The Official August 2015 MCAT Thread

[vsantav]

Registration opens up sometime today so I thought I'd go ahead and make this thread. Anyone else taking it in August?

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[TexasSurgeon]

Are you putting in your spring classes? I have no idea what I'll be taking so I just didn't add a spring semester. I don't know if this matters or not.

I have like 7 hrs of easy stuff for spring. Maybe I'll get to take art history.

 

[StudyLater]

I have like 7 hrs of easy stuff for spring. Maybe I'll get to take art history.

Sorry I meant for AACOMAS. The transcript section.

No one is answering the damn questions thread.

 

[me16]

Sorry I meant for AACOMAS. The transcript section.

No one is answering the damn questions thread.

Lol, cuz we're all to busy stressing about the possible MCAT score.

It shouldn't affect you but I put in basic placeholders of research on mine.

 

[StudyLater]

Lol, cuz we're all to busy stressing about the possible MCAT score.

It shouldn't affect you but I put in basic placeholders of research on mine.

Ah man. I literally have no idea what I'm going to be doing. Just gonna leave it blank for now. Hopefully they don't hate me for that. I've got all my prereqs so I'm good.

 

[yungspleen]

Another weird MCAT dream last night. Apparently I signed up for the MCAT but it was part of my biochemistry midterm. If you did well on the MCAT then you could have your biochem midterm grade waived? And the test took place in my 8th grade classroom? I don't even know anymore. I'm not even stressed during the day, just my dreams are weird and all about the MCAT. I think there's been one night I haven't dreamt about it.

 

[zzzetrigan]

To all of you having nightmares sleeping....watch this and replace clown with MCAT

 

[StudyLater]

Another weird MCAT dream last night. Apparently I signed up for the MCAT but it was part of my biochemistry midterm. If you did well on the MCAT then you could have your biochem midterm grade waived? And the test took place in my 8th grade classroom? I don't even know anymore. I'm not even stressed during the day, just my dreams are weird and all about the MCAT. I think there's been one night I haven't dreamt about it.

Solution:
1. Sue AAMC for dream rape.
2. Have them settle out of court by getting you automatic admission to your choice of med school.
3. Profit.

 

[ns125]

Has anyone else been having horrible nightmares of bombing the MCAT? I literally keep seeing a reoccurring score in my dream and it's freaking me out lol

 

[FutureMrDr]

I had a dream that I scored a 45 out of 528. Ironic, huh?

 

[StudyLater]

You poor things.

 

[StudyLater]

Now to write my PS.....

 

[podiatrytime]

Now to write my PS.....

This is me at the current moment.

 

[skinofteeth]

This is me at the current moment.

Me too! ​

 

[Shreyasthegreat]

This is how I feel and it's only been a week.

 

[LastWinter]

This is how I feel and it's only been a week.

Tell me about it, and what's weird is that I am just now remembering all the questions I was 50/50 on... So nerve racking.

9 more days till Aug 5/6th score release. Longest week of my life, again since I took it 2 time previous to this...

 

[skinofteeth]

To those applying this cycle:
Are you just blindly picking schools? Or will you wait till our scores are released?

What if the actual score is way less than your practice exams?

 

[DecadentCookie]

1 more week (well, +1 day as well). Signed up to write on the 11th should my score be terrible but I've been really taking it slowly with 'reviewing' and doing practice. Running out of material but also willpower it seems.

 

[LastWinter]

To those applying this cycle:
Are you just blindly picking schools? Or will you wait till our scores are released?

What if the actual score is way less than your practice exams?

Well, I have had this already happen to me the second time I took the mcat. Just wait for your scores, and then if you do bad, be depressed for a week to get it out of your system. Then, you need to make a plan and take it again after 6-8 months of rigorous prep. Sigh, the process is so much more painful now since there is more material to learn.

 

[williameb23]

To those applying this cycle:
Are you just blindly picking schools? Or will you wait till our scores are released?

What if the actual score is way less than your practice exams?

I sent off my application in July so that it would be verified and I could receive some secondaries to start on - then I can have all my secondaries in at the same time that they receive my MCAT scores - since it is getting late. The best strategy I've heard is to submit to a handful of schools that you're absolutely certain on (so that you have secondaries to work on until the scores get posted), then once the score release rolls around you can add some higher or lower tiers, depending on what you get.

 

[Scumione]

To those applying this cycle:
Are you just blindly picking schools? Or will you wait till our scores are released?

What if the actual score is way less than your practice exams?

I sent my application to all my state schools and safety schools because I was applying to those regardless, but Im waiting for score release to add on those schools that I dream about. However, it will suck if my score is just completely out of the realm of possibilities for medical school .

 

[williameb23]

I updated that wonky "MCAT Score Predictor" spreadsheet that was linked earlier in this thread. The n=45 here (compared to ~15 from the previous predictor), pulled from @Xenith's compilation Google sheet. I would take this with an extreme grain of salt, but there was a request for a revised version in this thread.

I went through and checked all of the reported scores based on AAMC FL scores using this revised predictor, and nearly half of the actual scores fell within the "Likely" range. Of the actual scores that were outside that range, they were +2.54 points higher - so that's fun.

 

[blahblahpremeds]

@billeboi31 CARS score seems about 2-3 pts on the lower end, but then again, you never know the scale with such standardized exams. Thanks for sharing.

My friends and I were at six flags yesterday and while on the roller coasters, I was thinking about the potential and kinetic energies of us on the ride. Yeah, it's been a solid 3 months of studying. Perhaps, it will be easier to snap out of the MCAT zone once the scores come out.

This is very weird, but I feel strangely empty inside now that there's no more studying to do.

 

[zzzetrigan]

I updated that wonky "MCAT Score Predictor" spreadsheet that was linked earlier in this thread. The n=45 here (compared to ~15 from the previous predictor), pulled from @Xenith's compilation Google sheet. I would take this with an extreme grain of salt, but there was a request for a revised version in this thread.

I went through and checked all of the reported scores based on AAMC FL scores using this revised predictor, and nearly half of the actual scores fell within the "Likely" range. Of the actual scores that were outside that range, they were +2.54 points higher - so that's fun.

Cool...based on this I should get 131/129/130/129...I think my actual score will be more like 128/126/128/126 :/

 

[DecadentCookie]

Cool...based on this I should get 131/129/130/129...I think my actual score will be more like 128/126/128/126 :/

Heh, "130, 129, 128, 128". I'm looking at -2 per section. Dreadful feeling.

 

[zzzetrigan]

Heh, "130, 129, 128, 128". I'm looking at -2 per section. Dreadful feeling.

Oh man If I got -2 on each section I would STILL be somewhat happy because I managed to break 127 in CARS :'(

 

[DecadentCookie]

Oh man If I got -2 on each section I would STILL be somewhat happy because I managed to break 127 in CARS :'(

Ya...but 127 in CARS would still disqualify us from Western (Bio eliminates both of us anyway if it's below 129) and Alberta. Borderline for Sask. and Calgary which may very well not even result in an interview. McMaster is a tossup. I'll try for Canada once more next year if I don't get in this year but also apply to the USA then.

 

[zzzetrigan]

Ya...but 127 in CARS would still disqualify us from Western (Bio eliminates both of us anyway if it's below 129) and Alberta. Borderline for Sask. and Calgary which may very well not even result in an interview. McMaster is a tossup. I'll try for Canada once more next year if I don't get in this year but also apply to the USA then.

Sask looks at overall score first so if you manage a 132/126/132/132 you are still golden, but yea everything else you said is pretty much correct. If your GPA is decent 127 may work for McMaster...hard to say..but at least theres Queens right?

Good luck fellow Canadian! Do you get your scores back on the 8th too?

 

[itsallgood92]

Sask looks at overall score first so if you manage a 132/126/132/132 you are still golden, but yea everything else you said is pretty much correct. If your GPA is decent 127 may work for McMaster...hard to say..but at least theres Queens right?

Good luck fellow Canadian! Do you get your scores back on the 8th too?

You canadians are stressing me out lol...I just have to keep telling myself that I'd be ecstatic with a 126 in CARS and hopefully a 512+ total as long as the sciences are okay. I felt super iffy after my exam...then felt like **** for a week... then didn't care for a while...then went back to caring, and now I've finally come full circle to feeling super iffy again. Praying I get a solid score, so I can finally move on with my life.

 

[FOCUSandEARNit]

You canadians are stressing me out lol...I just have to keep telling myself that I'd be ecstatic with a 126 in CARS and hopefully a 512+ total as long as the sciences are okay. I felt super iffy after my exam...then felt like **** for a week... then didn't care for a while...then went back to caring, and now I've finally come full circle to feeling super iffy again. Praying I get a solid score, so I can finally move on with my life.

dude, we are in the same boat. i totally feel you. i want to move on with my life too.

august 5/6 mcat takers...we're almost there.

 

[itsallgood92]

dude, we are in the same boat. i totally feel you. i want to mov on with my life too.

august 5/6 mcat takers...we're almost there.

haha yeah dude. Still can't decide how I'm gonna open my score report. I'm either just going to get my parents to look first, or maybe just prolong my happiness a little longer and just never look lol

 

[FOCUSandEARNit]

dude I'm looking at that thing the first second i can

 

[LastWinter]

Guys, You know what I have always wondered... Are canadian premeds nicer or american ones? I feel like the canadians tend to be more humble and down to earth and american ones are so cut throat. Then again, I could be entirely wrong.

 

[pillowsnice]

Feel like literally every question I guessed on I got wrong..stressing out over having to basically guess on one of the bio passages on the Aug 21 test as well. Bio is usually my best but on this exam it was brutal so I'm really worried. Plus cars for me is always the lowest and had to skim and guess on last two passages Is it normal to feel so unconfident after the exam?

 

[zzzetrigan]

Guys, You know what I have always wondered... Are canadian premeds nicer or american ones? I feel like the canadians tend to be more humble and down to earth and american ones are so cut throat. Then again, I could be entirely wrong.

I don't think it has to do with nationality, rather it has to do with the person.

Feel like literally every question I guessed on I got wrong..stressing out over having to basically guess on one of the bio passages on the Aug 21 test as well. Bio is usually my best but on this exam it was brutal so I'm really worried. Plus cars for me is always the lowest and had to skim and guess on last two passages Is it normal to feel so unconfident after the exam?

Its very normal to feel like you bombed a section on the exam or feel that things went a lot worse than you expected. If you browse these forums a good chunk of test takers had at least 1 section where they thought !@#$@#$ if not more than 1 section.

 

[DecadentCookie]

I don't think it has to do with nationality, rather it has to do with the person.
.

Yup.

@LastWinter premed101 is a congregation of Canadians and is more of a pernicious place than SDN. There's great people and information there but the number of toxic comments has risen substantially due to a select few individuals in almost every thread. So it really is up to the individual rather than nationality.

 

[Thpinky]

Thank you for the score predictor spreadsheet. Guys, I took the august 22nd mcat and it is a long torturous wait for my score. I was wondering if you guys can post your real score compared to the score predictor spreadsheet that billeboi31 has posted so I can get an idea of how accurate it is while I wait for my score.

 

[williameb23]

Thank you for the score predictor spreadsheet. Guys, I took the august 22nd mcat and it is a long torturous wait for my score. I was wondering if you guys can post your real score compared to the score predictor spreadsheet that billeboi31 has posted so I can get an idea of how accurate it is while I wait for my score.

You might not get very many hits from people who have received their scores yet and have seen the predictor spreadsheet on this thread. If you go to the second tab in the spreadsheet I uploaded ("All Data"), you can see the data I used in updating the predictor. It includes 45 person's actual MCAT compared to their AAMC FL.

 

[zzzetrigan]

You might not get very many hits from people who have received their scores yet and have seen the predictor spreadsheet on this thread. If you go to the second tab in the spreadsheet I uploaded ("All Data"), you can see the data I used in updating the predictor. It includes 45 person's actual MCAT compared to their AAMC FL.

Amazing work you've done - and I can say without a doubt we all really appreciate it. The only issue I can see with any predictor is twofold
1.) Reporter bias. People don't report their horrible scores as much as they do their amazing scores which tends to inflate any predictor people come up with using actual test data. Nevertheless, the trend does seem to be that If you do decent on your AAMC practice, you shouldn't bomb too hard on the real thing +/- the random people who fall 2 or more standard deviations from the expected predictions.
2.) How many of the actual data you used were from April/May/June? Because I think a few of us have been see trends where testers in the first three months were given more lenient curves and their scores were higher...which again makes the predictor seem inflated if the curve has been readjusted since then. I wonder what it would look like if you use July scores alone.

Anyways, thanks for the work - it does make me feel a bit less anxious waiting for the results. If your predictor is spot on for me I would give you a hug in person

 

[williameb23]

Amazing work you've done - and I can say without a doubt we all really appreciate it. The only issue I can see with any predictor is twofold
1.) Reporter bias. People don't report their horrible scores as much as they do their amazing scores which tends to inflate any predictor people come up with using actual test data. Nevertheless, the trend does seem to be that If you do decent on your AAMC practice, you shouldn't bomb too hard on the real thing +/- the random people who fall 2 or more standard deviations from the expected predictions.
2.) How many of the actual data you used were from April/May/June? Because I think a few of us have been see trends where testers in the first three months were given more lenient curves and their scores were higher...which again makes the predictor seem inflated if the curve has been readjusted since then. I wonder what it would look like if you use July scores alone.

Anyways, thanks for the work - it does make me feel a bit less anxious waiting for the results. If your predictor is spot on for me I would give you a hug in person

These are definitely a couple problems I have with it, especially the reporter bias. That's why I think it's only really stable at higher percentages/scores. Correct, I didn't include July scores. The predictor also assumes that everyone took the AAMC FL with all content review/prep done and doesn't account for people who just have a really bad or really great exam, haha. B/B had been my highest all throughout prep and I think it could be my worst on the actual exam. So the predictor is more useful for someone who just finished the AAMC FL and has no idea how the "percent correct" correlates to a 118-132 section score. That and to satisfy some score-hungry mouths. I've thought about the exam every day and have looked for new ways to calculate some sort of score, haha.

 

[me16]

Officially one more week till scores come out Not too sure what to do with myself till then

 

[Alienman52]

yeah lucky you...some people have to wait until sept. 22......

I hear DAT takers get their scores on the spot?! What the heck...no fair.

 

[LastWinter]

yeah lucky you...some people have to wait until sept. 22......

I hear DAT takers get their scores on the spot?! What the heck...no fair.

so do almost every other exam out there.

Seriously, there are so many theories to what AAMC does before releasing these exams. I don't know what to believe at this point.

 

[Hatfield0429]

Unrelated to MCAT, but hilarious (and sad) nonetheless.

"The joke is three parts: 1) that GMO protesters are just irrationally afraid of long words and scientific terminology.
2) GMO protesters do not know **** about chemistry or biology.
3) They do not have the capacity to do even 5 seconds of research before yelling 'X IS EVIL!'."

 

[LastWinter]

Unrelated to MCAT, but hilarious (and sad) nonetheless.

"The joke is three parts: 1) that GMO protesters are just irrationally afraid of long words and scientific terminology.
2) GMO protesters do not know **** about chemistry or biology.
3) They do not have the capacity to do even 5 seconds of research before yelling 'X IS EVIL!'."

iz very gud joke.

 

[phantomlimb]

.

 

[moesman777]

as september 8th approaches, I am feeling worse and worse about how I might have done. starting to freak out a little because I can barely remember the sections and can't help but focus on the questions I know I missed or had to pretty much guess on. do any other august 5th/6th test takers feel like this?? this wait is legit the WORST and i'm going to be soo scared to check my scores in 6 days...

Tested on Aug 21st, but I can think of one specific Chem question Im pretty sure I missed and its destroying me.

 

[Hatfield0429]

My former classmate just called. He got 131-132 on CARS on AAMC FL and low 120s on the actual MCAT. That makes me feel really good 'cause I was getting 124-127 on my practice exams!

 

[FOCUSandEARNit]

My former classmate just called. He got 131-132 on CARS on AAMC FL and low 120s on the actual MCAT. That makes me feel really good 'cause I was getting 124-127 on my practice exams!

sure makes me feel great inside... ugh

 

[moesman777]

Anyone on here an EMT? Im considering signing up for the training program and was looking for feedback. I'm not just doing it as a resume booster, am generally interested, and hope to actually volunteer/work with a service if i get the chance. Time and Money are biggest constraints for the class, but i think i can make it work.

 

[keepingitreal007]

Waiting for scores to come out like