1 Month left & behind - Any key pointers please?!

[Futbol99]

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I know this probably sounds repeated - I just need some experienced advice please! I'm in desperate need to find a glimpse of hope.

My MCAT is on Apirl 24th. I have been studying since October with initial plan to write in it in Jan. but realized how weak I was in content. After doing AAMC 3 and 4 (absolutely smashed), I decided to reschedule.
Did some more practicing and cover my weaknesses in content over the past couple months, but my problem was I was very passive and unmotivated. After committing to a plan with ~1.5 months left, I diverted off it as i took more time than planned for post-game on practice passages, and filling in gaps in my knowledge. There were also a few days in my short-time planned where I got held up from studying due to family responsibilities.

I have 1 month now. I don't have the slightest hope of getting a 32 on that, but I want to use this remaining time efficiently for the hopes that on the day of the MCAT I get passages relating topics I'm comfortable with. How do you recommend me to spend the rest of my month now that you see this exam in hindsight?

I have a few ideas, but Im worried that it's not as efficient. There must be some kind of way to go about this. I don't want to reschedule again. I know Im at risk of "burning" the AAMC's 5-11 but I need to get it over with for a first time at least. Hoping you guys can help me out from things you've experienced or heard! Please and thanks!! I need any kind of positivity rite now!

 

[Futbol99]

Also, should I still make time to do ALL AAMC's or for time purposes leave out a couple, and replace them with practice passages for practicing weakness?

 

[inasensegone]

I know this probably sounds repeated - I just need some experienced advice please! I'm in desperate need to find a glimpse of hope.

My MCAT is on Apirl 24th. I have been studying since October with initial plan to write in it in Jan. but realized how weak I was in content. After doing AAMC 3 and 4 (absolutely smashed), I decided to reschedule.
Did some more practicing and cover my weaknesses in content over the past couple months, but my problem was I was very passive and unmotivated. After committing to a plan with ~1.5 months left, I diverted off it as i took more time than planned for post-game on practice passages, and filling in gaps in my knowledge. There were also a few days in my short-time planned where I got held up from studying due to family responsibilities.

I have 1 month now. I don't have the slightest hope of getting a 32 on that, but I want to use this remaining time efficiently for the hopes that on the day of the MCAT I get passages relating topics I'm comfortable with. How do you recommend me to spend the rest of my month now that you see this exam in hindsight?

I have a few ideas, but Im worried that it's not as efficient. There must be some kind of way to go about this. I don't want to reschedule again. I know Im at risk of "burning" the AAMC's 5-11 but I need to get it over with for a first time at least. Hoping you guys can help me out from things you've experienced or heard! Please and thanks!! I need any kind of positivity rite now!

I see so many of these types of posts on here that it's crazy. Here is my take, and please keep in mind it is just my opinion:

If you feel like you need better preparation and you come on here asking for help but you don't give any specifics to your situation, it sounds a lot like you are just looking for encouragement. Quite frankly, if you really need advice on study materials and all that, this forum is overflowing with advice. Just check out the 30+ thread. If you are just looking for words of encouragement, and you aren't scoring around where you want to score on the AAMC FL tests, then maybe you should be spending less time on SDN and more time studying. Nothing that anyone on here can possibly say to you, is going to decrease the amount of work that you have to put in to master the material. They might tell you what worked for them, but that isn't going to be the magic bullet for you. You know yourself the best. Use the method that works for you, use what materials you have available to you and whatever materials you can get your hands on, and then maximize your studying time. Most importantly, maximize the quality of your studying between now and the test. Again, you know yourself the best, so only you can really decide on how to do that. It sounds to me like you've been doing a lot of procrastinating (since October) and now it's finally starting to hit you that you need to cover those knowledge gaps. I'm not saying this to be mean, I swear, I'm just trying to be honest so you don't end up making more excuses. And since you asked for specific advice, here is the most specific advice I can give you:

Formulate a realistic plan to achieve your goal. Make sure it matches your ability. Then STICK to your plan. Get organized. Stay focused. Feeling "burnt-out" is an option, not a necessity. Do you really want to do well on the MCAT? Prove it.

(and if you still insist on specifics, check out the 30+ thread for more advice than you will get in this thread. There is so much advice in that thread that if you read it all, you would actually be wasting time that you could spend studying)

 

[Futbol99]

I see so many of these types of posts on here that it's crazy. Here is my take, and please keep in mind it is just my opinion:

If you feel like you need better preparation and you come on here asking for help but you don't give any specifics to your situation, it sounds a lot like you are just looking for encouragement. Quite frankly, if you really need advice on study materials and all that, this forum is overflowing with advice. Just check out the 30+ thread. If you are just looking for words of encouragement, and you aren't scoring around where you want to score on the AAMC FL tests, then maybe you should be spending less time on SDN and more time studying. Nothing that anyone on here can possibly say to you, is going to decrease the amount of work that you have to put in to master the material. They might tell you what worked for them, but that isn't going to be the magic bullet for you. You know yourself the best. Use the method that works for you, use what materials you have available to you and whatever materials you can get your hands on, and then maximize your studying time. Most importantly, maximize the quality of your studying between now and the test. Again, you know yourself the best, so only you can really decide on how to do that. It sounds to me like you've been doing a lot of procrastinating (since October) and now it's finally starting to hit you that you need to cover those knowledge gaps. I'm not saying this to be mean, I swear, I'm just trying to be honest so you don't end up making more excuses. And since you asked for specific advice, here is the most specific advice I can give you:

Formulate a realistic plan to achieve your goal. Make sure it matches your ability. Then STICK to your plan. Get organized. Stay focused. Feeling "burnt-out" is an option, not a necessity. Do you really want to do well on the MCAT? Prove it.

(and if you still insist on specifics, check out the 30+ thread for more advice than you will get in this thread. There is so much advice in that thread that if you read it all, you would actually be wasting time that you could spend studying)

Appreciate the bluntness- the beginning portion was kind of harsh due to a few assumptions you made though 🙁
If you wanted specifics about my situation, I could've listed it, I was simply wondering what's the most efficient way about spending last month from those who have taken this before and look back at it in hindsight. I wasn't looking for encouragement or such. Just a proper way to look at it. Sorry if I have bothered you in anyway by this repeated post. Sometimes you wish someone was in your position and can give you a tailored advice. I come to SDN when conflict rises so close the mcat, while having some time as I reflect on a Sunday night. I come to collect a lot of knowledge about mcat and process I cant get from others, as there is a lot to note from others' personal experience. I can guarantee you I don't come here to waste time rather than study.

To clear up, I have not been procrastinating since October. Far from actually. Don't get me wrong- had a few unmotivated/sad days where I doubt my abilities after I do some passages and long content review etc, while focusing on my school life, etc. I was new to a lot of the material and using TPR at first, the materials were dense, so I focused a lot on content and not enough practice. After rescheduling, I've covered my content almost twice, doing more practice and relearning a lot of things down the road. Going through material once in your life isn't that easy like physics. It did not start to hit me now, I can guarantee you that.. It's just not the best feeling to see yourself taking time to grasp a concept, and/or getting low scores on practice when you felt confident and such.

Anyway, I just wanted to clear myself up. Thanks for your blunt advice, it does help, and I apologize for an unnecessary post / repetition. Again - my intent was not to get encouragement, just where to focus my gaze with the left over time.

 

[inasensegone]

Appreciate the bluntness- the beginning portion was kind of harsh due to a few assumptions you made though 🙁
If you wanted specifics about my situation, I could've listed it, I was simply wondering what's the most efficient way about spending last month from those who have taken this before and look back at it in hindsight. I wasn't looking for encouragement or such. Just a proper way to look at it. Sorry if I have bothered you in anyway by this repeated post. Sometimes you wish someone was in your position and can give you a tailored advice. I come to SDN when conflict rises so close the mcat, while having some time as I reflect on a Sunday night. I come to collect a lot of knowledge about mcat and process I cant get from others, as there is a lot to note from others' personal experience. I can guarantee you I don't come here to waste time rather than study.

To clear up, I have not been procrastinating since October. Far from actually. Don't get me wrong- had a few unmotivated/sad days where I doubt my abilities after I do some passages and long content review etc, while focusing on my school life, etc. I was new to a lot of the material and using TPR at first, the materials were dense, so I focused a lot on content and not enough practice. After rescheduling, I've covered my content almost twice, doing more practice and relearning a lot of things down the road. Going through material once in your life isn't that easy like physics. It did not start to hit me now, I can guarantee you that.. It's just not the best feeling to see yourself taking time to grasp a concept, and/or getting low scores on practice when you felt confident and such.

Anyway, I just wanted to clear myself up. Thanks for your blunt advice, it does help, and I apologize for an unnecessary post / repetition. Again - my intent was not to get encouragement, just where to focus my gaze with the left over time.

No need to apologize! Your post doesn't bother me, and if it did, I wouldn't have read it or spent the time responding to it.

I still do think that if you want specific advice though, you need to offer specific details about your situation. Otherwise, you're asking about generalizations, and then how can anyone who "was in your position....give you a tailored advice."? For example, let's say you're weak in physics, and then you ask for advice in which materials to use for electrostatics/electromagnetism... well that'll be much more likely to get you some specific advice that might be more beneficial to you. What do your scores on your self assessments indicate? Have you identified content weaknesses? Are you slow on math and spending too much time on a couple problems, etc. So far your posts really haven't clarified what you are asking for help with. How can you expect someone to give you specifics? Anyway, just my two cents. I wish you the best of luck!

 

[chemhead123]

The cross your fingers and hope method is a terrible idea. If you aren't confident you are going to get a 30+ score (i.e. your aamc average is not +or - 1), why in the world would you take it? I don't understand this mentality. You take it when you are ready, plain and simple. Sorry, if this is harsh, but it seems to be a pretty important test in terms of getting into medical school, so I hear...