the mcat causing you not to want to go to medical school

[swamprat]

i studied for this damn test all summer long and then decided not to take it in september bc i figured it was early and i can take it and do better in january. well now its winter break and i just started looking at this crap again and i hate it. i dont want to look over my notes and i certaintly don't want to start taking 5 hour online CBT practice exams. i know i have to and i really want to eventually become a doc but damn this really sucks wtf were they thinking when they decided to make this damn exam in the first place.

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[Maygyver]

They probably made it because Medical School itself is grueling and wanted to make sure people were actually able to study for large amounts of time. Just a thought though.

 

[nellia]

yeah , it sucks. a lot. but you should try to make the best of it. i'm saying this as someone who has already taken it TWICE, and will probably be taking it a third time. the test sucks, but really, you don't want to have to put yourself through hell THREE times when you can put yourself through it only once

 

[rama kandra]

also there are not a lot of seats at medical schools so they have to decide who gets them. Grades are always there, but everyone comes from different places with different professors. The MCAT is the ONLY way to get a grasp on your capabilities.

I hate it too. Actually I am becoming friends with the exam - its becoming more and more like a game as I go on... but I guess the game is only good enough till you get into med school, then its the USMLE game and so on...

good luck and keep your head down for a bit - paying attention to everyone else's life is easy to do when yours kinda blows - but your going to have a cool career ahead of you!

 

[scaredoflife]

Believe me a lot of people including myself feel your pain. Medical school is worth it though if you think about it. What you are doing right now is nothing compared to medical school so think of it that way. And lastly it does suck and I will be taking it the second time and I am looking over the material again and getting annoyed.

 

[swamprat]

Believe me a lot of people including myself feel your pain. Medical school is worth it though if you think about it. What you are doing right now is nothing compared to medical school so think of it that way. And lastly it does suck and I will be taking it the second time and I am looking over the material again and getting annoyed.

Yeah its the review of the material. I think its because I knew everything pretty well back in August/Sept and I was expecting to know a lot of it still. Then I sat down today and started doing general chemistry over again. It all is coming back, but everything is off. My math (moving decimals around etc) and just figuring out how to put everything into the right equation(s). I'm sure it will become more fluent again after a few more days of studying. Another thing is organic... I think that will be a big obstacle and then as I might have mentioned above the 5 hour practice exams. Glad to hear though I'm not alone, I think this whole process sure would be a lot better if I knew a single person taking the MCAT. Also I've decided to buy the examkrackers 1001 question books ... well I didn't yet but tomorrow first thing in the morning I'm going to. I'm hoping that just having massive amounts of mcat style questions will help my review of the material over re-reading the same nonesense and doing old problems that I already have written all over.

 

[phospho]

Yeah its the review of the material. I think its because I knew everything pretty well back in August/Sept and I was expecting to know a lot of it still. Then I sat down today and started doing general chemistry over again. It all is coming back, but everything is off. My math (moving decimals around etc) and just figuring out how to put everything into the right equation(s). I'm sure it will become more fluent again after a few more days of studying. Another thing is organic... I think that will be a big obstacle and then as I might have mentioned above the 5 hour practice exams. Glad to hear though I'm not alone, I think this whole process sure would be a lot better if I knew a single person taking the MCAT. Also I've decided to buy the examkrackers 1001 question books ... well I didn't yet but tomorrow first thing in the morning I'm going to. I'm hoping that just having massive amounts of mcat style questions will help my review of the material over re-reading the same nonesense and doing old problems that I already have written all over.

trust me, it will come back to you slowly... also, I know this might sound stupid, but stop trying to think of the MCAT as your enemy. Try to think of it as your friend who's going to get you into medical school. yes, that sounds gay, but it really worked for me. Learn that **** from cover to cover.

 

[RySerr21]

i dont think its possible for any one person to hate the MCAT as much as me. I was absolutely miserable. The only way to solve this problem is suck it up, study hard, and take it AS FEW times as possible. With teh MCAT, one time is a charm. Good luck!

 

[rama kandra]

i spent a semester in graduate school for design. I never imagined going back to this stuff and here I am... dropping the hammer (fingers crossed on April 4th).. its just the law of use and disuse.

also for the decimals, LARS (Left Addition, Right Subtraction) for the power of ten. Its also in EK verbal strategy and mathematics techniques.

 

[Marjan Islam]

As flawed as my view towards the MCAT is, I'm still going to keep thinking that the MCAT is the finish line - when really, I know it's just the beginning.

But take life 1 step at a time. Break down immense challenges into little bites and you'll see it's not as bad if you don't look at the whole picture at once. That's overwhelming.

I'm taking a year off after undergrad, so in a way, MCAT/Applying is the "finish line" for one chapter of my life.

 

[rama kandra]

Truth. I feel the same way except I don't really know what more anyone can do except just study practice, talk to peeps on SDN and live your life...

I mean, I live and breathe this exam at the moment but I am not sure I would be doing anything different if I were in college (I'd be doing classwork) or working at a job, or in med school (even bigger study challanges) so I'm not really even concerned about it, because its necessary and everyone else is also taking it.

That or I have a bit of a massochistic attitude toward it, and just say 'bring it on,'
heh.

 

[SN2ed]

The MCAT would never quell my desire to go to medical school.

 

[BlueElmo]

I just envisioned myself wearing a white coat as a doctor and I don't know, but that kept me motivated. I hated studying for this test too, the 3 months of this past summer was one of the most miserable times of my life.

 

[Tourterm]

trust me, it will come back to you slowly... also, I know this might sound stupid, but stop trying to think of the MCAT as your enemy. Try to think of it as your friend who's going to get you into medical school. yes, that sounds gay, but it really worked for me. Learn that **** from cover to cover.

That is very good advice I wish more test takers followed. I know, it's easier said then done, but your mindset can really impact your studying and how you perform. If you see the MCAT as a hurdle, an obstacle, something that gets in your way, then your experience studying, and taking the exam itself, is going to feel a lot more laborious and draining than it really has to.

Instead, look at it as an opportunity. This is your chance, your shot, to really show the admissions committees what you are capable of. Don't think of it as a hurdle that keeps you from getting into medical school, but rather an opportunity that gets you into medical school.

 

[lastcall]

Thinking about being stuck in my current job for the rest of my life was a very good motivator to study for the MCAT during the summer (when I sometimes felt like throwing my books in the trash).
Hang in there OP.

 

[Simran1031]

have patience with yourself. i know its hard right now..i started studying for mcats my second year and like you pushed it back because i didnt feel ready..i took it once and it didnt go well so im sitting for it the second time in may. you need to ask yourself..is it worth it? and it has been for me. even though after studying for long hours i did badly first time. i know that i will be a good physician. i know that i want to improve the health of people in underprivileged areas and for those who do not have access to health care. i guess what makes me beleive in it is that we need to hang in there for those who do not even have the opportunity to take the mcat..prep classes..prep materials..this is all a privilege..there are countries where everyone takes a horrendous exam to get into med school and only .000000001 percent of the population actually end up getting throhg..and there are some people who can study for 2 weeks and ace the exam but i have come to realize that i may not be the most brightest bulb in the lot..but i am hard working..and more than that..i have the dream..and it is that dream that helps me go on..even when mcats are looming and even when i know so many years have jsut passed me by..and that dream is worth it. to have the capacity to even make one person feel better..to save one person from unnessesarily dieing from an infectious disease...to see one person feel loved, cared about, taken care of...thats what makes it worth it..i know im starting to sound real corny but when mcats make me feel blue..i always envision my dream clinic..where services are free..and available..and people would not needlessly die from infectious diseases..and people would feel hope and joy and beleive in humanity..

to sum it up- dont give up. thats the key to mcats..even if i take it the third time and suck at time..i will write a letter to med schools and beg them to let me take it again..or go to the carribean..because the dream is worth it..trust me..i think its totally worth it.

 

[junkct]

dude, if you can't handle a 5-hour test right now, I'm scared to think what med school is going to do to you...

FYI: the SAT was about the same length if I remember correctly. You fought through that, didn't you?

 

[scaredoflife]

After reading all these comments I am totally even more motivated to keep studying. MCAT will be 100 mile bike ride I am training for and just take it a mile at a time.

 

[swamprat]

dude, if you can't handle a 5-hour test right now, I'm scared to think what med school is going to do to you...

FYI: the SAT was about the same length if I remember correctly. You fought through that, didn't you?

That's BS. I've been through 2 1/2 years now of college science courses including all the pre-reqs and 5 upper level courses. I'm not equating that to medical school course work, which I know its not... but it's not easy either. At least in medical school that A won't matter as much ... sure for residency but at least ill be a Dr of some sort. The problem with the mcat IMO is the material is boring and drawn out, the computer screen refresh rate bothers my eyes after 5 hours, and taking the practice exams suck because who in their right mind would want to do that anyway?! Yeah I'm doing it just like the rest of you guys, but I can complain and why not ... who the hell would enjoy all that. As far as my motivation goes, its coming back I did 5 hours of gen chem review today

 

[rama kandra]

some of this is way too inspiring!

 

[scaredoflife]

Yeah awesome go Dox. And rama nice name and slogan underneath the name catchy haha.

 

[Zona Pellucida]

The one thing that bothered me about the SATs and now the MCAT is although you can study to prepare yourself.. you can't study for the test in terms of what is on it.

I did average on my SATs yet I am near the top of my class in college.
Difference?
I am committed to STUDYING for the MATERIAL that I KNOW I need to know! I feel the same will continue in medical school, which is why the MCAT might hint at what I am capable of, but I am much better at being prepared and studying for specifics than random general ideas.

 

[Nasem]

Man, if you hate studying for the MCATS, how are you going to handle Step 1, 2, and 3 when you get to med school?

Dude, My best friend's wife finished her 2nd year in Med school last May (or june), and spent 2 months STRAIGHT studying for Step 1, my friend tells me he was throwing 12-14 hrs a day doing nothing but studying... If you ask me, MCAT is a piece of cake compared to the those step exams

 

[rama kandra]

go big or go home, this is where we separate the men from the women and children

 

[swamprat]

Man, if you hate studying for the MCATS, how are you going to handle Step 1, 2, and 3 when you get to med school?

Dude, My best friend's wife finished her 2nd year in Med school last May (or june), and spent 2 months STRAIGHT studying for Step 1, my friend tells me he was throwing 12-14 hrs a day doing nothing but studying... If you ask me, MCAT is a piece of cake compared to the those step exams

I studied 4 months for the exam previously. Well anyway to update I've been studying for maybe 2 weeks now? I'm completely back into it and its all come back to me which is great

to add... don't question my ability/ambition to get/goto/succeed in medical school. theres a big difference between complaining and giving up... I probably shouldn't have titled the thread the way i did, but IMO if you are a premed that has never once felt miserable/overwhelmed from a part of this whole pre-medical school process your either either a) genious b) lying.

 

[Nasem]

oh I was actually trying to cheer you up, because even though studying for the MCATs is a bit annoying, its NOTHING compared to the real stuff you see in medical school (or atleast I am told)

trust me doxycycline, I finished my last semester 2 weeks ago and I have a month until my winter semester starts, and guess what I do everyday when I get back from work? Yep, you guessed it, TBR physics and let me tell you, I really wanted to take today off and just enjoy my day at SDN

 

[psiyung]

Don't go into medicine for the wrong reasons. A few of my friends did, and they are regretting it.

 

[Tekbright510]

One piece of advice I have is to be efficient with your studying. From personal experience, the longer you drag on your studying over weeks and months, you start to get diminished returns for your efforts. You start to forget earlier material, lose motivation and get burned out. My advice is to set aside 4-5 weeks to really sit down and study without distractions and then take the exam.

I never felt 100% prepared when I sat down to take the exam. I don't think anyone does. But I went in with the mindset that I had worked hard and I was going to do my best. Whatever the results will be, I told myself, I would deal with them when they arrive.

Find some time to get exercise as well when you are studying. It relieves stress, clears your head and helps you study better. Good luck!

 

[patvim]

i have been studying alot . but still i think i lack the rhythm ... if someone can help me?

 

[scaredoflife]

What do you need help with Patvim, scheduling discipline or just motivation?