6-7 Months Until the MCAT, What Can I Be Doing Now??

[JReiss]

Hi all. First time caller, long time listener.

I'm a post-bacc planning to take the MCAT for the first time in early July upon completion of coursework in Bio 2 and Orgo 2 this spring. I'm planning to enroll in a Kaplan course starting in April but I'm wondering if I will feel prepared enough after only 3 months of studying, the better part of those 3 months mostly studying Orgo and Bio. During any down time I try to re-study physics and read the Economist in preparation for the verbal section. I've also done LSAT reading comp (although not since the summer) in preparation for the verbal reasoning. Does anyone out there think that I should really push the test back until August? If I did that, I would be really behind in the application cycle. My grades are strong and I feel fairly confident in the material I've already done but I also know that I'm going to need a lot of review in physics and general chem to feel ready. So my questions are:

What is the best use of any downtime I have? Reading and doing LSAT passages? Physics review? A combination? Should I start doing chem and physics sections? EK 1001 questions? I don't mind starting early, but I also want to make sure that I don't run out of material come May or June. And I don't want to use material if I'm just going to forget it in a few months time.

Is it advisable to study for only 3 months? Is 6 months so long that you end up forgetting material at the end that you learned months ago? I'm itching to get started but not really sure what the best use of my time really is.

Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Janieve]

What you should be doing now: relaxing a tiny bit, maybe developing some superb time management habits, and taking things one day at a time.

What you're probably going to do now, regardless of what we say: start content review, try to balance it with life, and focus on the future.

HAPPY MEDIUM: concentrate on your classes and try to connect the material to what you learned in gen chem and physics. Maybe get in the habit of reading the newspaper on a regular basis (or TIME magazine or the New York Times) to get ready for the caliber of reading comprehension you'll need for the MCAT.

At least, that's my (not expert in the least) advice.

 

[NickNaylor]

I think six months is a little too long and you risk burning out. If you want to use all that time, perhaps do some light reviewing (maybe no more than an hour a day) up until you start your Kaplan course. That would probably give you enough time to get through all of the material at least once before you start the class. I'd recommend the EK complete study package since it's reasonably priced (~$110 from Amazon), but there are plenty of other sources. If you don't want to do that, I'd try and limit your studying to no more than four months. That'd give you about a month of solid studying before you begin your course to get some good review in.

All that said, it depends on you. Do you think you'll burn out easily? If not, then maybe go ahead and start studying. No one can tell you for sure what's best for you, and I'd be leery of following anyone's advice blindly. Good luck.