I'm now planning on taking the MCAT Aug of next year. I will take two classes in the spring and I'll finish my pre reqs in summer. Is it too much to take a summer class and study for the MCAT? I dont plan on working very much.
Nontrad MCAT during the summer...
- Thread starter gunito
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It depends on your personality and study habits. Generally, it's definitely doable to take a class or two and study for the MCAT at the same time. A lot of non-trads study while juggling a full-time job, so it may be comparatively a lighter schedule. On the other hand, you want to do very well on the MCAT, and if taking a class is going to make your scores suffer, then I would re-evaluate.
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It depends on your grasp of the material. I had taken some of the prereqs about 4 years and basically got Cs. I have been slowly retaking some but I am glad I didn't have any classes so I could work on the topic mastery like I should have before, but I not only had to relearn what I did know, I had to perfect what I didn't. So that's your call.
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I decided not to take classes while I studied for the MCAT this past summer. I just felt like there was a ton of material to review, and this test is simply not intuitive in my opinion. It's not like studying for your next orgo exam. It's not just the material, it is the style/pace of the MCAT practice tests that took me a long time to get used to.
I would suggest getting your study materials in the winter or spring to get a handle on what you'll need to master, do some preliminary review and take a practice test, then decide for yourself if you think you can handle both an intensive (?) summer course plus MCAT review. If you don't take a summer course, this may enable you to sign up for an earlier test date and leave room for a retake later in the summer, in case you get sick or something else unforeseen happens. Knock on wood.)
If you don't take a summer course, it is good to volunteer or work on the side so you don't go crazy studying ...
Lastly, do you work better under time pressure? Sometimes having a little less free time forces you to be more efficient. Depends on your personal study style.
I would suggest getting your study materials in the winter or spring to get a handle on what you'll need to master, do some preliminary review and take a practice test, then decide for yourself if you think you can handle both an intensive (?) summer course plus MCAT review. If you don't take a summer course, this may enable you to sign up for an earlier test date and leave room for a retake later in the summer, in case you get sick or something else unforeseen happens. Knock on wood.)
If you don't take a summer course, it is good to volunteer or work on the side so you don't go crazy studying ...
Lastly, do you work better under time pressure? Sometimes having a little less free time forces you to be more efficient. Depends on your personal study style.
Thanks for the advice. I'll probably get my material in the Spring and review some things, begin reading NY times, etc, and take a practice test. I was planning on taking ochem II this summer, but I might wait till fall and take the MCAT instead. From what I've read, there's not too much material from that class. I may begin preparing for the MCAT in early may and take it in mid aug. But we'll have to see how everything goes.
