MCAT prep for older student

[jbdvm]

Hi all. I am a 37 year old veterinarian looking into applying to med school. I am looking for advice on prepping for the MCAT. I did well on it in 1984(wow, has it been THAT long ago), but will need to retake it. Have others in similar circumstances got any advice? Prep courses/ Retake core sciences? Also, any feedback on Texas schools' views of older students?

Thanks. I am new to the board so hope I am following protocol

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[DoctorK]

If you are missing any of the prerequirements for med school, then definitely take them before the MCAT. If your physics isn't solid, retake it. You'll have to know formulas/concepts without any help from the test. I took biochem while I was studying for the MCAT, and I think it helped me a lot. They sneak biochem onto the test every time. You might also consider genetics or physiology.

If you're good at self-pacing, then studying yourself will be fine, but if you need structure, I would suggest a prep course. I took a prep course and was disappointed (Princeton Review). The course materials are great, but the instruction was horrible.

Many Texas schools will look favorably on you being an older applicant. Galveston and San Antonio come to mind for MD, and if you consider DO, TCOM will be interested as well. Southwestern may not be as friendly to older students. I had friends who applied at the same time who were 40 and 44, and Galveston accepted them both. I have friends in their 30's at San Antonio. I turn 30 this year and I'm going to TCOM.

Try to apply ASAP...take the April 2001 MCAT and you'll be admitted for the entering class of 2002. Let me know if you have any questions about the process. Good luck with everything!

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[GeoLeoX]

My situation was slightly similar to yours. I am now a post-doc 4 years out from a PhD. in Biochem. I studied for the MCAT using the Kaplan big book and some ancillary Kaplan materials from someone who took the class around 1991. It worked for me because the way the Kaplan material is presented you have to organize your time to study the concepts. I started studying in October for the April test. I felt good about taking the test and in the end got a 31Q (11V, 10BS, 10PS, Q). I know that with some more prep that I could have done better, especially with the o. chem and the physics, which I am sure took down my scores in BS and PS, respectively. I agree with the previous post that if you are pretty far off from school and unfamiliar with a lot of the material that a regular intro class wouldn't be a bad idea. There's also the option of taking one of the prep courses, though I don't know how well they would work if you have been out of school for a while. The good thing about the prep courses is that they are geared toward taking the test. You take practice tests (the best prep there is) in addition to learning more about the exam itself, not just the coursework. From my understanding the MCAT underwent a huge overhaul in the early 90's so this test will be different from the one that you took.

hope this helps,

Geo

 

[jbdvm]

Thanks for the replies; they were helpful. DoctorK, if you don't mind email me at [email protected]. I really would like to ask you some more questions about Texas schools(and anyone else with Texas info).

Thanks,

Jim