**The Official July 2015 MCAT Thread**

[Medaholic Dr]

Hello Forum,
This is the official thread I've created for all the July test takers. I know its kinda early to start preparing for the July MCAT, but I know some who may have already begun the marathon since the new MCAT requires more than 3 months of study prep. Let's fill the thread with rich MCAT related discussions and be helpful to one another. The white coat down the lane is awaiting us ! Let's go....

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[eartwj]

My scores still have not come in yet..

 

[Yoncé]

I posted this under the official google docs compilation thread:

Kaplan:
FL1 : 124, 125, 126, 125, total = 500
FL2 : 127, 125, 127, 122, total = 501 (this used to be a 499, I guess kaplan redid their grading?)
Fl3: 128, 127, 124, 124, total=503

AAMCL
FL: 83%, 77%, 95%, 86% (found cars the easiest but was browsing facebook while doing cars, lol)
Official Guide Questions: 80%, 93%, 80%, 83%

Final: 128, 130, 128, 129, total 515
All of them are in order (ie CP, CARS, BB, PP). Confused as to how psych/soc went better than CP and BB since those are my stronger sections plus they seemed pretty easy on my test, while psych/soc was nuts. Good luck future takers!

Hey! This is really helpful. So did you check your Kaplan scores just now? Because I know that they definitely changed their scoring, but they also changed your previous scores to reflect the change. So if you go back and look at your Kaplan scores now they should be a little different from what you were initially scored/given.

 

[Yoncé]

I posted this under the official google docs compilation thread:

Kaplan:
FL1 : 124, 125, 126, 125, total = 500
FL2 : 127, 125, 127, 122, total = 501 (this used to be a 499, I guess kaplan redid their grading?)
Fl3: 128, 127, 124, 124, total=503

AAMCL
FL: 83%, 77%, 95%, 86% (found cars the easiest but was browsing facebook while doing cars, lol)
Official Guide Questions: 80%, 93%, 80%, 83%

Final: 128, 130, 128, 129, total 515
All of them are in order (ie CP, CARS, BB, PP). Confused as to how psych/soc went better than CP and BB since those are my stronger sections plus they seemed pretty easy on my test, while psych/soc was nuts. Good luck future takers!

Oh and congrats on your score! Pretty BA!

 

[peppertree]

Great job! What did you use to study for psych?? Khan??

I read TPR psych/soc book once and did half of the Khan Academy practice questions. I felt the practice questions were probably the most helpful since they give you a good idea of what kind of passages and questions you get asked. I've never taken a sociology or psych course and didn't spend a lot of time studying for this section (ironically I spent all my time studying PS and still blacked out on that), but I felt like a lot of the terms are common sense, and the passages are mostly reading comprehension where you decipher experimental passages. Memorizing the vocabulary is helpful because there were quite a few definition questions.

 

[Dr. Adamantium]

Can everyone please post their scores with their practice FL scores and AAMC FL scores? I see some of you have already posted in this way, thanks a lot for your help! Definitely helps to compare

 

[TrueWolverine]

I'm only applying DO but was definitely hoping for better than this....seriously disappointed.....

Overall: 501
C/P: 126
CAR:125
Bio: 123 (seriously want to throw up)
Psych: 127

I did not feel like the Bio section went well but certainly didn't think it went that bad....on the fence about a retake (realize I may have to but definitely don't want to). Open to advice.

AAMC FL Practice
C/P: 66%
CAR: 83%
Bio: 68%
Psych: 81%

 

[bassgod]

Didn't you say you had a blackout during CARS? Your score seems suspicious...everything is 132 but the one section you had a black out is 125? I would check with AAMC that your section was properly scored.

Yeah I did, I'm going to report it to them and see what I can do. Although, I really don't want them to invalidate my score, I really like it

I'm only applying DO but was definitely hoping for better than this....seriously disappointed.....

Overall: 501
C/P: 126
CAR:125
Bio: 123 (seriously want to throw up)
Psych: 127

I did not feel like the Bio section went well but certainly didn't think it went that bad....on the fence about a retake (realize I may have to but definitely don't want to). Open to advice.

AAMC FL Practice
C/P: 66%
CAR: 83%
Bio: 68%
Psych: 81%

Don't give up, man. 2 days before the real deal, I scored a straight ~70% on the official practice test. It's pretty disheartening, but you can't let it get in your way. I used Kaplan, and made flashcards for every important concept I could find. I used Anki to help me review, definitely check it out if you need a good flashcard program. Also, if you want my massive 1000 card deck, I'm more than happy to send it to you.

In my opinion, taking too long to study is just as bad as too little time. I studied for ~2 months and did well, and I was already beginning to forget things I had learned earlier. 3 months definitely sounds like the ideal amount of time to study for this test.

 

[Cavs19]

May 22 scores:
Chem Phys - 126 67%
CARS - 127 81%
Bio/Biochem - 125 54%
Psych/Soc - 127 75%
TOTAL - 505 68%

July 17 scores:
Chem Phys - 128 87%
CARS - 128 87%
Bio/Biochem - 127 77%
Psych/Soc - 130 97%
TOTAL - 513 89%

I've been a lurker on here and I just wanted to give some hope to those who didn't do well this time. Work hard and you can improve your scores on a retake.

 

[mk3255]

Hey, do you guys think that my CARS score will have a huge negative impact on my MD apps? Thanks in advance!

Overall: 512 (87th percentile)
C/P: 127
CAR:124
Bio: 130
Psych: 131

 

[mcat_taker]

Sorry more details for whoever needs to add more scores to the excel predictor etc. Please let me know if its ok to just post it here.

Prepped with TPR material.

AAMC FL: 68% overall: 49% C/P, 83% CARS, 61% B/B, 80% P/S two days before test.

TPR Course tests 1-5: 499, 499, 498, 503, 503

My 7/17 MCAT: Total score 500; 123/127/125/125

Everything was pretty consistent with my practice scores besides psych. Kinda shocked with the drop off cause I expected 126-128 on psych. Although I was told that TPR exams were harder so I'm a bit shocked I did worse or equal to my TPR overall.

 

[addictedbeauty]

Hey, do you guys think that my CARS score will have a huge negative impact on my MD apps? Thanks in advance!

Overall: 512 (87th percentile)
C/P: 127
CAR:124
Bio: 130
Psych: 131

I wouldn't worry. You need to go and celebrate! Your job is done

 

[gothedistance29]

Practice FL score
PC 87%
CARS 86%
Bio 89%
PsySoc 85%

Actual score
PC 129
CARS 126 (nowhere near what I was expecting)
Bio 130
PsySoc 129
Total =514 (91 ish)

I was hoping for a much stronger showing with the MCAT considering that my GPA is only 3.52 (with 2 F on 2 bio classes during senior year) and I have been working for a pharmaceutical company in California for the past 5 years. Well, I am kind of upset, especially at the CARS. But life goes on and I need to apply to more DO schools just in case.

Good luck to everyone on this cycle.

 

[phosphoenol]

.

 

[phosphoenol]

Practice FL score
PC 87%
CARS 86%
Bio 89%
PsySoc 85%

Actual score
PC 129
CARS 126 (nowhere near what I was expecting)
Bio 130
PsySoc 129
Total =514 (91 ish)

I was hoping for a much stronger showing with the MCAT considering that my GPA is only 3.52 (with 2 F on 2 bio classes during senior year) and I have been working for a pharmaceutical company in California for the past 5 years. Well, I am kind of upset, especially at the CARS. But life goes on and I need to apply to more DO schools just in case.

Good luck to everyone on this cycle.

I really wouldn't be disappointed with a 514, irregardless of gpa.

 

[mr.mkitty]

On my way back from getting my wisdom tooth yanked out, I stopped and picked up my prescribed hydrocodone in order to prepare myself.
When I finally logged in, it mustve taken me at least 2 minutes to click the "view scores" link.
Total: 517 (96th percentile)
P/C: 128
CARs: 128
BIO: 131
Psych: 130

Overall I could not have been happier with my score. I feel like it's balanced enough, and am hoping that my 3.78 gpa and numerous ECs will be enough to get me some interviews.

Just another tid-bit.. Examkrackers was phenomenal. They were my main source for studying and practice exams. I used their 1001 question books, their audio osmosis, and all of the practice exams. I did try TPR and Next Step, but I though EK was the best.

 

[SuperSaiyan MD]

oh well...

C/P: 129 ( I had absolutely no doubt when I left the test that this would be my worst section. WTF!!!)
CARS: 126
BIO/BC: 127
Psych: 126
Overall: 508 (77%)

 

[phosphoenol]

oh well...

C/P: 129 ( I had absolutely no doubt when I left the test that this would be my worst section. WTF!!!)
CARS: 126
BIO/BC: 127
Psych: 126
Overall: 508 (77%)

A 508 is the new 30. Congrats!

 

[LeatherLove]

oh well...

C/P: 129 ( I had absolutely no doubt when I left the test that this would be my worst section. WTF!!!)
CARS: 126
BIO/BC: 127
Psych: 126
Overall: 508 (77%)

My exact reaction to my score, which is the same as yours lol *cries type A tears*

 

[DreamingAbout_Poo]

Canadian applicant applying to the states:
cGPA 3.78
various ECs, research (no publications, yet), and clinical experiences
MSc GPA 3.9
MCAT score: C/P 132, CARS 126, BIO 129, Psych 129 - Overall: 516 (95%) < couldn't be happier with my score really.
Studying for MCAT: Princeton Psych was on point (AVOID Kaplan), used princeton for everything else and was good (Kaplan was good for verbal as well)

As a Canadian applicant, what's my shot at US MD schools and which ones? Any sort of advice or comment would be appreciated

 

[protego]

For as easy as it is to hate on Kaplan... their materials are just about the only resource that I used to study outside of official AAMC materials. No, their questions and passages are not representative of the test in terms of difficulty. They have much lengthier, convoluted and complicated questions. However after dealing with that through all of my studying it really did make the questions on test day feel like they could have been worse.

 

[SuperSaiyan MD]

A 508 is the new 30. Congrats!

My exact reaction to my score, which is the same as yours lol *cries type A tears*

Thanks for the support Phosphoenol (you did OUTSTANDING by the way, congratulations!!!). We got this LeatherLove. Converting it to the old score is not convert accurate considering that it is 56 pts instead of 45 (thus people would be more spread out). Even with percentiles, they do not cover the ranges correctly. I am just happy we made it this far.

Thanks to everyone on this forum. We were afraid, cried, and laughed together. And soon, we will achieve our dreams to serve others

 

[studentdocftw]

I felt Kaplan prepared me well for the sciences...verbal..I feel is somewhat of an inherent skill. I will say Kaplan wasn't particularly helpful for the P/S...but that's just me.

 

[striker55]

Okayokay sounding like everyone here but I am so conflicted as to how to feel about my score right now and need to know if my CP will kill my app and if I should plan to retake:

515
CP 124
CARS 131
Bio 128
Psych 132

Like damn. I expected to get at least a 125-126 on that CP section I'm not sure what happened. And now I'm really worried because I didn't even hit 125 on that section.

Edit: for people who are curious, my AAMC FL scores were 59%/85%/68%/76% (I finished the psych section under 30 minutes because I need to pee).

I hate my life, I also got 85% on the FL CARS but got 124 on CARS ): ):

 

[studentdocftw]

For those interested, 514: 131/126/130/127 AAMC Fl: 81/83/86/80 CP/CARS/BC/PS

 

[malamia]

for the excel predictor thing! which was off for me..

AAMC FL: 56/79/85/69: 72%
MCAT: 124/126/128/125(ouch): 503

 

[colbora]

More info now that I've calmed down!
I prepped with purely Kaplan materials and official AAMC materials. I literally only did one practice test, the AAMC full length and I did not do it in one sitting. I had just come out of a year long physics course, a biochem course and a physiology course. I'm also a psychology major.
AAMC Full length: 76/75/75/81
MCAT: 511: 128/125/128/130

Now I'm just kicking myself for not doing more practice, because I feel like I could have aced it with more full length test practice and CARS practice.
Oh well, still happy with my score and I didn't kill myself this summer with studying. Healthy balance kept me sane!

 

[jkh9914]

So I somehow pulled off a 526. 132 on C/P, 132 on Psych/Soc, 131 on Bio/Biochem, and 131 on CARS.

I probably did around 12-13 practice tests in the two weeks leading up to the exam. I used kaplan materials to study and I felt like it obviously worked out. I saved the AAMC material for last and I scored mid 90's on all of that after using the Kaplan material. However, my Kaplan FLs did not track at all with my MCAT score, the highest I got was a 509. I felt like Kaplan FLs were too hard but are a good way to keep yourself honest with your study habits.

For those taking the Kaplan online self-paced course, DONT get discouraged by results of the Kaplan PBQs. Those questions were terrible and I would get like 50% on some of the passages. Kaplan if anything goes into too much depth but I guess it worked out for me.

I studied for 5 weeks starting in June. I took the Kaplan diagnostic in March and got a 496.

 

[wonder12]

.

 

[studentdoctor619]

Is a 508 competitive to MD schools with a 3.6 GPA / will a 124 on CARS force me to retake? undergrad at an ivy league

 

[ChillWaveDaze]

.

 

[peppertree]

I hate my life, I also got 85% on the FL CARS but got 124 on CARS ): ):

Honestly I have no idea how that happened. I ran out of time on CARS and began guessing, and I had marked about half the questions as maybes because I feel like these questions were so ambiguous compared to the FL AAMC. I walked out thinking I got 128 best on that. Don't feel bad because I feel like the July CARS was more luck than any actual skill.

 

[tenblackalps]

129/130/131/130
520 total!

Guess my tennis fist pump method payed off Seriously though although I was confident I am somewhat taken aback with my score. I felt good leaving the test but not that good. My prep started in May and consisted of reading every Kaplan chapter and doing every question in the 7 book set, then setting up quizlets consisting of every important term. Then after that I set up a quizlet schedule to memorize terms and review things everyday so I would not forget. I did a lot of Khan Academy passages and watched videos anytime I missed a Kaplan/Khan question, then kept a journal where I wrote down explanations and diagrams for every question I missed and read it everyday. I also made post it notes of all the physics equations and hung them around my apartment where I would see them everyday. Everyday I also wrote out the full set of physics equations from Kaplan from memory. Then the last month I spent doing and thoroughly reviewing 7.5 practice exams with real timing (3 kaplan, 3 tpr from purchasing psych book, 1 official, 0.5 from official guide) and going through all the mcat question packs. Thankfully it is all over especially the wait! Overall I would estimate 500+ hours total prep which is a lot for 10 weeks.

My best kaplan/tpr score was 506 the week of the test and I averaged 83% on the official test about 2.5 weeks out.

 

[pearls_and_propofol]

Honestly I have no idea how that happened. I ran out of time on CARS and began guessing, and I had marked about half the questions as maybes because I feel like these questions were so ambiguous compared to the FL AAMC. I walked out thinking I got 128 best on that. Don't feel bad because I feel like the July CARS was more luck than any actual skill.

Same. On the AAMC practice exam, CARS was my best section with a solid 85%. Can't believe I managed to mess up so badly and get a 44% on the actual thing I felt confident about it, too!

 

[striker55]

I'm thinking of getting my MCAT re scored because I am so sure I couldn't have done so bad on CARS especially since I felt so confident afterwards, anyone have experiences about re scoring?

 

[mcat_taker]

What do you think happened with the Psych? Lots of terms you never seen before?

I studied using TPR for everything and thought TPR did a good job with psych. Not really sure what happened because I didn't think the section was that much more difficult than TPR. To be honest the fact that I only finished psych with 2 minutes to spare probably hurt me a bit because when I have more time (I usually have like 10-15 minutes extra) I tend to go back and change a lot of answers in psych and since I wasn't able to do that it probably hurt me. I usually did the same on verbal and psych, altho I'm pleased I got a 127 on verbal because it looks like a lot of people got screwed up by that section for some reason on this test.

 

[mcat_taker]

Woof, 496. Womp womp. Think I'll get into a carribean with that?

I have no idea what the top carib schools want on the new MCAT.

 

[scienceforlyfe]

P/S 131
CARS 129
Bio 128
Psych 130
Total 518

I didn't expect to score this high given how I felt after the exam (good about P/S, unsure about CARS, terrible about Bio and Psych). I used EK materials almost exclusively with the exception of skimming the Glossary section of the TPR Psych book at the every end. Studied ~4-5 hrs/day, 4-5 days/week for ~10 weeks. I mostly just read the chapters and took notes along the way. 2-3 weeks before the exam, I had gone through all the books (didn't get to finish all the 30-min exams though) and started reviewing my notes. During that review period, I finished most of the AAMC question packs, took 3 FL's in the order of the AAMC sample test (73%/89%/78%/71%), 1 from TPR, and 1 from EK (scored ~70-ish % in most sections). I wished I had taken more FL's and done more practice problems, but in the end, I am content with my score.

 

[Hansel123]

Hey guys, I took the test August 5th and have scores coming back in a couple weeks. What time of day did they release your scores? I don't want to be refreshing the page all day long (even though I probably will anyway, lol).

 

[ImmaDocNowHuh]

^around 3pm EST, which seems to be the standard thus far.

I feel like Elle Woods. I got the scores while waiting around [cough-obsessively refreshing twitter-cough] in the cafeteria at work and had to go run outside and jump around like a lunatic.

127/131/131/131 - 520

For reference, my last kaplan FL was 127/128/127/128 - 510, and AAMC was 85%/96%/75%/90%.

I can get rid of all my MCAT books! I've been keeping some of them in the fridge because I don't have more shelf space.

 

[swolestsurgeon]

P/S 129 (93%)
CARS 125 (58%)
Bio 130 (97%)
Psych/Soc 126 (66%)
Total: 510 (83%)

Could not be happier right now. I got a 2 on the old mcat for the verbal section and this goes to show I am not a neanderthal. I scored a 504 on AAMC fl and averaged a 503 on the EKs. I highly recommend the EKs FL because of their difficulty, it made the real thing seem like nothing.

 

[studentdocftw]

^around 3pm EST, which seems to be the standard thus far.

I feel like Elle Woods. I got the scores while waiting around [cough-obsessively refreshing twitter-cough] in the cafeteria at work and had to go run outside and jump around like a lunatic.

127/131/131/131 - 520

For reference, my last kaplan FL was 127/128/127/128 - 510, and AAMC was 85%/96%/75%/90%.

I can get rid of all my MCAT books! I've been keeping some of them in the fridge because I don't have more shelf space.

That 131 in CARS...impressive to say the least. Just a measly ol' 514er here

 

[ImmaDocNowHuh]

That 131 in CARS...impressive to say the least. Just a measly ol' 514er here

I'm a non-trad and was raised as a humanities/social science kid, so verbal has always been my thing on standardized tests (I didn't even study for CARS beyond just doing the practice tests). I'm just glad I managed the CP 127, I'm typically atrocious at gen chem and physics, and can barely do addition without a calculator. But a 514 isn't measly! That's a really solid score, you're going to have a good application

It's going to be good, everyone! Whether you did as well as you wanted now or are going to come back and kick ass next year, it will be okay. And probably, ten years from now, totally awesome.

 

[suednym]

Finally checked after sweating it out all day. Better than I expected given that I happened to wake up sick on exam day but overall could be worse

C/P - 126 (yep. this section pretty much screwed me up i was expecting more biochem and it was more tradition PS)
CARS - 127 (i have to say im a little disappointed as this has always been my best score. I got a 91% on my AAMC FL)
Bio - 128
Psych - 128

Total: 509

From reading this thread it seems like this is about a 30-31, is that about right? I hope so because I don't know when I would have time to retake

Do you guys think the Chem/Phys will keep me out of the game? It's dragging down my other scores

 

[SerenaStrife]

So I took the test 7/17 and my scores are:

C/P 123
CARS 124
B/B 121
PsySoc 122
Overall 490

I am feeling really discouraged about my score and now I'm wondering if any school will accept me. I only applied to DO schools and I have research, volunteering, a letter from a DO,. However, I also don't have in-state residency anywhere. Can anyone tell what my chances are? Retaking the test in September isn't a good option for me as I feel I would not have time to study/practice in that short time frame and I would probably do the same or worse.

 

[sandyman237]

I took the test on 7/17 and these were my scores:
C/P: 130 (97th percentile)
CARS: 125 (58th percentile)
Bio: 131 (99th percentile)
Psych: 127 (75th percentile)
Overall: 513 (89th percentile)

AAMC FL: P/C: 81% CARS:89% Bio: 80% Psych: 78%

A little disappointed on the CARS section, but overall I'm extremely happy with my score. The AAMC FL CARS section is not very representative of the real thing. The actual MCAT CARS section was much harder! You need to know that CARS was something I had been struggling with and the AAMC test gave me a false sense of security in that section. The rest of the sections were pretty similar. I studied with the Kaplan 7- book set for everything except psych and CARS. For psych I used TPR supplemented with a great deal of Khan Academy passages. For CARS, I used the Q-packs and some TPR passages. Just glad it's over.

Good luck future test takers!

 

[Minions2015]

So I took the test 7/17 and my scores are:

C/P 123
CARS 124
B/B 121
PsySoc 122
Overall 490

I am feeling really discouraged about my score and now I'm wondering if any school will accept me. I only applied to DO schools and I have research, volunteering, a letter from a DO,. However, I also don't have in-state residency anywhere. Can anyone tell what my chances are? Retaking the test in September isn't a good option for me as I feel I would not have time to study/practice in that short time frame and I would probably do the same or worse.

How did you do on your AAMC practice FL?

 

[24msp]

Hey guys, I took the test August 5th and have scores coming back in a couple weeks. What time of day did they release your scores? I don't want to be refreshing the page all day long (even though I probably will anyway, lol).

I got my scores back at 2 pm pacific time. AAMC says results should be up by 5 pm (eastern time) on date listed.

 

[eartwj]

Anyone else besides me haven't received their scores yet??

 

[Bruskie_77]

Anyone else besides me haven't received their scores yet??

Have you emailed the AAMC?

 

[eartwj]

Have you emailed the AAMC?

I did report a problem. I'm just scared I won't get it then back and I went through all this for nothing...