[MCAT] Advice on preparing.

[angelheadedhpst]

I'm in grad school right now, decent grades and all. I'm considering med school after graduation. I have some science in my educational background (general chem/orgo, microbio, physiology), but I have absolutely zero experience with physics and most college-level maths. So... to anyone else that's taken the MCAT, to what degree does the exam test your knowledge of the biological/physical sciences? Any tips on areas to focus on? What about the writing sample? Anything else I should know?

Thanks!

[jgano]

I took the MCAT a few times, got a 30 on my most recent try last year, which is about average for medical schools. I would STRONGLY suggest taking a review course, like Kaplan, so that they can teach you the best ways to take the exam. Also, you would get access to practice MCAT-style questions and full-length practice MCATs. If you take a Kaplan course, you can download the AAMC practice tests and answer keys so you can always have them to study from and have a better idea of what the MCAT will cover.

Before the actual MCAT starts, you have the option of a 10-minute computer tutorial. You should definitely take that option, but use that time to write down as many formulas and facts that you can remember on the scrap paper they provide for you.

Both the physical science and biological science sections have 52 questions each, 39 passage-based and 13 discrete, and you have 70 minutes to answer them. Always answer the discretes first; they're usually pretty easy, and you'll have a lot more time to work on the passages. There are some topics that are emphasized more often than others (i.e., thermochemistry, gas phase, Newtonian forces, substitution/elimination rxns, cardiovascular system, etc.); my review books actually show you which topics are more likely to be covered on the MCAT.

I didn't do so well on the verbal section, but my class taught me to try to look for passages with themes you're more comfortable with (i.e., history, sociology, alternate sciences, etc.). 40 questions in 60 minutes, and most of the time, those questions cover 7 passages. Most of the questions involve looking for the "big picture," not focusing so much on detail.

As for the writing sample, I think they actually got rid of it this year because the MCAT wants to replace it with a new section focused more on biochemistry and/or sociology/psychology (I think this new section is optional this year). But when I took the test, the writing sample was pretty straightforward. You get 2 quotes, 30 minutes for the first quote and 30 minutes for the other. I was taught to always write 3 paragraphs for each sample, and the format never changes.
First paragraph: explain what the quote means to you and give an example
Second paragraph: give an example of when the opposite of the quote is true
Third paragraph: describe what determines when the quote is true or not

Oh, and study . . . A LOT!!! I mean, like 2-3 hours a day, every day, leading up to the exam. Though they recommend not studying at all the day before to prevent any burnout, but that's totally up to you.

I'm sure I'm forgetting some stuff, but I hope this advice helps.

[angelheadedhpst]

Thanks for the indepth advice! I took one of Kaplan's practice tests (it was free) my freshman year for "fun", and my score was abysmal. They tried selling me their courses, though. Too rich for my blood... at least back then.

Was the entire exam a rush against time? Like, were there some problems you just knew, or did all/most questions require going through formulas/steps?

Thanks again!

[dore]

I've never taken the MCAT but as with any other standardized test like this, the most critical part of preparing for the exam will be to understand the format and time constraints of the test. Know exactly what you will see during the test and know general guidelines of a) what kind of questions are there, b) how long you can spend on each question, and c) how long and punishing will the test be. You can study all the content you want, but if you're not prepared for the stress of taking a test for hours at a time you're not going to get your best result. I got a decent result on the LSAT with basically no studying by preparing for the format of the test rather than the content. The MCAT has more information recall than the LSAT so I wouldn't suggest taking that route, but be sure that you don't study content so much that you forget format.

[jgano]

Originally Posted by angelheadedhpst

Thanks for the indepth advice! I took one of Kaplan's practice tests (it was free) my freshman year for "fun", and my score was abysmal. They tried selling me their courses, though. Too rich for my blood... at least back then.

Was the entire exam a rush against time? Like, were there some problems you just knew, or did all/most questions require going through formulas/steps?

Thanks again!

Yeah, when I took the MCAT the first time, I completely bombed cuz I didn't know what to expect from it. A review course was a huge help for me, but I can see why you'd be a bit leery on the cost. It set me back $2,000 when I took the course two years ago. A completely online course would have been a little cheaper, but I prefer learning in a classroom setting.

For me, the verbal section was a rush against time because it was my weakest section. 40 questions in 60 minutes, each passage being 4 or more paragraphs long, and most questions involve generalization and inference instead of detail. It's more beneficial to get the main idea of each paragraph; it would make answering the verbal section a little easier.

I would say the biological section has more problems where you just know the answer; you'd need a formula or two to answer a good chunk of the physical science problems. If you know your sciences, you can breeze through the discrete questions in 5-10 minutes. Again, most of the problems are passage-based, but there is a highlight tool, so you can highlight any important numbers, formulas, or factoids that you see in the passages. However, the MCAT may actually throw in some "pseudo-discrete" problems where you don't need the passage at all to answer them, so watch out for those.

Answer the questions you know for sure first and don't spend a lot of time on the ones you don't. Save those for later and come back to them if you have time. If you do that, you won't feel as if you have to rush to finish each section. Time management is prolly the most crucial element in taking the MCAT.

Oh, and be sure to take the 10 minute breaks that they give you in between sections. It's a good idea to refresh your mind before the next part of the test.

[Tidus810]

I'm in med school now, got >35 when I took it several months ago. It depends on your needs, but you really don't have to invest in any kind of 'class'. I was able to find some pdf's of good books like examcrackers and read through those one or two times each. I can tell you now that if you intend on pursuing med school, good luck finding one that doesn't require a full year of physics + lab and a full year of bio + lab (some substitute these for higher level classes like biochem or something).

Obviously what's already been said, study like heck for SEVERAL weeks, several hours a day, until you feel comfortable with everything. As the test gets closer, try to set aside 5 hours or whatever and take a practice exam. AAMC website has one free one, access to all the others is something like $30 apiece. I took one practice test a week out, and a second a few days before my exam day. These helped a boatload, because 1 - I sat in a quiet area and went all the way through the test to recreate the actual exam, and 2 - I realized what some of my weaker areas were. Good luck!

[angelheadedhpst]

@Tidus 35 is muy good! I'm glad a class isn't requisite, either (especially coming from someone that scored high). I need to find a good study guide, though. I used the Princeton Review (latest edition) for the GRE and it did not prepare me well at all (as in the math section was way easier than what was on the actual GRE).

Good advice! Take mock exams leading up to the real deal!! Got it. o7