Retaking old classes to perform better on the mcat

[Outlanding]

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Hi everyone. Thanks for the advice on my last post linked here:

Any shot at medicine?

My friend has decided to just take the MCAT and apply, but his classes were taken a long time ago.

Physics - 07
Gen Chem - 05 or 06
Bio 1 and 2 - 2015
Orgo 1 and 2 - 2015

After looking at the dates, what should he do to perform well on the MCAT? Self-study? Take a prep course? Take the prereqs over? Informal postbacc? SMP?

 

[ndafife]

College courses aren't geared toward the MCAT. Your "friend," if they feel they really need a refresher course, could take an MCAT prep course that will focus on those subjects in a more MCAT geared fashion.

 

[Catalystik]

Hi everyone. Thanks for the advice on my last post linked here:

Any shot at medicine?

My friend has decided to just take the MCAT and apply, but his classes were taken a long time ago.

Physics - 07
Gen Chem - 05 or 06
Bio 1 and 2 - 2015
Orgo 1 and 2 - 2015

After looking at the dates, what should he do to perform well on the MCAT? Self-study? Take a prep course? Take the prereqs over? Informal postbacc? SMP?

It depends on his preferred learning style and whether he needs the pressure of expectations to get the job done: self study and MCAT prep, vs retake the first two prerequisites listed and MCAT prep.

He definitely should not "just take the MCAT" without adequate preparation and multiple timed practice tests first. He should plan to take the MCAT once and do very well. Too many schools average retakes to not take this high-stakes exam seriously.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

It depends on his preferred learning style and whether he needs the pressure of expectations to get the job done: self study and MCAT prep, vs retake the first two prerequisites listed and MCAT prep.

He definitely should not "just take the MCAT" without adequate preparation and multiple timed practice tests first. He should plan to take the MCAT once and do very well. Too many schools average retakes to not take this high-stakes exam seriously.

I think a lot of applicants view the MCAT like the SAT.

 

[Detective SnowBucket]

Regardless of what he does, he will get a review book (be it Kap, EC, Berkley). Flip through it and if he has no concept of the material, get a review course. I took the MCAT nearly exactly 3 months ago and lemme tell you, only about 25% of a class' material is on the MCAT (most have even less like physics - which is coincidentally one of the less recent classes - and more for bio which is more recent, in fact, I took bio in '15).