listen to people who say you don't need a full year of gen chem, organic, and physics before the MCAT. These are going to be people who think they can do it w/o the fundamental knowledge. They will likely end up doing bad, with the few rare exceptions you mentioned reading about (rare).

EReze in the post above, who said its not necessary, BOMBED the MCAT (I saw it in another post), He/She got an 18!!!
Here's the original post in the thread "The MCAT Bomb has Dropped!"
<i>I totally bombed my MCATs. I got a horrible score (18) and i have already sent my secondaries to 4 schools, i had 4 left by i don't even feel its worth it to continue applying. I hate to give up on myself, but I know its basically over at this point. If I take it again in April, will that score allow me to get in for the 2004 school year, or am I automatically out until 2005? </i>


By the way, I got a 32. Now whose advice are you going to take?
You can NOT just learn a little about Physics II. You need the class. Trust me on this one. Save yourself a C-Note and a half minimum, and take the MCAT later.

 

[osteo emt]

im gonna tell ya here and now that you can learn everything u need to know from mcat study guides ala...princeton review or kaplan. im talking about the actual individual course books for each section from the courses. u can buy on ebay etc. the mcat is about general knowledge, beyond that its knowing how to utilize that basic knowledge on a limited time frame. get the princeton review books and do practice problems until u cant take it anymore. also practice tests...... im not saying a course cant help but lets be honest, no one took all these basic courses immediately before they took the mcat. half the stuff is forgotten. u need to go over the review books, they know what u should study. hell when i took the mcat there was hardly any physics.... but then all this is just an opinion.

 

[LP1CW]

electricity & magnetism, and optics were on my MCAT. Yes, you probably can learn that on your own, but having a course in it forces you to learn it at a different level. Doing the labs allows you to find another way of making sense of the material. You will be greatly disadvantaged if you do not complete your requirements.

One year seems like a lot, but I think you should complete your course work and then spend as much time as possible preparing for the MCAT. Do the necessary work so that you don't have a handicap. I was successful on the MCAT because I worked for it. I studied hard. I know that i am younger than you, but I'd hate to know that you are not successful because of this. Just accept the fact that you'll have to put another year into preparing for this. You want to create the best application possible.

Good Luck

 

[DrDad]

My Advice...

get either a really good preparatory program such as http://www.thinkwell.com or take the class... I know on my MCAT there was quite a bit on waves and though not in depth it required a good deal of basic recongnition..

Viel Gluck

DrDad

 

[mamitch4]

You are getting some conflicting advice here... it mostly depends on you. My MCAT prep books covered all of the topics I encountered on the test in a concise and easy to study format.
But you have to look at your whole picture: your GPA, volunteer experience, LOR opportunities, your test taking skills (how have you done on other standardized tests like the SAT?), and what you are going to do in your year off if you wait. If you have all of your ducks in a row except for the physics and you are a strong test taker, go for it. If not, you might want to wait and take the classes first...
If you don't think that you can make it happen, then you can't. You know... "there is no try, only do or do not."

 

[Tbonez]

Ok, here's the easiest way to think about it.
Is it worth it to not take the classes and risk getting a shi*ty score on the MCAT? (at which point you would have to pay for a new test, wait, etc. etc. ), not to mention, some schools weigh all MCAT's, not just your best (depends on school)

 

[MeowMix]

Good news! there is no need to worry about delaying One More Year until you are at least 30. You have a good 5 years to go.

I think it is unwise to plan on learning all of organic during the summer AND studying for the MCAT while learning physics on your own at the same time.

Unless you are super-brilliant, the MCAT workload conflicts with the heavy schedule of summer school. It's hard to have the discipline to study more each day after you have already studied a lot, when it's really nice outside and all your friends are having a good time without you. Make it easier on yourself; have some fun.

The review materials are just that, review. They are not intended for someone who has never seen the material before, and there is not enough time in a prep class for the instructor to go over anything in detail.