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Rafael
Student
Cerritos, California
2
Questions
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When should I expect to take the MCAT & what should I study? Is it unusual to take it going into my sophomore year, and study in the summer?
I am a freshman at UCI
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1 answer
Karin P.
Lecturer, Academic Advisor, Career Coach
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Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
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Karin’s Answer
Hi Rafael,
Most students take the MCAT in their junior or senior year. Others graduate with their bachelors and take a gap year to study for the MCAT before they take the test and go on to medical school. YOU should take the MCAT when YOU are prepared to take the MCAT. It's up to you to decide when that is (and you can repeat it if you are not happy with your score).
The MCAT has four sections: Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems, Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems, Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior, and Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS). You'll find more information about the content and type of questions online. Take a practice test (or at least some practice questions) to get a feel for where you stand.
If you are majoring in a bio/chem science, you should be pretty much done with your pre-requisite science courses after your sophomore year in college. Those courses would go a long way to prepare you for the MCAT. So, taking the MCAT before sophomore year would be very early. After sophomore year, the content of the courses would still be fresh. Still, most students study 3 to 6 months or 200 to 300 hours for the MCAT. It seems unlikely that you would be fully prepared before your sophomore year and with only the summer to study.
I hope this helps! All the best to you!
KP
https://www.kaptest.com/study/mcat/whats-tested-on-the-mcat-2
https://www.aucmed.edu/admissions/mcat-information/mcat-section-breakdown
https://students-residents.aamc.org/prepare-mcat-exam/when-right-time-take-mcat-exam-three-questions-ask-yourself
Most students take the MCAT in their junior or senior year. Others graduate with their bachelors and take a gap year to study for the MCAT before they take the test and go on to medical school. YOU should take the MCAT when YOU are prepared to take the MCAT. It's up to you to decide when that is (and you can repeat it if you are not happy with your score).
The MCAT has four sections: Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems, Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems, Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior, and Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS). You'll find more information about the content and type of questions online. Take a practice test (or at least some practice questions) to get a feel for where you stand.
If you are majoring in a bio/chem science, you should be pretty much done with your pre-requisite science courses after your sophomore year in college. Those courses would go a long way to prepare you for the MCAT. So, taking the MCAT before sophomore year would be very early. After sophomore year, the content of the courses would still be fresh. Still, most students study 3 to 6 months or 200 to 300 hours for the MCAT. It seems unlikely that you would be fully prepared before your sophomore year and with only the summer to study.
I hope this helps! All the best to you!
KP
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