When Should I Take the MCAT?

[DoctorDude]

So here is my situation:

I will be applying in the 2010 cycle. I plan to take the MCAT in either April or May of next year. This means I will be studying during next semester. I'm taking a very easy course load next semester (13 credits of freshman/sophomore level classes), but I will also be taking the Kaplan course. The course ends right around the beginning of April, about a month before finals start. The question is, should I take the MCAT in the middle of April so that all the MCAT material is fresh in my mind, or wait until after finals around the 21st/22nd of May so I can study on my own for two solid weeks after finals?

Many people tell me to take it after finals, but I'm afraid I will start studying for finals and the MCAT will become second priority. Also, taking in May will make me (somewhat) late in applying since one can submit the AMCAS in early June.

Your thoughts??? Thanks

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[BerkReviewTeach]

So here is my situation:

I will be applying in the 2010 cycle. I plan to take the MCAT in either April or May of next year. This means I will be studying during next semester. I'm taking a very easy course load next semester (13 credits of freshman/sophomore level classes), but I will also be taking the Kaplan course. The course ends right around the beginning of April, about a month before finals start. The question is, should I take the MCAT in the middle of April so that all the MCAT material is fresh in my mind, or wait until after finals around the 21st/22nd of May so I can study on my own for two solid weeks after finals?

Many people tell me to take it after finals, but I'm afraid I will start studying for finals and the MCAT will become second priority. Also, taking in May will make me (somewhat) late in applying since one can submit the AMCAS in early June.

Your thoughts??? Thanks

Ideally, you want about a month before the MCAT to do nothing but focus on taking practice exams and correcting your careless errors. That month is critical for filling in the information gaps you might still have. If you can take the MCAT about two weeks before finals, then you should be able to stay focused on the MCAT when you need to, while still shifting gears into school mode in time to do well on finals. Remember: both grades and the MCAT matter, so you can't sacrifice one for the other. Also, right after the MCAT you will be extremely drained, so jumping into finals cram mode might not be as easy as normal. Give yourself at least two weeks before the MACT and your first final.

I wouldn't worry about when your review course ends, because you'll be doing most of your work on your own when reviewing anyway. Most people spend 100 hours in class and 300-400 hours studying on their own. I believe your course has only about 50 hours of class time, so it's so little that you shouldn't worry too much about finishing classes before shifting into testing phase. You can stop going to the classes any time it fits with your master plan. And there's a chance that you may have one teacher for everything, so some lectures won't help much and you might stop going anyway.