I was an ok student in high school, got a good score on the ACT and graduated with a decent gpa. My problem is that I always procrastinated, never really learned how to study, and got by on a strange mix of luck and intellect (not a genius, but I pick up/remember certain thing with less effort than others).
Got married had kids etc. Want to go back to school. We are moving oveseas, and the med school requirements are a 550 Sat score in Biology and Chemistry subject tests along with high school transcript and decent GPA.
I’m 24 years old trying to prep for a test on classes I took 8-10 years ago. I can’t confidently say I remember anything from the honors chem and bio classes I took Senior year.
I’m willing to work hard, and learn to study, and I’ve got 6 months to a year to prepare.
Should I buy a textbook and reteach myself both subjects, enroll in Bio 101 and Chem 101 at a community college, or just study the explanations in Sat prep books ( I bought Kaplan for both subjects). Would really appreciate some feedback.
In my opinion the prep books are meant as supplements for someone that is taking a course. The text book will be a better source to study. Then you use the prep books for the questions. Taking a class is always good idea as it provides discipline. Make sure the class covers what will be in the SAT. It will not align 100% but at least it should be close. For biology you can take E or M, make sure you decide before you study. Also a lot of the questions in those tests require a bit of critical thinking and common sense. The hardest part is to gauge the level you will need to study. You need to get a little bit deeper in understanding but you do not need to memorize too much or answer way too hard questions. Try not to loose yourself too much in the details. Keep focusing on the fundamental ideas of each chapter you cover. The bio test is easier than the chem test. You could also seek some tutoring from a professional or a student that just took the test. They might help you on how to gauge the level. If you buy text books ask high schoolers to tell you which books they use in their honors classes. You can then buy them used. I think if you are a decent test taker you could easily score in low 600s. And remember you can take the test more than one time.
Thank you so much for replying. I really appreciate the advice, I was very confused on where to start and no one was replying to any of my posts on various websites. I will enroll in summer courses for both subjects and then go back to the prep books.