Should I take MCAT without Physics 2?

[kate schlicher]

Hello.
I am about to enter my second semester of my Jr. year. Because of a late decision to pursue medical school, I will be taking Physics 1 next semester (instead of having it early in undergrad). I have intentions to apply to med. schools for Fall 2008 matriculation.

Here is my problem:
I know it would be the best if I had Physics 1 AND 2 for the MCAT...but if I take Physics 2 this summer (July) I won't be able to take the MCAT until the end of Aug. and submit primaries late in Sept./early Oct.

If it were you, would you try to take the MCAT without Physics 2 (with intentions to try to get as much info out of the study books about it as possible) so that you could take it in April or May and get your primaries in by June?

OR

Would you take Physics 2 in July and take the MCAT in Aug, and hopefully have your primaries in by the end of Sept.?

I'm worried about this, since I am under the impression that it is a disadvantage to submit primaries so late.

(I will have all other essential MCAT classes done by the end of next semester, Physics 2 is the only one.)
Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[szhao]

if you have confidence in learing E&M by yourself, there is no reasoning on why u can't just take it without phy2, having TAed for phy2 you really don't need that much depth for the mcat, infact its better if you don't have a great deal of depth of understanding.

 

[Law2Doc]

Hello.
I am about to enter my second semester of my Jr. year. Because of a late decision to pursue medical school, I will be taking Physics 1 next semester (instead of having it early in undergrad). I have intentions to apply to med. schools for Fall 2008 matriculation.

Here is my problem:
I know it would be the best if I had Physics 1 AND 2 for the MCAT...but if I take Physics 2 this summer (July) I won't be able to take the MCAT until the end of Aug. and submit primaries late in Sept./early Oct.

If it were you, would you try to take the MCAT without Physics 2 (with intentions to try to get as much info out of the study books about it as possible) so that you could take it in April or May and get your primaries in by June?

OR

Would you take Physics 2 in July and take the MCAT in Aug, and hopefully have your primaries in by the end of Sept.?

I'm worried about this, since I am under the impression that it is a disadvantage to submit primaries so late.

(I will have all other essential MCAT classes done by the end of next semester, Physics 2 is the only one.)
Thanks!

While it is a disadvantage to submit applications late, it is more of a disadvantage to not have as high an MCAT score as you are capable. Some forms of the test in the past have more heavilly tested concepts in physics 2 than others. I personally would suggest not taking the MCAT without having had all the prereqs. Some people have self taught themselves in this way and done fine, but others, not so much.
Plus you can always wait until the following cycle if you want to avoid being a late applicant. This is not a race and the worst case scenario is you find something cool to do for a year that looks good on the apps.

 

[doctorsareneat]

I took the MCATs without Physics 2 and I got an 11 on physical sciences. I had to do a lot of work to learn the physics on my own, and the 11 ended up being some sort of miracle.

So, basically, if you have the motivation to learn on your own.. go for it. good luck!

 

[undrcovrgunner]

I would go ahead and take the MCAT without Physics II. If you've studied the concepts in high school, they will come back to you quickly and you shouldn't have much trouble re-learning them. Also, the MCAT expects you to have a basic understanding of concepts and then be able to apply them, something that can be done relatively easily by learning physics on your own.

 

[xcgirl]

As long as you be sure to study extra and stay focused, you'll be fine. I took the MCAT without having Physics since senior year of hs, used examkrackers (you MUST get 1001 questions for physics) and got a 12 on PS. Just stay focused and do as many problems as possible. I'm pretty sure I finished the entire 1001 book, but it was totally worth it.

 

[kevinp2]

I took the test without physics 2 and did very well also. The material you need to teach yourself for the MCAT is really a very small subset of the material that a Physics 2 class covers. You should be able to cover it on your own in a couple weeks.

 

[kate schlicher]

Wow, thanks for replying everyone. I belong to a few other pre-med forums, and haven't gotten this amount of feedback.

I have a busy semester next semester, but I think if I stay focused and really commit to learning the material for physics 2, I think I can do it. (I hope so!) Also, it doens't hurt that my fiance is a mechanical engineering grad student, so, I basically have a live-in tutor!

Im not trying to rush the process...I just would hate to take off a year for one class... Thanks again for the feedback everyone.

 

[GoonieDoc]

I was in a similar predicament this application cycle. If you're motivated and disciplined enough to study effectively on your own, just give yourself a crash course in Physics II before you take the MCAT, but apply EARLY. I decided to wait, and despite the fact that my MCAT scores are probably higher than they would have been (by MAYBE 1-2 points) I am at a much bigger disadvantage because I am a later applicant..... The average MCAT of those who apply early and are accepted is around 30, but for those who are late applicants and are accepted, the average MCAT scores jumps to over 32. The best advice anyone on SDN can give you is to APPLY EARLY... no matter what the cost! On the other hand, however, the Physical Sciences section IS the section that you can improve the quickest.... so make sure you give yourself time to learn the basics of electricity, magnetism, optics, and modern physics....

 

[szhao]

o yea it might not hurt to just sit in in the class, if you are worried about the grade.

 

[oxeye]

If you are motivated to learn the material on your own, you will do fine. I did very well on PS and still have not taken Physics II! I studied my butt off for a few months, though.

 

[Four]

Ah, I had this same worry but I'm glad there are a lot of responses.

Somehow, whether or not one has Physics II, there's always going to be lots of studying. I'm just glad it's not extremely essential.