August 15 MCAT Club

MCAT is Hard? Not with BeMo's 515 Score Guarantee.
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Cumberland_Doc

Cumberland_Doc

Full Member
Verified Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
May 29, 2008
Messages
160
Reaction score
13
August is coming fast. For those of you August 15th MCAT folks, post your thoughts, preparation, and questions here.
Members don't see this ad.
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
Yes! I had one where i got a 6.5 in one section and a 2 in another. And when I lay in bed at night trying to sleep I always have random MCAT topics running through my head. Like the other night for some reason i kept going over the formula for calculating how much of an object is submerged in a given liquid.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
oh man. about 10 days left and i got really lazy the past 2 weeks :[

time to take 4 exams in the next 10 days and really hammer in stuff. lol
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Members don't see this ad :)
My science scores have been showing an upward trend. I always seem to level out at 11 on Verbal though (on both the Kaplan FLs and AAMC's). I had a good full length yesterday and I'm hoping to use some of the positive energy from that and do one every other day this week. What are your guys' plan for the week of the exam? Kaplan recommended just taking it easy, maybe review some flashcards. I'm thinking of studying until Wednesday, at least and then taking Thursday off.

As for snacking, I find that it really helps me. Especially before Bio. I'm taking a lot of carb heavy snacks for that extra push through the last section. After the exam, I'm planning on getting drunk through the afternoon and the weekend. yes?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I really am getting to the point where I just don't know what to study anymore. I have 3 AAMCs left and Ill be taking one tommorrow, one on saturday and one on Monday. Next tuesday is my last day of review and then wednesday and thursday im relaxing... hopefully.

My problem with PS is that it never comes down to things I dont know, just I'm not applying what I know or something. I just wanna break out of the 8 in PS rut and Ill be ok.

Heres the real question. What are you guys doing to party when the test is over? I'm heading up to college the next day and rocking out.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Yeah, it's getting so ridiculous now. I just keep rereading my EK books, and finishing up the 30-minute lecture quizzes at the end - they're definitely trickier than what's on the AAMC practice tests, so even though I don't always score that well on them, I feel a lot more prepared after I complete them.

I am in a pretty good mood now though, just took AAMC 8 and definitely scored where I needed to if I want to hit my target score by next Friday. :) Just hope this trend continues with AAMC 9 and 10. *crosses fingers*

And as a random rant, gahhhhhh Verbal! I was so good at SAT Verbal, but I find these MCAT passages a lot harder to keep focus on and answer those difficult questions where you have it narrowed down to two answers (so frustrating!). AAMC 8, especially, I just found exceptionally boring for the most part. *sigh*

Personally, I'm going to spend another week at home after the exam, catch up with friends I haven't had time to see while studying, and then on August 23, back to Penn State, party school extraordinaire, wheeee! I'm going to go insaneeee, for sure. :D
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Is anybody else jaded by Kaplan's ridiculous scoring? I just finished up with the TPR diags and my scores on those were: 29,31,31,33,33. I just took Kaplan FL1 and FL2 (a day or two after I finished up the TPR diags) and scored 35 and 39, respectively. Either TPR or Kaplan is full of crap. My hunch is that they probably both are though. They are just simply too hard yet straightforward while the aamcs are slightly easier but more abstract.

My worry is that these Kaplan diags are worthless in terms of predictive power and can only really provide just extra practice. For instance, I missed 14 on the kaplan verbal and still got a 10 vs. the TPR, where I miss 14 and I get an 8. How are you're guys' kaplan scores comparing to your aamc scores?

I ask b/c I am a retaker and have taken all of the aamc tests already ~3/4 months ago when I was prepping for the 6/13 exam. My scores on those ranged from 31-35, but 3 or 4 months later, I would like to think I have improved and as such, I have nothing to compare my new practice test scores to.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Celestine said:
Thanks for the response pullandbear. :) I'm curious, what program are you in? I'm the six-year PSU/Jefferson Medical one, I just finished my first year at Penn State.

I'm not worried about getting a 27, on the practice tests I've taken so far (AAMC 3-7), I got in the mid-thirties, usually. I just wanted to do better than that, personally, so hopefully I can get my scores up to high thirties consistently on the practice tests by exam time. If anything, it'll just make me more confident and calm going in, you know?
Click to expand...
I'm in the 7 year program at Univ. of Miami. Going into junior yr. I applied to the PSU/Jefferson one too, i got an interview there but in the end i didnt get in. Wow, you are definitely setting the bar high for yourself. Congrats on the high scores man. On a side note, how's everyone doing on the 2 week stretch left? What are your scheduels looking like?

As for the diet thing, ive been on a ketogenic diet for the whole summer and ill stay in a ketogenic state for the exam. Basically, you don't eat any carbs and instead of utilizing glucose for fuel, the body breaks down fats into ketones and uses them for energy instead (ive read a bunch of MCAT passages about this process lol). Its awesome, no insulin/sugar crashes that leave you exhausted. Plus, fats take a LONG time to digest, so i'll be cruising through the 4 hours no problem!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Best of Luck everyone! As for me, I'll be buried away in books for the next week and looking forward to tackle this fuc*er once and for all!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
trojanMD said:
I ask b/c I am a retaker and have taken all of the aamc tests already ~3/4 months ago when I was prepping for the 6/13 exam. My scores on those ranged from 31-35, but 3 or 4 months later, I would like to think I have improved and as such, I have nothing to compare my new practice test scores to.
Click to expand...


So do u think the practice are more like the real deal or the kaplan or TPR ones? For the sciences.... :cool:
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
gleek said:
I would check the MCAT Essentials to be sure, but I'm pretty sure you have to be there at least 30 minutes before.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I just checked MCAT Essentials, you do have to arrive 30 minutes early. Now I have to leave the house by 7. :mad:
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Members don't see this ad :)
UGH! I just took AAMC 8 and got a 28. 8PS 11VR 9BS. My PS score is where it always is but I dont know why I've gone down in BS as of late. A score like this so close to the real deal is so frustrating!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Tiss229 said:
UGH! I just took AAMC 8 and got a 28. 8PS 11VR 9BS. My PS score is where it always is but I dont know why I've gone down in BS as of late. A score like this so close to the real deal is so frustrating!
Click to expand...

When I take a practice test, good or bad, I finish it and go do something else for an hour or so. Then I come back to the test, and go through all of the questions, and especially any that I had difficulty with, even if I got them right.

As I'm going through them, I add to my cumulative list of common mistakes that I personally tend to make or just things I've picked up that I think I may forget. It's basically a table with five columns (one for each subject) in a Word document, that I constantly add to. It makes me feel more secure that I have all of my common errors in one place to review and make sure I don't make the same mistakes on the actual test. :)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
ok guys , im also taking this BEASTTT on AUg 15, and i hope hope hope that this will be the last time i take this "monkey" (a k a MCAT)..(this is my first time taking it and hopefully the last)..

Im still doing "iffy" on verbal ... ive been practicing but not improving.. that sucks.. i guess i have to keep fighting till the aug 15.. Im doing just fine on the other two sections. But verbal, darn it, let me go practice more... lol :D
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Tiss229 said:
UGH! I just took AAMC 8 and got a 28. 8PS 11VR 9BS. My PS score is where it always is but I dont know why I've gone down in BS as of late. A score like this so close to the real deal is so frustrating!
Click to expand...

yo.. I just took AAMC 8 too and thought it was a bit harder than other AAMC. Shouldn't complain about 33 but the Bio was total bullshyt (the last two passages really got me..missed 6/7 just within those two). I'm just gonna review and complete the last one AAMC 5 2mrw.. Gotta hang in there man! Don't let one test affect your confidence...just need to be more careful in future considerng I had 12mt left over to check it.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Yeah I honestly don't know what to study anymore. I 'm gonna take AAMC 10 on saturday and hopefully get some better results.
Keep plugging guys!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Gah, I keep feeling like I don't know what I don't know...I'm really worried after talking to two people who took it yesterday. I have a bunch of friends taking it tomorrow, so I'm nervous about what they're going to say.

Oh, on a side note, does anyone have an idea of how much electricty and magnetism stuff is on the exam, usually? It's the one class I haven't taken, so I basically taught myself all about electrostatics, circuits, and capacitors. I even read from a Princeton Review book I got out of the library because EK physics is soooo watered down. But neither book covers much about magnetism, aside from the two right-hand rules. I would be okay with that (less to learn!) but I saw on a recent administration, that they asked about solenoids, which I'm pretty sure are magnetism related. Any insights on this topic and its prevalence?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Celestine, it was probably part of a passage, and the questions could probably be answered from what you know about magnetism.

The truth is that you never know what will be on your exam, so stressing about it won't help at all. All you can do is work on your weaknesses, and do a butt load of practice problems. Worrying will just lower your score.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
So about a week to go... does conventional wisdom suggest that our current practice scores at this point are probably where we'll score on the real deal?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Oh god, if only...I'm just worried my practice scores are inflated compared to what I'm actually going to end up with. Gah. I need to sleeeep.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Celestine said:
Oh god, if only...I'm just worried my practice scores are inflated compared to what I'm actually going to end up with. Gah. I need to sleeeep.
Click to expand...

I have the same worry :( I've been doing well on the practice exams. I just hope my real deal reflects this and my test day nerves dont get in the way again like they did on my 6/13 MCAT. In reference to your concern about solenoids, I believe the PR physical sciences book goes into all the detail that you might be expected to know. Anything else, I'm sure it'll turn up in the passage.

Breathe guys! We're in the home stretch! One more week of pain and we're home free. Just a little tip as an MCAT veteran: Dont stress! This will just build anxiety and hinder your performance come test day. Relax. Realize this is just one test of many in our lives; dont put the test up on a pedestal. Also realize that you can't possibly know everything, so dont beat yourself up if you dont know a concept in and out and all the minute details associated with it. Stay confident and well rested:luck:
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
:(the kaplan science section tests are making me really worried... I am going to die if the real deal is like it :scared:

I need to ban my head on the table or something....
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
PipiChen said:
:(the kaplan science section tests are making me really worried... I am going to die if the real deal is like it :scared:

I need to ban my head on the table or something....
Click to expand...


oh wow, ok ill help u go through it, lift ur head--- ok now bang the left side of ur brain on the table, that will release some sensory neurons to pain receptors indication pain, now as u lift ur head u might see blood, u
suddenly get nervous and scarred--- activating ur sympathatic nervous sytem (fight or flight response) releasing epinehrin ( i spelled it wrongl), ok u decide to run because really u dont want fight the table.. as u run-ur using up all ur ATp that is being conisitently made as well as some reserved Atp, ONCE U R far from that table, ur parasymapthic system takes over, u relax, and live a normal life again.

dont freak out u will be just fine...
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Just finished AAMC 10 and got my best score so far...
10PS 10VR and 12BS
I thought this was a much easier practice test than any of the other ones I've taken so far...
Have any of you taken this test and thought it was easier than the others?

I don't want to feel confident or anything going into the real thing.... I like to sufficiently extinguish all hopes and dreams of being accepted to medical school.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Omg, I cannot believe there is only a week left! Practice exam (AAMC 9) tomorrow, and then I'm planning to do a full physics review this weekend...hopefully it'll help deal with that insane section that's been giving me nightmares. :scared:

Probably Examkrackers exam on Sunday or Monday and then the last practice exam (AAMC 10) on Wednesday. *sigh* I don't even know what to think anymore. I literally don't know what I don't know...well, other than optics, which I conveniently skipped earlier and am relearning currently. :rolleyes:

Are there any specific topics you guys think have been recently important and should be reviewed?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Genetics, genetics, genetics! Know the following like its your job: punnet squares, hardy weinberg, probability calculations, common punnet square ratios, and being comfortable reading convoluted genetics passages.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
So I've heard, lol. Those genetics topics aside, how much do you think we need to know about like, molecular genetics, stuff like DNA replication and protein synthesis? I think I asked this somewhere else, but I thought I might as well ask here as well. :oops:
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
At this point I'm getting rather burned out. The vast majority of questions I'm missing are simply due to extremely stupid mistakes and general fatigue.

I almost quit half way through AAMC 8 this evening, simply because I'm sick of doing this stuff.

Questions I'm missing include...

Why does N2 have a lower bp than O2? For some inane reason I didn't think about the molecular weight. Like come on now...

And what germ layer does the heart arise from? I swear I put down mesoderm, but turns out I said ectoderm and mesodorm.

I guess on the bright side though is that I'm still scoring in the high thirties with these stupid mistakes. Hopefully I'll be a bit more motivated to pay attention to detail come test day, and can really push through and get the score I know I am capable of.

Also, when are you guys planning on taking your last practice exam prior to Friday?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I have AAMC 10 and TPR 4 and 8 left. I've heard TRP 8 is a major confidence deflater so i might do that one this weekend, do TPR 4 on monday and save AAMC 10 for Wednesday and then take Thursday off. I was thinking of driving to the test center on thursday just so i can make sure i know where it is so i'm not late on friday..because that would suck majorly.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
willis06 said:
Just finished AAMC 10 and got my best score so far...
10PS 10VR and 12BS
I thought this was a much easier practice test than any of the other ones I've taken so far...
Have any of you taken this test and thought it was easier than the others?

I don't want to feel confident or anything going into the real thing.... I like to sufficiently extinguish all hopes and dreams of being accepted to medical school.
Click to expand...

i think AAMC 10 is inflated

i got an 11, 10, 15 on it last saturday. yesterday i took AAMC6 and got a 9, 10, 13
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
pitt1166 said:
At this point I'm getting rather burned out. The vast majority of questions I'm missing are simply due to extremely stupid mistakes and general fatigue.

I almost quit half way through AAMC 8 this evening, simply because I'm sick of doing this stuff.

Questions I'm missing include...

Why does N2 have a lower bp than O2? For some inane reason I didn't think about the molecular weight. Like come on now...

And what germ layer does the heart arise from? I swear I put down mesoderm, but turns out I said ectoderm and mesodorm.

I guess on the bright side though is that I'm still scoring in the high thirties with these stupid mistakes. Hopefully I'll be a bit more motivated to pay attention to detail come test day, and can really push through and get the score I know I am capable of.

Also, when are you guys planning on taking your last practice exam prior to Friday?
Click to expand...

So last night after I wrote this semi-angry post and then riding three miles through West Philadelphia at 1am to return home, I discover I left my keys in the lab where I study. So I had to go back to campus again and deal with the folks (albeit nice ones) at security to let me into the lab to grab my keys, so I could finally ride home again through West Philly, this time at 2am. Argh.

This test will be the death of me, I swear.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
RealDream said:
oh wow, ok ill help u go through it, lift ur head--- ok now bang the left side of ur brain on the table, that will release some sensory neurons to pain receptors indication pain, now as u lift ur head u might see blood, u
suddenly get nervous and scarred--- activating ur sympathatic nervous sytem (fight or flight response) releasing epinehrin ( i spelled it wrongl), ok u decide to run because really u dont want fight the table.. as u run-ur using up all ur ATp that is being conisitently made as well as some reserved Atp, ONCE U R far from that table, ur parasymapthic system takes over, u relax, and live a normal life again.

dont freak out u will be just fine...
Click to expand...

No kidding man... I did the practice tests in the following order under mock test conditions :

9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 and got 33, 33, 30, 33, 35, 36 respectively....

Score range:

PS 11-13
BS 11-14
VB-8-11

But when I started doing the kaplan section test, I go bonkers..... :scared::scared::scared::scared:

WORRRIES MY ASS OFF :scared:
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Just finished AAMC 9. *cries* Not happy with my performance...this is not good so close to the exam. And verbal went down, so now I have to worry about that too, GREAT. *crawls into a corner*
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I'm taking AAMC 9 tomorrow... hoping for the best. AAMC 10 will be on monday and my final review will be Tuesday. God help us all
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Seriously, it feels like we're going into battle or something. I'm so scaredddd. :scared:

Who's taking it in the morning? I am, hopefully I'll get up on time, hahaha. :rolleyes:
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
As far as nightmares go, I had one last night in which I was posting on this thread trying to teach you guys about ortho/para directors. :p

Lately, it's been really hard for me to keep to actual testing conditions. I keep pausing because I lose concentration, then just looking at the screen and clearing my head and restarting. It seems to work, I got pretty decent scores on AAMC8. The only section that I scored lower than normal was verbal....those passages were especially nasty on test 8. I think based on what you guys are saying, it's logical to take AAMC9 tomorrow, and 10 on Monday (if you say it's inflated, it'll give me that great confidence boost for test day).

I've been seeing facebook statuses of my friends who took it this week saying 'yay i'm DONE' or 'mcat free for the rest of my life' and stuff. I'm so pumped, I can't wait for this to end.

One more week, guys. We got this. :thumbup:
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You know what, I think the kaplan tests are actually a confidence booster because the curves are so messed up...

...but that being said, how is AAMC 9 in terms of reality purposes? You know what I hate is that I always end up scoring one question off the next point up.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Well I just took AAMC 9. I scored a 31- 10PS, 13VR, 8BS. Kinda annoyed by the BS score... lowest I've ever scored in that section. Verbal surprised me too I thought I bombed it. Oh well
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Tiss229 said:
Well I just took AAMC 9. I scored a 31- 10PS, 13VR, 8BS. Kinda annoyed by the BS score... lowest I've ever scored in that section. Verbal surprised me too I thought I bombed it. Oh well
Click to expand...

Nice work!

Don't read into the lower BS too much. If it is an outlier, than that is all it is!

Good luck with the rest of your studying.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Not Bad at all! I just finished AAMC 9 12PS 9VR 10BS. For me it was one of the harder Bio sections that I have taken... As far as everything else goes...Friday couldn't come soon enough...I want my life back haha.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Yeah honestly... what was with that BS? I was thinking of painting my face Braveheart style for the exam...
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
OK, just to be sure, the only thing I really need to bring is a photo ID, such as a driver's license... correct?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Haha...it seems like 31 is a popular score on AAMC9. I got 11PS 11VR 9BS. My bio score is always up in the air. Sometimes it's an 11 and sometimes an 8...

As far as what you need to bring, an ID that has your photo, signature, and an expiration date works.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Well I'm gonna be taking my last full length today (aamc 10). Hopefully its a confidence booster.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Alright, well I took AAMC 9 this morning "test conditions." I took the test in the biomed library, where I have never been before. Had a redbull, started the test at 8am, didn't pause the test, etc. I got a 39, which I'll certainly take.

Although, I must admit, I did pause once to stuff my cotton in my ear that I happened to have, because freaking people still talk in the library!!! I know the AAMC website says that they will provide us with earplugs... can I trust them?

I'm going to do 10 Weds and then Friday...
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

V
July 15 MCAT for this application cycle
Replies
10
Views
2K
gyngyn
gyngyn
H
Advice on (slight) change in study plan - received Boren Scholarship & taking August 24th
Replies
2
Views
96
AJS59
AJS59
D
Is it possible to get II or acceptances with a late August MCAT? Assuming the primary is submitted in June
Replies
6
Views
1K
gyngyn
gyngyn
P
  • Locked
  • Question
Should I take the MCAT 5/15 or push it back?
Replies
0
Views
783
premedfoodie
P
freshdoe
  • Question
August 8th vs August 14th MCAT
Replies
9
Views
2K
JimKimSlim
JimKimSlim
Top