Placement Tests and Pre-Med Courses

[TabbyTuxy]

Hello everyone,

I am currently finishing my second year of undergrad and as I register for next year I'm making sure to check all the boxes for courses to take for medical school. I meet with an advisor to discuss courses on Friday, so I'll be getting their thoughts too.

I know that medical schools are a mixed bag when it comes to accepting AP credit. I had one AP class at my high school (biology), and at my college a 4 granted credit for 1 semester of intro biology and a 5 granted credit for 2 semesters. I ended up getting credit for two semesters and took the intro lab last year in college; I know how my med school options may be limited by this, but my favorite schools accept AP credit and I don't want to spend a year taking courses I tested out of.

My big dilemma comes from college placement exams! This is where I'm struggling to find peer advice. At orientation all freshmen were required to take a chemistry placement exam, and I ended up placing out of the first semester of gen chem. I went straight into orgo and the corresponding labs, and next year I will be taking pchem and biochem. So I have not taken gen chem at the university (or the lab) but I have a year of orgo and labs and, by the end of next year, a total of 2 years of chemistry in general. Is that skipped gen chem something to worry about or retake as an upperclassman? I've been doing well in orgo, but the credit for gen chem is NOT on my transcript like my AP credit for biology is. When I mentioned taking gen chem to my advisor, she brushed it off and made it seem dumb for me to take a class I'd tested out of already rather than saving time and going straight to orgo.

I know a lot depends on the individual school, but any advice or experiences are welcome!

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[goilers]

As a fellow pre-med student I may not have the most wisdom on this, but it seems like you've got an interesting situation. Jumping directly into ochem would kind of suck in my opinion... As far as not taking any gen-chems, I would probably just make sure to double down on studying that for the MCAT, I know just from my freshman to junior years my gen chem memory is a little hazy, I'd imagine not taking it since high school would extenuate the haziness.

 

[aldol16]

I don't see this being an issue - is the placement exam score anywhere on your transcript? Or any other indication that you placed out? Some schools want you to take upper-level courses as well if you place out. Check on the school websites of the schools you're looking at.

 

[TabbyTuxy]

I don't see this being an issue - is the placement exam score anywhere on your transcript? Or any other indication that you placed out? Some schools want you to take upper-level courses as well if you place out. Check on the school websites of the schools you're looking at.

No, it isn't on the transcript anywhere. I'm not sure whether pchem would count as an "upper level" inorganic chem? I always thought about it that way but honestly don't know much about pchem. Besides pchem and biochem I'm done with chemistry classes (phew) since my major (neuroscience) doesn't require any more than that.

 

[TabbyTuxy]

most schools do not, repeat do not, accept a placement test or testing out of a course for fulfilling a prereq unless you received actual credit on your transcript for it. You will need either to take the course or take a more advanced course in lieu. Since the latter may require a waiver, you are much better off in taking the original course or pick it in summee school, even at a CC if need be

Pchem would not count as a "more advanced course" then, correct? I'm curious now as to why my advisor recommended against taking gen chem. Maybe she expected me to quit the pre-med track after a semester and thought she was doing me a favor. Like I said, I will be talking to my major about this more and figuring out a gameplan.

 

[TabbyTuxy]

it would.

That's good, I was planning on taking that anyway. Also I doubled checked my placement exam results and it specifically says, "Students who have not taken the AP Chemistry Placement Exam but place into Chem 210/211 are considered exempt from Chem 125/126 and 130 but do not receive credit on their transcript for 125/126 and 130." Chem 210 is org 1 and 130 is gen chem. What you said about it not appearing on my transcript definitely makes sense from the med schools' perspectives!

 

[deleted781806]

That's good, I was planning on taking that anyway.

The problem you might still run into is that some medical schools require one full year of General Chemistry coursework (two semesters), and even with taking Physical Chemistry you will only have one semester's worth of work on your transcript. Depending on which schools you are going to be applying to, you may need to take another course to fulfill the prerequisites as your placement exam did not give you any credit on your official transcripts.

 

[kneeshoe]

Different medical schools have different views and requirements regarding prerequisites/AP credit, so you should probably look at specific schools and their policies. That being said, I believe that medical schools want to see 2 years of chemistry, one year definitely being organic chemistry. It doesn't have to be necessarily general chemistry for the other year- if you took upper level chem courses, that is probably more difficult and speaks to your knowledge rather than being counted against you. How on earth did you do well in upper level chem classes without even taking general chemistry? lol

You will probably be fine as long as you have 2 years of chemistry, don't stress over it!

 

[Blanky]

Take the courses, check the boxes.