The Official June 21, 2012 MCAT thread

PRIVATE MCAT LESSONS. Click to learn more!
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
A

Adele358

Full Member
10+ Year Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2011
Messages
39
Reaction score
1
I see alot of people make this thread for their MCAT date. I was unable to find one for this date so I took the liberty to make one. Please share what you have found works or does not work for you?
Members don't see this ad.
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
breeniee said:
Nope...not yet. I kind of started off doing subject by subject stupidly instead of rotating. So I'm done with Physics but then I realized that rotating is probably better so now I did 3 chapters of Orgo, Chem, and Bio. I think once I go halfway through orgo, chem, and bio, I'll do a full-length even though I originally wanted to do them after I'm done with content review. But at this point I'm running out of time so I probably should do a practice full length just to see if what if I've studied so far is actually registering.

Cheers to all-nighters. BLAH haha.
Click to expand...

I wanted to do my full-lengths after all my content review too but ended up hitting a snag and had to do one just to get motivated again. This is rough going.

We still have plenty of time though. Not plenty, but a lot. :laugh:
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
breeniee said:
Nope...not yet. I kind of started off doing subject by subject stupidly instead of rotating. So I'm done with Physics but then I realized that rotating is probably better so now I did 3 chapters of Orgo, Chem, and Bio. I think once I go halfway through orgo, chem, and bio, I'll do a full-length even though I originally wanted to do them after I'm done with content review. But at this point I'm running out of time so I probably should do a practice full length just to see if what if I've studied so far is actually registering.

Cheers to all-nighters. BLAH haha.
Click to expand...

hehe, i'm the opposite, i started off rotating subjects and it really took so much effort for me. once i switched to concentrating on a whole subject at a time, i started to breeze through content review. i guess to each his/her own. one thing that is helping me though is although i'm reading all the chapters from one subject, i'm still working problem sets from other subjects.

For example, I'll read one or two berkley review chapters in chemistry while doing the examples as i read, then after i finish work on a physics problem set or passage. it seems to work for me (repetition over a few days).

another thing that is helpful, you know you have to get through ALL the content, so you may as well do what you "feel" like doing today. rather than forcing yourself to do something you just dont feel like doing. this can backfire if you are intentionally and continually putting off your weaknesses, however.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
NuttyEngDude said:
hehe, i'm the opposite, i started off rotating subjects and it really took so much effort for me. once i switched to concentrating on a whole subject at a time, i started to breeze through content review. i guess to each his/her own. one thing that is helping me though is although i'm reading all the chapters from one subject, i'm still working problem sets from other subjects.

For example, I'll read one or two berkley review chapters in chemistry while doing the examples as i read, then after i finish work on a physics problem set or passage. it seems to work for me (repetition over a few days).

another thing that is helpful, you know you have to get through ALL the content, so you may as well do what you "feel" like doing today. rather than forcing yourself to do something you just dont feel like doing. this can backfire if you are intentionally and continually putting off your weaknesses, however.
Click to expand...

I'm only about half way through Biology in the Kaplan Review book. I'm pretty much going linear through the text. I wish there were more practice problems throughout the chapters, but oh well.

Any study tips? Do you think running straight through the material is sufficient?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Members don't see this ad :)
brownaa4 said:
I'm only about half way through Biology in the Kaplan Review book. I'm pretty much going linear through the text. I wish there were more practice problems throughout the chapters, but oh well.

Any study tips? Do you think running straight through the material is sufficient?
Click to expand...

I think so. Just keep on chugging along so the ideas are more fresh in your head than when you took Bio/Gen Chem 2-3 years ago. That's my plan. Then move on to practice tests and intense review of those, looking over my content where I got questions wrong.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
MDschoolorbust said:
I think so. Just keep on chugging along so the ideas are more fresh in your head than when you took Bio/Gen Chem 2-3 years ago. That's my plan. Then move on to practice tests and intense review of those, looking over my content where I got questions wrong.
Click to expand...

That's my game plan. I'm studying 8-10 hours+ a day now, with a break for the gym of course lol. I just need to not get bogged down by all of the other application processes and such going on.

I haven't touched Chem or Physics or Orgo yet. I may want to switch to them though, because I'm more familiar with Bio.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
brownaa4 said:
I'm only about half way through Biology in the Kaplan Review book. I'm pretty much going linear through the text. I wish there were more practice problems throughout the chapters, but oh well.

Any study tips? Do you think running straight through the material is sufficient?
Click to expand...
I chose not to rotate subjects because that style of learning appealed more to me. but which ever method you choose, you need to also work some problems to drive home the concepts. the kaplan books do not have good examples but their online study problems are supposedly very good. i havent seen the online problems but i've seen their review books. you NEED more problems than solely what their content books provide. i dont believe they have a problems book, but i might be wrong.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
brownaa4 said:
That's my game plan. I'm studying 8-10 hours+ a day now, with a break for the gym of course lol. I just need to not get bogged down by all of the other application processes and such going on.

I haven't touched Chem or Physics or Orgo yet. I may want to switch to them though, because I'm more familiar with Bio.
Click to expand...

8-10 is more than I'm doing haha. I wish I had enough time for that. With the app and ECs I am struggling to find some time to study. Today is the day though. From now until 8ish I am working straight through!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
NuttyEngDude said:
I chose not to rotate subjects because that style of learning appealed more to me. but which ever method you choose, you need to also work some problems to drive home the concepts. the kaplan books do not have good examples but their online study problems are supposedly very good. i havent seen the online problems but i've seen their review books. you NEED more problems than solely what their content books provide. i dont believe they have a problems book, but i might be wrong.
Click to expand...

Thanks! Do you have any good sources for more problems? I'll take all the resources I can get!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
MDschoolorbust said:
8-10 is more than I'm doing haha. I wish I had enough time for that. With the app and ECs I am struggling to find some time to study. Today is the day though. From now until 8ish I am working straight through!
Click to expand...

Get it done! I'll be right there with you
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
brownaa4 said:
Thanks! Do you have any good sources for more problems? I'll take all the resources I can get!
Click to expand...

i'm using the sn2ed suggestions

MDschoolorbust said:
When does everyone plan on submitting their AMCAS?
Click to expand...

yesterday :p or asap. i really need to get that done but the whole mcat thing is a little overwhelming
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
MDschoolorbust said:
When does everyone plan on submitting their AMCAS?
Click to expand...

I'm trying to juggle getting all of my app stuff figured out with the MCAT studies. I still need to write my personal statement :/ but I'd like to submit by june 1st because of rolling admissions.

I'm going for DO so I'm using AACOMAS and AAMC just in case I don't get into a DO school.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
brownaa4 said:
Thanks! Do you have any good sources for more problems? I'll take all the resources I can get!
Click to expand...

Yeah, Examkrackers 1001 question books are great. They have them for each science, as well as a 101 passage Verbal Reasoning review book.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Members don't see this ad :)
Glad to see a thread for the June MCAT!

Any thoughts on waiting to submit med school apps until scores come in?
I still need to fill out the applications and write my personal statement, but I feel like focusing on the MCAT 100% until 6.21 then tackling the other things. I am kind of worried about submitting this late (July 21). Is anyone else doing this?

Thanks!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
katattack said:
Glad to see a thread for the June MCAT!

Any thoughts on waiting to submit med school apps until scores come in?
I still need to fill out the applications and write my personal statement, but I feel like focusing on the MCAT 100% until 6.21 then tackling the other things. I am kind of worried about submitting this late (July 21). Is anyone else doing this?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I'm not scoring where I want to right now with my MCAT, but I'm busting my ass to do well when 6/21 rolls around. I'm almost done with my PS and have decided to dedicate an entire day of fully-concentrated time to finishing the app (primarily list of activities is what's left for me) and then having it done and ready to submit after my PS edits are in so I can submit as soon as I can (June 5th, I believe).

I don't see the point in waiting, especially since you can't hide your scores from ADCOMS anyway..
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
small victory tonight, worked through 7 TBR verbal practice passages and only missed 5 questions out of the ~50 questions. i know, it's no EK verbal or aamc so not sure how it correlates to actual mcat but i'll take what i can for now. my ek 101 verbal scores so far are Test 1-3: 8,6,9. i'm going to pick up the pace since i believe i have enough verbal to work through a "section" or equivalent a day from now until the test. i've already identified some weaknesses in physical sciences and biology so working on those for now too. first "real" diagnostic, probably a TPR test, will be this weekend, no matter where i am on my content review (hopefully done).

35 days.... do you feel it? :scared:
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
NuttyEngDude said:
small victory tonight, worked through 7 TBR verbal practice passages and only missed 5 questions out of the ~50 questions. i know, it's no EK verbal or aamc so not sure how it correlates to actual mcat but i'll take what i can for now. my ek 101 verbal scores so far are Test 1-3: 8,6,9. i'm going to pick up the pace since i believe i have enough verbal to work through a "section" or equivalent a day from now until the test. i've already identified some weaknesses in physical sciences and biology so working on those for now too. first "real" diagnostic, probably a TPR test, will be this weekend, no matter where i am on my content review (hopefully done).

35 days.... do you feel it? :scared:
Click to expand...

Of course, everyone keep your chin high. Getting it is one thing but being efficient within the time constaint is another. I am focusing on efficiency more because it matters more on test day.

Speaking of online study buddies, I would be interested in doing 2-3 study sessions a week on skype to answer questions etc. Specifically if anyone is really good at BIO since I havent touched any since freshman year.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Did great on my first MCAT (30+), but now it is too old, since I took it in 2005. Now I have to take it again, practice tests scores have not been too bad, studying on my own though.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Nebilim said:
Of course, everyone keep your chin high. Getting it is one thing but being efficient within the time constaint is another. I am focusing on efficiency more because it matters more on test day.

Speaking of online study buddies, I would be interested in doing 2-3 study sessions a week on skype to answer questions etc. Specifically if anyone is really good at BIO since I havent touched any since freshman year.
Click to expand...

I'd love to do some online sessions! I definitely need some help with the PS sections. BS I'm not as worried about.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Hmm, starting to get a little concerned. So I originally thought I'd take this exam Mid-May and planned a 3.5 week vacation starting this weekend--nice celebration after taking the MCAT. Except now I'm taking it after and a full blown vacation before the exam feels like a terrible idea. I'm 75% done with content review, so most of my FLs will be during my vacation (which can be done but I'm worried about not getting as many in as I had wanted to) because I won't get back until one week before the exam.

Not sure what I was thinking. I guess I figured June 21st was really the last date to take the MCAT and still be good for this cycle because I'd get scores back in late July. But now I'm considering bumping the test to July 6th or even July 14th. Not only because I can get more full lengths in but also because I'd be back on non-vacation mode longer before taking the exam.

Any thoughts? Should I just buckle down and get the late July score or get later into the application cycle with an early-mid August score? Is 2-3 weeks worth the change?

:cool: Not really happy. Content review has been going very well lately and I'm actually not feeling test anxiety, just concerned about the planning. This is all kind of hypothetical because there are no open seats near me for either July 6th or July 14th. I'd have to keep looking for an opening. Ugh.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
FirstAndFinal said:
Hmm, starting to get a little concerned. So I originally thought I'd take this exam Mid-May and planned a 3.5 week vacation starting this weekend--nice celebration after taking the MCAT. Except now I'm taking it after and a full blown vacation before the exam feels like a terrible idea. I'm 75% done with content review, so most of my FLs will be during my vacation (which can be done but I'm worried about not getting as many in as I had wanted to) because I won't get back until one week before the exam.

Not sure what I was thinking. I guess I figured June 21st was really the last date to take the MCAT and still be good for this cycle because I'd get scores back in late July. But now I'm considering bumping the test to July 6th or even July 14th. Not only because I can get more full lengths in but also because I'd be back on non-vacation mode longer before taking the exam.

Any thoughts? Should I just buckle down and get the late July score or get later into the application cycle with an early-mid August score? Is 2-4 weeks worth the change?

:cool: Not really happy. Content review has been going very well lately and I'm actually not feeling test anxiety, just concerned about the planning. This is all kind of hypothetical because there are no open seats near me for either July 6th or July 14th. I'd have to keep looking for an opening. Ugh.
Click to expand...

Wow a vacation right before the MCAT.... I went on a family vacation the first time I took the MCAT a while back. Bad news for me was that I never got out of vacation mode and now I have to retake. Good news is that I met my husband there :p

The difference for me was that I didn't finish content review before my vacation so I think it won't be so bad for you as long as you are able to take full length fully TIMED practice exams during your vacation. I don't know how you'd be able to do that but if you can, then awesome. I'd say, take a practice exam to see where you stand. If your score comes out such that you know you can improve or that it's in the range you need it to be, take it in June but remember that you can't take it if you aren't ready. So if you feel by any means that you are not ready.... Postpone because a late application is better than a bad score.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
breeniee said:
Wow a vacation right before the MCAT.... I went on a family vacation the first time I took the MCAT a while back. Bad news for me was that I never got out of vacation mode and now I have to retake. Good news is that I met my husband there :p
Click to expand...

Well that's a story! I wonder if you'll ever get to use it at an interview.

Thanks for the advice. Yeah, definitely working on finishing content review ASAP.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
For BS i would recommend focusing on kaplan's FL bio sections and orgo. Definitily helpful on the real thing, hint hint*
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
breeniee said:
Wow a vacation right before the MCAT.... I went on a family vacation the first time I took the MCAT a while back. Bad news for me was that I never got out of vacation mode and now I have to retake. Good news is that I met my husband there :p
Click to expand...

Assuming that was last cycle, you guys tied the knot quick!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
MaxillofacialMN said:
Assuming that was last cycle, you guys tied the knot quick!
Click to expand...

Haha...it was pretty quick. I was studying for the MCAT right before my 3rd year of college. That was....in 2009 when I met him. Then, I graduated from college the year after that in 2010 (I graduated college in 3 years) and then we got married early 2011. It was....such a thrill! I did start my Masters for Nutrition right after college but I decided not to take any classes Fall '11 and Spring '12 to enjoy my marriage and study for the MCAT. The past year or so of my life aren't impressive application-wise but I feel so much happier as a person and I honestly don't care what Admins say at this point. I just hope they don't reject me as a result....and I kind of hope that the people who interview me are romantic =P
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
breeniee said:
Haha...it was pretty quick. I was studying for the MCAT right before my 3rd year of college. That was....in 2009 and I met him there but we just became friends. Then, I graduated from college the year after that in 2010 (I graduated in 3 years) and we started dating and then we got married in March of last year. It was....such a thrill! The past year or so of my life aren't impressive application-wise but I feel so much happier as a person and I honestly don't care what Admins say at this point. I just hope they don't reject me as a result....
Click to expand...
Congratulations :D
I don't think you can control if adcoms will look down on you for taking a year off but sometimes you just have to realize there is more to life than looking impressive for a bunch of strangers.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
MDschoolorbust said:
Congratulations :D
I don't think you can control if adcoms will look down on you for taking a year off but sometimes you just have to realize there is more to life than looking impressive for a bunch of strangers.
Click to expand...

Yeah exactly. I can't really sit there and let amazing opportunities that can better my life in the long-run just pass me by. Sure I want to be a doctor, but I also want love and a family in my life. I can wait 10 years until I'm fully secure in my career and be miserable and lonely during those 10 years or I can follow my dream career while holding the hand of someone who will love and support me my whole life.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
So how is studying going for everyone?

I'm still freaking out big time! I'm almost in the half-way point for chem and organic and I'm trying to be as thorough as possible because I do believe that it's very key not to rush through chapters just to get them done and out of the way. Unfortunately, the time constraints are getting in the way of this. Thankfully I finished physics a long time ago or else I'd probably postpone this exam!

I haven't opened a Biology book or done any verbal in 3 weeks! EEEK!!! I need someone to help calm me down!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
breeniee said:
So how is studying going for everyone?

I'm still freaking out big time! I'm almost in the half-way point for chem and organic and I'm trying to be as thorough as possible because I do believe that it's very key not to rush through chapters just to get them done and out of the way. Unfortunately, the time constraints are getting in the way of this. Thankfully I finished physics a long time ago or else I'd probably postpone this exam!

I haven't opened a Biology book or done any verbal in 3 weeks! EEEK!!! I need someone to help calm me down!
Click to expand...
Chilllllll out.

I am halfway done with Bio and Chem, almost done with Orgo, and Physics I am only about 1/3 done (I took it last semester so it is all very fresh). Be calm and remember that this many hours has to be improving your score. There's no way it isn't.

Have you taken a diagnostic or seen where you're at? Personally I'm putting verbal on the back-burner because I keep hitting 10+ on all my practices.

Maybe just find out what you're good at already to help calm yourself?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
MDschoolorbust said:
Chilllllll out.

I am halfway done with Bio and Chem, almost done with Orgo, and Physics I am only about 1/3 done (I took it last semester so it is all very fresh). Be calm and remember that this many hours has to be improving your score. There's no way it isn't.

Have you taken a diagnostic or seen where you're at? Personally I'm putting verbal on the back-burner because I keep hitting 10+ on all my practices.

Maybe just find out what you're good at already to help calm yourself?
Click to expand...

Haha....thanks. Sometimes I literally need a slap on the face to get me to stop freaking out. Yeah...I keep telling myself that I'll take a practice full length but I never get around to it....I keep getting scared that I'll wind up in the low 20's and it'll fully demoralize me. Maybe I just need to have someone tape me to the chair and force me to take one.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
NuttyEngDude said:
taking a FL tonight...... hope it goes at least ok for me.

Currently working on some of my weaknesses which I wish there were fewer of.
Click to expand...

Did you get to finish your content review? I remember you saying you'd take a FL regardless of where you were in content review so I'm a little curious. Don't we all wish we had less weaknesses? *sigh*

Good luck tonight =)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
breeniee said:
Haha....thanks. Sometimes I literally need a slap on the face to get me to stop freaking out. Yeah...I keep telling myself that I'll take a practice full length but I never get around to it....I keep getting scared that I'll wind up in the low 20's and it'll fully demoralize me. Maybe I just need to have someone tape me to the chair and force me to take one.
Click to expand...
Haha that's what husbands are for I'm assuming! But here:

http://e-mcat.com/starttest.aspx?cmd=login&program=mcatpractice&type=consumer&target=order&limit=all

DO IT. Even if you end up in the low 20s, at least you'll know where you're weak.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Thanks Breeniee! I still have half of bio left. But I need to know where to focus on, hence the need for a FL. I have the feeling I'm overlearning some material and not focusing enough on the right material. I'm at the point in my original schedule where I'm supposed to be doing FL's now anyways, so it kind of works out. Good luck with your FL too :)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I think we should all have a simultaneous FL test together. How about tomorrow, Saturday, 9am PST (12nn EST)? Who's down? Then we can discuss the answers afterwards.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
acciouno said:
I think we should all have a simultaneous FL test together. How about tomorrow, Saturday, 9am PST (12nn EST)? Who's down? Then we can discuss the answers afterwards.
Click to expand...

That seems like a great idea :)
Wish I could.... Not sure yet because it's a Saturday. I can definitely do Monday though!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
FirstAndFinal said:
Hmm, starting to get a little concerned. So I originally thought I'd take this exam Mid-May and planned a 3.5 week vacation starting this weekend--nice celebration after taking the MCAT. Except now I'm taking it after and a full blown vacation before the exam feels like a terrible idea. I'm 75% done with content review, so most of my FLs will be during my vacation (which can be done but I'm worried about not getting as many in as I had wanted to) because I won't get back until one week before the exam.

Not sure what I was thinking. I guess I figured June 21st was really the last date to take the MCAT and still be good for this cycle because I'd get scores back in late July. But now I'm considering bumping the test to July 6th or even July 14th. Not only because I can get more full lengths in but also because I'd be back on non-vacation mode longer before taking the exam.

Any thoughts? Should I just buckle down and get the late July score or get later into the application cycle with an early-mid August score? Is 2-3 weeks worth the change?

:cool: Not really happy. Content review has been going very well lately and I'm actually not feeling test anxiety, just concerned about the planning. This is all kind of hypothetical because there are no open seats near me for either July 6th or July 14th. I'd have to keep looking for an opening. Ugh.
Click to expand...

Sorry guys, I'm out. I can't stand uncertainty. Not knowing if I could get a seat on another date, whether I would be changing, how I should be studying knowing that I might or might not have more time, etc. was too nerve wracking. I checked, checked, checked every few hours and BAM a seat opened up in my city for the July date. Just as quickly my June 21st date got taken by someone else. Good luck guys!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
haha! thanks acciouno, i'm sure it feels much worse than it actually is :) I know it's all about improvement from here, but you cant help but want it to be higher.

and now i have what i wanted, a list of things to focus on.............
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
NuttyEngDude said:
24: 9-7-8 (ps-vr-br)
not too bad for my first diagnostic, the free one from TPR, but not as high as i'd have hoped. I have lot of work ahead of me :)
Click to expand...

Yeah that's pretty solid for a diagnostic. I'm pretty sure the free TPR practice test is harder than AAMCs too, so I think you'd probably do a little better on AAMC 3.

MDschoolorbust said:
Side note, we can't let the July 6th thread beat us in page count. We're better than them!
Click to expand...

I think the real goal here should be to beat the 4/28 thread. That thread is poppin lol
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
So... I'm getting owned by TBR Buffers and Titrations chapter. It's not that I think it's a particularly hard chapter - I think Equilibrium was harder than this - but I just can't seem to wrap my head around any of the major concepts. Maybe I'm getting burned out?

I wanted to skip it, move on to other subjects, and come back to it when I feel more confident but every time I look at a new subject - like chapter 4 in Organic or some Biology, I keep feeling crippled and I can't really focus on it.

What should I do? I had a panic attack last night from it. =/
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

M
TMDSAS Application Timeline- Is a June 15th MCAT too late?
Replies
1
Views
251
wysdoc
wysdoc
RamblingPremed
HELP! Can't improve my MCAT score and test is in June!
Replies
3
Views
281
MercifulCamper
MercifulCamper
agentfaithmd
AAMC MCAT Official Prep Complete Bundle Worth It?
Replies
0
Views
599
agentfaithmd
agentfaithmd
The Last Reclaimer
Can I get a 500-503 by June 1st?
Replies
4
Views
746
Sandman23
S
D
Is it possible to get II or acceptances with a late August MCAT? Assuming the primary is submitted in June
Replies
6
Views
1K
gyngyn
gyngyn
Top