ok to start prepping for the mcat without ochem?

[ACD2007]

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hey yall,

i was wondering if it is possible to start a prep course (kaplan/princeton) without having taken ochem, and maybe even take the mcat without ochem?

im not really a science/smart person, you know, one of those stereotypical overachieving genius pre med students, so i have to work harder than others to get the same grades, and i can live with that.

im majoring in biology and history and i've done fine in biology and chemistry, and i'm currently taking physics over the summer (which is terrible way to spend a summer vacation).

anyway the reason why im asking is because i'll be able to finish school in 4 years, but i don't think i'll be able to take the mcat during the spring of my junior year because i won't be done with ochem, so i'd have to spend a year after college where i'm doing nothing but the mcat. i'd like to avoid this because if i don't get into medical school then that would be 2 years of not doing anything.

i appreciate yalls help, thanks.

PS - i know all those "what are my chances" threads are kind of pointless because theres no quintessential candidate, so i thought id sneak this in at the bottom if anyone wants to chime in. i'd really like to hear any suggestions also.

i'd like to goto TCOM, i know its bad to only apply to one school but i know for sure that i want to be a DO and im from texas so obviously the tuition would be much cheaper. my father was a professor there and some of the admissions council are family friends.

(i'm planning on trying to raise these)
Overall GPA: 3.4 (got a C in an unrelated writing course)
Science GPA: 3.6
History GPA: 3.5
MCAT: N/A

volunteer experience

-currently teach an english class once a week for refugees
-english teacher in china last summer
-taught catechism once a week during high school (probably irrelevant, but if this whole doctor thing doesn't work out i'd become a teacher and id be perfectly happy with that).

clinical experience

-one of TCOMs admissions councilors is sending me to shadow different alumni, so this summer i'm with an internist, and whenever im done with him they are sending me to an ER doc

and well this might be irrelevant clincial experience, but my parents, all of my aunts and uncles, and grandparents are all doctors so i've grown up inside TCOM, hospitals and worked in their offices my entire life. since i didn't really want to be a doctor when i was young, i never really realized the exposure i was getting, im just listing this because right now my experience is limited.

thanks again.

 

[ACD2007]

sorry i didn't realize how long and rambling that question was haha

 

[GiraffeAddict]

I prepped with a company and took the MCAT without having taken either Physics I or II. As for Organic Chem, it has become increasingly less represented on the Biological Sciences section of the test. If you look a few years back, it composed 50% of the section, but with the growing emphasis on genetics (hence the additional trend of schools making genetics courses a firm requirement), it has been reduced to only 25% of the exam, which realistically equals out to about one or two passages. Granted, the passages could test any of the basic Orgo topics.

So, I would say you could get through the MCAT without having taken all of the required courses, as long as you can teach it to yourself (or with the help of some very generous friends), and teach it to yourself WELL.

 

[amakhosidlo]

I took 2 years off b/t the time I took O-chem (and retained nothing) and my MCAT and got a 12 in bio

Pick up one of those thick TPR or Kaplan comprehensive MCAT prep books.
It'll have everything you need to know for the MCAT, and explains it much more succinctly than any lecturer or textbook I've ever had...

Oh, and +1 for the genetics comment, the only passage that tripped me up was on bacterial genetics 🙄.

 

[Octagonecology]

According to EK the MCAT only really tests 1st semester OChem stuff anyways...basic functional groups, isometry, hybridization. So if you can get OChem I out of the way you should be golden.

 

[Krisss17]

OP, I'm confused...when are you planning on applying? During the next cycle? If so, you can probably hold off taking the MCAT until next April and till be early in the application phase. You will want to try to finish all of your prereqs as early in the application period as possible. So if you are taking organic chem 1 next spring and the sequel in the summer, that would be best.

Best of luck

 

[Emerald84]

Krisss I have a tuxdeo kitty just like you!

Anyway- you could start prepping for verbal and PS without Ochem as well as bio. Pick up a big think book like other have suggested and start getting used to the formatting of the passages etc.

I really liked the Exam Krackers Audio Osmosis- you could start working with that too 😀

 

[Krisss17]

Krisss I have a tuxdeo kitty just like you!

Anyway- you could start prepping for verbal and PS without Ochem as well as bio. Pick up a big think book like other have suggested and start getting used to the formatting of the passages etc.

I really liked the Exam Krackers Audio Osmosis- you could start working with that too 😀

Yeah, he's my sweetie...just wish he would stop sleeping on my DVR box

OP, I don't know that I would bother with the high cost of the Kaplan program just yet. You might just want to make sure that you have the fundamentals of bio/gen chem/and physics down pat.

I've heard that the EK biology is a good source, as well as the Berkeley Reivew for physics and chemistry.

Continued wishes of good luck

 

[Crashingtide]

I took the MCAT without O-chem 2 and thought the major disadvantage it put me at was in allocating study time. I had to teach myself all of the principles. You do need to know different kinds of reactions, not just the basic Sn 1 Sn 2 stuff, which hits O-Chem 2 territory. I scored an 11 in that section but I believe I could've done better had I taken an O-Chem class. In fact, I think I could've done overall better if I could've allocated study time to other materials instead of O-Chem.

The shining star to this was that I ended up acing O-Chem 2 because I felt like I was retaking it, despite it being the first time I took a traditional class on the material.

Btw, even if it does turn out to be 25% of the Biological Sciences Section, it's never a good idea to forfeit a series of questions. Two things can happen at that point...

1. the overall test could have been viewed as "easier" based on scores, and thus that 25% could mean the difference between a good score and a bad score on that section or...

2. Your particular exam contains more than 25% O-Chem on it. This may appear as straight forward O-Chem questions or as genetics/biochem questions that require a background in O-Chem. Why take the risk?

You've gotta keep this in mind...for the most part, med schools want to see consistency. If you score a 32 but get a 13/13/6 because you didn't know a particular subject well, it looks poor on you in the eyes of admissions. Definitely be prepared to put in insane hours of studying if you plan on taking the MCAT now.