MCAT long term prep

[EVIL06]

Im only a college freshman but i really need to start prepping for the MCAT cause im really bad at test taking. What should i do to prepare myself for the Verbal section (magazines to read, where to practice from) and for the Bio/Physics sections what textbooks resemble the level of difficulty on the test. Hope my questions make sense (since i know like nothing about this).

Thanks alot guys

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[DrBowtie]

Do well in your pre-reqs. Don't start prepping for the test until after you take all of your pre-reqs. Don't buy any books/materials now since it is likely to change in 3 years.

 

[Jeesing]

For verbal I read the economist and the local paper. This is the only section i would start preparing for right now as long as it doesnt interfere with any thing else. It is much better to retain the information you learn in your undergrad sciences. Physics, Gen Chem, Biology, and Org, just try to do well in those courses and try to understand and retain the main concepts in the courses.

 

[jebus]

Listen to Brett. The MCAT is changing to a computer based test (CBT) in a couple of years. You will have to adapt to a new test format - and you thought you beat the change in the SAT!
I studied content hard. The content, coincidentally, is the material in your pre-reqs: bio, chem, orgo, physics. It's all lower level stuff and if you do well in those courses you will have a great foundation for the MCAT. So, listen to the man with the bowtie: they aren't easy to tie.

 

[EVIL06]

thanks i guess what i really need to do is the verbal preparation since im really weak in english areas. what magazines/books do a lot of the passages resemble. Thanks again

 

[jebus]

I like the NYTimes op/ed section. But you have to pay to see it online now. (it's only $50/year, pennies a day...)
IHT.com is the International Herald Tribune, it's owned by the NYTimes and it's filled with good op/ed columns from foreign papers: Ha'aretz, Asahi Shimbun, El País, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung GmbH, and JoongAnn Daily. The Wall Street Journal is good if you don't want to read my beloved liberal rags, but you'll have to pay for it, too. The Washington Post is good. Make sure you don't just read Op/Ed columns. The MCAT passages are varied in style and content so make sure your prepatory reading materials mirror this. There are natural science passages, and I think Scientific American is good reading for that. As you progress in your classes, start looking at more rigorous scientific journals, but for now keep it simple! There are liberal arts passages and any kind of boring reading about liberal arts will help you there.
Frankly, I think any reading will help. Let's just put it that way.

 

[DrBowtie]

Find a Humanities journal. Those are the hardest passages.

 

[anon-y-mouse]

art history is big in terms of passages...
why don't you buy the Examkrackers 101 verbal book? Whole bunch of material... try to do those tests...? you'll forget what answers you picked 3 years down the road, and you don't need any prior knowledge for verbal anyway.

 

[EVIL06]

thanks for the great answers

 

[EVIL06]

anyone know any recommended Humanities or Liberal Arts Magazines that I might encounter on the MCAT verbal secion.

Thanks

 

[DrBowtie]

I'll look at the citations on the practice tests and get back to you.

 

[EVIL06]

dangit i took a mock MCAT verbal test out of Kaplan and I only scored an 8. How can i bring this score up!!! Thanks

 

[Saluki]

dangit i took a mock MCAT verbal test out of Kaplan and I only scored an 8. How can i bring this score up!!! Thanks

A lot of people score that way when they take it. I met a girl just last week who worked up from a 9 to a 12. Relax and stop thinking about practice tests. I did almost no practice for the MCAT verbal and did well, because I spend a lot of time reading. Read novels (real lit not romance novels, the Economist, and whatever else. Then worry about practicing the test taking strategies when you get there. All the practice tests in the world won't help you if you can't read fast enough... As for the other sections, I didn't do quite as well on those, but I think it's because I didn't study enough in my pre-reqs. So focus on gaining as much indepth understanding as you can in your coursework and then look at the prep material the year of the test....
Just my .02 cents- take them for what they're worth...

 

[DrBuro]

Im only a college freshman but i really need to start prepping for the MCAT cause im really bad at test taking. What should i do to prepare myself for the Verbal section (magazines to read, where to practice from) and for the Bio/Physics sections what textbooks resemble the level of difficulty on the test. Hope my questions make sense (since i know like nothing about this).

Thanks alot guys

I think even the worst of all test-takers only needs a maximum of one year of studying to do well on the MCAT. If you try to study any longer than that, you'll get bored out of your mind studying for it and possibly decide not to take it at all. Have fun in college the first couple of years.

 

[blkkd]

Reading magazines is a waste of your time...my score was not excellent Vr:11...but honestly I only did verbal prep. starting 2 weeks before the exam...i looked in examkrackers, took their advice...did the practice passages and thats it...so don't waste your time