Courses to Take Prior to the MCAT

[mdhopeful77]

Hi all,

I have been planning out my courses for the next few semesters and was wondering what everyone thinks are some essential courses to take prior to taking the MCAT.

I am planning to use a study program such as Kaplan to prepare, but I know that an actual undergraduate class and the knowledge that you gain from that is often more valuable than just the study materials from a test-prep course.

Also, what year in undergrad did you take the MCAT? When did you start studying for it?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

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[evasive fish]

Before taking the MCAT, it's recommended that you take all the courses that cover the material tested in the MCAT: biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, and physics. Usually, this content is covered in two semesters worth of each class (e.g. Bio I and II, etc.). If you take psychology and sociology before the test, then that helps as well.

You can prepare for the MCAT even if you have not taken all of these classes, as you can learn the material by yourself, but it's best if you take the classes first, as you will only need to review material when preparing for the test instead of learning it from scratch.

The amount of time you reserve for studying will depend on your specific circumstances. For example, if you're studying during the semester and have to juggle classes, MCAT prep and other things, then you may need to dedicate a longer time than you would if you were studying full time during the summer.

 

[BobbyKoch]

Biochem, cell bio, genetics. Wish I had taken intro psych and sociology.