Can you study for MCATS before.....

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amaliasabb

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I realized I want to do premed now so next semester I will be starting on the pre recs since I am a psych major and bio minor (declared both this semester). Is it possible I can still start studying now tho to get familiar with the material
 
You can start studying for your pre-req classes with the intent of getting A's in those classes. But I wouldn't think about the MCAT until you've taken the pre-reqs (gchem, physics, bio, ochem). The biggest factor in medical school app is GPA so ensure you get a good GPA, and know that doing so will help you on your MCATs since you'll know the material well
 
Ya, doing well on the prereqs definitely helps a TON when it comes time to studying for the MCAT. Especially due to the fact that the prereqs go much more in-depth than what is required for the MCAT.

You can definitely get familiar with what's covered on the MCAT for now but I don't see any real point in starting to study right now.
 
Most students approach their undergraduate coursework with a test-of-the-week mentality, so when the time comes for the MCAT there isn't good structure to the knowledge-base. Folks go through physics one chapter at a time but never step back and actually read the table of contents of their textbook and say, 'okay, physics is mechanics, waves, thermodynamics, electricity and magnetism, light and optics, modern physics etc.

So I think it's really very good that you are thinking about your MCAT at this stage before taking your undergraduate courses. I know many students who would have benefited to have taken a bit of time to familiarize themselves with the exam before the prereqs, at least to have some kind of consciousness that they were building a knowledge-base geared to performance on a comprehensive, conceptually oriented exam in the future. As other commenters have noted, it's probably not very useful to spend a great deal of time on explicitly MCAT related tasks, it causes your coursework to suffer, but researching the MCAT and addressing MCAT related learning goals, especially as relates to overall perspectives, could definitely benefit you.
 
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