You decide you want to go into medicine. Or maybe you’re on the fence. What are the requirements for medical school?

In this post, we’ll go over all the course requirements for medical school as well as other elements you need on your med school application.

But first, if you’re new to TheMDJourney, click here to receive my free guides to succeed in medical school. Also be sure to check out my YouTube Channel for weekly content.

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Medical School Course Requirements:

What classes do you need to take to get into medical school?

There are a few variations but here are some basics that almost every medical school requires.

– 2 Intro Biology Courses + Labs
– 2 Intro General Chemistry Courses + Labs
– 2 Organic Chemistry Courses + Labs (This class is often the death of most students)
– 2 Intro Physics Courses + Labs
– 2 English Courses (no lab thankfully)
– 1 Biochemistry Course (this is recommended but not required, yet, by most med schools)

These are the courses you need to have done to apply to medical school.

If you were doing the math this course requirement for medical school equates to about 40-50 hours of coursework (roughly 2 years).

In addition, almost every medical school will require you to have a bachelors or the hour equivalent (120 hours).

If you’re enjoying this article you may also enjoy the following:

How Hard is Medical School? (How To Survive)
What To Know Before Applying To Medical School
5 Things You Need To Get Into Medical School

MCAT To Get Into Medical School:

In addition to your coursework, you will have to take the dreaded MCAT as one of the requirements for medical school.

This is your entrance exam needed to apply to medical school. It helps the admission board differentiate you from the rest of the application. But don’t worry your MCAT isn’t the only thing that matters.

Most students take this exam during their junior year of college once they’ve completed the above-mentioned courses.

The average score on the MCAT is a 500 +/- 10 points. There are 4 sections which include bio, chem and physics, critical reading and reasoning, and psychology/sociology.

The test takes above 8 hours from start to finish. (I know it’s a grind).

I’ll create a completely separate post and series on how to study for your MCAT. If you have any questions, feel free to comment below or email me at [email protected]

As a quick suggestion, I would recommend using Princeton Review to study for your MCAT. I’ve always enjoyed their layout and the company does a good job of preparing you for your MCAT.

Last thing, what happens if you don’t do well on the MCAT?

Luckily you can take it more than once. Most schools will consider the higher of the two (hopefully this will be the more recent test). Check with each institution to understand how they take multiple MCAT tests into account.

Letter Of Recommendation:

Another one of the requirements for medical school is a letter of recommendation.

Most medical schools will require anywhere between 3-4 letters of recommendations.

Thus find professors whose class you really enjoyed. Do your best to go to their office hours with real questions.

Have them get to know you and keep in touch with them through email or occasional visits to help them write a stellar letter of recommendation.

One of my letters of recommendations came from a course I took my first year. We built a great relationship and I knew he was going to write a great letter (he did).

To help build this relationship I would email him once or twice a semester with updates.

Personal Statement:

The last main requirement for medical school is having a personal statement.

This one is self-explanatory so I won’t hit on it much. But I’ll go over in a separate post on how to create a great personal statement for medical school.

To help you check out my two articles on what you should know before applying and what you must have in your medical school application. 

Again join the email list for a personalized email series designed to help you succeed as a pre-med. In addition, you’ll receive updates on my YouTube Pre-Med 101 Series and updates on new pre-med blog posts. Sign up here to join.

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Hoped you enjoyed this rundown of requirements for medical school. Comment below if you have any questions!

Here are a few other articles I think would be good for you to read:

How Hard is Medical School? (How To Survive)
What To Know Before Applying To Medical School
5 Things You Need To Get Into Medical School
Tips for The First Year of Medical School

Want a more comprehensive guide on how to do well in college and get into medical school without all the stress?

I have a few options for you! If you want an initial step-by-step guide on how to create an irresistible med school application, check out The Pre-Med Journey. 

You can grab a copy and see the reviews on Amazon by clicking the link here. 

Then you will love our highly reviewed video course, The Pre-Med Blueprint! Updated on a weekly basis, the course will help you master your studying, boost up your CV, and know what you need to do in order to get accepted into medical school!

Check out The Pre-Med Blueprint here. 

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Thank you for reading!

Until next time my friends…