MCAT Blues

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MizzouDrWannabe

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I just got done talking with my advisor and she's really hitting it home that I need to be preparing for the MCAT in April. I can't afford to do Kaplan, so I wondered how others who'd scored well studied? Did you go through your old notes? Do review books? She said I needed to put in hours every week, how many hours are necessary??? AH, I'm scared, as if I don't have enough to do this semester... :eek:

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Whoops - I just realized there's a whole forum dedicated to the MCAT - just call me a NOOB :rolleyes:
 
I would buy or borrow a review book from princeton review, kaplan or exam krackers. I didn't use exam krackers, but everyone seems to rave about their books, which apparently zero in on the information you need for the MCAT.

Also, I would make a study schedule for yourself. Plan on giving yourself 10-20 hours a week to study and cover all the material in the review books. And I didn't start until January to avoid getting burned out, but that really depends on how you study. I know a guy who rocked the test by only studying really hard the two weeks before the test. People like that are rare though.

Don't ignore verbal. I would do a few passages every week as training. The last few weeks, I was doing several passages a day to prepare.

As you approach the test, keep things in perspective. It's an important test, but people, myself included, tend to make it a lot more stressful than it needs to be.

Good luck.
 
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Here's the scoop on the MCAT: Your performance depends on how well you take standardized tests. Some people can barely study and make a 32. Others, like myself, have to study tremendously to score within that range. I took a Princeton Review course, which, in my opinion, was a waste of money. Though I did all of the homework, I went through the homework too fast without understanding WHY I missed certain questions and got others right. I would suggest buying the Examcrackers books and SPEND QUALITY TIME on problems. It's the concepts that matter more than the AMOUNT of questions that you do. Also make sure to time yourself. The questions on the MCAT are not HARD, but they are difficult in the amount of time that you are given.
 
take what the advisors say with a grain of salt. it's all about knowing yourself, knowing how you study, and knowing how well you take tests. one of the advisors (maybe the same one) told me that i'd most likely be a two-time mcater based solely on the fact that when i first took the ACT i got a 28 and then took it again and got a 31. i ended up studying for the mcat and got in the mid-30s on my first try.

for them to tell you that you should start studying now is almost ludicrous. start studying at the very earliest over winter break--that'll give you 4 months to prepare. the last thing you want to happen when april rolls around is to be burnt out.

one thing you should start doing now, though, is reading a bit more cuz reading comprehension and speed takes a while to develop. but for the sciences, don't worry about them until you get this semester out of the way.
 
RaistlinMajere said:
I would buy or borrow a review book from princeton review, kaplan or exam krackers. I didn't use exam krackers, but everyone seems to rave about their books, which apparently zero in on the information you need for the MCAT.

Also, I would make a study schedule for yourself. Plan on giving yourself 10-20 hours a week to study and cover all the material in the review books. And I didn't start until January to avoid getting burned out, but that really depends on how you study. I know a guy who rocked the test by only studying really hard the two weeks before the test. People like that are rare though.

Don't ignore verbal. I would do a few passages every week as training. The last few weeks, I was doing several passages a day to prepare.

As you approach the test, keep things in perspective. It's an important test, but people, myself included, tend to make it a lot more stressful than it needs to be.

Good luck.

I would average 20 hours a week. Can't skimp for the MCAT.

Also, RaistlinMajere is correct about focusing on Verbal. You can't do enough of it. Unless you find yourself getting 5 wrong or less per 60 questions, in which case you could probably focus on other areas, Verbal is the most difficult section and the one where you can really differentiate yourself. If you get a 12, 13, maybe a 14 (wouldn't that be nice) you have a big leg up on everybody else applying to med school.
 
so the general consensus is that mcat classes are useless? and that its better to invest all that time and money on books and studying on your own?
 
Don't study until the beginning/middle of January, and don't worry about it until then. If you don't take an actual prep course, make SURE that you take a number of full-length exams under real or pseudo-proctored conditions, because many/most people run out of time on some or all of the sections, which could be your biggest point deduction.
 
Negative. I took Kaplan, as did many other people, and I'm glad I did.
 
I studied on my own with the Kaplan fat book. I did well and saved over $1000. If you're really good at self-study (which is among my strengths), save your cash.
 
Yeah my friend spent less than 100 on books and studied em herself, and got well over 35.
 
I SOOOOO wish I would have had this advice 5 months ago...

If I end up having to retake, I know what to do now...
 
Start studying around January. I started at the end of Feb and I would have liked a little more time. Also, MCAT is not purely for good test takers. I scored in a better percentile on my MCAT than I did on either my SAT or ACT.
 
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Prep courses can help IF you get a good teacher, IF you take it seriously and study on your own, IF you use all of the materials they give you access to, and IF you couldn't teach yourself these things without the course. A friend of mine got a 29 the first time she took the MCAT, took Kaplan, and then retook the test--scoring a 36.
If money is an issue and you think you could do well on your own, try doing it on your own. The whole process is super expensive and it is nice to save money. But, $1500 really isn't that much money when compared to the large investment you are about to make. That being said, I didn't take the course and I did fine. Would I have done better had I taken the course? Maybe. Would it have been enough to earn me a scholarship at my present school? Probably not. So, if you think you would score well anyway, you probably don't need to take the class.
 
ridirkulous said:
But, $1500 really isn't that much money when compared to the large investment you are about to make.

Awesome philosophical point. Right up to the point when the check bounces.

Nothing against you personally, ridirkulous, but it ticks me off when people use this all-too-common, pervasive rhetoric. As though people somehow *REALLY DO* have the cash to spend, but they just say they don't, and giving them this argument will somehow convince them to spend it.

"Oh, man, I hadn't thought of that. Let me just turn around here and magically put a couple grand into my checking account..."
 
If they don't have $1500 to spend on a prep course, how are they going to have well over $5000 to spend on MCAT + AMCAS + secondaries + airfare + hotel etc? I'm NOT saying that they should spend $1500 on a prep course. But if they don't have atleast that much money, how do they expect to apply? I put most of my airfare and other application expenses on my credit card because I didn't have the money either. The point is that there are ways to finance things IF they are a priority. I do think this discussion is about whether or not prep courses should be a priority and not about whether or not the OP could afford one.
 
It's quite simple. If you don't have the money, you can't do it. Just because one person is priveledged enough to have a line of credit does not mean that others have the same. Credit is not a right.

The statement that "there is always a way" is false. Otherwise, poverty would not exist. In fact, the statement is clearly obsurd and unrealistic, if not naive.

Regarding the MCAT, secondary fees and interviews: You're preaching to the choir. This is exactly my point. If you are already going to have a hard time paying for applications and travel, how can you possibly afford a prep course? If you did, you would potentially be practicing in vain, since you wouldn't be able to afford to go even if you got interviews. This is a real situation that happens to thousands of applicants every year.

My point is: Assuming someone has that kind of cash to blow is egotistical. It's kind of like someone saying: "Homeless people need to just get a job."
 
Exam Krackers has a pretty good format. It seems a bit childish at times but the information is presented in a very logical and easy to read format. Kaplan works too but it's like reading the world's most mundane text book. They don't have any pretty colors or pictures to keep simple minds engaged.
 
UseUrHeadFred said:
It's quite simple. If you don't have the money, you can't do it. Just because one person is priveledged enough to have a line of credit does not mean that others have the same. Credit is not a right.

The statement that "there is always a way" is false. Otherwise, poverty would not exist. In fact, the statement is clearly obsurd and unrealistic, if not naive.

Regarding the MCAT, secondary fees and interviews: You're preaching to the choir. This is exactly my point. If you are already going to have a hard time paying for applications and travel, how can you possibly afford a prep course? If you did, you would potentially be practicing in vain, since you wouldn't be able to afford to go even if you got interviews. This is a real situation that happens to thousands of applicants every year.

My point is: Assuming someone has that kind of cash to blow is egotistical. It's kind of like someone saying: "Homeless people need to just get a job."

You do not know my background and I do not know either yours or the OP's, but I want to clarify by stating that do not come from a privileged background at all. My opinion that there is always a way if it is a priority is one based on my own experiences. I don't suppose you would believe me if I told you that I had to work three part time jobs (over fourty hours per week total) throughout school just to make ends meet. Throughout high school and the first part of college my father was unemployed and our combined family income (in a family of six kids) was less than twenty thousand dollars per year. Result: I paid for everything my whole way through school. Car + insurance + housing + books + tuition + food etc. Furthermore, I was able to finish without much debt in student loans thanks to pell grants. There are application fee waivers, many schools offer need-based aid, and one can even get the cost to take the MCAT waived.
I did not take a prep course because I didn't consider it priority for my money. But, had I thought I absolutely needed it I could have saved the money by working more hours, or putting off application to medical school. This is my point--prioritizing. To many people, ensuring that they do well on the MCAT the first time is very important because it is better to apply only once with a good score rather than waste the money applying a second time. With a great score, one could easily save fifteen hundred dollars by not needing to apply to as many schools.
Anyway, I'm not saying this is what the OP should do. I just want you to get off your soap box. People CAN help themselves and the OP does have options.
 
Message to the OP and not anyone just trolling:

I used the Kaplan MCAT book and CD rom and the AAMC practice tests. As I went through the Kaplan book, if there was something I really didn't feel comfortable with, I looked back in my textbook and notes for whatever course it was. Then, after I started taking tests, I would go over each answer until I could understand why I had missed the question. If I was still having problems on the subject, I reviewed it again. I think taking tons of practice questions and making sure I understood why each answer (a through e) is right or wrong, was the biggest help for me.
 
A troll is someone just lookin to pick a fight.
 
I agree with what most people say about test prep courses - they are really good if you need a kick in the pants to study, and they can help if you're shaky on concepts. If you are a decent test-taker, good at learning on your own, have science-nerd friends who can explain the concepts you have trouble with, you probably don't need a course. (Unless you live in the DC area, in which case you should take Kaplan so I have more work :) )

You might want to consider taking a practice test sometime relatively soon just to see where you stand - if you get a 16, then go for the course; if you are in the upper 20s already you can probably do it on your own. (I'm not sure exactly where the cutoff would be.)
 
You're personal background is irrelevent and anecdotal. The fact is, some people are extraordinarily poor, and for you to deny their existence is the epitome of egotism.

You're point regarding prioritizing is a fallacy. In fact, it plays into my argument, since obviously being in school in the first place, having money for the application, and interviewing are all both more expensive and a higher priority than any MCAT course. Even these neglect eating and having a place to live.

You're point that doing well on the MCAT the first time assumes that taking a Kaplan course evidently helps over those who actually do study on their own, which there is no evidence to support outside of the dubious authority of their own marketing.

I just want YOU to get off YOUR soap box because your argurment is wrong. People CAN help themselves IF they're lucky enough to have the opportunity. The no-win scenario is real and common.

You have refuted none of my arguments.
 
UseUrHeadFred said:
I studied on my own with the Kaplan fat book. I did well and saved over $1000. If you're really good at self-study (which is among my strengths), save your cash.
or if you know that you lack the motivation to get of your duff and study a variety of in-depth concepts during the warm summer months, you can take the course.
hsugh.gif


I didn't feel like chancing it by not taking the course, because I doubt I would've studied as much or taken the full-lengths under proper conditions.
 
UseUrHeadFred said:
You're personal background is irrelevent and anecdotal. The fact is, some people are extraordinarily poor, and for you to deny their existence is the epitome of egotism.

You're point regarding prioritizing is a fallacy. In fact, it plays into my argument, since obviously being in school in the first place, having money for the application, and interviewing are all both more expensive and a higher priority than any MCAT course. Even these neglect eating and having a place to live.

You're point that doing well on the MCAT the first time assumes that taking a Kaplan course evidently helps over those who actually do study on their own, which there is no evidence to support outside of the dubious authority of their own marketing.

I just want YOU to get off YOUR soap box because your argurment is wrong. People CAN help themselves IF they're lucky enough to have the opportunity. The no-win scenario is real and common.

You have refuted none of my arguments.
Damn, dude, it's just an Internet message board. Some people here are wound a little too tight.
 
You're right, Prowler. I'm in an agumentation class right now - lots of practice. I get the Bill O'reilly thing going on.

I'ma go have a cold one.
 
That's what I'm talking about! I wish I had a cold one around here right now (Mountain Dew > beer :D)
 
I believe Kaplan and Princeton Review both offer access to their course materials without the classes for ~400 bucks. You guys should look into it. Or you can prattle on and argue a whole bunch of trivial points into the ground. Your choice.
 
AsianDoc816 said:
Here's the scoop on the MCAT: Your performance depends on how well you take standardized tests. Some people can barely study and make a 32. Others, like myself, have to study tremendously to score within that range. I took a Princeton Review course, which, in my opinion, was a waste of money. Though I did all of the homework, I went through the homework too fast without understanding WHY I missed certain questions and got others right. I would suggest buying the Examcrackers books and SPEND QUALITY TIME on problems. It's the concepts that matter more than the AMOUNT of questions that you do. Also make sure to time yourself. The questions on the MCAT are not HARD, but they are difficult in the amount of time that you are given.
I would agree on what Asiandoc said. I took kaplan and it was a WASTE. I also bought EK books and they were very helpful, but their problems were not so close to real staff. and I would not start studying before Jan.
 
Peterock said:
I believe Kaplan and Princeton Review both offer access to their course materials without the classes for ~400 bucks. You guys should look into it. Or you can prattle on and argue a whole bunch of trivial points into the ground. Your choice.

Princeton Review does not. I looked into that and was denied.

The class was well worth it for me, though. Even though I'm an excellent standardized test taker and got a 31 with no prep, I needed to retake because it had been almost 10 years. So I took TPR with the intent just to refresh my memory and get the same kind of score. I put in a lot of hard work and boosted my score to a 36, which will really help me in the admissions process with my sub par GPA.

Look into scholarships. TPR will offer scholarships if you really need them. Otherwise, take out a loan if you swing it or save your money. It's worth it IMHO.
 
UseUrHeadFred said:
You're personal background is irrelevent and anecdotal. The fact is, some people are extraordinarily poor, and for you to deny their existence is the epitome of egotism.

You're point regarding prioritizing is a fallacy. In fact, it plays into my argument, since obviously being in school in the first place, having money for the application, and interviewing are all both more expensive and a higher priority than any MCAT course. Even these neglect eating and having a place to live.

You're point that doing well on the MCAT the first time assumes that taking a Kaplan course evidently helps over those who actually do study on their own, which there is no evidence to support outside of the dubious authority of their own marketing.

I just want YOU to get off YOUR soap box because your argurment is wrong. People CAN help themselves IF they're lucky enough to have the opportunity. The no-win scenario is real and common.

You have refuted none of my arguments.


My point wasn't to refute your arguments but to explain my previous post because you obviously misunderstood it. I never said that the Kaplan course helped everyone acheive a higher score. I said that if he decided that it would probably help him, he could take it. As you said, obviously he has some money because he is in school and intends to apply (which costs money). You also said that applications and interview are a higher priority than any MCAT prep course. They are obviously the long-term goal, but some people like to get all of their ducks in a row before they start shooting. If one were unsure of their likelihood of a high score and confident that a prep course could help, one might choose to take the prep course now and apply later.

My post in no way denied the existance of the extraordinarily poor. It merely assumed that the OP does not fit into the category. I think that assumption is justified for the reasons you mentioned yourself.

I believe the "height of egotism" would be more accurately described as hijacking a forum to mount an argument that in no way benefits the OP or any who entered the string. Attacking another poster just to see yourself type and marvel at your own eloquence only serves YOUR selfish ego.

However, this is my last post on this string since this feud is obviously bringing more annoyance than help to those who are reading.

To the OP: I don't think you need to take the course. I didn't take the course for reasons similar to those you described. Things worked out great and I'm lovin med school.
 
check out various depts at your school. sometimes they give out scholarships for mcat classes. start at the career ctr if you have one.
 
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