Not feeling prepared

[Dr.kennethnoisewater]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

I have the last class to take from the general Bio series. However I am not feeling very well prepared. My teacher is great guy but he doesn't exactly go into very much detail and brushes over topics that seem to be important for things like the MCAT. He really shows too much of the big picture idea.When I look over MCAT bio material there is topics that I haver never heard of, or I recognize the question but only understand certain aspects and not details. Is this somewhat common only having two quarters of bio? Will I get much more exposure in higher level classes that will help with the MCAT? Or should I be self studying to make up for it?

 

[WedgeDawg]

You should be self studying. That is the most efficient way to do this. Don't rely on your classes to adequately prepare you. That's not their job.

 

[Dr.kennethnoisewater]

You should be self studying. That is the most efficient way to do this. Don't rely on your classes to adequately prepare you. That's not their job.

How would you suggest I go about that? Just study from the book that I am using in the class?

 

[tunicaexterna]

Totally possible to self study to make up the difference. I never learned about micro, viruses, embryology, most lab techniques, etc etc. Just get a MCAT prep book and you will be fine.

 

[gannicus89]

Maybe 7% of what I learned through the premed prereqs was useful to me on the science sections of the new mcat. I self-taught / self-learned most of the subject matter.

 

[CaliforniaDreamer]

What concepts? There are a lot of concepts that aren't really covered in general bio, but more in upper division biochem, physiology, or genetics classes.

 

[beeboops]

It's not your undergraduate classes' responsibility to prepare you for the MCAT, especially if you've only had 2 quarters' worth of classes. Most people I know self-study by buying MCAT review books, such as those by the Princeton Review or Kaplan. Other people choose to take MCAT classes that will specifically address MCAT topics if they need a little more structure and discipline in their studying. The stuff I learned in my classes helped me form a base on which to build knowledge, but they weren't sufficient on their own to prepare me for the MCAT.

 

[I'm On My Way Up]

What concepts? There are a lot of concepts that aren't really covered in general bio, but more in upper division biochem, physiology, or genetics classes.

So did you feel that these upper division classes prepared you more for the MCAT than your traditional general bio, chem, o-chem, etc classes, or is it mainly the exam prep books that help?

 

[rtmsf95]

I think going with an MCAT series (TPR, EK, Kaplan etc.) for the material and focusing on just that will give you a cleaner idea of the topics that will be presented on the MCAT. Any prior exposure/knowledge will definitely help, but knowing the spectrum of topics that'd potentially show up on the MCAT, as well as knowing how in-depth you have to understand them, will really help you out. They also come with a lot of practice. Merely knowing the content won't get you points..answering questions correctly will. So I definitely emphasize purchasing some books for practice. Self-study the content you claim you haven't seen before. If it's likely to show up on the MCAT, it will be present in the books guaranteed. Goodluck!

 

[cooldriver]

I agree, self-study is the key to cracking MCAT. I did not take any MCAT prep course but made sure that I went through the entire Berkley review and KAPLAN books and understood all the topics covered in those books. That was enough to do well in MCAT . Youtube and Khanacademy were also my best friends. Remember most of the stuff on MCAT is actually basic science and many of complicated passages have easy questions attached to them. So don't worry, you will be just fine if you follow a set schedule. Best of Luck!!

 

[Pusheen]

MCAT material seems to be particularly lacking in gen bio. Physics, ochem, and gen chem are a lot better.
I learned maybe about 30% of MCAT bio material from gen bio class, 10% from physiology, and 20% from high school bio. Everything else I taught myself. It's not that hard once you have the basics down 😉

 

[CaliforniaDreamer]

So did you feel that these upper division classes prepared you more for the MCAT than your traditional general bio, chem, o-chem, etc classes, or is it mainly the exam prep books that help?

Yes, I felt fairly prepared for the bio and basic science portions of the MCAT by my upper division classes. I was a physiology major. I still did a lot of self study regardless, mostly on gen chem and physics, but I really only had to review a few things for bio. I don't think I missed a single question on the bio section either so it must have worked.

 

[Dr.kennethnoisewater]

It's not your undergraduate classes' responsibility to prepare you for the MCAT, especially if you've only had 2 quarters' worth of classes. Most people I know self-study by buying MCAT review books, such as those by the Princeton Review or Kaplan. Other people choose to take MCAT classes that will specifically address MCAT topics if they need a little more structure and discipline in their studying. The stuff I learned in my classes helped me form a base on which to build knowledge, but they weren't sufficient on their own to prepare me for the MCAT.

I agree, self-study is the key to cracking MCAT. I did not take any MCAT prep course but made sure that I went through the entire Berkley review and KAPLAN books and understood all the topics covered in those books. That was enough to do well in MCAT . Youtube and Khanacademy were also my best friends. Remember most of the stuff on MCAT is actually basic science and many of complicated passages have easy questions attached to them. So don't worry, you will be just fine if you follow a set schedule. Best of Luck!!

I think going with an MCAT series (TPR, EK, Kaplan etc.) for the material and focusing on just that will give you a cleaner idea of the topics that will be presented on the MCAT. Any prior exposure/knowledge will definitely help, but knowing the spectrum of topics that'd potentially show up on the MCAT, as well as knowing how in-depth you have to understand them, will really help you out. They also come with a lot of practice. Merely knowing the content won't get you points..answering questions correctly will. So I definitely emphasize purchasing some books for practice. Self-study the content you claim you haven't seen before. If it's likely to show up on the MCAT, it will be present in the books guaranteed. Goodluck!

Well I am still about 2 years away from taking the MCAT, would it really be beneficial to buy books now and study them this far in advance? Because outside of using the MCAT study material all I would have to go off of would be the textbook I am currently using.

 

[rtmsf95]

If you're 2 years away from the MCAT, then just focus on drilling the concepts down now, so they're easier to review when the time comes. When you're studying for upcoming exams in the core subjects that constitute the MCAT, also study for the long term. Less memorizing and more understanding. Topics such as thermodynamics and resonance are recurring, and if you get a good hold of them, you won't have to spend so much time relearning the basics to set yourself up for success. Just study the textbooks for now, since the MCAT books won't go over the concepts in the intensity that you'll need to know for your classes. Focus on the long-term, and you'll be set.

 

[Meeehai]

In my experience, taking a physiology course is a great idea for MCAT preparation. It's so much easier to learn everything if you've already been exposed to it. I'm not too familiar with the new MCAT because I took it before the 2015 revamp but I'm certain that phys is probably still a big component. When we talk about "biology" or "chemistry," etc., these are very broad subjects so you cannot expect to be prepared from courses alone. At the end of the day, you need to pinpoint and condense your studies to what the MCAT asks of you and this can only be done through prep books like TPR/Kaplan. Also I don't recommend an overpriced prep course if you have good study habits. Good luck.

 

[desertrat12]

Ditto to what everyone else has said. I'm a spanish major and was exposed to much less bio then some of my peers who were science majors, but a good prep book can lay out what you need to know and self studying makes up the difference. If you are worrying about the MCAT two years out then you must be at least a little driven (I never thought about the MCAT until about 6 months before taking it). Do well in your classes, sharpen your study skills, don't over stress yourself about the MCAT years before taking it and when the time comes to prepare you'll have solid study skills that allow you to fill in any gaps you may have in your knowledge base. And if the time comes and you feel you have quite a few gaps in your knowledge base, don't fear, you are in good company. Plenty of non science majors/science majors whose prof focused on non MCAT topics have done fine on the MCAT...and, finally, if you aren't convinced, plenty of 2015 MCAT test takers knew little to nothing of most of the topics on the psych and soc section before they started to study for the test and they did well come test day.

Also, if you really are worried about forgetting topics you could always use something like anki to help remember important topics throughout the comings months

 

[cooldriver]

Well I am still about 2 years away from taking the MCAT, would it really be beneficial to buy books now and study them this far in advance? Because outside of using the MCAT study material all I would have to go off of would be the textbook I am currently using.

Yes, I highly recommend buying MCAT books now and using text books to re enforce concepts that you are having trouble understanding. I bought my books in my sophomore year too, thats the smart thing to do...trust me you only want to take this test once so you better be well prepared

 

[Dr.kennethnoisewater]

Yes, I highly recommend buying MCAT books now and using text books to re enforce concepts that you are having trouble understanding. I bought my books in my sophomore year too, thats the smart thing to do...trust me you only want to take this test once so you better be well prepared

I guess the reason I hesitate to buy MCAT material now is because when I start studying for the test in 2 years I will have already exhausted my review materials. I am not sure if that is valid reasoning or not.

 

[cooldriver]

I guess the reason I hesitate to buy MCAT material now is because when I start studying for the test in 2 years I will have already exhausted my review materials. I am not sure if that is valid reasoning or not.

Thats exactly the excuse I first gave myself for not start studying. Trust me you will never run out of material to study even if you started 5 years earlier. Every year new books with new practice exams get published, so don't worry I give you 100% guarantee that you will never run out of material to learn