When should I take the MCAT?

[Juicec]

Hey folks, quick question for you, when should I take the MCAT?

I'm entering the fall as a junior and to date have completed all the prereq's minus the organic chem sequence. The reason for delaying my ochem's is due to the fact I'm just transferring into a 4 year university and my previous university only had 1 offering of the class which was conflicting with 2 other activities.

On any note, this summer will be spent doing research and up grading a few other EC's in the process so orgo I is out of the question. I'll be taking orgo I in the fall, orgo II in the spring.

The way I see it is, I can either take the MCAT in April (plan to start studying mid way through this summer) during spring semester (hopefully arrange a light course schedule) but only have orgo II 2/3's finished. Alternatively I could take the MCAT in the summer but that would obviously require me to miss June 1st admissions. Given the rolling admissions processes I really thought a June 1st application date was vital.

At the moment I am not exactly sure how well I will do on the MCAT since I haven't completed any practice tests yet, although with my prereq grades I would like to think not to shabby. I say this because I figure some people might suggest to leave it up to how "I feel." But I'm not sure how "I feel" right now! -_- Just looking for opinions on if you were in my shoes.

Let me know what you guys think! Thanks a bunch.

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[Juicec]

Bump

On a side note, does anyone have any experience with "The Gold Standard." I've been hearing some good things. I was thinking of starting my MCAT studying with the gold standard + the AAMC official guide. From there purchase more CBT's online as seen through mcat-prep.com. From there expand into other resources if I feel I need it, but at the bare minimum take the 8 AAMC tests.

They also sell flash cards for 9.99$, anyone have any input if they are worth it?

So, kaplin/examkrackers, seems as though gold standard is a good place to start before them? I've been hearing bad things about both lately.

 

[Donald Juan]

A better mcat score is more important than submitting on June 1. I know you want to submit your application promptly, but I believe that really means don't wait until October 15th. It's kind of tricky, but I believe people with a 35 mcat and submit in august probably have more success than someone with a 30 who submit on June 1.

That being said...April might be a good time frame because you would have a chance to retake the test if you didn't get the score you needed too. I am taking my mcat for the first time this June, and I pretty much am going to take the score I get (unless its just horrendous). I learned this past Spring that it is hard to study during the semester, which was my original plan, even with a "light" course load. You don't want to get a bad score and resent not taking the proper amount of time to study. Remember, you're competing against some people who spend 8 hours studying a day for 3 months before they take the test.

I don't know about about the gold standard. I did use Kaplan and Princeton Review on some subjects before getting the Berkley Review. I love the Berkley Review, it is very in depth but concise. The vast majority of the books entail passage based, mcat style questions which I enjoy doing more than just reading content all day.

I have never bought flash cards because I always thought part of the learning process with flash cards was spending the time making them. Plus, you can entail whatever knowledge you know is more important if you make them yourself.

 

[Ismet]

It's very hard to study for the MCAT while taking classes, although if you're normally very dedicated and disciplined, it can be done. There's very little content from Orgo II on the MCAT, but you might be at a disadvantage taking the test without completing the course.

I would suggest signing up for a late May date. I took the test this past Friday (5/20) and I plan to submit no later than June 5. I don't know how familiar you are yet with the AMCAS process, but you need to get verified before your application goes out to schools. They take your transcript and check that you entered your courses correctly in the application. As time goes on and more people submit, it takes longer and longer to get verified. A person who submits on 6/1 may be verified on 6/4, but a person who submits on 6/12 may not get verified until 7/1. ANYWAY, you do not need your MCAT scores or your letters of recommendation to get verified. Therefore, you have plenty of time to take the MCAT in late May, submit AMCAS around 6/1, get verified quickly, get your scores in late June, and still be very very early in the application process! You can add on schools, future MCAT dates, and letters of recommendation even after your application is submitted and verified.

Also, many schools do not even wait for your MCAT scores to send you the secondary application (hey, they get the app fee, so why not? ). So you can have your application submitted, be working on your secondaries, all before you get your MCAT scores. They just need your scores and your LOR's before you get an interview offer.

 

[MDminded]

There's very little content from Orgo II on the MCAT, but you might be at a disadvantage taking the test without completing the course. I would suggest signing up for a late May date.

I agree for the reasons below:

I learned this past Spring that it is hard to study during the semester, which was my original plan, even with a "light" course load. You don't want to get a bad score and resent not taking the proper amount of time to study. Remember, you're competing against some people who spend 8 hours studying a day for 3 months before they take the test.

AND

It's very hard to study for the MCAT while taking classes, although if you're normally very dedicated and disciplined, it can be done.

On a side note, does anyone have any experience with "The Gold Standard." I've been hearing some good things. I was thinking of starting my MCAT studying with the gold standard + the AAMC official guide. From there purchase more CBT's online as seen through mcat-prep.com. From there expand into other resources if I feel I need it, but at the bare minimum take the 8 AAMC tests.

They also sell flash cards for 9.99$, anyone have any input if they are worth it?

So, kaplin/examkrackers, seems as though gold standard is a good place to start before them? I've been hearing bad things about both lately.

There are a few threads on Gold Standard. Kaplan and EK are not entirely bad - I've used both, and there are good things about both. Do a little more research, maybe borrow a friend's materials, and make a judgment call for what may work for you. I LOVE TBR, but one of my friends LOVES EK. It depends on the person and what each individual needs.

 

[Juicec]

Thanks for the responses. I don't currently have any "MD minded" friends but I hope to make a few this coming term. I still think a study schedule in the summer might help alleviate some of the stress of "not knowing" how well I will do on the MCAT. If I feel confident perhaps I can make a better call as to when I should write.

I'm thinking I will study the best I can moving forward, if I'm not feeling ready for an April writing, I will push it back to late May as you have suggested which still gets me into a good situation for early applications. Did it not get a tad stressful with your final exams a week before the MCAT? :S

I am somewhat aware of the AAMC applications but I guess was a little in the dark on the verification process. So when it comes time to apply next June. I will make an account May"ish", begin the verification process by sending in my transcripts (I would assume you update your application after spring grades are issued?), then apply my LOR, MCAT scores, etc as they become available? The application is however available to my selected schools as soon as I am verified is it not? They just simply wait for the remaining portion of the material to make a decision, and as you mentioned sometimes send the secondaries out early.

Going to do a little more research on the gold standard. Any more input on MCAT study tools or advised test dates would be fantastic. Thanks again.

 

[Ismet]

I am somewhat aware of the AAMC applications but I guess was a little in the dark on the verification process. So when it comes time to apply next June. I will make an account May"ish", begin the verification process by sending in my transcripts (I would assume you update your application after spring grades are issued?), then apply my LOR, MCAT scores, etc as they become available? The application is however available to my selected schools as soon as I am verified is it not? They just simply wait for the remaining portion of the material to make a decision, and as you mentioned sometimes send the secondaries out early.

You can make an account starting in early May. I believe our applications opened up on May 5 or something. You do have to wait until your spring grades are in to request the transcript. You'll see all this when you are applying next year, but you print out a transcript request form from AAMC and send it to your school and they have to send the official transcript. One of the longest parts of the application is entering every single course you've ever taken. So once you submit on 6/1 or later, they'll check that you entered your courses correctly.

Verified applications are sent out to selected schools on a specific date in June. In previous years, it was near the end, like June 27, but I've been reading that it's June 10 this year, although I haven't yet seen anything from AAMC about it (it really doesn't affect my decisions so I haven't been searching for the date). So if you submitted and got verified before this date, your app won't be released until that date. If you submitted but got verified after that date, your app will be automatically sent to the schools once verified.

However. If you take a May date, it might not be a good idea to send your application to all your schools right from the start. For me, I'm only picking two schools for when I submit in early June. These are schools that I would apply to no matter what MCAT score I get. Then when I get my scores on June 21, I can add more schools based on the score. Getting a 35 opens up a lot of options, schools that I wouldn't apply to if I get a 30. I don't feel like spending $30/school if my MCAT score will keep me from it.

 

[Juicec]

That sounds like a wise decision. I'm actually in a position where I have to go to school in or within commuting distance of NYC. There are a lot available so I'm not super worried, though it would be nice to apply more broadly. Therefore I will have to apply to all the schools, despite the MCAT outcome in hopes of increasing my chances. I'm also a resident of NY so that combined with a decent MCAT I am hoping for the best.

Still not 100% sure when to take the MCAT. I think late May sounds like the best choice, just not sure how it stacks up against having finals ~a week before. Whats your opinion on taking it late June or even July? You think that is to late?