♥ Retaking in 2.5 months - how can I BEST further increase my score?

[TheAnonymous]

Hello,

I'm retaking the MCAT in 2.5 months and at the moment trying to put together a plan. I'm retaking because of a very low VR score (which I'm going to dedicate 60-80% of my time on) but I created this thread to get some input on how to maintain/increase my science scores.

I got 13 and 11 in PS and BS but I would like to improve 1-2 points overall in the sciences. I have hit 14s in PS and 13s in BS several times in the AAMCs.

I didn't do a good amount of practice passages last time around, perhaps 80% content 20% passages (only TBR) so now I'm trying to spend 1-2 weeks to review the concepts and spend the rest of the time (~2 months) just doing practice problems.

My plan is to do all:

All TPR Workbook Discretes and Passages for BS and PS
All TPR Full Lengths
Entire Kaplan Qbank
All Kaplan Section Tests
All Kaplan FLs


Do you guys think that if I manage to do all of the above before my Jan test, I should expect an increase in my scores?

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[Jumb0]

You really cannot bank on increasing a 13. The bs score could be improved up to 12, but it is foolhardy to assume you can prepare to score greater than 12. I firmly believe you can only prepare for a maximum of 36 points, 12's across. Anything more than that comes down to a degree of luck. It follows that you can reliably improve a bit on BS, but, by the same token, I would not be surprised if you actually dropped a point in PS. That should all be inconsequential if you make a big jump on verbal though.

 

[DoctorLacrosse]

just chiming in to say that no one I've seen on here is as dedicated to defeating this test than you are, and I commend you for it. seriously, your drive is awesome. I wish you the best bud

 

[asw98]

For bio, I did the entire 1001 EK Bio and learned what I needed to memorize for the test. Before doing that, I was averaging an 11-12 on BS and after I was always getting 13-14. I ended up getting a 14 on the real thing. The book singlehandedly increased my score by several points. (In addition to doing all of the problems you need to understand/memorize the content).

 

[Dr.Wink]

Anon, I remember burning the midnight oil with you way back in May! Keep on keeping on, my dude. You can do this!

"Once more into the fray
Into the last good fight I'll ever know.
Live and die on this day
Live and die on this day"

Best of luck, Anon. I'm truly rooting for you.

 

[NextStepTutor_1]

You're plan looks pretty good, but if you have any TBR passages left I'd strongly recommend those. And take the AAMC PTs again (even if you've taken them all still take the later ones) to become familiar with the style because after all TPR and Kaplan it's easy to get too comfortable with their style. You got the key though - Practice, practice, practice + intense review!

Good luck!

 

[TheAnonymous]

Thank you everyone for your great input, I really appreciate it.

@Dr.Wink and @DoctorLacrosse - thank you guys ! It's been a VERY long and difficult journey and it's incredibly hard for me to be even talking about this test. From day 1 I hoped I could get away with writing it only once and here I am, studying for the third time. Trust me, it's been really really really difficult to stay motivated but I'm trying my best here.. and just hoping I can keep pushing...

I'm glad to have people like you supporting me..

 

[Gauss44]

Find a tutor who either:

1. Can do well on a random verbal reasoning passage you give him/her.
or
2. Who already scored very well in VR. Regarding #2, be careful what you believe and #1 still might be the best solution.

Then just ask for help with technique, tips for reading, and to share reasoning behind why answers are right or wrong. Don't stop practicing AAMC passages. If you are going to run out of passages, then do an AAMC passage a few times a week and reuse them. AAMC has a very unique VR style so never stop including them in your practice. You should make a point to be very familiar with AAMC's VR by test day.

Good luck!

Hello,

I'm retaking the MCAT in 2.5 months and at the moment trying to put together a plan. I'm retaking because of a very low VR score (which I'm going to dedicate 60-80% of my time on) but I created this thread to get some input on how to maintain/increase my science scores.

I got 13 and 11 in PS and BS but I would like to improve 1-2 points overall in the sciences. I have hit 14s in PS and 13s in BS several times in the AAMCs.

I didn't do a good amount of practice passages last time around, perhaps 80% content 20% passages (only TBR) so now I'm trying to spend 1-2 weeks to review the concepts and spend the rest of the time (~2 months) just doing practice problems.

My plan is to do all:

All TPR Workbook Discretes and Passages for BS and PS
All TPR Full Lengths
Entire Kaplan Qbank
All Kaplan Section Tests
All Kaplan FLs


Do you guys think that if I manage to do all of the above before my Jan test, I should expect an increase in my scores?

 

[TheAnonymous]

Find a tutor who either:

1. Can do well on a random verbal reasoning passage you give him/her.
or
2. Who already scored very well in VR. Regarding #2, be careful what you believe and #1 still might be the best solution.

Then just ask for help with technique, tips for reading, and to share reasoning behind why answers are right or wrong. Don't stop practicing AAMC passages. If you are going to run out of passages, then do an AAMC passage a few times a week and reuse them. AAMC has a very unique VR style so never stop including them in your practice. You should make a point to be very familiar with AAMC's VR by test day.

Good luck!

Thanks Gauss! I already took all AAMC VR passages but will make sure I am doing a few AAMC passages alongside the rest.

 

[adson3492]

As far as I know, a lot of alkene reactions are, for the most part, out of the question. I believe we only need to know Oozonolysis, Aldol condensation, and Diels-Alder from that list (along with things like the Wittig reaction). But don't take my word for it!

 

[TheAnonymous]

As far as I know, a lot of alkene reactions are, for the most part, out of the question. I believe we only need to know Oozonolysis, Aldol condensation, and Diels-Alder from that list (along with things like the Wittig reaction). But don't take my word for it!

wrong thread man

 

[oobie]

Hey Anon, good luck this time around. I'm in a similar boat (not as high scores as you in PS, same in BS). Retaking because of low VR. I'm going to be going through the Wikipremed flashcards for more in-depth physics. Plus, I realized that I got TPRH science workbook too late. I'm going to finish going through that because I know it helped me push my BS score from an 8/9 to an 11 (mainly because I needed to tell myself to slow down and really concentrate on the passages). I'm sure it will help a little with PS too, but idk how likely it is to improve from a 13.

On VR, I've just been taking my time on the passages and not limiting myself with time. This is my take on it because I know I can drop my time, and I'm only taking about 9 minutes per passage, so getting a little bit quicker shouldn't be too much of a problem (I've spent over 10 minutes on some really hard passages in EK as well as less than 5 on others). So far, idk if it's just practice or everything's starting to click, but I've been getting like 30/40 and 32/40 on my last two EK tests (taking 2-3 passages a day). Good luck, and I'm here for you if you need any help!

 

[TheAnonymous]

Hey Anon, good luck this time around. I'm in a similar boat (not as high scores as you in PS, same in BS). Retaking because of low VR. I'm going to be going through the Wikipremed flashcards for more in-depth physics. Plus, I realized that I got TPRH science workbook too late. I'm going to finish going through that because I know it helped me push my BS score from an 8/9 to an 11 (mainly because I needed to tell myself to slow down and really concentrate on the passages). I'm sure it will help a little with PS too, but idk how likely it is to improve from a 13.

On VR, I've just been taking my time on the passages and not limiting myself with time. This is my take on it because I know I can drop my time, and I'm only taking about 9 minutes per passage, so getting a little bit quicker shouldn't be too much of a problem (I've spent over 10 minutes on some really hard passages in EK as well as less than 5 on others). So far, idk if it's just practice or everything's starting to click, but I've been getting like 30/40 and 32/40 on my last two EK tests (taking 2-3 passages a day). Good luck, and I'm here for you if you need any help!

Thanks a lot man for your input. I will be in touch with you. good luck !