The Official January 23, 2015 MCAT Thread

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cjcarter

cjcarter

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Figured I'd start a thread for the last ever test day of the current MCAT. I'm dreading studying but I should probably start soon. Who else is taking this day?
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kakashi1 said:
i am having a hard time getting practice with those 'lab/this affects this and this' bio questions. Is there some general way you guys figure those out? like i need a method...
Click to expand...

Some tips that help me on Bio experimental passages:

  • Look for trends right away; if it's a table, see how increasing one variable effects the other variable(s). Always compare back to the control.

  • If interpreting a graph, look at the slope--most of the time you'll see; linear increase, exponential increase, linear decrease, or exponential decrease. Understand what each type of function means.

  • If there are multiple functions shown on the same graph, they will usually have the same shape but differ in their slope. Understand how to compare the functions. Example: if you see two increasing linear functions A & B, the one with a steeper slope is more affected by the same change in the x axis. You get more "rise" per every "run."

  • If interpreting a graph, always check the x and y intercepts, where y or x is equal to 0 at any point in the function. This will usually reveal something insightful.

  • If interpreting a graph write down the slope and reduce the units. Example on a velocity vs time graph: y = velocity and x = time... Write the actual slope formula (y/x = velocity/time). Go even further to write units: [(m/s)/s] and go even further to simplify which becomes [m/s^2]. Bingo, the slope is actually the acceleration in a velocity vs time graph. Slope units will usually provide insightful information.

  • Know what area under curve (AUC) means. Basically multiply the y axis by the x axis to figure out what AUC is measuring. Using the previous case (y*x = velocity*time = (m/s)*s = m). Thus, AUC is measuring the displacement. The AUC units will usually provide insightful information.

  • Practice!

I used physics examples because they are easy to learn from but the same principles can be applied to Bio experimental passages.
 
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hiphopcrates said:
How many hours have you guys studied so far? Think I'm only at about 60...
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I dunno, I kinda wish I'd been keeping track. I've read and taken notes on all 38 TBR chapters, probably an average of 3 hours a chapter, so that'd be 114. And then probably another 15ish of verbal and passages. That's a pretty rough estimate though and I really don't feel very far along. Ugh is it January 24 yet?
 
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I'm around that too^

I'll be done all TBR readings and 1/3rd of the passages in a few days. I'm still unsure how I'm going to structure my studying beyond that point. I want to purchase more CBT's besides AAMC's but TPR requires you to buy the entire course and TBR has some weird rules with their CBT's.
 
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Odi said:
I'm around that too^

I'll be done all TBR readings and 1/3rd of the passages in a few days. I'm still unsure how I'm going to structure my studying beyond that point. I want to purchase more CBT's besides AAMC's but TPR requires you to buy the entire course and TBR has some weird rules with their CBT's.
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Yeah, I'm a bit confused by the TBR too – it seems like if I buy 1-3 and then want more, I'd have to buy 1-3 again... Anyone have any insight?
 
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TheRhymenocerous said:
Yeah, I'm a bit confused by the TBR too – it seems like if I buy 1-3 and then want more, I'd have to buy 1-3 again... Anyone have any insight?
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I just noticed that. I'll probably end up buying all of them anyways. Along with TPR if they actually give you their CBT's with purchase of their books.

The perks of being a non trad... I'm not broke anymore :laugh:
 
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The regular Princeton review books - each one comes with access to an online practice test.

MCAT elite comes with a
Couple. And so does cracking the MCAT.

These aren't hyper learning books. Just standard Princeton review.
If u have those books, look on the inside of the book cover or full through a few pages. You'll see the website to activate your tests.
 
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"Cracking" comes with 3. Elite comes with 2. Each [subject] "review" book comes with 2 (not sure if each has its
Own or if those 2 Tests are the same for all the "review" books.
 
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Is two months enough time to study for this? Not getting any love from MD/DO this cycle with a low gpa (3.0) and balanced 31, thinking about retaking... I signed up for a January 23rd date way back when, just in case.
 
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I was called into work today when I had originally planned a marathon of studying.

I started showing frustration at work and really complaining to my colleagues about how "I need to be home studying right now" and how "I can't afford to be wasting any crucial time" and how "ridiculous this is"... This goes on for a while.

One of them finally asks: So when is your test?



Me: In 2 months........

I looked like such an idiot to them :smack: lol
 
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Man, self assessments are rough. It's just so much of one topic...my performance declines pretty significantly by the end. Never thought I'd be looking forward to real full-lengths, but I think I am after these.
 
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Does anyone have a recommendation for updated 2015 books?
I was considering buying a everything EK has ( their whole set for 280$) and then all of the 1001 practice problem books, and then taking a review class from TPR 1 month prior to taking the exam (I'm taking the June 19 MCAT).
 
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TheRhymenocerous said:
Man, self assessments are rough. It's just so much of one topic...my performance declines pretty significantly by the end. Never thought I'd be looking forward to real full-lengths, but I think I am after these.
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Was this your first encounter with real AAMC passages?
 
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Odi said:
Was this your first encounter with real AAMC passages?
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Yep. I'd been avoiding them because I was afraid of doing badly and getting discouraged, but they really weren't that bad and ended up being kind of a confidence boost. Would definitely recommend taking the SAs sooner rather than later - really helpful in determining what to focus on and what not to waste time on.
 
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TheRhymenocerous said:
Yep. I'd been avoiding them because I was afraid of doing badly and getting discouraged, but they really weren't that bad and ended up being kind of a confidence boost. Would definitely recommend taking the SAs sooner rather than later - really helpful in determining what to focus on and what not to waste time on.
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Yeah they're really not too bad once you've become accustomed to TBR's passages.
 
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if anyone who held a spot for this date just to be safe, and is now dropping it, please please message me, ill take it. thank you very much !!
 
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I'd really recommend checking out the Khan Academy MCAT section if any of you haven't! They have a bunch of practice passages and the bio ones especially are helpful since they're geared toward the new MCAT and are therefore largely experimental.
 
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flgators2 said:
If anyone is dropping a January seat please let me know!
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There are open seats in Guam and Canada. Good luck!

...this isn't meant for you but there is kind of unnecessary fear mongering about the new MCAT among pre-med societies and frankly advisors all cross the nation that is increasing the demand to take the current MCAT. The changes are necessary. Plus, biochemistry is a great addition to the MCAT. That is one of my favorite upper level biology courses and it teaches you how to think critically about metabolic pathways. I digress. Best wishes!
 
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How's it going, amigos?

I took AAMC 3 yesterday and got a 32 (10/12/10). I guess it's not a bad starting point, but it felt pretty easy so I really thought I'd do better. I made the absolute dumbest mistakes, which on one hand is reassuring because there aren't huge gaps in my content, but it's also scary because how do you prevent yourself from being a ***** when the real thing comes around?
 
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Hey guys! I legit looked up this thread because I was curious to see how the last ever current MCAT exam takers are handling the pressure! Hope all is well, and the best of luck to you! Let me know if you guys need any help with anything at all :)
 
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Aspringphysician808 said:
There are open seats in Guam and Canada. Good luck!

...this isn't meant for you but there is kind of unnecessary fear mongering about the new MCAT among pre-med societies and frankly advisors all cross the nation that is increasing the demand to take the current MCAT. The changes are necessary. Plus, biochemistry is a great addition to the MCAT. That is one of my favorite upper level biology courses and it teaches you how to think critically about metabolic pathways. I digress. Best wishes!
Click to expand...


I completely agree with you! Way to think positively about the new exam :)
 
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TheRhymenocerous said:
How's it going, amigos?

I took AAMC 3 yesterday and got a 32 (10/12/10). I guess it's not a bad starting point, but it felt pretty easy so I really thought I'd do better. I made the absolute dumbest mistakes, which on one hand is reassuring because there aren't huge gaps in my content, but it's also scary because how do you prevent yourself from being a ***** when the real thing comes around?
Click to expand...

Nice. I took AAMC 3 & 4 last week but I had already taken them earlier this year so I'm not putting much weight on my scores for them. Significant improvement this time around though. I'll take AAMC 5 next week to see where I really stand.

How have you been structuring your studying since completing content? I'm all over the place but just doing passages and post gaming. My studying feels so random now.
 
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Odi said:
Nice. I took AAMC 3 & 4 last week but I had already taken them earlier this year so I'm not putting much weight on my scores for them. Significant improvement this time around though. I'll take AAMC 5 next week to see where I really stand.

How have you been structuring your studying since completing content? I'm all over the place but just doing passages and post gaming. My studying feels so random now.
Click to expand...
Well I haven't taken o chem 2 or physics 2, so since general content review I'd been focusing on getting up to speed on those topics so I didn't bomb my first practice test. I've actually done very few passages so far (mostly out of laziness/lack of structure) so now I need to crack down and actually practice. I think my game plan is a full length every three days, and on the off days do 4 or 5 sets of seven passages/52 questions and then reread TBR and read textbooks and stuff. We'll see if that works out!
 
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Anyone planning to take an earlier January date and dropping January 23rd in the South Florida area please private message me!!!
 
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Hey guys. I just cancelled for this test date so there should be an open seat for 1/23 in Joliet, IL. Good luck!
 
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If anybody is considering dropping their test date from Key West to Atlanta please message me first. Thank You
 
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Hey I have a question- Not finished with content review yet. Should I be taking full lengths? I was thinking of maybe taking one this week, but maybe the time would be better spent reviewing and doing practice passages. I have a bunch of TPR exams to use before going thru the AAMCs.
 
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Sisu00 said:
Hey I have a question- Not finished with content review yet. Should I be taking full lengths? I was thinking of maybe taking one this week, but maybe the time would be better spent reviewing and doing practice passages. I have a bunch of TPR exams to use before going thru the AAMCs.
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I still have some content I'm not totally confident in, but I just took AAMC 3 last weekend and even though I'm not close to my target score yet, it feels way better having a baseline! It really helped me refocus and get motivated. Also, AAMC 3 is apparently very different from the later ones so you could probably take that one soon for a more reliable benchmark than TPR without wasting a good practice test.
 
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Sisu00 said:
Hey I have a question- Not finished with content review yet. Should I be taking full lengths? I was thinking of maybe taking one this week, but maybe the time would be better spent reviewing and doing practice passages. I have a bunch of TPR exams to use before going thru the AAMCs.
Click to expand...

I think you should complete a couple of the earlier AAMC FL's. From what I've gathered, the most predictive AAMC tests of your actual score are going be the average of 9-11. The best thing to do IMO is expose yourself to a couple of the earlier tests early on and start using them as study material and not so much as diagnostics--unless you completely bomb them lol.

One thing you might notice after doing so much TBR/TPR is that AAMC questions "feel" easier, so you'll be lulled into a false sense of security and start making careless errors.
 
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Is there anyone interested in switching test sites with me? Mine is the 23rd in Iowa. I live in California and would like to save on cost of travel if at all possible. Thought I would check here. If so please text me at (714) 423-3895.
 
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Hey fellow studiers, I am extremely happy the semester is almost over so I can completely focus on this stuff.
But meanwhile just finished TPRH verbal exam 2 and got an 11. Not out of this world stellar but I am pleased! I consistently got 10s and 11s on EK V101 before switching to TPR and so far a 9 and 11 on the first 2 TPRH verbal exams. My goal for the real deal is a 10/11 so as of right now it feels good to be hitting that. Doing my first FL this friday after my finals are over and I am kind of nervous about it! I wanted to do it this weekend but I have 4 finals and I'm sure FLs are somewhat draining and I need to be productive studying my ochem ACS guide :dead:
Good luck to anyone else with finals this week!!! I hope both MCAT studying and finals studying goes well :happy:
 
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VERBAL VERBAL VERBAL :((( Hey fellow future docs. Im struggling with the verbal section. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

So I've read in TPR books to tackle the passages in a certain way i.e look for words & underline etc. But I also read on exam crackers not to do any of those, just read passages straight forward and answer questions.

I did both methods and results are contradicting. Im confused what to do and my score is not improving. I have about 1.5 months left till the exam. Can someone tell me what to do when I see a passage. For example what is the first thing I should do. Second I should do this. Third I should do this..etc? HEEELLLPPP PLEASE! :)
 
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Hi,

Would anyone be taking any January test slot in 2015 ie 8 January ,10 January , 15 or 23 January 2015 and willing to release it? I'm ONLY looking for test slots in Singapore, Malaysia or Thailand. Am willing to pay double the price.

Pls email directly to [email protected] as I will not be checking this thread often.

Much thanks in advance!
 
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