prabhleen_a Posted August 20, 2006 Report Share Posted August 20, 2006 what is 3r, 2r and so on used to describe mcat?....I am about to start my first year undergrad and do not know much about the mcat so wish to gain some info......Also, im taking physics, bio, chm, math in first year...is it good enough?....Can I give mcat after first year?.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted August 20, 2006 Report Share Posted August 20, 2006 You don't "give" MCAT, you "take" it. 3R, 9R, etc are numbers for the old AAMC MCAT exams, which are now used as practice exams by most people. You can purchase them through the AAMC site or pester someone on this site who has them to give them to you for free. Yes, you can take the MCAT after your first year if you feel ready - but I personally would wait till after your second year, when you've taken organic chemistry and some more advanced bio. You will also probably benefit from English classes, since you'll get to practice writing essays and read difficult texts - MCAT does have a Verbal section which requires you to read passages and answer questions about them, as well as a Writing Sample section, which gives you essay topics and requires you to write an essay on that topic in 30 mins. Also, you are probably not going to apply to medical school after your 1st year, so why rush - take the exam later if you can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBeer Posted August 21, 2006 Report Share Posted August 21, 2006 You don't "give" MCAT, you "take" it. Maybe she likes to give mcat, rather than take it . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prabhleen_a Posted August 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2006 oops...sorry for that....ofcourse i gotta take it...well thanks for the info and the advise...yup i think that giving after 2nd year is more beneficial.....although im takin phy in 1st year , i'm not sure if i should stick with it in first year or rather take it in the 2nd year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted August 21, 2006 Report Share Posted August 21, 2006 oops...sorry for that....ofcourse i gotta take it...well thanks for the info and the advise...yup i think that giving after 2nd year is more beneficial.....although im takin phy in 1st year , i'm not sure if i should stick with it in first year or rather take it in the 2nd year? I don't know, I'd say if you know you are not great at the course, then take it as close to the test date as possible, so that your memory is still fresh and you don't have to re-learn everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuantum Posted August 22, 2006 Report Share Posted August 22, 2006 what is 3r, 2r and so on used to describe mcat?....I am about to start my first year undergrad and do not know much about the mcat so wish to gain some info......Also, im taking physics, bio, chm, math in first year...is it good enough?....Can I give mcat after first year?.. Yes...you take the MCAT, not give it...very funny Next, I would not suggest taking the MCAT after first year unless you transferred a bunch of AP/IB courses first year, pretty much took 2nd year university as your first year, and are insanely intelligent. If you are all of these things, take it after first year, if not, read on. That's a good distribution of first year courses, but I'd throw in psych or sociology into the mix, those are pretty interesting courses. I'd recommend taking organic chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, human physiology, and genetics in your second year to give you a solid grounding in the biological sciences section. I just recently wrote the MCAT and I'd say it's more of a style-based exam than a knowledge-based exam. Sure there is a bank of knowledge you NEED to know in order to function, but it will only get you so far, this is why the practice test are relatively important during test preparation. 3R - means practice test 3 revised. The practice test are old AAMC passages that have been used and are packaged into a test-like format. They are not necessarily old MCAT administrations, but the questions are. Practice test 3R to 6R you will notice are different from practice test 7 to 9. This is because the verbal was changed and the focus of biological sciences was changed. I would also say the style of the sciences were changed that reflect more reading comprehension as opposed to strict application of special cases and knowledge in the sciences. This is why it is important to focus on approaching a passage instead of too much focusing on a concept. After you do enough exams, you will start to see certain concepts popping up, then you can review that. I am by no means an MCAT expert, these just happen to be things I've noticed as I did my studying. Also, there are commercial prep. companies available to you. I decided to take Kaplan, and I personally thought it was sort of a waste of $1000 dollars, however, some thought it was extremely beneficial. So, it really depends on the person and the ways you learn - I like to learn material on my own, but everyone I knew had taken a course, so I figured it'd be stupid not to, but in the end, I think I could have done with Exam Krackers. I must admit though, the biggest advantage to prep. companies are the simulated practice exams you get. It helps for building your stamina and getting test day anxiety out. Make sure you get good marks in these first couple years because it will open up your options for schools you'd be competitive at when applying. From what I've been told, gaining entry is certainly a total package and the MCAT is just one part of it. Don't stress too much over it, but realize that when you have to write it, it is important. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smurfette Posted August 22, 2006 Report Share Posted August 22, 2006 I think writing it after 2nd year is probably the "best" time. Having said that I know a couple of people who wrote it after first-year. The physics and general chemistry are all first-year or high school stuff. Some of the biology is high school material. You might be missing out on some higher level biology (eg. genetics, basic biochem, physiology) and some organic chem. (It depends on your school and program, of course). But the material is all stuff you can technically learn in a summer if you put your mind to it. The MCAT isn't really memory or knowledge based. According to the AAMC website, studies have shown that biology majors don't do better in biology, etc. So, it's not how much upper-level courses you've taken. The only major exception is English/humanities majors doing better in verbal. However, you might be more of a mature studier and test-taker after a couple years of university. Also, having more knowledge under your belt might boost your confidence - and confidence is important on this exam! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destiny Gundam Posted August 22, 2006 Report Share Posted August 22, 2006 earlier you take it more options you have (eg. apply after 3rd year, etc.) I wrote mine the summer before I apply, not a smart thing to do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prabhleen_a Posted August 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 hey everyone...thanks a lot for all that information....atleast now i know something about the mcat... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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