How hard would the MCAT be if I've never taken psychology or sociology class?

[Deleted member 755173]

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I haven't really looked at how much the MCAT has for this subject and I might not be able to fit them in my schedule before I take it next year. Would it be difficult if I take it without taking the actual classes and just studying from practice books?

 

[Astra]

Not hard at all. If you wanna get a leg up, start looking over the content for psych and soc now so it will be second nature when exam time

 

[Thenewguy02]

I haven't really looked at how much the MCAT has for this subject and I might not be able to fit them in my schedule before I take it next year. Would it be difficult if I take it without taking the actual classes and just studying from practice books?

I took one intro psych class two years before I started studying for my MCAT. I didn't remember any of the material in the class at all. I also hadn't yet completed the biochemistry sequence. It is definitely possible to do well without the class, but I think I would have done better having taken the courses. I used a lot of khan academy for that section and I got a 130 on it.

 

[yeasureyoubetcha]

I felt like it was the easiest section. I put 1/4 of the effort into the psych/soc section as i did into the others and I still got a 126 in the section. I also never took sociology

 

[21Rush12]

I think it depends on the type of learner you are...I would recommend sticking to concepts and principles of things like behavior/conditioning as well as going through a prep book for content/themes. I used the Kaplan set and scored 130 with only some intro psych classes 5 years ago. It was a good source and honestly, practice is your best friend in my opinion. Best of luck to you!


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[ready2go2]

The psych section for me required the most memorization but also at the same time common sense. If your study schedule involves 3+ months you can easily memorize important psychologists and theories. As for the common sense part.... just have some.

I relied heavily on Khan Academy and it paid off because I ended up in the 97th percentile.

 

[rilte4]

Same approach and same score as @ready2go2

Memorize your book of choice (I used TPR), watch KA videos, and think a little. I believe bringing outside knowledge in would've hurt my score.

 

[studentdocftw]

Sigh. All I can say is, don't underestimate this section. I obliterated the hard science sections, thought this section wouldn't be too bad, and it bit me (probably would've scored 520+ otherwise). On a side note, I've noticed many who scored high in the P/S used Khan, so go with that.

 

[Verity]

For those that used Khan academy, was that your primary means of studying? Or did you supplement it with something else?

 

[coffeeandcodeine]

Self study should be totally sufficient if you're diligent! I never took a psychology or sociology course in college or high school, and managed a 132 using TPR materials. It's quite a bit of memorization but you can do it!

 

[ERDOC555]

I haven't really looked at how much the MCAT has for this subject and I might not be able to fit them in my schedule before I take it next year. Would it be difficult if I take it without taking the actual classes and just studying from practice books?

Very easy! I never took psych and my soc class has almost no overlap and I scored in the 97th percentile for that section. Buy a review book and just go for it!

 

[mirablefreckles]

I took one intro psych class two years before I started studying for my MCAT. I didn't remember any of the material in the class at all. I also hadn't yet completed the biochemistry sequence. It is definitely possible to do well without the class, but I think I would have done better having taken the courses. I used a lot of khan academy for that section and I got a 130 on it.

Did you only use khan for psy section if not what else did you use. I want to use khan and then do problems. What was your strategy?

 

[Gurby]

Self studied for a 131 on that section. Exam Krackers for content, Khan for passages (didn't watch any videos), and made flashcards for every term/theory/famous person I encountered while doing practice passages / FL's.

 

[Chromium Surfer]

How did you all know what to make notecards of? Was it just the terms from KA?

Edit: gurby just saw your post thanks that sounds like a good idea!

 

[binko]

It requires study but it's a lot of memorizing facts that you might not even encounter is a psych or soc class. I never took a soc class, took a couple of psych classes ages ago, used TPR, studied my ass off for the MCAT, and aced this section.

 

[QuestionsAnswers]

I wrote a post on the 509+ thread (should be within the last few pages) which included how I studied for this section with only 1 intro CC psych class years ago (129 score).

 

[tjo422]

I didn't take either, and found both Kaplan and EK insufficient on the sections. I watched the Kahn videos on double speed, and scored a 132 on the section.


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[FCMike11]

It had been 8 years since my psych class and have never taken sociology. I studied from TPR and KA and did fine. Easiest section to study for (imo).

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[bcemslayer]

I wish I took a psych class before writing! You can definitely do it without, but of course having the class will make it easier.

 

[TaupePremed]

Not hard, just study the material using test prep materials and/or class materials. Test prep stuff is probably good enough but more boring.

And practice, practice, practice.