*The Official May 6th, 2016 MCAT Thread*

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DannySCR

DannySCR

Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost
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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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tiffxp said:
Any of you guys finished your personal statement yet? I am still revising my personal statement and its been the 15th draft that I wrote :yeahright:
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Working on it. All my content is here just cleaning it up :). Onto the ALL of the other essays (3 total for Texas)...
 
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I'm taking the exam this Saturday. I got a pretty good score on the AAMC scored practice. Most people say the real is harder. Could it be the case that the stress plays a big role in making the exam feel harder than the practice material, or is the material more difficult?
 
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Panteleimon said:
I'm taking the exam this Saturday. I got a pretty good score on the AAMC scored practice. Most people say the real is harder. Could it be the case that the stress plays a big role in making the exam feel harder than the practice material, or is the material more difficult?
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I think it's material. Stress could certainly play a part, but it did not for me. I've seen many people who have been able to say the exam was harder. That being said...my B/B section was easier (to me) than any practice exam I had taken. In contrast, my physical sciences section had passages so difficult to understand I was struggling to finish on time (a section I finish pretty easily usually). So probably a combination of the exam hitting peoples weak subjects and what I believe is the exam is inherently more difficult.
 
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Panteleimon said:
I'm taking the exam this Saturday. I got a pretty good score on the AAMC scored practice. Most people say the real is harder. Could it be the case that the stress plays a big role in making the exam feel harder than the practice material, or is the material more difficult?
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My experience is that overall the passages were quite a bit harder (some like the section bank) but that those difficult passages had questions that weren't all that hard.


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Panteleimon said:
I'm taking the exam this Saturday. I got a pretty good score on the AAMC scored practice. Most people say the real is harder. Could it be the case that the stress plays a big role in making the exam feel harder than the practice material, or is the material more difficult?
Click to expand...

I think the general consensus for the past three administration of MCAT this year is expect most (if not all) passages to be like SB difficulty or harder/longer (you'll likely see some qpack style passages, but not very many), but as people have said, there are more easy gimme questions. That being said, timing will be an issue if you are like me (who usually finishes right on time)
 
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Mcatbot said:
I think the general consensus for the past three administration of MCAT this year is expect most (if not all) passages to be like SB difficulty or harder/longer (you'll likely see some qpack style passages, but not very many), but as people have said, there are more easy gimme questions. That being said, timing will be an issue if you are like me (who usually finishes right on time)
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This. I always had to force myself to slow down on practice tests. The real deal I was just barely finishing. I suggest writing out the time in 8 minute increments (87, 79, 71... Etc) on your scratch paper and cross them out as you finish a passage. Spend 8 minutes on each passage and then that leaves you 15 mins for the discretes


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zhonghang said:
What are the prompts for the Texas essays?
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Was counting my PS as one of the "essays". This bit is required to apply through TMDSAS, one if optional but I will be completing it. Additionally, I think 5 of the Texas schools have their individual secondaries.
"
MEDICAL PERSONAL STATEMENT
Explain your motivation to seek a career in medicine. Be sure to include the value of your experiences that prepare you to be a physician.

The personal statement is limited to 5000 characters, including spaces.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS ESSAY
Learning from others is enhanced in educational settings that include individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Please describe your personal characteristics (background, talents, skills, etc.) or experiences that would add to the educational experience of others.

The personal characteristics essay is limited to 2500 characters, including spaces.

OPTIONAL ESSAY
The optional essay is an opportunity to provide the admissions committee(s) with a broader picture of who you are as an applicant. This essay is optional; however, you are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity.

  1. Optional Essay:
    Briefly state any unique circumstances or life experiences that are relevant to your application. This is not an area to continue your essay or reiterate what you have previously stated - this area is provided to address any issues which have not previously been addressed.

    The optional essay is limited to 2500 characters, including spaces."
 
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FCMike11 said:
Was counting my PS as one of the "essays". This bit is required to apply through TMDSAS, one if optional but I will be completing it. Additionally, I think 5 of the Texas schools have their individual secondaries.
"
MEDICAL PERSONAL STATEMENT
Explain your motivation to seek a career in medicine. Be sure to include the value of your experiences that prepare you to be a physician.

The personal statement is limited to 5000 characters, including spaces.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS ESSAY
Learning from others is enhanced in educational settings that include individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Please describe your personal characteristics (background, talents, skills, etc.) or experiences that would add to the educational experience of others.

The personal characteristics essay is limited to 2500 characters, including spaces.

OPTIONAL ESSAY
The optional essay is an opportunity to provide the admissions committee(s) with a broader picture of who you are as an applicant. This essay is optional; however, you are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity.

  1. Optional Essay:
    Briefly state any unique circumstances or life experiences that are relevant to your application. This is not an area to continue your essay or reiterate what you have previously stated - this area is provided to address any issues which have not previously been addressed.

    The optional essay is limited to 2500 characters, including spaces."
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Does AAMCAS have similar additional essays that are required or optional?
 
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FCMike11 said:
Was counting my PS as one of the "essays". This bit is required to apply through TMDSAS, one if optional but I will be completing it. Additionally, I think 5 of the Texas schools have their individual secondaries.
"
MEDICAL PERSONAL STATEMENT
Explain your motivation to seek a career in medicine. Be sure to include the value of your experiences that prepare you to be a physician.

The personal statement is limited to 5000 characters, including spaces.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS ESSAY
Learning from others is enhanced in educational settings that include individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Please describe your personal characteristics (background, talents, skills, etc.) or experiences that would add to the educational experience of others.

The personal characteristics essay is limited to 2500 characters, including spaces.

OPTIONAL ESSAY
The optional essay is an opportunity to provide the admissions committee(s) with a broader picture of who you are as an applicant. This essay is optional; however, you are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity.

  1. Optional Essay:
    Briefly state any unique circumstances or life experiences that are relevant to your application. This is not an area to continue your essay or reiterate what you have previously stated - this area is provided to address any issues which have not previously been addressed.

    The optional essay is limited to 2500 characters, including spaces."
Click to expand...

Uhh, do you know if we can reuse our secondaries for these essays? The personal characteristics essay and optional essay is almost the same as Texas A&M's secondary.
 
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popopopop said:
Uhh, do you know if we can reuse our secondaries for these essays? The personal characteristics essay and optional essay is almost the same as Texas A&M's secondary.
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I was just talking to my wife about the EXACT same thing. I'm not sure honestly. I assume they receive all of our TMDSAS essays and info. It would seem strange to, but my significant personal experience/unique circumstances/personal characteristics is identical to what I'd describe as my "experiences and/or skills that have made you more sensitive". Same for the Honor Code essay. No idea what I'm going to do.

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I just don't feel like studying right now for a potential retake until I get my scores. I am trying to justify this by doing my AACOMAS, AMCAS, and scribe training in the meanwhile...
 
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This wait sucks. I'm doing my AACOMAS but I'm not sure if my MCAT score will be strong enough to warrant me submitting an application. I will take my 507 on the FL scored and run with it at this point.
 
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apuri3 said:
This wait sucks. I'm doing my AACOMAS but I'm not sure if my MCAT score will be strong enough to warrant me submitting an application. I will take my 507 on the FL scored and run with it at this point.
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Same. At this point though, I think about the MCAT maybe once a day, but otherwise I am purposefully trying to keep myself busy. I have a Scribe position lined up starting in mid June/late July (part time 2 to 3 shifts a week) but I feel so conflicted that if I need to retake that I won't be able to juggle both...

I am also doing AACOMAS as well and I totally feel you on that..

I did recently find out from a friend of mine why the MCAT delays the scores: it is, in part, because they used to release them almost immediately but there was a high number of suicides associated with the release. By delaying it, presumably the emotional state of test takers will gradually dissipate, which for me, I don't feel as emotional today as I did this time last week (not saying I was suicidal though last week lol).
 
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I haven't been studying either, lol. I moved into a new apartment the day after the MCAT and between that, working full-time, and preparing my AMCAS I haven't had much time to study. Just praying that I don't have to retake...


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Well I am filling up my AACOMAS as well and I am trying not to think about MCAT lol
Also been watching the NBA conference finals these days...GO WARRIORS!!
 
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Finally decided to make an SDN account and contribute to the conversation rather than simply lurk in the background :)
Sort of also because the wait for scores is driving me crazy and I need to do something to keep my mind occupied
 
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BBoss2021 said:
Finally decided to make an SDN account and contribute to the conversation rather than simply lurk in the background :)
Sort of also because the wait for scores is driving me crazy and I need to do something to keep my mind occupied
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Welcome. May the scores be ever in your favor.


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Hopeful_vet said:
This. I always had to force myself to slow down on practice tests. The real deal I was just barely finishing. I suggest writing out the time in 8 minute increments (87, 79, 71... Etc) on your scratch paper and cross them out as you finish a passage. Spend 8 minutes on each passage and then that leaves you 15 mins for the discretes


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Thanks for the insight. I was going to take the exam May 14th but I didn't get enough sleep so I rescheduled for June 2nd. A couple more weeks to study. How much spare time did you have left on the practice material so I can get an idea of the time inflation at play?
 
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For those who took the exam, how does the real exam line up vs. AAMC Sample, AAMC Scored, and the AAMC's q-packs? If you took a test prep, how did it stack up against that? I did Kaplan.
 
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Panteleimon said:
For those who took the exam, how does the real exam line up vs. AAMC Sample, AAMC Scored, and the AAMC's q-packs? If you took a test prep, how did it stack up against that? I did Kaplan.
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Scored > unscored = SB > test prep company (TPR for me) = q-pack.

Good luck!
 
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Panteleimon said:
For those who took the exam, how does the real exam line up vs. AAMC Sample, AAMC Scored, and the AAMC's q-packs? If you took a test prep, how did it stack up against that? I did Kaplan.
Click to expand...

For me, it was Actual Exam >> Scored Exam and Berkeley Review is kind of not really comparable though I guess you could place it somewhat above the actual exam. I took the prep course last year and BR's Physics went way too in depth for what was actually on the exam. BR's Biology also went crazily in-depth though it was interesting to read some of the tidbits they gave us and I guess for the most part, GenChem and OChem were good at explaining things though I'm more a Chem person than Bio person so maybe it was just me that enjoyed it. Oh, and BR's OChem had a crazy amount of reactions they said you should probably memorize and after the exam, I felt that I really didn't have to waste my time on many of those.
 
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Damn I had a weird dream I scored a 113 on CARS. And it was weirder that I took the exam in Bangkok during a typhoon lol. WHAT DOES IT MEAN
 
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Hopeful_vet said:
More people that were disappointed with their scores than I've seen before :/


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Reddit different. Everyone pretty much did exceptionally well but response/selection bias is through the roof obviously. One poster socred a 521 on scored aamc and then 503 on real thing yikes. One scored a 503 on aamc scored and 511 on real thing. I don't think I'll be reading the SDN ones really because what is the point? Freak me out? One poster said it right: your feelings about the exam mean nothing as it relates to your score...
 
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Gurby said:
Absolutely horrifying.

Must have gotten a bunch of difficult passages s/he wasn't prepared for, and then been unlucky with guesses? :(
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More likely test anxiety subdued the person, and later comments by that poster suggest as much. A very unfortunate outlier, but more and more the 4/23 by in large proves once again that neuroticism, on average, runs incredibly high on SDN. People who thought they bombed ended in the 85%ile and greater range. To each their own since everyone has their own standards, but some of the posts are like "511, is my life over?" lol. Yeah it is if you were aiming for Harvard maybe.

Having said that, I remain fairly anxious awaiting my results...
 
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Couldn't stop myself from reading the SDN and Reddit reactions. Can't believe that's gonna be us in 2 weeks. I still have so much work to do on my app too... Here's to hoping the next 13 days fly by.


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Ricekrispie said:
Couldn't stop myself from reading the SDN and Reddit reactions. Can't believe that's gonna be us in 2 weeks. I still have so much work to do on my app too... Here's to hoping the next 13 days fly by.


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Really hope this thread doesn't turn into a 'name the time AAMC releases their scores' thread while we all die of anxiety. Our date is a Tuesday I believe.. sounds like a solid day to day drink.
 
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RSBNKCBY said:
Really hope this thread doesn't turn into a 'name the time AAMC releases their scores' thread while we all die of anxiety. Our date is a Tuesday I believe.. sounds like a solid day to day drink.
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Agreed. I'll actually be at work until 5 pm eastern so I'll get away from the neuroticism, hopefully. I kind of want to give my non-premed friends my login info and have them come up with an elaborate way to break the news to me (<500=bottle of everclear, >520=champagne etc.)


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One week left! I'm going to be working 10-7 and will not check my score until I get home. Don't want to risk a break down at work. I've felt progressively worse about my score as the weeks have gone by. Sigh.


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cjcarter said:
One week left! I'm going to be working 10-7 and will not check my score until I get home. Don't want to risk a break down at work. I've felt progressively worse about my score as the weeks have gone by. Sigh.


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I'll be refreshing the AAMC scores page all day.. My PI probably won't appreciate my lack of productivity that day... Good thing he already finished my LOR. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯


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cjcarter said:
One week left! I'm going to be working 10-7 and will not check my score until I get home. Don't want to risk a break down at work. I've felt progressively worse about my score as the weeks have gone by. Sigh.


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Isn't this the truth. I keep thinking--50% of the test taking population on 5/6 will score below 500, and I do not want to belong to that category......
 
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I took the May 20th one and I feel it went okay, idk maybe I have just become numb. Craziest part is that these 230 questions will decide if I go to DO or a top 10 MD school.
 
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