MCAT help. Special situation

[al_cavra]

Hi guys I'm glad I found about this form now. I graduated from physical therapy assistant program last year. I had recently decided to switch to medical school. I just received my books from Kaplan but I need advice on how to study. This up coming fall semester I will start with my bio class: Organisms, Genes, Ecology and General Chemistry. So ya I have not taken the pre-classes to have an idea what will be on the mcat. I will be studying for my mcat while taking those classes at the same time. I have about 7.5 months until I can take it. I would appreciate any advice!

thank you

 

[GreenDuck12]

Advice: Don't take the MCAT until after you have completed the prerequisite courses. Take the prerequisite courses and focus on doing well in those classes. You can use MCAT materials to supplement your in class learning, but most classes will test to a different depth than the MCAT. Once you have finished taking all prerequisites, spend 3-4 months studying for the mcat when it is you only major area of focus.

 

[al_cavra]

Advice: Don't take the MCAT until after you have completed the prerequisite courses. Take the prerequisite courses and focus on doing well in those classes. You can use MCAT materials to supplement your in class learning, but most classes will test to a different depth than the MCAT. Once you have finished taking all prerequisites, spend 3-4 months studying for the mcat when it is you only major area of focus.

thank you!

 

[Kumorebi]

Hi guys I'm glad I found about this form now. I graduated from physical therapy assistant program last year. I had recently decided to switch to medical school. I just received my books from Kaplan but I need advice on how to study. This up coming fall semester I will start with my bio class: Organisms, Genes, Ecology and General Chemistry. So ya I have not taken the pre-classes to have an idea what will be on the mcat. I will be studying for my mcat while taking those classes at the same time. I have about 7.5 months until I can take it. I would appreciate any advice!

thank you

when you’re done with pre-reqs and studying for the MCAT, take practice exams and do not take it until you are scoring within your desired score range. You only want to take it once

 

[lull]

Use Anki too and make flashcards as you go. The 7.5 months spaced repetition is going to do wonders.

 

[MedSchoolTutors]

All three of these are knockout good answers, so I will try and help tie them together.

Get organized and stay organized early. Anki is incredible and you have the time to put together cards to supplement your coursework and reading. Find a sweet spot of how many cards you can do a day and stick to it. Don't be afraid to suspend or delete a no longer helpful card. Once you've got down cold that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, call that card a day. Card overload derails many good study plans.

Read MCAT level material at the same time of your coursework, CARS is something you could do a little study on just to develop your technique.

Then do your dedicated and make sure you have multiple scores in your score zone. Like earlier said, one and done is the dream.

David D, MD - USMLE and MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors