Jaybird Posted December 14, 2011 Report Share Posted December 14, 2011 So...yeah. I'm sure there's been a million of these threads made before, but for some reason, Search isn't working for me. Anyways, I'm in 2nd year Biochemistry at Queen's, 3.9something (on the 4.0 scale, not the Queen's 4.3 scale) 1st year GPA, looking at that dropping to around 3.87-3.90 once 2nd year is factored in. One of my profs recommended me to another prof for summer research and hinted that she'd be willing to take me on next summer (woohoo!). My horribly optimistic initial plan was to take the MCAT over Reading Week...Ha. Ha. Ha. No. When should I begin looking into it? I'll be done the last course with MCAT material by the end of 2nd semester (CHEM 223, Organic Reactions). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bretzky Posted December 18, 2011 Report Share Posted December 18, 2011 I dunno.. It depends on a lot of things like time you have to put towards it, and how long you need to study for it. Some people have studied for 2 weeks, 8 hours a day and did great, others for 3 or 4 months and did not so great, just depends on the type of person you are. But I would say give yourself more time than less to be safe, and possibly maybe write it end of july, early august. If you're working in the lab, you might get some time during the day to pop open a book, but can't plan on it, so that just gives you evenings and weekends and you probably want to still have a life outside of mcat and lab work too, so give yourself as much time as you can really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mithril Posted December 18, 2011 Report Share Posted December 18, 2011 Most people write it in the summer after 2nd or 3rd year depending on their target schools if they know by then that they want to go to med school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayward son Posted December 18, 2011 Report Share Posted December 18, 2011 I would do one of the old MCATs from AAMC at the start of your winter holidays and another one in between Xmas and New Year's. Average them out and see where you stand in VR, PS and BS. If you do pretty well in all three then reading week is realistic. If you do poorly on one or more section then I would wait until the summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nervousnellie Posted December 18, 2011 Report Share Posted December 18, 2011 I am planning on taking the course and in May and June. Do you think taking the MCAT one week after the course is enough time. I am a strong student and will have taken Chem/ Orgo/ Bio and G12 Physics . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markov79 Posted December 18, 2011 Report Share Posted December 18, 2011 I am planning on taking the course and in May and June. Do you think taking the MCAT one week after the course is enough time. I am a strong student and will have taken Chem/ Orgo/ Bio and G12 Physics . i finished up my course in mid july and had to choose between a late july date and a late august date... i picked the late august so i would have a bit of extra time to work on any weak areas. it ended up being crucial. i guess it could technically be a double-edged sword, though, if you think you'll forget some stuff. i felt like i knew what i was doing for the most part, even after my course ended, so it worked for me. (ie. i didn't forget things). but yeah, i think the only downsides with choosing a later date would be if your performance tapers off when you aren't being taught in a classroom, and also that your summer is shortened by about a month... which can be a pain. imo i think one week is probably too soon, unless you do >1 practise test/week, but i found that to be pretty fatiguing the odd time that i tried it. at the same time, a bunch of other people in my class had their dates set for a week or two after... so idn. again, though, if you pick it up quickly and know what you're doing, then there'd be no issue. there've been many people who've done well with little practise. i guess maybe taking one of those free tests would help, to see what you think you'd be capable of? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
efren9hess Posted December 27, 2011 Report Share Posted December 27, 2011 That's smart advice. So much of social discussion success really does come down to old-fashioned good manners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roderickmerr1229 Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 Some people have studied for 2 weeks, 8 hours a day and did great, others for 3 or 4 months and did not so great, just depends on the type of person you are. But I would say give yourself more time than less to be safe, and possibly maybe write it end of july, early august. I Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samarthkumar143 Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 These include schools of: Allopathic, Osteopathic, Podiatric, and Veterinary Medicine. When should I take the MCAT exam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tacrolimus Posted September 16, 2012 Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 Since the OP asked the question, I'll ask mine here too: I'm in my second year of University, and would have finished CHEM I, II, OCHEM I, II, PHYS I, BIOL I, PHYSL (full year) by the end of this year. I'm planning on doing Physics II in Spring from May to mid-June. Do you think two months will be enough time to study for an MCAT (write at end of August) given that I will have done all of chemistry, physics, physiology and biology in university and should be fairly fresh in my mind? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savac Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 I wrote my MCAT after 2nd year, and I took all of the same courses as you (although I only did 1 semester of physiology, and I did a full year of physics during the academic year). I felt that I was very prepared for the science material. Your situation is a little bit different than mine. I wasn't taking any classes during the summer, so I had enough free time to take a prep course. For what it's worth, my practice scores had reached the range that my real score falls within in under 2 months. If you work hard, you'll be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cis_man Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 So...yeah. I'm sure there's been a million of these threads made before, but for some reason, Search isn't working for me. Anyways, I'm in 2nd year Biochemistry at Queen's, 3.9something (on the 4.0 scale, not the Queen's 4.3 scale) 1st year GPA, looking at that dropping to around 3.87-3.90 once 2nd year is factored in. One of my profs recommended me to another prof for summer research and hinted that she'd be willing to take me on next summer (woohoo!). My horribly optimistic initial plan was to take the MCAT over Reading Week...Ha. Ha. Ha. No. When should I begin looking into it? I'll be done the last course with MCAT material by the end of 2nd semester (CHEM 223, Organic Reactions). take it now so that if you do bad you have time to retake it. you should take it as soon as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nervousnellie Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 So i ended up writing one week after the course. I had studied about 8 hours/ day during the course, ended up with a 35s. Yes, it is doable. no, it is not fun. I had another committment after the MCAT and had to write then. when the pressure is on, you can get it done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nervousnellie Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 OH btw, I had not done university physics. I wrote my MCAT after second year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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