when did u start preparing for the mcat

[numberrronee]

i would say, no matter what, i would take the mcat in the summer! im starting to listen to audio osmosis now and not even taking the mcat til next summer! ive yet to start orgo until this september but ill get a better understanding when it comes along bc the rest of my pre reqs will be done this semester. as long as i keep going over or listening to audio tapes, ill be ready for it! but is it bad not to take it in april? when did u guys start studying for the mcat (months??) bc i vaguely remember chem 1 and bio 1 bc it was little while ago? but just wandering if its good or bad idea

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[IHeartNerds]

I began with the Kaplan flashcards in 6th grade.

 

[coldweatherblue]

I took it in mid August and began preparing in early July. It had been a REALLY long time since Bio and G. Chem and I felt very weak in those areas. I hit the books pretty hard for a month and a half and was happy with my result.

It definitely depends on how comfortable you are with the material and how well you test.

 

[deuce924]

Seriously, Do you mean to say you aren't taking the MCAT until the summer of 2009 and you are starting to study now? I doubt you will need a year and half to study for the test. With that being said, some people like to take it in the summer so they won't have school to worry about when they take the test. I took the test in April and it worked for me. I was able to take the test, get my scores, and get my AMCAS in early.

You should take the test whenever you feel comfortable and confident. Also you may want to get this thread moved to MCAT Discussion. There are plenty of people there that will be able to answer the question.

 

[TheRealMD]

Started: November 2006
Took: April 2007

 

[xrevision]

Early July to Early August. 1.5 years to prep is more than enough time if you're not confident.

 

[PhoenixLE]

3 days before the MCAT. I'd have preferred if I hadn't waited 3 years after OChem and my other science reqs to take it.... but it turned out ok

 

[Blade28]

Started in early June, summer right after sophomore year. Took the MCAT about 2 months later.

 

[Bacchus]

Started in early June, summer right after sophomore year. Took the MCAT about 2 months later.

You had to take the written exam, didn't you?

 

[dienekes88]

I started ~4.5-5 weeks before the test.

That wasn't a great idea.

 

[paradocs we are]

I would say familiarize yourself with the material and the test about 4 months before. Then practice as many tests as you can 3 weeks before the actual test. Good luck!

 

[pingouin]

Moving to the MCAT forum.

 

[Vihsadas]

4 months ahead of time. In reality, I was scoring at my target or higher about 2.5 - 3 months in.

 

[tncekm]

4 months ahead of time. In reality, I was scoring at my target or higher about 2.5 - 3 months in.

Where did you start as far as scoring goes?

I'm getting, generally, 80-100% of the questions right in many of the sciences a couple weeks in. But, freaking VR is killing me.

Note to OP: I started prepping 4 months ahead of time.

 

[Vihsadas]

Where did you start as far as scoring goes?

I'm getting, generally, 80-100% of the questions right in many of the sciences a couple weeks in. But, freaking VR is killing me.

Note to OP: I started prepping 4 months ahead of time.

My diag was 28:
8PS 12VR 8BS

My most common 'high score' toward the end of my practice tests was 14PS 13VR 13BS. I started hitting 40 on practice exams at about month 3. My real score: 15PS 11VR 14BS was a similar composite to my practice tests, but the breakdown was very different.

A good rule of thumb is to aim for getting 95% of the questions right on the AAMC practice tests. This pretty much guarantees you a 40 on those practice exams.

 

[RySerr21]

i started to review over winter break and am dedicating about 10-12 hours a week right now to MCAT. right now i am registered for May 27th but will likely swtich to June 13th one

 

[tncekm]

My diag was 28:
8PS 12VR 8BS

My most common 'high score' toward the end of my practice tests was 14PS 13VR 13BS. I started hitting 40 on practice exams at about month 3. My real score: 15PS 11VR 14BS was a similar composite to my practice tests, but the breakdown was very different.

A good rule of thumb is to aim for getting 95% of the questions right on the AAMC practice tests. This pretty much guarantees you a 40 on those practice exams.

Thanks.

I haven't done, and won't be doing for quite a while, any practice exams. Hopefully they'll correlate to my success in the sciences in the TPR material. I think I'm at 78% GChem (which I haven't covered in 4yrs and the stuff I missed was almost entirely about oxidation states, which I can fix), 90+% Physics, somewhere around 80% bio, and not sure about ochem ATM, but I think with practice I'll do well--I prepped only maybe half a day for the ACS Ochem exam and was in the 94th percetile or something like that, so I'm sure it'll come back to me.

So, I'm pretty confident I"ll do well in the sciences after I have some time to keep pushing forward and reviewing--lots of the material I've had to go over was somewhat based off of material I haven't covered yet. But, VR is just killing me. I feel like an idiot, and its a very strange feeling for me because I've made my way through school largely on my ability to "understand" without studying much. Hopefully something will "click" after I slow things down. :'(

 

[Blade28]

You had to take the written exam, didn't you?

Yes. The computer exam wasn't even being considered yet!

I took the MCAT back in 1999.

 

[AmjedatKaplan]

I find that many of my students do the MCAT in 2 stages:

Stage 1: Take a course, including attending class and doing some of the work
Stage 2: Practice! Practice! practice!

The smartest ones commit to preparing early (10 or more months before the summer between their junior and senior years- starting in August through October of the month before and nail both of those stages before they take their MCAT for the first time.

 

[bodonid]

I did my first diagnostic test in the womb,
bought the 1987 Kaplan comprehensive review.
It hasn't changed since then, CBT and all.

The earlier you start the more comfortable you will be. I started in December for a June exam, which consensus says is more than sufficient. I studied about an hour a day until after finals in May. From May 13 to June 15 I studied 8-10 hours a day.

 

[Vihsadas]

I agree. 10 months is completely unnecessary, and the MCAT prep courses are only useful for the practice problems they provide, or if you don't have the work ethic to review the material yourself. If you can commit full-time, 4 months is really all you should plan for. If you are really diligent, 4 months is almost too much.

 

[Virgil]

I started ~4.5-5 weeks before the test.

That wasn't a great idea.

You said it! 39 is a terrible score! Have you considered retaking?

 

[physics junkie]

I took the MCAT pretty seriously from dec 26th to January 10th. So two weeks. I took it significantly less seriously from the 10th to the 23rd. Scored 33-36 on all my practice tests so hopefully my real score will come out the same.

I dunno about you guys but I don't think if learned material 2 months prior to taking the MCAT it wouldn't be all that fresh in my head.