2015 Mcat Study Materials

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For those of us taking the 2015 mcat, what study materials will be available to us? Will the AAMC public 11 premade mcats like they have done for the old versions? Any word on PR or EK predicting the 2015 mcat and making a study plan for it? How will the s2dn study plan change to reflect the 2015 mcat?

I hope us first timers won't have to take it blindly.

(I saw the 2015 preview packet on AAMC already, need more info).
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have you even graduated from high school yet?
 
I did 3 days ago. Friday was the last day of school.
 
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honestly if i were you i would just relax a bit. take a couple of summer classes and maybe shadow a little bit. starting to study for the mcat 3 years in the future is a bit neurotic.
 
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OP, I admire your preparation. Good luck! I am sure that there will be some prep materials.

Best,
C
 
bjams12 said:
If you think that test preparation companies such as Kaplan or TBR or EK will scramble to make a review after 2015 has come and gone then you're mistaken. These companies are businesses seeking profit. Having the latest and most up-to-date study material is how they stay in business. The AAMC released a guide that details every concept that will likely be included in the test. That, combined with the practice tests they'll be releasing, will be enough for the test review companies to make study material. You can also take the existing practice tests to prepare you for the motions you'll be going through on test day.

Keep in mind the bulk of the necessary material will come from your college classes. Study material is supplemental.
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True. I think it would be beneficial to get acquainted with How they ask the questions rather than what questions they ask. This can be done by reading released tests and taking practice ones.
 
bjams12 said:
Btw congrats on graduation! I graduated high school on Saturday. It's weird to think that we'll (hopefully!) be the med school class of 2020!
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Congrats. Did you make your 4 year plan already? I should have waited until course registration day to make sure my schedule was ok but i couldn't wait :p
 
OP: Work on GChem, OChem, BChem, GBiol, Physio, GPhysics, Intro Psych, Intro Socio, & Stats.......by the time you take those classes, I'm sure that EK or TPR will be caught up with you :)
 
JESSFALLING said:
OP: Work on GChem, OChem, BChem, GBiol, Physio, GPhysics, Intro Psych, Intro Socio, & Stats.......by the time you take those classes, I'm sure that EK or TPR will be caught up with you :)
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Is physiology recommended?
 
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You don't have to take the new MCAT. Since you graduated high school in 2012 and will likely graduate college in 2016 you can take it in the summer/fall of 2014 after you finish your sophomore year. Just take Chem + Bio freshman year and Physics + Orgo sophomore year and study that summer. I would do that if I were in your shoes because there is far more study material and study tactics (like the SN2 plan) available for the old exam and I wouldn't want to be a guinea pig taking the new one.

Schools will be accepting the old MCAT for at least 2 or 3 application cylces after the change (like undergrads did with the old SAT)....it's not like all of a sudden scores from the old exam would become invalid so that should not be a concern.
 
Idk, I disagree with a lot of people on here. I believe studying for your MCAT early is a great thing. There is nothing wrong with being over-prepared only under-prepared. I started studying for the MCAT, taking practice rounds early to detect my weak points and what to focus on. I'm enrolled in an MCAT study course this summer, and I plan to take it every year. Go for it. The class offered at my college is specifically for the 2015 MCAT and the differences, and what we'll be looking for/at. I think its great that you're prepping for your future.
 
The AAMC will make 3 practice test available prior to the 2015 MCAT. However, I'll agree with everyone else that you shouldn't be worrying about the MCAT yet...relax and enjoy your life before the hell of premed begins.
 
Verum said:
Congrats. Did you make your 4 year plan already? I should have waited until course registration day to make sure my schedule was ok but i couldn't wait :p
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wuut. do ppl really make 4 year plans:eek:? I couldn't even make 1 year plans in college cos classes and stuff kept falling through lol.
 
will adcoms perhaps ask any questions in interviews or such regarding some premed's choices of purposely avoiding the 2015 MCAT by taking the 2014 version?
 
riverside said:
will adcoms perhaps ask any questions in interviews or such regarding some premed's choices of purposely avoiding the 2015 MCAT by taking the 2014 version?
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:eek: I sure hope not. I know a couple of people who plan to do just that.
 
Only Zool said:
:eek: I sure hope not. I know a couple of people who plan to do just that.
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They know it's going to be an apples to oranges comparison. The 2016 application cycle will be interesting indeed
 
biomaj said:
Idk, I disagree with a lot of people on here. I believe studying for your MCAT early is a great thing. There is nothing wrong with being over-prepared only under-prepared. I started studying for the MCAT, taking practice rounds early to detect my weak points and what to focus on. I'm enrolled in an MCAT study course this summer, and I plan to take it every year. Go for it. The class offered at my college is specifically for the 2015 MCAT and the differences, and what we'll be looking for/at. I think its great that you're prepping for your future.
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You CANNOT and SHOULD not study for the MCAT for years. I wouldn't give your advise to any premeds...have fun though.

Enjoy undergrad, it's the time you need to have fun!
 
Don't even think about the MCAT, studying for it or planning for it now is a complete waste of time.

You should be focusing on your future coursework.
 
I think i'm starting to get what you guys are saying. Instead of studying for the entity called MCAT i will study general subjects that should give me info for the new MCAT such a philosophy, psych, sociology etc. I can get acquainted with how they ask questions, how they put tricky questions and answers etc. This should help me with alot of things including the MCAT.
 
Verum said:
I think i'm starting to get what you guys are saying. Instead of studying for the entity called MCAT i will study general subjects that should give me info for the new MCAT such a philosophy, psych, sociology etc. I can get acquainted with how they ask questions, how they put tricky questions and answers etc. This should help me with alot of things including the MCAT.
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probably wont help. IMO, freshman psych and soc classes are common sense and don't really give you valuable life changing information. Sociology just talks about how some people are poor and demonstrates modern day discrimination (loans/video game character traits/education and income disparity), where as psych is just a crapshoot of near random topics that are at times dated (freud) and leave you wishing you didn't have to take the silly pre-req for the stuff. Those were my thoughts.


Just wait for kaplan to pump out a book for it.
 
Verum said:
I think i'm starting to get what you guys are saying. Instead of studying for the entity called MCAT i will study general subjects that should give me info for the new MCAT such a philosophy, psych, sociology etc. I can get acquainted with how they ask questions, how they put tricky questions and answers etc. This should help me with alot of things including the MCAT.
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Your undergrad education is your best preparation, not review books from a particular company.
 
I saw on the website they will come out with study materials a year or so before the test I believe.
 
NickNaylor said:
Your undergrad education is your best preparation, not review books from a particular company.
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but there is a lot of variability between majors and interest between students... I spent my humanities/social sciences requirements pretty heavily on history and sociology courses (took 1 psych class).

It did help my writing, but I can't imagine it helping me for the 2015 mcat.

My only criticism is that the 2015 MCAT is gearing students to take more required (or strongly recommended classes) and less general interest classes. Bye-bye history and other cool subjects to make room for the silly social sciences.

Lastly (/rant); IMO, the more survey courses you take, the less you really learn. To say that intro to psych or sociology opened you're eyes to the field is total bs. Its like saying biology xx Survey for non-majors exposed you to real biology. You don't learn to real content until you get past to training wheel courses. I cite my experience with intro to sociology and later an upper-div. sociology course.
 
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hiyaman said:
wuut. do ppl really make 4 year plans:eek:? I couldn't even make 1 year plans in college cos classes and stuff kept falling through lol.
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+1. Every semester feels like a surprise with which classes I can get into and which new classes I find to replace the ones I couldn't get into.
 
Idk, I disagree with a lot of people on here. I believe studying for your MCAT early is a great thing. There is nothing wrong with being over-prepared only under-prepared. I started studying for the MCAT, taking practice rounds early to detect my weak points and what to focus on. I'm enrolled in an MCAT study course this summer, and I plan to take it every year. Go for it. The class offered at my college is specifically for the 2015 MCAT and the differences, and what we'll be looking for/at. I think its great that you're prepping for your future.
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I'm hoping you're still hanging around SDN... I was wondering what University you go and if you know if there are other programs like the one you were talking about available? How much is the cost? I go to U. Illinois Champaign-Urbana... Everyone on this forum seems to oppose starting to study early for 2015 MCAT, but now that I'm done with my freshman year, I know I need to at least study what I learned to retain as much information as possible. I'd love to do at least one extra MCAT prep course before the one I'll be taking in the spring of 2015 to prepare more for the test!
 
BearInTheAIr said:
I'm hoping you're still hanging around SDN... I was wondering what University you go and if you know if there are other programs like the one you were talking about available? How much is the cost? I go to U. Illinois Champaign-Urbana... Everyone on this forum seems to oppose starting to study early for 2015 MCAT, but now that I'm done with my freshman year, I know I need to at least study what I learned to retain as much information as possible. I'd love to do at least one extra MCAT prep course before the one I'll be taking in the spring of 2015 to prepare more for the test!
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No.

1. There is absolutely no need to study for the MCAT after your freshman year.

2. There is absolutely no need to take two MCAT prep courses. Prep courses are meant to provide some kind of studying structure, and they are designed for you to take the MCAT soon after taking the course. It would be a complete waste of time and money to take a pre-prep course prep course.
 
Question: Im going to be taking the 2014 MCAT on January 23. I am worried that I will have to retake the exam and thus be forced to take the 2015 MCAT. Are there any opinions about if it will be necessary to acquire new prep materials? I already have a full set of TPR and BK books. Could I potentially still make use of those books for the biology, physics, and chemistry sections, while adding relevant materials for the biochemistry and social sciences sections?
 
scuba699 said:
Question: Im going to be taking the 2014 MCAT on January 23. I am worried that I will have to retake the exam and thus be forced to take the 2015 MCAT. Are there any opinions about if it will be necessary to acquire new prep materials? I already have a full set of TPR and BK books. Could I potentially still make use of those books for the biology, physics, and chemistry sections, while adding relevant materials for the biochemistry and social sciences sections?
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I don't see why not.
 
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