Guest mcat it up Posted June 12, 2006 Report Share Posted June 12, 2006 hey guys, i'm thinking of writing the august MCAT but i'm having trouble figuring out what to do. i've finished 3 years uni but i didn't take any of the prereqs this year. and i HATED orgo. i shudder at the thought of learning it again. i wrote a practice test today without studying and got 9s in everything... not sure what to get from that. not spectacular, not horrific, so i can't decide what to do! is it likely that i can cover everything on my own? how many of you have done this, and with what materials? i'm leaning towards either examkrackers' 5 vol. set or kaplan's book. finally, if i did take a course i would be doing the kaplan (i've missed one class, but i figure they would probably let me join?). concerns about it are: a) cost, covering stuff i am stronger at/not spending enough time on what i really need. i know i need to get on studying, but i need to figure out what the best way is! any advice is much appreciated thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest VS12 Posted June 12, 2006 Report Share Posted June 12, 2006 Honestly, i think a course is completely unnecessary. But that's just me. I'm kind of against the whole concept of having people reteach (and in my instances, do a bad job of it) stuff that i've already taken. i mean, as prospective med students, we should be able to find the motivation to study, especially if it means getting into medical school... really, the only benefit i can see with taking a course is the materials they offer. but thanks to the internet, all of the materials can be found for a much lower price. the other "benefit" is that you can take mock mcats with a bunch of other people. but it's useless as far as im concerned, because it does not simulate the most important part of the mcat - the NERVES you get on the actual day. all it simulates is that you write with a bunch of people and its timed... but you can do the same thing by just writing in a busier area of the library, for instance. i would just buy whatever study books you want (ek is said to be the best for self-studiers, and i myself used ek, but i don't see anything wrong with the kaplan stuff either), and then look on ebay for some mcat tests and stuff. just print them out, and you've basically got all the materials that someone taking a course has, but for a fraction of the price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nbmom Posted June 13, 2006 Report Share Posted June 13, 2006 ofcourse its not necessary to take a course but for some people it can be very helpful. In some cases prereqs are a distant memory and the instruction isn't really reteaching. In addition, some have a very full life, and it is not just a matter of motivation but being able to successfully allocate enough time and follow through if it isn't a rigid schedule and time commitment. So VS12, it isn't really fair to imply that someone isn't motivated enough for med school because they need a course to help them study for the mcat. However, I do agree with you that some people can be just as, or more successful without a prep course. Anyways mcat it up, your score doesn't really need all that much improvement, so if i were you I would just figure out what areas you are messing up on and just work on that and don't forget about writing sample. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mcat it up Posted June 13, 2006 Report Share Posted June 13, 2006 thanks both of you for your advice, that was very helpful. i've decided not to take the course and to just really devote myself on my own. i also ordered the examkrackers set, so thanks VS12! here goes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest VS12 Posted June 13, 2006 Report Share Posted June 13, 2006 one other piece of advice... go to forums.studentdoctor.net and browse their mcat forum... there's a wealth of information at that site, and there is even a sub-forum which is further divided into the different subject areas, where you can ask specific questions that you have trouble with. don't get too addicted to that site though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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