Medical School - Sophomores and Juniors

MCAT Content and Format

The test is divided into four sections, given all on one testing date:

Physical Sciences - 70 minutes	Tests knowledge of basic concepts and facility with scientific problem solving in physics and physically related chemistry. See MCAT topics for details.
Verbal Reasoning - 60 minutes	Section includes prose passages from the humanities and social sciences and natural sciences.
Writing Sample - 60 minutes	The writing sample contains two essay questions.
Biological Sciences - 70 minutes	Tests knowledge of the basic concepts with problem solving in biology and biologically related chemistry. See MCAT topics for details.

US allopathic and osteopathic medical schools require the MCAT.

MCAT Test Dates

Beginning January 2007, all MCAT exams will be available in computerized form only. The MCAT exam will be offered approximately 20 times during the year.

Depending on location and your travel time, you should plan on a 6-9 hour testing day. Check in for the exam takes time, there are several optional breaks but no designated lunch period. Some students recommend "practicing" by getting up early several Saturdays before the exam and even finding the test site in advance of the actual MCAT exam day. Because the exam itself is self-paced, check-in times vary and you may finish earlier or later than other examinees.

Registration and Timing

You can obtain a great deal of information from the MCAT website, and must register for the MCAT online. If you are requesting special testing conditions or accommodations, you must plan ahead. Students can contact MCAT at:

The following courses should be completed before taking the MCAT:

• Physics 8A, 8B (or 7A, 7B, 7C)
• Chemistry 1A, 3A, 3B
• Biology 1A, 1B

It should be noted that differences of opinion exist as to which, if any, additional course work is necessary. However, some feel that having taken a course like MCB 102 and a class in human physiology was helpful. Many Cal students do well on the MCAT after taking the above-named courses and preparing 4 months prior to the exam and after finishing these courses.

UC Berkeley students have used one or more of the following strategies to prepare for the MCAT:

• Test preparation programs
• Small reliable study group
• Tutors
• Individual study

Find a preparation plan that's right for you

Students report both positive and negative experiences with the whole range of test preparation courses which leads us to conclude that the key is a match between the needs of the learner and the test preparation program. Ask a lot of questions of the company and your peers before you give your hundreds of dollars to a company. Key resources are at the MCAT site; look at the writing prompts and the topics that will be covered in the science portions of the test. One MCAT practice test is available for free and others are available for purchase at the MCAT website.

Timing is Key

While the test is offered about 20 times during the year, it usually is advised that the test be taken no later than the April just prior to applying (16-18 months before entrance). It is fine to take the test in August two years prior to entrance. However, taking the test in August of the application year (12 months before entrance) often is discouraged because the scores from the August test will not be available until mid-October thus delaying serious consideration of the application at many schools. There are exceptions to this rule, but for most applicants, the August test during the application year will not be helpful and quite likely harmful.

The age of MCAT scores that are accepted varies from school to school. For most, scores can be two years old at the date of application. Each school indicates the acceptable age of scores in a box on the second of its two-page section of Chapter 11 of MSAR. Copies of the MSAR are available at the Career Center Info Lab.

Cost of the MCAT

As of 2006, the MCAT registration costs $210. This fee also pays for any scores reports from recent tests that you wish to send to medical, graduate or professional schools. Cost of preparation varies with method. If you have scores from MCAT test taken prior to 2002 that you are sending to medical schools, there is an additional cost. The 2003 score reporting changes are worth noting as you prepare your application for medical school. For a few of us who are able to demonstrate severe financial hardship, the AAMC Fee Assistance Program (FAP) will also reduce the cost of the MCAT. Timing is critical for the FAP to help defray the cost of the MCAT for those planning to take the test in April and submit their AMCAS in summer of the same year. If you and your family are in severe financial hardship, keep an eye on the AAMC site in January, and begin assembling the documents required (such as tax forms). The FAP form is usually available online late in January and is due in February in order for the decision to be made in time to reduce the fee of the MCAT. Be forewarned: applying for the FAP does not guarantee that you will receive it. The standards to prove severe financial hardship to the AAMC are high.

Medical schools seek "helping, caring people who know what they are getting into" from having explored the field of health and medicine.

While a student at UC Berkeley, you must validate your interest in medicine by spending time with doctors and in providing direct service to a variety of people. Medical schools are looking for bright motivated applicants who have recently checked out their interest and understand from direct observation the day-to-day life of a doctor.

There are two types of medical schools in the US: Allopathic Medical Schools and Osteopathic Medical Schools. Both prepare students to go on for specialized training in a residency program after four years of medical school.
If you are interested in an osteopathic medical school (DO) it is essential to obtain experience with a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (and not only MDs) to become clear on the philosophy of that branch of medicine.

The US Department of Labor and the American Medical Association websites contain information about the work environment, salaries, outlook for doctors for the future and issues facing the profession.

Specialty professional organizations, recognized by the AMA, including groups as specific as the American Society of Bariatric Physicians, are a useful way to learn how this profession organizes itself. Board certified physician specialty groups also illuminate the way that continued education is part of the professional life of a physician.

You want to explore the field, come to really know the role physicians play, and be clear on why you want to go into medicine. Such evidence should come during the years directly preceding your application; validating experiences during college, not high school experiences, are important.

As early as your Sophomore year, seek out opportunities to observe and volunteer; following are some suggestions from past Cal students:

• Talk to your health provider (s). Ask your own doctor, and offer to do helpful tasks in exchange for the opportunity to observe an entire afternoon or day with a doctor. Maybe your Los Angeles doctor has a colleague from medical school who practices in the East Bay. Ask if you can use her name as an introduction. Follow up, send thank you notes, network. One Cal student was waiting for a friend to receive stitches at an emergency room and wandered by an office, struck up a conversation and ended up being invited back to shadow and scrub in on surgery!
• Be strategic. Another student sent letters and emails to several doctors she found in the phonebook. It took many calls and in-person visits, but she eventually convinced one professional that she would be an asset to the practice.
• Make it easy for the setting to welcome you. You might approach community based clinics, which usually need more people. In any clinic you should expect to photo copy, fax, weigh patients, stock supplies, and take notes; you are not licensed to do any procedures. Present yourself as a hard working, reliable, smart, quick-to-learn Cal student and say from the beginning, "I'll be free intelligent labor for your clinic one day a week for 6 weeks, then I'd like to shadow you, the MD, for the next four weeks."
• Use Campus Resources. The list of Health Volunteer Opportunities in the Bay Area provides key contact information for clinics and health care organizations that have welcomed Cal students in the recent past. You should take responsibility for your own learning as you observe the work environment of health providers and connect with professionals. Find others at Cal who share your interest in health by exploring which pre-health and pre-med student groups are for you. Check out CalCorps and the Tang Center for opportunities to work in health care settings. Stiles Hall, located on Bancroft Way between the Career Center and the Tang Center, helps connect Cal students with community service opportunities.

  Many pre-meds take the class IDS 130 and then get involved in its Field Studies component in which the students shadow physicians as part of the Health and Medical Apprenticeship Program (HMAP).

• Use Career Center resources. Get on the CareerMail Health Professions list to learn about opportunities in health care settings. Check the Internship Directory to learn about the externship program which is designed for Cal students to utilize the winter break. Every year health care professionals have offered the opportunity for students to spend time with them in the workplace.

  There are many ways to locate opportunities to explore the field of medicine and health. Students will receive information about opportunities via the pre med CareerMail list, such as those offered during the January Career Center Externship program. In addition, students sometimes seek references from their own health providers, and other off-campus sources provide opportunities to get exposed to the realities of medicine. Examples are the Over 60 Health Center, Asian Health Services, Planned Parenthood, the Emergency Room at San Francisco General Hospital, the Berkeley Free Medical Clinic, and the Suitcase Clinic. Check out several related questions the Counselor has answered, now in the Pre-Med FAQs.

  The internship resources at the Career Center and the Internship Workshops held every Fall semester; see Calendar for details.

Experience in "helping"

While it is essential that a prospective medical student demonstrate that he or she is a helping, caring person, there are many ways to provide that evidence; it need not be limited to medically related activities. Many non-medical situations offer you an opportunity to serve others and thus demonstrate the helping and caring qualities desirable in a physician-trainee. You might tutor or work with children or senior citizens in a variety of educational or social service settings. Others show their caring through service as labor coaches or a similar activity in a medical setting. The setting is not the issue; the evidence of a service orientation is.

Statement #1
Medical schools seek well-rounded people who have demonstrated their ability to use their intellect.

Response
This is true. We want intellectually curious, active learners to be our physicians.

Statement #2
I've heard that you must have done research at the lab bench to have a chance at getting into a UC medical school.

Response
This is false. There is no research requirement. If you stop and think about Statement #1 you understand how lab research might be one way you reveal yourself as an independent learner who knows how to use her intellect in a practical setting. On the other hand, consider all of the other ways to act on your interest in the rich environment here at Berkeley.

Interested in history? Write a thesis. Like poetry? Start a journal for student work. Interested in engineering research? Work in a material science lab. There is no best academic major or set of experiences. You are more likely to shine in an area that is truly interesting to you. Take the time to find an area of study or fellowship or summer experience that is genuinely engaging for you.

While research is often a highly valuable feature in an application, it is probably more accurate to say that medical schools seek students who give evidence of scholarly interests, a desire to go beyond what is taught in the classroom, and who will be life-long learners - obviously a trait of great importance in medicine. Clearly, research may go a long way in demonstrating these qualities; but it is not the only way to prove that you are the kind of dedicated and interested student medical schools desire.

Act on your genuine interest

It is a mistake to pursue research unless there is a real interest in doing so. A number of strong applicants have not done research but have stood out in other ways. Going to a lab out of a sense of obligation or in hopes it will somehow create a stronger application is likely to be counterproductive and be a source of frustration to student and research supervisor. Getting involved in research means taking on an obligation in terms of time and effort. Nobody wants to train a student researcher only to have the newcomer put in half hearted efforts or quit after a short time.

Do Your Research on the Researchers

There are a number of methods available to locate research opportunities. The most direct is to identify a faculty member who is conducting research in an area of interest and after doing adequate preparation, approach that person and inquire about joining his/her research program. The Molecular Cell Biology department page provides useful ideas for the student interested in doing lab research; many of these strategies are useful in helping you gain access to other lab-based research settings. Departments often have information about research opportunities with faculty members; student groups often highlight researchers or strategies for securing a research position. Undergraduate Research @ Berkeley is a resource for finding opportunities on campus.

Look Beyond Cal

If you leave campus, or even the state, there are some interesting opportunities. For example, you might do some creative research on websites to find out who is doing interesting gerontology research by reading journals in Warren Hall in the public health library, then e-mailing those authors and letting them know of your interest. One Cal student recently got a position working in a sociology of aging study at UC Davis after a series of emails and referrals of this sort.

Plan Ahead to Use Your Summers

A number of medical and graduate schools conduct summer research program. Some of these are intended for minority students; others are open to all those interested. Many of these opportunities are circulated to you via CareerMail and on our Internship page. Many deadlines are set as early as six months before summer; plan to use your Thanksgiving break and Winter break completing applications.

While not required, research can be a plus in the application itself not to mention a fine learning experience for the student and a potential source of a letter of recommendation. Many successful Berkeley applicants have done research, often extensively, on campus or in a research facility in the Bay Area or another part of the state or nation.

Make a Plan

You are interested in earning your degree AND preparing to apply to medical school, so look at how the credits you earn in your study abroad program will contribute to these goals. Also to consider, the timing of your MCAT and the preparation for that important exam. You may change your original plan for the timing of your application to medical school. This is fine. You can apply any year to medical school; the opportunities to study abroad will no longer exist once you graduate.

Take your Pre Requisite Science coursework here

In general, it is best to take all of your science pre-medical pre-requisite coursework at a US institution for a grade. Take coursework that is edifying for you and contributes toward the earning of your bachelor's degree. Most medical schools would rather you complete your science courses at a US institution, where the system of education is familiar and comparable for evaluators.

Keep a journal

You are likely to have some meaningful and learning experiences. Attend to your own coping skills, note how your handled changes and travel, reflect on what you are learning; this will help you make sense of your own strengths and weaknesses when writing application essays and answering interview questions.

The Need for a Plan B

You are an informed student and realize that all applicants do not enter medical school. During the application process you will likely address the following question in some way: "What sort of work would you do if you could never be trained as a physician?"

Utilize Career Center resources while you are at Cal

As a current student you have access to a wide variety of services; use them now! Talk to a counselor during a Mini-Appointment, or learn what recent graduates in your major are doing to get you thinking about your own options. Some great opportunities exist as Post Bachelor's Degree Fellowships or in actual positions of employment.

Take time to explore

Career exploration is critical for developing your next step. Ask yourself "what are the factors that make medicine the right field for me?" If you like applying analytical concepts, you may move into math or work as a stockbroker. If helping others by providing a direct service is important, you might explore other helping professions such as social work. If the health care environment is important to you, explore the other roles in the health care team.

Having a plan gives you confidence during the process

The student with an application en route to the Peace Corps at the same time he is involved with the medical school application process is a person with a plan. An applicant who has taken a few steps to research other career fields or learn what she can do with her major is ready to answer the interview question, "What would you do for a career if you could never be trained as a physician?" This can only give you confidence, and make you an attractive applicant. If you don't have a plan, do some research to begin one today. Call the Career Center at (510) 642-1716 and ask for a counselor to help you as you plan your future.

A number of students focus on their community and learning at Cal, and may not be thinking about another degree or a professional career. Others of you are planning to complete your business major and then work as a consultant, when you learn more about yourself and your career options and think that you want to be a physician, and it is the fall of your senior year. You have some work ahead of you, but it is not too late. Here are some steps to take:

• Assess where you are in completing pre-med pre-requisite courses.
• Validate your interest in medicine.
• Check out Post-Baccaularreate Programs - is one right for you?
• Develop a Plan to prepare for and take the MCAT.
• Attend the next Pre-Med event to learn more about the process; check our Calendar for details.
• Outline your personal plan and talk with a Pre-Professional Counselor.