will one biology course be sufficient for the mcat?

[ronaldo23]

its pretty intensive, called molecules, cells and genes...if i take this course + take kaplan will i have a good foundation for the biology portion of the mcat, or will I be way missing alot of material

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[87138]

I'd say that if you can help it, take at least one more biology course (assuming it's at least somewhat relevant to MCAT material). Why fight an ultimate battle without all the proper weapons? Kaplan, from what I understand (never took a review course), helps you refine those weapons, but might not be great when they're introducing new material.

Your mileage may vary.

 

[Just Joshin]

its pretty intensive, called molecules, cells and genes...if i take this course + take kaplan will i have a good foundation for the biology portion of the mcat, or will I be way missing alot of material

No.

You're going up against students who have 30 credits in Bio. Why would you go in with the very least possible preparation?

 

[SeheePolyps]

Eh it's only biology. How much material can there be?

 

[fireflygirl]

its pretty intensive, called molecules, cells and genes...if i take this course + take kaplan will i have a good foundation for the biology portion of the mcat, or will I be way missing alot of material

I think a lot of it is going to depend on exactly what you are taught in this class. All the basic cell stuff is fine but if you are not going to be taught any basic anatomy and functions, you may find yourself at a disadvantage. Some of my bio passages when I took the MCAT were about various organ systems and had bio questions related to some basic anatomy and function.

 

[doctor311]

One thing to keep in mind is that you should have a couple sections of the MCAT that are strong for you - the majority of students are really good at biology. If you are super strong in g chem/physics and verbal, you might be alright, however, you want even scores in all sections of the MCAT (a low standard deviation).

I would take more biology - you have a lot of material to cover for the MCAT, and Kaplan (which I took for the 2007 computerized MCAT) gives you the material you need to learn, but its more like an overview. If I didn't have the experience of many biology courses, it would have been a lot more difficult. If you can, take a physiology course - it will help you understand why and how biological systems work.

good luck

 

[TheRealMD]

The MCAT should not be the first place you see science material. Wait to take a few more relevant bio classes.

 

[Phoenix.]

Moving to the MCAT Discussion Forum.

 

[[pj]]

Simply put: No.

 

[J ROD]

It's possible if you get some great review books and get lucky.

I would def go over biochem, physio, and genetics.

 

[mterp45]

It's possible if you get some great review books and get lucky.

I would def go over biochem, physio, and genetics.

I agree, the MCAT BIO is heavily geared towards human physiology (not anatomy like someone above mentioned) and genetics. The class you plan on taking sounds more like a cell biology class. I wouldnt advise taking it for MCAT purposes. You would be better off taking a biochem class if you choose not to take phys or gen.

 

[bioteach]

You could do it, but you'll probably regret it. The biology section of the MCAT covers much more than just a single bio course worth of content.

 

[chucktown]

As a non-science major I am scrambling to fit the pre req sciences into my schedule as it is, would the normal bio1 and bio2 sequence be enough to do well on the bio section? I have yet to take those courses but I assume they cover a good bit of genetics and possibly human physiology.

 

[rmv337]

I am in the same boat as you right now, but I figure that in biology class I have to teach myself the stuff anyways, so why not just do the same for the MCAT. As long as you study and understand the material covered on the MCAT you will be fine. There are plenty of resources available for you to get an idea of the topics covered. Good Luck! If I don't bomb the MCAT in at the end of may you are more than welcome to have my Exam crackers study guide for biology

 

[wizenedone]

Try to take Physiology and/or Genetics. These courses will certainly help you on the MCAT. Good luck!

 

[SDN2013]

Eh it's only biology. How much material can there be?

yea.... right...

 

[XRanger]

dude take physio...it helped me A LOT

 

[MossPoh]

I'm going to go against the grain and say that out of all the classes to be underprepared for, bio is probably the best. It is by far the easiest to learn. I've taken a couple of these classes and I really don't think I've learned anything special in them. If anything, it kind of screws me up on parts because I know too much about the topic. Bio 1 and bio 2 are both completely frickin worthless and might be worth about 2 or 3 questions on the entire mcat (the bio at my school). Physiology and genetics were much more valuable with my practice tests, but it isn't radically difficult concepts to understand.

 

[RapplixGmed]

What kind of class is this? The only bio class I have ever taken in college was a 8-credit, two semester course in quantitative physiology that combined topics from cell bio, metabolic biochemistry, human physiology (including all major organ systems), and also included a 3wk crash course in human anatomy... designed to teach engineering majors everything they ever need to know about the human body. I got a 15 in bio. I consider myself pretty knowledgeable in bio so I've never bothered to take bio courses so I can be more productive with other things. If you're in a situation like that, you can do it. Otherwise, you should probably gain some background first.

 

[Dakayus]

Lots of my friends who took the MCAT did so after their 3rd in summer having 1 full year of general bio, genetics, molecular biology, cell biology, structural biochem and metabolic biochem. *We're on quarter schedule*
Do you think 1 course will equate to 3 years?
There's a lot of things on the MCAT that are not general biology (1st year stuff).

 

[MossPoh]

Lots of my friends who took the MCAT did so after their 3rd in summer having 1 full year of general bio, genetics, molecular biology, cell biology, structural biochem and metabolic biochem. *We're on quarter schedule*
Do you think 1 course will equate to 3 years?
There's a lot of things on the MCAT that are not general biology (1st year stuff).

and there are a lot of bio majors that don't break a 10 in bio. I've seen that happen more than the 15s