Hey, just officially signed up for this beast. It's early but I figured this thread could provide some moral support to keep me on track with studying🙂 I have not done a couple of the pre-requisites, so slow and steady works for me. Looking forward to hearing from the rest of you!
09/12/09 MCAT Club
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Great break down....i'm with ya on the organic...for instance aamc 8 had 13 orgo question ...i missed 4 out of the 39 bio question remaining i missed 4...It a bitich that i cant get the hang of orgo..i'm taking my test on the tenth and am praying the orgo isnt to intensive. I have not had organic 2 yet and i think thats what is killing me... o well...BTW the organic in AAMC 8 isnt too bad
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Is it just me or is the orgo not bad in general on the MCAT? I feel most of it is just repetitive orgo 1 in various forms. I think it would be a waste of time to spend a million hours memorizing/relearning particular reactions when there's only like 1 question on it.
Do you know of any FLs that DO have a lot of orgo? - in case a lot turns up on the 12th, then I'm screwed!
Hey guys I'm signed up for Sept. 12th also and still reviewing content. I'm looking to cut some stuff out of my content review. I understand that ideally you should know everything, but I'm willing to take a chance. What do y'all consider low-yield? Perhaps the carbohydrates and proteins sections in TBR? I would really appreciate any input you can offer. Thanks.
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Alkenes... still show up now and then but aren't officially on the BS topic list for the last few years.
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How are everyone's practice tests going? I did a few Kaplan FLs last week and started up the AAMCs today. Took AAMC 4 today and ended up with:
11 PS, 10 V, 12 BS - total 33
Damn, that was a tough transition from scales. I had just hit 13 on PS in Kaplan and I was riding high on being pumped from that. I'm hoping I can get up to consistent 13s... it's gonna be tough because it's so easy to mess up a step of reasoning. Hopefully more practice tests will help.
The verbal scale was so annoying too. I definitely need to practice it more... I'm gonna get EK 101 tomorrow and drill a lot of passages. I've been focusing a lot on PS and BS and have neglected verbal in the process... I'm usually pretty good at reading comprehension so I wasn't too worried, but I'm humbled now.
Hope it's going well for everyone.
11 PS, 10 V, 12 BS - total 33
Damn, that was a tough transition from scales. I had just hit 13 on PS in Kaplan and I was riding high on being pumped from that. I'm hoping I can get up to consistent 13s... it's gonna be tough because it's so easy to mess up a step of reasoning. Hopefully more practice tests will help.
The verbal scale was so annoying too. I definitely need to practice it more... I'm gonna get EK 101 tomorrow and drill a lot of passages. I've been focusing a lot on PS and BS and have neglected verbal in the process... I'm usually pretty good at reading comprehension so I wasn't too worried, but I'm humbled now.
Hope it's going well for everyone.
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UPDATE
Took my first practice test this weekend since I started back studying. Took
AAMC 4 and scored a 34 (PS10, VR11, BS13). Was pretty excited bc this has been my highest score so far but it felt kinda easy compared to the real MCAT that I just took. The PS wasn't the easiest and I'd be happy with a 12 but whatev...
Verbal Reasoning: this has been my highest score ever on an AAMC test. I don't know if the AAMC 4 is easier or what but if your verbal fluctuates as much as mine, than I may be able to give some insight... I tried to make sure I understood each paragraph fully and while that means I had to reread sentences many times, it saved me tons of time because I didn't have to go back to the passage that much. For most questions I've just been like answer it and move on and trying not to fight with myself over the answer.
Biology: thought it was insanely easy and finished with about 20 min to spare. Got a 93% on the actual bio questions and 83% on organic. For bio, I believe that the 1001 books helped greatly as well as the audio osmosis. For organic I just listened to the audio osmosis and worked some problems out of the book.
I just wanted to know if any of y'all have taken AAMC 4 and would like to know if yall thought it was easier or harder or what compared to other tests.😎
Took my first practice test this weekend since I started back studying. Took
AAMC 4 and scored a 34 (PS10, VR11, BS13). Was pretty excited bc this has been my highest score so far but it felt kinda easy compared to the real MCAT that I just took. The PS wasn't the easiest and I'd be happy with a 12 but whatev...
Verbal Reasoning: this has been my highest score ever on an AAMC test. I don't know if the AAMC 4 is easier or what but if your verbal fluctuates as much as mine, than I may be able to give some insight... I tried to make sure I understood each paragraph fully and while that means I had to reread sentences many times, it saved me tons of time because I didn't have to go back to the passage that much. For most questions I've just been like answer it and move on and trying not to fight with myself over the answer.
Biology: thought it was insanely easy and finished with about 20 min to spare. Got a 93% on the actual bio questions and 83% on organic. For bio, I believe that the 1001 books helped greatly as well as the audio osmosis. For organic I just listened to the audio osmosis and worked some problems out of the book.
I just wanted to know if any of y'all have taken AAMC 4 and would like to know if yall thought it was easier or harder or what compared to other tests.😎
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Last year, I tried 5 AAMC's.... averaging about a 33.5
I wrote AAMC 4 second in line and scored a 37.... The thing is I didn't find it incredibly easy by any means. It felt like any other test... I just must have guessed well... because I went right back to a 32 in AAMC 5 a week later lol.
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It's a slightly arcane way of saying "I took the test" but it has a more formal air to it. I think it makes sense to using it when referring to the actual exam date, but not to practice exams.
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lol I love Will Farrell. I have this hunch that that phrase might be Canadian since the guy from Canada used it.. but I dunno. I had to read that like 3 times over to figure out what he meant haha.
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Yikes, perhaps I remember the days of the MCAT on paper... or am just Canadian.
I'll try an make it clearer.
I COMPLETED 5 AAMC practice tests last year.
Of the 5 practice tests I completed, I completed AAMC # 4 second.
I scored 37 on AAMC # 4.
I then completed my 3rd practice test which was AAMC # 5, only to score a 32.
My average score for the 5 tests was 33.5. So AAMC # 4 may have been easier or merely a lucky day for me.
Haha, hope that helps.
I'll try an make it clearer.
I COMPLETED 5 AAMC practice tests last year.
Of the 5 practice tests I completed, I completed AAMC # 4 second.
I scored 37 on AAMC # 4.
I then completed my 3rd practice test which was AAMC # 5, only to score a 32.
My average score for the 5 tests was 33.5. So AAMC # 4 may have been easier or merely a lucky day for me.
Haha, hope that helps.
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Ha, yeah I figured that... I had just seen people explaining it that way in many forums and I thought there was something I was missing.
I need to take some more practice test, but I just took all the other AAMC like in late may/early june so I feel like I will remember everything I missed and will get a high/inaccurate score... but I can't find a kaplan test that I haven't taken either... any advice? 😎
I need to take some more practice test, but I just took all the other AAMC like in late may/early june so I feel like I will remember everything I missed and will get a high/inaccurate score... but I can't find a kaplan test that I haven't taken either... any advice? 😎
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Hey can I join the club? I'm planning to take it shortly as well, just took AAMC 7 and am hoping to just gain 1-2 more points in physical sciences.....🙁 I continue to freak myself out on it....very frustrating. I can't wait for this to all be over though!
Good Luck in the countdown!
Good Luck in the countdown!
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Im in the club, it'll be my first attempt at the MCAT
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If this is the club than welcome! How is everyone doing with the studying and practice test? Only 10 days, 2 hours, and 28 minutes left!
anyone have Kaplan FL's they can share?...I need some serious help in verbal!!
Im doing EK 101 and so far my scores are ranging from 9-11...but on AAMC verbal, its ranging from 6-8😕...so worried now if I should write or not!
any insight people?🙁
Im doing EK 101 and so far my scores are ranging from 9-11...but on AAMC verbal, its ranging from 6-8😕...so worried now if I should write or not!
any insight people?🙁
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I had the same problem. I did all the EK 101 and my AAMC scores were substantially lower. I don't think Kaplan VR would help that much bc I've heard it is more dissimilar from AAMC than EK. I've now been getting consistent VR of 11 on AAMC by doing a few things. I don't know which actually helped but here they are.
Read this forum: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=223930
Read at least 3 articles for the economist every day while I wait for my coffee to kick in. ( Read the boring ones about the new DPJ blah, blah, politics, blah, blah... they're so boring that a AAMC VR passage will make ou salivate)
Follow the VR method for EK to a "t"
Take longer to read and understand the passages; that way you'll spend less time having to go back.
Make a decision and stick to it... Most VR questions that are not from Natural sciences passages can have the question narrowed down to 2 choices... pick the best one and don't convince yourself otherwise!
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What's up everyone? Took AAMC 5 today and got... a 37! That's my high point so far. Breakdown was 12 PS, 13 V, 12 BS. PS was pretty hard, I'm surprised I ended up with a 12 actually. I'm really pumped about the verbal because I had barely gotten a 10 on my last AAMC, so I realized I had to hit that hard. Read over EK strategies and did a few EK 101 exams and applied those strategies and boom, did a lot better.
I know that AAMCs 8-10 are the most indicative ones, so hopefully I can still do this well as I go forward. I know one thing I especially gotta work on is not psyching myself out on test day. There were some moments during this practice exam when I kinda started freaking out thinking about test day. I'm hoping that dies down as I do more practice tests this week. Where you guys at?
I know that AAMCs 8-10 are the most indicative ones, so hopefully I can still do this well as I go forward. I know one thing I especially gotta work on is not psyching myself out on test day. There were some moments during this practice exam when I kinda started freaking out thinking about test day. I'm hoping that dies down as I do more practice tests this week. Where you guys at?
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Nice, FL5 is one of the harder ones (out of the few I've taken so far). Although, my score dropped precipitously on AAMC6, not due to difficulty but rather on the account of being a lazy douchebag and not concentrating 😉
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lol yeah, I'm hoping that doesn't happen to me but it's definitely possible. bah I guess it's already happening.. been awake for like half an hour and haven't gotten out of bed yet. This is pathetic. I'm gonna get up, eat some breakfast, and go to the gym and get this day started right.
Question about the AAMCs 8-10... what's different about them from the earlier ones that makes them more indicative of the real thing? Are they more difficult? Tougher passages?
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I really don't know. I've only done EK and Kaplan verbal and the Kaplan verbal was last year in my dark times of the 6's and 7's. They say in EK that reading hard articles like the economist and the NY times doesn't help but I disagree. Yes, you must be able to tackle the questions strategically. But you must also be able to read the passage without falling asleep. So I think the best thing to do is to read like 5 economist articles on your worst subject every day (Natural sciences, Social Sciences, or Hummanities) and then do some practive VR work. I'm like you and have done all the 101 passages so I dug around the trunk of my car and found this Kaplan verbal book that came with the class. It has about 6 full test left so I'll do a few and yet you know how it compares. I'd go look at the book store and see what they have. Any VR practice is better than none.😎
Also for AAMC 10... This VR section is crazy. You can take this score and add 2pts to it to see what you would prob get on the real MCAT. Also there is a mistake on #54. It says the correct answer is B. The correct answer is actually A. See thread http://more.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=8600978
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Just wanted to chime in and say that I'm all signed up to take the test on the 12th as well.
Average of the 5 AAMC's that I have taken is about a 33 right now but with a slightly downward trend so hopefully I can reverse that by clearing my head for a day.
Good luck to everyone!
Average of the 5 AAMC's that I have taken is about a 33 right now but with a slightly downward trend so hopefully I can reverse that by clearing my head for a day.
Good luck to everyone!
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I took my first practice test today following completing my initial content review and scored a 12, 11(V), 12 on AAMC 9.
I was taking the test mainly to identify weaknesses. In reality I would be thrilled with this score on the real thing....
So one more week to do some re-review and problem work on my weaker subjects and then another practice test... review my mistakes on the practice tests and write the actual thing and pray for a good score.
I was taking the test mainly to identify weaknesses. In reality I would be thrilled with this score on the real thing....
So one more week to do some re-review and problem work on my weaker subjects and then another practice test... review my mistakes on the practice tests and write the actual thing and pray for a good score.
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That's an awesome score. You definitely have a good feel for MCAT style questions which is great... took me a couple tests to get to that point and I'm trying to become more consistent now. Best of luck!
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Thanks raab, I appreciate it.
If you look above I had plenty to MCAT practice up until this point in the last few years.
I'm just so relieved that with such a condensed schedule up until this point that I was able to comprehend enough to score even a 30....
I have really been rushing and it's coming back to me quick but when you do something so fast... you don't by the end of it whether you've actually got in down or whether you just think you do.....
So this is a great first step... I'm by no means in the clear.... the 12 in bio.... involved me getting perfect on the orgo questions.... but in reality I'm terrible on the orgo at the moment.... haha I just luckily got questions I could work through...
So there are certainly some things I can firm up.... but I'm quite happy to know I'm in the range that I want to be.... I'll be happy with a 31 or 32 as long as there is an 11 in bio....
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Hey fellow 9/12ers...
I've actually found that on verbal that it really helps me if I actually write out the main idea of the passage before I start answering the questions. It only takes about a min or two and I can answer the questions so much faster. If you are struggling to finish on time I would see on some practice passages if that helps you before trying it on an actual test.
In other news so far I've taken AAMC 3,4,5,7 and 8. Eight is the last one I took and its been my best test by far even though I felt the worst after it. On all my previous tests I hadn't been able to break 9 on PS and this time I made a 12, I hope its not a fluke!
Good luck everyone in the last stretch.
I've actually found that on verbal that it really helps me if I actually write out the main idea of the passage before I start answering the questions. It only takes about a min or two and I can answer the questions so much faster. If you are struggling to finish on time I would see on some practice passages if that helps you before trying it on an actual test.
In other news so far I've taken AAMC 3,4,5,7 and 8. Eight is the last one I took and its been my best test by far even though I felt the worst after it. On all my previous tests I hadn't been able to break 9 on PS and this time I made a 12, I hope its not a fluke!
Good luck everyone in the last stretch.
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Yeah it's really encouraging to know that it's entirely within the realm of possibility to do well. It's almost like a second wind after content review. We got time though, I think a lot is going to happen in this coming week for me to really solidify my understanding of it all.
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Hi all. So I'm feeling not so good about my readiness to take this thing on the 12th. I've been doing insane amount of verbal practice but getting nowhere (my main problem is timing) and I still feel shaky on PS, although BS I'm usually okay.
I was doing 30+ on KAPLAN FLs and got all optimistic only to find out that they inflate your score by a lot and now my AAMC average is around a 28.
My GPA is 3.4 and I need at least 30+ to play this game. On top of that, I spent this entire summer studying and I feel like if I don't get the score I want, I'll never be able to get it because I'll never find time to study during the school year.
I feel like ****! Anyone know any confidence/endurance boosters because I definitely feel a surge of APATHY coming on for this last week stretch.
🙁😕
I was doing 30+ on KAPLAN FLs and got all optimistic only to find out that they inflate your score by a lot and now my AAMC average is around a 28.
My GPA is 3.4 and I need at least 30+ to play this game. On top of that, I spent this entire summer studying and I feel like if I don't get the score I want, I'll never be able to get it because I'll never find time to study during the school year.
I feel like ****! Anyone know any confidence/endurance boosters because I definitely feel a surge of APATHY coming on for this last week stretch.
🙁😕
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Hi all. So I'm feeling not so good about my readiness to take this thing on the 12th. I've been doing insane amount of verbal practice but getting nowhere (my main problem is timing) and I still feel shaky on PS, although BS I'm usually okay.
I was doing 30+ on KAPLAN FLs and got all optimistic only to find out that they inflate your score by a lot and now my AAMC average is around a 28.
My GPA is 3.4 and I need at least 30+ to play this game. On top of that, I spent this entire summer studying and I feel like if I don't get the score I want, I'll never be able to get it because I'll never find time to study during the school year.
I feel like ****! Anyone know any confidence/endurance boosters because I definitely feel a surge of APATHY coming on for this last week stretch.
🙁😕
Regarding PS... why are you getting things wrong? Are you not understanding the passages or are you not getting the questions/the concepts that they're testing? Is it the style of the test or the type of questions being asked?
What have you done for VR so far in terms of practice? Any EK at all?
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Most of the time, for PS, it's hard for me to really understand what exactly they want me to do. Although, I admit, my fundamentals aren't top notch, but I covered all the material and I thought I did a decent review of everything.
For VR, I'm using KAPLAN at least to get a grip on the timing. With one week left I don't know if starting EK would be worth it? But I'm running out of kaplan material anyway so might as well.
I'm going to see how I do with the AAMC FL #7 tomorrow. If I get below 30, I think I'm going to postpone taking the real test until January.
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I found that to be true regarding the actual MCAT i took on June 18th. I had physics down pretty good with an avg. PS score of 11 which I thought was respectable. On the real MCAT, however, I couldn't figure out what they were asking of me in a bunch of passages and ended up with an PS score of 8. I'm hoping that it was a fluke and that I'll do as good as I've been doing on the practice tests when 9/12 comes.
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Dude... trust me, absolutely look over EK strategies for VR... they're without a doubt, by far the best. One week is plenty of time. I just barely got a 10 in VR on my first AAMC and got a 13 on the second one I took. Only difference in between was that I looked over the EK strategy and did a practice verbal exam in EK 101. They really break it down nicely man, it would be well worth your time to give it a shot.
Ek is hella nice till the last few tests....
AAMC 8 is freaking hard, got a 33 on that!
The past 5 tests ive taken ive had a downward trend that eventually came back up:
40, 39, 37, 38, 39 on aamc 6/4/7/9/10 =)
AAMC 8 is freaking hard, got a 33 on that!
The past 5 tests ive taken ive had a downward trend that eventually came back up:
40, 39, 37, 38, 39 on aamc 6/4/7/9/10 =)
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Yeah, I guess sometimes the passages relate to multiple concepts and it's hard to pick out exactly which ones and in what way. Also, really obscure passage make me lose my confidence since physics/gchem has never been my strong point. I think practice is the only way to jump that hurdle.
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Ok, I think you're right. Kaplan's strategy is alright, but it's not working any miracles for me right now. Hopefully the nearest borders has a copy of the EK 101! Thanks for the tip.
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I am, I want at least an R. I'll just use TPR and write 2 essays per day for 5 days.
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Hey raab, I just bought the EK 101, but it doesn't tell you any sort of new strategies, although the tests are good practice.
Can you tell me what EK strategy is? Or where I can find it?
Thanks!
their strategies are in the actual EK MCAT Verbal Reasoning & Math Techniques book...the one sold in that package...
you can actually get a PDF torrent version off of Pirate Bay...along with ALL the other EK books..lol..just a thought if you dont have time to go out and get the book
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Hi everyone fellow 9/12 takers! just signed up for this forum 🙂
Anyways anyone advise against taking kaplan fl 10 and 11? heard it was too hard and probably useless this late in the game.
So I feel like the kaplan fl's and the aamc fl's are so different.... but my scores hover around the same area :
Kaplan-
Test 1 p10 v 9 b12 - 31
Test 2 p8 v8 b 10 -26 <--- don't know what happened there
Test 3 p8 v12 b11 -31
test 4 p 8 v11 b12 -31
test 5 p 9 v10 b14- 33
test 6 p 9 v12 b14- 35
test 7 p10 v11 b14- 35
AAMC-
Test 3 - p10 v9 b12 -31
test 4 - p12 v11 b10- 33
test 5- p10 v 9 b11 -30
test 6 - p10 v 10 b12- 32
So little time left and I feel like my scores have plateaud ...
BTW: does anyone this with these practice fl scores I'd be able to do a 33 on the mcat at least 🙁 (my dream score is a 36 <- such a pretty number)? should i cancel the date and take it in January? I'd love to know everyone's thoughts!
Anyways anyone advise against taking kaplan fl 10 and 11? heard it was too hard and probably useless this late in the game.
So I feel like the kaplan fl's and the aamc fl's are so different.... but my scores hover around the same area :
Kaplan-
Test 1 p10 v 9 b12 - 31
Test 2 p8 v8 b 10 -26 <--- don't know what happened there
Test 3 p8 v12 b11 -31
test 4 p 8 v11 b12 -31
test 5 p 9 v10 b14- 33
test 6 p 9 v12 b14- 35
test 7 p10 v11 b14- 35
AAMC-
Test 3 - p10 v9 b12 -31
test 4 - p12 v11 b10- 33
test 5- p10 v 9 b11 -30
test 6 - p10 v 10 b12- 32
So little time left and I feel like my scores have plateaud ...
BTW: does anyone this with these practice fl scores I'd be able to do a 33 on the mcat at least 🙁 (my dream score is a 36 <- such a pretty number)? should i cancel the date and take it in January? I'd love to know everyone's thoughts!
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Took AAMC 6 yesterday, scored 13 PS, 12 VR, 15 BS for a total of 40. My first time hitting 40. BS was a crazy experience, I was just absolutely in the zone doing that section. VR I felt pretty good about and thought I might even be able to replicate my 13 from AAMC 5, but I got 4 wrong on one passage including three wrong in a row haha, ouch. I got the main idea, but I missed some subtleties that were pretty key. So annoying cause the answer choices I picked were all consistent with each other if the author had meant something different lol.
Gonna review mistakes today and hammer in some smaller details for PS and do an EK 101 verbal. Then probably go through some EK Bio/orgo 1001 to reinforce some material.
Also FutureDoc, check your pms sista
Gonna review mistakes today and hammer in some smaller details for PS and do an EK 101 verbal. Then probably go through some EK Bio/orgo 1001 to reinforce some material.
Also FutureDoc, check your pms sista
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Hey do yall know any good normality practice problems... I understand normality but I didnt think it would be on the mcat so I didnt do any problems and of course I had a weird normality problem on my mcat in June... I don't remember what the question was but it did not involve diprotic acids and I was just curious if yall knew of any practice problems
