September 2015 MCAT Thread

[DAF16]

Registration for the September MCAT opens up soon, so I thought I would make the thread.
Who else will be taking the test in September?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[El-Rami]

I think your MCAT score should be at least a little higher than your TPR test scores. Remember, it's not so much about "easiness" as it is gaming the system (test taking strategies, knowing enough to recognize information/cross-out wrong answer choices, guessing strategically, etc). Although the TPR tests say they don't guarantee your MCAT score will be higher, it seems most people find the TPR a lot harder than the real thing.

 

[remedy23]

Any thoughts on the CARS section of those EK FLs?

I only took CARS of EK FL1, and I found it good for practice - however, answer options tend to be more nit-picky than the real thing (also, the passages from the EK FL are 100x more interesting than the AAMC ones). I didn't bother using it for EK2-4 because I figured it's better to practice with AAMC material first.

 

[drbeat14]

Kick ass today test takers!!!

 

[sfkniner81]

good luck to everyone taking the exam today!!

 

[ChrisMack390]

I only took CARS of EK FL1, and I found it good for practice - however, answer options tend to be more nit-picky than the real thing (also, the passages from the EK FL are 100x more interesting than the AAMC ones). I didn't bother using it for EK2-4 because I figured it's better to practice with AAMC material first.

I think EK asks good questions, but its definitely a problem that the passages tend to be "light" and very interesting while the AAMC ones tend to be incredibly dense. I think they still make for decent practice, but they definitely aren't super realistic.

 

[sfkniner81]

I think EK asks good questions, but its definitely a problem that the passages tend to be "light" and very interesting while the AAMC ones tend to be incredibly dense. I think they still make for decent practice, but they definitely aren't super realistic.

I've only briefly skimmed my CARS from yesterday's EK full length 3 but it seemed like they were very nit-picky on their answer choices. i disagree with the solutions on why some wrong answers are wrong, but i do agree they are decent practice. the full lengths overall are a good challenge

 

[jimmypod]

Just finished off the Chem Question pack with a 97%... with dumb mistakes here and and there. Almost no organic chemistry on these questions? It was basically a stoichiometry-fest and electrochemistry the second half. I wish there was a psych/soc Question Pack out there somewhere.

Hoping all the testers today come back feeling good. You're all brave warriors

 

[ChrisMack390]

Just finished off the Chem Question pack with a 97%... with dumb mistakes here and and there. Almost no organic chemistry on these questions? It was basically a stoichiometry-fest and electrochemistry the second half. I wish there was a psych/soc Question Pack out there somewhere.

Hoping all the testers today come back feeling good. You're all brave warriors

Yeah I'm not sure how useful the chem pack really was. Halfway through I was like ya alright I know how to do stoichiometry, that was never really a concern...

I wish there had been a dedicated orgo pack and definitely a psych/soc pack.

 

[ChrisMack390]

I believe it would be about 129-130/128-130/129-130/131-132, with an overall of 517 - 522. You're in good hands man haha, best of luck.

Hey, how did you do this? OR what would your thoughts be on 66% / 89% / 80% / 80%?

Thanks!

 

[TheAnonymous]

Hey, how did you do this? OR what would your thoughts be on 66% / 89% / 80% / 80%?

Thanks!

I think that puts you in the 510-514

 

[ChrisMack390]

I think that puts you in the 510-514

Ya that's what I thought. I need to work on that chem

Gonna cram chem/phys for my whole 3 day weekend plus fine tune some topics in the other sections. I really want to get at least 515.

 

[TheAnonymous]

Ya that's what I thought. I need to work on that chem

Gonna cram chem/phys for my whole 3 day weekend plus fine tune some topics in the other sections. I really want to get at least 515.

Oh I think you can definitely get 515+, many people scored lower than that and ended up with 515+... this whole AAMC estimation thing is almost useless lol Try to find what your weaknesses are and learn from your mistakes, other than that, don't let it affect your confidence... and good job on that CARS man, I'd kill for that % lol

 

[medgirl1993]

Anyone else here testing on September 11? I am SO nervous. All my nerves seem to be getting the best of me. How do you guys feel? Does anyone else have a feeling like the September 11 test will be harder than the rest?
I do not know how to find practice problems in the context of the new MCAT, specifically for Chem and Physics. I need to brush up on these topics mainly before the test. Any suggestions?

Thanks everyone! I genuinely wish everyone well on this beast, and I pray that we ALL conquer this test, because we deserve it dammit!
Good luck to everyone who tackled this beast today

 

[remedy23]

Hey guys, does anyone know where this puts me for the real thing? Testing on September 12!

AAMC FL:
C/P - 81% (48/59)
B/B - 80% (47/59)
CARS - 75% (40/53)
P/S - 83% (49/59)

AAMC OG:
C/P - 80% (24/30)
B/B - 80% (24/30)
CARS - 83% (25/30)
P/S - 73% (22/30)

I am so disappointed in my CARS mark, seeing as how everyone says CARS on the real thing will be way harder
I didn't do too hot on the arts passages.

If I had to guess, I'd say 127-128 on C/P, 127-128 on B/B, 127-128 on P/S, and 126-127 on CARS?

 

[medgirl1993]

Hey guys, does anyone know where this puts me for the real thing? Testing on September 12!

AAMC FL:
C/P - 81% (48/59)
B/B - 80% (47/59)
CARS - 75% (40/53)
P/S - 83% (49/59)

AAMC OG:
C/P - 80% (24/30)
B/B - 80% (24/30)
CARS - 83% (25/30)
P/S - 73% (22/30)

I am so disappointed in my CARS mark, seeing as how everyone says CARS on the real thing will be way harder
I didn't do too hot on the arts passages.

Wow, your science scores are impressive! Any tips for bio and c/p?

 

[ChrisMack390]

Oh I think you can definitely get 515+, many people scored lower than that and ended up with 515+... this whole AAMC estimation thing is almost useless lol Try to find what your weaknesses are and learn from your mistakes, other than that, don't let it affect your confidence... and good job on that CARS man, I'd kill for that % lol

I'm pretty much banking on crushing CARS and Bio as my main source of points haha

 

[medgirl1993]

Anyone care to explain what a functional deficiency is?

DONT LOOK! AAMC ALERT



For context, Q12 in bio off the aamc.

Did you end up figuring it out?

 

[remedy23]

Wow, your science scores are impressive! Any tips for bio and c/p?

Thank you! I'm happy with my science scores, but disappointed with my CARS scores, because the CARS on the AAMC FL is supposedly easier than the real thing

So I wrote this advice to someone else, but I'll paste it here:

After taking the AAMC FL yesterday, I realize that passage comprehension is so important. 50% of the time, the answer is hidden in the passage, and it's up to you to not only find that sentence, but make the link of that to the question because the phrasing will be different (ex. if a question says Why was X used in this experiment? You won't find a sentence in the passage that says X was used in this experiment because..., it'll be something like X is known to do this. Our goal of the experiment was to do this..." and you have to make the link).

Knowing how to eliminate wrong answers is very important - if you can eliminate 2 off the bat, you have a 50% of getting it right on chance alone! (Ex. if a question states "How does drug X work on bacteria?" and one of the options states the drug prevents accumulation of H+ in the intermembrane space to prevent the ETC") you know to eliminate that right away because prokaryotes don't have membrane-bound organelles like mitochondria. There are A LOT of these types of questions on the AAMC FL. So, I think a good strategy would be to review these types of passages/questions on the AAMC FL that test your passage comprehension ((not so much the straight content questions, you can review those after), and understand how they got the answer they got. You need to know why every answer is wrong and why this one is correct, because you're going to be expected to do the same thing on test day.

And I don't think this can't be emphasized enough, know your amino acids & enzyme kinetics, they'll get you a few points for sure!

 

[FutureD.O]

Did you end up figuring it out?

Not yet, I was expecting someone to have an answer by now but I guess not. I take it you got that question wrong as well haha.

 

[medgirl1993]

Thank you! I'm happy with my science scores, but disappointed with my CARS scores, because the CARS on the AAMC FL is supposedly easier than the real thing

So I wrote this advice to someone else, but I'll paste it here:

After taking the AAMC FL yesterday, I realize that passage comprehension is so important. 50% of the time, the answer is hidden in the passage, and it's up to you to not only find that sentence, but make the link of that to the question because the phrasing will be different (ex. if a question says Why was X used in this experiment? You won't find a sentence in the passage that says X was used in this experiment because..., it'll be something like X is known to do this. Our goal of the experiment was to do this..." and you have to make the link).

Knowing how to eliminate wrong answers is very important - if you can eliminate 2 off the bat, you have a 50% of getting it right on chance alone! (Ex. if a question states "How does drug X work on bacteria?" and one of the options states the drug prevents accumulation of H+ in the intermembrane space to prevent the ETC") you know to eliminate that right away because prokaryotes don't have membrane-bound organelles like mitochondria. There are A LOT of these types of questions on the AAMC FL. So, I think a good strategy would be to review these types of passages/questions on the AAMC FL that test your passage comprehension ((not so much the straight content questions, you can review those after), and understand how they got the answer they got. You need to know why every answer is wrong and why this one is correct, because you're going to be expected to do the same thing on test day.

And I don't think this can't be emphasized enough, know your amino acids & enzyme kinetics, they'll get you a few points for sure!

Thank you SO much for your reply! I think because I'm getting so nervous, I feel like I'm forgetting everything. I don't know what to do Any tips to boost my confidence? And thank you again for your advice, I truly appreciate you taking the time to respond. My test is on Sept 11...I think for today, I will review biochem. Tomorrow I'll do bio. And Sat/Sun will be physics and Chem. Monday will be psych. Then idk what to do :/

 

[El-Rami]

Just finished off the Chem Question pack with a 97%... with dumb mistakes here and and there. Almost no organic chemistry on these questions? It was basically a stoichiometry-fest and electrochemistry the second half. I wish there was a psych/soc Question Pack out there somewhere.

Hoping all the testers today come back feeling good. You're all brave warriors

NS Psychology/Sociology Strategy and Practice, EK Psychology and Sociology 30-minute exams, and of course KA. I have the first two things with me right now, and I think they're useful.

 

[medgirl1993]

Can anyone help me with this question? It was from the EK test #2...
For patients that develop edema secondary to renal failure, which of the follwoing factors is most directly involved in increasing blood pressure cardiac output?
a.)angiotensin ii
b.)cardiac output
c.)ADH
d.) Sympathetic Nervous system.

The answer was B, cardiac output. I thought it would be C. Do you know why it's cardiac output?

 

[remedy23]

Thank you SO much for your reply! I think because I'm getting so nervous, I feel like I'm forgetting everything. I don't know what to do Any tips to boost my confidence? And thank you again for your advice, I truly appreciate you taking the time to respond. My test is on Sept 11...I think for today, I will review biochem. Tomorrow I'll do bio. And Sat/Sun will be physics and Chem. Monday will be psych. Then idk what to do :/

Don't worry about forgetting stuff, it's impossible to know everything for this test (and even if you did, it would only get you so far) because the test is not a memorization test, most of the time background info will be supplied to you in a passage. How were your FL scores? That should give you a good idea of how you're doing. I'm spending this week going over the AAMC FL & my other practice FLs with some light content review, and using my last week for AAMC Question Packs & light content review.

It might be best to take it easy for the last week - you need to have a confident & clear state of mind when taking the test. If you're anxious, your performance will plummet. You've obviously put a lot of effort for this test, so all that's left is to give it your all and don't be disappointed with what happens because you know you tried your best

 

[ChrisMack390]

Not yet, I was expecting someone to have an answer by now but I guess not. I take it you got that question wrong as well haha.

They just mean that the protein that is translated doesn't work. Hence why supplementing it would fix the problem.

 

[sfkniner81]

Hey, how did you do this? OR what would your thoughts be on 66% / 89% / 80% / 80%?

Thanks!

what is your CARS strategy?? that is an awesome CARS score! I think you're in great striking distance for your score man

 

[ChrisMack390]

Knowing how to eliminate wrong answers is very important - if you can eliminate 2 off the bat, you have a 50% of getting it right on chance alone! (Ex. if a question states "How does drug X work on bacteria?" and one of the options states the drug prevents accumulation of H+ in the intermembrane space to prevent the ETC") you know to eliminate that right away because prokaryotes don't have membrane-bound organelles like mitochondria. There are A LOT of these types of questions on the AAMC FL.

This is so true! There were so many questions on the full length where my first thought was "How the hell am I supposed to know that?!" but then realized that 2 or even 3 of the choices made no sense at all.

 

[medgirl1993]

Can anyone help me with this question? It was from the EK test #2...
For patients that develop edema secondary to renal failure, which of the follwoing factors is most directly involved in increasing blood pressure cardiac output?
a.)angiotensin ii
b.)cardiac output
c.)ADH
d.) Sympathetic Nervous system.

The answer was B, cardiac output. I thought it would be C. Do you know why it's cardiac output?

 

[TheAnonymous]

Can anyone help me with this question? It was from the EK test #2...
For patients that develop edema secondary to renal failure, which of the follwoing factors is most directly involved in increasing blood pressure cardiac output?
a.)angiotensin ii
b.)cardiac output
c.)ADH
d.) Sympathetic Nervous system.

The answer was B, cardiac output. I thought it would be C. Do you know why it's cardiac output?

I got it wrong too and I remember their very sound reasoning behind this question: they asked for the factor that is directly involved with blood pressure; cardiac output, peripheral resistance, heart rate (if I can recall correctly). Everything else affects BP indirectly. For instance, ADH/AngII causes BP to go up by increasing reabsorption --> increasing plasma volume --> increasing cardiac output.

That is what at least I remember.

Very wishy-washy question... I honestly think EK full lengths are overrated... The are just full of experimental passages but their reasoning is meh, at best lol

 

[ChrisMack390]

what is your CARS strategy?? that is an awesome CARS score! I think you're in great striking distance for your score man

I've done a silly amount of CARS practice. My feeling is that if you get good at CARS you get good at the rest of the MCAT (though it obviously didn't pan out on the chem section )

I don't use a particular strategy. Definitely none of the outline BS Kaplan was pushing. Just give the passage a good thorough read, moreso than on any other section. If you can't find direct support for the answer you are picking in the passage, eliminate it. I feel like on almost every question there are 1 or 2 choices that directly contradict what the question is looking for, plus 1 or 2 that are random/irrelevent.

Maybe my main "strategy" would be this - read the question, then read the part of the passage if it asks about a specific one, then think about what you think the answer is going to be THEN read the choices. If you see an answer choice that resembles what you expected the answer to be, that is most likely correct. The choices are built to throw you off - don't let them!

Also if you see a choice with a really brash, extreme opinion, it is nearly always wrong.

 

[medgirl1993]

Don't worry about forgetting stuff, it's impossible to know everything for this test (and even if you did, it would only get you so far) because the test is not a memorization test, most of the time background info will be supplied to you in a passage. How were your FL scores? That should give you a good idea of how you're doing. I'm spending this week going over the AAMC FL & my other practice FLs with some light content review, and using my last week for AAMC Question Packs & light content review.

It might be best to take it easy for the last week - you need to have a confident & clear state of mind when taking the test. If you're anxious, your performance will plummet. You've obviously put a lot of effort for this test, so all that's left is to give it your all and don't be disappointed with what happens because you know you tried your best

Did you take any EK exams?

 

[medgirl1993]

I got it wrong too and I remember their very sound reasoning behind this question: they asked for the factor that is directly involved with blood pressure; cardiac output, peripheral resistance, heart rate (if I can recall correctly). Everything else affects BP indirectly. For instance, ADH/AngII causes BP to go up by increasing reabsorption --> increasing plasma volume --> increasing cardiac output.

That is what at least I remember.

Very wishy-washy question... I honestly think EK full lengths are overrated... The are just full of experimental passages but their reasoning is meh, at best lol

I honestly think that their tests are more complicated than what the MCAT asks...There could've been more than one right answer for a lot of the EK questions IMO. Would you agree?

 

[TheAnonymous]

I honestly think that their tests are more complicated than what the MCAT asks...There could've been more than one right answer for a lot of the EK questions IMO. Would you agree?

Absolutely. On the first three EK exams I got like 75%, 76%, and 72%, and think got like 89% on the AAMC FL. Definitely much harder + tricky/wishy-washy reasoning

 

[moneyking]

I've done a silly amount of CARS practice. My feeling is that if you get good at CARS you get good at the rest of the MCAT (though it obviously didn't pan out on the chem section )

I don't use a particular strategy. Definitely none of the outline BS Kaplan was pushing. Just give the passage a good thorough read, moreso than on any other section. If you can't find direct support for the answer you are picking in the passage, eliminate it. I feel like on almost every question there are 1 or 2 choices that directly contradict what the question is looking for, plus 1 or 2 that are random/irrelevent.

Maybe my main "strategy" would be this - read the question, then read the part of the passage if it asks about a specific one, then think about what you think the answer is going to be THEN read the choices. If you see an answer choice that resembles what you expected the answer to be, that is most likely correct. The choices are built to throw you off - don't let them!

Also if you see a choice with a really brash, extreme opinion, it is nearly always wrong.

Approximately how long does it take you to read a passage? Also how often do you refer back to the passage?

 

[medgirl1993]

Absolutely. On the first three EK exams I got like 75%, 76%, and 72%, and think got like 89% on the AAMC FL. Definitely much harder + tricky/wishy-washy reasoning

Did you take your MCAT yet?

 

[oompaloompadoompadeedo]

DONE BITCHESSS

 

[BBQ7]

Proud survivor of the 9/3 MCAT

 

[medgirl1993]

Proud survivor of the 9/3 MCAT

AHHH CONGRATS!!! How was it!!! So happy!

 

[medgirl1993]

To anyone who took it today...what're your thoughts/feelings!?

 

[BBQ7]

AHHH CONGRATS!!! How was it!!! So happy!

It feels so good to be done!! The test is not as bad as anything a neurotic pre-med can cook up in their minds I promise C/P was easier than expected, CARS a little trickier than expected but not bad, Biochem was pretty tough, P/S not bad again! Now the waiting sets in.

 

[medgirl1993]

It feels so good to be done!! The test is not as bad as anything a neurotic pre-med can cook up in their minds I promise C/P was easier than expected, CARS a little trickier than expected but not bad, Biochem was pretty tough, P/S not bad again! Now the waiting sets in.

How long did you study for? Mine is in 8 days. I am SO beyond nervous. How did you prep for C/P and Biochem?

 

[oompaloompadoompadeedo]

we all overstudy

 

[medgirl1993]

we all overstudy

You think so? Lol

 

[BBQ7]

How long did you study for? Mine is in 8 days. I am SO beyond nervous. How did you prep for C/P and Biochem?

C/P and biochem are the sections I struggled with the most, actually. I used EK books and did content review with those, NS exams. The AAMC question packs actually helped toward the end with just sheer passage-after-passage practice, but so much of it is reliant on critical thinking skills that you learn in classes and stuff that if you struggle with it already, then that's something that any dense research passages are gonna nail you on. I started studying mid-May, and studied ~5-6 days a week for anywhere from 2-5 hours, depending on if I had work. I was never one of those people who spent 6, 8, etc. hours a day studying. It's just not worth it killing yourself over if you start early enough! Also the endurance of the test sucks. After lunch, my motivation to do well got replaced with the motivation to get home and have a beer lol

 

[medgirl1993]

C/P and biochem are the sections I struggled with the most, actually. I used EK books and did content review with those, NS exams. The AAMC question packs actually helped toward the end with just sheer passage-after-passage practice, but so much of it is reliant on critical thinking skills that you learn in classes and stuff that if you struggle with it already, then that's something that any dense research passages are gonna nail you on. I started studying mid-May, and studied ~5-6 days a week for anywhere from 2-5 hours, depending on if I had work. I was never one of those people who spent 6, 8, etc. hours a day studying. It's just not worth it killing yourself over if you start early enough! Also the endurance of the test sucks. After lunch, my motivation to do well got replaced with the motivation to get home and have a beer lol

Which QP's did you find helped the most? Im trying to find good sources for Amino Acid chemistry practice but can't find anywhere! Any suggestions?

 

[medgirl1993]

I'm doing EK practice exams now and I honestly do not like the format at all. What do you guys think of them?

 

[El-Rami]

Just took the official mini-test and scored: 9/12 overall (3/3 BB, 2/3 CP, 1/3 PS, 3/3 CARS), so about 75%.

 

[BBQ7]

Which QP's did you find helped the most? Im trying to find good sources for Amino Acid chemistry practice but can't find anywhere! Any suggestions?

I love this sporcle quiz just for naming them and matching structures: http://www.sporcle.com/games/sproutcm/amino-acids-from-structures

But other than that, I'd really learned the AAs well in classes (orgo, biochemistry drilled them into me) but at least as far as a few mnemonics go:
ALIPHATIC Non-polar AAs: LIMP VAG (leu, ile, met, pro, val, ala, gly) (this doesn't include aromatic AAs)
Essential AAs: WTF MLK HIV
Acidic: DQ (asparDick acid and glutamic acid, no fun memory tricks there)
Basic are positively charged, acidic are negatively charged. I can't think of any specific resources that stood out as being great for amino acids, but some time googling will definitely turn up a bunch of sources for some AA shortcuts.

 

[medgirl1993]

I love this sporcle quiz just for naming them and matching structures: http://www.sporcle.com/games/sproutcm/amino-acids-from-structures

But other than that, I'd really learned the AAs well in classes (orgo, biochemistry drilled them into me) but at least as far as a few mnemonics go:
Non-polar AAs: LIMP VAG (leu, ile, met, pro, val, ala, gly)
Essential AAs: WTF MLK HIV
Acidic: DQ (asparDick acid and glutamic acid, no fun memory tricks there)
Basic are positively charged, acidic are negatively charged. I can't think of any specific resources that stood out as being great for amino acids, but some time googling will definitely turn up a bunch of sources for some AA shortcuts.

Do you think we need to know more beyond the scope of this? Also, did you do the EK exams? What did you think of them?

 

[Dolly96]

Taking break from C/P section of kaplan fl 5. I ran out of time... does anybody else have an issue with timing on the first section? I am hoping and praying it's only because of the calculation heavy questions kaplan asks.

 

[Pediateix]

I'm doing EK practice exams now and I honestly do not like the format at all. What do you guys think of them?

their 30 min exams are like a gun to your head. its so stupid. like its all passage base and i don't feel like i learn a lot about the bio concepts. its all about interpreting their data.