should i take mcat?

[spongiebob]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Hey all:

This semester I'll be done with all the pre-requisites, I'm taking orgo 2, physics 2,etc. It's my 2nd year at the university, and my advisor told me I should wait until taking upper division courses to take the mcat. However, I thought about taking it the summer after my 2nd year so I could take the summer off to study hard for it.
SHOULD I TAKE IT THIS AUGUST? or should i wait to take biochemistry and genetics and physiology and take it on april 2006? Thanks, god bless everyone!

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

Your advisor is a ***** (just kidding 😀). In my opinion, upper-division classes only help with your test confidence, not with your test knowledge, and are therefore unecessary for the MCAT. If you can build test confidence through studying on your own or through a prep course, then take the MCAT this August. Seriously, I've taken biochem and genetics, and I've found those classes to be no help beyond Bio 1 and 2.

 

[nishi]

i am a proponent of doing something else during the summer after your sophomore year
not that you won't be ready for the MCAT but why not do something more interesting, like an internship or volunteer abroad?
also i think i depends on how much you learned in your gen bio course
unlike the other poster, my genetics, cell molecular bio, etc. courses have been helpful for the past practice test i've take
things like metabolic rate and second messengers?? yea, i definitely did not learn that in gen bio

 

[notdeadyet]

SHOULD I TAKE IT THIS AUGUST? or should i wait to take biochemistry and genetics and physiology and take it on april 2006? Thanks, god bless everyone!

Don't most med schools only recognize MCATs that are three years old or less? Theoretically, if you take it after your second year in college, they'll only be valid up to a year after you graduate. If you aren't accepted and have to reapply, your original scores could soon become invalid.

 

[DrBowtie]

I think a point to offset notdeadyet's is that although there is a degree of randomness to the whole process, if the score isn't high enough to be competitive, there is a chance to retake in april and not be disadvantaged in the app process.

Basically it won't be an issue because if you don't think the summer score would get you in, you would take in april.