1)
Score: 520; 131/128/132/129 (July 2015)
2)
Method: Nothing too structured, my key strategy was to go over everything at least once and understand as much as possible then focus on my weaknesses with more detailed studying (quality over quantity). It is important to avoid the pitfall of focusing on what you're good at just because it makes you feel good about yourself. Also, don't rush through everything just to check it off a list you made, focus on understanding things however long that may take. Every topic will take varying amounts of time so I wouldn't set specific hours for each chapter.
I did at least a few practice questions for each topic and more for the topics I was less comfortable with. I would not recommend wasting time doing every single passage/question you can find for every topic, that is precious time you can spend elsewhere. I only memorized key concepts in each topic rather than every minute detail. I think this new exam is really about balancing a combination of fundamental knowledge in each subject with critical analysis of new information in a potentially unfamiliar context.
As many have mentioned before, start with more studying and a little practice then gradually tip the balance towards more practice and less studying as you near your test date. Make sure you can answer a question about every subject, that is the only way you will know that you understood it well. I would suggest making notes of the major basic topics in each section to keep revising as you go (e.g. amino acids, physics equations, period table trends).
IMO the 3-4 month study schedules are overkill unless you have never taken a science course in your life. Doing well depends more on having the right strategy and on knowing just enough rather than knowing as much as possible. You need to practice enough to develop key test-taking strategies, like identifying key/relevant points in a passage, process of elimination, etc. You have to accept that on several occasions you might not know the answer but you will still get it right by identifying which answers don't sound right. Prepare yourself mentally for this test and don't just rely on how much you have studied.
3)
Materials:
1- Read through all Kaplan 2015 chapters at least once for the sciences. Definitely a bit too much detail in these books so don't get bogged down with memorizing everything. This is especially relevant for those last 2 chapters of the biochem book.
2- TPR + Khan + random websites for psych/soc -> this was a major weakness so I made sure I understood every concept. I would say TPR is good but not sufficient. At the same time, I had the sense that it was impossible to know everything for this section because the content guide was so vague. Either way I did well because most of my questions required critical analysis of the experiments/studies in the passage as opposed to pure facts. Would definitely have appreciated more practice for this section to feel a bit easier going into the exam.
3- TBR for bio/biochem passages, TPR science workbook for chem/phys/ochem practice, Examkrackers for verbal, Khan and NextStep for psych/soc passages.
PS If you do not have a strong foundation in biochem then you might want to read from a textbook (as some have recommended on these threads). I don't think any textbook is better than another and I have never studied from a biochem textbook even for my BSc. I would again warn against memorizing as if it was a biochem final exam. Use the extra reading to understand the material only.
4)
Practice tests
Kaplan 1: 125/128/126/125
Kaplan 2: 126/128/128/124
TPR1: 126/127/125/125
AAMC FL (2 weeks out): 88%/94%/90%/88%
AAMC guide (3 days out): 87%/---/90%/93%
5)
Major: Biochemistry BSc + MSc (was ~4 years out of undergrad when I took the MCAT)
6)
TIPS: This test is largely about confidence and confidence =/= memorizing as much as possible. Go over the material once then do practice questions to gauge your level of comfort with each topic. After that focus on your weaknesses with more targeted studying and passages until you feel good about it. Rotate through the subjects so you are comfortable jumping between things while keeping your thoughts organized. A really big thing on this test is being able to understand research as most of the passages are taken directly from published articles. Also, know your lab methods well and how to interpret results form those methods.
Check this for my tips on learning how to understand research:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...ctice-for-the-mcat2015.1132316/#post-16417043
I think my research experience definitely gave me an edge for this new test. Although I was far from mastering all the material, I felt comfortable reading and understanding most of the passages without freaking out about not knowing what they were specifically talking about. It is important to ignore some details in the passage (for example specific protein names) and extract the general idea or relate it to something more familiar and simple. The new chem/phys section is loaded with passages that seem crazy when you first look at them but in the end are just an exaggerated version of a simple system.
Another major factor for this new test is being comfortable with sitting through a 7+ hour exam. Do timed practices several times just to learn how to focus for so long, take your breaks to stretch out/drink water/use the bathroom. Make sure your testing center has good ear plugs or get some yourself. You want 0 distractions during the test, you have to be 100% focused and confident of your first-instinct answers. I found whenever I second guessed myself during practice I was changing to a wrong answer.
CARS was my biggest weakness going into this and so I made sure to practice as much as possible. This doesn't mean doing 100 passages a day, but rather doing at least 1-2 passages per day every day and 1 full length each week until the test day. Doing verbal is like a habit and if you stop for a couple of days your performance will likely suffer. Also be mentally ready for longer passages during the test but DO NOT let them freak you out. The worst thing you can do during the test is panic. Keep your cool and make sure to stick to a 10min time limit for each passage. The best strategy for CARS that worked for me was to take time to read the passage carefully and understand it as much as possible. I would take at least 2 minutes to read each passage. It is much easier to know the answer immediately than have to go back because most questions cannot be answered by reading specific parts of the passage. There is no point rushing through just to save time if you have no clue what you just read.
Another thing worth mentioning is to take everything you read on here about topics tested with a grain of salt. Last year the topics tested varied wildly from date to date and even within versions on the same date. Don't risk anything by completely ignoring a subject. Know your formulas for physics, learn the key Ochem families, study your physiology, etc.
7)
Length of Studying: 2.5 months (May 1st - Mid July) working full-time throughout except for 10 days before the exam. On average, I studied 2-4 hours after work on weekdays and up to 7 hours on weekends. I really don't think you need more than this if you have a strong foundation in the sciences. It actually helps to have something on the side that takes your mind off studying and ensures that you are productively studying a few hours a day rather than being inefficient for a whole day because you're burnt out or bored.
Glad to provide any advice, feel free to message me.
Hope this helps and feel free to shoot me a message if you have additional questions.
