August MCAT or Jan(2012) MCAT

[md2bknox]

I will be finishing my prereqs by the end of summer C. I was curious should I take the MCAT right after or wait until Jan. This is how I'm thinking
August MCAT:
pros: classes are fresh in my brain, it will be done with and I can working more volunteering, research, and leadership opportunities. Currently not working. If I do poorly I can do it in Jan!
Cons: Aside from classes no other studying being done, and not sure how much studying I will get done with taking Orgo 1 and lab summer A, Summer B Orgo 2 and lab with summer C being physics II.

Jan MCAT:
pros: extra time to study, possibility to take a kaplan class
Cons: it will have been a half a year since I had prereqs but I'll be still taking other science classes. If I take in Jan I don't want to freak out thinking it's an all or nothing deal on the next test.

History on test taking: I'm not the best test taker, but I don't have the best GPA which makes this an all or nothing situation to begin with. I'm shooting for a 35+. I'm not strong in chemistry and I'm thinking physics may be the same way! So I'm guessing that the hardest part for me would be the physical science section which, if I decide to do Jan MCAT that all I will be concentrating on! Thanks for constructive advice

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[canIbeAdoctor]

I would say you should take it whenever you'll be ready. It soundsl ike you won't be ready for it by August. Don't forget that the MCAT is more of a logic and reasoning test than a content recall test. That means that you need to give yourself ample time to practice and improve your test/passage taking abilities, especially since you label yourself as a bad testtaker.

In your situation I would say January is better. Don't rush it, and knowing the content is only one part of the test. No matter how much you know, if you don't have time to challenge yourself and practice as many passages and full lengths as possible, you won't be able to get a 35+.

Good luck with what ever you choose and never forget that you can get a 35 with hard work and dedication!

 

[peripherin]

It depends on how you feel about waiting until January, what your original scores are, and how you want to spend your winter break.

From past experience, you'll forget some stuff from August to January (but you should remember most of it!), but it shouldn't set you back if you're willing to put in the effort to study right before you take the exam. I was in a similar situation, though not by choice. I signed up to take an August exam and ended up taking it in January. Didn't have any time to study during fall semester either, so I had to make up for it by studying 10-12 hours during my 3 week winter break.

It's been a while so the details may be a bit fuzzy:
Pre-study MCAT: 25
Practice MCAT scores in August: 30-33
Practice MCAT scores in the beginning of December: 30
Practice MCAT scores throughout winter break (after studying for a bit): 33-36
Actual MCAT score: 38O