Freshmen Undergrad Student: I WANT TO START PREPPING FOR MCAT! pls help me SND

[Mr.Bankole]

Hello SND family,


I just finished my first semester at UMD, College Park with a 3.35 GPA. I've applied for the SMDEP sites for this upcoming summer, and I'm CNA/GNA certified. I'm a 19 year old African American male with dreams of becoming a Physician one day.

I want to get a head start on the new MCAT because I know a 3.8-4.0 GPA is unrealistic for me personally. So I hope with an excellent MCAT score, everything will balance out.

I'm taking BSCI105 this semester and Public Health is my major.


I've recent bought Kaplan Reading and Analysis, Princeton Math and Physics, and the Princeton Biology book.


My real question is: WHAT IS THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY, AS OF NOW, 2-3 YEARS IN ADVANCE,TO START PREPPING FOR THE NEW MCAT. I'll do anything.

I'm shooting for a 520-530 if possible.

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[Optimist Prime]

Honestly 3 years of studying will give you diminishing returns. Focus on your classes hard and read the textbooks if you can't get above a 3.35 gpa no matter how hard you try then odds are you won't receive a 520+ on the mcat. Also you have a couple more years before you take the mcat so if I were you I would of waited to buy your prep books because companies are still adjusting them to fit the new mcat. If you waited until 6 months or so before you take your mcat practice exams an material will be a lot closer to the real exam.

 

[Mr.Bankole]

Honestly 3 years of studying will give you diminishing returns. Focus on your classes hard and read the textbooks if you can't get above a 3.35 gpa no matter how hard you try then odds are you won't receive a 520+ on the mcat. Also you have a couple more years before you take the mcat so if I were you I would of waited to buy your prep books because companies are still adjusting them to fit the new mcat. If you waited until 6 months or so before you take your mcat practice exams an material will be a lot closer to the real exam.

I get what you're saying and thanks for the reply. But I'm really trying yo buss me tail these next semesters and aim for a 3.6 from now on to even out my GPA. I honestly believe the sooner I get exposed to the MCAT (whether new or old), it'll be beneficially. The information from the books I bought can't really hurt, as long as I don't let me GPA slip in the meanwhile.

I want to know what I can do as of now, that will help. I refuse not to succeed on the MCAT. I have to do well sir.

 

[CHoge25]

Hello SND family,


I just finished my first semester at UMD, College Park with a 3.35 GPA. I've applied for the SMDEP sites for this upcoming summer, and I'm CNA/GNA certified. I'm a 19 year old African American male with dreams of becoming a Physician one day.

I want to get a head start on the new MCAT because I know a 3.8-4.0 GPA is unrealistic for me personally. So I hope with an excellent MCAT score, everything will balance out.

I'm taking BSCI105 this semester and Public Health is my major.


I've recent bought Kaplan Reading and Analysis, Princeton Math and Physics, and the Princeton Biology book.


My real question is: WHAT IS THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY, AS OF NOW, 2-3 YEARS IN ADVANCE,TO START PREPPING FOR THE NEW MCAT. I'll do anything.

I'm shooting for a 520-530 if possible.

You are being very ambitious. Nothing wrong with that of course but my recommendation to you:

Focus and do well on your pre-req courses. There is no point in starting to study for the MCAT until you have taken these. Your GPA needs to be your number 1 concern, not the MCAT. Also, get involved in EC's that you enjoy and will be beneficial to your app. You are 19, college is a time of growth and learning about yourself/your interests. It sounds like you are pretty set on being a physician which is good, but a lot of things can change in a couple years. Continue to gain exposure to all areas of medicine you can, it will benefit you in the short and long term. I was in a very similar situation as you when I was 19. Looking back there are a lot of things I would do differently... but my number 1 piece of advice:

Enjoy the journey. If you truly want to become a physician, it is a lifelong goal and something you will give your whole life to. DO NOT RUSH. If you are persistent, motivated and pursuing medicine for the right reasons you will get there eventually. It does not matter if you are 22 when you start medical school or 30. Live in the present. Always thinking about the future will not allow you to maximize and get the most of the opportunities you currently have at your disposal. This is a marathon, not a sprint my friend.

You can start reading articles like in the NY times and such to practice for CARS, and also if your school has a class (again this would be after you have at least taken intro bio) that is focused on discussing research articles, this would be good because the new MCAT has a big component now of understanding research techniques. If not you can find plenty of articles on pubmed and such, maybe read one a week and write out the goals and results of the experiments. If you can find friends to form a group and do this and discuss one article a week that would be very helpful.

Best and enjoy the journey

 

[Mr.Bankole]

Right, I understand what you are saying. Many of my friends tell em to slow down, and enjoy the present. But sadly I'm very impatient and the thought of becoming a Physician makes me tremendously excited. I'm currently reading passages in my CARS book as we speak LOL.

Trust me, I'll never put this excitement before my school work. As of EC's I'm in pre-med societies, and I'm trying to do some volunteer and shadowing work as well this semester.

Thanks for the response, could you go more in depth of your recommendation of the NY times research articles reading? I'm interested

 

[Mr.Bankole]

You are being very ambitious. Nothing wrong with that of course but my recommendation to you:

Focus and do well on your pre-req courses. There is no point in starting to study for the MCAT until you have taken these. Your GPA needs to be your number 1 concern, not the MCAT. Also, get involved in EC's that you enjoy and will be beneficial to your app. You are 19, college is a time of growth and learning about yourself/your interests. It sounds like you are pretty set on being a physician which is good, but a lot of things can change in a couple years. Continue to gain exposure to all areas of medicine you can, it will benefit you in the short and long term. I was in a very similar situation as you when I was 19. Looking back there are a lot of things I would do differently... but my number 1 piece of advice:

Enjoy the journey. If you truly want to become a physician, it is a lifelong goal and something you will give your whole life to. DO NOT RUSH. If you are persistent, motivated and pursuing medicine for the right reasons you will get there eventually. It does not matter if you are 22 when you start medical school or 30. Live in the present. Always thinking about the future will not allow you to maximize and get the most of the opportunities you currently have at your disposal. This is a marathon, not a sprint my friend.

You can start reading articles like in the NY times and such to practice for CARS, and also if your school has a class (again this would be after you have at least taken intro bio) that is focused on discussing research articles, this would be good because the new MCAT has a big component now of understanding research techniques. If not you can find plenty of articles on pubmed and such, maybe read one a week and write out the goals and results of the experiments. If you can find friends to form a group and do this and discuss one article a week that would be very helpful.

Best and enjoy the journey

Right, I understand what you are saying. Many of my friends tell em to slow down, and enjoy the present. But sadly I'm very impatient and the thought of becoming a Physician makes me tremendously excited. I'm currently reading passages in my CARS book as we speak LOL.

Trust me, I'll never put this excitement before my school work. As of EC's I'm in pre-med societies, and I'm trying to do some volunteer and shadowing work as well this semester.

Thanks for the response, could you go more in depth of your recommendation of the NY times research articles reading? I'm interested

 

[CHoge25]

Right, I understand what you are saying. Many of my friends tell em to slow down, and enjoy the present. But sadly I'm very impatient and the thought of becoming a Physician makes me tremendously excited. I'm currently reading passages in my CARS book as we speak LOL.

Trust me, I'll never put this excitement before my school work. As of EC's I'm in pre-med societies, and I'm trying to do some volunteer and shadowing work as well this semester.

Thanks for the response, could you go more in depth of your recommendation of the NY times research articles reading? I'm interested

When I was your age I also was very impatient. It is natural. Looking back, I was being rushed through the pre-med grinder because "that's what you're supposed to do". This is not the right path. Take your time, develop and grow your interests so that the time you apply to med school you are ready and the best applicant you can be. Listen to some of your friends. Instead of studying one night, go out for a beer (when you're 21 of course ) or go play some pick-up basketball. When you are going to practice medicine for say 40 years, what is the difference of one year? You are only racing towards an inevitable end. Enjoy your time and continue growing.

There is a thread in here where people have posted CARS reading material, that may be a good place to start. Specifically philosophy and art are usually most troublesome for CARS

As a note on EC's.... it does not matter what societies you are members of, but what you do in them. On an app you won't even list that you were a member of X and Y, but you will put "I helped raise 20,000k for cancer research".

 

[CHoge25]

When I was your age I also was very impatient. It is natural. Looking back, I was being rushed through the pre-med grinder because "that's what you're supposed to do". This is not the right path. Take your time, develop and grow your interests so that the time you apply to med school you are ready and the best applicant you can be. Listen to some of your friends. Instead of studying one night, go out for a beer (when you're 21 of course ) or go play some pick-up basketball. When you are going to practice medicine for say 40 years, what is the difference of one year? You are only racing towards an inevitable end. Enjoy your time and continue growing.

There is a thread in here where people have posted CARS reading material, that may be a good place to start. Specifically philosophy and art are usually most troublesome for CARS

As a note on EC's.... it does not matter what societies you are members of, but what you do in them. On an app you won't even list that you were a member of X and Y, but you will put "I helped raise 20,000k for cancer research".

As for research articles, look at recent publications in Nature or Pubmed. Look at some new cancer research going on and what not and read about the current studies.

An example would be an article like this: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4632824/
I advise you DO NOT START READING THESE UNTIL YOU HAVE TAKEN ATLEAST INTRO BIO. Upper level bio courses too also recommended.

 

[Mr.Bankole]

When I was your age I also was very impatient. It is natural. Looking back, I was being rushed through the pre-med grinder because "that's what you're supposed to do". This is not the right path. Take your time, develop and grow your interests so that the time you apply to med school you are ready and the best applicant you can be. Listen to some of your friends. Instead of studying one night, go out for a beer (when you're 21 of course ) or go play some pick-up basketball. When you are going to practice medicine for say 40 years, what is the difference of one year? You are only racing towards an inevitable end. Enjoy your time and continue growing.

There is a thread in here where people have posted CARS reading material, that may be a good place to start. Specifically philosophy and art are usually most troublesome for CARS

As a note on EC's.... it does not matter what societies you are members of, but what you do in them. On an app you won't even list that you were a member of X and Y, but you will put "I helped raise 20,000k for cancer research".

Wow, thank you so much. Your response was truly insightful. But yeah, trust me--I still know how to have fun. I just limit that, and make learning new medical things a priority for some reason. For example, instead of me staying up watching random Youtube videos; I liked to watch ER shows, Grey's Anatomy, and Dr. House because it's interesting and I learn more medical terminology. I'm slowing becoming a nerd LOL. That's just what interests me. Any tips on getting involved? It's subtly difficult for me to say "I helped raise 20,000k for cancer research" ...I would love to be apart of that but how would I even start?

If there's a party, I'll go. But I won't outdo myself and make it a, more-than-eventful night. That's just not me.

I want to start improving me reading and comprehension. Also, I'll be starting an intro to Biological Sciences course, in about 2 days as well as Elementary Calculus. I want to get impressive grades!

 

[aalamruad]

Hello SND family,


I just finished my first semester at UMD, College Park with a 3.35 GPA. I've applied for the SMDEP sites for this upcoming summer, and I'm CNA/GNA certified. I'm a 19 year old African American male with dreams of becoming a Physician one day.

I want to get a head start on the new MCAT because I know a 3.8-4.0 GPA is unrealistic for me personally. So I hope with an excellent MCAT score, everything will balance out.

I'm taking BSCI105 this semester and Public Health is my major.


I've recent bought Kaplan Reading and Analysis, Princeton Math and Physics, and the Princeton Biology book.


My real question is: WHAT IS THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY, AS OF NOW, 2-3 YEARS IN ADVANCE,TO START PREPPING FOR THE NEW MCAT. I'll do anything.

I'm shooting for a 520-530 if possible.

It's out of 528

 

[CHoge25]

Wow, thank you so much. Your response was truly insightful. But yeah, trust me--I still know how to have fun. I just limit that, and make learning new medical things a priority for some reason. For example, instead of me staying up watching random Youtube videos; I liked to watch ER shows, Grey's Anatomy, and Dr. House because it's interesting and I learn more medical terminology. I'm slowing becoming a nerd LOL. That's just what interests me. Any tips on getting involved? It's subtly difficult for me to say "I helped raise 20,000k for cancer research" ...I would love to be apart of that but how would I even start?

If there's a party, I'll go. But I won't outdo myself and make it a, more-than-eventful night. That's just not me.

I want to start improving me reading and comprehension. Also, I'll be starting an intro to Biological Sciences course, in about 2 days as well as Elementary Calculus. I want to get impressive grades!

Your focus right now needs to 100% be on getting good grades and getting involved in EC's that you enjoy/will be beneficial to your app. Do not even think about the MCAT... your time will come with that and studying for 3-6 months for the test is plenty of time to get a great score.... 2-3 years in advance would be overkill...

Meet with an adviser, ask them about all the options your school has.... If you are interested in research, look up some of the research going on at your school and if any interests you. If it does email the professors expressing interest and see if you can get involved... Earlier the better... Besides that just pick up some clinical volunteering and what not, and some non-clinical volunteering....

For example some of the non-clinical volunteering I did was coaching a youth baseball team and volunteering at a summer camp for children with disabilities

Essentially: Find out all the options your school has, and get involved in things that MATTER/INTEREST you. Do not be a victim of box-checking EC's. You should find meaningful EC's where you contribute and gain from. Quality not Quantity is the key.

 

[Mr.Bankole]

It's out of 528

Oh dang I didn't mean that high then. What's the average medicals schools want--like 515 right?

 

[aalamruad]

Oh dang I didn't mean that high then. What's the average medicals schools want--like 515 right?

I believe a 30 on the old MCAT is around a 509-510 on the new one, for reference. Shoot for at least that if you're interested in MD schools.

 

[Mr.Bankole]

Your focus right now needs to 100% be on getting good grades and getting involved in EC's that you enjoy/will be beneficial to your app. Do not even think about the MCAT... your time will come with that and studying for 3-6 months for the test is plenty of time to get a great score.... 2-3 years in advance would be overkill...

Meet with an adviser, ask them about all the options your school has.... If you are interested in research, look up some of the research going on at your school and if any interests you. If it does email the professors expressing interest and see if you can get involved... Earlier the better... Besides that just pick up some clinical volunteering and what not, and some non-clinical volunteering....

For example some of the non-clinical volunteering I did was coaching a youth baseball team and volunteering at a summer camp for children with disabilities

Essentially: Find out all the options your school has, and get involved in things that MATTER/INTEREST you. Do not be a victim of box-checking EC's. You should find meaningful EC's where you contribute and gain from. Quality not Quantity is the key.

WOW. So powerful (not to sound cheesy). I'll keep that in mind this semester I'll try to get involved as much as possible with EC's that I'm passionate about. I'll just have to put myself out there. To be honest, I don't have THAT much time extra to do EC's this semester, but I'll see what I can do. I'll be doing the clinical aspect this summer nonetheless.

 

[CHoge25]

Oh dang I didn't mean that high then. What's the average medicals schools want--like 515 right?

You are also a very rare commodity and highly sought after for medical schools admissions in today's world. There is an abundant need for African American physicians. Continue to work hard and and do the best you can and you will have plenty of opportunities

 

[Mr.Bankole]

I believe a 30 on the old MCAT is around a 509-510 on the new one, for reference. Shoot for at least that if you're interested in MD schools.

Yeah thats average, so anywhere from 510-515 seems competitive at least.

 

[CHoge25]

WOW. So powerful (not to sound cheesy). I'll keep that in mind this semester I'll try to get involved as much as possible with EC's that I'm passionate about. I'll just have to put myself out there. To be honest, I don't have THAT much time extra to do EC's this semester, but I'll see what I can do. I'll be doing the clinical aspect this summer nonetheless.

Do what you can. Do not overload yourself with EC's that your grades suffer. GRADES ARE MORE IMPORTANT. use the summer and other time's to pick up EC's

 

[Mr.Bankole]

You are also a very rare commodity and highly sought after for medical schools admissions in today's world. There is an abundant need for African American physicians. Continue to work hard and and do the best you can and you will have plenty of opportunities

Yeah I'm very aware of the need for African American Doctors; VERY aware. This is partly the reason I'm pursuing Medicine--to neutralize this scarcity. Do you think with this knowledge, that Top Medical schools will show special interest in my application over, "better-qualified" non-black (Traditional) applicants?

 

[CHoge25]

Yeah I'm very aware of the need for African American Doctors; VERY aware. This is partly the reason I'm pursuing Medicine--to neutralize this scarcity. Do you think with this knowledge, that Top Medical schools will show special interest in my application over, "better-qualified" non-black (Traditional) applicants?

100% yes. Obviously this does depend on what grades, MCAT, and EC's you produce. You will be competitive for schools where your stats are lower than their averages.

Now with that said, you said that part of your motivation for being a physician is to neutralize this scarcity.... I recommend you BUILD ON that. Base some of your EC's around this... show that you are committed to this cause.

 

[Life2dmax]

Best way for you to prep at this point: buy the EK set (don't read or do any questions on it yet!). As you are going through ur coursework just give the book a glance to see what the mcat wants you to know/what is high yield. This will help you keep in mind what the important concepts are and might even help you on ur school exams. Wouldn't suggest actually studying for the mcat yet tho

 

[Mr.Bankole]

100% yes. Obviously this does depend on what grades, MCAT, and EC's you produce. You will be competitive for schools where your stats are lower than their averages.

Now with that said, you said that part of your motivation for being a physician is to neutralize this scarcity.... I recommend you BUILD ON that. Base some of your EC's around this... show that you are committed to this cause.

Yeah i feel you, I should do diversity based EC's right?

 

[Mr.Bankole]

Best way for you to prep at this point: buy the EK set (don't read or do any questions on it yet!). As you are going through ur coursework just give the book a glance to see what the mcat wants you to know/what is high yield. This will help you keep in mind what the important concepts are and might even help you on ur school exams. Wouldn't suggest actually studying for the mcat yet tho

Yeah i heard about this "reverse" method of studying. So you like the EK over TPR and Kaplan series? If so, why?

 

[CHoge25]

Yeah i feel you, I should do diversity based EC's right?

Possibly. More so just use your diversity/experiences as a strength to be able to relate to and help a wide range of people, just like you will as a physician

 

[Life2dmax]

Yeah i heard about this "reverse" method of studying. So you like the EK over TPR and Kaplan series? If so, why?

Haven't used Kaplan but EK is more concise imo

 

[GiantPanda1]

It's out of 528

In a similar train of thought, it's SDN. Attention to detail is a key skill for a physician to have.

Haven't used Kaplan but EK is more concise imo

In my personal opinion, having used both plus Berkley Review and taken a few diags, EK felt too concise but felt fun to read (I think it was the colors), BR felt too detailed and Kaplan felt just right. Having said that, I haven't taken the real MCAT yet so take my advice with a grain of salt.

I honestly think that freshman year is too early to study for the MCAT. You haven't done most of your prereqs so it's a lot of time learning things that you're going to relearn anyways. It is better to use that time for other things like shadowing, volunteering, research and anything else that matters to you. Also, studying too early, if you don't keep it up until you actually take the MCAT, you'll forget a lot of information. To better retain the information, I would suggest using Anki. Best of luck in your future! I hope to see you as my future colleague one day.

 

[aalamruad]

In a similar train of thought, it's SDN. Attention to detail is a key skill for a physician to have.



In my personal opinion, having used both plus Berkley Review and taken a few diags, EK felt too concise but felt fun to read (I think it was the colors), BR felt too detailed and Kaplan felt just right. Having said that, I haven't taken the real MCAT yet so take my advice with a grain of salt.

I honestly think that freshman year is too early to study for the MCAT. You haven't done most of your prereqs so it's a lot of time learning things that you're going to relearn anyways. It is better to use that time for other things like shadowing, volunteering, research and anything else that matters to you. Also, studying too early, if you don't keep it up until you actually take the MCAT, you'll forget a lot of information. To better retain the information, I would suggest using Anki. Best of luck in your future! I hope to see you as my future colleague one day.

Agreed. Honestly, even if OP spent "only" 1 year prepping for the test, s/he'd still be outstudying almost all the competition by a factor of 5 or 6, which is more than enough given a decent level of innate potential.

 

[Mr.Bankole]

Possibly. More so just use your diversity/experiences as a strength to be able to relate to and help a wide range of people, just like you will as a physician

Diversity seems like KEY, nowadays.

 

[Mr.Bankole]

Haven't used Kaplan but EK is more concise imo

Have you taken the new MCAT yet?

 

[Mr.Bankole]

In a similar train of thought, it's SDN. Attention to detail is a key skill for a physician to have.



In my personal opinion, having used both plus Berkley Review and taken a few diags, EK felt too concise but felt fun to read (I think it was the colors), BR felt too detailed and Kaplan felt just right. Having said that, I haven't taken the real MCAT yet so take my advice with a grain of salt.

I honestly think that freshman year is too early to study for the MCAT. You haven't done most of your prereqs so it's a lot of time learning things that you're going to relearn anyways. It is better to use that time for other things like shadowing, volunteering, research and anything else that matters to you. Also, studying too early, if you don't keep it up until you actually take the MCAT, you'll forget a lot of information. To better retain the information, I would suggest using Anki. Best of luck in your future! I hope to see you as my future colleague one day.

What's Anki?

 

[Mr.Bankole]

Agreed. Honestly, even if OP spent "only" 1 year prepping for the test, s/he'd still be outstudying almost all the competition by a factor of 5 or 6, which is more than enough given a decent level of innate potential.

I'm starting early because I would hate to study 5-8 hours a day, everyday.

 

[SpaceyWacey]

Heya! Just as a heads up, if that is an actual picture of yourself, you might want to change it to something more anonymous for privacy reasons.

 

[PassEdge]

As many others have said, MCAT's are only part of the picture. To maximize your chances of getting into medical school, the secret is not to focus on the exam. If you spend hours and hours laboring over maximizing your CARS score, and fighting over every point in Biochem, and studying every nook and cranny for Physics, you might score well on the MCAT's, but be lacking elsewhere.

Focus on transferrable skills: empathy learned through shadowing, connections and curiosity fostered through excelling in your premed classes, maybe a passion for research, something that will carry you far through your medical career. The MCAT score will be a nice side effect to that.

That being said, CARS is the hardest section to improve by far, if you're not already good at it. So I would try to read a lot, which again you should do independent of your desire to score super highly on the MCATs.

 

[Mr.Bankole]

Heya! Just as a heads up, if that is an actual picture of yourself, you might want to change it to something more anonymous for privacy reasons.

hahah, just did ! thanks for the heads up!

 

[Mr.Bankole]

As many others have said, MCAT's are only part of the picture. To maximize your chances of getting into medical school, the secret is not to focus on the exam. If you spend hours and hours laboring over maximizing your CARS score, and fighting over every point in Biochem, and studying every nook and cranny for Physics, you might score well on the MCAT's, but be lacking elsewhere.

Focus on transferrable skills: empathy learned through shadowing, connections and curiosity fostered through excelling in your premed classes, maybe a passion for research, something that will carry you far through your medical career. The MCAT score will be a nice side effect to that.

That being said, CARS is the hardest section to improve by far, if you're not already good at it. So I would try to read a lot, which again you should do independent of your desire to score super highly on the MCATs.

Yeah , I'm doing SMDEP this summer and possibly working as an ER Technician while occasionally shadowing a doctor. All this summer..in my opinion that sounds great for my first college summer.

 

[GiantPanda1]

What's Anki?

Anki is a smart flash card system designed from psychological studies of learning. Basically, its the best way to learn large amounts of information that can be learned well in a flash card format.

 

[Mr.Bankole]

Anki is a smart flash card system designed from psychological studies of learning. Basically, its the best way to learn large amounts of information that can be learned well in a flash card format.

can you send me a link to purchase these please?

 

[SpaceyWacey]

can you send me a link to purchase these please?

Anki is free. Just google "Anki" and it'll be the first thing that pops up

 

[GiantPanda1]

Anki is free. Just google "Anki" and it'll be the first thing that pops up

The iOS version isn't but the Android and PC version is.

 

[Rousey]

Don't. Focus on your pre-recs. 80% of the MCAT will be in your pre-recs. If you really learn those MCAT studying won't be hard

My only recommendation is to practice critical reading. If you have good reading skills then that will significantly help you on the MCAT

 

[Mr.Bankole]

Anki is free. Just google "Anki" and it'll be the first thing that pops up

Okay, cool I download the Anki from the app store.

Is the online Anki free as well? What do you recommend me do with Anki again?

 

[Mr.Bankole]

Don't. Focus on your pre-recs. 80% of the MCAT will be in your pre-recs. If you really learn those MCAT studying won't be hard

My only recommendation is to practice critical reading. If you have good reading skills then that will significantly help you on the MCAT

Yeah that's what I'm hearing alot! I'll do that, thanks for the advise. I'm start Biology Lab and Lecture now and stuff so I'll try my absolute hardest.