Is it possible to do really well on your MCATs even if ...

[NKaur92]

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Is it possible to do really well on your MCATs even if your sGPA isn't the highest?

What are the chances and what's the study method you should take when preparing for the MCATs.

I have taken all the basic sciences except for physics, I haven't gotten As (except for labs), but nothing less than B- (in both general chemistries). For all my other sciences, the grades have fallen from B to B+.

What approach should I use when studying for the MCATs and how soon should I start studying for them.

I am planning on taking them next year summer.

 

[Mehd School]

I'll tell you my short anecdote, and you can take it with a grain of salt.

My grades:
Gen Chem 1: C
Gen Chem 2: B+
Organic 1: B+
Organic 2: C+
Biology 1: B+
Biology 2: A
Physics 1: B+
Physics 2: TBD

I have been prepping since mid may for the 8/4 date. It has become a very real possibility that I'm going to have to void my test and retake in January. It has been two years since I had any gen chem, and I haven't even taken physics 2 yet. I've been studying extremely hard and have felt utterly defeated the past couple of weeks. I was sure I had wasted my entire summer studying to only get mediocre practice scores.

Then I took a deep breath and realized that I have a pretty good grasp on most concepts now. Going through and reviewing them one more time, I feel that I will have an excellent grasp on most things. My summer really wasn't wasted, because I got acquainted with ideas and information I didn't understand during the courses.

My advice for you is if you didn't do so hot in your pre-req's, plan on studying MUCH LONGER than you originally had planned. There really aren't any short cuts with this. You need to know the information, and you can't hide from that. Do what it takes to get comfortable with 95%+ of the information. If you didn't understand it all that well during the course, it will probably take you longer to figure it out during your preparation.

 

[NKaur92]

Wow thank you so much for your advice. Good luck and I'm sure you'll do fine!

 

[sciencebooks]

Is it possible to do really well on your MCATs even if your sGPA isn't the highest?

What are the chances and what's the study method you should take when preparing for the MCATs.

I have taken all the basic sciences except for physics, I haven't gotten As (except for labs), but nothing less than B- (in both general chemistries). For all my other sciences, the grades have fallen from B to B+.

What approach should I use when studying for the MCATs and how soon should I start studying for them.

I am planning on taking them next year summer.

My sGPA is currently a 3.85 or something. Even still, I'd only taken the basic sciences and I didn't think it even applied. I found myself learning a bunch again because it'd been so long and physio from scratch. What I'm trying to say is that even good science grades don't guarantee and excellent grasp on MCAT science. And even with understanding the material (like the other poster), it's learning to apply it.

 

[Charles Darwin]

3.9 sGPA, just finished the majority of my pre-reqs, and I still had to learn most of the physics and general chemistry concepts because they were unfamiliar to me. If your sGPA is low, consider the MCAT and science classes you've taken so far to be mutually exclusive and start relearning from scratch (not necessarily a bad thing even if your sGPA is high).