I want to start a thread that is for replies from students preparing for the 2015 MCAT. I don't want to cause any friction, but it would be nice to have a thread with comments and answers only from people studying. For instance, it would be helpful to get feedback on the Kahn Academy videos without a company rep coming in and influencing the comments. I'm not saying some of the commercial comments aren't helpful, but there should be one thread free from the replies of people here to promote products. IMO, I think some of the information floating around about MCAT 2015 is off target. Not on purpose, but the poster is basing it on what AAMC says in one place which is different than what they say elsewhere. They are also taking it as gospel, and for anyone who has taken the test before, you know that AAMC information is a general guideline not meant to be taken precisely. I'll comment on an example later.
The AAMC book has been a great resource (best one out there by far), but as mentioned there are places that contradict. For instance, based on the questions they've released, there is much more organic chemistry on their sample questions (exams) than they claim in the reading. There are also questions on subjects that are not on their master topic list. There was one particular predict the product question on a subject that was definitely not on their list. There was more memorization questions than I expected in the three science sections. From what I've gleaned, here is how you have to approach studying for this exam.
Chemistry/Physics of Biology Fundamentals
There is more biology than I expected, especially biochemistry. There is much more organic chemistry here than 20%. Pure memorization of physics and chemistry will not be helpful. To prepare, you need to know your basic concepts in physics, general chemistry, and orgo and use them on questions. You also need to recognize common biology jargon and be familiar with experiments and common reagents. The trickiest part is that many questions require applying physics or chemistry to background biology knowledge. For instance, knowing the concepts of fluid flow will help explain issues with excess LDL in the blood. I feel that the materials used for the old MCAT will be good here as long as they focus on test strategies and explain the logic behind answers. I'd use the same books SN2ed and pretty much everyone else recommends for the physics, chemistry, and orgo. They have several examples that mix topics and apply basic principles to other areas, which is exactly what you need.
CARS
Maybe it's just me but this section feels just like verbal reasoning felt. There are now questions with Roman numerals, but other than that it felt like the same stuff as always. It's not as rushed as the old verbal section, so if you struggled to finish the old exam on time, you won't have that problem this exam. I get the feeling they are going to focus on different topics than before, ones that involve more logic than general information, but those types of passages are the better ones anyway. I'd use the same books SN2ed and pretty much everyone else recommends for the verbal reasoning. It doesn't seem like newer books will have any advantage over the older ones.
Psychology and Behavior
I think they are still trying to decide if this is going to be a biology section with experiments and scientific reasoning or if it's going to be more like the CARS section where you have to relate to the author's perspective to answer the questions. Some passages felt drastically different from one another. What surprised me most was that with one psychology class a million years ago, I felt like I was able to get what I needed out of the passages and do okay. There are things I didn't know, but not enough to warrant taking a psychology class. This may be because that is how I do old verbal passages, and many of these felt like the older verbal passages. To get ready for this section, reading anything more than 50 pages on test strategies would be waste. This section can be mastered through practice. I'd review the Khan Academy videos made for this section and get a commercial book of passages from a proven source (someone who was good in verbal reasoning).
Biochemistry and Biology
Holy #@$&!!!! This was much more in depth than I was expecting. Way more!!! In the past, you could get plenty out of the passage. Now you have to know more information coming into the test. I remember vividly thinking a certain prep book was over the top for the old exam. It had good passages, but focused too much on background information. Well how I felt on their passages is how I felt on the MCAT 2015 passages. You have to get your information down. You have to be familiar with different experiments. You have to know the role of specific molecules in pathways and procedures. Knowing everything is unrealistic, but getting close is going to be the secret to success. In this section, I'd get the thickest book I could find and relearn everything. I'd do every passage I could from every source that I could. Biology and biochemistry are everywhere on this exam.
Practice Exams
With AAMC having only one available, this is going to be very tricky. There are commercial companies that had exams for the old MCAT, and it looks like their new exams are going to be more important than before. At least until AAMC makes more exams. I'd get three FL CBTs from each of the three major companies to expose myself to different styles. With the AMC exam, that's ten total. You don't need to take all of them under timed conditions if you feel you've mastered the timing and have the stamina.
Please fill this thread with your experiences, good or bad, with the new materials. Let's make a 2015 MCAT thread as helpful as SN2ed's thread.
The AAMC book has been a great resource (best one out there by far), but as mentioned there are places that contradict. For instance, based on the questions they've released, there is much more organic chemistry on their sample questions (exams) than they claim in the reading. There are also questions on subjects that are not on their master topic list. There was one particular predict the product question on a subject that was definitely not on their list. There was more memorization questions than I expected in the three science sections. From what I've gleaned, here is how you have to approach studying for this exam.
Chemistry/Physics of Biology Fundamentals
There is more biology than I expected, especially biochemistry. There is much more organic chemistry here than 20%. Pure memorization of physics and chemistry will not be helpful. To prepare, you need to know your basic concepts in physics, general chemistry, and orgo and use them on questions. You also need to recognize common biology jargon and be familiar with experiments and common reagents. The trickiest part is that many questions require applying physics or chemistry to background biology knowledge. For instance, knowing the concepts of fluid flow will help explain issues with excess LDL in the blood. I feel that the materials used for the old MCAT will be good here as long as they focus on test strategies and explain the logic behind answers. I'd use the same books SN2ed and pretty much everyone else recommends for the physics, chemistry, and orgo. They have several examples that mix topics and apply basic principles to other areas, which is exactly what you need.
CARS
Maybe it's just me but this section feels just like verbal reasoning felt. There are now questions with Roman numerals, but other than that it felt like the same stuff as always. It's not as rushed as the old verbal section, so if you struggled to finish the old exam on time, you won't have that problem this exam. I get the feeling they are going to focus on different topics than before, ones that involve more logic than general information, but those types of passages are the better ones anyway. I'd use the same books SN2ed and pretty much everyone else recommends for the verbal reasoning. It doesn't seem like newer books will have any advantage over the older ones.
Psychology and Behavior
I think they are still trying to decide if this is going to be a biology section with experiments and scientific reasoning or if it's going to be more like the CARS section where you have to relate to the author's perspective to answer the questions. Some passages felt drastically different from one another. What surprised me most was that with one psychology class a million years ago, I felt like I was able to get what I needed out of the passages and do okay. There are things I didn't know, but not enough to warrant taking a psychology class. This may be because that is how I do old verbal passages, and many of these felt like the older verbal passages. To get ready for this section, reading anything more than 50 pages on test strategies would be waste. This section can be mastered through practice. I'd review the Khan Academy videos made for this section and get a commercial book of passages from a proven source (someone who was good in verbal reasoning).
Biochemistry and Biology
Holy #@$&!!!! This was much more in depth than I was expecting. Way more!!! In the past, you could get plenty out of the passage. Now you have to know more information coming into the test. I remember vividly thinking a certain prep book was over the top for the old exam. It had good passages, but focused too much on background information. Well how I felt on their passages is how I felt on the MCAT 2015 passages. You have to get your information down. You have to be familiar with different experiments. You have to know the role of specific molecules in pathways and procedures. Knowing everything is unrealistic, but getting close is going to be the secret to success. In this section, I'd get the thickest book I could find and relearn everything. I'd do every passage I could from every source that I could. Biology and biochemistry are everywhere on this exam.
Practice Exams
With AAMC having only one available, this is going to be very tricky. There are commercial companies that had exams for the old MCAT, and it looks like their new exams are going to be more important than before. At least until AAMC makes more exams. I'd get three FL CBTs from each of the three major companies to expose myself to different styles. With the AMC exam, that's ten total. You don't need to take all of them under timed conditions if you feel you've mastered the timing and have the stamina.
Please fill this thread with your experiences, good or bad, with the new materials. Let's make a 2015 MCAT thread as helpful as SN2ed's thread.
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