When to take the MCAT

[chip2dale]

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Hey guys!

I have a few questions that I thought I could get answered here pretty easily, and getting your guys' input would really mean a lot to me! Anyway, I am a biomedical engineering major, and due to the way my major is set up at my school, I don't get to take biology until Junior year. To be more specific, I take Systems Bioengineering I-III starting in Junior fall and finishing in Senior fall.

Now my main question, is, considering that I won't really be able to schedule myself to have a light semester for MCAT studying, when is the best time for me to take the MCAT? I like the idea of having a summer to prepare for it, but I'm worried about taking it next summer (after my sophomore year), since I won't have a biology background.

Getting the timing down for all of this stuff has gotten me quite confused, so I want to get it sorted out before I mess anything up 😕

EDIT: I am also curious - is it realistic to self-teach MCAT biology, if I have had a little prior knowledge but no specific intro bio courses?

 

[chip2dale]

At my school, Biomedical Engineering is really pre-organized for us. To give an example, to graduate in 4 years, I need to take an average of 17.5 credits per semester (including the pre-med requirements that aren't covered in my major requirements). So "squeezing things in" doesn't seem really possible :\

But thanks for your advice and input 😀