MCAT without Physiology

[velvetcoffee]

Hi! I can't fit mammalian physiology into my schedule before I take the MCAT. Am I ****ed? I hear differing options between "IT IS TOTALLY NEEDED YOU WILL DIE ON B/B" and "meh it does not really matter it's not a pre-rec just use a prep book and khan academy." Which is it... I can try and push my test date back.

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[lanzhou_lamian]

2 semesters of college-level bio + biochemistry + Khan/other MCAT prep materials should be fine.

 

[shotgunlagoon]

Do a practice B/B section. I'd say a prep book + khan academy is probably your best bet since it will focus on only the relevant content. Taking an actual class on mammalian physio will likely include things you don't need and miss stuff you do. The MCAT is really testing how well you can prepare for the MCAT, not how well you understand mammalian physio, so taking an actual class isn't going to be as helpful as just focusing on test prep.

 

[Proudfather94]

Hi! I can't fit mammalian physiology into my schedule before I take the MCAT. Am I ****ed? I hear differing options between "IT IS TOTALLY NEEDED YOU WILL DIE ON B/B" and "meh it does not really matter it's not a pre-rec just use a prep book and khan academy." Which is it... I can try and push my test date back.

If there's any questions about that you should be able to figure it out from the passage.

 

[Blueprint Med School]

I don't know anybody that took physiology before the MCAT solely for MCAT purposes. The people that I know who took physio in undergrad did so for their major or for other reasons- it's absolutely not a necessity, nor would I even recommend taking it to prep for the MCAT. As long as you have taken gen bio, you should be fine. Any other physio can be self taught.

Kevin W, MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

 

[BeMoConsulting]

Taking a physiology course is not required, although some students find it helpful. It all depends on you and how much content you can review on your own as well as how strong your biology foundation is. If you cannot take the course, you can always review the material online or ask a friend who has taken the course to loan you their notes. Don’t worry too much about it. Just make sure you do some independent studying and prep very well for the test in general!