Should I take MCAT just after 1 yr of university?

[Guest eho]

I don't know if it's too early, any advice? Thanks.

[Guest medicator007]

It all really depends on what courses you have done by that point in university. I would highly advise at least basic courses in physics, general chemistry, org chem and bio..most of which people do in HS or CEGEP. University level courses in these disciplines tend to be more advanced then would ever be required of you on the MCAT. I personally know of a few folks who wrote the test after their first year, mostly based on the possibility to write the exam again without losing a year of application.

 

Bottom Line: There is no reason not to take it after 1 year!

 

Cheers!

[Guest eho]

Thank you Medicator007

I took OAC Physics and English, University Bio and Chem, I think I can do more reading and practice for the VR, I am just not sure if my OAC Physics is good enough for the MCAT.

[Guest eho]

I forgot to mention the Organic Chem, is there a lot of Organic Chem questions?

[Guest MDCY]

Well, in the Biosci section, roughly 40-50% of the questions are organic chemistry based so you can deduce if that's "a lot of organic chem questions". I knew a few people who took the MCAT after first year and they did extremely well on it but on the same note, these people are the type of people who got into med school after 2nd and 3rd year. I personally took it after 2nd year after I had taken Organic chem but the decision is up to you naturally.

Cheers!

[Guest kosmo14]

Hi there I took the MCAT after my first year of university and did really well, although I took physics, chem, intro biochem, biology and organic chem in the summer just before the MCAT which helped. One think to note that if your plan is to take it this year (2002) then you will need a decent organic chem basis, depending on the exam, some of my friends only had one passage, I had 4. If you plan to take it in 2003, the format is changing and they are eliminating some of the organic chem questions and putting genetics and DNA questions on it instead, so orgo may not be as important.

[Guest kosmo14]

My last post made it sound like I took all of those classes in the summer, I only took orgo in the summer.

[Guest medicator007]

Basically,

 

It isnt too early, what little you may not have covered in classes is easilly learned by perusing the review materials. I wrote the MCAT before having learned a bulk of the reactions that we had to know for the organic chemistry section, i picked them up from the review material and was that much better off when i did org II.

 

Go for it and good luck,

Medicator007

[Guest haloo]

You can take it now, however keep in mind that if you have to apply to med schools more than once you don't want your MCAT score to have 'expired' sometime during the years that you are applying should you not get in the first time round. You definitely do not want to write it more than once if you don't have to.

[Guest tina]

Kosmo14,

 

I am not sure but I will assume that orgo is organic chem. If you took this in summer, would it still be included as a completed prereq and would it be counted in your GPA? Do med. schools accept summer school credits for such an important course as Organic chem?

[Guest medicator007]

I think it is fair to assume that orgo is in fact organic chemistry. As far as I know, all schools will accept summer school for prerequisite courses and if memory from previous posts serves me well, the mark does not enter into the GPA calculation unless you apply to mac which takes EVERYTHING.

 

Hope that helps,

medicator007

[Guest kosmo14]

You are absolutely right, Orgo=Organic Chem., and from what I have read of most schools summer courses are accepted for pre-reqs but at most they do not count in your overall GPA calculation.

[Guest eho]

Hi Kosmo 14

Do you mind telling me your scores? I was at 9-10 doing the practice test. It seems more difficult than I expected. Thanks.