SN2'd first day

[TexasSurgeon]

EDIT: This was supposed to be a thread about the first day of SN2. However as with all intelligent life, things evolve. This thread has now become a support page for people following the SN2 plan. You can think of it as Alcoholics Anonymous for people studying to take the MCAT using the SN2 plan.

EDIT July 1, 2014:
If you are interested in @mehc012's Anki Deck, DO NOT SEND A PM. Here is the link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/7if6wgaif98rkoa/mehc012 SN2edCh4s.apkg
**A NOTE: @mehc012 and several others (myself included) want to tell you guys that studying from another person's deck will probably not be as beneficial to you as creating your own cards. Yes you can take advantage of @mehc012's generosity, but you won't get the same advantage. Study the material. Create cards as you go along. You will find it more helpful to your studying. **

EDIT July 22, 2014:
The following is @TBRBiosadist's official MCAT Verbal Reasoning Strategy:
@TBRBiosadist's strategy that got [him] from a 7 average to scoring 13-15 average..

Spend the bulk of your time reading. Up to 3 minutes per passage.

• Read the first and last paragraph thoroughly to begin with. Understand what the authors main point will be because 90% of questions require nothing more than a general idea.
• After this, read the entire passage slowly enough where you dont feel like you need to reread sentences for understanding.

Next is just answer questions, there is a few tricks here that work about 90% of the time

• Unless the passage is asking you about a specific detail, dont look back. READ EVERY ANSWER THOROUGLY AND THEN Answer what makes sense from the general point of the passage. Its very easy to prove a wrong answer to be somewhat correct if you dig hard enough, dont. Answer what your gut says and move onto the next question, dont contemplate to much. With that being said...
• Answer like you were dropped on the head as a child. Alot of times if Im arguing between two answers, there is the answer that is 100% correct, and one that is 90% correct. Be an idoit and choose the one that seems like it is correct. However.....
• "Always" is a word to avoid. If an answer uses this word, or definites like it, it is something to avoid. I would say 80% of the time the wishy washy answer is more correct then the highly affirmative one. This leads to my final point....
• 100% of the time you are not actually looking for the "right" answer in verbal, this isnt PS or BS where 1+1 almost always equals 2 (unless we are talking about the different sedimentation values for Ribosomes). In verbal you are looking for the answer that isnt wrong. Often times an answer will seem very "right" but one aspect of it is clearly wrong, as compared to an answer that isnt wrong, but doesnt seem as right as that answer, these are meant to fool you. Choose the answer that isnt wrong.

I understand that I few of these tips may be at odds with each other. Ultimately you must adjust slightly for each passage, but it comes down to one thing. Read thoroughly. Read every sentence in the passage. Read every question. Read every answer. Then the correct answer will be fairly obvious. This may seem like it takes longer, but it takes much less time than skimming, and then trying to find the correct information later.

Or to summarize in one sentence

Understand what the hell the author is arguing

EDIT July 26, 2014:
@DoctorInASaree uploaded a guide to Verbal Reasoning. If you're interested, it's worth a look. Here is the link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2byivymmqwlvjms/MCAT VR Primer DRSAREE.pdf

EDIT 2, July 26, 2014: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/sn2d-first-day.1074344/page-52#post-15510851
________________________________________________
Just finished the first day of SN2...man is it long and exhausting.

The first day is BR physics chapter (translational motion) + 1/3 of the passages. I felt like I wasn't able to apply the stuff I read into the stuff I was tested on.

Has anyone felt this way when following the schedule? It just seems like the contents of the chapter didn't really stick in my head when I took the practice passages. Will this improve over time?

EDIT 3, March 4, 2015:

For verbal, if you are feeling lost and confused, I highly highly recommend you to look into the MCAT Strategy Course by @Jack Westin. I've been working with him, and nothing comes close to his course and teaching. It's a strategy course, so it will cover everything, not just the VR/CARS section.

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[namesthegame21]

Basically ive had it explained like this in a thread where someone was complaining that they were beat out of med school by a urm with lower scores. The med school community is still by far and large populated mostly by asain and "white" students. So let's say that in an incoming class there is 5 spots that are saved for URM only kids in an incoming class of 150 (as in there can be more urm kids, but these 5 spots are given noticeable preference because urms, due to their background, often have slightly lower scores because of socioeconomic disadvantage) To complain to be unfairly rejected as compared to URMs with lower scores is silly at that point because the med school community is already so weighter towards white or asain. You werent "beat out" by a URM. Your application was worse than all 145 kids who were accepted without an advantage, and then the kids given a slight leg up beat you.

This is probably the best response I have seen to the argument that affirmative action screws over ORMs. Look at any med school white coat ceremony pic. It says it all.

 

[poop420]

This topic always gets me riled up because unless you live it its hard to really see the fruits of its labor. So group hug!!

 

[TBRBiosadist]

Also ORMs get plenty of advantages

white as white bread here and poor

because of scholastic achievement and poorness Ive gotten a full ride through undergrad and graduating with about 10000 of excess scholarship

 

[Sed8&Intub8]

But regardless, this is not even what I am arguing about. What I am saying is people are identifying incorrectly to get an advantage. I know three people who all of a sudden became AA from white while they were applying to med school. And since they were white north Africans, with parents as doctors and a lot of advantages, they were able to claim this disadvantage. So that is not right. They screwed over other actual URMs. I have a problem with this. Not affirmative action, however I do believe that people who have poor families with no education and so forth should also get some advantage.

 

[sillyjoe]

Basically ive had it explained like this in a thread where someone was complaining that they were beat out of med school by a urm with lower scores. The med school community is still by far and large populated mostly by asain and "white" students. So let's say that in an incoming class there is 5 spots that are saved for URM only kids in an incoming class of 150 (as in there can be more urm kids, but these 5 spots are given noticeable preference because urms, due to their background, often have slightly lower scores because of socioeconomic disadvantage) To complain to be unfairly rejected as compared to URMs with lower scores is silly at that point because the med school community is already so weighter towards white or asain. You werent "beat out" by a URM. Your application was worse than all 145 kids who were accepted without an advantage, and then the kids given a slight leg up beat you.

I think their "gripe" is a bit more complicated than that. I will just give you an example from my personal experience at a post-bac where my friend needed a 3.0 and a 28 at the program to get in due to his ethnicity. For anyone else it is a 3.5 or higher and at least a 31 MCAT. He came from as "privileged" of a background as any of us. Private education all the way through the post-bac. He scored minimum (29 MCAT 3.1 GPA) and is a current med student.

At the same time, there was an African American in the program who came from a disadvantaged background, but had a 3.8 and 32 MCAT in the program. He is also currently a med student.

I am not saying I agree or disagree with the way things are regarding acceptance. I just wish it was done on a more socioeconomic level and not just based on the way you look...

 

[TBRBiosadist]

I think their "gripe" is a bit more complicated than that. I will just give you an example from my personal experience at a post-bac where my friend needed a 3.0 and a 28 at the program to get in due to his ethnicity. For anyone else it is a 3.5 or higher and at least a 31 MCAT. He came from as "privileged" of a background of any of us. Private education all the way through the post-bac. He scored minimum (29 MCAT 3.1 GPA) and is a current med student.

At the same time, there was an African American in the program who came from a disadvantaged background, but had a 3.8 and 32 MCAT in the program. He is also currently a med student.

I am not saying I agree of disagree with the way things are regarding acceptance. I just wish it was done on a more socioeconomic level and not just based on the way you look...

made a mildly racist joke, decided to delete it

 

[sillyjoe]

.

 

[TBRBiosadist]

dammit, someone already quoted it

 

[poop420]

But regardless, this is not even what I am arguing about. What I am saying is people are identifying incorrectly to get an advantage. I know three people who all of a sudden became AA from white while they were applying to med school. And since they were white north Africans, with parents as doctors and a lot of advantages, they were able to claim this disadvantage. So that is not right. They screwed over other actual URMs. I have a problem with this. Not affirmative action, however I do believe that people who have poor families with no education and so forth should also get some advantage.

Yeah I see your point but people always try and cheat the system . In New York I see people on food stamps walking around in $400 jordans . They try and cheat the system and its wrong and we always shake our heads when we see it . But i think more good is done than the cheats that abuse the system

 

[TBRBiosadist]

Yeah I see your point but people always try and cheat the system . In New York I see people on food stamps walking around in $400 jordans . They try and cheat the system and its wrong and we always shake our heads when we see it . But i think more good is done than the cheats that abuse the system

SOOOOO of topic but poop, im lovin your lupin the third avatar, sometimes i feel like im the only person who watched that show

 

[poop420]

I honestly think people who jump on the AA card to get ahead are horrible .. I was always thought to try and excel in everything I do because It was harder for me because of my color . Harder to get jobs or taken seriously harder to be considered part of the group or company . Deep down I feel this isnt always the case but I use that to motivate me to be the best in my area , not settle for second best . I hope my fellow URM out there was thought the same and strive to be the best and not try and settle for nothing less

 

[sillyjoe]

I honestly think people who jump on the AA card to get ahead are horrible .. I was always thought to try and excel in everything I do because It was harder for me because of my color . Harder to get jobs or taken seriously harder to be considered part of the group or company . Deep down I feel this isnt always the case but I use that to motivate me to be the best in my area , not settle for second best . I hope my fellow URM out there was thought the same and strive to be the best and not try and settle for nothing less

This is a beautiful sentiment. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Sed8&Intub8]

btw, I apologize if I offended anyone.

 

[poop420]

btw, I apologize if I offended anyone.

Dude where here stressing over the MCAT and this is our only form of release . I dont think you said anything to offend anyone .. We cool!

 

[poop420]

SOOOOO of topic but poop, im lovin your lupin the third avatar, sometimes i feel like im the only person who watched that show

This show is amazing.!! always tried to get my girlfriend to watch it but no luck!!

 

[namesthegame21]

I honestly think people who jump on the AA card to get ahead are horrible .. I was always thought to try and excel in everything I do because It was harder for me because of my color . Harder to get jobs or taken seriously harder to be considered part of the group or company . Deep down I feel this isnt always the case but I use that to motivate me to be the best in my area , not settle for second best . I hope my fellow URM out there was thought the same and strive to be the best and not try and settle for nothing less

Perf

 

[namesthegame21]

btw, I apologize if I offended anyone.

SwedishMD you are a huge inspiration. No offense at all!

 

[pbrocks15]

I just got back from the gym but I read the entire thing I missed and I really like the way everyone put their points and it was a classy discussion.

Interesting read, this thread seems to have better informed premed I'd like to say.

Agreed, I don't think anyone has taken offense. Respect though for putting your opinions out there and that's to everyone.

 

[orangetea]

 

[pbrocks15]

I do admire everyone's gifs though.

 

[sillyjoe]

I do admire everyone's gifs though.

@orangetea

 

[pbrocks15]

If I may ask for help on verbal though...

Sometimes I read a paragraph or even a passage and all of a sudden I don't really know what it's saying.

How do you guys engage yourselves more and not have this happen to you?

 

[sillyjoe]

If I may ask for help on verbal though...

Sometimes I read a paragraph or even a passage and all of a sudden I don't really know what it's saying.

How do you guys engage yourselves more and not have this happen to you?

Follow @TBRBiosadist advice. If you read the first and last paragraph first and then attack the passage you see the passage from the perspective of the main point which is 99% of what matters. Then you see each paragraph as either for/against/neutral to the main point.

It changed my verbal game.

 

[pbrocks15]

Follow @TBRBiosadist advice. If you read the first and last paragraph first and then attack the passage you see the passage from the perspective of the main point.

It changed my verbal game.

I tried that today and I definitely felt it helped...BUT i didn't do any better on today's passages then yesterday although I felt better when I read them.

This was confusing for me after I graded them since I felt a tad more confidence today than before.

Sometimes I just don't understand what they're saying though.

 

[sillyjoe]

I tried that today and I definitely felt it helped...BUT i didn't do any better on today's passages then yesterday although I felt better when I read them.

This was confusing for me after I graded them since I felt a tad more confidence today than before.

Sometimes I just don't understand what they're saying though.

Have you done any AAMC's? Keep plugging away, I thought I was **** at it during content review and even during my first AAMC. It gets better and some of the prose are very challenging in TPRH and EK 101

edit: why does this website censor profanity?

 

[TBRBiosadist]

I went through and AAMC the other day I had done and marked every verbal question that could have been answered or deduced from the main point in the passage and nothing more. It was almost every single one of them O.O

 

[pbrocks15]

I went through and AAMC the other day I had done and marked every verbal question that could have been answered or deduced from the main point in the passage and nothing more. It was almost every single one of them O.O

Wow, maybe I'm really focusing too much on the little details then....I'll give it a shot to look more holistically at the passages.

 

[orangetea]

I went through and AAMC the other day I had done and marked every verbal question that could have been answered or deduced from the main point in the passage and nothing more. It was almost every single one of them O.O

wait that's a good idea!
I am gonna go do that too..

 

[pbrocks15]

Have you done any AAMC's? Keep plugging away, I thought I was **** at it during content review and even during my first AAMC. It gets better and some of the prose are very challenging in TPRH and EK 101

edit: why does this website censor profanity?

I did 1 AAMC and struggled with it as well but found it easier than EK and TPRH.

 

[poop420]

I did 1 AAMC and struggled with it as well but found it easier than EK and TPRH.

Do you mind sharing how you did ? How far are you into content review ?? I always wanted to do AAMC 3 or TBR exam before I completely finish

 

[deleted388502]

I did some serious verbal post-game and realized that TPRH is not representative of AAMC IMO. Which sucks but you have to peace through practice tests. A lot of the AAMC questions also have answers that go against rationality while I feel that TPRH does not do this.

I can't speak to EK 101 because I tried practicing with it and thought it was not helpful so..

 

[pbrocks15]

Do you mind sharing how you did ? How far are you into content review ?? I always wanted to do AAMC 3 or TBR exam before I completely finish

I did AAMC 3 before completing content, I did fair on the science (not as amazing as TBRBioasdist) and then got a 6 on verbal.

I like to belive I'm a good reader, but like I said before, my scores would not agree.

 

[pbrocks15]

I did some serious verbal post-game and realized that TPRH is not representative of AAMC IMO. Which sucks but you have to peace through practice tests. A lot of the AAMC questions also have answers that go against rationality while I feel that TPRH does not do this.

I can't speak to EK 101 because I tried practicing with it and thought it was not helpful so..

What do you belive is more representative of the AAMC verbal?

 

[Sed8&Intub8]

SwedishMD you are a huge inspiration. No offense at all!

daawwww thank you!

 

[poop420]

daawwww thank you!

I second this , you and texas , and TBRsadist push me alot

 

[poop420]

I did some serious verbal post-game and realized that TPRH is not representative of AAMC IMO. Which sucks but you have to peace through practice tests. A lot of the AAMC questions also have answers that go against rationality while I feel that TPRH does not do this.

I can't speak to EK 101 because I tried practicing with it and thought it was not helpful so..

now this scared the **** out of me... Sigh So what do you think is best ?

 

[pbrocks15]

now this scared the **** out of me... Sigh So what do you think is best ?

I like her comment actually because I hated EK101 and I'm not the biggest fan of TPRH right now.

 

[sillyjoe]

now this scared the **** out of me... Sigh So what do you think is best ?

To keep practicing. That's it. Keep practicing getting the main point. It will help to do the review material even if it is not perfectly representative of the AAMC.

Don't be scared. Be confident.

 

[orangetea]

daawwww thank you!

 

[sharkbyte]

I'm starting to get really annoyed at EK101 now. At first I was just moderately irritated here or there when I came across ambiguous questions or poor answer explanations but I've realized in the later tests (after 9 or 10) that there are so many ambiguous questions, and the answer explanations are so bad. The author literally seems content with just saying "Choice B is not as good as Choice C" without telling us WHY.

 

[deleted388502]

What do you belive is more representative of the AAMC verbal?

AAMC verbal. Lol.

Yeah, it sucks. TPRH verbal passages are way too long imo and that REALLY messed me up with timing on AAMC. TPRH verbal passages are the same style, questions are WRITTEN in the same style, but content is a little bit different in that TPRH has a lot more vague "fluffy" language than the AAMCs to prepare you for those AAMC questions, and I think the AAMCs a bit easier to deduce. That being said, I think AAMC has a few questions that nothing can prepare you for because they just require deductive reasoning from understanding the passage's main point and will go against all logic and reason you have from outside of the passage/what might make sense to you.

I was talking to a doc at work today and he told me that his biggest struggle with verbal when he took the MCAT was the fact that our brains work faster than the reading speed so we automatically insert outside information. Interesting concept to think about. If you're reading a passage on the civil war, you're reading words slower than your brain is processing than those words, so you're inserting information about what you're reading faster than you're processing what you're reading, so that's why I think TBRBioSadist's strategy works really well. It doesn't overload you with passage information, it gives you a little bit to understand what the passage is about and then go into the passage understanding the argument, approaching it with the background information, filling in the passage gaps with the information you have already gathered from the passage, if that makes sense.

 

[sillyjoe]

I was talking to a doc at work today and he told me that his biggest struggle with verbal when he took the MCAT was the fact that our brains work faster than the reading speed so we automatically insert outside information. Interesting concept to think about. If you're reading a passage on the civil war, you're reading words slower than your brain is processing than those words, so you're inserting information about what you're reading faster than you're processing what you're reading, so that's why I think TBRBioSadist's strategy works really well. It doesn't overload you with passage information, it gives you a little bit to understand what the passage is about and then go into the passage understanding the argument, approaching it with the background information, filling in the passage gaps with the information you have already gathered from the passage, if that makes sense.

 

[poop420]

AAMC verbal. Lol.

Yeah, it sucks. TPRH verbal passages are way too long imo and that REALLY messed me up with timing on AAMC. TPRH verbal passages are the same style, questions are WRITTEN in the same style, but content is a little bit different in that TPRH has a lot more vague "fluffy" language than the AAMCs to prepare you for those AAMC questions, and I think the AAMCs a bit easier to deduce. That being said, I think AAMC has a few questions that nothing can prepare you for because they just require deductive reasoning from understanding the passage's main point and will go against all logic and reason you have from outside of the passage/what might make sense to you.

I was talking to a doc at work today and he told me that his biggest struggle with verbal when he took the MCAT was the fact that our brains work faster than the reading speed so we automatically insert outside information. Interesting concept to think about. If you're reading a passage on the civil war, you're reading words slower than your brain is processing than those words, so you're inserting information about what you're reading faster than you're processing what you're reading, so that's why I think TBRBioSadist's strategy works really well. It doesn't overload you with passage information, it gives you a little bit to understand what the passage is about and then go into the passage understanding the argument, approaching it with the background information, filling in the passage gaps with the information you have already gathered from the passage, if that makes sense.

 

[pbrocks15]

AAMC verbal. Lol.

Yeah, it sucks. TPRH verbal passages are way too long imo and that REALLY messed me up with timing on AAMC. TPRH verbal passages are the same style, questions are WRITTEN in the same style, but content is a little bit different in that TPRH has a lot more vague "fluffy" language than the AAMCs to prepare you for those AAMC questions, and I think the AAMCs a bit easier to deduce. That being said, I think AAMC has a few questions that nothing can prepare you for because they just require deductive reasoning from understanding the passage's main point and will go against all logic and reason you have from outside of the passage/what might make sense to you.

I was talking to a doc at work today and he told me that his biggest struggle with verbal when he took the MCAT was the fact that our brains work faster than the reading speed so we automatically insert outside information. Interesting concept to think about. If you're reading a passage on the civil war, you're reading words slower than your brain is processing than those words, so you're inserting information about what you're reading faster than you're processing what you're reading, so that's why I think TBRBioSadist's strategy works really well. It doesn't overload you with passage information, it gives you a little bit to understand what the passage is about and then go into the passage understanding the argument, approaching it with the background information, filling in the passage gaps with the information you have already gathered from the passage, if that makes sense.

I agree with your post, more so do I agree with your mentioning of how "fluffy" TPRH is.

I just did three more passages.

I scored: 6/7, 5/6,and 7/7. (TPRH)

I kinda credit this to you guys just now .

I took a deep breath before each and told myself to read slowly and FOLLOW what he's saying, not the details but what the author is trying to get across.

It actually worked. I think I've been really stressed lately and taking a breather has just helped.

I'm going to do a few more because I'm feeling good!

Edit: credit always goes to everyone for helping of course.

 

[orangetea]

I agree with your post, more so do I agree with your mentioning of how "fluffy" TPRH is.

I just did three more passages.

I scored: 6/7, 5/6,and 7/7. (TPRH)

I kinda credit this to you guys just now .

I took a deep breath before each and told myself to read slowly and FOLLOW what he's saying, not the details but what the author is trying to get across.

It actually worked. I think I've been really stressed lately and taking a breather has just helped.

I'm going to do a few more because I'm feeling good!

Edit: credit always goes to everyone for helping of course.

 

[pbrocks15]

I have been watching your gif for at least 3 minutes now. It just makes me feel good haha ya'll rock.

 

[poop420]

How I think of the people who made TPR and EK 101 verbal

 

[poop420]

And from now on My name IS BETTY!

 

[thatfeelwhen79]

If I may ask for help on verbal though...

Sometimes I read a paragraph or even a passage and all of a sudden I don't really know what it's saying.

How do you guys engage yourselves more and not have this happen to you?

meditation to beta waves. if you don't believe me, your loss. 10 minutes a day and it will change your life. google "beta meditation"

 

[pbrocks15]

meditation to beta waves. if you don't believe me, your loss. 10 minutes a day and it will change your life. google "beta meditation"

I think meditation is brillaint. I use to meditate before I sleep, but to no noise. I stopped for about 4 or 5 months. I think that'd be a nice thing to pick up again and I'll give the "beta meditation" a shot.

Meditation also helps me focus. If you can keep your mind clear and be able to notice your mind wandering I think that will be a great asset to anyone taking the MCAT.

Edit: In regards to verbal, I will do the next set of passages tomorrow and see if I am actually getting my mind back together or if those passages were simply that easy. I'll keep everyone updated.