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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[afada12]

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.

I as well have always remained rather static with my CARS scores. (I had previously decided against writing anything down to save time.)

But I decided to employ @abc1014 's advice on my 3 practice CARS passages today, and wrote brief notes down after each paragraph. In doing this, I actually only missed 1 question total and felt much more confident answering the questions!

I was trying to keep the main idea/theme/tone/etc. in my head perviously, but forcing myself to write it down seems to clarify things, even if I lose a minute on the passage writing, I also felt I wasn't referring back to the text as much, so I made it up that way.

I'll see how it keeps working in the next weeks.

 

[geronimo11]

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!

I'm finding experimental analysis to be one of my weakness (according to TPR at least). I have no idea where to start with papers though so I've been avoiding it. Do you just ready any paper related to an MCAT topic? Like, type in 'glycolysis' and read the top one or are you honing in on more specific things?

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.

I've been hearing this method over and over again but I've never used it because I don't feel like I'd have the time to write things down but maybe I should try. I'm just worried my speed won't improve. If you don't mind me asking what do your notes look like? Are they merely sentence summaries of the paragraph or do you also write down things like tone?

@microkid1992 I also find highlighting transitional words and names help, even with things as little as speed, so you don't have to re-skim the passage for a name referenced in a question.

 

[QuentinT88]

I'm finding experimental analysis to be one of my weakness (according to TPR at least). I have no idea where to start with papers though so I've been avoiding it. Do you just ready any paper related to an MCAT topic? Like, type in 'glycolysis' and read the top one or are you honing in on more specific things?





I've been hearing this method over and over again but I've never used it because I don't feel like I'd have the time to write things down but maybe I should try. I'm just worried my speed won't improve. If you don't mind me asking what do your notes look like? Are they merely sentence summaries of the paragraph or do you also write down things like tone?

@microkid1992 I also find highlighting transitional words and names help, even with things as little as speed, so you don't have to re-skim the passage for a name referenced in a question.

Yeah, it's been pretty much like that. I started a few weeks ago. I have read over topics covering biochemistry & microbiology so far. I have come across a few papers that I think might not be as similar to MCAT material however.

If any one else has some advice/tips for the experimental analysis section, let us know!

 

[GoljansRightBicep]

If any one else has some advice/tips for the experimental analysis section, let us know!

The EK 30-minute exams are great practice for experimental analysis, especially the ones in their biology books. Additionally, they have a "Research Skills/CARS" book that dissects and analyzes scientific data (only one chapter on this though).

Also, without an answer key/hand to hold, I don't see the fruit in reading scientific papers on their own. Not unless I was already super knowledgeable and just needed to fine-tune my skills. The EK exams are adapted from scientific literature, and read just like them I can assure you. Except they come with clear answers and explanations on how to interpret the data, so you begin to learn your way around experiments and data analysis.

 

[geronimo11]

@brenasuarus You need to have the EK books to get the 30 minute exams correct?

I agree with you about papers, they're definitely written with their field in mind and not a wide audience. I did a lot of research paper reading in my capstone, and honestly most of the time was spent looking up words I didn't know and what not so I now realize that it took away from me getting in to the experimental analysis part because I'm having trouble with that in passages. Hopefully, I can find some papers on familiar topics at least.

 

[GoljansRightBicep]

@brenasuarus You need to have the EK books to get the 30 minute exams correct?

Yes, the 30-Minute Exams are only found in their books. There's one corresponding with each chapter.

 

[abc1014]

@QuentinT88 definitely not paragraphs! I have maybe one or two lines of words (not complete sentences) per paragraph. I also highlight words that suggest the author's feelings towards things, and any key points that back up the author's argument.

Basically, my goal is to just keep track of the progression of the author's arguments throughout the passage.

 

[Gibbward]

For CARS, how many mistakes per passage do you guys think we can have and still have a solid 75-80th percentile? I know it's probably going to depend on the test I'll be taking, but does anyone have a rough approximation? I usually have a mistake or two per passage, a perfect score here and there, and then bomb some of the killer passages (like 2/7 bombs ). Hopefully ~7.5 weeks is enough time to improve on those killer passages and consistently get only 1 wrong for the rest, but I'm curious what you guys think a solid raw score would be, just incase I don't reach my goals.

 

[Doctor Dream]

Just took the TPR Demo test (are people calling this TPR FL1?) and struggled through with an unbalanced 501 (124/124/125/128) I found myself short on time for every section except the psych (finished 20+ minutes early, scored 128..I have no idea). The other 3 sections were a total time crunch, I spent so much time reading and re-reading and highlighting crap that I fell way behind. It's weird but I noticed that as the exam went on I felt more alert and awake, maybe I need to start waking up earlier to condition my brain.

Verbal is also usually one of my best sections and I just felt totally off my rhythm. Hoping my scores are mainly due to me being mentally asleep today, the TPR being a hard exam and just my lack of FL experience in general

 

[Shreyasthegreat]

@geronimo11 @QuentinT88

August Test-taker here, sorry to intrude, just figured I'd be on here after my exam, for better (with advice) or for worse (with advice--on what not to do) so I thought I'd contribute.

A group of people on Reddit have been reading research papers together and have even come up with a bunch of MC per paper. They have done about 20 papers now, and it might be in your advantage to try to answer the multiple choice questions by skimming the research papers.

Here is a link.

 

[geronimo11]

@geronimo11 @QuentinT88

August Test-taker here, sorry to intrude, just figured I'd be on here after my exam, for better (with advice) or for worse (with advice--on what not to do) so I thought I'd contribute.

A group of people on Reddit have been reading research papers together and have even come up with a bunch of MC per paper. They have done about 20 papers now, and it might be in your advantage to try to answer the multiple choice questions by skimming the research papers.

Here is a link.

Ahh! Thank you. This is exactly what I've been looking for, it's way more motivating them aimlessly searching pubmed and skimming articles to find one acceptable one (plus, I'm lazy). Have you been reading papers from here? If so, have they been helpful in improving your score/understanding of passages?

 

[Shreyasthegreat]

Ahh! Thank you. This is exactly what I've been looking for, it's way more motivating them aimlessly searching pubmed and skimming articles to find one acceptable one (plus, I'm lazy). Have you been reading papers from here? If so, have they been helpful in improving your score/understanding of passages?

I have been planning to. LOL. I probably will get through them before my exam, but what helped me a lot is just sitting back and realizing, you really don't need to know that much for the exam. Just think critically, logically, and in the shoes of the researcher. Use the questions to guide you through the passage, if need be. My scores in biology shot up from a mere change in mindset


EDIT: This is not to say that content review isn't important. Rather, it's the unison of content review that builds patterns and trends in your mind that allow you to apply information critically without knowing the specifics. Basically, if you did well in your prereqs and really put effort into UNDERSTANDING, not just memorizing, you'll do well. (just my opinion, haven't even taken it yet)

 

[microkid1992]

I noticed one thing when I answer the questions for CARS. I keep changing my answer when my first answer is almost always right!!! I have to rid myself of that habit!

 

[HopkinsCardio21]

I was having intense problems with CARS, but paying attention to punctuation has helped me out tremendously. I also read articles from the NYT Opinion page section (diverse subject areas). there's a pdf copy of the examkrackers 1001 verbal q's on lifeandtimesmed.tumblr.com , how many FL's have you guys done approx?

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

Right now, I'm planning to go with TBR for Bio/biochem/Chem/Orgo/Physics (minus the chapters that were taken out),... I'll probably look at the official AAMC FL right from the get go, and practice using TBR passages and TPRH science workbook. Hopefully, I can also get Kaplan/TPR/TBR/EK FLs to go through them a month or so before the test date.

I'm also thinking of using TBR because I've heard it is still good practice. If they release a Psych/Soc book then I'll be trying to snag that too. Other than that I'll use all of what the AAMC has released and Khan. Then try to get my hands on as many full lengths as possible.

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).

Just wanted to say "thank you" and that the three of you should check your PMs.

 

[afada12]

@BerkReviewTeach : I'm taking the September MCAT as well and am still a strong advocate for BR! (My old MCAT is expiring so I have to re-take it) but I'm using my BR books from a few years ago and still personally think they are the best resources out there. It's crazy because BR was all everyone recommended back a few years ago, and now it's only Kaplan/TPR that people talk about for the MCAT 2015.

But having looked through the other materials, I still think BR review is the best option, so we will see if my score reflects this in September!

 

[QuentinT88]

@geronimo11 @QuentinT88

August Test-taker here, sorry to intrude, just figured I'd be on here after my exam, for better (with advice) or for worse (with advice--on what not to do) so I thought I'd contribute.

A group of people on Reddit have been reading research papers together and have even come up with a bunch of MC per paper. They have done about 20 papers now, and it might be in your advantage to try to answer the multiple choice questions by skimming the research papers.

Here is a link.

This is legit! Thanks for posting @Shreyasthegreat !

 

[Shreyasthegreat]

This is legit! Thanks for posting @Shreyasthegreat !

Anytime

 

[exposedbrickcampaign]

Psych and Soc kinda scare me. along with biochem a little. I kinda skated through my biochem class and didnt really learn much and I've never taken pysch and soc. Balls to the walls for the next 5 weeks and 6 days kids. We'll all be fine though!

 

[torontopharm]

I was having intense problems with CARS, but paying attention to punctuation has helped me out tremendously. I also read articles from the NYT Opinion page section (diverse subject areas). there's a pdf copy of the examkrackers 1001 verbal q's on lifeandtimesmed.tumblr.com , how many FL's have you guys done approx?

Zero I'm already behind compared to some of you guys.
Will start doing FL's mid-august when i'm done the TPR workbook.

Is everyone doing the Khan Passages? I haven't done any of them. I'll be doing at least their Psyc passages.

 

[HopkinsCardio21]

I have done the khan academy CARS passages, doing the rest later. do you know how many FL's u want to do roughly?

 

[biologybum]

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.



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.



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.

You are humble and provide inspiration to those who view this forum I respect that. I plan to have a strategy similar where I take a lot of practice tests. Although I'm planing to start content review during the fall and my last semester and take the MCAT in March or April. I'm curious what you used for content review as well as how long you spent reviewing? How much do value straight content review? When you plan for 20-30 FL you can always go back to review books to refresh/learn topics. Thanks for any insight you can provide for a future test taker.

 

[torontopharm]

I have done the khan academy CARS passages, doing the rest later. do you know how many FL's u want to do roughly?

Roughly 4-5... AAMC and the EK one's. Not sure yet if i should cram more in. How about you?

 

[HopkinsCardio21]

Roughly 4-5... AAMC and the EK one's. Not sure yet if i should cram more in. How about you?

I have done the aamc q packs for all the subjects, will start kaplan sections tests daily and ammc/kaplan/EK FL's on the weekends. reviewing EK/Kaplan as i go

 

[Jennzilla]

Hey everyone!! Sept 12 exam-taker here!
I hope everyone is hanging in there!

Zero I'm already behind compared to some of you guys.
Will start doing FL's mid-august when i'm done the TPR workbook.

Is everyone doing the Khan Passages? I haven't done any of them. I'll be doing at least their Psyc passages.

I guess we are in the same boat! I haven't done an FL yet either, but I plan to use NS, Kaplan, EK, and AAMC. Hopefully, I'll be able to use Khan passages for psych/soc, too.

I haven't started studying for Psych/Soc yet and I've already forgotten what I learned at the beginning of this adventure. Time to get crackin'!!

 

[geronimo11]

I feel so behind, still chugging through content review. Just got to the metabolism chapters (glycolysis, krebs etc) and it is totally killing me and slowing me down. There's so much to remember with all the enzymes and inhibitors and steps and even when I think I understand it I do the TBR passages and barely get any right. Any advise from any of you that's mastered this?

I'm taking another FL tomorrow even though I'm not done with review because I'm starting to feel behind everyone else on here. I'm planning to take 7 FLs, it's how many I have between TPR, Kaplan and the AAMC FL. Although I might replace/throw in a EK exam in there since they are more representative.

The toll of studying is also started to catch up with me and I'm not being as productive or motivated. @Jennzilla Psy/Soc isn't too hard to get through, lots of terms but its interesting and makes more sense since you can apply it to your life easier. Plus unlike bio/chem most of the terms actually mean what they sound like they'll mean

@torontopharm I'm going to try and do Khans biochem and Psy passages definitely. Heard they're really good and more experiment based.

 

[Yoncé]

Hey so does anyone know if the discrete questions are after certain passages? Like passage 2 or other ones? I'm trying to figure out the timing per passage and I don't think it would be smart to do all the discretes first considering you have to click through every single question it seems like a waste of time.

 

[Jennzilla]

I decided to take my first FL on Saturday (using NS #4): CARS: 125, BIO: 125, P/C: 122, P/S: 126, Overall: 498. I had a major panic attack and lost track of time during the P/C section so I left like 2 passages blank. I also noticed that I have timing issues with the rest of the sections except for P/S.

@geronimo11: That's good to hear! Thanks! I actually took my first FL without any studying for the Psy/Soc section, and it strangely ended up being my highest score. I'm definitely going to study though!! As for studying for biochem, even though I can't say that I have mastered it yet, I highly suggest just sitting back and trying to understand the pathways rather than straight-up memorizing them. I found that when I kept asking myself "why?" or "how?", I was able to remember A LOT more. For example, "Why do you suddenly jump from 2 cytochromes in Complex III to 4 cytochromes in Complex IV?" You'll find that it's because initially 2 cytochromes are needed to donate their electrons to the O2 molecule, but then 2 more electrons are required to break the hydrogen peroxide to form 2 water molecules. Just stupid stuff like that helped me. The more you sit down with the material, the more you'll remember. I know it sucks spending more time, but you'd rather know the material well.

@Yonce: I would try to spend a maximum of 1 minute for each discrete question, so it should take about 4 minutes to complete a whole section of discretes. I believe the discrete questions come after every 3 passages. I took my first FL on Saturday, but I was too focused on the questions themselves rather than observing how the exams were set up. I highly suggest going in order though.

 

[MrRed]

Hope all of y'all are doing well!
So thought I'd just drop in and mention what I've been doing -- hopefully it'll help someone.
Since I last posted I've taken NS FL2, TPR Review Full-Lengths 1+2, and Kaplan FL 1.
Scores are good, steadily climbing to a range I am very confident being in -- little by little.

You are humble and provide inspiration to those who view this forum I respect that. I plan to have a strategy similar where I take a lot of practice tests. Although I'm planing to start content review during the fall and my last semester and take the MCAT in March or April. I'm curious what you used for content review as well as how long you spent reviewing? How much do value straight content review? When you plan for 20-30 FL you can always go back to review books to refresh/learn topics. Thanks for any insight you can provide for a future test taker.

I did 4-5 weeks of strict content review. I used the ExamKrackers new set, which I felt was awesome for physics. I liked it because each book has 100+ questions throughout the lectures and another 100+ questions at the end in the form of 30minute exams. I bought TPR's Psych/Soc book and read through that 2x so far, will read it once more. I supplemented -- and am still supplementing -- that with the following books:

Biochem: Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry, 5th Edition
Physics: Sears & Zemanksys University Physics, with Modern Physics; 13th Edition
Anatomy & Phys: Fundamentals of Anatomy & Physiology, 10th Edition
Organic Chemistry: Organic Chemistry, 8th Edition, Francis A. Carey, Robert M. Giuliano

Generally I would read the examkrackers books, do all the problems in the lectures. I would do one book at a time, and once I finished all the lectures would proceed to the next one. After I was through every book I went back and did all the 30 minute exams for each book, so for example I would go back on one day and do all of the physics exams in a row.

I also reread a chapter or 2 of Lehninger every few days, along with a chapter or 2 from A&P, orgo, or physics; I just reread them casually to keep all the information flowing and fresh.
I've always done timed practice since the very beginning, practice how you play, you know?

However, this past year (Fall + Spring semesters) I took: Biochemistry, Orgo I + II, Physics I + II, and have been tutoring general chemistry for ~2 years as my part-time job. ExamKrackers was awesome because I only needed a - moderately - abbreviated review. I would still recommend them for all the practice questions they give and how they make everything very concise, but they SUCK for biology and biochem, as well as psychology and sociology - in my opinion. I honestly think the best way to learn biochemistry and biology is to take the class and/or self-study with Lehninger.
I took the class and self-studied with Lehninger, and honestly I feel like I know everything there is to possibly know about general biochemistry at this point! Lehninger goes SO in depth and covers literally everything you could ever want to know about biochemistry at an undergraduate/ probably even a graduate level to a large extent.

So, I think content review is of varying importance -- if you know all the content well, as I did, and just needed refreshing, I would still say go through everything once over just to reinforce it all. Full-Lengths will constantly reveal any weak spots, then you go back and hammer those hard as hell. I will review full lengths anywhere from 8-14hours at this point, done the day after I take them, and essentially retake the entire thing, write out the main ideas for each paragraph quickly, really just dissect the whole test. At this point I've taken I think 10-12 FL total, and from now on plan on doing 1 every other day or every 2 days, for a total of 20-30ish by the time the exam rolls around.

Full-Lengths are KEY! My score increased dramatically once I started to sit down and take the actual full-lengths. I'd recommend doing what I did, as it worked very well for me, and taking them exactly like the real thing from the very beginning. No breaks except on scheduled breaks, and take the full thing every time, no stopping until it's done. You just get so used to taking 7 hour tests and reading passages, interpreting experiments, it starts to become second-nature, almost.
Honestly, I feel as though my fluid intelligence (MCAT topic! Do you know what it is?) has gotten about 2x better since I started taking FL's for the MCAT.

I wrote my second FL today. It was TPR Course Test 2. It went worse than I had anticipated...

P/C: 124
CARS: 124
BIO: 127
P/S: 125
Overall: 500

P/C: pretty much consisted of my physics and orgo weakness, hence why it dropped (from 125).
CARS section: felt like it went way better than last time, did well for 7 passages, but guessed on 2... not sure how else to improve this section.
BIO: I need to review some weaknesses.
P/S: I've only ready the TPR book once so this doesnt come to a surprise to me, I need to re-read the book.

Any advice for CARS?

For CARS, my strategy lately has been to read a passage, then quickly write down a 1 sentence explanation of that passage. This has been working very, very well for TPR, NS, and Kaplan CARS -- and as I'm under the impression that these CARS sections are a fair bit more difficult than the actual MCAT CARS, I suspect it will work well on the MCAT as well.

When I took the MCAT as a practice run in April, the CARS section felt, honestly, kind of easy; even though I voided it as I just wanted a practice run; I think I can confidently say don't let your TPR/Kaplan scores get you down if they aren't killer, as the real one is undoubtedly easier, but on the flip side if you start doing really well then all the more reason to feel extra-confident!! .

So I will read the first paragraph, then immediately after scribble down a sentence as fast as I can including any/all information I want from the paragraph.
I don't even re-read what I write I just write it, honestly I write it so fast that most of the writing is honestly unintelligible. But for example, my first sentence for one of the TPR passages - corresponding to paragraph 1 of the passage, is as follows:
"1. 50's = homogenous + happy US, 60's = ****ED (BCR, VW, women, EG) etc".

I label each sentence with a number corresponding to the paragraph. This has been helping me immensely to remember everything in the passage and in my ability to synthesize the authors main idea/feelings very well, and only takes about an extra 30-45 seconds total. The thing is, if you read the passage through only once, take your time to ACTUALLY completely understand it (which, however, must be done in a reasonable time, probably 4-6minutes tops) answering the questions is immensely easier, and can be done generally without even looking back. This saves a lot of time overall, and just makes you feel AWESOME while you're taking CARS.

You know that feeling when you've just read a CARS passage and are like, damn, I actually just 100% completely understood what I read and feel GREAT about it? That's what you're aiming for. If you completely understand what you read, then answering the questions is easier. Practice, practice, practice. If you can get to the point of understanding the convoluted TPR/NS/ some Kaplan passages after your first read through, during the timed section, than there's no doubt in my mind you can walk all over the MCAT CARS.

Granted, I've taken probably upwards of 800+ CARS practice questions thus far, including the full-lengths, and have probably, also, been getting much better with time. My diagnostic CARS was a 123, I believe, on the relatively easy (compared to TPR/Kaplan/NS full-lengths) NS diagnostic, and just yesterday I managed a 49/53 on TPR Review Full-Length 2.

Mass practice, and strategic review make all the difference. I'd recommend - if I may - going back to each CARS passage one by one after the full length, re-read each paragraph then write a 2 sentence summary of it. At the end of the complete passage, write an overall-idea; 1 -2 sentences, about the entire passage. This is what I'm going to do right now as I review TPR CARS. You aren't allowed to look back at the passages at all while writing down your sentence summaries. Then answer the questions again, and if you're still not getting why you were wrong on some of them, then go back and reread.

So good-luck to all of you!! That's what I've been doing, maybe if others are having a hard time they may be able to implement some strategies. Best of luck, again, and I know for me there are those days when I get overly worried, think I'm gonna fail the MCAT, etc, etc. Those are the days you just keep going, keep studying as hard as you can, and remember that in the end; if you truly put in your 110%, as many hours a day as you possibly can, did all your FL's, reviewed them in a smart way, hammered your weak points many times each, then in the end you did your damn best and no one can take that away from you, and that's really what matters.

 

[ChrisMack390]

How's everyone doing? I'm wrapping up my content review and getting into the phase of blasting through practice passages. Im hoping to get through at least 7-8 more full lengths before the 12th

 

[yungspleen]

.

 

[premed-molecule]

For people studying from Kaplan books, did you guys memorize all the metabolism enzymes from the last 3 chapters of the Biochem book? For example, I know PFK from glycolysis is important but what about stuff like 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase (HMG-CoA)??!

 

[torontopharm]

For people studying from Kaplan books, did you guys memorize all the metabolism enzymes from the last 3 chapters of the Biochem book? For example, I know PFK from glycolysis is important but what about stuff like 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase (HMG-CoA)??!

When i got to the last few biochem chapters, i honestly just gave up and started watching Khan videos instead. I've been going through Lehninger's biochem book on the side. I highly doubt you have to know all those enzymes except the obvious one's.

 

[HopkinsCardio21]

For people studying from Kaplan books, did you guys memorize all the metabolism enzymes from the last 3 chapters of the Biochem book? For example, I know PFK from glycolysis is important but what about stuff like 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase (HMG-CoA)??!

I acted like i didn't see them. worked fine.

 

[dushash]

I'm done with content review except: I am now facing last 4 chapters of Kaplan Biochem - nothing before that was challenging in terms of memorization and pace. Ususally I was doing 1-2 chapters per day easily, but now I'm barely moving through 1 chapter per 3-4 days. Damn. Is it just me or this happened to some of you too? Thanks.

 

[geronimo11]

I'm done with content review except: I am now facing last 4 chapters of Kaplan Biochem - nothing before that was challenging in terms of memorization and pace. Ususally I was doing 1-2 chapters per day easily, but now I'm barely moving through 1 chapter per 3-4 days. Damn. Is it just me or this happened to some of you too? Thanks.

This happened to me too, still haven't committed the concepts to memory yet either even at that slow pace. I definitely had a little freak out, but we certainly have time to hone that stuff down.

IMO Kaplan made a huge mistake putting those chapters last, they are definitely the most important chapters other than the AA one and IMO should be in the beginning. Not only are you facing burnout by the end of the book but also running short on time.

 

[daftypatty]

Hey guys,

Whats the diff b/w TPR complete tests, course tests, and review tests? I got all of these; are they just all diff FLs by TPR?

 

[ChrisMack390]

My practice scores are finally beginning to improve! After weeks of dancing around 502, I finally got a 507 yesterday. I know the practice scores aren't that meaningful, but it's really nice to finally see improvement.

 

[dushash]

My practice scores are finally beginning to improve! After weeks of dancing around 502, I finally got a 507 yesterday. I know the practice scores aren't that meaningful, but it's really nice to finally see improvement.

How long was plateau? And have you just kept doing FLs?

 

[ChrisMack390]

Ive been doing one FL every Saturday for ~10 weeks.

 

[dushash]

Ive been doing one FL every Saturday for ~10 weeks.

Wow, that's not bad - I guess all hard work finally pays off.

 

[microkid1992]

I have plateaued the last couple of exams until today. My score went from a 503 to a 509 (somehow). And I think it's because I did far better in Verbal and chem than I usually do. I will honestly be happy if I just get a 127 in CARS on the real thing. I got a 126 this time around. My full score was 125/126/130/128. Still lopsided. Killing bio and psych but still trailing in CARS and Physical sciences. I am happy that my CARS score increased from 124 to 126. Went up two points just by switching up my strategy. Now for the next month I need to practice using that method

 

[ChellyBean]

I just took the AAMC FL test and I was wondering how to interpret my score in terms of percentile rankings. The following are % of questions answered correctly:
C/P: 46%
CARS: 72%
BIO/BIOCHEM: 69%
PSY: 56%
Just and FYI I'm applying for podiatry school.

 

[Pediateix]

****. I'm on the sept 24. and I'm still trying to finish content review. what practice tests are you using? I've taken the april test but need to do more content review

 

[Pediateix]

how long does it take you to go over a full length. I'm plainign on dong the exam crackers 30 min tests first this week then starting next week to do 2 full length tests. i had summer shcol so I'm super behind. i did take the april test but I'm still doing content review. I'm filling out the aamc outline and doing examcrackrs. I'm behind but will study for like 15 hours starting now a day to try and catch up

 

[dushash]

So in general, after finishing content review, how many FL's one need to take to be on a minimum ready baseline for MCAT? Will 5 Kaplan (or others) and 5 AAMC will be considered ok-ish?

 

[Pediateix]

So in general, how many FL's one need to take to be on a minimum ready baseline for MCAT? Will 5 Kaplan (or others) and 5 AAMC will be considered ok-ish?

how do you have 5 AAMc? are they online now?

 

[DAF16]

I fell a little behind on content review, but I'm finishing that up soon. Time to start doing some practice questions and FL's.

@Pediateix The practice tests I'm using are the AAMC FL, TBR (1-3), and EK (1-3). I also took TRP diagnostic (it's free) about halfway through my content review.
My plan for the FL's is to take it one day, review the test the next, skim through the material i got wrong the next, and then take a day off before starting the cycle again.

 

[dushash]

how do you have 5 AAMc? are they online now?

Aren't they available to buy online? 10 FL's total? I may be mistaken, as I just finished content review and will start doing FL's from tomorrow.

 

[dushash]

Is Sept. 23rd last MCAT date in this year? When is next available one then? Is it in January 2016?