I am freaking out and could use some guidance

[R35]

Hey guys. I'm registered to take the MCAT on 7th August, and have been studying for it for the past two weeks. Already I'm starting to freak out and I'm becoming lost along the way.

I've been following SN2 schedule as closely as I can; however, between work and trying to maintain my sanity I've fallen behind a little bit!

I'm finding physics the toughest. It's slow, but I'm gradually getting better. I'm constantly switching between reading TBR and TPR. I'll occasionally use Nova for physics concepts I'm confused about. I'm doing the TBR passages, but they're brutal.

I've been trying to finish the physics chapter 2 for the past 2-3 days. It's going slowly, and I'm starting to lose my mind thinking I'll fall behind. I did TBR's bio and general chem passages for chapter 1, and got destroyed on both.

I'm not worried at all about verbal - between EK's 60-minute exams and TPRH's verbal passages, I've been getting constant 12-14s on EK and very well on TPR.

Any help on managing myself would be appreciated...I'm just feeling a bit lost and freaked out!

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[R35]

Personally, I would skip any studying on verbal until a month or even 3 weeks before the test if your scores are that high. I didn't really study verbal and I did well.

To get the basic science, I used EK 1001 before doing passages, and I liked this approach. How did you do in physics class? If you know the material well, just not the MCAT way of testing it, then do only passages and don't worry about basic questions.

I can't comment on the actual study schedule since I did not do it.

I appreciate your reply and thanks for posting. I don't have EK1001 books, but I do have TPRH science workbook which includes discretes and passages. I got a 91 in my physics class. However, I'm finding the MCAT style questions very tough in that they expect you to put together conclusions using numerous little details. It takes me a while to figure them out, and by then the timer runs out.

Also, may I ask what your study schedule looked like? Did you do a lot of content review, or mostly practice questions?

 

[GodComplex]

TBR bio is over detailed (at least in the passages section), so don't worry too much if you are getting destroyed because of tiny details. TBR Gen chem is good, but the first passage is really math heavy and when you aren't used to MCAT math w/o a calculator it makes it seem really difficult. Get your math down so you don't lose time on the actual MCAT, but math is not tested anywhere near this heavily on the actual MCAT. Stick with the studying, it gets better.

Make sure that you learn from all passage questions you guessed on or got wrong or were even doubtful when answering. Also, when you say you have constantly gotten those VR scores, how much practice have you actually done for the VR?

 

[R35]

I basically did the EK 10 week program, but I spaced it out over a longer period of time because I worked a full time job, and needed longer for content review. I took my bio/chem in high school, and physics/orgo in 2003/2004, and I've been out of school for a while.

I made a spreadsheet with all of the things I had to do for each chapter. For Physics Ch. 1, it would be something like:
- Pre-read Ch.1
- Read Ch. 1 and take notes
- Listen to Ch. 1. lecture
- EK 1001 Ch. 1
- Chapter test

I would record my chapter test score and then later, I knew which chapters to focus on later in review. I also could not stick to a straight schedule because of my job, but having everything marked off and knowing what I had to get through kept it organized.

Maybe try to ask yourself, "What basic science is it testing?" That can help you keep it from getting too complicated. You could also test trying to read the passage faster to give yourself more time to go back.

One trick I did on physics, was I memorized all the formulas I needed to know, and on the real test, I wrote them all on the scrap paper during the instructional time. That way during the test, they were all available and I didn't have to think of them. You will also find that the formulas will come a lot easier in a few weeks. My scores on my first units were pretty horrible actually. I wouldn't let it slow you down because your ability to think MCAT-style will improve. You can go back to the difficult units later, especially because you have an easy time with verbal.

Thank you! I'll try giving your strategy a go. Remembering all the formulas is a bit tough and time consuming, so I'll try memorizing those for sure.

TBR bio is over detailed (at least in the passages section), so don't worry too much if you are getting destroyed because of tiny details. TBR Gen chem is good, but the first passage is really math heavy and when you aren't used to MCAT math w/o a calculator it makes it seem really difficult. Get your math down so you don't lose time on the actual MCAT, but math is not tested anywhere near this heavily on the actual MCAT. Stick with the studying, it gets better.

Make sure that you learn from all passage questions you guessed on or got wrong or were even doubtful when answering. Also, when you say you have constantly gotten those VR scores, how much practice have you actually done for the VR?

Yes, the math is a big problem right now, especially because I've never tried doing this before. As for the VR, I've done minimal practice. I did maybe 2-3 passages a day for the past 10 days, give or take a few extra. I've been an avid reader ever since I was young, so I picked up reading skills along the way. I can finish an entire EK 60-minute test in ~35 minutes, and then I spend the next 25 minutes going over any tough questions I found. (But I must admit some of the passages aren't as well written as others; some of the answer justifications make absolutely no sense to me. I'm finding TPRH's verbal a lot more straightforward than EK's because EK seems to over complicate their answers.)

 

[GodComplex]

Then just press forward and build your math skills. One thing that helped me is to convert everything that has decimals or involves division of non-whole numbers into scientific notation. You will build your non-calculator math skills in time but make sure that you can do any sort of simple math with minimal effort before your exam (just so you aren't wasting precious time on the exam). Also, I meant to say that the first Chapter of TBR Gchem is math heavy, not passage. It gets much more conceptual later, but the math doesn't disappear.

Your VR sounds like it is solid, so don't spend too much time on it but do continue doing a few passages every once in a while just to make sure. I Completely agree about what you said about EK 101. Sometimes their answers/explanations infuriated me and made no sense.