Options for MCAT Prep.

[deleted988566]

Hello,

In need of help in figuring out a better option for my situation preparing for the MCAT. I have three options for preparing for the MCAT.

Option 1: Summer
- Working ~30 hours in research

Tremendous Con: Not yet taken biochem, but willing to start self-teaching with Leininger's, AK lectures, and the Kaplan book.


Option 2: Fall Semester + Winter Break
- Coursework: Biochemistry, Genetics Lab, 7 credits of easy electives (12 total)
- 10-hour weekly role
24 hours school work + 10 hour position = 34 hours/weekly + instructor taught biochem!
- 3 weeks off between semesters, can attempt to finish finals early to get 4 weeks?
Pro: fresh knowledge of biochem + can learn with the MCAT biochem prep material

*I cannot push off genetics lab as it is only offered in the fall at my institution.
*May think about falling below full-time, but unsure what my scholarship requires of me.



Option 3: Summer + Fall Semester + Winter Break
- Everything above

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[DrPatrickStar]

It's easier said than done to MCAT study with a full plate like school, volunteering, and work. My advice is to make the MCAT your priority and then decide if you have time to do research, volunteer or take classes. Can you postpone volunteering for a month or so until you finish testing? Is research really 30 hours of commitment or can you compromise with your PI and make it less? The MCAT requires your full attention and you don't want to fit it into your schedule as much as making it your schedule.

 

[deleted988566]

It's easier said than done to MCAT study with a full plate like school, volunteering, and work. My advice is to make the MCAT your priority and then decide if you have time to do research, volunteer or take classes. Can you postpone volunteering for a month or so until you finish testing? Is research really 30 hours of commitment or can you compromise with your PI and make it less? The MCAT requires your full attention and you don't want to fit it into your schedule as much as making it your schedule.

I can drop all of the volunteering. The research will have weeks of 24 hours, but that is when things are slow and not my decision in the matter.

If in the Fall, I can drop volunteering then, but not the 10 hours and school work.

That being said, now the problem is that I must self teach biochemistry, but may request for the syllabus from a fellow peer.

 

[DrPatrickStar]

I can drop all of the volunteering. The research will have weeks of 24 hours, but that is when things are slow and not my decision in the matter.

If in the Fall, I can drop volunteering then, but not the 10 hours and school work.

That being said, now the problem is that I must self teach biochemistry.

I think summer is your best bet but I would not settle and take the exam if your practice scores are not at least 5 points higher than your goals. At that point, take the studying into fall and correct your mistakes and you should be fine then.

 

[deleted988566]

I think summer is your best bet but I would not settle and take the exam if your practice scores are not at least 5 points higher than your goals. At that point, take the studying into fall and correct your mistakes and you should be fine then.

Thank you for your help, it is stressful just planning out the best option. Worst comes to worst, I'll have to push off my graduation, and push all fall or spring coursework aside (as I am a rising Senior, and presently taking a gap year)

 

[DrPatrickStar]

Thank you for your help, it is stressful just planning out the best option. Worst comes to worst, I'll have to push off my graduation, and push all fall or spring coursework aside (as I am a rising Senior, and presently taking a gap year)

My plans for the MCAT never went accordingly and I had to learn from my mistakes. Start as early as possible and use that extra time in fall + winter if you need it. I took a gap year and got a job as a full time scribe learning so much about medicine and made a ton of connections. It was like it was meant to be. You will learn that too surely! Good luck and remember that it is not a sprint, it is a marathon.

 

[Blueprint Med School]

I took my MCAT in January, after studying in the Fall semester + winter break. It's very doable. The only benefit to doing it this way is that if you end up doing worse than you hoped, you can retake it later that year without being late to the application cycle. Biochem is one of the most heavily covered topics on the MCAT, so I really suggest taking it in class before attempting to take the exam. If you don't feel ready in January, you can just postpone your exam.

Kevin W, MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

 

[JimKimSlim]

Looks like the only course you need to take for the test is biochemistry, which is the most important class out of all the other subjects for the test. I would personally suggest the much safer option 3, but if it comes to option 1 I would suggest Educator.com supplemented with KA practice problems. Of all the other online lectures out there, I think Prof. Raffi Hovasapian teaches biochemistry the best. He also teaches other courses (I honestly don’t think I could’ve passed physical chemistry without his lectures).

 

[ThePotatoDoctor]

Depends on when you want to take the MCAT. If you hit it pretty hard in the summer and want to knock it out in September or something like that, I would promote that option. Just make sure when you actually decide to study, make a plan and be consistent. Although biochem is really high yield, the concepts are not too terribly difficult to learn on your own or with the help of good material. Studying during school is an option that may be a bit more difficult with your other commitments. Be sure to take lots of full length exams and get a lot of good test-taking practice with passages!