The Official July 25 2014 MCAT Thread

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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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Long time lurker here. Posting because I am just so excited

Test Date: 7/25/2014
FL AAMC Average: 13/8/13
Post-test expected score: 13/9/13
Actual Score: ( PS / V / BS) 35 (14/10/11)
Comments:

SOOO Happy with this mark! Did not expect a 10 in verbal! Thank god I don't wanna retake, although my BS is lower than usual. This was the second time I took it. First time I got 13/8/12, and the only reason I retook it was because of verbal. Good luck to all of yall!
 
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Test Date: 7/25/2014
FL AAMC Average: 29-30
Post-test expected score: 12-13/5-9/10
Actual Score: ( PS / V / BS): 32 (13/9/10)

Comments: WOW!!! That's all I can say. I thought I absolutely bombed VR!! As the release date got closer, my predicted VR score approached 0. I am so happy to be done. I am a retaker from 5/8/2014. Previous score was a 26 (9/8/9). I used a compressed 1 month version of sn2ed's study program which I will share in the "30+" thread for anyone that is interested. This was my last chance for this cycle and I am absolutely ecstatic to be done and have a good chance at the schools I have applied to.

Good luck to anyone that has to retake it and congratulations to all those that got their desired score!
 
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Test Date: 7/25/2014
Actual Score: 34 (13 PS/9 VR/12 BS)

Second time took it. First time was 12/8/12. I'm happy to an increase in VR. I guessed lots of questions on PS, so surprised to see a 13. I thought I nailed BS and expected a 14, but I will take 12.

GL everyone!
 
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Test Date: 7/25/2014
AAMC Avg: 28 (many 6's in Verbal).
Actual Test: 33 (PS 11, VR 9, BS 13)

although 11 in PS is on the lower side for me, still pumped beyond belief.

Good luck everyone who hasn't looked yet!
 
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Test Date: 7/25/2014
Actual Score: ( PS / V / BS) 38 (13/14/11)

This was my average on the AAMC practice tests so I'm happy.
 
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Test Date: 7/25/2014
FL AAMC Average: 27ish?
Post-test expected score: 13/10/3-- Seriously, three
Actual Score ( PS / V / BS): 29 (9/11/9)
Comments:
this was my second MCAT, my first was 27 (10/10/7). I think I'm happy with this new score! but shocked, because after taking this I felt like I had KILLED the PS but completely failed BS. so basically my MCAT intuition sucks. I'm happy to have a better balance, and very glad that VR is my stronger section. Today was the first day of class at my college, too, so I have been super anxious all day. I finally feel a bit of relief. Now just hoping for some II's. . . !
 
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PS 12
VR 13
BS 12
Total 37

I'm a mature student and scored 32O on my first attempt back in 2006 (Paper-based, 8.5 hour-long test)
Frankly I didn't expect I would score this high. I walked out of the test room thinking I bombed PS and BS.
 
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Test Date: 7/25/2014
FL AAMC Average: 36.5 (13.11P/11V/12.4B), ranged from 34-38
GS Average: 33.7 (11.4/10.7/11.6), ranged from 32-36
Test expected score: 28-35. Went out feling "WTF"
Actual Score: ( PS / V / BS): 40 (13/12/15) WTFFFFFFF

I was literally crying when I called my parents. I could not believe it! In NO WAY would I have imagined scoring so much above my average. I walked out of that test laughing at the ridiculousness of it all since I didn't believe the AAMC FLs were representative of the content/format. The curve for bio must have been extremely generous because there was one full passage that I just did not understand.

I posted my GS average because I do believe that without the GS exams, my score would have been considerably lower. The GS physical and bio sections are seem repetitive at times (like...they'll test you on the same concept 4-5 times), but learning how to do calculations under pressure makes it worth it. HIGHLY RECCOMMEND.

And honestly, I really encourage anyone else who's going to take this exam to NOT void his/her score. It's tempting. I know. I stared at the screen for a long time before declining to void, and that's only because it's strongly advised by the rest of the SDN community. Trust yourself. While my score is definitely an outlier, I do think that it gets the message across.

Best of luck, all of you!
 
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premed1590 said:
Test Date: 7/25/2014
FL AAMC Average: 29-30
Post-test expected score: 12-13/5-9/10
Actual Score: ( PS / V / BS): 32 (13/9/10)

Comments: WOW!!! That's all I can say. I thought I absolutely bombed VR!! As the release date got closer, my predicted VR score approached 0. I am so happy to be done. I am a retaker from 5/8/2014. Previous score was a 26 (9/8/9). I used a compressed 1 month version of sn2ed's study program which I will share in the "30+" thread for anyone that is interested. This was my last chance for this cycle and I am absolutely ecstatic to be done and have a good chance at the schools I have applied to.

Good luck to anyone that has to retake it and congratulations to all those that got their desired score!
Click to expand...
Congrats to you I would be interested in the study program. Let me know when you post it or you can PM it. Thanks.
 
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^ Congratulations phuynh94. I think you echo exactly my thoughts as well. I scored well above my average practice test scores as well. Do not void. You never know what will happen.
 
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Congrats to everyone who reached their goal scores! Unfortunately I'm not in the same boat, and I think it would be helpful for readers to see a variety of results.

Test Date: 7/25/2014
FL AAMC Average: 12/11/13 - 36
Post-test expected score: No idea!
Actual Score ( PS / V / BS): 9/11/10 - 30
Comments:
I was really disappointed with this drop in scores, but at the same time I was happy about my 5-point improvement over my last MCAT (10/7/8 - 25). I am applying only next cycle, so I'll be retaking the exam with a goal of 34.

I think that my anxiety was a major factor for me during this test - does anyone have any practical tips on how to handle test anxiety?
 
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I just bought EK books, can anyone give me some feedback on them. Or anything else that helped with the study
 
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Might as well post it here too.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Books/Materials to use:
TPR Bio chapters 2-6 (molec. bio/genetics)
EK Bio chapters 4-8 (physiology)
TBR Organic Chemistry
TBR Physics
TBR Gen. Chem
EK101 VR
TPR Hyper-learning VR
AAMC CBT 9-11
TBR CBT 1-3

- I did 2-3 passages of VR everyday except for the last week.
- Make sure you spend time going over every practice question you do and really understand it. It is really helpful to go over the practice questions the next day, rather than the same day.
- 1/3 refers to every 3rd passage and free standing question (just like in the sn2ed program)
- I did not have time to do "hat-trick". I think it is a brilliant Idea though. If you do some searching on sdn you can find an excel sheet for it.
- I substituted EK101 or TPRH VR for the TBR CBT VR. The TBR VR is weird IMO.
- I retook 2 AAMC CBTs just to get comfortable with the timing. Take scores with a grain of salt.

This is a general summary of what I did:

Week 1:
M - Ch. 2 TPR bio and corresponding passage/free-standing ?s; Ch. 1 Orgo and 1/3
T - Ch. 1 Phys + 1/3; Ch. 1 gen. chem + 1/3
W - Ch. 3 TPR bio and corresponding passage/free-standing ?s; Ch. 2 Orgo and 1/3
Th - Ch. 2 Phys + 1/3; Ch. 2 gen. chem + 1/3
F - Ch. 4 TPR bio and corresponding passage/free-standing ?s; Ch. 3 Orgo and 1/3
S - Ch. 3 Phys + 1/3; Ch. 3 gen. chem + 1/3
Su - Catch-up day

Week 2:
M - Ch. 5 TPR bio and corresponding passage/free-standing ?s; Ch. 4 Orgo and 1/3
T - Ch. 4 Phys + 1/3; Ch. 4 gen. chem + 1/3
W - Ch. 6 TPR bio and corresponding passage/free-standing ?s; Ch. 5 Orgo and 1/3
Th - Ch. 5 Phys + 1/3; Ch. 5 gen. chem + 1/3
F - Ch. 4 EK bio (starting with the nervous system - skip over the eukaryotic cell stuff) and corresponding 30 minute exam; Ch. 6 Orgo and 1/3
S - Ch. 6 Phys + 1/3; Ch. 6 gen. chem + 1/3
Su - Catch-up day

Week 3:
M - Ch. 5 EK bio and corresponding 30 minute exam; Ch. 7 Orgo and 1/3
T - Ch. 7 Phys + 1/3; Ch. 7 gen. chem + 1/3
W - Ch. 6 EK bio and corresponding 30 minute exam; Ch. 8 Orgo and 1/3
Th - Ch. 8 Phys + 1/3; Ch. 8 gen. chem + 1/3
F - Ch. 7 EK bio and corresponding 30 minute exam
S - Ch. 9 Phys + 1/3; Ch. 9 gen. chem + 1/3
Su - Catch up day

Week 4:
M - Ch. 8 EK bio and corresponding 30 minute exam; TBR CBT 1 (substitute EK101 VR or TPRH VR)
T - Ch. 10 Phys + 1/3; Ch. 10 gen. chem + 1/3; go over TBR CBT 1
W - TBR CBT 2 (substitute EK101 VR or TPRH VR)
Th - Go over TBR CBT 2; Take any AAMC CBT (9-11)
F - Go over AAMC CBT; Take TBR CBT 3
S - Go over TBR CBT 3; Take any AAMC CBT (9-11)
Su - Go over AAMC CBT
 
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phuynh94 said:
Test Date: 7/25/2014
FL AAMC Average: 36.5 (13.11P/11V/12.4B), ranged from 34-38
GS Average: 33.7 (11.4/10.7/11.6), ranged from 32-36
Test expected score: 28-35. Went out feling "WTF"
Actual Score: ( PS / V / BS): 40 (13/12/15) WTFFFFFFF

I was literally crying when I called my parents. I could not believe it! In NO WAY would I have imagined scoring so much above my average. I walked out of that test laughing at the ridiculousness of it all since I didn't believe the AAMC FLs were representative of the content/format. The curve for bio must have been extremely generous because there was one full passage that I just did not understand.

I posted my GS average because I do believe that without the GS exams, my score would have been considerably lower. The GS physical and bio sections are seem repetitive at times (like...they'll test you on the same concept 4-5 times), but learning how to do calculations under pressure makes it worth it. HIGHLY RECCOMMEND.

And honestly, I really encourage anyone else who's going to take this exam to NOT void his/her score. It's tempting. I know. I stared at the screen for a long time before declining to void, and that's only because it's strongly advised by the rest of the SDN community. Trust yourself. While my score is definitely an outlier, I do think that it gets the message across.

Best of luck, all of you!
Click to expand...

Sorry if I am a complete idiot but what is GS?
 
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formerphoenix said:
Sorry if I am a complete idiot but what is GS?
Click to expand...
GS = Gold Standard. Most (including myself) rate their verbal as so-so at best, but their PS & BS sections are great for getting calculations and details down. I would buy it on Ebay (where a company rep sells them) for cheaper. It's like 10 exams for about $150 or something like that.
 
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premed1590 said:
Might as well post it here too.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Books/Materials to use:
TPR Bio chapters 2-6 (molec. bio/genetics)
EK Bio chapters 4-8 (physiology)
TBR Organic Chemistry
TBR Physics
TBR Gen. Chem
EK101 VR
TPR Hyper-learning VR
AAMC CBT 9-11
TBR CBT 1-3

- I did 2-3 passages of VR everyday except for the last week.
- Make sure you spend time going over every practice question you do and really understand it. It is really helpful to go over the practice questions the next day, rather than the same day.
- 1/3 refers to every 3rd passage and free standing question (just like in the sn2ed program)
- I did not have time to do "hat-trick". I think it is a brilliant Idea though. If you do some searching on sdn you can find an excel sheet for it.
- I substituted EK101 or TPRH VR for the TBR CBT VR. The TBR VR is weird IMO.
- I retook 2 AAMC CBTs just to get comfortable with the timing. Take scores with a grain of salt.

This is a general summary of what I did:

Week 1:
M - Ch. 2 TPR bio and corresponding passage/free-standing ?s; Ch. 1 Orgo and 1/3
T - Ch. 1 Phys + 1/3; Ch. 1 gen. chem + 1/3
W - Ch. 3 TPR bio and corresponding passage/free-standing ?s; Ch. 2 Orgo and 1/3
Th - Ch. 2 Phys + 1/3; Ch. 2 gen. chem + 1/3
F - Ch. 4 TPR bio and corresponding passage/free-standing ?s; Ch. 3 Orgo and 1/3
S - Ch. 3 Phys + 1/3; Ch. 3 gen. chem + 1/3
Su - Catch-up day

Week 2:
M - Ch. 5 TPR bio and corresponding passage/free-standing ?s; Ch. 4 Orgo and 1/3
T - Ch. 4 Phys + 1/3; Ch. 4 gen. chem + 1/3
W - Ch. 6 TPR bio and corresponding passage/free-standing ?s; Ch. 5 Orgo and 1/3
Th - Ch. 5 Phys + 1/3; Ch. 5 gen. chem + 1/3
F - Ch. 4 EK bio (starting with the nervous system - skip over the eukaryotic cell stuff) and corresponding 30 minute exam; Ch. 6 Orgo and 1/3
S - Ch. 6 Phys + 1/3; Ch. 6 gen. chem + 1/3
Su - Catch-up day

Week 3:
M - Ch. 5 EK bio and corresponding 30 minute exam; Ch. 7 Orgo and 1/3
T - Ch. 7 Phys + 1/3; Ch. 7 gen. chem + 1/3
W - Ch. 6 EK bio and corresponding 30 minute exam; Ch. 8 Orgo and 1/3
Th - Ch. 8 Phys + 1/3; Ch. 8 gen. chem + 1/3
F - Ch. 7 EK bio and corresponding 30 minute exam
S - Ch. 9 Phys + 1/3; Ch. 9 gen. chem + 1/3
Su - Catch up day

Week 4:
M - Ch. 8 EK bio and corresponding 30 minute exam; TBR CBT 1 (substitute EK101 VR or TPRH VR)
T - Ch. 10 Phys + 1/3; Ch. 10 gen. chem + 1/3; go over TBR CBT 1
W - TBR CBT 2 (substitute EK101 VR or TPRH VR)
Th - Go over TBR CBT 2; Take any AAMC CBT (9-11)
F - Go over AAMC CBT; Take TBR CBT 3
S - Go over TBR CBT 3; Take any AAMC CBT (9-11)
Su - Go over AAMC CBT
Click to expand...
Thanks, i have all these materials but they are much older (2008 i think, are they different from the new ones?) . I thought 1/3 meant one third of all the passages relevant to that chapter.
 
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jess12 said:
Congrats to everyone who reached their goal scores! Unfortunately I'm not in the same boat, and I think it would be helpful for readers to see a variety of results.

Test Date: 7/25/2014
FL AAMC Average: 12/11/13 - 36
Post-test expected score: No idea!
Actual Score ( PS / V / BS): 9/11/10 - 30
Comments:
I was really disappointed with this drop in scores, but at the same time I was happy about my 5-point improvement over my last MCAT (10/7/8 - 25). I am applying only next cycle, so I'll be retaking the exam with a goal of 34.

I think that my anxiety was a major factor for me during this test - does anyone have any practical tips on how to handle test anxiety?
Click to expand...


Sorry to hear that you dropped in scores compared to your practice tests. I was in the same boat when I first took the test 8 years ago. Was scoring 34-35 range on PTs and ended up with 32 on the real thing, and I attributed the drop to anxiety on the first section (PS).

I think the key to successfully overcoming anxiety is just letting go. Even when you feel anxious, treat it as background noise, and know that waves will come and go. It takes a lot of practice and you may not be 100% successful all the time at calming yourself down, but the anxiety does really come and go.

I retook after 8 years because I had something to prove, to myself. I went into the exam thinking it doesn't matter squat what happens on the test, I know what I'm capable of and one test doesn't make or break me. I ended up doing much much better on the real thing this time. Good luck.
 
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Optimist100 said:
Thanks, i have all these materials but they are much older (2008 i think, are they different from the new ones?) . I thought 1/3 meant one third of all the passages relevant to that chapter.
Click to expand...

It does. 1/3 of all the passages and freestanding ?s relevant to that particular chapter.
 
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Thank you for sharing your study strategy and congratulations on your achievement! Although my score is not where I want it to be, I will continue studying and take it on late October. Good luck during the cycle everyone!
 
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osjx-82 said:
Sorry to hear that you dropped in scores compared to your practice tests. I was in the same boat when I first took the test 8 years ago. Was scoring 34-35 range on PTs and ended up with 32 on the real thing, and I attributed the drop to anxiety on the first section (PS).

I think the key to successfully overcoming anxiety is just letting go. Even when you feel anxious, treat it as background noise, and know that waves will come and go. It takes a lot of practice and you may not be 100% successful all the time at calming yourself down, but the anxiety does really come and go.

I retook after 8 years because I had something to prove, to myself. I went into the exam thinking it doesn't matter squat what happens on the test, I know what I'm capable of and one test doesn't make or break me. I ended up doing much much better on the real thing this time. Good luck.
Click to expand...

Thanks so much! That is really encouraging. I'm glad that my score is at least competitive for DO schools now, so I feel like the next time I take it there won't be as much pressure. Even though I'd rather go the MD route, I feel like I have a good "back-up" score now. Given my practice test scores, I know what I'm capable of - I think the key is to be as calm and confident as possible on Test Day. Thanks for your advice!
 
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late to the party because I was moving yesterday but here are my results. I was coming off of a 27 10/7/10 from a may test date and just needed to get verbal up.

Test Date: 7/25/2014
FL AAMC Average: 11/9/11
Post-test expected score: 8/?/10
Actual Score: ( PS / V / BS) 29 10/9/10
Comments:

I'm happy to be done with the mcat forever. I had come of a 27 with low verbal and just needed to maintain my science scores and bring up verbal. I did exactly that and am happy with the results. A bit disappointed that sciences didn't improve at all but I guess that means I've capped out my studying capacity. I'm pretty in line with averages for admitted students on my subsection scores so I'm glad. I just recently finished secondaries.

to those retaking, I've been there, it is not the worst in the world. lots of people do it. take a week to collect yourself and make a plan then go in hard on the studying. It took me a week before I could even bring myself to get the books out but it is worth it in the end.
 
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