Studying for Mcat

[Abby95]

Hey guys! I am a rising junior. I have started looking into mcat prep and I feel overwhelmed already. I bought the EK book set. I plan on buying all FL from AAMC and any practice exams available. Any other FL that those who already took the exam found helpful? This fall I will be finishing my prereqs. I have taking everything except for sociology and biochemistry. I plan on taking the exam April or May 2016. I plan on only taking 13 credits. Calculus 1, English 302, and 2 easy electives. I will not be working and probably do clinical shadowing a few hours a week. Can I manage to take the MCAT still? Am I setting myself up for disaster? I cannot afford not taking any classes at all. Is EK full set, Princeton psyc/sociology, plus AAMC FLs and 2 of EK FL sufficient for studying for the exam? I will also use medportal videos as well as khan academy. Should I stretch my studying time from 3-4 months to maybe 5 months? Did anyone else take the exam while still taking classes? How did you manage?

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[El-Rami]

That should be fine. You have basically half a year to study. The thing is, will you actually be focused during that time to study consistently? I think taking the MCAT in 2016 is way too early. You need a solid foundation, which you can only get from senior level classes. Take the MCAT after your senior year and/or consider a gap year.

 

[blahblahpremeds]

Hey. I wouldn't start MCAT Sciences content review until about 4 months before the exam (especially if you don't have all the Science prereqs done yet). However, I would start memorizing Psych terms, people, theories etc. and since you are starting early, I would also recommend reading some research articles and get a feel for interpreting data. Good luck to you!

 

[ac62994]

I'm literally on the exact same boat! (sans test prep, still can't decide)
I'm planning on studying throughout the year, since I'm already taking classes both semesters that are very relevant to the test (biochem, physics, etc.), which should relieve some of the stress come Spring.

Check out this link - one of my favorite MCAT prep posts:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/how-i-prepped-for-a-526.1146107/#post-16631784

 

[Abby95]

I'm literally on the exact same boat! (sans test prep, still can't decide)
I'm planning on studying throughout the year, since I'm already taking classes both semesters that are very relevant to the test (biochem, physics, etc.), which should relieve some of the stress come Spring.

Check out this link - one of my favorite MCAT prep posts:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/how-i-prepped-for-a-526.1146107/#post-16631784

thanks for the link I will definitely take a look at it!

 

[Abby95]

Hey. I wouldn't start MCAT Sciences content review until about 4 months before the exam (especially if you don't have all the Science prereqs done yet). However, I would start memorizing Psych terms, people, theories etc. and since you are starting early, I would also recommend reading some research articles and get a feel for interpreting data. Good luck to you!

that's sounds like a wonderful idea! I didn't even think about that. I will start psych and reading research articles in October. Is there a website with specific research article that you recommend?

 

[Abby95]

That should be fine. You have basically half a year to study. The thing is, will you actually be focused during that time to study consistently? I think taking the MCAT in 2016 is way too early. You need a solid foundation, which you can only get from senior level classes. Take the MCAT after your senior year and/or consider a gap year.

I have taken almost all sciences genetics, biochem, cell bio, micro and A&P. As a result of taking mainly science courses I pushed back other requirements needed to graduate. I will be spending second half of junior year and all of senior year to finish the other classes I put aside.

 

[StudyLater]

Your plan is solid. Get EK FL's as well, and maybe the Kaplan/TPR ones if you're desperate for something extra (that doesn't accurately portray the real exam).

EK might be slightly lacking in the biochem department. Check everything you review with the AAMC outline to make sure you're covering everything.

 

[El-Rami]

I have taken almost all sciences genetics, biochem, cell bio, micro and A&P. As a result of taking mainly science courses I pushed back other requirements needed to graduate. I will be spending second half of junior year and all of senior year to finish the other classes I put aside.

In that case, if you will have taken organic chemistry by the time you are ready for the test, you should be fine. If not, then don't take the MCAT until you have taken those classes. Since you've taken biochem, I assume you took organic already.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

Hey guys! I am a rising junior. I have started looking into mcat prep and I feel overwhelmed already.

Everyone is a little different, so you need to figure out what you need for you. Once you do that, then tips can really help. Before starting your MCAT review, I'd strongly recommending reading this post on where to start.