Did your MCAT have more or less information than what you learned in classes?

[theswordfish]

Hey, just wondering if there was anything you had to study for for the MCAT that you didn't learn in your pre-reqs. Maybe people could break it down by subject, and also say if they did their pre-reqs at a JC, 4yr, or post bac.

Thanks so much!

edit: oops thanks for moving this!

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[PiBond]

I didn't know the reproductive system or microbiology. Most physiology classes cover reproductive and many pre-meds take microbiology somewhere along the way. Biology seemed to be the only topic that I actually had to learn new material.

 

[ahowardmd]

I agree with the poster above me. The biology section had information in it that was beyond the basics. I learned some of the things that I saw on the MCAT BS section in Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology, Molec Cell, etc. It was a wild section. As for the other parts, you should have learned everything from your pre-reqs. Chem I and II, Orgo I and II, Physics I and II. It might be a tough test for someone who wasn't some sort of a Bio major.

I don't know about Kaplan or Princeton, but I used The Gold Standard for my MCAT prep (which is a self-study program). The review book and the DVDs gave me all the review info I needed. Of course, review books only help if you've learned the material at some point in school.

Good luck! Hope that helps.

 

[ahowardmd]

I agree with the poster above me. The biology section had information in it that was beyond the basics. I learned some of the things that I saw on the MCAT BS section in Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology, Molec Cell, etc. It was a wild section. As for the other parts, you should have learned everything from your pre-reqs. Chem I and II, Orgo I and II, Physics I and II. It might be a tough test for someone who wasn't some sort of a Bio major.

I don't know about Kaplan or Princeton, but I used The Gold Standard for my MCAT prep (which is a self-study program). The review book and the DVDs gave me all the review info I needed. Of course, review books only help if you've learned the material at some point in school.

Good luck! Hope that helps.

Oh, and I did my pre-reqs at a 4yr University in Florida.

 

[theswordfish]

I agree with the poster above me. The biology section had information in it that was beyond the basics. I learned some of the things that I saw on the MCAT BS section in Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology, Molec Cell, etc. It was a wild section. As for the other parts, you should have learned everything from your pre-reqs. Chem I and II, Orgo I and II, Physics I and II. It might be a tough test for someone who wasn't some sort of a Bio major.

I don't know about Kaplan or Princeton, but I used The Gold Standard for my MCAT prep (which is a self-study program). The review book and the DVDs gave me all the review info I needed. Of course, review books only help if you've learned the material at some point in school.

Good luck! Hope that helps.

cool! I don't think I'll have a problem with Bio because I was a Bio major--it's just Chem, Physics, and Orgo that I'm worried about just because they are problem solving classes that I didn't learn well the first time around.

I'm debating whether I should retake some of those classes at a JC (and bump up my DO GPA in the process) or just study on my own through books. It would be nice to take a class and not have to study on my own, but at the same time I don't want to take a class that won't cover everything I need to know..

 

[ahowardmd]

cool! I don't think I'll have a problem with Bio because I was a Bio major--it's just Chem, Physics, and Orgo that I'm worried about just because they are problem solving classes that I didn't learn well the first time around.

I'm debating whether I should retake some of those classes at a JC (and bump up my DO GPA in the process) or just study on my own through books. It would be nice to take a class and not have to study on my own, but at the same time I don't want to take a class that won't cover everything I need to know..

I would reccommend taking those as actual classes, if it is economically feasible for you. I just know that for me personally, I need deadlines and professors to make me learn the seemingly totally useless subjects that are Organic, Physics, and maybe even Gen Chem. If you can pick up an organic or physics textbook and read it cover to cover, then by all means do it! However, when you say that you didn't learn them well the first time...if you have a basic understanding of what you covered in the course, you might be fine with a review course. I just wouldn't recommend it for people who have never taken the class before.

 

[glia25]

i actually had to learn a lot for bio...i skipped my school's intro course and went straight onto cell/molecular and neurobiology so the body system (apart from nervous) required some work...

also, my physics courses did not cover fluids, solids, or optics, we delved into special relativity instead so i had a lot to study for those

orgo was much less in-depth than my college courses and same for gen chem