No Prep

[Sparda29]

I'm going to attempt the May MCAT with no "official preparation" like taking timed practice tests, or courses.

How should I expect to do with the knowledge I already have? I've taken General Bio, General Chem, Organic Chem, Anatomy, Physiology, Immunology, Physics, Calculus, Statistics.

If I don't do well the first time, retake it and get 35+ the second time, would schools still consider me?

I really don't care too much about "prestige" or about where I go other than if the school is in a decent area and I get a degree. A medical degree is a medical degree where ever you go.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[doomknight]

lol if u score 74 percentile for PCAT, then I'm not sure if it's such a good idea to do MCAT, you might wanna consider just sticking with pharmacy then, unless you are willing to put the time and effort for med school

61st Percentile Verbal Ability
37th Percentile Reading Comprehension

that's gonna hurt on mcat verbal

 

[iA-MD2013]

ummm...don't do that.

 

[doomknight]

on second thought, plz tell me which day you'll be taking the MCAT, my verbal could use some help *cough

 

[SN2ed]

I really can't tell if this is a joke thread or not. If you want to donate your money to the AAMC, I'm sure there are other ways.

 

[iA-MD2013]

I really can't tell if this is a joke thread or not. If you want to donate your money to the AAMC, I'm sure there are other ways.

i don't think it's a joke.

 

[RSAgator]

donate the 210 to SDN instead

 

[Vihsadas]

I agree with the other poster. If you do the MCAT with no preparation you are asking for a hurting. Don't do it. Not only will you probably not do well, adcoms will see the bad score and it might hurt you even if you retake it. You should try and take the MCAT only once, and only after you are well prepared for it.

 

[littlealex]

I ended up scoring a 36 on the real test, but my first timed practice w/ no official prep was like a 23.
Don't do that on a real test, it's just not smart.

 

[physics junkie]

You won't get in anywhere stateside with a 3.1 or 3.2 so I have to assume you are entertaining the caribbean. I don't think you can take the MCAT with no studying but with 2 weeks of studying you should be able to get a good enough score for the caribbean.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

I agree with this others -- this is a bad idea. You're essentially throwing away the MCAT fees because you know it's very unlikely you'll do well. And prestige or no, you need a decent score to get in anywhere. I knew people in college who did this, and it wasn't pretty. The MCAT is not like the SAT/ACT.

 

[TruthSerum44]

I think the others have pretty much summed up what you need to know. However, I will say that if you already have a good grasp on the basic sciences (gen chem, o-chem, bio, physics) and are willing to put in a solid two or three weeks of hard studying, you could score somewhere around a 30.

Really though, if you're not even willing to put in two weeks of study time, why would you want to go to med school?

 

[Sparda29]

It's kind of a jinx for me when it comes to standardized tests.

When I study hardcore for it, I don't do well.

When I shoot from the hip, I do decent.

I'm confused about the scoring? Isn't the MCAT score basically derived from the percentage of questions right?

 

[REM12]

If you are actually serious about going to medical school, you will study for this test. There is no way you are getting a 35+ with that GPA and no prep. No way at all.

 

[Brent8927]

I'd agree with everyone else--please do not take the MCAT without preparation. At the very least try to take at least one online MCAT through AAMC (they offer one for free). I ended up doing really well on the MCAT but my first practice test was around a 21. Even if you know your material well there's a very good chance you could score in the low 20's.

The MCAT isn't an apptitude test like the SAT, it's based on how much knowledge you have. If you didn't just complete your pre-med courses it would be a really good idea to at least review the material.

Your score does depend on how many questions you answer correctly, but if I'm not mistaken it also depends on how many questions others answer correctly (that way if a certain test is harder than others, it is taken into account when giving you a score)

A big part of the MCAT is knowing how to take the MCAT--it's known for asking questions that are addressing basic science topics yet appear to be asking about something you'd encounter in more advanced courses. I can't remember if it was on a practice test or the real one, but I remember a question addressing particle accelerators. That sure scared the beejeebers out of me until I told myself "the test only asks about things I learned in my pre-med courses, so I can answer this!" I think a big part of taking the MCAT is learning to not be afraid of it. It won't ask questions where you need to understand quantum physics (but it might look like it!)

Honestly your approach of not worrying about the test is an asset--but I think that could greatly be offset by not preparing. I think it would be ideal to both prepare and not worry--I can guarantee that your experience will be much more favorable!

Honestly, you should take the MCAT when you feel ready. If you feel ready now and are set on taking the MCAT without preparing, then I doubt anyone's opinion will stop you. But it really is advisible to take the MCAT once and only once. If you did poorly the first time and then got a 35 or higher then your low score would certainly not help you. But some or most schools look at your highest score. But they will see all your scores, and if they ask you about why you did poorly on your first test and you say explain how you decided not to study or prepare for the test, your interviewer will almost certainly question your maturity and dedication to becoming a physician.

Also, not everyone gets a 35. If you feel you can do it--but why not get the 35 now?

Good luck with whatever path you decide to take! (But still, please study!)

-Brent

 

[mterp45]

on second thought, plz tell me which day you'll be taking the MCAT, my verbal could use some help *cough

lol funny.

 

[Blade28]

It's kind of a jinx for me when it comes to standardized tests.

When I study hardcore for it, I don't do well.

When I shoot from the hip, I do decent.

Actually, it's probably due to bias. You may feel less inclined to study for tests in subjects where you feel more confident. And you're more likely to study hard for tests in subjects where you feel weak.

At any rate, DO NOT take the MCAT without taking it seriously. DO NOT take it "just for fun" or to "see what happens." Plan to seriously study for it and take it only once.

 

[Lawliet2008]

Have you taken a diagnostic? Only people with 40+ on their diagnostic can justify not studying.

If not, start practicing.

 

[bioteach]

Taking it without once taking a diagnostic is plain stupid. Take a couple of hours out of your busy life and take a practice test. Then you will see why no one that actually cares about getting in to med school would take the MCAT with no prep. Besides...all medical schools will see your first score. So if you get a score typical of people taking the mcat for the first time (usually in the privacy of their own home, rather than at the big game) you'll see a number in the 18-26 range. Not a score that will impress the adcoms. Even if you end up studying and retaking it, that first score will still draw big fat red flags to the adcoms.

 

[nontrdgsbuiucmd]

I'd agree with everyone else--please do not take the MCAT without preparation. At the very least try to take at least one online MCAT through AAMC (they offer one for free). I ended up doing really well on the MCAT but my first practice test was around a 21. Even if you know your material well there's a very good chance you could score in the low 20's.

The MCAT isn't an apptitude test like the SAT, it's based on how much knowledge you have. If you didn't just complete your pre-med courses it would be a really good idea to at least review the material.

Your score does depend on how many questions you answer correctly, but if I'm not mistaken it also depends on how many questions others answer correctly (that way if a certain test is harder than others, it is taken into account when giving you a score)

A big part of the MCAT is knowing how to take the MCAT--it's known for asking questions that are addressing basic science topics yet appear to be asking about something you'd encounter in more advanced courses. I can't remember if it was on a practice test or the real one, but I remember a question addressing particle accelerators. That sure scared the beejeebers out of me until I told myself "the test only asks about things I learned in my pre-med courses, so I can answer this!" I think a big part of taking the MCAT is learning to not be afraid of it. It won't ask questions where you need to understand quantum physics (but it might look like it!)

Honestly your approach of not worrying about the test is an asset--but I think that could greatly be offset by not preparing. I think it would be ideal to both prepare and not worry--I can guarantee that your experience will be much more favorable!

Honestly, you should take the MCAT when you feel ready. If you feel ready now and are set on taking the MCAT without preparing, then I doubt anyone's opinion will stop you. But it really is advisible to take the MCAT once and only once. If you did poorly the first time and then got a 35 or higher then your low score would certainly not help you. But some or most schools look at your highest score. But they will see all your scores, and if they ask you about why you did poorly on your first test and you say explain how you decided not to study or prepare for the test, your interviewer will almost certainly question your maturity and dedication to becoming a physician.

Also, not everyone gets a 35. If you feel you can do it--but why not get the 35 now?

Good luck with whatever path you decide to take! (But still, please study!)

-Brent

I had the same experience regarding prepping for the MCAT specifically versus simply knowing the material cold - one example was for physics quantitative questions; in our physics 1 class exams we typically had 5 very involved problems to do in 50 minutes or so, MCAT discretes would cover the same general topics at a very cursory level (i.e. torque, max height on parabolic trajectory) with 2 minutes to complete the problem; being able to solve the problem in 10 minutes was of almost no value given the number of questions on the test.

In my opinion, the MCAT tests primarily how well you have prepped for the MCAT and how well you can answer MCAT-like questions.