MCATs before organic chemistry?

[Mae16]

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hi - is it feasible to take the MCATS (and do well) before taking organic chemistry 1 & 2?

I need to do all of my pre-reqs, and am thinking about doing the general chem/physics/bio together this fall and spring, taking the MCAT, and then spending an intensive summer finishing orgo 1 & 2, after the MCAT is behind me.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[Lshapley]

hi - is it feasible to take the MCATS (and do well) before taking organic chemistry 1 & 2?

I need to do all of my pre-reqs, and am thinking about doing the general chem/physics/bio together this fall and spring, taking the MCAT, and then spending an intensive summer finishing orgo 1 & 2, after the MCAT is behind me.

Anything is possible, but I would say that you would be handicapping yourself severely. Your schedule looks a little ambitious to me.

In regards specifically to the MCAT, ochem is only 25% of the biological sciences section but the bs section is also the most competitive section, i.e. people tend to do well and since it is graded on a curve you need to get every point possible. I would say that you could do fine, even well, on the MCAT if you took it after ochem I, but not without ochem at all.

Also, your schedule doesn't seem to be leaving you with much, or any, time to do MCAT prep. If you are a standardized test pro, that you might be able to squeak by with minor preparation, but you will still need some. However, many people spend months only prepping for the MCAT.

You only want to do all of this once, so make sure you do it well rather than fast.

 

[njbmd]

hi - is it feasible to take the MCATS (and do well) before taking organic chemistry 1 & 2?

I need to do all of my pre-reqs, and am thinking about doing the general chem/physics/bio together this fall and spring, taking the MCAT, and then spending an intensive summer finishing orgo 1 & 2, after the MCAT is behind me.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

The Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) tests the pre-medical subjects which are General Chemistry with lab, General Biology with lab, Organic Chemistry with lab and General Physics with lab. All of these courses are one year long. The test is divided into three major parts: Verbal Reasoning, Biological Sciences and Physical Sciences with a minor Writing Sample. Organic Chemistry is a significant portion of the Biological Sciences test. The MCAT is a very important aspect of your application to medical school and should be taken when you have thoroughly prepared for this exam. Taking this important exam before you have completed the prerequisite coursework is not recommended and taking this exam multiple times because you have not prepared properly it can be a "deathblow" to your application.

 

[Law2Doc]

hi - is it feasible to take the MCATS (and do well) before taking organic chemistry 1 & 2?

I need to do all of my pre-reqs, and am thinking about doing the general chem/physics/bio together this fall and spring, taking the MCAT, and then spending an intensive summer finishing orgo 1 & 2, after the MCAT is behind me.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

Bad idea. Maybe you could self teach yourself orgo 2 if you really had to (and had done well in 1), but not having either is just foolish. It's worth losing a cycle rather than risk scoring poorlin in BS. Orgo is very high yeild for the MCAT.

 

[soonereng]

hi - is it feasible to take the MCATS (and do well) before taking organic chemistry 1 & 2?

I need to do all of my pre-reqs, and am thinking about doing the general chem/physics/bio together this fall and spring, taking the MCAT, and then spending an intensive summer finishing orgo 1 & 2, after the MCAT is behind me.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

Been there, done that, scored a 9 on BS (although that was without any bio since HS [11 yrs ago] or orgo, so I was double damned). I scored 13 & 12 on the other sections in which I had the classes, so yes it is possible, but not really the best plan of attack. I would suggest waiting until at least after Orgo 1 at a minimum.

 

[gotmeds?]

hi - is it feasible to take the MCATS (and do well) before taking organic chemistry 1 & 2?

I need to do all of my pre-reqs, and am thinking about doing the general chem/physics/bio together this fall and spring, taking the MCAT, and then spending an intensive summer finishing orgo 1 & 2, after the MCAT is behind me.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

Sounds like a great way to get a crappy MCAT score and low GPA. Ambitious, though. I'll give you that.

 

[poly800rock]

hi - is it feasible to take the MCATS (and do well) before taking organic chemistry 1 & 2?

I need to do all of my pre-reqs, and am thinking about doing the general chem/physics/bio together this fall and spring, taking the MCAT, and then spending an intensive summer finishing orgo 1 & 2, after the MCAT is behind me.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

as everyone else said, it can be done, but why not just take the class? that in itself will give you a leg up in studying for the MCAT. I studied the hell out of organic chem when i took the classes, got a B+, and an A in orgo II, studied probably a total of 4 hours for orgo before my MCAT, ended up with a 10. Most of the orgo is orgo I, but you never know when they throw on a random amine mechanism, which while not necessarily taught in orgo II (i never had amines in orgo), the logic you use in orgo II can allow you to predict most every reaction.

 

[QofQuimica]

hi - is it feasible to take the MCATS (and do well) before taking organic chemistry 1 & 2?

I need to do all of my pre-reqs, and am thinking about doing the general chem/physics/bio together this fall and spring, taking the MCAT, and then spending an intensive summer finishing orgo 1 & 2, after the MCAT is behind me.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

No, don't do this. You will be majorly shooting yourself in the foot. The MCAT is a curved test. Most of the people you're competing against have taken a year each of all four pre-reqs plus a prep course besides. It would be fine to take the MCAT while you're still enrolled in organic II. If you do that, however, make sure to learn the biomolecules (peptides, carbs) on your own, because those are popular MCAT topics and they usually get covered at the very end of most organic II courses.

 

[babi]

I took the MCAT with before taking orgo and before finishing all the bio pre reqs. Scored 10 on the section. It is doable. I guess I would have done better taking the test after finishing all classes but did not want to pospone my application. I did not feel then it hurt me but now after finishing a year of orgo I can see how it could have helped on the bio section as well as the ps section. Good luck

 

[Mae16]

thanks. I am convinced; I won't do that.

Similarly, I'm guessing you would advice against Bio/Chem/Physics together in the fall and the spring, Orgo 1&2 in the summer while studying concurrently for the MCAT, MCAT in August, and applications complete shortly thereafter.

I'd likely have about three weeks to devote exclusively to studying between the end of orgo and the test, but I assume taking summer orgo and studying for the MCAT together is not a good idea?

 

[njbmd]

I generally advise against taking any of the pre-med courses during the summer because summer courses move quite rapidly and may not provide the depth of knowledge/details that you need for doing well on the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). If your study skills are excellent and you are able to understand and grasp concepts quickly, a summer course is fine but many people get behind in summer courses and get into major grade trouble. It is far better to take the pre-med courses during the regular academic terms and take non-pre-med courses during the summer session.

It is also better to take your time, slow down, and do high quality coursework as opposed to rushing through and not getting the solid preparation that you need for doing well on the MCAT.

 

[MSTPbound]

I generally advise against taking any of the pre-med courses during the summer because summer courses move quite rapidly and may not provide the depth of knowledge/details that you need for doing well on the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). If your study skills are excellent and you are able to understand and grasp concepts quickly, a summer course is fine but many people get behind in summer courses and get into major grade trouble. It is far better to take the pre-med courses during the regular academic terms and take non-pre-med courses during the summer session.

It is also better to take your time, slow down, and do high quality coursework as opposed to rushing through and not getting the solid preparation that you need for doing well on the MCAT.

OP, I agree - but I took Orgo 1 and 2 both during the summer, and I aced them. Then I scored 11 in BS - and actually consider this an underperformance because I didn't review orgo as much as I should have during my 3-month test prep. Nevertheless, I think the "study skills" component of njbmd's post is key.

Assuming your study skills are excellent, I actually feel the summer course was in some ways preferable - orgo is like learning a new language, and I think comprehensive and intensive immersion is one great way to learn. For example, if you didn't speak a lick of Spanish, and then got dropped off in the middle of, say, the Dominican Republic, for two months with nothing but a Spanish-English Dictionary and a Spanish grammar textbook - you could probably learn Spanish better than many who had taken a formal course over an entire academic year.

Now... doing all of what you suggest AND preparing for the MCAT? 😱😱😱

That's just crazy.

Good !

-Mbound

 

[Law2Doc]

OP, I agree - but I took Orgo 1 and 2 both during the summer, and I aced them. Then I scored 11 in BS

The three or so people on this thread who took the MCAT without completing orgo or managing to study at the same time as taking a summer orgo are kind of skewing the reality here. Yes it's possible, but 95% of all people who do something like these posters get burned. Unfortunately in this thread we are seeing a disproportionate number of that remaining 5%. Great for them, but not so great for folks taking advice. So OP, do not think this is the norm. The normal person who doesn't have enough orgo is going to be lucky not to totally tank the BS section. On the exam I had (some time ago) the majority of the BS section was orgo, and without it you'd be lucky to get above a 7. Just saying...

 

[zeff]

thanks. I am convinced; I won't do that.

Similarly, I'm guessing you would advice against Bio/Chem/Physics together in the fall and the spring, Orgo 1&2 in the summer while studying concurrently for the MCAT, MCAT in August, and applications complete shortly thereafter.

I'd likely have about three weeks to devote exclusively to studying between the end of orgo and the test, but I assume taking summer orgo and studying for the MCAT together is not a good idea?

Mae, I agree with everyone else--don't try to take the MCAT without orgo, a guy in my postbacc program tried this and didn't get a score he was happy with and had to retake after he took orgo--and he was a very good student.

For your course planning, I disagree with some of the above. I did it (starting from scratch, as I assume you are) by taking Gen Chem I/II in the summer of 05, then doing Orgo, Intro Bio, and Physics I/II during the year, and took an MCAT prep course Jan-April for the April 06 MCAT. It was very busy, but doable, and then I was finished and ready to apply when I got my score that June. Personally, I don't think you have to have actually completed Physics, Intro Bio, and Orgo II (the MCAT was about three weeks before final exams, if I recall correctly) and there was nothing on the MCAT that hadn't been covered in class (although a few things I had forgotten!) If you can start Gen Chem this summer and proceed from there, I would advise you to do it. Good luck to you

 

[ForbiddenComma]

OP, if you want to self-study orgo for the MCAT, you'll need some time off you can dedicate to the cause. There's no way you can do it while also taking your chem and physics classes, or working a job.

But if you do have a couple months off, and you are *SURE* you are a proven self-studier (not just kinda sorta think you are), then yes you can get by on what you find in the Kaplan MCAT book and a good O-chem review book. You will take a hit on your bio section score, of course -- you have to measure whether getting in a year earlier is worth the risk.

FWIW, i self-studied o-chem (and physics 2 and gen chem 2... yikes) and I did get a successful score, but probably not as high as I would have gotten if I had waited a year.

 

[zeff]

On the exam I had (some time ago) the majority of the BS section was orgo, and without it you'd be lucky to get above a 7. Just saying...

I don't think that's still accurate--for my exam (April 06) the BS section was 75% bio, 25% orgo, which is the breakdown AAMC regularly aims for, as far as I know.

 

[MSTPbound]

I don't think that's still accurate--for my exam (April 06) the BS section was 75% bio, 25% orgo, which is the breakdown AAMC regularly aims for, as far as I know.

My Exam (April 7th) was easily 40% Orgo, MINIMUM.

 

[Richie Truxillo]

My advice is to please please please take Organic Chemistry before taking the MCAT. njbmd is correct to say that an excessively low score your first time around could be the deathblow to your medical school application. Med school admissions is 90% a numbers game. Why risk it?

 

[QofQuimica]

I don't think that's still accurate--for my exam (April 06) the BS section was 75% bio, 25% orgo, which is the breakdown AAMC regularly aims for, as far as I know.

The AAMC categorizes things strangely, IMO. A lot of the things they call "biology" are really biochemistry, and you need to understand organic if you want to understand biochem.

Like L2D said, there are always a few people who are the exceptions that prove the rule. But the VAST majority of people who try to take the MCAT without finishing all four pre-reqs will not be successful, or will not be as successful as they could have been. Not to beat a dead horse here, but these classes are called PRE-reqs and not CO-reqs (or POST-reqs) for a reason. 🙂

 

[Arsenic]

The AAMC categorizes things strangely, IMO. A lot of the things they call "biology" are really biochemistry, and you need to understand organic if you want to understand biochem.

Like L2D said, there are always a few people who are the exceptions that prove the rule. But the VAST majority of people who try to take the MCAT without finishing all four pre-reqs will not be successful, or will not be as successful as they could have been. Not to beat a dead horse here, but these classes are called PRE-reqs and not CO-reqs (or POST-reqs) for a reason. 🙂

q is dead on here. take all the prereqs before sitting for the exam, give yourself the best shot to score as high as possible.

 

[Bleurberry]

Mae, I agree with everyone else--don't try to take the MCAT without orgo, a guy in my postbacc program tried this and didn't get a score he was happy with and had to retake after he took orgo--and he was a very good student.

For your course planning, I disagree with some of the above. I did it (starting from scratch, as I assume you are) by taking Gen Chem I/II in the summer of 05, then doing Orgo, Intro Bio, and Physics I/II during the year, and took an MCAT prep course Jan-April for the April 06 MCAT. It was very busy, but doable, and then I was finished and ready to apply when I got my score that June. Personally, I don't think you have to have actually completed Physics, Intro Bio, and Orgo II (the MCAT was about three weeks before final exams, if I recall correctly) and there was nothing on the MCAT that hadn't been covered in class (although a few things I had forgotten!) If you can start Gen Chem this summer and proceed from there, I would advise you to do it. Good luck to you

I'm glad you posted, you described my schedule. Thnx