The Official October 25th, 2014 MCAT Thread

MCAT is Hard? Not with BeMo's 515 Score Guarantee.
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Violagirl

Violagirl

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Hey all! Just thought I'd get a thread out there for those of us taking the MCAT on October 25th! Feel free to post how you plan to study, any study tips/tricks you might have or other resources you found helpful that might benefit others. I originally planned on taking the MCAT on July 12th but ended up having to reschedule with the hassle of job hunting. Now that I have a new job lined up, I ended up rescheduling to take it in October instead in getting back on track with studying. Best of luck to everyone taking it!
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Congrats to AmICrazy, littlepuddle and Bob. Looks like we got the easier test compared to the October 21 crew. It's hard to believe that could be the case, given how hard our test was.
 
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Before I even see my score I'm writing this hah... just wanted to say that the PS made me want to void right after taking it. It felt like I had no idea what I was doing for like 15 questions. But I just thought that if it felt so foreign to me, then hopefully it felt foreign to a lot of people and the curve would be consistent. I thought VR was about the same as the AAMC FL's, though it felt a little longer. BS was overall okay I thought, until the last 2 passages that just ate a lot of my time.

I honestly felt like I bombed the PS and was expecting anywhere from a 7-9 on PS, 9-11 on VR, and 8-11 on BS... so.. here it goes...

Test Date: 10/25/14
Time: 1:00 pm
FL AAMC Average: 30.5 (On average, PS>VR>BS)
AAMC 10-11 Avg.: 32
Post-test expected score: 24-27 (This morning I felt like I could realistically end up with a 26-27)
Actual Score (PS/VR/BS): 30 (11/9/10)

I'm not sure how I feel about this haha... Realistically I'm pretty happy I did much better than how I felt walking out, but I'm disappointed that my VR was so low, especially since that was the section I thought I did the best in.. my GPA isn't that high so a 30 is..

Much better than a 24 though :) but def in that gray zone where I'm not sure. I spent my summer part time studying for this test so I guess it's understandable. For anyone out there who's looking back on this, I would feel you do score close to your average, somehow they scale it so that it happens like that.

30= 72-78 percentile though...

But good luck to everyone else! :) I was so scared of checking, but after a while I just thought.. the score is going to be there regardless so might as well have an idea of what to do from here.
 
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Test Date: 10/25/14
Time: 1:00 pm
FL AAMC Average: Only took one, which was AAMC 10.
AAMC 10: 37 (12/13/12)
Post-test expected score: 37-38
Actual Score (PS/VR/BS): 33 (11/11/11)

Same as before. Kind of disappointed, since I expected to do better.
 
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change4med said:
Before I even see my score I'm writing this hah... just wanted to say that the PS made me want to void right after taking it. It felt like I had no idea what I was doing for like 15 questions. But I just thought that if it felt so foreign to me, then hopefully it felt foreign to a lot of people and the curve would be consistent. I thought VR was about the same as the AAMC FL's, though it felt a little longer. BS was overall okay I thought, until the last 2 passages that just ate a lot of my time.

I honestly felt like I bombed the PS and was expecting anywhere from a 7-9 on PS, 9-11 on VR, and 8-11 on BS... so.. here it goes...

Test Date: 10/25/14
Time: 1:00 pm
FL AAMC Average: 30.5 (On average, PS>VR>BS)
AAMC 10-11 Avg.: 32
Post-test expected score: 24-27 (This morning I felt like I could realistically end up with a 26-27)
Actual Score (PS/VR/BS): 30 (11/9/10)

I'm not sure how I feel about this haha... Realistically I'm pretty happy I did much better than how I felt walking out, but I'm disappointed that my VR was so low, especially since that was the section I thought I did the best in.. my GPA isn't that high so a 30 is..

Much better than a 24 though :) but def in that gray zone where I'm not sure. I spent my summer part time studying for this test so I guess it's understandable. For anyone out there who's looking back on this, I would feel you do score close to your average, somehow they scale it so that it happens like that.

30= 72-78 percentile though...

But good luck to everyone else! :) I was so scared of checking, but after a while I just thought.. the score is going to be there regardless so might as well have an idea of what to do from here.
Click to expand...


I am EXACTLY the same. Same scores and everything. I think my science GPA was a 3.6 and cumulative was a 3.52. I doubled majored biochem and art history and I now have a PhD, but I really want to be in the clinic where I should have gone in the first place. I want to get into Michigan, because I spent part of my grad school in their PiBS program before my PI moved to UCSD and I went with him. I just don't know if this score will get me there. I have too much going on with my postdoc, so I don't think I can study for the new monster. Getting time to study was a problem for this test too. I just wish it was not in that gray area, but a 72-78 percentile is probably ok, right? :/
 
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trini818 said:
I am EXACTLY the same. Same scores and everything. I think my science GPA was a 3.6 and cumulative was a 3.52. I doubled majored biochem and art history and I now have a PhD, but I really want to be in the clinic where I should have gone in the first place. I want to get into Michigan, because I spent part of my grad school in their PiBS program before my PI moved to UCSD and I went with him. I just don't know if this score will get me there. I have too much going on with my postdoc, so I don't think I can study for the new monster. Getting time to study was a problem for this test too. I just wish it was not in that gray area, but a 72-78 percentile is probably ok, right? :/
Click to expand...

I think you'll have a pretty solid chance at getting into a med school somewhere (which is what I'm aiming for). For Michigan... Apply anyways and pray for the best :) You have a PhD and a reason for wanting to go there, yeah GPA and MCAT may be below their average, but at the same time it's still an average, people above and below that range get accepted.

I'm not sure where to proceed here too, but good luck to both of us!
 
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This was my first and last time taking the MCAT! Composite 31: 9 PS/11 VR/ 11BS. I scored the same on most of my practice tests so not a huge surprise although the physical science section was so awful! Now the application process begins...
 
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trini818 said:
Bob, what percentile was your 34?
Click to expand...

Hi trini818,

It was 90.7 - 93.4 percentile.

Doug Underhill said:
Congrats to AmICrazy, littlepuddle and Bob. Looks like we got the easier test compared to the October 21 crew. It's hard to believe that could be the case, given how hard our test was.
Click to expand...

Looks like we did indeed. For me the entire test (especially verbal) was easier than anything I've ever done practicing with EK material. My Bio score stayed the same as last year's which really surprised me since I didn't feel like I did that bad on it.
 
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Zaids37 said:
I thought PS was pretty tough. May have caused me to lose concentration on VR at the beginning. I found myself guessing blindly on some PS and VR questions due to time constraint. BS was the only section I felt I did well on. Predicting an 8/7(hoping)/10
Click to expand...

I suppose I'll be the first with a relatively low score to post but just to show everyone that sometimes predictions can be correct. I predicted 8 PS/7 VR/10 BS and I got an 8/8/10 for a 26. Wish I would've done just a little bit better but its alright. Does anyone think I should retake if I'm applying DO? My cGPA should be 3.55-3.6 and sGPA at 3.5 by the time I apply. I really want to go to more established DO programs though (PCOM is my goal).

Congrats to everyone who did very well :)
 
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Zaids37 said:
I suppose I'll be the first with a relatively low score to post but just to show everyone that sometimes predictions can be correct. I predicted 8 PS/7 VR/10 BS and I got an 8/8/10 for a 26. Wish I would've done just a little bit better but its alright. Does anyone think I should retake if I'm applying DO? My cGPA should be 3.55-3.6 and sGPA at 3.5 by the time I apply. I really want to go to more established DO programs though (PCOM is my goal).

Congrats to everyone who did very well :)
Click to expand...
No, I know someone who got in Albert Einstein (MD) with a 26. Apply broadly and you will be fine
 
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My recent AAMC FLs were 36, with one (no 8) bad at 30 and one (10 at 38)
Actual test:
12 PS 11 VR 13 BS = 36 = 97.1 percentile.
Very happy — I'm not even a native English speaker :)
 
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AmICrazy said:
Congrats to you as well! You did awesome!

Can all of you post Percentiles too??
Click to expand...

Thanks, Crazy. Here's my percentiles:
Verbal Reasoning (VR): 11 Percentile Range: 83.4 - 95.1
Physical Sciences (PS): 12 Percentile Range: 88.3 - 94.9
Biological Sciences (BS): 14 Percentile Range: 97.8 - 99.4
Total Score: 37 Percentile Range: 97.2 - 98.2

On one hand, I'm really ecstatic about this. On the other, I feel bad for those amongst us who did not get the score they were hoping for. On a slightly different day, our roles could have been reversed, and I may not have been so fortunate. Ultimately, this test isn't the prize: an acceptance to medical school is. Come next November, I may be sitting on no acceptances, while you guys may get some. You have things that I don't have: I view myself as kind of a weaker candidate, GPA-wise, so this was sorely needed for me.
 
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Ah man, I ended up with a 32.
PS = 9
VR = 11
BS = 12

Not trying to be that annoying guy! I know it's not a bad score by any means, but I really felt like I did better than this and need a better score for the schools I'm aiming for. Aside from nerves getting the better of me in PS, I was expecting 12+ in VR and BS and hoping for a 34-35.

I have a date reserved in early Jan. so I'll go ahead and take it again and hopefully fix the PS issues. I can always void if I don't feel better about it.

Congrats to everyone on doing a good job! This was a real hard test and the percentiles were pretty crazy, imo.
 
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I've been lurking here for awhile, and I'm excited to finally have something to post :3

Test Date: 10/25/14
Time: 1:00 pm
FL AAMC Average: 35
AAMC 10-11 Avg.: 34
Post-test expected score: 34-36
Actual Score (PS/VR/BS):35 (12/12/11)
Percentile: 93.5 - 95.5

Definitely thrilled, but 100% not the breakdown I anticipated walking out of there. I was on the verge of tears and about to void after PS but was beaming after BS. Also on the AAMC's, my PS had never gone above 11 on a practice test and BS had never gone below 12. Just goes to show that you cant trust your post-test feelings and it all works out in the end!
 
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Test Date: 10/25/14
Time: 1:00 pm
FL AAMC Average: 36
Post-test expected score: 32-36
Actual Score (PS/VR/BS):36 (13/11/12)
Percentile:95.6- 97.1

Honestly, I walked out of that test expecting anything, and wouldn't have been surprised with a variety of scores. The PS was brutal, but I guess the scaling was generous. For anyone that is still to take the test, it seems like the previous AAMC tests are a fairly decent predictor of score. Even if the actual one feels disastrous, wait the agonizing month to see how you actually did. Definitely content overall :)
 
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Test Date: 10/25/14
Time: 1:00 pm
FL AAMC Average: 34.5
AAMC 10-11 Avg.: 34
Post-test expected score: 32-36
Actual Score (PS/VR/BS): 34 (11/11/12)
 
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BigEinstein said:
Umm yeah right. Some pre-optometry who doesn't post on sdn comes out of no where and wants me to believe a 40.
I do not believe. You can prove me wrong and I will go sleep in shame
Click to expand...
Screen Shot 2014-11-25 at 3.10.33 PM.png
 
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Test Date: 10/25/14
Time: 1:00 pm
FL AAMC Average: 32
AAMC 10-11 Avg.: 34
Post-test expected score: 30-34
Actual Score (PS/VR/BS): 32 (11/9/12)

Physical Science was generous on the curve. Woohoo I'm ecstatic!
 
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Not very happy with my score.

Test Date: 10/25/14
Time: 1:00 pm
Post-test expected score: 30 (10/10/10)
Actual Score (PS/VR/BS): 27 (8/8/11)

I honestly thought I did way better in verbal and physical sciences. Was averaging a 10 on both on the AAMC FI's. I don't know if to retake it in January being that it's less than 2 months away (besides the fact that I'm reading on here that the test sites are full). Anyone willing to offer some sound advice?

1)No retake
2)Retake January
3)MCAT 2015 *dun dun dun*
 
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yane4000 said:
Not very happy with my score.

Test Date: 10/25/14
Time: 1:00 pm
Post-test expected score: 30 (10/10/10)
Actual Score (PS/VR/BS): 27 (8/8/11)

I honestly thought I did way better in verbal and physical sciences. Was averaging a 10 on both on the AAMC FI's. I don't know if to retake it in January being that it's less than 2 months away (besides the fact that I'm reading on here that the test sites are full). Anyone willing to offer some sound advice?

1)No retake
2)Retake January
3)MCAT 2015 *dun dun dun*
Click to expand...
I would keep that score and apply to low MD schools, but most DO schools. If you're resume is solid, you should have no problem getting in somewhere. Otherwise, if you disagree, screw the MCAT 2015. Take it in January. Who wants to take the new exam, anyway???
 
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EXTREMELY disappointed...
AAMC Average(4 tests): 32
Post-Test Expected Score: 33-35
Actual Score: 29
PS: 11 VR: 8 BS: 10
The biology and verbal really hurt me... I am thinking about retaking on Dec 6.
Should I retake? I want to pursue an MD/PhD. I have a 4.0, but I feel like this MCAT score will really hold me back.
 
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Ak07 said:
EXTREMELY disappointed...
AAMC Average(4 tests): 32
Post-Test Expected Score: 33-35
Actual Score: 29
PS: 11 VR: 8 BS: 10
The biology and verbal really hurt me... I am thinking about retaking on Dec 6.
Should I retake? I want to pursue an MD/PhD. I have a 4.0, but I feel like this MCAT score will really hold me back.
Click to expand...
Given that you want to go the extremely competitive route of MD/PhD and you did significantly better on practice tests, I would definitely retake if I were you. Maybe the nerves just got to you?
 
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daf2 said:
Overall I felt that the exam was pretty on par with the AAMC practice tests, slightly harder maybe. I had freaked myself out reading SDN posts saying the the real thing is so much more difficult . . .

PS: I remember reading the first question and being like "wtf, seriously?" Totally guessed on that one. The first two passages were weird and hard. The rest was fairly okay. I'm terrified of having made stupid mistakes (simple math errors, misreading the question, etc.) because that's always what kills my score.
Verbal: Totally the same as past AAMCs. The passages are NOT longer on the real thing despite what many people told me.
BS: Slightly harder than I was expecting. Longer passages maybe? Still hopeful that I did decently.

I can barely remember anything specific from the test. It's all a blur. There's one PS and two BS questions that I know I got wrong, but other than that I'm trying NOT to remember because it's just gonna stress me out. Ughhhhhh. Waiting a month for scores is torture.
Click to expand...

Test Date: 10/25/14
Time: 1:00 pm
FL AAMC Average: 34 for all 8, 34.8 for the 6 I took after finishing content review
AAMC 10-11 Avg.: 32 (took 10 before doing any content review and nerves got to me on 11)
Post-test expected score: 34+
Actual Score (PS/V/BS): 35 (12/11/12)

I'm happy with my score, especially PS and BS. A little miffed about verbal because I never scored lower than 11 on a practice test and was hoping for higher, but whatever. I got the score I was aiming for so I shouldn't complain. Congrats to everyone who got the score they wanted!
 
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htxcoog16 said:
I would keep that score and apply to low MD schools, but most DO schools. If you're resume is solid, you should have no problem getting in somewhere. Otherwise, if you disagree, screw the MCAT 2015. Take it in January. Who wants to take the new exam, anyway???
Click to expand...

If I were to take the January one and scored lower, which one would count?
 
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Hey everyone (but especially the lurkers like me), don't feel discouraged by the fact that some people post far above average scores. For one, the people on sdn do not represent all premeds, but more often than not, the ones that go a little bit above and beyond. Two, people who get better scores tend to post them, whereas people who do not tend to not. Just my two cents...
 
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rofl

Average AAMC Practice Test : 26


10/25/14 1pm
Test day : 32 11/10/11

baller
:banana::rofl:
 
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Ak07 said:
EXTREMELY disappointed...
AAMC Average(4 tests): 32
Post-Test Expected Score: 33-35
Actual Score: 29
PS: 11 VR: 8 BS: 10
The biology and verbal really hurt me... I am thinking about retaking on Dec 6.
Should I retake? I want to pursue an MD/PhD. I have a 4.0, but I feel like this MCAT score will really hold me back.
Click to expand...
You're fine with a 4.0
 
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Long-time lurker here; thought I'd add another data point.

Test Date: 10/25/14
Time: 1:00 pm
FL AAMC Average: 30 (only took 3 and 9)
AAMC 10-11 Avg.: N/A
Post-test expected score: 30
Actual Score (PS/VR/BS):34 (11/12/11)
90.7-93.4 percentile

Holy crap. I have no advice about studying besides do not do what I did (studied on and off for 5 months while working in a lab and doing school, then had a serious freak out a week before the test and did 2 AAMC FLs), but I did make an effort to pump myself up between sections and forget the last section. Also, bringing ear plugs was the best decision I made. Definitely not retaking!
 
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