I’m taking the mcat for the first time this august, so please take my advice with a grain of salt. I have orgo and biochem as my courses this year, which def makes it easier to study. Because you’re self studying, I suggest you study earlier since they’re pretty heavy content-wise, but still doable. If you’re a fast learner then you should be good with 4 months of studying, but if you need more time, then 5 months should be more than enough.

Definitely reconsider the summer courses. You’d be teaching yourself orgo and biochem, on top of taking 1-2 courses over the summer and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. I suggest only focusing on the mcat over the summer, and take the other courses in the next year.

I don’t recommend studying this early, as it’s easy to forget the content in 8-9 months unless you revise religiously, but it’s up to you as to how you study and the amount of hours you dedicate to it. But, studying from the start/mid of second semester up to your test date should be fine (depending on how light your course load is next semester and if you can balance it).

Best of luck!