1) Your individual scores and composite score
35Q PS=12 VR=11 BS=12
2) The study method used for each section
Started out reading the EK series, but was given a free Kaplan course by my school. I read the whole EK series in about 1.5 weeks. This seemed decent as it gave me a rough overview of what I needed to know. But it wasn't that useful other than that. I would recommend not reading any of the MCAT books straight through, but instead use them as a reference.
3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
My general study method was to read the EK books first to get an idea of what I needed to know. From then on I really just did tests. I did all the Kaplan topicals, section tests, and FL tests. I also, took all the AAMC tests. I've always learned best by practice so this seemed to work well.
My general schedule was to take a FL test, review it the next day, take one science section test the next day and review it, then full length the day after, review the following day, then day off. When I reviewed the FL tests I would review every question, whether I got it right or wrong, write out a short explanation of why the correct answer was correct. Then I would look at every other answer choice given and make sure I recognized the logic behind why it was wrong and the content behind every answer choice. Doing this for every problem of the entire test would take a long time, but it was worth it. Initially this really helped to drill the content I was weak on. For this period I felt that the Kaplan tests were superior to AAMC. They are so much tougher that you just have more to review. On the AAMC exams I may only miss 1-3 questions on a section, which isn't very enlightening.
This helped initially, I hit a 33 on a Kaplan test after about 3 week of study. After reviewing that and drilling some weaknesses I hit a 39 about a week later. My Kaplan scores stayed around 39 for the rest of my study. This was frustrating, but I quickly realized as I continued studying that I had really stopped missing questions because of content deficits and was missing questions based on test logic. From there I basically ditched my review style of writing out answers after reviewing content and I started writing out my answers based on what I had missed in the passage. If I got a question wrong because I had misread a graph then I wrote that out rather than referencing a book to get my supporting evidence.
My scores never really budged after this initial plateau, but they were so tightly clustered that I was very confident going into my test. This was incredibly helpful, I was really very relaxed during my test and it felt no different than any of the other dozens of tests I had taken.
PS Used EK, kaplan, old textbooks, and AAMC. Kaplan was the most helpful, AAMC was the most representative of the real thing. Doing all the kaplan topicals helped a lot.
- Learn scientific notation
- Know how to manipulate logs
- Know the units for the newtons, watts, acceleration, etc. Now know how to construct units of power, energy, etc out of the basic units. You will get one of those "which one of these is the correct formula for..." questions on your test. Rather than figure it out, which is sometimes super hard, being able to determine which one has the correct units will save you.
Some EK at first, Kaplan, and AAMC, referenced some old textbooks
I'm a math major so most of the math for the MCAT was straight forward for me, it was getting used to the inference questions that took some work.
VR
EK101 and AAMC
Used EK101 at first and this seemed to help get my scores >10, but past that it didn't seem that useful. The passages were to easy to read and some of the questions are kind of out there. I did the verbal sections in the kaplan FL but nothing else of theirs. The Kaplan stuff is decent practice in terms of pacing, dense reading, and the questions, but it is different than the AAMC stuff and I would stop using Kaplan a few weeks before you test.
Verbal isn't really logic in the formal sense. At first i would consistenly miss questions because the test writers clearly didn't understand how to use "if, or, and" in the formal logic way. Once you realize that this section is a test of your ability to recognize and reproduce another persons faulty reasoning the better off you will be.
WS
Tried to write at least one essay on the tests leading up to my test date. Sat down the night before and wrote a few essays trying to copy the style out of the back of the Kaplan book.
BS
Kaplan, AAMC
This was my most difficult section. I had only taken intro bio, orgo, and a biochem class so I had to learn everything else. I did all the kaplan topicals, and would heavily review this section on tests, if there was a single thing I didn't know in the passage or the answer choices I would look it up. This helped on a few questions as certain topics seem to come up over and over. Don't go overboard though, after a while you get a sense of what content could come up again and is worth reviewing and what is something that you should be able to get from the passage. I can't give much help here other than "the answer is in the passage." Whenever I would find myself stumped on something I didn't know the content for, I would remind myself of this. The answer is almost always in the passage.
4) Which practice tests did you use?
All the Kaplans except 10
All the AAMC's
I've attached the excel file that shows the score on every FL tests i got, every section test, every EK test, as well as averages, st. deviations, etc.
5) What was your undergraduate major?
Mathematics
6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Stay calm, get there early, and take the day off before your test. Make sure and bring food and go to the bathroom on breaks, I had to go so bad during bio.
Also, you have a 10min break between sections, but when it goes to the screen that shows what section you are doing next, there is no timer. I sat at those screens for an extra few minutes just clearing my head.
7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
about 2.5 months, usually 5-6hrs/day on the weekday and 1-4hrs on saturday and sundays off. In the month leading up to the test I really only studied every other day because my review tests starting going super fast once I switched to AAMC tests.