Just started studying for April MCAT...

[vmc303]

I've had the EK books since January, but just haven't had time to get to them until now (I'm on break). I'm not all that worried, but maybe I should be. I've aced the pre-reqs, and have taken them all within the past year, so most of my studying should just be review.

Anyone heard of people in my situation doing well? I'm shooting for a 40, and I'm counting on a high MCAT to make up for some deficiencies in other areas. I figure worst case scenario is I get a score in the low 30's, then retake in August. Will this seriously hurt my admissions chances for this upcoming cycle -- i.e. might I get auto-dinged at places before I even have a chance to submit the updated, presumably better scores? Would it be advisable simply to wait until August and apply a few months later?

Thanks.

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[Twitch]

I've had the EK books since January, but just haven't had time to get to them until now (I'm on break). I'm not all that worried, but maybe I should be. I've aced the pre-reqs, and have taken them all within the past year, so most of my studying should just be review.

Anyone heard of people in my situation doing well? I'm shooting for a 40, and I'm counting on a high MCAT to make up for some deficiencies in other areas. I figure worst case scenario is I get a score in the low 30's, then retake in August. Will this seriously hurt my admissions chances for this upcoming cycle -- i.e. might I get auto-dinged at places before I even have a chance to submit the updated, presumably better scores? Would it be advisable simply to wait until August and apply a few months later?

Thanks.

A month is a long time. My buddy took 3 days off work to look over some of the stuff and take a practice test. He got a 32. Had he studied for a month he could easily made much more.

Though for others this may not work. They'll need more time.

 

[Apparition]

Why don't you take an AAMC practice test and see how you do?

 

[mj1878]

There's more to the MCAT than just "acing the prereqs". More than anything, it's a test of logic/reasoning and of how you problem solve. Thinking that you don't have any pressure to study because you got A's in your classes is faulty thinking.

 

[vmc303]

There's more to the MCAT than just "acing the prereqs". More than anything, it's a test of logic/reasoning and of how you problem solve. Thinking that you don't have any pressure to study because you got A's in your classes is faulty thinking.

My problem solving ability is fine; it's mostly the factual recall that I'm concerned with. Besides which, if it's primarily a test of reasoning ability, wouldn't studying yield diminishing returns rather quickly? I'm not convinced that the 6-month studying regimens of some people on here are all that worthwhile, provided the person has a solid grasp of the basic material to begin with.

 

[tch001]

My problem solving ability is fine; it's mostly the factual recall that I'm concerned with. Besides which, if it's primarily a test of reasoning ability, wouldn't studying yield diminishing returns rather quickly? I'm not convinced that the 6-month studying regimens of some people on here are all that worthwhile, provided the person has a solid grasp of the basic material to begin with.

I've always been a good test taker and had great problem solving abilities and I also aced all my pre-reqs. However, I'm discovering that the MCAT is different from any other standardized test I've ever taken. To get a 40, you need some kind of natural genius, and maybe you have that. I think people study 6 month plus becuase the more problems you do, the more famliar you become with the MCATs warped way of asking logic/problem solving questions about our "basic" science knowledge. I say "basic" because I sure as hell didn't learn some of the stuff they expect us to know in my pre-reqs. I would suggest taking a practice test and letting that dictate your study schedule (and score you're aiming for).

 

[NRAI2001]

I've had the EK books since January, but just haven't had time to get to them until now (I'm on break). I'm not all that worried, but maybe I should be. I've aced the pre-reqs, and have taken them all within the past year, so most of my studying should just be review.

Anyone heard of people in my situation doing well? I'm shooting for a 40, and I'm counting on a high MCAT to make up for some deficiencies in other areas. I figure worst case scenario is I get a score in the low 30's, then retake in August. Will this seriously hurt my admissions chances for this upcoming cycle -- i.e. might I get auto-dinged at places before I even have a chance to submit the updated, presumably better scores? Would it be advisable simply to wait until August and apply a few months later?

Thanks.

Yea of course.....at the very least you can expect a low to mid 30 score, any idiot can get that.

 

[oxeye]

I've had the EK books since January, but just haven't had time to get to them until now (I'm on break). I'm not all that worried, but maybe I should be. I've aced the pre-reqs, and have taken them all within the past year, so most of my studying should just be review.

Anyone heard of people in my situation doing well? I'm shooting for a 40, and I'm counting on a high MCAT to make up for some deficiencies in other areas. I figure worst case scenario is I get a score in the low 30's, then retake in August. Will this seriously hurt my admissions chances for this upcoming cycle -- i.e. might I get auto-dinged at places before I even have a chance to submit the updated, presumably better scores? Would it be advisable simply to wait until August and apply a few months later?

Thanks.

Take a practice test and judge from that how hard you need to work to get the score that you want.

Then let us know how you did on the practice test - I'm very curious!!

 

[Sol Rosenberg]

My problem solving ability is fine; it's mostly the factual recall that I'm concerned with. Besides which, if it's primarily a test of reasoning ability, wouldn't studying yield diminishing returns rather quickly? I'm not convinced that the 6-month studying regimens of some people on here are all that worthwhile, provided the person has a solid grasp of the basic material to begin with.

Instead of bragging about how much you don't need to study, why not take a full-length practice test and see how you do? 3R is free, but most agree that it is one of the easier practice MCATs available. 7, and 8 are probably the most realistic, but cost $40 each.

To be most fair to yourself, take the test under timed conditions, taking the sections one right after the other, with a 1 hour break between the VR and WS sections. Don't forget to do the WS before the BS section to wear yourself down.

Bottom Line: If you doubt that you need to study that much, then DON'T!

However, making any of those statements that you made before you have seen a "real" MCAT is just ignorant. If you think that you will get a 40 without significant preparation, you are just plain kidding yourself.

Good Luck,

Jota

 

[kypdurron5]

I agree with what people have said here. If you feel very confident, then take a practice test and see how you do. A 40 is an extremely lofty score to shoot for, even the top schools in the country only average mid to high 30’s for acceptances. We can all do the math, but you’re talking about two 13’s and a 14 or some similar combination; 5 (scaled) points over 3 tests is hardly any breathing room at all and would in most cases would require true mastery of the subject matter. I think that quality of studying is far better than quantity. I think six months is just too long to maintain a rigorous and meaningful study program. One month may be too short, but it all depends on where you are and what this coming month looks like for you. I’m retaking the April MCAT to try and boost my score a few points, but I didn’t decide to do so until about a week ago. I feel like this is plenty of time, especially considering how much I’ve gotten done this week (my spring break). Some studying is always going to be necessary though, the important thing is to figure out what you need to concentrate on and how much time that will take. For me, most of my time will be devoted to memorizing physics formulas and building my speed with physics problems. I’ll also spend a little time memorizing orgo reactions, but aside from that I’m in good shape for VR, bio, and gchem. Thus, 1 month is just about right.

By the way, today (3/17/05) is the deadline to avoid the late fee. If you haven’t already decided the late fee is $50 but to sign up and then get a refund would cost you $105 (50% refund). Good luck to you!

 

[vmc303]

I never made any claims about not needing to study, and I wasn't "bragging." The entire point of my post was to find out whether I should be more concerned, and to see if my situation wasn't unheard of. I'm not sure what statements you're referring to as "ignorant."

The problem with simply taking a practice test is that my score will be somewhat deflated compared to what I can expect on the real thing. As the thread title says, I'm just beginning to review, and plan to do as much as I possibly can over the next five weeks, including learning the last bit of material that hasn't been taught in class yet. The score I could get today, the score I could get after a month of concerted review, and the score I could get after four months of study (August MCAT) might well be three very different numbers.

Instead of bragging about how much you don't need to study, why not take a full-length practice test and see how you do? 3R is free, but most agree that it is one of the easier practice MCATs available. 7, and 8 are probably the most realistic, but cost $40 each.

To be most fair to yourself, take the test under timed conditions, taking the sections one right after the other, with a 1 hour break between the VR and WS sections. Don't forget to do the WS before the BS section to wear yourself down.

Bottom Line: If you doubt that you need to study that much, then DON'T!

However, making any of those statements that you made before you have seen a "real" MCAT is just ignorant. If you think that you will get a 40 without significant preparation, you are just plain kidding yourself.

Good Luck,

Jota

 

[Sol Rosenberg]

I never made any claims about not needing to study, and I wasn't "bragging." The entire point of my post was to find out whether I should be more concerned, and to see if my situation wasn't unheard of. I'm not sure what statements you're referring to as "ignorant."

The problem with simply taking a practice test is that my score will be somewhat deflated compared to what I can expect on the real thing. As the thread title says, I'm just beginning to review, and plan to do as much as I possibly can over the next five weeks, including learning the last bit of material that hasn't been taught in class yet. The score I could get today, the score I could get after a month of concerted review, and the score I could get after four months of study (August MCAT) might well be three very different numbers.

Ignorant = commenting on others' studying regimens without actually taking a practice MCAT!

There are lots of practice tests out there. I, personally, will have taken ~20 before I take the MCAT in April. Maybe that's overkill, but I don't want to ever have to take this test again. Even if you only take the AAMC practice tests there are still 6 (maybe even 7 as of today.) Taking one to see where you stand at this point is a very good idea, IMHO. You can always take another later after you are done with your review. Besides, you originally said that you had a good grasp of the material, didn't you? Also, if you haven't taken an MCAT verbal test before, you need to take one NOW. You may be in for a very unpleasant surprise. 1.5 months isn't a lot of time to improve one's verbal score. The other thing that you need to realize is that the MCAT is as much a test of endurance as it is a test of knowledge. Don't take my word for it, see for yourself.

Bottom Line (In my opinion, of course): If you honestly think that you have a good grasp of all of the material, it is probably very possible to get a 30 with 1.5 months of studying (but your verbal score will be a big variable,) but I think that it is very unlikely that you will get a 40 (which requires at least 1 14+ on a section.)

Good Luck,

Jota

 

[OwnageMobile]

my $.02

I really only did light review for a few weeks, then actually crammed starting spring break. I took several practice tests though. This is crutial. Sure you will do better after cramming, but it's not the score that the practice tests gives you, it's the practice. Simply study what you get wrong. It's important to get the timing down on the verbal. I found a dissapointing amount of correlation between my class work and the test material. Don't rely on your classes. Take practice tests. Especially 7 and 8. By skipping this step you will be shooting yourself in the foot.