<p>Thanks…and I think I should prepare in high school…I mean, I’m not studying hardcore for it or anything. I have an MCAT General Chem app on my phone and I do a few questions here and there. So I’m not only preparing for the MCAT but also the AP test as well. The no calculator part won’t be bad. I can’t use calculators in any of my classes anyways. Now I’m actually happy my teachers did that. The only two classes on my pre-req that I have to take are physics and o.chem. General physics was pretty much covered in my honors physics class. Literally 15+ people dropped out last semester. I stayed though. 
to me it’s easy…it’s just that I’m so stressed out with all of my other classes, social life (recent break-up), family life, AP test, college applications/decisions that his class seems over the top. And when I mean think, he really makes me think. Probably more than a regular physics class. If he was a college professor and our class was a college class, there would never be a lecture. Just lab. We have to derive our own equations and find relationships as a class (without his assistance of course)…and I just find it aggravating some times. It’s like, “obviously we can’t come to an agreement so can you please teach and give us the equations!” but anyways, I’ll be attempting the MCAT next summer (2012). If I score anywhere from a 32+, I’m done.</p>
<p>Do not do any MCAT related prep. in HS. Do not do it before few months of your exam. First, it is good only for about 2 years (I might be wrong, could be 3), second, ALL scores are considered, not just the last one, and aim higher than 32.
Make sure to spend time with your friends and have fun in HS, it si much more important than MCAT prep in HS (yes, spending time with your friends will make a difference in Med. School acceptance, much more than you can see now)</p>
<p>The most helpful thing you could do at this point for your future performance in science classes (if not all future academic pursuits) and the MCAT is to get over “hating thinking.” Specifically, try and get better at things like the derivations you are describing doing in class. Science is not merely applying a list of equations to problems and the MCAT reflects this. You need to have a solid conceptual understanding of the topics, and in physics and higher chemistry classes (physical chemistry, etc), not being able to demonstrate this understanding through the derivation of certain key equations is a bad sign. Physics is not taking a list of equations, finding the one that has all the variables you’ve been given except for one, and solving for that unknown variable. While doing this may seem tough enough at this point, ultimately (at the college level) this kind of “plugging and chugging” is brainless and insufficient for the kind of success you are hoping to achieve.</p>
<p>While you are obviously very smart, the attitude you are presenting here towards this type of reasoning and thinking is going to lead you down a very unpleasant road in college and quite possibly on the MCAT too.</p>
<p>What I am saying here is based on my experience not only taking far more chemistry, biology, and physics than is required for medical school admissions, but also tutoring students in all three of these subjects for the past two years or so.</p>
<p>And yes, MCAT scores expire after a few years and every time you’ve ever attempted the MCAT will show up on all your applications whether you like it or not.</p>
<p>You do know that the MCAT expires in three years, right?</p>
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<p>This is probably another major reason why people deem the MCAT as being ‘death’. Unlike the SAT or ACT, which you can take multiple times without worry for schools that super score (or 2 times without hurting yourself for schools that do not super score), the MCAT is basically a one shot deal. If you take it more than once, those other scores follow you. So, people get worried over the ‘make or break’ deal that is the MCAT.</p>
<p>^Yes, prep. very well right before you take MCAT and aim at 35+ and better yet, take it once. You can estimate by subtracting 2 from your best practice MCAT score. Surprizingly, this common estiamation was exactly correct for my D.</p>