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?

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[microkid1992]

Thank you all for your support everyone! It means a lot to me. @Doctor Dream I took EK FL #2 today and saw overall improvement! I still have a lot of work to do but at least I know that a great score is in reach if I put in that FdcosΘ. Here are my results from last week's EK FL.

EK FL 1
PS 53%
CARS 63%
Bio 68%
Psych 63%

Now here are this week's results

EK FL 2:

PS 60%
CARS 60%(CARS was freakin brutal this time around)
Bio: 80%
Psych:71%

I know I am still ways off but I think this poor black aspiring doc can do it! And whoever else is struggling, once you find what works for you, you will do so much better. So keep your head up! Y'all got this! We got this Studentdoc fam. Let's conquer this thing together!

 

[strawbarii]

September 3rd.

Has anyone heard about TBR vs EK for the Biology section? I feel like the EK is too vague while the Berkeley is overly detailed. I have both books and I'm trying to decide which will be my primary source. I'm using TBR for all other subjects and TPR hyper learning for CARS (which I won't be practicing much, it was my best section on the old MCAT with minimal studying).

 

[Doctor Dream]

Thank you all for your support everyone! It means a lot to me. @Doctor Dream I took EK FL #2 today and saw overall improvement! I still have a lot of work to do but at least I know that a great score is in reach if I put in that FdcosΘ. Here are my results from last week's EK FL.

EK FL 1
PS 53%
CARS 63%
Bio 68%
Psych 63%

Now here are this week's results

EK FL 2:

PS 60%
CARS 60%(CARS was freakin brutal this time around)
Bio: 80%
Psych:71%

I know I am still ways off but I think this poor black aspiring doc can do it! And whoever else is struggling, once you find what works for you, you will do so much better. So keep your head up! Y'all got this! We got this Studentdoc fam. Let's conquer this thing together!

Nice to hear! Keep working hard!!

 

[DAF16]

Hey everyone,
I'm a week into my MCAT studying. I'm a bit behind schedule but im starting to get more diligent so I'm starting to catch up a bit. Good luck to everyone else!!

 

[sparksfly21]

Hey, so I know a few people I know who are taking the new MCAT and work full time. One of them did the MCAT 2-3 days after our last class, I wouldn't personally recommend this but I'm almost 100% sure this individual was scoring 505+ from the start. They already had a great foundation for the old MCAT but just didn't have a good testing day experience despite a very high AAMC average (37+) with minimal prep of about a month

There was another individual who set up the date for a month later in July when the course finished in mid June. Although, I know she took I believe 1 or 2 FLs during the course but didn't have too much time otherwise to review everything. If I had to guess, this individual is probably around 498-500. Then I know some other non-trads who took a FL at the beginning of June an scored a 498 without really doing any review/prep. This was for a TPR course. Course ended a few weeks later in mid June. A lot of the younger college students in our class weren't applying this year so they planned to take the MCAT in September.

I personally would recommend if you have it scheduled out to be that way to have at least 2-4 weeks between the end of your course and the test date. Although the person who worked full time in my course took the MCAT 2-3 days after our last class, I felt that individual was super stressed and had to take their last remaining FLs pretty quickly. This person I believe scored a 80%+ in each AAMC section individually so I would say she's one of those select few people who are able to knock out the MCAT quicker than others.

On the side note, most people in my class were at least 2 years out of college. At least 1/2 the class was working full time and usually had trouble keeping up with the recommended schedule.

Thank you for all your remarks, really appreciate all the information and insight. I will have approximately 40 days of studying left after my online Kaplan course ends so I hoping that will give me some time to study even more and then practice. My biggest challenge right now with Kaplan is staying on top of my preview readings. I am noticing that I keep falling behind on the readings since there is sooo much to look over. For my last preview reading, I decided to skim and was able to get more of it done but still not to completion (not enough time and I'm generally a slow reader :/ )

 

[Fedallah]

Taking the exam September 23! I started studying at the beginning of June and recently settled on the 23rd for test date. I'm entering my senior year so I plan on applying next summer and continue doing research after I graduate during the 2016-2017 application cycle.

My plan is content review until early August. I've taken all the pre req courses and have not taken biochem. I'm averaging about ~6 hours a day, working my way through the AAMC syllabus, taking detailed notes on each topic and supplementing those topics with anything related and additional in the materials. For review, I'm using textbooks- my old ones and university physiology and biochem textbooks- and following the syllabus for the appropriate material. I've finished reviewing general chemistry, physics, organic chemistry and am essentially done with the Chemical and Physical foundations of biological systems section. I've been using Anki to create flashcards for studying and future review; I have around ~700 so far. This month I plan to get through the Biological and Biochemical foundations section and Psychology/Sociology while reviewing CPFBS.

The only review books I have is TPR set but I'm going through those books after I finish reviewing content categories on the syllabus to summarize the information and see if I missed anything. I pre-ordered the new Kaplan set and will use those for supplementation as well, heard mixed reviews about TPR and kaplan. I'll probably get ExamKrackers too for their practice passages, questions and full length exams and more content review.

For critical analysis and reasoning my only studying is to continue reading novels, newspapers, and magazines (The Economist, Wall Street Journal, Science, Nature, etc). I'll start doing practice passages later on.

I'm also reading 1 publication almost daily, cycling mostly among the NEJM, Journal of Biological Chemistry, Psychology and Sociology journals. I'm not reading them to death but I do make sure I understand what is going on in each section and I do analyze the data carefully to understand them, draw conclusions and know what this table or graph is telling me.

I hope I'll be ready for the Sept. 23 exam, but I'm going to see how I do on the official AAMC practice exam when I finish all content review and do practice questions and passages and may possibly delay taking the MCAT based on my performance and how ready I feel.

I'm not really aiming for top medical schools, honestly a state school (NYS resident) or any will be perfect for me but I really don't want to take it again and I want to make sure every part of my application will be as good as it can be.

 

[cjcarter]

How's studying coming along for everyone? I've completed the Processing the Environment and Behavior concepts on Khan, halfway through Individuals and Society. Taking a long time but I think it's worth it.

 

[HopkinsCardio21]

Are you watching all the videos? I started watching them and got half way in the Bio section and decided to postpone it, i think studying the books and practice is more important. I will go over it later on, just over the videos that cover topics i have problems with. Also i was gonna make my own answer sheet to the 2015 aamc mcat schedule, but does anyone know if there is anyone already made?

 

[cjcarter]

I'm going to finish all the psych/soc videos and do the corresponding passages. I need all the help I can get with those topics. I'll probably do the biochem related videos but skip chem/physics. I doubt I would be able to finish them all at this rate.

 

[dushash]

I don't think we can watch videos for all topics - not enough time for September MCAT. Need to prioritize. I decided to finish content review and then do Q-bank questions and FL's each per week. Followed by working on my mistakes and checking back to content review making sure I understand concept. IF there will be time left (I highly doubt it) - then I'll watch some hardest topic videos.
Biggest issue for me right now is Biochem - especially second half of content review that is heavy on some metabolic details.

 

[torontopharm]

I'm going to finish all the psych/soc videos and do the corresponding passages. I need all the help I can get with those topics. I'll probably do the biochem related videos but skip chem/physics. I doubt I would be able to finish them all at this rate.

I literally did everything you mentioned (except the passages) ! Plan is to spread out the KA and TPRH workbook passages for the next month before i take the AAMC FL. I found the psyc/soc videos to be great. Much better than reading through 1000 pages of Psyc/Soc text. I watched those videos, read the Kaplan Psyc book and made Anki cards which i'll be reviewing from now till the MCAT date. Might do the TBR Bio-II book passages as well to master Biochem.

 

[dushash]

Heads up for Kaplan online users: just received email that KA implemented same MCAT FL interface and now it matches it exactly! They sent pdf file explaining in details what changes are made. Pre-class assignments are changed too as well as video lecture archives. This was all done based on recent feedback from KA users who have taken AAMC recent MCAT.
It's not a big deal, but just my 2c.


Hello Kaplan MCAT Student,




At Kaplan, we constantly evaluate and update our courses to best prepare students for Test Day. For the new MCAT this year, we launched a revolutionized MCAT program, engineered specifically for the AAMC's MCAT2015 blueprint and updated with the latest technology and learning science.




Now that thousands of Kaplan MCAT students have taken the new exam and received their scores, we've received valuable feedback about both the exam and our course. And we're using that feedback to make enhancements to your MCAT program, both in the classroom and in your online Study Plan.



While the content and resources included in your program remain largely unchanged (we continue to load some additional content every month), you will notice three specific improvements to your course experience by this Friday:

• New Test Interface -- Matches AAMC Tests!
  
• New MCAT Channel Archive Experience
  
• New Before Class Assignments
  

Attached to this email are three PDFs which explain the updates in depth and what they mean for you. Please review the PDF that corresponds to your anticipated MCAT test date:

• For July MCAT Test-Takers
• For Aug/Sep MCAT Test-Takers
  
• For 2016 MCAT Test-Takers
  

Good luck in your studies and on your MCAT!



The Kaplan MCAT Team

 

[khu]

if i write the MCAT on sept 12 is it too late to apply for the 2016 cycle?

 

[DAF16]

if i write the MCAT on sept 12 is it too late to apply for the 2016 cycle?

I'm not sure if it's TOO late. I think you would be better off applying next year at the beginning of the cycle and using the time to improve your app. I think that will help your chances a lot more than applying late into this cycle.

 

[allantois]

How are you guys planning to study when school starts?

- August test take here, contemplating rescheduling for September.

 

[cjcarter]

if i write the MCAT on sept 12 is it too late to apply for the 2016 cycle?

Not for DO really. If you're only applying MD, I would wait until next cycle.

 

[rraidermd]

How are you guys planning to study when school starts?

- August test take here, contemplating rescheduling for September.

Luckily I graduated this past may

 

[sparksfly21]

Anyone take a full length yet? Just took my first one after doing a diagnostic last month and I scored 6pts lower -_- I'm definitely behind on my Kaplan schedule since I'm working full time so I wasn't caught up with the material. But still, 6pts below my diagnostic? I'm super concerned now :/

 

[MrRed]

In on this. September 3rd test taker (~54days left).
Finished content review the first time around about 2 weeks ago. Have taken 5 full lengths thus far, plan on taking 20-30 more before the test day roles around.
To the person above me -- don't worry so much about scores. Sit down and learn as much as possible from each and every test you take. Review it with some heart, really give it your all!

Score progression thus far for myself:
5/26/2015: NS Diagnostic: 504
6/30/2015: Altius half-length: 518 (132/127/129/130)
6/31/2015: Kaplan old full length: 40 (14/12/14)
7/2/2015: Kaplan free half-length demo: 510. Took it at 8pm after studying all day and no sleep, didn't record scores.
7/4/2015: Kaplan FL 3: 514 (126/128/130/130)
7/7/2015: TPR FL 3: 516 (129/126/131/130)
7/10/2015: EK FL 2: 87% (52/59|43/53|53/59|52/59)

Holy mother I am getting rocked on verbal.
It's so weird I was able to get a 14/15 twice on the old AAMC sections (although I took them as single sections). I can't see to replicate it. I recognize that I specifically get nervous for verbal and for bio/phys/chem/psych I feel so confident. I know the nervousness is getting to me. Meditation has been helping a lot and so has my quirky verbal strategy but I think it's time for a nice long meditation and a revamp of the strategy.
Want to be able to score a 518-520 on at least 1Kaplan and 1TPR before my test.
Shooting real high here! Hopefully I make it; if not I at least I tried my damn hardest.

Next test: 7/13/2015: Either gold standard, kaplan, or TPR (or nextstep) gotta decide which one to take.

Plan for today + tomorrow: review EK#2, TPR3, Kaplan3.
Figure out a SOLID strategy for getting 90%+ right on verbal consistently. When I review -- have been doing this for only the past several days -- I reread each passage of the test and just answer the questions again. Passage by passage. I go over thoroughly why each answer is wrong and why each is right. For the questions I get wrong I try to get the right answer before looking at what it is. I make notecards for every question I get wrong and the one's I got right but wasn't 100% on.

That's the game-plan thus far. Best of luck to ya'll I'll be checking back in soon.

 

[geronimo11]

@MrRed your scores are great! I think you'll do awesome, people generally score higher on the real thing compared to their Kaplan and TPR scores anyways. You are taking A TON of FLs. is it draining? I have about 15 scheduled for myself (2 a week starting next week) and am worried it's going to burn me out before the exam. Any tips to not feel so drained?

Also how long does it take you to go over the Fls? I'll be reviewing FLs while finishing up the last leg of my content review sigh so I hope I have ample time to do both so I can round up content review soon and move on to memorizing pathways, structures, formulas etc between FLs instead.

 

[cjcarter]

35 FL exams??? Totally unnecessary.

 

[rraidermd]

35 FL exams??? Totally unnecessary.

Lol it's whatever, that dude is already scoring high on his practice anyways. If he wants to do all that, kudos to him.

 

[MrRed]

Hey; ya I suppose it does get draining -- but I have a lot of motivation to succeed (find your motivation!). Also, studying for the MCAT isn't so bad. It's world's better than my life has ever been- and I love it, in a way. I love the knowledge, I love tackling the problems and challenging myself every single day. My past is pretty rough, and I was a pretty damn terrible kid growing up, so I guess its all perspective. For myself at least, having the chance to study for the MCAT and maybe even get a great score is one of the most relaxing/fulfilling things I've ever had the chance to do.

To avoid being drained, for myself: make sure I get lots of healthy fats/protein in my diet, keep carbs to a minimum. Good, whole quality multi + b vitamins each day, make sure I meditate 30min-1hr every time I wake up or before bed, make sure to train at least 4x a week for at least 2hrs, and praying. These are the things I do to avoid feeling drained.
But I think -- equally if not more important than those things, is to re-frame how you think about MCAT studying.

I think you should re-frame the way you look at MCAT studying in your mind. That's what I did with my studying in general a few years ago. Look at studying for the MCAT like the greatest challenge anyone has given you thus far. Why wouldn't you? Honestly, we are pretty damn blessed to have been given this chance, such a beautiful life that we have the chance to actually take the MCAT and become doctors. Learn to love this stuff -- really though -- the bio, the psych, the soc, physics, chem, orgo, biochem; it's interesting! I'll say it again, studying for the MCAT isn't a chore; it's amazing. It's amazing that we are poised in the opportunity to gain such knowledge, with the chance of using that knowledge to make a difference in the world, a real difference.

When reviewing Full-length's it will take me anywhere from 6-12hours. I just reread each passage, answer the questions again (in chunks), review why each answer choice is right or wrong. Do my research/refreshing on all topics that I'm not 100% with as the questions come, make note cards, and do an extra couple practice problems from my chem/physics/biochem/orgo/whatever book.

So that's my speel and that's my motivation.


And to those above: I look at MCAT studying like I train for my fights or powerlifting meets nowadays: I give it everything I've got, 150%. And after it's beaten me up and I feel like I'm done, I give it some more. I don't train for my fights by only doing a couple sparring sessions and a few weeks of technique work. This is how I approach my life. I'm not just going to do a few practice exams, feel like I'm scoring high enough and then go take the real thing. I'm going to do as many as I possibly can, and when I'm scoring high on every one consistently, no matter what, when I feel 100% ready: then I'll go take the real thing. If I approached my training like you're suggesting (that there is an "upper limit" that you shouldn't cross or it's "unnecessary") then I would be one sorry fighter every time I stepped in that ring.

 

[cjcarter]

Haha ridiculous

 

[drkobebryant]

And to those above: I look at MCAT studying like I train for my fights or powerlifting meets nowadays: I give it everything I've got, 150%.

Interesting you said that, just sumod 555 (20lb PR) yesterday and took almost the same amount of time as improving 6pts on my full length LOL. Applying this cycle? Btw, your scores are excellent.

 

[edgerock24]

Hey; ya I suppose it does get draining -- but I have a lot of motivation to succeed (find your motivation!). Also, studying for the MCAT isn't so bad. It's world's better than my life has ever been- and I love it, in a way. I love the knowledge, I love tackling the problems and challenging myself every single day. My past is pretty rough, and I was a pretty damn terrible kid growing up, so I guess its all perspective. For myself at least, having the chance to study for the MCAT and maybe even get a great score is one of the most relaxing/fulfilling things I've ever had the chance to do.

To avoid being drained, for myself: make sure I get lots of healthy fats/protein in my diet, keep carbs to a minimum. Good, whole quality multi + b vitamins each day, make sure I meditate 30min-1hr every time I wake up or before bed, make sure to train at least 4x a week for at least 2hrs, and praying. These are the things I do to avoid feeling drained.
But I think -- equally if not more important than those things, is to re-frame how you think about MCAT studying.

I think you should re-frame the way you look at MCAT studying in your mind. That's what I did with my studying in general a few years ago. Look at studying for the MCAT like the greatest challenge anyone has given you thus far. Why wouldn't you? Honestly, we are pretty damn blessed to have been given this chance, such a beautiful life that we have the chance to actually take the MCAT and become doctors. Learn to love this stuff -- really though -- the bio, the psych, the soc, physics, chem, orgo, biochem; it's interesting! I'll say it again, studying for the MCAT isn't a chore; it's amazing. It's amazing that we are poised in the opportunity to gain such knowledge, with the chance of using that knowledge to make a difference in the world, a real difference.

When reviewing Full-length's it will take me anywhere from 6-12hours. I just reread each passage, answer the questions again (in chunks), review why each answer choice is right or wrong. Do my research/refreshing on all topics that I'm not 100% with as the questions come, make note cards, and do an extra couple practice problems from my chem/physics/biochem/orgo/whatever book.

So that's my speel and that's my motivation.


And to those above: I look at MCAT studying like I train for my fights or powerlifting meets nowadays: I give it everything I've got, 150%. And after it's beaten me up and I feel like I'm done, I give it some more. I don't train for my fights by only doing a couple sparring sessions and a few weeks of technique work. This is how I approach my life. I'm not just going to do a few practice exams, feel like I'm scoring high enough and then go take the real thing. I'm going to do as many as I possibly can, and when I'm scoring high on every one consistently, no matter what, when I feel 100% ready: then I'll go take the real thing. If I approached my training like you're suggesting (that there is an "upper limit" that you shouldn't cross or it's "unnecessary") then I would be one sorry fighter every time I stepped in that ring.

Red, you are definitely the type of person that will end up getting a score in the 99th percentile, while the rest of us will be content with 75th+.

 

[microkid1992]

@MrRed

Your words are very encouraging. Although my numbers were not that high starting out lol. Work full time but I am still busting my butt at home after work. I am trying to not burn out. Unfortunately, my job is draining the life out of me. I usually rejuvenate by going 30 minutes on the elliptical. My NS was a 494 and I haven't been doing exceptionally well but I am seeing improvement with every exam. So I guess that's important lol. Thanks for the encouragement. I needed it today after a terrible day at work.

 

[HopkinsCardio21]

Anything that works for you consistently is what you should do! Verbal/CARS Scores are improving, i am getting only 1 or 2 wrong per passage, hopefully it will get better. finishing up studying this week, and starting practice full time next week while reviewing till test day.I need to get those full lengths and section tests in. Lets go boys & girls.

 

[Fedallah]

Making solid headway into the Psych/Sociology section so far. I'm settled on the TPR review book based on all the reviews but I'm supplementing it heavily with my old general psychology textbook and I also rented a copy of the advertised book on the AAMC site- Psychology: themes and Variations, 9E. I think this book is the best so far and it's actually hitting all the topics, theories and more on the syllabus and in the review books and IMO is the best so far. I'm hoping to finish learning and reviewing this section by the end of the month as well as finishing off the physiology topics then start taking FL's in early August and practice passages.

 

[microkid1992]

After work I do 3 passages and a set of discrete questiins, every subject every day. And then before bed time I go over both what I did right, and what I did wrong. And do a full length exam once a week. Since I don't have 7 hours to review it in one day(gotta pay the bills. Young and broke), I go over one section a day during the week. Like Monday I go over the Physical sciences, Tuesday , Bio, Wednesday psych etc. CARS I go over right after my exam. So my schedule is mainly practice now.

 

[QuentinT88]

Signed up for the Sept 23rd test date! Still finishing up my Biochem summer class, but plan on taking a TPR course in August.

The online class meets Monday - Friday from 10:0 am - 5:00 pm. In the meantime, I am working on CARS passages and content review via Khan Academy.

Kinda wish I started prepping earlier. My original plan was to wait & take the MCAT next year, but I am gonna go for it.

Honest question: do you guys think that 2 months is enough to prep for this new exam?

 

[allantois]

Signed up for the Sept 23rd test date! Still finishing up my Biochem summer class, but plan on taking a TPR course in August.

The online class meets Monday - Friday from 10:0 am - 5:00 pm. In the meantime, I am working on CARS passages and content review via Khan Academy.

Kinda wish I started prepping earlier. My original plan was to wait & take the MCAT next year, but I am gonna go for it.

Honest question: do you guys think that 2 months is enough to prep for this new exam?

It all depends on you and how much you are putting into it every day.

 

[MrRed]

Interesting you said that, just sumod 555 (20lb PR) yesterday and took almost the same amount of time as improving 6pts on my full length LOL. Applying this cycle? Btw, your scores are excellent.

Wow, congratulations brotha!! That's a damn solid pull. I'm still recovering from my ACL + meniscus reconstruction (~8 months post-op thus far) and have not gotten my deadlift back over 5 plates yet. Curiously enough, my squat is back well over an easy 4plates! I have some serious hamstring weakness in my post-op leg still that needs further addressing. However I'm hoping to go for a 5 plate pull very soon
I am actually not applying this cycle -- next cycle, just want to get the MCAT done with and put the largest obstacle behind me. You applying this cycle?
Thanks for the kind words, fellow.

Red, you are definitely the type of person that will end up getting a score in the 99th percentile, while the rest of us will be content with 75th+.

Thanks edge! Your words of encouragement mean a lot my friend. I am of the belief that truly, anyone who tries hard enough to get an amazing MCAT score and really puts in the hours and hours of work -- like most other things in life -- can get it.

I've recently listened to a talk by Elon musk, definitely someone I admire a great deal, and he kind of restated what I've come to believe. He essentially said that he didn't know if he would ever truly succeed, and there were dark times, but he knew that if he worked twice as hard as everybody else worked then he would achieve something. Thus, he always works 80-100hrs a week and no less. If this is 100% true, well I'm not sure, but I can definitely believe it seeing all the man has accomplished in his life.

That's what I want to do some day -- really make a difference in the world, you know? I think if I -- or anyone really -- finds that goal, that belief that when you think of it, it almost brings tears to your eyes because you want it so bad; now that is a truly powerful thing. You'd be surprised how insanely far and hard having such a belief can push you.
For myself, as I can't really use anyone else: I've been going on 5-6hrs of sleep a night recently and yet my scores are still improving. Every time I even feel like slacking a bit (other than to write these messages) I just remember why I'm doing this, that conviction that drives me.
If you can find your own beliefs, the strongest internal motivator you can get, well I'd wager you might be able to score well above the 75th percentile.

@MrRed

Your words are very encouraging. Although my numbers were not that high starting out lol. Work full time but I am still busting my butt at home after work. I am trying to not burn out. Unfortunately, my job is draining the life out of me. I usually rejuvenate by going 30 minutes on the elliptical. My NS was a 494 and I haven't been doing exceptionally well but I am seeing improvement with every exam. So I guess that's important lol. Thanks for the encouragement. I needed it today after a terrible day at work.

Just keep moving forward! I respect you a lot; working a full time job is no joke when studying for the MCAT and it takes some serious dedication to do both I would imagine. Use that inner motivation cause I know you got it! Life has been kinda down for me lately too, today actually marks the 365 day anniversary of my best, and one of my only true friend's death and for the past couple weeks I've just been thinking about him all the time. But for real, I know he's probably right behind me right now telling me to get my ass in gear, keep giving studying everything I can possibly give, and to get into the best medical school I possibly can and make him proud; and I sure as hell won't let him down now.

I'll tell you one thing that I know is true: there is no way I'm any more intelligent than you. I literally have to review material like 5-10x over just to get it to stick. So if I can do this then I know you can too. And I'd be surprised if by the time you take the MCAT in September you aren't in a position to kill it. If you take anything away from this message, its to keep on keeping on.



Hope everyone in this thread is making some solid progress on their studies!
A quick update from myself for practice exams (just goes to show that continued, intense practice will continue to bring results):
7/13/2015: NextStep FL1: 518 (128/130/130/130) (As a reminder; I don't think I posted this, but my NS diagnostic was (total: 504; 125/123/129/127)

Next FL: tomorrow, will be doing NextStep FL2. Still have to finish fully reviewing NS1 + Kaplan 3 + TPR 3, get so absorbed in all the details of everything -- but the reading is good.

My new strategy for reviewing verbal is to:
Reread every passage after exam is done. Write a 1-2 sentence summary of each paragraph of each passage after reading without referring back to the passage (I do this is chunks, finish one passage at a time).
Then, go re-answer every question for that passage, and go through why each answer is right/wrong thoroughly. Then on to the next one. Admittedly takes a long time, but it has been helping my CARS so much.

Well that my long post, hope everyone could maybe find a bit more motivation, but at the end of the day I think that everyone in this thread is going to turn out fine, because I know everyone in this thread has some crazy sort of heart in them to knock down any challenge/difficult topic the MCAT throws out them. Ain't that right?

EDIT: Just noticed I put 128 as my bio score for NS diagnostic, changed to actual score.

 

[allantois]

When do you guys think the AAMC will release their official Practice Test 1? I know they simply say in the Fall, but I wonder if it will be before they administer the last MCAT.

 

[abc1014]

When do you guys think the AAMC will release their official Practice Test 1? I know they simply say in the Fall, but I wonder if it will be before they administer the last MCATs.

I hope so! The first one seems a bit too easy to me. Maybe sometime in August?

 

[geronimo11]

Hey guys just switched over to the sept 12th date because I don't feel like I'll be ready for an August date. Where is everyone in studying?

I still have about 4 chapters left in each book, most of these being important chapters (sociology, metabolism, pathways etc) that I can't skip. I also haven't gotten down to the nitty gritty of memorizing things since I haven't finished content review.

I took my first FL this weekend and got a 497 (123/125/122/127) not so good at all. Between reviewing FL's, taking more, finishing content review and memorizing things (formulas, structures, pathways). I'm starting to feel EXTREMELY overwhelmed and discouraged that I won't be prepared in time.

There's just not enough time in the day for everything, especially with work.

 

[allantois]

Switched to Sept 11 as well as 23 and 12 were unavailable.

 

[geronimo11]

I was going to do the 23rd but it overlaps longer with school, around a month, so I felt like it was a bad idea. I'm going to be putting the first 2 weeks of school on the back burner as it is to study for the Sept 12th exam

 

[abc1014]

Err...has anyone encountered any glitches with the grading on the AAMC sample test? I'm reviewing my first attempt of the test, and while it says I made an 80% on the psych/social section, I just clicked through the answers and didn't see any that are wrong. I went through them again to see if maybe the system changed my answer choices, but they were all the ones that I had marked. So now I don't know whether to be extremely happy or concerned because I don't know which questions I answered incorrectly...anyone else have this problem?

 

[abc1014]

Update: I emailed tech support, and there was a glitch! Pay close attention when you're looking over your results, I suppose

 

[ChrisMack390]

How is everyone doing?

I still can't get my Kaplan practice scores to budge from right around 500-502. I was bummed out by this but looking at some of the other threads it seems a bunch of people consistently got low 500s on Kaplan tests and then crushed the real thing, so maybe they are just significantly more difficult and it will all be ok

 

[afada12]

Joining the group! Will finally be done with content review in a few days, then will be starting full lengths.

 

[QuentinT88]

Still working on content review. How long did it take you to finish, @afada12 ? And are you self studying or using Kaplan/TPR?

 

[afada12]

Hey @QuentinT88 , I have been going through content for about 8 weeks now. I am self-studying using my old TBR books, as well as TPR for the psych/soc section. When I took my MCAT a few years ago, I had 1 or 2 passages on what people said were extremely low-yield physics topics, which I glossed over studying back then.

I am not really trusting any of the comments this time around when they say o-chem and physics are not as important now, etc., so I am definitely trying to make sure I understand ALL topics.

How are you studying/how much content do you have left?

 

[QuentinT88]

I only started about 2 weeks ago, so I have a TON of ground to cover. The only real positive though is that I am just now finishing my post bacc courses, so the majority of the topics are relatively fresh. I finish my Biochem class next Friday and will start a TPR course on August 3rd. The class runs until August 26th. Plus I will be taking a break from research and volunteering for 2 months, so I will be solely be focused on studying.

Hopefully I can cover alot of ground in time for the test. I only have 2 months to prep for the Sept 23rd MCAT now.

So far, Ive been using Khan Academy for content review, for CARs practice, and for some passage problems. I plan on buying the AAMCs material to review as well. So I will be using a combo of TPR, Khan, and AAMC to prep.

 

[QuentinT88]

Also, how is everyone studying for the Research methods/ statistical date portion of the new MCAT? I have started reading journals in PubMed just to get more familiar with how a passage might be presented. Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[microkid1992]

Hey Guys,

I have made major improvement over the past month or so. But my Verbal score has hardly budged. Does anyone have any idea on how to bring up your CARS score?

 

[abc1014]

Hey Guys,

I have made major improvement over the past month or so. But my Verbal score has hardly budged. Does anyone have any idea on how to bring up your CARS score?

I don't know how fast of a reader you are, but I tend to briefly write down notes as I read. This especially helps when I'm facing a passage that I'm finding difficult to follow. I'd rather take a little bit more time reading so that I can get the main idea/tone/supporting or dissenting evidence straight in my head before I go to the questions. Answering the questions happens much more quickly for me if I take the time to do that. Even with writing, I finish CARS with time to spare.

I'd recommend doing a lot of reading and making sure to dissect the specific main idea out of the passage, as well as taking note of what evidence is provided. Pay close attention to the opening and closing sentences of each paragraph. Word usage can help you determine whether that paragraph is adding supporting evidence or dissenting evidence. Sometimes a paragraph may be presenting an entirely new set of ideas.

As you're getting accustomed to reading this way, don't stress out too much about the time. Eventually you'll get to the point where this is easier for you. Some passages are straightforward enough that you likely won't have to write anything down.

 

[microkid1992]

@abc1014 Yeah. I will try that strategy. Reading more slowly helps. My problem is consistency. Some passages I do perfectly. Like in the Kaplan full length I did perfectly on a few passages and completely bombed other ones. So I ended up with a 125 for that section. And before that I was getting 63%-68% on my EK FLs. It can be kind of discouraging. I will try taking notes and reading more slowly.

 

[abc1014]

@microkid1992 I find that when I am able to determine the main idea and clearly see the supporting evidence and other points, my results are much better. Hopefully the same applies to you. Good luck!