I'm trying to iron out the rest of my pre-req schedule and am thinking about taking the MCAT before taking Physics 2. Is that a huge mistake? Or will the Kaplan guides and MCAT practice test be sufficient? I'd like to hear from those who have already taken the MCAT. Thank you!
MCAT before Physics 2?
- Thread starter stephenm
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yes it is. the canned response is to not take your MCAT until your prereqs are done, but my answer is the MCAT is full of waves and crossover topics into chem like decay and crap. also the concepts left in physics 2 are general pretty tough and it would suck to get cocky and then get magnetism, electrical curcuits, or optics passages you don't fully understand.
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It would be best to wait if you can.
I did NOT follow that advise, and ended up with a 7 in PS. However, if I had waited, I wouldn't be entering med school next fall. With my major, I wouldn't be able to take physics 2 until this June, after graduation. That would have delayed my app 1-2 years.
As it turns out, I'm going to DMU and am substituting Stats for Physics 2, so I never have to take it anyway.
I did NOT follow that advise, and ended up with a 7 in PS. However, if I had waited, I wouldn't be entering med school next fall. With my major, I wouldn't be able to take physics 2 until this June, after graduation. That would have delayed my app 1-2 years.
As it turns out, I'm going to DMU and am substituting Stats for Physics 2, so I never have to take it anyway.
I'm in a similar situation. If I don't the MCAT this summer I won't be able to start med school in Fall 2012 (which is my plan). I am registered to take Physics 2 starting next week, but I don't know if I am going to be able to make it work. And after doing some research, I am almost positive that I can't take Phy 1 and Phy 2 over the summer.
SO, I am left to either make Phy 1 work in the spring or just take it over the summer and pray for a decent physics score on the MCAT.
Thanks for your input!
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That happened to me and after looking through the MCAT content description and doing a ton of practice tests, I decided to take it. I don't think a lot of Physics 2 (or OChem 2) is actually tested, and that which is, is usually just the surface material. I also took one of those hyperlearning courses, which was great as they teach the material and don't just rehash it, and seriously focused on the physics section. I don't necessarily recommend it, but if your practice tests are going well, why not? Physics ended up being my best section and it made the physics 2 class a heckuva lot easier.
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I think you would be taking a big risk taking the MCAT before finishing physics II. I'm not saying it isn't possible to do great this way, just saying it would be much harder. I wouldn't do it. I think you could get away with not taking organic II but not physics.
I took the MCAT before Physics 2 and did just fine. I studied the content in a book until I was confident with it (~1 week). I ended up having 2 electromagnetism question sections, which I thought was pretty significant. So, if you're confident in your physics (and independent learning) skills, go for it!
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Kind of depends on how you define the word "fine". It takes fewer missed questions to drop your MCAT score from a 35 to a 30 than from a 30 to a 25. To maximize your score you should never even consider taking a test where you haven't fully studied al aspects of the subject. Remember that there are only two quantifiable parts of your med school application-- MCAT score and GPA. The only one of those where everyone is on an equal ground is the MCAT. A difference of just one point could knock you out of consideration for some schools because they do have cutoffs in many cases. Why would you want to risk dropping your score by a point or two by not fully preparing yourself?
When I took the MCAT it was only available twice a year and it had twice as many questions. I took it in April when I was almost finished with Physics II. There was a long section on optics that I know I screwed up because we started that section in class the week after I took the test. I still get mad at myself about it sometimes and I'm a resident now🙂
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that's excellent advice. mine was full of physics II also. Why are you in such a rush anyways? If you really feel the need try this first:
Teach yourself some physics II, and take the free MCAT test directly from the AMCAS website, and see how you do. If you would be satisfied scoring +/- 2 points from that score then go with it. If not, take physics II.
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This is so true. The MCAT is a variable exam and it's not always going to be the same. Some tests might not have much direct physics 2 and others will have plenty. Some tests will be much more conceptual and others more calculation based. You need to be able to well on any of the above and be prepared for it all.
I would say the juice isn't worth the squeeze if you take the MCAT first. The one thing I wished more than anything as I was prepping for my MCAT was that I had payed more attention during physics and actually done practice problems, etc.. It's valuable information that will all have a chance of being tested.
Don't gamble on your future. Do it once and do it right. I wish I had that kind of insight when I was trying to rush things, but hindsight is always 20/20...
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Just take Physics 2, my MCAT was chalk full of optic goodness so much so I still shudder a little when thinking about it. I felt slapped down by this test with all pre-reqs, why make it harder than need be on yourself?
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Don't mean to hijack the tread, but I have a similar problem.
I am applying in June and taking physics 2 this next semester, with the MCAT scheduled in April. Would this be ok? I mean my school lets out the first week of May which gives me pretty much the entire semester of physics 2.
I am applying in June and taking physics 2 this next semester, with the MCAT scheduled in April. Would this be ok? I mean my school lets out the first week of May which gives me pretty much the entire semester of physics 2.
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I think you'd be ok with almost a full semester of physics 2 fresh in your head. Just make sure you review any topics you haven't covered yet.
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It's basically already been said but I've read on here at least a dozen times that if optics shows up on the MCAT it shows up in bulk. Some of Physics 2 might be topics you've picked up prior to the course and you can relate to in the course of your MCAT review.
Optics, however, will very likely be a completely new topic to you and one that many undergrad students and MCAT challengers struggle with.
It's not impossible that the results will be positive and I don't think anyone here is suggesting such. I mean, a guy on the allopathic boards took the MCAT before taking Organic I or II in undergrad and did well enough. It all depends on how well you can study and absorb the Physics 2 information prior to taking and the questions that you pull on test day.
Personally, I believe it's a risk not worth taking. If you go in and pull a ton of questions about optics and bomb them all it's going to greatly affect you emotionally and weigh on you for the rest of the MCAT. I would play it smart and slow down - if it puts you a year behind your anticipated application date so be it.
Optics, however, will very likely be a completely new topic to you and one that many undergrad students and MCAT challengers struggle with.
It's not impossible that the results will be positive and I don't think anyone here is suggesting such. I mean, a guy on the allopathic boards took the MCAT before taking Organic I or II in undergrad and did well enough. It all depends on how well you can study and absorb the Physics 2 information prior to taking and the questions that you pull on test day.
Personally, I believe it's a risk not worth taking. If you go in and pull a ton of questions about optics and bomb them all it's going to greatly affect you emotionally and weigh on you for the rest of the MCAT. I would play it smart and slow down - if it puts you a year behind your anticipated application date so be it.
Remember, it takes a month to get your score back and the earlier you apply to schools the more likely you are to get accepted. You could take the MCAT in April so you can still apply right away. You will have had most of physics 2 but not all of it. Personally, I don't think you need to take physics 2 first - if you are intelligent enough to be a physician you are intelligent enough to teach yourself the basics of physics 2. I took the MCAT before I took physics 2 and did just fine. Do whatever makes it so you can apply early in the cycle. Many people had DO acceptances in August already. I can't even imagine what kind of relief having an acceptance that early in the cycle would be!
Also...you will have a good idea of how your studying is going by taking practice tests along the way. I didn't have any physics 2 questions on mine that weren't the concepts covered in the practice tests.
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