The Official August 15, 2014 MCAT Thread

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axa5780

axa5780

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Hey guys, I'am signed up for this date. I didn't find a thread for August 15th, so here it is. Let's make this a fun experience, and hope we all come out the other end satisfied with our score.

Materials:
PS: BR Physics, NOVA Physics, BR Chemistry, EK 1001 Chem & Phys
BS: EK Biology, BR Biology, EK 1001 Biol
Verbal: EK 101, TPR Verbal

Extras: TPRH SW, WIkiPremed Flashcards & videos. All AAMC FL plus all Kaplan FL.

Lets do this.
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TBRBiosadist said:
Is anyone else having panic attacks thinking they may have accidentally voided the test?
Click to expand...

No, Just as long as you selected the bottom answer that said "I want this exam to be marked" you'll be fine.

/s

But yeah. PS has a few odd questions/passages, as did BS. VR seemed fairly straightforward which means I probably got destroyed.

averaged 34- 40 on the practice AAMC tests. I'd be happy with anything above a 10/11/10.
 
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PS: very conceptual and some long hard passages. Here's hoping for a generous curve.

VR: my weakpoint and was okay. But I may get destroyed considering a tough curve.

BS: a little rough especially orgo.

averaged low thirties on the practice tests. Hoping for upper 20s on the real one.
 
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Hey July 12th test taker here,
If I could tell you all anything it would be: enjoy this month thoroughly and do NOT worry about the MCAT. I spent so much time worrying about my Bio section (which I thought was harder than AAMC 11) that I could hardly focus on anything for the last week. Near the end of the month, I felt like I could have gotten anywhere between a 7-9 on bio but I ended up doing surprisingly well on the section!

As the month goes by, it is natural to feel like you did worse and worse, but unless you had a total panic attack or fainted, it will almost always end up okay! :) Don't worry, the worst is over with and you just have to trust for the month!

Good luck to you all!
 
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I just want to know my score already :bang: and if the wait for mcat scores is this bad I can't imagine how miserable I'll be waiting for med schools to respond :(
 
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PS: Expecting a lot more conceptualized passages after taking the MCAT last summer. I think I scored around my average. I think the toughest one was the one in the middle that applied physics to something we see in our everyday lives.

VR: I only broke 11+ once on my practices, but never felt good when taking the practice tests. Yesterday, I felt good. Who knows. Maybe I'm one of those people who bombs a section when they leave feeling good.

BS: Fairly straightforward in my opinion. Maybe that's because I'm experienced with reading scientific literature and taking upper-level physiology courses. There were a couple of pretty specific questions, but in general, an answer could have been chosen using simple conceptual logic. The organic was frustrating in terms of presentation and that one extremely specific question, but overall I think I caught the connections they were looking for.

Trial - Biochemistry: I took a biochemistry course 2 years ago, so most of that has leaked out of my brain. However, I was surprised with amount of overlap it had in terms of content with what I was studying in the orgo sections. Just maybe one or two more content jumps ahead to make it biochem-related. Hopefully, my lapse in knowledge won't be taken as a perception of bad-faith effort!

I was planning on voiding if I felt bad about the verbal. Initially, I felt confident that I made the right decision, but after reading everyone else's opinions.....eh, I dunnow. I just don't want to study for it again!
 
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PlasticBag said:
I took the EK prep course and used the main EK review book for bio (but did the EK 1001 series for chem, orgo, phys in addition to the review books). Stupidly, I listened to the prep course instructor who said that EK 1001 for bio was only "so so" and had mistakes, etc. I got EK 1001 maybe two weeks before my mcat and I actually think it's really good, with good passages and fairly specific stand alones. I actually learned things while doing those problems but two weeks was sadly not enough... I wish I had it earlier. Also, EK has a forum (it's free) online where people ask questions regarding problems from either EK 1001 or the regular EK review books and someone with a PhD explains concepts, why the right answer is correct, etc. I am not sure if you can still ask questions but most problems have been explained already anyway. I found it really helpful for phys and chem (I struggled with the basics), and found that one question for EK 1001 Bio indeed had the wrong answer. So you can just consult the forum if in doubt. I'd definitely go beyond EK review book for genetics (and EK 1001 is quite helpful here).
Click to expand...
Oh okay, Im actually from Canada, we don't have the EK course here - I actually took the Princeton course. I bought EK 1001's to help drill in the material for all the subjects and I find it to be fairly helpful. Did you find that the physics/chem 1001's prepared you for the MCAT?
 
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Hey Everyone. We all took the same test. Trust me. This test was very different, but we have to expect that because of the upcoming changes and the trial section. The MCAT is rewarding those who cut corners and race through the passages to get to the questions. In every section, the passages were long and included extraneous information. That ochem passage with the chemicals off-page was intended to see if you could find it. Also that bio section with the huge table and knock-outs, you didn't need the passage to answer the questions. Verbal was tricky, but those who did well were able to spot out the tricks. Those of you who think this test was easy, it was because you didn't see the tricks. Physics was heavy at the beginning, and lightened up toward the end, because they wanted to take away time at the beginning and make you race through the rest. Because it was conceptual, u didn't need to get so deep into the topic, and your could answer the question quick. But to do well, u have to be in a hurry and comfortable with quick decision. Overall, this curve will be low. They are testing their limits. Also, the makers of the MCAT know that we have access to the old exams and they've seen all the Kaplan and EK stuff. They don't care anymore if you know the equations. They try to teach u something real quick and then see if u learned it. Or they teach u something real quick and then ask you questions that you do know, but because you didn't really understand what they taught you, you may fumble with the stuff you do know. If you guys finished, then its because you were pacing yourselves and aware of the time the entire time. I think they wanted to see how many people they could get to void the test. I did well on the test, but there was no way in hell that I was going to sit through that trial section. I took a look at the first passage and said, "peace out."
 
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aesklepi said:
Hey Everyone. We all took the same test. Trust me. This test was very different, but we have to expect that because of the upcoming changes and the trial section. The MCAT is rewarding those who cut corners and race through the passages to get to the questions. In every section, the passages were long and included extraneous information. That ochem passage with the chemicals off-page was intended to see if you could find it. Also that bio section with the huge table and knock-outs, you didn't need the passage to answer the questions. Verbal was tricky, but those who did well were able to spot out the tricks. Those of you who think this test was easy, it was because you didn't see the tricks. Physics was heavy at the beginning, and lightened up toward the end, because they wanted to take away time at the beginning and make you race through the rest. Because it was conceptual, u didn't need to get so deep into the topic, and your could answer the question quick. But to do well, u have to be in a hurry and comfortable with quick decision. Overall, this curve will be low. They are testing their limits. Also, the makers of the MCAT know that we have access to the old exams and they've seen all the Kaplan and EK stuff. They don't care anymore if you know the equations. They try to teach u something real quick and then see if u learned it. Or they teach u something real quick and then ask you questions that you do know, but because you didn't really understand what they taught you, you may fumble with the stuff you do know. If you guys finished, then its because you were pacing yourselves and aware of the time the entire time. I think they wanted to see how many people they could get to void the test. I did well on the test, but there was no way in hell that I was going to sit through that trial section. I took a look at the first passage and said, "peace out."
Click to expand...

Is this conjecture, fact or somewhere in between?
 
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guys that trial section was killer. im afraid my score will reflect a "good faith effort" and I might not get the gift card :(
 
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opersian said:
PS: Expecting a lot more conceptualized passages after taking the MCAT last summer. I think I scored around my average. I think the toughest one was the one in the middle that applied physics to something we see in our everyday lives.

VR: I only broke 11+ once on my practices, but never felt good when taking the practice tests. Yesterday, I felt good. Who knows. Maybe I'm one of those people who bombs a section when they leave feeling good.

BS: Fairly straightforward in my opinion. Maybe that's because I'm experienced with reading scientific literature and taking upper-level physiology courses. There were a couple of pretty specific questions, but in general, an answer could have been chosen using simple conceptual logic. The organic was frustrating in terms of presentation and that one extremely specific question, but overall I think caught the connections they were looking for.

Trial - Biochemistry: I took a biochemistry course 2 years ago, so most of that has leaked out of my brain. However, I was surprised with amount of overlap it had in terms of content with what I was studying in the orgo sections. Just maybe one or two more content jumps ahead to make it biochem-related. Hopefully, my lapse in knowledge won't be taken as a perception of bad-faith effort!

I was planning on voiding if I felt bad about the verbal. Initially, I felt confident that I made the right decision, but after reading everyone else's opinions.....eh, I dunnow. I just don't want to study for it again!
Click to expand...


if you mean the car density passage i certainly agree, i though that passage was really difficult even tough it looked like it should be easy.
 
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I'd just like to remind everyone that we can't discuss the passages on the test no matter how much we would like to on SDN. Be mindful and careful of your posts.
 
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aesklepi said:
Hey Everyone. We all took the same test. Trust me. This test was very different, but we have to expect that because of the upcoming changes and the trial section. The MCAT is rewarding those who cut corners and race through the passages to get to the questions. In every section, the passages were long and included extraneous information. That ochem passage with the chemicals off-page was intended to see if you could find it. Also that bio section with the huge table and knock-outs, you didn't need the passage to answer the questions. Verbal was tricky, but those who did well were able to spot out the tricks. Those of you who think this test was easy, it was because you didn't see the tricks. Physics was heavy at the beginning, and lightened up toward the end, because they wanted to take away time at the beginning and make you race through the rest. Because it was conceptual, u didn't need to get so deep into the topic, and your could answer the question quick. But to do well, u have to be in a hurry and comfortable with quick decision. Overall, this curve will be low. They are testing their limits. Also, the makers of the MCAT know that we have access to the old exams and they've seen all the Kaplan and EK stuff. They don't care anymore if you know the equations. They try to teach u something real quick and then see if u learned it. Or they teach u something real quick and then ask you questions that you do know, but because you didn't really understand what they taught you, you may fumble with the stuff you do know. If you guys finished, then its because you were pacing yourselves and aware of the time the entire time. I think they wanted to see how many people they could get to void the test. I did well on the test, but there was no way in hell that I was going to sit through that trial section. I took a look at the first passage and said, "peace out."
Click to expand...


This is incorrect. Don't make an assumption without checking your facts. Some people received the same test, but some passages were different for others. I know this for a fact.
 
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sardines929 said:
Oh okay, Im actually from Canada, we don't have the EK course here - I actually took the Princeton course. I bought EK 1001's to help drill in the material for all the subjects and I find it to be fairly helpful. Did you find that the physics/chem 1001's prepared you for the MCAT?
Click to expand...

I found them both really helpful because I struggled with some basics. I think it helps that there are a lot of similar problems -- if you don't understand a particular type of problem/concept, you can read the explanation for one problem, and then check yourself by doing similar problems. EK says that 1001 series is for people who are not scoring 10 in a given section yet. I'm guessing it's true because some things are pretty basic in there (but there certainly are a lot of harder problems, too). Obviously, you need to supplement with passages.
 
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I cant stop beating myself up over freaking out and changing my answer on possibly THE EASIEST DISCRETE ON BS.
 
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I found two of the questions on the BS annoying because I was confused on when it was referring to. For a general example, in a normal human vs the diseased or before / after a process. A little too vague, imo.
 
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I am assuming that if people had a passage on their test that wasn't on another, it was probably experimental? if everyone had the same passage, the car one mentioned then i assume that wasn't experimental. this is just a guess
 
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breezy16 said:
I found two of the questions on the BS annoying because I was confused on when it was referring to. For a general example, in a normal human vs the diseased or before / after a process. A little too vague, imo.
Click to expand...

EDIT: deleted (post-mcat paranoia)
 
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thezambia said:
I am assuming that if people had a passage on their test that wasn't on another, it was probably experimental? if everyone had the same passage, the car one mentioned then i assume that wasn't experimental. this is just a guess
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There are no experimental passages from what I understand just experimental questions all throughout the test.
 
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BS is typically my strongest, however, I felt that the one I took was deceptively difficult. Perhaps I did well, perhaps not. It's hard to say
 
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breezy16 said:
BS is typically my strongest, however, I felt that the one I took was deceptively difficult. Perhaps I did well, perhaps not. It's hard to say
Click to expand...

Yea BS is my strongest and then I saw all the really specific questions. And the last 2 passages were just like wtf.
 
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How would you guys compare the PS section to TBR physics and gen. chem passages?

Thanks!
 
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Lunasly said:
How would you guys compare the PS section to TBR physics and gen. chem passages?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Easier than anything I saw on TBR. The exam is more about interpreting NEW information, synthesizing a solution, and shooting out an answer.
I only did a few TBR bio passages but I didn't like them at all. Far too specific for anything on the MCAT. Once again its about interpreting something new you've never seen before to come up with an answer.

With that said, don't go into the test thinking its going to be freakishly hard because you will psych yourself out. Just be calm and do your best. Good luck
 
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iforget2 said:
Yea BS is my strongest and then I saw all the really specific questions. And the last 2 passages were just like wtf.
Click to expand...
This. I don't know if it was the second to last or last but the questions asked required some serious inference. I could've concluded plenty of things and not necessarily what the questions supplied.
 
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PlasticBag said:
I found them both really helpful because I struggled with some basics. I think it helps that there are a lot of similar problems -- if you don't understand a particular type of problem/concept, you can read the explanation for one problem, and then check yourself by doing similar problems. EK says that 1001 series is for people who are not scoring 10 in a given section yet. I'm guessing it's true because some things are pretty basic in there (but there certainly are a lot of harder problems, too). Obviously, you need to supplement with passages.
Click to expand...
Thanks! You mentioned that there were a couple of very specific questions...any suggestions on how to potentially prepare for those? Do you think EK Bio 1001 might assist a bit with that?
 
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sardines929 said:
Thanks! You mentioned that there were a couple of very specific questions...any suggestions on how to potentially prepare for those? Do you think EK Bio 1001 might assist a bit with that?
Click to expand...
prayer, or try to know everything
 
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PlasticBag said:
Yes! I had the same problem with one stand-alone on the BS! I kept going back and forth between: is it before or after? Is this some kind of trick? It threw me off because I had never seen such a badly written question before.
Click to expand...

This this this! I know exactly what question you are talking about and I have concluded they wanted C. Unfortunately, I went with D.
 
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We are ;). Now I'm debating what the other guys are talking about. It seemed clear to me during the test but...hmm.
 
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lol i have literally zero idea as to what this is referring to #mcatcoma but for that vaguely obscure passage with that ridonk table...i didn't really have to use that table for anything other than one question. Some of the questions were kinda obscure so i had to make some wiillllddd inferences...here's to hoping those inferences were good lolz
 
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premedjunkie1233 said:
lol i have literally zero idea as to what this is referring to #mcatcoma but for that vaguely obscure passage with that ridonk table...i didn't really have to use that table for anything other than one question. Some of the questions were kinda obscure so i had to make some wiillllddd inferences...here's to hoping those inferences were good lolz
Click to expand...

#mcatcoma too I honestly have no idea any of the questions y'all are talking about ( except the knockdown table). I am scared I didn't get to the passages because I can only recall 4 of the 7.....scared. wishin for the best I guess at this point. Glad I am not alone in thinking this was a harder test.
 
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Wannabedrgrey said:
#mcatcoma too I honestly have no idea any of the questions y'all are talking about ( except the knockdown table). I am scared I didn't get to the passages because I can only recall 4 of the 7.....scared. wishin for the best I guess at this point. Glad I am not alone in thinking this was a harder test.
Click to expand...

.
 
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