Previous GRE preparation saves effort to MCAT?

[rhp123]

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I have taken GRE a long time ago and got very good scores on all three sections. The score already expired though.

I am starting preparing MCAT. Does anybody know the similarities between GRE and MCAT? How much efforts can I possibly save because I had studied for the GRE long time back.

 

[thedevirginator]

maybe those vocabs you had memorized can help you understand a verbal passage easier. Good Luck🙂

 

[MeowMix]

Studying for the GRE in the past will not save you any time, unfortunately. There is no similarity between the exams themselves.

However, if you have developed good multiple-choice strategy and skills, that would help a little. The verbal sections are very different, although a good vocabulary would help on either one. Good quick math skills will help on the MCAT too.

 

[fun8stuff]

I have a friend who took the MCAT last April and scored a 24. Because she is pre-vet, she can also use GRE scores for applying. She spent 4 months studying for the MCAT.

Over the summer she took the GRE. She was so upset about her MCAT score and was sick of studying that she didnt even study or anything for the GRE. She ended up scoring in like the 98 or 99% overall on the GRE. Pretty strange... but I would have to say that the tests are testing different things.

 

[Stroganoff]

How long do GRE scores last?

I'm planning on taking the GRE Summer 2004. I probably won't apply to MSTP until the 2006-07 cycle (and graduate in May 2007). Just curious. Thanks.

 

[lola]

the gre and mcat are very different. the biggest difference is that most people can take the gre cold and do ok assuming they are fairly intelligent. taking the mcat cold is a terrible idea (unless maybe you've just taken all the courses and have retained the info), because the mcat requires knowledge of a core set of science information. having taken the gre will not really help you out on the mcat, since the mcat does not directly test vocabulary, math, or logic.

 

[fun8stuff]

Originally posted by Herpeto
Studying for the GRE will not help you out on the MCAT that much. I took both and the only thing that may have helped was the expanded lexicon I attained studying for the verbal section.

Fun8stuff,
If your friend scored a 98-99% on the entire exam that means she must have received a 2300 or so out of 2400. Or did she take the new version? If she took the new version with only two section that seems a bit more plausible. Either way that is great.


Herp

She probably took the new version, but I am not sure. I will have to ask her. I really know very little about the test. I do know that she would not lie to me and I know that is what she told me. I assume she took the sections needed to apply to vet schools?

 

[Gbemi24]

Originally posted by Alleria

Everyone seems to think that MCATs are the be-all and end-all of tests at the baccalaurate level. They've obviously not tried the GRE subject exams...

I have to strongly disagree with you on this one. The chemistry and biology subject tests are pure information recall stuff. Anyone with a high GPA in those particular areas would destroy those tests. However, students with high GPAs in chemistry or Biology are routinely getting their butts kicked on the MCAT.

The GRE subject tests may seem more difficult because they require more breadth of knowledge in a particular area, but this does not mean the questions require more reasoning. They just require more factual knowledge. Knowing all the enzymes involved in glycolysis does not mean you are a better biochemist than someone who does not know all the enzymes but thoroughly understands the process and sees the big picture. Another thing to consider is that MCAT takers are usually stressed out before taking the BS section due to taking the verbal and PS sections earlier on in the day. GRE subject test takers are fresh going in. Students who do well on the GRE subject tests might do well on the MCAT not because the GRE is harder but because they are just good students.

 

[fonzy]

As far as I have gathered both GRE and MCAT are aptitude measuring tests. They both require aptitude for comprehension, analysis, problem solving, and decision making. Getting high grades does not guarantee high scores on either of these tests. That is why we see some people with average grades doing very well on an aptitude test. By practicing 'speed' [the most important factor in my opinion] can be enhanced. These tests assume very basic and fundamental knowledge of the subject matter except for GRE verbal reasoning where you need to know 'rarely used' vocabulary.

 

[lola]

although they are both supposedly aptitude tests (i don't quite buy this), it is definitely possible to do well on one and not on the other. just take me as an example. did well on the one i didn't study for, did mediocre on teh one i studied for 🙂.