Organic and Physics on the MCAT

[Sincere]

Good afternoon everyone. I would like to seek some peer advice on the feasibility of tackling the MCAT with only one semester of organic chemistry and no physics. I am currently a junior and will just be starting on my prerequisites. Due to my other academic obligations, I will only be able to complete the general chemistry sequence, an accelerated general biology course (equivilant to a full year of introductory biology), one semester of organic chemistry, biochemistry, animal physiology, and genetics.

I heard from some medical students comment that the physics on the MCAT are not all that difficult, that you can "get through" just by understanding the elementary concepts. On the other hand, I have no clue whatsoever regarding whether lacking the second semester of organic chemistry will leave me handicapped. Of course, I will make serious efforts during my "gap years" to conduct self study and try to gain as much knowledge on those areas as possible. Though I have thought about taking those courses as a post-bac, finances will certainly impose tremendous difficulties.

Your comments and suggestions on whether or not lacking a second semester of organic chemistry and a full year of physics will ruin any decent chance of achieving a 30+. Thank you.

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[Sincere]

Wow, I failed to notice the sub forums. Nevertheless, I would still love to hear your comments.

 

[littlealex]

One semester of Orgo is fine. You'll need to learn some reactions but I think if you did wel lin Orgo 1 you have a solid foundation for the MCAT.

Having no physics will hurt you quite a bit, especially given the recent spike of difficulty in the physical science section. However, it is still very doable in my opinion, it just means it takes more work... maybe quite a bit more work.

Buy the Examkracker series, they focus very well on the concepts while not getting bogged down on the details. AFTER finishing it, assess where you are. If you're not scoring as well as you want to be, supplement your MCAT studying with Kaplan/TPR materials.


If you're going for a very strong score (12+ on each sciences), more classes in different areas will likely help. The problem is not that you can't learn the concepts on your own, but that often you're required to apply the learned concepts to NEW material on the test. Having more classes lets you understand HOW these concepts are applied in upper division classes.

Assuming a 10 on verbal, I think you have a good shot at getting 10+ on each of the sciences to go for a 30+. January might be a little early for you to take the test. I would schedule a light Fall semester, and to really discipline yourself to learn the material early. There's a big difference between memorizing and understanding.

Learning Physics and Orgo early in your fall semester, months before the test, will give you time to process the material and to think about them.

Truly understanding the sciences and to be able to relate ALL of the subjects and how they affect each other is the key to 12+ on the sciences. How does viscosity affect the fluid flow? What does fluid dynamics mean in terms of the circulatory system? How is the circulatory system affected by the hormones?

Everything is connected, and that is how they will presented on the test.

 

[mrmilad]

If you finish Ochem 1 you will be fine, just will need to learn how to deal with carbonyl reactions, and that is doable using EK.

The physics, I only completed physics1, and I am also a junior. I covered Electromagnetism and Optics on my own over the summer, and it was not too difficult. When I took the test on Aug14th, I ended up getting a passage on Optics and also a Passage on Electricity, so they are a must but you can do it if you put in the work.

We'll see what happens when I get my scores on sept 12th ;p...