The Official April MCAT 2015 Takers Thread

[emulsifier]

Hey guys,

I've seen some old threads (from 2012, or early 2014) on the MCAT2015.

I am wondering if we can bring resources together here, discussions for those who are planning on taking the new one in or after April.

Has anyone gotten their hands on the new prep material for 2015, and the chance to compare the different companies? I scoured the internet, obviously not much at the moment. But I know someone out there has started, just need to get this info out!

Edit:
Resources mentioned in this thread or elsewhere:

• Free mini-test: AAMC MCAT 2015 12 sample questions and answer (3 x 4 sections)
  • http://offers.aamc.org/mcat2015-mini-test
• Next Step guide here: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...e-mcat-2015-100-days-to-mcat-success.1101251/
• TPR 2015 books: They seem to be the same as their previous books. Their bio book has a chapter on biochem.
• Kaplan 2015 books: removed content that is not tested. Physics section is 400 pages (may be too much for the new MCAT). Very little practice. Whole book on biochem.
• EK 9th edition books: reformatted the whole book. SDNer reviewer has said that even parts with same illustrations have whole new contents. Got rid of topics that won't be tested. May be too condensed though.

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[Sir.SavaLottaLife]

I scribe for two doctors who had 1.6 and 1.8 GPAs in high school

High school GPA means nothing in pretty much any context

 

[GlocksInMySocks]

I have no idea wtf happened to me and CARS on test day I was scoring high 80 low 90's on all my practices :/ that whole day was blah for me

Same here man... I'm still so amazed how I got so off

 

[isgianati]

Just curious: for those who had success in the chemical sciences section, what were your study methods and materials? This is typically my lowest.

 

[rockersoccer]

I got 8/12 on that practice test…lol

 

[lifterpremed]

Just curious: for those who had success in the chemical sciences section, what were your study methods and materials? This is typically my lowest.

For Physics, make sure to straight up know formulas. There are discrete questions that will literally ask for recall of a formula. I found the Kaplan books to be incredibly helpful for learning and explaining gen chem and physics. I did what I like to call "active studying" for them, as well as all sections. What I did was read the material and make an outline for each chapter. Whenever they have a practice question pop-up within the text to try and test you on the material you just covered, I would cover the solution and try to get it myself. Making outlines really helped me learn the material because you go over it twice. Once while reading, and once while writing. Received 85-100% for that section, to provide some context.

 

[StudyLater]

@lifterpremed What was your study method/strategy for CARS?

 

[goodtime]

For Physics, make sure to straight up know formulas. There are discrete questions that will literally ask for recall of a formula. I found the Kaplan books to be incredibly helpful for learning and explaining gen chem and physics. I did what I like to call "active studying" for them, as well as all sections. What I did was read the material and make an outline for each chapter. Whenever they have a practice question pop-up within the text to try and test you on the material you just covered, I would cover the solution and try to get it myself. Making outlines really helped me learn the material because you go over it twice. Once while reading, and once while writing. Received 85-100% for that section, to provide some context.

Was it mainly plug and chug formula recall or two-three step formulas such as finding time first then using that variable in another formula to find distance traveled

 

[goldstar97]

My preliminary MCAT percentile scores. Here’s the data.

Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems: 16-31%
Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills: 1-16%
Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems: 43-58%
Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior: 4-19%
MCAT Total Score: 11-21%


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Baby_Blue]

Hey its my first time taking a shot on doing the mcat this year and I'm not doing any prep courses.
Do you guys think its manageable to study for the mcat by myself? or its better to have a study group ?

 

[XxThaDoggxX]

^^does not belong in this thread. People need to stop posting questions not pertaining to April MCat in this thread.

 

[lifterpremed]

Was it mainly plug and chug formula recall or two-three step formulas such as finding time first then using that variable in another formula to find distance traveled

It wasn't any calculations. Literally "what is the formula for XYZ". But some will be the plug and chug, and others the multiple steps. Be very proficient with scientific notation. Be able to do that in your sleep and it will net you tons of points. Also, be comfortable estimating and rounding stuff to make calculation easier. If you see 4.032, round it to 4. If you see 97, round it to 100. The answer will never be close enough that the rounding to get you a wrong answer

Hey its my first time taking a shot on doing the mcat this year and I'm not doing any prep courses.
Do you guys think its manageable to study for the mcat by myself? or its better to have a study group ?

You can definitely do it by yourself. Definitely set up a schedule and to do list for yourself and a time frame. Like "i want to finish 3 chapters of the Physics book today" or "I want to do 10 passages for CARS today". Setting goals allows you to keep focused and keep track of your progress. You just have to stick to the schedule, and make sure to take breaks and some time for yourself to digest the info and relax. For me, study groups are only beneficial if I know the material ahead of time. I find them useless unless you have all the info yourself. and at that point, you actually don't end up learning anything, but just teaching it to people who do not know it. Which can help you learn it more concretely, but also is a waste of time if you have other things that you could focus on, like memorization of amino acids, or formulas, or hormones.

@StudyLater I did not have a specific method for CARS. I read through Kaplan's book on tips and tricks for CARS and I really didn't absorb much or take away anything. They suggest that you make outlines for each passage, but I found that I needed the full time w/o making outlines, and I would probably run out of time if I did make the outlines. My method was to do a close read through of the passage and not look at questions beforehand. Then when you look at the questions after reading, pick what you think is the right answer, and then say why each of the other 3 is NOT the right answer. That was a huge help in this section. Because sometime the wording is so subtle, like they'll say always or never, or mainly, and these buzzwords eliminate the choice because they rarely use absolutes. Also, budget your time for each passage. Since they give you 90 minutes for 53 questions (about 10-11 passages), i would just say I have about 10 minutes per passage. If i couldn't answer all the questions for that passage in the 10 minutes, just move on. Because you can be missing easy questions in passages later on by looking at some heady philosophy stuff that I would never get even if i read the thing over 15 times and had 2 hours for that one question.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Users are reminded that posting detailed descriptions of questions and answers is a copyright violation and violates the requirements of AAMC test takers. This can result in your test results being validated. If SDN is subpoenaed for user information, including your IP address and email, it will be provided to the AAMC. DO NOT POST SUCH INFORMATION!!!!

 

[Baby_Blue]

It wasn't any calculations. Literally "what is the formula for XYZ". But some will be the plug and chug, and others the multiple steps. Be very proficient with scientific notation. Be able to do that in your sleep and it will net you tons of points. Also, be comfortable estimating and rounding stuff to make calculation easier. If you see 4.032, round it to 4. If you see 97, round it to 100. The answer will never be close enough that the rounding to get you a wrong answer



You can definitely do it by yourself. Definitely set up a schedule and to do list for yourself and a time frame. Like "i want to finish 3 chapters of the Physics book today" or "I want to do 10 passages for CARS today". Setting goals allows you to keep focused and keep track of your progress. You just have to stick to the schedule, and make sure to take breaks and some time for yourself to digest the info and relax. For me, study groups are only beneficial if I know the material ahead of time. I find them useless unless you have all the info yourself. and at that point, you actually don't end up learning anything, but just teaching it to people who do not know it. Which can help you learn it more concretely, but also is a waste of time if you have other things that you could focus on, like memorization of amino acids, or formulas, or hormones.

@StudyLater I did not have a specific method for CARS. I read through Kaplan's book on tips and tricks for CARS and I really didn't absorb much or take away anything. They suggest that you make outlines for each passage, but I found that I needed the full time w/o making outlines, and I would probably run out of time if I did make the outlines. My method was to do a close read through of the passage and not look at questions beforehand. Then when you look at the questions after reading, pick what you think is the right answer, and then say why each of the other 3 is NOT the right answer. That was a huge help in this section. Because sometime the wording is so subtle, like they'll say always or never, or mainly, and these buzzwords eliminate the choice because they rarely use absolutes. Also, budget your time for each passage. Since they give you 90 minutes for 53 questions (about 10-11 passages), i would just say I have about 10 minutes per passage. If i couldn't answer all the questions for that passage in the 10 minutes, just move on. Because you can be missing easy questions in passages later on by looking at some heady philosophy stuff that I would never get even if i read the thing over 15 times and had 2 hours for that one question.

Thank you that was very helpful ! I greatly appreciate it

 

[RaspberrySlushy]

@lifterpremed I really like what you said about scientific notation and being able to use that easily. Knowing what to do with the powers of 10 and how to manipulate that to be able to estimate an answer is extremely helpful. I can't say that specifically for MCAT since I haven't taken it yet but in general on science tests it can be such a good way of seeing if your answer is in the ballpark or if you set up an equation correctly.

So, I will def keep practicing w/that, thanks for the reminder!

 

[StudyLater]

Users are reminded that posting detailed descriptions of questions and answers is a copyright violation and violates the requirements of AAMC test takers. This can result in your test results being invalidated. If SDN is subpoenaed for user information, including your IP address and email, it will be provided to the AAMC. DO NOT POST SUCH INFORMATION!!!!

Did anything here strike you specifically as a "detailed description of questions and answers?" Or is it just a simple reminder with no context?

 

[lifterpremed]

Everything I stated above I gleaned from specific reminders from Kaplan within their 7 review books, or from examples questions from Kaplan, the AAMC's question packs, or from TPR FL's that I got wrong and made me study formulas and concepts more thoroughly

 

[StudyLater]

Everything I stated above I gleaned from specific reminders from Kaplan within their 7 review books, or from examples questions from Kaplan, the AAMC's question packs, or from TPR FL's that I got wrong and made me study formulas and concepts more thoroughly

Exactly, nothing you said could be construed as exactly detailing questions and answers from the real MCAT exam. Hopefully @Winged Scapula is just being extra cautious and didn't really mean to imply anything toward you with the statement.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Exactly, nothing you said could be construed as exactly detailing questions and answers from the real MCAT exam. Hopefully @Winged Scapula is just being extra cautious and didn't really mean to imply anything toward you with the statement.

I'll let @lifterpremed detail the specifics if he/she wishes.

My post was made because a complaint was made about a copywrite violation. Materials from AAMC, Kaplan etc cannot be reproduced here. No specifics, only generalities.

 

[StudyLater]

I'll let @lifterpremed detail the specifics if he/she wishes.

My post was made because a complaint was made about a copyright violation. Materials from AAMC, Kaplan etc cannot be reproduced here. No specifics, only generalities.

Well, I suppose it's good to know talking generally about the MCAT gives the AAMC grounds to invalidate scores.

I'm sorry. IP law confuses me immensely.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Well, I suppose it's good to know talking generally about the MCAT gives the AAMC grounds to invalidate scores.

I'm sorry. IP law confuses me immensely.

LOL...thanks for your correction of Siri's spelling error above.

Copyright law confuses all of us. SDN and AAMC go way back on this issue.

Talking in generalities does not violate copyright law. Talking in specifics or replicating passages from Kaplan or AAMC materials does. There are posts above (which have been removed) in which specific instructions or details about questions have been reproduced. That was what the warning was for.

 

[siouxx]

long time lurker; first time poster.

I am an April examinee. Very pleased with my preliminary percentiles. IMO whether something is general, hinting, or specific information about what was on the test - this is still information that April examinees did not have access to before testing.

I could be wrong, but since we don't get our ACTUAL percentiles until after the May examinees receive their preliminaries, I believe it is a real possibility that the data gathered from the May administration will affect our actual final percentile. Why else would AAMC provide only a broad range, and include the stipulation that your actual percentile may fall above or below this? If anyone can think of a good reason, please share.

Nevertheless, while I want everyone to score well and knock it out, I also don't want to take the chance that by being helpful and indicating what is "important" to focus on based on my own test day experience, that I am potentially giving someone else an advantage that will negatively affect my own standing. (85th percentile vs 95th percentile is still a huge difference).

Sorry to those who haven't taken the test yet, and I don't mean to sound rude, but as no one has much assurance about anything right now, I wouldn't want to take that chance myself, and others who scored well in April might not want to either.

 

[XxThaDoggxX]

long time lurker; first time poster.

I am an April examinee. Very pleased with my preliminary percentiles. IMO whether something is general, hinting, or specific information about what was on the test - this is still information that April examinees did not have access to before testing.

I could be wrong, but since we don't get our ACTUAL percentiles until after the May examinees receive their preliminaries, I believe it is a real possibility that the data gathered from the May administration will affect our actual final percentile. Why else would AAMC provide only a broad range, and include the stipulation that your actual percentile may fall above or below this? If anyone can think of a good reason, please share.

Nevertheless, while I want everyone to score well and knock it out, I also don't want to take the chance that by being helpful and indicating what is "important" to focus on based on my own test day experience, that I am potentially giving someone else an advantage that will negatively affect my own standing. (85th percentile vs 95th percentile is still a huge difference).

Sorry to those who haven't taken the test yet, and I don't mean to sound rude, but as no one has much assurance about anything right now, I wouldn't want to take that chance myself, and others who scored well in April might not want to either.

Heaven forbid you and someone you gave kindly gave help to apply the exact same school with the exact same credentials and the exact same test scores

 

[DrHart]

Not to mention, giving advice to the few future testers who read SDN is unlikely to change the scores in any significant way

 

[Sam93]

long time lurker; first time poster.

I am an April examinee. Very pleased with my preliminary percentiles. IMO whether something is general, hinting, or specific information about what was on the test - this is still information that April examinees did not have access to before testing.

I could be wrong, but since we don't get our ACTUAL percentiles until after the May examinees receive their preliminaries, I believe it is a real possibility that the data gathered from the May administration will affect our actual final percentile. Why else would AAMC provide only a broad range, and include the stipulation that your actual percentile may fall above or below this? If anyone can think of a good reason, please share.

Nevertheless, while I want everyone to score well and knock it out, I also don't want to take the chance that by being helpful and indicating what is "important" to focus on based on my own test day experience, that I am potentially giving someone else an advantage that will negatively affect my own standing. (85th percentile vs 95th percentile is still a huge difference).

Sorry to those who haven't taken the test yet, and I don't mean to sound rude, but as no one has much assurance about anything right now, I wouldn't want to take that chance myself, and others who scored well in April might not want to either.

Please continue lurking. SDN can do without this sort of pettiness!

 

[Jean Luc]

long time lurker; first time poster.

I am an April examinee. Very pleased with my preliminary percentiles. IMO whether something is general, hinting, or specific information about what was on the test - this is still information that April examinees did not have access to before testing.

I could be wrong, but since we don't get our ACTUAL percentiles until after the May examinees receive their preliminaries, I believe it is a real possibility that the data gathered from the May administration will affect our actual final percentile. Why else would AAMC provide only a broad range, and include the stipulation that your actual percentile may fall above or below this? If anyone can think of a good reason, please share.

Nevertheless, while I want everyone to score well and knock it out, I also don't want to take the chance that by being helpful and indicating what is "important" to focus on based on my own test day experience, that I am potentially giving someone else an advantage that will negatively affect my own standing. (85th percentile vs 95th percentile is still a huge difference).

Sorry to those who haven't taken the test yet, and I don't mean to sound rude, but as no one has much assurance about anything right now, I wouldn't want to take that chance myself, and others who scored well in April might not want to either.

Is it your general policy in life not to help others because it may negatively affect your own standing?

If so, you are terribly mistaken in applying for medical school. You are are much better off applying to business school or even law school.

 

[somedudehere]

long time lurker; first time poster.

I am an April examinee. Very pleased with my preliminary percentiles. IMO whether something is general, hinting, or specific information about what was on the test - this is still information that April examinees did not have access to before testing.

I could be wrong, but since we don't get our ACTUAL percentiles until after the May examinees receive their preliminaries, I believe it is a real possibility that the data gathered from the May administration will affect our actual final percentile. Why else would AAMC provide only a broad range, and include the stipulation that your actual percentile may fall above or below this? If anyone can think of a good reason, please share.

Nevertheless, while I want everyone to score well and knock it out, I also don't want to take the chance that by being helpful and indicating what is "important" to focus on based on my own test day experience, that I am potentially giving someone else an advantage that will negatively affect my own standing. (85th percentile vs 95th percentile is still a huge difference).

Sorry to those who haven't taken the test yet, and I don't mean to sound rude, but as no one has much assurance about anything right now, I wouldn't want to take that chance myself, and others who scored well in April might not want to either.

er

 

[sarah990123]

long time lurker; first time poster.

I am an April examinee. Very pleased with my preliminary percentiles. IMO whether something is general, hinting, or specific information about what was on the test - this is still information that April examinees did not have access to before testing.

I could be wrong, but since we don't get our ACTUAL percentiles until after the May examinees receive their preliminaries, I believe it is a real possibility that the data gathered from the May administration will affect our actual final percentile. Why else would AAMC provide only a broad range, and include the stipulation that your actual percentile may fall above or below this? If anyone can think of a good reason, please share.

Nevertheless, while I want everyone to score well and knock it out, I also don't want to take the chance that by being helpful and indicating what is "important" to focus on based on my own test day experience, that I am potentially giving someone else an advantage that will negatively affect my own standing. (85th percentile vs 95th percentile is still a huge difference).

Sorry to those who haven't taken the test yet, and I don't mean to sound rude, but as no one has much assurance about anything right now, I wouldn't want to take that chance myself, and others who scored well in April might not want to either.

lol so unnecessary.

 

[jchunch24]

Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems: 74-89%
Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills: 82-97%
Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems: 85-100%
Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior: 85-100%
MCAT Total Score: 89-99%

gpa is a little low ~ 3.65 with BS Bio (tough freshman year but have had 3.8+ last few semesters) at a competitive top pre-med program (at least according to lists when you google top pre-med schools lol)
CV: 2+ years researching in a couple labs, D1 varsity athlete, volunteering at hospital, shadowing
I really have no idea where I am applying as I am afraid about my gpa being a tad low. Thoughts?

 

[XxThaDoggxX]

Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems: 74-89%
Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills: 82-97%
Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems: 85-100%
Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior: 85-100%
MCAT Total Score: 89-99%

gpa is a little low ~ 3.65 with BS Bio (tough freshman year but have had 3.8+ last few semesters) at a competitive top pre-med program (at least according to lists when you google top pre-med schools lol)
CV: 2+ years researching in a couple labs, D1 varsity athlete, volunteering at hospital, shadowing
I really have no idea where I am applying as I am afraid about my gpa being a tad low. Thoughts?

My thoughts are I wish I had your resume! Good stuff.

 

[Jean Luc]

Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems: 74-89%
Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills: 82-97%
Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems: 85-100%
Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior: 85-100%
MCAT Total Score: 89-99%

gpa is a little low ~ 3.65 with BS Bio (tough freshman year but have had 3.8+ last few semesters) at a competitive top pre-med program (at least according to lists when you google top pre-med schools lol)
CV: 2+ years researching in a couple labs, D1 varsity athlete, volunteering at hospital, shadowing
I really have no idea where I am applying as I am afraid about my gpa being a tad low. Thoughts?

Are you kidding me?
Enjoy medical school.

 

[allantois]

I suggest that everyone needing help with the list of schools to apply to creates a thread in WAMC section of pre-allo subforum. People who usually provide such advice do not read through MCAT threads.

 

[NaomiM]

I feel like a lot of schools like to see an upward trend in GPA, and I'm personally banking on that myself. But maybe try the what are my chances forums if you want some more informed advice.

 

[jchunch24]

I suggest that everyone needing help with the list of schools to apply to creates a thread in WAMC section of pre-allo subforum. People who usually provide such advice do not read through MCAT threads.

Ah, gotcha. Sorry new to this SDN thing and was told about it from friend. Saw others posted similar things so I followed suit. If anyone wants a little advice, I would definitely check out the Khan academy practice passages. Just doing passages helped me a lot--especially <1 month before exam! Good luck everyone on your future endeavors!

 

[Bookworm36]

My CARS and psyc/soc sections were poor enough to make me retake. On the practice test AAMC, I scored like 85% on CARS so I'm confused about how to study now. Maybe it has something to do with previewing questions and I should not do this on this new test. Any thoughts?

 

[siouxx]

Is it your general policy in life not to help others because it may negatively affect your own standing?

If so, you are terribly mistaken in applying for medical school. You are are much better off applying to business school or even law school.

Is my general policy in life not to help others... to do what exactly? cheat? A moderator had just posted a warning about the possibility of SDN being subpoenaed for member information, due to continued violation of the MCAT confidentiality agreement. This thread was already closed soon after the exam due to AAMC making complaints.

Your career advice is not only unsolicited, but also uninformed. The relationship between medicine, law and business is actually quite significant. So if I followed your suggestion and applied to business school or law school, this would not preclude my applying to medical school. See: MD/JD and MD/MBA

 

[MiasmaticHelium]

This is just one example but I scribe for a doctor who had a 3.4 GPA and I think a pretty solid MCAT and he got into M.D. schools. It is possible and they will pay attention to your MCAT.

How old is he? You do know getting into medical school today is not the same ball game as it was in the 60s and 70s, right? The doctor's I shadowed didn't even study for the MCAT back in the day...lol I have not met a single person who didn't study for the mcat and got into med school.

 

[XxThaDoggxX]

Took the ExamKrakers #1 FL today

Much more representative of the actual thing in comparison with Kaplan (Have not taking TPR so I cannot comment of those)

 

[siouxx]

lol so unnecessary.

what is so unnecessary is your response given that you are a member of the official august 2015 test takers thread and contributed nothing relevant to this thread for "The Official April 2015 MCAT Test Takers." If you are an April 2015 MCAT Test Taker, please join the conversation with something related to the April 2015 MCAT. If not, please introduce yourself here so that we may understand your connection to this thread.

 

[Edv14]

How old is he? You do know getting into medical school today is not the same ball game as it was in the 60s and 70s, right? The doctor's I shadowed didn't even study for the MCAT back in the day...lol I have not met a single person who didn't study for the mcat and got into med school.

Important to take note of said doctor's age. And regardless, no one has said it is impossible. We can all definitively say that it will be harder than if you had a GPA that was >3.7

I would estimate around age 45. He's been practicing for about 15 years after residency. And yes, I realize that it will be harder. I'm just pointing out that it isn't impossible.

He went to med school in the 1990s.

 

[siouxx]

Not to mention, giving advice to the few future testers who read SDN is unlikely to change the scores in any significant way

I've browsed some of your earlier posts in which you have expressed an interest in the will-be scores and their interpretations. First, note that my original post is regarding percentiles, not scores. As percentile ranges have been provided to us, while scores are obviously not yet determined.

Second, perhaps I would better understand your statement if you provided relative statistical meanings for any of the following terms as used in context: "the few future testers who read SDN"; "unlikely"; and "significant".

 

[XxThaDoggxX]

@siouxx we get it, you're defending your point. If you don't want to provide insight to other members that is perfectly fine, no need to comment any further on the matter

Let's try and keep this page free of banter and purely on the test itself, materials used, and insight from members on what they feel best helped them succeed.

All questions from here on about "do I have a chance? How does this affect my potential candidacy? Etc would be better served going to the actual Pre-Allo section of the forum

Louis Litt Approved

 

[quokkaJ]

I haven't gotten my Amazon Gift card yet. Has anyone have the same problem????

 

[StudyLater]

LOL...thanks for your correction of Siri's spelling error above.

Copyright law confuses all of us. SDN and AAMC go way back on this issue.

Talking in generalities does not violate copyright law. Talking in specifics or replicating passages from Kaplan or AAMC materials does. There are posts above (which have been removed) in which specific instructions or details about questions have been reproduced. That was what the warning was for.

No one can tell SDN and the AAMC how to run themselves, but I just want the rules to be clear. People trying to help out their peers out of (literally) pure kindness by simply steering them in the right direction for their studies should not be penalized unless they are blatantly facilitating cheating (e.g. writing out real MCAT questions and answers in public). Saying "you should probably know this" or "the MCAT likes to test on this" is just the same sort of basic prep knowledge that has always been provided to students who take the time to seek out such advice.

long time lurker; first time poster.

I am an April examinee. Very pleased with my preliminary percentiles. IMO whether something is general, hinting, or specific information about what was on the test - this is still information that April examinees did not have access to before testing.

I could be wrong, but since we don't get our ACTUAL percentiles until after the May examinees receive their preliminaries, I believe it is a real possibility that the data gathered from the May administration will affect our actual final percentile. Why else would AAMC provide only a broad range, and include the stipulation that your actual percentile may fall above or below this? If anyone can think of a good reason, please share.

Nevertheless, while I want everyone to score well and knock it out, I also don't want to take the chance that by being helpful and indicating what is "important" to focus on based on my own test day experience, that I am potentially giving someone else an advantage that will negatively affect my own standing. (85th percentile vs 95th percentile is still a huge difference).

Sorry to those who haven't taken the test yet, and I don't mean to sound rude, but as no one has much assurance about anything right now, I wouldn't want to take that chance myself, and others who scored well in April might not want to either.

Whatever your predictions on the matter are, the fact is information is given by others regardless. Your rationale for not providing any personal experiences is duly noted, but in retrospect this post was pointless. Unless the point was to call for others to stop sharing their experiences, which is the equivalent of calling for this thread to stop existing.

Is my general policy in life not to help others... to do what exactly? cheat?

You've undoubtedly misinterpreted the purpose of this thread and nearly every post in it if you actually believe any cheating is going on here. Again, your stake in this matter is understood, but you personally providing or not providing information to others - I wouldn't call it negligible, but I would also say it won't highly affect the amount of information available to future test takers. Also, if you really got a 85-95 overall and are still worried to the core about your MCAT score, I would really encourage you to put your situation in perspective. You're going to be an MD, assuming everything else is in check.

It may be necessary to say it again and again to help you understand: You're going to be a US MD student, pursuing the most sought after degree in the world in one of the most personally rewarding career fields in existence. You are going to be an MD. I don't even understand how you could still be so frightened. I'm not even asking you to be happy; just at least feel secure about your own standing. You made it.

 

[MiasmaticHelium]

I would estimate around age 45. He's been practicing for about 15 years after residency. And yes, I realize that it will be harder. I'm just pointing out that it isn't impossible.

He went to med school in the 1990s.

Ah, okay. Depends on his science pre-reqs and whether or not affirmative action will benefit him. White applicant with even two C's in pre-reqs will probably find it difficult to secure an M.D slot..with a ~30 MCAT that is. But definitely still possible. Lots of other variables to account for. Best to ask in "what are my chances" thread

 

[Winged Scapula]

No one can tell SDN and the AAMC how to run themselves, but I just want the rules to be clear. People trying to help out their peers out of (literally) pure kindness by simply steering them in the right direction for their studies should not be penalized unless they are blatantly facilitating cheating (e.g. writing out real MCAT questions and answers in public). Saying "you should probably know this" or "the MCAT likes to test on this" is just the same sort of basic prep knowledge that has always been provided to students who take the time to seek out such advice.



Whatever your predictions on the matter are, the fact is information is given by others regardless. Your rationale for not providing any personal experiences is duly noted, but in retrospect this post was pointless. Unless the point was to call for others to stop sharing their experiences, which is the equivalent of calling for this thread to stop existing.



You've undoubtedly misinterpreted the purpose of this thread and nearly every post in it if you actually believe any cheating is going on here. Again, your stake in this matter is understood, but you personally providing or not providing information to others - I wouldn't call it negligible, but I would also say it won't highly affect the amount of information available to future test takers. Also, if you really got a 85-95 overall and are still worried to the core about your MCAT score, I would really encourage you to put your situation in perspective. You're going to be an MD, assuming everything else is in check.

It may be necessary to say it again and again to help you understand: You're going to be a US MD student, pursuing the most sought after degree in the world in one of the most personally rewarding career fields in existence. You are going to be an MD. I don't even understand how you could still be so frightened. I'm not even asking you to be happy; just at least feel secure about your own standing. You made it.

IMHO you're getting a little overwrought here.

I, nor any representative of SDN, never said you couldn't help each other out; it's the very reason this site was created.

Theres nothing wrong with talking about generalities but the posting of actual questions or published material which meets copyright laws is forbidden. A couple of posts were made which violated those and which I removed and a couple of others came close.

 

[NaomiM]

I haven't gotten my Amazon Gift card yet. Has anyone have the same problem????

I received mine a few minutes after the prelim percentiles were posted. Gmail thought it was spam though.

 

[DrHart]

I've browsed some of your earlier posts in which you have expressed an interest in the will-be scores and their interpretations. First, note that my original post is regarding percentiles, not scores. As percentile ranges have been provided to us, while scores are obviously not yet determined.

Second, perhaps I would better understand your statement if you provided relative statistical meanings for any of the following terms as used in context: "the few future testers who read SDN"; "unlikely"; and "significant".

You don't even need statistics to realize this? There are what, 100,000 people who take the MCAT each year? So then there are 10,000-15,000 people who have already taken the test... and another 5,000-10,000 who will take the test later this month. There will be 15,000-25,000 scores from which percentiles are based. And don't forget the "percentiles provided to us" are not set in stone yet - they aren't even exact! They are just ranges, and wide ranges at that. Your own percentile will not change much if you tell the few dozen May MCAT testers on SDN how you prepared or your own opinion on beneficial practices.

Are you really gonna be "that guy" that tells people, "I don't want to talk about it because this is a competition and I want you to do worse than me." People like you are the reason I hated being premed in college because of how overly competitive and self centered you are. This test, and applying to medical schools in general, is not life and death - regardless of how you may feel sometimes. Telling a few dozen people my scores and how I studied to give them some peace of mind is not a bad thing, even if it gives their score a bump.
Grow up and stop being an ass.

 

[Jean Luc]

Is my general policy in life not to help others... to do what exactly? cheat? A moderator had just posted a warning about the possibility of SDN being subpoenaed for member information, due to continued violation of the MCAT confidentiality agreement. This thread was already closed soon after the exam due to AAMC making complaints.

Your career advice is not only unsolicited, but also uninformed. The relationship between medicine, law and business is actually quite significant. So if I followed your suggestion and applied to business school or law school, this would not preclude my applying to medical school. See: MD/JD and MD/MBA

Chill out. I just questioned your motivations for becoming an MD.
As a future MD you need to set your priorities straight and be a lot less self-centered.

Cheers

 

[huskerwolverine88]

Hi Everyone,

I took the April MCAT and here are my scores.

Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems 56% - 71%
Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills 85% - 100%
Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems 47% - 62%
Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior 63% - 78%
MCAT Total Score 67% - 77%

I had a 3.24 UGPA in Biomedical Engineering and a 3.55 MS in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Michigan. I also have 2 years worth of work experience in management consulting and I have one publication with another one pending. I have an offer to begin medical school at UCD this September in Ireland. Would I have enough to get into an MD school in the states?

 

[Dreamstoo]

Hi Everyone,

I took the April MCAT and here are my scores.

Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems 56% - 71%
Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills 85% - 100%
Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems 47% - 62%
Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior 63% - 78%
MCAT Total Score 67% - 77%

I had a 3.24 UGPA in Biomedical Engineering and a 3.55 MS in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Michigan. I also have 2 years worth of work experience in management consulting and I have one publication with another one pending. I have an offer to begin medical school at UCD this September in Ireland. Would I have enough to get into an MD school in the states?

I would recommend applying to DO schools too along with low tier MD schools.