MCATs

<p>Does anyone have the errata lists for the Examkrackers books that they can post? I know examkrackers have a forum where they post that stuff, but it is no longer free (UNFAIR seeing as that the mistakes are made by THEM and yet WE are paying the price) to see.</p>

<p>Hey everyone! I haven't been on this board in awhile (I was on it a bit when applying to colleges) and I forgot how stressful reading all this advice could be, haha. Anyway...</p>

<p>I'm currently planning on taking the MCAT mid-June of my Sophomore year (next year) so that I can study abroad as a junior. By then I will have taken the following courses:
HS: AP Chem
Freshman Fall: Inorganic Chem (1 year of inorganic in 1 semester)
Freshman Spring: Intro Bio (Evolution, Cell Stuff, and lots of Physiology) and Organic Chem I
Freshman Summer: Physics I
Sophomore Fall: Organic Chem II, Physiology
Sophomore Spring: Cell and Molecular Bio, Physics II, Statistics</p>

<p>My two goals are 1) to be able to study abroad and relax a bit more after sophomore year and 2) be able to spend both my sophomore year and junior year summers doing fun internships. </p>

<p>I'm worried however because my school gets out May 15 and I'd only have 1 month to study for the mid-June MCAT (I want to take the mid-June one so I can do a time-intensive internship that summer). I would probably take the Kaplan prep course during the spring, but I don't know if that would be too much work on top of Physics II and Cell Bio. Physics is my weakness and if I will have just finished Physics a month before, I'm not sure that would be enough time to study. What do you all think?</p>

<p>Define time-intensive. An internship + Kaplan courses + self-studying should be more than manageable, and would let you do an August test date.</p>

<p>well, it really depends on whether I get the internship I want, but if I do I'll be working ~60+ hours/week for 8 weeks with a med school's surgery service, essentially being a med student on a surgery rotation, doing the whole get up at 6 am stay past 6 pm sort of thing. </p>

<p>And one of the other internships I might do would involve traveling internationally the whole summer; hardly the best environment for studying a couple hours every day.</p>

<p>If everything falls through I'll take the MCAT in August but right now I'm wondering whether all the gurus on this board that have gone thru the process think I can handle a full course load next spring that includes Physics II + Cell Bio + Kaplan Prep Course, and then only have a month of pure studying, and then take the MCAT.</p>

<p>I'm sorry if this was asked before, but can retaking the MCAT obsessively adversely affect a med school applicant? If so, what would be the reasonable limit?</p>

<p>Yes. One.</p>

<p>Reasonable: 1
Acceptable: 2
Uh oh: 3
What?!: 4</p>

<p>Yeah, I'm one step stricter than NCG.</p>

<p>Reasonable: 1 early
Acceptable: 1 late
Uh-oh: 2
What?!: 3</p>

<p>Damn. Thanks anyway!</p>

<p>I honestly don't understand the obsession with taking tests multiple times (must be a SAT thing). It's good practice for the USMLE, where you cannot retake if you get a passing score.</p>

<p>Guys, what about the situation when you make a reasonable score (for most of your state schools) early, let's say 30-32 after soph year, but believe after cell and physiology you could do a few to several points better? Assume further an otherwise very strong application and a desire to attend some schools where the average matriculating student has a 34. (Hypothetically speaking, of course. D is awaiting scores but feels reasonably confident.)</p>

<p>well, those courses would only help on the bio section; and I think it's pretty unreasonably to think that taking those courses would lead to a 2+ point jump in one section, especially after having intensely studied once for the test</p>

<p>Good point. I should have mentioned the additional chem courses but frankly as a history major, I have no idea what they are. :(</p>

<p>And please understand this is paranoid dad talking. D , like I said, is confident AND has said she doubts she could do a lot better if she studied for 10 years.</p>

<p>it would be something like p-chem or an advanced biochem course; neither would be useful at all for the MCAT and would likely torch your daughter's GPA unless she's a chem major.</p>

<p>She has always intended to double major in bio and chem and her schedule is currently set up that way. She is in the process of reviewing that plan based on fairly incessant hounding by me and a realization that it is wholly unneccessary for her future plans. ;)</p>

<p>Even if she opts to dump chem as a major, she has a great interest there and makes excellent grades in chem so I expect she will take a few more.</p>

<p>Speaking of the SATs, do you guys think it predicts MCAT success? I got a pretty low SAT score and am pretty lousy at these standardized tests.</p>

<p>Nevermind I just found another helpful thread. :)</p>

<p>There's never been a conversion published, but generally speaking standardized tests all test the same sort of abilities. Wouldn't surprise me if SAT V was much more predictive than SAT M.</p>

<p>Do you think i would be okay if i took the mcat at the end of next summer. I am a sophmore now and by the end of this year i will be done with gen bio, physics, gen chem but only one semester of org. chem. i was going to take the mcat in the spring (january/april) of my junior year since that would be when i am done with all of the pre reqs but reading thru here i agree that it would be a disadvantage to myself to try and study for that as well as go thru school rather than having the summer free to prepare... what do you guys think? Org chem 2 class is important enough to push the test date to when i complete the course huh..</p>