MCAT w/o OChem????

[Sheri911]

Hi all, I was hoping for some advice here....I haven't taken OChem yet will be taking it this summer, but other than that I have all my pre-reqs....is it possible to do ok on the MCAT w/o it? I am wanting to take the April MCAT for obvious early app. reasons....my GPA isn't stellar it is around 3.2-3.3. I have several years experience as a field paramedic (5+) and also work in an ER. I do not want to wait until the next app. cycle to start, but if it helps me I guess I will. I'm in my mid to late 20's (a woman NEVER tells her age) with kids and hubby, so I haven't gone to school the traditional route...what do you guys think? My first choice of schools is TCOM here in Tx, but anywhere that will have me I will go! Thanks for y'alls help!

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[ussdfiant]

I don't mean to be negative, but I think that it would be a HUGE mistake to take the MCAT before organic chem. In the April 2000 MCAT a great deal of the BS section dealt with problems and concepts learned in BOTH semesters of organic chem. I know that you're anxious to get started but you will be doing yourself a disservice to take the MCAT unprepared and you will more than likely have to take it again in August anyway (which won't look good). I suggest that you wait until August when you would have seen all of the material that the MCAT covers at least once. Good luck. Also I took the MCAT when I was 29, so this is one non-trad to another.

 

[sliceOheaven]

I would agree with USS, you would be much better off taking Organic before taking the MCAT. You would probably be too overwhelmed if you took the MCAT w/out prior knowledge of the various rxns and properties of the different structures. Definitely wait and take the MCAT after you take organic.

Good luck

 

[Optimistic]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Sheri911:
•Hi all, I was hoping for some advice here....I haven't taken OChem yet will be taking it this summer, but other than that I have all my pre-reqs....is it possible to do ok on the MCAT w/o it? I am wanting to take the April MCAT for obvious early app. reasons....my GPA isn't stellar it is around 3.2-3.3. I have several years experience as a field paramedic (5+) and also work in an ER. I do not want to wait until the next app. cycle to start, but if it helps me I guess I will. I'm in my mid to late 20's (a woman NEVER tells her age) with kids and hubby, so I haven't gone to school the traditional route...what do you guys think? My first choice of schools is TCOM here in Tx, but anywhere that will have me I will go! Thanks for y'alls help! •••••I dont think its a very good idea to take MCAT without organic.
but if you want to see why dont try some good practice test possibly aamc and see for yourself.
Goodluck

 

[Mire]

I'm in the same boat. I am in my mid/late 20s, have all the pre-regs, and 5+ years as a paramedic, and I am taking the MCAT without Ochem. I am enrolled for it this summer. Frankly, to all the nay-sayers: the ochem portion of the biological sciences is only 30% of the section. You can guess half of those write with common sense, and do well in biology and come out unharmed. At least I did on my practice mcats and diagnostic mcat. I say go for it, and if you don't do well, take it again in august and tear it up, because it will be fresh in your mind.

 

[Mire]

I just can't spell or type very well is all

 

[ussdfiant]

As someone who has actually taken the MCAT I would have to disagree with Mire. Taking the MCAT in April should not be as a sort of "trial run" with the thought that you can always take it again in August. Ask anyone, ideally the MCAT should only be taken once, at the time that you are most prepared. The nature of your post indicated that you will not be prepared in April. Trust me, don't just "go for it", prepare properly so you can do well the first (and hopefully only) time.

 

[Mire]

In response, I would certainly not advise a non-chalante attitude towards preparing for the MCAT, and by no means am I suggesting that the April mcat is a "Trial Run". My assumption is that in all other fields you are fully prepared. In my case, I am fully prepared in all other sections, if that is truly possible. I am taking the April mcat, and if I don't do well do to my lack of OCHEM, I will take it in august after I have taken OCHEM. Medical schools don't frown on multiple MCATS as long as there is improvement. Granted, this is a risk, but I am not convinced as many others are that the MCAT should not be taken without OCHEM. For instance, I haven't had Biology in 7 years, and haven't even had OCHEM at all, and I scored an 8 in that section on my diagnostic (TEST V). I guess it comes down to how much time you've put into preparing for the mcat. I started studying in august of last year, and now I am enrolled in a class. God willing I will do fine, and I hope you do as well.

 

[ussdfiant]

Good luck to you both!

 

[SHIBBY]

Agreed...I took the MCAT the first time w/out Organic (I did take the Kaplan course) and scored well overall, but low in the biological sciences section--I struggled with the terminology of organic that I wasn't familiar with.
I would DEFINITELY take Organic before the MCAT if I had to do it all over again.

 

[PACmatthew]

I would have to say that there are very few exceptions as to why you should take the MCAT before you take O-chem or any of the other basic science core courses. I did it, but it was incredibly frustrating. My time frame was not ideal for applying and it came down to me taking the MCAT in August or waiting a year to reapply. I decided in July to go to medical school, so you see my problem. I had not taken physics or O-chem, so I spent 3 weeks studying basic physics formulas and O-chem nomenclature. It helped me virtually none!! I simply guessed B on every single physics or O-chem question. I made a 23 overall...8verbal..6 Phy Sc..and 9 Bio Science. However, I have a very strong background in physiology and I happen to to have loved gen chem. These areas pulled me up enough to make slightly higher than ebmarassing! And, with my 3.9 GPA, I was able to convince two schools to interview me and accept me. I will be starting TCOM in Ft. Worth, Texas in the summer coming up (right after I finish O-chem and physics...currently in parts II of each now. I really think I could have blown away the MCAT, well into the 30's had I done it in the correct sequence, but then I would be an extra year older starting medical school. Thus, it worked for me.

MJM, MPAS, PA-C

 

[PACmatthew]

I would have to say that there are very few exceptions as to why you should take the MCAT before you take O-chem or any of the other basic science core courses. I did it, but it was incredibly frustrating. My time frame was not ideal for applying and it came down to me taking the MCAT in August or waiting a year to reapply. I decided in July to go to medical school, so you see my problem. I had not taken physics or O-chem, so I spent 3 weeks studying basic physics formulas and O-chem nomenclature. It helped me virtually none!! I simply guessed B on every single physics or O-chem question. I made a 23 overall...8verbal..6 Phy Sc..and 9 Bio Science. However, I have a very strong background in physiology and I happen to to have loved gen chem. These areas pulled me up enough to make slightly higher than ebmarassing! And, with my 3.9 GPA, I was able to convince two schools to interview me and accept me. I will be starting TCOM in Ft. Worth, Texas in the summer coming up (right after I finish O-chem and physics...currently in parts II of each now. I really think I could have blown away the MCAT, well into the 30's had I done it in the correct sequence, but then I would be an extra year older starting medical school. Thus, it worked for me.

MJM, MPAS, PA-C

 

[Wednesday]

Sheri,

I would have to vote for waiting until August for many reasons:

1. Taking the August MCAT does not set you back an entire year in the application process. And waiting until August means that you will actually be prepared to take the test. (Also, once you take the darn thing, believe me, you won't want to prepare for and take it again.)

2. You have to remember that the test is scaled, so that how well you do is dependent on how everyone else who takes the test does. So if most people have already taken organic (and most have) not having the class puts you at a distinct disadvantage.

3. Despite what Mire says, there is a lot of organic in the bio section, lately the percentage has been increasing. Some tests have 50-60% organic. And confidence is a huge factor in MCAT success. If you open the first page of bio and see a complex reaction mechanism and freak out because you've never seen anything like it before, your score will probably suffer.

The whole med school application thing takes time. It takes forever. Unfortunatly there aren't a lot of shortcuts. The MCAT is an important test and it's not easy. Going into an expensive and important test planning to guess doesn't really make good sense, especially when there's no real reason not to wait.

Finally, have you started preparing for the exam yet? Since it's March and you haven't taken organic, if you haven't started studying (or taking practice tests) yet, you might not have enough time to catch up.

So my advice (also a late 20's non-trad) is to wait until August and slam the thing! Good luck!

BTW As far as taking the practice exams from AAMC, I found the one I took (V, I think) REALLY easy compared to the real thing.

 

[laavp]

I am currently taking Kaplan for the April MCAT.
Luckily I have done all my subjects. I feel the AAMC practice material to be way easier than
the actual practice Kaplan or PR materials. Anyone else have this experience?

 

[Sheri911]

Thank you guys! All of you....I appreciate everyone's input. I have a patience problem (obviously) so I think I may wait until August or next April to do the MCAT. I could always use the extra "time off" to work and save up some $$. PACmatthew, I hope to see you at TCOM one day! That's where I want to go to school, I love the people/campus there and it's only about 15 minutes from home! Thanks again guys....

 

[Duncan]

Just throwing my two cents in here...

I took the MCAT without having taken O-Chem this last year. I knew that I would be putting myself at a disadvantage, but I REALLY wanted to stick to my plan of getting into medical school in 2002.

Basically, I went out and bought every MCAT prep book that I could find that addressed O-Chem and began working through them. In addition, I got together every Friday morning with a good friend of mine and bought him breakfast so that he could answer any questions that I had in O-Chem. I did this for six months straight and made sure that I remained disciplined enough to study instead of watching the baseball game or whatever... Anyways, to make a long story short, I scored fairly well on the MCAT. Well enough that I got into KCOM, which was my first choice.

I don't think that I would recommend that course of action for anybody. But, if you're able to pick up general concepts on your own and be able to integrate them with what you already know, then you have a start. My recommendation is to wait until August, as the April test is only a month and a half away.

Hope this helps.

Duncan
KCOM 2006

 

[Wifty]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Sheri911:
•Thank you guys! All of you....I appreciate everyone's input. I have a patience problem (obviously) so I think I may wait until August or next April to do the MCAT. I could always use the extra "time off" to work and save up some $$. PACmatthew, I hope to see you at TCOM one day! That's where I want to go to school, I love the people/campus there and it's only about 15 minutes from home! Thanks again guys.... •••••Why would you wait til next april? If you do the august one, you would be able to apply for the following year....which I think would satisfy your patience problem.
Just curious as to what you decided to do for sure.
Wifty

 

[Mire]

just one more thought to add to the fray...According to the website, aamc is reducing the amount of organic on the mcat and replacing it with genetics. So my 30% figure is not as off as one might think

 

[Sheri911]

Thanks everyone, I am still toying with the idea of the August MCAT, but according to AAMC the new MCAT changes won't be until next year so I may suck it up and wait till then....