04/24/09 mcat club

[Bernoull]

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I started this thread for those taking the MCAT on 04/24/09, I searched this site but couldn't find any thread for this test date. I just registered today, and I'm looking forward to 2.5 months of cranium-busting so that I can put this "four-letter-word" behind me once and for all!!!!

So sign up people and lets support, motivate and try to keep each other sane!! Best of luck to everyone testing on this date and any date for that matter!!!!!!!!!!

 

[sdmd]

I could be wrong, but i dont think aamc can just add paragraphs to the VR passages, since its clear from the mcat essentials that passages dont really exceed 600 words. i found that if i changed the font (zoomed in) on my aamc mcat online practice, it mimicked the font and length more accurately when compared to the actual exam.

 

[nehuHI]

I am right there with you...i am worried i got below an 8, while my EK average was a 10 🙁

I'm in the same boat. My verbal on AAMC practice tests was usually ~10-11 but I ran out of time on the real thing and had to randomly pick answers for part of the last passage. I'll be lucky if I get a 9! 🙁

 

[yluo2]

Is the test curve for the practice exams about the same for the recent real exams? or is it more generous? is there a way of finding out from past test takers?

 

[ksmi117]

Is the test curve for the practice exams about the same for the recent real exams? or is it more generous? is there a way of finding out from past test takers?

You don't get to know the scale. They just give you a 1-15 score.

 

[Luun]

From the 1/30, 1/31, 3/28, 4/18 threads most people felt that the Verbal was MUCH longer then the AAMC verbals (2-4 paragraphs longer per passage) and the BS section was turning into another verbal because most of the questions required little outside knowledge. What are your thoughts for those who took the 4/24 test?

I felt BS definitely required outside knowledge. Verbal is on the trend of getting longer. Did anyone think that the 1st passage in the BS section was just something to make you waste time? I normally skip to the questions and answer "stand alones" and there was very little in the passage that pertained to the questions to me... :\

 

[deshaghian]

I'm in the same boat. My verbal on AAMC practice tests was usually ~10-11 but I ran out of time on the real thing and had to randomly pick answers for part of the last passage. I'll be lucky if I get a 9! 🙁

I guess we're ALL in the same boat. I was scoring between 9 and 11 on my AAMC practice tests, and I ran out of time on the real thing. I'll be happy with a 9 as well!!!!

 

[drareg]

that was a hard exam for sure, much harder than the practice ones. i hope i break 30.....

 

[Luun]

For VR, I literally answered the final question within the last two seconds.

 

[meliora27]

For VR, I literally answered the final question within the last two seconds.

Same, although it may have even been 1 sec, it was a real buzzer beater

 

[binko]

that was a hard exam for sure, much harder than the practice ones. i hope i break 30.....

OMFG I know! I went in all confident after so many weeks of studying and practice, and left feeling very unsure and like I wasn't prepared at all. But if everyone felt this way maybe the curve will be generous?

 

[Sleight]

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[DrMattOglesby]

Just a friendly reminder to everyone:
Please refrain from posting MCAT questions. This not only ruins the integrity of the test, but it is an offense the AAMC takes very seriously. Just some good advice I got from a mod a long time ago when I was taking the MCAT-- "If you are in doubt about what you are about to post, then chances are you shouldn't be posting it!"

 

[billingsny]

Understood. I didn't post a question just a possible right answer. Which actually is pretty discreet. But I am just irked by some questions I guessed on.

Speaking of guessing, rather educated guessing (50/50), how many of you who took this exam educated guessed a lot and which section did you do that the most? I feel for BS I did that the most.

 

[Luun]

Speaking of guessing, rather educated guessing (50/50), how many of you who took this exam educated guessed a lot and which section did you do that the most? I feel for BS I did that the most.

BS definitely.

 

[trep14]

Hey guys, 4/18 welcomes you to the waiting game. Get ready for the longest month of your life. Hope you all did well 👍

 

[Sleight]

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[nehuHI]

I guess we're ALL in the same boat. I was scoring between 9 and 11 on my AAMC practice tests, and I ran out of time on the real thing. I'll be happy with a 9 as well!!!!

Being as I ran out of time on the last passage, does anyone know about how those "trial" questions that don't count toward your score are disbursed throughout the test? Is it a whole passage that makes up the trial or is it questions from several passages that end up not counting? Thanks!

 

[ziggyd0c]

Being as I ran out of time on the last passage, does anyone know about how those "trial" questions that don't count toward your score are disbursed throughout the test? Is it a whole passage that makes up the trial or is it questions from several passages that end up not counting? Thanks!

i saw a minor typo/formatting error in one of the passages and i was like "ooh, i hope this one is experimental" lol

 

[baylorbear333]

I definitely said there was no point in worrying about it in my last post...here I am worrying! 😳

Basically right now I feel as though I'm probably going to retake it...I really don't know if I scored any higher than a low 20s. Oh well. Good practice run i guess.

 

[citruscooler]

i seriously doubt that the pool of students that took the MCAT on this date use this site extensively but I found that test so difficult that I made an account just to vent.

i felt like the test this time was more passage based than ever before. of all the practice tests that i've taken and 2 previous MCAT exams this was by far the hardest for me.

I'm really not good at passage comprehension (verbal type questions) so i think i got rocked since the BS and PS seemed to have so much more than usual.

and did anyone else think the "skin" question on BS was a little too vague with the answer choices... i hope that was a "tester question". i'm being vague as to not get banned...

and did anyone else think there was some weird conversions that were required on the PS?

 

[nehuHI]

I definitely said there was no point in worrying about it in my last post...here I am worrying! 😳

Basically right now I feel as though I'm probably going to retake it...I really don't know if I scored any higher than a low 20s. Oh well. Good practice run i guess.

I know what you mean. I'm starting to remember more detail about the test and then realize some of the problems I got wrong! It's horrible...like torture. I've never been really nervous or one to fret about exams but this MCAT it killing me slowly. Hopefully the curve will be generous.

 

[citruscooler]

just a curious thought but why is this mcat date unpopular compared to the other dates that have over 10 pages of responses...?

one more question: did you guys memorize the correct doppler effect equation? b/c i used the one from EK...........

 

[Longshanks]

just a curious thought but why is this mcat date unpopular compared to the other dates that have over 10 pages of responses...?

one more question: did you guys memorize the correct doppler effect equation? b/c i used the one from EK...........

Its been that way with a lot of the April exams it seems. Same with mine, 4/4/09. I think its just because its in the middle of the semester, and depending on some school's schedules people may have been on spring break or taking exams. The May and June exams are always the most popular it seems, and it looks like a good population of SDN took the 3/28 exam. Its no biggy, we all take the test at different times, the scale is predetermined, yada yada yada

Congrats on finishing 4/24'ers!

 

[fewcherpeedsdoc]

Yeah for BS i had:
1) HEXA/B and TSD/ATSD
2) SET (endosymbiont theory),
3) bacteriophage expt,
4) insects vs humans,
5) renal disease/filtration,
6) nucleophilic subsitution experiements.
7) transcription factor, CAD and its inheritance

... probably around 4-5 ochem discretes the rest were biology

For PS, i had:
1) eudiometer (Mg/Al and H2 gas formation),
2) colbalt cmpd ionic elution,
3) ECG,
4) waves travelling in cylinders,
5) 3 acid titrations

....thats all i can remember for PS...any ideas?

WTF are you doing psycho....why would you give out this information? you think its going to help someone else down the line? topics are not reused

anyways, my thoughts were put in another thread, but like i said there, the PS was insane because i spent all of my time on studying for physics and there was pretty much only chem....how sad. AAMC wanted to screw me over with my second try....

i'm trying to be in denial that my dreams of being a physician are still possible, but its been difficult. come on, how many people get accepted into medical school with a lower second MCAT score?

 

[binko]

Waves traveling in cylinders? I don't remember any cylinders.

 

[binko]

and did anyone else think the "skin" question on BS was a little too vague with the answer choices... i hope that was a "tester question". i'm being vague as to not get banned...

I don't remember exactly what that question asked or the choices but I do remember narrowing it down to 2 easily and then having trouble choosing between those 2 because they were essentially the same.

 

[JJMrK]

WTF are you doing psycho....why would you give out this information? you think its going to help someone else down the line? topics are not reused

Pretty standard practice. Listing the topic of a passage isn't going to matter.

Welcome to the waiting game. Sounds like you guys had a somewhat similar experience to us 4/18ers.

 

[deshaghian]

Being as I ran out of time on the last passage, does anyone know about how those "trial" questions that don't count toward your score are disbursed throughout the test? Is it a whole passage that makes up the trial or is it questions from several passages that end up not counting? Thanks!

I've never even heard of such a thing. Is this a fact? Or one of those speculative MCAT topics (i.e. pre-determined curve vs. specific-test curve)?

 

[Luun]

I haven't really been thinking about the test. I feel like I promptly forget the questions after taking it, so it's helping me by not trying to recheck my answers. Though, I'm a little worried because apparently someone here asked about the Doppler Effect and I definitely don't remember considering that! 🙁

 

[nehuHI]

I've never even heard of such a thing. Is this a fact? Or one of those speculative MCAT topics (i.e. pre-determined curve vs. specific-test curve)?

The MCAT essentials pdf says something about experimental items but doesn't specify whether it is the passage or a question or so from each passage that is considered experimental....the information is under the verbal section of the document.

 

[yluo2]

Yeah for BS i had:
1) HEXA/B and TSD/ATSD
2) SET (endosymbiont theory),
3) bacteriophage expt,
4) insects vs humans,
5) renal disease/filtration,
6) nucleophilic subsitution experiements.
7) transcription factor, CAD and its inheritance

... probably around 4-5 ochem discretes the rest were biology

For PS, i had:
1) eudiometer (Mg/Al and H2 gas formation),
2) colbalt cmpd ionic elution,
3) ECG,
4) waves travelling in cylinders,
5) 3 acid titrations

....thats all i can remember for PS...any ideas?

was the colbalt cmpd ionic elution another form of TLC/Polar/Nonpolar?

 

[Sleight]

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[JJMrK]

I am really hoping that the majority of test takers are better at physics than chem so there will be a big curve on that...i keep thinking about the first passage and it kills me...I don't even remember any questions except the first one and with that one I kept trying to calculate and I was not getting any of the answer choices...maybe it was there to waste our time...set us back a little bit...did anyone else find this passage difficult? Or am I just on the slow side?

The curve isn't based on the test takers, it's pre-determined by the AAMC.

 

[Sleight]

The curve isn't based on the test takers, it's pre-determined by the AAMC.

Oh...? How do they decide how to curve it if it is pre-determined? I just found out it was "curved" like two days ago so I don't know how it all works sorry!

 

[Luun]

Waves traveling in cylinders? I don't remember any cylinders.

They were cylindrical shaped unknown substances, I think. It didn't explicitly state say cylinder, but it gave measurements for a cylinder. I don't remember it affecting the answers to questions though.

 

[ksmi117]

Oh...? How do they decide how to curve it if it is pre-determined? I just found out it was "curved" like two days ago so I don't know how it all works sorry!

Experimental passages from previous administrations most likely. And they've been doing this awhile. They're probably pretty good at estimating how people will do.

 

[Sleight]

Experimental passages from previous administrations most likely. And they've been doing this awhile. They're probably pretty good at estimating how people will do.

Good to know! Thanks!

 

[drareg]

I am really hoping that the majority of test takers are better at physics than chem so there will be a big curve on that...i keep thinking about the first passage and it kills me...I don't even remember any questions except the first one and with that one I kept trying to calculate and I was not getting any of the answer choices...maybe it was there to waste our time...set us back a little bit...did anyone else find this passage difficult? Or am I just on the slow side?

this was horrible! ya it set me off to a horrible start! i guessed on more than half on this section

 

[binko]

this was horrible! ya it set me off to a horrible start! i guessed on more than half on this section

What was the topic of the first one? I can't even remember what any of them were about except something about pre-Raphaelites.

 

[binko]

I haven't really been thinking about the test. I feel like I promptly forget the questions after taking it, so it's helping me by not trying to recheck my answers. Though, I'm a little worried because apparently someone here asked about the Doppler Effect and I definitely don't remember considering that! 🙁

The only doppler question I remember was completely qualitative so don't sweat it too much.

 

[Luun]

The only doppler question I remember was completely qualitative so don't sweat it too much.

Now that I think about it, I didn't finish this section. I had 2 or 3 problems to go but not enough time to work through them, so I had to guess. It might have been one of those problems. 🙁

 

[Sleight]

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[sdmd]

was the colbalt cmpd ionic elution another form of TLC/Polar/Nonpolar?

i believe it was a passage based on ion exchange resin elution, with other questions based on electron configuration, oxidation states etc.

 

[sdmd]

What was the topic of the first one? I can't even remember what any of them were about except something about pre-Raphaelites.

For the VR section, my version of the exam had passages on:

Natural sciences:
1) heat transfer and the atmosphere
2) synthetic enzymatic compounds/peroxidases? (TAMLs)

Social sciences:
3) Management economic theory
4) cryptoanalysis

Humanities:
5) Pre-raphaelites,
6) literature and computational theory

...the 7th passage escapes me atm...but i think it was a natural science-based passage and that it was an article published in scientific american

 

[nehuHI]

The hardest passage I thought was the H2 gas passage (1st one)...I totally guessed on the first problem...then got flustered...probably spent the next 10 minutes freaking out about it bc I couldn't figure out any of those questions about the passage...I don't even remember...

Oh wow! I had the same issue. The first question in the physical sciences kind of threw me off and then I couldn't think straight for a bit and thought I'd never get back on track to get to the 2nd passage.

 

[binko]

They were cylindrical shaped unknown substances, I think. It didn't explicitly state say cylinder, but it gave measurements for a cylinder. I don't remember it affecting the answers to questions though.

Oh that one. Yeah I didn't think the fact that they were cylindrical made any difference because it wasn't a resonance/harmonics question. 👍

 

[ziggyd0c]

The hardest passage I thought was the H2 gas passage (1st one)...I totally guessed on the first problem...then got flustered...probably spent the next 10 minutes freaking out about it bc I couldn't figure out any of those questions about the passage...I don't even remember...

same here! the first passage totally freaked me out. luckily i had time at the end to go back and think about it more carefully. ended up changing a couple answers.

 

[Luun]

The hardest passage I thought was the H2 gas passage (1st one)...I totally guessed on the first problem...then got flustered...probably spent the next 10 minutes freaking out about it bc I couldn't figure out any of those questions about the passage...I don't even remember...

That was the hardest one! I saved it for last and wound up not finishing all of the answers. 👎

 

[meliora27]

That passage was ridiculous. Not only was it hard but it totally screwed with my confidence going forward.

 

[Sleight]

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