good or bad idea

[neuro nephrons]

Hello all,


I was wondering what everyone thought on this matter. I am planning to take the MCAT in June or July of 2013. Seeing as I will be in my senior year next spring, I plan on studying for the MCAT as much as I can and then really buckling down when I get out of school. However, this summer I am pretty free (planning on doing some volunteering)....would it be a good idea to study for the MCAT this summer to get a base down (I was thinking 1-2 hours a day). I have a Barron's book that I might go through cover to cover. Do you think it would be better to get some work done this summer or wait a year until I have all the pre-reqs down (only physics is left) and then start studying?


Thanks!

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[MedPR]

1-2 hours a day several months in advance isn't going to help you. It would be like learning to spell 1st grade words for a 5th grade spelling test.

 

[EBTrailRunner]

There's no point in prepping this summer if you don't plan on taking the MCAT until next summer. You're not going to remember half of what you learned. It doesn't hurt to spend some time familiarizing yourself with how the MCAT is designed, but I wouldn't start serious prep work until 3-4 months before your desired test date.

 

[neuro nephrons]

thanks errrybody

 

[equinsu ocha]

There's no point in prepping this summer if you don't plan on taking the MCAT until next summer. You're not going to remember half of what you learned. It doesn't hurt to spend some time familiarizing yourself with how the MCAT is designed, but I wouldn't start serious prep work until 3-4 months before your desired test date.

This. Your undergrad classes form the basis for the science material, so focus on understanding the concepts in your classes. BUT, there is no reason you can't start familiarizing yourself with verbal, since you most likely have no clue how difficult this section is. Also, the most important part of the mcat imo is the timing. If you take too long early in a section then you're f'd. In other words, test taking strategy and discipline are somethings you could work on in general. And also don't burn yourself out as this could make you perform poorly.

 

[MedPR]

What may be helpful is to keep a copy of the MCAT topics PDF with you and make sure that you are getting a good understanding of them as you complete them in your classes. That's something I would do differently if I was taking pre-reqs/retaking the MCAT.

 

[Ashley1989]

What may be helpful is to keep a copy of the MCAT topics PDF with you and make sure that you are getting a good understanding of them as you complete them in your classes. That's something I would do differently if I was taking pre-reqs/retaking the MCAT.

I love this idea!! Wow thank you!!
....now where can I get these MCAT topics in PDF? I'm very non tech savvy. Can I buy it online?

 

[mirimonster]

I love this idea!! Wow thank you!!
....now where can I get these MCAT topics in PDF? I'm very non tech savvy. Can I buy it online?

That was all good advice. The topic pdf's are free. You can download them here. https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/preparing/. Of note, ignore the writing sample since they're removing it next year.

 

[Dipraman]

That was all good advice. The topic pdf's are free. You can download them here. https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/preparing/. Of note, ignore the writing sample since they're removing it next year.