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I can get a pretty mean bonfire going. It requires perseverance, but the efforts are justified, especially when you can toss in standardized-test-prep books and watch the flames engulf them mercilessly.

“That’s the last time I’ll see these,” I thought as a fresh high school graduate, feeding the books to the fire.

But the standardized-testing madness remains far from over.

Pre-med students understand this as they await Aug. 19, when they will plow through seven to eight hours of chemistry, physics, biology, verbal and essay questions, collectively known as the Medical College Admission Test.

Test your skills on a few MCAT practice questions.

It’s no wonder that pre-med students are notorious for being over-stressed and competitive. As a science student, I’ve grown to shudder when classmates declare themselves “pre-med.” But as I delved into the field, I began to realize there are legitimate reasons for the competition.

Pre-meds have their own subculture. Never-ending prerequisite classes, volunteer time at hospitals and research experience typify an eager pre-med’s resume. As they reach the pinnacle of preparation for med school, they hurdle through the MCATs: the rite of passage that declares their decision to pursue medicine.

In addition to GPA, the MCAT is the other major showcase of academic credentials, and the pressure to ace it is great. Because of the breadth of information covered and the deceptive questions, “It’s physically and emotionally exhausting,” said Sheena Kamra, a fourth-year neuroscience student.

Considering this, students typically invest two to three months studying, according to Kamra.

Pre-meds usually receive boot-camp training prior to the exam, stepping over the mines of rigorous, competitive courses that test their commitments to the profession. Companies such as Kaplan and The Princeton Review are commonly used, but with the hefty price tag of about $1,500 to $1,700, according to their Web sites.

“People take pills a week or two before the test because they can’t sleep,” said fourth-year psychobiology student Tony Klochkov. Because of the academic intensity, “so many things go through my mind (before sleeping).”

A few days later, Kamra mentioned completing four practice tests this past week and said, “I just want to get it over with.”

Inevitably, the path to a medical degree is steep and especially rocky due to competition.

With 704 applicants in 2005, UCLA had the highest number of med school applicants, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. Because of the large pre-med population at UCLA, as well as there being only 125 medical schools in the country, competition – in academics, research and volunteer opportunities – is especially fierce.

Though it is uplifting to see the motivation, sometimes the desire to achieve these goals is so great that integrity is compromised.

“I worry about the students that are so competitive that they’re not learning the material or when it prevents them from helping others,” said Pierre Nguyen, a life sciences teaching assistant.

One example comes from Juliana Wilson, a fifth-year psychobiology student, who shared with me a situation where classmates intentionally gave her wrong information about class material. “I wouldn’t want them to be my doctors,” Wilson said.

Having previously been an undergraduate at UCLA, Nguyen also mentioned that cheating can occur more frequently than students would speculate.

“Competition doesn’t have to be at the level of academic dishonesty, or where you are doing harm to yourself or anybody else,” Nguyen said.

I decided to put myself in the shoes of a pre-med and went through some of the practice MCAT questions. I realized that I had forgotten a lot of physics and general chemistry, and found the writing prompts to be difficult because many times they required integration of current events and historical knowledge.

It also hit me to learn that in 2004, the admit rate was 4.5 percent at the Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Needless to say, I felt the pressure thickening.

But all the while, I found myself desiring to do whatever it takes to get me into med school, where dreams of becoming a real doctor would become more concrete, learning about patient care with my stethoscope and reflex hammer.

This brings me to point out the most important part of creating the perfect bonfire: motivation to wake up a little earlier than others to secure a pit at the beach.

Yes, even bonfires are in high demand, and there’s nothing wrong with a little competition for your ambition as long as it doesn’t prevent you from acting civil to other potential pit users.

And as for those of you taking the MCATs this week, I’ll see you at the bonfire after Saturday.

If you have lighter fluid, e-mail Yoo at jyoo@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.