Posts Tagged MCAT
Why the MCAT is Necessary
Posted by medaholic in MCAT, Medical School on August 2, 2009
A lot of people complain about the MCAT. I know I wasn’t too keen to study for it. I hated grueling through long verbal passages and needing to practice writing “MCAT-styled” essays. But in the back of my mind, I always thought of the MCAT as an essential and important test to have taken regardless of your score.
The Journey, not just the destination – I’m a firm believer that the process matters just as much as the results in anything we do. There is always such a strong emphasis of getting a good score in the MCAT and needing to meet cut-offs and school requirements that not many pay attention to how they study for the MCAT.
I can only speak from personal experience but I know that studying for the MCAT definitely made me a better student. And it wasn’t because I got a “good” score. Instead, it was during the process of preparing for the MCAT that I was able to develop effective study habits and disciplined time management.
More than another hoop to jump through – Many people see the MCAT as just another obstacle between them and medical school. It’s a thing you just do to get it over with. I urge you to take this opportunity to improve yourself and become a better student and hopefully one day a better doctor. With every challenge and difficult circumstance we face in life, there is also an opportunity for change and growth.
Really analyze how you study, how you learn and what peaks your interest. Find your strengths and weaknesses and nurture and compensate for them. If you were never the type of student to have a focused time-schedule, now may be the best opportunity to try it out. I know I played around with several different learning styles before I settled down on the best one for me.
Life-long Skills - Build your stamina and endurance. Practice learning and reading for fun. Learn something new each day. Learn how to tolerate stressful situations and doing things in a limited amount of time. One practical habit I acquired after writing the MCAT was to read the news everyday. I started out reading the news to get ideas for the MCAT essay. I now read it to learn more about our world.
A lot of premeds always ask me how to get into medical school. And when I tell them about the MCAT and what type of a test it is, the majority fear or dread writing the exam. They wish they would rather not have to write it. I disagree.
The MCAT is as much of a discovery process as it is a proof of your critical thinking abilities and test readiness. It’s the type of test where you CAN study for and prepare yourself accordingly. It’s not just testing your inherent intelligence but also how much you prepared to take it. If you haven’t taken the MCAT, I’m not sure if you are ready for the rigors of medical school.
Up to that point, how many 5 hour exams would you have written? Would you know how to study effectively and efficiently? Would you have the endurance and persistence that medicine requires?
That’s why I think the MCAT is not only necessary for standardizing scores, it is an essential part of the medical school admissions process. It’s a badge of honor, a reward for your hard work. Work hard for the MCAT and I guarantee that you will learn more than just physical sciences and biology. In partaking in this exam, one of which thousands have gone before, you are completing another rite of passage of medicine. Cause face it, there will be many more exams after this one, you might as well get the most out of it.
How to Self Study For the MCAT
Can You Study for the MCAT by Yourself? – Have you ever thought taking an MCAT prep course offered by Kaplan or The Princeton Review (TPR) totally unnecessary? Not only are they expensive, they are also time consuming, inflexible and may not be the best option out there for you. There MUST BE a better way to study for the MCAT. Instead, why not study for the MCAT by yourself using your own schedule and preferred learning system?
My Story – I prepared for and wrote the MCAT without ever enrolling in a TPR course or Kaplan course. In fact, I had not taken organic chemistry prior to the MCAT and I did not have any biochemistry background. I also lacked many classes that would have been useful for the MCAT such as genetics, cell biology, anatomy, and especially physiology. In fact, I wrote the MCAT after only one year of university classes.
I had 2.5 months in the summer to prepare for the test. I worked full time in research during the day (40 hours/ week) and studied in the evenings. I spent absolutely no money, other than the registration fee, to prepare for the MCAT. I was also in the first administration of the computer-based-test (CBT).
Despite all these unusual circumstances, I still decided to self study and prepare for the MCAT on my own. Although I had so many factors against me, I was fortunate enough to achieve a balanced score of 36Q (97th percentile) and be admitted into medical school.
Now, I am not trying to boast about my accomplishments or make others feel bad about their own score, but instead I want to show others how I was able to successfully prepare and score well on the MCAT, despite forgoing any help from test prep companies.
I want to point out that not all prep courses are bad, and many students find them beneficial. I was unable to take one when I decided to take the MCAT, so I had to study on my own. Having said that, studying on your own has many benefits and I hope you will consider this as a viable option.
The benefits include a flexible schedule based on your specific strengths and weaknesses. You don’t have to show up to class and sit through lectures that might not help you. You control the pace of the learning; speeding up if you are familiar with the material or slowing down on difficult concepts. You can study wherever, whenever and however you like. Best of all, you save a big money ($1400-1600: the average tuition for a prep course). So with this all in mind, I will outline the steps you need to know to study for the MCAT on your own.
1. Learn about the MCAT and Register
What is the MCAT? – Before you begin to study for the MCAT, you have to know what the MCAT is. The format, subjects tested, and criteria of what a good a MCAT score is should be researched. Learn all you can about the test and how you can prepare for it. Read the official AAMC website and ask people who have taken it already about what’s it like, how they prepared for it and any additional tips or pitfalls to avoid. A simple google search will provide with you with more than enough resources for the basics of the MCAT.
The Value and Importance of Writing
Posted by medaholic in Application, MCAT, Medical School on August 14, 2008
Most science and engineering students I know went into their respective fields to avoid writing. I was also like them. I disliked writing essays in high school and left assignments until the night before to do. I despised it. I avoided it. Every time I sat in front of a blank document, the words wouldn’t come. I hated writing.
However, the more I continue in life, the more I realize that writing an essential skill you MUST have. Even in the realm of science, people write lab reports, scientific articles and educational material. Doctors spend a good portion of their day writing, dictating, and recording patient information. Effective writing is an absolute must for clear communication.
Though writing is easier to do today then ever, with word processors and online blogs, writing is still hard. Even the best writers are without words at times. Writing is at the top of the language skills domain. When we are babies, we only know how to hear and eventually listen to words. As we grow up, we begin to pronounce words and form sentences and a little afterwards, we are able to recognize letters and read books. At the top of this hierarchy is writing. Before we are able to communicate what we want to say in writing, we must learn a whole assortment of skills and tricks such as spelling, punctuation and grammar. Even when we have these basic mechanics down, you encounter tenses, vocabulary and diction. Representing an idea with clarity becomes a carefully coordinated task.
Should I Retake the MCAT? (A Guide to your MCAT Score)
Posted by medaholic in Application, MCAT, Pre-med on August 10, 2008
After every year’s MCAT score release date, the question of whether one should rewrite the MCAT comes up or what can I do with this (insert number+letter here). This question is so common that several forums are dedicated to answering this question including one for Canadian Students and one for American Students. I have decided to write a guide to help people who are in this situation figure out what their next steps should be. I will be writing this for Canadian audiences, but the ideas and principles should work the same with American Schools. I will update this in the future to provide examples from both countries.
What is your Score?
This step should be pretty self-explanatory for all test-writers. Your score should be a number ranging anywhere from 8-43 (I’ve never heard of any score <8 or similarly the other extreme >43) and a letter from J-T. A key fact about the MCAT is it is a curved test. That means that your grade is a reflection on how well you did on the test relative to other students who took the same test. The median of the test will always be 24 because AAMC sets it up this way. In other words, what really matters is your percentile score and how well you did compared to other test-takers. It’s set up this way to ensure that all the tests are standardized so even if you find one sitting of the MCAT harder than another sitting, you won’t be punished for answering less questions correct because your fellow test takers will have found it just as hard. Regarding the letter score, it is sometimes looked at by schools and sometimes totally disregarded by other schools.
Most medical schools require their students to be above average. A score of 24 will not cut it for almost all schools. A standing in the 80th percentile is a solid score, but there are more factors to consider than just the percentile, which brings us to the next point.
Which medical schools do you want to apply to?
The next step is to see if your score is compatible with the schools you want to apply to. Make a list of which schools you will be applying to. Take into consideration factors such as location, expenses, curriculum, etc. Ideally you want to apply only to schools you would be willing to go to if accepted. Nothing is harder to explain to future admissions committees than being accepted into a medical school and declining their offer without having another acceptance in hand. It will make re-applying to medical schools that much harder.
Stressed and Worried about the MCAT
This post is dedicated to all the people who are about to write their MCAT and may be feeling the stress of needing to do well.
Last summer, I was always procrastinated and distracted from studying for the MCAT. I worried that I would bomb the test and have to retake the MCAT the next summer. I was stressed out that there wasn’t enough time to cover all the material. I doubted my own abilities. With about one month left to go, I had a sudden turn around. One night while studying at the library, I took a break and stumbled upon an interesting titled book How to Stop Worrying and Start Living
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the MCAT
Alright, I don’t actually love the MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test), but I’m not a student who hates the MCAT either. But around this time each summer, thousands of students are stressed the hell out about the MCAT. For most, they have never written a test that will be weighted so heavily. This CAN be a single test that will prevent you from being admitted to a medical school. The MCAT will test you on a broad range of sciences, from physics, chemistry, bio orgo, and admittedly most students will be weak in at least one subject, if not more. Not only is there plenty of different concepts and facts to remember, this test will also challenge your reading comprehension and writing skills. And most people who went into the sciences, did so to escape the dreaded essay writing they did in high school. To top it off, your marks are bell curved and graded against other test takers, so even if you answered the majority of questions correctly, someone out there could have done better and your score will suffer because of it. Each year, only around 20% of test takers will receive a competitive score of 30+
I’m not an expert at taking the MCAT. I have only had to take it once. I didn’t go to a prep class, but instead, I borrowed the books from friends who had a Kaplan and The Princeton Review class and self studied off them. I had not taken organic chemistry yet, so I borrowed a 2nd year orgo textbook. Lastly, I got my hands on some AAMC, TPR, and Kaplan Full length practice tests and worked away at them. This summer, I landed a job with Kaplan teaching students how to prepare for the MCAT. With the experience of having written the first batch of computerized tests, and subsequently watching my friends study for this beast, I have made a list of advice and things you can do to keep the stress down and make the process more pleasant and maybe even enjoyable?
What are my Chances for getting into Medical School?
Posted by medaholic in Application, MCAT, Medical School, Pre-med on July 29, 2008
Click to on the chart to see it in correct proportions
What are my chances for medical school?