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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[GCSDOC]

What's your strategy when you approach questions?

 

[Cawolf]

What's your strategy when you approach questions?

That's very broad. . .

Can you be more specific?

 

[GCSDOC]

That's very broad. . .

Can you be more specific?

So when you approach a science question is PS or BS, do you look at the information in the question and then search the passage? or, after first reading the question, do you determine the science concept the question is seeking to test and then gather the necessary information?

 

[Cawolf]

So when you approach a science question is PS or BS, do you look at the information in the question and then search the passage? or, after first reading the question, do you determine the science concept the question is seeking to test and then gather the necessary information?

Hm, I have never really thought about it.

I generally read the passage and skim the charts of data to look for relevant information - less so if I am familiar with the topic.

Such as if the chart is ranking nucleophilicty, I am pretty confident in what the trend will be - so I move on.

Then I move through the questions in order.

If I can answer it based on what I already know or got from my reading of the passage, I will answer it. If I need to look back at data, I do that. If it is a concept I still cannot answer, I will likely move on to the other questions in the passage.

Then I would go back to the one I skipped and reread to find the answer.

So I guess to answer your question more directly, I read the question and go back as needed.

 

[GCSDOC]

Starting to see a trend with the sciences in that if I state what science concept the question is testing prior to looking at answer choices, my performance is much better. The most difficult thing is to determine what part of the aamc outline each question is really seeking to test. I guess this comes with repetitive practice...

 

[Cawolf]

I guess that might work. It seems like a lot of passages are looking at multiple and integrative concepts though, so I wouldn't want to pigeonhole myself into thinking about just one thing.

Everyone takes tests differently though.

 

[TXhopeful]

Starting to see a trend with the sciences in that if I state what science concept the question is testing prior to looking at answer choices, my performance is much better. The most difficult thing is to determine what part of the aamc outline each question is really seeking to test. I guess this comes with repetitive practice...

I'm finishing up content review and doing BR practice passages and I've noticed that their answer explanations always start with the bare basics of the question. And for questions that I have honestly no clue about, I start trying to answer them in this way, too. This sounds common knowledge, but I get so caught up in over-analyzing really difficult questions that this has been great for me. One of their many strategies that have helped tremendously.

For example: Which metal can be used to galvanize steel?
"Okay, galvanizing metals coat the surface of another metal to protect it from being oxidized. The galvanizing metal gets oxidized first. So the galvanizing metal must be more reactive than steel (iron). :::Look at the oxidation potential table to find a higher oxidation potential than iron:::: Process of elimination....BAM

 

[petyr_baelish]

Hi everyone.

I just scored 7/12/8 on AAMC 3. This is very strange because my AAMC SA breakdown was

Bio - 64%
Chem - 67%
Physics - (unscored because I was too scared to look at it)
Ochem - 63%
Verbal - 61% (since Verbal is my favourite topic I was so angry and sad at this score. I reviewed everything and did the SA a week later and got 82% which is not a "real" score because obviously you should score higher when you re-do a test.)


My plan is to really hammer PS/BS with post gaming. There isn't much time left and my verbal score seemed kind of flukey.

I have been through the firey pits of satan's lair in trying to tackle the MCAT. I had so much anxiety that it feels really darn good to have finally done a real practice test.

 

[Cawolf]

That's not too bad a score - what is your goal?

I don't recall where I saw this, but I read that generally a 75% on the SA section correlates to around a 10. So with mid 60's, your score seems reasonable. Why do you think it is strange?

Also your verbal is excellent.

 

[TXhopeful]

My plan is to really hammer PS/BS with post gaming. There isn't much time left and my verbal score seemed kind of flukey. I have been through the firey pits of satan's lair in trying to tackle the MCAT. I had so much anxiety that it feels really darn good to have finally done a real practice test.

Agreed. That's a wonderful first score and only gets better from there with this next month. Kicked verbal's ass for sure. I can't wait to do my first practice test on Monday either.
Did you feel like the self-assessments helped you? I'm still between taking them and not taking them. The package of them includes AAMC #4 for $125 I think, so I feel like that'd be worth it.

 

[GCSDOC]

Hi everyone.

I just scored 7/12/8 on AAMC 3. This is very strange because my AAMC SA breakdown was

Bio - 64%
Chem - 67%
Physics - (unscored because I was too scared to look at it)
Ochem - 63%
Verbal - 61% (since Verbal is my favourite topic I was so angry and sad at this score. I reviewed everything and did the SA a week later and got 82% which is not a "real" score because obviously you should score higher when you re-do a test.)


My plan is to really hammer PS/BS with post gaming. There isn't much time left and my verbal score seemed kind of flukey.

I have been through the firey pits of satan's lair in trying to tackle the MCAT. I had so much anxiety that it feels really darn good to have finally done a real practice test.

your VR SA % is about the same as mine, yet I got a 6 on aamc3. My bio and ochem SA were each 10% lower than yours and I got a 5 on aamc3. Your PS score seems to be right about where it should be based on SA%. Take a later FL like #9, 10, or 11 and that will give you a better idea of where you actually stand. My FL scores on aamc3-7 are an average around 18 yet my SA percents are only 9 % lower than yours overall....so not sure what's going on

 

[Cawolf]

I can't wait to do my first practice test on Monday either.

Yah I bet a lot of people are starting FLs next week! Excited. I took 3 as a baseline, so I am not taking 4 until Thursday. Can't wait.

 

[petyr_baelish]

Agreed. That's a wonderful first score and only gets better from there with this next month. Kicked verbal's ass for sure. I can't wait to do my first practice test on Monday either.
Did you feel like the self-assessments helped you? I'm still between taking them and not taking them. The package of them includes AAMC #4 for $125 I think, so I feel like that'd be worth it.

If you will still be able to afford food after paying for the SAs, then yes, take them! They help because they are exactly the same as the AAMC practice tests.

Just got a promo code in my email. Use Promo Code SMARTPREP for 10% off SAs

 

[petyr_baelish]

your VR SA % is about the same as mine, yet I got a 6 on aamc3. My bio and ochem SA were each 10% lower than yours and I got a 5 on aamc3. Your PS score seems to be right about where it should be based on SA%. Take a later FL like #9, 10, or 11 and that will give you a better idea of where you actually stand. My FL scores on aamc3-7 are an average around 18 yet my SA percents are only 9 % lower than yours overall....so not sure what's going on

The only thing I can think of is a) I had really bad anxiety starting the AAMC materials so my scores could have been artificially low or b) I post-gamed in a different way than you. There is no point taking practice tests unless you analyze where you went right and wrong. It's tedious and it sucks, but it's truly the only way to improve. The AAMC explanations aren't that great - if you have even ONE question bouncing around in your head after reading those explanations you need to do further reading and maybe even a practice problem or two to make sure you get it before moving on. It will take all day to review a SA by doing it this way -- like 6-8 hours depending on how many questions you had. I write down all questions that arise while I write tests/the SAs. Then I didn't take another SA until I've answered all of those questions and wrote them down.

 

[petyr_baelish]

That's not too bad a score - what is your goal?

I don't recall where I saw this, but I read that generally a 75% on the SA section correlates to around a 10. So with mid 60's, your score seems reasonable. Why do you think it is strange?

Also your verbal is excellent.

Thanks, my goal is a balanced 30.

 

[oobie]

Just finished my fourth EK101 Verbal, and I'm doing much better than my first MCAT (I got a 7 in May):

EK4: 32/40 = 10
EK5: 30/40 = 10
EK6: 28/30 = 9 (though some of the errors were really stupid)
EK7: 30/40 = 10

It's looking up. I'm still working through EK1001 to strengthen my weakest points (because I believe the best way to get better at a subject is to do problems).

 

[ohkos1]

Just finished SA, only the verbal section was timed (split into 4 days).

Bio: 82%
Chemistry: 90%
Orgo: 85%
Physics: 80%
Verbal: 83%

I thought Verbal was my weakest, but it felt really easy. Need to work on physics.

 

[GCSDOC]

Just finished SA, only the verbal section was timed (split into 4 days).

Bio: 82%
Chemistry: 90%
Orgo: 85%
Physics: 80%
Verbal: 83%

I thought Verbal was my weakest, but it felt really easy. Need to work on physics.

Those scores are great. I did a pretty detailed calculation involving SA % and integrated national means into the data. Your %s look to be on par to score in the 35+ range.

 

[ohkos1]

Those scores are great. I did a pretty detailed calculation involving SA % and integrated national means into the data. Your %s look to be on par to score in the 35+ range.

How did you calculate that? I took AAMC3 a few days before this SA and I got a 33 (12/10/11). I don't think I'm at the 35+ range yet.

 

[drisaac]

If anyone is planning on cancelling their seat for any January test date, please PM me. I would appreciate it. Thanks.

 

[GCSDOC]

How did you calculate that? I took AAMC3 a few days before this SA and I got a 33 (12/10/11). I don't think I'm at the 35+ range yet.

Based on my formula when I inputted your % correct of SA and adjusted based on national SA avg and 2013 national mcat avg in each section along with utilizing the scale of aamc11, I'm showing your score to be... 12.2PS/11VR/11.8BS = 34.9. The highest predicted possible would be a 37 and low would be a 32. Obviously nothing is an exact but I would be pretty confident you are on track to score in the 32-37 range. It will be interesting to hear your practice test scores, keep us updated!

 

[mspeedwagon]

Hi All, if anyone is looking for a testing spot in NYC (Penn Plaza), I am will be refunding my test in a bit as I no longer need to re-take it. A seat should open up later today or tomorrow (I believe a hold is placed temporarily so there is a delay). Good luck all!

 

[Cawolf]

I wonder how accurate a reflection of test scaling/difficulty the score reporting we see in these threads are. It seems like each test has a general "tone", as to whether people are happy with there score or not.

We are seeing less than 1% of all test-takers post their scores, so maybe it is not telling at all?

I just wonder if there really are tests where people generally do worse.

 

[TXhopeful]

Took AAMC 3 today as my first practice test and diagnostic: 7/8/7, overall 22
About 60% in every section. Goal is at least 9/10/9 in the next month. My strong subjects, I'm very strong in (80-100% on those topics) and the weak subjects I'm very weak in (0-33% for those topics), so the contrast is pretty clear and I know what to study. Glad I took it, glad it sucked so now I have motivation and direction for my studies for the next month.

If anyone needs to feel good about themselves or wallow in self-pity, I'm here for ya!

 

[petyr_baelish]

Just took AAMC 4 and got 9/10/10 (29). My goal was a 28 so I'm pleased. Although my verbal score dropped from a 12, I would rather have a balanced score. I will try to hit 30 on AAMC 5.

I really had to psych myself into taking this exam today. For some reason, I was convinced that my previous score was a fluke and even if it wasn't, I didn't review AAMC 3 topics thoroughly enough. Then I got hit with an Ochem passage on AAMC 4 that left me blindly guessing. I forced myself to continue because I am behind schedule. I kept telling myself that persistence and facing fears is a noble pursuit even if I were to bomb the MCAT today or on the actual day. It doesn't matter - what matters is that I keep trying.

 

[petyr_baelish]

Took AAMC 3 today as my first practice test and diagnostic: 7/8/7, overall 22
About 60% in every section. Goal is at least 9/10/9 in the next month. My strong subjects, I'm very strong in (80-100% on those topics) and the weak subjects I'm very weak in (0-33% for those topics), so the contrast is pretty clear and I know what to study. Glad I took it, glad it sucked so now I have motivation and direction for my studies for the next month.

If anyone needs to feel good about themselves or wallow in self-pity, I'm here for ya!

Your score is very balanced which is good. Just 10% more questions right in each section will give you a score that will get you into medical school somewhere.

 

[TXhopeful]

Your score is very balanced which is good. Just 10% more questions right in each section will give you a score that will get you into medical school somewhere.

Thanks! Amazingly enough, there were 2 passages each in both the PS and BS section that I didn't miss a single question on. All my incorrect questions came from bombed passage and missing 2-3 discretes. Lots of improvement, but I'm happy to do it.

And good job on #4! Raised both your PS and BS

 

[GCSDOC]

Took AAMC 3 today as my first practice test and diagnostic: 7/8/7, overall 22
About 60% in every section. Goal is at least 9/10/9 in the next month. My strong subjects, I'm very strong in (80-100% on those topics) and the weak subjects I'm very weak in (0-33% for those topics), so the contrast is pretty clear and I know what to study. Glad I took it, glad it sucked so now I have motivation and direction for my studies for the next month.

If anyone needs to feel good about themselves or wallow in self-pity, I'm here for ya!

Glad to know I'm not the only one who has been studying for awhile yet got dissapointing practice test scores!

 

[mslm5401]

Hey guys! I'm totally new here and skimmed through the thread. Looks like a lot of us have similar strategies... I tried to keep up with SN2ed for a while but fell pretty behind with practice problems, so now I'm playing catchup lol (seems pretty inevitable). Just took SA#3 on Saturday too, so looks like everyone is pacing at a similar rate. Taking #4 this Saturday so we'll see how it goes! Good luck to everyone starting practice tests

 

[Cawolf]

@mslm5401 welcome!

Were you happy with your first practice test?

I am taking #4 Thursday. I used up #3 as a baseline before starting studying!

 

[mslm5401]

@Cawolf, thank you! My min score goal is a 30, and I got 11/10/9 (overall 30) on #3, so I'm pretty much where I want to be. I hope to be scoring a bit higher though so that I can be comfortable enough that nerves don't get to me on test day

How about you? Do you think taking #3 as a baseline helped you focus your studying? I was always on the fence about taking a test before finishing content since I didn't want to "waste" any practice material, though it could definitely help to pinpoint weaknesses and strengths so that you know what to focus on.

 

[drisaac]

Hey everyone, I'm joining this thread. I'm also scheduled for Jan 10! Just moved my test date from Jan 15. Let's rock it! If anyone wants to exchange emails for moral support, study buddy and to discuss full lengths or section tests, feel free to PM me.

Good luck!

 

[Cawolf]

@mslm5401 That is awesome. I don't know if it helped guide my studying, because I am following SN2ed and sort of covering everything. It was reassuring to see that I wasn't starting as low as I assumed though!

@drisaac Welcome!

 

[GCSDOC]

The third practice test I took was AAMC #7. I got a 19 with a 7/6/6 breakdown. I retook it a week later without reviewing it and got a 28 with a 10/8/10 breakdown. Any thoughts on what I should do going forward in the next month to ensure I get more in this 28 range rather than that 19 range?

 

[Cawolf]

I don't think retaking tests has any predictive value.

I can tell you my personal plan.

I am going to be taking 2 tests a week and performing a detailed review on questions I missed, or got lucky on. I am going to reread those topics in TBR and do passages that involve that subject. If I have no review topics, I will be progressing though practice passages in areas I know I am not super comfortable with. For verbal, I will continue to do 2 practice passages a day.

 

[ahisma]

Yea I don't understand why are you retaking tests?

I will be reviewing problems I got wrong, making flash cards for them and doing more similar problems. I did run out of time for the PS section on #3. So I went back and did just those last 10 problems I didn't get to. For #3 I got an 8 on PS, BS 10, VR 12. PS score went up to 10 when I completed the problems I didn't get to so I know it's more of a timing issue than content. Feels like I'm taking way too long to figure out how to approach a problem and then often second guessing myself.

I'm also going to continue following SN2ed's schedule of doing the last third of all BR passages in between FLs. I think SN2ed's recommendation of not focusing too much on specific weak areas makes sense, since you could not even get any of those problems on the actual test and then your review would be for nothing.

 

[ahisma]

Here's what SN2ed said on ranking the various tests:

How would you rank the FLs?... Most tend to agree that the later AAMC tests are the best, but beyond that, there isn't much of a consensus. There's even an argument to be made that the AAMCs are only really good for verbal since there are more accurate CBTs in regards to the sciences. Despite this, your first priority should be to take all of the AAMC FLs in order from 3 to 11.

1. AAMC #7-11
2. BR #1-7
3. Kaplan #1-6
4. AAMC #3-5
5. TPR
6. Kaplan #7-10/GS

 

[mslm5401]

@Cawolf- haha congrats! That must've been nice to know your baseline! What range are you looking at?

Do any of you have finals coming up? I'm dying lol

 

[ahisma]

Just saw Kaplan has more in depth answer explanations for the AAMC FLs on their site. I find them a bit more helpful at times: http://akamai.kaptest.com/GRAD/pdfs/mcat/Kaplan_Explanations_AAMC_Test_3.pdf (change the last # for each test)

 

[GCSDOC]

Yea I don't understand why are you retaking tests?

I will be reviewing problems I got wrong, making flash cards for them and doing more similar problems. I did run out of time for the PS section on #3. So I went back and did just those last 10 problems I didn't get to. For #3 I got an 8 on PS, BS 10, VR 12. PS score went up to 10 when I completed the problems I didn't get to so I know it's more of a timing issue than content. Feels like I'm taking way too long to figure out how to approach a problem and then often second guessing myself.

I'm also going to continue following SN2ed's schedule of doing the last third of all BR passages in between FLs. I think SN2ed's recommendation of not focusing too much on specific weak areas makes sense, since you could not even get any of those problems on the actual test and then your review would be for nothing.

I'm retaking aamc test sections b/c there is no better way to work on timing and think under pressure than by this strategy. I also am saving 9-11 for closer to test day. If you look through the forums, I have found that people who needed to retake due to a low first score, practiced by retaking their aamcs and almost every single person had an increase in their actual mcat second time around. Also, I think its more of a test taking strategy for me than a content issue.

 

[nystin]

I'm retaking aamc test sections b/c there is no better way to work on timing and think under pressure than by this strategy. I also am saving 9-11 for closer to test day. If you look through the forums, I have found that people who needed to retake due to a low first score, practiced by retaking their aamcs and almost every single person had an increase in their actual mcat second time around. Also, I think its more of a test taking strategy for me than a content issue.

Sounds like a solid plan. I would retake em, because your weaknesses should still show...and I don't think retaking them would hurt you in anyway.

 

[Cawolf]

I'm retaking aamc test sections b/c there is no better way to work on timing and think under pressure than by this strategy. I also am saving 9-11 for closer to test day. If you look through the forums, I have found that people who needed to retake due to a low first score, practiced by retaking their aamcs and almost every single person had an increase in their actual mcat second time around. Also, I think its more of a test taking strategy for me than a content issue.

Though I wouldn't retake personally - I think that if the strategy will help you raise your core to your target, it is a great plan!

 

[Cawolf]

@Cawolf- haha congrats! That must've been nice to know your baseline! What range are you looking at?

Do any of you have finals coming up? I'm dying lol

I have an organic 1 final in a week. I am actually taking the MCAT before orgo 2, and I took the baseline test before I had even heard of chirality.

My goal is 33+ for the test. My AAMC 3 (pre orgo, pre studying) was a 33 (12P/11V/10B).

Yes this is a long week with finals studying and MCAT studying ramping up. I am looking forward to focusing on just the MCAT for 4 solid weeks. I have moved through the SN2ed plan slowly since October.

What finals do you have?

 

[GCSDOC]

Sounds like a solid plan. I would retake em, because your weaknesses should still show...and I don't think retaking them would hurt you in anyway.

Thanks for the support! How is your studying going?

 

[GCSDOC]

I have an organic 1 final in a week. I am actually taking the MCAT before orgo 2, and I took the baseline test before I had even heard of chirality.

My goal is 33+ for the test. My AAMC 3 (pre orgo, pre studying) was a 33 (12P/11V/10B).

Yes this is a long week with finals studying and MCAT studying ramping up. I am looking forward to focusing on just the MCAT for 4 solid weeks. I have moved through the SN2ed plan slowly since October.

What finals do you have?

I heard there was a ton of ochem on the few recent mcat administrations. Taking it without ochem2 is risky because the questions on the mcat are likely going to test knowledge of reactions involving various functional groups rather than the simple stuff that showed up in the earlier aamcs.

 

[Cawolf]

I heard there was a ton of ochem on the few recent mcat administrations. Taking it without ochem2 is risky because the questions on the mcat are likely going to test knowledge of reactions involving various functional groups rather than the simple stuff that showed up in the earlier aamcs.

It's true it is risky, but the decision I made for myself was that it is more risky to take the new MCAT. I graduated 6 years ago so the newer topics are long forgotten by me. I also recently took all of the prereqs (except orgo 2), so they are very fresh. I have focused a lot of my studying on topics not covered in my orgo 1 class and think I will be fine. The main topics are carbohydrates, nitrogen/amino acids, and some named reactions (Diels Alder, etc.) and I am relatively solid at self teaching.

 

[Cawolf]

I do agree it is a risk though @GCSDOC - in a ideal world the MCAT wouldn't be changing and I would take the test in late Spring after I finish Orgo 2.

 

[nystin]

Thanks for the support! How is your studying going?

Its going. I am trying to finish all of my Kaplan stuff and then doing my first AAMC. Thanks...just exhausted. Emotionally am drained ...

 

[GCSDOC]

I do agree it is a risk though @GCSDOC - in a ideal world the MCAT wouldn't be changing and I would take the test in late Spring after I finish Orgo 2.

you will be fine though especially based on your baseline numbers. I def agree with you rather take this than the uncertainty associated with the new mcat

 

[GCSDOC]

Its going. I am trying to finish all of my Kaplan stuff and then doing my first AAMC. Thanks...just exhausted. Emotionally am drained ...

just don't burn out, pace yourself! we only have one shot at this old exam!