Given the decreased emphasis on GChem and Physics...

[yestomeds]

Hey given that chem and physics are weighed less now, how did you guys use your old prep books to prepare?

For instance, I (think) TBR is good for gchem. You open up topic II (Atomic Structure) and within pages, it goes into such things as the:
Thompson experiment, mass spectrometry, million oil drop experiment, and the Rutherford experiment. I just don't know how much of this we need to know. :/ I mean TBR is good because it covers a lot of things (lots of detail) (I think?) but then things have been taken out of the 2015 exam as well...
Sigh, how'd you advise on this?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Altius Premier Tutor]

Well, the MCAT won't require any prior or specific knowledge of any of the experiments you just listed...not even one; but mass spec will be on the MCAT, so 1/4 = 25%. Don't worry about experiments; at best, focus on what basic principles of atomic structure were revealed by the experiment. Use the AAMC topics list to guide you. TBR has a lot of topics not on the exam, but Kaplan and PR have a lot of topics missing that are on the exam...go figure. If the AAMC is anything, it is consistent. They are going to reward you for DEEP, CONCEPTUAL understanding of what you might consider the "Top Ten" topics from each major topic. They're pretty good about only testing things that are so widely taught that every student, even if they went to Jo Duck Tech College, will have been taught in that course. Identifying those, answer these questions:

"Can I visualize this actually happening in the human body?" (i.e., how does it happen, where does it happen, by what mechanism, where do the precursors come from, how does it relate to other processes, etc.);

"Can I draw a picture of it and/or graph it?" (The AAMC heavily rewards being able to translate verbal knowledge to visual or graphic represenations);

"Can I think of real life examples?" (Have I seen this happen in the lab? In life? Can I test it out on the stove, or with a ball, or test it out on my own body [with prudence of course], etc.);

"Can I teach this to someone else in layman's terms?" (Literally, try teaching the concept to your roomate who is an art major in very basic, easy-to-understand terms. If you cannot do so from memory with supreme confidence and do a great conceptual job of doing ir, you need to UNDERSTAND it better).

If you can nail all four of those questions for what would be considered the TOP TEN most important aspects of each major topic on the list...you'll be golden.

 

[IKnowNothingSometimes]

Hey given that chem and physics are weighed less now, how did you guys use your old prep books to prepare?

For instance, I (think) TBR is good for gchem. You open up topic II (Atomic Structure) and within pages, it goes into such things as the:
Thompson experiment, mass spectrometry, million oil drop experiment, and the Rutherford experiment. I just don't know how much of this we need to know. :/ I mean TBR is good because it covers a lot of things (lots of detail) (I think?) but then things have been taken out of the 2015 exam as well...
Sigh, how'd you advise on this?

Learn all the concepts, not the actual experiements, it'll be nice if you have the time to take be familiar with it. If it's only the guide line from AAMC, then there'll be a chance that it'll come up so use tbr to learn it.