MCAT cramming

[TiVoglioBene!]

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Hey everyone! its me again...

I originally planned to take MCAT on August... BUT then I heard that your chances of getting into medical school drop A LOT... and I need all the help so I dont need to drop any lower... Problem is... I havent really studied yet for the mcat.

So I only have a little over a month for the April one. Is a month enough to study? Or should I wait, get a better score by studying all summer and taking a prep course... but decreasing my chances overall?

P.S. Im not one of those geniuses with photographic memory or anything--- So not studying is not an option unfortunately 😛 🙄 😛

Hmmm well I guess I can try and if towards the end of the test I know I did badly I can like faint , start convulsing or something and maybe they will not take my score and I can take it August. teee hee heeee. 😛

 

[FrkyBgStok]

audio osmosis helps me a bit and i read the books. start studying now and you may still have some time.

 

[SaturdayDwarf]

If you are not in school and have time to study full time then I would take the April test. If not, take the August one. It won't hurt you as much as a bad score on the April test would.

 

[TiVoglioBene!]

Yeah Im in school, Im a junior... but the thing is I dont even remember any of that physics stuff (event though I took it last summer) like I dont remember the circuits and the the up and down thumbs with the magnetic field....Ahhh.... 😕

 

[thinknofu3]

I'd say that in order to be ready for the test in April you'd have to be able to study full time, and be *incredibly* skilled at pacing yourself. The scope of the information is so huge, you need some sort of tool to help you, even if its something like the Kaplan comprehensive review book (this is not an ad, i promise, that's just the one that springs to mind) to keep you on pace.

I would say, in my opinion, to wait. It is too important to do well on, and really not something you can cram for in 6 weeks. The prep courses can also be tremedously helpful (I'm a really good test taker, but the MCAT is unlike any test you've ever taken and insanely difficult). You can still take the August one and apply next year, but also know that if you end up taking a year off before applying, or have to reapply, that will just give you more experience and make you a better applicant later. When the first thing AdComs see about you is your GPA and MCAT score, you really want to maximize your MCAT as much as possible.

That, and the experience sucks so much that you really only want to have to deal with it once. So don't rush it.

 

[jebus]

You have two months for the April test.
I started studying 4-5 weeks out from the August 2005 MCAT. 5-6 hours an evening, more on weekends. If you have good discipline you can do well just like I did, but there are some caveats.
At the MCAT, I think the administrator liked my shirt. I'm a sexy devil when I wear shirts. Try to wear a shirt during the MCAT and you will do fine. I bought food stuffs and ate them, too. My teeth are white. Try to get white teeth if you can. Steal them from old people if you have to. They are easily confused. Shine a bright light at them, take their teeth, their wallets; if their shoes are nice take those, too. Your teeth cannot be as white as mine though. If they are, I will kill you. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
I'm not kidding.

Good luck!

 

[TiVoglioBene!]

So if I take it in August, my application isnt going to be so bad?

 

[TiVoglioBene!]

You have two months for the April test.
I started studying 4-5 weeks out from the August 2005 MCAT. 5-6 hours an evening, more on weekends. If you have good discipline you can do well just like I did, but there are some caveats.
At the MCAT, I think the administrator liked my shirt. I'm a sexy devil when I wear shirts. Try to wear a shirt during the MCAT and you will do fine. I bought food stuffs and ate them, too. My teeth are white. Try to get white teeth if you can. Steal them from old people if you have to. They are easily confused. Shine a bright light at them, take their teeth, their wallets; if their shoes are nice take those, too. Your teeth cannot be as white as mine though. If they are, I will kill you. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
I'm not kidding.

Good luck!

LOL i started actually jotting down your tips up to the part where you said the stuff about the teeth

 

[pattayapus]

If I were you, I'd take it in April, and only take it again in August if I really felt I did bad. Most people tell themselves they'll spend years, or at least many months, prepping for the test, but end up getting the great majority of the work done in the last few weeks or so anyway.

I wouldn't take a class, because really all that does is force you to study. I would just buy a review book that has detailed summaries of all the material (I think I used Kaplan, but I'm not sure...NOT princeton review), not just practice test questions. And seriously just memorize as much as you can! You'll probably do as well as you would in August anyway, if you really set time aside for it.

Of course, I don't know how much time you have during the day, or even on weekends? Do you work? How much do you actually spend doing work for school?

 

[gary5]

Don't take the MCAT until you're ready. I wasn't ready in April so I studied 10+ hrs/day through summer and took the August MCAT. I also committed myself by submitting AMCAS applications in June. This worked well because I received my secondary applications in time to work on them full-time right after the August MCAT. I got 5 interviews, and 2 acceptances, primarily because I submitted in June and did everything else as soon as possible. (Do your top-choice secondaries first.) So, my advice is, take the MCAT when you're ready, and August is OK if you do it the way I did. So this also means that you should write your personal statement now and start arranging your LORs now too. Best wishes...

Oh ya, if you take my advice above, schedule a light Fall semester (maybe 12 credits) so you can complete your secondaries quickly. Time is important.

 

[slb830]

i studied for 6 weeks, 30 hours a week.
I graduated from college 2 years before the MCAT, so, it had been 6 years since I had taken some of the courses.

I did not take a prep course, but, i paid Kaplan so that I could use their study materials.

I got a 33.

I say only do it if you make it your job.

Goood luck.

 

[Depakote]

Don't take the MCAT.

Just write the score you think you deserve on a piece of paper and mail it to the Med Schools. They like guts.

 

[ND2005]

As someone experiencing the frustration of the August MCAT right now, I would strongly advise you to wait and take the August.

Having an August MCAT/late application sucks. Bombing the MCAT sucks a lot worse.

Here is my advice, aided by my 20/20 hindsight:

-Fill out AMCAS in the summer (July 1 submission at the latest).
-Have all your LORS lined up by about the same time
-If a school sends you a secondary automatically, make sure it is submitted before you receive your MCAT score -- you want your file to be complete at those schools the second they receive your MCAT
-For the schools that screen based on MCATs before giving a secondary, submit their secondaries within two weeks of receiving them (if they have essays), and within one week (if they don't).

If you do these things, your application will not be hindered that much.

It is certainly much more important to make sure you do as well as possible on the MCAT than it is to get your app turned in early.

 

[Risa]

Hey everyone! its me again...

I originally planned to take MCAT on August... BUT then I heard that your chances of getting into medical school drop A LOT... and I need all the help so I dont need to drop any lower... Problem is... I havent really studied yet for the mcat.

So I only have a little over a month for the April one. Is a month enough to study? Or should I wait, get a better score by studying all summer and taking a prep course... but decreasing my chances overall?

P.S. Im not one of those geniuses with photographic memory or anything--- So not studying is not an option unfortunately 😛 🙄 😛

Hmmm well I guess I can try and if towards the end of the test I know I did badly I can like faint , start convulsing or something and maybe they will not take my score and I can take it August. teee hee heeee. 😛

I think it totally depends on your usual studying patterns and your testing aptitude. I could NOT force myself to study for the MCAT. I finally studied a little the few weeks before the test, and honestly, no matter when I scheduled it this is all the studying I would have gotten myself to do. I'm a good test taker though, so did well based on that. In sum, no individual story of anyone on this forum necessarily represents what will work for you... you know yourself, so act accordingly.

Good luck! And bring M&Ms. Mmmm....

 

[TiVoglioBene!]

Thanks everybody!!!

Im going to take both sides of the advice 😳 Im going to study like 30hours a week as if I were to take it April.... But if on my practice test I dont get a good score, I will just switch my date to August 😛

You can do that, right? Register for April, but switch the date for August?

 

[gary5]

Thanks everybody!!!

Im going to take both sides of the advice 😳 Im going to study like 30hours a week as if I were to take it April.... But if on my practice test I dont get a good score, I will just switch my date to August 😛

You can do that, right? Register for April, but switch the date for August?

Good choice. Starting now, take a complete practice MCAT every month to monitor your progress. Focus on your weaker scores. Then decide 2 weeks before the April MCAT if you're ready. That's exactly what I did. This makes August an excellent backup plan.

You're making good decisions, which is a critical element. Good luck!

 

[DrBowtie]

Thanks everybody!!!

Im going to take both sides of the advice 😳 Im going to study like 30hours a week as if I were to take it April.... But if on my practice test I dont get a good score, I will just switch my date to August 😛

You can do that, right? Register for April, but switch the date for August?

you will lose ~$200 I think.

 

[Shrami]

Is it not possible to take it in August, then apply the next year really early in the cycle...unless you really don't want any time off. Has anyone here done this?

 

[jebus]

Is it not possible to take it in August, then apply the next year really early in the cycle...unless you really don't want any time off. Has anyone here done this?

Lots of people do this. I suggest you do it, too. Clear up all the loose ends in your application after you take the MCAT and then apply the following June.
Good luck.

 

[Saluki]

you will lose ~$200 I think.

Only 100$... You can get half back if you send your unused ticket back with refund written across...

 

[Whatsamatta U]

hey man, I started a month ago but I am really "starting" now. We essentially have two months before the test. My plan is for this month is to read all the books, take notes on what I don't know and memorize. then for the second month just do practice problems till my eyes bleed...Hence, you have plenty of time!

 

[pnklytnyng]

You might also consider that ExamKrackers didn't start their full 10-week course until just a little while ago (less than a week and a half I think).

Don't worry about it.