11 days out - what do?

[crandmat]

Hey all,

I write the mcat on 8/8 1215, and was interested in hearing opinions of others on the best way to spend the remainder of my time.

I'll probably finish Uworld bio, gen chem, biochem, and physics by next week some time, and I've had an Anki deck I've been building since April that I do daily. I completed all the AAMC material last week, but am wondering if going through SB's again is really worth it, since I feel like I'll already know the right answers and the results will be inflated. Really, I just need some input about what I should be drilling now that I'm in crunch time as I get distracted very easily lol.

FL scores are: 1-513, 2-517, 3-520, and I'm taking 4 this Friday. All of them were taken the past 3 weeks in July.

Thanks!

(cannot wait to MURDER this stupid exam and never worry about it again)

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[GreenDuck12]

You’re in good shape. Spend 2-3 days hammering those last few concepts that you aren’t solid on (you know, the ones you secretly tell yourself that won’t be on the MCAT but will make your stomach fall out if you see on the real deal). Practice writing some useful equations. Make sure your amino acids are solid. Reread the PS doc from reddit once or twice. Maybe practice the cars qpack one more time.

 

[KnightDoc]

You’re in good shape. Spend 2-3 days hammering those last few concepts that you aren’t solid on (you know, the ones you secretly tell yourself that won’t be on the MCAT but will make your stomach fall out if you see on the real deal). Practice writing some useful equations. Make sure your amino acids are solid. Reread the PS doc from reddit once or twice. Maybe practice the cars qpack one more time.

This^^^^. I don't think there is a lot of value in going over things you have already mastered just because you're bouncing off the walls. If there is nothing in particular you feel weak in that might be worth going over again, then I would either just chill OR invest in a few 3rd party FLs just to give yourself something productive to do. Not to focus on scores that might be deflated from AAMC FLs (which will drive you crazy!); just to get some extra practice and not feel like you are doing nothing.

 

[whiteclaww]

This^^^^. I don't think there is a lot of value in going over things you have already mastered just because you're bouncing off the walls. If there is nothing in particular you feel weak in that might be worth going over again, then I would either just chill OR invest in a few 3rd party FLs just to give yourself something productive to do. Not to focus on scores that might be deflated from AAMC FLs (which will drive you crazy!); just to get some extra practice and not feel like you are doing nothing.

I have a question. Is it normal to feel weird about your "content level."

I feel like I know something but not much. But I have scored 515-520 on FLs. But when I do UWorld or NS I feel stupid because i get like 60-70% right. Is this natural?

 

[KnightDoc]

I have a question. Is it normal to feel weird about your "content level."

I feel like I know something but not much. But I have scored 515-520 on FLs. But when I do UWorld or NS I feel stupid because i get like 60-70% right. Is this natural?

Totally. You are more than fine. You are scoring on the FLs in the 92-98%-ile!!!! It bears remembering that the pool of people taking this test is waaay smarter, as a whole, then the people taking the SAT, ACT, PSAT, etc. The test is written and scored to produce a normal distribution. If you were feeling better, literally hundreds of people instead of dozens would be scoring 528 every year.

It sounds like you are also only getting something like 80% right on the FLs, no? If so, that will correspond to a score in the high 5-teens to low 5-twenties, which is great, and probably where you are at. Not 526, but also not 510.

The simple answer to your question is that I am in the exact same place. Yes, it's normal, because we are used to mastering everything placed before us in school, and this test is designed to not allow us to do so. It has always been easier to be in the top 50-100 out of 80,000 when the pool includes everyone, but much harder when it's just the people who survived the pre-med weeding out of UG.

I'm okay with not getting 90%+ of everything right, and you should be too. It's not a sign of a content gap. It's the design of the test.

 

[whiteclaww]

Totally. You are more than fine. You are scoring on the FLs in the 92-98%-ile!!!! It bears remembering that the pool of people taking this test is waaay smarter, as a whole, then the people taking the SAT, ACT, PSAT, etc. The test is written and scored to produce a normal distribution. If you were feeling better, literally hundreds of people instead of dozens would be scoring 528 every year.

It sounds like you are also only getting something like 80% right on the FLs, no? If so, that will correspond to a score in the high 5-teens to low 5-twenties, which is great, and probably where you are at. Not 526, but also not 510.

The simple answer to your question is that I am in the exact same place. Yes, it's normal, because we are used to mastering everything placed before us in school, and this test is designed to not allow us to do so. It has always been easier to be in the top 50-100 out of 80,000 when the pool includes everyone, but much harder when it's just the people who survived the pre-med weeding out of UG.

I'm okay with not getting 90%+ of everything right, and you should be too. It's not a sign of a content gap. It's the design of the test.

Thank you so much. It makes me feel much much better.

 

[JimKimSlim]

You’re in a good shape. Just keep your headspace calm and manage your stress well. You will likely get an average of your AAMC FL’s, unless you panick during the exam.

 

[crandmat]

You’re in a good shape. Just keep your headspace calm and manage your stress well. You will likely get an average of your AAMC FL’s, unless you panick during the exam.

Let's hope so, my average after taking all four is ~516.5, pray the mcat gods be with me! Thanks for the replies everybody, good advice all around!

 

[Blueprint Med School]

Let's hope so, my average after taking all four is ~516.5, pray the mcat gods be with me! Thanks for the replies everybody, good advice all around!

That is a good sign that you are clustering your practice scores in a zone you are happy with. Gives one a higher confidence level that you are ready. You got this!

David D, MD - USMLE and MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors