mcat retake prep help!

[bluemachine]

im planning on retaking a 31 (12PS, 10V, 9BS) for various reasons. i was averaging 34-35 on AAMC so i am confident that i can do better and am planning a retake in march/april 2014.

my question is how should i prepare for a retake? for my first test, i went through a princeton review course in less than 2 months and then took the test. all i did was go through all the TPR materials and did all the AAMCs. what course of action would people recommend for a retaker? what books/prep materials should i get to review, and which practice materials should i use? i still have access to the TPR online content, so i can do TPR tests. but which others might be better?

thanks!

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[bluemachine]

anyone?

 

[MedOldAge]

im planning on retaking a 31 (12PS, 10V, 9BS) for various reasons. i was averaging 34-35 on AAMC so i am confident that i can do better and am planning a retake in march/april 2014.

my question is how should i prepare for a retake? for my first test, i went through a princeton review course in less than 2 months and then took the test. all i did was go through all the TPR materials and did all the AAMCs. what course of action would people recommend for a retaker? what books/prep materials should i get to review, and which practice materials should i use? i still have access to the TPR online content, so i can do TPR tests. but which others might be better?

thanks!

anyone?

I just assumed that everybody does not know how to say to you.....

You are sitting on a 31 with PS12 and VR10 in which case many will kill for it.

As you already burned all your AAMC FLs.....so.

Sure there are 3rd party options....but it will not be very clean and will generate many intense emotional discussion.

Let others think and hopefully someone will comment.

 

[orderofthescar]

My personal experience: I retook a 32 and got a 34. My AAMC average was ~35-36 with a range of 33-39.

I would get a different set of materials and practice tests, for starters. I started with TPR and AAMC, like you, and picked up TBR for the retake. I didn't pick up new FLs, and it's something I wish I did. I did redo AAMC FLs, but more to get used to the question style (the score you get the second time around means nothing).

I would also think carefully about your game plan -- I think if you're retaking a balanced 30+, following a general study schedule (like the ones provided by review classes, or sn2ed) isn't going to cut it. What could you have done better to get a higher score the first time around? How are you going to improve a 12 in PS and a 10 in VR? What topics were you weak in that you can improve on now? In this case, it helps if you've kept a log of your progress the first time you studied, so you can identify any repeating weaknesses. Your score says you have a larger margin of improvement in BS than PS, and you'd want a more personalized schedule to tackle that goal.

As you can probably tell, preparing for a retake involves being brutally honest with yourself about what you can and can't achieve, and whether you're willing to put in more effort to study than you did the first time around. You also have to do a lot of the legwork in hashing out a study schedule for yourself.

Lastly, I don't want to discourage you too much, but retaking is a tricky business. I had a 5 month gap between takes, and when I sat down to start studying for MCAT #2 I already felt like I forgot a fair bit of material. Also, the people that score at or above their AAMC FL range are pretty uncommon, and it's not something I'd bank on as a retaker. You also run the risk of getting a lower score -- if not overall, than in particular subsections (I improved by 1-2 points in two sections but dropped in one).

In the end, not all retakers are in the same situation (more/less risk, different plans and starting scores, different backgrounds), and thus it makes it really hard to give you specific advice and information.

 

[bluemachine]

@orderofthescar thanks for your advice! and yeah, ive ordered TBR books for review, and EK1001 for practice. i felt like for my first MCAT, i was so focused on content review that i never really did any practice problems (minus the AAMC FL's). I've also bought 9 TBR FL's to practice. what do people think of this study plan? i plan on taking it sometime late march/early april, and i took my first MCAT in august.

 

[GoodStuff]

Hi,
My grade breakdown PS 11 VR 9 BS 10

I too have a similar dilemma! I, however, studied on my own and did all the aamc FL's and about 10 Princeton Review practice tests. I know, I DID A LOT of practice, but I feel that me studying on my own without any mentorship may have played a role in my grade. Would it be worth me taking one of those Kaplan advanced courses? Idk what to do, I want a 34-35 ideally.

P.S.
my avg. aamc was 28.

 

[gibbersome]

I am not an advocate of those Princeton Review/Kaplan courses, unless you're willing to pay several thousands of dollars, you are stuck in a big class and everyone is taught the same strategies. I didn't have all that money to spare so I found someone on craigslist (paid between $50-60/hr) for individual study and was able to target my weak areas (Verbal/Organic).
That was years ago though, it's easy looking back sitting on the other side of medical school.