When to write?

[bubblebath]

10characters

[Rach]

I think if you want to take full advantage of the prep course, you will be studying during the semester and won't need much time after the prep course. But the April dates for the MCAT have been open for registration for a couple of weeks now so you might want to check ASAP if there are any spots open.

[Paulhammer]

If you want to score really well on the MCAT, you need to do as many practice tests under time pressure as possible. Knowing the material is all well and good, but if you can't apply knowledge at the speed of light you'll fall behind and the time constraints will bite you in the butt.

 

I would delay writing until June or July.

[1234]

write in May, then sign up for June, then write in June and sign up for July, then write in July, sign up for August, then write in August = 100% chance of getting the score you want (unless you are really a complete idiot)

[rogerroger]

write in May, then sign up for June, then write in June and sign up for July, then write in July, sign up for August, then write in August = 100% chance of getting the score you want (unless you are really a complete idiot)

 

Writing >2 will burn you at some schools outside of Canada. Don't do this if you plan on applying outside of Canada. In the US and some other places overseas like Australia this will hurt your app. In my opinion always tell yourself you will get 30+ on try number one.

[dan0105]

write in May, then sign up for June, then write in June and sign up for July, then write in July, sign up for August, then write in August = 100% chance of getting the score you want (unless you are really a complete idiot)

 

You never know.

[~me~]

I would most definitely delay writing!

 

I gave myself an entire month after the prep course to write the MCAT. Within that time, I went over the books (ie. the material) 2 more times, did countless practice tests, did other tests (from EK, etc.) ... and finally ended up getting the scores that I wanted

 

You might be fine even if you write it right after if you're supremely dedicated ... From personal experience however, if you have a heavy-ish semester, and have exams in Apr, you might not get to give as much time as you'd like to the MCAT

 

Hope this helped!

[supafield]

For me there was always more I could have done....

 

So you will want a little time after a prep course but not too much.

 

I would say 2-3 weeks. This gives you time to review everything you've just learned and do a bunch of full length aamc exams to get good practice.

 

I went in wanting to do all of princeton and then a few more subjects with the EK books.... I never got around to the EK stuff which I felt guilty about. But honestly at that point there wasn't much they were going to do for me. I would have gone crazy if I didn't step in their and write the thing.

 

It depends on a lot of things, like how you keep up with the course and so on..... but provided you do... as I said I think 15-20 days or so the review and practice is good. Or at least it was for me.

[xeffect]

Here's the thing... speaking from my experience of taking a prep course last summer, I think you should not take the prep course if you're confident that you have a decent amount of self-discipline. You will save money, and you will spend those hours that you would have been spending in class learning and practicing on your own. And reviewing and practicing on your own are definitely the most important things you can do to increase your chances of success on the MCAT. When I finished my prep course and had 2 weeks to review on my own before the MCAT, I wished that I had spent the rest of my summer doing what I was doing then. If you set yourself a proper time-line for studying during the winter semester, and you keep up with it, you should be ready for April. A lot of it will depend on how busy you'll be with other classes and activities though.

 

Anyways that's just my opinion... prep courses are useful because they come with a lot of practice material, but classes are not very useful. And besides, you can buy plenty of practice material without taking a prep course. good luck!

[Alastriss]

writing 4 times to get the score you won't WILL sink you for US schools. Even if you score a high 30s, it won't be regarded impressive at all. Anyone can shotgun a test and EVENTUALLY do well.

[CAS]

Here's the thing... speaking from my experience of taking a prep course last summer, I think you should not take the prep course if you're confident that you have a decent amount of self-discipline. You will save money, and you will spend those hours that you would have been spending in class learning and practicing on your own. And reviewing and practicing on your own are definitely the most important things you can do to increase your chances of success on the MCAT. When I finished my prep course and had 2 weeks to review on my own before the MCAT, I wished that I had spent the rest of my summer doing what I was doing then. If you set yourself a proper time-line for studying during the winter semester, and you keep up with it, you should be ready for April. A lot of it will depend on how busy you'll be with other classes and activities though.

 

Anyways that's just my opinion... prep courses are useful because they come with a lot of practice material, but classes are not very useful. And besides, you can buy plenty of practice material without taking a prep course. good luck!

 

 

wholeheartedly agree!

the classes were junk. Just buy the books and study on your own. And lots of practice tests!

[Dayne67]

writing 4 times to get the score you won't WILL sink you for US schools. Even if you score a high 30s, it won't be regarded impressive at all. Anyone can shotgun a test and EVENTUALLY do well.

 

It's very debatable. Someone that I know and who btw used to be a regular poster here and at SDN wrote the MCAT four times. On his fourth try, he finally broke the 30 barrier and got a 34. His GPA wasn't really that high either (3.7).

 

When he applied to the US, he received 8 interviews. He ultimately ended up choosing to go to a mid-tier school (Vermont).

[StreetballKing]

I would take the test write after the prep course, as the stuff are still fresh in your head. Once you get past a certain amount of studying, any additional time put in will not help much.

[Sanserie]

I took the Princeton Review course and wrote the MCAT about 2 weeks afterwards. I think the timing worked out well for me since the things I learned were still fresh in my mind, plus the 2 weeks allowed me to review everything and relax a little. It's probably not a good idea to wait too long after your course to write the test.