hi

i've now taken the mcat twice (4/05 and 8/05)
i think i will be taking the mcat again in 8/06...

here's where i stand
4/05: PS 7 V 7 BS 8 W: N 8/05: PS 7 V 9 BS 10 W: N

I NEED to bring up the physical sci. with leaving (improvement of course would be better) the BS and V alone...

HOW CAN I DO THIS? Both times, i've always studied for the mcat independently...
this past august, i used the large kaplan book, read through that
i used TPR science work book...did a lot of passages from the Physical sci. section

I've done all the amcas tests at least once now (having studied for this test twice)
and i've done some of the kaplan full-length tests (not sure which ones)

i need a fresh start...focusing on my weakness- the physical sciences --> i would guess physics and gen. chem equally

of course, i don't want to sacrifice my bio. or verbal score either...so i would like to improve/maintain those, but def. spend a lot of time on PS

here's where i stand in terms of apps.
this cycle, i applied to 26 schools....5 interviews...3 waitlists (MSU, Creighton, UCLA)...1 unknown so far (davis)

I'm also applying to Post-bacs right now (just 2 programs)...not sure if i'll get in, but if i do, they won't start till about mid-june anyway...

i don't know what will happen with the waitlists/post-bacs, but i need to start studying for the aug mcat now for a number of reasons...
1. i need to give myself plenty of time to READ as well as PRACTICE
2. i need to fig. out what strategy will work best for me
3. i will be working full time during the summer (around 37-40 hrs/week...most weekends should be free though)
4. i can't rely on the waitlists....holding on to just that will screw me up

question....how do i study....what materials should i use?
how can i focus on bringing up the physical sciences material?

thanks
i appreciate any help you can offer....

My advice...Chuck the Kaplan. It's full of useless junk and extraneous information. Get EK study package and Audio Osmosis. You'll be amazed with the change!

Take a deep breath, and relax!

My first thought was, it seems like you're trying to do a ton at once, and maybe not in the most coherent order...for instance, why are you planning on taking the MCAT again *before* you do the postbac?

Take a deep breath, and relax!

My first thought was, it seems like you're trying to do a ton at once, and maybe not in the most coherent order...for instance, why are you planning on taking the MCAT again *before* you do the postbac?



hehe...thx

what i meant was that if i were to do a postbacc, i'll be doing one with an mcat portion (meaning it starts in june and prepares you for the mcat)

so, rather than waiting to see if i'll even be accepted to a post-bacc. program, i might as well start studying what little i can now while i'm working

Since TPR or Kaplan didn't work for you, I'd try the EK method. Its worked for several people on here and worth the try. I'd also read Shrike's comment on approaching passages in the subforum and take advantage of the subforum when you are having issues with questions and problems. That will be a great help.

if you just wanna focus on PS section, buy EK 1001 series for chem and physics. They are all short and simple questions but they are pretty good.
Furthermore, their questions are repetitious which is quite effective in obtaining concepts.

Unlike the BS section, PS is relatively passage independent. So learn the concepts covered in PS first, using the simple EK 1001 series questions along with your corresponding textbooks and notes.

I'm glad you brought up that point...
in the past, i've avoided using independent question tests/practice material (for all sections) thinking that i need to be using passage-based questions since that's the way it is on the actual test

so you would recommend using the EK 1001 questions for the PS section and just working through and going over the solutions for those?

what about in terms of just studying the material? is EK also the better resource?

is it better for me to read first for several weeks and then move on to practice, do a combination of reading/practice at the same time, or simply jump right into problems first and learn by going over the answers for ones i get wrong?

i'm kind of inclined toward using the latter method since i've already studied (although now it's been a while) the material at least once before...

thanks

I, too, am taking the MCAT for a third and hopefully final time in August. I used Kaplan for the first two times. I realized that it was not effective and I am using only EK stuff. I have their testbooks, questions and audio osmosis. They get right to the point and tell you exactly what to focus on. Good luck with studying. PS is a b!@&h for me as well!!!!!

here's where i stand in terms of apps.
this cycle, i applied to 26 schools....5 interviews...3 waitlists (MSU, Creighton, UCLA)...1 unknown so far (davis)



Did you need 26 sets of lors or does amcas just get one generic set?

Did you need 26 sets of lors or does amcas just get one generic set?

essentially, yes....you need 26 sets of lors
but i used my schools career center letter service...sucks cause you have to pay, but some schools require it to be done this way to maintain confidentiality

wait...did you mean lor's tailored to each of the schools i applied to?

if you did..the answer's no...i just asked my prof./authors to write one generic letter and sent those out

Seriously, practice till your fingers bleed. Questions will be the key to your success in all sections.

Did you need 26 sets of lors or does amcas just get one generic set?


A few points of clarification:

Not counting the TDMAS since I don't know how they operate......

In all other applications, AMCAS mainly, you do not send LORs with AMCAS. You send the LORs with the school's secondaries that they send out to you. Most places require either a committee letter or 2 sci professors and 1 nonsci professor. At USF, they also require additional 2 character letters.

At FSU, they require a peer letter. Similiarly different schools have different requirements. However when you get letters written, you just have the professor send the same letter to all the schools and change the address up at the top of page. That's all. Some use interfolio, and others use their school's lor service to send it out. We have to use interfolio cuz our school doesn't have an LOR service anymore.

I'm glad you brought up that point...
in the past, i've avoided using independent question tests/practice material (for all sections) thinking that i need to be using passage-based questions since that's the way it is on the actual test

so you would recommend using the EK 1001 questions for the PS section and just working through and going over the solutions for those?

what about in terms of just studying the material? is EK also the better resource?

is it better for me to read first for several weeks and then move on to practice, do a combination of reading/practice at the same time, or simply jump right into problems first and learn by going over the answers for ones i get wrong?

i'm kind of inclined toward using the latter method since i've already studied (although now it's been a while) the material at least once before...

thanks

I think it is better to review material first and subsequently do the questions. I personally believe that if you sufficiently grasp the materials covered in PS section, getting a double digit score would be an automatic. And soley based on your score, it seems you dont actually understand the material(maybe you are just memorizing some physical laws and perhaps equating knowing definition to understanding). So i think it would be wise to learn the material again before attempting the questions since just doing so would be wasting precious machination created to test the learned concepts.

When you actually buy and see the EK 1001 question booklet, you will notice that the questions are grouped according to specific topics. Study those topics first and do the questions a few hours later or a day or two later. But, unlike what EK actually recommends you to do(which is doing 1 out of every 5 questions), i recommend that you do all the questions of a specific topic in one sitting. They are very short and easy, so doing them would not require alot of time. Also it is important to mark ANY questions you had trouble with or have a hunch that it is important.

And use whatever material you prefer to review the material covered in PS section. I don't see alot of difference among TPR, Kaplan, and EK. But if you are not sure or unsatisfied with contents given in any review materials, dont hesitate to use your textbook.

Also, devote about 4 to 5 weeks to finish all the PS reviewing and doing all the EK 1001 questions. ONLY after finishing this, do the usual mcat preping routine; doing passage based questions, AAMC materials, etc. While you are doing the usual preping routine, redo the EK questions you have marked before. Mark the EK again if you get it wrong in the second time, review the correponding materials. When it is time to review the routine materials(passage based questions, full lengths, etc), do the marked questions again.

I am sure if you do this kind of repetitious, thus quite tedious, routines you will see quite an improvement in your PS score.

thanks..these posts have been very helpful...
now i just need to buy some material for starters and make sure i set enough time after work to study....maybe just an hour or so a day in the evening...sound good?

question....how do i study....what materials should i use?
how can i focus on bringing up the physical sciences material?

thanks
i appreciate any help you can offer....

I dunno about all that, but if you're running out of practice exams the berkeley review sells them individually. I think they have six or seven of them. I'm not sure if they're good or not becaue I haven't used mine yet but it's a thought. :D