Took prereqs years ago and now taking MCAT?

[lola]

Anyone else freaking out like me?? Are you working full time too? How are you managing? I'm thinking of asking for some time off at work, because I don't think I'll be able to apply to schoools, study for and take the August MCAT, and work full time. It's too much!!! (especially when I don't remember hardly anything from any of my science classes)

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[Luv Nietzsche]

Hi lola, I'd suggest you take some time off. We're similar, I took basic sciences 8 years ago!! I needed (& still need) a lot of time to study. I'm taking Aug MCAT too. Good Luck!

 

[u2ecila]

Hi!
Yes, I work full time as a systems engineer and commute a good three hours a day, and I completed the premed prereqs in 2000. I actually did general chem and bio way back in '93!

What is everyone's study plan? How do you think you will juggle studying, life and work? How many hours a day and days a week will you study? I am 'officially' starting to study for the MCAT on monday. I'm working out the Study Plan right now.

I asked my boss if I could go part time during the summer, and he has been conveniently avoiding me and my request. We'll see what happens. I will most likely just end up studying at work with his permission so he can bill for me.

Ahhh - to go back to the days of summer vacation!

So, everyone tell me, how are you going to conquer this beast? Any advice?

u2ecila

 

[Toejam]

I'm a DPM and did my prereq's back in 1985-6 and then finished them in 1992.

I was working at my practice and studying probably one hour a day almost every day since January. On weekends, I would probably put in about 2-3 hours. Truthfully, I think it was overkill. I took the April MCAT and probably did decently enough.

If I can give some advice, I realized that the MCAT questions were more based on general principles than pulling out equations out of your (pick your orifice). I was torturing myself trying to remember all of those disgusting physics equations and obscure orgo rxns. Physics was pretty straightforward (though, since I cringe at the mere thought of a physics problem, was not terribly easy). The organic was mostly reactions. Lots of reactions!

Just make sure you understand what's ACTUALLY going on with the principles. Don't worry about the particulars.

 

[Mr. Z]

Unfortunately, I have to join this club as well. I'm working full time as a chemist with a pharmaceutical company. I'm planning on taking the Aug mcat, that is, if I can somehow adequately prepare myself for it. Work is too busy, and my boss would definitely not go for the ole "I need some time off to study for the mcat". So I'm forced to squeeze my studying into the few hours i have to myself at night. I purposely didn't take an classes this summer so that I could give the mcat my undivided attention (MS in pharmacology).

Since the last basic science course i took was in 1993, I've been spending a lot of time just getting myself oriented with the material again. It has been going a lot slower than i had anticipated. Originally I thought i would be able to spend about 1-2 hrs maybe 2-3 nights out of the week reviewing, but now I see its gonna have to be much more intense than that. So my intricate plan is... put my damn nose to the grind stone and go like hell till Aug, then see what happens.

I've been trying to post some "getting you thinking" type questions on the board, maybe try and stimulate some conversation on the topics, but people don't seem to be taking to it? Anyway, it helps me cause i actually end up doing the review to figure out the answers.

Good luck to all you Aug mcaters, just not as much luck as me, OK?

 

[Sweet Tea]

Hey Guys--

I work full-time and just took the April MCAT and I hadn't had the pre-req's in 5 years (and didn't do all that well when I took them). I took Kaplan, and re-took orgo while studying for the MCAT. I haven't gotten my scores back, but I feel good about how I did. I studied. A lot. I started studying on my own in November, and I was able to work out a system with my boss where I was able to work fewer hours a day the month before the MCAT. Unless you're really good at cramming, I would start studying now if it's been a while since you've seen the ideal gas law. And try to take time off 2 weeks before the test-- but don't try to cram the week of the test. YOu'll just panic and forget everything you learned. You might have to study more to make up for lost time and forgotten formulas, but you can do it.

Good luck! You can do well even if it's been awhile since you've seen the material.

 

[tater tot]

hi guys! yep, i'm in the same boat. I finished undergrad around `97 including a few pre-req's. Then post-bacc later-- didn't do so well, didn't complete everything. So, I'm planning to re-start a post-bacc this Sept., I'm hoping to get this done in 2yrs. Actually, the only pre-req I need is Orgo, but I need to raise my gpa and show some consistent science work...blah blah. I'm going to do this part-time at nite, b/c I HAVE to work F/T. This schedule is hard enough, now I have to cram the MCAT in my timeline somewhere, which worries me!! I'll probably have to take an August MCAT since I'll be in nite classes Fall-Spring. I'm so worried about this plan. I need to study my a$$ off for the mcat. Is working F/T and hard-core MCAT studying really possible?? My study time is limited really from late May-- Aug. since I'll be in spring classes thru May and have finals.....
It's so hard to judge a study plan or time-line for this mother-of-all tests!! aaaaahhh!!!!!!!!!
for those with rusty pre-req's, how long does it take to really get it down pat? months? how many hrs. per wk? best of luck to all!

 

[Toejam]

It's ALL possible!

And, I must reiterate, when studying for the MCAT, make sure that you understand the basic principles REALLY well. Don't freak out so much about the scary looking equations. The April MCAT was mostly based on general ideas. I wish I had known this before taking it. Don't just memorize things. They ask you questions that require UNDERSTANDING. I think I has to pull out maybe one or two equations out of my head during the entire test. And they weren't tough ones.

And, though it may seem obvious, spend most of your time on the things that you don't feel comfortable with. And, if you don't understand the principle behind it don't skip over it! Spend the time to see the big picture.

 

[missbonnie]

Hi everyone-

Yes, it's possible. I took the april mcat. I work for a financial firm, so you can imagine the hrs. I've been with the company for a few years and have a good relationship with my managers. I asked for 2 days off a week for 2 months and got that without having to go part time salary. Plus I told them I was going to med school in 2 years and they were VERY supportive. Another friend who is taking the april mcat got a 2 month leave of absence. So, if you want the time off, you have to ask. Also, I graduated college in '99, so my prereqs were years old (bio in 95, orgo in 97..). I also took examkrackers, and they are awesome - they made studying so much easier. I don t have my scores obviously but I think it well.

good luck.

 

[dtreese]

I was able to study for Aug MCAT last summer & work full time without too much hassle. It was no bowl of cherries, but I got the results (my composite score increased 7 points over April). It really depends on how much of a life you want to have for the next couple of months. It's worth the sacrifice, though. Here's an example of what I did during a typical week for 2 months last summer:

Weekdays
Work: 7-3:30
Study at Kaplan or classes at Kaplan: 4:30-9
R&R: 9-11

Weekends
Sat: Classes at Kaplan, break, 2.5 hrs studying on own, have fun Sat night
Sun: study at Kaplan or on own for min 5 hrs.

 

[lola]

oh yeah! my boss is letting me work 3 days/week this summer. hopefully now i won't feel quite so stressed about studying for the mcat. i'm finding it quite a challenge to keep up with the material in my kaplan course and to relearn everything. at the same time a lot of it is coming back to me, and i think that if i work hard for the next few months i will be ok. it's nice to see there are others out there like me who have been successful.