Preparing a year in advance?

[E27]

Hi all!

I am currently a junior who has completed all of the pre-reqs except for Physics I and II. I will be taking them next year.

I have read numerous times on these forums that it is a bad idea to study for the MCAT while trying to balance a heavy course-load during the semester.

Note: I plan on taking the MCAT next summer (2011).

That being said, I am interested in studying for the MCAT this summer, with the exception of the physics material. I rarely fair well on standardized tests, so I need as much time as possible to prepare! I am nervous that if I wait until next year to prepare, I will not feel ready for the exam until August. And, if I wait that long, my applications would be horribly delayed.

Has anyone ever taken this approach before? Does anyone think this could be beneficial? I realize that people might say it is useless to study so far in advance for an exam because I will forget everything. However, I am in desperate need of reminding myself of Gen Bio and Gen Chem!

I am really not quite sure how else I can go about preparing for the exam, other than studying during the semester...

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[RogueUnicorn]

let me put it this way- how much material do you remember from classes you took last semester, let alone last year?

 

[SN2ed]

I have more than 4 months until my test, is there anything you suggest?

There are two things you might want to consider. First, aim for mastery of the material in all of your pre-reqs. Don't go simply for the A. Know the material cold. Next, is reading various materials. Here's my suggested reading list:

Wall Street Journal
New Yorker
Economist
Random science journals

Good source for philosophy/humanities work which people tend to struggle with:

Moral Issues in Global Perspectives: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...condition=used

I noticed that the philosophy book has gone up quite a bit in price. It used to be available for less than $1. Looking at the items also bought with the book, I'm thinking this is my fault... Oh yeah, if you get this edition, you do NOT need to buy volume 2. What happened is that later editions of the book split the original into 3 different books. The original book has the weird green and black cover. Check with your libraries and see if they have a copy or can get one from another library branch. If you want to buy it, search around used book sites.

Remember to read the boring articles as well as the interesting ones. Chances are your MCAT verbal passages won't be the most exciting read.

 

[MegaSpectacular]

bleargh is right. The best you can do is deeply learn what you are learning. Don't just solve problems but understand it on a level that you could compare it to other things you know. Also take excellent notes while you learn that you can save.

If you take excellent notes / learn very deeply, then when it comes time to review it all you will be much better off than the guy who crams a few days each semester to get an A in the course.

This is likely the only way to prepare for the MCAT so far away. Like everyone will say, you won't necessarily remember the old material, but if you learn it deeply, refreshing takes no time at all.

Learning takes on the rule, "use it or lose it". You won't be "using it" until the MCAT is approaching (approximately 2-3 months before).

looks like SN2 said about the same thing I did, I didn't read it until after I wrote this.

 

[E27]

First of all, thanks for all of the replies. I really appreciate it!

As for learning the material well and not merely going for the "A" is a bit of a problem for me at the moment. While I still have Physics I and II left (and I plan on learning the material in and out), I am already done with all of my other pre-reqs. I soaked in O-Chem I & II quite well, but the Gen Bio and Gen Chem courses are a complete blur to me; I crammed the night before every test. Freshman year study habits =

So, I am still struggling to find a solution to my dilemma. My Gen Bio and Gen Chem courses had notes on PowerPoints (which I didn't print out), so I do not have those to go back and study. How should I go about remembering the material from these courses? This is the main reason I wanted to begin preparing for the MCAT this summer. However, I can see where bleargh is coming from. But, to be quite honest, if I try my best to "learn" the material in a class rather than go for the "A," I remember it well into the future (but maybe I'll need a little refresher before remembering all of the details).

I believe that if I wait to start preparing for the MCAT until next Spring, I will not have enough time to feel confident to take the exam before the Summer. I need to do something soon. I plan on taking your advice, SN2ed. I am going to invest in 1 or 2 of those magazines, and possibly the Global Perspectives book (but, I take quite a few philosophy/ethics courses that provide a bunch of reading material already). It can never hurt to start reading these materials too early, I believe.

So. Let's say I plan to take the MCAT during March of next year. Wouldn't it be possible to begin studying in July this summer (intensely through August), and then continue to study through February? I really don't have any other options. Studying during the school year will (as SN2ed has stated many times) will not only result in a poor performance on the MCAT, but my GPA will also take a hit. But, if I am focusing on the Chems, Bios, and VR, I will have less to study during this summer. I will need to wait to really study Physics until first semester is over...

This is stressful.

 

[MegaSpectacular]

So. Let's say I plan to take the MCAT during March of next year. Wouldn't it be possible to begin studying in July this summer (intensely through August), and then continue to study through February?

This is fine, but it isn't high yield. Just as you told us, you crammed for the Bio exams and don't remember much. Now you are basically asking, can you cram during the summer and then be better prepared. There is no simple answer...

Just understand these basic principles...

1. Your last few months (2-3) are the most important in determining how you do.

2. Use it or lose it. That which isn't used regularly is lost. Can you retain all the MCAT info and problem solving skills over 9 months? Sure. If you are using them the entire time. BUT... you likely won't have time. You will likely get really good during the summer and then lose it all during the semester. Just like you were really good the morning after you crammed for your bio exam, if you took the exam 30 min from now you would fail.

3. Concentrated studying BEFORE the MCAT will surpass 6-9 month prep of equal time, because you are fresher and are USING the material more frequently.

4. You are thinking with the concepts more than memorizing them. So again, this is a skill set that gets better as you use it. During the semester you have less free time to use your skills and hone them.

BEST thing to do: Take the MCAT after 8 -12 weeks of good free time.
WORST thing to do: Take the MCAT while taking 15+ units that are mostly difficult/time consuming sciences.

 

[E27]

I hear exactly what you're saying, Mega. So, now that it doesn't seem like a great idea to study this far in advance, I believe I must plan to take the MCAT in August of 2011. However, I have read so many times on these forums that I would be putting myself at a disadvantage if I wait this long. Is this true?

Do schools send out their secondaries once they receive the application, regardless if the MCAT score is involved? Or do they wait until they have the primary app. plus the MCAT scores to distribute the secondaries?

Thanks!

 

[SN2ed]

I hear exactly what you're saying, Mega. So, now that it doesn't seem like a great idea to study this far in advance, I believe I must plan to take the MCAT in August of 2011. However, I have read so many times on these forums that I would be putting myself at a disadvantage if I wait this long. Is this true?

Do schools send out their secondaries once they receive the application, regardless if the MCAT score is involved? Or do they wait until they have the primary app. plus the MCAT scores to distribute the secondaries?

Thanks!

What you're mentioning is a common pitfall for applicants. All too often applicants try to abide by some self-imposed timeline. You do NOT have to apply to medical school the same year you take the MCAT. I repeat, you do NOT have to apply to medical school the same year you take the MCAT. Focus on crushing the MCAT, THEN worry about applying. There is no point in applying early if you rushed your MCAT and scored bad. Unfortunately, there have been countless times where people do just that.

On the Global Perspectives book, since you already have some philosophy books, that's probably not necessary. I recommended that book more for people with little to no exposure to philosophy. However, you could check your library for a copy.

 

[E27]

Thanks for the advice, SN2. I'm hoping that I will be able to find adequate time to prepare enough so I can rock the MCAT, but if not, then I will definitely plan on taking another year off.

If I were to plan well enough and be able to take the MCAT August of next summer, and apply that same year, would I be at a huge disadvantage?

As for the philosophy material, I do plan on checking out my school's library to see what they have. I also will be ordering the Economist (as I am an Econ major), so I can continuously read that not only for fun but for preparation!

 

[NickNaylor]

I don't see what the problem with reviewing a year in advance. The problem comes in when you review and then don't review for a while. You'll simply lose everything you gained. If you study on a regular basis for a whole year, you'd probably dominate. You'd have time to go through all of the material multiple times.

 

[fornoca]

I myself haven't studied for MCAT while giving semester exams but I started preparing for it on a later date.