The Official July 25 2014 MCAT Thread

MCAT is Hard? Not with BeMo's 515 Score Guarantee.
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organicmingle

organicmingle

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Hello, everyone so I am just starting to study for the MCAT. I took it last year and got a 30. PS:VR:BIO were 9:11:10 I was really nervous during the PS section omg i could not think and i made a lot of easy mistakes omg. I am usually never nervous before an exam but this time I was trembling lol.
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for those of you who thought it was hard, I left the june 22nd test thinking I made a 5 in bio. I was literately guessing blindly on 30% of the questions, I ended up getting an 11 in that section which was my highest practice test in BS.
If you think it was hard, relax you will score your AAMC avg.
 
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PS was doable but it just took a lot longer than expected. I ended up just wildly guessing on 3.

VR i thought was fine.

BS is a beast. nuff said.
 
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Overall, could have been worse, though, right? Maybe? We'll see in a month....
BUT holy moly has PS become a different exam since the AAMC practice tests. So many calculations, such less chem. Felt okayish throughout most of PS but then reviewed with 3 mins left and realized I had marked quite a lot to go back to. oops.
And yes, that impossibly hard BS passage was ridiculous. And then my trial section looked the same as that passage and I straight up guessed on all of them. Glad to not be taking the MCAT 2015 :)
 
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What does everyone predict the cut off for a 10 in verbal will be?
The questions were worded to strangely, I'm hoping I didn't misinterpret some of them aghhh:(
 
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P.S was awful huuuuh, ran out of time and litterally guessed on 3 passages huuuh, B.S had a killer o chem passage with more than 10 questions????? huuuh and V.B i couldnt retrieved anything in the passages i felt like the questions were about a totally different passage huuuh i feel so screwed, drinking wine to mend the pain
 
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PS - challenging but definitely way easier than the April test

Verbal - passages were WAY longer than my previous test. Had to rush through 2 passages but I thought the subject matters were actually semi-interesting. Boring passages would have made it so much worse.

Bio - Pleasantly surprised. Not as bad as I thought it would be but definitely found a couple of the passages daunting. Happy there were only two orgo passages.. Had 3-4 in April

As a person who's been through this before.. my best piece of advice would be to enjoy these next 30 days to the fullest. Your scores are in and worrying about it won't change anything. Good luck to everyone!!!
 
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QueenJames said:
As far as equations go, what should we have memorized for the PS?
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know how to manipulate equations rather than just memorize them. but know the basics since its different for every exam. google search a list of mcat equations that you need to know. i think gold standard made a list that was helpful.
 
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Let's just say...I was not expecting that at all. It didn't make me want to break down like one of the later GS exams (in which I didn't finish...), but I definitely didn't walk out confident that I hit my average.
 
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VR has been and is my arch nemesis. If it wasn't for VR I would be consistently scoring 34-36 on practice tests. Well...today was diff.

PS: I usually average 11 AT THE VERY WORST. I feel like I bombed this section. Had to blindly guess on 3-4 questions and even left a question empty because I ran out of time. I usually finish the PS section with time to spare.

VR: Very doable VR. On at least 6 passages I knew at least what was going on.

BS: This was hard. Had some straight memorization stuff that I have been overlooking since I finished content review. I usually finish the section and have enough time left over to go over every marked question once over. Not this time. I used up all the time allotted.
 
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I haven't taken my MCAT yet, but I just watched the Prometric video for what to expect on test day (thanks for posting the link).

I was hoping someone who recently took the exam could respond to my concern:

It seems like it would take quite a few minutes to scan your finger in and out of every break. If there are multiple test takers taking breaks at similar times, it seems like it could take a while (?). On all my full length tests it gives me 10 minute breaks, but I'm worried on test day that's not a very long time if you're doing all this check in/out stuff, plus having to go open your locker, walk to the bathroom, etc. Does your test start the next section without you if you're stuck at the door waiting to sign back in and it's past 10 minutes??
 
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C5b6789 said:
I haven't taken my MCAT yet, but I just watched the Prometric video for what to expect on test day (thanks for posting the link).

I was hoping someone who recently took the exam could respond to my concern:

It seems like it would take quite a few minutes to scan your finger in and out of every break. If there are multiple test takers taking breaks at similar times, it seems like it could take a while (?). On all my full length tests it gives me 10 minute breaks, but I'm worried on test day that's not a very long time if you're doing all this check in/out stuff, plus having to go open your locker, walk to the bathroom, etc. Does your test start the next section without you if you're stuck at the door waiting to sign back in and it's past 10 minutes??
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Solution: don't take extremely long breaks. They also have to wand you, make you pull your pockets out, etc.

That being said, I'm pretty sure if your break times out, it'll sit at the "click next to start x section" screen, the one with no timer. I have no idea how long that stays up though. I wouldn't chance it. Just don't be slow, etc.
 
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C5b6789 said:
I haven't taken my MCAT yet, but I just watched the Prometric video for what to expect on test day (thanks for posting the link).

I was hoping someone who recently took the exam could respond to my concern:

It seems like it would take quite a few minutes to scan your finger in and out of every break. If there are multiple test takers taking breaks at similar times, it seems like it could take a while (?). On all my full length tests it gives me 10 minute breaks, but I'm worried on test day that's not a very long time if you're doing all this check in/out stuff, plus having to go open your locker, walk to the bathroom, etc. Does your test start the next section without you if you're stuck at the door waiting to sign back in and it's past 10 minutes??
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Your test does NOT start on its own, unless you yourself click the button that begins the next section. Breathe easy now?

HAVING said that, when you "check in" after a break the administrators do log your time in and time out, and if there is a long line-up ahead of you, that means even if you arrive at the check-in station, you might have to wait for the admin to finish checking in people ahead of you. So I would budget extra time just in case there are people ahead of you, as the admin people might record the "time in" which is longer than 10 minutes, and it'll get reported back to AAMC. I don't know what the possible ramification of that might be, but just be aware of it.
 
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lNVlNClBLE said:
Solution: don't take extremely long breaks. They also have to wand you, make you pull your pockets out, etc.

That being said, I'm pretty sure if your break times out, it'll sit at the "click next to start x section" screen, the one with no timer. I have no idea how long that stays up though. I wouldn't chance it. Just don't be slow, etc.
Click to expand...

osjx-82 said:
Your test does NOT start on its own, unless you yourself click the button that begins the next section. Breathe easy now?

HAVING said that, when you "check in" after a break the administrators do log your time in and time out, and if there is a long line-up ahead of you, that means even if you arrive at the check-in station, you might have to wait for the admin to finish checking in people ahead of you. So I would budget extra time just in case there are people ahead of you, as the admin people might record the "time in" which is longer than 10 minutes, and it'll get reported back to AAMC. I don't know what the possible ramification of that might be, but just be aware of it.
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Thank you both for the advice. I wasn't planning on dilly dallying, but I figured I would have enough time to use the bathroom and go to my locker during each break...now I'm not so sure if there's a long line of people. I'll try to practice my FL's with a shorter break instead.
 
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C5b6789 said:
Thank you both for the advice. I wasn't planning on dilly dallying, but I figured I would have enough time to use the bathroom and go to my locker during each break...now I'm not so sure if there's a long line of people. I'll try to practice my FL's with a shorter break instead.
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Definitely be aware of the timing during breaks, because checking in and out does take away a few minutes (especially because of the slow, stupid fingerprint reader), but don't sweat it too much. You will have time to go to the bathroom and visit your locker. Everyone (at least at my center) started the test at different times based on when they set you up at your computer and even though there were about 15 (i think?) MCAT takers there for my test, there was only ever one or two other people taking breaks at the same time as me - no long line!
 
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toastytoes said:
Definitely be aware of the timing during breaks, because checking in and out does take away a few minutes (especially because of the slow, stupid fingerprint reader), but don't sweat it too much. You will have time to go to the bathroom and visit your locker. Everyone (at least at my center) started the test at different times based on when they set you up at your computer and even though there were about 15 (i think?) MCAT takers there for my test, there was only ever one or two other people taking breaks at the same time as me - no long line!
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Yup same with me. I only ever had one person in front of me when I wanted to check-in. It was relatively stress-free!
 
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kabead said:
is anyone planning on retaking yet...?
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I would recommend waiting until you get your score back before registering for another exam. Usually people all leave a little unsure of themselves, but most of them end up doing just fine.
 
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Am I the only one who felt ok about verbal?

Coming of the hard PS section I just wanted to make sure I got my timing down on verbal since it was the reason I was retaking. I pushed through the passages, seemed to understand them and didn't think any of the questions were too abnormally difficult. Seeing all this negativity about verbal is kind of worry some, did I miss something? Maybe I just had different passages / questions than the people who said it was hard?
 
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PS was definitely a lot harder than I expected, but also perceived as pretty hard because of my nerves. I thought verbal was pretty easy and BS wasn't too bad. I thought the organic was pretty straightforward and there was that one bio passage and I know i missed a couple discretes, but other than that not too terrible. I'm just nervous of my PS score. it felt like nothing I had ever taken before
 
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thenEnd said:
Am I the only one who felt ok about verbal?

Coming of the hard PS section I just wanted to make sure I got my timing down on verbal since it was the reason I was retaking. I pushed through the passages, seemed to understand them and didn't think any of the questions were too abnormally difficult. Seeing all this negativity about verbal is kind of worry some, did I miss something? Maybe I just had different passages / questions than the people who said it was hard?
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No I agree with you! The passages were definitely on the longer side but I didn't find the section that difficult. I was only unsure about a couple (2-3 max) of questions which is normal in any passage. Maybe taking all of the Kaplan tests spoiled me? Regardless don't feel weird because you're not freaking out about verbal. Good luck!!!!
 
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alright glad to know I'm not alone.

any attempt at figuring out my score based on how I felt was way too variable during my practice anyway
 
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I think its safe to say that you will get around your aamc averages on verbal. I'm hoping for a 10 but will not be surprised by a 9.
 
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Can anyone assure me that the AAMC Practice FLs (and TBR passages) had helped with not only timing, but the topics and content or has the MCAT sort of evolved in preparation for next year's new version and the FLs are outdated as a result?
 
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PS: I got 12 in January and the G-chem was quite challenging but easy physics. I got 13 and 14 in the AAMC practice tests, usually have 10min left. During the test, I was aiming to get every question right, so I ran out of time in the end. TOO MUCH calculations! I had to rush the last passage which also had tons of calculations and the last a few free standing questions. Very disappointed! =(

Verbal: I suck at VR. I knew the first passage was hard, and the rest was OK. I can only pray!

BS: felt quite confident because I studied quite a bit. Better than last time I took it which I had lots of evolution and microbio, just 1 O-chem passage. One of the passages was quite hard, and took me a while to figure out the experiment. Overall, easier than last time.

Anyways, good luck to everyone! I hope this is the last time I took MCAT EVER.
 
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nacholibre91 said:
What does everyone predict the cut off for a 10 in verbal will be?
The questions were worded to strangely, I'm hoping I didn't misinterpret some of them aghhh:(
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I felt the same way about verbal. The questions seemed not to have any direct proof in the passage so i felt like I was "guessing". Not something that I'm used to but we will see how it turns out. The passages weren't hard to read though, just weird questions, so I would predict a typical curve 29-31 as a 10. Just a prediction.
 
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Had to collect myself over the past couple days and totally leave out any mcat related stuff and even get myself to log-on sdn and see what others have said. But I do share everyone's sentiments on how crazy it was! There's 25-30 more days till results day
 
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Hey all, 8/7 test taker here. I have been reading through your posts, and I'm pulling for all of you!!!

For the PS section, when you say that there were a lot of calculations, were the equations for these given? In other words, was it hard because doing the actual arithmetic took time or because it was hard to recall which formulas were necessary?
 
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wanderyonder said:
Hey all, 8/7 test taker here. I have been reading through your posts, and I'm pulling for all of you!!!

For the PS section, when you say that there were a lot of calculations, were the equations for these given? In other words, was it hard because doing the actual arithmetic took time or because it was hard to recall which formulas were necessary?
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I feel that there was a fairly large number of questions (at least, a larger portion than on the practice AAMCs) that required equations but did not provide them. I remember a very specific question that I could not figure out because I didn't remember the equation necessary. It might have been provided in the passage in a convoluted way, but I wasn't able to figure out that question.

I would recommend taking the GS exams to get used to the math, then to look over your notes to see if there are any major equations that you aren't remembering (or at least recognizing).
 
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I'm still thinking about the last 3 questions on PS that I guessed on bc I ran out of time. Can someone say in general terms whether those questions were easy or hard? Cuz if they were easy, I'm just gonna kick myself.
 
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Honestly, I've been doing everything I can to avoid thinking about this test. I feel that the unnecessary stress just isn't good for my health.
 
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smpbound said:
I'm still thinking about the last 3 questions on PS that I guessed on bc I ran out of time. Can someone say in general terms whether those questions were easy or hard? Cuz if they were easy, I'm just gonna kick myself.
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phuynh94 said:
Honestly, I've been doing everything I can to avoid thinking about this test. I feel that the unnecessary stress just isn't good for my health.
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I barely remember 10 questions from this exam....Although the few that I do remember are pretty painful to think about. I got a couple of discretes from BS wrong :(

I think there will be a curve for the PS though....
 
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smpbound said:
I'm still thinking about the last 3 questions on PS that I guessed on bc I ran out of time. Can someone say in general terms whether those questions were easy or hard? Cuz if they were easy, I'm just gonna kick myself.
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I think they were medium. Physics is always curved heavily, though.

How about that hard bio passage? How many questions did it have? And were they somewhat reasonable if you had time to figure them out? I guessed on so many on that passage :(
 
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wegotthis14 said:
I think they were medium. Physics is always curved heavily, though.

How about that hard bio passage? How many questions did it have? And were they somewhat reasonable if you had time to figure them out? I guessed on so many on that passage :(
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I'm not exactly sure which 'hard' bio passage you guys are speaking about w/o giving any details. I thought there were two that were equally difficult but doable from my perspective.
 
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smpbound said:
I'm not exactly sure which 'hard' bio passage you guys are speaking about w/o giving any details. I thought there were two that were equally difficult but doable from my perspective.
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It was towards the end and not ochem. Glad you thought they were doable, though.
 
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There are different versions of the MCAT on a given test day. But I do recall one Bio passage where it took me a while to figure out what the experiment was about!
 
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So out of curiosity, why is this thread so small? Compared to the July 24 thread, this one is considerably smaller.
 
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