When I took my MCAT...

TX500 · Jan 31, 2013

I came across a Biology passage that I could not understand. The experiment was incredibly convoluted and the graphs and charts were difficult to interpret. I also had a passage like this in my physical sciences, and I ended up voiding.

My question is this - when you see a passage, read through it, and have no idea what's going on, what do you do next? The BS passage I'm talking about had 6 questions, and every question was based on the experiment. I feel like I have the content down cold, so that wasn't an issue.

I do fairly well in TBR BS and PS passages, but my question is specifically for that one (or two) "WTF" passages that you'll inevitably see on test day. How can I improve this? I don't think TBR and TPRH passages do the trick. That one passage is why I believe I'm stuck in the 10-11 range and haven't reached the 13-14 range.

Should I read more biology literature online?

osprey099 · Jan 31, 2013

TX500 said:
I came across a Biology passage that I could not understand. The experiment was incredibly convoluted and the graphs and charts were difficult to interpret. I also had a passage like this in my physical sciences, and I ended up voiding.

My question is this - when you see a passage, read through it, and have no idea what's going on, what do you do next? The BS passage I'm talking about had 6 questions, and every question was based on the experiment. I feel like I have the content down cold, so that wasn't an issue.

I do fairly well in TBR BS and PS passages, but my question is specifically for that one (or two) "WTF" passages that you'll inevitably see on test day. How can I improve this? I don't think TBR and TPRH passages do the trick. That one passage is why I believe I'm stuck in the 10-11 range and haven't reached the 13-14 range.

Should I read more biology literature online?

I had 5 of those in my BS section last September. Only way you can improve your understanding of these sorts of passages is by forcing yourself to read 2 or 3 nature/science/cell papers a week and understanding their experiments and conclusions. Then, if you have the money, enroll in a Kaplan course and do their BS section tests. I'm currently in Kaplan's online course and their BS section tests are the closest you will find in terms of practice for these kinds of BS passages.

TX500 · Jan 31, 2013

osprey099 said:
I had 5 of those in my BS section last September. Only way you can improve your understanding of these sorts of passages is by forcing yourself to read 2 or 3 nature/science/cell papers a week and understanding their experiments and conclusions. Then, if you have the money, enroll in a Kaplan course and do their BS section tests. I'm currently in Kaplan's online course and their BS section tests are the closest you will find in terms of practice for these kinds of BS passages.

Thanks. Anyone else?

MedPR · Jan 31, 2013

TX500 said:
I came across a Biology passage that I could not understand. The experiment was incredibly convoluted and the graphs and charts were difficult to interpret. I also had a passage like this in my physical sciences, and I ended up voiding.

My question is this - when you see a passage, read through it, and have no idea what's going on, what do you do next? The BS passage I'm talking about had 6 questions, and every question was based on the experiment. I feel like I have the content down cold, so that wasn't an issue.

I do fairly well in TBR BS and PS passages, but my question is specifically for that one (or two) "WTF" passages that you'll inevitably see on test day. How can I improve this? I don't think TBR and TPRH passages do the trick. That one passage is why I believe I'm stuck in the 10-11 range and haven't reached the 13-14 range.

Should I read more biology literature online?

You study hard enough so that situation never happens.

You also realize that everything that seems convoluted is just a very basic experiment that you should have covered during prep.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile

underscore · Jan 31, 2013

MedPR said:
You study hard enough so that situation never happens.

You also realize that everything that seems convoluted is just a very basic experiment that you should have covered during prep.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile

this. It's not a matter of having more than basic knowledge (Bio101 level) of biology or concepts. Anything that seems hard or convoluted is a way for the test to see if you really understand the concepts or if you just understand them in a certain context.

CaribbeanBlue · Jan 31, 2013

I don't think this is a matter of you studying well enough. It has become noticed that the BS passages have shifted towards convoluted experiments such as the ones you have encountered so that it becomes more of a circumstance of whether you know the purpose of the experiments at hand.

With these particular passages, I personally didn't let it get to me that I didn't understand the experiment 100% perfectly, but that I would just move on with what I could get out of the experiment without losing time and use process of elimination. It is the best you can do really and you can't kill yourself over it during the exam.

I wouldn't recommend voiding over this sort of issue as long as its no more than one passage per section. On my physical science, I came across a passage where I had no idea in hell what they were trying to find with 8 different reactions and 10 different "side notes" at the bottom and an O2 graph that I could not comprehend, yet I still just fit the information into my best judgement to score a 14 on it.

If this is an extreme worry, I would probably resort to reading science articles like the above poster said and try to find out the purpose of the experiment, the purpose of each step, what they found, and the conclusion.

smmajid93 · Feb 1, 2013

Do you guys have any recommendation of a magazine to subscribe to or a website that has science articles on it?

Of course with a google search, I have been able to find many websites with science articles, but I don't know where to find RELEVANT articles that are good mcat practice.

janutt345 · Feb 1, 2013

So are these hardcore experimental biology passages still based on info that's on the AAMC content outline, and is the reason they're so hard because of the format/manner in which the topic is presented?

I mean, the AAMC d-bags wouldn't ask us about stuff we're not responsible for knowing, would they?

solitarius · Feb 1, 2013

It's just a well-designed test intended to accomplish its (evil) purpose.

OCDOCDOCD · Feb 1, 2013

smmajid93 said:
Do you guys have any recommendation of a magazine to subscribe to or a website that has science articles on it?

Of course with a google search, I have been able to find many websites with science articles, but I don't know where to find RELEVANT articles that are good mcat practice.

Most peer-reviewed journals are fine. Nature and Science cover all the sciences and are widely considered to be the Harvard and Princeton of journals to make an analogy. Cell is like those two, except it only covers biology. If you don't have access to an institutional subscription and need free journals, PLoS One is your best bet.

janutt345 said:
So are these hardcore experimental biology passages still based on info that's on the AAMC content outline, and is the reason they're so hard because of the format/manner in which the topic is presented?

I mean, the AAMC d-bags wouldn't ask us about stuff we're not responsible for knowing, would they?

No, they won't. And the experimental passages are hardly "hardcore", they're just not what people are expecting. If you're the kind of person who does well with scientific critical thinking you'll love the BS section.

kgpremed11 · Feb 1, 2013

OCDOCDOCD said:
Most peer-reviewed journals are fine. Nature and Science cover all the sciences and are widely considered to be the Harvard and Princeton of journals to make an analogy. Cell is like those two, except it only covers biology. If you don't have access to an institutional subscription and need free journals, PLoS One is your best bet.

No, they won't. And the experimental passages are hardly "hardcore", they're just not what people are expecting. If you're the kind of person who does well with scientific critical thinking you'll love the BS section.

What pisses me off is who the F*ck do they think we are? PHD's? Crap. most phd's would not be able to answer the convoluted crap on the MCAT bio nowadays.

alpharez · Feb 2, 2013

kgpremed11 said:
What pisses me off is who the F*ck do they think we are? PHD's? Crap. most phd's would not be able to answer the convoluted crap on the MCAT bio nowadays.

It's hardly convoluted. That's what they want you to think to get you frustrated and have you answer all the questions wrong.

Renaissance Man · Feb 2, 2013

smmajid93 said:
Do you guys have any recommendation of a magazine to subscribe to or a website that has science articles on it?

Of course with a google search, I have been able to find many websites with science articles, but I don't know where to find RELEVANT articles that are good mcat practice.

Don't do this. Nothing on the MCAT is advanced enough to be in a basic science research paper. For example, they will assume you know the basics behind DNA replication. Spend that time on more content review and/or buy more MCAT bio stuff.

kgpremed11 said:
What pisses me off is who the F*ck do they think we are? PHD's? Crap. most phd's would not be able to answer the convoluted crap on the MCAT bio nowadays.

That is definitely not true. None of the science on the MCAT is very in-depth. Trust me.

kgpremed11 · Feb 2, 2013

Renaissance Man said:
Don't do this. Nothing on the MCAT is advanced enough to be in a basic science research paper. For example, they will assume you know the basics behind DNA replication. Spend that time on more content review and/or buy more MCAT bio stuff.

That is definitely not true. None of the science on the MCAT is very in-depth. Trust me.

Im sorry but unless you took the MCAT in late 2012 you have no experience with the new bio. I took the MCAT in 2011 and 2012, and the 2012 bio was significantly harder.

Entadus · Feb 2, 2013

kgpremed11 said:
Im sorry but unless you took the MCAT in late 2012 you have no experience with the new bio. I took the MCAT in 2011 and 2012, and the 2012 bio was significantly harder.

n = 1 😛

I took the exam in 2010, and trust me, the bio was plenty hard :naughty:

GorgeousBorges · Feb 2, 2013

I took mine in May 2012, came across an amazingly hard bio passage. I ended up being able to answer some of the associated questions but had to guess on several others. I still got a 12, but I wonder how you prepare to tackle that kind of thing. I didn't see those sorts of passages in the practice material, but then with bio I mostly focused on content review over actual test practice. I also hadn't taken a single full-length test (just focusing on sections) so I was probably somewhat tired during that last part of the exam.

There are usually passages on the bio that everyone on SDN freaks out about. Look at any post-MCAT thread, and a majority of the complaining will be about the bio section usually. This is a common problem, people going into bio and feeling like the test didn't really match the practice material. And I agree with that.

It seems like most people on SDN complain about bio the most after the test, but complain about verbal the most after their scores come out.

OCDOCDOCD · Feb 2, 2013

kgpremed11 said:
What pisses me off is who the F*ck do they think we are? PHD's? Crap. most phd's would not be able to answer the convoluted crap on the MCAT bio nowadays.

kgpremed11 said:
Im sorry but unless you took the MCAT in late 2012 you have no experience with the new bio. I took the MCAT in 2011 and 2012, and the 2012 bio was significantly harder.

I took the exam in late August 2012, and what everyone else is saying is right. The experimental science on the MCAT BS section is pretty simple stuff. Here's a typical MCAT BS graph:

And here is 1 of the 140 graphs I had in my undergrad thesis (they all looked like this):

BTW, that graph actually shows a significant difference between two group and a few noteworthy qualitative trends. It also excludes the other four groups used in that experiment (there are two other graphs that go with that one which are necessary to get the whole picture).

Both of these are just line graphs though. There are many other kinds of graphic presentations of data that you never see in undergrad but are quite common in publications. I'd post some were it not for the fact that I don't have access to the particular articles I have in mind right now.

kgpremed11 · Feb 2, 2013

OCDOCDOCD said:
I took the exam in late August 2012, and what everyone else is saying is right. The experimental science on the MCAT BS section is pretty simple stuff. Here's a typical MCAT BS graph:

And here is 1 of the 140 graphs I had in my undergrad thesis (they all looked like this):

BTW, that graph actually shows a significant difference between two group and a few noteworthy qualitative trends. It also excludes the other four groups used in that experiment (there are two other graphs that go with that one which are necessary to get the whole picture).

Both of these are just line graphs though. There are many other kinds of graphic presentations of data that you never see in undergrad but are quite common in publications. I'd post some were it not for the fact that I don't have access to the particular articles I have in mind right now.

Some of the passages and graphs are simple enough, but you forgot how the question stem and answer choices give you 5 variables to consider. I mean look at aamc 11. Most of the answer choices for bio are 4 scentences long and the question stems are too. And there usually isn't 1 graph, but 2 or 3.

Where did you get that graph? Looks way too simple.

OCDOCDOCD · Feb 2, 2013

kgpremed11 said:
Some of the passages and graphs are simple enough, but you forgot how the question stem and answer choices give you 5 variables to consider. I mean look at aamc 11. Most of the answer choices for bio are 4 scentences long and the question stems are too. And there usually isn't 1 graph, but 2 or 3.

Where did you get that graph? Looks way too simple.

It's from AAMC 9.

I'm looking at AAMC 11 right now and even the ebola passage doesn't have question stems or answer choices that 4 sentences long. All but one of them have 1 sentence long question stems with answer choices that are, at worst, a sentence long (in which case all the choices are just variations on the same sentence).

Actually, the ebola passage is an EXCELLENT example of how simple the MCAT is compared to real science. Here's the graph from the ebola passage (which I'll link in case people reading this thread haven't taken the test yet):

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e307/Mirrondowar/ebolamcat.png

And here's the same graph from the actual paper the passage was adapted from (you can read it here if you're curious: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22238307

And here's the figure from the paper AAMC would have used if they really wanted to be *******s:

Notice how the figure captions for the real figures are about as long as half the passage on the MCAT. Are you starting to get a feel for how extremely basic the science on the MCAT is? This is why I recommend people take research classes in undergrad. The MCAT BS section is a joke if you've been exposed to real research.

TX500 · Feb 2, 2013

OCDOCDOCD said:
Most peer-reviewed journals are fine. Nature and Science cover all the sciences and are widely considered to be the Harvard and Princeton of journals to make an analogy. Cell is like those two, except it only covers biology. If you don't have access to an institutional subscription and need free journals, PLoS One is your best bet.

No, they won't. And the experimental passages are hardly "hardcore", they're just not what people are expecting. If you're the kind of person who does well with scientific critical thinking you'll love the BS section.

OCD, I believe I saw somewhere that you killed the Bio section. How exactly did you prepare? I can't seem to get over the 10-11.

OCDOCDOCD · Feb 2, 2013

TX500 said:
OCD, I believe I saw somewhere that you killed the Bio section. How exactly did you prepare? I can't seem to get over the 10-11.

Read EK bio and TBR bio. Did the first two phases of TBR bio for most of the chapter IIRC before I gave up on those. Switched to doing TPRH SW bio instead and Kaplan bio section tests. Did the AAMC bio self-assessment and all the AAMC practice tests, plus four Kaplan practice tests. Read some Science articles outside my field to get some exposure to biology research in fields like immunology, cell bio, and molecular bio, but I quit that pretty soon after starting once I had confidence I could understand the jargon in those fields.

Probably the biggest help for me though with BS was just all my research experience and the senior seminar I took in college. I always did best on the experimental passages on the practice tests, and I was pretty happy to find that my test was nothing but experimental bio the whole through.

Trayshawn · Feb 2, 2013

OCDOCDOCD said:
Read EK bio and TBR bio. Did the first two phases of TBR bio for most of the chapter IIRC before I gave up on those. Switched to doing TPRH SW bio instead and Kaplan bio section tests. Did the AAMC bio self-assessment and all the AAMC practice tests, plus four Kaplan practice tests. Read some Science articles outside my field to get some exposure to biology research in fields like immunology, cell bio, and molecular bio, but I quit that pretty soon after starting once I had confidence I could understand the jargon in those fields.

Probably the biggest help for me though with BS was just all my research experience and the senior seminar I took in college. I always did best on the experimental passages on the practice tests, and I was pretty happy to find that my test was nothing but experimental bio the whole through.

Did you finish all of the TPRH Bio passages? If not, how many did you do?

TX500 · Feb 2, 2013

OCDOCDOCD said:
Read EK bio and TBR bio. Did the first two phases of TBR bio for most of the chapter IIRC before I gave up on those. Switched to doing TPRH SW bio instead and Kaplan bio section tests. Did the AAMC bio self-assessment and all the AAMC practice tests, plus four Kaplan practice tests. Read some Science articles outside my field to get some exposure to biology research in fields like immunology, cell bio, and molecular bio, but I quit that pretty soon after starting once I had confidence I could understand the jargon in those fields.

Probably the biggest help for me though with BS was just all my research experience and the senior seminar I took in college. I always did best on the experimental passages on the practice tests, and I was pretty happy to find that my test was nothing but experimental bio the whole through.

That's awesome man. With all that hard work, you definitely deserve that score, so congrats to you. If I've been averaging 11s and have 2 months until my test date, should I even bother reading science journals, in your opinion?

OCDOCDOCD · Feb 2, 2013

Trayshawn said:
Did you finish all of the TPRH Bio passages? If not, how many did you do?

I didn't do all of them, but I did do most of them. I'd say probably 70-80%, including all of the advanced passages.

Trayshawn · Feb 2, 2013

oh **** lol. And you dont think the fact that you pretty much finished TBR bio helped as much?

OCDOCDOCD · Feb 2, 2013

Trayshawn said:
oh **** lol. And you dont think the fact that you pretty much finished TBR bio helped as much?

I felt it had largely been a waste of time.

cuculici1 · Feb 2, 2013

OCDOCDOCD said:
Notice how the figure captions for the real figures are about as long as half the passage on the MCAT. Are you starting to get a feel for how extremely basic the science on the MCAT is? This is why I recommend people take research classes in undergrad. The MCAT BS section is a joke if you've been exposed to real research.

I remember from another thread you saying that initially you had some difficulty with the BS section on some of the older AAMC tests. Was this because you lacked proper content knowledge, and the passages from the earlier AAMCs were not as experimentally focused? It seems like the experimental passages were actually one of your stronger areas.

OCDOCDOCD · Feb 2, 2013

cuculici1 said:
I remember from another thread you saying that initially you had some difficulty with the BS section on some of the older AAMC tests. Was this because you lacked proper content knowledge, and the passages from the earlier AAMCs were not as experimentally focused? It seems like the experimental passages were actually one of your stronger areas.

Yeah, that was exactly it. I was a neuroscience major with a heavy focus on behavioral neuroscience, and I was 4 years out of intro bio, so my content knowledge was pretty poor when I started out. I also hadn't taken any of the typical bio-major pre-med classes like genetics, cell bio, A&P, immuno, biochem, etc. Per the suggestions of SDN I originally used EK bio for content review and TBR bio for practice but when I got a 9 in BS on AAMC 3 I knew that hadn't been sufficient. I then read TBR the whole way through and a week later I ended up with a 13 in BS on AAMC4, and then I hovered around 12-13 from thereon out. Once I ditched TBR and started using TPRH and Kaplan I started hitting 14 in BS and finally hit a high of 15 on AAMC 11. I wound up with a 14 on the real thing, most likely thanks to an orgo passage that I had.

cuculici1 · Feb 2, 2013

OCDOCDOCD said:
Yeah, that was exactly it. I was a neuroscience major with a heavy focus on behavioral neuroscience, and I was 4 years out of intro bio, so my content knowledge was pretty poor when I started out. I also hadn't taken any of the typical bio-major pre-med classes like genetics, cell bio, A&P, immuno, biochem, etc. Per the suggestions of SDN I originally used EK bio for content review and TBR bio for practice but when I got a 9 in BS on AAMC 3 I knew that hadn't been sufficient. I then read TBR the whole way through and a week later I ended up with a 13 in BS on AAMC4, and then I hovered around 12-13 from thereon out. Once I ditched TBR and started using TPRH and Kaplan I started hitting 14 in BS and finally hit a high of 15 on AAMC 11. I wound up with a 14 on the real thing, most likely thanks to an orgo passage that I had.

Yeah I agree with you that EK is a bit on the sparse side for biology content review. I suppose it would be sufficient if you were a bio major, but I definitely had to supplement it with some of the more dense chapters from TPR biology book. In hindsight, I probably should have just used TPR for the whole thing, but I had just finished intro bio this past summer so using EK wasn't totally unreasonable since a lot of the material was relatively fresh. Wikipedia also served as a useful supplement. Btw going from a 9 to a 14 is a pretty impressive jump, congrats!

Entadus · Feb 2, 2013

OCDOCDOCD said:
Yeah, that was exactly it. I was a neuroscience major with a heavy focus on behavioral neuroscience, and I was 4 years out of intro bio, so my content knowledge was pretty poor when I started out. I also hadn't taken any of the typical bio-major pre-med classes like genetics, cell bio, A&P, immuno, biochem, etc. Per the suggestions of SDN I originally used EK bio for content review and TBR bio for practice but when I got a 9 in BS on AAMC 3 I knew that hadn't been sufficient. I then read TBR the whole way through and a week later I ended up with a 13 in BS on AAMC4, and then I hovered around 12-13 from thereon out. Once I ditched TBR and started using TPRH and Kaplan I started hitting 14 in BS and finally hit a high of 15 on AAMC 11. I wound up with a 14 on the real thing, most likely thanks to an orgo passage that I had.

Oh you only scored 14? And here I was, reading all of your comments with fanatical reverence, thinking you got 15. But only 14? Weak.

:whoa:

🤣

OCDOCDOCD · Feb 2, 2013

Entadus said:
Oh you only scored 14? And here I was, reading all of your comments with fanatical reverence, thinking you got 15. But only 14? Weak.

🤣

Yeah, I know, I'll never be able to live the shame down 🙁

osprey099 · Feb 2, 2013

OCDOCDOCD said:
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e307/Mirrondowar/ebolamcat.png

If only my MCAT experimental bio would be as easy as the ebola passage.. My September 1st 2012 MCAT had 5 experimental bio that were definitely a lot more convoluted than Ebola.

kgpremed11 · Feb 2, 2013

osprey099 said:
If only my MCAT experimental bio would be as easy as the ebola passage.. My September 1st 2012 MCAT had 5 experimental bio that were definitely a lot more convoluted than Ebola.

I took the sep 6 2012 MCAT and dude🙁, bio was just unfair.

Renaissance Man · Feb 2, 2013

kgpremed11 said:
Im sorry but unless you took the MCAT in late 2012 you have no experience with the new bio. I took the MCAT in 2011 and 2012, and the 2012 bio was significantly harder.

I'm sorry but unless you've been a PhD or take graduate/medical classes you have no experience with the level of knowledge learned at that level. Saying a PhD couldn't do MCAT BS is simply ignorant.

Also not sure if you have ever heard but the MCAT varies from test to test. I'm sorry yours changed over the course of a year but that is probably to be expected.

railgun · Feb 2, 2013

OCDOCDOCD said:
The MCAT BS section is a joke if you've been exposed to real research.

I agree with everything else. But it's not a joke... You sound too cocky. It might be easy for you, but people work really hard to achieve their scores. Yeah I read papers for research but when you read them, they're very focused in your area whereas the mcat is very broad. Additionally, you have as much time in the world to try and understand what they're talking about in research papers and you always have the abstract to give you a preview of what to expect. (Don't get me wrong, it's great practice and will be useful skill as a physician, but there's a reason why the mcat is less complex)

To the other people, don't be discouraged - just work harder, and the advice he gives is great!

3838 · May 23, 2013

edited below.

3838 · May 23, 2013

Renaissance Man said:
I'm sorry but unless you've been a PhD or take graduate/medical classes you have no experience with the level of knowledge learned at that level. Saying a PhD couldn't do MCAT BS is simply ignorant.

Also not sure if you have ever heard but the MCAT varies from test to test. I'm sorry yours changed over the course of a year but that is probably to be expected.

I'm sorry to call you out like this, but...you're a med student. You took the MCAT a few years ago, right? The older AAMC's seem really easy compared to the new ones. I've taken two exams, one of which I voided and one which I took more recently (haven't gotten my score yet). The old AAMC's are really basic stuff. The passages are short, manageable. I missed 7 questions/ section AT MOST on those old AAMC's. These new ones are convoluted, long, headache-inducing affairs. They are 2 to 3 times longer than AAMC passages.They are very much excerpts of scientific passages. The worst part is how long they are! You simply can't get through it all and answer calculation based questions unless you have experience looking for certain key words and concepts. I have not found a practice exam representative of the real MCAT so far, that incorporates both the length, the confusing terminology, the faulkner-like phrasing. VR: long passages with simple, short questions. PS & BS: HUGE passages just as long as VR with equally long-winded questions.

That said, you are right -- the questions aren't at PHD level. They are questions that an upper-level Bio Major or Chem Major would run across. I know because I've shown them to a biochemical engineering major and she said the questions reminded her very much of what she might be tested on during her junior or senior year. BUT, I'm a public health major. I chose that major because I'm passionate about it. Don't ANYONE suggest that I should have chosen a different major just to do well on the MCAT. I'm exposed to a lot of epidemiological and public health research; I'm NOT exposed to chem and bio research. If I had a little more time to the MCAT and actually read through the passage carefully, I would be able to answer every question. I adjust pretty well... So, some of us WILL need to read, analyze, interpret chem and bio research. The last time I was asked to do that was in my 300 level cell and molec class 2 years ago.

And I do QUITE well with cell&molec related passages! FUNNY, huh?!

I know my basics like the back of my hand. I am very good at the conceptual aspect of these basics. My "memory" or my ability to memorize random facts is not very good. I must have an underlying conceptual understanding of these basics then, to remember equations and relationships.

The physics questions are always really basic and never at the PHD level; I'll agree with you there. I didn't have ANY physics questions. NONE on the second exam that I took.

I really do think that having an anthology of excerpts of scientific literature from different fields with questions designed to scope your comprehension of the material would be immensely helpful.

If anyone finds something...

Bomikepa · May 23, 2013

wow you had ZERO physics questions on the actual test?

i also agree with everything else you said btw. The new bio is very hard and depressing all those months of doing tbr and tpr bio felt like it was completely useless

Mehd School · May 23, 2013

Sigh. This subjective pissing match is still carrying on?

The only thing "new" about the mcat will happen in 2015.

Mehd School · May 23, 2013

Bomikepa said:
wow you had ZERO physics questions on the actual test?

Yeah, I'm not buying it either.

mcgst9 · May 23, 2013

3838 said:
I'm sorry to call you out like this, but...you're a med student. You took the MCAT a few years ago, right? The older AAMC's seem really easy compared to the new ones. I've taken two exams, one of which I voided and one which I took more recently (haven't gotten my score yet). The old AAMC's are really basic stuff. The passages are short, manageable. I missed 7 questions/ section AT MOST on those old AAMC's. These new ones are convoluted, long, headache-inducing affairs. They are 2 to 3 times longer than AAMC passages.They are very much excerpts of scientific passages. The worst part is how long they are! You simply can't get through it all and answer calculation based questions unless you have experience looking for certain key words and concepts. I have not found a practice exam representative of the real MCAT so far, that incorporates both the length, the confusing terminology, the faulkner-like phrasing. VR: long passages with simple, short questions. PS & BS: HUGE passages just as long as VR with equally long-winded questions.

That said, you are right -- the questions aren't at PHD level. They are questions that an upper-level Bio Major or Chem Major would run across. I know because I've shown them to a biochemical engineering major and she said the questions reminded her very much of what she might be tested on during her junior or senior year. BUT, I'm a public health major. I chose that major because I'm passionate about it. Don't ANYONE suggest that I should have chosen a different major just to do well on the MCAT. I'm exposed to a lot of epidemiological and public health research; I'm NOT exposed to chem and bio research. If I had a little more time to the MCAT and actually read through the passage carefully, I would be able to answer every question. I adjust pretty well... So, some of us WILL need to read, analyze, interpret chem and bio research. The last time I was asked to do that was in my 300 level cell and molec class 2 years ago.

And I do QUITE well with cell&molec related passages! FUNNY, huh?!

I know my basics like the back of my hand. I am very good at the conceptual aspect of these basics. My "memory" or my ability to memorize random facts is not very good. I must have an underlying conceptual understanding of these basics then, to remember equations and relationships.

The physics questions are always really basic and never at the PHD level; I'll agree with you there. I didn't have ANY physics questions. NONE on the second exam that I took.

I really do think that having an anthology of excerpts of scientific literature from different fields with questions designed to scope your comprehension of the material would be immensely helpful.

If anyone finds something...

You seem mad bro. You mad?

Also

I didn't have ANY physics questions. NONE on the second exam that I took.

Yeah... what little credibility you had is now gone.

mcloaf · May 23, 2013

3838 said:
I'm sorry to call you out like this, but...you're a med student. You took the MCAT a few years ago, right? The older AAMC's seem really easy compared to the new ones. I've taken two exams, one of which I voided and one which I took more recently (haven't gotten my score yet). The old AAMC's are really basic stuff. The passages are short, manageable. I missed 7 questions/ section AT MOST on those old AAMC's. These new ones are convoluted, long, headache-inducing affairs. They are 2 to 3 times longer than AAMC passages.They are very much excerpts of scientific passages. The worst part is how long they are! You simply can't get through it all and answer calculation based questions unless you have experience looking for certain key words and concepts. I have not found a practice exam representative of the real MCAT so far, that incorporates both the length, the confusing terminology, the faulkner-like phrasing. VR: long passages with simple, short questions. PS & BS: HUGE passages just as long as VR with equally long-winded questions.

That said, you are right -- the questions aren't at PHD level. They are questions that an upper-level Bio Major or Chem Major would run across. I know because I've shown them to a biochemical engineering major and she said the questions reminded her very much of what she might be tested on during her junior or senior year. BUT, I'm a public health major. I chose that major because I'm passionate about it. Don't ANYONE suggest that I should have chosen a different major just to do well on the MCAT. I'm exposed to a lot of epidemiological and public health research; I'm NOT exposed to chem and bio research. If I had a little more time to the MCAT and actually read through the passage carefully, I would be able to answer every question. I adjust pretty well... So, some of us WILL need to read, analyze, interpret chem and bio research. The last time I was asked to do that was in my 300 level cell and molec class 2 years ago.

And I do QUITE well with cell&molec related passages! FUNNY, huh?!

I know my basics like the back of my hand. I am very good at the conceptual aspect of these basics. My "memory" or my ability to memorize random facts is not very good. I must have an underlying conceptual understanding of these basics then, to remember equations and relationships.

The physics questions are always really basic and never at the PHD level; I'll agree with you there. I didn't have ANY physics questions. NONE on the second exam that I took.

I really do think that having an anthology of excerpts of scientific literature from different fields with questions designed to scope your comprehension of the material would be immensely helpful.

If anyone finds something...

dudewheresmymd · May 24, 2013

3838 said:
I'm sorry to call you out like this, but...you're a med student. You took the MCAT a few years ago, right? The older AAMC's seem really easy compared to the new ones. I've taken two exams, one of which I voided and one which I took more recently (haven't gotten my score yet). The old AAMC's are really basic stuff. The passages are short, manageable. I missed 7 questions/ section AT MOST on those old AAMC's. These new ones are convoluted, long, headache-inducing affairs. They are 2 to 3 times longer than AAMC passages.They are very much excerpts of scientific passages. The worst part is how long they are! You simply can't get through it all and answer calculation based questions unless you have experience looking for certain key words and concepts. I have not found a practice exam representative of the real MCAT so far, that incorporates both the length, the confusing terminology, the faulkner-like phrasing. VR: long passages with simple, short questions. PS & BS: HUGE passages just as long as VR with equally long-winded questions.

That said, you are right -- the questions aren't at PHD level. They are questions that an upper-level Bio Major or Chem Major would run across. I know because I've shown them to a biochemical engineering major and she said the questions reminded her very much of what she might be tested on during her junior or senior year. BUT, I'm a public health major. I chose that major because I'm passionate about it. Don't ANYONE suggest that I should have chosen a different major just to do well on the MCAT. I'm exposed to a lot of epidemiological and public health research; I'm NOT exposed to chem and bio research. If I had a little more time to the MCAT and actually read through the passage carefully, I would be able to answer every question. I adjust pretty well... So, some of us WILL need to read, analyze, interpret chem and bio research. The last time I was asked to do that was in my 300 level cell and molec class 2 years ago.

And I do QUITE well with cell&molec related passages! FUNNY, huh?!

I know my basics like the back of my hand. I am very good at the conceptual aspect of these basics. My "memory" or my ability to memorize random facts is not very good. I must have an underlying conceptual understanding of these basics then, to remember equations and relationships.

The physics questions are always really basic and never at the PHD level; I'll agree with you there. I didn't have ANY physics questions. NONE on the second exam that I took.

I really do think that having an anthology of excerpts of scientific literature from different fields with questions designed to scope your comprehension of the material would be immensely helpful.

If anyone finds something...

100% chem and 0% physics? Damn practice AAMCS really are outdated :laugh:

Though you make some good points regarding the experimental nature of exam, test day mileage will vary. No one can predict what % of passages will be experimental, informational, etc... one's person experience in March could be totally different from January, June or September. If you look back at old mcat threads, inevitably there are always complaints about SOMETHING--be it BS was too experimental with longer question stems, PS too calculation heavy, verbal having seemingly "larger and longer" passages. Test day is just that....test day. No amount of preparation will fully prepare one for test day...i've had friends study for a year and still walk out of the exam thinking they bombed it even though they ended up getting solid scores.

Mehd School · May 24, 2013

dudewheresmymd said:
If you look back at old mcat threads, inevitably there are always complaints about SOMETHING--be it BS was too experimental with longer question stems, PS too calculation heavy, verbal having seemingly "larger and longer" passages.

After taking my test last year and getting blown away by the "difficulty" (I was just severely underprepared) I started digging past MCAT threads over various prior years.

It's all the same. Every year. The "problems" people are having with this "new" mcat are the same problems people were bitching about almost 10 years ago. I realized I wasn't unique.

Now, there are some outliers. I believe the 3/23 scores were downright absurd. But still, until you have your score, chill out. You probably scored around your average.

dudewheresmymd · May 24, 2013

Mehd School said:
Now, there are some outliers. I believe the 3/23 scores were downright absurd. But still, until you have your score, chill out. You probably scored around your average.

Haha 3/23 did seem a bit off...though it could just be SDN bias. Perhaps, there were non SDNers who "didn't get rocked" to put it as nicely as possible? To imagine such a world.. 😱

Mehd School · May 24, 2013

dudewheresmymd said:
Haha 3/23 did seem a bit off...though it could just be SDN bias. Perhaps, there were non SDNers who "didn't get rocked" to put it as nicely as possible? To imagine such a world.. 😱

While SDN is a relatively small sample size, as long as people are being truthful there seems to be a somewhat uniform (but much higher) distribution.

Most people usually score around their average. I remember watching the 3/23 thread and seeing numerous people scoring 3...4...8 points below their average. Many scored their average. I was waiting for those who exceeded their average significantly, but that never really came. A few beat their average, but it didn't seem anywhere close to leveling out the people that tanked. Something definitely seemed to be strange with that test.

mcgst9 · May 24, 2013

Mehd School said:
While SDN is a relatively small sample size, as long as people are being truthful there seems to be a somewhat uniform (but much higher) distribution.

Most people usually score around their average. I remember watching the 3/23 thread and seeing numerous people scoring 3...4...8 points below their average. Many scored their average. I was waiting for those who exceeded their average significantly, but that never really came. A few beat their average, but it didn't seem anywhere close to leveling out the people that tanked. Something definitely seemed to be strange with that test.

I don't really believe most of the stuff I see on these boards.

Everyone seems to have a friend who scored ~40.
Half the people in the May 30th thread seem to be averaging ~35-36?

Honestly, I hope everyone is lying and that everyone cheats on the practice exams and that everyone really is unprepared.

Why? Because I am prepared, and when I take the MCAT, if I can miss 20 questions and still get a 10, I will probably be in the 12 range.

But to anyone who isn't lying, good for you, I will see you in medical school. 😛

Sorry guys, cut throat world! 🙂

Mehd School · May 24, 2013

mcgst9 said:
I don't really believe most of the stuff I see on these boards.

Everyone seems to have a friend who scored ~40.
Half the people in the May 30th thread seem to be averaging ~35-36?

Honestly, I hope everyone is lying and that everyone cheats on the practice exams and that everyone really is unprepared.

Why? Because I am prepared, and when I take the MCAT, if I can miss 20 questions and still get a 10, I will probably be in the 12 range.

But to anyone who isn't lying, good for you, I will see you in medical school. 😛

Sorry guys, cut throat world! 🙂

The performance of others on test day has no bearing whatsoever on your score.

mcgst9 · May 24, 2013

Mehd School said:
The performance of others on test day has no bearing whatsoever on your score.

If they curve depending on "difficulty" of questions, then they certainly have to take into account how many test takers missed that question right? Maybe not that day, but certainly over a period of time.

mcloaf · May 24, 2013

mcgst9 said:
If they curve depending on "difficulty" of questions, then they certainly have to take into account how many test takers missed that question right? Maybe not that day, but certainly over a period of time.

They test the questions ahead of time. By the time you and other people see the questions on test day the curve is already determined.

When I took my MCAT...

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