MCAT timeline help

[UCF09]

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Hey everyone,

I was hoping to get suggestions regarding the timeline of studying for and taking the MCAT. I am a post-bacc student taking physics II and organic I (fall 2010), having had all of my other pre-reqs finished last year. So, I will be finished with all pre-reqs by the end of the spring 2011 semester. My question is this; When do I study for and take the MCAT? Do I study for the MCAT while still taking my pre-reqs? I know that taking these courses are essentially the same thing as studying for the MCAT, but there is still additional material on the MCAT that I am currently not studying for in school. Any feedback is appreciated.

Regards

 

[phltz]

Studying for you classes is a form of studying for the MCAT, but in and of itself, it won't get you to your highest possible score.

My advice is to take the free online AMCAS practice test, CBT3, after the end of the fall semester. A couple days after finals, after you've had a chance to relax and regroup, get up in the morning, have a good breakfast and a strong cup of coffee, sit down at the computer and go. Focus on the exam, don't stress if it seems hard (it is!), and just see how well you do, and where your weaknesses are. You won't have done Orgo II yet, but that material isn't generally covered as extensively on the MCAT.

If Orgo II is going to be your only class in the spring, you can probably study for the MCAT concurrently, and shoot for a date in April or May. That'll let you have your application in at the beginning of the cycle, and still give you several months to devote to studying. You will likely find that there at least a couple topics from past classes you need to review, and you may have a few gaps that you'll need to teach yourself from scratch. A full semester where you only have one class should be plenty of time for all of this.

If you aren't confident of the level you're performing at, you'll have time to sign up for a profession exam prep class. My advice is not to bother unless you really feel like you're struggling to get into the 30s.

Good luck!

 

[UCF09]

Studying for you classes is a form of studying for the MCAT, but in and of itself, it won't get you to your highest possible score.

My advice is to take the free online AMCAS practice test, CBT3, after the end of the fall semester. A couple days after finals, after you've had a chance to relax and regroup, get up in the morning, have a good breakfast and a strong cup of coffee, sit down at the computer and go. Focus on the exam, don't stress if it seems hard (it is!), and just see how well you do, and where your weaknesses are. You won't have done Orgo II yet, but that material isn't generally covered as extensively on the MCAT.

If Orgo II is going to be your only class in the spring, you can probably study for the MCAT concurrently, and shoot for a date in April or May. That'll let you have your application in at the beginning of the cycle, and still give you several months to devote to studying. You will likely find that there at least a couple topics from past classes you need to review, and you may have a few gaps that you'll need to teach yourself from scratch. A full semester where you only have one class should be plenty of time for all of this.

If you aren't confident of the level you're performing at, you'll have time to sign up for a profession exam prep class. My advice is not to bother unless you really feel like you're struggling to get into the 30s.

Good luck!

Awesome. That information is what I was looking for. Thank you for your help!