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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?
Who else will be taking the test in September?
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?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.
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.I'm doing EK practice exams now and I honestly do not like the format at all. What do you guys think of them?
Approximately how long does it take you to read a passage? Also how often do you refer back to the passage?
Thats what I am scared ofI'm sure the practice AAMC is not going to resemble the real thing? cause thats the only one they have out and so many people have taken the new 2015 mcat/ anyways...im so tired of studying for this test...i need a break but so much to do.
i found them to be a little hard and i didn't feel like i was learning. my goal was to do all their tests, but yea. anyone else find them helpful?What about the 30 minute exams at the back of each EK book?
Thats what I do...I literally scan for any piece of evidence that I can find!Honestly I haven't really timed myself per passage because I have never had a problem finishing any of the Kaplan sections within the right amount of time. In fact I have had to slow myself down. The only thing I ever check is that I'm somewhere around question 20 at the hour mark and somewhere around 40 at the 30 minute mark.
If the question asks about a specific part of the passage, I always refer to it. If the question is more general I don't go back unless I can't figure out the answer and am scanning for a piece of evidence that may help.
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.
All my nerves seem to be getting the best of me. How do you guys feel?
What are you going to use to study C/P? Or at least practice it?Same. I basically had a panic attack yesterday because it's so close (9/12 for me). Then I got lightheaded with this terrible pressure headache at 4:00pm and had to get in bed at 9:30. I've done very little actual studying or practicing today, so today my goal is to just make sure I know enzyme kinetics inside and out since it seems to be high yield. I also need way more C/P practice, as well as Biochem. I keep going back and forth between thinking a week and a half is just enough time to do what I need to do, and then thinking it is definitely not and I won't even break 30 (or whatever the equivalent is now). We just have to keep going I guess :/.
Same. I basically had a panic attack yesterday because it's so close (9/12 for me). Then I got lightheaded with this terrible pressure headache at 4:00pm and had to get in bed at 9:30. I've done very little actual studying or practicing today, so today my goal is to just make sure I know enzyme kinetics inside and out since it seems to be high yield. I also need way more C/P practice, as well as Biochem. I keep going back and forth between thinking a week and a half is just enough time to do what I need to do, and then thinking it is definitely not and I won't even break 30 (or whatever the equivalent is now). We just have to keep going I guess :/.
How similar was it to the AAMC FL?Conquered the MCAT today! Or maybe it conquered me? I honestly don't remember if I voided the exam or not because I pressed the button too fast as I was dying to leave.
I didnt know that I was working on the Chem/Phys section until after I finished that section. To those who didnt take today's exam, you might think that's crazy but honestly I thought I was working on the bio section. It wasnt till I got to the bio section that I figured out where I was.
P.S To anyone who was sitting beside me in the Toronto mcat Center, I am sorry my stomach was growling the entire time, I couldn't stop it.
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 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.
I think I know what bio passage your talking about. There was a bio passage that took me 10 minutes to understand. The entire test had passage questions that didnt need the passage at all. There was one psych passage where I answered all the questions without reading the passage. There were some terms I didnt understand in psych.I just got home and im finally freakin' done with this test (well, until my scores come out).
quick thoughts for those askin
C/P: its usually my worst section but i actually think i did very well here. Also, i swear I thought i was in the B/BC section. Mainly biochem, some orgo and gen here and there. What is physics?
CARS: im kinda meh with cars so take it with a grain of salt. similar to the aamc fl, but i had many politics and art passages, not my best suit.
B/BC: very doable, and comparable to the aamc. On a side note, I had this insanely convoluted passage that took me at least 5 mins to read and comprehend, however, out of the 4 questions, 3 were seriously unrelated to the passage and you couldve answered it w/o even looking at it.
P/S: here's where things get messy. i had to make a many educated guesses. there were SO many terms i have never seen in my life. (ive studied with the ek + tpr books and watched and took notes on every khan vid). I havent scored lower than 80% in all my practice tests on P/S but i sincerely think i effed up here.
Oh well, a little over a month for the scores. yay!
What do you think helped the most with C/P? My test is next fridayI just got home and im finally freakin' done with this test (well, until my scores come out).
quick thoughts for those askin
C/P: its usually my worst section but i actually think i did very well here. Also, i swear I thought i was in the B/BC section. Mainly biochem, some orgo and gen here and there. What is physics?
CARS: im kinda meh with cars so take it with a grain of salt. similar to the aamc fl, but i had many politics and art passages, not my best suit.
B/BC: very doable, and comparable to the aamc. On a side note, I had this insanely convoluted passage that took me at least 5 mins to read and comprehend, however, out of the 4 questions, 3 were seriously unrelated to the passage and you couldve answered it w/o even looking at it.
P/S: here's where things get messy. i had to make a many educated guesses. there were SO many terms i have never seen in my life. (ive studied with the ek + tpr books and watched and took notes on every khan vid). I havent scored lower than 80% in all my practice tests on P/S but i sincerely think i effed up here.
Oh well, a little over a month for the scores. yay!
What do you think helped the most with C/P? My test is next friday
What do you think the best resource is to learn all this?I know im gonna sound like a broken record but know your goddam amino acids. Structures, classifications, pKAs all that jazz. I had at least 5 questions related to AAs in the C/P section.
Other than that I think most of the answers can be derived from the passage itself
Seriously, learn your amino acids. It can't be said enough.
For todays exam, you needed to know the polarity of AA, structures of AAs, secondary structures, 3 letter and 1 letter codes. Thats it.
dude your NP AA's are off. I'm 100% sure trp and phe are both NP.
What do you think the best resource is to learn all this?
What are you going to use to study C/P? Or at least practice it?
For todays exam, you needed to know the polarity of AA, structures of AAs, secondary structures, 3 letter and 1 letter codes. Thats it.
YesI have the AAMC QPacks so I'll definitely go through those thoroughly, but now it sounds like those are 1) easier than the exam and thus not representative and 2) possibly not high yield in terms of content? I'll still do them though.
I was also thinking of doing some EK1001 Qs for each weak content area.
For C/P and Biochem, maybe KA passages too?
What do you mean by secondary structures? Like what keeps an a-helix or b-sheet together?
No I wasnt talking about todays exam spicifically. Those are the only things that the AAMC will test on regarding Amino acids IN MY OPINION as I understand from the AAMC curriculm. I want to stress that those are the things you should know before every exam and not just todays.For your test... I don't know if that holds true for everyone...
You need to know:How did you memorize the pKAS of the amino acids. I feel like the more you know you will be better off. Phaysics is my weakest and when I took the test in April I was glad I didn't spend much time on it because I Remeber there not being to many physics. But I'm just going over the physics equations just in case and not doing many problems just concepts. But how did you memorize the PKAS of the AA
I'm not going to say what you need to know...
I am saying that I took the exam today. Exams vary.
Your experience may be different so I wouldn't go telling people like you're the MCAT God what is and is not tested.
Listen up Buddy. First there is no way that you need to know the pKa of every aa. You don't need to be a GOD to tell people that. Second, " you needed to know the polarity of AA, structures of AAs, secondary structures, 3 letter and 1 letter codes" not because I am telling you, but because its in the AAMC curriculum.I'm not going to say what you need to know...
I am saying that I took the exam today. Exams vary.
Your experience may be different so I wouldn't go telling people like you're the MCAT God what is and is not tested.