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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[minhaj]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
VR 11 PS 13 BS 12 WS M = 36M August 5, 2008

2) The study method used for each section
VR - AAMC are the closest to the real thing. But EK 101 passages are really good too. I used this website to increase my speed - www.spreeder.com . I moved up to 400 words per minute. This really helped me because I finished each section with plenty of time to spare.

PS - PS was the worst section for me. I dedicated a whole month for PS, mostly physics. I reviewed with Princeton review and followed that up with EK physics. I think it worked really well.

BS - Memorized Kaplan Bio and EK orgo. EK orgo is all you really need to know.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
PS - Princeton review, EK Chemistry, EK Physics, EK 1001 Physics
BS - Kaplan Bio, EK orgo, EK 1001 Orgo (although I didnt really use it)
Verbal - EK 101 passages. Everything else is not a good representation. well except for AAMC.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC 7-10
Kaplan 1-10
One princeton review test (worthless)

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?
The things you need to know for the MCAT are really basic. You should be thorough with the concepts. If you dont understand something, then look it up online, find pics/videos whatever, just make sure you understand it. Once you understand the concept you know the you can answer any question the MCAT is gonna throw at you. MCAT only tests basic stuff, but you should be able to apply what you have learnt. The best way to develop this skill is to Practice, practice, practice.... and practice. Dont even think about taking the MCAT without taking 10-15 practice tests.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
May 1st to August 4th. In the beginning I studied for 4 hours a day, but bumped that up to 8 hours later on. I started doing the practice tests a month before the actual exam. I would take a test on alternate days. Review stuff on the days I was not taking the test. It worked out pretty well.

Good Luck

 

[BlueElmo]

I just got my score from the 8/05 exam. It was my first time taking the MCAT.

When I came out of the testing center, I told my mom I probably made a 27 or 28. I was really upset. There were so many questions in my head -- I made barely-educated guesses on several

My score today came out: it was a 36S - 12/12/12

Trust me, the feeling you have coming out of the exam is quite inaccurate.

WW2010, wow! your AAMC scores are almost exactly like mine. The VR section is very much like BS in that it is much, much more passage and reading comprehension based than PS.

Thank you BNSN. You are giving me some hope. By the way, congratulations on your score, that is an amazing score!

 

[sylvanthus]

Wow, some of you guys were really hardcore.


1) Your individual scores and composite score
VR 12 PS 12 BS 12 WS M = 36M

2 and 3) The study method used for each section:

Examkrackers books and audio CDs (while driving across country).


4) I just took the free exam with the Examkrackers package.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biology (Physiology)

6) I agree with the above poster who said the exam only tests basic material, but disagree with needing to take a bunch of practice tests.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
Approximately 200 total hours over 3 months including 40 hours listening to the Examkrackers audio CD's.

 

[BNSN]

Thank you BNSN. You are giving me some hope. By the way, congratulations on your score, that is an amazing score!

I'm glad I could All you can do, unfortunately, is just wait for the AAMC to take time out of their busy schedule laughing at pre-meds to upload your scores.

And thank you very much

Wow, some of you guys were really hardcore.


1) Your individual scores and composite score
VR 12 PS 12 BS 12 WS M = 36M

2 and 3) The study method used for each section:

Examkrackers books and audio CDs (while driving across country).


4) I just took the free exam with the Examkrackers package.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biology (Physiology)

6) I agree with the above poster who said the exam only tests basic material, but disagree with needing to take a bunch of practice tests.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
Approximately 200 total hours over 3 months including 40 hours listening to the Examkrackers audio CD's.

Haha, I feel so stupid now. I got the exact same score as you, but I took 17 practice exams, did all Kaplan sections/topicals/subject tests, and used both Kaplan and EK. Way to be innately smarter

But, I did make an S on my essay, not an M lol but that is the part I didn't do anything to prepare for and that no one cares about!

 

[BlueElmo]

I just got my score from the 8/05 exam. It was my first time taking the MCAT.

When I came out of the testing center, I told my mom I probably made a 27 or 28. I was really upset. There were so many questions in my head -- I made barely-educated guesses on several

My score today came out: it was a 36S - 12/12/12

Trust me, the feeling you have coming out of the exam is quite inaccurate.

WW2010, wow! your AAMC scores are almost exactly like mine. The VR section is very much like BS in that it is much, much more passage and reading comprehension based than PS.

I have some hope reading your post. But I don't know, I still feel like crap. I mean walking out of the test, I thought that both PS and especially BS was hard, harder than AAMCs. I was scoring consistent 32s on almost all of the practice AAMCs, but I'm thinking I would be lucky to break a 30, which is of course all I'm hoping for.

I get so depressed during the day and I can't stop thinking about the MCAT, even though it is over.

 

[sylvanthus]

"But, I did make an S on my essay, not an M lol but that is the part I didn't do anything to prepare for and that no one cares about!"

Hehe, I spent half my time sitting there wondering what in the world was going on for the writing sample. I had no freakin' clue. It was the one thing I didn't study for and figured it was similiar to the GRE. Whoops!
I still don't know what they wanted, but obviously short and concise wasn't it.

BlueElmo- I wouldn't worry so much, to be honest, I was hoping to maybe get a 30 with how I thought I performed. I wouldn't have been much surprised if I got a 24. So, the 36 was a bit surprising. Chances are you did better than you thought you did. I also was ready to sign up for another date and begin studying again before getting my score, but my fiancee pretty much talked me out of that.


Justin

 

[minhaj]

I have some hope reading your post. But I don't know, I still feel like crap. I mean walking out of the test, I thought that both PS and especially BS was hard, harder than AAMCs. I was scoring consistent 32s on almost all of the practice AAMCs, but I'm thinking I would be lucky to break a 30, which is of course all I'm hoping for.

I get so depressed during the day and I can't stop thinking about the MCAT, even though it is over.

I know how you feel man and nothing I say is going to make that feeling go away. Just realize that like you, tons of other people who took the test felt the same way. When I walked out of the test, I thought I bombed BS. It felt like another verbal section to me. Some of the questions were just plain ******ed. I had no clue on verbal. By the end of one month, I was hoping I broke 30. But I landed dead on where my averages were, so as long as your average was 30+ you will be fine, unless you freaked out during the test.

sylvanthus - you are a genius. I wish I could do that.

 

[lrkoehle]

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

2) The study method used for each section
I started a few years ago by just learning everything I could in every science class I took (excluding p chem cuz it sucks), because I knew I would end up seeing it again. With that foundation set, I signed up for the Kaplan reveiew course, which brought back most everything I needed from those classes.

Verbal was a little different, because it isn't like the sciences where you have a set amount of material you need to know. Verbal requires analyzing the crap out of any number of passage types. This was by far my weakest area, and for me the hardest to improve. All I can recommend is do every single verbal practice section test you can get you hands on, that was my approach and come test day my score was higher than I had been averaging.

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

4) Which practice tests did you use?
Only Kaplan. After I took the test I came on SDN and saw a bunch of posts by people saying AAMC was the way to go and that AAMC practice exams were the only accurate ones, so I got really nervous. I don't know if I just lucked out and wound up with a 35 by only doing Kaplan, but it is probably a good idea for people to do at least one of each. Oh and my Kaplan average was about 35.8ish, so my 35 was pretty close to that (and probably would have exceeded that had it not been for one really tough bio passage).

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biochemistry and Psychology. The semester before the MCAT I took two physiology courses and a genetics course, which really seemed to boost my average practice test scores, even though my real exam didn't reflect that.

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Study, study, and then study some more, because this is not the kind of test you ever want to have to take again. This is not entirely true though, you do want to take breaks, so you don't get burnt out a week and a half before the exam, stop studying, and then proceed to bomb the test. As I said before, make sure you learn this material the first time around (ie study extra hard in gen chem, o chem, physics, and upper level bio classes), so that when it is time to review for the test you are actually reviewing. I knew many people who slacked off in these classes and made their lives much more difficult.

Also, do practice exams, lots of them. I know there are some freaks out their who can hit the mid to upper 30's by studying for a week and taking one practice test, but that isn't most of us. Plus, imagine how much better those people could have done with more practice. The practice tests are great for stamina and timing. I took about 9, and 7 of those were in the 2 weeks leading up to the exam.

A final word of advice, if you come to a challenging passage f***ing skip it! That's what did me in on bio. Fortunately, I was always very quick at bio, so the 20 minutes I spent on that one passage didn't hurt me but the stress did. Like many people, when presented with a challenge I want to tackle it head on, but that is exactly what the MCAT people want you to do! They are trying to screw you up! If they didn't every one would wind up with a score around 40, so a 40 would no longer be an extremely above average score. After I forced my way through that one passage I was really tense and I could feel the physiological effects of the stress it caused me, which I believed dropped my bio score to an 11 from my approximate 13 average.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
11 weeks, not counting the one week I was out of town not studying. I also took at least 1 day off a week. I studied about 5 hours a day, some times more sometimes less.

 

[ohmedschool]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
VR 11 PS 12 BS 13 WS T = 36T

2 and 3) The study method used for each section:

The verbal section was the hardest for me (English was my third language). I took a PR class that didn't help very much. I think mostly it was practicing using ExamKracker's Verbal 101 book and reading The New Yorker. I thought the essay was super easy; all you have to do is follow the thesis, antithesis, synthesis format and use concrete examples with good grammar, and you will be great.

The biology section was not too bad for me. I am not too good with orgo, so again I used ExamKracker's 1001 orgo questions on top of my PR class. After going through the entire book, everything was simple. I didn't do any extra studying for the biology section besides review general anatomy and physiology.

The physical sciences section was hard because I took it without finishing college physics. This is where the PR class really helped. I went into the class with a 3 on physics and came out with a 10. Then I did the ExamKracker's 1001 Chemistry questions to bring my score up to a 12.


4) What practice tests did you take?

Well, I took all the Princeton Review ones that came with my class. When I started the class, I had VR 9, PS 3, and BS 10. My last test was VR 10, PS 10, BS 13. However, I didn't feel the PR tests were that accurate, so the real MCAT exams (all 10 of them that were published) were great. Lowest on those was like a 29, highest 38. Toward the end, I vowed to take an exam per weekend and then an exam per day. Yeah, that didn't really work. But I definitely recommend taking as many tests as humanly possible.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biological Sciences

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

Get familiar with the test format. Make sure you don't have to drive 4 hours the morning of the test to get to the center. Trust your gut. Don't cancel your score at the end no matter how tempted you are to do so. Pack some energy foods. Empty your colon the night before. Don't worry about anybody else. Wear the headphones. It's just you and the test. Don't let any one section rattle you. Use the essay section to refresh your mind. And most importantly, have fun. Don't let the test get to you.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
A long time haha, like...a year? I definitely tanked toward the end and played a lot of Halo instead.

 

[ILikeFood]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=11 VR=11 WS=R BS=8 Composite=30R

2) The study method used for each section
PS: TPR course and TPR Science Workbook. Studied hard in my PS related prereqs. I didn't do much content review, I just went through the Science Workbook and did passages. When doing practice tests I'd go straight to the questions and refer back to the passage when needed. On the actual test, I spent the ten minutes of tutorial memory dumping formulas on the scratch paper they gave me and implemented the strategy used in practice tests. It helped because I finished the section in the nick of time.

BS: Same strategy as PS except I actually read the passages before answering the questions. I took Genetics, Cell Biology, Physiology, and Evolutionary Biology on top of 1st year Bio. When reviewing for the BS section I completely neglected Physiology, and unluckily for me it made up the majority of that section. I'm convinced the few Ochem questions on it saved my score from dropping lower.

VR: Only "studied" it when taking practice tests. I browsed SDN for different strategies and found that reading the passage carefully the first time greatly improved my VR scores. On the actual test, I found myself running out of time with one passage left. For that passage, I carefully read the first paragraph, the first and last sentence of each subsequent paragraph, and the entire last paragraph before answering the questions.

WS: I wrote about Chuck Norris.

3) What materials you used for each section (Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
4) Which practice tests did you use?
Princeton Review Course, including ICC, Science Workbook, and the first three practice tests.

AAMC #9 practice test.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
I'm a postbacc with a BA in Economics
I'm currently in a second bachelors program for Biology

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
For those of you just beginning your prereqs, study hard. Understanding the material is key. Read books that interest you and read many of them.

If you're less than 3 months from the test, I think practice is the name of the game. Do practice passages and tests. Practice pacing, i.e. ~7.5 minutes/passage for PS and BS, ~8.5 minutes/passage for VR

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
2 months @ 2 hrs/day. 1 month @ 6-12 hrs/day
Watched Tropic Thunder the day before the test.

 

[Duffy]

I just got my score from the 8/05 exam. It was my first time taking the MCAT.

When I came out of the testing center, I told my mom I probably made a 27 or 28. I was really upset. There were so many questions in my head -- I made barely-educated guesses on several

My score today came out: it was a 36S - 12/12/12

Trust me, the feeling you have coming out of the exam is quite inaccurate.

WW2010, wow! your AAMC scores are almost exactly like mine. The VR section is very much like BS in that it is much, much more passage and reading comprehension based than PS.

Wow... your score is exactly the same as mine: 12/12/S/12... ridiculous

 

[DebbieNicole]

I would like to emphasize something Crtical mass has stated....

One of the biggest things I can stress to new undergrads is to learn your material well from the start. If you know your stuff well and by well I don't mean do what it takes to get an A even if you aren't learning anything but rather doing what it takes to actually retain the material and do well!!

But to get back on track, if you do well from the get go and understand your material well enough, you may only need a good 2-3 weeks of studying and practice exams to get used to format.

I'd also suggest that outside reading if you are not an avid reader, and taking some philosopy/logic courses to help your critical reading skills is a good thing too. But that will only help if you try to analyze what you read. I've heard from someone that reading like you are debating with the author is a good method to learning to evaluate what is being said and help with verbal to some degree.

A test prep is by no means needed. A lot of people make the assumption that its the prep company itself that makes the difference but rather its the practice tests they give and even those aren't necessarily always needed. If you can do well and understand the material conceptually enough to apply it you'll only need maybe a month or so to prep.

As an older undergrad that is just beginning this ..."journey" (?), this advice is so helpful. I just entered school, and want to take the MCAT after graduation and try to get into Med School. I've been reading the threads like crazy and soaking up the advice. This is gold.

 

[DrRicoWest]

I am a sophomore under grad student and I just wanted to thank all of you who took the time to give aid to us who have to bear the weight of the "terrible" MCAT. I have absorbed the wisdom and helpful hints that you all have given to us who care, and I have a new confidence in my studies that I am back to the old me who "loved" school. I am on the way to class right now and I have been awake since 4am (and for the past week) reading replies left by students who took the exam and offered us their wisdom. Thanks for lightening the load for me, my own insecurities were preventing me from believing that I could accomplish some of the scores that you all have received. I took a practice exam twice so far and scored a 23 the first time and a 28 the second. Lol, I guess i'm making progress but I have not taken all of the classes required to even consider scoring over a 30 but i appreciate the input you have given us. I really do.

 

[MDean86]

Sorry for the delay, I wanted to make this as detailed as I could.

1) Your individual scores and composite score

I took the test for the first time on 8/5/2008 and scored:

PS-14, VR-11, BS-11, WS-R; Composite-36R

2) The study method used for each section

I studied using only Exam Krackers books and Audio Osmosis and did not take a class. I listened to the AO CDs pretty regularly in the months leading up to the test. I strongly recommend them, just make sure you find the posted errata and know when they make mistakes. Although I was able to get my hands on a couple of older (2005) Kaplan books, I only looked through them once or twice and thought they were filled with way too much scientific trivia to be a helpful MCAT study guide.

PS: After having read through the EK Physics and Chem review books and doing all of the 30 minute practice tests I turned to the 1001 series for these two subjects. I completed just about all of the problems for both Gen Chem and Physics. I started on my weakest areas and then moved progressively towards some of my stronger topics. Although the questions are often tricky and more specific than one the MCAT will ask, they help you develop a firm understanding of the topics. I think these books really helped me jump from my 12 average to the 14 I got on the test.

VR: I liked the EK approach but I wasn't completely faithful to it. After reading a passage I rarely stopped to put together the main idea, I was just always too eager to get to the questions while the passage was fresh in my mind. I highly suggest their approach and would advise against passage mapping. Even if you have time to map in your practice tests, there is often a big difference in your practice pace and your test-day pace due to second-guessing and anxiety. Although I usually finished VR with plenty of time left in my practice tests, I got a little behind on the real test and had to really move it on my last passage. I have a hard time seeing how anyone could have the time to map during the real test. I highly recommend the 101 passages book by EK, I completed about 5 full-length tests in this book.

BS: All EK books. I purchased the 1001 question series for Biology and Orgo. Unfortunately I just ran out of time and never got to them. BS had been a stronger section for me so I decided to focus more of my studies in the final weeks on the PS section. I think that if I had gone through them (especially orgo) they would have bumped my BS score up a point or two by helping me focus on some of my weaker areas. I recommend these if you have the time.

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

EK books, Audio Osmosis, and AAMC tests. See #2.

4) Which practice tests did you use?

I took the free online Kaplan Test after having studied for a few weeks in the Summer of 2008 and got a 24 on it. My goal was to take a full-length timed test every Sunday in the 8 weeks leading up to the test. That didn't pan out quite like I planned it would and I ended up taking only four more full length AAMC tests. I actually did the writing section probably only twice just so I could gauge what the real test would feel like. Aside from that initial Kaplan test, I used exclusively AAMC tests. My test breakdown and date taken:

Kaplan Free Online Test (6/15/2008): PS-7, VR-8, BS-9, Composite-24

AAMC 3 (6/29/2008): PS-13, VR-12, BS-12, Composite-37

AAMC 9 (7/6/2008): PS-12, VR-11, BS-13, Composite-36

AAMC 10 (7/12/2008): PS-12, VR-11, BS-10, Composite-33

AAMC 8 (7/26/2008): PS-13, VR-10, BS-13, Composite-36
*I was a little worried about the score drop from 9 to 10 so I decided to take AAMC 8 one section at a time. I had done a poor job reviewing my previous tests once I had finished them and I thought it would be helpful to get real-time analysis of the mistakes I was making. I completed the PS and then immediately went over all of my answers and then did the same with VR and BS. Although it took longer time-wise to do this, it wasn't nearly as mentally draining as going through the whole test at once.

5) What was your undergraduate major?

Economics with a minor in Spanish

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

There's no substitute for the full-length practice tests, but I think when you take the practice tests you need to think about how you would respond to certain questions during the real thing. For example, after my first two practice tests I realized that when I was unsure of a question I would just pick the best answer and move on. Easy to do when there is really nothing at stake. For the subsequent practice tests I tried to imagine how I would feel if that test came up on the real thing. I made myself realize that there would be questions that came up on the MCAT that I would not be 100% sure on and that it would be important not to panic and let it damage my psyche during the test. Understand that you will not feel completely or even mostly confident about every question during the test, but trust your intuition and your many hours of studying to lead you to the "best" answer. I left the test thinking I had underperformed but ended up with a score that was right in line with my practice test. You know if you've put in sufficient time and effort studying. If you have, trust yourself and your instincts on the test. A lingering self-doubt can really hurt your score on the test. Don't fall into that trap and STAY CONFIDENT throughout the test. You need to attack the MCAT, you can't let it intimidate you. Also, I was much more pressed for time during the real MCAT than my practice tests. Although I had been finishing my science sections with 15-20 minutes left in my practice tests, I had less than 5 for each section on the real thing. I attribute this to test anxiety.

From my own experience it seems that although individual sections tend to fluctuate, your overall composite score will tend to remain about the same. Aside from AAMC 10 when I lost focus during the test, my practice tests were right in line with my real score, plus or minus a point in individual sections.

Although I'd swear by EK, I would suggest that you be careful about things they say will "probably" not be on the MCAT. They use this phrase a lot in describing some of the more obscure and less-well covered topics in their books. I had probably one passage in both my PS and BS section that was based on things lightly covered in the EK books. Although they're correct in their assessment that the MCAT focuses on the big picture, I would say there's likely to be a passage on something that might be a little obscure. I had a passage on organic lab techniques that I think really dropped me from a 12-13 down to an 11 because I just hadn't studied it as ardently as I should have. If you want a top score, take the time to get familiar with everything.

Most importantly: DO NOT burn yourself out. Studying for this test can be very exasperating and you need to treat as if you were training for a marathon. Manage your time and study hard, but as soon as you feel like you're starting to get burned out you need to take a break. When my studies exhausted me I would take a day or two and do absolutely nothing related to the MCAT. It helped me to stay sane and to absorb everything that I was studying. If I had ceaselessly pored over information I know a significant amount of it would have been lost due simply to mental fatigue. Don't be afraid to step away from your books for as long as you need to. This is a test of your endurance, pace yourself and don't study every night like you're cramming the night before for a big exam. A week before my test I really scaled back my studies to a light review and I did not study at all in the two days immediately before my MCAT (although I did briefly review a formula sheet the night before for about 10 minutes).

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

I originally planned on studying in the summer of 2007 so that I could take the test in August of 2007 and apply for the class of 2012. I ended up getting a pretty time-intensive internship and had little time to study even though I tried to. I started listening to the AO CDs in the spring of 2007 in anticipation of my summer test. My inability to study appropriately and a number of other factors caused me to delay my application for a year. I would say that my total study time amounted to about 1 month in 2007 averaging about 2hrs/day. I had a pretty long commute for my internship and tried to listen to the AO CDs as much as possible but I was usually pretty exhausted and got little out of them.

I had a pretty busy spring 2008 semester and decided to take my test in August of 2008. I started listening to the AO CDs in the spring just as I had the year before. I really suggest getting going with these early, even months before you start hitting the books. They're easy to pop in when you're in the car or to put on your ipod when you're walking around. They lay down a pretty firm foundation that you can build on with the more detail-oriented information in the books. I didn't start studying with the books until the end of May, but I hit them pretty hard. I worked full time and then would often come home to study for 3-4 hours a night. I didn't take a class because I knew that I'd be fine if I managed my time and put in the effort that was required.

I hope that helps; remember to study hard, pace yourself, and stay confident. If you do those things you should be fine!

 

[DrMattOglesby]

sorry for not following the posted guidelines for posting--I just wrote a private message to a fellow SDN'er and figured I should just post in here.

I got my new MCAT score this morning.

The breakdown was as follows:

Verbal Reasoning (VR): 10 Percentile Range: 68.3 - 85.3
Physical Sciences (PS): 11 Percentile Range: 80.4 - 89.2
Writing Sample (WS): Q Percentile Range: 64.4 - 83.2
Biological Sciences (BS): 10 Percentile Range: 57.7 - 75.8
Total Score: 31Q Percentile Range: 79.5 - 84.0

The reason I retook the test was because of that Physical Sciences section. I scored a 6 in that section the past two times I sat for the test. I finally got the hang of the material and was able to increase my score. I can finally rest now...

As far as my history with the MCAT goes: I took it 3 times and scored a 22-R, 27-S, and 31-Q respectively.

I didn't really know what the MCAT was the first time I took it in August of '07. I just knew it was a hoop that I needed to jump through to get into medical school. In fact, the only AAMC practice test I took was the free one offered online (#3). Other practice tests came from really really old books I checked out from the library. That is when I scored my first 6 in Physical Sciences (and 8's in the BS and VR).

The second time around, I studied everything but my weakness in the PS still perpetuated since I never took the time to sit down and work through practice problems ( i just focused on conceptual understanding). So I ended up with another 6 in PS (and 11 in VR and 10 in BS).

This last time, I really only took the test to improve my PS score. I figured that there would be some medical schools that only looked at the highest score of each section and make a combined composite that cherry-picked from the best individual scores. So, I pushed aside all my efforts in re-studying for BS and VR and concentrated solely on doing practice problems for PS. In fact, I knew immediately that the lack of working practice problems in previous study efforts was my downfall. I was starting to speed through PS quickly without even reading the entire passage...I started to understand what everyone meant when they said that they were "just skimming through it."

So on the day of the MCAT, I was actually late to the test and never had time to review any last minute notes. I finished the PS section and immediately began to worry that maybe I scored as low as a 7. I really wasn't feeling that confident at all. I even had thoughts of cancelling after that first section. But I continued onwards and performed very well on the VR and BS...at least it felt like I performed well, which made me not void the test.

It turns out my scores in VR and BS were good (10's in each). I am very happy that I decided to suck it up and sit for the MCAT a third time. After I received my scores for the second test in late June, I thought I was done. However, I didn't want to have ANY red flags in my application--so after talking with friends, family, and mentors on SDN, I officially decided to restart my preparation for the MCAT on June 17th.

This decision gave me just a lil over a month to get ready again. I divided my time between studying, exercising, and filling out secondary applications. I am very excited now that I know I have a score that validates my feelings of competitiveness at the schools to which I applied.

Some of the materials I used were the MCAT pearls study guide (which is now sponsored by SDN), Gold Standard DVDs, AAMC CBT tests, Audio Osmosis, and Kaplan Topic Tests.

 

[LaCasta]

That's great Matt

You didn't just do well on the PS this time, an 11 is exceptional

 

[medicant]

Okay guys, Aug. 22nd sitting here. Time to give back, as this was one of the few threads that significantly influenced my approach.
1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=14 VR=12 WS=T BS=15 Composite=41T

2) The study method used for each section
PS&BS: Umm reviewed all concepts, though other than optics I felt very confident with most of it. Used TPR books as well as text books; contrary to popular belief I found the text books useful, but they only come into play if you are trying to hit a 40 or above.
VR: Practice, practice, practice. Found my own strategy which was somewhat of an amalgam of all the others, only way to succeed. Do what works for you.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
Princeton Review for everything, as well as every AAMC test and Examkrackers 101 for verbal- the CBT version.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
I did around 20, including the TPR ones as well as all AAMC tests. For the last two weeks I basically did a test a day, minus an off day on the weekend and a break for the day before the test.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Chemistry, but I have a liberal arts background due to prereqs at my school.

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Hmmm. Don't listen to everything the test prep companies tell you. Find what works for you. Test strategies; if scores dont improve, switch them up. I took the TPR course, but I knew coming in that its sole purpose would be to help me pace myself, not to teach me anything new. Stay focused; keep your eye on the prize. First set your sights on that goal of a 30. Once above, go for a 36 on practice tests. Once you do this, don't rest on your laurels; picture and relish the thought of scholarships - there are no guarantees in this game. Come in with a killer instinct; you get what you give in. I tended to structure my days so that i always took practice tests at the time I would write the real thing. Since I switched dates in the middle, this time changed. I found going to the gym often helped me stay healthy and focus; increased testosterone helps with the killer instinct . I moved my date at the beginning of august from the sept. 13th sitting to aug. 22nd because I noticed my scores were in my goal range and still increasing (38+). I was already starting to burn out and was realistic with myself; best decision I ever made. Your goal, as others have said, is to peak in your scores at, or very near, to when you want to write. At the beginning I was shadowing doctors during the day and taking the class at night- this left very little room for studying independently. Nevertheless, i stayed on top of all of the homework and readings, while doing my own rereadings of my intro textbooks on the train to shadowing. I tapered off my shadowing as the summer went on, and started selectively going to class. When I switched my MCAT date, I switched to studying full time with 2 weeks left. I would, as said previously, do a test a day, with significant peripheral text book reading as well. I would also do 1 or 2 verbal tests each night to further bolster my weakest section. I studied and took tests in both controlled and loud conditions- I was more than prepared. Make sure you study on both a crt and lcd monitor, as you dont know what your test will be on. I didnt prepare for writing especially, even though i should have, but as an avid reader of the economist, NYT, and the wall street journal, I felt prepared.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
2.5 months (~10 weeks), averaging ~5 hrs/day.

gl all!

 

[snizzlepants]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=10 VR=12 BS=11 Composite=33

2) The study method used for each section and materials used
PS: Kaplan and ExamKrackers subject books and answered all of the questions. I also worked many of the 1001 physics questions from ExamKrackers. I also listened to EK Audio Osmosis.
BS: I read the material in the Kaplan and ExamKrackers books. I answered many of the questions. I also listened to EK Audio Osmosis.
VR: I took many tests from ExamKrackers' 101 passages book, and read the strategies from EK and Kaplan. I also listened to EK Audio Osmosis.
WR: I took 2 sample writing prompts from Kaplan. I didn't do very well on the real thing. I didn't practice this enough cuz i thought it was silly.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
About 3 AAMC tests. With the first AAMC test I bought, I did not take it all at once. Every month or so, I would complete the question subsets that related to the new material I was learning. That helped me get a feel for how the MCAT was related to my classes. I got a 34 on my last AAMC test, which I took 2 weeks before the MCAT.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Latin American Studies.

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
I would have memorized more in Bio and worked more math problems in physics (from the 1001 book). The PS section on my actual MCAT was much more math-based than any of the practice tests I had taken and I ran out of time; I didn't finish the PS section. I would not have taken more AAMC tests. I think they are just there to help you understand the format. I think it is better to spend your time studying the material and working practice problems from the 1001 books. But really, the BS section had lots of material that was not in the subject books, so I guess there is only so much you can study.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
I did a postbacc year of all of the prereq science classes, so when I learned something new in those classes, I read the related section in the Kaplan and EK subject books and answered PS questions in the 1001 questions books. So basically, I studied for a year and studied intensely for a month before the MCAT.

 

[gizzer]

Hey guys, I have read many positive coments about TBR, and so I went ahead and ordered it. However, I am now worried because I did not see a single person in this thread who used TBR for their studying. Did I make a mistake, should I return them and purchase TPR, or something else?

 

[Destrod]

I really liked the TPR books. I used those as well as EK 101 for verbal. I don't know much about TBR but Princeton worked out well for me.

 

[engineeredout]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=8 VR=12 BS=10 Composite=30P (August 22nd, 08)

2 &3) The study method used for each section and materials used
Examkrackers and 1001 questions for each an every section.

Bio: Took notes hardcore on the subject book and with each chapter did half of the matching 1001 passages, timed. 30 minutes for three passages and 10-15 standalones which gives you a good pace because it ends up being faster than the actual exam. I never took bio before the MCAT so I worked my ass off to study. Considering I never took it, I think a 10 is pretty good. Also studying MCAT bio really helped me for now that I'm actually taking gen bio. I feel like I have an edge, and 90% of the class info is review for me.

I also used the audio osmosis for bio only. I listened to it on my morning commutes to work/hospital over the summer. They can get annoying but it was okay I guess. Not worth paying for though.

Orgo: Didn't do too much for this. Went through the EK book but even the book admits that a lot of it is useless. Much of it is even more useless because the books are a few years dated. Check the AAMC website for the topics you need to know. The 1001 question book for orgo is WORTHLESS. Full of useless crap you'll never need for the exam.

Physics/Chem: Given my 8 I guess I'm not the best person to ask. Still though being a chem engineering major I shoudl have aced this section, and on all the practice tests I was acing it. Guess I just got unlucky on my real exam I guess.

Writing: EK 101 passages was the best. Definitely the closest thing to the real exam. Take them under full test taking conditions. People around here recommend doing the whole spending 20 hours after each practice analyzing each and every answer choice. I did well (10+) in VR tests right off the bat however. Its really a section which depends on your reasoning and test taking skills, and I've always been a good test taker, so this section came pretty natural to me. I was positive when I walked out of the MCAT that I aced it.


4) Which practice tests did you use?
All the AAMCs. Look at my MDapps if you want to see my score breakdown on each. DEFINITELY DO THESE. ALL OF THEM. You're really at a disadvantage if you don't.


5) What was your undergraduate major?
Double major:
Chemical Engineering
Applied Math & Statistics.


6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Biggest piece of advice I can give is not freak out. Easier said than done I realize but seriously, you have to go into the test and not have a heart attack, even if you hit a string of difficult passages of have an annoying ass hole sitting next to you. Confidence is the key. Remember to breathe, stretch between every few questions, and chill out.


7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

Started almost immediately after the spring semester ended at the end of may, worked right up until the August 22nd date.

 

[murdoc9]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
33S p:11 v:11 b:11

2) Study Methods
I took a kaplan class throughout last academic year, but stopped going to classes about halfway through. I had access to all of the kaplan online material while I was studying, which was very helpful.

In general, I started at the beginning of july with reading a big fat review book from cover to cover. I don't think it matters which you use. Then I went through the kaplan online review notes. I think this plain reading and rereading helped me retain a lot.

More specifically,

Bio: Did a lot of Qbank stuff from kaplan, and went through some of the ek1001 for bio and orgo.

Phys: ek1001 was great for both chem and physics.

Verbal: nothing outside of practice tests.

Never practiced for writing. Maybe I shouldn't have practiced for the other sections either?

4) Which practice tests did you use?

a couple kaplans. i would advise against putting any stock in the scores you get on these. for many, they end up being way inflated. they can be helpful for getting you ready for dense passages though.
aamc 7 - 10, avg of about 34.5. i took some individual sections of the earlier ones too.

5) What is your undergraduate major?
Biology

6) Tips

read a review book 2 or 3 times.
ek1001 are helpful for learning material as well.
dont bother with an expensive class, but buy all aamc cbts.
take all aamcs under timed conditions.
know why you got qs on aamcs wrong, and why right answers are right.

if you do all of the aamcs under real conditions, your average will give you a pretty good indication of the score you'll get on the real thing. after that, it comes down to what material the aamc decides to put on your test. all in all, most ppl are within 3 pts of their average, either direction. so just try to have that confidence when you go in, and just dont think about anything else when you're testing. be very discerning and careful, but always answer the easy questions first. i almost always would do the stand-alones first.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

1.5 months (+some of kaplan mcat class last year)

 

[GeorgianCMV]

Ok...it took me 3 tries to get a 30Q, and I know it's not a 36, but I'm posting here anyway.

1st score, May 2007- 23M
2nd score, May 2008- 26 M
3rd score, Aug 2008- 30Q

1) Your individual scores and composite score:
PS: 10 VR: 8 WS: Q BS: 12 30Q

2) The study method used for each section
Because I knew my verbal skills were lacking, I made sure that my PS and BS knowledge was thorough so it would cushion my verbal score.

I did a lot of practice passages for verbal. I made sure there were zero holes in my PS and BS knowledge. I did tons and tons of practice questions for PS and BS. Worked only one day per week for 6 months while living with my parents (to save money) so that I could focus on the test.

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

For verbal I improved from 6-8 using Exam Krackers 101. I used Exam Krackers for BS and PS too and took a Kaplan course. Also used old college notes.

Also, since my May 10th, 2008 test had so much genetics (which I hadn't studied enough) and I scored only a 26, I bought Schaum's Genetics Outlines and read it cover to cover.

I seriously think the verbal reasoning is totally counterintuitive and is not a reliable indicator of someone's ability to read critically. I've been an avid reader my entire life and was never able to master this stupid section.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC and Kaplan. But didn't let myself get a big head when I got extremely inflated Kaplan scores (36's and 37's). Kaplan's curve is outrageous and not at all accurate.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology.

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

Do not abandon entire topics...the ones you skip WILL show up on your test day. Do tons and tons of practice problems for PS. You will start feeling like there's not one question that can get past you. Boost that confidence with practice problems.

One thing that seems so simple but has helped me COUNTLESS times in BS: if there's a question that you have to blindly guess on, look at which answer choice is different than the others. I did this for two discretes on my MCAT and guessed correctly.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
About 7 months, on and off, for 4-7 hours per day. Always studied in the morning, when I was freshest, and took breaks in the afternoon.

 

[lmaozedong]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=14 VR=12 BS=14 --40R

2) The study method used for each section
PS&BS: Studied Kaplan Premier Program twice through, had an old Princeton Review book from like 2004 from my friend I read through.. then took the test. Made flashcards for important materials
VR: Nothing?

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
Kaplan Premier Program, Old PR book

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC.. pretty much all of them

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biological Basis of Behavior (kinda like Neuroscience)

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Study a lot, but don't forget that the MCAT is primarily designed to test your thinking skills, not rote memorization. Stay relaxed

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
2.5 months ~6 hrs/day (too much probably, ineffecient use of time..)

 

[yoMC]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS-14 BS-13 VR-12 CS- 39P
2) The study method used for each section
PS- tons of practice problems, memorize formulas
BS- more memorization, less practice passages
VR- passages to get a feel for the types of questions they asked; worked on reading fast but maintaining understanding
3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
The Berkeley Review for everything.
4) Which practice tests did you use?
The Berkeley Review CBT's - They're pretty challenging and predicted my actual score well
5) What was your undergraduate major?
Molecular and Cell Biology - Neurobiology emphasis
6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
You have to memorize a good amount, and you have to be able to think critically a good amount.

Don't study things that you already know. Sometimes its easy to go back and study things you know cause it makes you feel like you're doing well, but always look for things that you don't know well and work on those.
7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
About 2 and 1/2 months during the summertime.

 

[ManimalJax]

yoMC,

Your post is probably the first one in which I have read about someone using The Berkeley Review books for ALL four science subjects of the MCAT. I would like some more input from you on how well the biology and organic chemistry books prepared you for the MCAT. Please let me know.

Thank you.

 

[yoMC]

yoMC,

Your post is probably the first one in which I have read about someone using The Berkeley Review books for ALL four science subjects of the MCAT. I would like some more input from you on how well the biology and organic chemistry books prepared you for the MCAT. Please let me know.

Thank you.

Hey
I think TBR Biology books are pretty good. My major is cell biology so I didn't have to study DNA, proteins, and other cellular stuff too much, but I havent taken any anatomy or physiology courses and I pretty much learned all of that from TBR. One of the passages on my BS section was cardio EKG which I learned from TBR and otherwise would have bombed. Its definitely true though that TBR sometimes goes into much more detail then you really need.

As far as O-Chem. TBR does a pretty good job connecting O-Chem with biology, which is what the MCAT is likely to do. So in the book they have a really good section on the O-Chem of sugars. Otherwise, I don't think O-Chem, at least for my test, is not a huge part. Mostly, TBR focuses on Stereochemistry, SN1, SN2, E1, E2, alcohols, amines, carbonyls... Thats pretty much all I knew going into the MCAT.

I highly recommend taking their CBT's though. If you do well on those, I think you're pretty set.

 

[ManimalJax]

Okay, one more question:

Did you only use TBR? Or did you use TBR combined with the books from another test-prep company?

Also, did you only do the three CBTs that TBR offers on its website? Do they have any more besides those three?

 

[elementals]

Your individual scores and composite score
PS=15 VR=12 WS=T BS=14 Composite=41T

2) The study method used for each section
WS: I forced myself to actually write out every prompt in every practice test I did, and then I downloaded all the prompts on the AAMC site thinking I'd think through them all. Well, I got bored after 30. But apparently it still worked *LOL* I also got lucky on test day, because I was able to use iPods as an example of how companies sell images, not products, and I really hate the whole Apple elitist image So I ranted brilliantly.

VR: I read Kaplan and Examkrackers, then did a lot of practice tests (all 10 AAMCs, plus whatever free tests I could get my hands on). TBH I'm weak in VR. I could never get above 12 on my practice tests. I'm sure if I had had maybe a year to read the New Yorker and take courses in critical reading, I would've done better, but I really only had 6 weeks of intensive studying.

PS/BS: I bought a set of examkracker books last May and read all the way through them, taking good notes. It set it for 8 weeks: Monday Bio Ch 1, Tuesday Chem Ch 1, Wed Phys Ch 1, Thurs OChem Ch 1, Fri Verbal, then Monday Bio Ch 2, etc.... when I started to run out of chapters (i.e. ochem only had 4 chapters) I just took that day off. So it started out VERY intense and then lightened up. My very last week, there was only Physics and Bio left, so I did two bio chapters and one physics chapter.

Then, for reasons I can't fathom now, I thought I'd be "less busy" this year (I'm WAAAAY more busy) and I decided to backburner the MCAT until 2008.

So I basically never looked at any MCAT books from about July 2007 to July 2008. Then suddenly near the end of July I decided I was gonna do the Sept 5 2008 MCAT. So I kinda began an intensive 6-week cramfest.

While the memory was muddy in my mind, having sorted through it all within the past year was still a little helpful. I blazed through all the chapters again during the first 8 days. It was completely crazy. I essentially jammed 8 weeks of studying into 8 days, burning through one chapter a day across all the books. Again I did the diminishing-reads strategy where day one was chapter 1 from bio, chem, ochem, physics and VR, but day eight was just bio ch 8, 9, and physics ch 8. The ochem took by far the longest.

I didn't retake my notes. I focused on condensing the notes down to the essences: the important equations, concepts, etc. What I really concentrated on doing this time round was really understanding everything I read. I typically have a bad habit of going "f' it" if I don't get a concept and skipping it, so I really forced myself to stop and reread, draw it out, work equations, etc until I understood.

While I was reviewing, I also started doing one AAMC practice test every Saturday, 8am.

After the 8-day frenzy, I started in on the 1001 questions in all four sciences, doing about 250 questions a day. This went on for about four days, and then I realized it wasn't helping me at all. So I dumped the 1001 questions, got a Kaplan Premier program book from the local library, and jammed on that for another week or so. I basically read through that entire book too (but didn't take notes this time, except on concepts I felt were under-covered in the EK books). TBH I felt the Kaplan books were better organized, but maybe that's just because I already knew the material.

At this point I had about 3 weeks left before the test. I went online and found every last free practice test I could. I just sprinkled them judiciously across all the weeks remaining, and also accelerated my AAMC practice test schedule so I was doing 3-4 practices a week. I felt this really helped me get used to the MCAT, esp the AAMC PT's. Because the MCAT's not really about memorization of facts. You just need a basic foundation in the concepts; the rest is thinking on the fly.

Between doing PTs I would review books, etc. I sort of took it easy in week 4, not doing much between PTs. Week 5 I ramped it up for one last big push, finished the last of my PTs, and then went into final review mode.

Sunday and Monday of week 6, test week, I burned through all my notes and previous practice tests. Tuesday, I read my notes again. Wednesday I just skimmed the notes and relaxed for the rest of the day. Thursday I glanced at my condensed notes and relaxed some more.

Thursday night I was in bed at 9pm. I slept til 6am the next day, then got up and left the house at 7am, getting to the test center at 730am. I took the test around 8am and was out by 12:50pm with a hideous headache *LOL* I felt really good coming out, though in the weeks after I was convinced I had flunked until I saw my score today

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
Examkrackers and Kaplan both. I felt Kaplan was better organized, but Examkrackers -- if you ignore the sometimes annoying attitude -- had a lot of info crammed in there.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
All 10 AAMCs. Whatever, this whole med school thing is one giant cash sink anyway! I also did some free tests from PR, Kaplan, etc, but they weren't very good.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biology and English, double major.

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
It's not about amount of time, it's about quality of studying. Do not fall in to the temptation of skimming over material that's difficult. Make sure you understand the basic concepts. Then practice, practice, practice. The AAMC tests are hella expensive, but they're worth it.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
I read through all the material in 8 weeks last year. Then I didn't touch anything for a year. Then I did all my real studying, practice testing, etc in 6 weeks prior to the exam.


Edit: I should mention that I'm non-traditional. I'm 5 years out of college, 25 years old, and a PhD candidate. I really had to relearn everything from scratch. So those of you in similar positions -- non-trads, non-bio majors, or just people who feel like they didn't "get it" when they took their science classes the first time -- don't give up hope! It is TOTALLY doable. If you've taken the classes lately, you can probably skip the year-in-advance read through and do it all in 6 weeks!

Good luck all!!

 

[BlueElmo]

I'm so stoked to actually post here!!

1) Your individual scores and composite score

PS=12 VR=10 WS=S BS=12 Composite=34S

2) The study method used for each section
I shelled out 1900 bucks for TPR class. I really didn't want to do it, but I was scared not to. Turns out, it was a great decision. TPR gave you tons of materials to study out of, and their review of each section was very good. I also liked the structure that they provided. It's hard to slack off when they are bombarding you with all these homework and stuff.
The Science Review books are also quite good. You can actually learn quite a lot of science from the PS and BS review books. Also, the In Class Compendium probably contains the most difficult passages ever, especially in Biology. But they are good practice so don't get discouraged from your performance on them.
I loved the Science Workbook that they provided. It has really good practice passages: like hundreds of them. These are very similar to the passages in the real exam, and just gives you excellent passages to practice on. I basically did all of them. Dead helpful. LOL.

I also used the Examkrackers series to supplement the stuff from TPR. I used the books for only little review but I found the end 30-minute quizzes to be dead useful. They are very good practice. Try to do them if at all possible. The Biology quizzes are the best. The G-Chem quizzes were pretty bad but Physics ones were okay. Did not do quizzes for O-Chem. I also bought the 1001 series for Bio, Phys, and GChem but never really used them. The 1001 Bio has some good passages that you could work out of, so I did a few passages but not too many. I just stuck with the Science Workbook. Also I used the 1001 GChem to corroborate stuff that I did not really get: acids and bases, etc. I never used the Physics one.

So basically, I used the TPR Review books to review materials for PS and BS. All along the way, I used the Science Workbook and the EK 30-minutes for practice to support what I just learned. The TPR lectures in the classrooms for the science reviews were also very useful. You put in 1900 bucks worth of investment, and you do get something out of it.

For Verbal, I of course used the 101 Verbal Passages book. I did about 7 or 8 tests in it before I ran out of time and energy towards the end. They are GOOD! Use them! I also used Verbal stuff from TPR. These aren't bad either, but definitely not up to par with the EK 101. I also practiced with the TPR Online Verbal passages they have on their website. They have about 35 passages or so, but these were really bad. Not accurate at all. However, the AAMC Verbal is the best predictor of your score. DO THE AAMC EXAMS!!

For Writing, I just did what the TPR instructor told me to do. I did and got a S. I didn't care too much about this section, though.

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

4) Which practice tests did you use?
I did AAMC 4-10. I tried to do AAMC 3 but I was just burnt out by then. I also did five TPR Diagnostics. If I had more time, I would have done all the practice tests I had. But whatever.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Molecular and Cell Biology. But prior to taking the test, I only had taken Introductory Biology. And I still got a 12 in BS!!

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Wow, studying for this test has been the most stressful event of my life. Basically, I came back from traveling in early June. I did about couple weeks of light studying before I began TPR class in mid June. Then I went intense. There was no summer for me. When you are studying for this exam, then get down and study. Don't procrastinate, don't do other stuff, etc. If you are serious, you should devote about 3 months of your life to nothing but the MCAT. This means no classes, no jobs, no bf/gf, etc. Ideally, summer is the best time to study.

Literally, I studied 8-10 hours a day EVERYDAY. Even the weekends. All through June, July, and August, I did nothing but study, study, study. I only took a half day off and that was because I watched The Dark Knight. I went straight through without a break till two days before my test. Then I was really burned out. I quit studying, and I just relaxed the last two days with no MCAT at all.
I watched the NFL, watched TV shows, movies, and went for a long bike ride. I completely relaxed the last two days.

Try to relax the day of the test. I actually slept pretty well, about 7 hours of sleep. I was refreshed in the morning. I had breakfast and my dad drove me to test site. Try not to focus on the other pre-med examinees. Just keep positive and remain calm. During the test, take your breaks! I did PS, took a break, did VR and WR with no break in between, and then I took a break before finishing up with BS.

People might say I went overboard. I'd say I put in about 900 hours of studying. Yeah, that's not a typo, about 900 hours, probably even more. Maybe so, but I got a good score and I have no regrets about spending the entire summer doing nothing but studying.
Also I spent the last 2-3 weeks doing practice tests. DO THEM! They are the most important stuff. I tried to simulate the test environment as much as possible. On Friday mornings, I went to the school library and used the computer there to take my test. There were people walking around and typing so this made me used to the actual test conditions. I took the 10-minute breaks and simulated as best I could. In the last week, I took a test every two days. I wish I had more time. Definitely go over the things you missed and even the things you got right. I went over every single question on the practice tests after I did them. Just keep practicing and practicing.

Also don't worry if you walk out of the test center shell-shocked. I thought I did really bad especially in BS. The real deal was so much harder than the AAMCs, so I thought. I thought I would be lucky to break a 30. Turns out, the curve really worked in my favor. I scored higher in the real test than in any of my AAMCs. So don't worry and don't void. The curve is your friend. If you walk out of the test thinking you did bad, chances are you probably did well. So don't worry!

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
Like I said I began about mid-June and went to early- September. Between 900-1000 hours of studying.

 

[Steeler7588]

1) Your individual scores and composite score?
PS: 14, VR: 12, WS: P, BS: 11. Composite: 37P

2) Your study method used for each section?
PS: Went to the Kaplan classes, read over all the material in the Kaplan prep books, and wrote down all the equations as I was going through the sections. I did the review problems at the end of each chapter for all the Physics topics.
BS: Went to the Kaplan classes, read over all the material in the Kaplan prep books.
VR: Went to the Kaplan classes.
WS: I didn't practice any essays, although I did look at topics in practice exams to see if I could think of ideas on which I could write.

3) The materials you used for each section?
I took a Kaplan class that lasted just over two months. I attended all the classes, and eventually read all of the material for the science sections (although I didn't preread like I should have, and ended up cramming all of the material in over the last two weeks). Their QuickSheets are great; I didn't use the flashcards any but people in my class really liked them; they have a ton of material review and practice problems online that looked very helpful, but I was lazy and never used any.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
I did the first four Kaplan exams (they ask you to do the first five to qualify for their Higher Score Guarentee) and the three most recent AAMC exams, #8-10. I didn't study properly during the summer and should've spaced out all the exams to maybe 2 per week, but because I procrastinated so much I ended up doing Kaplan #4 and AAMCs #8-10 all in the last week and a half. Because I was so pressed for time, friends recommended the most recent AAMC exams over the other choices. The AAMC curves seemed a lot fairer (Kaplan has extremely hard exams and generous curves to compensate, which does even it out I suppose, but that still made me uncomfortable), so I did like them more. I only went over my mistakes on the AAMC exams.

I had taken Kaplan's free practice exam first semester of sophomore year (had had the years of biology and gen chem at that point, but was in the middle of the my first semesters of organic and physics) and had gotten a 28 (PS: 10, VR: 12, BS: 6). My official diagnostic for my Kaplan course was a 27 (PS: 9, VR: 10, BS: 8). I wasn't used to Kaplan's strategies and really struggled with time on my first practice exam, but started studying a little more seriously after not improving from my diagnostic.
Kaplan exams #1-4: 27 (PS: 9, VR: 10, BS: 8), 33 (PS: 10, VR: 11: BS: 12), 35 (PS: 11, VR: 13, BS: 11), 35 (PS: 10, VR: 13, BS: 12)
AAMC exams #8-10: 34 (PS: 11, VR: 13, BS: 10), 36 (PS: 12, VR: 12, BS: 12), 37 (PS: 12, VR: 12, BS: 13)
Kaplan says that their students average a 10 point increase from their diagnostic, which is exactly what I had.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
I'll graduate as an Anthropology major. I had only taken Cell & Molecular Biology and Ecology & Evolution as extra science courses prior to taking the MCAT.

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Don't study like I did. Take the time some 8-10 weeks before your test date, and study every day. Take some prep class to help you focus; I had a very good experience with Kaplan but I also had some great teachers for my class, and friends with mediocre instructors didn't like their classes as much. Read for each class, and I would recommend to take advantage of at least some of their extensive material review. Take practice exams often and regularly, especially the AAMCs. If you put a lot of solid effort into it, you'll have confidence going into that last week, which is huge. I felt good during and coming out of the exam, but the week before I was extremely nervous and worried that I had slacked off too much.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
I was originally going to take the MCAT August 15th, and started my Kaplan class and diagnostic on June 1st. I ended up pushing the date back to September 6th because I didn't feel ready at all (and I wasn't). All in all, including my classes and practice exam and review, I probably studied ~185 hours over 14 weeks.

 

[twostep376]

.

 

[Mango14]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
VR:12 PS:13 BS:14 WS:R = 39R

2) The study method used for each section
Read the Examkrackers books. For biology, read through their book a few times, focusing on my weakest areas. Skimmed the organic chemistry book a few times for review (had just taken Organic Chem in college).
Read Physics & Chemistry books once, then skimmed a second time to make my own study sheets (with important concepts and equations) - then studied from those notes
Didn't study much for verbal or writing, besides practicing while taking AAMC practice tests

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

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC (#3-10); I was averaging 37's on the ones I took right before the test. I also tried TPR's free test online and got a 29 - so I'd recommend the AAMC's if you want a good indicator of your actual score.

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?
Make sure you know the content, but taking practice tests is equally if not more important. I was surprised at how little content you actually had to know for the MCAT - it really is a thinking test, so focus on your reasoning skills and make yourself familiar with the AAMC format and types of questions.
You don't need to necessarily take a prep course (I didn't because I had a full-time job this summer). Just put in the hours of studying and take plenty of practice tests. If it's any help, I took a Kaplan diagnostic before I started studying and got a 26 (9,9,8). I was scared I might not be able to do well without taking a course, but individual study works just fine if you're self-motivated.
Also, don't freak out too much because you can always retake if you're really unhappy with your score.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
May - August (studied intensely in May, on the weekends for 2.5 months, then intensely again for 2 weeks at the end of the summer)

 

[Lukkie]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
September 5, 2008
PS=11 VR=12 WS=Q BS=11 Composite=34Q

2) The study method used for each section
PS&BS: Examkrackers complete study package. i graduated in 2007 and it had been like 3-4 years since I took a lot of the core classes like bio and o-chem. but i did have a firm grasp on the concepts before so EK did a good job of quickly reviewing the material.
VR: practice and try to really know the author. i went from scoring like 8 to finally getting 12 so VR "strategy" really helped.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
EK Complete study package
EK Bio 1001 Qs, did like 300 questions

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC practice exams (all of em that you can buy)
here is my record:
3: 7 8 11 26 (100)
4: 11 10 11 32 (118)
5: 12 8 13 33 (119)
6: 11 11 12 34 (120)
7: 10 9 11 30 (114, I was distracted during this one)
8: 12 11 11 34 (121)
9: 11 11 12 34 (123)
10: 11 11 12 34 (126)

i also did the EK 1H exam and scored like 24 on it. if you get this package just use that exam as firewood

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Physiology

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
just do the practice exams under TIMED conditions. go into your school computer lab on a weekend with some headphones or something, and try to simulate the testing center exactly. this exam is as much about test taking skill as it is knowledge.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
like 2 months. probably averaged 1-2 hours a day. a lot of my content review was done on the bus to/from work. started doing the AAMC practice exams 1.5 months before my test date. i didnt study at all like 4 days before the exam.

 

[SDN2013]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=14 VR=10 BS=14

2) The study method used for each section
PS: Kaplan, EK
BS: Kaplan, EK
VR: EK

I don't do mapping or take down notes, Kaplan VR strategy wasn't useful for me.

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

4) Which practice tests did you use?
Kaplan up to FL7
All AAMC's

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?
umm, relax and use standardized test/multiple choice skills. Don't prepare 9 months ahead, you'll forget everything by the end.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
Oct-March: Took Kaplan class, went to class each week and that was it. Didn't read kaplan books and only did the required website stuff.

March 27th - April 18th:
Began studying for the MCAT vigorously, about 25 hours a week. Did one Kaplan test each day during first week. Once I finished the kaplan FL7, I began doing one AAMC every other day. Read EK books, and read Kaplan books if I needed more detail on a topic. I did AAMC10 on the 18th. I only had time to do each AAMC once before having to take the actual MCAT on April 19th.


If I could go back in time, I probably would of studied more for the verbal. I didn't really study for the verbal at all other than just the verbal section of practice tests. I purchased a Verbal 101 book but didn't have time to use it, I focused all my time on doing full lengths because I was short on time.

 

[yoMC]

Okay, one more question:

Did you only use TBR? Or did you use TBR combined with the books from another test-prep company?

Also, did you only do the three CBTs that TBR offers on its website? Do they have any more besides those three?

I only used TBR. If you enroll in the class, they have 10 CBT's available.

 

[jenchill]

Hi,
I will appreciate it a lot if you could give me some pointers on how to study and attack verbal and biological passages. I am not a native english speaker and hence the VR is really pulling me down. I have done numerous practice but the VR seems to be the major problem.

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.

 

[luxaeterna]

1) Your individual scores and composite score:
PS: 13, V:13, B:12, WS: M (ugh...)
Composite: 38M

2) The study method used for each section
PS: I sucked at physics and got C's both semesters freshman year. So I read every page of the Kaplan notes and did all the online quizzes and just absolutely drilled the concepts into my head. I also took a gen chem course at a nearby university over the summer which took care of most of the chem knowledge.

VR: So Kaplan's VR strategy sucks. I started out mapping and all that jazz, and it got me nowhere. I heard EK's VR strategy on the Audio Osmosis CD's and it intrigued me, so I tried it. It worked better and I had more time to spare, so I worked through about 9 EK VR101 practice tests.

BS: Well, I'm a bio major and I was consistently making 13+ on my practice tests so I didn't put much effort into studying bio besides reviewing orgo and some concepts that I had forgotten. Lucky me, this was my worst section!

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
Kaplan course. The class wasn't that helpful, honestly, but the online materials and the review books are excellent. Kaplan worked well for the sciences.

For verbal, EK VR101 and the EK strategy.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
Kaplan tests 1-6, 9. (I heard 9 was a good test, and I didn't like taking Kaplan tests because the VR isn't a good representation of the real thing, so I skipped a few).

Also, several Kaplan section and subject tests, mainly for physics.

I also took AAMC tests 5-8, 10. I heard 9 was really easy, so I was saving for until 2 days before the test, but was a little too worn out to do it.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biology, having switched from Psychology.

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
I never really set a schedule (those kinds of chains aren't for me) but I would say always be working toward your goal, whether its doing some content review everyday and then practice tests every couple of days. Make an MCAT notebook of things you learn from your review books and review it every day. Whenever you think of something that could be on the test and you dont understand, give it a quick search on wikipedia.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
I started in June for a September 6th test date. I spent about everyday of the summer doing some sort of MCAT related activity. For the first month or so it was mostly content review, with a couple of Kaplan tests here and there to gauge my performance. I stuck to my content review and made sure to drill important concepts into my head and did a bunch of Kaplan's topical tests (which are insanely hard, if you ask me). I started doing more practice tests and less content review towards the end, until I was finally just browsing flashcards and orgo reactions, when not doing practice tests. I would review every practice test and figure out why I got any question wrong or figure out how to get the answer to anything I guessed on or was otherwise unsure of. I did this for the sciences, but never really worried about verbal (such a crapshoot, really). Hope this helps someone, SDN deinitely helped me, so I'm glad to give back!

 

[Destrod]

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

2) The study method used for each section
PS: I haven’t taken University physics yet. My prior physics knowledge is from gr.11 which I didn’t remember at all. After my semester ended I spent the 20 days before my Princeton course working solely on Physics. I went over the TPR physics book.

VR: I did all the TPR practice passages and really didn’t see an improvement. I was hitting 6,7,8’s. I then bought the EK 101 book and used their strategy and it worked out well.

BS: I basically just read the TPR bio book. I took only organic I so I had to learn the stuff for organic II.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
I took the Princeton course which I found really helpful.

For verbal; EK 101 and their strategy.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
Princeton 1-9
AAMC 3-10
All EK 101 practice verbal tests

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Health Sciences


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

I made a schedule to try to keep me on track. I found that it kept me focused. I didn’t follow the course pattern at all because they I feel they don’t prepare you enough. You need to do the extra studying.

Most importantly you need to go over your practice tests after you write them to see where you went wrong (actually go over it, don’t just browse).

You also need to stay calm even if you do badly on a practice test. My first AAMC test was a 26(1 month before my test) and I ended up with a 34. Just stay motivated and if you are getting sick of studying just take the day off and go do something productive. I would either go play tennis or go to the gym and I found that it really helped.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

I spent 4 months. May 1st –Aug 22nd.
I started off hard with physics because I knew it was going to be my downside. I’m glad I did because after doing 3 weeks of physics + the physics TPR class I was getting consistently over 10’s on my tests. Verbal was killing me the entire way, I wasn’t doing very well on my practice tests but the last month I did a verbal test every 2nd day which really helped in the end.

 

[jisu23]

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

2) The study method used for each section
EK set all the way (with some audio osmosis) + EK home study schedule/studying strategies

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
EK + audio osmosis for everything

4) Which practice tests did you use?
Took Kaplan diag, EK diag, some old Kaplan written tests, and AAMC 3 (34), 8(31), 9(36), 10(35)
Like many have said, great indicators IMO

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Bioengineering

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

Stay focused on your goal, make a study schedule and stick with it, pray fervently, and don't burn out

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
3 months over summer (12 weeks), as per EK's home study schedule (for 10 weeks), but extra 2 weeks at the end were reviewing what i got wrong on practice tests, concepts that were shady/tripping me up and taking the AAMC tests ~every other day up to the day of reckoning.

 

[BlueElmo]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
September 5, 2008
PS=11 VR=12 WS=Q BS=11 Composite=34Q

2) The study method used for each section
PS&BS: Examkrackers complete study package. i graduated in 2007 and it had been like 3-4 years since I took a lot of the core classes like bio and o-chem. but i did have a firm grasp on the concepts before so EK did a good job of quickly reviewing the material.
VR: practice and try to really know the author. i went from scoring like 8 to finally getting 12 so VR "strategy" really helped.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
EK Complete study package
EK Bio 1001 Qs, did like 300 questions

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC practice exams (all of em that you can buy)
here is my record:
3: 7 8 11 26 (100)
4: 11 10 11 32 (118)
5: 12 8 13 33 (119)
6: 11 11 12 34 (120)
7: 10 9 11 30 (114, I was distracted during this one)
8: 12 11 11 34 (121)
9: 11 11 12 34 (123)
10: 11 11 12 34 (126)

i also did the EK 1H exam and scored like 24 on it. if you get this package just use that exam as firewood

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Physiology

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
just do the practice exams under TIMED conditions. go into your school computer lab on a weekend with some headphones or something, and try to simulate the testing center exactly. this exam is as much about test taking skill as it is knowledge.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
like 2 months. probably averaged 1-2 hours a day. a lot of my content review was done on the bus to/from work. started doing the AAMC practice exams 1.5 months before my test date. i didnt study at all like 4 days before the exam.

Lukkie! We got the same exact composite! Great job! (I did beat you in Writing though.).

 

[BlackSails]

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

2) The study method used for each section:
PS: Knowing calc based physics (and actually knowing it, not just memorized equations) as well as being a chem major did this for me. When I couldnt remember something, I used hyperphysics.

BS: Memorize, memorize memorize. I Just read my bio textbook over and over again. Actually, I used the TPR review book.

VR: Did some practice.

Writing: Its a completely formulaic essay. Learn history, and you will have examples for most of them that sound really good.


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?
All TPR tests, and they also give you the AAMC tests

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Chemistry with a physics minor.

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Read lots, espically some history. I didnt bother at all with current events, I wrote my two essays on the holocaust/WWII and the other on genetically engineered crops.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
I took the TPR course over the summer, and read through their review books a few times.

 

[JB1215]

Though I barely qualify for this thread and dont know if anyone even reads it....

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

2) The study method used for each section
PS&BS: TPR review books, AAMC and TPR practice tests

VR: I didnt really study much for this. But I read a bunch of articles online to try and get good at reading FAST because that's really what this section is about.

3) What materials you used for each section
TPR for everything, AAMC practice tests

4) Which practice tests did you use?
Princeton Review, I did all of them
Also did all the AAMCs

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Neuroscience

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

Don't get bogged down in details. Know the fundamentals, because this is not a test of regurgitating information.

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

 

[PandaBrewMaster]

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

2) The study method used for each section:
PS: Took 7 AAMC practice tests, looked at what I got wrong, took my friend's kaplan books, read how to do it, took the next one

BS: Took 7 AAMC practice tests, looked at what I got wrong, took my friend's kaplan books, read how to do it, took the next one

VR: Took 7 AAMC practice tests.

Writing: years of practice writing long essays hours before class on the day they're due. Procrastination on essays over years of school is the best practice for speed writing essays, hahaha


3) What materials you used for each section
AAMC tests, my friend's kaplan books

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC x7

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Bio and Econ

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
A good knowledge of history gives you lots of material to use for the essays. I really think the best method to study isnt to just memorize random stuff, but just to take AAMC tests and learn from your mistakes. Youll see improvement immediately

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
two and a half weeks leading up to the test. Yes, I'm an uber-procrastinator

 

[CalBear2009]

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

2) The study method used for each section
I took the Kaplan class course. I made sure to do all of thier assignments. For me, everything way about practice, practice, practice. This is all about the test NOT the material. Kaplan did a great job of teaching strategy vs. useless content review.
After the class, it was all about full length practice. I took 13 tests total, and made sure to mimic testing atmosphere. No music, if you plan to wear earplugs during the test, wear them while you practice. Find a library or study spot with similar cubicles that you would take your test in.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING: was my "Why I missed it" notebook. Every question that I missed, on tests and assignments had a log of the question number and test, type of question (verbal) or content of question, and the reason i missed it (misleading answer choice, misuse of equation, etc. . .) Though the practice is important, it was the self-evaluation that made me excel.

Verbal: I was doing horrible on my initial tests and was scoring between an 8-11 on all tests. I practiced at least one full length verbal test a day (the Kaplan versions) in order to feel more comfortable with timing and pulling out the important information. I scored highest on my real test so this was a miracle. PRACTICE!


3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
Kaplan in all sections. The quicksheets and flashcards are an amazing way to memorize important, frequently tested facts. Nobody else offers these.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
Kaplan and AAMC. The great thing about Kaplan is that you get automatic access to all AAMC practice tests. I did about 5 Kaplan tests and and 8 AAMC tests.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Bioengineering: A great major for the MCAT becuase you think critically to solve Bio problems vs. memorizing.

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!
Don't spend too much time on content review (cough Berkeley Review cough) If you practice enough, you will run across material you are unsure about, and only go over those things only.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
I read through a Kapalan review book before I started the class for about a year. This was at a slow relaxed pace. I took an 6 week Kaplan course that was very intense. I would reccomend a longer one and give yourself about two weeks to a month to practice before the test. Overall about 4 months (average 3-4 hrs/day)

 

[yoMC]

Go Bears

 

[Rutgers06]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=12 VR=12 WS=P BS=12 Composite=36P

2) The study method used for each section

I pretty much just took the Kaplan course and did all the material that was available to us.

Verbal: This was just straight up practice, practice and more practice. I did horrible on the diag in this section (like a 6 or something) and it was just a matter of getting comfortable with the types of questions.

B/P Science: Focused on the subjects that I was weak on and practiced with lots of sample subject tests.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
Kaplan for everything and AAMC tests. I pretty much utilized all of Kaplan's resources, but the ones that helped me the most were the subject tests and full-length tests.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
Kaplan and AAMC. I did all of the AAMC and 6-7 of the Kaplan tests (outside of the tests given during the Kaplan course)

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Molecular Biology and Biochemistry

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

Be strategic with how you study. The best way to improve your score is to get used to the questions, but it's useless to just take tests if there are gaping holes in your basic science knowledge. Figure out which subjects you need to work on and get those solidified before anything else.

MAKE A SCHEDULE AND STICK TO IT!!!! Seems self-explanatory, but I had many friends who just took a course and expected it to be enough to get them a solid score. It really is important to space out everything so that you have enough time to take a good amount of full-length tests after you're done studying the bulk of the material. By setting goals, it makes studying for the MCATs a bit more manageable.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
I studied for the MCAT during the summer after my sophomore year, so I guess that would be 3-4 months. I averaged around 3-4 hours of studying/class per night.

 

[junkct]

hmmm, maybe a "Practice Test Averages" portion should be added to the template. I'd be interested in seeing how people's practices measured up to their actual scores!

 

[Mace1370]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=12 VR=9 WS=Q BS=11 Composite=32Q

2) The study method used for each section
I broke each day of studing into three 3 hour segments. The first segment was studying a new section from the Princeton Review books. The second segment was reviewing an old section or two. The third section was doing practice passages. I made an excel sheet to schedule everything properly so I finished going through all the new material with two weeks left before the exam. For verbal there wasn't really any "new" material so I just did practice passages during that time.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
I bought the Princeton Review book set, but didn't go to class (sooo much money wasted)

4) Which practice tests did you use?
I didn't like the princeton review ones. I used the AAMC tests and the Examcracker book for verbal passages.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Physiology

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Do NOT freak out during the test. Some guy was tapping his pencil next to me during the verbal section. I freaked out and had to redo a whole passage. I think it really hurt my score.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
About 10 weeks before the test for 9 hours a day and taking 1 break day each week.

 

[WashMe]

13, 13, N, 13 (39)

I actually typed this up in a PM to someone and I figured I'd post it here for others to see:

I took the 1/26/08 MCAT (Winter qtr. of my Junior year) and I go to a school that has a 6-week winter break. During the previous school year, I took the physics series, ochem series+labs, cell bio, evolution, and genetics. During the fall quarter before I took the MCAT, I took physiology I+lab and biochem I. Basically I had just done everything (to overkill) that would be on the MCAT with the exception of gen chem and gen bio, which I had to review.

I used only EK materials and I took 4 full-length practice tests from www.e-mcat.com (they are official AAMC tests). I studied 6-8 hrs per day M-F for three weeks, but it was over my break when I had nothing else to focus on. If you aren't pretty solid already, I would recommend starting 8 weeks out. Despite what you might hear, the MCAT is NOT the sort of test you need to start studying for "hardcore" many months ahead of time. The important thing is to learn only what you need to know (save that brain space lol). Recognize that you only have to know it for <5 hours while you take the test, then you can forget it all if you want, so it is OK if it is largely short-term "crammed" learning.

The thing I did that helped me the most was take practice tests. My real MCAT was at 12pm on a Saturday, so I started 4 weeks out and I took a practice test at 12pm each Saturday. By the time the real test rolled around, it just felt like a habit and it wasn't stressful. My practice test scores were 32, 37, 37, 37, however my subscores differed in those last few tests. I maxed out overall (combining subscores) at 14 PS, 13 VR, 13 BS for those four tests, so I figured I could have a chance at a 40 if I went in relaxed and performed well; I was pretty close, so I think the e-mcat tests will tell you where you stand if you take 3-4 of them. They are WELL worth the money, just make sure you take them under normal test settings (i.e. timed, doesn't show answer after each question, etc.). After each test, review all the questions you missed.

Notice the chronology of my studying/practice tests; my 3wks of studying were wks 6, 5, and 4 before the test. Practice test were wks 4, 3, 2, and 1 before the test. I didn't "study" for 3 wks leading up to the test and I think it calmed my nerves.

OnlyNeedOneYes's MCAT commandments:

1) Thou shalt know EVERY physics equation that EK says to memorize by heart, and when to use it! Such problems are free points and you should not miss them.

2) If thou art stuck on a question for more than 90 seconds, thou art looking at it wrong. Read the question again, then move on if it isn't clicking. There may be 5 easy questions at the end of the test and you can't answer them if you waste a bunch of time and don't get to them.

3) Thou shalt read every passage. The passages average 600 words and should take 3 minutes to read. Get the MAIN IDEA and try to use it to answer every question before ever referring to the passage. Trust me. Just do it.

4) Thou shalt recognize that the physical sciences is about logic and the biological sciences is really not. Here's why. You have intuition about physics and chemistry; things happen for a reason. In biology, because of evolution and nomenclature, we cannot use the same thought process. Here's an example:

You can rationalize what will happen in most physical or chemical systems, then you apply equations accordingly for pretty much every question. If I ask you to tell me what gland secretes a certain hormone, you will NEVER be able to come up with the answer by logic; you have to know the underlying biological facts (e.g. you need to MEMORIZE the anterior and posterior pituitary hormones, you can't reach the answer via a thought experiment). Study biology until you are sick of it. That's what med school is anyway so just suck it up and DO WORK SON (...or daughter).

Work hard, work smart, and good luck to all