Answer this quick

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Beth_yu

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Ok, i took the MCAT already but my room mate plans to take it this April and she is only going to start studying for MCAT next week.
I told her 2 months is not enough to get 35+, plus she has been out of school for a year already since she took physics and chem..

Well, I took 6 months to prepare and she thinks she can make it in 2 months!

She's taking 20 credit hours this quarter.


Any comments?

She thinks I am trying to hurt her chances of getting into med school.

I will print everyone's reply to show it to her.....
 
first of all, answer me quick is not exactly the best subject for this thread. not to mention it sounds kind of pushy.
second of all, when did you forget that everyone's different. maybe you needed 6 months and got your 35. maybe she understands she only needs 2 months. maybe she understands that she doesn't need a 35 to get in. maybe you need to take a few lessons from her instead of playing mother.
i studeied 5 weeks. i didn't get a 35 but i didn't do poorly either.
good luck to your roommate
 
Everyone has different studying habits. Just because it took you 6 months to study for it, doesn't mean it will take her that long. I personally studied about 3 months and that included haphazard studying during the semester (while I was studying for my real classes). I did just fine. I would suggest you let her try her own method and don't pressure her. The MCAT brings enough pressure by itself...she doesn't need it from friends.
 
As with so many similar questions, IT DEPENDS ON THE PERSON.

A 35+ is hard to attain, regardless of how much you prepare. If she is the type of person who can get A's in every class without doing any preparation outside of the classroom, then maybe it's possible...

As for the "hurt her chances of getting into medical school," most successful applicants did not get a 35 or above on the MCAT.
 
Ditto with the other posters. Your friend may not need much time to study. I know of more than one person who didn't study much at all and still did very well on the MCAT. It depends on the person.
 
Yeah, I think that it absolutely can be done. As cc said, a 35+ is tough for anyone. The time that it takes to prepare to get the best score that you can get (whatever that is) will really vary for each person.

On the other hand, 20 hours seems a little heavy.

On the other other hand, it's a little late to start preparing earlier. And it sounds like she might be getting a leeeetle annoyed with you at this point, so you might want to tread lightly.
 
it's actually "answer this quickly"
 
I studied for a week and a half. I didn't get a 35+, but I was close enough that it's definitely possible to make up the difference with an additional 8 weeks of studying. Not that I recommend only studying for a week and a half (I was more than a little busy), but it's not outside the realm of possibility to do 2 months and do well.
 
I studied for exactly 2 months to the day for the Aug '03 MCAT - plus I was working full time. I didn't get a 35+, but who says that is the magic number? I did well enough to get several great interviews and hopefully an acceptance. I also studied 4 months for the April'02 MCAT, and scored lower than this past Aug, and I had just finished the prereqs. What really matters in my opinion is the quality of the studying she does.

More importantly however, I recognize you are interested in your friend's success, but as other posters have said, the best thing you can do as a friend is to be supportive of her choices and not add more stress by criticizing her decisions.

Good luck to both of you!
 
Doesn't nutmeg claim to have studied for a week and got a 40?

How long you have to study depends on a few things. It depends on the quality of your education and on how much you retained. It also depends on how good you are at taking standardized tests.

I would have to say that 6 months would be too much for me- I would get burned out and wouldn't study for the last 2 months. I get bored when I review all of this material that I already know or knew at one time. I would think 2-3 months would be max for the average person who has gotten all As.
 
Sorry, if I seemed pushy. That's because I was angry this morning. I was studying and she snapped at me....

She's 3.3+ student, and out of school for a year. This is her first quarter.

Oh BTW, she thinks SDN is a waste of time....*sigh*...

Ah well, I don't care anymore...

Thanks guys
 
geez!! what's all the rush about :meanie:

Well, I pretty much agree with everyone so I am not gonna repeat it again.

Everyone is different. Your friend might be a genius in disguise who knows!

For now let her decide for herself !!

Just my ideas.......me go get coffee now !! :idea:
 
2 months is more than long enough for many people.
 
actual studying for the mcat....

i only studied for a few hours for 2-3 days...

and got a 31.

the reason why i didnt study a lot was because i was taking over 20 units that semester and had midterms to worry about during the same time of the mcat. but then again im not the hardcore studying type, but i feel if i did study for a longer period of time i could have gotten a higher score.

it is different for every person. if she is the type that can catch onto concepts very easily and has everything all organized and ready to go. then its possible.

since none of us really know your friend we can only give you our personal experiences.
 
to OP: I PMed you to avoid getting flamed, just more proof that months of prep are not necessary to do well.

P.S. I only added this post in case you are new enough that you don't use PM's or check them often.
 
The only alarm bell going off right now to signal she may need more time is the fact that she's been out of school for a while. That material gets pretty dusty when it's not used recently.
 
She has too much on her plate and will not get a 35+ since the material's dusty, she's not getting easy A's in school, and she's taking 20 credits. Too much stuff to leave enough room for studying in 2 months if she's just a regular test-taker.

If she's a really good standardized test-taker, though, 1 month of studying is enough to get a 35+. I'm a good standardized test-taker, so 2.5 months was enough to get me a really, really good score, and she'll have plenty of time to get a really good score if she only studies for 2 months.

Either way, it's her decision when to study and she's responsible for the score she gets. Also, it really doesn't matter if she gets a 35+. It's definitely not necessary to get you into school. average matriculant has a score of 28, I think. A 35+ will definitely increase your chances of getting interviews, but I honestly think you're overemphasizing.
 
I'm willing to put down $20 to bet she won't get 35 or higher.
 
Originally posted by oldtimer
I'm willing to put down $20 to bet she won't get 35 or higher.
Click to expand...

That's a pretty safe bet considering there are people who study a lot longer and can't even get that high. It's just really hard to get 35+, regardless of study time.
 
I won't take the bet, but you never know. In my opinion, 2 months give plenty of time to get a 35 if the person is able to reason well. Busy schedule or not, 2 quality hours a day for that period can get you through just about everything you would ever care to know about the MCAT material.
 
Originally posted by facted
That's a pretty safe bet considering there are people who study a lot longer and can't even get that high. It's just really hard to get 35+, regardless of study time.
Click to expand...
On the other hand, there are people who study a lot less and can get that high. It's an individual thing, based more on reasoning skills, good memory, and test-taking ability than on ability to get high grades.
 
Originally posted by umass rower
I won't take the bet, but you never know. In my opinion, 2 months give plenty of time to get a 35 if the person is able to reason well. Busy schedule or not, 2 quality hours a day for that period can get you through just about everything you would ever care to know about the MCAT material.
Click to expand...

Sure, but she has lots going against her. Out of school for a while, 20 credit semester, and only 2 months to prepare. $30 that she won't get 33 or higher.
 
hmm are we actually taking bets? 😀
 
Beth,

Some August MCAT-ers only study in the 2-3 months during summer break before the actual MCAT, and still did well.

I think it has a lot to do with the person's foundation in science and reading.
 
Well, I think you should have her take an AAMC 4,5,6 or a Kaplan practice test. In my experience, the AAMC's basically predicted my score, and Kaplan was about 2-3 points lower on average. I dont know how much she will improve, but in 2 months its doubtful she'll get anymore than 3 points at most.

That said, if she really thinks you are trying to screw her, then it doesnt matter what you say, and if she thinks SDN sucks, she's not going to believe anything people say here.

So the proof is in the pudding, and there is really nothing any of us can say. A 35 is a very good score, and it becomes increasingly hard for someone to score above 34 due to the manner in which scoring is conducted. I dont know how much she remembers from her classes, or how good she is in verbal, but to aim for a 35+ with 2 months left having been so far removed from your basic classes, well, unless she is in the top 0.1% of students in long-term memory and really awesome at verbal, Im not so sure.

Then again, none of us know your roommate, so there's really little we can say definitively.

Originally posted by Beth_yu
Ok, i took the MCAT already but my room mate plans to take it this April and she is only going to start studying for MCAT next week.
I told her 2 months is not enough to get 35+, plus she has been out of school for a year already since she took physics and chem..

Well, I took 6 months to prepare and she thinks she can make it in 2 months!

She's taking 20 credit hours this quarter.


Any comments?

She thinks I am trying to hurt her chances of getting into med school.

I will print everyone's reply to show it to her.....
Click to expand...
 
Originally posted by CalBeE
Beth,

Some August MCAT-ers only study in the 2-3 months during summer break before the actual MCAT, and still did well.

I think it has a lot to do with the person's foundation in science and reading.
Click to expand...

She's taking 20 hours of classes during the semester AND is taking it in the spring, so that really doesnt apply.

I studied for 3 months for the MCAT over the summer, and I had an 8-5 research job, but since I wasnt taking classes I didnt have homework.

That said, I agree it depends on how much science she remembers and how good her verbal skills are.
 
Originally posted by oldtimer
I'm willing to put down $20 to bet she won't get 35 or higher.
Click to expand...

I agree. I second this.
 
It seems to me that study time does not necessarily correlate with 35+ scores. I would be willing to bet that luck and test taking ability are bigger factors for 35+ scores, as well intelligence of course.


Anyways, if I were you I would quit caring about her. I would tell her once what I thought and then sit quietly until June. You prove her wrong when she gets her scores back. If you really want to be nasty you say, "You see, you should have studied longer and maybe you would have scored as good as me"

Then, when she doesnt get into med school and you do, you say, "Maybe SDN wasn't such a waste of time after all".
 
well, lemme ask you this...why do you care so much what your roommate gets on the mcat? whatever she gets, she gets...is it really because you had to study for 6 months to get the score you got, and a part of you is afraid she'll study for two months and get a higher score? would that make you feel bad, and is that why you're so adamant about this? well, don't be, you two are different people, and if she studies less and does just as well or better, who cares, all you need to care about is YOU!!!
 
Geez, you could bet on anyone that they won't get 35+, and most of the time you'll win! The point of being a friend is that you bet that they're gonna get over a 35 even when you aren't so sure. Friendship is a decision to take a risk on believing in someone.

I studied for three months and got a 40. I doubt two months is that different from three, and, hey, you're requiring her to get 5 points less. I had been out of school for two years. Anyway, anything is possible and I think it's pretty cruel to be betting against (or posting against) your friend. Why don't you just encourage her? The encouragement of my friends when I was most stressed helped me a lot. I woulda told anyone with your attitude to f*** off. Loudly. And then never talked to them ever again.

I usually say "best", but I don't think too much of you. So, my best wishes to your friend. I hope she gets into Harvard with a full ride.

Anka
 
Originally posted by jlee9531
actual studying for the mcat....

i only studied for a few hours for 2-3 days...

and got a 31.

the reason why i didnt study a lot was because i was taking over 20 units that semester and had midterms to worry about during the same time of the mcat. but then again im not the hardcore studying type, but i feel if i did study for a longer period of time i could have gotten a higher score.

it is different for every person. if she is the type that can catch onto concepts very easily and has everything all organized and ready to go. then its possible.

since none of us really know your friend we can only give you our personal experiences.
Click to expand...


ok, that's it ......I hate you, i hate you, i hate you !!

fine yes, I am only jealous 😉 I studied for 3 months and I didn't make it to the 30 mark. Way to go smarty pants.

no offense by the way, JK 😛
 
Originally posted by Anka
Geez, you could bet on anyone that they won't get 35+, and most of the time you'll win! The point of being a friend is that you bet that they're gonna get over a 35 even when you aren't so sure. Friendship is a decision to take a risk on believing in someone.

I studied for three months and got a 40. I doubt two months is that different from three, and, hey, you're requiring her to get 5 points less. I had been out of school for two years. Anyway, anything is possible and I think it's pretty cruel to be betting against (or posting against) your friend. Why don't you just encourage her? The encouragement of my friends when I was most stressed helped me a lot. I woulda told anyone with your attitude to f*** off. Loudly. And then never talked to them ever again.

I usually say "best", but I don't think too much of you. So, my best wishes to your friend. I hope she gets into Harvard with a full ride.

Anka
Click to expand...

No need to get abusive. Take it easy. 😉
 
Originally posted by Disenchanted 1
ok, that's it ......I hate you, i hate you, i hate you !!

fine yes, I am only jealous 😉 I studied for 3 months and I didn't make it to the 30 mark. Way to go smarty pants.

no offense by the way, JK 😛
Click to expand...

oh did i mention i worked 40+ hours as well? :laugh:

haha didnt mean to rub it in disenchanted. but as long as we both get into med school then we can still be friends right? 🙂
 
Thanks greg where did you find this?
 
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