Upper level physiology?

[MyOdyssey]

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For those of you have taken the new MCAT and done well on the B/B section, is it helpful to have taken an upper level physiology course? Is that level of detail helpful or does the B/B section test physiology at a lower level detail (but more conceptually) such as what you might find in a two semester intro biology sequence?

@Sophist
@Lucca
@Matthew9Thirtyfive

And anyone else?

 

[deleted938090]

yes

 

[I'mJustCurious]

I honestly think it helps, but it's something you can learn by yourself if you put in the time

 

[MyOdyssey]

To those who have been kind enough to have replied already and to anyone else as well, if you had a choice between taking intro to neuro science, a second semester of biochemistry, upper level physiology or a psychology research methods class, which would be most helpful on the MCAT?

 

[deleted938090]

I am taking neuroscience, I have taken the other three. For P/S, psychology is very useful. Neuro is not really useful to mcat imo. Physiology is good.

 

[PapaGuava]

Psychology or Physiology

 

[MyOdyssey]

What's easier to learn on your own - MCAT related physiology or psychology research methods?

 

[a-robit]

As far as my experience with the 8/3 MCAT, physiology is helpful for discrete and semi-discrete questions, and I know this isn't a super helpful answer, but you just kind of need to know a little bit of everything. There are some topics that show up time and time again, but it's almost impossible to tell what you'll get tested on on the real deal. Most high yield knowledge in my experience is learning how to read graphs, understand research studies, and analyze dense and esoteric passages.

 

[MyOdyssey]

I am taking neuroscience, I have taken the other three. For P/S, psychology is very useful. Neuro is not really useful to mcat imo. Physiology is good.

To clarify, @Sophist, which psychology course(s) did you take?

 

[Altius Premier Tutor]

I scored in the 99th percentile and I didn't take a psychology course at all, ever. I only studied what was in the Altius study materials. If you look at the exam contents from a purely statistical perspective, I think there is no question that a second semester of biochemistry is worth *much* more on the MCAT than advanced physiology, psychology, and certainly neuro. Biochem is heavily represented on two of the four sections!

By the AAMC's own definition, and my experience, the MCAT is designed from stem to stern to be a CONCEPTUAL examination of basic science. All my experiences would support that. In fact, some of my friends who were taking advanced science courses for their degrees would often get tripped up because they would over-complicate simple questions by bringing in "Well, we learned in my Advanced Vertebrate Physiology 490 course that the dorsal root ganglian *actually* do not function in exactly that way (i.e., in the way intro courses teach...and the way the MCAT is testing).