does it make sense to take the mcat right after the soph year?

[rogi16012]

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I just finished my first year of college and am using my summer to go over the chem/physics that I learned and start looking at the verbal. During soph year I will be taking o-chem and bio, would it make sense to take the test at the end of the next summer that way I will have the whole summer to study and the ideas will still be fresh in my mind? Thanks

 

[FlowLimited]

If you've finished all the prerequisites, there's no reason why you can't take the MCAT after your sophomore year. Though, there are always upper-level courses that sometimes are helpful. It's really up to you. If you're scoring well on practice tests and you're as ready as you think you'll ever be, go ahead and take it.

 

[rogi16012]

yea i was thinking that too but if i take it after soph year i dont get to take any upper division bio which might be a good review for me, thanks though

 

[axp107]

You don't need upper division bio. I just finished my soph year and I'm taking it on August 20th. You don't need to worry about med school apps and all that stress. I feel prepared for Bio. If you're done with your pre-reqs.. I STRONGLY recommend you to take it after soph year.

Sure, perhaps you'd want to take your upper-div Bio class and wait a year. But think about how much Physics, Chem, and Orgo you'd forget by then! Take it while the material is fresh in your mind.

 

[wryandwatchful]

From what I've seen, I would advise against taking it your sophomore summer. A lot of my friends did that and ended up regretting it. Furthermore, a lot of them did poorly in their prereqs because they had to take so many at once. It's kind of difficult to deal with a bunch of science-intensive classes at once (at my school anyway). Since they did poorly in those classes, they also didn't do very well on the MCAT.

I would suggest spreading out your prereqs and substitute some liberal arts courses or something to show that you are making an attempt at being well-rounded. It will also give you a chance to take upper level science classes and become a better critical thinker--something the MCAT tests you on heavily. Intro courses are basically giving you the knowledge/facts. Critical thinking comes later. Overall, there's no rush. If you prepare yourself, you can take it early in the summer of your junior year and get applications in just fine.

That's my two cents from my experiences. Good luck to you.