Taking MCAT with no recent pre-reqs

[rneree]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hi gang, been a bi-stander for a bit and finally ready to join the team of non-traditionals. I am the mother of triplet 1year olds, and after seeing their medical miracle story first hand I have decided that medicine may indeed be my calling.

HUGE QUESTION: Can you do well on MCATS with dvd lectures (mcat-prep), review books on subjects, and aamc practice materials if you haven't been in these classes for 8+ years? It would be pushing it to sign up for two classes now, since the semester starts in about a week, so I was hoping I could learn on my own and it would all "come back to me". I really want to get my feet wet with a Spring MCAt, leaving me enought time to take one in the summer if I don't do well.

I REALLY need you guys/ and girls help on this one? Is this a good or bad idea? Why or why not? Any tips? Also, I'm hoping some of the Physics, Org. Chem professors will help me during their office hours since I will be taking all of this next semester....

ONE LAST QUESTION: Can I take Physics I & II AND ORG I & II during the summer term together, or is that just insane??

Thank you and good luck. You ALL 😳 sound like amazing individuals who will make those unique doctors that we all remember ...

Godbless and goodluck.

R. Neree

 

[blee]

Hooray, new thread! 🙂

I would not personally attempt the MCAT without some recent coursework. If you are disciplined enough to study four science subjects at home for several months, that's one thing; most of us are not like that. If it's too late for you to register for classes this semester, perhaps you could take a practice MCAT section, attempt to review the relevant topic (physics/chem/whichever) for a couple of weeks, then either re-take the section or take a different practice section on the same topic. That might give you a gauge for your ability to "go it alone."

At the same time, it seems that med schools want to see some recent classes on your transcript. If you haven't been in school for several years, adcoms will have little idea of how you will perform back in the classroom after so much time off. Taking the pre-reqs again would therefore give you the dual benefits of MCAT prep and recent coursework. It's not the cheapest option, but it's probably the best.

 

[njbmd]

Hi gang, been a bi-stander for a bit and finally ready to join the team of non-traditionals. I am the mother of triplet 1year olds, and after seeing their medical miracle story first hand I have decided that medicine may indeed be my calling.

HUGE QUESTION: Can you do well on MCATS with dvd lectures (mcat-prep), review books on subjects, and aamc practice materials if you haven't been in these classes for 8+ years? It would be pushing it to sign up for two classes now, since the semester starts in about a week, so I was hoping I could learn on my own and it would all "come back to me". I really want to get my feet wet with a Spring MCAt, leaving me enought time to take one in the summer if I don't do well.

I REALLY need you guys/ and girls help on this one? Is this a good or bad idea? Why or why not? Any tips? Also, I'm hoping some of the Physics, Org. Chem professors will help me during their office hours since I will be taking all of this next semester....

ONE LAST QUESTION: Can I take Physics I & II AND ORG I & II during the summer term together, or is that just insane??

Thank you and good luck. You ALL 😳 sound like amazing individuals who will make those unique doctors that we all remember ...

Godbless and goodluck.

R. Neree

Hi there,
You can go on the MCAT site and purchase some retired MCAT exams. Take these under testing conditions and see how you do. If you are having problems, try to figure out if you have a knowledge deficit (should not have a problem with all the electronic stuff) or a knowledge application problem (need more practice work).

Do not take the MCAT for practice. I will repeat this: DO NOT TAKE the MCAT for practice. You need to take this exam one time and only one time after thorough preparation. Use the retired MCATs for practice but take the actual exam only once.

Unless you have nothing else in your life, doubling up on medical school pre-req courses is a very bad idea. Both of the courses that you plan to take are very problem and lab intensive during a summer session; not to mention, that you NEED to know and apply the knowledge from these courses on the actual MCAT.

There is no age limit to applying to medical school provided you are a strong and competitive candidate. Please take your time, prepare correctly and thoroughly for the MCAT, take the exam one time only and do well. I cannot tell you how bad a string of mediocre MCAT scores can completely tank your application. Take your time with your coursework and learn the material thoroughly expecially since you have been away from this type of coursework for awhile.

njbmd 🙂

 

[rneree]

Thanks for the feedback! Keep it coming! 🙂

I Know I will have to take prereqs, like Org. and Physics and another biology to strenghten myself as an applicant.

there MAY be a chance to squeeze into Physics or Bio II this week, but I'm wondering if taking the classes at the same time as studying for the exam will be a dilute of material relevant for the MCAT. Whereas if I study JUST MCAT testing material I will focus on the important facts and equations, instead of doing lab reports and irrelevant course work.

Do you think prof. will be willing to help me if there is something that I just "don't get?" Any opinion on my "dilute the facts" theory. 🙂

I have ALL previous AAMC exams so I will have a good idea on what my score will be towards the end of review...If I'm not scoring consistently in the low to mid 30's I'll bail and put it off until I've taken prereqs. I just hate to put of my application because I've not taken the MCAT. Prereqs can be done (On a limited basis) during the year prior to start, so I have time to tie up one or two courses.

What do'ya think? 😀 Oh your way!!!

R.Neree

 

[JimmyG]

Ohhh...I wrote a long response to you and it got lost...I always hate that...

The condensed version:

Do not underestimate how much time it will take for you to learn the basic science information for the MCAT, especially if you have not finished your pre-requisites. I have been humbled by the ol' mighty MCAT and, like you, have had a good 7-8 year hiatus since I took most of my general science classes. I did well in school and have never had a problem learning things on my own, but the MCAT has been a different story. My suggestion to you is to start studying NOW for the spring MCAT. I'm serious. If you were not a science major in school or have not been using any of your science education in an occupational setting, it is amazing how much of it is forgotten. I have been studying for 8-10 hours a day for the past 2 months, taking weekends off and indicative of my practice test scores, I am not prepared for the MCAT that will occur next week. I began studying for the MCAT much earlier, but I quickly realized that it needed to become a full time job for me. Also, with your new triplets, I wouldn't suggest any more than Orgo II ever in the summer. After lab and lecture and studying at night, that in itself is a full time ordeal. My advice, I know you are excited about the possibility of medicine but don't feel that you have to rush into things. That was my mistake. Take your time, begin brushing up on material you have forgotten, and squeeze in some classes here and there. Your grades and brain will thank you for it. Good luck

Soo...how is it being a mom to triplets?!?!

 

[rneree]

Ohhh...I wrote a long response to you and it got lost...I always hate that...

The condensed version:

Do not underestimate how much time it will take for you to learn the basic science information for the MCAT, especially if you have not finished your pre-requisites. I have been humbled by the ol' mighty MCAT and, like you, have had a good 7-8 year hiatus since I took most of my general science classes. I did well in school and have never had a problem learning things on my own, but the MCAT has been a different story. My suggestion to you is to start studying NOW for the spring MCAT. I'm serious. If you were not a science major in school or have not been using any of your science education in an occupational setting, it is amazing how much of it is forgotten. I have been studying for 8-10 hours a day for the past 2 months, taking weekends off and indicative of my practice test scores, I am not prepared for the MCAT that will occur next week. I began studying for the MCAT much earlier, but I quickly realized that it needed to become a full time job for me. Also, with your new triplets, I wouldn't suggest any more than Orgo II ever in the summer. After lab and lecture and studying at night, that in itself is a full time ordeal. My advice, I know you are excited about the possibility of medicine but don't feel that you have to rush into things. That was my mistake. Take your time, begin brushing up on material you have forgotten, and squeeze in some classes here and there. Your grades and brain will thank you for it. Good luck

Soo...how is it being a mom to triplets?!?!

Thank you for your words of wisdom. So are you planning to re-take pre-reqs?? Are you going for the MCATs in two weeks? Do you have all the previous exams? I have them on cd. How did you feel about the material and how prepared you are for it? What are you using as aids in studying? Thank you, thank you for all the great advice...

And having triplets, It's the EXTREME sport that would blow your mind! My hubby is giving them a bubble bath as we speak! I'm SUPPOSE to be studying. Atlas, the wandering brain returns. 😉


R.Neree

 

[Skaterbabe74]

I can't give you any advice on the MCAT since I'm nowhere near that point yet, but definitely DO NOT take Orgo I and II and Physics I and II over a summer. I took Orgo II over the summer (an 8 week class) plus Biochem I (a 4 week class) and I was in class from 8am til noon 5 days a week, and then had lab from 1-5 2 days a week and then had to go in to do melting points and stuff for like an addition hour minimum another day of the week. Once biochem finished (it only overlapped for 2 weeks) I didn't have class til 10 but trying to cram Orgo I and II into the summer by itself is darn near impossible (I know it's done, but there's no way I could have done it). Anytime we weren't in class a large group of us would be sitting in the library working problems for the rest of the afternoon.

The following summer I took Calc-based Physics I and Calc II (both 8 week classes) and had class every afternoon for 3 hours. A couple other students in my Calc class were taking Physics II that summer so the 3 of us would then sit outside the engineering building every morning/late afternoon for several hours doing problems for both classes.

Cramming one semester of any subject into 8-10 weeks is hard enough (especially if you're taking the labs too), but trying to cram both full years in is a recipe for disaster.

As far as the willingness of profs to help it really depends on the prof. If you have a good prof (or had a good prof in the past that you're still in contact with) they will be more than willing to help. Bad profs in general won't help much though obviously. I was tutoring a girl in Physics II last spring, and she had a really bad prof (the guy taught way above their level - like upper-div E & M instead of an introduction to it) and he was totally unwilling to help at all. So, the entire class except my student would end up doing their entire homeworks in the science learning center getting help from the free physics tutor. My student had me, but even I couldn't do this stuff (I'd only just finished Physics II) so I'd take her homeworks to my old prof and he'd explain stuff to me and help me set up the problems. Then I'd turn around and teach it to her. We ended up doing well on the homeworks (the exams were her demise - I think I would have been lucky to get a C in that class. I was one of the best students in my class and my class wasn't by any means a breeze either just level-appropriate), but without my prof's help there would have been no way to do the homeworks given the knowledge we had. I also know other profs who have helped their students with MCAT prep outside of class (none of our classes teach geared toward the MCAT - I do know that some schools do tho).

Good luck! Don't try to rush all this. Trust me I know spreading things out sux, especially once you're finished with your prereqs (Personally I'm on a 12 year plan for ugrad lol - life interrupted, majors changed, etc), but this really is a marathon and the only way to finish the race is near perfection so don't set yourself up for anything less by overloading yourself (especially with triplets! Wow!).

 

[scpod]

HUGE QUESTION: Can you do well on MCATS with dvd lectures (mcat-prep), review books on subjects, and aamc practice materials if you haven't been in these classes for 8+ years?

I went back to college 17 years later and took all the pre-reqs. I could NOT have done well without doing it that way. I've come to realize that your brain works a lot like a muscle as you age; it atrophies. You can try studying on your own, but nothing compares to having to go to class everyday and study right along with the other "kids" in the class. You just don't study the same way on your own as you do when you know you have a big test next week that counts for 35% of your grade. Plus, as you go along, your mind actually begins to function better. When you are forced to use it every day, it works better. Besides, being back in the classroom everyday is great preparation for med school.

I'm in med school now and I made a 90 on the first Anatomy written exam. The grades ranged from 48 to 98. I don't feel so bad about being the oldest student in my class right now. I outperformed a lot of the younger minds. I doubt that I could have gotten this far without going back to college and taking all those classes. You might find that you do things differently, but that's just my experience.

ONE LAST QUESTION: Can I take Physics I & II AND ORG I & II during the summer term together, or is that just insane??

You were right in the first place. That would be insane. You might need to be locked up for your own good 😀 Good Luck!!!

 

[QofQuimica]

Hi there,
You can go on the MCAT site and purchase some retired MCAT exams. Take these under testing conditions and see how you do. If you are having problems, try to figure out if you have a knowledge deficit (should not have a problem with all the electronic stuff) or a knowledge application problem (need more practice work).

Do not take the MCAT for practice. I will repeat this: DO NOT TAKE the MCAT for practice. You need to take this exam one time and only one time after thorough preparation. Use the retired MCATs for practice but take the actual exam only once.

Unless you have nothing else in your life, doubling up on medical school pre-req courses is a very bad idea. Both of the courses that you plan to take are very problem and lab intensive during a summer session; not to mention, that you NEED to know and apply the knowledge from these courses on the actual MCAT.

There is no age limit to applying to medical school provided you are a strong and competitive candidate. Please take your time, prepare correctly and thoroughly for the MCAT, take the exam one time only and do well. I cannot tell you how bad a string of mediocre MCAT scores can completely tank your application. Take your time with your coursework and learn the material thoroughly expecially since you have been away from this type of coursework for awhile.

njbmd 🙂

Agree with all of this.

 

[JimmyG]

Thank you for your words of wisdom. So are you planning to re-take pre-reqs?? Are you going for the MCATs in two weeks? Do you have all the previous exams? I have them on cd. How did you feel about the material and how prepared you are for it? What are you using as aids in studying? Thank you, thank you for all the great advice...

And having triplets, It's the EXTREME sport that would blow your mind! My hubby is giving them a bubble bath as we speak! I'm SUPPOSE to be studying. Atlas, the wandering brain returns. 😉


R.Neree

Well....no...I'm not planning on re-taking pre-reqs now since I have completed them all. The only one I did poorly in was Orgo II so I'm hoping my excuse for being an ignoramus for thinking I could succeed in that class after having an 8 year break from Orgo I will be good enough. I ordered the most recent AAMC exams from their website and have one more to complete in the next two days. Yes, I am taking the MCAT next Saturday. I purchased the Examkrackers Series, as they came highly recommended. I really have not looked much at any of the other study materials, but I will tell you this: Examkrackers will help you only if you have a good base knowledge of the material before you begin studying. This is where I quickly realized that I needed many supplemental materials (old textbooks and google (wikipedia) have been helpful). I also purchased the Audio Osmosis CDs and the EK 1001 questions in Chemistry, Physics and Verbal Reasoning (my weak areas). Oh, and old AAMC tests. Those are lifesavers, as well. Because learning how to apply your knowledge to the passage-based test is important.

Everybody is giving really good advice on here but I would definitely not rush too much. Since you have triplets that, no doubt, take up a lot of time, sign up for one course, if you can, this fall. You don't have to even do a pre-req class--I took Microbiology last fall at night, at a community college, because I wanted to get my feet wet to see if I would enjoy studying, if I really wanted to do it again, to not have to worry about getting a stellar grade if I DIDN'T like it so much since it wasn't a *TRUE* prerequisite, plus it was recommended for the MCAT (and has helped tremendously in the Bio section). To just get back into the swing of school, as scpod was saying, is an experience on its own, even if you haven't been out that long. I can't wait for this MCAt to be over and then I can actually DO something on the weekends more exciting than pushing electrons... 😀

 

[rneree]

Wow, you guys are awesome with the advice...so let the record show everyone thinks I am reasonably insane to take Physics and Orgo of the summer, right! 😀 Pt. Made, I will NOT do that 😱 ...I shouldn't go completely insane until I Actually get IN to med school, right? lol

TO RECAP:
MCAT should be taken AFTER pre-reqs for the most part? Even if it delays my start date until 2009! Yikes...I will try my darndest to get into Bio and Chem for a review. Take Physics I and Org I over the spring, and Physics II over summer. Then I'll take OR RETAKE the exam if needed and try to get my app in for regular decision for November, 2007...exhalllleeeeee

Ok, last question: 👍 👎
IF I cannot get into ANY classes this fall, IE They are full, etc... SHOULD I TRY to study and take a Spring MCAT assuming I'm doing ok on practice exams...Or should I truely CANN the idea until the end of summer, or following Fall when I'm finished with nearly everything??

You guys are awesome support during this process! I hope to return the favor once I actually learn something to contribute, other than how to change 3 diapers in less than 1 minute, and grocery shop with tripets who are pulling each others hair! 😍 Gotta love triplet baby girls! I think their dad always dreamed of seeing three beautiful girl wrestle, I don't think it's exactly as erotic as he imagined! 😛



R.Neree
Sending medschool your way!

 

[Sol Rosenberg]

Take a practice exam now, or whenever you feel like you might be ready for the test to see where you are. You DON'T want to retake the MCAT. I'm not sure whether it looks bad or whatever, but it is truly one of the worst experiences that you will have in your life, and you only want to go through it once.

 

[efex101]

I agree with Jota and again to reiterate what NJBMD stated in her post above....the MCAT should only be taken when you KNOW that you have prepared diligently. This is NOT an exam to be taken with the notion that "hey if I do not do well...no problem I can retake it" do NOT go in what that attitude. I am not sure if you are aware of just how *difficult* this exam is. I would encourage you to buy a practice exam and see how you do. Many many folks take it w/o truly knowing what they got into and this came back to bite them in the rear. Again, take it SLOW for this is a very long process and do it right the first time.

 

[blee]

I took gen chem over the summer, then took the other three pre-reqs during the school year. I took the April MCAT during the spring semester. As far as that went, I did very well and I think I made the right choice. I didn't need much subject review, since the material was very fresh in my mind (and, in at least one case, covered in class during the week before the MCAT). My prep consisted almost entirely of practice tests.

 

[stinastina]

I agree with Jota and again to reiterate what NJBMD stated in her post above....the MCAT should only be taken when you KNOW that you have prepared diligently. This is NOT an exam to be taken with the notion that "hey if I do not do well...no problem I can retake it" do NOT go in what that attitude. I am not sure if you are aware of just how *difficult* this exam is. I would encourage you to buy a practice exam and see how you do. Many many folks take it w/o truly knowing what they got into and this came back to bite them in the rear. Again, take it SLOW for this is a very long process and do it right the first time.

I agree with efex. Don't wait until the last minute to take a practice exam either. It will tell you what your weaknesses are and you can tighten up on studying from there. Since you have all of them, you could take one per month to see if you improve. The MCAT is no joke and you definitely don't want to rush things and have to take it again.

 

[almost_there]

One last thought -- by the time you take the MCAT, it should be completely computerized. It will also be offered many more times a year (22, according to their website), and results available much more quickly (30 days or less). So you might be able to take it after finishing most pre-reqs, in September 2007, say, and still be okay for applying for class starting 2008.

Good luck! 🙂

 

[KenDoll]

I am 32 and took the MCAT this past April despite not having taken a science course since 1997 (Biochemistry). I agree with other posters that you definitely need some time to relearn all of the subjects, but it can be done. I quit my job in finance back in May 2005 and figured I would study hard-core for the August MCAT. Two months may have been enough time to review but it wasn't enought time for me to relearn everything. I scored a 27 on that one.

So I regrouped, took a course in Animal Physiology last fall and enrolled in a Kaplan course. The Kaplan course rocked. If you can't attend the classroom lessons, don't worry, because the online material is comprehensive and really lets you practice your test-taking skills on each subject. I managed a 32 in April and am happy with that score.

So yes, go for it! I think you'll be surprised by how much does come back to you. And if I could do anything over again, I would take even more practice exams. The real MCATs provided by the testmakers were particularly helpful.

GOOD LUCK!