Any advice on studying/picking test date?

[bro2k7]

Hey guys,

 

I am planning to take the mcat in 2010. The problem is that I cant decide between the January 29/30 or the March 27 test dates. I will explain my situation.

 

I took the mcat about 2 years ago and did really well on both science sections.

However for the VR I got a 5!! and for the WS, I got an N! Terrible, I know. I may have studied for 1.5 months max and really didnt practice much for the VR or WS.

 

It has also been about 2 years since I took bio/physics/organic and physical chemistry courses in school.

 

I plan to start studying in about a week but can decide the test date. Which one do you think is better?? Can I improve my WS and VR scores (while going over the sciences too) in about 3 months (by january) or will it take longer?? March seems so far away but if it will get me better results I am willing to practice for that long!

 

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[terryann]

Are you in school full time or working full time?

For the VR, I practiced for four months, doing the mini ek's etc...and did alot of reading...newspapers etc. and read articles that did not interest me..

I did the PR course, and sent my essays in to be graded so I had a pretty good idea as to where I was prior to writing on that part..

I did not have a strong science background, had never taken physics, and did not have alot of bio...but with studying daily, I did okay...nothing stellar on those sections....so if you have the background, it should come back to you within a month or so...

My suggestion would be...to do a practice test and see where you are, do another one after studying for a month...and then decide, you can set-up the date for Jan...and change it, if you feel you are not ready, just will cost you $ bills.

[bro2k7]

I should have mentioned..no I am not in school or working full time, but I may have to start working lots more. I do have lots of time for now.

For the VR, I have heard that reading lots does help so I do that now. I will also be starting to go through the EK 101 passages thing which I never did before. For the WS, I will practice writing on my own and see if I get any better.

Im just not sure I'll be prepared by the end of January. I guess I should just start and see how far I get in studying like you suggested.

[terryann]

My only suggestion is that you have someone grade your essays..so you know where you stand. I think on this forum, people put their essays on it for critique, but keep in mind the people advising you are all premeds not actual individuals who score the essays.

Read read read for the essays...psychological books, newspapers, etc..and keep up with current events.

On studentdoc.com someone listed a site, where you can find all of the previous prompts...I think some have been repeated in recent tests. Just going through the different prompts will give you so kind of idea as to what you can work on.

Perhaps if you post on this site asking for the site's name someone will know..I looked at it months ago and do not remember the name nor did I keep the link

[PastaInhaler]

Honestly, OP, I would recommend the later date. It doesn't mean that the amount of studying that you do per day, or per week should be lessened because you have more time overall to study. Quite the contrary, you should maintain the same level of studying and preparation you would if you were going to be writing the MCAT in January, work permitting.

 

Please have a look at these threads:

 

This one I started:

1) http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37559

 

This one is a WS Critique thread:

2) http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27004

 

Also, I read that some have benefited from the Berkeley Review, while some have benefited from the "Kaplan Method." I am not familiar with these two as I have not been exposed to them myself, but they seem to be helpful to some people. Perhaps you can look into those as well.