APPLICATION TIMELINE: (1-2 months behind ideal schedule)
08/05: AMCAS submitted (about 2 weeks later than I'd planned)
08/20: AMCAS verified; secondary requests begin...
09/--: Worked on Secondaries
10/09: LORs sent to all schools
POST-BACC:
I sold my business and enrolled at a public university to take all of the science pre-reqs in 16 months, full-time (4 semesters, including a summer). Worked really hard for a post-bacc 4.0. Clinical volunteering; some shadowing (no physicians in my family, found it hard to make connections). Finished pre-reqs in 05/08.
MCAT:
Took MCAT in 06/08 after 1 month of intensive studying (60 hours per week; maybe 250 hours in all). I only used AAMC official practice exams as diagnostics, starting 3 weeks before the real thing, 1-2 per week, and took 6-7 in all. I used the pre-CBT paper versions FOR FREE from my pre-med advising office (I was the only student in a year to borrow them! Use your resources!). The paper versions were longer but had the same questions as the equivalent numbered exams available online (just extra questions). The paper-based exams are longer (more questions) with longer time-limits. (The old exam required a slightly FASTER PACE than the CBT does, so this was great for mental conditioning.) I always used ALL of the time to check my work. I didn't see the point of using test-prep-company exams when I had the real thing (except VR sections; reading comprehension is pretty standard and one can always use more practice). I took the 1 FREE CBT-MCAT that AAMC offers online (#7?). Ranged 37-41 on AAMC practice exams. I used 2 prep books by 2 companies (Gold Standard out-dated, Princeton Review CBT-revised). I went through the AAMC outline of what is on the test (2003 revision?) and used class notes and textbooks to learn new material... Study biochem, molecular genetics, microbiology and immunology! SDN has great Q&A threads with many bright Mods contributing. No 'MCAT class' (they may be great, but I couldn't afford it). When I got my score, I almost called AAMC to see if there was some mistake. I feel enormously blessed.
Going to Michigan: they rocked my socks off.
