What classes do I specifically need for the MCAT?

[deem1221]

My advisor was not really clear on what classes i need for the MCAT, and she told me that i do not need Physics 2 and Orgo 2. I was under the impression that i needed these classes before i take the MCAT. Can someone help me here?

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[psipsina]

My advisor was not really clear on what classes i need for the MCAT, and she told me that i do not need Physics 2 and Orgo 2. I was under the impression that i needed these classes before i take the MCAT. Can someone help me here?

I'm pretty sure that I saw stuff on the MCAT from ochem and phys 2, of course it was a few years ago so maybe some radical changes have happened. You need your premed reqs pretty much. Good idea to have take some higher bio classes, possibly biochem. Also a good idea to have taken some outside courses with heavy reading loads to help with your verbal score.

 

[45408]

Bio 1 and 2
Gen chem 1 and 2
Organic chem 1 and 2
Physics 1 and 2

Most people who do well on the MCAT took all these classes before taking the MCAT. It's easier to review for the test than to learn things for the first time.

Optional classes that may help you, depending on the version of the MCAT you get:

Genetics (didn't help me much)
Physiology
Biochemistry (wish I had it before the MCAT)

Classes that probably won't matter at all:

Anatomy
Cell biology
Development/embryology
Microbiology
Botany

 

[Depakote]

Bio 1 and 2
Gen chem 1 and 2
Organic chem 1 and 2
Physics 1 and 2

Most people who do well on the MCAT took all these classes before taking the MCAT. It's easier to review for the test than to learn things for the first time.

Optional classes that may help you, depending on the version of the MCAT you get:

Genetics (didn't help me much)
Physiology
Biochemistry (wish I had it before the MCAT)

Classes that probably won't matter at all:

Anatomy
Cell biology
Development/embryology
Microbiology
Botany

Couldn't agree more.

 

[Ben26TPA]

Bio 1 and 2
Gen chem 1 and 2
Organic chem 1 and 2
Physics 1 and 2

Most people who do well on the MCAT took all these classes before taking the MCAT. It's easier to review for the test than to learn things for the first time.

Optional classes that may help you, depending on the version of the MCAT you get:

Genetics (didn't help me much)
Physiology
Biochemistry (wish I had it before the MCAT)

Classes that probably won't matter at all:

Anatomy
Cell biology
Development/embryology
Microbiology
Botany

So is calc required? I've talked to a view people and it's 50/50 at this point as to if I need it or not. The less math I have to do the better off I'll be.

 

[Law2Doc]

So is calc required? I've talked to a view people and it's 50/50 at this point as to if I need it or not. The less math I have to do the better off I'll be.

It's required for admission to some med schools, but not for the MCAT.

 

[Ben26TPA]

It's required for admission to some med schools, but not for the MCAT.

Thanks good to know.

 

[gujuDoc]

Thanks good to know.

Are you at USF? I just saw your location!!!

And to answer the questions. I think TheProwler's posts summed it up beautifully. I second what he said.

 

[Ben26TPA]

Are you at USF? I just saw your location!!!

And to answer the questions. I think TheProwler's posts summed it up beautifully. I second what he said.

LOL...HEY!!!

Nah, I'm doing time at HCC and UT.

 

[pennybridge]

an MCAT class maybe?

 

[Crazy4F1]

Bio 1 and 2
Gen chem 1 and 2
Organic chem 1 and 2
Physics 1 and 2

Most people who do well on the MCAT took all these classes before taking the MCAT. It's easier to review for the test than to learn things for the first time.

Optional classes that may help you, depending on the version of the MCAT you get:

Genetics (didn't help me much)
Physiology
Biochemistry (wish I had it before the MCAT)

Classes that probably won't matter at all:

Anatomy
Cell biology
Development/embryology
Microbiology
Botany

i agree, although i found micro very helpful, and cell bio too.

 

[doctor0125]

in addition to what others have said I recommend philosophy, sociology, and psychology. GL

 

[gujuDoc]

LOL...HEY!!!

Nah, I'm doing time at HCC and UT.

Ohh ok. Well if you need anything, feel free to PM me. Especially if you need to know anything with relation to USF COM admissions and what not. Oh and REL posts on here. He's the adcom director at USF COM. Feel free to PM him too.

 

[akinf]

I'd say physiology and some sort of intro molecular genetics will be helpful. Even a little bit of biochem....mostly physiology for the BS. I wish I had taken that. I'm pretty sure I got most of those anatomy/physiology questions wrong.

 

[BigRedPremed]

If you have to take an additional class beyond just intro bio, gen chem, physics, and orgo, I'd recommend physiology. But I personally don't think any class is worth taking just for the MCAT.

 

[Law2Doc]

I'd say physiology and some sort of intro molecular genetics will be helpful. Even a little bit of biochem....mostly physiology for the BS. I wish I had taken that. I'm pretty sure I got most of those anatomy/physiology questions wrong.

Bear in mind that all this (physiology, genetics, anatomy etc) is overkill if your school's bio course is solid. I saw nothing on the MCAT or practice tests that wasn't at least somewhat covered in my basic bio courses. If your bio course is lacking however, you may want to supplement it with some of these.

 

[mvenus929]

Bear in mind that all this (physiology, genetics, anatomy etc) is overkill if your school's bio course is solid. I saw nothing on the MCAT or practice tests that wasn't at least somewhat covered in my basic bio courses. If your bio course is lacking however, you may want to supplement it with some of these.

Or if, you know, you tested out of intro bio and want some background going in. Physiology has been a great help with getting me to understand the material I'm studying for the MCAT. Only the first few weeks of Genetics have been really helpful, and I knew most of the stuff going in. Cell Bio helped me a lot with one of the passages on one of the practice tests I took, and there's some things that it has helped me understand more.

 

[BloodySurgeon]

Everyone is telling me that physio was the best exclusive class to prepare for MCAT. Don't u get the background you need on human physiology from biology and/or biochem? I pretty much understand the basic principles of which all the organs in our body work; would I need to take physiology to understand the more complicated passages of the MCAT?

ME<--- haven't looked at MCAT and refuse to until June.

 

[CardiacIntensivist]

My advisor was not really clear on what classes i need for the MCAT, and she told me that i do not need Physics 2 and Orgo 2. I was under the impression that i needed these classes before i take the MCAT. Can someone help me here?

The physic sections goes into all of Physics I and about half of a typical physics II course, that's probably why she said you don't need it. If you can remember the physics from high school, you're gold. Quite a few of my Kaplan students who never took Physics II and are doing great in the class. The ones who never took Orgo II however...very different. I recommend a course like BioOrganic Chemistry because it really reinforces the concept of carbonyl chemistry. It really helped me prepare for the MCAT.

 

[mvenus929]

Everyone is telling me that physio was the best exclusive class to prepare for MCAT. Don't u get the background you need on human physiology from biology and/or biochem? I pretty much understand the basic principles of which all the organs in our body work; would I need to take physiology to understand the more complicated passages of the MCAT?

ME<--- haven't looked at MCAT and refuse to until June.

Well, I went through the EK books at the beginning of this semester, and didn't do so hot on most of it, which corresponded greatly with the physiology sections. I'm on my second run through and I'm finding that I'm actually understanding what the passages are talking about more now than I did then. But that's just my experience.

I got IB credit for gen bio, so I haven't taken it since my senior year in high school, a good 2-3 years ago. I don't remember too much of the stuff. If you understand the material well enough, then physiology probably won't help you that much more.

 

[mvenus929]

The physic sections goes into all of Physics I and about half of a typical physics II course, that's probably why she said you don't need it. If you can remember the physics from high school, you're gold. Quite a few of my Kaplan students who never took Physics II and are doing great in the class. The ones who never took Orgo II however...very different.

Really? I went through the orgo book for EK maybe a week into O Chem II, and I understood 90% of the material presented. I'd probably understand it more now, but I've been doing consistently well on the Orgo passages of my practice tests.

 

[CardiacIntensivist]

Really? I went through the orgo book for EK maybe a week into O Chem II, and I understood 90% of the material presented. I'd probably understand it more now, but I've been doing consistently well on the Orgo passages of my practice tests.

Are you implying that you never took Orgo II and understand it well enough? Then boy, I wish I had more students like you. Most of them took the course and still don't get any of it. It goes back to the problem that most people (at least in my school) memorized the reactions without trying to understand the concepts. I mean really, how can you go through Orgo I and II without getting what nucleophiles and electrophiles are....

Anyway, you must be good at science but my advice in the matter is usually for those who aren't as gifted.

 

[Law2Doc]

Everyone is telling me that physio was the best exclusive class to prepare for MCAT. Don't u get the background you need on human physiology from biology and/or biochem? I pretty much understand the basic principles of which all the organs in our body work; would I need to take physiology to understand the more complicated passages of the MCAT?

ME<--- haven't looked at MCAT and refuse to until June.

I didn't see a great need for physiology, but my intro bio course was pretty strong on the topic. Check out an MCAT review book (bookstore, library) and see if there are major topics that were glaringly deficient in your bio course(s) before taking a whole 'nother course to supplement.

 

[mvenus929]

Are you implying that you never took Orgo II and understand it well enough? Then boy, I wish I had more students like you. Most of them took the course and still don't get any of it. It goes back to the problem that most people (at least in my school) memorized the reactions without trying to understand the concepts. I mean really, how can you go through Orgo I and II without getting what nucleophiles and electrophiles are....

Anyway, you must be good at science but my advice in the matter is usually for those who aren't as gifted.

First time I went through the EK Orgo book, I had not taken Orgo II. I am now roughly 3/4 of the way through the material in Orgo II. I understand things better than I did then, but I think I could have pulled off a decent score (perhaps not a GOOD score) without Orgo II.

I've always been good at science, though. It's one of the things that drew me towards medicine. And I like my orgo professor, which makes the class a lot easier to understand.

I'm not saying that people should skip orgo II, I'm just saying that if you get the concepts in Orgo I well enough, you can probably do well on the MCAT by self studying, especially since there isn't like half of the BS section on orgo.

 

[CardiacIntensivist]

I'm not saying that people should skip orgo II, I'm just saying that if you get the concepts in Orgo I well enough, you can probably do well on the MCAT by self studying, especially since there isn't like half of the BS section on orgo.

I used to say that. Then I realized, students would actually have to want to get the concepts of Orgo I well enough. From my experience, telling people that is like telling teenagers to abstain from sex. Oh, they'll pretend to heed your advice, but when you're not around to watch them...

 

[mvenus929]

I used to say that. Then I realized, students would actually have to want to get the concepts of Orgo I well enough. From my experience, telling people that is like telling teenagers to abstain from sex. Oh, they'll pretend to heed your advice, but when you're not around to watch them...

Lol. Nice analogy. I know someone who might take the advice, though, since she didn't have room in her schedule for Orgo II this semester, since she wanted to apply to a post bac nursing program offered at our school and needed to finish the prereqs for that first. If she doesn't get in, she's going to study what she needs to and take the DAT for Dental school (which, I admit, is different from the MCAT...)

 

[45408]

Everyone is telling me that physio was the best exclusive class to prepare for MCAT. Don't u get the background you need on human physiology from biology and/or biochem? I pretty much understand the basic principles of which all the organs in our body work; would I need to take physiology to understand the more complicated passages of the MCAT?

ME<--- haven't looked at MCAT and refuse to until June.

You can definitely get the information on your own by using a review book or if you have an intro bio class that teaches some physiology. You DON'T need to take it for the MCAT, but IF you are looking for a class that MAY help, physiology tends to be the most recommended. If it counts for your major, it won't hurt to take it.

 

[nikorette]

I teach physics, O chem and G chem for a test prep company. I feel that the students who get the most out of my physics class have either taken Physics II the semester before our (even better) are taking it during test prep. Taking Physics II during test prep helps both your college class and your MCAT class. For G chem you should have taken it before test prep classes. This way you can review. O chem is a coin flip. If you have taken it recently you may know too much detail. If you have really learned O chem I you should be fine.

 

[TMP-SMX]

Don't you know there's a new calculus section of the MCAT?

The CS section situated between PS and VR.

By the way, I would highly recommend physiology since it is hardly covered at all in intro bio.

 

[BloodySurgeon]

By the way, I would highly recommend physiology since it is hardly covered at all in intro bio.

Like what type of physiology concepts do I need to know? Can you give an example?

 

[TMP-SMX]

Like what type of physiology concepts do I need to know? Can you give an example?

I always laugh that every other question on the real test/practice test is about ADH. But all of the systems physiology is one way or another tested on the MCAT. Whether it is random stand alone questions about where HCl is secreted from, the ovulation cycle, Na/K pumps and impulses, some of it will be on the test. Physiology is probably the best biology class to have for the bio section. You might get lucky if you get a couple developmental questions and a whole section on micro like I did (my spec) but it's a rarity and not something to freak out about.