how insane is it to take MCAT before finishing physics,ochem, and bio chem?? i really have to study and finish the MCAT by this august..but not sure how hard it is going to be...any advice besides give up???
MCAT before finishing up pre-req????
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Which requirement(s) are you gonna be missing? From what I've heard, OChem II is not covered in MCAT. Other than that, you better complete all of the pre-reqs before taking the actual thing.
I wouldn't say that OChem II is not covered at all... OChem in general only composes about 25% of the questions in the Bio section, though, so it seems to be getting less and less important. Hell, I did poorly in OChem I and II, didn't really study it for the MCAT, and still got a 12 in the Bio section. I'm sure it would've been better if I knew the OChem but it is definitely getting to be less important.
I think another good question is, Why do you have to take it by August so badly? It will be much easier for you to take the MCAT after completing the necessary prereqs or at least be in the process of taking them (i.e. Physics II Spring semester and MCAT in April).
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Physics II and ochem II material do not make up very much of the exam, if any. I wouldn't take it if you don't feel ready though. It is a waste of money and could be quite stressful. If you feel like you have a great grasp of Bio/Gen chem, and have at least taken first semester Orgo/physics you could do well. Again, you should probably wait if you can. I'll be taking it without physics II, but I have taken an E & M class in college so it's not so bad.
Ochem II would depend on your school. For example, we covered carbonyl chemistry in Ochem II which is tested quite a bit.
I wouldn't recommend taking it until you finish Physics or Organic - Gen Chem and Biology are pretty straight forward to deal with.
I wouldn't recommend taking it until you finish Physics or Organic - Gen Chem and Biology are pretty straight forward to deal with.
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Well you certainly do not need Biochem for the MCAT. Physics is very much like high school physics so if you still remember that, you'll be fine. The problem I see is with O-Chem. I think it is insane to try to learn it by yourself. It becomes a weeding out class for many a premed for a reason! Have you had such a significant science background and a pattern of doing extremely well in the sciences to give you enough confidence to learn it on your own? The fact is, when studying for the MCAT, it should be a review and not your first go at a subject. Also, there is plenty of O-Chem on that exam so you are taking a huge risk.
Why are you in such a rush? You will probably be better off taking some time off to prepare and do another activity than try to pummel your way into medical school. Do not purposefully ruin a permanent record!
Why are you in such a rush? You will probably be better off taking some time off to prepare and do another activity than try to pummel your way into medical school. Do not purposefully ruin a permanent record!
The MCAT will test material from OChem and physics. You wouldn't take the final for a class without actually learning the material, would you? The same thing applies to the MCAT. These classes take several months in a structured environment. Cramming them in over the summer while reviewing other MCAT stuff seems like a recipe for disaster.
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I took general physics in HS. i wanted to take my MCAT after my sophomore year to give me time if I would like to retake it. my sophomore year i will take orgo+molecular biology, and junior year biochemistry and physics. would it be wise to take mcat after my sophomore year?
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deleted357625
Take it when ever your ready..
But, how would you take it without finishing your pre-reqs? It's impossible, the pre-reqs are meant to prepare you for what's on the test, so just take the needed courses in order to succeed
But, how would you take it without finishing your pre-reqs? It's impossible, the pre-reqs are meant to prepare you for what's on the test, so just take the needed courses in order to succeed
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deleted357625
If your ready after your soph year go for it. But, if you retake it, make sure you get a higher score then your first score. If you score lower the second time it would be really bad.
It's always good to be safe and just take all your pre-reqs and then you will know you will be ready.
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If you feel ready. I was a Kaplan teacher for 2 years and physics is very often the biggest challenge for my students. Give yourself ample time to study, review and do lots and lots of questions! Biochemistry may help a little for the MCAT but it is definitely not necessary. The most it can do is reinforce the basic biology, chemistry and organic chemistry as well as make some of the passages make more sense.
The best way to gauge if you're ready is to take some AAMC exams and see if you're scoring in the range that you want.
Oh gosh, and your original goal should not be to "take it early so you have time to retake it." Your goal should be to "learn it well enough the first time around so you only need to take it once!"
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deleted357625
I've seen the practice tests on the AAMC website, do you just buy it and you take it online? Or does the practice tests come in by mail.
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Uh..good question. When I took the MCAT it was still paper so I have no idea how they do it now. God, I'm old.
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deleted357625
Haha it's all good, yea I just hope i could just buy them and do them by hand rather than on the computer.
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Mmm, yeah I definitely enjoyed the paper aspect of exams but wouldn't it be to your advantage to do them on the computer since the exam is now online? You know, keeping conditions as similar as possible.
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deleted357625
Yea true true
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On the plus side, by the time you hit third year, standardized exams will be paper again. *raise the roof*
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Another reason why I like paper more: when I was taking my step 2ck, I kicked the power cord and my computer shut down right in the middle of a block.
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Uh oh. What happened after that? Did it save your answers? I don't really know how the system works.
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I freaked out but it appears that that has happened enough times so that they've changed the system to autosave frequently. Everything was fine and I did not lose any time but still, it was not a good feeling.
Didn't take Bio II (organismal biology) before the exam which is probably the most important part of the bio section. I rocked an 11 on that part (my other two sections were similar in score).
To be honest the MCAT, concept wise, is not that difficult. You could teach yourself the material. What is hard, is getting used to the style of passage based questions. Practice those. If you are doing terrible and not improving, then maybe taking the course would help. Physics would probably be the hardest section to self teach.
To be honest the MCAT, concept wise, is not that difficult. You could teach yourself the material. What is hard, is getting used to the style of passage based questions. Practice those. If you are doing terrible and not improving, then maybe taking the course would help. Physics would probably be the hardest section to self teach.
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deleted357625
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for real? nicee
Oh I guess I should specify third year shelves. The Steps are definitely computerized. Raise the roof?
