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Guess we should go ahead and start this up!
T-minus: 110 days...
Happy studying, my fellow hopeless souls.
T-minus: 110 days...
Happy studying, my fellow hopeless souls.
**Official: July 25, 2013 MCAT**
- Thread starter BeachBlondie
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Curve is going to be VERY steep because it was stupid easy. Aamc4 easy.
Ps: very conceptual, a few calculations but nothing hard.
VR: last 2 passages were harder, that could have been due to fatigue. Last one very wordy.
BS: finished with 10 minutes left AFTER reviewing every answer twice. Lots of fact recall even on passages.
Scared of the curve....didn't talk to anyone after though so n=1.
AAMC average= ~32
AAMC 10/11 = 33.5
Ps: very conceptual, a few calculations but nothing hard.
VR: last 2 passages were harder, that could have been due to fatigue. Last one very wordy.
BS: finished with 10 minutes left AFTER reviewing every answer twice. Lots of fact recall even on passages.
Scared of the curve....didn't talk to anyone after though so n=1.
AAMC average= ~32
AAMC 10/11 = 33.5
Just very general short description of the test for me would be....WEIRD ESOTERIC DISCRETES. Aside from that pretty much on par with the new AAMC's. This assessment may also be because I am more of a passage-based logical reasoning person, rather than a rote memorizing guy who knows the particulars of scientific concepts.
So this is my 2nd time taking it. First time was last summer. Got a 14 PS, 8, VR, 9 BS (31R). My practice test average was 12 PS, 10 VR, 12 BS.
Now in terms of each section.
PS - fairly standard honestly...one passage was kind of difficult but the questions were not. Finished with 8 minutes to spare to look over marked questions. I usually don't mark questions on PS, but I did this time because again...weird discretes. Got a 14 last time, and average between 12-13, so PS isn't difficult for me, so consider that when reading this. Also one hard discrete that had me thinking for a bit. Eventually got it.
VR - again pretty standard. I'm not a fan of the natural science passages where they nitpick on details with the questions, so starting the section with two of those kind of overwhelmed me. There was one passage in the middle that was also a head scratcher. The last few looked difficult, but the questions made up for it. Finished with a minute left, so I looked over the last passage again.
BS - Also fairly standard. I believe there were two orgo passages, which is normal for recent MCATs. My "weird discretes" description was particularly relevant here though. Unlike AAMC 10 and 11 where passage questions were highly relevant to the passage itself, I found less of this on this exam. For instance, some questions weren't directly relevant to the passage, and some had options (and I believe some were correct, after confidently eliminating the other choices) that weren't related to the passage. Also, a tough bugger of an orgo discrete, but I eventually got it. Had about 8 minutes left, most of which was devoted to answering that orgo discrete. I honestly probably spent 15 minutes on that question...questionable but whatever. Pretty sure I got it right.
My estimation of how I fared? I would say 12 PS, 9 VR, 12 BS. Just to be safe and keep my expectations more realistic. Ideally it would be 14,10,14 if I got those halfies right, but we'll see.
What did everyone else think?
So this is my 2nd time taking it. First time was last summer. Got a 14 PS, 8, VR, 9 BS (31R). My practice test average was 12 PS, 10 VR, 12 BS.
Now in terms of each section.
PS - fairly standard honestly...one passage was kind of difficult but the questions were not. Finished with 8 minutes to spare to look over marked questions. I usually don't mark questions on PS, but I did this time because again...weird discretes. Got a 14 last time, and average between 12-13, so PS isn't difficult for me, so consider that when reading this. Also one hard discrete that had me thinking for a bit. Eventually got it.
VR - again pretty standard. I'm not a fan of the natural science passages where they nitpick on details with the questions, so starting the section with two of those kind of overwhelmed me. There was one passage in the middle that was also a head scratcher. The last few looked difficult, but the questions made up for it. Finished with a minute left, so I looked over the last passage again.
BS - Also fairly standard. I believe there were two orgo passages, which is normal for recent MCATs. My "weird discretes" description was particularly relevant here though. Unlike AAMC 10 and 11 where passage questions were highly relevant to the passage itself, I found less of this on this exam. For instance, some questions weren't directly relevant to the passage, and some had options (and I believe some were correct, after confidently eliminating the other choices) that weren't related to the passage. Also, a tough bugger of an orgo discrete, but I eventually got it. Had about 8 minutes left, most of which was devoted to answering that orgo discrete. I honestly probably spent 15 minutes on that question...questionable but whatever. Pretty sure I got it right.
My estimation of how I fared? I would say 12 PS, 9 VR, 12 BS. Just to be safe and keep my expectations more realistic. Ideally it would be 14,10,14 if I got those halfies right, but we'll see.
What did everyone else think?
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The VR section was a beast. I thought the PS and BS section were on par with what I was expecting taking the AAMC practice tests.
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My 2nd time retaking--
PS-was not TOO bad. I guessed on a bunch but I still had 5 minutes left over to look over my unsure answers, which I was able to go back and find the right answers. Not too many calcs (which makes me ONE happy camper
)
VR-similar to the Kaplan FLs and AAMC passages in terms of dififculty, though questions more straightforward than Kaplan. They were more like AAMC in terms of length and style asked. Barely finished with any time though as I am too slow a reader.
BS-wow I do not know about the previous two posters, but on my exam it was so hard! There was absolutely way too much "pseudo-discrete" questions in the passages that you had to actually have knowledge for. Much different than the last time I took it last summer, where the questions were from the passage or something to infer/imply from the passage. This test was much more difficult in terms of outside knowledge. So I had a few minutes left over since the discretes were either you knew them--or you didn't. I hope I get at least an 8 on this. It was much harder than AAMC 10 and 11. There were two orgo passages--which were not that bad, just the bio was killer compared to everything else! Hopefully others agree with me on this! #nervous #anxious #blagh
PS-was not TOO bad. I guessed on a bunch but I still had 5 minutes left over to look over my unsure answers, which I was able to go back and find the right answers. Not too many calcs (which makes me ONE happy camper
)VR-similar to the Kaplan FLs and AAMC passages in terms of dififculty, though questions more straightforward than Kaplan. They were more like AAMC in terms of length and style asked. Barely finished with any time though as I am too slow a reader.
BS-wow I do not know about the previous two posters, but on my exam it was so hard! There was absolutely way too much "pseudo-discrete" questions in the passages that you had to actually have knowledge for. Much different than the last time I took it last summer, where the questions were from the passage or something to infer/imply from the passage. This test was much more difficult in terms of outside knowledge. So I had a few minutes left over since the discretes were either you knew them--or you didn't. I hope I get at least an 8 on this. It was much harder than AAMC 10 and 11. There were two orgo passages--which were not that bad, just the bio was killer compared to everything else! Hopefully others agree with me on this! #nervous #anxious #blagh
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Hahaha I'm right there with you! I am also taking it tomorrow and apparently we are taking it with a bunch of geniuses tomorrow!!! This thread seems to have more "average" mcat takers and not people with a 40 average
! I'm sure you all did well! Good luck with THE waiting period now! 
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Yeah I'll actually agree with some of this. Bio felt pretty close to aamc 10/11 but you're right to say there were a few discretes on there on not straightforward stuff
Also don't remember if you said this or someone else bc I'm on my phone lol but there were a few that would be tricky as far as topics covered in the passage and the answer itself.
I would say relative to verbal sections I practiced with, this one may have been a little bit more tough. But who honestly feels confident coming out of a VR section, unless you average 13+.
And yea, andrew1234's "pseudo-discrete" assessment is pretty spot-on. This aspect of it made it feel like more of an earlier AAMC exam like 3-5, but there were also passages that drawed a lot from the passage so I guess it was a hybrid of sorts of the AAMC practices. Again, pretty standard BS section.
And yea, andrew1234's "pseudo-discrete" assessment is pretty spot-on. This aspect of it made it feel like more of an earlier AAMC exam like 3-5, but there were also passages that drawed a lot from the passage so I guess it was a hybrid of sorts of the AAMC practices. Again, pretty standard BS section.
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I definitely wouldn't call it easy. I found it about on par with the previous MCAT I took last June and the AAMC's.
As stated there seemed to be an odd number of discretes throughout the sciences.
I felt the whole exam was very straightforward though I interpreted all the passages clearly in the sciences, where sometimes there are a few I just don't understand.
Verbal I chugged right along and was doing great, up until the last two passages. The extra time I gained in the earlier passages had been used up on the middle/latter passages so there was little to spare on the final two passages which I felt were the most difficult. Trying to focus with the time dwindling made the last passage even more difficult, which I already found the hardest to follow.
Overall I think it went better than my first exam (28 - 9/10/9) and believe I'll get around the 32 I was averaging.
Conservative prediction would be 11/9/11
Hopeful Prediction would be 13/10/12
As stated there seemed to be an odd number of discretes throughout the sciences.
I felt the whole exam was very straightforward though I interpreted all the passages clearly in the sciences, where sometimes there are a few I just don't understand.
Verbal I chugged right along and was doing great, up until the last two passages. The extra time I gained in the earlier passages had been used up on the middle/latter passages so there was little to spare on the final two passages which I felt were the most difficult. Trying to focus with the time dwindling made the last passage even more difficult, which I already found the hardest to follow.
Overall I think it went better than my first exam (28 - 9/10/9) and believe I'll get around the 32 I was averaging.
Conservative prediction would be 11/9/11
Hopeful Prediction would be 13/10/12
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100% agree with VR, had an extra 8 minutes (24 minutes left) to split between the last 2 passages and answered the last question with 30 seconds left.
Edit: take the mcat before it changes! I've taken biochem 1 and 2 and without them, the trial section would have been brutal. Trial was a mix of biochem with physics and minor ochem.
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agreed!
that trial section was killer! lots of biochem that I was somewhat familiar with as a biophysics major but man that was tough. I hope they give me my 30$ gift card, and realize that a low score was not due to lack of effort lol
that trial section was killer! lots of biochem that I was somewhat familiar with as a biophysics major but man that was tough. I hope they give me my 30$ gift card, and realize that a low score was not due to lack of effort lol
I really wish I would've discovered this website before now! I agree. My BS section made me feel like I should crawl into bed and suck my thumb for a while. I agree that it was a lot of recall, which, for a post-bac like me who hasn't necessarily taken as many bio courses as the typical pre-med student, could spell doom on that. I'm staring down the barrel of a 7-8, and it feels downright awful. The humanities section of the Verbal, that last passage, was tough, but I felt reasonably confident about the others. I hope for a 10-12 on that. PS seemed normal compared to the practice exams I took. I hope for a 10-11.
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I don't know what to think. The test wasn't too difficult per se, but my nervousness really affected me. I had to rush for the last couple of verbal passages because I was moving too slow through the first several. I hope I did not bomb it.
I am really disappointed, because I know I could have performed much better...
I told myself that I wouldn't predict my score post-exam, but here it is: 10/9/10.
Anyways, I'm out of here until the date for score release approaches. :\
I am really disappointed, because I know I could have performed much better...
I told myself that I wouldn't predict my score post-exam, but here it is: 10/9/10.
Anyways, I'm out of here until the date for score release approaches. :\
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I feel exactly the same way; had to rush the last passage for Verbal. Spent more time that I should have early on. The only section I finished comfortably with time remaining was BS. That one orgo discrete problem took me 10 minutes! PS was okay, finished everything just in the nick of time. Overall, the material was not too difficult but I wish my time management was better. I honestly don't know what to feel about this test.
On a side note: dat trial section tho...
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Was there more Chem than Physics? (no specifics please)
How many Orgo passages? I know July 13 had two. (no specifics please)
How many Orgo passages? I know July 13 had two. (no specifics please)
I'm not sure how it went, to be honest. I hope I did as well as my practice averages.
I didn't know that getting the crap kicked out of me by a computer for over 3 hours was necessary to become a doctor.
I didn't know that getting the crap kicked out of me by a computer for over 3 hours was necessary to become a doctor.
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Same here! I never have a problem with timing on VR, but I straight guessed through the last 2 passages because somehow I ended up with no time left. The anxiety & nervousness definitely killed my score though :/ Not sure what to think at this point.
As for the trial section, mine was a ton of psych stuff - no biochem. whatsoever. Strange! Oh well - onto the month long waiting period I guess. At least we get our scores just in time to figure out if we need to retake for the same app. cycle.
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This is with only practice test 3 taken and the only content review done was verbal EK.
The physical seemed decent but it literally felt like it was 50 chem questions and 2 physics.
Verbal seemed above average in terms of difficulty than even the EK passages. Last passage was a wtf moment. Still wasnt too bad overall.
Bio section was complete and utter annihilation. I was literally guessing on everyone of the questions. I just wanted it to end it was so bad.
Experimental was rough too but i felt more confident about that than the bio section.
The physical seemed decent but it literally felt like it was 50 chem questions and 2 physics.
Verbal seemed above average in terms of difficulty than even the EK passages. Last passage was a wtf moment. Still wasnt too bad overall.
Bio section was complete and utter annihilation. I was literally guessing on everyone of the questions. I just wanted it to end it was so bad.
Experimental was rough too but i felt more confident about that than the bio section.
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Mine had like 5-10 physics questions and the rest were chem.
Also it was half and half orgo and bio on mine
tbh this exam is such a joke. If you get lucky you will be tested on all your strong aspects and get a 36 with minimal study whereas someone else with similar intelligence who studied twice as much will get 27 because they get tested on their weak spots.
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That must have been tough. I hear a lot of people saying the BS had a ton of hard discretes too. So, if I am understanding this correctly, the new BS section has insanely hard experimental passages with difficult detailed discretes that most people haven't seen outside of upper level bio classes? Thanks a lot AAMc!
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This is the exact reason for anxiety. We all hope to get tested on our strong points, but it probably never happens
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That is why you cannot have weak spots. If you do, you are not ready.
I really can't agree more. I studied, basically, exclusively from the EK material and AAMC exams. I was averaging around 31 on my practices and felt pretty comfortable with the material going in. My goodness, I felt bad about that BS section. It felt like 1/2 organic chemistry, and 1/4 biology that wasn't covered in my EK study material, and a about 1/4 reading comprehension. I have NEVER felt so bad leaving an exam as I do today.
I started that experimental section, and I literally couldn't concentrate on it no matter how hard I tried. I read the first paragraph 8 times and I couldn't repeat, let alone interpret, what I read. All I could think about what how badly I screwed the pooch on BS. So I left.
Yea PS was definitely very very chemistry heavy.
And inycepoo is right. You have to be solid on everything. People who do well didn't simply have the right test at the right time. A lot of them knew their stuff and studied their weak subject areas. Only a very small portion of the people who take the exam do well because all the passages happened to be in their comfort zone. You have to prepare for the worst on this exam. That's what I realized after the first time I took it.
And inycepoo is right. You have to be solid on everything. People who do well didn't simply have the right test at the right time. A lot of them knew their stuff and studied their weak subject areas. Only a very small portion of the people who take the exam do well because all the passages happened to be in their comfort zone. You have to prepare for the worst on this exam. That's what I realized after the first time I took it.
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2 ochem passages, 1 very hard ochem discrete. More chem than physics, 60:40% if I had to guess? Bio was experiment/passage based but easy for me.
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Yea that's the other thing, I was pretty shocked how much more Chem there was than Physics. It generally seems to be 60/40 Phys/Chem on most exams I've seen. This seemed to be flipped, maybe even more than 40/60 Phys/Chem. I was a little bummed about that being a physics major it has always been my strongest. But then again, the chemistry didn't seem too difficult and I still think it went well.
Regarding the exam being a joke, I have to agree. And I agree that you shouldn't have any weak points, but for some that's just not possible. I had weak points but could not possibly delay taking the test any longer. But for the typical person, there will always be weak points and strong points and while unlikely; one could conceivably be tested on all their weak points or all their strong points...
Regarding the exam being a joke, I have to agree. And I agree that you shouldn't have any weak points, but for some that's just not possible. I had weak points but could not possibly delay taking the test any longer. But for the typical person, there will always be weak points and strong points and while unlikely; one could conceivably be tested on all their weak points or all their strong points...
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+1
Bio has been my weakest link, only haven taken two bio classes. I spent a lot of my time reading and re-reading my biology kaplan book and that helped tremendously with overall concepts and the little details. I wouldn't be surprised if BS was my best section this time around (although I doubt it because it always goes differently compared to how I feel).
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Lol at the discretes. Random facts that I didn't bother to study because I didn't think they'd be important.
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Yeah for those of you asking, bio discretes today were little bit more tough because they'll ask about semi specific stuff from biochem or molecular bio or other upper levels. I'm sure some lower level bio goes over it but a few questions were bio related and I had to use knowledge I had specifically from these two courses.
Also I'm a little sick of randoms on the Internet calling the exam a joke when the percentiles for a 40+ score are pretty crazyw. Seems a little ****ing off that suddenly half of the SDN community thinks the exam is so easy to see it this way but, not to point fingers at any of you, may not be scoring this way.
Also I'm a little sick of randoms on the Internet calling the exam a joke when the percentiles for a 40+ score are pretty crazyw. Seems a little ****ing off that suddenly half of the SDN community thinks the exam is so easy to see it this way but, not to point fingers at any of you, may not be scoring this way.
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Seriously like a big fear of mine, i'm taking it tomorrow (2nd time)
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Sooooooo, my thoughts
PS: F this section. I was doing so well, all those chem passages were great for me. I'm making great time too, and then i get by this ridiculous discrete. And it totally ruined my timing. I had to guess on the last discretes ALJDFMSDLF. Well its better than last time where I got stumped on the first passage and had the whole thing ruined so I still feel like I did better than last time. Anything better than a 7 on that section and I will consider it a success ( a low bar, I know, but still)
Verbal: Surprisingly straight forward I think, until the last passage. I still think I did alright even with the difficult final passage.
Bio: Lots more Ochem for my tastes, with the difficult ones being discretes. Also some other funky discrete questions that test minutiae that I totally overlooked. Lots of experiment passages but I made sure to look at graphs and figures since thats what was bringing me down on my practice exam.
The trial section: Got a psychology passage that was surprisingly straightforward. Helps that I took a ton of psych courses in college.
So what do I think my breakdown will be? No effing clue
PS: F this section. I was doing so well, all those chem passages were great for me. I'm making great time too, and then i get by this ridiculous discrete. And it totally ruined my timing. I had to guess on the last discretes ALJDFMSDLF. Well its better than last time where I got stumped on the first passage and had the whole thing ruined so I still feel like I did better than last time. Anything better than a 7 on that section and I will consider it a success ( a low bar, I know, but still)
Verbal: Surprisingly straight forward I think, until the last passage. I still think I did alright even with the difficult final passage.
Bio: Lots more Ochem for my tastes, with the difficult ones being discretes. Also some other funky discrete questions that test minutiae that I totally overlooked. Lots of experiment passages but I made sure to look at graphs and figures since thats what was bringing me down on my practice exam.
The trial section: Got a psychology passage that was surprisingly straightforward. Helps that I took a ton of psych courses in college.
So what do I think my breakdown will be? No effing clue
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Yeah not too bad at all. I zoomed right through the beginning of the PS but then got caught up on one passage and ended up not finishing on time and had to guess on a few towards the end. VR was pretty good until I got to the last few. The last passage?? I felt like I did really well with BS and got a lot of the discretes. I like it that way instead of ambiguous questions that rely on concept development. Hopefully it translates well in a month
?? I felt like I did really well with BS and got a lot of the discretes. I like it that way instead of ambiguous questions that rely on concept development. Hopefully it translates well in a month
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You'll be fine!
It seriously is so unlikely.. so unlikely that I think it would take some type of divine intervention to intentionally screw you over. lol
Odds are there will be some things you know well and others not so well. The more time you prepared then the less there will be that trips you up! That's what atleast happened to me this 2nd time around. I definitely was more prepared than I was last year, and it really helped me stay confident and get more of the discretes and tough questions this go around.
Good luck!
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Hey everyone, first time poster (long time lurker) here on SDN. I wrote my exam this morning as well, and have been following this thread for support and motivation over the last couple of months. Quick shout out to everyone else who faced the beast today, I hope you get the score you wanted!
Anyway, here are some thoughts regarding the exam now that I've had a few hours to let the emotions settle. I'll try to compare my experiences to the practice AAMCs as much as possible; that might be of use to future test takers.
PS: Not bad, similar to AAMC 9 in terms of difficulty in my opinion. Slightly easier than 10/11. It was a lot more conceptual than expected, though, and definitely more chem than physics. Both of those factors played in my favor. A couple of the discretes were pretty out there.
Verbal: This was today's killer. The questions themselves weren't too bad, but the passages were at least a paragraph or two longer than those in the practice tests. I could be wrong, but they at least felt longer. It was a struggle to finish on time and the last two passages proved to be the most difficult. Overall, I would say that it was the same style as the later AAMCs in terms of questions asked, but the passages were longer and tougher to interpret.
BS: Pretty fair. Right on par with AAMC 11, except they managed to blend in more specific questions for detailed content that you either covered or you didn't. The passages were okay for the most part. The discretes were unreasonably hard and specific; I spent about 6 minutes on a single orgo discrete!
Overall, I'm fairly confident about the PS and BS sections. The verbal will likely make or break my score. I'm hoping for >32, but I'd only retake anything lower than a 30. Conservative prediction: 12/8/11.
And now, the wait..best of luck everyone.
EDIT: My trial section was about psychology, and it was surprisingly not bad. I was checked out mentally but I think I did pretty well nonetheless.
Anyway, here are some thoughts regarding the exam now that I've had a few hours to let the emotions settle. I'll try to compare my experiences to the practice AAMCs as much as possible; that might be of use to future test takers.
PS: Not bad, similar to AAMC 9 in terms of difficulty in my opinion. Slightly easier than 10/11. It was a lot more conceptual than expected, though, and definitely more chem than physics. Both of those factors played in my favor. A couple of the discretes were pretty out there.
Verbal: This was today's killer. The questions themselves weren't too bad, but the passages were at least a paragraph or two longer than those in the practice tests. I could be wrong, but they at least felt longer. It was a struggle to finish on time and the last two passages proved to be the most difficult. Overall, I would say that it was the same style as the later AAMCs in terms of questions asked, but the passages were longer and tougher to interpret.
BS: Pretty fair. Right on par with AAMC 11, except they managed to blend in more specific questions for detailed content that you either covered or you didn't. The passages were okay for the most part. The discretes were unreasonably hard and specific; I spent about 6 minutes on a single orgo discrete!
Overall, I'm fairly confident about the PS and BS sections. The verbal will likely make or break my score. I'm hoping for >32, but I'd only retake anything lower than a 30. Conservative prediction: 12/8/11.
And now, the wait..best of luck everyone.
EDIT: My trial section was about psychology, and it was surprisingly not bad. I was checked out mentally but I think I did pretty well nonetheless.
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It's the verbal that will make or break my score I think as well. those last passages G0# $%)@#!!!
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Hearing all the verbal comments about this test are KILLING ME! This is the only reason I am retaking and I am praying that I get some decent passages because otherwise I am screwed. I am such a slow reader so the fact that you guys mentioned that they might me longer than AAMC is freaking me out. I will find out tomorrow what kind of verbal passages the AAMC Gods have given me.
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Verbal was brutal
PS not too bad
BS very heavy orgo compared to previous practice FLs but I teach orgo so it was awesome for me lol
Biochem trial section I was mentally checked out but surprisingly I felt it was easier than the rest of the test.... Weird
PS not too bad
BS very heavy orgo compared to previous practice FLs but I teach orgo so it was awesome for me lol
Biochem trial section I was mentally checked out but surprisingly I felt it was easier than the rest of the test.... Weird
My thoughts are pretty much in line with everyone else's. I thought the verbal was tougher than average, and the passages seemed much longer, so not too happy about that. I typically score 11's on that section, and feel like I'll be lucky to get a 10 this time.
ehhh i'm a retake from may 2013. does everyone get the same test or are there two tests going around...? there were only two orgo passages on mine
anyway,
PS: lots of chem, VERY conceptual, which was very different from the may 2013 MCAT in that the May test was very calculation-based. I studied so much optics/physics because that was what destroyed me on the may mcat and was sooo annoyed that there was only one optics question... Also, is it just me or was there one PS question that was exactly like a question from BR/another AAMC? I read it and was like...i did this before?!?!?! or maybe i read it wrong.
Verbal: started off easy, then last passage was a total mind****. i usually have 10 mins left on Verbal and score 11-13 on FLs, but I barely had enough time to finish. i remember thinking the passages were longer than the FL ones.
BS: LOTS OF RANDOM INFORMATION-- as everyone has been saying-- and everything else was basically just reading comp. i think EK was enough to prepare, but i think taking adv bio courses also helped me (immunology, physiology). know every little detail in the EK books--AAMC tests everythinggg. really glad i make flashcards for random things and reviewed them the day before. i didn't think BS was too bad...fingers crossed for a good score.
overall, I didn't find one section harder than the others, but for me, each section had at least one wtf passage with a few wtf questions. haha easier than the may 2013 mcat, but then again, i'm horrible at physics/PS and this one had much less physics. or maybe i just studied better.
FL range: 33-38. avg = 35. no idea how well or awfully i did on this... hoping/praying for a 35+
anyway,
PS: lots of chem, VERY conceptual, which was very different from the may 2013 MCAT in that the May test was very calculation-based. I studied so much optics/physics because that was what destroyed me on the may mcat and was sooo annoyed that there was only one optics question... Also, is it just me or was there one PS question that was exactly like a question from BR/another AAMC? I read it and was like...i did this before?!?!?! or maybe i read it wrong.
Verbal: started off easy, then last passage was a total mind****. i usually have 10 mins left on Verbal and score 11-13 on FLs, but I barely had enough time to finish. i remember thinking the passages were longer than the FL ones.
BS: LOTS OF RANDOM INFORMATION-- as everyone has been saying-- and everything else was basically just reading comp. i think EK was enough to prepare, but i think taking adv bio courses also helped me (immunology, physiology). know every little detail in the EK books--AAMC tests everythinggg. really glad i make flashcards for random things and reviewed them the day before. i didn't think BS was too bad...fingers crossed for a good score.
overall, I didn't find one section harder than the others, but for me, each section had at least one wtf passage with a few wtf questions. haha easier than the may 2013 mcat, but then again, i'm horrible at physics/PS and this one had much less physics. or maybe i just studied better.
FL range: 33-38. avg = 35. no idea how well or awfully i did on this... hoping/praying for a 35+
Last edited:
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Hey guys!
Long time lurker first time poster. Took the test today and thought I'd chime in and give my thoughts.
PS: Definitely more theory than calculation, I'd say it was also in the realm of 60/40 chem/physics.
VR: It was going silky smooth until those last 2! That last one though...
BS: This one was the most disappointing. I only had 2 orgo passages (that one discrete though.... wat) but those bio discretes and some of those "discrete" type passage questions ruined me
I definitely feel like I should already schedule for a retake since I don't think there's any way I got my target score of 30...
Long time lurker first time poster. Took the test today and thought I'd chime in and give my thoughts.
PS: Definitely more theory than calculation, I'd say it was also in the realm of 60/40 chem/physics.
VR: It was going silky smooth until those last 2! That last one though...
BS: This one was the most disappointing. I only had 2 orgo passages (that one discrete though.... wat) but those bio discretes and some of those "discrete" type passage questions ruined me
I definitely feel like I should already schedule for a retake since I don't think there's any way I got my target score of 30...
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To lurkers taking future tests: just as this thread and every mcat date thread I've read has said - actual verbal passages are usually one paragraph equivalent longer than any AAMC practice test.
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While I think this is true, its weird that my timing for the actual VR is better than during my AAMCs. I think for the most part the passages are longer, but I think (with the exception of 1-2 passages) easier to read than the AAMCs.
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To me the passages didn't seem any longer than the EK101's or AAMC FL's. But then again maybe the test day adrenaline helps me focus better and I'm able to read more quickly and efficiently.
It typically takes me 3.5 minutes to read a passage and today wasn't much different (except for those last two)
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Ugh the more I think about it, the more I feel I did worse than realized on the PS section. Ugh I'm gonna go drink to forget about this mess
