Courses Needed for Biological Science on MCATs

[SpongeBobby]

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I heard general bio I & II were not enough to be prepared for the biological science section of the MCATs. What other courses should I take in order to be ready for this beast. I'm a college freshman and I need to look ahead of time. It seems bio majors are best prepared for the test. Thanks!

 

[thackl]

Just grab a good review book. It will have everything you need. Also, practice, practice, practice!!!

I studied with 4th yr bio majors that couldn't break an 8 in the bio section and I also studied with philosophy majors who only had the basics and were bustin out 35+ regularly.

Also, see the other MCAT thread getting attention right now.

 

[Anka]

I just had freshman bio (one term, no lab), orgo I (no lab), orgo II (in progress when I took it). And, I'm a lit major. I did real well on the exam (40). So, don't let the MCAT decide your major. The exam is very straightforward and, as thackl pointed out, you just need a review book (and access to a bookstore that has a textbook to look up anything you're confused on).

Keep in mind that the exam has both orgo and bio, and that the bio stuff is primarily passage driven (i.e., you aren't going to have to memorize a bunch of details to get the material down -- but reading fast will be a great advantage). My guess is, that's why the philo majors are doing so well in thackl's experience!

Have lots of fun in college -- I'm sure you'll do fine. Take the time to explore your interests. If you go into medicine, it may well be the last chance you have for a while.

Anka

 

[PrincetonRocks]

Hi there,

I'm a biochemistry major and I struggled quite a bit on the BS section. This is probably the hardest section on the MCAT, even though OChem is my baby. I took only 4 biology classes prior to taking the MCAT...they were: Molecular Genetics, Physiology, Microbiology, and Biochemistry. I don't think i ever broke a 12 on my practice tests. However, on the real test day i got a 13.

I think the key is: Molecular Genetics! Lots of questions showed up. Definitely take that class. Ochem was much easier than the practice tests and there were less OChem questions than the practice tests anyhow.

What helped me was going through the Kaplan or TPR practice tests. I didn't take any courses, just got the old tests from friends. I studied for a good 3.5 months before the test though.

God speed and good luck!

 

[SleepPsych72]

The lit girl who scored forty that is awesome how did you prepare for it. I would like to know more. Anyway you definately need an understanding of physiology for the MCAT in fact thats all I'm studying based on information I read in the Med School Admissions Advisors (Kaplan) and from taking some of the practice biology tests. So there you go its all about the physiology. Good luck!!!!!

 

[Nutmeg]

I never took physiology, and I still got a 13 on BS. It seemed much more important to be really famialiar with interpretting experimental results, like RT-PCR, Northern/Southern/Western blots, gel electrophoresis, antibodies & affinity chromatogrtaphy, and FRAP. I feel I probably would have learned more that I needed by taking molecular genetics than by physiology (Itook neither).

 

[Amy B]

By far the best course I took to prepare for the MCAT besides basic biology was without a doubt... Physiology. No doubt about it!!

 

[Anka]

All the physiology I needed was either in Columbia Review or Kaplan's big book (I didn't take a review course, but I knew those two books cold).

Really, it's all about being able to read quickly and with comprehension -- try out the free MCAT practice test from e-mcat.com if you don't believe me. I got a 10 the first time I did a practice test... just from being able to read the passages, and guess well (Latin helped me understand words I wasn't familiar with... I'm not suggesting you go out and learn Latin, but I was interested in medeival lit).

The other thing, I did a lot of science research as an undergrad, which helped with questions like "Fact X and Fact Y, combined with chart Z, supports which of the following conclusions." It's all about journal clubs.

Anka

 

[PrincetonRocks]

That's absolutely true! What helps is if you've done research in college. I remember reading all those review articles! That's important because the passages are essentially experts from such articles. Just read the passages too. Don't skip them and go to the questions. I read them like I read Verbal.

 

[lyragrl]

PrincetonRocks is absolutely right. READ the passages.

Beyond that, know some physiology (kidney, hormones esp.), know your basic genetics--classical and molecular--and some good basic biochem.

 

[PianoGirl04]

In a word: BIOCHEMISTRY. That was absolutely, definitely, the best course I took to prepare me for the bio sci section, and I also got a 13. It helps you review the basics of bio and orgo, and it introduces a lot of concepts that are directly tested on the MCAT, like metabolic pathways and DNA replication.

 

[Lux Aeterna]

Originally posted by Nutmeg
I never took physiology, and I still got a 13 on BS. It seemed much more important to be really famialiar with interpretting experimental results, like RT-PCR, Northern/Southern/Western blots, gel electrophoresis, antibodies & affinity chromatogrtaphy, and FRAP. I feel I probably would have learned more that I needed by taking molecular genetics than by physiology (Itook neither).

I definitely have to agree with this. I felt like my lab experience in research was a great help toward my score in this section. It was definitely heavily focused on experimental analysis, I thought.

 

[thackl]

Stick with Anka. The review books will have all the physiology you need. You are going to get 2-4 stad-alone type physio questions, but they are not hard. I didn't bother to commit them very well. I probably knew about 2/3's of the TPR book cold, 3/4'ths I had read once and the rest I never looked at. My score was 11 in this section. There is nothing wrong with taking more courses to help. I'm sure with a yr of bio, a yr of org and a yr of lab in both, i could hve done 2pt's or more better. My 1st choice was TTech and anything more than a 30 is a waste if your aspiration are for an average ranking school.

Also agree with treating the BS section like VR. I've always said that there are two VS sections on the MCAT. One where you need no outside info (it's actually a detriment to have this on the real VR) and one where some specific outside knowlege is helpful.