Non-trad'l applicant seeking specific MCAT advice from 38+ folks

[drpatelplasticsurgery]

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I am a non-traditional applicant, so I may very well post a similar message in the non-traditional applicant forum as well.

I am a reapplicant gunning for Fall 2007 admission (U.S. allopathic schools only). I also intend to retake the MCAT in April 2006.

Since my Aug '98 MCAT score expired, and I believed I could do much better, I retook the exam in April '04 (studied on my own), garnering 08 VR/11 PS/11 BS/S WS. I applied for Fall 2005 admission, but I had only gotten two interviews with only a waitlist to show for it.

So I know it is my GPA that is holding me back, but I can no longer change that (going through even more schooling before medical school would be wasteful). However, I can change my MCAT if I really do well in April '06. I am talking 12+ VR/13+ PS/13+ BS. That is why I am seeking advice from those few of you out there that have achieved such a score.

As of today I have over 9 months to prepare. I am willing to "blow my money" on a Princeton Review course that starts this November. In fact, I am willing to spend as much time and money as is necessary to accomplish my goal of this high score.

If those of you that had gotten 38+ scores could give me some semblance of a study schedule over these next several months, I would greatly appreciate it. I pick up things quick, but then I have a tendency to plateau at a solid, but not fantastic, level.

I will be likely working in a lab full-time (12-hour work days, Monday through Friday; weekends off) while I prepare for the April exam, to give an idea of how much free time I would have.

 

[izibo]

Hate to brake it to you, but 35+ requires skill and immense knowledge base. 38+ requires skill, immense knowledge base, and a little bit of luck on exam day. I know my stuff and was scoring 33-39 on practice exams and ended up with a 35. Trying to get much higher then that is almost a crap shoot. The exam could test one topic you are only vaguely familiar with and say goodbye to a 38.

You should be more realistic. There is a thread in the MCAT forum which talks about 30+ study habits, you should look at that.

 

[Steiner]

I think the prior post says what you need to do without saying it. Saying "what if there is a topic you are unfamiliar with" is saying that to gaurantee a high score you must be familiar with every topic on the MCAT (available on the aamc webstie). I would go back to the basics of everything and start from the ground up again. Make sure you have an understanding of every topic and concept in chemistry especially. I read Cliff's Notes on chemistry and physics before I began studying with the examkrackers package. I ended up with a 38, v-13, p-12, b-13. With verbal, I think the examkrackers method for doing the verbal reasoning section and studying for it are great, but it needs a lot of time to be done. Don't try reading a bunch of New Yorker essays or JAMA papers.

 

[emgirl]

Hi, I'm not able to give advice on the MCAT but I noticed you said your BCPM went up after your NYU classes...if they were grad classes they can't boost your undergrad BCPM (I wish they did!).. so you may not really have a BCPM of 3.33 if you had factored those courses in. You may want to try taking some post-bac (undergrad) classes depending on what your undergrad BCPM is (say, if you are at a 2.9 to push yourself over the 3.0 mark)- because regardless of your MCAT you may be initially screened for being below a 3.0 gpa and that might be why you got so few interviews because the 30 that you got earlier was v.respectable. Just something to think about after you have kicked the MCATs ass in 06. Gluck! Em

 

[CUarzt]

i'd suggest you be as willing "to blow your money" as you are "to work for yourself and no one else"

as with most performances in life, the separation of adequate and great is preparation and dedication; the separation of great and truly outstanding is mindset

without waxing poetic, i'll suggest that you first develop a mindset to accompany an extremely thoughtful study schedule. your time at princeton and law school has likely taught you that carefully considering your approach to a task is every bit as important as its follow-through

that said, there is no cookie-cutter regimen for a truly outstanding mcat performance (which i think you'd define as 38+)

i doubt any of this is salient for you, so here's a more concrete bit of advice which i stand by one hundred percent: sacrifice your ego and be your worst critic; figure out why you got a practice exam question wrong, learn the reasoning behind the answer. . .and then some

it is all well and good to set your sights lofty (say, 38+ mcat), but do not develop a "38+ or nothing" mentality. it might impress your coworkers, but i guarantee you'll be less than impressed with your score

and, for your own sake, don't start nine months before the mcat and go like gangbusters

. . .just my $.02