All:
How recently had you taken the pre-reqs?
How much time do you think you studied for the exam?
Is late Aug./early Sept. to late to take the exam?
Any advice would be much appreciated. I am starting to really worry and it is paralyzing me. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks.
OldManDoc
P.S. I read the 30+ MCAT Study Habits thread already.
Hello, not quite at 30 on my MCAT after 1st attempt but pretty close; similar in age to you and wanted to offer some thoughts:
1) completed all prerequisites within the past 1 1/2 year, finishing up the final 4 prerequisites after sitting for the MCAT (not recommended)
2) studying 5 weeks fulltime was sufficient for review, it was insufficient to also learn physics 2 & physiology/human anatomy topics covered on the MCAT but not covered in my bio coursework. (fyi there's a list of mcat subjects covered on aamc.org, click on the "mcat" section, then "prepare for the mcat".) This sitting (after completing coursework in areas above) I'll study fulltime 7 weeks for the July MCAT.
ps I used Kaplan last time, this time it's Kaplan + ExamKrackers, I think EK is great for subject matter, definitely recommend you purchase the set, around $150-180 I think. Toughest part of the test for me was getting used to the timing, Kaplan sections online help with that quite a bit. (my 10 in PS I feel was due to Kaplan, even without taking Physics 2 or gen chem 1)
3) Late aug/early sep MCAT will put you at a disadvantage, most every one of the 10+ schools' offices I've spoken with recommend submitting well before their secondary deadline (1-3 months). That said, per an admissions director I spoke with yesterday, (public school in the midwest), she felt completing an Amcas primary in October would be a bit late, but in her opinion as long as the app arrived a bit before their deadline (late Dec/early Jan I think) they would review it carefully. For you, if secondaries are complete in October, you would have a decent shot, but the chance of admission (for many schools) is lower than if the application was complete by August or so.
MCAT advice? two things helped me. Confidence.. I test well. (like pretty much all pre-meds I'd bet). Given my success in many other tests, I don't foresee that one test will kick my butt. Looking at your number of years' school, I'm sure you do too. This test is different in that of the 40,000 top-tier applicants and 65,000 or so "test sittings" (per aamc 2007), there were either no or almost no "perfect" scores. The test is made so that almost everybody misses a number of questions, which is different from most other tests.
Two, an admissions person told me that they look at the test to determine if a student is capable of medical school level work. I am absolutely positive that I can handle the work, which means that the test is a hurdle, but one that can be overcome by a person able to handle med school (with sufficient preparation) good luck!!
ps extra suggestion, not really related.. be very very very explicit on extracurriculars and list them under the proper category.. the major research projects mentioned on my personal statement were not "seen" by a number of schools because they were not explicitly listed under the "research" section of my extracurriculars.