MCAT timing and classes leading up to it

[Arcsine]

Hello SDNers, I am currently a sophomore college student soon to finish up the fall semester, planning to apply after my junior year (I guess people call that "traditional" around here). Thus, I am starting to think about the timing of MCAT and when to start studying for it. My premed advisor said I might want to spend the entire next summer break studying for it (~3 months) and take the MCAT shortly afterwards. Is this a good idea? Or should I take it sometime in the winter before my application instead (that's what I see a lot of upperclassmen do)?

Secondly, I want to know if there are any courses that you think I should definitely take before I attempt the MCAT. I don't think I will be taking upper bio level courses like genetics or cell biology before the MCAT; do you think that'll be a problem? Thank you very much for your input!

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[elderberrypie]

I can't speak for everyone, but keep in mind that your application won't be complete without your score and it will take some time before you get your score back. For some schools being "complete" in August/September might be considered late (e.g., Tulane), while others that pre-screen secondaries might not send you one before they see your score (e.g., Dell). I signed up for a self-paced prep course during the spring of my junior year and took the MCAT in May, which is what most of my pre-med friends did. I think taking it in May is the most common. I ended up doing relatively well (514), however, I did not really feel 100% ready and I always prioritized my classes/research/other commitments over MCAT study time. I ended up getting accepted in this cycle, but I feel like I could have done much better if I had one extra month or so.
This probably doesn't answer your question... but the bottom line is that it depends on how much time you have and what your goals are. I don't know anyone who took the MCAT after studying for the summer and ended up applying in that cycle, so if you feel like you need that time you might want to consider taking a gap year. Or study during the winter break and sign up for easier classes in the spring - I wish I did

 

[DoctorSwagger]

There will be people who study a year in advance and get less than 500 and others who study for 2 weeks and get 520+. Be real with yourself and assess. How did the act/sat go? Are you naturally good at standardized tests? How good of a foundation do you have in your prerequisite classes? Do you have good reading comprehension. People will argue spreading the studying over too long of a time period is be a bad use of time.

Personally I have been leisurely reading content since freshman year. I cranked up the studying 6 mo prior and seem to be ready for the Jan 19 test coming up



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[Arcsine]

Well... I got 2300 on the SAT (800 on math, 790 on critical reading, 710 on writing). I'm not sure what you mean by foundation in prereq classes, but my freshman year GPA is 4.0.

 

[deleted938090]

Don't waste a summer like that. I studied for ~5 weeks before the exam and did fine; most of the stuff you learn in classes should prepare you for it.

It's pretty clear that you will do yourself a better service by improving your application elsewhere than spending 3 months on a single exam. It seems that a good score doesn't guarantee anything and an "okay" score will still let you go about anywhere with good ECs, LORs, etc

 

[Arcsine]

Don't waste a summer like that. I studied for ~5 weeks before the exam and did fine; most of the stuff you learn in classes should prepare you for it.

It's pretty clear that you will do yourself a better service by improving your application elsewhere than spending 3 months on a single exam. It seems that a good score doesn't guarantee anything and an "okay" score will still let you go about anywhere with good ECs, LORs, etc

Thanks for your advice. I wasn't going to be a complete shut in for 3 months or anything, though. I would still be doing what I am doing (volunteering, research, etc.), except I would be spending time on MCAT instead of school (since it's break, you know).

 

[DoctorSwagger]

Well... I got 2300 on the SAT (800 on math, 790 on critical reading, 710 on writing). I'm not sure what you mean by foundation in prereq classes, but my freshman year GPA is 4.0.

The same people who do well on act/sat are the same people who do well on mcat and most standardized exams. Having a solid foundation in general biology chemistry, O chem, biochem, physics, psychology will mean that you will spend less time studying


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[Biphasic889]

The reason why Medical schools put soo much emphasis on the MCAT is that test taking and efficiently condensing large amounts of information are skills they don’t have time to explicitly teach you.

The MCAT is an aptitude test not an achievement test. That’s why some people can study content for a year and score below 500. It is impossible to memorize every scenario and no amount of time will change that. If you focus on content too much you take time away from practice. Practice is key for aptitude tests. I spent 70% of my time on practice and raising my endurance (under timed conditions). The remaining 30% of my time I spent on targeted content review. Meaning, I studied answer choices from question banks and practice tests. In my opinion, AAMC materials are best and serve as good indicators of performance.

Good luck with your studies!

 

[precisiongraphic]

Thanks for your advice. I wasn't going to be a complete shut in for 3 months or anything, though. I would still be doing what I am doing (volunteering, research, etc.), except I would be spending time on MCAT instead of school (since it's break, you know).

Everyone's study plan should be individualized but just because someone takes 5 weeks or someone else takes 5 months, doesn't mean that you should. Peruse the MCAT forum and develop a plan based on your attributes and strengths.

 

[MyOdyssey]

Don't waste a summer like that. I studied for ~5 weeks before the exam and did fine; most of the stuff you learn in classes should prepare you for it.

It's pretty clear that you will do yourself a better service by improving your application elsewhere than spending 3 months on a single exam. It seems that a good score doesn't guarantee anything and an "okay" score will still let you go about anywhere with good ECs, LORs, etc

But 3 months is insufficient time to rack up enough ECs, LORs, etc. to make a big difference.

 

[RNthenDoc]

Use the AMMC FL tests/Kaplan FL tests to help guide you!