When to take the MCAT?

[Chris609]

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I'm about done with my 1st year of college, and Im wondering when it would be a good time to start looking into the MCAT?Should i start looking for classes to help me with the test, Buy books,or is there something I should look at?😕

P.s. I haven't taken all my require classes yet, should I still start gettting prepare or not...?

 

[Entol]

The MCAT is offered twice a year, in April and August. I think the general belief here is it's best to take the April MCAT so you (1) can retake if you're not happy with your score and (2) you are at an advantage applying early (which may or may not be true, but you might get acceptances/rejections sooner).

As to which year you take it, most people will take the MCAT April of their junior year (ie just before they actually begin the application process since you apply the year before you start attending). I've heard a lot of success stories from people who worked hard to finish their pre-med reqs their sophomore year and took it either April of sophomore year or August before their junior year (almost a year before they applied) and they swear this works the best.

Bottom line, best and most common path is April of junior year.

-Entol

 

[darkcity998]

If I had to do it again, I would have taken it in August, close to 1 whole year before you will apply. That's assuming that you have taken all the required courses.

That way, if you have to retake in April and have all your recommendations and AMCAS application ready by June, you'll still be considered an early applicant, a big plus for schools that are rolling.

Plus when you ask for recommendations in the fall/spring, some prefer to know your MCAT score. You'll have that if you take it in August.

 

[Rendar5]

I think August is a better time because you don't have to worry about dealing with classes when studying for the MCAT. This works especially well if you know you're going to want to take a year off between college and med school (it does tend to look good to med schools have real-world experience). I took the MCATs August right before my senior year. It was nice to have an idea of what scores I would have to deal with when applying way ahead of time.

If you're going to go straight into med school, August of Sophomore year (if you have taken the prereq courses this early) or April of Junior year are the best times to take it.

 

[Chris609]

what about getting ready for the test?should i start studying now or wait? ALso what are some good books to help with the test?

 

[Rendar5]

exam krackers. princeton review. not sure how good Kaplan books are, but they're also probably just as good. Shop around. If you can afford it, I'd also recommend a prep course (Princeton Review worked well for me). I'd suggest studying for one full semester prior to your test date, be it the spring semester or the summer semeste.

 

[Chris609]

Where can i get the princeton review?😀

 

[Rendar5]

try their website? maybe in a college bookstore? You can also try e-bay, maybe. If you take their course, you get all of their books automatically.

 

[Chris609]

thanks

 

[Alexander99]

Just so I can offer a different perspective, I don't think the review courses at ~$1400 are close to worth it if you have the desire to study for it on your own. The four people whose scores I know (including myself) all scored in the mid 30's up to 42 without ever taking a course. The point is, you can definately score high without taking a prep course. With that said, if you find you have little motivation to study for it on your own, then maybe the prep course is good just to get you to do the work. Still seems like a lot of money to have someone hold your hand. 😀

 

[ehd327]

Yeah, the prep course, in my opinion, is a waste of money--they just cover the material in the book for those who are less inclined to study on their own. Buy the books, grab some coffee and practice, practice, practice! Also, if you are not well-read (as in, you don't read challenging books for fun) you should start ASAP. Put down the entertainment magazines and pick up mags like The Economist, or The New Yorker (I've heard that actual verbal section passages have been taken from these sources) to enhance your reading ability and speed. Timing is a very important factor in the MCAT. The more info you can assimilate in a short period of time the better your chances will be gaining an above average score. Since you just finished your first year, you are in great position to start preparing not just for the content but also for the advanced level of reading comp in the MCAT.

 

[Chris609]

I think Im going to pick a MCAT book for now and just start reviewing and later now decide if i need the class. Thanks for all the info.

 

[skypilot]

This test is free! It gives you an actual score for your results for each of the MCAT sections. You can get an idea of where you are scoring.

Then you can purchase additional tests for $80. Some people just take these tests over and over again and that is all they do to prepare for the MCAT.

http://www.e-mcat.com/mcat2/login.asp

 

[darkcity998]

also, i used to worry about reviewing everything before i take a practice test, but then i found out later on that reviewing everything didn't make such a big difference. it's mostly a Reasoning test.

get a hold of all high-quality practice tests and put all of your concentration into doing your best for each practice test. address your weaknesses and move on to improve! review the basic science while you're taking practice tests (that's the standard review course system anyway).

if you don't need structure or if you're too far from a review course center, then personally, i don't think it's worth the money. save the $1400 for med school applications and interviews.

 

[pitseleh]

i would take it in april or august😛

 

[soonerpillow]

Originally posted by darkcity998
If I had to do it again, I would have taken it in August, close to 1 whole year before you will apply. That's assuming that you have taken all the required courses.

That's what I did, and I thought it worked out great. I got to take it twice, and I still got my app in early.

I also didn't take a course. I studied with Kaplan the first time and Berkeley Review the second time. I recommend Berkeley, it has more practice problems.

 

[bella_dottoressa]

Chris,
I would really suggest not worrying about the mcat yet, since it's just your first year. I know how you feel though, I was the ultra nerdy type of premed who came to college with the Kaplan Comprehensive mcat review in hand. Trust me though, you'll be reviewing stuff you haven't really even learned yet and it isn't worth your time. What's a whole, whole, whole lot more important is doing well in your classes and really learning what you're taught. What are you doing now, gen chem and bio? Don't worry about the mcat, but spend your time on those classes, really learning the material and hopefully doing well too. 🙂 I'm a sophomore right now, and am planning on taking the mcat this august after I've finished all the prereq's, so I'm definately early on in college as well, but I would really recommend waiting at least until your freshman year is over to start worrying about the mcat. There'll be plenty of time for that later. 🙂

Crystal

 

[Chris609]

Crystal,Im going to take your advise and wait because its true i havent even taken all my classes yet. I guess this summer i will start looking more into books and course.I have another question about something different, I got a call today for this program during the summer, to go to thailand and volunteer for a month.I was wondering if this is useful for med. school?thanks.....😀

 

[roja]

chris609 go to Thailand. Don't think about the MCAT until you are done with your MCAT pre-recs. Prep courses are good for most people, especially if standardized multiple choice tests aren't your forte. And if you have interests outside of medicine to distract you.

Be well rounded and try not to get sucked into the gunner club.

 

[bella_dottoressa]

Chris,
Good plan! Going to thailand will look AWESOME on your application! Man, we are so similar, I was SO close to going to Thailand too...is it with Global Services Corp by chance? I had my deposit in the mail, but then stuff came up. I really regret not getting the chance to go so for SURE do it and this summer or this time next year you can study for the mcat to your hearts content. 🙂

 

[Pinkertinkle]

I took it August after sophomore year, a good time if you can spare the summer for studying. I had full time work, but oh well.

 

[asama527]

Originally posted by Pinkertinkle
I took it August after sophomore year, a good time if you can spare the summer for studying. I had full time work, but oh well.

I totally agree. I also took the MCAT after my sophomore year. It's the best time since junior/senior year can be stressful at some colleges.

 

[Chris609]

thanks for all the info., Im glad i found this site. I going to take everyone's advise and take it after my sophmore year when i will have most of my prep courses done.😀
Christian

 

[NYGirl12]

Originally posted by crystal18mc
Chris,
Good plan! Going to thailand will look AWESOME on your application! Man, we are so similar, I was SO close to going to Thailand too...is it with Global Services Corp by chance? I had my deposit in the mail, but then stuff came up. I really regret not getting the chance to go so for SURE do it and this summer or this time next year you can study for the mcat to your hearts content. 🙂

hey, im looking at volunteering abroad this summer too. i was wondering if you know some programs? it would be really helpful if you could post some of the names. do most of them require you to pay about 2K or something? or are some free? i don't think i'll be accepted to any research internship this summer since they're abot 90% of them are for sophomores / juniors (i'm a freshman) so i would really love to volunteer abroad. 😍

 

[Chris609]

all the programs that i saw you have to pay around 2K.... I got a called from Cross-Cultural Solutions,and they are sending my info. in the mail and i have to called back once i read all the info. on it.