30+ MCAT Study Habits- The CBT Version

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Wow, I am shocked and amazed that I can finally post here! Ok, be warned that this may be a long post but I figure I might as well give as much info as possible:

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=12 VR=11 WS=R BS=12 Composite: 35R (Sept. 11, 2012)

2) The study method used for each section
I started out with just EK for each section, following their 10 week at home study schedule. This was good for the most part but I found the explanations for some concepts lacking and I learn better with more detailed explanations. So after 4 weeks I also started using a very old version of TBR to brush up with gen chem and physics (the bio and orgo was much too detailed). I also stopped doing the 1001 question books and did select TBR passages instead which were way harder but I liked them better because the explanations were amazing! When I started studying orgo (which is after 5 weeks according to the examkrackers schedule), I freaked out because I did not understand it at all. I had never taken the 2nd orgo course in university and so didn't know most of the info. EK orgo had many stupid errors in it as well. So I tried TBR which was way too detailed. Then I signed up for Chad's videos à awesome! Since I only had less than a month left, I did the full MCAT subscription to the videos and I highly recommend this (cost me $50). Chad is an excellent teacher, though chem and ochem are his strengths (the bio videos are bad and the physics are ok but not detailed enough). At this point, I realized what an asset videos and websites could be so I started using them a lot more. The following is a list of sites I used:

Chad's videos
thekhanacademy.org
Brightstorm2 (on youtube)
freelanceteach (on youtube)
McGraw Hill animations (google it)
http://mcat-review.org/ (very brief point form on all the stuff included on the AAMC topic list)
I did not like the wikipremed format so I didn't use that

I basically searched youtube for whatever I was weak on, had trouble with, or just wanted a more detailed explanation for. I am a very visual learner so these helped more than anything. Plus, sometimes you just don't feel like reading or doing problems and so it's much easier to watch a video.

For verbal, I pretty much started off with an 11 on my diagnostic but I did do the EK 101 passages to make sure. I found some of the explanations silly and so stopped doing them halfway through. I can't really comment on this too much as I am usually decent at reading comprehension exams to begin with. If the you're taking the test a long time from now, I recommend reading the paper or something on a daily basis from now on. Or reading in general just to improve your comprehension.

For the writing sample (even though I was part of the last group to ever complete it), I would look up random topics on the AAMC list and think about how I would answer them before I went to bed. This obviously doesn't matter anymore since they're removing it.

3) The materials used for each section
See above

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC CBT 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. Average (excluding the diagnostic) on these was a 36.5.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Engineering

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
If you commit to taking the test, put all your effort into it but don't kill yourself. Create a schedule and then stick to it. You should still go out occasionally and participate in outside activities. I don't think if I studied more that I would have done that much better. A lot of it is understanding what the question is asking because even though it might be asked in a convoluted way, the science is typically simple.

Also, if you're a non-trad like me (Engineering without half the pre-reqs), don't get freaked out. You may have to learn something from scratch but it's not that bad if you use the resources available.

Make sure you take the practice exams at the same time and in the same format as the real test. Do not pause the exam or anything because the timing is typically crucial on the real thing.

DO NOT TRUST your post-test feelings. I pretty much cried after my exam because I genuinely thought I had bombed. You can check out my posts to see my post test feelings and score prediction. If you thought it was really hard, chances are, most other people did too and so it may be more generously curved. Do not void unless you passed out or missed half the exam because you never know.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
Almost exactly 10 weeks following the EK at-home study schedule supplemented with TBR and more AAMC exams. I sometimes skipped days but tried to catch up afterwards. I also did not study more than 2-3 hours on weekdays and not more than 4-5 on weekends (that was the max).

Feel free to PM me with any questions.

A little bizarre that I first saw this thread a bit over two years ago and now I'm posting in it...

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS = 11, VR = 13, BS = 11
35R (9/11/12 Test Date)

2) The study method used for each section

Modified SN2ed schedule (3 month version). Got behind on content review because reading/reviewing bio took me forever, and I was supposed to start the week of finals and was just too exhausted. Ended up not reading the chapters the first time around (because I figured out I gained more by reviewing stuff I got wrong instead of intensely reading the first time). Caught up to content review, and did the full set of AAMC practice tests. Did not do hat trick as much as I wanted, and did some more EK 1001 than was recommended.

I also used TBR #1-5 (highly recommended, except verbal) and the Official Guide's practice passages (worth the $30-something). WikiPremed was great for some content stuff in physics/chem. I also read ~15 Science/Nature articles close to the test date because I was convinced that we would get tons of experiment passages, but I guess it probably helped for verbal. Someone had posted previously about reading all the Wikipedia pages for the BS topics, and that was kind of helpful -- not directly, but more so for gaining "general" bio knowledge that I was rather lacking.


3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)

EK 1001, TBR (books & CBTs), AAMC CBTs, TPRH Verbal, EK 101 Verbal, AAMC Official Guide

4) Which practice tests did you use?
All practice tests taken after content review (I did not take a diagnostic).

All AAMCs + TBR #1-5. My scores on TBR were not indicative at all of my AAMC (nor my real performance), so I mostly used them for content review.
Average: 12.3/11.8/11 --> 35
Range: 32-40
**Somehow, even though my range was so big, I still got my average score. Not sure how to interpret that.. The exams were taken over the span of a month.

AAMC 3: 32
4: 35
5: 34
7: 34
8: 37
9: 40
10: 35
11: 33 (was super out of it...)


5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biology (no upper levels yet).

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?

Practice passages!!!!! Content review is important, but not enough. Don't get too down on yourself and remember that there is always an element of luck involved. Be very rigorous when approaching problems that require you to estimate mathematically. If you're like me and over-analyze for verbal, try not to -- it helps if you think on a less analytical level, although at times it feels like you can provide justification for more than one choice. BEST, not correct answer!

I made a bunch of Google Doc spreadsheet logs, to fill in the questions that SN2ed says to ask yourself, like what the question was asking, why you got it wrong, so it was helpful to have an aggregate, as well as have easy access to my content weaknesses. It's a pain when you're reviewing to keep asking yourself that and typing it up, but it was helpful.

Also, this varies for people, but if you're used to doing a lot of activities during the school year, it might be helpful to have something else going on during MCAT prep that's part-time - whether a job or volunteering. I know I couldn't study for more than 9-10 hours a day, so it was nice to have something else that was "productive" but let me take a break.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
~12 weeks, ~650 hours, 6-9 hours a day, while working part-time for most of it.

Good luck!!!!

1) Your individual scores and composite score
VR=12 PS=14 WS=L BS=12 Composite=38L

2) The study method used for each section
PS&BS: Reviewed TBR, two-three chapters a day.
VR: Did the first half of problems in the 101 passages workbook.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
TBR, princeton hyperlearning, AAMCs

4) Which practice tests did you use?
I only did 3, 4, 5, and 10. I felt that the AAMCs did not help at all. I generally did abysmally on the AAMC practice tests, probably because I really couldn't have cared less about what I got on the practice tests (mentally). I used the tests mainly to gauge how well I was pacing so during the real test, I didn't even glance at the timer since I knew about how much time I would have left after each section.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biology, though I took it a year after I graduated.

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Don't stress. The day before the MCATs I told myself that I wouldn't study anymore. I ended up watching a movie, riding a segway around the city, and having a nice glass of wine at a fancy restaurant.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
1.5 months (~6 weeks), averaging ~3 hrs/day.

Non-Trad

1) Your individual scores and composite score

First time: PS = 07, VR = 06, BS = 09, Total = 22O

Test Date: 9/11/12
This time: PS = 11, VR = 09, BS = 11, Total = 31O


2) The study method used for each section

First Time: Kaplan course

This Time: Sn2, tried my best to stick to the program, but several limitations as you will read later.

The first time I tried Kaplan was during a summer while taking summer courses. I had friends who did well with Kaplan course, but they weren't taking classes. So when you study, make sure nothing else is going to take up most of your time.

For 9/11/12 I went with Berkeley Review. I tried my very best to stick with Sn2 program, but I couldn't keep up while working to pay for living, transportation, food, and health issues. It was incredibly tough going pay check to pay check, but my girlfriend was really supportive and I pulled through. The first 2 months I just read a chapter a day for content before work, but wasn't able to do the 1/3 or 2/3 practice passages from TBR =/ The last month I asked if I could have a break from work, and gratefully my boss said yes, she's a doctor and understood what I was going through. Luckily I saved enough money to last me the month! In the last month I just did TBR passages and reviewed every question until I understood for sure why I got them either right or wrong.

Verbal was definitely the toughest for me. Do NOT follow Kaplans verbal strategy. I followed EK verbal strategy all the way, and did verbal passages everyday switching between EK 101 and Hyperlearning. I did almost all the passages by test time. The EK 101 has topics that wouldn't really show up on the MCAT, but they are still very useful, and the answer explanations are really nice. The Hyperlearning doesn't give good explanations for answers, which is bad, so you have to force yourself to think why an answer is correct, which is good. The passages from hyperlearning are also tougher and more realistic since they are from real articles and books, which is a big plus.


3) What materials you used for each section?

First Time: Kaplan for everything

This Time: Sn2 material: Physics = The Berkeley Review (TBR), Chemistry = TBR, Ochem = TBR, Biology = ExamKrackers, Verbal = 101 EK and The Princeton Review Hyperlearning (LOVE THESE VERBAL BOOKS)


4) Which practice tests did you use?

First Time: All of them

This Time: None, haha, funny how that worked out. I was in a crunch for time, so I just put my faith into the TBR Passages from the books to provide me with enough practice and review for the exam, and tada, they did They're tough, but they are so good. No other MCAT prep books have passages like TBR does.


5) What was your undergraduate major?

Biology/Physiology


6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?

Work in an environment that promotes healthy learning: this could mean studying in a library or somewhere quiet, but for me it was just separating myself from people (non med students) in my life who didn't understand what I had to do. Eventually they go the hint, but it was tough at first when they didn't. Luckily I had my girlfriend there to support me the entire way.

Maintaining your own body health is equally as important. If you can't eat healthy foods then make sure to take your supplements. Half way through preparation, my immune system got super weak and I actually started growing a tumor on my finger. My doctor didn't think it was a tumor, so she just gave me antibiotics, but that didn't work at all. After trying antifungal creams, which didn't work either, my friends in naturopathic school took a look at my finger and suggested on old remedy for dealing with pyogenic granuloma, which is actually a misnomer. They suggested doing apple cider vinegar soaks and applying garlic at night. I was amazed on how effective the treatment was. Seriously, major respect to NDs, they learn some powerful medicine. Fish and flax oil also helped my energy levels like no other.

Some people suggest taking a day off before the exam, but I wasn't comfortable doing that. Usually during finals week, because theres not much time for studying between finals, I'm used to studying to the last minute. Before the mcat test day, I reviewed ochem, and on the actual test I got tons of ochem questions. So just do what you know works for you.

Besides keeping yourself healthy and working in a supportive environment, all you have to do now is keep up with the Sn2 study program and you'll be fine. I didn't follow it exactly, but I'm sure a schedule that gets through TBR content review and passages, EK and Hyperlearning Princeton verbal practice, and sufficient time to review and understand all the answer choices, will get you a minimum of 30 no problem! Some chapters are long, but later on some get short, so just keep going. "If you study, it will come!"


7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

First two months: 4-6 hours before work to finish a chapter, everyday
Last month: I took the whole day to accomplish my goals.

I feel like people worry too much about how much time its going to take to study in a day. To me it makes more sense to forget about the hours, and just focus on what you need to accomplish to stay on schedule, no matter how long it takes. If you study for 6 hours and didn't finish your chapter, don't just stop studying, get er done!

1) Your individual scores and composite score
37 12PS-13VR-12BS

2) The study method used for each section
For the sciences, I had to review a lot because I haven't been in school for awhile. I bought TBR, which is content heavy, and carefully read the chapters, took notes, reviewed, like it is a textbook. When I was in school, I would always take notes on the reading because it forced me to focus more and I have continued with this habit. At the end of each chapter, I would take the practice exam and carefully review my incorrect answers. This took me months. I was between jobs about a year before I took the MCAT and reviewed TBR Chem, Orgo and Physics. Since I didn't have much else to do I would get through a chapter in two days (about 5 hrs). When I started my new job, I would get through a chapter a week. Plan accordingly.
Then again, if you're a traditional student you don't have to review as much as I did.

For the verbal, I mostly did practice passages and tried to read more. I think it's more practice than anything else. I didn't think I'd have a problem with VR because I love to read. Then I did the first 30 or so passages in TPRH and was in for a shock - I frequently missed 2-4 questions per passage. This was about a month in advance of the test so I kind of freaked out.
I heeded the suggestion to read the Economist and the New Yorker. The most helpful thing is to read the most boring articles. Use the practice passages to identify your areas of weakness, which may be economics, philosophy, art, history etc. I don't have an economics or business background, so I forced myself to read the densest articles about finance and the stock market in the Economist. I didn't dwell on the Atul Gawande articles in the New Yorker, because he's an engaging writer and the subject (obviously) interests me. Most of the passages on the VR will not meet either of those criteria. I know some people recommend reading popular fiction to help out your reading skills; as I mentioned earlier, I've always loved reading but my love of reading did *not* help me analyze boring, inexplicable passages.
I also developed a bad habit from the science sections of not even reading the passage, skipping to the questions and then picking through the passage to find the relevant bits. In VR, it's important to read the entire passage closely, then read the question and each choice carefully, going back to the passage if you must.
I know the VR is something that many people struggle with. I would say to start early: do a few practice passages, find your weak areas, do a lot of reading in those areas and armed with better study habits, do lots of practice passages.
Furthermore, keep in mind that BS involves a lot of reading as well - and the passages on the actual exam are denser and more technical than in TBR or even the early AAMCs. So you need to excel at reading dense passages to do well in BS too.

3) What materials you used for each section?
I used TBR for Physics, Gen Chem, Orgo and Bio.
Because I'm weak in Physics, I also bought Nova Physics. I found TBR to be unsatisfactory in the section on Light and Vision so I also went to the Physics Classroom website.
TPRH Verbal Workbook 2008 for VR (found it at half price books, couldn't believe my luck!)
AAMC tests
The Economist magazine for Verbal

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC only
I took the first one about a month before the MCAT, because I felt that I had prepared enough for it to be worthwhile, but I still had enough time to hit my weak areas for review.
AAMC 3 13PS-11VR-13BS 37
AAMC 4 12 PS-12VR-13BS 37
AAMC 8 11PS-15VR-13BS 39
AAMC 10 12 PS-10VR-13 BS 35
AAMC 9 12 PS-11VR-13BS 36
AAMC 11 11PS-12VR-11BS 34
AAMC 10 and 11 are the most similar to the actual exam, particularly the reading-heavy bio section. I recommend taking them very close to the exam date. I kind of messed up on AAMC 11 but learned from my mistakes and did 3 points better on the real thing.
Also, taking this many AAMCs does a great job preparing you for the format and length of the test. When I took the actual MCAT, I was not at all exhausted or running out of time on the sections. I was used to sitting for almost 5 hrs. It was more like, "Hmmm, at the end of 60 minutes it will be snacktime and bathroom break!"


5) What was your undergraduate major?
Microbio and an allied health major

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
If you're struggling in verbal, start reading now and start reading boring, dense, difficult texts in your problem areas. Do lots of practice.
If you're a nontraditional student, start doing thorough content review now.
Take lots of AAMC tests.
While studying or taking exams, always go back and analyze your mistakes.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
About 1 year. When I wasn't working, I did content review about 5 hours a day.
When I started my new job, I would do about 1-2 hours every day.
I started studying intensively for the MCAT 2 months before the exam, reviewing the chapter summaries and practice questions in TBR for 1-2 hrs per day. On the weekend, I would do more - usually about 5 hours or however long it took me to do an AAMC.

1) Your individual scores and composite score

PS=11 VR=7 WS=K BS=12 Composite=30K


2) The study method used for each section

I used SN2ed 3 Month study scheduled: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=623898. Things I didnt understand very well like Lenz's law, I looked up on youtube mainly using brighstorm's videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/brightstorm2?feature=CAQQwRs= ,their videos are short and to the point.


3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)

PS- I used TBR for both Phy content and question and Chem content and question

VR- honestly, I didn't do enough here. I just took a few passages from EK 101 verbal. I dragged my feet and it showes

WS- first time I looked at it was on the day of the exam...lol

Bio- I used the EK Bio book for content and TBR Bio book for questions. I use the TBR Orgo Chem book for both content and questions


4) Which practice tests did you use?

I only took the AAMC practice test
AAMC 3 9PS-9VR-13BS 31
AAMC 4 10PS-9VR-11BS 30
AAMC 5 9PS-8VR-10BS 27
AAMC 7 11PS-9VR-13BS 33
AAMC 8 12PS-10VR-13BS 35
AAMC 9 15PS-8VR-12BS 35
AAMC 10 11PS-9VR-14BS 34
AAMC 11 12PS-8VR-13BS 33

Average: 32 0000 Actual: 30


5) What was your undergraduate major?

BS in Biochemistry from SUNY Stonybrook


6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?

I highly recommend following SN2ed's scheduled and using TBR. If I could redo it I would probably have taken the test sooner rather than pushing it back, because the extra time seemed to harm my score. On the day of your test you should come an 1/2hr to 1hr early because as soon as you come in and get registered you start. My exam was scheduled for 1PM got their at around 12:30 had to wait for 45 min to get registered because their was people in front of me. At the testing center I went to the computers were very old and the computer monitor wasn't widescreen so it throw me off a bit. Also bring snacks because you will get hungry. Also they will pat you down everytime you leave a try to re-enter you testing station all your allowed to have are you ID, ear plugs and locker key.


7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

In all I studied for little over 3 Months about 4 to 6 Hr a day.

1) Your individual scores and composite score

PS=14 VR=10 WS=Q BS=11 Composite=35Q


2) The study method used for each section

Sciences: I used the Kaplan books I had from the first time I took the test. This time I made a reading/study schedule where I would read a certain number of chapters/sections a day. All in all, I read each book front to back 3 times before the test. I also made flash cards with all of the formulas for physical sciences, and ones with facts from biology. During my practice tests, I found that some questions I knew I remembered reading something about but couldn't put my finger on exactly what the answer was aka you either know it or you don't--this is why I found memorization helpful.

Verbal: My first test I got a 6 on verbal. For my retake, I signed up for 10 hours of private tutoring from TPR and worked with her over the course of 10 weeks. Boy did it help!




3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)

PS- kaplan gen chem/physics books

VR- TPR tutor, ExamKrackers 101 passages

WS- reviewed kaplan book one time, wasnt worried about this section

Bio- Kaplan bio/o chem books


4) Which practice tests did you use?

AAMC practice tests + TBR tests

Average: ~34 0000 Actual: 35


5) What was your undergraduate major?

BS in Biology, Minor in Chemistry


6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?

You can't half ass studying for the MCAT. You have to put everything you got into it, or else you'll end up like me and having to retake. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to prepare, but don't start too far in advance (i say 3 months is ideal). Dont waste your practice tests (aka dont start taking them) until you have done at least a month of content review. This will allow you to identify your weaknesses and where you should spend your time studying.


7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

~10 weeks 3-4 hours a day

our individual scores and composite score
PS=12 VR=12 WS=R BS=13 Composite=37R

2) The study method used for each section
PS: Practice, practice.
V: I did them in sets of 3. I would do them timed (~6.5 minutes each), then do them again w/o any timing to see what mistakes I made. I think it really helped me (diag. 3)
BS: made outlines of EK bio chapters. practice.
W: I think taking an actual english class in college was pretty useful.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
TBR G-chem, Physics and O-chem. EK Bio and TPR Bio(i think the latter is better). EK Verbal 101.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
TPR and AAMC (did all of them). In terms of difficulty, it was TPR > REAL MCAT > AAMC PRACTICE

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Bio

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
PS: memorize every formula and PRACTICE. I think ANYONE can get at least a 10 on this section if they use TBR g-chem and physics.
V: Try my method above. I thought it seriously helped me. I didn't do it everytime because of the time it took, but it helped me pinpoint why I was getting things wrong. Although I didn't get a good score on this section, I'm still pretty happy (avg ~8).
BS: my mcat was super detailed; beware. Also, it seems as though the newer MCATs are more passage-based. Be sure to know how to read graphs and interpret information! Others swear by TBR Bio; I would have done it too, but didnt' have time.
W: Thesis-Antithesis-Synthesis. 3 paragraphs. Don't freak out if you didn't hit the save button.
I thought that i was going to get ~28 on the real deal. Feelings after the test are not correlated to actual score.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
7 months (2 hrs/day) with break days/weekends here and there. PS-if you can take it during the summer...DO IT!!!

1) Your individual scores and composite score

PS=14 VR=11 WS=Q BS=14 Composite=39S

2) The study method used for each section

Physics - TBR for just studying concepts
General Chemistry - TBR for just studying concepts
Organic Chemistry - TBR and TPR Hyperlearning Biological Sciences
Biology - TBR and TPR Hyperlearning Biological Sciences (Note that TBR has some MCAT material that isn't covered in the reading but is brought up and explained in the quizzes at the end of each chapter so make sure you do those!!)
Writing - Nothing, just read TBR book about the essay format and did that on the actual exam

I had Even and Odd days where on Even days, I would read 2 chapters from Physics and 2 chapters from General Chemistry, taking fairly detailed notes for each. Then on Odd days, I would do the same for 2 chapters of Bio and 2 chapters of Orgo. Notes were only from TBR and I supplemented that with reading TPRH but no notes unless it wasn't covered in TBR. It's just that TPRH explains some stuff in ways that are easier for me to understand that TBR and vice versa.

The notes were not so much something that I would look back to but as a way to make sure I spent enough time reading a section instead of just passing over it thinking I knew it only to find out that there was some valuable information that I missed cause I assumed I knew it.

I actually did all the reading in about 2 weeks (including saturdays) during the summer and did not start any practice questions until I was done. I will elaborate my reasoning later...

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)

For practice questions, I used TBR, Examkrackers and AAMC diagnostic test.
I finished Bio, Orgo, Gen Chem, and Phys EK 1001 books and I did almost all TBR questions. I did run out of time towards the end which is why I didn't finish TBR. For Verbal, I read the economist everyday, did a full 1 hour practice section M-F and split a full section between Saturday and Sunday. For that I used TPRH verbal workbook, EK 101, Kaplan but I don't recommend that one, and TBR Verbal which I did awful on compared to TPRH and EK 101.

4) Which practice tests did you use?

I only used AAMC. I had previously taken the exam in January and voided it since I honestly didn't study for it but I had already taken #3 the previous summer and #8, 9, and 11 all within 2 weeks of the first MCAT, which was extremely dumb.

Then over the summer, I took #7 right after finishing my content review and before doing any practice problems to get a good baseline. Then proceeded to take an exam every week on Mondays since the library wasn't open past 5 on weekends and I tried to simulate exam conditions as much as possible by taking it at 1pm at another library in the next town over so in a cubicle. About a month before the exam, I started to run out so I took old AAMC tests that I had previously taken which strangely enough, I think helped a lot and I will explain why later.

5) What was your undergraduate major?

Biology Major and took the following courses - Immunology, Cell Structure, Biochem, Molecular Genetics, and Ecology.

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?

Yes. So first, I did strictly content review before I did any Berkley passages or EK 1001 questions. The reason was that if I took a Berkely section right after reading that chapter, I would obviously do well since it would have been fresh in my head and not really test how much I would know the material closer to the exam. So instead, I studied everything first and then about 2 weeks after I had already read, I would take the Berkeley passage to see how much I had retained over time as opposed to what I remembered from just a few hours ago. I believe that helped me easily identify the concepts that I was having the most difficulty remembering/thinking through. I would honestly suggest the same thing for others as well if you have time to do each one separately.

Second, I only used AAMC questions for practice tests and in the week leading up to the exam, I reviewed material but did only old AAMC practice questions. I've found that AAMC really does have its own style of questioning which TBR and EK 1001 don't really capture entirely. By taking old AAMC questions and seeing those answer, I just felt like it put me into the right mindset, especially since EK 1001 has many questions that are either trick questions or just follow a path of logic that AAMC would never follow. Bottom line is that the MCAT is not a test of trick questions which is something I lost sight of with TBR and EK. I understand the those two companies believe that if you can answer a tricky question, that you really understand the material but the MCAT really isn't asking trick questions!! Always remember that!! And using old AAMC questions right before the MCAT really helped reinforce that idea which I think helped the most. I had several questions on the Bio section for my actual MCAT where I thought the answer could have been something and that it was a trick question but I just went with the more obvious answer and I ended up with a 14. Perhaps one was a trick question that I did get wrong, I'll never know, but I'd be willing take that hit than make the mistake of assuming all of those questions that I suspected could have been trick question were and then getting all of those wrong.

Third - Make yourself a schedule and a deadline for when you want to be done with your material. I set aside 1 week before the MCAT to review every single practice question that I had gotten wrong while studying and re - did them to see if I would now get them right. I usually not that organized but I knew I had to be for this so I made an excel spreadsheet for each day, telling which questions I needed to finish from each section. I did approximately 60 questions from 2 different EK books a day and 2 Berkeley chapter questions a day. Make sure you don't spend too much time on a question though. If you don't know it after a certain amount of time, just mark it wrong and move on. You're better off finishing and learning what you got wrong than staring for 5 minutes at something you need to guess on anyways. Also, keep track of which questions you got wrong and make sure you re-try them later on to see if you really learned from your mistake. Additionally, for EK, If I had to do say 70 questions in the Bio book, I didn't do 1-70 consecutively but instead, I did a proportional number of questions for each subsection which worked out to be about 1 passage from each of the 10 different bio sections. That way, I would be finishing all the different sections at the same time as opposed to finishing all the genetics questions 2 months before finishing the evolution section or something like that so I would keep each subsection relatively fresh in my head.

(Side note about Writing Section) - I realize that the writing section is being removed in January but for anyone who is taking it before then - just make sure you are specific with your examples. I thought I wrote a horrible essay, didn't really have a chance to proof read it, and didn't even start planning it until about 5 minutes in because I couldn't think of anything and knew the essay doesn't really make a difference but I made sure that my examples were as specific and clear as possible and I ended up with an S on the section.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
Mid May to August 3rd. Studied Monday through Friday from ~10 - 7 with lunch break and on Saturday, I usually did about 5 hours. Later on, as the MCAT date was rapidly approaching, I started doing some content review on Sundays.

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS = 11, VR = 13, BS = 12
Composite: 36Q

2) The study method used for each section
VR: Practiced with the EK 101 VR passages, and with the practice tests I took.
BS and PS: Used TPR for content review, and used EK and practice tests for practice.

A typical study week for me looked like this:
I would have one day allocated for rest time, and the other days each allocated to one section, be it physics, orgo, or whatnot. One day was strictly for practice tests.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
TPR for content review, and the EK 1001 series (and 101 for VR) for practice questions

4) Which practice tests did you use?
Used practice tests from TPR and Kaplan

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Chemistry

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Definitely practice as much as you can. Content review is good and all, but you will benefit by doing lots of practice questions and practice tests. And for the practice tests, definitely try to simulate actual test-taking conditions if you can.

Also, in the last couple of weeks leading up to the test, I eased off the gas pedal and just spent less time studying the closer I got to test day. You want to be fresh, not exhausted when test day comes around. But everyone is different, so what worked for me might not work for you.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
for six weeks: approximately 6-10 hours a day. In the final two/three weeks leading up to the test, just reviewed the handouts from TPR when riding to and from work.

mhwetsch said:

I might be forward to post before actually taking the real test but it frustrates me to hear people getting high scores attribute there success to "reading a lot as a child." Ok, some innate reading skill helps but the reality is that the verbal exam is not like any casual reading scenario, it demands a specific strategy and ultimately the use of techniques and skills that are not used in an average reading context.
So this post is for those that are not innately brilliant but have the grit to put in some hard work to get that score where they want it. A disclaimer, I'm not an authority nor do I claim to be, this is merely what worked for me and it was born only out of personal experimentation but my scores so far are proving that this can work.

Before....
Kaplan Diagnostic: 28 (7 VR)
Bunch of Kaplan Tests: 28-31 Range (7-11 in VR, very scary range)

After self imposed practice schedule....
AAMC 3 : 36 (11 in VR)
AAMC 4: 38 (12 in VR)
AAMC 5: 39 (14 in VR)
AAMC 6: 40 (13 in VR)

To be honest I can't believe the scores popping up....but I figure, if I can do this than most should be able to as well. So here is how I got those VR scores.

General Philosophy: My thought is that VR success is about achieving a good test taking process. I found that trying to focus on why exactly I missed problem X was a waste of time because for the most part the final conclusion was I hadn't understood what was going on. So all of my effort went into the TECHNIQUE of passage reading and absolutely no focus on what my results were. I completed 10 full VR sections without scoring them (honestly because when I did the results were depressing). Instead of harping on missed questions I got down on myself for going over time, glazing or bogging. Think means not ends, technique not scores, positive results grow naturally from positive habits.

The Grind: I do a VR section first thing in the morning every day without fail. For this I have found Kaplan to be an excellent source of endless practice sections. For those enrolled in the Kaplan course, I used the VR workbook to practice steps one and two and then moved to the online resources to practice full sections. For those of you flying solo, remember that the real thing is 7 passages and each resource has its own flavor, my experience here is limited so I'm not going to make any suggestions. I will report how the AAMC practice tests compare to the actual exam but from what I have read AAMC is most analogous to the actual exam and if that is the case expect longer passages but less ambiguous questions.

STEP 1: Passage Mapping and Micro-Timing.
-I completely agree with Kaplan's passage mapping suggestion. Though I don't use it while answering the question it keeps me processing and integrating the passage as I go and most of all keeps me from glazing over.

-Do a section one passage at a time with a break between passages and then break each passage down further into the reading section and the the question section. Time each component of the passage separately and shoot for 6 min per passage. So for clarity:

Reading (3 min)
Pause
Questions (3 min)
Pause

6 min!?!?! But why?
Before I had been having trouble staying under 10 min per passage so I wanted to essentially beat my brain into submission. After about three full-length sections taken in this manner I was hitting those times pretty consistently (occasionally going over). The focus is figuring out how much to write, when you can cut corners on an easy(er) passage, etc. Its all about experimenting….a lot. Breaking up the sections allows you to collect yourself, establish a goal for the passage then implement it, if it feels good, keep doing it, if not try another idea.

What I found: I write short hand sentences, at least one per paragraph, and when the paragraphs are long, I write something down when my brain feels full. Like I said I rarely refer to my notes afterwards, I just use it as a tool to keep myself engaged.

STEP 2: Full Passages

-Do sections timing both the reading and questions as one piece and bump the time up to 7 min a passage. Now the routine is passage, break, passage, break, etc. Again, focus on time and understanding as much as possible. You should really have refined your passage mapping to just the perfect amount of writing. Too little and you aren't retaining enough, too much and you go over time, experiment and find that balance.

STEP 3: The Real Deal

-The line between step two and three isn't very clear. I found that I was hitting my times better and taking shorter breaks between passages. For a full section my routine is as follows…

1. 8 min a passage – After struggling to hit 6 min/passage this should feel pretty roomy for normal passages and a little tight on the long ones. This creates checkpoints that you should use for pacing [52 min, 44 min, 36 min, 28 min, 20 min, 12 min and 4 min.] I actually write these numbers in the top corner of my scratch paper just so I don't need to figure it out while I'm doing the passage.

2. One deep breath between passages while looking at a distant point. The ciliary muscles are contracted while looking at objects close (such as a computer with a horrific VR section) focusing on a distant point relaxes those muscles. I have also found that the short single breath break makes the whole thing a little more emotionally palatable. It retains the feel of doing 7 separate, manageable passages rather than one big scary section. Also if a passage doesn't go well it gives a moment of space to mentally reset your mind to dominate the next passage. Furthermore, I have found that I actually finish faster giving myself that small break. Make the breath really count, the whole process should take about 10 seconds. Don't let yourself see the break as slacking, it is as essential as passage mapping, convince yourself of that so you can let your mind totally relax instead of maintaining the stress of feeling like you are behind.

3. The four min buffer. For those math whizzes, you have probably figured out that 8 min x 7 passages = 56 min giving a 4 min buffer at the end. I don't use this as review time. Rather, I treat it as my breathing space for that inevitably evil passage. I think of it as paying out a little slack that I plan to get back later. Knowing that you have the breathing room subdues the panic attack when you get a little stuck on a passage and don't hit your times. For the most part if I only get behind by a minute I have always found a passage that I can get the time back. If I am down by four min that is really bad and I know that I will probably have to sacrifice the quality of one passage to catch up. Ultimately using the buffer during practice is not desirable. Remember, the real thing is supposed to have longer passages so train accordingly.

4. Go back? The final question…do we review in attempt to make those last minute heroic changes? My personal conclusion, no. Over the last three tests I have stayed firm in resisting my desire to go back and change answers and my scores have been the best yet (I'm not saying it is the cause of my good scores but it certainly isn't detrimental). I answer while reading the passage and stick to it, at the very worst I may bypass a question in a series and then answer it last before moving on to the next section. At the end of the day, a guess is a guess, its lousy but they happen so don't fret over it; just focus on your passage mapping/reading technique and eventually the guesses will be minimized and your instincts will become more reliable. I'm getting 13's and 14's and I still feel like some of my answers are nothing better than educated guesses or gut feelings. Use your time checkpoints to keep you on track and to force a choice on those agonizingly ambiguous questions (I would say the roman numeral ones are the most exquisitely painful).


The End: That was a lot, I'm sorry if I have overstepped my bounds and for those of you who have actually read this whole thing, congrats. Feel free to use or not use any part of this towards your own success. I think that, in the end, the right way of going about taking this section is very personal and must be found through a lot of trial and error. At the very least this can act as a stepping-stone into your own ideas and experiments on what works. If anyone decides to implement any of these concepts into her own routine, please let me know in what way and if you made any progress utilizing it. Again, I don't think you need to be a genius that has been reading the Encyclopedia since birth to get good scores. Rather it's the tenacity and intensity with which you practice that will determine your success. How bad do you want it? All the best!
Matt

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Pay attention to above, I honestly believe this post really gave me an advantage!!

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS = 12, VR = 13, BS = 14
Composite: 39O

2) The study method used for each section

I took a TPR course so I had all their books and they would assign homework as well. I would read TPR chapters and do the assigned practice problems for physics, gen chem, and biology. I would try to read over the chapters once semi-carefully, but not going for too much memorization because there are enough homework questions to "catch" anything that you didn't internalize earlier. I just got done taking ochem with a great professor so I didn't devote too much time to it.

TPR tells you not to time yourself while doing homework passages but I would usually give myself 8 minutes or less for every passage and 1 min per free standing question. You might not always make it under but I find that it trained my brain to think under pressure rather than getting in the bad habit of dwadling. Plus you get more problems done in less time

For the verbal section I also read the content book but not too carefully. Instead I took the above post's advice and did a passage every morning, shooting for under 6 min, then under 7, etc. I would usually have a question or two unanswered when doing 6 min but again, I found that it trained my mind to get through the passage/questions faster. The biggest challenge with the verbal is using time efficiently so I found that this method made a big difference.

I barely studied for the writing section other than doing the essays during the practice tests.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)

TPR content and practice books for all sections in addition to the EK101 verbal passages book.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
Chose from the 19 practice tests that came with the course packet.
Practice test scores:
6/16/12 AAMC 10: 25
TPR Practice 1: 26
AAMC 7: 32
TPR Practice 2: 26
TPR Practice 3: 33
TPR Practice 4: 33
TPR Practice 5: 33
AAMC 11: 39
TPR Cracking 1: 34
8/25/12 TPR Cracking 2: 35

They tell you to start taking more AAMC practice tests towards the end because they are supposed to be more like the real test, however my friends who had recently taken the test said that their MCAT was harder than the AAMC practice tests, so that's why the last two tests I took were the TPR ones. I'm glad I did too because I felt my MCAT was way harder than any practice test I had ever taken, so Im glad I wasn't used to the easier AAMC at that point.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biology and a liberal arts degree

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?

This test is no joke. You will lose sleep over it, it will exhaust you, make you cry, etc. If that's not the case then you are not doing it right. You should push yourself as much as you reasonably can (assuming that you want to get self-fulfillment and a high score). But at the same time, try to enjoy the process as much as possible. This is your chance to show the world how intelligent you are. Also, you can learn a lot from the verbal passages, some can be interesting.

Definitely relax as much as possible the last couple weeks. I studied from June to August and took my test on September 1st. The first 2-3 weeks of August I was studying like crazy (like 10+ hours a day) because I had been doing a full time internship for 2 months and I had some catching up to do. Some people don't do anything for a full week before their test, I basically stopped studying two weeks before my test. I was regretting stopping studying so early, but after receiving my score I now think it may have been very useful to de-stress. I still tried to do a passage or two everyday (especially verbal) and took a couple practice tests just to keep me warmed up but no more studying for hours at a time. I ate well and slept well, watched America's Next Top Model, and generally vegged out. I may have done a verbal section or two in the week before the exam as well. The night before I did a passage from each section (gen chem, bio, physics, ochem), I meditated and drank some green tea and went to bed early.

During the test, you may feel horrible (as I did) but remember to not dwell on any question and just keep going. At this point whatever you have conditioned yourself to do will kick in and you should trust it. I also thought before I went in that whatever score I get, it will not be end of the world. Take the pressure off your shoulders on test day and breathe deeply. (Of course, you will still be nervous, but it can't hurt to try).

In the end, whatever score you get, I am sure you will be a stronger person because of studying for this test and that is valuable in itself.


7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

I took the Live Online class from TPR over the summer. I would work 6~9 hours in lab during the day and sit through the online class from 9-11:30 pm every evening. The final month I was freed from my internship and did nothing but eat, sleep, and study for 2-3 weeks. Overall I studied for 3 months total, but nearly stopped during the last two weeks.

1) Your individual scores and composite score

PS = 14
VR = 11
WS = Q
BS = 14

Composite = 39Q

2) The study method used for each section

I followed a schedule very similar to the one SN2ed developed which can be found on this site as well. For specific information, check out my blog post here:

http://medschoolodyssey.wordpress.com/2012/11/05/thoughts-on-preparing-for-the-mcat/

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc

I used the Berkeley Review books for content review and practice questions for the sciences. For the verbal section, I used the ExamKrackers 101 book. I heavily supplemented my review with material I found on the internet to fill in some of the gaps that I had because my coursework hadn't covered it (e.g., electrochemistry). I used the ExamKrackers 1001 science review books as well, but honestly, I had a hard time getting everything done and wound up skipping those a lot of the time when I knew I had a particular topic wired.

One additional word on study materials. I see tons of people on this forum get wrapped around the axle on what materials to use. The quality of your study materials is important - Kaplan books are awful, fraught with errors and mistakes. But don't let that convince you that it is what determines your success. A motivated and studious individual with a list of MCAT topics and the crappiest materials will most likely crush a student that spends all his time jumping from source to source. The endless debate over whether EK or TPRH or BR should be followed is largely moot and, if you're spending all your time trying to figure out which review books to use, you will most likely not get very far. Pick a set of books or materials, write out a schedule, and stick to it. Success comes no other way.

4) Which practice tests did you use?

I used all eight of the AAMC practice exams and nothing else.

I didn't do any practice exams until four weeks before the real thing - no diagnostic exam either. In hindsight, I'm really glad I did that. Bombing a practice exam early on just fuels negative thinking. Do your review first, with tons of timed practice passages, and then take the practice exams under timed conditions.

5) What was your undergraduate major?

I studied physics and mathematics as an undergraduate and have been out of school for about five years. I started my post-bacc courses two years ago, so organic chemistry, biology, biochemistry, and physiology were more or less fresh in my mind when I started reviewing. Unlike many, my undergrad material is rather second nature at this point because I use much of it day-to-day at my job. I was rather lucky in that a lot of the things I've been exposed to at work were refreshers or applications of basic science. Additionally, I've been tutoring math and science to high school and college students for pretty much the entire time since I left undergrad, so the basic sciences are fairly well ingrained at this point. Still, I learned a lot of things while I was studying for the MCAT and it's an experience that I'm really glad I had a chance to go through.

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?

Most importantly, you have to learn the material the first time around. Too many premeds expend enormous effort making sure they keep their GPA up and I believe this ends up being a liability. A lot of people go to great lengths to protect their GPA and wind up dodging good professors and challenging classes for easier ones. They might have an easier time keeping an A in the course, but their lack of understanding will eventually bite like a cobra.

Pick a date and don't put it off unless you truly are not ready. If you realize that you are having to learn a lot of new information when you should be reviewing, you aren't ready. Do not take the exam until you are ready and then take it only once. One shot. One kill.

Set a target score which you believe will stretch you, but is still attainable. I was consistently one of the top students in my department at both my undergrad and post-bacc institutions, so I set a goal of a 35. For me, I believed it was realistic. For others, a goal of a 32 might be a stretch. The point is not to set the bar astronomically high - I see marginally good students declare that their goal is a 45, which is silly - the point is to set a meaningful and achievable goal that you will be proud of when you reach it. Your goal needs to feel achievable, otherwise you will fold under the pressure that you will be under while you're studying and reviewing. I should note that, for most people, the majority of the pressure comes from the inside. Hold yourself to a high standard, but not an inaccessible one.

Learn to think scientifically. One of the real tragedies of undergraduate education is that students are rarely, if ever, required to spend time learning how to read scientific publications. I confess, it was something that my undergraduate education sorely lacked and I wound up being forced to teach myself how to read scientific literature once I got a job after graduation. Most programs do a terrible job preparing students to wade through journal articles and teach themselves from primary literature. The fact that I had to learn to do this (and indeed, am still learning to do) was, in my opinion, a major contributor to my success on the MCAT. If you haven't learned how to interpret figures and tables you've never seen before, you aren't ready to take the MCAT. There will be a passage on your exam requiring those skills and if you don't have them, you're toast.

Don't overestimate content review. The real key to MCAT success is doing a ton of timed practice questions and then reviewing them. In fact, if I were to take do it again, I would probably have eschewed content review entirely and just focused on doing timed practice passages and then reviewing them after the fact. Far more useful than staring at a page and reading. You learn by working problems, making mistakes, and then correcting the mistakes, not staring at a bunch of typeset.

While it doesn't get talked about a lot, I have to mention the emotional toll that studying for a high-stakes exam takes on you. I'm objective enough to know where I stand on the intellectual ladder - in fact, most everyone in this game is on the right-hand side of the distribution. But, because we all know how important the exam is, we put an inordinate amount of pressure on ourselves to succeed. I remember leaving my study sessions feeling completely demoralized when I scored below the multiple guess rate on a set of BR biology passages.

The emotional roller coaster of preparing for the exam is brutal - by far, it is the worst part of studying for the exam. Keep this in mind when you're studying. I was so lucky to have people in my life to encourage me when I was tired or felt down. There were times, very late in the game, where I was convinced I was going to get shelled on the MCAT and wind up with something far below my goal. I forced myself to put my head down, keep charging ahead, and continue on. It isn't easy, but it is totally worth it. Being able to look back and see the MCAT in my rearview, is an intoxicating feeling. It's a chance to have a solid piece of tangible evidence that says you aren't an idiot and that, if a medical school wants to extend you an interview, you belong at that table. I've been told all my life what a worthless kid I was, so crushing the MCAT gives me a certain sense of vindication.

Thoughts on calculations. There is very little calculation beyond elementary arithmetic on the MCAT. The BR made calculation a centerpiece of some of their sections, notably the chemistry section. From the day you start studying for the exam, stop using a calculator. It's rather humorous. I tend to think of myself as a mathematical physicist and I haven't really used a calculator since I started college nine years ago. Even at work, most of my calculations are done as ROM type of calculations - that should be you, when you're ready to take the MCAT. If I ask you to multiple 0.1234 and 31234 you should be able to easily recognize that is around 3500. There may only be a couple of questions on your exam like that, but they are free points (and time) if you can do it. ExamKrackers does a decent job of introducing this, but there is absolutely no substitute for a lot of practice. If it's a skill you can learn while you're doing your coursework, all the better.

One final thought. There were a lot of people that I knew, mostly people from my post-bacc courses, that told me "Don't take it too seriously" and "Don't worry about it so much". You'll also hear people that have taken the exam say "I shouldn't have been so worked up about it" or "Keep the MCAT in perspective". They're all wrong. People that tell you that have no idea what it takes to excel. The MCAT is a huge deal. For 3-4 months of your life, it needs to be the ONLY thing you think about. Everything else gets shifted to the sidelines. I broke the MCAT because I took it too seriously. I killed it because I didn't balance my life. I worked. I studied. I didn't ride my bike for four months. And it worked. I did well on the exam because I took it seriously and didn't let other things get in the way. In my opinion, if you want to do really well on the exam, you have to be willing to make it the only thing that matters for a few months. If you aren't having dreams about gremlins stealing your knowledge of acids and bases, you aren't making it the priority that you should. That sounds extreme, I know. But I scored a lot higher on the exam than any of my friends did that told me they "weren't worried about the MCAT". I worried about it. They didn't. Most of them didn't break 30. Make it a big deal because it is.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

4 months. The first 3 months were spent doing content review and practice questions. The last month was virtually all timed practice exams and targeted review of problems I missed. I spent about 3-4 hours a night doing content review, timed practice questions, and reviewing the answers. On the weekends, I usually took one of the days off, and studied a bit longer the other day.

Make sure that you schedule break days during your review schedule - no one can maintain the focus required for longer than a week at a time. Also, I used a timer to budget study and break minutes. I would set my clock for 50 minutes, then focus on studying and nothing else, and then take a 10 minute break to get some grub, a drink, make a phone call. Then repeat again as needed. This technique really seemed to work for me, because it allowed me to be far more productive than I would normally have been with an open-ended approach. I needed this because I had a lot of other things going on, primarily work and some research items I've been working on. Being efficient during your time is far more important than the amount of time you spend studying.

Ultimately, being prepared and then being diligent are the real keys to success on the MCAT. Build a schedule, make sure you keep some time for yourself - I had days off, played Skyrim, and drank a lot of beer - but commit to the time required to study. I don't think a 35 is a realistic possibility for everyone, because luck plays a part. But, I believe that anyone, I don't care how bad your coursework was, can score above a 30. Build the plan. Do the work. Hold fast and you will achieve your goals.

omegaxx said:

Princeton Review all the way

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In my opinion, Princeton Review focuses waaaay too much on Organic Chemistry. There should only be between 5 and 10 questions about organic chemistry on the MCAT (I know that 25% of 52 is 13, but there's always fewer than 13). TPR has way more information than is necessary for a great MCAT score.

- Dr. Ross MCAT

Hi I just finished taking a PS full length and I made some stupid mistakes, for example
1) I did not change the units of min into sec
2) I mixed up the definition of period vs frequency ,because I memorized the equation period = 1/f, without deep understanding to what it means.
3) The easiest equation ever, KE=1/2mv ^2 ( of course I forget to square the velocity)
4) I missed 4 questions almost a whole passage because I DID NOT KNOW HOW REACT DIATMOIC GASES AND I Balanced the Equation wrong.
AND THIS IS MY 4TH FULL LENGTH EXAM AND MY SCORE WENT DOWN FROM 11 TO 8. HOW CAN I STOP MAKING THESE KINDS OF SILLY MISTAKES?
I need a 30 plus tax lol.

I posted this another thread and now copy-pasting it here because I do not want to have to type it over again. If you want to read even more about how I improved my score, then read through this thread http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=967311 .

I took the MCAT for the first time in April,2011. My score was a 22 (7 vb/7 phys/8 bio). I retook it the following January and got a 32 (10,11,11).

First I am just going to tell you a little about how I studied the first time around. I studied during my senior year, which was a terrible mistake as I didn't devote my time fully to MCAT prep. I used TBR books and TBR FLs. I made the mistake of spending 80% of my study time doing content review and the little practice I did do, I hardly spent any time reviewing my answers. My low score wasn't due to using TBR but due to not studying the correct way. However, I do think that SDN over-hypes TBR books a tad bit too much, but more on that later.

After getting 22, I was very depressed, but decided to pick myself back up and enrolled in a TPR hyperlearning course right after graduation. I loved, loved TPR books for content review. They are, in my opinion, much better written than TBR books. The same chapter in TBR book would be 50 pages long whereas TPR would cover the same concepts in 20 without leaving any important facts out. I also am a fan of TPR science workbook because it provides excellent practice material. Now, as for TPR FLs, I didn't like these at all, but still took them all since I had paid for them.

After my TPR course ended , I was scheduled to take the MCAT in September, but as my luck would have it, I ended up in the emergency room a week before my exam so had no choice but to postpone it until January.

Now, I had almost 4 months until January but had no more practice material to use as I had utilized everything from my TPR course. So, I bit the bullet, and purchased a Kaplan online course. I credit my ability to raise my score by 10 points mostly to Kaplan's practice material. The online course comes with so much practice (subject tests, tropical tests, section tests, chapter quizzes, 11 FL tests) that after pretty much practicing with all this material, I felt more than ready to retake the MCAT. Kaplan also sent me their books, which I absolutely hated and made me glad I still had my TPR books. I believe the reason why Kaplan has such a bad rep. on SDN is their terrible books and instructors.

To sum up, this is what helped me the most: For my January retake, I spent 1 month reviewing all the content using TPR books and the remaining months practicing with Kaplan's practice material (mentioned above). For the last 2 months, all I was doing was taking kaplan FL exams and alternating them with AAMC exams. I had this scheduled in a way so I would have 2 days in between each FL. So say if I took kaplan FL #1 on Day 1, then on Day 2, I would spend hours reviewing this FL. On Day 3, I would do practice questions on the topics I missed questions on. Then the following day I would take a AAMC exam and repeat what I mentioned above. Having these 2 days in between each FL really helped me not get burned out (partially the reason for my emergency room visit in Sept).

For every single practice material I did, everything in addition to the FLs, I used this strategy to review: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=786361
If you are doing this the right way, it should take you hours to post-phrase. Doing this, REALLY helped me spot my weaknesses and not make the same mistakes again.

During the last month of my prep, I started taking Kaplan PS and BS Section tests on the 2 days I had in between each FL. These section test are incredibly difficult, but having taken MCAT once before, I knew that AAMC exams are way too easy and not a good representation of the MCAT, so I wanted to practice with difficult material. These section tests, especially the BS ones, are what I believe really helped me score +30. All the passages on the BS section tests are experimental based which require less memorization and more critical thinking, which was EXACTLY how my MCAT BS was. The PS section tests are a little too difficult, but I still did few of them just in case.

For verbal, this is how I raised my score: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=894010

I took about 6 kaplan FL exams and almost all of AAMC exams. My average on Kaplan FLs was 31-32. My average on AAMC was around 28-29. I only got a +30 on AAMC 11.

The biggest difference in my retake studying strategy was the following:
-Spent 80% of my study time doing practice
-Post phrase every practice material, not just the FLs
-Devote my time and energy fully to MCAT prep
-Use TPR books for content review and Kaplan for practice

Some finals thoughts:
-In the end, I did ended up spending a ton of money towards MCAT but the 10 point increase made it all well worth it.
-TBR Physics and G-Chem books are great for those who don't remember much from their pre-med course work and need to learn from scratch. I would not recommend TBR Biology or O-Chem books to anyone as they are filled with unnecessarily details, especially the two biology books. The practice passages at the end of each chapter in these books are golden.
-EK books are good for content review only for those who remember a lot of the material from their pre-med classes and just need something concise to refresh their memory. EK 1001 books are only OK. They are most definitely not enough practice to do well. They are good to use while you are doing content review, but the Kaplan subject tests and tropical test were much better.
-TPR hyperlearning books provided me with a happy median between the too-detailed TBR books and the too-concise EK books for content review.
-If you are doing practice passages and taking FL exams without post-phrasing, you are wasting your time and valuable practice material
-I consider myself someone of average intelligence and if I can increase my score by 10 points, I genuinely believe anyone can.
-I know a 32 isn't the best score according to SDN standards, but I know many of you out there are in a similar position that I was once in.

MCATwithDrRoss said:

In my opinion, Princeton Review focuses waaaay too much on Organic Chemistry. There should only be between 5 and 10 questions about organic chemistry on the MCAT (I know that 25% of 52 is 13, but there's always fewer than 13). TPR has way more information than is necessary for a great MCAT score.

- Dr. Ross MCAT

Click to expand...

This is not always true. Many people on here have neglected studying for O-chem as well as they should have because of posts like these and then were shocked by an O-Chem heavy BS section.

This thread is very inspiring!

angldrps said:

This is not always true. Many people on here have neglected studying for O-chem as well as they should have because of posts like these and then were shocked by an O-Chem heavy BS section.

Click to expand...

Exactly. Theres no reason why organic chemistry would be any less likely to show up on the MCAT. Plus Orgo requires no math so if you're conceptually solid in the subject the points are yours for the taking

Hemorrage said:

Exactly. Theres no reason why organic chemistry would be any less likely to show up on the MCAT. Plus Orgo requires no math so if you're conceptually solid in the subject the points are yours for the taking

Click to expand...

And this is why you don't trust a random internet MCAT "guru" speaking without evidence.

destevez said:

I think Altius Test Prep was a better program

Click to expand...

Troll.

destevez said:

I think Altius Test Prep was a better program

Click to expand...

Troll or not, find another thread to discuss that in.

Okay, with Jan scores being released in a week, I'm hoping to see several new posts in this thread!

I will be adding something of my own, though it probably won't be the same day scores are released.

Let's keep a good thing going!

Your post was really helpful! Thank-you for the youtube links! I just started prepping for the MCATs and am starting creating my 6-month plan right now. I will definitely take your advice and work those youtube links into my study plan! I'm totally a visual learner as well!

I'm thrilled to be finally posting in this thread. I'm a sort-of non-trad, took the MCAT in the middle of my SMP program after making a disastrous 2.5 GPA in my pre-req courses. It goes without saying that my gen-chem, physics, and o-chem skills were very, very weak. I am proof that one can really "teach themselves" after a poor undergraduate record and still make a great score!

1) Your individual scores and composite score

12P, 13V, 14B: 39

2) The study method used for each section

I used the 4-month SN2ed schedule, and can't recommend it enough. I was in the middle of an SMP, so I didn't have the time to devote 5+ hours every day on just the MCAT; I had school to worry about. Let me first say that the SN2ed schedule requires self-discipline: you need to stick to the schedule. If you're someone who needs a course for that sort of thing, then take one.

I modified the schedule slightly to accommodate some of the additional materials I had: I spent 3 months doing serious content review, covering 1 BR chapter/day and doing 5 chapters total before I reviewed them. I would read the assigned BR chapter, take light notes to ensure active reading (I didn't really use these notes for anything, but I am the type of learner that cements things better if I write down important concepts/formulas) and then do the assigned 1/3 of the problems. I would also start each day off with 2 verbal passages, from either EK 101 or TPR Hyperlearning, really working on keeping my time under 7 minutes/passage. After finishing 5 chapters, I would spend the next 3 days reviewing them: 1 day to re-read the chapters and do the associated EK 1001, and then 2 days to re-read them again (briefly) and do the second 1/3 of the passage problems.

I repeated this cycle until I finished all my content review, then designed a week as time to re-enforce my weak points before I started taking self-assessments. I made a spreadsheet with all of my personal BR data in it (my score on each particular 1/3 on each chapter), and did extra review with outside material on my lowest sections.

For the last month, I did the 4 self-assessments and then started FLs + final content review. I had a 2 week winter break during this part, but I also had 2 weeks of school that were very dicey in my final run-up to the test. My general plan was to take a FL in the a.m., review it in the p.m., and then spend the next 2 days re-reading the assigned BR chapters and doing the last 1/3 of the passages.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc

The Berkeley Review series! It was excellent for Physics and Gen Chem, but was probably too detailed (i.e., minutia) for Bio. OChem was thorough and well-done, but it appears AAMC is gradually phasing OChem out (I had 1 passage and a few discretes), so this might have been overkill. It definitely is possible to 'teach yourself' using these books - I did.

I also used the EK books for content review and additional practice questions. If I had time, I'd always read the associated EK chapter after finishing a BR one, just to get the concise version. For areas in which I was weak, I took the 30 min. tests. I used EK 1001 as a marker to check for understanding in a particular concepts, but didn't finish the books. They were more useful as barometers than anything else.

EK101 and TPR Hyperlearning Verbal were both excellent and great helps, although in my opinion the Verbal section is something people either struggle with or do not. I have always read for pleasure and make a concerted effort to be current on world and political events, and I'm convinced it helped me in analyzing an author's tone and argument.

For reference, I took the GRE last year and scored 169 (99th percentile) on the qualitative (verbal) section as well - without any studying - so I don't think I can necessarily offer good tips to those that are having a hard time.

Ultimately, there's no one path to success to getting a good content review. It's more about one's personal work ethic and focus than the brand that's on the cover of your book. The most important thing one can do is active learning and forcing oneself to do many, many passages.

4) Which practice tests did you use?

I used the AAMC self-assessments before I started the FLs, and they were pretty helpful, even if only for the exposure to MCAT-style questions. I used them to gauge where I needed to do some extra study while I was doing FLs.

I did all 8 AAMC tests and 1 TBR test, but the AAMC tests were by far and away the most helpful thing I did during my studying. My average for 8-11 predicted my actual score almost exactly. The key to using these tests effectively is thorough review of the tests. I went over made a list of exactly which problems I marked/guessed on and also got incorrect, and I put down the exact formula/concept that would have lead me to the correct answer. With these, I was trying to insure I would never get the same problem wrong twice, if a similar one showed up on future exams.

Also, it's extremely important to replicate test conditions faithfully: don't take any breaks beyond those that are scheduled, stick to the time limits, and limit distractions. Make yourself get used to the discomfort of a long, difficult test.

Finally, the for AAMCs 4-9, I did the long-form (old) versions, which had 25 more questions in the PS/BS sections and (I believe) 20 more in V. When AAMC switched to the CBT, they trimmed the MCAT down by nearly two hours, so the old versions of these tests had the extra material. These were very useful as a way to build stamina: when it came to taking regular-length tests, I always had plenty of time and didn't stress as much about it.

5) What was your undergraduate major?

I have B.S. degrees in Biochemistry and Genetics/Cell Biology, and I'm currently doing my Master's in Pharmacology. Notably, my gen-chem, physics, and o-chem classes were not recent at all, and I did very poorly in them, so I needed to do a lot of extra work to get up to speed on that material. In terms of bio, the current incarnation of the MCAT is very, very experiment heavy: that suits me, because I read a lot of papers and have taken a lot of upper-division/graduate/medical-school biology courses, but is very dissimilar from the older versions of the MCAT.

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?

It's a really nasty test! I can't really speak to undergrads reading this who are sitting in their second year and prep for a summer test, but as someone who is years out from most of their pre-reqs: don't take content review lightly. Be thorough and review material that you are weak on, even if it is discouraging to do so.

I assume that doing well in the pre-reqs will make this test less painful, but I have no experience with that so I can't really comment on it.

If you're someone who's a couple of years out from the test, things you can do to help yourself now are reading for pleasure, particularly wordy or dense material. Stay updated on current events! If you're always reading something political, you will inevitably start to argue with the author in your head, which is a good skill to develop for MCAT time as it forces you to recognize what the author is saying and why. Become comfortable with experimental data: you will have several passages revolving around analyzing data given to you, so it would behoove you to at least have a cursory understanding of a scientific paper.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
4 months. 3 content review, 1 assessment. I did 2-3 hours on a typical weekday, 3-5 on a weekend. Some days I did slightly more than that. They key is sticking to your schedule and making it a habit to study. Like a good workout routine or a tough diet, the first couple of weeks are the hardest - just slow through and make it part of your life.

With that said... take some breaks! You will get burnt out. It happens. Take a day every so often and don't do anything related to the MCAT, you'll thank me later.

As a final word of encouragement: the MCAT is like a scared cat. It puffs itself up and hisses and tries to make itself seem bigger and scarier than it really is, but... it's still just a cat. It will dress up concepts in unfamiliar language and deliberately try to make you feel uncomfortable, but you have to trust your studying and identify what they're asking. At the end of the day, it won't ask stuff that someone who's only taken the pre-reqs would be reasonably required to know!

Good luck, everyone.

Freshbagels - awesome post, but I do have a question. I also have the "R" versions of the AAMC exams (the longer versions). Did you really find it beneficial to take the longer versions on your FL days?

Congrats on your score.

It's pretty awesome I get to post here now.

Your individual scores and composite score
PS=12 VR=11 BS=12 Composite=35

2) The study method used for each section
I used Berkeley Review for everything. I supplemented verbal studying with EK 101 and TPR Hyperlearning, which turned out to be superior to TBR. IMO, TPR is the best for verbal. I read the chapter, did 1/3 of the problems, then re-read the chapter and did the second third. I saved the last third for after content review. I did the AAMC FLs the two weeks before the test (I recommend spacing them out more). I tackled 40 questions' worth of verbal passages each day. I went through TBR first, then EK 101, then TPR.
Essentially, I did a modified version of the SN2ed plan. I used TBR instead of EK for Bio, and I didn't do EK 1001 (not enough time, probably because I used TBR Bio instead of EK).

3) What study materials did you use

See number 2 above

4) Which practice tests did you use?
All the AAMC tests

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Japanese Literature

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Read broadly, both nonfiction and fiction. Read many different viewpoints and try to understand the rationale behind the author's reasoning. If you're still in undergrad, take courses that emphasize lots of writing and courses that require a lot of critical analysis/logic. Take classes from a variety of subjects.

Don't cram all your practice tests for the last couple weeks (a mistake I made). Spread out your tests over a month. You don't need to take a million practice tests. Keep it to 5 to 10.

Most importantly, don't freak out and take your time. It's not a race. Take the test when you are ready.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

I spread it out over 14 weeks. I took week-long breaks to study for biochem exams, and for Christmas. I also took Sundays off (because football). Overall, I had 10 weeks of actual studying. I think taking those breaks was key to not burning out.

1) Your individual scores and composite score
(1) 22 M: (8 PS, 6 VR, 8BS)
(2) 24 M: (8 PS, 7 VR, 9 BS)
(3) 30: (10 PS, 10 VR, 10 BS) FINALLY

2) The study method used for each section
Before taking the MCAT for the first time, I just read through Kaplan books. I took a couple diagnostic tests.

To prepare for the second MCAT, I took the Kaplan online course. I think the biggest problem was that I put soooo much pressure on myself to do well. I did all required Kaplan coursework and studied about 50 hours per week.

3rd and last MCAT: I needed to relax. I took all the AAMC exams and I worked through the High Yield Kaplan problems. I studied 20 hours per week roughly. I had a lot of distractions during this period that didn't allow me to study as much as I needed. In some way, I think this helped me.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
Physical sciences: Kaplan resources, Kaplan FL, AAMC FL
Verbal: Kaplan resources, ExamKrackers, Kaplan FL, AAMC FL
Biological Sciences: Kaplan resources, Kaplan FL, AAMC FL

4) Which practice tests did you use?
I completed all AAMC exams ( I think this helped me the most) and the majority (if not all) of the Kaplan FLs. I took a ton of exams to build confidence. I would recommend the AAMC over the Kaplan FL because they are written the most similarly to the actual exam. I would still recommend taking Kaplan FLs because they push you more and test you with more difficult questions.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biochemistry

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
I honestly was not sure if I could bump my score up. I was BEYOND frustrated. I had worked so hard and I thought my MCAT was going to hold me back. Just keep on working towards your goal. Take as many practice exams as possible and REVIEW them thoroughly. Don't let prior exams get in your way of succeeding and don't let the MCAT completely own your life. Relax

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
Prior to first exam: 1.5 months (40 hours per week).
Prior to second exam: 3 months (50 hours per week)
Prior to third exam: 2.5 months ( 20 hours per week)

mr chievous said:

Freshbagels - awesome post, but I do have a question. I also have the "R" versions of the AAMC exams (the longer versions). Did you really find it beneficial to take the longer versions on your FL days?

Congrats on your score.

Click to expand...

I thought it definitely helped. There are a couple of reasons why:

1) "Overtraining", so to speak, made the standard-length MCAT much more manageable. The R versions of the tests are 100/85/100 min vs. 70/60/70 min, so one can get through the extended tests, it prepares one well for the mental fatigue you see on the real thing.

2) Extra AAMC material is always better! The MCAT passages have a particular style, and adapting to how the test asks questions is a good thing. Also, seeing more material gives you more opportunities to flesh out weak points and improve them. It only takes one blown passage to take seriously drop your section score.

On the other hand, I took these tests as PDFs on my computer (and wrote my answers on a sheet), and one should make sure to take at least a few of your MCATs (10 and 11, ideally) from e-mcat.com as CBTs, to get used to the format.

mr chievous said:

Freshbagels - awesome post, but I do have a question. I also have the "R" versions of the AAMC exams (the longer versions). Did you really find it beneficial to take the longer versions on your FL days?

Congrats on your score.

Click to expand...

I also used the R versions at first. They were excellent for building up stamina.

my small thank you to the SN2ed schedule...
hope my 2c is helpful to someone

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=13 VR=12 BS=15 Composite=40

2) The study method used for each section
I used a modified version of SN2ed's 4 mo schedule (took a small break at the end of content review because of travel).

3) What materials you used for each section
PS: BR and loved it

VR: EK 101 and hated it. For me, it was a waste of time at best and counterproductive at worst. I found many of the questions completely nonsensical and a lot of the answers made no sense. The book made me more confused about verbal and definitely lowered confidence. If I were to do it again, I would absolutely not use EK 101. To qualify, I never had timing problems on verbal and I felt pretty good about it before studying (on the AAMC practice tests my average was 13 with no score below 12). I also used an old TPR Hyperlearning which I thought was much better in terms of passage quality.

BS: BR and a little ambivalent about it. I actually read all of the BR Bio which I don't think was particularly helpful. Like others have said, not only does it have way too much detail, but also I thought Bio didn't cover "big picture" concepts very well. Late in studying, I started to read my old Biology textbook (Campbell & Reece) which I thought was really good for content review. I just looked up topics I felt iffy on and read the chapter/section. I liked BR organic.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC practice tests only.
AAMC 3: 32 (before any studying)
AAMC 4: 42 (after finishing content review)
**travel break, all subsequent tests taken within ~3 weeks of test date**
AAMC 5: 38
AAMC 7: 43
AAMC 8: 39
AAMC 9: 41
AAMC 10: 42
AAMC 11: 43

5) What was your undergraduate major?
science

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
PS
There were several chapters in BR physics covering topics that I had seriously never learned before. If you have a similar experience, I would recommend reading those chapters first, so you have more time to think about the information. I read everything in order and had a very minor freak out when I got to those chapters. I found supplementary information on those topics helpful (khan academy etc) for filling in the blanks. I guess what I'm trying to say is don't worry if you come across information that is completely new, you can definitely learn it! Also, I didn't use a calculator for anything while I was studying for the test. This helped me get used to mental math, and I found calculation methods that the books didn't mention but that worked for me.

BS
One thing I found helpful for Bio was going through the topic list AAMC provided and writing out explanations/descriptions for each concept. I was always frustrated by the random discretes that seemed to come out of left field, but it turns out they are all on the list. On my test day, it seemed that there were more of those know-it-or-not questions than usual, but I felt really confident about BS overall because I had really gone through the AAMC list beforehand. While studying, there were a couple topics that I seriously considered ignoring because I couldn't believe they would actually come up, but lo and behold..! I don't know if this is the most time-efficient strategy for everyone because I feel it helps the most with some questions here and there, but I feel pretty strongly that my BS15 is thanks to this extra effort.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
~ 4 months

freshbagels said:

I thought it definitely helped. There are a couple of reasons why:

1) "Overtraining", so to speak, made the standard-length MCAT much more manageable. The R versions of the tests are 100/85/100 min vs. 70/60/70 min, so one can get through the extended tests, it prepares one well for the mental fatigue you see on the real thing.

2) Extra AAMC material is always better! The MCAT passages have a particular style, and adapting to how the test asks questions is a good thing. Also, seeing more material gives you more opportunities to flesh out weak points and improve them. It only takes one blown passage to take seriously drop your section score.

On the other hand, I took these tests as PDFs on my computer (and wrote my answers on a sheet), and one should make sure to take at least a few of your MCATs (10 and 11, ideally) from e-mcat.com as CBTs, to get used to the format.

Click to expand...

Spinach Dip said:

I also used the R versions at first. They were excellent for building up stamina.

Click to expand...

Hm, interesting perspective. I was going to do the passages 7/7/7 like the real thing, and the next day finish up the remaining 4/2/4 passages, but I guess I'll take your word and do the full thing! Thanks guys.

1) My score (took MCAT on 1/24/13)

PS=11 VR=09 BS=11 Composite=31Q

2) Followed Kaplan Study guide and homework to a T, and also Exam Krackers for verbal. Study 6 days a week, with one off of everything (no work, school work, just relax). I put concepts I missed on my own flash cards, and made playlists of the Audio Osmosis of the same concepts to put in my car and review at the end of days. I

felt like continued review of past concepts was important for me, to keep me fresh. But once I felt like I was getting burnt out, I immediately stopped and called it a day--this was a marathon!

My Kaplan class was about 3 months, but I started practicing EK 101 passages before--big mistake because 1 month before test time I ran out of passages to practice on! I would have instead read the articles from New York Review of Books to practice (humanities passages were hard for me).

3) Used Kaplan Online Advantage Classes for PS and BS (but I didn't use the triage method bcz I felt like it was a waste of time) Used Exam Krackers for Verbal. Reviewed with Exam Krackers Audio Osmosis when driving to school and in the evening.

Why I used EK for VR:

First I must say I have always been a below average reader (I NEVER read outise of class or when I was I child). I'm a slow reader. I felt like mapping was a waste of time. Instead I used the methods in EK's Verbal Reasoning and Mathematical Techniques, they made much more sense to me and I strongly recommend it!

My advice for which method to use: Try BOTH Kaplan and EK for a couple practice tests and see what works best for you. But realize the Kaplan method takes more time to master--this is the primary reason why I choose EK: I shouldn't be worried about what I'm going to "Map" (write paraphrase) after each paragraph (everyone's memory is capable of this); instead it's much more about having ENERGY and ENTHUSIASM when reading so you can stay in focus to general understanding of the the overall MAIN IDEA (not individual paragraphs).

A 09 in VR may not be stellar but for a science geek like me, this was huge to help me break 30s--I know using the Kaplan method this wouldn't be possible for myself. I've spoke with other people like myself at school who got 33s but an 08 in VR using the Kaplan VR method, what a shame!

4) Which practice tests did you use?

I used Kaplan practice tests and then 3 of the AAMC practice tests that come with it.

Kaplan makes hard BS and PS questions, but have a much easier scoring curve. In all I took about 8. I've heard people say they have to take 16 or more but I would have definetly been more burnt out by the end and wouldn't have peaked! Though I felt like I left 2 points on the table in BS because I was burnt out (my first AAMC BS was 13)

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biology with premed emphasis. I studied and took the test as a super senior, so I had almost every bio blass that could help under my belt. I'm pretty good in bio classes so I didn't study much in BS nearly as much as PS.

I also laid low on my credits while taking and studying for the mcat (around 7, with no really challenging classes), this helped ALOT because I could devote nearly all time to my Kaplan homework.

6) a) Do every possible MCAT style problem you can (after you review the material of course). I would even take practice tests untimed and work through problems. Reviewing with questions (NOT cards or reading review notes) is the best way to review and find out what you're bad at.

b) Try to set aside 1 hr at the end of the day to review things you got wrong on your flash cards or listen to those same topics on audio osmosis.

c)Treat studying like a job--have a set time each day that you must stop, shut off the computer and watch tv or hang out with someone.

d) Don't be a study hermit--vent about the test to friends/family but have fun when you can. But keep things light. Keep in touch to people who have taken the MCAT before (med students, even you doctor); they were always encouraging me to get through it.

e)stick to a regular sleeping schedule. I couldn't study right the day after staying out till 2 or 3 am. Have a "bed time" for week days and weekends and stick to it (even when your girlfriend wants you to stay longer!

f) ENJOY THE RIDE! Think of it like this: Today, you get to study for a specific test to become a DOCTOR! Not many people get to say this...

g) Treat ourself right--work out when you can, eat right, have mini vacations (go out to eat, dance, visit family for a weekend once in a while. It's all about staying sane.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

About 4 months. 6 days a week (some less) for 6-7 hours a day.

Glad to share my experience with you! Good luck!

erndawg54 said:

1) My score (took MCAT on 1/24/13)

PS=11 VR=09 BS=11 Composite=31Q

2) Followed Kaplan Study guide and homework to a T, and also Exam Krackers for verbal. Study 6 days a week, with one off of everything (no work, school work, just relax). I put concepts I missed on my own flash cards, and made playlists of the Audio Osmosis of the same concepts to put in my car and review at the end of days. I

felt like continued review of past concepts was important for me, to keep me fresh. But once I felt like I was getting burnt out, I immediately stopped and called it a day--this was a marathon!

My Kaplan class was about 3 months, but I started practicing EK 101 passages before--big mistake because 1 month before test time I ran out of passages to practice on! I would have instead read the articles from New York Review of Books to practice (humanities passages were hard for me).

3) Used Kaplan Online Advantage Classes for PS and BS (but I didn't use the triage method bcz I felt like it was a waste of time) Used Exam Krackers for Verbal. Reviewed with Exam Krackers Audio Osmosis when driving to school and in the evening.

Why I used EK for VR:

First I must say I have always been a below average reader (I NEVER read outise of class or when I was I child). I'm a slow reader. I felt like mapping was a waste of time. Instead I used the methods in EK's Verbal Reasoning and Mathematical Techniques, they made much more sense to me and I strongly recommend it!

My advice for which method to use: Try BOTH Kaplan and EK for a couple practice tests and see what works best for you. But realize the Kaplan method takes more time to master--this is the primary reason why I choose EK: I shouldn't be worried about what I'm going to "Map" (write paraphrase) after each paragraph (everyone's memory is capable of this); instead it's much more about having ENERGY and ENTHUSIASM when reading so you can stay in focus to general understanding of the the overall MAIN IDEA (not individual paragraphs).

A 09 in VR may not be stellar but for a science geek like me, this was huge to help me break 30s--I know using the Kaplan method this wouldn't be possible for myself. I've spoke with other people like myself at school who got 33s but an 08 in VR using the Kaplan VR method, what a shame!

4) Which practice tests did you use?

I used Kaplan practice tests and then 3 of the AAMC practice tests that come with it.

Kaplan makes hard BS and PS questions, but have a much easier scoring curve. In all I took about 8. I've heard people say they have to take 16 or more but I would have definetly been more burnt out by the end and wouldn't have peaked! Though I felt like I left 2 points on the table in BS because I was burnt out (my first AAMC BS was 13)

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biology with premed emphasis. I studied and took the test as a super senior, so I had almost every bio blass that could help under my belt. I'm pretty good in bio classes so I didn't study much in BS nearly as much as PS.

I also laid low on my credits while taking and studying for the mcat (around 7, with no really challenging classes), this helped ALOT because I could devote nearly all time to my Kaplan homework.

6) a) Do every possible MCAT style problem you can (after you review the material of course). I would even take practice tests untimed and work through problems. Reviewing with questions (NOT cards or reading review notes) is the best way to review and find out what you're bad at.

b) Try to set aside 1 hr at the end of the day to review things you got wrong on your flash cards or listen to those same topics on audio osmosis.

c)Treat studying like a job--have a set time each day that you must stop, shut off the computer and watch tv or hang out with someone.

d) Don't be a study hermit--vent about the test to friends/family but have fun when you can. But keep things light. Keep in touch to people who have taken the MCAT before (med students, even you doctor); they were always encouraging me to get through it.

e)stick to a regular sleeping schedule. I couldn't study right the day after staying out till 2 or 3 am. Have a "bed time" for week days and weekends and stick to it (even when your girlfriend wants you to stay longer!

f) ENJOY THE RIDE! Think of it like this: Today, you get to study for a specific test to become a DOCTOR! Not many people get to say this...

g) Treat ourself right--work out when you can, eat right, have mini vacations (go out to eat, dance, visit family for a weekend once in a while. It's all about staying sane.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

About 4 months. 6 days a week (some less) for 6-7 hours a day.

Glad to share my experience with you! Good luck!

Click to expand...

Oh yes 1 more key tip: study in 1 hour chunks, with 5-10 min break in between. And no more than 3 study hours without at least a 1 hour break in between. This simulates test day and helps you keep focus and not burn out.

1) Your individual scores and composite score

PS=12 VR=11 BS=11 Composite=34 (1/24/13)


2) The study method used for each section

Used kaplan books for review of material about 2 months before the exam
then read through EK really quickly a week before test day.




3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)

PS- Kaplan, EK

VR- None, just read books

BS- Kaplan, EK


4) Which practice tests did you use?

AAMC and Kaplan practice tests

AAMC AVG: 34
Kaplan AVG: 36


5) What was your undergraduate major?

Biology


6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?

Assuming youve taken all the prereqs I think its definitely important to spend more time on practice tests and reviewing practice tests vs reviewing material. Also I found Kaplan physics portions of practice test were very good prep since they had more calculation heavy problems than the AAMC practice tests (the real thing was pretty calculation heavy in my case).


7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

~2 months with increasing intensity as test neared

I found this thread to be very informative and motivating so I figure I should give back and post!

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=12 VR=12 BS=11
Composite: 35 (test date Jan. 24th, 2013)

2) The study method used for each section
Modified SN2ed schedule. I am a 100% believer in the SN2ed schedule. I don't think I would have gotten close to my score if I didn't use it.

For PS I only used BR Physics and Gen Chem. I think BR does an awesome job preparing you for the real deal. The content review is very thorough and the practice passages are MCAT difficulty. At the beginning, I would regularly get destroyed by the passages but the more I got used to the questions, the easier it became.

VR I used EK 101 Verbal and TPRH Verbal workbook. There were a some answers in EK that I was iffy about. I thought TPRH was a much better resource, but as long as you are doing practice passages that's what matters.

BS I did content review with EK Biology and did the BR passages. I knew biology was probably my weakest section so I would regularly supplement my content review with TPRH Biology and Khan Academy. BR Biology passages are ridiculous but they definitely showed me where I was weak so I could target those topics. I did well in Ochem so I didn't feel like I needed to do that much studying. I still used BR Ochem and I thought it was helpful.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
BR Physics, Gen Chem, and Ochem for content review and passages. BR Biology for passages. EK Biology and TPRH Biology for content review. TPRH Verbal and EK 101 for verbal practice. For practice tests used all the AAMC full lengths.

I did not use EK 1001. The questions weren't doing it for me so I never opened those books.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
I took my first full length after finishing content review and about a month before the MCAT. I only had time to take the AAMC tests, otherwise I probably would have done more using TBR CBTs.

AAMC 3 (completed 12/21/12): PS=9 VR=9 BS=9 Composite: 27
AAMC 4 (12/31/12): PS=10 VR=9 BS=10 Composite: 29
AAMC 5 (1/3/13): PS=9 VR=12 BS=11 Composite: 32
AAMC 7 (1/7/13): PS=10 VR=11 BS=11 Composite: 32
AAMC 8 (1/10/13): PS=9 VR=11 BS=11 Composite: 31
AAMC 9 (1/13/13): PS=11 VR=10 BS=11 Composite: 32
AAMC 10 (1/17/13): PS=12 VR=9 BS=10 Composite: 31
AAMC 11 (1/20/13): PS=10 VR=11 BS=10 Composite: 31
Practice test average: 30.6

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
When I look at my practice test scores, I am pretty shocked that I scored a 35. I will definitely be the first to say it's pretty unusual to score 4 points higher on the MCAT compared to the practice test average. It just seemed like I could never have a solid practice test where I did well in all 3 sections. If you take the highest subsections out of all the practice tests, the composite score is a 35, so I knew I was capable of scoring that high. It just came down to how I felt during the actual MCAT.

Confidence is such an important thing to have going into the test and while studying. There were many nights where I felt totally down and beat and felt like I would never do well on the test. I can almost guarantee you will have these feelings and the only thing you can do is press on. Just know that all your hard work and sacrifice will pay off.

A note about verbal. I tried one strategy of reading every word very carefully for the first 3 months. A month before the MCAT, I abandoned that strategy completely. It was much more effective to be an active reader and maybe not read every word but always know what each paragraph is talking about. Try out different strategies and figure out what works for you.

I would highly suggest against studying during the school year. So many times I was completely stressed out with school, studying, research, etc. My social life definitely took a hit, so if possible I think the best schedule would be to study during the summer and take it right before Fall.

Relax the day before the test! I skipped all my classes, went to the beach, and did not do any studying. It was a great way to clear my head and get mentally prepared. I had an 8am test, so I went to bed around 10pm. My mind was calm but my body did not want to go to bed. I ended up falling asleep around 12 and woke up 3 times throughout the night. This really threw me off but I had to go with it.

As for the actual test, when the first PS passage started, I freaked out a little bit. I thought to myself "Whoa, I'm actually taking the MCAT" I got tripped up by a lot of passages so at the end of the section, I thought I completely bombed it. During the break, I had a pep talk with myself and got composed. I was completely focused for VR and BS and got into more of a groove as if it what I was taking was just another practice test.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
About 4 months. I studied 2-3 hours a day for the first 3 months then once winter break hit, I studied 6-8 hours. I forgot a lot of the content from months ago so it was a great time to refresh myself on the material.

This was a super long post and sorry if there are any grammar mistakes (too lazy to reread everything). If you have any questions feel free to PM me!

Remember-you can do this! If you have the drive and will power, you will be successful. Good luck studying!

erndawg54 said:

1) My score (took MCAT on 1/24/13)

PS=11 VR=09 BS=11 Composite=31Q

2) Followed Kaplan Study guide and homework to a T, and also Exam Krackers for verbal. Study 6 days a week, with one off of everything (no work, school work, just relax). I put concepts I missed on my own flash cards, and made playlists of the Audio Osmosis of the same concepts to put in my car and review at the end of days. I

felt like continued review of past concepts was important for me, to keep me fresh. But once I felt like I was getting burnt out, I immediately stopped and called it a day--this was a marathon!

My Kaplan class was about 3 months, but I started practicing EK 101 passages before--big mistake because 1 month before test time I ran out of passages to practice on! I would have instead read the articles from New York Review of Books to practice (humanities passages were hard for me).

3) Used Kaplan Online Advantage Classes for PS and BS (but I didn't use the triage method bcz I felt like it was a waste of time) Used Exam Krackers for Verbal. Reviewed with Exam Krackers Audio Osmosis when driving to school and in the evening.

Why I used EK for VR:

First I must say I have always been a below average reader (I NEVER read outise of class or when I was I child). I'm a slow reader. I felt like mapping was a waste of time. Instead I used the methods in EK's Verbal Reasoning and Mathematical Techniques, they made much more sense to me and I strongly recommend it!

My advice for which method to use: Try BOTH Kaplan and EK for a couple practice tests and see what works best for you. But realize the Kaplan method takes more time to master--this is the primary reason why I choose EK: I shouldn't be worried about what I'm going to "Map" (write paraphrase) after each paragraph (everyone's memory is capable of this); instead it's much more about having ENERGY and ENTHUSIASM when reading so you can stay in focus to general understanding of the the overall MAIN IDEA (not individual paragraphs).

A 09 in VR may not be stellar but for a science geek like me, this was huge to help me break 30s--I know using the Kaplan method this wouldn't be possible for myself. I've spoke with other people like myself at school who got 33s but an 08 in VR using the Kaplan VR method, what a shame!

4) Which practice tests did you use?

I used Kaplan practice tests and then 3 of the AAMC practice tests that come with it.

Kaplan makes hard BS and PS questions, but have a much easier scoring curve. In all I took about 8. I've heard people say they have to take 16 or more but I would have definetly been more burnt out by the end and wouldn't have peaked! Though I felt like I left 2 points on the table in BS because I was burnt out (my first AAMC BS was 13)

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biology with premed emphasis. I studied and took the test as a super senior, so I had almost every bio blass that could help under my belt. I'm pretty good in bio classes so I didn't study much in BS nearly as much as PS.

I also laid low on my credits while taking and studying for the mcat (around 7, with no really challenging classes), this helped ALOT because I could devote nearly all time to my Kaplan homework.

6) a) Do every possible MCAT style problem you can (after you review the material of course). I would even take practice tests untimed and work through problems. Reviewing with questions (NOT cards or reading review notes) is the best way to review and find out what you're bad at.

b) Try to set aside 1 hr at the end of the day to review things you got wrong on your flash cards or listen to those same topics on audio osmosis.

c)Treat studying like a job--have a set time each day that you must stop, shut off the computer and watch tv or hang out with someone.

d) Don't be a study hermit--vent about the test to friends/family but have fun when you can. But keep things light. Keep in touch to people who have taken the MCAT before (med students, even you doctor); they were always encouraging me to get through it.

e)stick to a regular sleeping schedule. I couldn't study right the day after staying out till 2 or 3 am. Have a "bed time" for week days and weekends and stick to it (even when your girlfriend wants you to stay longer!

f) ENJOY THE RIDE! Think of it like this: Today, you get to study for a specific test to become a DOCTOR! Not many people get to say this...

g) Treat ourself right--work out when you can, eat right, have mini vacations (go out to eat, dance, visit family for a weekend once in a while. It's all about staying sane.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

About 4 months. 6 days a week (some less) for 6-7 hours a day.

Glad to share my experience with you! Good luck!

Click to expand...

You took the writing section in 2013?

cuculici1 said:

You took the writing section in 2013?

Click to expand...

BUSTED

cuculici1 said:

You took the writing section in 2013?

Click to expand...

LMFAOO! Typo maybe?!! Either way that's hilarious.

I apologize in advance for the ridiculously long post. I decided to write this because it seemed like so many SDN-ers are rather good at following a spread out SN2ed multi-month schedule. I couldn't imagine studying during the school year with classes or over the summer with research, so I took 3.5 weeks (from 1/2/13 to 1/26/13) and essentially did nothing but study MCAT. I am NOT encouraging/endorsing such a condensed schedule, but I did want to share my experience to 1. show that it is indeed possible to do and score well and to 2. encourage those who might be forced into such a tight schedule -- you can do it!! At the same time, this is my own experience, so take everything with a grain of salt and take away only the parts that are helpful for you

Now, a few caveats/notes about how this was possible for me personally:
1. I was fortunate enough to have a very long winter break (classes resumed on the 23rd) and thus was able to focus solely on the MCAT during my study time.
2. I can't highlight enough the importance of keeping to your daily goals in order for such a crammed schedule to work. For me, this meant enrolling in an online accelerated Princeton Review course (5hrs/day for 21 days). If you can keep diligent without paying the extravagant fee associated with such courses, kudos to you!
3 As much as I say I did "nothing but study" for 3.5 weeks, it's not entirely true. I did go into work a couple of evenings each week, tutored 2-3 times a week, and went to church on Sundays -- I don't think I would have come out of the experience with an intact mind if without these "distractions." Sanity is good.


1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=14 VR=13 BS=12
Composite: 39 (test date 1/26/13)

2) The study method used for each section
VR: Personally, it felt all I could do to prepare for the VR was just to do a whole bunch of passages. I didn't "attend" the verbal classes in my TPR course. Instead, every day, I would do 3-4 EK101 passages and 5-6 TPRH workbook passages. I did end up falling behind a bit, so in the last couple of weeks, I took a few days to complete entire VR tests from these books. Since it's quite difficult to see concrete improvement in VR over such a short amount of time (that's what I told myself, hahah), I focused mostly on getting the timing down and not feeling rushed to complete passages. I think everyone has a method they prefer in approaching the VR, so it's key to feel comfortable and confident with whatever approach you end up using.

One tactic I did use was to skim the questions to see if they used any quotes of passage-specific terminology and make a mental note of them if they did. Then, when I read the passage, I would use the highlighter to mark those parts. This way, when I came back to those questions, I wouldn't waste time phrase-hunting.

PS: When it comes to PS, I'm a firm believer in the "if you understand it completely, you won't have to study it" way of approaching it. For me, this translated to taking more time than might be minimally necessary to fully understand the concepts before doing the practice problems. Since I had taken GenChem in college, I thought TPR was a great, easy-on-your-eyes way to get through the MCAT-relevant material. For physics, as I had just taken mechanics, I didn't spend much time on that -- but the last time I had done E/M was four years ago in high school, so I used TBR to re-teach myself the necessary concepts. For both GenChem and Physics, I used the TPRH Science Workbook for practice problems, and did TBR passages for chapters in which I felt I needed additional practice.

BS: This was probably the section about which I was most worried. With a condensed schedule, the BS simply has a lot of information to learn and master. It's also unlike the PS, where you can learn and forget -- you have to learn and remember for the BS! I am *not* good at memorizing or remembering details, so I definitely spent the most time on this section.

Here's what I did:
Day 1; TPR online course lecture as introduction
Day 2; Read the corresponding TPR chapter (which usually went into further detail)
Day 3; Re-read the TPR chapter & read the corresponding EK chapter.
Day 4: Read TBR (only if I felt I needed more context) & make a single review sheet of key information in my own words.
This way, I would learn the material 4 times over 4 days and have a nice review sheet for future reference/last minute panic.

Since we would usually had a biology class every 2 days or so, this meant that I would usually be studying 2 separate chapters, at different stages. It was actually kind of nice to be studying one chapter of new material and reviewing another -- a fresh material + confidence booster combo. I would do practice questions everyday, keeping in mind in the earlier days that I had a few days more to study the material.


3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
Content:
--VR: none
--PS(physics): TBR
--PS(chemistry): TPR
--BS: TPR and EK (TBR to supplement -- really only busted it out for a few chapters)

Practice Questions:
--VR: EK101 and TPRH Verbal Workbook
--PS: TPRH Science Workbook, TBR selected passages
--BS; TPRH Science Workbook, TBR selected passages


4) Which practice tests did you use?
I completed all of the AAMC tests and five TPR practice tests, for a total of 13 tests. I took more of the tests near the end of my study schedule, taking an exam every day the week leading up to the actual test date (except for the day before, where I did nothing but relax, bake muffins and go out for dinner with friends)


6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Keep calm. Stay confident! Relax before your test. You've put in a lot of time and effort into this monstrous test -- but in the end, it's just a test. The worst thing that can happen is that you don't do as well as you'd like and you have to re-take it. It was a huge risk for me to try to cram the MCAT into less than a month, but I'm relieved it payed off, and feel quite lucky that it did. The most important/difficult part of it all was keeping to the schedule, so if you're going to attempt something like this, just make sure you'll keep yourself accountable.

Right before I even started reviewing content, I took the AAMC #3. I'm glad I took it then despite the fact that I was terrified to do so; I was concerned I would score extremely low, get discouraged at how much studying I would have to do in less than a month and then completely shut down. Just going for it and taking that first practice test was important for me in just helping me realize that I was really going to do this and actually study for the MCAT. I don't think I truly processed the fact that I would be preparing for the MCAT until I took the first test. It also helped me get an idea of what in the world the MCAT was as an exam -- before, I had this vague idea that there were passages and freestanding questions, but didn't really quite "get" how it worked.

A random note: do NOT start a new TV show during this time. I unfortunately started watching Law and Order SVU in my second week of studying, and started semi-marathoning episodes at night. It was horribly difficult to try to wean myself off. Not only is that show inherently depressing, but it's also a 40 minute show -- NOT a good combination for intensive MCAT studying, hahah.


7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
3.5 weeks.

Congratulation Jeghaber on a great score. However, I don't believe I shall be trying that at home...LOL. What was your score on AAMC #3?

MrMention said:

Congratulation Jeghaber on a great score. However, I don't believe I shall be trying that at home...LOL. What was your score on AAMC #3?

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Hahah, yeah..definitely not recommending this if at all possible. I scored well on the AAMC #3, mostly due to a fluke-y verbal (didn't score that high in verbal until the near the very end). Just wanted to put it out there that if you ARE forced into such a schedule, not to be discouraged from the get go

Hey, I needed some advice from any one of you all. I'm scheduled for 4/26 but I just took my 4th CBT and scored a 12C. I've been studying since December using the EK Home Study Schedule. I usually take 3 hours for content review then take about an hour to do problems and go over answers. How do you think I could increase my score? Should I reschedule for May?

Doctorches23 said:

Hey, I needed some advice from any one of you all. I'm scheduled for 4/26 but I just took my 4th CBT and scored a 12C. I've been studying since December using the EK Home Study Schedule. I usually take 3 hours for content review then take about an hour to do problems and go over answers. How do you think I could increase my score? Should I reschedule for May?

Click to expand...

Is this serious? I'm guessing troll.

Doctorches23 said:

Hey, I needed some advice from any one of you all. I'm scheduled for 4/26 but I just took my 4th CBT and scored a 12C. I've been studying since December using the EK Home Study Schedule. I usually take 3 hours for content review then take about an hour to do problems and go over answers. How do you think I could increase my score? Should I reschedule for May?

Click to expand...

I believe you are posting in the wrong forum, in more ways than one. There is not and never was such a thing as a C on any MCAT section. I do believe you are trolling my friend or on the wrong forum.

MrMention said:

I believe you are posting in the wrong forum, in more ways than one. There is not and never was such a thing as a C on any MCAT section. I do believe you are trolling my friend or on the wrong forum.

Click to expand...

I meant 12 composite. <<< no troll

Glad to be done with the MCAT.

1) SCORE: 40; 14BS 12PS 14VR

2) PREPARATION: Reviewed all material through prep books, took a few practice exams. Focused heavily on reviewing the sciences, didn't do much VR besides during full exams.

3) MATERIALS: Kaplan MCAT Premier, Kaplan MCAT 45.

4) PRACTICE: Free online AAMC and Princeton Review; purchased Kaplan text and online.

5) MAJOR: Dual degree engineering and an applied biological science.

6) TIPS: While it sounds like a cliche, the MCAT is really not about memorization. I would focus on understanding the concepts. If you've taken the pre-med coursework, you've seen all the material before, you just need to remember it. I was very successful with last minute cramming and going through question sets to jumpstart my memory.*

(*Note: not everyone can do this. I mean hardcore cramming. Hours, every day for at least two weeks. I went through ~500-1000 pages a week + practice exams.)

On the other hand, the hardest thing to do is learn VR quickly. In my experience, a good VR score should come fairly naturally to someone who practices analytic thinking skills regularly. Read journals and patents, grade papers, attend poster sessions; even reading for fun will help.

Finally, confidence is important. Don't necessarily walk in there thinking you can pull a 45 with no effort, but if you panic or think negatively, you'll impede your own performance. Think happy thoughts.

7) TIMELINE: Most work done 1-3 weeks before the exam.

My final notes would be that you should learn the material as you go through undergrad, spend a little time getting familiar with the exam format, review general concepts and important topics before the exam, and run practice exams. Some students do better with a more drawn-out structured schedule -- I personally like to shotgun energy drinks and marathon study.

Good luck to everyone else taking the exam and applying in 2013!

1) Your individual scores and composite score

2nd Time: 35 (12 PS, 12 VR, 11 BS)
1st Time: 30 (11 PS, 11 VR, 8 BS)

2) The study method used for each section

The first time I took the test, I relied heavily on Exam Krackers. This is good for some people, but turned out to be desastrous for me. I used TBR for physics the first time (because I personally couldn't learn the material thorugh EK) and that is the only thing that salvaged the PS section for me.

The second time I went all out TBR, which was what really worked for me. The only point of caution would be that TBR's bio section is ridiculously detailed. I thought this would help me on the real deal, but I didn't need to know 60-80% of the stuff they covered in TBR bio. So I actually think EK would be a better resource for the bio section.

For the organic, chem, and physics, however, TBR is the best.

In terms of verbal, I don't know how to study for it. I just did practice passages and then checked the answers. So I would just suggest you read lots of newspapers and op-eds because the test is very similar to that.


3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)

See above

4) Which practice tests did you use?
I used all the AAMCs but #5.

The second time around I used TPR and Kaplan tests. I found that this helped immensely because those were both much harder than the actual exam. So when I took the real thing, it seemed like a walk in the park.

(Btw, I got like a 26 and 29 or so on the TPR exams the week before my test. And a 34 and 33 on the Kaplan)--the scores on the exams are typically not Representative of the real exam score.

5) What was your undergraduate major?

Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?

Take practice tests. Lots of them and be sure to do a detailed review. I also used the TPR Hyperlearning book for practice passages, but found that these passages were not nearly as difficult as the real thing.

Also, USE TBR for everything (except for the bio material, in which case EK Bio is alot better.)


7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

The first time I crammed most of my review into 17 days. I know the exact number because I entered crunch time after I came back from my internship in europe. Then I spent about 3 weeks doing practice tests before taking it.

For the second time, I spent November, December, and January prepping for the test. You can see the difference it made. Be sure to devote the appropriate amount of time to this test.

arrasails said:

Pay attention to above, I honestly believe this post really gave me an advantage!!

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS = 12, VR = 13, BS = 14
Composite: 39O

2) The study method used for each section

I took a TPR course so I had all their books and they would assign homework as well. I would read TPR chapters and do the assigned practice problems for physics, gen chem, and biology. I would try to read over the chapters once semi-carefully, but not going for too much memorization because there are enough homework questions to "catch" anything that you didn't internalize earlier. I just got done taking ochem with a great professor so I didn't devote too much time to it.

TPR tells you not to time yourself while doing homework passages but I would usually give myself 8 minutes or less for every passage and 1 min per free standing question. You might not always make it under but I find that it trained my brain to think under pressure rather than getting in the bad habit of dwadling. Plus you get more problems done in less time

For the verbal section I also read the content book but not too carefully. Instead I took the above post's advice and did a passage every morning, shooting for under 6 min, then under 7, etc. I would usually have a question or two unanswered when doing 6 min but again, I found that it trained my mind to get through the passage/questions faster. The biggest challenge with the verbal is using time efficiently so I found that this method made a big difference.

I barely studied for the writing section other than doing the essays during the practice tests.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)

TPR content and practice books for all sections in addition to the EK101 verbal passages book.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
Chose from the 19 practice tests that came with the course packet.
Practice test scores:
6/16/12 AAMC 10: 25
TPR Practice 1: 26
AAMC 7: 32
TPR Practice 2: 26
TPR Practice 3: 33
TPR Practice 4: 33
TPR Practice 5: 33
AAMC 11: 39
TPR Cracking 1: 34
8/25/12 TPR Cracking 2: 35

They tell you to start taking more AAMC practice tests towards the end because they are supposed to be more like the real test, however my friends who had recently taken the test said that their MCAT was harder than the AAMC practice tests, so that's why the last two tests I took were the TPR ones. I'm glad I did too because I felt my MCAT was way harder than any practice test I had ever taken, so Im glad I wasn't used to the easier AAMC at that point.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biology and a liberal arts degree

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?

This test is no joke. You will lose sleep over it, it will exhaust you, make you cry, etc. If that's not the case then you are not doing it right. You should push yourself as much as you reasonably can (assuming that you want to get self-fulfillment and a high score). But at the same time, try to enjoy the process as much as possible. This is your chance to show the world how intelligent you are. Also, you can learn a lot from the verbal passages, some can be interesting.

Definitely relax as much as possible the last couple weeks. I studied from June to August and took my test on September 1st. The first 2-3 weeks of August I was studying like crazy (like 10+ hours a day) because I had been doing a full time internship for 2 months and I had some catching up to do. Some people don't do anything for a full week before their test, I basically stopped studying two weeks before my test. I was regretting stopping studying so early, but after receiving my score I now think it may have been very useful to de-stress. I still tried to do a passage or two everyday (especially verbal) and took a couple practice tests just to keep me warmed up but no more studying for hours at a time. I ate well and slept well, watched America's Next Top Model, and generally vegged out. I may have done a verbal section or two in the week before the exam as well. The night before I did a passage from each section (gen chem, bio, physics, ochem), I meditated and drank some green tea and went to bed early.

During the test, you may feel horrible (as I did) but remember to not dwell on any question and just keep going. At this point whatever you have conditioned yourself to do will kick in and you should trust it. I also thought before I went in that whatever score I get, it will not be end of the world. Take the pressure off your shoulders on test day and breathe deeply. (Of course, you will still be nervous, but it can't hurt to try).

In the end, whatever score you get, I am sure you will be a stronger person because of studying for this test and that is valuable in itself.


7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

I took the Live Online class from TPR over the summer. I would work 6~9 hours in lab during the day and sit through the online class from 9-11:30 pm every evening. The final month I was freed from my internship and did nothing but eat, sleep, and study for 2-3 weeks. Overall I studied for 3 months total, but nearly stopped during the last two weeks.

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WOW, you score well above your average!!

On my first try I got a 30K (11PS-7VR-12BS) I didn't feel so hot about the 7 in verbal reason so I retook it.

1) Your individual scores and composite score

PS-13 VR-9 BS-14 Composite: 36 (03/23/13)


2) The study method used for each section

First time I used SN2ed 3 Month study scheduled Things I didnt understand very well like Lenz's law, I looked up on youtube mainly using brighstorm's videos, their videos are short and to the point. Second time around I use Nova physic , chad's vidoes and reread TBR. I felt that the content in Nova physic didn't help but their question were pretty good. I used chad's vidoes for Orgo and Gen Chem. For Gen Chem I didnt felt that I learned anything useful it only reinforced what I learned in TBR Gen Chem Book. Chad's Orgo videos were a different story. TBR Orgo book is very good book and covers alot of topics well, but it glances over or just plane doesn't cover the reaction mechanism of common reaction.


3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)

PS- I used TBR for both Phy content and question and Chem content and question. I also used Nova Physics only for question and Chad's Vidoes for Gen Chem (good review of TBR material but not need)

VR- I bought TPR verbal workbook and used EK verbal strategy. I jumped 2 point on my retake and I attribute it to the EK verbal strategy. The think I realized about verbal is that it doesn't matter what you think it only matters what the author thinks. So the answer can should like complete bullcrap to you but as long as it supported in the passage its the answer. So don't bring you opinion or bias when you sit to do the verbal section. Also learn to use aggressive process of elimination. Vihsadas's guide goes over also of useful strategy

WS- Instead of this section I got a Physiology section which I didnt take

Bio- I used the EK Bio book for content and TBR Bio book for questions. I use the TBR Orgo Chem book for both content and questions. I also used Chad's Orgo videos which I found very helpful for knowing reaction mechanism


4) Which practice tests did you use?

AAMC 6 14PS-11VR-13BS: 38

I only took AAMC 6 because its the only one I didn't do it the first time around. I found it way to easy to be a good assessment of my knowledge so I used it to test my time management.


5) What was your undergraduate major?

BS in Biochemistry with a 3.22 overall GPA


6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?

I highly recommend following SN2ed's scheduled and using TBR. If I could redo it I would probably have taken the test sooner rather than pushing it back, because the extra time seemed to harm my score. On the day of your test you should come an 1/2hr to 1hr early because as soon as you come in and get registered you start. My exam was scheduled for 8AM got their at around 7:30 had to wait for 2 hr to get registered because their was people in front of me. At the testing center I went to the computers were very old and the computer monitor wasn't widescreen so it throw me off a bit. Also bring snacks because you will get hungry. Also they will pat you down every time you leave or try to re-enter your testing station. All your allowed to have are you ID, ear plugs and locker key.

By far the single pieces of advice that will get you a higher test score is to have confidence when taking the exam. What having confidence meant to me was since I used the TBR I knew everything that was going to appear on the MCAT. TBR is so indept, more indept that the actually MCAT, So on the exam if I ever find your self not knowing an answer straight off the top of my head then the answer has to be in the passage.


7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

I studied from January to March anywhere from 2 to 6 hours a day. Don't try to study 12 hr a day because you will get burned out. Time management and staying on scheduled are very important. Don't try to do too much in a day or you might end up not doing anything at all. Also give your self about a week of buffer time just in case something happens and at least one break day a week to relax.