Soenuedo Posted August 3, 2011 Report Share Posted August 3, 2011 Hey guys, For those of you who are/were U of T undergrads and have taken the MCAT, how would you compare the two in terms of difficulty? I will be taking the MCAT next summer and am trying to plan how much time should I allot for studying vs. working and whatever else. For example, if someone is getting mid 80s to 90s in first year Life Sciences courses at St. George without studying too hard, can said person presume that he/she can score well on the MCAT without studying for extensive amounts of time? I understand that the MCAT involves more than just knowledge, and that certain test-taking skills are big factors in getting higher marks, but I'm just looking for a rough indicator, and any insight or past experience would be greatly appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Applemanv3 Posted August 4, 2011 Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 Roughly speaking, the Physics and Bio sections of the MCAT are on par, if not easier, than UofT undergrad courses. This is a huge generalization since we are really comparing apples to oranges. The MCAT isn't about 80s and 90s, it is about 80th and 90th percentiles. But basically, for ON purposes, 11 in each section is good enough (except for Mac, where get as high on VR as possible). In terms of studying time, I think it depends on whether you are self-studying or taking a course. Taking a course will mean you just need to keep up, monitor your progress, and adjust accordingly. If you are self-studying, I would say start 2.5-3 months in advance. Work steadily but with a good plan. There are some great blogs and advice about how to self-study (e.g. http://www.medaholic.com/). The key is to do 10+ in BS and PS, but put all the work you need into striving for an 11 in VR. That section is a hit or miss. Again, others can give you better advice. I hit 11 quite likely by a mix of luck and confidence than strategy. GL and feel free to pose more questions here or via PM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MD2019_A Posted August 4, 2011 Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 I go to UTM. I'd say the bio courses prepped me pretty well. Even the 2nd year organic courses. MCAT studying was a breeze for BS section; PS was a bit tough because last time I took physics was in high school, but i got through it with Kaplan. If you allot yourself 3 months, you should have more than enough time I think. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HBP Posted August 4, 2011 Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 PSL302/HMB265/BCH210 + CHM138/247 >>>>>>>>> Bio section Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Applemanv3 Posted August 4, 2011 Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 LOL!!! Well put, HBP. In retrospect, the BS and WS were the easiest sections for me. And I did very poorly in CHM247. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soenuedo Posted August 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2011 Wow! Thanks for the reply guys, it was very informative, and quite reassuring Actually, WS is one of my bigger fears, because I don't really know what to expect from it... But I guess there is some strategy in it. Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neoteny Posted August 5, 2011 Report Share Posted August 5, 2011 PSL302/HMB265/BCH210 + CHM138/247 >>>>>>>>> Bio section +100000 10char Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anxious_101 Posted August 6, 2011 Report Share Posted August 6, 2011 PSL302/HMB265/BCH210 + CHM138/247 >>>>>>>>> Bio section haha. I would say BIO250 instead of HMB265. Heck, there's some hardy-weinberg stuff from BIO150 in there too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Applemanv3 Posted August 7, 2011 Report Share Posted August 7, 2011 Wow! Thanks for the reply guys, it was very informative, and quite reassuring Actually, WS is one of my bigger fears, because I don't really know what to expect from it... But I guess there is some strategy in it. Thanks again Plenty of strategy to the WS section. Get your hands on the best scoring essays you can find and learn the patterns. Worked like a charm for me. I didn't even practice WS because I literally had a formulaic approach to every prompt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soenuedo Posted August 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2011 Thanks for the advice! WHere did you find these essays? Plenty of strategy to the WS section. Get your hands on the best scoring essays you can find and learn the patterns. Worked like a charm for me. I didn't even practice WS because I literally had a formulaic approach to every prompt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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