The Official January 13, 2015 MCAT Thread

[kinipela]

Who will be joining me on this day?

112 days left!

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[MyNameStitch]

Took AAMC 9 this morning. A little concerned about how my total score is always around the same but my section scores vary. That dip in verbal is not comforting.

AAMC 7 10 10 10 30
AAMC 11 11 11 10 32
AAMC5 13 9 11 33
AAMC10 12 7 13 32
AAMC9 12 11 10 32

 

[cjfarrell21]

So I took my last practice test today, AAMC 7 (it was my last AAMC left) and I hit 10/6/11. Not sure what happened since I've been hitting 8/9s for the most part in verbal. Anyone have any advice for verbal confidence/techniques that can be utilized in 2 days?

 

[Silence in ER]

wow, I read the other forum for january 10th, I'm kind of terrified. The PS was apparently hard. is anyone else super worried? I keep hoping we get hard BS or verbal or something that plays more to my strengths,

 

[MyNameStitch]

That is worrying but at this point psyching yourself out is going to do more harm than good. You can't help what the test will be like so do what you're doing, leave no stone unturned in your review and walk in there like you've got nothing to lose and everything to gain

 

[agoron]

Who's ready! I feel like I've done everything I can do at this point and I've been averaging ~34-35 on my AAMC practice exams, but I feel like I'm gonna get in there and be a dodo and mess it up or something. Good luck everyone!

 

[JulioJones]

wow, I read the other forum for january 10th, I'm kind of terrified. The PS was apparently hard. is anyone else super worried? I keep hoping we get hard BS or verbal or something that plays more to my strengths,

Having been a January 10th test taker, I looked at the January 8th forum and all the panic that occurred after that test. I was expecting something brutal today and was surprised to find it not much different than any other AAMC despite what some people are saying. Don't let what some people are saying worry you, be confident in your studying and you'll be fine.

 

[Silence in ER]

Having been a January 10th test taker, I looked at the January 8th forum and all the panic that occurred after that test. I was expecting something brutal today and was surprised to find it not much different than any other AAMC despite what some people are saying. Don't let what some people are saying worry you, be confident in your studying and you'll be fine.

thanks Jones, I really needed to hear that.

Sometimes sdn freaks me out, you know. It's like everyone has 36 or 37 mcats and are going to special postbac programs for their 3.5 gpas. It makes me feel worried and a bit inadequate. haha.


Anyway AAMC 11 on Sunday and then I'm closing up shop.

Hopefully it all works out for all of us!

 

[CardioEnthusio15]

Who else is excited to take this test?

 

[typoncho]

I'm excited to be done with it. And to start a campfire with my studying material in the freezing cold, kick back with some bourbon, and empty my mind for a few days in the outdoors.

 

[cjfarrell21]

I'm excited to be done with it. And to start a campfire with my studying material in the freezing cold, kick back with some bourbon, and empty my mind for a few days in the outdoors.

This haha we've all put in the time and effort. None of us want to take that 2015 bad boy. Might as well bite the bullet, give it our all, score it and see what happens!

 

[Zaba]

So I took my last practice test today, AAMC 7 (it was my last AAMC left) and I hit 10/6/11. Not sure what happened since I've been hitting 8/9s for the most part in verbal. Anyone have any advice for verbal confidence/techniques that can be utilized in 2 days?

Hey! So I thought I would share this strategy with because it seems to be working for me and I'm hoping it's not a fluke. I also was getting 9/10 from Ek exams in the book and then I did my practice tests in the computer and my VR scores had fallen to the point of tears (aamc 10,9,8; score 4,4,3 respectively!!) in tears for a few days.

For some reason, I feel I read slower on the computer than I do on paper....so I end up panicking and not doing as well as could.

I read on this site someone who had similar issues and they posted someone this strategy -and well, I tried it bc at this point I was open to anything.
You have to keep a counter on a piece of paper for each passage 52,44,36 etc...the minute you hit the 52 mins move on to the next passage 2 - no matter if u finished your question or not...guess the question and mark it...u can come back to it at the end.
Keep going but make sure at the 8min mark u move on. At the end you have 4 mins to go to the hard passage you left and complete it aswell as maybe the 1 or 2 other questions u missed.

Anyways I tried it on aamc tests 5,7,11(took #11 this morning) and got VR scores 7,8, 10 (respectively)! I just hope I can keep it in that range...closer to 10 lol.

I hope this helps at all. It really helped me!! And I thought I would share.

 

[Mavs88]

Finished up my last FL, AAMC 11 for a 9/10/10 - 29.

I felt like the PS on FL 11 was brutal...anyone else felt this?

AAMC 3 -23
AAMC 4 - 28
AAMC 5 - 27
AAMC 7 - 27
AAMC 8 - 32
GS-1 - 27
AAMC 9 - 28
AAMC 10 - 31

Looks like my ceiling is 31/32 and the *fingers crossed* basement is 27, besides that AAMC 3 outlier.

Now, time to post game this...last look at formulas/cards tomorrow. It's all a mental game form here folks!

 

[Silence in ER]

PS/verbal/Bio
AAMC 5: 30 7/11/12
AAMC 7: 31 10/11/10
AAMC 8: 30 10/10/10
AAMC 9: 32 11/11/10
AAMC 10: 33 8/11/14
AAMC 11: 28 8/10/10


I feel pretty demoralized. These last 2 AAMCs, especially in the physical sciences have been pretty brutal for me. It's just like all the work I did just to come back to zero. depressing.

 

[MyNameStitch]

It won't come back to zero if you learn from your mistakes.

-From someone who's been getting beat up all day by TBR passages.

We're taking the exam anyway right? Might as well give it our best.

Edit: I'm sorry if I'm not doing as much good as I think I am in my replies. Just trying to keep everyone's morale as high as possible.

 

[Silence in ER]

tfw when you are considering moving your seat.

 

[beachlobsterswimsurf]

hey guys. what are you going to do tomorrow?
I have nothing to do lollll but study. dang!

 

[Zaba]

Finished up my last FL, AAMC 11 for a 9/10/10 - 29.

I felt like the PS on FL 11 was brutal...anyone else felt this?

AAMC 3 -23
AAMC 4 - 28
AAMC 5 - 27
AAMC 7 - 27
AAMC 8 - 32
GS-1 - 27
AAMC 9 - 28
AAMC 10 - 31

Looks like my ceiling is 31/32 and the *fingers crossed* basement is 27, besides that AAMC 3 outlier.

Now, time to post game this...last look at formulas/cards tomorrow. It's all a mental game form here folks!

Totally!! I did it this morning and felt super rushed! So many calculations! But I guess it's good practice considering everyone keeps saying the past few mcat exams on the 8th and 10th had a heavy calculation PS so I guess aamc 11 will help our mindset for Tuesday! Fun! Lol

 

[CardioEnthusio15]

hey guys. what are you going to do tomorrow?
I have nothing to do lollll but study. dang!

I am going to take AAMC 11 and then quickly review my notes. I am kicking my nuts right now for not practicing verbal enough- only started doing the passages within these past days. I was too focused on PS and BS, which I am confident in based on my practice scores. I am hoping to improve my verbal by tomorrow. Any hope? LOL
Average BS 12.5 (11-14), PS 12 (11-14), V 7 (6-8) WTF (without counting AAMC 3 which I got a 23)

 

[Zaba]

I am going to take AAMC 11 and then quickly review my notes. I am kicking my nuts right now for not practicing verbal enough- only started doing the passages within these past days. I was too focused on PS and BS, which I am confident in based on my practice scores. I am hoping to improve my verbal by tomorrow. Any hope? LOL
Average BS 12.5 (11-14), PS 12 (11-14), V 7 (6-8) WTF (without counting AAMC 3 which I got a 23)

Try what I posted earlier on this thread...it really worked out well for me....can't say enough good things about the person who had posted this strategy on one of these threads...really saved me!

 

[CardioEnthusio15]

Try what I posted earlier on this thread...it really worked out well for me....can't say enough good things about the person who had posted this strategy on one of these threads...really saved me!

Thanks! I sure will do. Hopefully it'll help. I have been trying to dissect and analyze the types of questions I missed and why. I have also tried different approaches to tackling verbal passages and they have been somewhat useful. Hopefully, I can sharpen those skills by tomorrow. GL everyone!

 

[Zaba]

Thanks! I sure will do. Hopefully it'll help. I have been trying to dissect and analyze the types of questions I missed and why. I have also tried different approaches to tackling verbal passages and they have been somewhat useful. Hopefully, I can sharpen those skills by tomorrow. GL everyone!

It's always a gamble at the end changing strategies but if whatever isn't working it's worth a try! Counting down the hours.....

 

[Mavs88]

Is everyone here taking the 8 am exam tomorrow?

 

[beachlobsterswimsurf]

Is everyone here taking the 8 am exam tomorrow?

yup!

 

[warrior209]

Good luck to everyone testing tomorrow! We should be proud of the efforts we all put in for this exam

 

[petyr_baelish]

Good luck everyone!

I'm taking the day off. I got up at 5, just cleaned my apt, read some inspirational expat blogs with coffee, and will go out shopping later. I will watch a couple of Sherlock episodes tonight and delight in Professor Moriarty's evilness. My first day of classes start today but I'm not attending.I never skip class but I need today to focus.

I'm almost certain I'll get a 24 on this exam but it's my first standardized test ever so I'll forgive myself. I've come a long way from that crippling fear of taking AAMC self-assessments back in September. Anyone else in the same boat? To think I was scared of those seems ridiculous now, but it took me months to get the courage to even buy them. I have problems, no doubt, lol.

See ya on the other side in T-26 hours.

 

[rolliespring]

Re-scheduled taker here. Now I just wanna get over this SOB and never take it again before the new one comes out
We can do this people! Just relax and we can beat this monster!

 

[MyNameStitch]

This thing has been weighing on me since the beginning of last summer. I haven't felt allowed to relax or forget about it since then so whether I get my AAMC average or not, I'm going to enjoy not feeling that weight on my chest.

 

[Mavs88]

This thing has been weighing on me since the beginning of last summer. I haven't felt allowed to relax or forget about it since then so whether I get my AAMC average or not, I'm going to enjoy not feeling that weight on my chest.

Exactly same here. It'll just be good to get this monkey off our backs and reclaim our lives lol

 

[Cawolf]

You think so......

Until the weight of waiting for your score is worse!

 

[Mavs88]

You think so......

Until the weight of waiting for your score is worse!

Right!? And we have to wait until February 18th according to AAMC, unlike you guys on Feb 10?

 

[Cawolf]

@Mavs88

Haha yah but I am just giving you 1/13er's a hard time. It is nice to be done with studying for the test.

It seems like our 1/10 date gets a better wait time because our scores are paired with 1/8, while you guys are paired with 1/15 so have to wait a little longer. That sucks.

 

[MyNameStitch]

May we be blessed such that our weaknesses are not emphasized on tomorrow's MCAT.

RIP me if there anything but the most basic electrochemistry and optics.

 

[MyNameStitch]

Just checking what I understand from the MCAT Essentials thing. All we need tomorrow is our ID right? In terms of getting into the testing center

 

[CardioEnthusio15]

I just finished AAMC 11 and I got 12 4 13. I don't know what to do now. Do more verbal passages or hoping for the best tomorrow since it is a bit late at this point.Like usual, I was having a hard time concentrating in verbal. If there were a verbal god, I hope he would be there next to me tomorrow. I am so praying for a hard BS or PS instead of a hard verbal tomorrow.

 

[Cawolf]

@CardioEnthusio15

Is that a consistent thing to score around a 4? That means you only got 15/40, just a little over guessing. ESL?

 

[neuroresearchguy23]

Hey everyone. It's been a while since I last posted here. I have a way of losing track of time on SDN.. But anyways. It's the night before the exam and I wanted everyone to know that we are not only going to destroy this h*llish beast of an exam but we are going to do it with confidence. The past few months of brutal hours of studying WILL pay off and we will be victorious tomorrow. The most important thing for us to do now is get the proper rest we need to be at our best tomorrow.

@CardioEnthusio15 I'm in no way a verbal god (average around 9's on verbal) but what helped me greatly in verbal was to not get hung up on details but rather understand the main idea and the transitions from one idea to the next. Imagine the author in front of you while your reading and try to picture his tone as he reads. After that, stick with your gut answer.

How's everyone's relaxing evening treating them?

 

[neuroresearchguy23]

Just checking what I understand from the MCAT Essentials thing. All we need tomorrow is our ID right? In terms of getting into the testing center

That's right. My Kaplan teacher told me to print out the confirmation email that aamc sent us and bring that too. I don't think it's necessary but I'm bringing it just in case.

 

[formerphoenix]

LETS CRUSH THIS THING

 

[Thoroughbred_Med]

Watching part of the game at 8:30, smoking some hookah and hanging with my roommates until about 10:00 and then it's lights out!

I'm so freaking ready for tomorrow morning. I have been preparing for 8 months. Time to put a nail in the MCAT coffin!

 

[CardioEnthusio15]

@nsharma23 Thank you for your advice.
@Cawolf I consistently scored above 6 on my practice exams for verbal but don't know why AAMC 11 got the best of me for that section.

I am not looking forward to tomorrow morning at all since I have to wake up at 4AM and leave my house by 4:30AM to ensure that I will be at the testing center on time since the testing center is about 2 hours away.

 

[neuroresearchguy23]

Oo wow. That's rough. I'm sorry for the travel. If someone is driving you at least you'll be able to review stuff in the car.

 

[CardioEnthusio15]

Oo wow. That's rough. I'm sorry for the travel. If someone is driving you at least you'll be able to review stuff in the car.

It's fine. I dont mind driving. I have the EK audiosmosis lectures accompanying me.

 

[neuroresearchguy23]

Hahah perfect.

 

[rolliespring]

I got a call from my test center earlier today asking if I could arrive at 7 instead of 7:30 due to the number of people that they need to check in. And I live pretty close (like 5-10min drive).
Guess everyone's just not ready for the new bad boy. In fact I just looked at 2015 preview guide again the new exam has like 260+ questions. Another good reason to do well on this one and forget about the MCAT.

 

[Silence in ER]

[QUOTE="How's everyone's relaxing evening treating them?[/QUOTE]

going over all of my flashcards. notes, previous exams etc.

trying to keep the knowledge in the front of my mind for the exam!

 

[agoron]

So since how the country does on each exam is taken into considering when scaling, I'm wondering if this curve will perhaps be a bit more generous? Since we're one of the last administrations before the 2015 MCAT, there may be a good number of folks taking this exam who really are not ready, and will pull the national average down, resulting in a more lenient curve. Is this possible? Or just wishful thinking.

 

[BobaBoba]

So since how the country does on each exam is taken into considering when scaling, I'm wondering if this curve will perhaps be a bit more generous? Since we're one of the last administrations before the 2015 MCAT, there may be a good number of folks taking this exam who really are not ready, and will pull the national average down, resulting in a more lenient curve. Is this possible? Or just wishful thinking.

I believe it's scaled from people who have taken the same questions in the past, not from the people from your exam date. AKA wishful thinking

 

[Zaba]

GOOD LICK EVERYONE!!! Hope we all do well!

 

[Mavs88]

Last time in before tomorrow...BEST OF LUCK TO EVERYONE...WE GOT THIS!!!!

 

[KungFuPanda123]

ugh, just read that i can bring my own foam noise canceling buds. going to go drive to CVS right now and pick up some so i don't risk anything. way to go me for reading the mcat reminder e-mail WAYYYYY in advance...