Non-Trad MCAT Preparation

[hexagon]

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Hi,

I'm going to be a non-trad applicant in the 2013 cycle and have been getting my MCAT preparation underway this month -- currently slated to take the test on May 24th! I feel that now (about 5 months away) is an appropriate time for me to get started since I work full-time with some overtime each week usually and my schedule can be really up and down.

Was just wondering if anyone else is or has been in the same situation and wanted to commiserate or offer advice.

In terms of my background, I was an English major in college, worked for a couple years, and then went back to school while working and did a post-bac at night for all my prerequisites. Studying for the MCAT has been a mixed bag / somewhat discouraging so far. My VR has been decent, and I feel somewhat confident that I could get Bio, Chem, and OChem to the level that I want since I feel really solid in those prereqs. But my physics has been an absolute disaster so far and I'm rather surprised/embarrassed that I'm doing so poorly and have apparently retained so little from my physics courses. I got As in Physics 1 and 2, and just took both ***this past summer*** so this poor performance has been a little shocking .

 

[MedPR]

Hi,

I'm going to be a non-trad applicant in the 2013 cycle and have been getting my MCAT preparation underway this month -- currently slated to take the test on May 24th! I feel that now (about 5 months away) is an appropriate time for me to get started since I work full-time with some overtime each week usually and my schedule can be really up and down.

Was just wondering if anyone else is or has been in the same situation and wanted to commiserate or offer advice.

In terms of my background, I was an English major in college, worked for a couple years, and then went back to school while working and did a post-bac at night for all my prerequisites. Studying for the MCAT has been a mixed bag / somewhat discouraging so far. My VR has been decent, and I feel somewhat confident that I could get Bio, Chem, and OChem to the level that I want since I feel really solid in those prereqs. But my physics has been an absolute disaster so far and I'm rather surprised/embarrassed that I'm doing so poorly and have apparently retained so little from my physics courses. I got As in Physics 1 and 2, and just took both ***this past summer*** so this poor performance has been a little shocking .

MCAT physics can be much more difficult than a typical college physics class, which for me was basically plug and chug. I'm having a hard time with physics too, if that makes you feel any better 🙂

I'm taking mine on April 5th and I started studying a week ago. I also work full-time and will be going to school 3/4 time.

Good luck!

 

[PDXJen]

Many of us struggle with physics. My boyfriend has tutored physics, and he said that hates teaching premeds physics to prepare for the MCAT because "all they want to do is take shortcuts and memorize formulas when they should be trying to think things through." I'll admit I'm guilty of this.

I'm also working full time and taking The Berkeley Review classes starting next month. I'm planning to take the exam in late May.

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

I have a friend who was an MCAT tutor (he had a 41) who said the biggest thing about the MCAT is NOT absolute knowledge of the material, it is being able to reason the answer out of the information given. My score went up considerably just taking the AAMC practice tests. The first was a 22, highest was a 29, actual score was a 26. I didn't study other than going over a prep book. Best of luck! It sucks and I'm really happy I didn't have to take it twice!

 

[MedPR]

Many of us struggle with physics. My boyfriend has tutored physics, and he said that hates teaching premeds physics to prepare for the MCAT because "all they want to do is take shortcuts and memorize formulas when they should be trying to think things through." I'll admit I'm guilty of this.

I'm also working full time and taking The Berkeley Review classes starting next month. I'm planning to take the exam in late May.

I used to try and just memorize equations, but this time around I'm trying to get the concepts down as much as possible. Maybe it's just TBR, but a lot of their questions don't require you to know the equation as much as the relationship between variables. Obviously I'm going to memorize the important equations, but I'm going to focus a lot of understanding too.

 

[drewS21]

I have a friend who was an MCAT tutor (he had a 41) who said the biggest thing about the MCAT is NOT absolute knowledge of the material, it is being able to reason the answer out of the information given. My score went up considerably just taking the AAMC practice tests. The first was a 22, highest was a 29, actual score was a 26. I didn't study other than going over a prep book. Best of luck! It sucks and I'm really happy I didn't have to take it twice!

I agree with this. I've been working with a tutor and he's had me work on MCAT practice questions before I've even taken the pre-reqs and I've been able to answer the majority of the questions correctly in a given passage just based on test taking skills I acquired through studying for the LSAT.

Obviously time is still an issue as it's still taking me 10 minutes per passage, but that should improve as time goes by. Point is, even given my VERY limited MCAT experience, it seems that learning the test and being able to synthesize the information is just as important as knowing concepts. I was concerned since the LSAT requires no prior knowledge, but it seems that there are more similarities between the two tests than meets the eye.

 

[QofQuimica]

I have a friend who was an MCAT tutor (he had a 41) who said the biggest thing about the MCAT is NOT absolute knowledge of the material, it is being able to reason the answer out of the information given.

This.

OP, some people go on about how you should take this and that class above the basic prereqs, but more knowledge is not what you need to ace the MCAT. What you need is a solid grasp of the material covered in the basic prereqs, along with strong analytical/reasoning skills.

I took both physics and gen bio over ten years before I took the MCAT. Obviously, I needed to review the material, but the content review wasn't why I did so well on the test (43S). It's all about being able to apply that knowledge to new scenarios, which you do with good analysis and reasoning skills. The good news is that even if you're not naturally good at these kinds of skills, you can develop them with practice, as SBB suggested. If you know the physics content well, then what you need to do is practice using that knowledge. So get yourself a question book, or a subscription to an online question bank, and work through them. Read the explanations and try to understand why the wrong choices are wrong along with why the right choices are right. Once you get the hang of it, your scores will start to improve.

to you. 🙂

 

[blue0rchid]

i recommend exam kracker 1001 questions for physics. It's true that you have to understand concepts and be able to apply them, but you also need to be able to pull the right formula when needed and do quick calculations in your head or on paper. This book will prepare you for the calculation and application part. I suggest for each chapter, do the questions in EK1001 first, then do passages in BR.

 

[NuttyEngDude]

just bought some prep materials today... oh my aching wallet!

 

[hexagon]

just bought some prep materials today... oh my aching wallet!

I feel this pain.

Thanks so much for all the wonderful advice / info in this thread.

 

[augeremt]

I'm taking mine on April 5th and I started studying a week ago. I also work full-time and will be going to school 3/4 time.

Good luck!

How do you manage this? I'm essentially in he same boat and thinking of dropping down a class or two because I don't think I'll have any time to do things that keep me sane.

 

[MedPR]

How do you manage this? I'm essentially in he same boat and thinking of dropping down a class or two because I don't think I'll have any time to do things that keep me sane.

For the past 8 months I've been doing nothing but studying, researching, and working. I can do it for another 3-4 months. Once MCAT is done, I'll have quite a bit of free time since I'll only be in 2 classes.

I'm in my early twenties (<25) and (not to sound like an ******* or anything) I'm completely committed to pursuing medicine and making up for all the fun I had in undergrad.

It's pure motivation for me.

 

[MedPR]

just bought some prep materials today... oh my aching wallet!

Yea, I bought all of my prep material minus the AAMC FLs at the same time. I figured I would spread it out to make it seem less expensive 😉

 

[NuttyEngDude]

That's exactly what I did. But even so it still seems exorbitant. Of course I foolishly waited until the last minute and didn't buy anything used.

 

[vc7777]

This.

OP, some people go on about how you should take this and that class above the basic prereqs, but more knowledge is not what you need to ace the MCAT. What you need is a solid grasp of the material covered in the basic prereqs, along with strong analytical/reasoning skills.

I took both physics and gen bio over ten years before I took the MCAT. Obviously, I needed to review the material, but the content review wasn't why I did so well on the test (43S). It's all about being able to apply that knowledge to new scenarios, which you do with good analysis and reasoning skills. The good news is that even if you're not naturally good at these kinds of skills, you can develop them with practice, as SBB suggested. If you know the physics content well, then what you need to do is practice using that knowledge. So get yourself a question book, or a subscription to an online question bank, and work through them. Read the explanations and try to understand why the wrong choices are wrong along with why the right choices are right. Once you get the hang of it, your scores will start to improve.

to you. 🙂

This. I got one question wrong in the PS section (a weak performance compared to our good friend Q, I know).

I am pretty sure I know the exact question I got wrong. Sigh.

It isn't about derivations or mathematical prowess. I spent over a decade as an eletrical engineer. This material wasn't new to me. But I scored miserably on practice exans at first. Why? I was put of practice. Practice, practice, practice. So that's what I did.

...I also memorized a table of equations instead of wasting time doing derivations too, but that was more a "time management for engineers" thing. Engineers like to derive, you know? No time on the MCAT! 😉

 

[vc7777]

just bought some prep materials today... oh my aching wallet!

Um...registration for Step 1 was $535.00
I hear it goes up even more for Step 2 CS etc. Prep materials track in price too. So...your wallet might want to do some breathing exercises and perhaps take up meditation

 

[startoverat40]

OP

if you're done with all your prereqs and post bach and your GPA is now high enough, and you are taking the MCAT next May, then why are you waiting to apply in 2013? Conversly, if you are set on applying in 2013, then why are you in a hurry to take the MCAT next May? or maybe you mean you want to start med school in 2013, which means you are applying next year? if so, i suggest you take it in April, so you get the score back in May, and send your application in early June.

anyway, good luck.

 

[Deekle]

Hex: You're probably going to hear this a lot up until you take the MCAT, but it's good advice. The single best way to study for the MCAT is to take ALL of the the AMCAS practice tests. Take them multiple times if you have to. It'll get expensive, but not as expensive as re-taking the MCAT multiple times. It will also give you a realistic idea of what areas you need to improve on.

I'm a non-trad myself, 30 years old, married with two kids under 6. I spent months pouring over the Kaplan and Kracker guides. I made a billion note cards and then dictated them all to my iPhone and listened to them going to and coming home from work. About 3 weeks before the test, I started taking practice tests. It was like a door opened in my head and I actually understood what was expected of me. Each test I took gave me more insight and after taking 4 of them, I understood the concepts in each section that were likely to re-appear on my actual MCAT.

Because the practice tests are comprised of actual test pool questions, it's the best way (in my opinion) to prepare. It will also teach you how the MCAT test is administered, which means you'll be very familiar with how to answer questions, skip them and go back later and generally navigate the test. This means you'll spend less time navigating and have more time to actually work the problems.

I found the practice tests to be an almost perfect indicator of how I performed on the MCAT. (I got a 28) I was expecting to get a bit higher, but the physics section was unkind to me. If I had it to do over, I would have done many more practice tests and done them multiple times.

Two last pieces of advice:

1) As an english major, it will be easy to underestimate the reading section of the MCAT. DON'T MAKE THIS MISTAKE. It's not a joke and it's the most unkind in terms of scaling. Several of the questions will be ambiguous at best and there are some that involve arguable logic. You have to understand the mindset of the test in order to do well here.

2) This test is a marathon. Train like you would train for a marathon. Don't cheat the practice tests. Take them like they are the real deal. Then go back afterwards and see what you could have done better. If you're flying through the bio section but aren't scoring the best you can, take some time to look at the stats that are provided which break down the questions by topic.

Good luck, I hope you do really well!

 

[Dan1804]

Hi,

I'm going to be a non-trad applicant in the 2013 cycle and have been getting my MCAT preparation underway this month -- currently slated to take the test on May 24th! I feel that now (about 5 months away) is an appropriate time for me to get started since I work full-time with some overtime each week usually and my schedule can be really up and down.

Was just wondering if anyone else is or has been in the same situation and wanted to commiserate or offer advice.

In terms of my background, I was an English major in college, worked for a couple years, and then went back to school while working and did a post-bac at night for all my prerequisites. Studying for the MCAT has been a mixed bag / somewhat discouraging so far. My VR has been decent, and I feel somewhat confident that I could get Bio, Chem, and OChem to the level that I want since I feel really solid in those prereqs. But my physics has been an absolute disaster so far and I'm rather surprised/embarrassed that I'm doing so poorly and have apparently retained so little from my physics courses. I got As in Physics 1 and 2, and just took both ***this past summer*** so this poor performance has been a little shocking .

I was also an English major, worked a couple years, and went back to school while working--so, I can definitley relate. The first time I did a timed section, I didn't even finish half the questions. I found that the best way to improve was by taking lots of practice tests and reviewing based on the results. I also listened to AudioOsmosis and studied based on that. Listened to it whenever I was in the car, going on long runs, etc. Used both Princeton Review and Kaplan books side by side, as they are slightly different in presentation. For physics, I had the same experience. The equation sheet with the review books was handy for the equations. I worked on memorizing each equation only after using it in a real question. Eventually, within a few seconds of reading a physics question, I would have some releveant equations jotted down. I would focus on getting all the concept based questions done first, spending enough time on calculation based questions to see whether it was do-able time-wise, and either doing it, or choosing an answer by elimination and marking the question for review. Brought out class texts only a few times when I found MCAT asking questions that neither PR or Kaplan covered in enough depth (the eye, muscle movement, reproduction). Took all the AAMC retired exams timed, usually section by section, a couple times the whole thing to get used to the length of the exam, interspersed with PR and Kaplan practice exams. The Official MCAT book has about an exam worth of retired questions, with detailed answers--a must have. The Kaplan 45 book was pretty good. About two months overall. Got a 34, 7 interview requests and just got into a school I like. Like one of the other folks said, study like you're training for a marathon. And get clinical experience if you don't have some already.

 

[pkwraith]

I was working full time when I was studying for the MCAT. I also kept costs to a minimum. I think the only money I paid was the test registration.

I just basically made a schedule for myself. Set amount of days for Physics. Set amount for Orgo. Set amount for Bio. Etc. Rotated through the subjects faster the closer I got to M-day, until the last week, when I trailed off to avoid burnout. Started waking up each day at the same time as when I would be taking my test.

For materials, I borrowed a prep book from the local library, the free AAMC tests they give you with registration, free MCAT tests in my library database, and wikiPremed (free of course).

My daily schedule was work. Get back home. Watch two hours or so of wikiPremed videos on the scheduled subject. Go through and study the subject from the prep book. Take a practice test once in a while to see what I'm doing poorly on. Sleep.

Worst was when I had work trips. I'd spend 12 hours working in a ED, do work for 2 hours, go to the hotel room and study for 5 hours eating room service, go to bed, and get 5 hours of sleep.

I initially was planning to do 4 months for studying, but ended up just jamming everything into one month. That one month blew, but at least it was only one month of suffering.

 

[iamaunicorn]

I just used the Kaplan big-ass book for prep, as well as the AAMC practice tests. I scooped up any other free practice tests I could find online (probably shouldn't say from where), and just practiced, practiced, practiced. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON MCAT PREP!!! They're really all the same in the end, and the classes are somewhat of a joke. As someone who was also working full-time while preparing for the MCAT, this was more than sufficient since I ended up scoring high double digits on all the sections. Also, don't practice writing unnecessarily. As long as you get an O (or is it an N), no one will care.

 

[NuttyEngDude]

hey iamaunicorn,
how much time did you spend in content reveiw? I find that I'm obsessing over every little detail that I may be missing while i go through it and it's slowing me down. I am almost ready to just say the hell with this and just start some practice tests. any advice?

 

[thlaxer]

I just used the Kaplan big-ass book for prep, as well as the AAMC practice tests. I scooped up any other free practice tests I could find online (probably shouldn't say from where), and just practiced, practiced, practiced. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON MCAT PREP!!! They're really all the same in the end, and the classes are somewhat of a joke. As someone who was also working full-time while preparing for the MCAT, this was more than sufficient since I ended up scoring high double digits on all the sections. Also, don't practice writing unnecessarily. As long as you get an O (or is it an N), no one will care.

Especially agree with the bolded. I made the mistake of paying for the in-class instruction. Huge waste of time and money. The people they hire to 'teach' (aka regurgitate info from the book) are not "experts" like the company claim they are. I would say about ~70% of the people in my class stopped attending them due to the lack of usefulness..

The content review books are pretty good though. I used the Princeton Review set and it went over everything I needed to know for the MCAT pretty well (their verbal strategy was very iffy though lol).

 

[iamaunicorn]

hey iamaunicorn,
how much time did you spend in content reveiw? I find that I'm obsessing over every little detail that I may be missing while i go through it and it's slowing me down. I am almost ready to just say the hell with this and just start some practice tests. any advice?

If I remember correctly...there were about 60 individual sections in the book I got. I did one section a day (anywhere from 5-15 pages of text) and the associated practice tests. All in all, I spent about 1-2 hours a day on prep in the evening. It did make a bit of a dent in my schedule for 2 months, but it clearly paid off. Save practice tests for the weekend, but do them every weekend (2, if you can). I finished content review about 2-3 weeks before the exam, and just started doing every practice thing I could find on the internet, including tests I had taken earlier on in my prep. VR was my weak point for sure, so I started reading NYT, Economist, and New Yorker to become more of an active reader...and now I read them for the actual enjoyment of it, instead of prepping for tests. All in all, I wouldn't spend more than 2 hours each weekday on prepping...1 hour is even better. Don't burn yourself out in the process, but do take the practice tests seriously.

A thing that I noticed is that common themes keep popping up on the exam. Like...they love that Newtonian mechanics ****, and putting boxes on inclined planes. I know you're smart enough to derive the proper equations for force and all that on your own, but for your peace of mind, just memorize those damn equations from the book and know when to bring them out. It's a skill that will help you on Step 1 anyways (so I hear).

 

[QofQuimica]

just memorize those damn equations from the book and know when to bring them out. It's a skill that will help you on Step 1 anyways (so I hear).

Hardly. Did whoever tell you that actually take Step 1?

At any rate, it's a bit soon to be thinking about Step 1 before you even take the MCAT. For the MCAT, focus on the basics, and practice, as we've been saying. As for prep courses, it's individual-specific. For those who are highly self-motivated to create and stick to a schedule, self-study is probably reasonable. For those who need more structure, a course can help give you that. You should be honest about your own needs. It's counterproductive to try to save money by self-studying if it means being unprepared for the test and then having to try to overcome a poor score when you retake.

 

[iamaunicorn]

Hardly. Did whoever tell you that actually take Step 1?

At any rate, it's a bit soon to be thinking about Step 1 before you even take the MCAT. For the MCAT, focus on the basics, and practice, as we've been saying. As for prep courses, it's individual-specific. For those who are highly self-motivated to create and stick to a schedule, self-study is probably reasonable. For those who need more structure, a course can help give you that. You should be honest about your own needs. It's counterproductive to try to save money by self-studying if it means being unprepared for the test and then having to try to overcome a poor score when you retake.

Who knows. He's a Principal at Bain now...and I don't think he did intern year. Hell...I don't even know if he even graduated. I generally agree with what you said. The "nice" thing about forking over your cash to Kaplan/PR/Berk is that you then feel obligated to go to the classes and study because it's such a huge investment. Although, I think a less costly option is a potential market opportunity for any entrepreneurial non-trad who has experience in education and project management...😏

 

[NuttyEngDude]

thanks guys. the input is helping me focus. 👍

 

[Dzerzhinsky]

thanks guys. the input is helping me focus. 👍

Hi there, MCAT twin. Replying over here so as to not derail the other thread.

I'm doing numerous things wrong with regards to my prep, so we'll see how it works out for me, but here's what I've done so far: In November or so, I took a baseline test (AAMC 3) to get a rough idea of how much work I had ahead of me. Bear in mind that at that point, with regards to prereqs, I had a year of calc-based physics, half of Gen Chem I, and half of Bio I. I was happy enough with the score I got, so I decided to go for it. (Since I won't be done with my prereqs, if I'm not up to my target on practice tests by the time April rolls around, I'm going to scratch and wait the year--but I think it's going to work out.)

When I was deciding on prep materials, I looked at a bunch of different things and initially thought about doing a wide variety of materials based on consensus opinions here. Then I explored pros and cons of materials a little further, looking at opinions on what worked best for what learning style, as well as length. I bought Examkrackers Biology based on the recommendation in the above thread, started it, and liked it so much that I returned it and got the full prep package. It's very, very concise; it covers just what you need to know and not much more. Fortunately, I've been very pleased with how my prereqs are preparing me, and my assessment score reflected that. With unlimited time and energy, I think I could probably do better with a more comprehensive package, but I don't have unlimited time and energy, and I think this offers the best bang for the buck.

In particular, having now finished my Bio I and Gen Chem I classes, the task has seemingly become much more manageable. With regards to biology, I need to self-study physiology, and that's what I'm working on now, but I seem otherwise well-prepared with the exception of the cell cycle (I slacked off on it because I was devoting more time to Gen Chem--note to self: don't do that!) Everything for inorganic seems to have been covered in Gen Chem I (at my institution, they shove us into Orgo I immediately after Gen Chem I.) I have the full year of physics, so while I need a brush-up, I am hopeful that the Examkrackers materials will suffice. And I'm in orgo now--I'm working through Orgo as a Second Language and pre-studying the slides in order to get most of it done before my test date.

With regards to the how of studying: Examkrackers advises reading each chapter three times, and that's what I've been doing. I've read that the end-of-chapter tests and scaling thereto are slightly harder than the actual test; even if they're the same difficulty, I will be quite pleased. While everyone wants a 38+, my goals are fairly modest: I'll give it a whirl if I'm scoring above the admitted-student average on practice tests, and I'll be satisfied with a balanced 30, and based on that info, I seem to be doing all right. Once I finish going through all of the materials like this (targeting mid-March for that), I'll start taking AAMC practice tests.

I was initially going to study for the MCAT, take Cell Bio and Orgo I, work full-time, continue volunteering 10+ hours a week, and get together my application materials this term. I decided, based on doing the same thing minus MCAT last term and on advice from an ex-adcom member that MCAT would be much more important than an incremental change in science GPA, that that would probably be suicide, so I dropped Cell Bio to focus more on MCAT.

As I've started to study, I've already been very pleased to realize that the opinions in the thread above are entirely accurate: It's not so much about content memorization (though obviously you need a certain amount of basic knowledge as a prerequisite) as it is about conceptual understanding and application thereto. It's much more an aptitude-type test than it is a fact test. Since I like the former much better than the latter, I was very relieved.

(Obligatory SDisclaimerN: Yes, I know it's dumb to take the MCAT before completing your prereqs. Dear future readers of this thread: It's dumb, and I don't advise it, and you shouldn't do it. I have a history of breaking the rules and having it turn out well, and I have a plan in place to mitigate the risk, but you should not follow my bad example!)

 

[NuttyEngDude]

wanted to thank you Dzerzhinsky, lots of good tips and motivation, but been busy. thanks! I am going to pick it up after monday (which ends my first round of tests this semester).
👍

 

[NuttyEngDude]

hey Dzerzhinsky,
looks like we're not going to be MCAT twins. I am nowhere near where i want to be in my studying for the MCAT so will definitely be postponing my test date (maybe sometime in may or early june). good luck, sir!