The 2015 MCAT includes two new subject areas: psychology and sociology. This new 95-minute “Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior” section is another strain on many a weary premedical student’s already full schedule.
Many of my students ask if it is necessary to take a formal course in either subject to prepare for the new test. The short answer is not really, but it does depend largely on your current academic position.
[Get more tips on studying for the new social and behavioral sciences section.]
For freshmen and sophomores, one semester each of introductory psychology and sociology should be sufficient for the MCAT and will provide students with a focused academic schedule. Learning these sciences in a more formal setting will also instill the necessary rigor and mental stamina a premed student needs to succeed on the MCAT.
Underclassmen should also work with their advisers to tailor their class work to the medical schools to which they will apply. Advanced placement course work in high school can also serve as a solid foundation upon which to build a good psychology or sociology score. Plenty of medical schools do not yet require course work in these disciplines, but that could change as admissions committees adapt to the new exam.
For students who have either completed their academic degrees or do not have room in their schedule for two additional classes to prepare for their ideal MCAT date — which is typically in the spring or summer between junior and senior years — are in a tight spot. They must decide whether to attempt to cram these classes in. When deciding on the extra work, ask yourself these questions:
[Learn to sharpen critical analysis and reasoning skills on the MCAT.]
1. Will the additional course lead to more than two science courses in a single semester? Taking more than two science courses in a single semester can be overwhelming, and will detract from your ability to properly prepare for the MCAT. This can cause students to push back their test dates and thus be at a disadvantage come application time. Or, it can lead to a lower score than expected due to insufficient time to prep.
2. Will adding a psychology or sociology course preclude you from taking a more dense MCAT topic? While psychology and sociology are now a part of the MCAT, the level of detail and complexity to which they are tested by the exam is not as high as that of more complex topics, such as biochemistry or physics, which should take priority.
3. Do you have any prior experience with these topics? Compared to what one would learn in a full semester of psychology or sociology, the official MCAT guide does not delve too deep into these topics. If you have taken prior psychology or sociology AP course work, this foundation can allow you to learn enough to do well on the MCAT in the time you have.
This is in contrast to the other MCAT sciences, which are still not tested to the level one gets in a full course but are more intense and detailed than the proposed psychology and sociology section.
If your answers to the above questions are “no,” go ahead and take a semester of introductory psychology and sociology.
[Check out free online tools and apps to support MCAT prep.]
If you do decide to prep for the new section without formal course work, you should allow for more study time to build a foundation of MCAT-relevant knowledge. Pick up a set of books that have been designed with the 2015 MCAT in mind in order to avoid studying material that will not show up on test day.
While the MCAT is growing bigger, this new section will still rely on your ability to read a passage and answer some questions. Thus, in addition to content, critical thinking skills are a must. Get you hands on as many MCAT-style psychology and sociology questions as you can. The Association of American Medical Colleges, the organization behind the test, has released about one and a half sections’ worth of this material, but you will need more. So, when choosing resources, choose study materials that offer strategy and practice in to complement the science.
You should also reflect on how you’ve prepared for this kind of material before. The social sciences are very memorization heavy, so you will need to ensure that you use methods that have worked for you in the past. This approach can lead to great scores, but be sure to speak with your academic advisers when planning your schedule.
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Determine If You Need Psychology, Sociology Classes for MCAT Prep originally appeared on usnews.com
