I just finished Chem I and II and will be starting O-Chem this fall. After the fall, I will be doubling up (while working full time and continuing clinical volunteer work) taking both O-Chem II and Bio, then Phys I and II, then Microbio. I won’t actually take the MCAT until April of 2006. I bought the ExamCracker’s series and started looking over the verbal and Gen Chem components. Is it too early to begin studying for the MCAT? Will I be wasting my time? How early is too early?
Hi there…
I’m thinking about taking MCAT in April 2006 too. I’m just starting my prequisites…and you know what? I’m not even going to think about MCAT for a next year or so…
I just looked at the last year topics and got really really really down…I guess it makes no sense to revise something before you even learn it…
But it’s just my thinking…
It’s better to do perfect in your classes and make sure you really KNOW what you’ve learnt…
It is too early and you be wasting time to go over things that you are not yet even familiar with. The studying for the MCAT is bad enough as is …
Thanks for the replies. I actually wouldn’t try to study any material I haven’t covered in a class yet, just the Gen Chem (which I just finished) and verbal, but it still sounds as if it might be wasted effort this far out.
Quote:
I just finished Chem I and II and will be starting O-Chem this fall. After the fall, I will be doubling up (while working full time and continuing clinical volunteer work) taking both O-Chem II and Bio, then Phys I and II, then Microbio. I won’t actually take the MCAT until April of 2006. I bought the ExamCracker’s series and started looking over the verbal and Gen Chem components. Is it too early to begin studying for the MCAT? Will I be wasting my time? How early is too early?
Hi Chad,
You can take a month and totally memorize everything on that audio tape. You can take another month and totally memorize every book that the prep courses give you. With all of that information packed in your head, I would wager that you would walk into the MCAT and still do poorly.
The MCAT is a test of being able to apply the knowledge of your undergraduate pre-med courses. It is all about problem-solving and application. The faster you can do this, the better you do on the MCAT provided you have acquired solid information from your pre-med courses. This is why practice and more practice is the best way to study for MCAT, USMLE, ABSITE, specialty boards and other exams that are given along the road to medical practice.
Many people do very poorly on these exams because secondary schools and undergraduate institutions do not emphasize problem solving but place great emphasis on regurgitation of information. Many medical schools have gone to PBL (done correctly) to try to get students used to clinical problem solving early.
You need to master your coursework and you need to master problem solving. The better you do with both, the better you are going to perform on MCAT, USMLE etc. These are not tests of regurgitation of facts but application of knowledge.
You can improve your Verbal scores by learning to read critically. Any course that you take literature etc, can help you learn to do this. Reading the editorial pages of your local newspaper(provided they are well-written) can be practice for this section of the MCAT. I read the editorials in the Post and New York Times. I also routinely read the Op-Ed articles.
Good readers are almost always good writers. Good readers and writers are able to master any subject. You need mastery of learning and the ability to apply the information to a problem fairly quickly. You can learn loads about problem solving and analysis of material in General Physics! It not just about memorizing formulas!
Take your courses, do well and master problem solving. The MCAT is not a beast, not impossible and simply another step in terms of getting on with your medical career. All of the USMLE steps are far more difficult than MCAT and you have far more information to apply. Take your time and get the good basics that you need. Resist the urge to take a review book or tape and memorize.
Natalie
Having not taken the MCAT, I can only make a suggestion based on philosophy. My belief is, that provided it’s not fanatical, there is nothing wrong with early preparation, and that it is generally beneficial. I think it only makes sense that you review only the material with which you have already become familiar. However, in this reviewal process you will undoubtedly not only stay familiar with the material you learned, but will also pick up bits of information you may have glossed over when taking the class. I also believe it will help in the area of focusing on your goal and give you more confidence as you move into preparing for other areas of the MCAT. The added time will also increase the range of materials you can use to prepare for the MCAT. One of my strategies (right or wrong I’m sure I’ll find out in May 
) is to use a wide variety of materials to prepare rather than any one specific review course.
Good luck to you in your pre-med studies!
Larry
I’m with Nat on this one…
You could start studying now… but it would only either solidify info in your head or put new info in your head…
I took that MCAT this August… and I can honestly say, despite all the practice tests etc and my normal ability to be able to apply information well, I was still not prepared for this test. Of course that makes the picture sound really bleak… but I guess what I’m saying is… knowledge alone is not enough… even the ability to apply the knowledge is not enough. .it’s being able to apply the knowledge in the way that the test requires that will most likely get you a good score.
I’d concentrate on the pre-req classes… learn it solid… and if you feel it necessary to pick something up… start working practice passages only and figure out the wording and the patterns of the test and go that way…
good luck!
Andrea
Thanks to everyone for great feedback. It is so seldom in life that when confronted with a seemingly overwhelming and unnavigable terrain, roadmaps begin raining from the sky. 
Having taken the MCAT and taught prep classes, I’ll add:
It is too early to start serious content prep for the MCAT. But here are a few things you can do:
- plan your life so that during the 10 weeks before the MCAT you can devote your FULL attention to it if necessary. This means that you will not be trying to work full time and juggle childcare and volunteer responsibilities and other course work while you are studying. This is my most important tip for non-trad students!
- develop your ability to read boring intellectual material rapidly and critically. Social sciences, economics, humanities are all good. Practice reading through a passage and then summarizing (in your head) the main idea and the author’s slant on the topic. (This is the heart of the Examkrackers verbal technique, which I think is very good.)
- develop your ability to do rapid accurate math with pencil and paper (no calculator). Balance your checkbook by hand. Do calculations in your head.
It is great that you are motivated to start early, but you will benefit more from intense focused studying for a shorter period. Like everyone says, focus on really understanding the material in the prereq courses.
Haven’t not taken the MCAT, but studying for it like I was going to take it, I probably am not qualified to comment, but these suggestions seem very good.
meoxmix, I think you suggestions are super! Examkrackers wrote that all of the calculations on the MCAT should be able to be done in your head… and this is great practice. Also, the comment regarding taking the time off is spot on.
I took the Kaplan class last spring without taking Org II thinking I could learn the Org II stuff in the class, and it was a mistake.
The thing you want to be doing when studying for the MCAT is reviewing concepts and learning to take the test… what I did was a recipe for disaster… hehe, I think I was ready for therapy when I was getting 20-25s. Next Spring when I repeat the studying, this time I will know the OrgCII stuff, and feel fairly confident that there won’t be anything I haven’t seen… even if I don’t remember everything from the prereqs.
Guess I had something to say about that