preparing for MCAT in Post Bacc

[Smb8041]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this question. But I'm currently in a post bacc program taking my General Chemistry I. I will be sitting for the MCAT this spring, and during that spring semester I will be taking Orgo Chem II, Bio II and Physics II, so my semester will be jam packed. Is there anything I can be doing now to start preparing myself for the MCAT, so I don't feel too overwhelmed once spring comes? Any advice would be appreciated!

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[MT Headed]

SDN MCAT advice comes down to three talking points:
(1) you should not take your MCAT before completing your prereqs
(2) you should not take the MCAT without studying full-time approximately 3 months after taking your prereqs
(3) you need to take your MCAT early (like May) so you can submit early

You of course realize that these three talking points are mutually exclusive, hence the cyclical agony of us SDNers every year. The question is, violating which of these three talking points will harm you the least? I used to believe it is (3), but now I think it is a toss-up between (3) and (2).

My advice: If you find yourself absolutely dominating your prereqs and wondering why everybody else is struggling, and your practice mcat tests from the AAMC are satisfactory, then take the test in May. If you feel like you are a normal student, then do the 3 month study/review outlined in the sticky notes, and take the test 3 months after class gets out. An unsatisfactory MCAT score will be much more harmful than an application with a satisfactory MCAT that is turned in a month later.

It is not clear what you mean by taking the MCAT in the "spring". Be warned that taking the MCAT before you are finished with all of your prereqs is foolhardy. MCAT review material is just that - a review - they assume you've been taught the material once already. The best studying you can do for the MCAT is get A's in your classes. The MCAT is notorious for hitting topics covered in the last month of your prereqs.

 

[Integrated MCAT Course]

The second semester of organic chemistry is when the reactions of aldehydes and ketones as well as the acyl substitution mechanisms are covered. The second semester of biology is when the physiology is covered as well as the molecular genetics portion of general biology. These are among the most factually and conceptually intensive challenges of the premedical curriculum and favorites for the MCAT. In a demanding undergraduate setting, typically students have to work like the devil just to keep up with the weekly demands of the coursework, so I'm afraid you are going to be setting yourself up for taking the MCAT after tunneling through the mountain without ever getting a chance to walk around it. Truly you need to give your mind the opportunity to digest the material, to see it from start to finish, because it's only after all of the curriculum has been covered from start to finish that you can begin to see the interrelationships that underpin conceptual mastery. For example, the acyl substitution mechanism in the second part of organic is not only key to understanding biosynthesis in general, but also phosphoryl transfer, without which a real understanding of respiration and metabolism is impossible. If you must take the MCAT in May, you should probably self-study that second semester to have at least a working familiarity several months before the exam. You can't really take meaningful practice tests until you can hold yourself responsible for the content.

 

[SN2ed]

SDN MCAT advice comes down to three talking points:
(1) you should not take your MCAT before completing your prereqs
(2) you should not take the MCAT without studying full-time approximately 3 months after taking your prereqs
(3) you need to take your MCAT early (like May) so you can submit early

You of course realize that these three talking points are mutually exclusive, hence the cyclical agony of us SDNers every year.

Not being able to do all three is due primarily to lack of planning and/or an unwillingness to take a gap year. Granted, lack of planning may happen due to a sudden shift in interest. However, that doesn't mean one should then rush things to compensate.

A note on gap years: They aren't bad things or something to be feared. Gap years are amazing at bolstering an otherwise weak app into something special. People act like if they don't get in immediately after college, medical school will disappear. It won't.

Here's one way a traditional applicant can fulfill all three:

1. First two years take all of the necessary pre-reqs (often times completing pre-reqs will also contribute greatly to finishing general education requirements of the college)
2. Use summer after sophomore year for the MCAT
3. Apply in June after their junior year
4. Interviews during senior year

Taking a gap year:

1. Complete pre-reqs and possibly some higher level science course first three years
2. Use summer after junior year for the MCAT
3. Apply in June after graduating
4. Take gap year
5. Improve application in gap year
6. Interviews during gap year

Some advantages of the gap year:
- Take MCAT with some upper division courses
- No interviews during senior year
- Plenty of time to build strong ECs