Any rising juniors already started studying for the MCAT?

[Uisa]

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Hey guys, I was wondering if any of the rising juniors have started to study for the MCAT this summer? I know this is quite an early start, but during my freshman year I kind of studied for "the grade" and not for "true mastery" in a few of my science courses. Granted, I got the grades I wanted, but forgot a lot of material.

This summer I'm doing some content review using the topic outline in the AAMC's Official MCAT guide. Whilst I quickly learned this isn't the best study tool, I think the topic outline is good if you're doing just the content review.

Anyway, I was just wondering if any of the juniors started studying and if so, what you're using/doing to study for the MCAT? Thanks

 

[Jayhawker07]

I'm going to be a junior this coming fall and I have spent all summer studying for the mcat. I, however, have all my prereqs done and actually plan on taking the test this august or september (granted I'm ready haha). I did the same thing as you though in my classes, I just studied to get an A, not to really master the subject like you said. I'm finding that a mistake now that I'm trying to prepare for this test. I had a great Chem and O-chem professor which I felt made you really understand the material in order to get a good grade, so I feel comfortable in that area. But my physics was such a breeze to just get a good grade that I didn't learn anything and it's really coming back to bite me in the butt! I would definately recommend actually learning and understanding everything the first time around.

Having said all that, I think you could wait until next year to actually start studying and still do fine, but if you have the drive and the time this summer I say go for it! If you can really learn to understand these subjects, not just memorize, it will help you so much and give you a good foundation. Remember not to burn out though! Starting this early could end up in that, but if you take it easy you should be fine.

I'd recommend looking through the AAMC's guide and picking out the areas you are weakest in and tackle those now until you understand them. That will save you time when you really start your hardcore studying later. Even if you forget it between now and then, if you have really learned it and understand it, it will come back pretty easily. Then you can do some light review and spend more time doing practice problems and full lengths, because that's where the money is at.. haha

 

[Uisa]

I'm going to be a junior this coming fall and I have spent all summer studying for the mcat. I, however, have all my prereqs done and actually plan on taking the test this august or september (granted I'm ready haha). I did the same thing as you though in my classes, I just studied to get an A, not to really master the subject like you said. I'm finding that a mistake now that I'm trying to prepare for this test. I had a great Chem and O-chem professor which I felt made you really understand the material in order to get a good grade, so I feel comfortable in that area. But my physics was such a breeze to just get a good grade that I didn't learn anything and it's really coming back to bite me in the butt! I would definately recommend actually learning and understanding everything the first time around.

Having said all that, I think you could wait until next year to actually start studying and still do fine, but if you have the drive and the time this summer I say go for it! If you can really learn to understand these subjects, not just memorize, it will help you so much and give you a good foundation. Remember not to burn out though! Starting this early could end up in that, but if you take it easy you should be fine.

I'd recommend looking through the AAMC's guide and picking out the areas you are weakest in and tackle those now until you understand them. That will save you time when you really start your hardcore studying later. Even if you forget it between now and then, if you have really learned it and understand it, it will come back pretty easily. Then you can do some light review and spend more time doing practice problems and full lengths, because that's where the money is at.. haha

Sounds like a plan to me. Thanks and good luck on your Sept. MCAT

Oh and btw; I only study maybe 2 hrs max per day, so burning out... I don't see that happening anytime soon haha

 

[feenotype]

I've started studying for the January test..When are you planning on taking it?
I'm doing content review with EK and I plan on doing more practice with the 1001 books soon . I did the same thing ..studied to get the A in my science classes and I definitely regret it now. I feel like I understood the concepts okay at the time and could apply it to tests/homework but now that everything's more comprehensive and not just a few chapters or whatever, I'm having a tough time putting everything together.

 

[joy illimited]

I'm flip-flopping between two MCAT dates: January 31st or March whatever. There are pros and cons to both, and I was originally going to use my summer to do content review for everything except orgo (which I haven't taken yet) and see how I felt at the end. The only downside to my approach is that I won't be able to start taking full-length practice exams until I learn enough orgo, but with a very heavy fall schedule, I don't think I'll have time to study for the MCAT during the semester.

Also, it's hard to motivate myself during the summer when I have a full-time job plus other commitments, and the test is still at least six months away.

Right now, I'm slogging my way through EK bio review (and its 1001 passages), EK 101 Verbal, and NOVA physics. I just received my TBR books for gen chem and orgo, but I haven't even opened the box yet.

 

[Uisa]

I've started studying for the January test..When are you planning on taking it?
I'm doing content review with EK and I plan on doing more practice with the 1001 books soon . I did the same thing ..studied to get the A in my science classes and I definitely regret it now. I feel like I understood the concepts okay at the time and could apply it to tests/homework but now that everything's more comprehensive and not just a few chapters or whatever, I'm having a tough time putting everything together.

I'm planning on taking mine after my junior year earliest May 2010 and latest August.

 

[VivaLaVida]

Content review this summer. I have the 4 science books from BR, but haven't gotten a book for verbal yet. Just trying to read more to work on verbal at the moment (I will do plenty of strategy for this, but right now science is my main concern...I'm a humanities major, so my classes next semester will involve a lot more comprehension than science!)

I didn't expect the MCAT to be this intense. Wow. Definitely in the same boat with the rest of you in terms of studying or an A in my science classes. And it's just been so long since I did equilibrium problems and all that craziness.

I'm taking summer classes, so I'm prioritizing those obviously, but I'm taking physics so I'm trying to actually LEARN rather than just get the grade. I study about 2 hours per night. Right now I'm going through a section of BR about eveyr toher night or so (this includes reading, doing some passages, recording mistakes, relooking at the passage, etc.) Right now this is a fine pace for me. I'll step it up later as I get more used to the format and such.

I'm planning on the January MCAT. If I need to retake, I'll do it hopefully before June! But ideally that won't be necessary. Taking in January is my best option anyway...I'm involved with NCAA athletics so the basketball season right about February/March is intense and would be hard to balance with studying for the MCAT and my classes. One and done in basketball=BAD. One and done in MCAT=GOOD.

 

[Uisa]

Content review this summer. I have the 4 science books from BR, but haven't gotten a book for verbal yet. Just trying to read more to work on verbal at the moment (I will do plenty of strategy for this, but right now science is my main concern...I'm a humanities major, so my classes next semester will involve a lot more comprehension than science!)

I didn't expect the MCAT to be this intense. Wow. Definitely in the same boat with the rest of you in terms of studying or an A in my science classes. And it's just been so long since I did equilibrium problems and all that craziness.

I'm taking summer classes, so I'm prioritizing those obviously, but I'm taking physics so I'm trying to actually LEARN rather than just get the grade. I study about 2 hours per night. Right now I'm going through a section of BR about eveyr toher night or so (this includes reading, doing some passages, recording mistakes, relooking at the passage, etc.) Right now this is a fine pace for me. I'll step it up later as I get more used to the format and such.

I'm planning on the January MCAT. If I need to retake, I'll do it hopefully before June! But ideally that won't be necessary. Taking in January is my best option anyway...I'm involved with NCAA athletics so the basketball season right about February/March is intense and would be hard to balance with studying for the MCAT and my classes. One and done in basketball=BAD. One and done in MCAT=GOOD.

Wow your situation and my situation sound identical... well except for the basketball part haha.

 

[vickpick]

i'll be junior this fall, this is what ive done for my MCAT studying:

Bought MCAT study package. Thats it. I can't even get myself to even start looking at it. I have a fulll load of classes this fall with 6-10 hrs of volunteering a week + 3 labs + research... so I dont think I'll be able to study then. So, now that this thread got me thinking... I'm screwed! Oh well, there's no hurry

 

[Doodl3s]

I'm gonna be a junior this fall... but im TAKING IT AUGUST 25th!!...

i finished all my preReqs and molec. and cell bio... (a nice upper level boost)

In a kaplan course with the EK books on the side. I figure its all still fresh in my head. If i wait, my PS and BS scores will def. go down, with the only upside is that my comprehension skills MAY go up.... but its not worth the risk. Plus, I could pretty much Screw off my next two years and watch every pre-med agonize in pain over studying the MCAT with their finals 😛 (well, not TOTALLY slack off, still gotta do lab work, hospital work, Ec's etc...)

 

[Uisa]

I'm gonna be a junior this fall... but im TAKING IT AUGUST 25th!!...

i finished all my preReqs and molec. and cell bio... (a nice upper level boost)

In a kaplan course with the EK books on the side. I figure its all still fresh in my head. If i wait, my PS and BS scores will def. go down, with the only upside is that my comprehension skills MAY go up.... but its not worth the risk. Plus, I could pretty much Screw off my next two years and watch every pre-med agonize in pain over studying the MCAT with their finals 😛 (well, not TOTALLY slack off, still gotta do lab work, hospital work, Ec's etc...)

well you sound pretty confident there, good luck 😀

 

[Omni]

I started about 2 month ago. My test date is Aug. 25th.
Pushing it to Sept is still an option. Right now I'm really freaking out...
It's weird with me. Some days I feel confident, like my 33T+ is JUST in reach, other days I feel scared and a bit broken.
Idk...I really need to get this together. I'll see how I feel by Aug 10th.

 

[Uisa]

I started about 2 month ago. My test date is Aug. 25th.
Pushing it to Sept is still an option. Right now I'm really freaking out...
It's weird with me. Some days I feel confident, like my 33T+ is JUST in reach, other days I feel scared and a bit broken.
Idk...I really need to get this together. I'll see how I feel by Aug 10th.

Well do you think that 2 months is a good enough time to get everything together? Assuming that you know the material well enough?

 

[CaliforniaKid]

Whats a "rising" junior? I've seen this a lot lately and how is it different from a regular junior or a "falling" junior?

 

[redlight]

Whats a "rising" junior? I've seen this a lot lately and how is it different from a regular junior or a "falling" junior?

lol it just means you'll be a junior this coming academic year.
you can effectively substitute "this fall i will be a" for "rising."

 

[Uisa]

Whats a "rising" junior? I've seen this a lot lately and how is it different from a regular junior or a "falling" junior?

I'm sorry, but a rising junior is a student who isn't quite a junior yet, because well junior of school hasn't started for them.

I'm not sure what a "falling junior" is... but I don't really want to know either.

 

[redlight]

so i have only done the "learning to master the material and not just get an A" thing for gen chem I organic I+II, and half of physics I (and a bio class, but not gen bio)... and that's because i wanted to tutor those courses...
i will definitely have this approach for biochem and other upper levels and physics II.

i WISH i could bring myself to studying for the mcat, but because i havent taken physics II, and because i may end up doing cool things after graduation (therefore delaying application), i have decided it would be a waste of time to start studying... oh yeah, it doesnt help that im kinda broke atm lol.

i took aamc 3 as a deterent to keep me away from studying... thought a mediocre score would keep me at bay.. but i decided to "cheat" and give myself 1.5-2x the alloted time.. lol, fail. i scored >35 but obviously thats garbage. when i ACTUALLY take studying/prepping seriously im hoping i forget the questions/answers lol.

some of my older friends prepped after soph year but honestly i think my premed advisor was right when he says taking it early likely lowers our scoring potential. prep now if you'd like but dont waste those practice tests

btw FML is a rising junior i think and she's already applying this cycle and had a decent mcat score...very impressive, imo, though i dont think applying and taking the mcat early is a good idea.

 

[lovedocta07]

I'm flip-flopping between two MCAT dates: January 31st or March whatever. There are pros and cons to both, and I was originally going to use my summer to do content review for everything except orgo (which I haven't taken yet) and see how I felt at the end. The only downside to my approach is that I won't be able to start taking full-length practice exams until I learn enough orgo, but with a very heavy fall schedule, I don't think I'll have time to study for the MCAT during the semester.

Also, it's hard to motivate myself during the summer when I have a full-time job plus other commitments, and the test is still at least six months away.

Right now, I'm slogging my way through EK bio review (and its 1001 passages), EK 101 Verbal, and NOVA physics. I just received my TBR books for gen chem and orgo, but I haven't even opened the box yet.

im going through the same thing, january or march, im already done with pre-reqs, and im taking a kaplan class right now just for review and guidance, but the summer is too distracting.

 

[levodopa]

.

 

[ShoeFactory]

Rising junior here. Will be taking the sept 10 test. I don't want to study and take the mcat during the school year, as my schedule will be pretty maxed out throughout.

I'm taking TPR and i've taken all the subject classes except for physio in school.

 

[vandyam]

Same for me. I'm a rising junior as well and I'm writing on Aug 14th. I've spent a little under 2 months at it so far, and still another 3 wks to go. I am doing the Kaplan course, but stopped going to class b/c it was a waste of my time. AAMC exams have been going well, but ordered EK 101 yesterday to get my verbal up. It's been good so far, but timing has been a huge issue -- hoping to fix that.

Overall, I'm happy I'm taking it now rather than next summer or during the school year. I work full time at the hospital and am taking 18 hrs next semester, so MCAT on top of that would simply be too much. Also, if I do get 30+ (knock on wood) it will be great to not have that pressure next yr of the test. Plus applying early is a big bonus. On the other hand, if I do poorly (please dear God, no!) then I'll technically have the time to retake and still be on time for applications in the year I want to apply.

 

[jaxasp]

rising junior, took mcat on june 18, 39t! if you have prereqs i think taking it early is better, good luck guys

 

[PurpleStar]

Same for me. I'm a rising junior as well and I'm writing on Aug 14th. I've spent a little under 2 months at it so far, and still another 3 wks to go. I am doing the Kaplan course, but stopped going to class b/c it was a waste of my time. AAMC exams have been going well, but ordered EK 101 yesterday to get my verbal up. It's been good so far, but timing has been a huge issue -- hoping to fix that.

Overall, I'm happy I'm taking it now rather than next summer or during the school year. I work full time at the hospital and am taking 18 hrs next semester, so MCAT on top of that would simply be too much. Also, if I do get 30+ (knock on wood) it will be great to not have that pressure next yr of the test. Plus applying early is a big bonus. On the other hand, if I do poorly (please dear God, no!) then I'll technically have the time to retake and still be on time for applications in the year I want to apply.

I am taking mine on aug 14 as well. But I am afraid I won't be prepared enough. I am taking the kaplan course too, its alright...definitely not worth $2000...lol But if it does help me get a decent score (+30), it will be worth every penny. I am just scared...and nervous.
Plus, I worked in a lab over the summer. So, I didn't get to study like 8 hours a day. I mean I stayed on the top of all the homework and everything.

 

[BrainBuff]

I am taking mine august 25th.... I am doing Kaplan which I think it is definitely worth the money.

Purple, what did you score on your diagnostic?

 

[loveoforganic]

Taking Aug 15! Want it over with!

 

[PurpleStar]

I am taking mine august 25th.... I am doing Kaplan which I think it is definitely worth the money.

Purple, what did you score on your diagnostic?

I made a 19 on the diagnostic, and a 23 on the first full length. I hope my scores go up. And I don't want to go in with the attitude that I can always take it again 🙁

 

[266549]

taking it january...right after my 21st birthday...can't even go out an celebrate because i'll be locked in my room studying mass specs and the physics of them 🙁

 

[Uisa]

Is it really futile to start studying early? I mean even for the content review? I don't see why/how that could hurt???

 

[jaxasp]

content review might be too early, but work on your general analytical abilities, if you are determined to start studying now i would say get the ek 101 verbal, reading better will always help you on the mcat