*The Official May 6th, 2016 MCAT Thread*

[DannySCR]

Hey Everyone,

Just wanted to see who's with me in fighting this beast on May 6th. This could be a great place to help each other out, be it through study tips, mnemonics, or simply relieving stress. Nice to meet you all!

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[Doctor_Strange]

121 in CARS. Devastated

Sorry to hear that, I think you said you were not a native speaker before? If so, you may need to spend the last few days focusing exclusively on CARS. First, do NOT let it get to you and this is coming from a guy who is not even that smart. I just know that maintaining a strong emotional IQ is half the battle and two the CARS was very hard I thought. Just re do the q packs in a couple of days!!!

 

[Doctor_Strange]

lol I planned on saving NS4 for Monday as my last FL before the real thing. I hope it doesn't completely crumble the confidence I had left, the way you all are talking about it.

I'm done with FLs. Gonna redo the q packs, and SB probably monday through wednesday and thursday morning review CARS strategy and spend thursday afternoon watching Star Wars lol

 

[iluvbeingpremed]

YIKES You guys I just got a 130/125/130/127 on the scored FL.

I could feel like CARS wasn't going well when I went through it, and I know now that I just take the 1st break and have a snack because I was starving but this is kind of discouraging :/ Cars was my 2nd highest on the unscored

 

[souvenir94]

aamc scored: 126/123/127/126

Cars (( couldnt even finished; some of those passages lost me..

 

[iluvbeingpremed]

^^^Right?!?! There were at least 5 or 6 that I couldn't tell the difference between the two answer choices I had narrowed down to. Is the scored CARS known for being harder?!

 

[Ot1d]

The only decent thing I got from the sample was that even though my tanked cars section I managed a 500. 128/121/125/126. I'd sell my soul for 125+ on verbal.

 

[Hopeful_vet]

Are you guys finding the CARS to be more difficult on the scored than the unscored? I took the scored 2 weeks ago and was ecstatic with a 129 CARS.. If I can even get within 2 point of that on the real deal I'll be pumped.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[maydaymalone]

@souvenir94 @Doctor_Strange what were your other FL scores?

 

[zhonghang]

Took the scored FL today.

Scored 515 with:
C/P 129
CARS 127
B/B 130
P/S 129

Does anyone know how the CARS from this test compares to the most recent tests administered by AAMC?

 

[somedudehere]

Scored AAMC:
View attachment 203053

The content covered on this was so bizarre to me just because it felt so incredibly limited in scope. I don't want to spoil it for those out there who have not taken it yet, but it was just weird. Never scored above a 125 on B/B for me, and I got a ~129 to 130 on the unscored for CARS so I am bummed about that. The CARS I found particularly difficult as I had to finish two passages under 8 mins. I had about 10 minutes left over with P/S and wtf there were so many random questions that TPR nor my content review had even remotely covered. I get that I cannot cover it all but damn. Unscored had around a 507 and none of my 5 TPR FLs were always around 498 or 499.

Gotta keep at it I suppose. One whole week is a lotta time, like 25 more hours worth of prep at least!!!

How many questions did you get right in C/P for a 124?

 

[Wannabedrgrey]

Took the scored FL today.

Scored 515 with:
C/P 129
CARS 127
B/B 130
P/S 129

Does anyone know how the CARS from this test compares to the most recent tests administered by AAMC?

how many correct in every section? how did you do on the unscored? just tyring to gauge

 

[Mcatbot]

Took the scored FL today.

Scored 515 with:
C/P 129
CARS 127
B/B 130
P/S 129

Does anyone know how the CARS from this test compares to the most recent tests administered by AAMC?

I'll be taking the 5/6 exam with you guys. I voided my 4/23 test cuz I screwed up my timing at the end of B/B with two horrible passages.

Anyways, CARS from 4/23 was on par with scored. It wasn't too difficult but not walk in the part either.

 

[somedudehere]

I'll be taking the 5/6 exam with you guys. I voided my 4/23 test cuz I screwed up my timing at the end of B/B with two horrible passages.

Anyways, CARS from 4/23 was on par with scored. It wasn't too difficult but not walk in the part either.

Do you agree that the unscored FL CARS was much easier than the scored?

Might just be that there were barely any art/philosophy passages on the unscored which are my absolute worst types of passages.

 

[Mcatbot]

Do you agree that the unscored FL CARS was much easier than the scored?

Might just be that there were barely any art/philosophy passages on the unscored which are my absolute worst types of passages.

Consensus is that Unscored is on the easier side. Scored is probably the difficulty that you should be expecting (although another version of 4/23 exam had 4-5 literature/philosophy passages, but I'm hoping that's just an outlier)

 

[Mcatbot]

Also just a general advice - not to scare you guys, but expect it to be (much) more difficult than aamc scored. But also remember to keep calm knowing that the curve will be better (I certainly hoped I did last week).

 

[zhonghang]

Also just a general advice - not to scare you guys, but expect it to be (much) more difficult than aamc scored. But also remember to keep calm knowing that the curve will be better (I certainly hoped I did last week).

Much more difficult in what ways? Longer passages? More graphs? Is it more difficult than the section bank?

 

[Dr.Burns]

how many correct in every section? how did you do on the unscored? just tyring to gauge

Curious to know also!

 

[zhonghang]

how many correct in every section? how did you do on the unscored? just tyring to gauge

CP 88%
CARS 77%
BB 88%
PS 90%

Unscored: CP 76%, CARS 70%, BB 80%, PS 85%

I took the unscored a while back though

 

[Mcatbot]

Much more difficult in what ways? Longer passages? More graphs? Is it more difficult than the section bank?

Expect all passages like section bank with more gimme questions. They are a lot like NS C/P and B/B, but shorter (they usually don't go beyond 2-3 short paragraphs with 1-2 graph/tables)

 

[theonlytycrane]

@Mcatbot I appreciate your honest advice- wishing you the best on the last one and this one. Would you say NS / EK fls are best for simulation?

 

[souvenir94]

@souvenir94 @Doctor_Strange what were your other FL scores?

497, 501, 498, 509

on the aamc unscored my percentages for each section were 63/79/68/68

 

[Wannabedrgrey]

497, 501, 498, 509

on the aamc unscored my percentages for each section were 63/79/68/68

did you find the scored harser

 

[maydaymalone]

what FLs were those of?

 

[infinityavenue]

Guys, I'm taking the Scored FL tomorrow and I feel knots in my stomach. I can't even fathom how anxious I'll be next Thursday night

 

[souvenir94]

the

what FLs were those of?

first three were kaplan 1,3,5 and the last one was NS 1

 

[souvenir94]

did you find the scored harser

i felt like the cars section was a bit more challenging along with bio in a way but everything else was not that bad

 

[Doctor_Strange]

@souvenir94 @Doctor_Strange what were your other FL scores?

My 5 TPR FLs ranged from 495 to 499 and my unscored was around a 507 and scored aamc is 504 so I hope I can get at a minimum a 502 which would be enough for my application honestly lol

Edit: for DO schools that is

 

[souvenir94]

My 5 TPR FLs ranged from 495 to 499 and my unscored was around a 507 and scored aamc is 504 so I hope I can get at a minimum a 502 which would be enough for my application honestly lol

lol i was shooting for 515 but lately i'm just like i could do with a 50X with 3< x<7

 

[somedudehere]

This is my 3rd and last attempt.

26 --> 503 --> hoping for 508+

I'm honestly just ready to never have to look at the mcat ever again.

 

[google MD]

Has anyone taken the NS FL #1? I took it today and am wondering how representative everyone thinks it is or find it to be. I know they updated it a few months ago and I can't seem to find many opinions on it now.

I got: 130/128/130/129/517

I wasn't expecting this at all and was very surprised so I don't know how to take it??

 

[somedudehere]

Has anyone taken the NS FL #1? I took it today and am wondering how representative everyone thinks it is or find it to be. I know they updated it a few months ago and I can't seem to find many opinions on it now.

I got: 130/128/130/129/517

I wasn't expecting this at all and was very surprised so I don't know how to take it??

How many questions did you get right in each section? I saw someone get like 39/59 and that put them at 127 which is completely different from AAMC, but apparently NS tests are much harder so I have no idae.

 

[Wolfpack93]

Has anyone taken the NS FL #1? I took it today and am wondering how representative everyone thinks it is or find it to be. I know they updated it a few months ago and I can't seem to find many opinions on it now.

I got: 130/128/130/129/517

I wasn't expecting this at all and was very surprised so I don't know how to take it??

Umm I think you should take it as a good thing... Not really sure how else you could view it haha

 

[google MD]

How many questions did you get right in each section? I saw someone get like 39/59 and that put them at 127 which is completely different from AAMC, but apparently NS tests are much harder so I have no idae.

Right that's the exact reason why I'm so confused now!! They are so different.

I took the AAMC FL scored a few days ago and got a 129/127/129/128/513 which corresponded to 50/59, 42/53, 51/59, 50/59

My NS test from today I got 50/59, 43/53, 52/59, 48/59. So pretty similar on the amount correct with the exception of P/S section which I found to be pretty difficult on that test so I can justify the score there, but otherwise not really. To have done 4 whole points better I found a little odd and don't know how to interpret either of those scores now.

 

[lostnconfused]

Where is AAMC pulling all these psych terms from omg... They're not in TPR. They're not in Khan. So not cool.

 

[Mcatbot]

@Mcatbot I appreciate your honest advice- wishing you the best on the last one and this one. Would you say NS / EK fls are best for simulation?

Thanks. I like NS better than EK, but both are good. You will have others tell you the opposite.

 

[Mcatbot]

Right that's the exact reason why I'm so confused now!! They are so different.

I took the AAMC FL scored a few days ago and got a 129/127/129/128/513 which corresponded to 50/59, 42/53, 51/59, 50/59

My NS test from today I got 50/59, 43/53, 52/59, 48/59. So pretty similar on the amount correct with the exception of P/S section which I found to be pretty difficult on that test so I can justify the score there, but otherwise not really. To have done 4 whole points better I found a little odd and don't know how to interpret either of those scores now.

You might've underperformed in AAMC scored. People tend to do better than their NS scores

 

[Astra]

As you guys are approaching your exam, I advise you to reduce the stress and not spend time cramming.

Look over your notes lightly and solidify what you know.

You are gonna lose more points to mistakes due to stress than relaxing and knowing what you know.

You got this guys

 

[sloppypapi]

My endurance is still lacking a bit. By P/S, I start getting songs stuck in my head while thinking about what I should make for dinner later lol. Luckily P/S is my strongest section, so I can afford to take a few breaks between passages to collect my thoughts. Still frustrating though.

You are gonna lose more points to mistakes due to stress than relaxing and knowing what you know.

For sure. I've been tallying how many of my incorrect answers are due to "silly" mistakes, and for all sections, the majority is due to carelessly misinterpreting the passage/ data or not reading the questions/ answers closely enough. It's bittersweet in that it confirms that I do "know" my stuff, but also means my score is suffering because I don't know how to chill.

 

[apuri3]

80% on AAMC OG. I'll take it

 

[infinityavenue]

On my break for the Scored FL. Jeebus christ, CARS. Wtf was that? AAMC Sample had nice, fun, and easy CARS passages. This CARS was torturous and boring as hell. So many answers that seemed right. C/P is always awful for me, so I'm nervous for that one too!

 

[exacto]

My endurance is still lacking a bit. By P/S, I start getting songs stuck in my head while thinking about what I should make for dinner later lol. Luckily P/S is my strongest section, so I can afford to take a few breaks between passages to collect my thoughts. Still frustrating though.

Towards the end of BB/ middle of Psych I start waning down and think about whatever pops in my head. I took a caffeine pill the other days and I was able to maintain my focus...try caffine ( either pills, coffee, redbull, energy drink,whatever)

 

[infinityavenue]

Scored FL scores
516 - CP: 129 (88%)/CARS: 130 (89%)/B&B 128 (83%)/P/S 129 (88%)

Guys, I'm legit shocked. I never expected to do this well - especially on C/P. I've been doing so so on NextStep Exams (507/508s for 5 out of 6 exams) and not too hot on the Section Banks (65% on CP/B/B & 71% on P/S). All I want is a 511+ to get into my in-state schools. God, my adrenaline is pumping. Keep pushing guys. We can do it!!!!

 

[cjcarter]

Just finished the OG. 76% B/B, 83% P/C, 90% P/S, 90% CARS. Definitely a lot easier than I expected. CARS passages were easy to understand. P/S was the easiest thing I've seen yet.

 

[cjcarter]

Scored FL scores
516 - CP: 129 (88%)/CARS: 130 (89%)/B&B 128 (83%)/P/S 129 (88%)

Guys, I'm legit shocked. I never expected to do this well - especially on C/P. I've been doing so so on NextStep Exams (507/508s for 5 out of 6 exams) and not too hot on the Section Banks (65% on CP/B/B & 71% on P/S). All I want is a 511+ to get into my in-state schools. God, my adrenaline is pumping. Keep pushing guys. We can do it!!!!

Congrats on the great score!

 

[Doctor_Strange]

With not so many days left would people recommend I re do the SB or start hte biology q packs 1 and 2. I have done eveyrthing else once, although i have only done like 5 questions of the physics q pack. The chem q pack was not terribly representaitve of the new mcat so i dont know which one would be better spent doing. i dont remember anything from the sb too after doing it several days ago

 

[Gurby]

Getting absolutely hammered by the AAMC flash cards... The P/S in particular have a lot of terms I didn't know and a lot of skeezy questions.

Scored FL scores
516 - CP: 129 (88%)/CARS: 130 (89%)/B&B 128 (83%)/P/S 129 (88%)

Guys, I'm legit shocked. I never expected to do this well - especially on C/P. I've been doing so so on NextStep Exams (507/508s for 5 out of 6 exams) and not too hot on the Section Banks (65% on CP/B/B & 71% on P/S). All I want is a 511+ to get into my in-state schools. God, my adrenaline is pumping. Keep pushing guys. We can do it!!!!

Encouraging to see you do so well on the AAMC content after getting those NS scores! I hope I can replicate that when I take it on Monday!

 

[Ot1d]

Is anyone going to be blasting Views on their way to the center on the 6th ? lol

 

[sshidid]

GUYS,

SO I'm looking for some advice. I just took my last Next Step Full Length today. I've done 6 total and have scored 503-508. And have taken TPR FL and scored a 500. I was just wondering how similar my score would be to the actual thing(I'm going to take the scored FL Wednesday since my test is on the 14th). My goal is honestly a 508-510. If I score in that range, I'll be a happy camper. Would I have a chance?

Also, what's worrying me is that my CARS score just keeps going down. Is it me or is NEXT STEP CARS convoluted?? Some answers are almost verbatim and others require you to do guesswork/inferences that I think is way beyond AAMC. uggh and my score has dropped from consistent 126 to 124, should I be worried? Or is Next STep's verbal just a crap shoot?

Any advice greatly appreciated!!

 

[theonlytycrane]

trying to use gestalt principles to figure out what @sshidid's avatar is

 

[Wannabedrgrey]

how many correct in every section? how did you do on the unscored? just tyring to gauge

Scored FL scores
516 - CP: 129 (88%)/CARS: 130 (89%)/B&B 128 (83%)/P/S 129 (88%)

Guys, I'm legit shocked. I never expected to do this well - especially on C/P. I've been doing so so on NextStep Exams (507/508s for 5 out of 6 exams) and not too hot on the Section Banks (65% on CP/B/B & 71% on P/S). All I want is a 511+ to get into my in-state schools. God, my adrenaline is pumping. Keep pushing guys. We can do it!!!!

How did you do on the unscored