When should I take the MCAT?

[Ludacris]

Hey all,

I've been studying for the MCAT all summer but I still don't feel as ready as I should be...

I'm scheduled to write it on August 25th.

I am going to be taking Biochem, Organic II, and 2 courses of English to satisfy the requirements for some Carib schools. I won't be done these until May 2008. So I will not be applying to schools until at least then. I'm retaking Biochem (Fall semester) and Organic II (Winter semester) so I don't want to apply until those grades are out. I am sitting at approximately a 3.0 GPA at a Canadian school in Biological Science and around a same GPA in sciences...

I have a few options...

1) Take the MCAT on the 25th and hope to do well (~high 20-30).
2) Reschedule it for next year in January or May?

I don't know what to do.

Until my exam date I am doing as many practice tests and passages as I can as well as reviewing the content in the EK books... I'm hoping that I can be confident enough to score well.

Thanks for any advice...

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[bulletproof]

Hey all,

I've been studying for the MCAT all summer but I still don't feel as ready as I should be...

I'm scheduled to write it on August 25th.

I am going to be taking Biochem, Organic II, and 2 courses of English to satisfy the requirements for some Carib schools. I won't be done these until May 2008. So I will not be applying to schools until at least then. I'm retaking Biochem (Fall semester) and Organic II (Winter semester) so I don't want to apply until those grades are out. I am sitting at approximately a 3.0 GPA at a Canadian school in Biological Science and around a same GPA in sciences...

I have a few options...

1) Take the MCAT on the 25th and hope to do well (~high 20-30).
2) Reschedule it for next year in January or May?

I don't know what to do.

Until my exam date I am doing as many practice tests and passages as I can as well as reviewing the content in the EK books... I'm hoping that I can be confident enough to score well.

Thanks for any advice...

With respect to the MCAT, whats the rush? How have you been scoring on the practice tests? Are you weak on any one section, that you feel more time would help strenthen? If so, why not defer?

With respect to already settling for a caribbean school, you have not even taken your MCAT yet. Granted your GPA is on the low side, but with those courses you mentioned and perhaps a post-bacc. you could have a good shot at canadian or U.S. schools.

Going to the carib is a great opportunity for many, but you should try and exhaust other possibilities first, particularly if you are in your early twenties. With that said, my GPA was not exactly stellar either, and I ended up in the carib, so.....

 

[AllIn4Life]

It's easy to say you can delay until Jan or May, but what are you going to do until then? Will you have enough time to study between Sept-Dec for next year?


I agree at taking a shot at US and Canadian schools first but if you feel like you don't have a chance I suggest you take the MCAT now and apply for caribbean in Jan. If you score in high 20s then maybe you can re-take it again later and try for US schools. Just weigh out the options, but most importantly ask yourself if you have time to study if you delay taking it.

 

[bulletproof]

It's easy to say you can delay until Jan or May, but what are you going to do until then? Will you have enough time to study between Sept-Dec for next year?


I agree at taking a shot at US and Canadian schools first but if you feel like you don't have a chance I suggest you take the MCAT now and apply for caribbean in Jan. If you score in high 20s then maybe you can re-take it again later and try for US schools. Just weigh out the options, but most importantly ask yourself if you have time to study if you delay taking it.

My advice to put off taking the MCAT was given with the OPs future academic plans in mind. They state in their post that they are not taking biochem until the fall semester, and orgo II until the winter semester. This would mean that in any event, the OP will not be able to matriculate to med. school until at least May 2008. Orgo II is a pre-req for virtually all med. schools. In light of which , I would caution heavily against rushing into an exam ( the MCAT ), feeling ill- prepared, particularly if you have the option to reschedule, and still stay within your planned timeline for matching to the school of your choice.

 

[AllIn4Life]

My advice to put off taking the MCAT was given with the OPs future academic plans in mind. They state in their post that they are not taking biochem until the fall semester, and orgo II until the winter semester. This would mean that in any event, the OP will not be able to matriculate to med. school until at least May 2008. Orgo II is a pre-req for virtually all med. schools. In light of which , I would caution heavily against rushing into an exam ( the MCAT ), feeling ill- prepared, particularly if you have the option to reschedule, and still stay within your planned timeline for matching to the school of your choice.

My post was not directed at you but you have a good point. I think if he has studied the whole summer it does not hurt to take a shot. One of my friend's was repeating Orgo II and had not even taken Biochem and scored a 31 on the MCAT so my reasoning is that if you have spent the whole summer studying why waste it.

 

[bulletproof]

My post was not directed at you but you have a good point. I think if he has studied the whole summer it does not hurt to take a shot. One of my friend's was repeating Orgo II and had not even taken Biochem and scored a 31 on the MCAT so my reasoning is that if you have spent the whole summer studying why waste it.

Absolutely, not that I was disagreeing with you. What I was trying to get at was that if the OPs practice scores were not where they needed to be ( I think most people would accept V:10 B:10 PS:10...yes, we all know folks who got in with less...just throwing out a solid, average representation.), then they might consider delaying the exam until they brough their scores into that ballpark. If they are already there, then your advice to give it a shot in August is bang on. In the absence of some more input by the OP, I guess we'll never know...