30+ MCAT Study Habits- The CBT Version

[omegaxx]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=14 VR=13 WS=Q BS=14 Composite=41Q

2) The study method used for each section
PS&BS: Reviewed all the materials (except Organic Chem, because I just finished a year long O. Chem course and knew it like the back of my hand). Practiced.
VR: Practice, practice, practice.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
Princeton Review all the way.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
Princeton Review all the way.
I also bought AAMC 4-6 for building confidence two weeks before the actual exam.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Pharmacology & English, although I took the exam after sophomore year so I just had the prereq sciences and five English courses under my belt.

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Read smartly, and read a lot, not just textbooks and scientific papers and newspaper, but also materials in the humanities department.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
2.5 months (~10 weeks), averaging ~3 hrs/day.

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[Fata Morgana]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS: 12 VR: 12 BS: 12 WS: R
Composite 36R

2) Study method
It had been 3+ years since I'd taken any of the pre-req classes, and I only wanted to ever take the MCAT once, so I went a little overboard in terms of prep time. I started SN2ed's 4-month schedule 5 months before my test date. With the extra time, I planned on taking 5 TBR practice tests immediately before starting the AAMC tests. This also gave me some extra break days which came in handy when I was sick and couldn't bring myself to study.

3) Material for each section:
PS: I found TBR to be a fantastic resource. I scraped by with A's when I took gen chem and physics, but I did not come anywhere near mastering the material (If you're taking your pre-reqs now, buckle down hard and learn the material cold. It'll help you a lot later on). TBR's approach to the concepts and especially their practice problems were hugely helpful. This went from being my main weakness in the beginning to a score of 12 on game day. EK 1001 gen chem and physics problems were also pretty helpful, more so in getting a really solid foundation of the concepts than for any actual problems on the MCAT.

VR: It's common knowledge this is the hardest area to improve. I practiced verbal by doing hour-long sets of 7 passages to try to be ready for test-day conditions. I considered this my strength going into studying, but found that it was really hard to score above the 10-12 range. Long story short, I went through the EK 101 verbal (good resource), TBR verbal diagnostic passages (OK resource, format wasn't much like AAMC but I felt that the passages required the same reading techniques), and TPR Hyperlearning (awesome resource, got a couple perfect practice test scores near the end of the book and was a little disappointed with the 12 on the real thing but hey, that's the verbal curve for ya)

BS: Had a much better grasp of bio and orgo than physics or gen chem going into studying. Used the EK bio book for content review, used the TBR bio books for elucidation on stuff that seemed like it could be tested in detail (hormones, kidneys, etc). TBR bio passages were great preparation. For orgo, I felt the TBR books and passages were sufficient review. I didn't think I'd need to use the EK 1001 for bio or orgo, but maybe I'd have scored higher if I had...

4) Practice tests
TBR 1 - 33
TBR 2 - 36
TBR 3 - 33
TBR 4 - 30
TBR 5 - 26 (this one was discouraging)

AAMC 3 - 34
AAMC 4 - 38
AAMC 5 - 33
AAMC 7 - 33
AAMC 8 - 35
AAMC 9 - 38
AAMC 10 - 36
AAMC 11 - 36

AAMC Average - 36.2

5) Undergraduate major
Biology.

6) Tips
- Unless you already have a solid grasp of the subjects, it would probably be helpful to use or create a schedule. None of the concepts should be new to you, but it's a ton of information you have to be able to apply under a strict time limit. If you haven't thought about thermodynamics or optics in years, you probably have a lot of work to do to reach the level of familiarity you need. I have never before used any kind of study schedule in my life, but I attribute my success to sticking to one.

- My biggest mistake was waiting until I started taking practice tests to get really serious about reviewing the problems I'd already gone through. Many people have already said this on these forums, but I didn't realize until almost too late that you REALLY have to analyze why you got problems wrong (and right!) to be able to improve your performance on future similar problems. If I had to study for this again, I'd dedicate a greater portion of my study time to review/analyze the passages I'd already done.

- Having gotten a lot of verbal exposure through 3 books of verbal passages, I have to say that I thought the verbal passages on the AAMC weren't any harder than those on the AAMC practice tests. HOWEVER, the format of the test - specifically the limited 1024 x 768 resolution of the computer monitors - made verbal on the real thing somewhat more difficult. When I was taking practice CBT's, even my laptop was able to display all the verbal passages without having to scroll (and I'm sure many of you are rocking widescreen monitors). On the real MCAT though, even the short verbal passages required scrolling to read the whole passage. Considering that a large part of most questions on verbal is re-reading and skimming the passage, not being able to see all of the passage at once was problematic for me. It might sound like overkill, but I think going to the effort of switching your computer resolution to 1024 x 768 while taking the AAMC CBT's to accurately reflect the format of the real thing would be a good way to prepare. This applies to the other sections' passages too but especially to verbal...

- Regarding simulating test taking conditions, I took the TBR practice tests and the first few AAMC's at my desk where I'd been studying for months. For the last 4 AAMC's I tried to go to distracting environments i.e. crowded, loud coffeeshops. I'm not sure how much this helped...on test day the knowledge that every answer is meaningful makes it a lot more intense to make educated guesses when you can only eliminate half the answer choices. I've always been good at keeping calm during important tests but there were moments when I got shaken when I wasn't 100% sure on an answer. Do what you think is necessary to prepare yourself for game day, and definitely listen to as inspirational music as possible immediately prior to walking into the test center haha.

- Don't get discouraged! For the first few months, especially in gen chem and physics, I was regularly getting only 30-50% of TBR passages correct. At a certain point, I realized I needed a better foundation and ordered the gen chem and physics EK 1001 books. By the time I started taking CBT's, I had a decent grasp of everything.

- On a related note, a lot of what you've studied won't really come together until you start taking practice tests. They're immensely useful in showing you what you thought you knew, but actually didn't know well enough. Also since I scored exactly my AAMC average on the real thing I personally found them to be a good predictor of actual MCAT performance. Speaking of which, I was universally bad at predicting how I did on tests. I felt like I bombed some of the practice tests, only to click through and see a 38. I took the MCAT on 4/13 and a lot of people can attest to how wild the BS section on that was...you're likely going to feel pretty bad about your performance when you walk out of the test center. Everyone does...just trust in your preparation and live your life through that long month before you get your results.

7) Time studying
For the first 2 months, I averaged probably 3 hours a day. During the last 3 months, that gradually increased to 6-8 hours a day. The only way I managed to stay focused for 5 months was to slowly ramp up my study time. I was lucky enough to be working a job with a lot of scheduling flexibility. I can't imagine studying for the MCAT while also studying for classes in school...I would for sure recommend studying over the summer if you're still an undergraduate.


I hope that was helpful. Everyone's different, I wouldn't recommend trying to replicate mine or anyone else's studying experiences exactly. Talk to your friends, read people's experiences on SDN, and compare those to your own situation to formulate a plan that will work for you. Be honest with yourself about what areas you're weak in, and work on improving those. Good luck!

 

[REPTAR013]

1) Individual & Composites
PS: 10 VR: 11 BS: 10 W: S Composite: 31S (Aug 23, 2011)

2) Study Method

Examkracker's complete study guide, 1001 series, AAMC tests

I primarily focused on a slightly altered version of S2N's 3 month study plan. I was working at the time, therefore I had to extend the 3 month out to like 4 months. Monday-Friday I tried to read a chapter in the Examkrackers book and really understand it... do practice problems on it at the end. I took an AAMC practice test every 2 or 3 weeks. Once August rolled around and I was done with my internship I studied longer during the days and began taking AAMC tests every weekend. The AAMC test studying turned into taking tests on Monday, studying missed on Tuesday/Wednesday. Taking test on Thursday, studying missed on Friday Saturday.

3) Study Materials

EK complete study guide, EK 1001 series, AAMC tests

4) Practice Tests

AAMC Average: Composite - 29.7

5) Undergraduate Major
Electrical Engineering

6) Tips?
You know, I can't stress enough to not get discouraged, that will ruin your attitude next test and will affect practice scores. Really, I wish I could not have worked during the summer so I could really study as much as I wanted to, but I really need the money for tuition. Working full-time really does burn you out and you just don't want to do anything after 6PM.

Just keep pushing yourself, taking practice tests, learning from your mistakes, and REALLY LEARN HOW TO PACE YOURSELF. Pace is everything when it comes to the MCAT, pacing and endurance. The fact that I loaded up on AAMC tests towards my test date really helped me physically and mentally prepare myself for this LONG test. Thus, when I took the actual test the adrenaline going through me helped push me to have even more endurance. At the end, I did not even feel like it was that long.

So three main things: confidence, pace, endurance.

 

[ace12345]

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
2 months. 2-3 hours per day.

 

[carramrod06]

Finally found the time to post here. I started off with a pretty high AAMC practice score so I don't know how effective my study plan was. Either way, I hope you find it helpful!
1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=14 VR=11 WS=Q BS=13 Composite=38Q
4/28/2012 MCAT

2) The study method used for each section
Started reading through and doing all of the examkrackers chapters and the problems at the end of each chapter. I also completed most of the lecture tests at the end of the book. Because of my background teaching/tutoring chemistry, I spent most of my time on biology and physics and covering topics that I knew I was most weak on (i.e. microbiology, electricity and magnetism, fluids, optics). I did not do much prep for chemistry at first.
After my first practice test, I identified the subjects that I was weak on and did a focused review using Examkrackers.
Verbal I picked up The Princeton Review Hyperlearning workbook which I found to be the absolute best representation of the real test and completed 2/3 of the book. I believe this helped my score go up from a 9 to an 11 on the practice tests. Probably could've put more effort into practicing verbal (by at least finishing the book) but I was already happy with my score and lost some motivation.
With verbal practice passages ongoing and focused review post practice tests, I took practice tests until about half a week before the actual test which was when I stopped all review. I was extremely alert throughout the entire test and I think this break helped a lot (I was chugging on all cylinders even through the biology section).

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
Examkrackers books, Course offered by my university.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC Practice tests (scores below in order taken) did not take AAMC3/AAMC7
PS/VR/BS
AAMC 8 - 13/10/12 35 January (late)
AAMC 9 - 12/9/14 35 February (early)
AAMC 10 - 13/11/13 37 March (early)
AAMC 4 - 14/11/15 40 March (mid)
AAMC 5 - 14/10/13 36 March (late)
AAMC 6 - 13/11/12 36 April (mid)
AAMC 11 - 13/11/13 37 April (late)
PS=14 VR=11 WS=Q BS=13 Composite=38Q (4/28/12 MCAT)
AAMC Average: 36.5
AAMC10/11 Average: 37

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?

Definitely take an AAMC practice test to start so you know the type of questions asked. I was surprised the first time that I did not actually need to have memorized a huge amount of random facts to do well. Basically, I found most passages came down to identifying a key formula or small concept map and using that to answer most of the questions (i.e. frequency*wavelength = velocity). Don't be intimidated by really complex looking passages. You don't need to understand the passage completely to answer the questions. A lot of them boil down to a simple equation and you'll realize its actually one of the easier passages.
I found the AAMC practice tests to be exactly the same difficulty as the real MCAT. I think most people think there is a difference because during the practice tests you can look at the answer key and give yourself a "handicap" by saying you wouldn't have missed certain questions because of careless mistakes. On the actual test, you'll never see an answer key so those questions that you handicapped yourself earlier are still going to be wrong. Bottom line: Read carefully on the actual tests, don't get tripped up on things like "radius" vs. "diameter". They are very specific about what they want in the passage and they could give you the diameter in the passage and ask for the radius in the questions. These are easy points but also questions where people get careless. I think you'll see significant improvement if you can avoid these careless errors.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
About 4 ½ months, a few hours each day, more for practice test days obv.

 

[LittleDandelion]

1) Your individual scores and composite score:

35Q

2) The study method used for each section

PS and BS: I used SN2'ed 3 months schedule and felt that it helped me a lot in reviewing materials. I basically just read the chapters and did practice problem. I felt that I actually got the content.

VR: I simply followed the method from EK audio osmosis. I just read like those passages are interesting stories, and try to guess words' meaning based on contexts. Due to the lack of time during my study abroad trip, I ended up doing 7 practice passages a day to be able to go through all of my practice material before the test. I think it helped because I got used to reading 7 passages at a time actively.

3) What materials you used for each section

I used SN2'ed schedule, so TBR, EK 1001, EK 101 verbal, and TPR hyperlearning verbal workbook.

4) Which practice tests did you use?

all the AAMC's.
PS/VR/BS
AAMC 3: 10/10/9 29
AAMC 4: 12/12/13 37
AAMC 5: 13/11/11 35
AAMC 7: 10/9/10 29 (burned out but was still stubborn enough to take it that day, not a good idea )
AAMC 8: 12/10/12 34
AAMC 9: 14/11/12 37
AAMC 11: 12/10/13 35
AAMC 10: 11/6/10 26 (yeah, this is what I got for trying to take an mcat when i was exhausted and couldn't think straight )


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 took the free Princeton review practice mcat half a year before I started studying for this test, and got an 18 . Maybe because I was not taking my prereq classes seriously. But that 18 was definitely a motivation for me to study for this test. It showed how much real study can make a difference, and also, improvement is definitely possible. So don't give up.



7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

3 months for about 6 hours/day

 

[eatbeats]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS 9 / VR 11 / BS 12 Composite: 32P

2) The study method used for each section

I did the Sn2ed study plan, but cut corners here and there because I worked up to 30 hrs/week during it

Physics and Gen Chem: Berkeley Review
VR: EK101, TPR Hyperlearning Verbal Workbook, AAMC practice exams 3-7 and 11

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
100% EK for Bio.
Mostly BR for Gen Chem/Physics. Some EK for those sections as well just because I couldn't for the life of me understand some of the physics concepts (I had this problem in undergrad too...)
For verbal I did EK101 (major help), TPR Hyperlearning, and then decided to just read books for an hour a day one month prior to MCAT.

4) Which practice tests did you use?

AAMC 3-7 and then 11 because I heard that 11 was the hardest one and most reflective of actual MCAT score.

5) What was your undergraduate major?

Psychology

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

READ! Read anything. The verbal section requires that you are a fast reader and can comprehend very quickly. Not everyone is. Solution: Read an hour a day, concentrating as hard as you can on what you are reading, trying not to zone out, for 3 months prior to your exam date. I guarantee you will improve! I did that only for one month, and I think it made a difference in my verbal score. Also the BS section is mostly reading comprehension (answers are hidden in there somewhere!).

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

3.5 months. Anywhere from 3-8 hrs/day. The 8 hour days were starting to burn me out and I could only do them when I had fewer work hours. So I stopped doing them after 2.5 months and kept it to 3-5 hours a day.

 

[danny89]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=12 VR=11 WS=S BS=12 Composite=35S

2) The study method used for each section
PS: Read chapter of Berkeley review, did the problems at the end of the chapter in accordance with the phases. The key for PS is practice, practice, practice! You need to be quick with your calculations and that means you had better get good at estimating. My real MCAT had A LOT of calculation type questions but I believe TBR prepared me well for it. Also, please take the time to learn the underlying concept behind the things you are learning and be able to apply them to real life situations whenever possible. Memorizing a formula is cool and all, but that won't help you too much during the real test. I also used chad's videos and some of wikipremed's videos as supplements to my learning.

BS: First off, take orgo seriously! I didn't take it too seriously because I didn't think it was going to be a big part of my MCAT, I was wrong! I had 2 very hard orgo passages + discretes which left me very nervous. Just make sure you understand what is going on in each reaction and WHY each reagent is being used and why certain types are preferred over other types. Most of my orgo questions were WHY's rather than WHAT's. As for biology, this is pretty straight forward. Use the princeton review MCAT biology book. It may look very detailed but trust me, it is super helpful. You do need to know the little details and you also need to know the big picture type things. A lot of the biology questions were based off of data given in the passage so make sure you actively read the passage because a lot of the answers can be found there. For practice I would read the princeton review book for bio and TBR for orgo then do corresponding phases in the TBR bio and TBR orgo books. The TBR passages may seem very daunting and difficult at first, but keep trying because they really do make you think critically which is very important for the MCAT. Also, during my last month of studying I was done with content review but wasn't feeling confident in my bio knowledge so I basically took the AAMC content outline for bio and went through each bullet point and expanded on it by using info provided by TPR bio and wikipedia and putting it into microsoft word as one big outline. (inspired by ponyo's 30+ post). I only got about half way done but had I started to do this earlier I think my bs score might have improved even more.

**For all the content chapters that I read I would take notes by hand in a notebook and then review them before taking my phases and also review them once every couple weeks in order to keep the info fresh in my head. It may have been overkill but, meh, it worked fine for me.**

VR: Seriously just actively read try not to reread the sentences multiple times and just stay focused on the reading and keep asking yourself "what is the author trying to say?" and "how does the author feel about this?" I tried to adhere to the exam krackers strategy because I liked it and I guess it pulled through for me. Make sure you are timing your self from the beginning because once you get your timing down you will start to notice improvements in your verbal scores. I personally performed way above my practice verbal averages so I attribute to test day adrenaline and getting verbal passages that I liked to read.

Writing: I googled some writing strategies like the night before, it really isn't a big deal, don't stress it.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
-The berkeley review for chem, physics, bio(passages only), orgo
-Princeton review MCAT bio for biology
-wikipedia for bio (seriously it is SO helpful!)
-official AAMC topic list
-Chad's videos for physics and chemistry
-wikipremed for physics and chemistry
-princeton review hyperlearning verbal
-exam krackers 101 verbal passages
-exam krackers 1001 questions in physics,chem,orgo
-princeton review science workbook *Seriously guys GET YOUR HANDS ON THIS BOOK! it is filled with tons of discretes and passages that range from impossibly hard to somewhat easy. I started using this during the last 3 weeks of my review so I couldn't finish the entire book but the stuff that I learned from doing the passages in this book definitely helped me on the real mcat. Once again, I HIGHLY recommend getting this book.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC 3 - 11

4a.) Practice exam scores
AAMC's (total, PS, VR, BS)
3 - 30, 10,10,10
4 - 29, 12,7,10
5 - 33, 12,11,10
7 - 29, 11,7,11
8 - 31, 12,7,12
9 - 33, 12,9,12
10 - 33, 11,9,13
11 - 33, 11,10,12

Average: 31.375

So yes, I did excel far past my average, I'm not really sure what happened on test day. I pumped myself up on the way there, stayed VERY calm during the entire thing and just did my thing. By the time the test came I was so used to the testing environment that the real MCAT felt like just another practice test when I started. Probably because I would take my practice tests alone and under strict timed conditions without pausing the exams ever. Simulating the real testing environment is really important.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Neuroscience & Cell biology

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
If the test is far away, try and read books or newspapers. It will help you keep your reading skills up and it definitely won't hurt. For those of you that are in the 3 - 4 months window, please stay on top of your reading and passages. You need to take this thing seriously from the very beginning. You will probably burn out, I know I did multiple times. The best thing you can do is take a day off and just relax, studying while being burned out is a HUGE WASTE OF TIME! Also, use videos to supplement your understanding and also visit the MCAT forum here on SDN and ASK QUESTIONS! I used the MCAT study Q&A section a lot and it really helps to talk about things with your peers. Maybe if you're bored one day you could go there and try to answer other peoples questions. Basically just use every single resource you have available. The test is a pain in the behind to study for once and no one wants to study for it twice so just do it right the first time.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
Januray 1st - April 28th. I didn't study every single day because I was also taking a 15 credit course load so I had classes every day along with homework and exams to study for. I did however TRY to study every day and would spend at least 3+ hours on a normal day. I'm by no means a "genius" so if I could do it with classes so can you! I did have to sacrifice a lot of social time but in the end it was worth it!

Did you think the Bio passages on the MCAT closely resembled TPRH science workbook passages or BR passages?

 

[DocBBear]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS 11 / VR 13 / BS 15 Composite: 39R (5/12/2012)

2) The study method used for each section

First off, I took the MCAT the Spring when I was finishing my year-long post-bacc (pre-reqs only). I was ten days out from taking finals for second semester orgo, physics, and cell biology.

All but Orgo: I used EK's subject review books, working diligently through each and every page. I would take their end-of-the-book 30 minute quizzes when I could find the time and space, which was not very often. I got through about half of those.

Orgo: I started EK's orgo book, but was frustrated when I found so many mistakes. I then ordered Princeton Review's orgo book, because I had heard good things. Again, by the time I got to SN1, SN2, E1, and E2, I threw down the book never to pick it up because of the mistakes. I had an excellent orgo professor for both semesters, and I knew this subject was not too heavy on the MCAT, so I decided to wing it. On all the AAMC practice tests I took (granted, not many) I got perfect or near perfect on all the orgo questions.

VR: In addition to EK's very small VR book, I got their 101 passages. I got through half the book, with my scores improving, but also oscillating a bit.

BS: In addition to EK, I had a great cell bio class leading up to the exam. I've heard people say (non-MCAT) classes don't help, but I disagree. In the end most of the questions (excluding VR) are content-based, not skill-based. My class really taught me how to interpret weird (as in, we lost the labels on these cultures...) experimental data presented in a few short sentences without stating why they are doing the experiement or the hypotheses (as most of us are used to).

I took 2 AAMC CBT, mostly to get used to the length and experience of computer-testing.

Most of all, relax! I barely studied for anything the week before taking the test, made sure to exercise and sleep. I was totally zen when I got to the testing center (a little too much for the PS section, which I ran out of time on, but it was definitely helpful for the rest of the sections!). Learn to take a step back during the exam to take a deep breath and calm yourself when you get anxious. Doing well is about being relaxed enough to think clearly!


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

See above.

4) Which practice tests did you use?

AAMC 3: 31, 10/10/11
AAMC ?: 33, 10/12/11 (Sorry, can't remember which one it was....probably either 7 or 4)

5) What was your undergraduate major?

Anthropology

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

Read the VR passages only once, focus on the main idea for 5 seconds, and then tackle the problems. For those you don't know the answer too/seem ambiguous--that's normal. Most of the time picking the answer that goes with the main idea is the correct one. Also, if you're really into the passage, be sure to acknowledge your own ideas as you read--this will help to separate what you think versus what the passage says. They are trying to trick you!

For BS, don't get intimidated by vocabulary you may not know.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

MCAT-focused studying only, about 13 weeks total on and off, averaging ~2 hours per day.

 

[angldrps]

Did you think the Bio passages on the MCAT closely resembled TPRH science workbook passages or BR passages?

they are both good practice

 

[Fivo]

wrong thread. Sorry guys

 

[ridethecliche]

Feels good to finally post on here. I didn't want to post here after my first test because I was disappointed with my score and knew I could do better.

So now, new and improved.

1) Your individual scores and composite score

May 20, 2011: 30S (11/9/10)
May 19, 2012: 34R (12/11/11)

2) The study method used for each section

Modified SN2ED. I did about a chapter a week for everything and did phase one passages.

For physics, I just did the first section of passages. Then when I finished my first run through, I went back and reread my notes and did phase two, and then did the same for phase three. This way, I did three distinct runs of all the material.

I work full time, so I'd cram the chapters in during the weekends and then read notes and practice during the week. This way I saw the material multiple times.

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

TBR for practice for everything, EK for verbal and bio, TPR for verbal.

4) Which practice tests did you use?

I retook the AAMC's this time around because it had been a year. I didn't remember anything so it worked out okay. I did a ton of TBR practice too, but I took their exams last year and didn't want to repurchase.

Scores ranged from 30-36.

AAMC 4: 30 (10/10/10) Right after content review
AAMC 5: 35 (13/12/10)
AAMC 7: 33 (11/11/11)
AAMC 8: 36 (13/10/13)
AAMC 9: 36 (13/11/12)
AAMC 11: 33 (11/11/11)
AAMC 10: 33 (11/11/11)

Average: About 34. Higher if you discount the first exam taken right after content about 3 months before my exam.
I think it's funny how I didn't ever score a 34, but that's what I got on the real deal. Honestly, I was hoping for a point higher on PS and BS, but that would have been best case scenario. I'm super happy that I'm DONE!!!

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Molecular bio/biochemistry and Science in Society (philosophy/soc/history/etc of science)

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

Keep things in perspective. This was a retake for me. I was much calmer this time around. I concentrated on learning the material and learning from my mistakes instead of focusing on my scores all the way through.

I also took the time to hang out with friends, go to concerts, and relax during the time I studied. I work full time so burnout was a concern. I studied non stop last time and it was miserable. My friends thought I was going insane. I never saw anyone!

During your exam, keep your head in the game. Learn to guess on a question and move on to come back to it or you will waste lots of time. TBR is very good about teaching you this. In addition, go out of the room during every break and decompress. Just forget about what just happened entirely. It doesn't matter anymore. Worrying about it will make you mess up during the next section.

Don't be freaked out by the numbers in practice passages. Concentrate on the learning. Your %'s should improve with every run through of the material. Before doing passages, I would read through my notes again just to keep things fresh.

After doing three runthroughs of the material, the formula's just stuck in my mind. I wrote those all down in a notebook with condensed notes and read them when I had a few mins.

You've put in the work and now it's time to trust yourself.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

About 6 months in addition to working full time. I took a month off in there from doing hardcore studying because I had a lot of life stuff that needed to be addressed. I started back on the study wagon in march and pushed my test day back a month and it was game on! Scores went down for a hair, but bounced right back up as I oiled the groove.

It's a good feeling to be done. To those that are thinking of retaking, don't fret! It was definitely an easier process for me the second time, but I still thought the test was hard come test day.

Good luck!

 

[bluebillion]

Can we add a question? What classes do you recommend taking before MCAT?

 

[Forkit]

Can we add a question? What classes do you recommend taking before MCAT?

Seriously? Go check the AAMC website and figure it out yourself.

 

[Vladimir B]

Can we add a question? What classes do you recommend taking before MCAT?

Necessary: Biology, Physics, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry
Recommended: Physiology, Biochemistry

Seriously? Go check the AAMC website and figure it out yourself.

Absurdly harsh for no reason. This is the student doctor network, where us as students try to help each other. There was NO reason for such a negative comment, seeing as this is a support forum.

Regards,
Vlad

 

[altitude]

Necessary: Biology, Physics, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry
Recommended: Physiology, Biochemistry




Absurdly harsh for no reason. This is the student doctor network, where us as students try to help each other. There was NO reason for such a negative comment, seeing as this is a support forum.

Regards,
Vlad

+1 about the harshness. HOWEVER, when people see that there's a new post in this thread, there are expecting to see a new post on someone's 30+ study habits, so I do agree that it is bothersome to see people post questions (especially unrelated ones) on this thread, when they should rather opt for a new thread or a search on the topic through past threads. I think most users look forward to seeing new 30+ study tips, so when a new post is just a question, it is kind of a let down (which may explain the harsh response). And this post basically contradicts everything I've said above, but hopefully it will deter many future unrelated posts on this thread.

 

[beachbum87]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
33Q, 11's straight across the board.

2) Study Method
Took Princeton Review class, though honestly it didn't help much. This is an individual test and you have to study individually. The only reason I took it was because I was working 60 hours a week while studying and I didn't have the energy to study unless I knew I was paying for it. Judge if you have to, but it's what I had to do.

3) Materials
Princeton Review books, including the book of practice problems. I also listened to Audio Osmosis. Audio Osmosis is good for reinforcing what you already know, not for learning knew material. I thought the Princeton review books were good.

4) Practice Tests
Took all but one AAMC, none others. Average was right around a 33, with my high score of 36 being on AAMC 11. Lowest score was a 28, but I took it before I really started studying hard.

5) Undergraduate Major
Biochemistry

6) Other tips
I thought the PR verbal strategy was terrible...I never did well with it. What worked for me was to become completely absorbed in the passage. You need to not worry about the structure, or transition words, or blah blah blah...If you're actually absorbed in the passage, all those things will come. Don't do anything that makes you come up out of passage, you need to read it like a novel you can't put down, regardless of the topic. Doing this takes practice reading boring stuff, but it is possible since each passage only take a couple of minutes to read.

Know your math well. Be able to calculate quickly. I love double checking my work, not enough time for that on the MCAT. Practice doing easy and moderately difficult calculations, but know you only can do them once.

With Biology, I found that it helps to get absorbed in the passage, just like verbal.

7) How Long
I studied about 4 months casually and then 6-8 weeks intensely (5-8 hours a day)

 

[SaintJude]

1.) Scores
First Attempt : 23S---10VR/08PS/5BS(Aug. '11)
Second Attempt: 34M---11VR/12PS/11BS (May.'12)

2.) Study Method

Praying & meditating--really the same thing. I am not kidding. A major part of the MCAT is testing your ability to work under pressure. The single biggest difference between my preparation and performance 1st & 2nd MCAT was my state of mind. The second time around I decided to view the MCAT as a test that could honestly make me a better person. And it did! It made me more focused and nurtured my attention to detail and more humble!

You can imagine, with a 23 -- I felt hopeless. And in hopeless cases, it helps to have an advocate. There is no better advocate than St. Jude, patron of hopeless cases. You can check SDN Twitter thread on the day that I knelt down to pray to St. Jude who has always worked wonders (as you can see from my score increase !)

Post-phrasing!! http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=786361

Post-phrasing essentially involves physically writing down why each answer choice is correct or incorrect. Personally, I went a step further and also wrote down the question itself! This additional step helped me really internalize the question and really process what it was asking me.

3.) Materials

Kaplan Review Books & Kaplan Online Workshops
EK Review Books: Organic Chemistry, Biology and Physics
Started with 1001s Orgo, but didn't find it useful so stopped.

4.) Practice Tests

All AAMC Exams
Kaplan FL 1-5
Kaplan Section Tests

Most valuable
Kaplan Subject Tests
Kaplan Q Bank
EK Quizzes at the end of each EK Chapter

5.) Undergraduate Major: Biology and Biomedical Engineering

6.) Other Tips
Save your essay! I lost my essay 20-something minutes into the writing section and hence my drop from an R to M.

7.) How long? 5 Months

 

[Qlassic]

I'm a rising sophomore, and would like to head start on preparing for the VR section. Reading comprehension has always been my weakest spot, so does anyone know what's the good starting for students like me? I'm not familiar with a lot of high-level words, so I'm worried that this might have a significant impact on my reading on the actual test also.

What materials should I use to harvest a reading comprehension skill?

 

[altitude]

^This is definitely the wrong thread for your question. Please use the search function or look through the recent treads as this question is very commonly asked. If you still can't find a satisfying answer, start a new thread because not many people will answer your on this one. You could also look through this thread to see the strategies of those who scored well on verbal.

 

[ismile2]

1) 40Q (14-Phys. 12-Verb. 14-Bio.)


Phys and Bio - Used kaplan and EK (3rd edition) for review. Kaplan tests from their Full length, sectional, and topic tests

Verbal - didnt really use a strategy. Just took a lot of EK Verbal tests and AAMC ones. I took some kaplan but they seemed "different" from the AAMC and weren't really helping. Their question style (yea i know im ambiguos but I really cant explain this) weren't like the AAMC. To each his own I guess.

Major: History

Be diligent when taking your practice tests like make sure the timing is right and stuff like that. All the studyin in world won't do you any good if you can't think/run out of time on test day. Also please don't freak out on test day cause I know I was anxious as hell. You have to be calm when u take the beast because I guarantee you will come out thinking that it was harder than it actually was. Also as above posters have said keep up with some sort of schedule. I studied haphazardly up until the last 4 weeks before the test. Makin a schedule up then was a MUST, especially since it was during school.

Kap course from june to august. Voided aug 06 exam, felt like crap..studied from end of december to january test date.

Hi,
It seems like you are some of the few ones who used KAPLAN to get a great score. My test date is first week of september and I just bought kaplan as well (as i thought princeton was too much detailed and gold standard isn't), what is your opinion about TBR vs Kaplan as now you have taken the test?

 

[Neurophage]

Your individual scores and composite score
PS=14 VR=11 WS=Q BS=14 Composite=39Q

2) The study method used for each section
PS&BS: Skimmed reading materials, thoroughly read anything with which I felt uncomfortable, did LOTS of problems and practice exams. Physics was extremely challenging to me because my college physics course wasn't suited to the MCAT. My PS score went from a 6 to a 14 during my studies.
VR: Tons of practice exams, experimentation with different methods, and self analysis.

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

4) Which practice tests did you use?
Kaplan and AAMC tests

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Neurobiology, Physiology, & Behavior

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Very generally, push yourself to solve a lot of problems and never give up if you don't understand something. More detailed suggestions: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=926937

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

 

[UrshumMurshum]

1.) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=11 VR=10 WS=R BS=10 Composite=31R


2) The study method used for each section
I tried using SN2's schedule, but I ended up not being able to keep up with it. Mostly I studied hard about 6 weeks before my exam - I did a chapter a day of the TBR physics, chemistry, and organic chemistry.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
TBR for physics, chemistry, and organic chemistry. TPRH biology section + wikipedia for the biology portion.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC tests

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Physics

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
You'll hear a lot of talk about a "new" BS section and it being different than the AAMC exams. It's somewhat true, but honestly if you're doing well on the BS AAMC exams you're likely going to do good on these sections as well. I thought I had a dramatically different test than my AAMC's yet I ended up getting the highest of my practice test scores. So don't be discouraged during the exam or before the exam, just be confident in your preparation and know that you're likely to get a score close to your AAMC averages. And yes, I was very nervous before/during my exam but it didn't seem to affect my score that much.

Also don't neglect exercise! In fact I think this helped me a lot. I would suggest beginning a vigorous aerobic exercise program 2-3 months prior to STUDYING for the MCAT. Why? Well studies have shown that aerobic exercise increases your serum brain derived neurotrophic factor. This BDNF stimulates your brain to produce stem cells within your hippocampus, which is the structure of the brain involved with learning. It takes 3-10 weeks or so for these stem cells to become fully mature neurons, so that's why you should begin exercise a few months prior to studying. I did this and I found it a lot easier to pick up on topics and also to assimilate knowledge quickly from reading passages during my practice tests/exam.

As for the writing section I went into the test thinking you only had 15 minutes per essay, so when I got the screen popping up at the 15 minute mark I thought I was finished so I clicked next. Only then did I realize that you actually have 30 minutes to write an essay. So I ended up asking the proctor if I could go back to my first essay which ended up wasting time for my second essay which was just not a good idea at all. This is all because I didn't read the instructions during the exam and I never read the instructions during the practice tests. Despite this, I basically just wrote like a robot, I did not deviate at all from what the prompt was asking me to do. I.E. write example, counter example, blah blah blah. Just follow the prompt. Somehow even with that ridiculous error I made, I still managed to score like in the top 15 percentile for writing.

I'm still scratching my head on that one?

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
Off and on for a month and then a solid 6 weeks

 

[nimbooda]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
May 24, 2012: PS=13 VR=11 WS=Q BS=13 Composite=37Q

2) The study method used for each section
PS & BS: Content review for the first 3 months, followed by 1 month of section practice
VR: Section practice, but not much. I teach the LSAT and was very comfortable with VR. The 11 was my lowest performance in VR yet, but nothing to complain about

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
I used the Kaplan materials for everything. I enrolled in the "On Demand" or self-paced course and followed the schedule. I also listened to Audio Osmosis by Examkrackers for about 3 months every time I was in my car. I probably heard the entire series 5 or 6 times by the time I took the exam.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
Kaplan Diagnostic: 24
Kaplan FL#1: 33
Kaplan FL#2: 38
Kaplan FL#3: 37
AAMC 8: 36
AAMC 10: 39
AAMC11: 41

For the remaining AAMC exams (Kaplan gives you all of them with the course), I broke them into sections so that I could get exposure to every released AAMC question. It gave me a lot of confidence to do this and I feel like once I was sure I could sit through a full-length and survive, section practice is more helpful. A full-length is a test of endurance, not skill per se, and sections helped me work on the latter for each part of the MCAT.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
B.A. in Religious Studies (fancy-pants, expensive school)
Post-Bacc work in upper-level biology (cheap state school)

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
One major tip: don't agonize over what materials to use. Don't waste your time trying to figure out whether Sn2d v. Kaplan v. Princeton Review v. Gold Standard v. Examkrackers v. Dr. Nick's Back Alley MKAT (TM) course, or some magical combination thereof, is the ticket to a solid MCAT score and a full-ride to Stansbury Medical School. I went from a 24 to a 37 using the bare-bones self-study course from Kaplan. No voodoo required. Having gone through the entire process now and seeing the results, I am confident that the best strategy in MCAT prep is to pick a set of materials you can afford, get a schedule, and stick to it religiously. And if anyone tells you "I heard that [insert brand name]'s full-lengths are easier than [insert competing brand name]" or anything like that, just give 'em the Jenna Marbles face and they'll leave you alone.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
4 months, during which I continued my work and school responsibilities. You can do it too! It's a big investment and worth the sacrifice of your social life for a few months. If your friends, girlfriend, boyfriend, wife, or husband gives you a hard time about being so busy for a few months, forget about it.

You'll get better ones when you're a doctor.

 

[estradiol9]

I'll post this now while I still remember how I studied:

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=10 VR=9 WS=Q BS=12 Composite=31Q

2) The study method used for each section
PS was my weakest area so I watched a lot of YouTube videos, used books, practice questions, etc. BS I mostly just reviewed the content and did practice questions. I did not practice for the WS. I did practice passages for VR.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
PS = khan academy & freelanceteacher videos, The Princeton Review Physics Review, The Princeton Review General Chemistry Review
VR = Exam Krackers 101 Passages
WS = Nothing
BS = The Princeton Review Biology Review, The Princeton Review Organic Chemistry Review (some material is no longer on the test), Exam Krackers 1001 Questions in Biology

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC #3 as a diagnostic before I started studying, AAMC #4 mid way through studying, AAMC #5, 6, 7, and 10 at the end. I wanted to save some in case I had to re-take. Average AAMC score was 31.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biology and Psychology.

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Utilize the outlines on mcat-review.org/ ! It was the best thing I could have done. I would review the relevant sections as I finished the content review and hilight everything that 1.) I didn't already have committed to memory 2.) Was SUPER important. I printed the outlines out and made a binder of them and would take notes on it as I reviewed or watched videos. I then would review the hilighted stuff in the outlines every few weeks through my review so that I didn't forget anything and also went over them as I took AAMC FLs at the end of my studying.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
I started in February maybe about 10 hours per week. Then starting in March was studying more, maybe ~15-20 hours per week. I took my test 5/24. The last 2 weeks prior to the test was even more, maybe ~25 hours per week.

 

[Freeinfinity]

.

 

[lcck]

x

 

[ridethecliche]

1.) Scores
First Attempt : 23S---10VR/08PS/5BS(Aug. '11)
Second Attempt: 34M---11VR/12PS/11BS (May.'12)

2.) Study Method

Praying & meditating--really the same thing. I am not kidding. A major part of the MCAT is testing your ability to work under pressure. The single biggest difference between my preparation and performance 1st & 2nd MCAT was my state of mind. The second time around I decided to view the MCAT as a test that could honestly make me a better person. And it did! It made me more focused and nurtured my attention to detail and more humble!

You can imagine, with a 23 -- I felt hopeless. And in hopeless cases, it helps to have an advocate. There is no better advocate than St. Jude, patron of hopeless cases. You can check SDN Twitter thread on the day that I knelt down to pray to St. Jude who has always worked wonders (as you can see from my score increase !)

Post-phrasing!! http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=786361

Post-phrasing essentially involves physically writing down why each answer choice is correct or incorrect. Personally, I went a step further and also wrote down the question itself! This additional step helped me really internalize the question and really process what it was asking me.

3.) Materials

Kaplan Review Books & Kaplan Online Workshops
EK Review Books: Organic Chemistry, Biology and Physics
Started with 1001s Orgo, but didn't find it useful so stopped.

4.) Practice Tests

All AAMC Exams
Kaplan FL 1-5
Kaplan Section Tests

Most valuable
Kaplan Subject Tests
Kaplan Q Bank
EK Quizzes at the end of each EK Chapter

5.) Undergraduate Major: Biology and Biomedical Engineering

6.) Other Tips
Save your essay! I lost my essay 20-something minutes into the writing section and hence my drop from an R to M.

7.) How long? 5 Months

Hey! We're twinssss!

I got a 12PS, 11VR, 11 BS too. Wooo!!!

 

[TipToad]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS = 14 VR = 11 BS = 10; Composite = 35Q

Form: PS VR BS Total
--------------------------------------------
AAMC 3: 10 9 12 31
AAMC 10: 14 11 11 36
AAMC 8: 12 11 11 34
AAMC 7: 13 10 12 35
AAMC 6: 13 11 13 37
AAMC 5: 11 11 13 35
AAMC 4: 12 10 13 35
AAMC 9: 11 11 13 35
AAMC 11: 11 11 13 35
-----------------------------------------------
Average: 11.89 10.56 12.33 34.78
Median: 12 11 13 35

2) The study method used for each section
Verbal Reasoning: I did the first 7 or so tests from EK 101 Passages in Verbal Reasoning. I started with a 5 and 6, and ended up with 11's. Scored an 11 on test day. I just studied smartly, and read each passage as if my best friend was talking to me about something important. Imagine your best friend is dishing some major gossip –you're gonna want to know ALL the details. I didn't bother with mapping or even highlighting words or ideas. Just read the passage as if your best friend is talking to you. You WILL remember more.

Physical Sciences: I read through the EK books and typed up my own notes. I went and talked to my professors about confusing topics, and supplemented and reinforced my basic knowledge using mcat-review.org and wikipremed.com. I became very quick at calculations and estimating.

Biological Sciences: I read through the EK books and typed up my own notes. Read through notes over and over again. When practicing body systems, I used real life examples to reinforce the knowledge. For example, when I ate food, I would mentally go through the whole digestive system and how the food digests. I would randomly ask myself the direction of blood flow in my body, and how my kidneys are currently filtering blood.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
Examkrackers is very good for BS and VR. I live by wikipremed.com and mcat-review.org. Those sites were EXTREMELY helpful. I also did ALL the AAMC CBT tests. In addition, I also found the AAMC-R (old) versions of the test. From these, I did all of the passages that were excluded in the CBTs. There were enough extra passages to fill an additional 3-4 full-length exams! That's a lot of extra practice!

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biochemistry, but I have a lot of humanities courses under my belt

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Walk into the test feeling like a BAMF who's going to rock a 40. Overstudy, but overstudy smartly. It isn't an exaggeration to say that this test really does decide your future. Hit it hard once so that you don't have to retake – retaking would waste more time than putting in more effort to study in the first place.

SUPER CRITICAL! I kept a running notebook (handwritten) of questions and topics that I've gotten incorrect. After every test, I would go over every question, and if I got a one wrong, I would write something about the topic in that notebook. Like, if I got a specific gravity question wrong, I would write in the notebook stuff about specific gravity, how it works, how to manipulate the equations, etc. I then read over this notebook every few days. This way, I never miss a question on that topic. It works. Trust me.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
January to the end of May (about 5 months)

 

[oftw]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS-13 VR-13 BS-11 WS-M Composite 37M

2) The study method used for each section
Tried to do the SN2ed schedule, but couldn't keep up with it and 6 classes. Ended up doing AAMC practice tests starting a month out. I skipped the writing sections to save time and would only review the questions I got wrong. I ended up taking 5 AAMC tests in all and my average score was a 34 with my individual scores ranging at around 11-12 for PS, 10-14 for VR, and 11-13 for BS.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
I did the first 2 sections of all the BR books and used AAMC 3, 4, 5, 7, and 11.

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?
The actual test is different from the AAMC practice tests. As long as you finish all the sections on the actual test, though, you will score around your average. So if you are scoring what you want on the practice tests go in confident that you'll get what you want.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
I studied 2 weeks 4 months out from the test and for the month leading up to the test.

 

[K M R]

1)Your individual scores and composite score
13, 10, 10 (33P)

2) The study method used for each section
VR: Read through EK once for content. Then practice tests using EK 101.
BS: Read through EK (bio and orgo) twice for content. Made notecards the second time through. Started EK 1001 for bio but didn't do much of it.
PS: Read through EK (physics and chemistry) twice for content. Made notecards the second time through. Then practice problems using EK 1001 for chemistry and physics. Did about half of each 1001 book.

I also did about 800 mcatquestionaday.com questions.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
EK for content and practice problems/ passages (especially for VR, my best section!). Pulled some from my genetics, physics, and microbiology textbooks. Reused some notecards from micro .

4) Which practice tests did you use?
Free Kaplan diagnostic; EK #1H; AAMC 3; eight of the EK verbal tests

5) What was your undergraduate major?
A social science (not one of the common pre-med ones, though)

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Notecards were huge for me. I made about 600 and EK came with 60 for orgo. I was able to grab a handful and use the restroom, or go to work, or go to the gym. These were CRITICAL.

Also, practice problems. I ended up doing about 2500 practice problems in all, not counting full-length practice tests. It helped.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
Began in September for the April 28th MCAT; later rescheduled for May 31st.

 

[circulus vitios]

Everyone says they're doing "the first (third, quarter, whatever) of TBR passages." What does this mean? The Fluids & Solids section of TBR Physics has 7 passages. Does this mean you only do a few of the passages, or all of the passages and only a fraction of the questions? How does this at all prepare you for the MCAT?

 

[Jimmy Rustles]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=11 VR=9 WS=Q BS=11 Composite=31Q - not an official score yet, just the last practice exam I took, taking the real thing in August so I still have time to improve

2) The study method used for each section
PS & BS: Attended every lecture, briefly reviewed the text but mainly just do practice freestanding problems and passages
VR: Lots of practice passages, some reading of the text

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
Currently taking a TPR Prep course, much better than Kaplan IMO

4) Which practice tests did you use?
Princeton Review

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biochemistry and chemistry double major

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Stay diligent, it's easy to get discouraged and to hit a wall early on in the process due to the overload of information, you just have to stay confident in yourself

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
Been studying since the end of May, averaging between 3-4 hours per day but I plan on increasing to around 6 hours a day the last month before the exam which is on August 23rd

 

[ozzi22]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=11 VR=9 WS=Q BS=11 Composite=31Q - not an official score yet, just the last practice exam I took, taking the real thing in August so I still have time to improve

2) The study method used for each section
PS & BS: Attended every lecture, briefly reviewed the text but mainly just do practice freestanding problems and passages
VR: Lots of practice passages, some reading of the text

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
Currently taking a TPR Prep course, much better than Kaplan IMO

4) Which practice tests did you use?
Princeton Review

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biochemistry and chemistry double major

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Stay diligent, it's easy to get discouraged and to hit a wall early on in the process due to the overload of information, you just have to stay confident in yourself

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
Been studying since the end of May, averaging between 3-4 hours per day but I plan on increasing to around 6 hours a day the last month before the exam which is on August 23rd

Lol, why the hell are you giving tips if you haven't taken the real deal yet?

 

[Fivo]

Lol, why the hell are you giving tips if you haven't taken the real deal yet?

That's Jimmy Rustles, watchout your comments bro

 

[Forkit]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=11 VR=9 WS=Q BS=11 Composite=31Q - not an official score yet, just the last practice exam I took, taking the real thing in August so I still have time to improve

2) The study method used for each section
PS & BS: Attended every lecture, briefly reviewed the text but mainly just do practice freestanding problems and passages
VR: Lots of practice passages, some reading of the text

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
Currently taking a TPR Prep course, much better than Kaplan IMO

4) Which practice tests did you use?
Princeton Review

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biochemistry and chemistry double major

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Stay diligent, it's easy to get discouraged and to hit a wall early on in the process due to the overload of information, you just have to stay confident in yourself

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
Been studying since the end of May, averaging between 3-4 hours per day but I plan on increasing to around 6 hours a day the last month before the exam which is on August 23rd

Misc Brah? Aware lol

 

[davis8018]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=10, VR= 13, BS=11
Composite= 34O

2) The study method used for each section
Reviewed my ExamKrackers book for each section. Other than that, did AAMC practice tests and reviewed notes from MCAT material-intensive classes that I had taken previously. Specifically- Organic I, Cell & Molecular Bio, Mammalian Physiology.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
Used ExamKrackers books- studied them on my own. Also used their 1001 questions books for my weaker sections. I was really weak in some areas of Gen Chem and bought specific videos from *********** for those sections. I'd highly recommend doing that for anything that you're having trouble with!

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC 5: Composite 27
AAMC 7: Composite 30
AAMC 4: Composite 32

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biology Major, Psychology Minor

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Don't freak out if you do poorly on the first practice test or two. It takes a little while to get in the rhythm of the test. Above all, KEEP STUDYING. Don't get discouraged by a difficult section or practice test. There is no individual topic that is going to be covered so thoroughly that you should freak yourself out about it. That being said, use whatever resources necessary to feel confident. Ask professors specific questions, use online resources, ect.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
I studied semi consistently from January until I took the test on May 24th. I was also taking a full class load, so there were definitely days that I never got around to it. I'd say that I averaged an hour or two per day during the week, but then would put in five or six hours a day on weekends. I definitely increased my study time during the two weeks leading up to the test, but focused mostly on the AAMC practice tests or short tests at the end of the ExamKrackers sections. Near the end, I think it's important to just practice, practice, practice and not worry so much about specific content.

Feel free to message me with any specific questions. Happy to help anybody get through that beast of a test.

 

[horsesense21]

1)
2 months during the summer (3-4 hr daily)
took fall term off from studying
1 month during winter break (at least 6 hours daily)
1 month during the start of winter term (at least 6 hours daily. things got rough. lol)

you took all of fall term off for studying? wow. how did you manage to retain everything you learned from summer?

 

[domadwork]

Just got my score today!
1) PS=12 VR=11 WS=R BS=15 Composite=38R

2) The study method used for each section
PS&BS: Reviewed all the materials using Kaplan. Finished a book a week. And spent last week reviewing difficult concepts I noted down periodically.
VR: Did nothing, practice scores fluctuated between 11-13

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

4) Which practice tests did you use?
Kaplan all the way.
I did 4. This was def too little

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biochem

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Make a study plan and follow it. I had no time at all but I did fine because I stuck to my plan for review and prac exams. I did 4 prac exams. should have done more.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
35 days months (5 weeks), averaging 10 hrs/day for first three weeks. and 3.5 hrs/day for last 2. [/QUOTE]

 

[liyaz]

1)Your individual scores and composite score
PS=14 VR=12 BS=12 (38S)

2) The study method used for each section
I basically used SN2ed's study plan but modified it to fit my schedule. I didn't do any hat tricks and couldn't devote the recommended time to reviewing practice passages and practice tests. However, I really think that reviewing your mistakes is key! I kept a separate notebook just for writing out mistakes or misconceptions that I made while practicing - even though I didn't always have time to go over it, just writing out the concepts helped. I also had a separate notebook for jotting down formulas and concepts while reviewing content. In addition, after content review, I made a bunch of notecards for each subject using both notebooks.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
PS & BS: I used TBR for content review and practice passages and examkracker101 for extra practice problems. I also listened to Audio Osmosis during my free time for about 2-3 months
VR: I used the Princeton Review Hyperlearning and examkrackers books and used the strategies from Audio Osmosis - I really recommend using their strategy and not ones that tell you to skip around. I hardly had enough time to read each passage and get through each question. If I was worried about which one was harder and going back and forth to different passages, well it'd be just too confusing and inefficient.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
Kaplan (forget which #): 33
AAMC 3: 34 (PS11/VR13/BS10)
AAMC 4: 33 (10/11/12)
AAMC 5: 33 (12/10/11)
AAMC 7: 33 (11/10/12)
AAMC 8: 38 (12/13/13)
AAMC 9: 35 (11/12/12)
AAMC 10: 35 (11/12/12)
AAMC 11: 33 (10/11/12) - felt burned out before this one and took a 2 day breather before my real MCAT date

5) What was your undergraduate major?
International Relations

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
When you're taking the pre-req classes, REALLY learn the material. I was a post-bac and took all of the required classes in the 2 years leading up to the MCAT. The 2 years basically served as an extensive MCAT review and I felt I knew the material fairly well as I began to study for it in earnest.

Also, really try to simulate real testing environments for your practices tests. I always went to the library at the same time, found a quiet computer nook, and used earplugs. When it came to the actual exam, I didn't feel worn out at all by the 5hr test.

The actual exam left me feeling pretty crappy. I used up every last second for each section even though for my practice exams I usually had 5-15mins left over for most of the sections. I didn't have time to re-check too many answers for the PS. For the BS, I had an insane experimental passage where I mostly guessed through - no amt of studying would've prepared me for it. I definitely thought I scored below my average.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
I was taking Physics and Orgo (+ labs) during my spring semester while researching, volunteering, and working so from January - May I studied maybe 2-3 hrs a day with breaks for midterms & finals. From May - June, I studied maybe 6 hrs a day but had scheduled break days. So about 6 months total but only 1 month of fully dedicated MCAT studying.

 

[blueshockey]

1)Your individual scores and composite score
PS=11 VR=11 BS=12 (34S)

2) The study method used for each section
Well, for the first month or so, I was following the S2D method to a T. After that first month though, I pretty much got burnt out with all the research and school I was doing so I gave it up. I didn't study at all for verbal, PS and BS were my main focus. I got a bit lucky because in all the practice tests i took, I had only gotten an 11 on VR once. Made some flashcards for the sciences, nothing too advanced though, I probably only had like 75 notecards.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
PS & BS: I used TBR for content review as well as mcatreview.org. I found that they went over similar concepts with a sometimes clearer explanation given on the website. I hardly touched the practice problems in the book after the first month though, so probably at least 2/3 are unanswered.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
Oddly enough, in all the practice tests I took, my PS score was always my highest section. So naturally on my actual MCAT, BS takes the lead. I'm kind of grateful for that though, as I'm a biochemistry major! I took aamc's 3-11 with an average of around 32. I got a 33 four times, so it was a relief when I broken that barrier.

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?
Unless you have a specific question for SDN, I would advise not logging back in until the day scores come out. I would have driven myself insane if I watched people more neurotic than me speculate about their tests scores (though I'm no saint, it was still on my mind!). Seriously, it was a stress relief when I wasn't bombarded with test anxiety for a test that had ENDED. As for tips on what to do prior to the exam...don't let this test dictate your life. Yeah, some people may be able to have 10 hr per day cram-a-thons for three months straight, but I'm not one of those people. Go out and do stuff, get a girlfriend that understands how much of your life you are putting into this test, or have some drinks. The biggest mistake I made was thinking i had to study all day in order to make progress.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
During the first month, I probably took 4-6 hours per day of studying, which was insane to me. So after that first month, I really only studied 1-2 hours a day at MOST with some sporadic instances of me looking over notecards I had made.

Good luck everyone

 

[cspringer]

1) Your individual scores and composite scores:
1st try: 8/23/11----PS=10 VR=6 WS=O BS=6 Composite=22O
2nd try: 6/21/12---PS=11 VR=10 WS=M BS=11 Composite=32M

2) The study method used for each section:
I followed the SN2ed 90 plan but I spread it out over ~105 days. I took a few extra days off to study for finals (Orgo I, Bio II, and Physics II all with labs). I also took a week off before AAMC FL tests and traveled.

3) What materials you used for each section:
PS: TBR supplemented with EK 1001. I watched the corresponding wikipremed videos while doing review.
BS: TBR supplemented with EK 1001. I watched Chad's free Bio videos during my last few weeks of review.
-I also used the EK books to make initial outlines of the subjects and I must have listened to EK audio osmosis 100 times and watched The Gold Standard videos multiple times.
VR: TPR verbal workbook and EK 101. I bought a used copy of the TPR from 2005. The timing was a bit off because the tests were 60 questions, but it was a huge help. i didnt finish either of these books.
-MCAT question-a-day and Barron's flashcard iPhone apps.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
-Kaplan and TPR diagnostics.
-The Gold Standard - 10 FLs ~once a week during my review.
- TBR cbts - 7 before started the AAMC tests.
-AAMC 3(as baseline), 4-11.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Jazz Guitar

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
-I set a goal to finish the SN2ed in its entirety and I did that. I learned from studying music that cycling your learning helps with memorization. The third time through the Berkeley passages solidified my understanding of the concepts.
-I also set time aside to study weak concepts away from the SN2 schedule. I used the 1001 books for this.
TBR is the best review and it will teach you to how to answer the questions more than any other review IMO.
-Do ALL of the passages.
-Take a day off before the test.


7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
~3.5 months, ~4hrs/day.

 

[BABSstudent]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=11 VR=10 WS=R BS=11 Composite=32R

2) The study method used for each section
PS&BS: Broke the Princeton Review physics section into three parts, chemistry and organic into four parts, biology into five parts. Read one part of each of the four sections a day. I essentially read TPR 6 times in a month. The second month was focusing on my weaknesses and practiced questions.
VR: Practice, practice, practice for the last month.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
Princeton Review for study material
EK for practice problems

4) Which practice tests did you use?
Princeton Review for two tests (but I didn't like them)
AAMC FL 3, 4, 5, 7, 8

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Zoology and Spanish

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Read lots of other books, magazines and newspapers. I scored a 28 on my first MCAT, with an 8 in VR. I focused on reading other things and I found verbal got easier with increased reading of other material.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
2 months. But like I said, I read TPR about ten times during the two month. I wanted to put the studying into long-term memory, so I read and reread every day. If I finished the four sections early in the day, I would restart the sections. I tried to study about 6 hours a day (but it ended up being like 4 hours because 6 hours is just too long to study for).

 

[Emmerson]

1) Your individual scores and composite scores:

8/23/2011 - VR9 PS5 BS5 - 19M

6/21/2012 - VR11 PS12 BS10 - 33R

2) The study method used for each section:

The first time I sat the MCAT I didn't study at all, and it is clearly reflected in my score. More on this later.

The second go around I studied very intensely with Kaplan materials (online course materials and books), various cherry-picked TBR sections, Khan Academy, Examkrackers Audio Osmosis, and that giant Examkrackers verbal passage book. I also took the Kaplan on-site course. I felt this was necessary because I'm a non-trad, non-science major (English), and I didn't really learn the premed material post-undergrad - I memorized material for tests and forgot it all afterward.

Verbal: the hands-down best resources are the AAMC tests. They are far and away the most similar to what you will see test-day. Second to these is the big Examkrackers verbal passage book (101 verbal passages I think?). These are shorter than what you'll see test day, but the questions capture the essence of AAMC's style and ingrain good verbal habits (picking what most closely matches the main idea and moving on). I also did a ton of Kaplan verbal sections, but once I took my first AAMC practice test I realized I had wasted my time. Kaplan verbal focuses way too much on detail oriented questions and is just off in both passage and question tone. Do the entire Examkrackers verbal book and you'll score above 10 at least. My 11 on the actual exam was low for me - I usually scored a 12 on AAMC, Kaplan, and Examkrackers verbal tests. Verbal is a hard score to improve on. As you can see, with significant studying I improved on two points on an actual MCAT. Start verbal practice early, and practice it consistently.

PS: ironically this section was the one which gave me ulcers. Gen Chem and Physics were extremely boring to me post-undergrad and the most difficult pre-med classes to adapt to coming from a background in humanities. My best piece of advice - do all of TBR's Gen Chem and Physics books. Take notes on each chapter and do all of their passages. It is by far the best PS resource (compared to Kaplan and Exmakrackers). I advise you take notes on a chapter and then watch Khan Academy videos relating to that topic (take notes on this too). Then do the passages as laid out by TBR (they have you break them into sections which are to be done weeks apart). After I finished using Kaplan and Khan Academy to essentially relearn all of Gen Chem and Physics, I used TBR to reinforce the most difficult topics. I wish I had discovered TBR sooner (I only used it for a month). Prior to switching to TBR my PS scores on tests ranged from 9-11, and once I switched it turned my weakness into my strength. Also, do not neglect anything electricity related (both physics and gen chem).
BS: Kaplan's books are good resources here. They are detailed and well written, and the discrete questions following each passage help reinforce commonly tested BS topics. Organic was one pre-med subject I excelled at, so I reviewed it fairly casually (only did organic practice passages and questions on FL practice). I taught myself all the physio. MCAT makes us responsible for by taking notes on every Kaplan chapter and the related Khan Academy videos. I went from zero physio. knowledge to mastering it (and of course physio. was totally absent from my MCAT - every passage was like Ebola). I also used TBR, which has amazing bio practice passages. I recommend doing all of them. A weird thing about my BS score - this was generally my highest section on FLs. I always scored between 11-13, and got a 15 on AAMC 11. I'll elaborate on this later.

3) What materials you used for each section:

VR - Kaplan, Examkrackers (great), AAMC tests (best)
PS - Kaplan, TBR (best), Khan Academy (use it)
BS - Kaplan, TBR (great passages), Khan Academy (helps with tricky physio.)

4) Which practice tests did you use?

All of AAMC and Kaplan 1-5. Lowest score was a 28 on AAMC 8 (first FL practice exam), highest were a 37 on Kaplan 3 and a 36 on AAMC 10. Both averaged to 32. After that 28 on AAMC 8 I didn’t score below 30. I advise saving AAMC 7-11 for your final FL practice exams.

5) What was your undergraduate major?

English Lit. After graduating I went back to complete all the pre-meds. The transition was difficult.

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

I don't know why I didn't void my first MCAT. I think I was just generally ignorant about the entire process. I hadn't discovered SDN and there were so many other things going on in my life at the time. I just didn't take it seriously. I took it the day after I got back from my honeymoon, and between getting ready for a wedding, work, and a new wife I just didn't put in the effort. After I got my score I resolved to actually study and re-learn all those concepts I never bothered to truly understand in pre-med. If you're still in undergrad, the biggest favor you can do yourself is to really, really learn the material the first time around. The less time spent on content review translates to more actual practice, which is where the major improvements come in.

Do all of the AAMC tests (don't chop them up either - pretend each one is the real deal). In addition to these, do all of the TBR PS and BS passages. For what it is worth, I think Kaplan's PS practice sections are the most similar to the real test. Calculation heavy, very intimidating diagrams, uninteresting and written to purposefully make the questions harder. After taking a FL, go over every problem, both right and wrong. Take notes on it and redo missed problems. Write down commonly missed problems and elusive formulas. Then go back and make sure you understand any area you were fuzzy on. This is absolutely critical. Without a heavy post-game FL review (followed by focusing on your weak areas), you will not improve your scores.

This test, and preparing for it, was the most mentally draining and difficult thing I've ever done. It makes marriage look easy by comparison. I can only assume it is designed this way to weed out those lacking the fortitude to prepare and cope with being responsible for a vast amount of information. I made a huge mistake by studying the entire day and night before the exam (didn't get to sleep until 5am for the 2pm test) and I even studying outside the testing center in my car. I was totally frazzled the day of my exam, and I know I could have scored higher on both VR and BS (scored below my average for these sections) had I just chilled the hell out. BS on the actual MCAT is not like the AAMC BS (at least mine wasn't). It was abstract and felt like a giant microbiology/verbal hybrid (like Ebola), and demanded razor-sharp critical thinking. I'll say it again - don't study the day before and the day of. You hear this over and over, and goddamn if it isn't true. On test day, you have to be your sharpest.

One final thing - I was sure I bombed this test. Like low 20s. Above all, trust your training, not your gut. The reason they give you five minutes to void and make you wait a month for your scores is to exploit your neurotic pre-med tendencies. If you've prepared (and you will know you have because you'll feel a deep tiredness and apathy all the way to your bones), and if you've been averaging your goal score, you will do well on the MCAT. You'll hit or exceed your average.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

Kaplan class was like three months, during which I took notes on the Kaplan books and did some of their various online material. I followed the course up with two months of FL's, Fl review, and TBR on weak areas in both PS and BS. I did at least three verbal passages a day and at least three full verbal sections a week. In the last month I only did practice passages and FL exams. I wish I spent less time on content review and more time on passages from TBR (this would have also allowed my to spread out my FL's more, rather than doing one every two days).

A word about Kaplan - if you’re looking into a Kaplan course, make sure you research you will be teaching your class. Only do this if an actual med-student is teaching the course. I had a med-student and this was what made the class worth it. He gave us tons and tons of invaluable information about the entire application process.

 

[duncan23]

) Your individual scores and composite score
PS: 12 VR: 11 BS: 13 -- 36M

2) Study Method
I took a Kaplan course but I felt as if it was a waste of money other than the online resources (practice tests)

3) Materials
Kaplan books (hated them), PR for bio, and EK books for all three. EK audio osmosis and thinkMCAT audio osmosis for bio (HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS)

4) Practice Tests
Kaplan:
Diagnostic: 24
FL1 (barely studied at this point) : 26
FL 2: 32
FL 3: 33
FL 4: 33
FL 5: 35

AAMC:
4: 35
5: 29 (had a migraine
7: 31
8: 32
9: 34
10: 33
11: 33

5) Undergraduate Major
Psychology. I did a postbacc premed program.

6) Other tips
For PS: learn all those quick math tricks. know the formulas backward and forward.
For Verbal: DO NOT follow Kaplans strategy. When I tried "mapping" I ran out of time and never broke a 9. Read the passage in it's entirety and do not take notes. You understand it so much better and get a feel for the author more that way
For BS: thinkMCAT audio osmosis was my savior. It was 6 years since I took general bio and I got a 5 on my BS diagnostic and a 7 on my next full length.. after I listened to this religiously (and used the PR bio and EK) i never got lower than an 11 or 12.


7) How Long
I started my Kaplan course 5 months before I actually took the exam but do to school/commuting I didn't really get to study until a month before.. So four months of light studying plus a month of intense studying (about 5 hours a day)

 

[MDschoolorbust]

1) Your individual scores and composite scores:
6/21/2012- Physical: 12, Verbal: 11, Biological: 10, Writing: Q= 33Q

2) The study method used for each section:
I've learned that Biology doesn't need to be read for that much detail. I went through EK for it and did the end of chapter exams but didn't spend too much time on it. It is more beneficial to learn how to read Biology passages and draw diagrams when necessary.

Verbal I blew off at first because I was scoring 10s and 11s without studying. Then I hit a snag where I was scoring only 8s and 9s and was pretty worried. That's when I started studying and went through a lot of the EK 101. It helps.

Physical was my strong suit (even though I'm a Bio major), because it is mostly math based. If you're good at manipulating equations and solving stuff in your head then it is easy to master. Didn't think I'd end up with a 12 on it but I'm glad I did because it pulled up my score a ton.

Orgo was a nightmare. Did basic review, very basic, of only the EK Orgo book and hoped I didn't get too many Orgo passages. Luckily they must have not been that bad on my test because I can't remember any of them. It is most likely what brought down my score though because I remember feeling very confident on the Bio sections.


Writing is a joke.

3) What materials you used for each section:
EK all the way. Read through and did the end of chapter exams for each section. Wish I had spent more time reviewing though (was on a shortened time crunch so I was just trying to get all the info in).

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11.

Practice tests are extremely important. I was crushed because I was scoring around a 30 on 7 and 9, then scored a random 27 on #8 and a 28 on #10. Two days before my MCAT I took #11 with all hope lost and scored a miracle 32 on it (10/11/11) which boosted my confidence for the test.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biology and German

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
-Take Biochemistry and Cellular Biology. Those helped a ton. Also I had just taken Physics 1 and 2 the previous two semesters and I felt comfortable with them on the test.

-Don't lose hope after you take your MCAT and automatically reschedule. I felt miserable afterwards and my AAMC average was pretty low (29.2). I freaked out when I got my score back and saw all sections in double digits. I didn't think it was possible but I was about 3 points higher than my average. So if you're feeling discouraged, WAIT for your test to come back before rescheduling unless you're 100% positive you bombed (missed a couple sections, had a panic attack, threw up on your computer, punched the test-giver, etc.)


7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
May 8th-June 21st so in total about 1.5 months. Studying an average of 2-3 hours per day.



So happy I can finally post in here. Good luck all!

 

[asco]

1)Your individual scores and composite score
PS=14 VR=13 BS=14 (41S)

2) The study method used for each section
I was a bit pressed for time, so I read through most of EK (and some TPR), and I would work through each example or question I wasn't sure I could do. I went front to back for each subject, skipping only subjects I was very comfortable with - and noting those I wanted to review. I reviewed my 'problem subjects' only after completing the main go-through for all of the subjects.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
EK for all subjects (didn't really read through Orgo as I had just taken the course so I can't account for it's quality - the rest are great despite some minor typos).

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC 10: 43 (15/14/14)


5) What was your undergraduate major?
Psychology

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
The topics - minus physics which I hadn't taken in a few years - were all pretty fresh in my mind, so I opted for EK, which seems relatively sparse on pure content but excellent on strategy. If you're rusty, read through TPR: if you have time, just read (first) then again, working through the problems and examples. I'm convinced one could come close to a 30 with only an elementary understanding of the sciences tested: my point being that this is much more a pure thinking test than I think people realize. To that end, I would suggest actually working through all or most of the problems at your disposal, and though I didn't do this, take practice tests as can be afforded. Another observation: on the actual testing day, I found myself pretty nervous while taking the test, which made me a bit slower answering (I had 15+ minutes on each section of the practice tests, only a minute or two on the actual) - so anticipate this when your prepare with the practice tests. As has been noted, do simulate the testing conditions; maybe even in a noisier environment than you'd encounter for the real deal.

Definitely bring a power bar or some other energy source (maybe a 5 hr energy) and pay attention to when you schedule the exam: if you're like me, you get quite tired in the mid-afternoon, right when you're starting the verbal section... so maybe opt for a morning (or vice versa). Also, all of the security checks take longer than you may think so plan restroom breaks accordingly.

Almost certainly, you will not feel good about your performance when you leave the exam (I didn't and most everybody I spoke to about it didn't as well). In fact, you may not do well, but it may be best not to rush to sign up for a re-take (also consider this when you're staring blankly into the void screen).


7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
As noted, most things were pretty fresh, so this was an extended review for most things. For a couple weeks, I studied mornings for 3-4 hours, mostly doing problems, then I skimmed the material for an hour before going to bed (I was taking classes at the time). Ideally, I think you should read over all of the material, take a baseline test, then meticulously work through the problems, taking more practice tests at regularly spaced intervals.

 

[Ace-Co-A]

Does anyone have on thoughts on the McGraw-Hill MCAT review text? I haven't seen MH mentioned once on SDN. I have worked through all the questions and done the practice tests. I'm planning on taking the AAMC's free practice exam tomorrow. I will be taking the MCAT in January 2013 so I have time.

The PS on MH demand a lot of arithmetic that causes my progress to be very slow. Is this typical? (It seems a little intense to ask about natural logarithms and extensive long division on a test for which no calculator may be used.) I'm planning on purchasing the TPR "MCAT Workout" review text as well just for a cross reference. Suggestions/comments? All help is appreciated.

Edit: I'm going to post this elsewhere because it seems off topic in retrospect and I don't know how to delete it.

 

[dysentery]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=14 VR=11 WS=Q BS=12 Composite=37Q
Test date June 21, 2012

2) The study method used for each section
Overall study method closely followed the 10-week EK study method on their website. If you fall behind a day, you get in gear and do two days' worth the following day. You don't have to kill yourself, but don't screw yourself over by being lazy either.

PS & BS: ExamKrackers the entire way, plus some old class materials to help through some of the microbio. Additionally, I used the 16 mini-MCAT book from EK.

VR: In addition to EK. Started with the ExamKrackers 101 Verbal, but found all of their questions to have answers that didn't make any sense. Was averaging 8s and 9s with it, with one as low as a 4. Once I started practicing with AAMC tests, I was averaging 11s and 12s. Just practice with the AAMC stuff.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
EK including some of the audio osmosis when I felt weak somewhere. AAMC practice tests helped, too.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
I took almost all of the AAMC practice tests. It was a great way to study, to be honest. No better way to get good at taking the MCAT than to take practice MCATs in my opinion.
I was averaging around a 36 to 37 at the end, after starting off at around a 30.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Spanish major, Chemistry minor.

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
I think one of the most important things I did was to take notes and make flashcards over the material as I went through my EK books. I would read through the section and take notes, then at the end of the week I would make flashcards over the sections I had studied that week. Then, literally the two days before the test, get a friend (as this will keep you focused) to work with you through all of your flashcards as much as possible. I can tell you that I answered questions right on the test because they were strict memorization that had been drilled into my head 24 hours before the test.

Additionally, once you take an AAMC test or a practice section test in the book, add anything you didn't know to your notes so you can include them in your flashcards.

So, stick with your study plan, and use your flashcards before your test. Flashcards aren't mentally draining like taking practice tests and I found them incredibly useful.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
2.5 months (~10 weeks), averaging ~3 hrs/day. Towards the end, I was doing a lot of practice tests to gear up.

Good luck, everyone!

 

[TheShaker]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
6/21/12 - 11PS/11VR/12BS = 34Q

2) The study method used for each section

PS: Mostly EK but I had a TPRH book that I looked at whenever EK got a bit too condensed and confusing. I felt like this was the hardest section for me to study for since I'm not used to doing mental math and I'm just generally bad at physics. Whenever I felt weak on any particular subject, I would use the TPRH Science Workbook to practice content and the EK1001 to practice the math.

VR: I did EK 101 and AAMC tests. I reviewed the first few but I burned out near the end and stopped reviewing (don't do this). I used the EK strategy of just reading through and focusing on the main idea. I believe this is the safest and most consistent way of taking the test.

BS: I just read through EK and did practice passages from the TPRH SW. I was taking Anatomy during the semester and I retained a lot of my knowledge from my courses (I'm a bio major) so this section wasn't too hard for me to study from.

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

PS: EK + TPR
VR: EK 101 + AAMC FL
BS: EK

4) Which practice tests did you use?

AAMC FL 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

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?

1. Studying for this felt completely hopeless at times (especially during content review) but things will fall together in the end. Just keep forcing yourself to push on through.

2. When you are done with content review, look at everything all over again. I personally took 2 days of studying 14hrs/day to just go through all of the content at once in detail. This really helped me tie all of the separate concepts together (a skill that the MCAT loves to exploit).

3. One method that I personally found useful after I was finished with content review was giving myself homework to do every day. I used a random number generator to make sets of problems for every night for a month before my test. These questions came out of the TPRH discretes and passages. Make sure you get the entire range of problems so that you will get a little bit of every subject.

4. Review your verbal mistakes. My practice scores in the beginning were around 10-11 but they dropped to 7-9 2 weeks before the test. I attribute this to me not reviewing the problems and developing bad habits which caused me to get more questions wrong.

5. Do absolutely everything you can to maintain your composure during the exam (real and practice). I believe that the MCAT is a pressure test and it is designed to strategically make you fall apart inside. The 6/21 test really hit its mark with me and I almost had a panic attack during the verbal section and I had to take 30 seconds of not looking at the computer screen to regain my cool. Never lose your composure.

6. When you're looking at that void screen, remember to make your decision based on objective information. Use your AAMC FL results and what happened during the test. If you made it through the test without passing out, throwing up, or otherwise heavily compromising your results, then score it. Don't void just because you felt bad. Everyone feels bad after the test. I personally wanted to cry and felt like I got a 25. I ended getting a 34, 1 point higher than my average.

7. Get drunk after the test, it really helps.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

I started in March but I only got to study about 2hrs/day during the semester. I kicked it up into about 6hrs/day when the semester ended (one month before the exam).

 

[premedstudent21]

Congrats on your super MCAT score!! Anyway, I know you dont review Berkeley books, but do you think I should purchase those to prepare chemistry and physic for MCAT? Or just EK is enough. I'm currently a sophomore, a little bit early to ask but I want to be ahead of everything. THanks