May 2014 MCATers United

[TheAnonymous]

All 2014 MCATers, please unite!

Regardless of when in May you are planning to take the MCAT, let's all join this thread to keep each other informed about our progress, motivate each other, share FL scores, and to answer each other's questions.

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[TheAnonymous]

I will start:

I'm registered for May 8th. I started studying a few days ago, I'm not taking any classes this semester, just working (volunteering+research) for ~25 hours/week.

I will be using:

TBR for Physics, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry
EK/TPR for Biology
EK101 and TPRH for Verbal

I will be aiming for a 34+

 

[OneDoctor]

Thanks for making this thread it's definitely better to have a single thread for all may takers. I will be posting my progress too

 

[BestDoctorEver]

Trying to find a spot fro May 31st... Will keep you updated about my progress.

 

[TheAnonymous]

Trying to find a spot fro May 31st... Will keep you updated about my progress.

Great, let us know!

 

[gonnamakeit13]

Hey May MCATers, I am registered for the 8th May. Started studying at the beginning of Jan following the SN2ED schedul but came down with a flu so falling behind

My MCAT target score is 30+, my weakness is none other than the verbal section. Any tips on improving verbal?

I have other commitments apart from MCAT which includes school (half-time), volunteering, shadowing and lastly research. Although it might seem a lot but it is doable!

Anyways, lets all keep this thread as active as possible and motivate each other through this journey

 

[TheAnonymous]

Hey May MCATers, I am registered for the 8th May. Started studying at the beginning of Jan following the SN2ED schedul but came down with a flu so falling behind

My MCAT target score is 30+, my weakness is none other than the verbal section. Any tips on improving verbal?

I have other commitments apart from MCAT which includes school (half-time), volunteering, shadowing and lastly research. Although it might seem a lot but it is doable!

Anyways, lets all keep this thread as active as possible and motivate each other through this journey

I started a few days ago and up to now just finished TBR Orgo Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 (oh they are so long), have you read them yet?

I'm starting with orgo first (not doing all 4 subjects simultaneously)

 

[gonnamakeit13]

I started a few days ago and up to now just finished TBR Orgo Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 (oh they are so long), have you read them yet?

I'm starting with orgo first (not doing all 4 subjects simultaneously)

I agree with u completely,those chapters are really long and time consuming Being a slow reader it took me more than one day to comprehend the materials I read and complete the questionnaire.However,I started skimming through and taking good notes rather than reading word per word. I think that could be sth u might find beneficial and time saving!
I didn't get very far with the SN2ed schedule.I was able to complete two chapters gen chem, physics but only one of bio.
Are u going to complete one subject at a time rather than mixing then up like that schedule suggests?

 

[TheAnonymous]

I agree with u completely,those chapters are really long and time consuming Being a slow reader it took me more than one day to comprehend the materials I read and complete the questionnaire.However,I started skimming through and taking good notes rather than reading word per word. I think that could be sth u might find beneficial and time saving!
I didn't get very far with the SN2ed schedule.I was able to complete two chapters gen chem, physics but only one of bio.
Are u going to complete one subject at a time rather than mixing then up like that schedule suggests?

Orgo is intimidating for me so I want to get that out of my head first lol ... Orgo is my weakest section (ofcourse after verbal) and will take me the most time.... I'm hoping to finish it by the end of January (lol) and then from February 1st start physic, gchem, and bio!

I hate hate hate verbal.... I did the first 2 EK exams (from EK101).... I did the first one untimed and got an 11, but then timed myself for the second one and ended up with a 7 ! sigh

 

[gonnamakeit13]

Orgo is intimidating for me so I want to get that out of my head first lol ... Orgo is my weakest section (ofcourse after verbal) and will take me the most time.... I'm hoping to finish it by the end of January (lol) and then from February 1st start physic, gchem, and bio!

I hate hate hate verbal.... I did the first 2 EK exams (from EK101).... I did the first one untimed and got an 11, but then timed myself for the second one and ended up with a 7 ! sigh

Orgo is undoubtedly a hard subject with so many rxns to remember but luckily writing mechanisms are not tested in MCAT If u need refresher for simple topics in orgo,u can pair TBR with "organic chem second language." It is easy to understand and I found it very useful for simple topics.
Verbal is extremely hard for me because I'm not an avid reader. Sometimes I have to read more than once to get a gist of the passage so improving it will be toughest.I am trying to do at least two passages from ek101.
Btw what books are u using for verbal (apart from ek101)?

 

[TheAnonymous]

Orgo is undoubtedly a hard subject with so many rxns to remember but luckily writing mechanisms are not tested in MCAT If u need refresher for simple topics in orgo,u can pair TBR with "organic chem second language." It is easy to understand and I found it very useful for simple topics.
Verbal is extremely hard for me because I'm not an avid reader. Sometimes I have to read more than once to get a gist of the passage so improving it will be toughest.I am trying to do at least two passages from ek101.
Btw what books are u using for verbal (apart from ek101)?

thanks for the advice!

I'm using EK101 and Kaplan's VR at the moment, but also have TPRH Verbal after I finish with these!

 

[BestDoctorEver]

thanks for the advice!

I'm using EK101 and Kaplan's VR at the moment, but also have TPRH Verbal after I finish with these!

VR is a beast! I don't think you hate it more than I do.

 

[TheAnonymous]

VR is a beast! I don't think you hate it more than I do.

To test myself, I did EK test 2 once timed, and then without checking the answers (2 days after) did all the passages again, and only then looked at the answers and scored both sets of my answers.... I got 7 when timed and 11 when I read them for the second time... .... why!!

 

[TheAnonymous]

I think its very useful to mark VR the next day instead of the same day....... I'm doing 2-3 passages (almost everyday) from EK101 and Kaplan.....

I would be lucky if get +9 on VR....

 

[BestDoctorEver]

I think its very useful to mark VR the next day instead of the same day....... I'm doing 2-3 passages (almost everyday) from EK101 and Kaplan.....

I would be lucky if get +9 on VR....

You meant to review VR the next day! I am shooting for a 8+ in VR, but I must admit it is not looking good so far... I am still doing terrible in VR... I took the test last year and I got 9PS/6VR/9BS. I am confident I can increase PS/BS by 2+ points , but I am still not sure I can even increase my VR score at all.

 

[TheAnonymous]

You meant to review VR the next day! I am shooting for a 8+ in VR, but I must admit it is not looking good so far... I am still doing terrible in VR... I took the test last year and I got 9PS/6VR/9BS. I am confident I can increase PS/BS by 2+ points , but I am still not sure I can even increase my VR score at all.

are you using EK101? anything else?

I heard TPRH Verbal is better than EK! I will also purchase the self-assessment package

 

[BestDoctorEver]

are you using EK101? anything else?

I heard TPRH Verbal is better than EK! I will also purchase the self-assessment package

I already used all of them (TPRH, SA package, EK101)... I am going to try to purchase the online PR... I heard you can purchase 3-hour tutoring session for around $500 and they will give you online access to their materials.

 

[TheAnonymous]

I already used all of them (TPRH, SA package, EK101)... I am going to try to purchase the online PR... I heard you can purchase 3-hour tutoring session for around $500 and they will give you online access to their materials.

yeah I heard that too..

how about TPR ICC (in-class compendium)? if you really need more practice materials, get your hands on that one too! I bought it for 20 bucks

 

[BestDoctorEver]

yeah I heard that too..

how about TPR ICC (in-class compendium)? if you really need more practice materials, get your hands on that one too! I bought it for 20 bucks

I did the ICC as well....

 

[gonnamakeit13]

I did the ICC as well....

Dude,you're really puckered up to tackle the verbal portion of this beast a.k.a MCAT.That's awesome
When did u start studying for verbal?

I'm really behind on the verbal, need to catch up soon

 

[BestDoctorEver]

Dude,you're really puckered up to tackle the verbal portion of this beast a.k.a MCAT.That's awesome
When did u start studying for verbal?

I'm really behind on the verbal, need to catch up soon

I took the mcat last year and got a 6 in VR after using all these materials.. Now I am studying for a retake and run out of VR materials.

 

[TheAnonymous]

I took the mcat last year and got a 6 in VR after using all these materials.. Now I am studying for a retake and run out of VR materials.

I would personally re-use some of the materials if you took them last year, have you reviewed/re-used all AAMCs materials?

 

[gonnamakeit13]

I took the mcat last year and got a 6 in VR after using all these materials.. Now I am studying for a retake and run out of VR materials.

Oh I see, I wish u all the best and hope u do great in verbal this time around

 

[TheAnonymous]

3 Kaplan VR passages and I got TBR Orgo Chapter 3 done today! I have to say I really hate orgo

What are you guys up to?

 

[BestDoctorEver]

3 Kaplan VR passages and I got TBR Orgo Chapter 3 done today! I have to say I really hate orgo

What are you guys up to?

What % are you getting in TBR orgo?

 

[BestDoctorEver]

I would personally re-use some of the materials if you took them last year, have you reviewed/re-used all AAMCs materials?

I will re-use the AAMC-SA, TPRH-VW...

 

[TheAnonymous]

What % are you getting in TBR orgo?

Believe or not my plan is a bit different, I just read the first 3 chapters and didn't do any passages yet, I will read chapter 4, then spend 2 days review 1-4 + their questions and then move to chapter 5.... for some reason I think it's not a good idea to do the questions right after you read the chapter, its more challenging if you read a few chapters then combine the passages.... that's just me. I will read chapter 4 tomorrow! + my 3 verbal passages.....

 

[BestDoctorEver]

Believe or not my plan is a bit different, I just read the first 3 chapters and didn't do any passages yet, I will read chapter 4, then spend 2 days review 1-4 + their questions and then move to chapter 5.... for some reason I think it's not a good idea to do the questions right after you read the chapter, its more challenging if you read a few chapters then combine the passages.... that's just me. I will read chapter 4 tomorrow! + my 3 verbal passages.....

I understand your strategy... I usually do questions after reading chapters and go over all the [right or wrong] answers and then go over the wrong answers after a week again.

 

[TheAnonymous]

I understand your strategy... I usually do questions after reading chapters and go over all the [right or wrong] answers and then go over the wrong answers after a week again.

makes sense! I will probably incorporate that into my plan

So you are all done with the content review right? Just practicing verbal?

I will probably do EK 101 tomorrow (3 passgaes from test 3), hopefully I can improve my 7!

Today's Kaplan went pretty good, I got 4/5, 7/7, 5/6 .... but thats not the case all the time

 

[BestDoctorEver]

makes sense! I will probably incorporate that into my plan

So you are all done with the content review right? Just practicing verbal?

I will probably do EK 101 tomorrow (3 passgaes from test 3), hopefully I can improve my 7!

Today's Kaplan went pretty good, I got 4/5, 7/7, 5/6 .... but thats not the case all the time

I will do a quick content review for about a month using EK. And by March beginning I will only do practice questions and FLs until test date (May 31st). I will use the last two weeks to do TBR orgo book II as well. Let me reiterate that again TBR orgo book II is golden. I came out of the test last year fairly confident that I missed probably one orgo question out 13.

 

[madmuttal]

makes sense! I will probably incorporate that into my plan

So you are all done with the content review right? Just practicing verbal?

I will probably do EK 101 tomorrow (3 passgaes from test 3), hopefully I can improve my 7!

Today's Kaplan went pretty good, I got 4/5, 7/7, 5/6 .... but thats not the case all the time

what kaplan verbal are you talking about? section test? i did the section test verbal today...oh man, they are brutally difficult!

 

[BestDoctorEver]

Oh I see, I wish u all the best and hope u do great in verbal this time around

Thanks... Do NOT neglect VR because it can tank your score...

 

[TheAnonymous]

I will do a quick content review for about a month using EK. And by March beginning I will only do practice questions and FLs until test date (May 31st). I will use the last two weeks to do TBR orgo book II as well. Let me reiterate that again TBR orgo book II is golden. I came out of the test last year fairly confident that I missed probably one orgo question out 13.

really?? I was going to skip orgo II book LMAO! I looked at the table of contents and I was like holy **** this is too much lolll

oh boy I suck at orgo, I guess I have to practice as much as I can!!

My schedule is somewhat close to you, I will TRY to finish content review (first time ever) by the end of February, then dedicate March and April to taking passages and FLs (I will not be doing a lot of passages while reviewing content) and take the real thing May 8th!

 

[TheAnonymous]

what kaplan verbal are you talking about? section test? i did the section test verbal today...oh man, they are brutally difficult!

Yeah, I did the last 3 passages of section test #5 (online) ... are you doing the same? What's your score?

VR is undoubtedly my weakest section ever, I will do EK#3 and see if I can bring up my score from 7 to at least an 8-9?

 

[BestDoctorEver]

really?? I was going to skip orgo II book LMAO! I looked at the table of contents and I was like holy **** this is too much lolll

oh boy I suck at orgo, I guess I have to practice as much as I can!!

My schedule is somewhat close to you, I will TRY to finish content review (first time ever) by the end of February, then dedicate March and April to taking passages and FLs (I will not be doing a lot of passages while reviewing content) and take the real thing May 8th!

I think you should skim thru quickly TBR orgo book I except the SN1, SN2, E1 and E2 reactions sections. You should give more time to book II.

 

[TheAnonymous]

I think you should skim thru quickly TBR orgo book I except the SN1, SN2, E1 and E2 reactions sections. You should give more time to book II.

Thanks for letting me know, I didn't know that

Is Orgo II significantly harder? I'm pretty weak at Orgo and it takes me very long to understand it

 

[madmuttal]

Yeah, I did the last 3 passages of section test #5 (online) ... are you doing the same? What's your score?

VR is undoubtedly my weakest section ever, I will do EK#3 and see if I can bring up my score from 7 to at least an 8-9?

I also did the test #5 (longer version)...I did the first 5...The first passage on temperate coniferous forest was hella hard (got 2/7) and the next four missed one mostly and two for one passage...

ek i think is a lot easier to read but have tougher questions....how long does it take for you to review verbal? its really annoying sometimes to do it...

 

[BestDoctorEver]

Thanks for letting me know, I didn't know that

Is Orgo II significantly harder? I'm pretty weak at Orgo and it takes me very long to understand it

Not harder IMO. I was not good at orgo either and I was very comfortable with orgo after I did TBR book II.

 

[BestDoctorEver]

Thanks for letting me know, I didn't know that

Is Orgo II significantly harder? I'm pretty weak at Orgo and it takes me very long to understand it

Do and redo every single reaction on section V (alcohols and carbonyls) particularly.

 

[TheAnonymous]

I also did the test #5 (longer version)...I did the first 5...The first passage on temperate coniferous forest was hella hard (got 2/7) and the next four missed one mostly and two for one passage...

ek i think is a lot easier to read but have tougher questions....how long does it take for you to review verbal? its really annoying sometimes to do it...

nice! I was lucky today, most of the time I'm averaging 2 wrong / passage (sometimes 3 sometimes 1) but around ~7-8 range --

I think I like Kaplan a bit more, on kaplan I'm averaging ~29/40 while I did EK and got 24/40 !!

Kaplan has some really hard passages and some really easy... it depends...

How many EK exams have you done? whats your average?

 

[TheAnonymous]

Do and redo every single reaction on section IV (alcohols and carbonyls) particularly.

Thanks for the heads up man, I really appreciate i!

How did you find orgo compared to the other sciences? easier/harder? I think I will be struggling with orgo the most.... (ofcourse after verbal)

 

[BestDoctorEver]

Thanks for the heads up man, I really appreciate i!

How did you find orgo compared to the other sciences? easier/harder? I think I will be struggling with orgo the most.... (ofcourse after verbal)

orgo> gen chem> physics> biology> VR (easier ----> harder)... When I started VR, Physics and orgo were my weakest subjects in that order

 

[TheAnonymous]

orgo> gen chem> physics> biology> VR (with orgo being the easiest)... When I started VR, Physics and orgo were my weakest subjects in that order.

so you mean orgo is better than genchem better than physic better than biology?

 

[BestDoctorEver]

so you mean orgo is better than genchem better than physic better than biology?

For me it was... and I did not know why was that... I was scoring around 80% in TBR orgo, a litte above 70% in TBR gen chem, 70% in TBR physics, Low 60% in TBR bio (though I did not do every single TBR bio passage). 70% in TPRH bio.

 

[TheAnonymous]

For me it was... and I did not know why was that... I was scoring around 80% in TBR orgo, a litte above 70% in TBR gen chem, 70% in TBR physics, Low 60% in TBR bio (though I did not do every single TBR bio passage). 70% in TPRH bio.

I heard TBR Bio is unnecessarily hard.... wow 80% in TBR orgo...

that's a big motivation for me man, thanks!

Did you ever do EK1001s?

 

[BestDoctorEver]

I heard TBR Bio is unnecessarily hard.... wow 80% in TBR orgo...

that's a big motivation for me man, thanks!

Did you ever do EK1001s?

Most people would say TBR orgo is the easiest out of all the TBR books, which I think is true. I did EK 1001 bio, EK101 and few questions in EK 1001 gen chem and physics. I started EK1001 orgo and I found it to be too easy IMO and stop doing it consequently. What is your main problem with orgo?

 

[madmuttal]

nice! I was lucky today, most of the time I'm averaging 2 wrong / passage (sometimes 3 sometimes 1) but around ~7-8 range --

I think I like Kaplan a bit more, on kaplan I'm averaging ~29/40 while I did EK and got 24/40 !!

Kaplan has some really hard passages and some really easy... it depends...

How many EK exams have you done? whats your average?

have done 6 ek exams...averaging around 9-10.....how long does it take for you to review verbal? have you tried reviewing using the way ek recommends us to do? using question stem method?

 

[TheAnonymous]

have done 6 ek exams...averaging around 9-10.....how long does it take for you to review verbal? have you tried reviewing using the way ek recommends us to do? using question stem method?

not really, so this is what I do, I do 3 EK passages timed but don't mark it, then the next day I do these 3 passages again (untimed) and answer the questions.. and this time around mark and compare. I did this and went from 7 to an 11... this just shows me I'm able to use my own logic to get an 11 but not under timed conditions so I have to practice that! I also go over the questions I got wrong the first round and right the second time to see why I got it wrong the first time.... does it make sense? it's just my own way of reviewing my VR

 

[LabratABQ]

I'm in. Planning on taking it in May.

 

[TheAnonymous]

I'm in. Planning on taking it in May.

How is your studying going? have you started yet?