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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[Xenith]

Hey guys mcatjelly and I are trying to compile practice, preliminary percentile, and final score data. Can you please post info like chocoholicsoxfan did below. Please post in http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/making-sense-of-2015-mcat-preliminary-percentiles.1142879/

1)Practice exam data

2)AAMC Sample Test
Chem/Phys: 76%
CARS: 92%
Bio/Biochem: 78%
Psych: Soc: 88%

2)Question Packs
Physics Question Pack: 76%
Biology Question Pack: 76%
Test on 4/18/15

3)Preliminary ranges:
Chem/Phys: 85-100 percentile
CARS: 85-100 percentile
Bio/Biochem: 85-100 percentile
Psych: 85-100 percentile
Whole thing: 90-100 percentile

4) Actual Scores:
Chem/Phys: 130 (97)
CARS: 130 (97)
Bio/Biochem: 131 (99)
Psych: 132 (100)
Composite: 523 (100)

 

[Heisenberg 41]

Hey guys mcatjelly and I are trying to compile practice, preliminary percentile, and final score data. Can you please post info like chocoholicsoxfan did below. Please post in http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/making-sense-of-2015-mcat-preliminary-percentiles.1142879/

1)Practice exam data

2)AAMC Sample Test
Chem/Phys: 76%
CARS: 92%
Bio/Biochem: 78%
Psych: Soc: 88%

2)Question Packs
Physics Question Pack: 76%
Biology Question Pack: 76%
Test on 4/18/15

3)Preliminary ranges:
Chem/Phys: 85-100 percentile
CARS: 85-100 percentile
Bio/Biochem: 85-100 percentile
Psych: 85-100 percentile
Whole thing: 90-100 percentile

4) Actual Scores:
Chem/Phys: 130 (97)
CARS: 130 (97)
Bio/Biochem: 131 (99)
Psych: 132 (100)
Composite: 523 (100)

Let me save you some time:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/official-mcat-percentile-vs-aamc-sample-test-thread.1139545/

 

[Xenith]

Thank you Heisenberg. I already looked through this thread, but prefer non anonymized records. We want users to be able to update their scores.

 

[Xenith]

Hi guys mcatjelly and I put together a google doc with all the scores. Check it out and give us feedback! Also, you can add or change your scores. Please do not make major changes!

PS: Do not quote this!

 

[FutureBenCarson]

Ok, I'm in disbelief right now.

Chem/Phys: 85-100%------>130
CARS: 85-100%----->130
Bio/Biochem: 85-100%----->131
Psych/Soc: 85-100%--------->132

Overall: 90-100%------->523

Overall percentile is 100th. THAT'S NOT A THING AAMC.

Chocoholicxsoxfan,

I was just curious if you could let me know how you did on the aamc practice exam...

I just got my may prelims back, 85-100 on all, 90-100 overall.

I took the AAMC twice, once in December, once again in may right before the exam after taking a Kaplan course. I'd just like to see your numbers if that's okay, so I could see how I stack up

 

[chocoholicsoxfan]

Chocoholicxsoxfan,

I was just curious if you could let me know how you did on the aamc practice exam...

I just got my may prelims back, 85-100 on all, 90-100 overall.

I took the AAMC twice, once in December, once again in may right before the exam after taking a Kaplan course. I'd just like to see your numbers if that's okay, so I could see how I stack up

Are you serious?

 

[FutureBenCarson]

Are you serious?

No I guess not, apologies

 

[chocoholicsoxfan]

No I guess not, apologies

Ugh. I'm sorry I came off that way.

It's just that it's LITERALLY in the post above you, and it does take time for me to get out my computer, connect it to our ancient imternet, log into my email, and find my stupid practice score thing.

 

[MD.Hopeful]

Hi guys mcatjelly and I put together a google doc with all the scores. Check it out and give us feedback!

So many high scores! Freaking me outtt

 

[FutureBenCarson]

Ugh. I'm sorry I came off that way.

It's just that it's LITERALLY in the post above you, and it does take time for me to get out my computer, connect it to our ancient imternet, log into my email, and find my stupid practice score thing.

I understand, I feel stupid. I see that now.

Thank you! Btw, go white sox!

 

[Xenith]

So many high scores! Freaking me outtt

Hi MDhopeful, sorry I shoulda said this before, but mind unquoting this? It will make SDN really slow for people on this page. Also, its ok! The caveats of being on SDN always apply In other words, remember you are dealing with a small sample of really talented people.

 

[MD.Hopeful]

Hi MDhopeful, sorry I shoulda said this before, but mind unquoting this? It will make SDN really slow for people on this page. Also, its ok! The caveat's of being on SDN always apply

Oops, my bad

 

[wonko]

I cant edit the spreadsheet but I mailed my stuff @mcatjelly

 

[Xenith]

Mind sending it my way? I don't think mcatjelly will be on tonight. Also, the sheet should be editable (if you are on a computer; idk about smartphone).

 

[wonko]

Im in mexico and it says my IP is banned. :/

 

[mcatjelly]

I got it, guys.

 

[Scrubb]

Hey all, this is my first post on SDnetwork, so sorry if I am breaking some unwritten forum rules. Many people here seemed to do very well on the MCAT 2015 exam, and since there is very little data out there so far besides that posted here, could you possibly give me some advice on prep courses/materials? I have about 11 weeks before I am scheduled to take the exam.

I haven't done too much research; really have only looked at Kaplan stuff. Do you think the Kaplan FLs and books alone are good prep for the exam? Or would you go with the more expensive online at-your-own pace Kaplan option? Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated. To get some idea of where I'm at, I just finished my fourth year of [] and did very well in all pre-med requisite courses.

 

[flyer04]

@Xenith @mcatjelly forgive my technologically ignorance, but how do I view the Google doc you guys created?

 

[loloschicken]

Copied and pasted from my google doc

What were your scores on the practice tests vs. the real thing?

Kaplan Diagnostic: 498
Kaplan Full-Length 1: 500
Kaplan Full-Length 2: 502
Kaplan Full-Length 3: 505
Kaplan Full-Length 4: 506
AAMC Sample Test
Chem/Phys: 76%
CARS: 92%
Bio/Biochem: 78%
Psych: Soc: 88%
Physics Question Pack: 76%
Biology Question Pack: 76%
Test on 4/18/15

Preliminary ranges:
Chem/Phys: 85-100 percentile
CARS: 85-100 percentile
Bio/Biochem: 85-100 percentile
Psych: 85-100 percentile
Whole thing: 90-100 percentile

Actual Scores:
Chem/Phys: 130 (97)
CARS: 130 (97)
Bio/Biochem: 131 (99)
Psych: 132 (100)
Composite: 523 (100)

Edit: In retrospect, I just realized I boosted my score 25 points from my diagnostic. Woah.

Never give up kids.

Congrats on such an awesome score! Now that you have taken the actual mcat, what were your thoughts on Kaplan's practice exams? Did you think they were representative of the real test? Also what did you think of Kaplan's biochemistry book? Do you think it's thorough enough for the new MCAT?

 

[Xenith]

Here ya go link

 

[Sir.SavaLottaLife]

Hey all, this is my first post on SDnetwork, so sorry if I am breaking some unwritten forum rules. Many people here seemed to do very well on the MCAT 2015 exam, and since there is very little data out there so far besides that posted here, could you possibly give me some advice on prep courses/materials? I have about 11 weeks before I am scheduled to take the exam.

I haven't done too much research; really have only looked at Kaplan stuff. Do you think the Kaplan FLs and books alone are good prep for the exam? Or would you go with the more expensive online at-your-own pace Kaplan option? Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated. To get some idea of where I'm at, I just finished my fourth year of biomedical engineering at Cal Poly and did very well in all pre-med requisite courses.

11 weeks isn't very long but I would start by getting all of the AAMC materials (sample test, official guide questions, question packs). I would use the official guide as a diagnostic, since it is most like the real deal other than the sample test, and give yourself ~50 minutes to do each section. Make sure you review it thoroughly and you'll have a sense of weak areas. I'd save the rest of the AAMC stuff for practice in the last few weeks but don't wait until the last minute to do the sample test, you want a good week or so to review it and practice weak areas on that as well.

I can't really comment on any class/online class because I self studied. I would say, if money is no object, then go for it. But for most of us I think the prevailing idea is that, as long as you stick to a plan, self -studying is just as effective, if not more efficient than a prep course. Before I started studying back in Febuary (my test is this saturday), I was considering doing a prep course and I'm glad I didn't. I don't think it would have helped me as much as I have helped myself.

Since you don't have that long, unless you're able and willing to put in a good 40 hours a week of studing, I would just buy books for sections you're not very strong in. I'm assuming you have a strong background in physics and it's not very intensive at all on the new test so you may need to do little if any review in this subject, for example. It seems like the consensus is that TPR is the strongest psychology/sociology book out right now. But don't rely on them for biochem, Kaplan or TBR are probably better suited for that. Many have suggested just using an intro biochemistry textbook if you don't have a solid biochem background. It's a good idea to start with heavy studying of concepts, then ween off towards doing more and more practice problems, passages, and tests.

The most important thing to remember is follow your own schedule, cater to your own weaknesses and do what works best for you. And use your resources! Kahn Academy has an MCAT 2015 playlist with hundreds of videos and passages made in some sort of a collaboration with the AAMC. I have it saved as a bookmark and use it to clarify concepts I'm weak in.

As far as FL's go, I think most of us agree that EK mimics the new test the best. They are even more experimental IMO than the AAMC but other FL's can be good practice, but take their scores with a grain of salt. I believe any TPR book you buy comes with 3

 

[jb94mg]

Copied and pasted from my google doc

What were your scores on the practice tests vs. the real thing?

Kaplan Diagnostic: 498
Kaplan Full-Length 1: 500
Kaplan Full-Length 2: 502
Kaplan Full-Length 3: 505
Kaplan Full-Length 4: 506
AAMC Sample Test
Chem/Phys: 76%
CARS: 92%
Bio/Biochem: 78%
Psych: Soc: 88%
Physics Question Pack: 76%
Biology Question Pack: 76%
Test on 4/18/15

Preliminary ranges:
Chem/Phys: 85-100 percentile
CARS: 85-100 percentile
Bio/Biochem: 85-100 percentile
Psych: 85-100 percentile
Whole thing: 90-100 percentile

Actual Scores:
Chem/Phys: 130 (97)
CARS: 130 (97)
Bio/Biochem: 131 (99)
Psych: 132 (100)
Composite: 523 (100)

Edit: In retrospect, I just realized I boosted my score 25 points from my diagnostic. Woah.

Never give up kids.

Is it safe to say that scoring a 505-506 on Kaplan's practice tests is probably a good sign? Looks like the undershooting that occurred with the old MCAT may happen again.

 

[Dreamstoo]

Is it safe to say that scoring a 505-506 on Kaplan's practice tests is probably a good sign? Looks like the undershooting that occurred with the old MCAT may happen again.

In real life I know of only maybe 2 or 3 pre meds out of 10 or so who are taking the new test who have broken a score beyond 504 on TPR/Kaplan tests. I know someone who averaged a 497 on Kaplans and got a 510-514 prelim.

 

[wonko]

Is it safe to say that scoring a 505-506 on Kaplan's practice tests is probably a good sign? Looks like the undershooting that occurred with the old MCAT may happen again.

\

Id say its unconnected as Kaplan is really arbitrary

 

[flyer04]

Thanks @Xenith!

 

[Scrubb]

AAMC Practice (Taken 2 days before real exam)
Chem - 83
CARS - 89
Bio - 78
Psych - 75

April 17th Preliminary Scores:
Chem - 85 - 100
CARS - 85 - 100
Bio - 85 - 100
Psych - 74 - 89
Overall - 90 - 100

MCAT 4/17 Official Scores:
Chem - 129 - 93
CARS - 131 - 99
Bio - 129 - 93
Psych - 127 - 75
Overall - 516 - 95

Study Materials:
Kaplan 7 book set 2015, TPR Cracking the MCAT 2015 (only used for last minute review and practice exams).

Practice Test Scores (in the order they were taken):
Kaplan FL1 - 502
Kaplan FL2 - 498
TPR FL 2 - 510

Study plan: February - April (10 weeks total).
Read each book in the Kaplan set, taking notes along the way. Started taking subsection exams after the ~5th week to get a feel for what would be on the exam. Started with my best subjects and finished with my worst. Studied ~3 hours/day weekdays, 6hr/day weekends for maybe the first 2 weeks, then just aimed for a couple hours a day at least. Took practice tests under the best testing conditions I could manage, and did everything exactly the same each time. Stopped studying after the AAMC test, then just tried to stay calm and take the exam. I was lucky that this condensed schedule worked well for me, but if I could change anything I would have liked to have had more time for psych/soc, as that was definitely my weakest section.

Would you recommend the Kaplan books?

 

[chocoholicsoxfan]

Told myself if my MCAT Scores were where I wanted them to be, I'd go skydiving (I've never been before).

Just booked it for Monday! Eeeekkk!

 

[FutureBenCarson]

Would you recommend the Kaplan books?

Hey GSWfan15,

My raw score AAMC practice exam in December was 78% without studying at all. After taking a Kaplan course I took it again in May, about 5 months later without looking over the questions at all, and got 94% raw score. That is a huge increase, maybe I remembered a few questions, true, but there is no way that translates to a 16% increase. I think Kaplan really helped and I would suggest it!

Cheers

 

[lost_enthusiast]

Would you recommend the Kaplan books?

I think that the Kaplan books are great for a more in depth review of the material, but it really depends on your study schedule and background. For those with not a lot of time, and who are more familiar with the material, TPR is good for getting a quick review of the high-yield stuff. The kaplan set really goes in depth on everything, and you don't need much previous experience with the material to make good use of their books (they essentially just teach the MCAT). Be advised though; they are very dense books and take quite a long time to read. Overall I would recommend the Kaplan set for those needing an in-depth, time-intensive review.

Good luck with your studies!

 

[Scrubb]

I think that the Kaplan books are great for a more in depth review of the material, but it really depends on your study schedule and background. For those with not a lot of time, and who are more familiar with the material, TPR is good for getting a quick review of the high-yield stuff. The kaplan set really goes in depth on everything, and you don't need much previous experience with the material to make good use of their books (they essentially just teach the MCAT). Be advised though; they are very dense books and take quite a long time to read. Overall I would recommend the Kaplan set for those needing an in-depth, time-intensive review.

Good luck with your studies!

Thanks, which practice tests did you think were more representative of the real thing (since you took both TPR and Kaplan)?

 

[Me.D.]

Thanks, which practice tests did you think were more representative of the real thing (since you took both TPR and Kaplan)?

I thought Examkrackers and NextStep actually did a much better job of reflecting the new exam - Kap and TPR were good for content review but were a little too heavy on straight calculations of physics. The new test is all about picking apart the passages...

 

[flapjacks937]

SOS to my fellow pre-meds who have battled the 2015 MCAT already:

Did anyone take the AAMC practice exam twice? I'm tweaking out a little because my scores really didn't come up too much. I really only brushed up on content (only a month to study) and spent most of my time doing questions / practice exams (probably around 10 FL exams from TPR / GS / NS / AAMC). I figured I wouldn't really remember much from the first taking of the AAMC exam (I didn't), especially because I didn't go over the answers the first time taking it. My scores on the other practice exams came up slightly, just around a 500 (gold standard excluded bc their new exams are ****). I'm shooting for upper end DO schools.

Any advice? Am I marking this sucker VOID on saturday?

AAMC Practice (1 month ago)
Chem: 66%
CARS: 53%
Bio: 63%
Psych: 64%

AAMC Practice (today; 2 days before exam)
Chem: 70 %
CARS: 74%
Bio: 75%
Psych: 80%

 

[basophilic]

For the Chem/Phys portion for practice, is it fine to only do most of the EK1001 questions and the KA passages for it since none of the old Physical Sciences passages from AAMC and test prep companies are unrepresentative?

 

[carpediem22]

SOS to my fellow pre-meds who have battled the 2015 MCAT already:

Did anyone take the AAMC practice exam twice? I'm tweaking out a little because my scores really didn't come up too much. I really only brushed up on content (only a month to study) and spent most of my time doing questions / practice exams (probably around 10 FL exams from TPR / GS / NS / AAMC). I figured I wouldn't really remember much from the first taking of the AAMC exam (I didn't), especially because I didn't go over the answers the first time taking it. My scores on the other practice exams came up slightly, just around a 500 (gold standard excluded bc their new exams are ****). I'm shooting for upper end DO schools.

Any advice? Am I marking this sucker VOID on saturday?

AAMC Practice (1 month ago)
Chem: 66%
CARS: 53%
Bio: 63%
Psych: 64%

AAMC Practice (today; 2 days before exam)
Chem: 70 %
CARS: 74%
Bio: 75%
Psych: 80%

For upper end DO I think you will be fine. Try not to psych yourself out on the exam and void. It WILL feel hard. I felt like mine was hard and I ended up with very high prelim percentiles.

 

[FutureBenCarson]

SOS to my fellow pre-meds who have battled the 2015 MCAT already:

Did anyone take the AAMC practice exam twice? I'm tweaking out a little because my scores really didn't come up too much. I really only brushed up on content (only a month to study) and spent most of my time doing questions / practice exams (probably around 10 FL exams from TPR / GS / NS / AAMC). I figured I wouldn't really remember much from the first taking of the AAMC exam (I didn't), especially because I didn't go over the answers the first time taking it. My scores on the other practice exams came up slightly, just around a 500 (gold standard excluded bc their new exams are ****). I'm shooting for upper end DO schools.

Any advice? Am I marking this sucker VOID on saturday?

AAMC Practice (1 month ago)
Chem: 66%
CARS: 53%
Bio: 63%
Psych: 64%

AAMC Practice (today; 2 days before exam)
Chem: 70 %
CARS: 74%
Bio: 75%
Psych: 80%

I took it twice. Once before any studying in December got a 78% overall. Again in May right before my mcat and got 94% correct. It seems like people getting above 80% on the AAMC are tending to do pretty well with their scores. Idk man. Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

[WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot]

It WILL feel hard.

Ugh, this is what I struggle with the most. I see a passage that's longer than normal, or they start talking about [redacted because it's too specific from my Jan test] and way-out-there stuff and I psych myself out. I'm working through the Khan passages now and I think the practice is helping...

Anyone have tips on staying calm or fighting through that feeling?

 

[carpediem22]

Ugh, this is what I struggle with the most. I see a passage that's longer than normal, or they start talking about [redacted because it's too specific from my Jan test] and way-out-there stuff and I psych myself out. I'm working through the Khan passages now and I think the practice is helping...

Anyone have tips on staying calm or fighting through that feeling?

Just remind yourself that if it feels hard to you, it is hard to everyone most likely. Maybe mark it and go back at the end when you are calmer. The worst thing you can do is take too long on one passage because you are nervous and then run out of time.

 

[StudyLater]

Kaplan Diagnostic: 498
...
Composite: 523 (100)

Edit: In retrospect, I just realized I boosted my score 25 points from my diagnostic.

Or the diagnostic was inaccurate to begin with.

Not to discount the fact that you completely !@%$@^!%$!ed this test.

@WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot Act as if. An expert would kill this test; therefore, approach it like an expert, with confidence that you can break apart the ordered structure of the passage and digest the individual parts to obtain a complete understanding.

And if that doesn't work, caffeine/amphetamines are also an option

@FutureBenCarson People who got 80%+ did phenomenal. Problem is, that wasn't their second score after having already graded the thing. You generally don't take FL's twice. Go over it as many times as you want, but legitimately sitting down and taking it a second time? That score should be taken with a boulder of salt (unless you never actually went over it to begin with - but even then, passage/question familiarity can contribute to score increase).

 

[flapjacks937]

Or the diagnostic was inaccurate to begin with.

Not to discount the fact that you completely !@%$@^!%$!ed this test.

@WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot Act as if. An expert would kill this test; therefore, approach it like an expert, with confidence that you can break apart the ordered structure of the passage and digest the individual parts to obtain a complete understanding.

And if that doesn't work, caffeine/amphetamines are also an option

@FutureBenCarson People who got 80%+ did phenomenal. Problem is, that wasn't their second score after having already graded the thing. You generally don't take FL's twice. Go over it as many times as you want, but legitimately sitting down and taking it a second time? That score should be taken with a boulder of salt (unless you never actually went over it to begin with - but even then, passage/question familiarity can contribute to score increase).

Yeah, if you went over the exam the first time it wouldn't be a good idea to take it a second time. However, in my case it had been a month since I had taken it, I didn't go over it the first time (so I had no way of knowing which questions I got wrong/right), and I had taken over 10 practice tests in between. Were some passages a little familiar, sure, but so vaguely familiar that it wouldn't have helped me read or digest them any faster.

 

[flapjacks937]

For upper end DO I think you will be fine. Try not to psych yourself out on the exam and void. It WILL feel hard. I felt like mine was hard and I ended up with very high prelim percentiles.

Okay, thanks a lot. If you don't mind me asking, how were your last practice tests just before the exam looking? Also, lately I've been just skimming chem/bio/psych passages initially because I come back to the passage 99% of the time even if I digested the material the first read through. What do you think about this approach on the real thing? I've heard from people that its a nightmare so I'm starting to second guess my strategy.

 

[RN2MD2014applicant]

Hey GSWfan15,

My raw score AAMC practice exam in December was 78% without studying at all. After taking a Kaplan course I took it again in May, about 5 months later without looking over the questions at all, and got 94% raw score. That is a huge increase, maybe I remembered a few questions, true, but there is no way that translates to a 16% increase. I think Kaplan really helped and I would suggest it!

Cheers

Did you do all the Kaplan q bank ? Were they helpful. I have a month to go for the test. I plan on just doing question everyday, hope that would help. Thanks.

 

[FutureBenCarson]

Did you do all the Kaplan q bank ? Were they helpful. I have a month to go for the test. I plan on just doing question everyday, hope that would help. Thanks.

I used the kaplan Q bank to do a passage from each section a day, I think it helped a lot, particularly with the CARS.

 

[carpediem22]

Okay, thanks a lot. If you don't mind me asking, how were your last practice tests just before the exam looking? Also, lately I've been just skimming chem/bio/psych passages initially because I come back to the passage 99% of the time even if I digested the material the first read through. What do you think about this approach on the real thing? I've heard from people that its a nightmare so I'm starting to second guess my strategy.

My practice exam scores are posted in the thread with all the compiled information (scroll through the recent threads, it's the compilation one) -- under the May test takers' list.

Regarding that method, it's what works for you I guess. I always read through every passage before going on to questions, unless the urge struck me to skip and read the questions first. I guess that defines my test-taking strategy: I went with what felt good in the moment for each given passage. If I couldn't get through it and needed to see the questions, I did. Otherwise, I tried to read everything first at least once. But it is pretty individual. Go with what you feel works best for you (you should be getting an idea of whether or not skipping is working for you).

 

[RN2MD2014applicant]

AAMC Practice (Taken 2 days before real exam)
Chem - 83
CARS - 89
Bio - 78
Psych - 75

April 17th Preliminary Scores:
Chem - 85 - 100
CARS - 85 - 100
Bio - 85 - 100
Psych - 74 - 89
Overall - 90 - 100

MCAT 4/17 Official Scores:
Chem - 129 - 93
CARS - 131 - 99
Bio - 129 - 93
Psych - 127 - 75
Overall - 516 - 95

Study Materials:
Kaplan 7 book set 2015, TPR Cracking the MCAT 2015 (only used for last minute review and practice exams).

Practice Test Scores (in the order they were taken):
Kaplan FL1 - 502
Kaplan FL2 - 498
TPR FL 2 - 510

Study plan: February - April (10 weeks total).
Read each book in the Kaplan set, taking notes along the way. Started taking subsection exams after the ~5th week to get a feel for what would be on the exam. Started with my best subjects and finished with my worst. Studied ~3 hours/day weekdays, 6hr/day weekends for maybe the first 2 weeks, then just aimed for a couple hours a day at least. Took practice tests under the best testing conditions I could manage, and did everything exactly the same each time. Stopped studying after the AAMC test, then just tried to stay calm and take the exam. I was lucky that this condensed schedule worked well for me, but if I could change anything I would have liked to have had more time for psych/soc, as that was definitely my weakest section.

How did you use Kaplan...I read the material. I have a month to go for the test. Planning on just doing questions everyday from the Kaplan q bank. Did you use it, did it help ? Thanks.

 

[lost_enthusiast]

How did you use Kaplan...I read the material. I have a month to go for the test. Planning on just doing questions everyday from the Kaplan q bank. Did you use it, did it help ? Thanks.

I didn't make use of the question bank. I just read the books, then took full length exams and then looked in-depth at the incorrect answers. I pulled all my wrong answers and their topics together to try and find the root issue, and then went over the relevant chapters in the Kaplan book. Unless you are doing a ton of questions from various topics they might not be the best tool to uncover any weaknesses - which, in my opinion, is what your main focus should be after completing your initial review.

 

[ofcourse1]

I'm taking the test in july and i read somewhere in this thread that its important to go through famous psychologists for the exam. i just want to confirm if this is the right spark notes link for that: http://www.sparknotes.com/psychology/psych101/majorfigures/characters.htm

 

[wonko]

I do not think that this is important.

 

[ofcourse1]

really? I've read a couple of times from those who have taken the test on sdn that its important to know major psychologists for the test....

 

[chocoholicsoxfan]

I used this.

http://m.sparknotes.com/psychology/psych101/majorfigures/characters.html

There were a good three questions I would have gotten wrong on Psych/Soc had I not gone over that list the morning of my test.

There are a couple of sociologists as well. The only examples jumping out to me right now that I was surprised to see in the practice material/AAMC Outline were Mead (the I vs me) and Goffman (something about dramaturgy).

 

[ofcourse1]

Thank you for the link!