Serious Critical Advice Needed

[aspiringdoc09]

I will admit I am a bad test taker. I don't know what it is but I really suck at it. Also, I'm about 6-7 years out from my prerequisites.

I finished content review up last Friday and took EK 1H on last Saturday, which I had a rant about because it sucks. I took AAMC 4 today to gauge where I still need improvement. Honestly, I felt good about the entire test and got a freaking 22 (9 PS 5 VR 8). Physics and Orgo are my weak points but I didn't feel like they were too bad. I briefly looked over the test, but will do in-depth review tomorrow.

I didn't know what they were talking about with the VR passages half the time. A few of those passages, I thought I got the main idea and was clearly in left field. I barely finished PS and VR and had to guess on last passage; therefore, I know timing is a huge issue for me. Apparently, my content review is still lacking. I should have done practice problems more often with content review but I work full-time, so reading TPRH (dense material) didn't give me enough time for practice outside of end of chapter passage and discretes. I took thorough notes, but I was bad about reviewing them. I started typing them up today, so I can decipher better. I will also work on weak areas with Science Workbook and more passages.

My main concern is whether I will be able to get at least 30 but I'm shooting for 35 (due to lower GPA) by May 12? Please give me any advice. A lot of threads indicate that the lower numbered AAMCs should be easier, so now I feel really dumb. I have way too many things working against. I have taken it twice before w/subpar scores because I didn't take it seriously. I don't want to have to take again after this one.

In a way, I have been given a wake-up call, because i know I can do better if I study efficiently and gain a good strategy.

Anyone else feel like you are/were in my shoes? I need encouragement. I refuse to give up on my dream, but I have to master standardized tests to succeed. Comments/suggestion?

Thanks in advance and sorry for long post. I feel defeated and frustrated all at once.

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[Mintberry]

Your only a bad test taker because you think you are. If you are serious about doing well on this test, I would say your only option is to follow S2Ns guide.

 

[fas376]

Your only a bad test taker because you think you are. If you are serious about doing well on this test, I would say your only option is to follow S2Ns guide.

lol dumbest advice I've ever heard. people do fine without following his schedule. it looks like you have test anxiety. relax, find a study habit that works for you, find some materials that you feel are adequate, and start from there. don't feel pressured or stress. what's the worse that can happen, really?

 

[Mintberry]

lol dumbest advice I've ever heard. people do fine without following his schedule. it looks like you have test anxiety. relax, find a study habit that works for you, find some materials that you feel are adequate, and start from there. don't feel pressured or stress. what's the worse that can happen, really?

The people that do fine without following his schedule are the type who can sit down and just do their work with limited distractions. If the OP is anything like most people, having a daily schedule makes studying for this task much more manageable.

 

[MedPR]

I agree with the others (not just those in this thread) who support SN2ed's schedule. Obviously it's not the only schedule/method out there, but it does work and it is easier than coming up with your own schedule. Follow it and really stick to it. Anyone reasonably intelligent can do well on the MCAT if they put the hours in.

 

[Medical Muse]

For your Verbal, my guess is that you are reading too much for the details. Try finding the key words (conclusions, transitions, etc). The key words usually point you to the important ideas. Verbal is an idea test, not a detail test. Once you focus less on the details, you'll see your reading speed increase too. Once you get a better understanding of the main idea, use it to guide your answer choices.

 

[SaintJude]

Your only a bad test taker because you think you are. If you are serious about doing well on this test, I would say your only option is to follow S2Ns guide.

Mintberry has a point. We realize those successes that our attitudes have predetermined we can achieve.

Tackle any of your weakpoints systematically. For timing, that is an also issue for me. So I've started to internalize a time schedule for PS & BS 1:10/ 1:02:30/ 55/ 50/ etc..When I hit those marks, I force myself to move on to the next passage.

You've done so much! Let SDN help. Any questions/topics you can't figure out from AAMC 4, post them on the MCAT Q&A. And more, start answering questions that other post! If you don't know them, look them up, learn them, teach others...

You CAN do this. We all have an innate spirit of courage and of power, so forget your past attempts (I'm also retaker--so what?!) and move on knowing that you can do this with a bit more work.

 

[aspiringdoc09]

I usually try to answer other people's questions about topics too. MedPR is a witness to that. I always change right answers to wrong answers especially on the science portions. Yesterday, I noticed that I got into my head to much questioning if the passages and questions were trying to trick me up. When I started over-analyzing, I switched to a wrong answer. I must have done that on about 20 questions.

I started with EK material from August - October and realized that I had huge gaps in content. I switched to TPRH and I can see it helped me better understand physics and orgo, but trying to read all that material and study verbal and do problems wasn't as realistic with my full-time job. Not only that, I don't like making excuses, I get terrible spells of migraines every 4-5 months that last about a month. During my migraines, I can't focus on anything too much.

I am going to thoroughly analyze after running some errands today and practice what others have said about the VR section. I have plenty of practice materials to use (Kaplan tests and practice and all the TPRH practice). I will make sure to read over my notes everyday this time around. If I have questions I will post.

Questions: How much time should I give myself to strengthen the weak areas on AAMC 4 before I take the next FL? Also, do you think I should purchase a few TBRs? Also, is it a bad idea to take the paper-based FL versions of Kaplan's and AAMC's tests?

Thanks everyone. I will keep you updated and try to not waste time on here (GUILTY!) unless asking questions.

THIS IS A STUPID TEST AND YES I CAN OWN IT! I WILL TREAT IT LIKE A GAME!

 

[chemhead123]

I think May is too soon is you are scoring 22 and want a 35. You need to do the 3 month plan on here... plain and simple.