help me -- I have two years to study for mcat

[blackmi4]

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Hey, my name is Mike and I need some help --

I'm an undergrad at MSU and I know I want to be a doctor. I already spent too much financial aid to change my major (business) but I have a good gpa -- I'm one of those people who studies every day, the same amount every day, without missing a day, and doesn't procrastinate.

Anyway, I have two years of undergrad to go before I want to take the MCAT. My only problem is that I need to learn the basics and need to know what books I can get so I can be prepared to actually study mcat prep books from kaplan, examkrackers, etc.

*Do you know of any specific books I could check out from the library to learn the basics?
*Could you tell me of a good flashcard company (I walk around with these a lot)

I checked out a barons mcatt study book from the library and found that I had to look up a lot of terms in the dictionary just to be able to study the book -- that isn't good. I need your help!

thanks,

mike

 

[blackmi4]

also, feel free to drop links if thiss has already been asked before

thanks again,

mike

 

[muhali3]

MCAT prep starts with doing well in your prerequisite classes. Then you start using the prep books to refine what you already know. The MCAT prep books are for review, and if you can't go through them without having to define everything you see, then you definitely need to delay the prep until you've taken the requisite classes. If you've already taken all the classes, then I have no advice, as you should be able to understand most of what is written. Good classes to take beyond the core requirements are Genetics, Human Physiology, Molec/Cell Biology.

Btw, Barron's is one of the worst prep books.

 

[SN2ed]

You should NOT spend 2 years studying for the MCAT. You should aim for a 3-4, possibly 5 month window. Any longer and it's pointless because you forget too much. You want your studying concentrated in order to take down the MCAT. Think of it like acid. If you put a diluted acid on a piece of paper, it wouldn't do anything. Now if you put a concentrated acid on the same paper...

Also, it sounds like you haven't completed your medical school pre-reqs. Before attempting the MCAT, you need to have ALL of them done. Yes, even the English.

 

[ffpickle]

Man, if you're going to write this test w/o the pre-reqs....you must be a GENIUS. How could you posibly learn all that stuff on your own?

 

[flashback]

Hey, my name is Mike and I need some help --

I'm an undergrad at MSU and I know I want to be a doctor. I already spent too much financial aid to change my major (business) but I have a good gpa -- I'm one of those people who studies every day, the same amount every day, without missing a day, and doesn't procrastinate.

Anyway, I have two years of undergrad to go before I want to take the MCAT. My only problem is that I need to learn the basics and need to know what books I can get so I can be prepared to actually study mcat prep books from kaplan, examkrackers, etc.

*Do you know of any specific books I could check out from the library to learn the basics?
*Could you tell me of a good flashcard company (I walk around with these a lot)

I checked out a barons mcatt study book from the library and found that I had to look up a lot of terms in the dictionary just to be able to study the book -- that isn't good. I need your help!

thanks,

mike

first... chill out. you don't need to study more than 4 or 5 months and even that is pushing it. The only thing you might start working on now is becoming good at reading if you are not already. You may want to get "MCAT Verbal Reasoning Mastery: The Complete Reading Comprehension Program" in a year or so... they suggest a 6-8 month program which I believe people have said on here is actually really helpful... but it does take a LOT of time.

If you are really hell bound on teaching yourself this stuff, I think the TPR class books (NOT what is sold on amazon) are probably the best thing you could get for that. They give lots of details/info you won't get from other sources. Much closer to text books than the other review books out there imo. Just find a set of them on craigslist or ebay.

 

[215353]

i agree with the others. Do well in your science pre-reqs FIRST. That is all that matters. If you do avg in those classes then you are already making it harder on yourself to get into medical school. Master those classes so that when you do get to studying for the MCAT you will have a good grip on the material.

If you are feeling really ambitious I would print out the list of topics you need to know for the MCAT off the AAMC website and put in your notebooks. So when you come across that topic in your classes it will reinforce the idea that this is important to know and it will motivate you to study it thoroughly. I only wish I had done something like this when I was in undergrad.

Lastly, I would try and get your hands on some practice verbal sections and see how well you do on them. If you do quite poor then at least you have identified that you have a weakness in reading comprehension, etc. Two years of working on your reading skills by reading as many books as you can get your hands on will really help in the long run. Think about it, if you became a whiz on the verbal section that would be anywhere from 10-12 easy pts for you right there. When you are good in verbal it makes things a whole lot easier when preparing for the MCAT.

just my two cents

 

[OpalOnyx]

MCAT prep starts with doing well in your prerequisite classes. Then you start using the prep books to refine what you already know. The MCAT prep books are for review, and if you can't go through them without having to define everything you see, then you definitely need to delay the prep until you've taken the requisite classes. If you've already taken all the classes, then I have no advice, as you should be able to understand most of what is written. Good classes to take beyond the core requirements are Genetics, Human Physiology, Molec/Cell Biology.

Btw, Barron's is one of the worst prep books.

yeah man just focus on your pre-reqs!!! make sure you get As in those.... then 3-5 months before your MCAT - start studying.

g'luck and don't stress too much!!! most important point.

 

[OpalOnyx]

If you are feeling really ambitious I would print out the list of topics you need to know for the MCAT off the AAMC website and put in your notebooks. So when you come across that topic in your classes it will reinforce the idea that this is important to know and it will motivate you to study it thoroughly. I only wish I had done something like this when I was in undergrad.

Lastly, I would try and get your hands on some practice verbal sections and see how well you do on them. If you do quite poor then at least you have identified that you have a weakness in reading comprehension, etc. Two years of working on your reading skills by reading as many books as you can get your hands on will really help in the long run. Think about it, if you became a whiz on the verbal section that would be anywhere from 10-12 easy pts for you right there. When you are good in verbal it makes things a whole lot easier when preparing for the MCAT.

just my two cents

really good ideas 👍 Wish I had thought of those when I was taking the pre-reqs.

 

[itsalovestory]

PLEASE don't start studying now... it gets you nowhere.

work hard in your classes, and equally hard on your extracurriculars. find out what you love and try hitting it from all angles-- ex: if you're interested in cancer, then get involved in cancer research, raise money for a cancer society, take molecular bio classes on it, and volunteer at a camp for kids with cancer. trying to hit something from all perspectives taught me what i truly loved, and ultimately, ended up tying my entire college experience together.

 

[tin0tin0tina]

hi, I am in the same boat as you are. I am a sophomore and will not be applying until the spring of 2010. However, I finished all of my pre-reqs and currently enrolled/studying for the MCAT to take it this august. The only reason I did that, was because I was DONE with all of my pre-reqs and waiting until sep/jan to review for the MCAT would literally be impossible or slightly harder because I would have to review all the organic and physics from scratch.Another reason I took it too early is because I am taking upper division classes which I would need to do well in order for me to keep up the GPA. Studying for two years is too much I think, however, if you feel like taking the MCATS early and is done with your pre-reqs then go again and study for it now to take within a six month period not 2 years because that is crazy... best of luck

 

[blackmi4]

first of all, thanks a lot for all the responses. this is probably the best bulletin board response i've ever gotten. flashback, i'll try to chill out => -- i usually don't write that much about me but I wanted to be taken seriously because I really do need some helpp.

studywithfury -- i actually did go to the aamc website and I made a count of how many topics there are andd how much I would have to do every day. there's about 450 total topics. I'm a disciplined person so I know I can do it! I took honors composition classes in college so I know I'm a good writer. even so, I'll check out the verbal and see how I feel.

itsalovestory -- thanks for that advice. I've been thinking about the mcat so much that I almost forgot that there is more than just studying.

it sounds like I might be giving myself too much time for the test -- I'll think about that seriously.

thanks for all the help so far,

mike

 

[blackmi4]

tina -- how are you studying for mcat? I feel like I could learn from you since you are in the same situation as me. I guess if anyone else wants to share their strategy/results that would be cooll.

thanks,

mike

 

[olemissbabydoc]

Do really well in your pre-reqs and you're essentially studying along the way. REAL mcat study shouldn't start prior to probably 6 mos before your first test. 9 months if you're crazy - and then it would be solidifying concepts you feel like you missed in your pre-reqs that are testable and reading some highyield material for vr.

Print out a copy of the MCAT learning outcomes (info that's testable) and keep it handy during the pre-reqs and upperlevel sciences.learn this stuff.

best of luck.

 

[rockyDoctora]

Also, it sounds like you haven't completed your medical school pre-reqs. Before attempting the MCAT, you need to have ALL of them done. Yes, even the English.

Why do you say that we should have done all of the prerequisite courses done by the time we take the MCATs? I understand that that english/writing courses will most likely improve our abilites in verbal reasoning and writing, but is there some other reason to why you might say so?

It's just a question because I'm a sophomore now, and am planning to take the MCAT's in Aug. 2010 (the beginning of my junior year). I might be able to fit one semester of english before I take it, but definitely not two! I do have credit from HS that is not AP, but was a HS/Syracuse Univ joint program that allowed me to get transfer credit for an english course to my present college -- is this something that med schools will ignore, and tell me I still have to take 2 semesters of english?

 

[SN2ed]

Why do you say that we should have done all of the prerequisite courses done by the time we take the MCATs? I understand that that english/writing courses will most likely improve our abilites in verbal reasoning and writing, but is there some other reason to why you might say so?

It's just a question because I'm a sophomore now, and am planning to take the MCAT's in Aug. 2010 (the beginning of my junior year). I might be able to fit one semester of english before I take it, but definitely not two! I do have credit from HS that is not AP, but was a HS/Syracuse Univ joint program that allowed me to get transfer credit for an english course to my present college -- is this something that med schools will ignore, and tell me I still have to take 2 semesters of english?

I think the reason behind the science pre-reqs is clear. For English, it is to improve both verbal and writing skills. Verbal is one of the toughest sections for people to improve; thus, spending time reading and analyzing a variety of literary works helps a great deal.

Most medical schools do NOT allow AP classes to count for pre-reqs. If you absolutely can't wait AND you have ALL of your other pre-reqs, then you could read various articles now to prepare for verbal.

Here's my suggestion on reading materials:

Wall Street Journal
New Yorker
Economist
Random science journals

Good source for philosophy/humanities work which people tend to struggle with:

Moral Issues in Global Perspectives: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/1551111861/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used

Buy the book used; it's much cheaper.

Remember to read the boring articles as well as the interesting ones. Chances are your MCAT verbal passages won't be the most exciting read. Lastly, after you finish an article, write down the main idea and author's opinion.

 

[JP2740]

Can you imagine how damn stressful it would be to study for one test for two years? 😕

 

[rockyDoctora]

I think the reason behind the science pre-reqs is clear. For English, it is to improve both verbal and writing skills. Verbal is one of the toughest sections for people to improve; thus, spending time reading and analyzing a variety of literary works helps a great deal.

Most medical schools do NOT allow AP classes to count for pre-reqs. If you absolutely can't wait AND you have ALL of your other pre-reqs, then you could read various articles now to prepare for verbal.

Here's my suggestion on reading materials:

Wall Street Journal
New Yorker
Economist
Random science journals

Good source for philosophy/humanities work which people tend to struggle with:

Moral Issues in Global Perspectives: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/1551111861/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used

Buy the book used; it's much cheaper.

Remember to read the boring articles as well as the interesting ones. Chances are your MCAT verbal passages won't be the most exciting read. Lastly, after you finish an article, write down the main idea and author's opinion.

Thanks for the thorough explanation. I definitely do need to catch up/improve on my verbal skills. When I do read such things, what am I looking for? I'm sure I should be looking to familiarize myself with current issues, but what aspects of verbal skills should I be looking to improve on (i.e. gaining perspective of the writer)?

I know medical schools most definitely will not accept the AP credit from HS. However I was wondering if they accept this class I did take in HS, which was a joint program with Syracuse University. They were legit college courses taken in a HS class room. It was for the whole year of my senior year, and it turned out to be two semesters (two classes) in total. Do you think medical schools will accept those? Or is it something very rigid in that they will only accept english/writing courses that were only taken during undergrad years?

Sorry if I'm steering away from the main topic of this thread.

 

[rockyDoctora]

Hey, my name is Mike and I need some help --

I'm an undergrad at MSU and I know I want to be a doctor. I already spent too much financial aid to change my major (business) but I have a good gpa -- I'm one of those people who studies every day, the same amount every day, without missing a day, and doesn't procrastinate.

Anyway, I have two years of undergrad to go before I want to take the MCAT. My only problem is that I need to learn the basics and need to know what books I can get so I can be prepared to actually study mcat prep books from kaplan, examkrackers, etc.

*Do you know of any specific books I could check out from the library to learn the basics?
*Could you tell me of a good flashcard company (I walk around with these a lot)

I checked out a barons mcatt study book from the library and found that I had to look up a lot of terms in the dictionary just to be able to study the book -- that isn't good. I need your help!

thanks,

mike

Though I haven't taken the MCAT's yet, I'd like to say that I think, THINKING about the MCAT's is a great thing at your point (looking ahead for whats coming up), but I think actually studying for the MCAT's should not be a worry... I have less than a year as a sophomore before I'm planning to take the MCAT's and I still haven't completed the prerequisites. Only when you're done or close to done with the prereqs do I feel that you should start thinking about studying.. What's the point of being stressed out to teach yourself the concepts now, and waste time when you're going to be learning the material with an instructor later on?

I'd suggest you first finish most of your prereqs then start studying/reviewing/keeping fresh concepts by restudying those areas so that you wouldn't have to dwell in those areas when it comes to actual studying. Then, make sure you're doing well in your classes and learn from those classes well. I think this is what would be most important if I were to view the prep for MCATs at your standpoint.

 

[deleted244469]

Do really well in your pre-reqs and you're essentially studying along the way. REAL mcat study shouldn't start prior to probably 6 mos before your first test. 9 months if you're crazy - and then it would be solidifying concepts you feel like you missed in your pre-reqs that are testable and reading some highyield material for vr.

Print out a copy of the MCAT learning outcomes (info that's testable) and keep it handy during the pre-reqs and upperlevel sciences.learn this stuff.

best of luck.

Where on the site can I find the MCAT topics/learning outcomes? Is there a link? Thanks