The Official January 10, 2015 MCAT Thread

[Jhakaasmaan]

Hey everyone, first time posting here and I thought I would go ahead a make a thread for those writing on this test date.

115 days out!

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[gublagu3]

I took the exam on Jan 10th and was happy with my score and wanted to provide a few pieces of advice that may be of use to those taking the MCAT in the future.

1. Try to use multiple books to study for the exam. I have always felt that studying for the mcat using just one book company is like having all your eggs in one basket. Each company has their own strengths and weaknesses. Also, using different books allowed me to gain different perspectives on the same topics. As far as which particular books to use, Berkeley Review was my favorite and I liked Princeton Review as well. As fas as Examkrackers, I thought they were not detailed enough in terms of the content.

2. Do as many practice tests as possible. This one kind of goes without saying. The only way to do well on the MCAT is to have a lot of practice. By doing a lot of practice tests, you get better at time management and you also learn some of the nuances of how the MCAT tends to present passages and questions.

3. When studying, find a strategy that works best for you! There is no one key to success. If you find flashcards helpful, then make flashcards. If you learn best when studying with other people, study with other people.

4. Take the time to look at the AAMC outlines. Make sure you can do everything on those outlines. Often times, books will skip certain topics on those outlines but they can still show up on MCAT. So, take the time to review the outlines.

5. An MCAT course is not necessary for success on the MCAT. After talking to friends taking the MCAT, I found that many believed an MCAT course was a must if you are aiming for a decent score. I aimed well above average without taking an MCAT course. My issue with most MCAT courses is that you end up wasting time re-learning material you are already good at. If you are studying by yourself, you can spend those precious hours focusing on material that you are weak on. You also end up wasting a lot of time driving back and forth when you are taking an MCAT course.

6. Also, use the internet! There are amazing videos, podcasts, notes that can be found on the internet with regards to the MCAT. This piece of advice is particularly helpful for those taking the new version of the MCAT because Khan Academy has released a lot of useful study resources on their website specifically for the new MCAT including lectures and questions.

7. Don't take the MCAT unless you are ready. I know a lot of people who take the MCAT when they are not ready, hoping somehow they will get a good score. Most of the time, this does not happen and those people just end up with a bad score on their record.

8. Find a way to stay calm during the test. I think for a lot of people who score well below their averages on the MCAT it has a lot to do with not being able to stay calm. And, to be perfectly honest, it is tough to stay calm during the MCAT. During my MCAT, I felt like my heart was beating at a 100 beats per minute. I think its important to think about this because a lot of people simply dont spend any time on this even though staying calming could significantly boost your performance. One of the best pieces of advice I received about staying calm was from my friend. He told me that he took each practice test like it was a real test. So, when he went in to take a real test, it was just like another test. I found thinking like this to be quiet helpful.


Lastly, I just want to say that I found the this particular forum and SDN, in general, to be very helpful in studying for the MCAT and want to thank all the people who took the time to answer questions, share advice, and provide encouragement. Good luck to everyone in their future pursuits!

 

[Gandyy]

I took the exam on Jan 10th and was happy with my score and wanted to provide a few pieces of advice that may be of use to those taking the MCAT in the future.

1. Try to use multiple books to study for the exam. I have always felt that studying for the mcat using just one book company is like having all your eggs in one basket. Each company has their own strengths and weaknesses. Also, using different books allowed me to gain different perspectives on the same topics. As far as which particular books to use, Berkeley Review was my favorite and I liked Princeton Review as well. As fas as Examkrackers, I thought they were not detailed enough in terms of the content.

2. Do as many practice tests as possible. This one kind of goes without saying. The only way to do well on the MCAT is to have a lot of practice. By doing a lot of practice tests, you get better at time management and you also learn some of the nuances of how the MCAT tends to present passages and questions.

3. When studying, find a strategy that works best for you! There is no one key to success. If you find flashcards helpful, then make flashcards. If you learn best when studying with other people, study with other people.

4. Take the time to look at the AAMC outlines. Make sure you can do everything on those outlines. Often times, books will skip certain topics on those outlines but they can still show up on MCAT. So, take the time to review the outlines.

5. An MCAT course is not necessary for success on the MCAT. After talking to friends taking the MCAT, I found that many believed an MCAT course was a must if you are aiming for a decent score. I aimed well above average without taking an MCAT course. My issue with most MCAT courses is that you end up wasting time re-learning material you are already good at. If you are studying by yourself, you can spend those precious hours focusing on material that you are weak on. You also end up wasting a lot of time driving back and forth when you are taking an MCAT course.

6. Also, use the internet! There are amazing videos, podcasts, notes that can be found on the internet with regards to the MCAT. This piece of advice is particularly helpful for those taking the new version of the MCAT because Khan Academy has released a lot of useful study resources on their website specifically for the new MCAT including lectures and questions.

7. Don't take the MCAT unless you are ready. I know a lot of people who take the MCAT when they are not ready, hoping somehow they will get a good score. Most of the time, this does not happen and those people just end up with a bad score on their record.

8. Find a way to stay calm during the test. I think for a lot of people who score well below their averages on the MCAT it has a lot to do with not being able to stay calm. And, to be perfectly honest, it is tough to stay calm during the MCAT. During my MCAT, I felt like my heart was beating at a 100 beats per minute. I think its important to think about this because a lot of people simply dont spend any time on this even though staying calming could significantly boost your performance. One of the best pieces of advice I received about staying calm was from my friend. He told me that he took each practice test like it was a real test. So, when he went in to take a real test, it was just like another test. I found thinking like this to be quiet helpful.


Lastly, I just want to say that I found the this particular forum and SDN, in general, to be very helpful in studying for the MCAT and want to thank all the people who took the time to answer questions, share advice, and provide encouragement. Good luck to everyone in their future pursuits!

If only everyone was capable of doing well on the MCAT. I'm one of the few that just cant. I get my retake score back tomorrow and it will probably be a low 20 after averaging 28's on the aamcs.

 

[TXhopeful]

Rather than starting a new thread under a different forum, I'm reviving this thread for my own selfish reasons and advice. Spending 3 months on here with everyone has given me a sense of cyber-trust with you all, hehe. Firstly, I'm so very happy and excited for everyone who got the scores they wanted! Made me smile reading over all the posts.

Clearly did not receive the MCAT score I need to apply this year and after moping for 1 month +, I'm ready to do some damage control to prepare for the 2016 application cycle. I'd like to focus on increasing my GPA before trying to tackle this new MCAT for a few reasons: 1) gives the guinea pigs time to take the new exam, get some feedback on study materials, testing strategy, etc. 2) need to form better study habits, and 3) devoting my life to studying for the MCAT last October-January was a very tough experience and I don't want to jump into that again without proper prep this time (mentally and academically).

I'm a Texas resident. Grade replacement usually exists with DO schools, but TCOM doesn't follow the same rules. Keep in mind, I want to stay in Texas, but will be applying to other DO schools out-of-state (Louisiana, Oklahoma...). I guess my dilemma is that retaking classes and applying to all Texas schools just averages my grades together, and frankly, I don't want to retake OChem 2 with a lab just to have it pan out as a B when the new MCAT exam has so little organic chemistry on it and there are other classes to take/retake. Plus, I'm paying out of pocket.
There are 3 classes I'm wanting to retake: Abnormal Psych (D), Statistics ( C ) and A&P 2 with lab (C, C). I feel like all these will benefit me taking the new MCAT and in general.
There are 3 classes that are new and I haven't taken: Social psychology, Microbiology with lab, and Genetics with lab. Both microbiology and genetics are with a professor with great student reviews and he is a member of the HPAC committee at the university. I've already taken classes with 2 other members and feel that I could get a positive evaluation from the committee with all 3 of these professors vouching for my academic abilities. I feel like all 3 of these classes will be beneficial for the new MCAT and medical school.
Some classes are in the summer, some are in the fall, but ALL are over in December. I didn't spend any time with my family over Thanksgiving or Christmas and would like to do that this year, sign up for an April/May MCAT date and start studying full-time with a clear, focused brain in January.

Any thoughts, suggestions or concerns would be greatly appreciated! Again, sorry for digging up this thread.

 

[mslm5401]

You sound really dedicated, and motivation is one of the most important qualities to have in this whole process! Are you planning to retake Orgo 2 as well? Your plan seems solid. In terms of studying, what do you do to study? I've found that Anki is really helpful for memorizing a lot of bio facts with a high retention rate, though I feel like you said at some point in this thread that you already use anki. I wish I could help you in some way! Best of luck with everything.You can do it!

 

[Cawolf]

Spending 3 months on here with everyone has given me a sense of cyber-trust with you all

Glad to see you follow up finally, we were worried!

I didn't spend any time with my family over Thanksgiving or Christmas

That was not fun, I agree.

Any thoughts, suggestions or concerns would be greatly appreciated!

It sounds like you have a good plan for the next year. It seems that if you have to delay a year, then that will be productive. Do you need both psych classes though? I would just make sure you keep up your activities outside of school so you don't lose track of the big picture and get bogged down and demotivated. I don't know how you studied last time, but definitely look to ways to improve your learning ability for the MCAT before studying again.

I wish you the best of luck though!

 

[TXhopeful]

You sound really dedicated, and motivation is one of the most important qualities to have in this whole process! Are you planning to retake Orgo 2 as well? Your plan seems solid. In terms of studying, what do you do to study? I've found that Anki is really helpful for memorizing a lot of bio facts with a high retention rate, though I feel like you said at some point in this thread that you already use anki. I wish I could help you in some way! Best of luck with everything.You can do it!

It was really difficult to find motivation again after a let-down like that, which I'm sure everyone has gone through at some point in life. The school doesn't offer OChem 2 until Spring 2016 and that would be when I'm studying for the MCAT. I'd rather take OChem 1 than 2 any day, so I guess that works out? I did use Anki during my studying period and it helped tremendously, but I felt like I'm such an analytical/structured learner (as far as study environment goes) and being at home was a distraction. This time I'll have access to the school library along with some better study strategies while taking classes. Thank you for your support and encouragement!

It sounds like you have a good plan for the next year. It seems that if you have to delay a year, then that will be productive. Do you need both psych classes though? I would just make sure you keep up your activities outside of school so you don't lose track of the big picture and get bogged down and demotivated. I don't know how you studied last time, but definitely look to ways to improve your learning ability for the MCAT before studying again.

I made a D in Ab Psych the first time around for complete lack of effort and going to class maybe 5 times the whole semester, so I figured replacing it would be a no brainer since it's online and I enjoy the material. With sociology being a new section on the MCAT, I would want to take social psych to to get a head-start.

I agree with keeping my activities up outside of classes and improving my learning abilities. I set myself up to fail when I started all out studying for the MCAT without having taken a class or touched a book in over a year, so I'm hoping that getting back in the swing of things with these classes works well a dual purpose: studying properly and replacing grades.

Thanks for your response!