Whens the best time to start prepping for MCAT?

[internist88]

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Hi, I'm a junior in high school, and since I'm sure I want to be a doctor, I'm thinking I should start prepping for the MCAT or DAT next summer. I want to take the MCAT at least 2 or 3 times, so would this still be too early to start and thus a waste of my precious summer, or a good idea?

 

[physiologyguy]

WAY too early. Enjoy being young - you ll have the rest of life to be a doctor. The truth is, you want to prob wait until you have all the coursework to really dig into the studying - makes it MUCH easier. I would go ahead and take genetics/mol bio stuff though - this is the future of medicine.

 

[solitude]

Hi, I'm a junior in high school, and since I'm sure I want to be a doctor, I'm thinking I should start prepping for the MCAT or DAT next summer. I want to take the MCAT at least 2 or 3 times, so would this still be too early to start and thus a waste of my precious summer, or a good idea?

Whoa whoa whoa. Come back in two or three years and we'll talk.

 

[BigRedPremed]

You do not want to take the MCAT 2 or 3 times.

I started prepping 2 1/2 months before I took the MCAT.

 

[starshine3]

Agreed!! Definitely too early to start prepping. It won't be beneficial for you to start "reviewing" material that you haven't yet covered. The one thing that you can do to help you with the MCAT ( and really any other test involving reading comprehension) is to start reading regularly (outside of just textbooks) if you don't already and continue into college. There are some recommendations for magazines, newspapers, etc elsewhere in this forum although I can't remember any off the top of my head . I'm not saying force yourself to read as some sort of chore but making it a habit to read over the newspaper or something else thats an appropriate reading level will be helpful. But, like the other posters, I really wouldn't worry about the MCAT too much at this point, its pretty early, enjoy the rest of your high school years as much as you can. good luck! 🙂

 

[MahSpoon]

Shouldn't you be worried about getting into an undergrad college? o_P

 

[RAD11]

Hi, I'm a junior in high school, and since I'm sure I want to be a doctor, I'm thinking I should start prepping for the MCAT or DAT next summer. I want to take the MCAT at least 2 or 3 times, so would this still be too early to start and thus a waste of my precious summer, or a good idea?

Why in the world are you planning to take the MCAT 2 or 3 times?

 

[UMP]

Why in the world are you planning to take the MCAT 2 or 3 times?

overall, it was a pretty fun experience... i really don't see why OP wants to take it ONLY 2 or 3 times 😉

 

[DrWanahbe]

Now, see, I think you're starting way too late. The proper time to begin studying for the MCAT is in utero.

 

[foofish]

Hi, I'm a junior in high school, and since I'm sure I want to be a doctor, I'm thinking I should start prepping for the MCAT or DAT next summer. I want to take the MCAT at least 2 or 3 times, so would this still be too early to start and thus a waste of my precious summer, or a good idea?

Come back when you're a junior in college, and since you don't even know whether you want to be a doctor vs. a dentist, it's CERTAINLY too early to be studying for the MCAT or DAT. 🙂

This material is based on college coursework, and isn't like the SATs which are fairly divorced from anything you're actually studying. And to be realistic, you're going to change *a lot* in the next four years--instead of locking into medicine as something you "know" you want to do, let yourself explore the options in college to see if medicine is really what you want to do.

Also, while it's fine to take the SATs over and over, the point is to take the MCAT as few times as possible (and not just because it's an incredibly long exam, because it's a beast, or because it costs $210 a pop)--once is ideal. Most schools also will not consider a score that is more than 3 years old.

 

[.surgical.]

IM a junior in college wondering if its time to get started 😎

I don't wanna learn a bunch of stuff ill just forget in 9 months, right?

To the OP, I hope your joking. Enjoy some life, high school is more free time than you'll ever see again, ever, ever.

 

[IckeyShuffle]

do not take the mcat two or three times. The mcat is not a fun experience and you will not want to do it more than once. that being, the earlier you start preparing, the better. It is never too early to start preparing. Maybe buy a review book and skim it. I wouldnt burn the practice tests until you get closer to actually taking the thing because that would be a waste.

 

[TauPathology]

Go to college. Get drunk, laid, and stupid. Spend your later years making up for your freshman grades and then worry about the MCAT =P.

 

[Knickerbocker]

Why in the world are you planning to take the MCAT 2 or 3 times?

Because by the time the OP is ready to start the cycle, pre-med gunners will be so bad that you will be expected to get not only a 30+, but a 30+ on multiple testings just to show that it wasn't luck.

 

[IckeyShuffle]

Go to college. Get drunk, laid, and stupid. Spend your later years making up for your freshman grades and then worry about the MCAT =P.

good advice 😀

 

[Igor4sugry]

Also think about the possibility that once you hit your freshman year and see the college life, you will re-think your plans to be a doctor.

 

[Chuckwalla]

I completely agree with what everyone has said. I wanted to be a musician in high school. Freshman year I wanted to be a writer or get involved with politics. Then I took an infectious disease class and I wanted to get a MPH and become an epidemiologist. Then I saw how terrible the job prospects were and how low the pay was if you managed to get one. To sum it up I have been all over the place and I bet you will too.