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Courses needed for the MCAT

  • by Kerry Goldstein
  • Apr 03, 2014
  • MCAT 2015, MCAT Blog, MCAT Info, MCAT Long Form, MCAT Prep, Med School Admissions

The new MCAT is coming in 2015!

The first place to look, as always, is to the AAMC. They have their not-quite-yet-the-official-guide out. You can get a copy for free here:

https://www.aamc.org/students/download/266006/data/2015previewguide.pdf

The thing to keep in mind about the new test is that it’s going to be MUCH longer (including check-in time and waiting around and breaks, you’re looking at an eight to nine hour day) and that it’s going to require much more coursework.

MCAT Pre-Requisites

Here’s our recommendations about the course work you should complete prior to taking the new MCAT:

Biology: 2 semesters (3 recommended)
Chemistry: 2 semesters
Organic Chemistry: 1 semester (2 recommended)
Physics: 2 semesters
Biochemistry: 1 semester
Psychology: 1 semester
Sociology: 1 semester
Statistics (or some other course that focuses on experimental design and how to interpret the significance of data): 1 semester recommended
Humanities: 1-3 semesters recommended

Compare that to the old MCAT, which simply required one year each of bio, chem, orgo, physics. You’ll see that the overall time investment required to get ready for the MCAT is quite a bit higher. You used to be able to get ready for the exam in about a year and a half. Now it’s more like a solid two years (if not more), before you even begin your test prep.

Get more practice on physics questions like these with the help of Next Step Test Preparation, your one-on-one MCAT Tutor.

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