Compilation of Commentary on the New Exam

[mcatjelly]

Hello again,

I just spent a few hours reading various SDN and Reddit threads and compiling user commentary on how the first two days of exam administration went. For your reading pleasure, the reviews are categorized by exam section and by comparison to the various prep materials that were used.

Hopefully this proves to be helpful! I'll do my best to keep it updated as new posts come out.

Check it out here.

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[allanMED15]

Well done.

 

[mcatjelly]

Thanks.

 

[Levrone]

great, ty

what about next step

 

[Dreamstoo]

The poor reviews on TPR are bothering me quite a bit... I do feel their biochem isn't sufficient (I do plan on getting a KAP biochem book soon) but I thought the rest of their books are good for the new test.

 

[mcatjelly]

The poor reviews on TPR are bothering me quite a bit... I do feel their biochem isn't sufficient (I do plan on getting a KAP biochem book soon) but I thought the rest of their books are good for the new test.

I really wouldn't worry too much about what other people are saying--remember that one's performance on the test is representative of not just which materials they used, but how they used them and how well/thoroughly they studied in general.

Also, here's a recent review of TPR books in general by MedSchool Tutors.

 

[allantois]

You are our North Star

 

[Heisenberg 41]

Thank you!

 

[mcatjelly]

You are our guiding star

Lolololol, thank you.

What I am is anxiety-ridden about the exam and life in general, so I procrastinate in ways that make me feel productive and useful so I can hate myself a little less.

 

[655703]

This is awesome. Thanks mcatjelly.

After reading the compilation thus far it seems like there is very few consensus regarding strategies, difficulty of each section, and quality of prep books for each section. Some people say x is great/easy while y is bad/difficult, but it seems like the next person will say the exact opposite.

The only things that I believe can be said with any degree of certain and unanimity is:
1) Biochem is very, very important.
2) It's not about how much content you know, it's about how you can apply the content to new and tricky situations (this seems to have been a focus of the old MCAT, but emphasized even more so on the new MCAT).
3) I was going to add something about psych/soc here, but after reviewing what everyone has had to say, there really is no consensus whatsoever about this section.

What do y'all think?

 

[mcatjelly]

This is awesome. Thanks mcatjelly.

After reading the compilation thus far it seems like there is very few consensus regarding strategies, difficulty of each section, and quality of prep books for each section. Some people say x is great/easy while y is bad/difficult, but it seems like the next person will say the exact opposite.

The only things that I believe can be said with any degree of certain and unanimity is:
1) Biochem is very, very important.
2) It's not about how much content you know, it's about how you can apply the content to new and tricky situations (this seems to have been a focus of the old MCAT, but emphasized even more so on the new MCAT).
3) I was going to add something about psych/soc here, but after reviewing what everyone has had to say, there really is no consensus whatsoever about this section.

What do y'all think?

Yup, I totally agree. And I would add that you need to be comfortable understanding and interpreting scientific data.

I also think that, in their panic about the new exam, people are forgetting that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to MCAT studying. Aside from "doing practice passages = gold standard" in terms of learning the material, different approaches work for different people, and different people have different strengths. Someone who needs an external guide and motivator for their content review probably won't be satisfied with any prep company, while another will be better able to synthesize a variety of resources to learn the material. Etc etc etc.

 

[Barbells&Babies18]

Lolololol, thank you.

What I am is anxiety-ridden about the exam and life in general, so I procrastinate in ways that make me feel productive and useful so I can hate myself a little less.

Hahaha. I'm the EXACT same way which is why I've been reading this thread all day!

 

[GCSDOC]

Sounds to me like there is not necessarily much benefit in studying content the same way it was done for the old exam. Seems like just doing practice passages and getting comfortable utilizing critical thinking skills and understanding data is the best idea for this new exam.

 

[justadream]

Sounds to me like there is not necessarily much benefit in studying content the same way it was done for the old exam. Seems like just doing practice passages and getting comfortable utilizing critical thinking skills and understanding data is the best idea for this new exam.

Doing practice passages is part of content review.

Also, the "more analytical" and "use of data" emphasis already existed on the old MCAT (at least the MCAT of 2014).

The old AAMC 11 somewhat reflected this.

The best way to do well is to know the content backwards and forwards. I knew the content (at least at the level AAMC was testing) so well that taking the extra step of "analyzing data" was really not much of a leap to make.

 

[mcatjelly]

Doing practice passages is part of content review.

Also, the "more analytical" and "use of data" emphasis already existed on the old MCAT (at least the MCAT of 2014).

The old AAMC 11 somewhat reflected this.

The best way to do well is to know the content backwards and forwards. I knew the content (at least at the level AAMC was testing) so well that taking the extra step of "analyzing data" was really not much of a leap to make.

Agreed, though I will say that a fair portion of questions do require the ability to quickly analyze data that don't at all rely on outside knowledge.

 

[DesitnationMD]

I've seen several commenters state that reading peer-reviewed articles would have helped. The off guide passages don't strike me as that technical, for those who have taken the aamc fl or real thing, would you agree with this?

Peer reviewed articles used to be overkill, and I think for this new exam if it was required that would seriously hinder the ability for non life science majors to have a fair shake on the exam.

 

[mcatjelly]

I've seen several commenters state that reading peer-reviewed articles would have helped. The off guide passages don't strike me as that technical, for those who have taken the aamc fl or real thing, would you agree with this?

Peer reviewed articles used to be overkill, and I think for this new exam if it was required that would seriously hinder the ability for non life science majors to have a fair shake on the exam.

Mmm, I don't necessarily agree with that last sentence. If you have experience reading peer-reviewed journal articles from any discipline, and you have a solid understanding of the science concepts that will be tested, it shouldn't be THAT much of a stretch to apply those critical thinking skills to a hard science-based passage. n = 1 here, but the only research I ever did in undergrad was psych-related and I'm not finding technical, experimental MCAT passages to be a big jump from those found in the Behavioral Foundations section. The technical jargon varies between disciplines for sure, but the MCAT doesn't give you passages that would require you to be any sort of specialist.

 

[Bookworm36]

Impressed!

 

[drkobebryant]

lol @Me for using TPR for 30+ days

 

[allanMED15]

lol @Me for using TPR for 30+ days

I've used them since November... Imagine my frustration.

 

[mcatjelly]

lol @Me for using TPR for 30+ days

I've used them since November... Imagine my frustration.

^ Keep in mind that the commentary comes from a very small percentage of test-takers who took only two administrations of a brand new exam, and that different strokes (i.e. prep companies) work for different folks!

 

[allanMED15]

^ Keep in mind that the commentary comes from a very small percentage of test-takers who took only two administrations of a brand new exam, and that different strokes (i.e. prep companies) work for different folks!

Very true. It seems to work well for me. It is just a bit disheartening to see comments like that regardless.