Any Non-traditional 40+ just beginning to study for MCAT?

[JYM]

Hi,

Looking to network with other non traditional students just beginning their med school journey. Hoping to form a group where we choose a topic, study and then teach/share to reinforce. Planning on taking the MCAT next year.

Best wishes everyone and stay safe!

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[rc343]

Yes, me!! I still have some Pre reqs to take (4-5) so you may be ahead of me. I will probably take in spring of 2022.

 

[JYM]

Yes, me!! I still have some Pre reqs to take (4-5) so you may be ahead of me. I will probably take in spring of 2022.

Nice and that's quite ok! Let's DM and start hashing out details. Looking forward!

 

[medaspire1]

add me to your thread ..am doing my prereqs and hopefully my mcat in 2022 ... will be doing school full time next year

 

[medaspire1]

also here are few other threads

Seeking to network with OLLLD (35+) non-trads doing their pre reqs

I have started my dream to get into med school and finished my first set of courses after 15 years of working in technology . I have a long way to go and hope to apply in 2022 cycle . I dont have any cold feet as I will be transitioning to full time student next year but I could use the support...

forums.studentdoctor.net

Seeking Nontraditional Students 35+ to Network With

My medical program begins in 2 weeks and I'm starting to get cold feet because of my age. I could use the support of older students just to know that I'm not alone. This has been a dream of mine for so long but there is this little voice that sometimes tells me I'm crazy for doing this.

forums.studentdoctor.net

you can browse them as well to see others in the same boat to reach out as well

 

[JYM]

also here are few other threads

Seeking to network with OLLLD (35+) non-trads doing their pre reqs

I have started my dream to get into med school and finished my first set of courses after 15 years of working in technology . I have a long way to go and hope to apply in 2022 cycle . I dont have any cold feet as I will be transitioning to full time student next year but I could use the support...

forums.studentdoctor.net

Seeking Nontraditional Students 35+ to Network With

My medical program begins in 2 weeks and I'm starting to get cold feet because of my age. I could use the support of older students just to know that I'm not alone. This has been a dream of mine for so long but there is this little voice that sometimes tells me I'm crazy for doing this.

forums.studentdoctor.net

you can browse them as well to see others in the same boat to reach out as well

Thank you! Let's stick together and encourage each other throughout. Would love to hear and share those success stories!

 

[doctorold]

I'm right there with you!

Yes, me!! I still have some Pre reqs to take (4-5) so you may be ahead of me. I will probably take in spring of 2022.

 

[RS5NP]

Hi,

Looking to network with other non traditional students just beginning their med school journey. Hoping to form a group where we choose a topic, study and then teach/share to reinforce. Planning on taking the MCAT next year.

Best wishes everyone and stay safe!

Yes me! Just starting my pre-reqs and age 40. I have a BSN, MSN, post master NP.

 

[deleted367183]

I lost my motherlode of MCAT materials, but let me see if I can put a few online things together for y'all.

 

[deleted367183]

Invaluable question-by-question workthroughs of full-length AAMC (old-style) tests. For best results, I would try to find PDFs of 5R and 6R [edit: they are on Scribd] and work through them before watching.






Additional hours-long workthroughs of ExamKrackers' proprietary practice tests 1, 2, and 3 are on their channel, but I haven't watched them: Examkrackers

You can also find a lot of ExamKrackers material on Scribd, but I'm not sure if I can link to specific files here. Discover the Best eBooks, Audiobooks, Magazines, Sheet Music, and More | Scribd Message me if you have trouble finding stuff.

If I had it to do over again, I would take the classic med school gunner approach of working along in the test prep book as you go through your prerequisite classes. So those of y'all who are still taking classes have an advantage.

I think I just took all of the AAMC practice tests--I think there were 7 or so? Definitely more than 5, which is all they have available now. I may have also taken a Kaplan test or two that I found for free, but I definitely didn't pay for any non-AAMC practice tests. Waste of money. I would definitely spring for the full online AAMC bundle with all possible questions. It looks like the Fee Assistance Program will pay for it if you qualify. Fee Assistance Program

I used ExamKrackers just because their style of explanation worked for me--I'm sure you could go with Kaplan or whomever and get good results.

 

[medaspire1]

Invaluable question-by-question workthroughs of full-length AAMC (old-style) tests. For best results, I would try to find PDFs of 5R and 6R and work through them before watching.






Additional hours-long workthroughs of ExamKrackers' proprietary practice tests 1, 2, and 3 are on their channel, but I haven't watched them: Examkrackers

You can also find a lot of ExamKrackers material on Scribd, but I'm not sure if I can link to specific files here. Discover the Best eBooks, Audiobooks, Magazines, Sheet Music, and More | Scribd Message me if you have trouble finding stuff.

If I had it to do over again, I would take the classic med school gunner approach of working along in the test prep book as you go through your prerequisite classes. So those of y'all who are still taking classes have an advantage.

I think I just took all of the AAMC practice tests--I think there were 7 or so? Definitely more than 5, which is all they have available now. I may have also taken a Kaplan test or two that I found for free, but I definitely didn't pay for any non-AAMC practice tests. Waste of money. I would definitely spring for the full online AAMC bundle with all possible questions. It looks like the Fee Assistance Program will pay for it if you qualify. Fee Assistance Program

I used ExamKrackers just because their style of explanation worked for me--I'm sure you could go with Kaplan or whomever and get good results.

Thanks @samc will add this to my list . Appreciate your help

 

[medaspire1]

@samc . I am also looking at Dr. najeeb videos for concepts ( it is bit long but i like his diagrams ) from youtube . Any thoughts on Dr. Najeeb for MCAT impact

 

[deleted367183]

No idea! Sorry. Maybe someone else can comment.

 

[PhD_to_DO]

Non-traditional applicant, age 49 (Nov. 10) here. Sat for the MCAT on Sept. 28th; things didn't go as I had hoped but I've still been granted several DO interviews. Hoping to get some positive news from one of my top schools in a couple of weeks... To those of you who are preparing for the MCAT or will be taking it in January, best of luck to you!

 

[deleted367183]

Looks like AAMC 5R and 6R are also on Scribd, so you can work through them before watching the above videos. Let me know if you have trouble finding them!

 

[esob]

The MCAT is just an obstacle, it can be overcome with sufficient effort. Y'all are going to hate me and some people will flame me (and I'll probably ban hammer them, lol) but make anki your new best friend. There is a sizeable portion of material on the MCAT that is simply stupid free recall. You either know it or your don't and using spaced repetition to pick up free points on those questions is enough to turn an average MCAT scorer into an applicant that makes adcoms rub their greedy little hands together over the thought of boosting their median stats.

If you don't know what anki is, head over to the med student forums and check out the anki subforum

 

[JYM]

Yes me! Just starting my pre-reqs and age 40. I have a BSN, MSN, post master NP.

Welcome! Please let us know if we can offer assistance even if it's just encouragement when things get a bit bumpy!

 

[JYM]

Non-traditional applicant, age 49 (Nov. 10) here. Sat for the MCAT on Sept. 28th; things didn't go as I had hoped but I've still been granted several DO interviews. Hoping to get some positive news from one of my top schools in a couple of weeks... To those of you who are preparing for the MCAT or will be taking it in January, best of luck to you!

Thank you and please continue to update us! Congratulations on your interviews! You GOT this!

 

[JYM]

The MCAT is just an obstacle, it can be overcome with sufficient effort. Y'all are going to hate me and some people will flame me (and I'll probably ban hammer them, lol) but make anki your new best friend. There is a sizeable portion of material on the MCAT that is simply stupid free recall. You either know it or your don't and using spaced repetition to pick up free points on those questions is enough to turn an average MCAT scorer into an applicant that makes adcoms rub their greedy little hands together over the thought of boosting their median stats.

If you don't know what anki is, head over to the med student forums and check out the anki subforum

I'm familiar with ANKI and I've heard similar recommendations LOL. Thank you for the encouragement! The MCAT has intimidated me for far too long now! Ready to put this to rest!

 

[hollisterdoc]

I'm going through last few classes and am planning on a Spring 2022 test date and application cycle. I'll be 40 in 2022. Good luck to all!

 

[redmustardseed]

Did this group ever form somewhere? I'd like to join. I'm an APRN, took my prereqs/biology degree a long long time ago! I am hoping not to repeat classes although I may enroll in Biochem this spring because I did 2 semesters of OChem and never BChem, but otherwise I'm planning to relearn what is needed. I don't want to jump right into Anki because I feel I need some basic review first - wondering where the best place is to find MCAT focused basic review?

 

[acstylin]

I am an older student that is an MS1. I took the MCAT 2 years ago. I just wanted to share a couple things that helped me.
1. Anki. Learn it. Use it. Love it. You’ll use it a lot in med school too so get used to it now. A LOT of MCAT prep systems recommend you write your own cards. Most med students (not all) will agree with me when I say- bad idea. Use pre-made decks. There ARE pre-made decks for the MCAT. Just look for them on Reddit. Making cards takes FOREVER!!!! Premade decks have all the cards you need. If you are reviewing cards and you understand what the card is asking, great. You just saved several minutes of making that card- no reason to mess with it. When you come across cards that are unclear, re-write it. Now you’ve doubled the value of that card. You had to study why it was bad AND re-write it in a better way. Twice the value of learning.
2. Take lots of practice tests. Take several over the months leading up to the exam then really hit tests hard the month before. I took about 13 in total (some I took twice).
3. Spend a lot of time analyzing the test result. I’m talking about a whole day. Go over every question. Did you miss because you didn’t know the answer? Was it a reading problem? Was it because you didn’t memorize the formula? Do you have an Anki card that tests that item? Watch videos teaching the topics you missed. Are you missing the same topic over and over again? Now you know where to focus more time.
4. This may be the most important for most people. Develop skills- NOT knowledge- on how to tackle problems. If you do a good job reviewing, you’ll find that you’re missing questions very rarely (like less than 5-10 on the whole exam) due to lack of knowledge. The rest of the time, you should be saying “Oh man! I knew that one.” That’s when you know you’re ready to change your focus from learning material to developing skills. Keep learning material but focus more time on skills. If you know the material, you’re not missing it because of a lack of knowledge. You’re missing because you aren’t reading the data or question correctly. Don’t waste time digging for the answer in the crypts of your memory. Look for the missed clues in the reading!
5. Be willing to miss one or two questions to give you more time for the rest. If you don’t know (maybe you don’t know the formula or it’s just completely foreign) flag it, mark any answer and move on. I know that’s hard. All of us are dogs with a bone and refuse to let go. You have to drop it and move on. Give that question 10-15 seconds and move on! Now you gained a lot of extra time to work on questions you should be getting right. Getting stuck on one bad question WILL hurt your ability to answer easy ones. If you have time after the section, go back and work on them. You won’t have to stress about getting the section done at that point. The section is done. You’re just cleaning up loose ends.

For the record, my first MCAT practice test was around 490 or 492. My final was 514. I only increased a point or two on every practice test and I often slipped backwards. So it was just a grind. Good luck! I’m rooting for you all!

 

[redmustardseed]

@acstylin thank you, that's very helpful and inspiring!

Did you have a big gap between your prereqs and your MCAT?

How long did you spend studying?

I was going to schedule MCAT in March and start studying now, but I couldn't get a seat for March. I think I'm in one of the busier parts of the county. I've heard it's best not to study for more than 4 months so if I test May, I have a little time before I start hard core study. Since my prereqs were long ago, I'm debating whether I should casually tackle physics and/or chem for a month before I start a 4 month focused MCAT schedule, just so they feel more familiar, less scary. I did very well in undergrad and I love science, but those prereqs are far back.

 

[acstylin]

@acstylin thank you, that's very helpful and inspiring!

Did you have a big gap between your prereqs and your MCAT?

How long did you spend studying?

I was going to schedule MCAT in March and start studying now, but I couldn't get a seat for March. I think I'm in one of the busier parts of the county. I've heard it's best not to study for more than 4 months so if I test May, I have a little time before I start hard core study. Since my prereqs were long ago, I'm debating whether I should casually tackle physics and/or chem for a month before I start a 4 month focused MCAT schedule, just so they feel more familiar, less scary. I did very well in undergrad and I love science, but those prereqs are far back.

I came back to school at 37 full-time. I saved up money and took out loans so I could just focus on getting good grades, EC's, etc. The content was as fresh for me as anyone else taking it I guess, but I had still forgotten at least 60% of the details. I agree that studying too long is bad. You'll end up forgetting a lot. I studied for about 5-6 months. The first couple of months were review for about 2-3 hours per day. The next couple were intense review for about 8 hours per day, 6 days per week with several practice tests. The last month was super intense study, practice tests, reviews, and test-taking skill for 10 hours per day, 6 days per week. I REALLY have to force my brain to remember things so I needed that grind at the end.

 

[redmustardseed]

Thank you for the details

 

[tobeordoctorbe]

I would love to be added to this thread as I am in the same boat!

 

[JYM]

I am an older student that is an MS1. I took the MCAT 2 years ago. I just wanted to share a couple things that helped me.
1. Anki. Learn it. Use it. Love it. You’ll use it a lot in med school too so get used to it now. A LOT of MCAT prep systems recommend you write your own cards. Most med students (not all) will agree with me when I say- bad idea. Use pre-made decks. There ARE pre-made decks for the MCAT. Just look for them on Reddit. Making cards takes FOREVER!!!! Premade decks have all the cards you need. If you are reviewing cards and you understand what the card is asking, great. You just saved several minutes of making that card- no reason to mess with it. When you come across cards that are unclear, re-write it. Now you’ve doubled the value of that card. You had to study why it was bad AND re-write it in a better way. Twice the value of learning.
2. Take lots of practice tests. Take several over the months leading up to the exam then really hit tests hard the month before. I took about 13 in total (some I took twice).
3. Spend a lot of time analyzing the test result. I’m talking about a whole day. Go over every question. Did you miss because you didn’t know the answer? Was it a reading problem? Was it because you didn’t memorize the formula? Do you have an Anki card that tests that item? Watch videos teaching the topics you missed. Are you missing the same topic over and over again? Now you know where to focus more time.
4. This may be the most important for most people. Develop skills- NOT knowledge- on how to tackle problems. If you do a good job reviewing, you’ll find that you’re missing questions very rarely (like less than 5-10 on the whole exam) due to lack of knowledge. The rest of the time, you should be saying “Oh man! I knew that one.” That’s when you know you’re ready to change your focus from learning material to developing skills. Keep learning material but focus more time on skills. If you know the material, you’re not missing it because of a lack of knowledge. You’re missing because you aren’t reading the data or question correctly. Don’t waste time digging for the answer in the crypts of your memory. Look for the missed clues in the reading!
5. Be willing to miss one or two questions to give you more time for the rest. If you don’t know (maybe you don’t know the formula or it’s just completely foreign) flag it, mark any answer and move on. I know that’s hard. All of us are dogs with a bone and refuse to let go. You have to drop it and move on. Give that question 10-15 seconds and move on! Now you gained a lot of extra time to work on questions you should be getting right. Getting stuck on one bad question WILL hurt your ability to answer easy ones. If you have time after the section, go back and work on them. You won’t have to stress about getting the section done at that point. The section is done. You’re just cleaning up loose ends.

For the record, my first MCAT practice test was around 490 or 492. My final was 514. I only increased a point or two on every practice test and I often slipped backwards. So it was just a grind. Good luck! I’m rooting for you all!

So grateful for your invaluable insight! Thank you for taking the time to share and congratulations on your acceptance!

 

[JYM]

Did this group ever form somewhere? I'd like to join. I'm an APRN, took my prereqs/biology degree a long long time ago! I am hoping not to repeat classes although I may enroll in Biochem this spring because I did 2 semesters of OChem and never BChem, but otherwise I'm planning to relearn what is needed. I don't want to jump right into Anki because I feel I need some basic review first - wondering where the best place is to find MCAT focused basic review?

A group has not formally been established as we're at different places in our journey. Most participants were just beginning the pre-reqs.

If there are those who have completed pre-reqs (as I have) and are interested in something more structured- I'm certainly open to suggestions. Presently, I'm doing content review utilizing Exam Krackers, Kaplan and Khan videos. Also planning on incorporating Anki as soon as possible as it's been highly recommended.

So extremely grateful for everyone who has contributed so far! Let us keep supporting and encouraging each other!

 

[NonTrad_76]

Yes!! I tried to begin in November, but decided to wait for the holidays to finish! Looking for some good Anki decks. Good luck everyone!

 

[medaspire1]

Yes!! I tried to begin in November, but decided to wait for the holidays to finish! Looking for some good Anki decks. Good luck everyone!

300 Page KA Doc and Anki Help!

So my official start date for MCAT studying is not until the 2nd of September, but I have been doing Cars for about a month and a half now, and I will be starting P/S early as well. I want to go through the KA doc and start doing Anki in order to give myself a good base before diving into my...

forums.studentdoctor.net

 

[jody.daley]

Hi,

Looking to network with other non traditional students just beginning their med school journey. Hoping to form a group where we choose a topic, study and then teach/share to reinforce. Planning on taking the MCAT next year.

Best wishes everyone and stay safe!

I just started studying last summer. I'm 41. Been looking online to see if there is a group of older people that would like to form a study group or something.

 

[JYM]

I just started studying last summer. I'm 41. Been looking online to see if there is a group of older people that would like to form a study group or something.

I'm definitely interested in forming a study group. Seems as if we may be on the same phase of the journey. Feel free to message me with available times, etc. I'm in Seattle on PST but flexible.

 

[jody.daley]

I'll definitely do that. I'm on EST and I'm in Toronto

 

[AndrewSG]

Does 38 count as over 40? I bet you all could use some young energetic energy

I just made my first post, feel free to read it to see where I'd stand. I think I'm a little earlier in the process than many of you but would be interested in participating as I move further along.

Right now I'm determining the best distribution for my energy; and looking for the MCAT study book I bought two years ago. I think it's in storage.

 

[jody.daley]

Is there any people here from Canada?