How did it go?

[Guest V]

Just wanted to reply to Richard's last message,

 

You dont "have to have" some of those courses that Richard had posted. Sure they do help, but I do know many people who did fine on the MCAT without taking university level courses (such as physics).

 

The MCAT is not testing you on all of the stuff you learn in the courses Richard had posted, rather only on a few selected topics. I firmly believe that that you can learn that stuff in the summer prior. Books such as Kaplan prep or TPR have lesson books for sale that have all the information you need for the MCAT. The physics book you may have gotten in university has WAY too much info for the purposes of the MCAT.

 

For all of you who have just written it, im sure you can attest to that.

 

However, Richard was right on the nail when he said that you are at an advantage if you have taken them.... it just saves you some time during the summer.

[Guest iamanurse]

Hello V and thanks for the feedback.

 

You've made some interesting comments regarding the courses (ie: doing fine on the test without all university level courses). I'm actually going to head out this afternoon to Chapters. If I remember correctly - they did have the prep guides you are referring to. The ones that I have been using (from the library) are old and just contain the tests and answers (different than those I saw at Chapters if I recall correctly).

 

And you're correct, not all universities offer pre med programs, mine included, so I will try contacting the registrar's office re: the MCAT application.

 

Thanks and take care!

[Guest iamanurse]

Sorry to have been rude:

 

the last entry should have been directed to both V and Bad Hombre.

[Guest Richardo Xavier]

V has got some good points.

You can buy a Kaplan book or Princeton Review book with all of the necessary topics for the MCAT. I got mine for 65 dollars and it is pretty comphrensive. You could definately learn everything you need to know by studying the book.

Also, I apologize. I keep forgetting this is a board primarily for Canadian medical students and applicants. Things are done a little bit differently than they are here in the states ( I am from North Carolina ) so I would trust the advice of your fellow natives over mine

 

I guess what I meant with the "have to have" courses is that you should have taken those courses prior to the MCAT in order to have a clear understanding of the subject material. <!--EZCODE UNDERLINE START-->It is <!--EZCODE BOLD START--> not<!--EZCODE BOLD END--> required by the testing service.<!--EZCODE UNDERLINE END--> One can certainly learn the material on their own very effectively. I'm not as bright as alot of the people here and as a result I required a little bit of "spoon feeding" (ie: being taught the material over time by a professor ) in supplement to the book material I was reviewing for MCAT preparation. It wasn't until I completed all those courses that I realized how deep the interconnectivity between the physics, biology, and chemistry was. It finally "clicked" in my mind my senior year. I guess I needed someone to shine their flashlight into the dark tunnel of knowledge for me. I am quite confident you can pick up a review book and learn it all on your own! I had a good friend who learned it all on his own and made a 36 on the MCAT. I offer that to you as encouragement.

 

I took the MCAT the first time around without having any college physics, only one semester of organic chemistry and only general biology. It showed big time. I made a 10 in verbal, a 7 in physical sciences and a 6 in biology. This is why I retook it this saturday after having graduated from college.

 

The MCAT is a thinking test. It doesn't test your ability to dump what you know like normal college testing. It requires you to take what you know and apply it. The best thing you can do to prepare for the MCAT is to actually take practice tests to get a feel for it. My advice is to get a review book now and to just start learning the material little by little over a few months.

 

Best wishes,

Rich

[Guest bad hombre]

iamanurse,

 

whoa, you're a polite one

i definitely reccommend the kaplan book. well, i obviously don't know how i did on the actual mcat but i was doing well on the official AAMC practice exams.

 

oh, and if your registrar doesn't have the mcat booklet you can also contact the fine people at the undergraduate medical school office nearest to you.

 

later

[Guest iamanurse]

I'm back... again.

 

Still chuckling over the 'you're a polite one' thing... and, yes, I try to be.

 

I just came back from Chapters and saw both the Kaplan and Princton review books. Ineed they are not at all like the ones I've been getting from the library. And they do in fact look to be quite useful (especially while I try to hone in on my weaknesses). I didn't purchase one because at the prices they are asking I'd like to look into the two of them more to see which one would be better suited for me. (They were $75 and $99 fyi) I'll also check to see if they're cheaper online.

 

Richardo: I also happen to feel that I will need a more traditional learning experience when it comes to learning all of this stuff (ie: instructor, classroom). However, it is my hope that by knowing what is actually necessary for the test (vs what is 'nice to know') I can better utilize my time. I think the review books will definitely be a good suppliment to my learning/retaining knowledge. I envy your friend who did so well without formal instruction (regarding these courses). I'll keep this in mind for future reference/encouragement! Are you applying to Cdn med schools? (was that you asking about your chances on another string?) Just wondering.

 

Bad Hombre: I'll check out that website more carefully to see what information I can get from them (MCAT site) otherwise I'll take your advice and contact one of the med schools directly for a brochure. Just curious, was this your first time writing it? (of course, you've probably mentioned that somewhere else... but there's just SO many postings... and so little memory span on my part! haha)

 

Take care!

[Guest Richardo Xavier]

imanurse:

 

I am applying to East Carolina University and UNC-Chapel Hill ( both in the states )

This is just the first message board I've seen with people who share the same passion to be a physician so I have taken up residence here hehe. It's good to utilize your time effectively. Everyone has different methods of learning material and then utilizing it. Find out what works the best for you and then run with it! Best of luck to ya!

 

Camping his mailbox for MCAT Scores,

Richie

[Guest bad hombre]

yup, this was my very first time... and unlike 'you know what' i hope it is my one and only time.

 

i'm just going into the third year of a bio degree. i took the four courses recommended but still had to brush up on first year... bio surprisingly. i hadn't learned much in depth mammalian physiology in my undergrad courses, and physio is huge for the mcat. in my opinion, and this may of course not apply to you, biology is the mcat topic that requires the most rote memorization. i found that with the other three, you just had to understand the concepts and know how to apply them to the passages.

 

conversely, i think undergrad courses in orgo, chem, and phys really help you understand those concepts, whereas you can learn most of the biology from one of the review books.

 

However, BEWARE of verbal and writing!!! nuff people worry too much about the science topics and forget to prepare adequately for these two sections. i'm pretty sure myself that if i had a bane on the mcat, it was the verbal. i know lots of otherwise smart, good kids, who fail to meet the verbal cutoffs because they didn't prepare adequately. and not just ESL people, but people from all sorts of backgrounds. so start your super speed critical reading with plenty of time before the mcat!

 

about the registration booklet, i basically just stumbled into one when i was doing some registration @#%$ at my university's registrar. i also saw some yesterday at the undergrad medical office while i was carrying out some errands there.

 

hope this helps, and remember to take all the advice here (especially mine) with a grain of salt, since like Richie dude mentioned, everyone has their own learning styles and strengths/weaknesses

 

hombre

[Guest iamanurse]

Good Morning

 

I agree with you, Richardo, in that (for the most part) the people on this board express a great passion for the medical profession. I had originally stumbled across this board while looking for nursing sites in particular. I had been hoping to find other nurses who were also interested in changing their role from Florence Nightengale into (ummm..... ok, well....) Marcus Welby. That was probably a poor attempt at a joke! Good luck with your applications!

 

Anyway, this site has proven to be an extreme outpouring of various opinions regarding med school (and all aspects thereof). The way I see it Bad Hombre, is that I am very serious about wanting to get into med school. It is imperitive that I prepare myself in the very best way capable in order to have a shot at acceptance. Therefore the advice obtained on this board, although very much wanted, will always be taken with a grain of salt (as you put it). Just because something worked well for someone else does not mean that it will work for me. So... although I will work my butt off (like everyone else on this board) I like to read about the different stories from other points of view. Maybe part of me just wants to hear that there are people who have gotten accepted with less prep/lower marks/etc so that my own ego won't falter when I know that I have prepared to the best of my ability. OK.... I think I'm truly babbling... sorry.

 

I found a 130 page document on the MCAT site that I think is the brochure that you are referring to (???). Rather than print it out from here I think I will still try to obtain something from the university.

 

As for the books that I checked out, I think I'm leaning towards the 'Princeton Review' one that I saw at Chapters (I think it was 6th edn, came w/ a disk, newer than the other one there). As I stated earlier I'll still check them out more before buying one. I still believe that one of those books would be good to start working through. As you said, it's not just the sciences that I should be concerning myself with - it's the written aspect too. So much to do... so little time! (haha, just kidding)

 

Guess I'll go for now (I think I'm at risk of running off topic here - and Ian is likely to bump this post into another section! haha). Please know that I do appreciate the advice that I have gotten here. Feel free to give more.

 

Have a good day!

[Guest aneliz]

One quick suggestion....the MCAT is changing slightly in format beginning with the next test administration (April 2003). The new 'MCAT announcement' (as that 130 page booklet is called) will not be available until probably Jan/Feb 2003. Don't bother getting the current one (2002 version) because it will be outdated and may contain some incorrect info given that the structure of the exam will be slightly different. Wait for the 2003 printing. I was able to pick up a paper copy of the MCAT announcement at the University of Guelph - it was available in the 'student support and career services office'. Any university should probably have them when the time comes!

 

Also, with respect to buying MCAT prep books, while the majority of the material on the MCAT will not be changing, there will be slight changes in content/structure/focus of the exam in 2003. I would suggest that you wait to buy an MCAT prep book until after the changes are made to them....there is no point in spending your hard earned cash on a soon to be outdated book! If you are really wanting to get going on this MCAT thing before then, see if you can pick up a used copy or borrow one from the library. Both my public library and the university library had some MCAT prep books (not the newest editions but hey, they are all going to be outdated soon....)

 

Just my two cents....

[Guest V]

I work at Kaplan Test Prep, and just to let you all know, they will be making new MCAT prep books to follow along the lines of the new MCAT structure. I agree with aneliz when she says to wait before spending huge bucks on these books.

 

Im sure the other big test prep companies will be changing too.

 

From a little birdie on a tree..... I heard that the only CONTENT changes are that a molecular biology/Genetics component will be added. All the rest of the changes should only be in FORMAT (ie. moving VR to the 2nd slot, and PS to the first: 1 less passage in VS and it is now possible to get 15).

 

BUT please take this as just hearsay.

 

Cheers,

V

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi guys,

 

With respect to the new version of the MCAT as of next April, V's pretty much correct except for one item. AAMC have not yet been specific in stating that one less VR passage will appear on the new exam. (There are generally 9, and in some unlucky cases, 10 per exam.) What has been stated, however, is that there will be 5 less VR questions per exam; so instead of 65, you're looking at 60. Those 5 questions may be extracted along with one passage, and if so, brilliant, since there would be less reading, but we'll have to wait and see re: the finalities.

 

Another difference is that the MCAT scores will now be distributed to test takers and med schools as one alphanumeric value. That is, instead of receiving say, a 10,10,10 R--which has been the norm in past years--as of next year you'll receive a 30R. It should be interesting to see how this will impact the admissions policies at the various med schools which have required specific marks in specific sections of the test.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest ioncannon97]

I don't think it will impact the admission policies because the AAMC will still be reporting the individual marks along with the total so schools that want certain marks in specific sections can still look for that.

[Guest cheech10]

Yeah, the total score isn't replacing the individual scores (at least AFAIK), it's just adding to them. Although why this is needed, I don't know; adding 3 numbers isn't that tough. Still, it could be nice if they release percentiles for the score out of 45.

[Guest dfenst]

I know that with the current format, you get a range of percentile rankings for your individual sections. I don't know if the new system is going with percentile too. I vaguely remember a 10 being the 70-80 percentile. I never quite understood why verbal couldnt have individual scores for 13, 14, 15 but then I realized that it doesn't really matter. Firstly, how many people get 13 or higher? Probably less than 0.1%. Secondly, if you get any of those scores, you're harvard bound. Most school swill tell you that Verbal is the most important section. Also, the fact that they are having 5 less questions for verbal will affect everyone the same way so scores shouldn't really change.

 

Just my piece on the whole thing.

[Guest medicator007]

On the whole fact that VR scores were not given individually over 13, I was under the following impression. Apparantly there are not enough extremely difficult questions on the VR section to meaningfully differentiate between a 13,14 and 15. I dont know how they intend to get around that on the new format, but as you pointed out i dont think it really matters.

[Guest MDCY]

Congrats to all who took the MCAT. Just remember that you'll probably forget nearly all the details when you're into clinical rotations. I can't speak for other med students but I think that after taking the MCAT, I don't think at least 50% of the material even matters when you're in med school. I can see where the verbal section will help you in medical school but I don't see the validity of knowing things like the life cycle of a mushroom as a physician. I understand that the amount of information you should know for the MCAT will be a poor reflection of the amount of information one has to know as a physician and in that way, the MCAT is testing your capabilities. My basic argument would be that the MCAT should test more on relevant medical subjects in the sciences and not on the frivolous details of other sciences. What do you pre-med and med students think?

Cheers!

Edit: I'm a first year medical student.

[Guest Ian Wong]

I think the fact that our class never openly discussed their MCAT performance after we all got accepted speaks to the fact that the MCAT, at its heart and soul, is just an additional money-making hurdle on the way to admissions. You will find stunningly little in the MCAT syllabus that you will actually NEED to prosper in med school. I didn't encounter any physics to speak of in med school, nor any organic chemistry, only the rudiments of biochem/genetics, and generally speaking, the microbiology and physiology that you learn is oriented quite differently between undergrad, and what you actually use clinically in medicine.

 

What may serve you best is any good study habits that you used for the MCAT, although these were likely developed in undergrad before you took the MCAT, instead of actually learning good study skills solely for your MCAT sitting.

 

As to testing on more medically relevant subjects, I think that starts to be a slippery slope towards undergrads streaming even further towards a medically based undergrad degree.

 

As the MCAT stands right now, I'd argue that science majors already have it much easier when prepping for the MCAT than humanities majors, simply because of the content of the MCAT is so skewed towards the sciences. However, a Physics major, Chem major, Biochem major, and a General Biology major all have reasonable chances of doing well on the MCAT as it currently stands.

 

If we were to emphasize medical topics on the MCAT, then I think you would find that this not only alienates the humanities majors even more than before, but the physicists, chemists, and biochemists all start to be left in the dust as well. It's been my observation that for an undergrad degree, Human/Medical Physiology and Pharmacy seemed to be far away and above the two strongest majors for preparing one for medical school.

 

I'd hate for undergrads to feel as if doing either Pharmacy or Physiology started to become almost mandatory degrees in preparation for writing a medically-based MCAT. The diversity of your med class, and the attributes that you would be selecting for in this population would get even more science-oriented.

 

I guess the bottom line for me is that the MCAT shouldn't necessarily be a measure of one's aptitude in medical topics (that's what med school exams and board exams are for), but rather should be some kind of exam that tests one's potential in grasping and using conceptual ideas. Of course, in med school, you also rely a heck of a lot on rote memorization, so perhaps we need an exam for that too!

 

Ian

UBC, Med 4

[Guest MDCY]

Point taken Ian. Rote memory...ahhh, yes, I can see where that skill will help with my gross anatomy quiz coming up next week ;P There is indeed a fine balance needed on the MCAT to test between one's capabilities of being a doctor and the basic scientific knowledge that are relevant. Anyway, I've got to go study. 'Tis the life of a med student

Cheers!

[Guest pp15]

"As the MCAT stands right now, I'd argue that science majors already have it much easier when prepping for the MCAT than humanities majors, simply because of the content of the MCAT is so skewed towards the sciences. However, a Physics major, Chem major, Biochem major, and a General Biology major all have reasonable chances of doing well on the MCAT as it currently stands.

 

If this is true, why is it that humanities students consistently fair better on the mcat than science students?"

[Guest Ian Wong]

Do they? I wasn't aware of this. Talking to the non-science people in my class, they had a much tougher time with the Physics, Chem, etc than the science guys.

 

Ian

UBC, Med 4

[Guest pp15]

If you go to the aamc website, they have detailed stats of MCAT results from 1997-99

 

For example, in 99:

 

humanities students did far better than any other undergrad major in VR (not surprising)

performed equally well in BS as bio majors

performed worse than math, physics, chem major's in the PS section but not worse than bio majors.

 

 

www.aamc.org/students/mcat/examineedata