Chicken or Egg: MCAT or Pre-Reqs

[onefish]

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I am a 31 year old and here's my question: I am committed to getting into med school, but leery about the MCAT and how competitive I would be.

Historically, I'm probably marginally competitive: 3.5 or so in science, and 3.7 or so in non-science. As for pre-reqs, I did not excel in the physics arena (3.0 - 3.5), did good in chem (3.7-4.0), calc I forget but was probably 3.5ish+, 3.5 in one quarter of bio, and a sad 3.0 in one quarter of O-chem (had a 4.0 until the cruel final, which actually led to my first departure from MD school prep). Since then, I went to law school, did decent (no GPAs), and am an attorney practicing for about 5 years. Now I do a lot of elder care work, which is one of my life triggers to go back to MD school.

In short, I have a couple of pre-reqs that I need to do, or maybe re-take.

The question I have been pondering is the strategy: Should I: (1) go take the pre-reqs for a set period (probably 1-2 years), and then take the MCAT; (2) prep like heck for the MCAT and see whether my score would be prohibitive.

I'm a pretty good test taker, 95% on the LSAT, and I seem to read that the MCAT focuses on reasoning with a good dose of science background that I think I could learn through intensive study of class text books, practice problems, etc. [edit--I have been playing around with the MCAT prep books and tests, and certainly know that right now, I'd need a lot of work, but I don't feel like I would *need* to take classes to feel comfortable--but I could certainly be wrong about that if others have went through this experience.]

Have others gone and tested into the MCAT first, and then worked on the pre-reqs?

I guess there's a part curiosity and instant gratification component (how well will I do on the MCAT) and concern about spending years on pre-reqs. On the other hand, MCATs do seem to get stale as well with some schools.

I was just curious what folks who needed about a year or two years of part-time coursework did and where the MCAT fit in that process.

Anecdotal advice and/or statistical advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[njbmd]

If your strategy involves taking the MCAT more than once, it's a very poor strategy. Take the test when you are well-prepared period. Whatever you decide to do as prep, then do it but don't take the MCAT for "practice". This is not a good "do-over" test.

 

[onefish]

Thank you, I get your point on that. I would treat this like the bar exam, totally the same concept. Is there a general shelf-life on the MCAT?

(One of the reasons I am in this position is that I'm a little out-of-schedule to start digging into some of the coursework that I want to take or re-take, so I'm trying to maximize the study time that I would have right now).
I'll be starting courses spring quarter.

 

[DrMidlife]

I kinda just answered this in another thread. I believe you can take the verbal on a free practice test, and use that score as a good indicator of how you'll do after prereqs. http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=5999306&postcount=43

I recognize that the leap of faith you're about to need to take is intimidating and you're hoping to hedge a bet or two. That said, I am not in favor of doing MCAT before prereqs. I am also not in favor of taking the MCAT to see what you'll get on the MCAT. I am very much in favor of taking a prep course which aims you at the test, on top of the prereqs which aim you at broader issues.

Until last year, the MCAT was only offered on paper, in April or in August, and that made planning tough. Now that it's offered 22 times, you have a great deal more flexibility.

Elder care is very, very sexy on a med school app right now. Boomers everywhere.

Best of luck to you.

 

[onefish]

Thank you Doc, that's very helpful. I will use my free time to prep and do a 'proctored' verbal. Thank you for the link! [Edit: And yes, you're right on the hedging and so forth. It's a little bit of an edge, but I'm in a good position and state of mind to jump it. So I should just go ahead and jump it.]

 

[gotmeds?]

I guess there's a part curiosity and instant gratification component (how well will I do on the MCAT) and concern about spending years on pre-reqs. On the other hand, MCATs do seem to get stale as well with some schools.

I was just curious what folks who needed about a year or two years of part-time coursework did and where the MCAT fit in that process.

The MCAT fits in after you've taken the pre-reqs. Find something else to motivate you. You can take a practice test online if you want, but taking the real MCAT just to see how you'd do is a very bad idea. I'll save you the mystery: you'll do badly. Yes, it is a test of reasoning more than a test of knowledge, but you definitely need to have a very good understanding of the pre-reqs to be in a position to apply your reasoning.

 

[DrMidlife]

Is there a general shelf-life on the MCAT?

Usually 3 years, and I've see 2 years. It's up to each med school. Also note that while prereqs don't typically expire, there are some exceptions to this. I think it's UMass that puts a 6 year limit on BCPM.

(One of the reasons I am in this position is that I'm a little out-of-schedule to start digging into some of the coursework that I want to take or re-take, so I'm trying to maximize the study time that I would have right now). I'll be starting courses spring quarter.

If you're going part time, I would expect this to even out. Plus if you have access to a large university, you'll find off-quarter scheduling is how they herd all us cattle.

While I'm at it, please try to find an MSAR book (buying one from www.aamc.org is convenient) for familiarization with the process. I also highly recommend the Iserson book "Getting into Medical School: a Guide for the Perplexed" which I think is like having a dad who's a doc.

 

[onefish]

Thank you. Will do. I will just take some of the sample tests from time to time to get the gratification issue under wraps.

 

[AKN]

If your strategy involves taking the MCAT more than once, it's a very poor strategy. Take the test when you are well-prepared period. Whatever you decide to do as prep, then do it but don't take the MCAT for "practice". This is not a good "do-over" test.

I always see this. However, some schools seem to encourage multiple MCATs by counting the highest score of each section. If we're only supposed to take it once, why do some schools do that?

 

[QofQuimica]

I always see this. However, some schools seem to encourage multiple MCATs by counting the highest score of each section. If we're only supposed to take it once, why do some schools do that?

A few schools do this, but I don't think most schools do. My school considers all scores. If you have multiple retakes, the adcom wants to see a trend of your scores going up. If you have retaken and stayed the same (or worse, gone down), that will not be a factor in your favor.

OP, the goal here is to amass a strong academic record and get yourself into medical school, not to get through the requirements ASAP. Nothing you do will make you 21 years old again. It is not important whether you apply at age 32 or age 33, but it *is* important that you make your app as strong as it possibly can be. Take whatever time you need so that you can do this process right the first time instead of having to do it over. As others have already said, the ideal situation is to take the MCAT once, when you are well-prepared for it. Being well-prepared means taking a full year of all four pre-reqs, then taking 2-3 months to prepare specifically for the MCAT. These courses are called PRE-reqs and not POST-reqs for a reason. Best of luck to you. 🙂

 

[Law2Doc]

A few schools do this, but I don't think most schools do. My school considers all scores.

Agree. But even if a school is willing to consider the best score or section scores, they all always see each set of scores. Means you are not as competitive as the dude who took it once and got the same highest score. So the goal should be to sit for it once when you are ready. One shot, one kill. Never wing it to see how you make out. You are not encouraged to take it multiple times no matter how you think the school treats it. You are always better off getting your highest score once.

And I wouldn't treat it like a bar exam, OP. The bar exam is something you just need to pass, and you can retake without anyone ever knowing you retook. So it's different.

 

[onefish]

Thank you everyone for your feedback. I'll hold off (and just play with the electronic versions when I need to) of the MCAT, and get rolling with the courses.

@Law-I didn't mean to say it's like the bar exam, just to approach it with the same principle of "I am not taking this twice."

 

[katrina12]

I decided to take the MCAT before I had any organic chemistry or any physics. I spent the summer taking general chemsitry (both classes) and biology 2 but also studied organic and physics on my own. I did not do anything the month of August except prep for the MCAT and took it August 20. I got a 25, good enough for DO schools probably not good enough for MD but i wanted to go to a DO school anyways. It's taking me longer to get through undergrad due to various reasons like taking time off to work and classes not transferring and I wanted to get in for the class of 2012. I did get accepted though! I am finishing my pre-reqs this year and i was never questioned about why I took it early or anything at the interview and heard back extremely quick during the whole process.
I did take practice tests but i consistently scored in the lows 30s which gave me some hope for the MCAT. My philosophy was if there's a will there's a way. But if I knew I was going to absolutely need a 30+ to get in to med school (such as many MD schools) I probably would have waited, however the average for where I got in was 25.7 for class of 2010 and a 26.something for class of 2011, so I figured it was worth a shot. Also, a friend of mine in the same situation (actually had one semester of physics though) got a 18 on her MCAT. Just my experience...

 

[MLakeLAc]

I was considering taking the MCATs without having O.Chem II or Physics II to avoid having to wait till 2010 to start school, but it seems like sort of a suicide mission. I want to take that test ONCE. No f***ing around.