The Official January 13, 2015 MCAT Thread

[kinipela]

Who will be joining me on this day?

112 days left!

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[Silence in ER]

I just feel sad today...didn't know this exam would take such a toll on me

I feel sad too. just kind of down in the dumps. gloomy and all.

 

[warrior209]

Finally got a chance to get on here and describe my thoughts on the exam!

PS - unreal.... when I saw some of the passages, they were what I expect the new 2015 MCAT to look like, where its just these abstract or general concepts related to the basic sciences of gen chem and physics in some way. As someone who scores decently on this section on the practice tests, they were not representative of the real one yesterday. I dont think anything could prepare me for so much formula and unit manipulation.

VR - I thought it went incredibly well. The passages were very straightforward in structure and thesis, so I was able to really approach each passage with ease and answer the questions by typically looking back to the passage for a specific piece of information or easily grasp the general idea of the passage.

BS - Was decently easy, except for some of the organic chemistry questions. The orgo passages were ridiculously confusing and drawn out, but luckily the majority of the questions were basic organic chemistry that did not require too much of the passage information or inference. Bio passages were generally easy, but some of the free standing were a bit confusing to me..

 

[neuroresearchguy23]

Honestly I woke up this morning around like 9 in a panic because I thought I had to wake up and study. So I jumped out of bed, and was like oh wait! I already took my mcat! I got really happy.. And then I remember how hard it was and got really sad...

This roller coaster of emotions are not fun.

 

[Ailleurs]

Weird question but did anybody recall seeing the sources for any of the verbal passages? Just curious as to whether they appear on the actual exams as they appear on practice exams and I've been using them as a way to extract the main point of the passages!

 

[Thirteen1993]

Yes
The first one gave had the source there and it helped answer one of the questions!
Someone on the tips section in VS of sdn had posted about that !!

 

[MPHMD2014]

Or maybe have someone build more lanes on the highway

That was clever!

 

[becomedocordietryin]

Whats the best way to prep for the 2015 MCAT? What do you recommend for someone who has never taken Psychology/Sociology? How do I even start learning this stuff?

 

[Thoroughbred_Med]

After day drinking ALL DAY after the test yesterday, I am finally getting a chance to share my post-test thoughts!

I drank quite a bit of coffee and water on my way to the testing center and got stuck in traffic. I wish I there was a way to calculate optimal traffic flow so this would never happen, but whatever. When I sat down to take PS I was like, wow, holy fluids! ... lots of fluids running through me I have to pee...

PS: Veryyyyyy surprised to see one, supposedly, low-yield topic get tested in 3 different passages! That's just the thing though, you never know what is coming on these tests! Luckily, I think I was pretty well prepared for this topic by doing all of TBR's end of chapter questions on it. Genchem was a piece of cake. Discretes were weird but fair game I guess. Overall, it was a very weird PS section in terms of passages. Algebraic manipulation has always been a struggle for me. BUT, I do think I scored on the high side of my PS average so fingers crossed! I would guess 11-12.

VR: Not your standard VR passages in terms of topics... very descriptive, which I found interesting! Seriously, I have never had more focus during a VR section as I did on test day yesterday. I was like hyperfocussed... I felt like the author was right in front of me spilling out his passage and using hand motions. lol I don't know, I've never felt this good about verbal in all the tests I've taken. This probably doesn't mean much considering VR is my worst section, ranging from 6-9, 8 average.I would graciously estimate a 9-10 here!

BS: fair game. I was so happy to see the first passage, what a breeze. But as others said, you would go from easy to hard to easy to WTF, going through the BS section. That second to last experimental passage is the only one that I thought was "hard" just by looking at the passage but it really wasn't that bad! The orgo was NOT that bad. Sure, they had some intense structures that LOOKED intimidating but the questions were fairly easy if you know the basics! One orgo discrete I was like WTF? I used process of elimination and ended up getting the answer correct! One easyyyyyy bio discrete I missed tho... it was purely memorization. I would graciously estimate on the high end of my averages here, 11-13.


Also, I never got around to posting all of my FL score breakdowns before the test. Here is what I've had cooking since May! :

7/3/14 AAMC 3: 7/9/8 24
7/12/14 AAMC 7: 6/7/8 21
7/15/14 AAMC 10: 9/7/11 27
7/17/14 AAMC 4: 8/9/10 27
7/21/14 GS-1: 9/9/10 28
7/23/14 AAMC 5: 8/7/10 25
7/25/14 GS-2: 7/7/10 24
7/28/14 AAMC 9: 11/6/9 26
8/19/14 AAMC 11: 8/6/10 24

-------- My August 27th test date came around and I was like, nah. Cancelled. Studied all through the fall semester for Jan. 13th.

12/2/14 AAMC 3: 11/4/9 24* Felt really shtty scoring the same in Dec. as I did in July. WTF verbal.
12/6/14 AAMC 4: 12/9/11 32* felt amazing finally getting that 30+ after 8 months of studying!
12/17/14 AAMC 7: 10/9/12 31*
12/18/14 TBR-1: 8/9/11 28
12/21/14 GS-2: 9/10/12 31*
12/23/14 AAMC 10: 10/7/11 28*
12/29/14 TBR-2: 10/8/9 27
12/31/14 AAMC 9: 11/7/9 27*
1/3/15 TBR-3: 10/5/8 23
1/12/15 AAMC 8: 9/7/11 27

*retook

FL Averages: PS: 10 VR: 7.5 BS: 10.3

Like I said, I think I did the best on verbal I've ever done. I would be ecstatic to open up the score report and see double digits across: 10/10/10 !
Realistically though, I would guess a 11/9/12 optimistic

 

[neuroresearchguy23]

sitting in biochem right now, and I really wish I took this class before the mcat… I feel like it would've helped.

 

[cjfarrell21]

I'm taking the exam tomorrow (ahh!!) and I just wanted to pop in here and see if anyone could share any insight on how I can best prepare myself in the 24+ ish hours that I have left... do you all think content review would help any or are the exams so heavy on critical thinking that I should just focus on clearing and focusing my mind?

You're just going to psych yourself out more. I wouldn't do anything test related. Spend some time with friends relaxing and clearing your mind, do something fun and tire yourself out, eat a super healthy dinner and snack at night. Try to get some rest.
The key is to just relax. I did my best to make myself exhausted two days ago before the test and then I got the best sleep i got in like 4 months haha

 

[neuroresearchguy23]

I agree with the above post. Rest is the most important thing. Studying an extra day or half day won't do much, but getting a proper night's sleep and really relaxing so you can go into your exam focused and determined will make the most difference. Best of luck and remember, you've worked d**n hard these past few months. You're gonna do great. Be confident!

 

[coastalchic]

I'm such a lucky gal. Went to the Dr today when I arrived home. She said I have the flu, but waited too long for the Tamiflu to be effective, then as a bonus I have sinusitis and bronchitis.

 

[neuroresearchguy23]

Oh no! Feel better!!

 

[beachlobsterswimsurf]

I'm such a lucky gal. Went to the Dr today when I arrived home. She said I have the flu, but waited too long for the Tamiflu to be effective, then as a bonus I have sinusitis and bronchitis.

I was also sick, and couldn't sleep at all the day before the test. I cried a lot and had to remind myself "focus, focus!" Every min during the test.. I know how you feel.. Life is not fair.. I hope you feel better soon!!

 

[neuroresearchguy23]

So what's everyone doing during their month of h***.. I mean waiting?

 

[dylan707]

Overall, I thought the test was easier than AAMC 11 but in hindsight that was my worst scored practice exam (other than AAMC 3 which I am convinced was all due to nerves because I CRUSHED AAMC 4.

I was definitely nervous before the exam, but so was everyone else! They were fidgeting around and that gave me confidence because we were all in the same boat!

I think I was expecting the most hellacious test ever given how much people on this forum tend to psyche us out. The REAL MCAT is SO MUCH HARDER! Its just another test.

 

[Zaba]

Overall, I thought the test was easier than AAMC 11 but in hindsight that was my worst scored practice exam.

Did you not get stuck in traffic? How was that easier than the aamc 11? Aamc 11's discreets were so easy compared to this exam and the passages were typical mcat style passages....

 

[dylan707]

I'm not sure what I'm going to do for this next month, other than neurotic checking of SDN to see what other people have to say about their experience.

 

[dylan707]

Did you not get stuck in traffic? How was that easier than the aamc 11? Aamc 11's discreets were so easy compared to this exam and the passages were typical mcat style passages....

I'll agree with you about the discreets. Especially for the bio. I think "high yield topics" are a myth judging by the things that were tested. And traffic was not the worst... I didn't understand how to calculate one of the answers exactly but I didn't feel like it got me like AAMC 11

 

[MyNameStitch]

Already decided that if I don't get >30 on this MCAT then I'm going to take a gap year because no way am I studying for the MCAT 2015 this semester. The next month is me throwing myself into my schoolwork...

 

[MyNameStitch]

I'll agree with you about the discreets. Especially for the bio. I think "high yield topics" are a myth judging by the things that were tested. And traffic was not the worst... I didn't understand how to calculate one of the answers exactly but I didn't feel like it got me like AAMC 11

This exam made me realize high yield is such a joke. Kinda makes me wanna rip out those high yield sections in kaplan's prep books. Traffic tripped me up by about 15 minutes that morning.

Only got to the test center at 7:50

 

[Wannabedrgrey]

I thought it was difficult. I misread a lot of things I think. I didn't take the test with "traffic" i took the wax one. and i must say i thought verbal was the hardest section and ps was deceiving.

 

[dylan707]

Seriously! was it just me or did the AAMC practices have repetitive topics, lulling you to sleep like a baby with expectations of what people consider HIGH YIELD.

Did anybody else read examkrackers bio? that book is such a lier when it comes to "you don't need to know this" just know that it does this. I call bullhockey.

I think in regards to ochem and bio discretes, I relied more on my basic coursework than the hundreds of hours spent learning from review books.

 

[dylan707]

I thought it was difficult. I misread a lot of things I think. I didn't take the test with "traffic" i took the wax one. and i must say i thought verbal was the hardest section and ps was deceiving.

I'm happy to hear you thought verbal was tough... My thoughts exactly! I felt uncomfortable throughout that entire section and was left to some guesses more than I'm used to.

 

[LoveDoctor93]

This exam made me realize high yield is such a joke. Kinda makes me wanna rip out those high yield sections in kaplan's prep books. Traffic tripped me up by about 15 minutes that morning.

Only got to the test center at 7:50

Did you figure out how much each gallon of gas cost you? Because you know, being stuck takes all that gas out of your car. Lucky for all of us, gas prices have been dropping.

 

[Silence in ER]

Did you figure out how much each gallon of gas cost you? Because you know, being stuck takes all that gas out of your car. Lucky for all of us, gas prices have been dropping.

I was close, but there was a weird term in one of the answers and I couldn't figure out where the hell it came from.

 

[Zaba]

I'll agree with you about the discreets. Especially for the bio. I think "high yield topics" are a myth judging by the things that were tested. And traffic was not the worst... I didn't understand how to calculate one of the answers exactly but I didn't feel like it got me like AAMC 11

I'm thinking the passages were all kind of switched around. The verbal section I didn't find it too bad except for the long drawn science passages...made me think how much I don't care for aerodynamics lol.

 

[Silence in ER]

I'm thinking the passages were all kind of switched around. The verbal section I didn't find it too bad except for the long drawn science passages...made me think how much I don't care for aerodynamics lol.

yep.

That was what I found tricky, I think at the end of the day I guessed on one question on that passage and another on a very space based passage.
the answers were hidden in the passage, I think.

 

[dylan707]

yeah they weren't the easiest

 

[Zaba]

yep.

That was what I found tricky, I think at the end of the day I guessed on one question on that passage and another on a very space based passage.
the answers were hidden in the passage, I think.

yeah they weren't the easiest

Yup those 2 weren't "hard" but very time consuming searching for the answers...left them to the end and ended up guessing on one of them. Too bad I wasn't fast enough in completing it...PS took it's toll. Damn PS

 

[Zaba]

I never liked the science/tech passages- they are too technical to remember the details...for some reason I end up doing the best on the humanities based passages...even though I think I don't get them 100% they always end being the ones I get all right or close to it....go figure.

 

[dylan707]

I usually score lowest on humanities, even though they feel the easiest while I'm actually answering the questions... go figure

 

[Zaba]

I usually score lowest on humanities, even though they feel the easiest while I'm actually answering the questions... go figure

Lol. I hate when that happens on any passage...you think you got it and then you check your answers....and you definitely did not get it...100% all wrong....worst.feeling.ever.

 

[LoveDoctor93]

I can't stand it when I'm down to 2 answer choices by Poe and then I pick the less right one. Especially on verbal!

 

[Silence in ER]

I can't stand it when I'm down to 2 answer choices by Poe and then I pick the less right one. Especially on verbal!

I have a similar verbal problem. I got to the point where I finally said: ok, I'm happy enough with how I'm scoring so I'm not going to study verbal.

and I didn't.

Because I feel that the difference between a 10 and a 15 is kinda just luck.

it depends on my mood, how much i like the passage, what I ate, etc.. If I agree with the guy or person who is writing it etc.
I got this really cool passage on neuroaesthetics one time on an Mcat and I loved it.

I studied one in the AAMC reviews about dinosaurs and hated it. failed it completely.

 

[Mavs88]

As time has gone on...I seem to remember more of what I believe I did right..it's comforting I guess...ignorance is bliss though lol

 

[KungFuPanda123]

I was close, but there was a weird term in one of the answers and I couldn't figure out where the hell it came from.

I feel you 100%. I seriously wonder if I missed something important in the passage that related to that, but I totally scoured through that passage and found nothing

 

[turquoisegem]

In undergrad I read a lot in philosophy and politics so verbal has always been my best suit. But apparently philosophy wasn't even enough to curb the multiple yawns while on a lift towards the sky. Kept thinking of the Wright brothers for some reason....

 

[Silence in ER]

In undergrad I read a lot in philosophy and politics so verbal has always been my best suit. But apparently philosophy wasn't even enough to curb the multiple yawns while on a lift towards the sky. Kept thinking of the Wright brothers for some reason....

Yeah. that was a crazy question.

As time has gone on...I seem to remember more of what I believe I did right..it's comforting I guess...ignorance is bliss though lol

I feel the same way. I was so upset yesterday and for part of today and then I realized that 2 orgo chem passages mean like 14 orgo questions
. I already remembered 10 of the orgo ones, so even if I missed all of the rest, then that would be 7 questions plus the 4 bio questions I knew I missed. So that's a total of 11.

Which sucks, but hopefully I got some experimentals and got at least 2 of the 4 orgo chem questions left right. So perhaps that could still be ok.

At least that's how I "crazy rationalize" it to myself.

 

[agoron]

As time has gone on...I seem to remember more of what I believe I did right..it's comforting I guess...ignorance is bliss though lol

Oh man I'm the opposite. Ever since the test, I keep somehow thinking of more questions I probably got wrong, especially for PS. No use worrying since it's over, so I'll just try and forget and hope for the best!

 

[Thoroughbred_Med]

Is anyone really good with formula manipulations? Those always take a chunk of time for me to figure out

 

[Thirteen1993]

Spent four years of my life aiming to become a doctor. Had a major health problem and a psychiatric issue that popped up after years. Then the financial problems. Realized my parents and upbringing were the stem of everything and iv had to alienate myself from them. My four years of undergrad have been the hardest and I'm glad I'm graduating finally. Unfortunately my GPA took a toll and Yesterday's Mcat didn't go so well. My pre med counselor told me that there was no point even trying to apply to a DO just because my stats were just too low. It would be special masters program or trying something else.
I don't know where to go or what to do anymore. Yesterday's mcat left me more broken than ever. I guess I was hoping to get a great score and then applying this year. I don't know i about medicine anymore and life has just thrown too many curveballs at me. wish things like the Mcat were just straightforward and not trying to trick you. Always admired medicine for the integrity it's worth and now it's just a rat race to see who can get the better application.

Anyway, those are my two pence thoughts after not sleeping for another night...

 

[Mavs88]

Spent four years of my life aiming to become a doctor. Had a major health problem and a psychiatric issue that popped up after years. Then the financial problems. Realized my parents and upbringing were the stem of everything and iv had to alienate myself from them. My four years of undergrad have been the hardest and I'm glad I'm graduating finally. Unfortunately my GPA took a toll and Yesterday's Mcat didn't go so well. My pre med counselor told me that there was no point even trying to apply to a DO just because my stats were just too low. It would be special masters program or trying something else.
I don't know where to go or what to do anymore. Yesterday's mcat left me more broken than ever. I guess I was hoping to get a great score and then applying this year. I don't know i about medicine anymore and life has just thrown too many curveballs at me. wish things like the Mcat were just straightforward and not trying to trick you. Always admired medicine for the integrity it's worth and now it's just a rat race to see who can get the better application.

Anyway, those are my two pence thoughts after not sleeping for another night...

I'm not sure what your GPA is...but it's nowhere near over for you. You can retake classes, even at a CC. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Your story will take you really far. If you have to retake classes and the MCAT, that's just the path for you. You can do it!

 

[Silence in ER]

Spent four years of my life aiming to become a doctor. Had a major health problem and a psychiatric issue that popped up after years. Then the financial problems. Realized my parents and upbringing were the stem of everything and iv had to alienate myself from them. My four years of undergrad have been the hardest and I'm glad I'm graduating finally. Unfortunately my GPA took a toll and Yesterday's Mcat didn't go so well. My pre med counselor told me that there was no point even trying to apply to a DO just because my stats were just too low. It would be special masters program or trying something else.
I don't know where to go or what to do anymore. Yesterday's mcat left me more broken than ever. I guess I was hoping to get a great score and then applying this year. I don't know i about medicine anymore and life has just thrown too many curveballs at me. wish things like the Mcat were just straightforward and not trying to trick you. Always admired medicine for the integrity it's worth and now it's just a rat race to see who can get the better application.

Anyway, those are my two pence thoughts after not sleeping for another night...

I feel you. I keep looking at DO schools and I'm just like "I never thought that this might be my only option". Oh well, time to start working on 2015 I guess.

We cannot let those things hold us back from where we want to be. We're all still pretty young, nothing is unfixable. People have come back from worse, right?

 

[Thirteen1993]

I feel you. I keep looking at DO schools and I'm just like "I never thought that this might be my only option". Oh well, time to start working on 2015 I guess.

We cannot let those things hold us back from where we want to be. We're all still pretty young, nothing is unfixable. People have come back from worse, right?

This is my second time taking it. I just don't know anymore. Do I apply for a post bac and hope for the best or do I just get a job and postpone medical school to the future.

 

[Silence in ER]

This is my second time taking it. I just don't know anymore. Do I apply for a post bac and hope for the best or do I just get a job and postpone medical school to the future.

Me too. My first time I didn't take it seriously because I was and still am kind of immature ( ergo I'm taking a gap year).

I've decided that I'm going to start working on 2015 right now so that if I do badly I can just go and take the 2015 mcat.

Personally, I don't think you should do anything crazy until you get your score, so at least you know where you are. I would set plans in motion.

A: mcat less than 25, take a year off to work, focus on your health and strategize how to make things better
B: mcat more than 25 go try for SMP, work really hard and go DO.


Edit: sorry I see you already scored a 31. wait, why not just go do with that?

 

[LoveDoctor93]

Spent four years of my life aiming to become a doctor. Had a major health problem and a psychiatric issue that popped up after years. Then the financial problems. Realized my parents and upbringing were the stem of everything and iv had to alienate myself from them. My four years of undergrad have been the hardest and I'm glad I'm graduating finally. Unfortunately my GPA took a toll and Yesterday's Mcat didn't go so well. My pre med counselor told me that there was no point even trying to apply to a DO just because my stats were just too low. It would be special masters program or trying something else.
I don't know where to go or what to do anymore. Yesterday's mcat left me more broken than ever. I guess I was hoping to get a great score and then applying this year. I don't know i about medicine anymore and life has just thrown too many curveballs at me. wish things like the Mcat were just straightforward and not trying to trick you. Always admired medicine for the integrity it's worth and now it's just a rat race to see who can get the better application.

Anyway, those are my two pence thoughts after not sleeping for another night...

Your story really made me think. You got this, like don't even worry about it. The worst thing that could happen is you don't get in THIS year, which could most likely me this year as well. I remember when someone who was well along in his medical career was telling me that medicine has come a long way in the way it deals with apps. It used to be that they only looked at grades, if you didn't have the MCAT score and gpa they wanted, you're just simply not getting in no matter how great of an interviewee you are or what your story is. Our mcats are much harder I feel like, but our acceptance is not just based on that anymore. Now, it's like a cutthroat world in medicine to see who can have the "better" app, and it doesn't just end here, it is all throughout med school. As long as you keep yourself from getting sucked into it, all of us will become great doctors in whatever field we choose to go into. Take your personality with you into medicine, the good and the bad, it makes you human. I know some people who changed so much after they got into med school and the qualities that made them a great doctor initially had left them.

 

[cdyryky]

I feel you 100%. I seriously wonder if I missed something important in the passage that related to that, but I totally scoured through that passage and found nothing

Hahaha, I took the exam with this passage in August and one of the only things I remember from it now is just one term that was floating around in an expression. I had everything else figured out but didn't know where to put it. I finally figured it out like a week ago, though! ...Too bad we don't get 5 months to complete the PS section.....

 

[KungFuPanda123]

Hahaha, I took the exam with this passage in August and one of the only things I remember from it now is that one term. I had everything else figured out but didn't know where to put it. I finally figured it out like a week ago, though! ...Too bad we don't get 5 months to complete the PS section.....

Hmmmmmmm soooooo was it something in the passage? Or something I'm supposed to know from prior-knowledge? Or something I should've known by analysis of formulas/dimensional analysis...

(I don't think that this is going into too much specifics? I doubt anyone has any idea what we're talking about, considering that you have to do plenty of reading of passages/have prior-knowledge/analysis of formulas for any question on the MCAT

 

[WhiteCoat13]

I hate barometers!