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> I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHERE I MAY PURCHASE MCAT PRACTICE TESTS AND/OR BOOKS. I
> ALSO WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL DISCOUNT PRICES FOR THE MCAT
> CLASSES YOU TEACH IN FLORIDA.
------ reply 8/2/00
You can purchase top quality MCAT practice tests at http://www.aamc.org,
see
"publications"--> http://www.premed411.com/pages/pmr.html#anchor1458027.
Other material is available (in bookstores) from Kaplan, Princeton
Review,
etc. Kaplan's material deviates from the style of the MCAT but
is largely
free of mistakes. Princeton's questions more faithfully represent
the style
of the MCAT but contain sporadic mistakes. Material I have seen
from all
other sources is of poor, and/or inconsistent quality. The best
current MCAT
prep book, in my opinion, is Kaplan's Comprehensive MCAT Review-->
http://www.premed411.com/pages/mcat.html#anchor1455174.
Sorry, I do not have any special discount prices for the MCAT classes.
Best,
-Rich
PS 11/8/03 I believe EXAMKRACKERS are
NOW the best MCAT prep books.
> Mr. Hochstim-
>
> Hello, I am writing to you from Jeffersonville, Indiana and I really found
> your website helpful. I am going to be a freshman at DePauw University in
> Greencastle, IN. I have always wanted to go into medicine as a career, so I
> thought it would be to my benefit to start preparing myself now. Basically, I
> need advice on what classes to take, and when to take them. I never have been
> a good standardized test-taker, so that's why I want to start early. Any
> advice you could give me would be wonderful. I would also love to come to
> your summer seminar, but it's a little too far away from home, just for a
> course. Do you know of any other programs of your type that would be around
> Indiana?
>
> Thank you!
------ reply 8/6/00
Hi,
I'm glad you found my site helpful. As far as deciding which
classes to take
your best bet is to consult a good premedical adviser at DePauw.
If you are
unable to, here's what I would recommend:
1. Since you have to take 1 year of Bio and Physics and 2
years of Chem as a
bare minima, and then a year of Calculus and English just to
qualify for
acceptance to most med. schools, you should do some checking
to find out
which teachers to take and which to avoid. All instructors are
not made
equally!
2. Taking general chem along with Bio or before, makes lots
of sense because
Bio without Chem makes a lot less sense.
3. Avoid taking Physics with Orgo -- its just too brutal.
4. To do well on the Biological sciences on the MCAT it helps
a whole bunch
to have taken a Cell Biology course, a Molecular Bio course,
or a
Micobiology course.
Sorry, I know of no MCAT programs like mine in Indiana.
Best of luck,
Rich Hochstim
> Rich,
>
> Do you know where I could get a list of topics that have
been on
> previous MCAT's? I went and got some info from Kaplen and
they had the
> topics from Aprils test and now I am looking for previous
years. Any
> ideas where I may be able to find them?
>
> Lionel
8/4/00
Hi Lionel,
Beyond the three recent test analysis posted by Kaplan I do
not know where
you can get additional useful information about other MCATs.
Due to the
high variability of coverage on the MCAT from form to form and
from one
administration to the next, I do not see any great advantage
in obtaining
any more information of this kind, since it is unlikely to correlate
with
what you will confront when taking the test.
All the areas listed in the (somewhat outdated) Student Manual
may appear on
the MCAT in a form that requires you to be knowledgeable of material
not
included in the passage or in the independent question. What
would be useful
to know, is the relative frequency* with which a subject tends
to appear
over a span of many years. I've been interviewing students after
each MCAT
since 1991 and there is a clear pattern of relative importance
that can be
broken down into three tiers**. When studying for the MCAT it
is best to
cycle through/review ALL topics many (10-20) times, but initially
to devote
more of your resources to understanding first tier topics. If
you have the
time, you can then focus more on 2nd tier topics and so on. (PLEASE
NOTE: I
am not recommending working on 1st tier topics first!)
For example in Physics, Newton's Laws and the kinematic equations
would be
first tier, rotational motion and optics would be second tier
and thermal
expansion and the concept of resistivity (not resistance) would
be third
tier. While all of these topics have appeared on the MCAT. The
first tier
subjects have had a greater number of questions devoted to them
over the
years. Here's more...
Organic example:
1st tier = Oxidation/Reduction; Acid/Base/pKa's
2nd tier = Reactions of ROH & RCOOH; Grignard synthesis
3rd tier = Reactions of PCl3, PCl5, and SOCl2; Addition to alkynes
Good Luck on the MCAT!
-Rich
*Based on the percentage of questions devoted to a topic over
the years,
rather then whether that topic appeared on the MCAT during any
particular
administration.
**Sorry I am not able to post detailed information on Premed411.com
in time for
the upcoming MCAT.
Time: Tue, 15-Aug-2000 00:23:49 GMT IP: 208.143.160.23
:First of all, I wanted to thank you,
Rich, for your excellent
:
resource; this website has been great help to me as I climb the
:
mountain of medical school application process. I would like
an
:
outside opinion however, about my own personal case, an
:
evaluation of my chances of getting accepted and maybe some
:
advice about the best course of action.
:
:
I am not a science major, I am graduating this december with
my
:
degree in International Cultural Studies and Mathematics. My
:
cum. GPA is 3.99, science and humanities both 3.9. I took all
:
the prerequisit science, plus anatomy, but really didn't take
:
any more than what is minimal, although I have a great deal of
:
mathematics classes.
:
:
The only problem that I see in my application is my MCAT score.
:
I took it in April 2000, and, unfortunately, the day of the test
:
I came down with a roaring kidney infection. I wrote the exam
:
anyway (fearing deadlines would make taking the august mcat
:
impossible) and directly after the test, I went to the emergency
:
room to recieve medical attention. To make a long story short,
:
I didn't get as good scores as I believe I could have under
:
different circumstances (I got 7 in physical, 8 in verbal, 9
in
:
bio). But the very last thing I want to do is take that test
:
over again. With the timeframe I am looking at and also sheer
:
desire not to put myself through the MCAT again, I really don't
:
want to retake.
:
:
So, am I wasting my time and money filling out all these
:
applications? I got my AMCAS application in to 14 schools, and
:
am now working on secondaries. Please let me know an honest
:
evaluation of my medical school prospects.
:
:
Thank you!
------
You have a great GPA, but the MCAT scores do hurt. Even with
a good
reason for not doing that well, medical school admission committees
expect you to retake the test. I know you really don't want to,
but not
retaking the test may be a bigger issue than the scores you make
on the
second try. Still you do have a shot if you do not retake, it
may be around
5% to 20% depending on other factors which you did not mention
above.
Good Luck,
-Rich
> Time: Thu, 17-Aug-2000 03:07:07 GMT IP: 216.165.7.35
>
> Hi Rich,
>
> Your webpage is awesome. It provides a great source of
> information. I hate to bombard you with my trivial
> question.....but it has been bothering me alot lately, and I
> hope you will be a source of information that I will be able to
> use as a source of guidance, as I am lost in space at this
> moment.
>
> Currently I am a entering senior at a well reputated
> university. I am doing a double major in Neural Science and
> Psychology. Throughout my college life I have always
> deliberated about whether I was premed or not. I had difficult
> times, throughout the years, which were reflective of domestic
> and financial burdens. Although my grades are not near
> topnotch....we are speaking of Science GPA of 3.0, and overall
> GPA of 3.3....I can not dismiss my strong passion of serving as
> an MD. I have considered dropping out of the premed curriculum
> serveral times, only to find myself going back to it....it has
> become a undesirable quench, something that I yearn
> for,regardless of how difficult the task at hand is, or how bad
> I have done in relevant course. I find myself constantly coming
> back to the requisites to fulfill my dreams of becoming an MD.
>
> Regardless of my grades, which are not so Hot, we are taking a
> C+ in Bio I and Orgo I, I know I want to continue on this path.
> I haven't taken the MCATS yet, but plan on taking it in August,
> such that I will be able to apply next year. What do you think
> of my situation? Please be candid in your response.
>
> I thank you in advance, for your time and diligence.
>
> -Perceptions99
Hi,
Since you are now firmly committed to
the premed track, you can always get
into a good medically related graduate program if your MCAT scores
don't do
the trick. You probably need a pair of twelves and an eleven
to have a
reasonable chance of being accepted now, but if you rack up a
good graduate
record your undergrad performance will become largely irrelevant.
You need
to demonstrate to admission committee members that you have made
a long
lasting commitment to working toward a career in medicine and
that you can
make the grades to prove it. Your not so hot undergraduate record
can be
compensated, to a degree, by additional volunteer/work experience,
but a
high MCAT score will not be as useful an indicator of your commitment
as
your overall undergraduate record, i.e., you could get lucky,
but probably
will need to take at least a year of graduate work to be competitive.
Thanks for your comments re website,
and best of luck!
-Rich
If you kick ass on the MCAT you DO have
a chance with state schools, but the
mean GPA and Sci-GPA of those excepted to medical school is 3.6.
Since this
is the mean there is some room on the lower end. I have know
of students
that got accepted with a GPA and Sci-GPA similar to yours, but
they all made
a 33 or better on the MCAT. I think with a 32 you have a chance,
but you
really need a score above 33 to be competitive.
Best,
-Rich
> Hi
> I am so gald tha I found your website, it is really a great
site. I really
> need your help in answering these questions for me please.
>
> I volunteered at two different hospitals two yaers ago,
now I am planning
> to volunteer again at VA hospital in LaJolla in California.
My qestion is
> volunteering at emergency room will be considerd as a plus
on my
> applications for medical school, or volunteering in a different
area will
> be better?
> Second, is a lot of volunteering in hospitals good on my
applications?
> Third, what other activities do you suggest for me to do?
> Thank you and I appreciate your response. please if you
have time e-mail
> me at Kurds00@yahoo.com
8/22/00
Hi,
Glad you found the site useful.
The more clinical experience you get, with "hands on"
dealings with patients
the better, so volunteering at an emergency room would be a bigger
plus if
you get direct clinical experience. On the other hand, if you
were to only
do "gofer" work this would be far less beneficial.
I'd recommend any
volunteer work that met the above criteria, but while more is
better, you
will quickly reach a point of diminishing returns and may want
to direct
your energies toward other things, like MCAT preparation.
Best,
-Rich
> Hi
8/22/00
Hello again!
> Time: Sat, 26-Aug-2000 03:13:32 GMT IP: 205.188.192.42
>
> Hello, I am a highly unlikely medical school candidate, u-grad
> gpa of about 2.8, (I know) , MCAT practice scores of about 37. I
> know, I was surprised, too. I'm currently in a m.s. program in
> Epidemiology, (thesis), have about a 3.8 or 3.9 there -
> basically, finishing with All A's and one B, about 40 hours
> worth of credit. What the heck can I possibly do to get myself
> in? Is there anything at all, or have I blown it? I'm
> unable/unwilling to go overseas, due to family obligations, so
> is there anything (postbacc? do better on the mcat?) I can do to
> make myself a less awful candidate? I have the volunteer and
> research thing happening, though I probably won't be published.
> That's it. Help, help, help. :)
> Thanks,
> Jane
8/27/00
Hi, Jane, your undergrad scores are not that important. If
you do well
on the MCAT you are in great shape! See the Email archivefor
more on this.
Best,
-Rich
> Hi,
> I'm 17 and starting my senior year in high school. I'm trying
to decide
> between attending Baylor University and the University of
Texas at Austin.
> I plan on attempting to get into med school some day. Baylor
has an
> established premed program ... UT has no premed. Would I
significantly hurt
> my chances of getting into med school by attending UT?
>
> Thanks,
8/29/00
Hi,
No, UT is a great school. As long as you educate yourself about
the
premedical process, which you should do anyway, there's really
no problem.
Best,
-Rich
I have a rather general question and
I don't know where to turn to find out
about it so lucky you - you're email address was right there
on the 411
page.
I am finishing up my science requirements
for medical school. I already
have a four year degree in something completely different. I
am wondering
about gathering letters of recommendation. Do you get them and
send them in
yourself or do you send them to a temporary 'holding" place
or how does this
work? I would like to get a couple letters of recommendation
now before my
writers forget about me (I won't be applying to medical school
for another
year). But I don't know how kosher it is to send in letters that
have been
residing with me for over a year - how does this work?
Your website is wonderful - I'm sorry
to unload this question on you but do
you either know the answer or know where I can go to find out?
Please, if
you could, email me at home DianaWRH@aol.com. Thanks for any
light you can
shed on this!!
Diana
8/30/00
Hi Diana,
Thanks for your kind words about my site. Here's how those
letters of rec.
work. Some go directly to the premedical committee of your school
and others
go directly to AMCAS. In the case of non-AMCAS schools there
are forms for
each particular school. So what you need to do is to get the
appropriate
forms and provide your prof./employer with the appropriate forms
(AMCAS or
otherwise). In the case of letters which go to the premedical
committee,
frequently no forms are required. The bottom line is that you
never get to
see or touch the letters, unless the author wants to show you
what a nice
person they are. [:-)]
Best,
-Rich
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