What is the MCAT and why is it important?
Visit AAMC's website for detailed information on the MCAT.
Classes to consider registering for:
As far as what to have before the MCAT, we tell students that they should complete (or be near completing in the semester they take the MCAT) the required science courses on the Pre-med Fact Sheet, plus a couple of the recommended additional biology courses. Most strongly recommended before the MCAT would be physiology and genetics.
Genetics is only available from the BIO dept. Genetics is in fact required by UNMC's medical school.
Physiology is available from other departments as well as BIO. Best choices would be physiology courses that, like the BIO physiology course (BIO 449), require Gen. Bio. as prerequisite (BIO 211 and BIO 212). Less helpful, but better than nothing, would be BMS 303, the physiology course taken by nursing students (who usually do not take BIO 211 and 212).
When I ask medical students what course they took that helped them a lot in medical school, besides physiology the course they most mention now is BIO 362 (Cell Structure and Function). That one might help quite a bit on the MCAT as well. But if a student takes biochemistry before the MCAT, then the importance of BIO 362 before the MCAT is lessened.
Indeed, very strongly recommended before medical school, and required by UNMC and some other medical schools, is biochemistry. It's not essential to get it before the MCAT, so it is often taken by seniors, though if it can be taken before the MCAT, so much the better. BMS 521 or CHM 371 are the courses to choose from for most students, though chemistry majors will take CHM 381. All three are approved by UNMC's medical school. Students should not assume that BMS 301, the biochem. course taken by our first year pharmacy students, will suffice. UNMC has not approved BMS 301 for meeting its med school prerequisite, and BMS 301 cannot count towards the CHM or BIO major, whereas either BMS 521 or CHM 371 can count towards the biology major. No biochem. course counts toward the BIO minor (only courses listed as BIO can count toward the minor).
After these big one (genetics, physiology, cell structure/function, and biochemistry), perhaps the most important subject matter to cover is statistics. As to which stat course, most medical schools like stat courses that don't have the word "fundamental" or "business" in their name. To my knowledge, they equally like stat courses taught by the math/stat department as well as stat courses taught by other departments such as psychology. The course need not have health sciences in the name, though I suppose that couldn't hurt either. I'm partial to the biology department's course, BIO 401, but there are indeed many others available. If a student is thinking of a BIO minor or major, however, then BIO 401 would probably be the course to take.
When I ask medical students what course they wish they had taken (but didn't) before starting medical school, the most common choice is anatomy. BIO 333 is vertebrate comparative anatomy, which prepares students to efficiently learn human anatomy, and which counts toward the BIO major or minor. Some students want to take human anatomy, even if as an elective (human anatomy does not count toward the BIO major or minor). Those applying to some physician assistant, optometry, etc. programs might actually have to take specifically human rather than comparative anatomy. Medical and dental schools, however, are happy with the comparative anatomy, and I don't know of any medical schools that require any anatomy. Anatomy is not a big deal on the MCAT, so it can be taken in the senior year.
Students should feel free to take courses of genuine interest, whether science or not. In medical school interviews, for example, it’s great to reveal real passion and intellectual engagement in the subject(s) of some course(s). If the applicant can (1) demonstrate genuine interest in at least some undergraduate subjects, (2) articulate awareness of what medicine really is, and (3) demonstrate real desire to practice medicine, then the medical school admissions committee members will probably conclude that the applicant will be genuinely interested in medical school courses.
Additional resources from Aspiringdocs.org:
Aspiringdocs.org's "All about the MCAT" answers questions such as:
- What is the MCAT?
- How important is the MCAT?
- What's a good score?
- When should I take it?
- What if I don't score well the first time?
- Are there resources to help me prepare?
- Where can I get more information about it?
Also, a new guidebook has just been released by AAMC called "The Official Guide to the MCAT Exam" and would be worth looking into purchasing.
Back to PMED 200 Homepage.