Essential courses to take before the taking the MCAT

[ElijahFree]

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Hello SDN,

I'm currently in my sophomore year and am planning on how to take the MCAT. I wanted to ask what classes are essential to have taken already to do well and how do I develop a good MCAT study plan for myself?

Thanks

 

[TrackManDan]

Hello! So I will say this all depends on when you plan to take/apply. Are you trying to start immediately after undergrad? Or perhaps take a gap year? Nonetheless, I recommend having Bio (cell, genetics), gen chem (maybe/probably orgo), physics, and intro psych completed. Highly recommend biochem but if you’re willing to commit yourself to studying for it oyo, then not a problem. As for a structured plan, it all depends. We all have different learning styles so no one formula fits for all. But you can see what plans are out there and determine what best compliments your habits. Best of luck!

 

[ElijahFree]

Thanks, I hear so many different things I'm not sure what to focus on as far as classes go. Would you recommend studying during school or over the summer more so?

 

[TrackManDan]

Personally, I was a college athlete taking 18 credits both semesters in a sport that runs Nov-May plus I was doing research so I never had time during the academic year to really adequately study other than for my classes. So summer was my go-to. The only drawback was this pushes my test date back so in terms of complete status I was on the “later” end. IF, and I really mean IF, you can still crush it in your classes (because at the end of the day we want that high GPA 😉) and have enough time to properly study during the school year, then go for it.

 

[Ole_Toe]

Hello SDN,

I'm currently in my sophomore year and am planning on how to take the MCAT. I wanted to ask what classes are essential to have taken already to do well and how do I develop a good MCAT study plan for myself?

Thanks

General advice is to have all your prerequisite courses complete before you begin studying for the MCAT. Psychology and even intro to Neuroscience are helpful as well. That being said, you can always find someone who got a high score without a specific class. For example, the test is heavy on biochem but I got above 95th percentile by self studying