I finished all my pre-req courses this past semester, and am taking biochm and animal phys next semester. Would it be better to take the MCAT at the end of this summer, while all the info from my pre-req courses is still fresh in my mind, or should I wait until after I've taken biochm and phys? I've heard biochm and phys help for the MCAT, but I think it would be difficult to keep up with studying during the semester. How much of an advantage does taking biochm and phys give you on the MCAT?
Help on Deciding When to Take MCAT Please!
- Thread starter dreamer67
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Biochemistry helps immensely. I guess you technically learn the basics in Bio 1 and 2, but biochem drills everything into your head. I had to memorize all 20 amino acids, the names and structures of all the enzymes and intermediates in glycolysis, and citric acid cycle, know oxidative phosphorylation backwards and forwards...and a large part of the bio in the MCAT is made up of this. I highly recommend having biochem before taking the MCAT.
I think the BS section was more physiology-based in the past, and it's becoming more and more biochem and genetics, but physio is still a good class to take before the MCAT. You NEED to know at least cardiovascular system and renal, and digestion and immuno are also good. Reproductive system is super important as well.
Also if you can work in a neuroscience course, that would be beneficial.
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How can more knowledge be overrated? You don't learn much about neuroscience in general biology, so taking a neuro course will help you breeze through the neuro passages and discretes. I can think of at least 5 specific practice passages (and one on my real test) that I would have bombed had it not been for my biochemistry class. And physiology is immensely helpful as you learn the body systems inside and out. General bio doesn't go as in depth.
Okay, I have taken genetics so that should help. I am just worried about not having enough time during the semester to keep up with material, where as if I take it at the end of the summer I have the summer to go through the material. I work, but only around 35 hrs/wk, and not on the weekends, so I have nights and weekends to prepare. I won't be taking neuroscience next semester (not offered at my school), just biochm, phys, and a few other courses. Also, I took gen. bio as AP credit as a junior in HS, so that is probably my weakest area, and what I plan on spending the most time on. I am using the ExamKrackers books to prepare. I'm just so confused on what to do...
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Then you probably want to consider a higher level bio course like biochem or physiology. AP Bio is absolutely nothing like college gen bio, and college gen bio is nothing like biochemistry. Prep materials are meant to help you review what you've already learned, but if you haven't learned it in the first place, that could be a problem.
I finished all of my pre-reqs in sophomore year. Gen chem and physics freshman year, bio and ochem sophomore year. So basically when I was reviewing for the MCAT, I was 2 years removed from PS topics and 1 year removed from BS topics. I really didn't find it too hard to get back into physics and gen chem...I already learned it and understood it when I was learning it, so it was just a matter of refreshing my knowledge and getting good at it again.
This year (junior) I took neuro and physio in the fall, and biochem in the spring while studying for the MCAT. Are you opposed to a late spring test date? I took my Kaplan diagnostic test in January, before starting biochem, and I got a 6 on BS. When I was taking my last practice tests, I was getting 12's and 13's on BS. I have complete faith that biochemistry is very helpful.
well, maybe it's just me. I have taken both biochem and human phys b4 the mcat but forgot most of the upper level knowledge after the courses. what was most helpful was the basics that i gathered from the prep books. so what i intended was that prep books are sufficient to study with as long as you have the foundations from pre-reqs
My AP Bio course was taught on an extremely high level...very similar to the content in the review books (scored a 5 on the AP exam and a 750 on the SAT II in Bio). I just finished sophomore year (gen chm and genetics freshman year, orgo I and II and physics I and II sophomore year), so I am just coming out of orgo II and physics II, and got A's in all my courses. I took the Kaplan diagnostic (scored 9 ps, 10 v, 9 bs), but from what I hear those scores aren't very accurate.
