are you studying for the mcat while in school?

[mx21]

---

Members do not see this ad.

hello,

for people who are scoring really high on MCATs (say, 35+), i was wondering how many are studying for mcats while in school.

i'm only asking because i took mine while in school and it was almost near impossible to study when i had classes/lab/extracurriculars going on, so i only received a 32Q. of course, i probably should've dropped an activity so now i'm a bit regretful that i didn't spend my summer studying for the mcat or take a year off.

also, how many hours/week were you studying for the mcat? i don't know if my score is attributed to "lack of effort" or if it's simply a number that i'd peak at anyway.

thanks!

 

[315033]

hello,

for people who are scoring really high on MCATs (say, 35+), i was wondering how many are studying for mcats while in school.

i'm only asking because i took mine while in school and it was almost near impossible to study when i had classes/lab/extracurriculars going on, so i only received a 32Q. of course, i probably should've dropped an activity so now i'm a bit regretful that i didn't spend my summer studying for the mcat or take a year off.

also, how many hours/week were you studying for the mcat? i don't know if my score is attributed to "lack of effort" or if it's simply a number that i'd peak at anyway.

thanks!

I studied 40 hours a week and got a 36 by focusing solely on that. Used TPR/TBR + BR exams 1-10 (GET THE PAPER ONES IF YOU CAN!), and AAMC 7-10.

It's doable, just stay focused.

 

[tiedyeddog]

I tried studying for the MCAT last year while taking 10 credit hours and working 15 hours a week... Ended with me voiding the exam....

 

[Flapjacks]

32Q is bad?

 

[Yips]

OP - 32Q is a decent MCAT score (assuming a balanced score).

 

[CaptainSSO]

I studied the whole time over winter break, took it Jan 29th and got a 37 Q. I did have an advantage over some people though in that I didn't have actual classes the month of January. My school does a program where I got to shadow a doctor for the month of January. So I had some extra time to study.

My advice for you would be to take the June 18th test so that you can get out of school and just study like hell in the month or so before you have to take it, and you could probably easily bump that 32 to a 34+.

 

[Dial71]

I studied over winter break and a few weeks at the start of the semester and took the Jan 30th test. I got a 41M, which was in line with my last three practice tests.

I do have to say that MCAT studying probably hurt my Calc II grade, but I did fine in every other class. If you're wondering, I have only 14 credits this semester.

You should think twice before signing up to retake the exam, however. A 32 is a solid score, but you could easily lose points on your retake.

This will put you in an awkward position. Some schools only consider your most recent set of scores. At others, they will be averaged. Even at schools which only consider the best set, it will appear that you hit your ceiling. Over all, it's a losing proposition if you score lower on your retest.

Realize that if you retest, you're taking a gamble with your already solid score.