General questions (mcat and interview)

[TheUnknownA]

1. How much detail does the MCAT go into? For example, do we need to know every detail about the Krebs cycle?
2. So ig one of the most important things when it comes to interviews is that it should be a conversion rather than a question-and-answer type of thing. What if you're tryna make it a conversion but the interviewer just isnt feeling the same vibe?
3. I've seen a lot of vids/vlogs of medical students and their daily lives/studying. The notes that these people take are crazy (color coded, hand drawn diagrams, and a lot of stuff that i'd consider "extra"). This is just personal preference right? I've taken just basic notes and typed up most of my notes so far and i feel like my studying habits/note taking is gonna need to be revised once in med school so i might wanna start early. My current studying habits have worked fine tho. idk

 

[lull]

MCAT is very big picture. You spend more time interpreting passages and experiments than you do recalling specific information. But there are still discrete questions in the science sections where you have to recall specific details.

Taking your Krebs example, you wouldn’t need to memorize every single enzyme/structure/underlying orgo mechanism in each step (although it would probably be helpful), but you should be able to at least recognize key regulating enzymes, changes in number of carbons, ATP/electron yield, bioenergetics, etc.

 

[Goro]

2. So ig one of the most important things when it comes to interviews is that it should be a conversion rather than a question-and-answer type of thing. What if you're tryna make it a conversion but the interviewer just isnt feeling the same vibe?

You answer the questions asked of you. At my school, we don't do conversations. We ask, you answer. Then we ask more.


3. I've seen a lot of vids/vlogs of medical students and their daily lives/studying. The notes that these people take are crazy (color coded, hand drawn diagrams, and a lot of stuff that i'd consider "extra"). This is just personal preference right?

100% student dependent. You have to do what works for you, and what works in UG might not work in med school.

 

[manofgod747]

With regards to your question about the MCAT, the answer depends largely on what score you are aiming for. It is just about what you want vs. what you are willing to get it.

Now, in my humble opinion, though I believe that the MCAT tests your reasoning and critical thinking for the most part, the two come much easier if you have a thorough content knowledge. Personally, being a reapplicant and needing a stellar score (was hoping for a 520+), I memorized everything about the Krebs Cycle - order, enzymes, names and structures of the products, what compound inhibits/stimulates what, and I took this approach to as many concepts as I could. It's a reasoning test, but you can't reason your way without sufficient content. I received a 525 with this approach.

So you have to come to a decision on what your goal is, and what you can do to achieve it! But I do what to emphasize that the more knowledge you have, usually the easier it is to come to the right answers.