MCAT without organic chem?

[buckdw]

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I am taking general chemistry over the summer, and will take organic chem next school year post grad. Could I take the MCAT next year and apply to med school (for the following year )before I finished organic chem? Or will I have to wait another year after my post bacc to start med school.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Wasabi]

Are you saying that you will be taking organic I this fall, organic II in the spring, and the April MCAT during your spring semester? If you are indeed planning to do that, I think there shouldn't be a problem. By that time you will cover most of the material that is essential for the MCAT.

 

[pre-hawkdoc]

i agree with wasabi--as long as you've completed a majority of your MCAT-required course work prior to the test (assuming you have a handle on what you've covered) you should have no problem figuring out the remainder on your own. most of my classmates and i took the april MCAT while in our second semester of physics and were not, for the most part, less prepared for the PS sxn. than for any other.
IF, however, you'll only be mostly through orgo I, then you would be very wise to put off the MCAT until you've taken orgo II. much of the MCAT orgo comes from (at least at my school) second semester organic.

 

[jayhawk premed]

You know, it's funny because I just went to meet with my premed advisor today and posed the very same question. He said that it can actually be very helpful to be in the second semester of Organic Chem or Physics when sitting for the MCAT because everything is fresh in your mind. However, he expressed an opposite opinion regarding Organic material on the MCAT. He said that most of the Orgo questions on the MCAT were based upon first semester Orgo material. But that may just be for KU. Who knows.

 

[Wasabi]

I saw in an MCAT review book, Orgo I is tested. It didn't even mention orgo 2 as being on it! I wonder how true it is...


I think it's safer to take Organic II. There are times, such as during the recent April MCAT, that Organic Chemistry is heavily emphasized on the MCAT. You're better off knowing more than knowing too little.

 

[praying4MD]

On the April 2001 (most recent) adminstration of the MCAT, Organic II was heavily favored, on my form at least. In fact, if I had not taken it, I would have been lost (lots of NMR, Aldol Condensations, & Michael Additions), barely any SN's or E's.

 

[hp6527]

I am on the same boat. I just finished general chemistry this spring and I am taking organic next fall. My advisor gave the same suggestion, thus I plan to offically declare war with MCAT upcoming April. However, anyone take general chem over the summer might have slight disadvantage about the time. Summer may be a bit short to enjoy the essence of chemistry beauty but who know if you ace the MCAT soon.

 

[Jalopycat]

I would most certainly either have completed org II or taking it at the time of the MCAT. I think there probably was a time when org I would be satisfactory but it's not the case now. There was a lot of org II on my test this year. If I were you, I would also review the biological molecules section that you may not cover in class until after the MCAT. I say this because I had a glucose reaction on my test. That's one of the last things we covered in org II. Hope this helps.

 

[hermanshermits]

Originally posted by buckdw:
•I am taking general chemistry over the summer, and will take organic chem next school year post grad. Could I take the MCAT next year and apply to med school (for the following year )before I finished organic chem? Or will I have to wait another year after my post bacc to start med school.


Thanks for your help!•

 

[buckdw]

Thanks for all the responses. i just want to make sure that I have this right. i'll be finishing post-bacc prereqs next academic year (organic chem) After i take the mcat in april (or august). When is the soonest I can enter med school? I am assuming at the earliest I would have to wait one year after i finish my prereqs. Is this correct?

Thanks again!

 

[omores]

Yes, that's right. It's a very drawn-out process. Take the MCAT in April, submit the primary AMCAS application in June, wait for the secondary applications to come in over the course of the next few months. Interviews happen in the fall and beyond; decisions can take anywhere from a week to several months. The spring will be filled with financial aid forms and revisit weekends to all the schools you've been accepted to (think positive 😉 ). You make your final decision by May 15th. School starts in August.

At least that's how it works in theory. Interviews may happen earlier, or much later, and you might end up in waitlist limbo until just before school starts...but deal with the complications when you get there.

Best of luck!