maria Posted February 14, 2008 Report Share Posted February 14, 2008 I am taking my MCAT exam for the first time this summer (July/August)and have decided against taking a prep course. I have gathered as many resources i.e. practice exams, textbooks, old notes etc. to study but during the summer I will also be doing research full time. Have I taken on too much to be able to prep well for the MCAT just based on what you guys have experienced in the past? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surf's up Posted February 14, 2008 Report Share Posted February 14, 2008 How fresh is your chem/phys/bio/orgo? If you have just completed taking these courses and feel confident that you already have a good handle on the concepts, then I don't think it would be a problem. Last time I took the MCAT, I was working full-time over the summer but didn't feel I had enough time to prep, but I was pulling 12-13 hours/day and by the time I got home, I was hungry and exhausted (so didn't feel much like studying). Plus, I worked weekends in the lab. Also, it had been a while since I had taken those courses, so they weren't quite as fresh in my head. My advice to you is to know how much time commitement you need in lab. Science is usually not an 8-hr/day job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maria Posted February 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2008 Hey thanks for the advice. I took my pre-reqs last year(except physics which I am now taking) and my research supervisor said she is pretty flexible in terms of hours so hopefully if I work diligently it should be alright. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvdaog Posted February 15, 2008 Report Share Posted February 15, 2008 I never took any sort of course - I had one book (the mcat gold standard or somethin like that) that summed up everything you needed to know on the mcat. I honestly studied for two days just refreshing physics formulas and some high school biology material. I ended up gettin 13VR 14BS and 11 in physics.....and i think that physics lower score was due to me wasting time on one stupid question and not even selecting at random an answer for a few questions (damn!) ..... that being said I did poorly on the writing sample (M). I think out of any section this is the section you NEED someone (who knows) to tell you what to do. Although it might not seem like it on a message board, I am an excellent writer and was just blown away that my essay score was so low. (my VR score was so good because I am an avid reader or classic literature) I really contribute this to not getting the tips or suggestions they give to ppl who took those mcat courses...also from not being able to get feedback from them on practice essays. It ruined my chances at Queens (their loss), and I would recommend somehow getting help on these type of essays. So no, you definitely don't need to take any expensive course, but try polishing up your essay skills with someone in the english department, and try to give that person as much info as you can about what you're up against for the mcat writing sample...(the most irrelevant section of any med school application and just plain ridonkulus) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NLengr Posted February 15, 2008 Report Share Posted February 15, 2008 The biggest trip up with the writing section I think is people try to treat it like one comprehensive essay that they are being graded on like it is an arts course. Really, all they want to know is that you can follow the three parts of the essay and string together a good argument. Alot of people seem to get into trouble when they try to write something like a creative essay. It's more like three short answer questions strung together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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