The Official May 22, 2015 MCAT Thread

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fenderboi930

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I think many of you will agree that today is a great day to officially prepare for the May 22nd MCAT!!!

I was against the April 2015 MCAT because a typical 3 month schedule doesn't seem to work for
students and/or working test takers. With a little over 4 months of preparation we can go in with confidence!
It's all new and really scary--so let's kick MCAT butt together!!

I was also wondering, wouldn't many professional MCAT test takers and tutors want to take the MCAT 2015 as soon
as possible (April MCAT) so they can better they're material or teaching? Wouldn't that just destroy the curve?

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For something like Tyrosine..half the sources say hydrophobic while the other half say hydrophilic. I understand it's much less hydrophobic than phenylalanine, but how would you classify it?
 
Its more hydrophobic. The hydrophobic aromaticity > the OH hydrophilicity on tyrosine.
 
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For something like Tyrosine..half the sources say hydrophobic while the other half say hydrophilic. I understand it's much less hydrophobic than phenylalanine, but how would you classify it?
Still hydrophobic, the electrons are spread out via conjugation from the phenyl group. Even though -OH foes make it slightly more hydrophilic, the hydrophobic character still out weights the hydrophilic character.
 
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TLDR; Know amino acids. Pretty much what I got out of reading through lol.
Agreed but whose to say that it will stay true for may? If anything now that they read it and know we know about AAs (even tho the practice fl apparently as a lot of AAs).... Gulp.
 
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I guess I need to start using Khan Academy more. I haven't really been doing that much. I am a psych major, but now I am getting worried. I will be reviewing my old textbooks a bit more. I am doing the FL tomorrow under test conditions. so that will help me understand what I am lacking.
 
I know they said using textbooks probably wasnt the greatest idea, Im also subbing BC with the textbook we used in the course. Im not going in depth by any means, just need to see things worded a different way. Doing the same thing with psych; Im a psych major too
 
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I will probably just look at my old textbooks for the names and revew more famous experiments. My cognition teacher last semester loved to test on things like that rather than make us analyse the experiment, etc.
 
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Ugh. Peasants.
Haha well it is a sticky situation. They want to divulge a bit of information to help us, but AAMC says they can't specify anything on topics. I can see not being allowed to post questions from their exam but don't necessarily understand not being able to say which sections were harder, etc.
 
PSA: AAMC reported posts in the April thread that violated the MCAT examinee agreement. Just a word of caution not to try to restart those discussions or repeat that info in this thread.

Also, people please read the MCAT content guide. There were a lot of people asking if x was on the exam and the content guide clearly lists x as a topic.

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.
 
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Haha well it is a sticky situation. They want to divulge a bit of information to help us, but AAMC says they can't specify anything on topics. I can see not being allowed to post questions from their exam but don't necessarily understand not being able to say which sections were harder, etc.

Saying you thought bio was harder or whatever is fine. Saying "I took the exam. Know x backwards and forwards. Know these parts of the pathway." Not fine.
 
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AAMC thoroughly reads the thread but doesn't answer any of our questions :(

You know, that thought did cross my mind.....

They could be really helpful clarifying some things.


The guidebooks they put out are great, but there's a lot of info and its easy to miss a few things.

Plus answering those questions would make their presence here more visible and probably make people a little more cautious in their post-exam reviews.
 
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For April test takers who trickle into this thread,

1. Was the test format the exact same as the Question Pack format? Is the P-Table button at the top, can you highlight text in questions, can you still cross-out answers?

2. Test representation in terms of Guide questions, Question pack, and Sample test? (Ex. Sample test > Guide Question >> Question pack from most to least representative)
 
How I picture aamc after reading that april thread meanwhile the may exam is completely different

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For April test takers who trickle into this thread,

1. Was the test format the exact same as the Question Pack format? Is the P-Table button at the top, can you highlight text in questions, can you still cross-out answers?

2. Test representation in terms of Guide questions, Question pack, and Sample test? (Ex. Sample test > Guide Question >> Question pack from most to least representative)

The ability to highlight the passage text and strike out answers is there, but I didn't try highlighting text in the questions. As for the most representative, the Sample test/Official Guide >>>> question packs.
Since I don't much want to get banned, all I'd say is that the sample test is a pretty good indicator of what the actual test is going to be, and Khan Academy Bio passages are your new best friend.
 
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Anyway, I'm not here to kill the thread. I'll be taking this new exam this year too and am just as uncomfortable as the rest of you being in the first year guinea pig group not really having well established review or practice sources.
 
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Ill post my extended thoughts when I get home... On mobile right now. I hope friends from the April thread come over I wanna hear what they thought :)
 
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Since we can't discuss exam specifics, let's turn our attention to what were the best outside resources for preparing for MCAT :)
 
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Since we can't discuss exam specifics, let's turn our attention to what were the best outside resources for preparing for MCAT :)

That's all I really want to be honest. A good list of materials/sources/ways to study for this new thing. It seems like the old way of studying is somewhat obsolete to an extent.
 
inb4 AAMC does a 360 and puts 40% organic chem instead of biochem.
You might want to review your geometry a bit more before the test, if they did a 360, it would still be all biochem, a 180 is what you were probably referring to :p
 
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Since we can't discuss exam specifics, let's turn our attention to what were the best outside resources for preparing for MCAT :)
dude I asked that question like 6 times in the april thread.. the only reply was from someone saying to do aamc 2015 practice material lol

inb4 AAMC does a 360 and puts 40% organic chem instead of biochem.

not sure if misc humor or...
 
dude I asked that question like 6 times in the april thread.. the only reply was from someone saying to do aamc 2015 practice material lol



not sure if misc humor or...

The reason the replies are all over the place is becuase people just don't know. Can't blame anyone. But I am looking for a good list so I can organize myself. Really lost now.
 
I don't get that. Aren't all the terms you need to know on the AAMC outline? Any April people care to chime in about how accurate the outline is. Hopefully that's not breaking any terms.

My understanding as well. Just gives me a hopeless feeling when you see people say the prep company's completely dropped the ball and their content is no where close to what is on the actual exam =/. I have no idea what I should be focusing on now.
 
I didn't feel that there were terms I never heard of, but I used the TPR Pysch/soc book, as well as a really good Pysch textbook and a sociology textbook. I would say that no prep book has the space needed to devote enough attention to all topics on the outline.
 
Hey guys,

Just took the test. I did study and take the old version, but voided it out of anxiety. However, I think that gave me good insight into a lot more study material. I do not have much time now, but one thing I noticed is the biochemistry is intense and needs to be not only learned, but mastered. There were problems there that I know half of the biochem majors in my grade would have difficulty with. In order to get the critical thinking needed, BR BIO is a must. I thought the test was very comparable to those passages.

As for Psychology/Sociology, you need to just do as many passages as possible. I used Kaplan and even though I memorized most of the definitions, it was difficult trying to transition that into context. However, I think this is due to my lack of passages and really trying to distinguish why it is separate from another similar definition. But again, doing as many passages as possible is your friend.

I saw the April thread got shut down for eliciting questions, I was just hoping to provide the best way to study, which hopefully does not violate rules.
 
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I didn't feel that there were terms I never heard of, but I used the TPR Pysch/soc book, as well as a really good Pysch textbook and a sociology textbook. I would say that no prep book has the space needed to devote enough attention to all topics on the outline.
What textbooks? I plan on getting some PDFs
 
Sorry if this post is a tad long. I'll try to keep it as short and sweet as possible but here is a rundown of my preparation/experience.

Concept Review:

5 months prior to exam: Began studying from TPR Complete MCAT. This is the big bad boy ~1500 pages covering all subjects. Overall, this is a good book. Read the chapter, highlighted, took the practice questions at the end. Anything I didn't understand I would read more on and make some flashcards. I averaged about 3-5 chapters per week. This was during a 14 credit hour semester, two research jobs, and various other obligations. I mapped out a schedule but fell behind about 5 weeks in. School and MCAT is a hard teeter totter to play on.
Strategy Studying:
8 weeks prior to exam: Read Kaplan's MCAT 528. I highly recommend this book! Even if you think your testing strategies are good, this book is still worth the read. It helps you develop a good approach. What should be going through your head as you read passages? As you look at questions, question stems? As you try to narrow down the answers? I will say that "passage maps" are not my thing. If this helps you, go for it. For me - I'm a slow reader but a good thinker ;P - so passage maps were a drag on time. Making a mental passage map and highlighting the important info worked very well for me. But everyone's different so I don't think its fair to say one method is better than another.
4 weeks prior to exam: Began taking practice tests. I recommend simulating the testing environment. I went to the public library at 9:00 (I know, not 8AM - my public library didn't open until 9) every Saturday for 3 weeks. Pack the snack you'll pack for test day. Go to the bathroom only on breaks. Don't touch your cell phone. Simulating helped me a lot. 7.5 hours of focused, high pressure/stress-situation problem solving is not something I do every weekend - so I think I greatly benefitted from "practicing how you play". (*Side note* Did not purchase the question packs. I hear they're decent but I'm cheap so I didn't bother.) I know I posted my scores in April's thread but I'll post them again:

TPR1: 500 Composite (143/230 = 62%)
Chem Phys: 123 (29/59 = 49%)
CARS: 127 (41/53 = 77%)
Bio: 126 (41/59 = 69%)
Psych Soc: 124 (32/59 = 54%)
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
AAMC Official: (177/230 = 77%)
Chem Phys: (36/59 = 61%)
CARS: (45/53 = 85%)
Bio: (50/59 = 85%)
Psych: (46/59 = 78%)
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
TPR2: 499 Composite (146/230 = 63%)
Chem Phys (38/59 = 64%)
CARS: (26/53 = 49%)
Bio: 45/59 = 76%)
Psych 37/59 = 63%)

You can see my scores are not super :p You can also see that I scored 15% better on the AAMC official practice test. This test (AAMC FL) is more representative of what my actual testing experience was today. TPR was so focused on the tiny details. AAMC was more big picture, reasoning about experiments/papers. Hate to be a Debbie Downer but my impressions in retrospect: the prep companies dropped the ball on this one. Wouldn't take a class (I didn't). Wouldn't spend more than a couple hundred bucks on their books (still didn't). Take your practice test scores with a grain of salt. Don't bother looking at the scaled scores, they're useless. Try to increase your raw score - although I didn't have much luck with that.

Testing:
Unremarkable. As I mentioned before, the AAMC FL is very representative of my actual testing experience. I'm disappointed that there was only one. I feel like I might have felt a little better if I had taken another 2-3 official practice tests. I saw a few really chunky jock-looking guys at my center. Hopefully they bring the average down (no offense, and as a side note - I have nothing against jocks but I'm a very skinny white boi):

Chem/Phys: felt better than official practice test. Almost ran out of time.
CARS: felt about the same as the official practice test. I'm still a slow reader so I had to pick up the pace towards the end.
Bio/BC: tbh I felt like I smashed this section. Almost mic dropped and walked out of the center. Then I realized there was one more section left.
Psych/Socio: similar to practice test = meh. make flash cards to study. memorize and pray what sticks is whats on your test.
*Overall I don't know what to think. Testing fatigue is a real thing, especially towards the end. Although I felt about the same as I did on the AAMC FL - maybe a tad worse or a tad better. Hard to say. #prayers

Bottom-line/My recommendations:
Firstly and most importantly, take a biochem class before you take this test. In fact, I would recommend taking a class in all the subjects (yes, psychology and sociology as well). If you want to feel really comfortable, take a genetics class and a metabolism/physiology class. Even if this is just to reinforce the basic concepts you learned, it helps. If you had to pick one class to not have under your belt, it's physics II. This should be evident from the 5% physics material in Chem/Phys. If this is your case, cut your losses. 5% missed from physics is nothing compared to the 25% biochem from the two science sections.
If you have the ability to take a psych and socio class, do it. At least, this is what I did. I imagine this will be debated by some testers. In my honest opinion, it helps enormously to have the stress of an exam/paper for a class to help you remember terms/concepts. I know we're (mostly) all science geeks here - but I'd recommend taking the 101 class. It'll buff your GPA and make your studying come MCAT time loads easier.
Read scientific papers. I'm fortunate enough to work in a molecular genetics lab where we breed transgenic mice. I feel like the amount of lab work/ reading I did was possibly the best preparation for this test (as absurd as that sounds). If you are currently in research (and even if you aren't), download the "Read" app by QxMD. This app updates a feed with brand spanking new papers and you can track tags relevant to your work/what you're interested in. Even if you only read a few papers a week, looking at the graphs, analyzing the data, thinking about and understanding what the researchers did and why is the most valuable studying you can do. Until TPR/Kap come out with better review materials, I would prioritize your studying:
AAMC FL/Material > Practice Reading Papers > Biochem Class/Concept Review > TPR/Kap Content Review > TPR/Kap FLs > Game of Thrones

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own don't flame me bruh. Obviously others will disagree with my thoughts. My opinions are just here for you May kiddos and others. And from my practice scores you can see my weaknesses were Chem/Phys and a bit of Psych/Socio so my opinions reflect this. But everyone's different so keep that in mind. Also, I won't know what I got for several weeks so for all I know this could be the recipe for mediocrity. *sigh
 
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UGH... Now I'm so nervous to take this test in May. I really don't want to take it twice. But I'm guessing we are all in the same situation. So I cant complain. :(
 
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To those of you that took the exam either yesterday or today and used EK , how well do you think it prepared you for the exam? Also did anyone use the next step material ( full length exam and /or passage book)? If so how useful was is?
 
I saw a few really chunky jock-looking guys at my center. Hopefully they bring the average down (no offense, and as a side note - I have nothing against jocks but I'm a very skinny white boi)

Nice stereotyping.
I'll think about wearing a tank top and short shorts to the testing center so all you "skinny white boi's" can 'mire my guns and quads while I'm sipping on some amino acids so I can be in tune with my biochemistry.
 
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Nice stereotyping.
I'll think about wearing a tank top and short shorts to the testing center so all you "skinny white boi's" can 'mire my guns and quads while I'm sipping on some amino acids so I can be in tune with my biochemistry.
shrek is love. shrek is life.
 
Nice stereotyping.
I'll think about wearing a tank top and short shorts to the testing center so all you "skinny white boi's" can 'mire my guns and quads while I'm sipping on some amino acids so I can be in tune with my biochemistry.
lol, i will be in my stringer with gallon water jug and yoga pants... people will think I will bring the average down and thus won't take their exam as seriously.. whats the psych term for this lol
 
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I came back from the running wheel and I find the april thread got shot down....

Anyway, test was great. Finished an hour early.
While I can't go into the specifics of what you need to know, I will recommend that you do the khan academy passage questions as a way to get used to analyzing scientific experiments. I know not everyone works in a research lab, so I think that's the only way to get sufficient practice. I'm not sure what to recommend for the folks having trouble reading graphs... I think that's more of an intuitive thing.

For me,the AMCAS practice questions were very representative of the Phys/Chem and Bio sections. CARS was a bit harder than the amcas practice question and seems to be more on the level of the official guide questions. As for Psych/Soc.... well, Khan Academy's social passages were good practice and TPR was good preparation. Nothing I say will matter because I'm pretty sure everyone gets different tests...

As for the Phys/Chem biochemistry... Khan academy's videos did not help me at all, but retrieving obscure minutiae from the memory compartment of 2 years ago's biochem course did. If you are planning on taking a biochem course, make sure it's the one intended for science majors, not the flaky elective one for nutrition majors. If you're not... then well god speed. You can always try studying from TBR with the list provided by AMCAS as a guideline.

I was also thinking the ACS biochem study guide would be a good preparation, but I can't seem to find them anywhere...
 
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