30+ MCAT Study Habits- The CBT Version

[omegaxx]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=14 VR=13 WS=Q BS=14 Composite=41Q

2) The study method used for each section
PS&BS: Reviewed all the materials (except Organic Chem, because I just finished a year long O. Chem course and knew it like the back of my hand). Practiced.
VR: Practice, practice, practice.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
Princeton Review all the way.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
Princeton Review all the way.
I also bought AAMC 4-6 for building confidence two weeks before the actual exam.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Pharmacology & English, although I took the exam after sophomore year so I just had the prereq sciences and five English courses under my belt.

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Read smartly, and read a lot, not just textbooks and scientific papers and newspaper, but also materials in the humanities department.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
2.5 months (~10 weeks), averaging ~3 hrs/day.

 

[LostInStudy]

.

 

[plsletmein]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=12 VR=11 WS=P BS=12 Composite=35P

2) The study method used for each section
Used EK for PS and BS- on topics I was weak on I also supplemented with BR books. For VR used EK 101 passages- took each passage individually with an 8 minute timer and immediately checked answers after every single passage. Read through 2 sample prompts for WS morning before exam

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
See above + AAMC released CBTs

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC

5) What was your undergraduate major?
bio

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Nothing that other people have not already said...

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
(off an on) review 2 months, exam 1 month[/QUOTE]

 

[boaz]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=13
VR=11
WS=N
BS=12
Composite=36N

AAMC average: 13/9/12.

2) The study method used for each section
Physics: At first this was my weakest section. Plowed through TBR physics review books and from then on was my strongest section, after chemistry.
Gen Chem: Hardly needed any review for this one; skimmed through TBR.
Orgo: No review, except for a quick review in my textbook on NMR. I had just finished 2 semesters of orgo with the toughest profs in my school...
Bio: EK bio review book. I had a VERY weak background in bio (especially physiology, genetics and evolution) and had to learn a lot of it on my own from scratch.
Verbal: EK VR 101. At first I thought I wouldn't need any pratice at all but when I started with practice FL's I realized this won't be a piece of cake. I can't say there was anything special aobut EK except that it helped me get used to it. As above, my AAMC average was only 9, so I think the 11 came from all the practice.
Writing: Did not study at all.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
See above.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC, GS and a handful from TBR and EK. AAMC was the most helpful.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Chemistry.

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?

Take physics II, orgo II, plus another science (e.g. anal. chem., genetics, etc.) the semester right before the MCAT.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

2 hr/week for ~ 2 months (bio self-learning), then ~10 hr/day for 5 weeks, the last of which I was down with a nasty flu, so make that 4 weeks.

 

[MCATBear]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=14
VR=11
WS=O
BS=12
Composite=37O

AAMC average: 12.5/13/11(36.5)
Predicted Score after I left the test: 12/12/12(36)

2) The study method used for each section
Physical: This was my strongest section and I just came out of Physics 2 and Chem 2 with frequent 100% scores on my midterms/finals. I skimmed EK for content, taking the tests at the end of each section and reviewing anything I was iffy about or got wrong.

Verbal: EK verbal was very helpful for me. Also for practice tests, I read the reasoning for questions that I got right as well as the ones I got wrong.

Biological: Definitely my weakest section. Only had one semester ever and it wasn't very helpful. I went through the EK book, re-reading as needed, listened to the EK audio osmosis (for the record, this isn't a recommendation because I found it horribly obnoxious and occasionally incorrect), and went through all the kaplan bio note cards, researching anything I didn't understand.

Writing Section: I made the silly humanities student mistake of thinking "I'm a good writer. I don't need to worry about this." I think they aren't necessarily looking for "good writing" as much as someone who can follow the instructions and hit their grading points. I wish I had researched this a little more even though most people say it's not important. It feels a little sad to get 98th percentile on the multiple choice and 50th percentile on the writing.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
I mostly used EK because I was tight for time. I often found their descriptions inadequate and some things annoying (like they say as a rule ether is almost always the correct answer for a solvent question instead of just explaining what solvents are best for what situations. I found myself praying for a solvent question where ether was incorrect just to spite them). If I were to do it again, I'd probably check out TBR instead.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC and the free Kaplan test they do in a classroom

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Feminist Studies and Literature

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
My biggest tip that doesn't seem to be mentioned a lot is to take your practice tests at the same time as your actual test. The first time I took an 8am practice test my score dropped 2 points. I also woke up at 6am every day for the week before the MCAT whether or not I was taking a practice test to get in the habit.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
5 hours a week for my spring semester and then about 30 hours a week for a month.

 

[siliso]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=13
VR=13
WS=T
BS=12
Composite=38T

AAMC average: 33.5
Predicted Score after I left the test: Hoped for at least 30.

2) The study method used for each section
I had come back to school to take prereqs, so I took Bio 1 and 2, Physics 1 and 2, Chem 1 and 2 over the past academic year, and then Organic during this summer. So I didn't do a lot of content review or specific MCAT studying. For the most part I only did practice questions and practice tests.
I did not practice the writing sample, but I thought the suggestions/method in the EK verbal book were helpful.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)

The Examkrackers set.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
The one that came with the EK set, the free AAMC one, and AAMC 10.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Political Science.

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
When it came down to the actual test, it felt like 90% critical reading and 10% straight up content knowledge.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
Either one full year, or not much at all, depending on how you look at it. I looked through the EK books and did most of their practice questions, but not systematically or on a regular basis. I got it around Christmas and picked at it up until July. But, I had just taken all of the classes that teach the material that the MCAT is supposed to test.

 

[Damege]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=12 VR=11 WS=R BS=14 Composite=37R
My AAMC average was 29, 34, 34, 36, 34, 39 which is around 34.

2) The study method used for each section
I rewrote every chapter of EK in my own words emphasizing the information I didnt know. I also took notes on all the italicized not directly on the test sections. For verbal I just did practice problems and used the "main idea" strategy from EK.

3) What materials you used for each section
I used EK for everything. Did all the problems in the lesson books.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC

5) What was your undergraduate major?
bio

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Expect the unexpected before you take the test and you wont be surprised by the unexpected on test day and waste time being unexpecting.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
2 Months of review 4-5 days a week for 4-5ish hours a day.

 

[MBHockey]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=14 VR=11 WS=R BS=10 Composite=35R
AAMC Average was a 34. (7,8,9, and 10)

2) The study method used for each section
I used the Berkeley Review for everything (not the course, just the home study books), but also used additional books. EK Verbal, EK Bio, and TPR Verbal Workbook. I did NOT use the VR material from Berkeley Review; it didn't seem like it was for me. I would do a section of BR in two days. First day would be all content review and half the questions, 2nd day would be the rest of the questions and then going over every single answer, regardless of if I got it right or not.

3) What materials you used for each section
Verbal: EK Verbal and TPR Verbal workbook
Orgo: Didn't really study this too much because I had just gotten an A+ in both semesters of OChem. But I reviewed it a little with BR orgo
Bio: BR and EK
Gen Chem: Berkeley Review and my old text book
Physics: Berkeley review and my old engineering texts
Writing: nothing

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC

5) What was your undergraduate major?
mechanical engineering. I have been in a post-bac program for one year.

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Fundamentally flawed or not, the test is important. Study for it because you want to become a doctor. Make a study schedule, and stick with it.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
3 months. first month was kind of lax, 2nd and 3rd months I made a schedule and stuck to it. I was doing about 8-9 hours a day in the 2nd and 3rd months.

 

[keithdub]

1) Your individual scores and composite score

PS=10 VR=11 WS=R BS=12 Composite=33R
AAMC Average was a 31 and Kaplan was somewhere around 30

2) The study method used for each section

I took the Kaplan classroom course, so I was supposed to follow the Kaplan method, which I didn't stick to very well.

Verbal:
I only studied verbal from the book once; I really think its more of a practice skill than something you learn from a book. If I wanted to study verbal, I would do the online practices from Kaplan.

Physical:
Kaplan's PS was great for me however. I just wrote down all of the equations in the book. I then whittled it down to one page of equations that I surely would need to memorize. But the best thing I realized was to figure out which could be derived from others and then eliminated those. PS was always my weakest section; I started with 6's on the mini practice tests.

Bio:
In the actual biology part I didnt have too much trouble, my major focuses on biology so I had that down. But the ochem scared the **** out of me. After taking a bunch of practices I realized how little ochem there is and how basic the ochem questions that are actually on the test are. I only focused on the basics, SN1 SN2 and the like, and carbonyls, they just seem much more common. This worked out for me, but I don't want to give anyone a false sense of security.

Writing
This is just something that people seem to have or don't have. I never did the writings on my practice tests until 2 days before the exam, I felt like I could use that extra hour to study much more important parts of the exam.

3) What materials you used for each section

Only used the kaplan stuff.

4) Which practice tests did you use?

Kaplan and AAMC. The Kaplan ones had such difficult questions that they kept me looking back and learning. The AAMC were exactly like the test, a must to take.

5) What was your undergraduate major?

Neuroscience

6) Any tips you might have for those of us who still have the test lurking over us?

See below

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

Although I took the Kaplan classroom course, I just didnt have the time to study. 4 months of spread out studying doesnt work for me. I studied every single day for a month. I stuck to a very rigid schedule: For the first 2 weeks I only studied the material. I worked til three, then studied till midnight, every weekday. I studied 12 to 6 on the weekend. For the last 2 weeks I took at least one test every day. I would wake up at 7 and take the test at 8, just like test day would be. I would work 8 hours and then come back and look at my scores and what I got wrong. That was essential. By doing this I started to realize the trends in the material. While it all looks different, the questions are generally asked in predictable ways. This repetition did wonders for me. I fell right asleep the night before the exam and literally forgot it was the real one while taking it, I was just in the zone. Also, I would recommend taking your practices in a number of different places. I just went to different computer labs around campus. This way I was never comfortable and the situation was foriegn. The exam obviously has a large amount of test taking ability in it. It is unlike any exam I've ever taken and by becoming comfortable taking it anywhere and never freaking out helped tremendously. Timing is everything as well, so practice practice practice.

 

[277190]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=12 VR=11 WS=R BS=14 Composite=37R
My AAMC average was 29, 34, 34, 36, 34, 39 which is around 34.

2) The study method used for each section
I rewrote every chapter of EK in my own words emphasizing the information I didnt know. I also took notes on all the italicized not directly on the test sections. For verbal I just did practice problems and used the "main idea" strategy from EK.

3) What materials you used for each section
I used EK for everything. Did all the problems in the lesson books.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC

5) What was your undergraduate major?
bio

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Expect the unexpected before you take the test and you wont be surprised by the unexpected on test day and waste time being unexpecting.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
2 Months of review 4-5 days a week for 4-5ish hours a day.

Did any of you guys retake the exam, and then get this score, or is this your first scored exam?
Also, I took the exam yesterday. I felt really good about verbal. I actually think I got a 15, but on Physical Sciences I felt crappy. I went through all 7 passages, and guessed on two to three discretes at the end that were easy. I changed my game plan on bio, and before doing the last two passages, I went straight to the easy discretes to get them out of the way. I ended up finishing everything with some time left.

Did you guys feel good or bad coming out of the test? I keep hearing that your supposed to feel like ****, but I think people are just saying that to make themselves feel good. My take is you either feel good or bad. I just felt confused.😕🙁😡😕

 

[wrathofgod64]

1) Your individual scores and composite score

(7/2009) PS=14 VR=9 WS=S BS=15 Composite=38S - AAMC Avg 39
(8/2008) PS=11 VR=11 WS=T BS=12 Composite=34T - AAMC Avg 36

2) The study method used for each section

I took the Kaplan online course, so I did all the topicals, exercises, quizzes, and full lengths. However, for content review, I studied primarily from TPR Hyperlearning and EK.

Verbal:
I used both TPR Hyperlearning Verbal workbook and EK 101 passages. The best way to improve verbal is to keep doing more passages, and eventually you'll get it. This is also the hardest section to improve, and scores can vary easily, as is evidenced by my scores on my 2 MCATs.

Physical:
I highly highly recommend using EK or TPR Hyperlearning. The best way to improve in this section is to just do more and more and more practice problems until you know the stuff like the back of your hand. For this, I LOVED TPR's Hyperlearning science workbook. It not only contained discretes, but also passages, which the EK 1001 series does not have.

Bio:
For Bio, again, use EK and TPR Bio, those were ****ing golden. I repeat, especially TPR Bio, both the review materials AND THE WORKBOOK. The workbook contains excellent excellent passages with varying levels of difficulty that I found mirror the style of MCAT passages.

Writing
I literally spent 30 min prepare for the writing section. I'm not even a good writer, but I know what standardized tests are looking for. My advice is to follow the basic thesis, antithesis, synthesis structure. It's easy and it works. **** it this section doesn't even matter.

3) What materials you used for each section

I used Kaplan mainly for their practice tests and other practice material. Their notes sucked. For content review, i would highly highly recommend TPR Hyperlearning and EK, and for practice, please please please use the Hyperlearning Science workbook. It is a godsend and it will drill concepts in your head.

4) Which practice tests did you use?

Kaplan and AAMC. I found Kaplan inflated scores for the most part, although the tests were more difficult. AAMC tests were easier, but the scoring was more in line with my actual results.

5) What was your undergraduate major?

Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

6) Any tips you might have for those of us who still have the test lurking over us?

See below

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

The first time I took the test, I studied for a summer, 3 months and about 5 hours a day. I was also taking a physics class at the time. I did the Kaplan course, and a little EK on the side, and ended up with a good score, 34T, but it wasn't what i wanted. The second time around, I studied hardcore for 1.5 months, doing nothing but TPR Hyperlearning content review and the Science workbook, as well as redoing all the Kaplan and AAMC practice tests. This time, I probably studied for about 10 hours a day. If you have time, one thing I highly recommend is not doing content review just once, but twice, and maybe 3 times. The first time, you may absorb 50% of the material. The second time, 75%. The third time, 90%. What also made the difference was that I had no other commitments (no jobs, classes) and devoted all my time to pure MCAT studying. ALSO, MAKE A LOG OF YOUR ERRORS ON PRACTICE TESTS. GO OVER EVERY SINGLE ****ING QUESTION YOU ANSWERED, YOU LEARN SO MUCH THAT WAY. It's tempting to just go over the wrong answers, but ****, I'm sure you guessed on some and got right. Also, Also, Also, practice timed passages! For my TPR Hyperlearning, I gave myself 8 min/passage. Finally, ASSUME ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING CAN BE TESTED ON THE MCAT. I DONT GIVE A **** IF THE AAMC SAID THEY'RE NOT TESTING ON ALKENES AND BENZENES AFTER 2003, KNOW THAT ****. There will be a passage on it, and you'll be glad you perused that last chapter in TPR Orgo rather than read the 1000000th thread on physician misery in preallo. Peace.

 

[emmef]

1) Your individual scores and composite score

(5/2009) PS=14 VR=12 WS=S BS=14 Composite=40S - AAMC Avg 39

2) The study method used for each section

Verbal:
I have a very strong humanities background, so I just relied on the verbal practice in the AAMC practice exams (I did all of them). I averaged 11-12 on verbal in my practices, got a 12 in the real deal. Honestly, I don't see any way to prep to get above that score, but maybe that's just me.

Sciences:
I used EK, course textbooks, and wikipedia exclusively. Starting about 9 months before the test, I slowly went through the official AAMC topic list for each section (except verbal). For each item on the list I made an index card containing everything I needed to know that I didn't know 100% for sure already, starting by looking at what EK said about it, then supplementing it if needed with my book or wikipedia if I felt there wasn't enough detail, didn't understand the explanation, or whatever. (Example: I wouldn't put down on my index card the fact that a neutral solution is pH7, but I would put down that pH + pOH = 14, even though I 99% knew that like the back of my hand.)

This took me about 3 months to do, on and off, and it was definitely where I learned the most. I highly, highly, highly recommend this! The process of writing everything out helped loads with gaining confidence and learning the material. Best of all, once I had finished I could look at the stack of cards and say: If I just memorize that stack, then I'll know *everything* that could possibly be tested (except for verbal of course!). This was a big confidence booster.

Once that was done, I hit the EK 1001 problems, concentrating on my weakest areas first but making sure I covered everything. I did one AAMC practice exam under timed conditions each week up until test day. This is crucial. The index cards solved the knowing-the-content problem, but that's only half (at most) of the battle. Practice, practice, practice until you're confident at handling the trickiest questions about anything that could come up on the test.

Somewhere near the end, about 3 weeks before test day, I went through all my index cards and got rid of the ones that I knew well. This left me with about 150 cards that I just looked at over and over again, all the while still doing practice problems.

By using the AAMC official topics list (instead of just relying on EK, or Kaplan, or whatever for the syllabus) I could be sure that I wasn't missing anything. This definitely earned me at least two questions on exam day. (There was a question about epithelial tissue-types in BS on my exam, and everyone in the post-exam forum was moaning about how we were expected to know that etc. I thought the question was fair enough since it was on the AAMC list of possible topics, even though it's not mentioned in EK for example. No way I would have got that one right without my technique.)

Writing:
Whatever. If you can't write, then think about taking a course or something. But if you can, then just do a couple of practice essays to get the feel of what you need to be doing in 30 mins, then forget about it.

3) What materials you used for each section

EK only. I looked at a Kaplan book, and didn't feel it added anything to EK. But I had worked very hard and done well in my coursework so I knew the basics pretty cold. Without that, maybe EK would be a bit slim on fundamental details to be useful, I don't know.

4) Which practice tests did you use?

I did a free Kaplan and the free Gold Standard, about 3 months before test day. I did horribly in both, and freaked out. In retrospect, I think this helped focus and motivate me. After that, I did only AAMC. These struck me as basically representative of the real deal.

5) What was your undergraduate major?

Mathematics, but that was a long time ago.

6) Any tips you might have for those of us who still have the test lurking over us?

Leave yourself enough time to be sure you've reviewed *all* the content well in advance of your test day. That way you can focus on problem-solving and exam technique without worrying so much about the mountain of material you need to master.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

Started 9 months before, at a pace of about 6 hours/week. 6 months before I was up to 10 hours/week. 3 months before, 20 hours/week. 3 weeks before I was doing it full-time. This was just about the right amount for me, any more and I think I'd have burned out.

Good luck!!!!!!!!

 

[SuperSaiyan3]

Finally, ASSUME ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING CAN BE TESTED ON THE MCAT. I DONT GIVE A **** IF THE AAMC SAID THEY'RE NOT TESTING ON ALKENES AND BENZENES AFTER 2003, KNOW THAT ****.

If they ever make a sequel to the movie 300, I think you should opt to play King Leonidas with that burning passion of a 1000 suns.

Well spoken.

 

[jip]

PS=115 VR=11 WS=T BS=14 Composite=40T

2) The study method used for each section
Kaplan MCAT course, supplied AAMC Practice Exams

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
See above

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC, Kaplan

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Cell and Molecular biology

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Don't guess at questions on the practice exam, leave anything you're unsure of blank. I felt that this helped highlight the material needing review, and lessened any false sense of security I might have had in the weeks leading up to the test. Take days off, exercise, taper down your study hours the last week. Take the day prior to your exam off.


7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
June 1st - July 15th.

 

[roaming]

PS=10 VR=11 WS=T BS=12 Composite=33T

2) The study method used for each section
Examkrackers for PS, VR, BS.
Examkrackers 1001 verbal passages (all passages)
Examkrackers 1001 biology for BS
Online resources (Wiki, Google, Biology videos from textbook sites)
Other resources for clarification on topics Examkrackers didn't do a good job with (Kaplan and TPR resources, neither extensively, just spot checks)

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
Examkrackers, AAMC tests (almost all of the CBTs...) heavily;
TPR and Kaplan lightly

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC (almost all CBTs)
Kaplan (only took 3)

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Double major: Engineering and Humanities

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Instincts on the real test. I doubted myself on questions and changed them from right answers to wrong, and realized too late. Do not use the "Marked" button extensively. You probably won't have time to come back. Only mark questions you will have a chance to come back on.

Also, I was an engineering major, so I didn't focus on the PS much, which was a mistake. I devoted 2 weeks purely to biology (out of the 4 weeks I studied), which took a tool on my PS.

Writing section: I did not study at all, and did not see a writing prompt before the exam. My friend gave me format advice, and that's all I needed. I'm a Humanities major, and write a lot. The format is basically this: the prompt will ask you for 3 questions, 1st to define something, 2nd probably to give an example of it, and 3rd a counter example. Easiest way (and I did it this way) is to break that into 3 paragraphs, addressing each. It is kind of high-school, but that is what AAMC wants. Also put a conclusion. Intro can be just the define thing. Also, give concrete examples. Do not use generalities (e.g. do NOT use "if a person were to ... then he or she would need to think about.."). You can make things up. Use historical figures. Paraphrasing ideas/thoughts works too. For example, use Bill Clinton as an example and say "Bill Clinton's policy on xxx showed that the country needed to xxx" even if you are NOT sure if it was Clinton, or if that policy even exists. I made stuff up about famous political figures, and did not know if they were true or not. It does NOT matter (it doesn't seem to anyways). NO ONE checks your sources, or if the quotes are correct. If the idea is there, and it fits the prompt, it's a go.


7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
4 weeks, 5 hours a day for the 1st 3 weeks and last week probably 8 - 10 hours a day.

 

[koan]

1) Your individual scores and composite score

32O (Test date: 7/17/2009)

PS = 10
VR = 12
BS = 10
WS = O

AAMC / Kaplan FL Avg 32.25

Previous Composite = 29S (8/20/2005)

2) The study method used for each section

PS: Full content review using Kaplan Premier / Wikipedia, practice set from KP, flash cards for formulas / concepts. This was my weakest section the first time I took the MCAT (scored 9) and so I devoted more time to physics review. The past four years I've been working as a pharmacokinetics lab tech, which involves a lot of molarity / pH calculations, so I felt very comfortable with a lot of the gen chem stuff this time. I focused on understanding the concepts in physics (and gen chem) more than formulas... tried to think about relationships rather than memorize information.

VR: Practice by reading KP passages / practice set and daily reading of NYT, Scientific American, research papers, etc. It's hard for me to explain how I did well on this section, but I knew it was my best shot for >10. I read very fast, so in the weeks leading up to the exam I tried to read everything quickly, even the newspaper. My strategy was to speed read the passage (I took a course in speed reading once, which may have helped... basically you group words into phrases, instead of plodding through each individual word), then answer each question without skipping any and going back through the passage for details when necessary. A strong humanities background could help here, but probably just a lifelong love of reading helps more. Also, a determination not to make any mistakes seemed to be required to do well, as missing just a few VR questions drops your score dramatically.

WS: I don't know WTF happened here, since I scored an "S" last time and approached it the same way. Did I forget to click "save" before moving on? Did I take this section for granted? I came out expecting a Q-S, so this was a slight disappointment, but does it really matter? I'm mostly laughing at myself for f***ing this up. My take on it had been that the essays are very formulaic and if you could create three decent paragraphs addressing the key points you were golden. Apparently I'm wrong, and I wish I could read my essays from 2005 to compare them to what I did this time. If anything, I used more rhetorical flourish the first time, but I didn't think this would really help.

BS: Used Kaplan Premier / Wikipedia for content review and practice set, old Biochem textbook and other websites as needed. I consider o-chem to be torture, so in both tests my strategy was to supplement with strength in bio. I guess it paid off as I scored 10 both times, but I'm certain that re-taking o-chem would have given me a boost. Was I willing to do that? Heck no. Flashcards for o-chem rxns, NMR, etc.

3) What materials you used for each section

Kaplan MCAT 2009-2010 Premier Program for content review, practice questions and first FL.

4) Which practice tests did you use?

Kaplan Premier 2009-10 full length. AAMC old paper practice tests, AAMC 3R free CBT practice full length a week prior to exam. In retrospect, I should have anted up and bought more CBT exams from AAMC. I felt I needed more practice, but the paper tests are annoying and don't have the same "effect" of simulating the reality. I like what I heard one person say: they went to different computer labs and took CBTs in an unfamiliar, noisy environment. This is what I would do, if I were to do it again. Which I won't!

5) What was your undergraduate major?

History and philosophy of science.

6) Any tips you might have for those of us who still have the test lurking over us?

Stay calm and positive throughout the studying process, and even more so in the few days prior to the test. Pick a time the night before the real thing, and STOP everything. I picked 9pm and was so happy to "let go" of my worries for a few hours before bed. I'm pretty good at self-relaxation, but for those inclined to freak out during the exam, try learning some calming techniques (e.g. breathing, counting backwards from 10, etc) since a panic attack isn't a good idea. You are in control, so take control and rock the thing.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?


Can I count the time spent in 2005? What about the 4 years of chemistry research? No, really I spent about 2 months studying about 3 hours / day during the week and 6 hours / day on weekends. After reading so many MCAT threads on SDN, I'm convinced that practice is directly correlated with score. People who tell you they didn't study and got a 40 are full of it, or at least they studied hard during coursework. Although this is primarily a reasoning exam, you still need to have a solid handle on the material. But that can be relatively basic material, so if you emphasize knowing the basics really well instead of graduate-level sciences somewhat well, you'll do better.

Enough soapbox. I did ok, you can do even better. Study hard, believe in yourself. Good luck!

 

[Contrarian]

1) Your individual scores and composite score

PS:12
VR: 11
BS: 13
Composite: 36R

2) The study method used for each section

PS: This was my weakest section. I hate physics, I don't hate chemistry, but I just had no confidence in my PS ability going into the test. That said, my score turned out not bad, so those with similar feelings towards the section should take heart. You can make it out alive if you have solid reasoning skills.

As far as preparation goes, I used a variety of materials. I used TBR for gen chem review. I worked through some of the problems (I really should have done all of them, I just lost patience). I also did some of the gen chem passages from TPR's Hyperlearning science workbook (again, I'd recommend doing all of them). For physics, I read through the TPR Hyperlearning book, which was the best fit for me since it was the most detailed, and I needed that. For practice, I used the TPR Hyperlearning science workbook (but didn't finish all of it).

BS: This was my strongest section going into preparation (as is the case with most pre-meds). I read through TPR Hyperlearning and took notes, then typed those notes up. Hyperlearning was very detailed, and in retrospect, it probably wasn't necessary to know all that info given the more logic-based nature of the current exams. I also read through some sections I really wanted to nail down in EK Bio. Again, I do think I did a bit too much content review for BS (actually the same could be said for PS, since practice is much more important than review for this test). As for practice, I did most of EK Bio 101 (I think I skipped the last 2 chapters), and I did all of the Hyperlearning science workbook passages. EK Bio 101 is a great way to solidify content review, while hyperlearning gives you passages that you might actually see on test day.

VR: This was my favorite section, even if it turned out to be my lowest score. I just loved that all you had to do to prepare for this section is practice. I did EK 101 in its entirety, and I also did TPR's hyperlearning verbal work book in its entirety. I did the hyperlearning a few passages a day for the extent of 6 or 7 months prior to the exam, while EK 101 I focused on in groups of 3 passages per sitting a couple months prior to the exam. I'd also recommend reading the New Yorker everyday--its entertaining and helpful if you take it seriously.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)

See above

4) Which practice tests did you use?

I just used all the AAMC tests (3-10)

5) What was your undergraduate major?

Biology

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?

If I had another chance to prepare, here's what I would have done differently: I would have spent the summer a year before my test going through the EK 1001 series. I never ended up doing those books because they weren't MCAT-style questions, but they really can help hone your knowledge about the subjects. Then, the summer of your test (or the months prior to your test), you can start with the MCAT-style passages.

Some other notes:

- don't get caught up in content review...as pre-meds, we feel like we need to know everything, but for this test, you absolutely do not. Do as much practice as possible. One thing many people overlook is that practice questions will also help to reinforce your knowledge of the subject.

- don't bother with diagnostic tests. Unless you're really pressed for time, you'll probably end up reviewing everything as thoroughly as you can anyway.

- read the New Yorker (or some form of social commentary). It's not just good for verbal, but it helps build endurance as you will read lengthy passages on the computer, something you may or may not be used to.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

Hard to say, started a few months before the test in earnest. I wasn't particularly disciplined with my study hours, since I would get distracted with other things. I think the best spent time was doing those AAMC practice tests since that forced me to sit down for 4+ hours thinking about MCAT problems. If you've got the time though, you might want to think about my suggestion of starting a summer prior by purely doing EK 1001 to rehash subject knowledge, then coming back for reasoning practice and rhythm in the months leading up to your exam.

 

[dabeste]

1) Your individual scores and composite score

5/31/07
PS: 11
VR: 8
BS: 10
Composite: 29P (AAMC avg= 31)

7/17/09
PS: 10
VR: 12
BS: 12
Composite: 34Q (AAMC avg= 34)

2) The study method used for each section

PS- I did as many practice problems as I could get my hands on. Mostly through EK 1001 chemistry and old physics textbooks.

VR- This was my weakest section initially. I tried to do 3 practice passages every other night, and spent the off-days reviewing the questions I missed. EK's strategies are great (visualizing the author, forming a main idea, etc).

WS- Figured I had written enough essays in college. Didn't spend any time here.

BS- I skimmed over each chapter in EK Bio and then spent 3-4 hours reading closely and taking detailed notes. The following day I would re-read my notes and take a 30 min. quiz on the material.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)

Examkrackers all the way, especially Verbal 101.

4) Which practice tests did you use?

AAMC tests 3, 7-10.

5) What was your undergraduate major?

Chemistry

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?

Plan your study schedule in advance and take as many practice tests as you can stand. I crammed for my first MCAT over 3 weeks and my score suffered as a result. Confidence is key with this beast, but if your score doesn't line up with your AAMC average (+- a couple points) I would suggest a retake.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

~10 weeks, 3 hrs/night after work on weekdays and then 6-8 hrs on Saturday/Sunday with a couple full-weekend breaks.

 

[pick8]

1) Your Individual And Composite Scores:

AAMC Practice Averages (7 tests):
PS: 13.7 | VR: 12.3 | Wri: N/A | BS: 12.7
Comp: 38.7

7/17/09 Test:
PS: 14 | VR: 13 | Wri: S | BS: 15
Comp: 42S

2) Study Method Used For Each Section:
Except for Writing, read over Kaplan guide at least twice before doing any practice tests. Used the individual Kaplan books, where each subject has it's own book with practice questions (non-MCAT format) after each section. Started taking practice tests approx. 1 week prior to test date (late I know, but more on that later). During the last week, lots of spot-checking, combined with lots of test taking as test date approached.

Just a note on having started test-taking later than is probably recommended - in the past I've always gotten the most out of my practice tests after being fully confident that I've studied the actual subject material as well as possible. My feeling is that there's little point in taking the practice tests if you don't even have a firm grasp on the material being tested anyway. I suppose that it worked well for me here too. I would, however, also state that it is ***VERY IMPORTANT*** to take the practice tests, whenever you do take them, as the MCAT is not just a test of rote knowledge, but of problem solving ability as well. If I could do it again, I'd probably start taking the practice tests at least 2 weeks prior to test date, but as it happened I wasn't really comfortable with the material until 1 week prior. During the last week I was taking 1-2 tests a day. Also, this might seem obvious, but it's super-important that you go over the questions you got wrong, as well as the questions you got right but perhaps weren't sure about (e.g. the questions you marked). The AAMC explanations aren't always the most helpful, but they're still worth looking at, and get you used to the thought process that the testers are looking for.

For the Writing section, I found that my main issue wasn't ever really writing the essay as much as planning it out (elaboration of statement, counterexample, resolution). Kaplan recommends taking the first 5 minutes of each essay to prewrite your essay - I found that this worked quite well for me. And so to practice for the writing section, I'd just spend 5 minutes for each essay prewriting, and then just move on. During the last few practice tests, I wrote out the entire essays, just to get a feel for it, but I think that the prewriting practice worked best for me.

Didn't take any classes or use any other study aids.

3) Materials Used For Each Section:
Used the Kaplan individual study guides. Note though, that I used Kaplan not necessarily b/c I thought it was the best, but because it was just the study guide that I was most familiar with. I've since been told that The Berkeley Review and Examkrackers have very high-quality study guides, but I'm not familiar enough to comment on them. One other thing - I was not at all pleased with the Verbal Reasoning book from Kaplan. Many, many times I would get questions wrong, and completely disagreed with the answer (and the reasoning for the answer). I don't think this was just me, as this problem largely went away when I shifted to just using the AAMC practice tests for my VR practice.

4) Which Practice Tests Did You Use:
AAMC Practice Tests 3, 5-10

5) What Was Your Undergraduate Major:
Molecular Biology with a Neuroscience Certificate (Psych/bio cross-disciplinary study)

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Read actively. By that I mean don't just let your eyes glaze over the page without actually understanding what's being said (something very easy to fall into while studying for long periods of time). If you have to, take notes in the margins. Usually what I do is every few pages or at the end of a section, I try and explain to myself in 30 seconds what I just read. If I can't, or I realize that I've forgotten things, I'll go over it again.

Also, I don't really know how to describe this, but when I'm reading over study material I'll constantly try and build bridges to other material that I've already studied. It's just kind of instinctive. I think this helps because not only does it ensure that I'm thinking about what I'm reading, but it also keeps prior material fresh in my mind, and lets me know if I've forgotten it so that I can go back for review.

When you take your practice tests, try to mimic the test conditions as well as possible. No distractions. Don't cheat on your timers. Tell people not to talk to you. Personally, I didn't always write out the full writing section essays (as described above), but other than that I tried to replicate all testing conditions as well as possible.

Finally, when taking practice tests, **READ CAREFULLY**. At least 50% (and probably closer to 70-80%) of all my practice test mistakes were because I'd miss little words in the questions or the passages, and make dumb mistakes on material that I knew cold.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
About 1 month, 8-10 hours/day

 

[sweetepiphany]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
Try 1) PS=8 VR=7 WS=O BS=9 Composite=24O
Try 2) PS=11 VR=10 WS=R BS=10 Composite=31R

2) The study method used for each section
Try 1) Kaplan Prep Course and Kaplan materials
Try 2) Reviewed Kaplan materials, supplemented with ExamKrackers 1001 books especially for PS, re-read Physics and General Chemistry textbooks in areas I was weak in.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
Try 1) Kaplan and AAMC
Try 2) Kaplan (up to a point), ExamKrackers 1001 books for practice (I did all the physics, chemistry, and organic chem problems), and all AAMC exams.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
Try 1) AAMC 3 and 7 and about 5 Kaplan practice exams
Try 2) Every single AAMC exam and about 2 Kaplan exams. To keep it real, I feel like Kaplan is only good for the wealth of practice materials they provide you with. I used their exams as a diagnostic the second time around taking the exam. We are fortunate to have access to so many actual AAMC. If your gonna practice, practice with the real thing. Don't waste your time on Kaplan as they tend not to reflect the real exam.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biology with a concentration in Neuroscience

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
-YOU DON'T NEED TO TAKE A PREP COURSE!!! You can do it on your own. Really. It takes a whole lot of diligence/detaching yourself from the rest of the world. What you need is PLENTY OF PRACTICE MATERIALS. I would recommend the EK 1001 books for PS topics to anyone!
-Don't get discouraged. If you find yourself plateauing, focus your efforts on how you can change your exam strategy. It was not til I started playing around with my exam strategy that my score improved (I was scoring consistent 9/7/9 until I changed my strategy). For example, I knew I tended to get all the math-heavy questions in the PS wrong. On top of that I spent too much time on them. I changed my strategy such that, I left many of the calculation problems to the end. This probably won't work for everyone but my point is, don't be afraid to switch your strategy up.
-Related to that, keep track of the sort of mistakes you make. Mine were almost always due to silly miscalculations or misreading the question stems. Recognizing the kind of errors you make will make it easy to reevaluate your strategy.
-Don't get lazy. If it's clear that you are weak in an area, do whatever it takes to master/improve your understanding in that area. I knew I was VERY weak in physics, so I picked up the textbooks and read everything that I could AND memorized. And did lots (I mean LOTS!) of practice problems. For PS, ExamKrackers is EXCELLENT for this!
-For people looking to improve their Verbal score. Best peice of advice I ever received. Understanding the purpose of the peice is EVERYTHING. I started by reading the first paragraph and then skipped to the last. This usually gives an excellent jist of the topic, scope, and purpose of the passage. I then would read through the rest of the passage as usual. Also, I cut down on the passage mapping crap that kaplan teaches. It wastes precious time! I would write about 3 words on each paragraph tops. I tried both of these stategies for the first time in my last week of prepping for the exam, and it was only then that I started seeing double digits (i jumped from consistent 7s to 10-12).
- Attitude is everything. If you say "I can't do this" you won't.
- DO AS MANY AAMC PRACTICE EXAMS AS POSSIBLE. I took a test every other day for the last week and a half and focused my off days on figuring out what I had gotten wrong/why. Again, I only saw my score improve in the last week.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
Try 1) 3 months/about 2-3 hours a day
Try 2) 8 weeks; 8 hours a day (took Sundays off)
Honestly, I wouldn't even bother trying to stretch studying over a long period of time. Make the MCAT your life. It is completely worth it.

Good luck to all taking/re-taking the exam! You can do it!!!

 

[Suenya]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=12 VR=14 WS=Q BS=12 Composite=38Q

Worse than I hoped, I was shooting for a 42ish; better than I felt the day I took it though. Overall quite happy.

2) The study method used for each section
Did the EK practice problems and reading for Bio, Chem and Physics, and I read through Verbal and Organic.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
EK

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC (most of them)


5) What was your undergraduate major?
Philosophy, Psychology


6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Organic Chemistry: Counting carbons will answer so many reaction questions; it's a great way to save time.
Verbal: The EK strategy of stereotyping the "opinion" essays, even if they are well written and thought out, really can help. Basically, stereotype author, but not to extremes (look for probably instead of definitely in answer choices). It might not give you all the answers, but it eliminates some for tricky ones.

Don't study after 3pm on the day before. Relax, go out to dinner, or something fun (but not too fun 😉).

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
Two weeks (but alot during them, roughly 4-5 hours a day)

 

[capn jazz]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
35R
PS: 11
VR: 11
BS: 13

My AAMC scores in order from 3-10: 34, 38, 33, 38, 36, 40, 41, 38
Avg: 37.25
Avg from AAMCs 7-10: 38.75
So I scored 3 points below my avg, and I really think it was nerves and the fact that I only had time to go over the Qs I marked and I marked a LOT. on AAMCs I would mark 3-4 per section (none on verbal) and on the real thing I marked probably 10-13 per science section. So I went over those but I didn't have any time to go over non-marked Qs. I believe this cost me a point or so per section. I wish I had gotten my average but I would never dream of retaking a 35 so I am happy. I walked out of the test wishing I had broken a 30 - that's how bad it felt. Ironically I thought verbal was a piece of cake and I thought bio was the hardest section I'd ever seen so your post-test feelings mean NOTHING.

2) The study method used for each section
I studied in blocks. I went through all of biology first, then all of ochem, then all gen chem, then all physics. I started off doing verbal once a week, but switched to doing 3-5 passages per day because you NEED to do verbal as frequently as possible.

Basically, I would read a chapter and then the next day I would spend 2 hours doing practice problems related to that chapter. For Bio, the day I read the chapter, I also did the in-chapter problems. Then the next day I did 1.5 hours of TPR Science workbook problems/EK Bio 1001 problems and the 30-min EK quiz. For OChem, same thing but without 1001 since I only had the bio 1001 book.

Gen Chem and Physics I used TBR - so I would do phase I the same day as the chapter and in-chapter problems, and review it that day or the next. I didn't do this at first, but I started later and I recommend this method: read a chapter a day and do phase I each day and then spend Sat/Sun doing phase II for those chapters and reviewing. I saved phase III for my last month of studying, interspersed with other practice problems and full-lengths.

During the last month after content review (which took 3 months) I was doing phase III for TBR phy sci, finishing EK 1001 bio and TPR hyperlearning workbook bio, doing some TPR workbook ochem. I also got the TBR old paper full lengths, I think about 9 of them, and on non-FL days towards the end I would do an entire Bio section and Physical section just for practice problems. I didn't finish going through these but doing 100-minute sections as practice makes the real deal seem much shorter.

In summary: FOLLOW SN2ED'S ADVICE. His schedule is GOLDEN. I did 4 months instead of 3, and I wish I had done 2.5 months content review and 1.5 months practice tests instead of 1 month. The key to the MCAT is PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. Do practice problems until you are blue in the face. Do not spend your time memorizing details. I never read a chapter more than once. At most, I flipped through it to refresh my memory just by seeing the formulas/illustrations. I memorized formulas by doing as many practice problems as I could.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
For content review:
Bio: EK all the way
OChem: I used EK, more than sufficient
Physics: TBR ALL THE WAY
Gen Chem: TBR ALL THE WAY

For practice:
EK Bio 1001 - finish this book. It cements the basics. But MCAT bio is MUCH harder. Definitely get your hands on the TPR Hyperlearning Science Workbook - the bio in that is golden. The Ochem is pretty hard too. The MCAT is NOT phasing out OChem - it is in there, and it is HARD. I didn't use the Gen Chem/Phys part of TPR because I had so much TBR material.

For verbal I did the entire TPR Hyperlearning Verbal Workbook. I loved that thing. I did 5 EK practice exams but I hated EK so I stopped using it. The MCAT verbal was identical to my AAMC verbal, but my AAMC verbal avg was higher than what I actually got.

For extra material I bought the TBR class materials - the in class passages are AMAZING and the FLs on paper are incredible sources of practice. I would have taken a TBR class in a heartbeat if I were in CA.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC 3-10. I used science sections from TBR's paper FLs but not as FLs.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biology

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
THE BERKELEY REVIEW.
Try to arrange to have a month of NOTHING BUT MCAT before your MCAT. I could not have studied as hard as I did that last month if I had a job/school.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
4 months - 3 months content review (during school/work) - about 3 hours a day and 1 month practice tests/extra questions (no other commitments) - 5-7 hours a day.

 

[bagofbeans]

So, I graduated college a while ago... well 4 years doesn't make me that old. I was kinda 'that guy' in college who partied hard, studied hard...

graduated from a great premed school... any guesses? and was turned off by the cut-throats... similar to the ones on this site... so i did my own thing.

i followed my passions, went full speed into research... finished my master's before graduating college.

Then, I scored a 26 (9 Phy, 6 verbal, 11 Bio). Ouch. Depressed? Check.

I got into a great undergrad school with mediocre SATs.. I think standardized tests are utter worthless bullsh*t so I never tried much.

But that first attempt at the MCAT I studied day in day out for 3 months.

Here is what I did wrong: 1.) I tried to memorize everything 2.) NOT ENOUGH PRACTICE QUESTIONS 3.) I did PR practice tests and only 2 AAMC right before the test.

WHAT TO DO: 1.) Study hard... BUT PRACTICE PROBLEMS. 2.) Several weeks out take a PR or KAPLAN test to score horribly and freak yourself out (Motivation). 3.) Never take a PR or Kaplan test EVER AGAIN. 4.) TAKE EVERY AAMC test available 5.) Get the PR Science workbook and realize that is your bible 6.) Don't overthink verbal. Force yourself through the sections. Dumb it down. Think like a political science major and not a scientist (seriously). DO EXAMCRACKERS but realize it is much harder. Save the Killer passage for last.

I did this and scored a 37Q.

26O to a 37Q... If I can do it, so can you.

And for the record, for all the tools on this site. Stop talking about retaking the mcat because you got a 34. Go do something with your life... it may help your applications

Peaceeeeee

 

[bagofbeans]

oh, and the 37 was (14 Phys, 11 Verbal, 12 Bio)

 

[mdgrinn]

1) Your individual scores and composite score

39 S: 13-13-13 (August 2006)

2) The study method used for each section

I did the Princeton Review classroom course. I highly recommend it if you need someone to keep you focussed. I had a full time research job that ended the day before the MCAT, so if I didn't have the TPR to keep me on track, I probably wouldn't have done as well. I did all the assigned homework and went to every diagnostic exam. You get what you put in for these prep courses.

Biological sciences - did all the practice questions from the TPR workbooks, memorized the book they gave me, and in the final weeks I went over the stuff I was weak on.

Physical sciences - same thing. Understand and memorize!

Verbal - I did a lot of passages. I bought the EK 101 Verbal passages book about a month before the exam to supplement TPR verbal passages, which I found were so different from real AAMC passages. The EK passages *are* somewhat ambiguous, but they were an excellent way to build stamina and annotation efficiency. During the week before the MCAT I did one EK verbal section a day, during my lunch break. I was also working full time in a lab.

Writing - TPR gave us a list of the categories of topics, eg. Government, Ethics, Justic, etc. I started a notebook of examples for each topic. I got a trial subscription to The Economist and Time (free 6 mths with TPR course) and read it for example ideas. If I found one relevant to a past essay prompt or topic, I would search the details on the internet. Wikipedia became my god. I found a good strategy for the writing sample was to think of your examples for thesis and antithesis first, then looking for the difference between those examples (and voila, a synthesis). The other way would be to think of the differences first, then find examples to fit it. But this was harder. In the August MCAT, I got extremely lucky with my prompts and didn't blank on the essays at all (I would've if I had gotten something related to politics or justice...boo!). I ended up using examples I mostly knew off the top of my head already and didn't really need my example book! And just to show that you don't need spectacular examples: I talked about Sex and the City on my first essay. It's all about how you say it, not what you say!

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)

TPR textbooks and review material, supplemented with EK 101 Verbal passages in the last month.

4) Which practice tests did you use?

AAMC practice tests 3 to 9, as well as TPR tests A-D and the 5 diagnostic tests. I passingly glanced at some Kaplan Gold standard tests too, but I didn't find them very similar to real AAMC tests.

5) What was your undergraduate major?

Physiology, minor in Psychology.

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
There's nothing glamourous about it... the more you study, the better you'll do. If you choose to have a social life while studying, just know your score will suffer. 😛 The key is to study *effectively*. Practise tests by TPR or Kaplan are good up to a point, but during the final weeks leading up to the MCAT, I switched over to AAMC practise tests to put myself in the right mindset. I did two AAMC tests a week, on Sat and Sun, during the last two weeks.
The MCAT will break you and it will destroy your soul. I was very discouraged the whole summer. It didn't help that I couldn't score higher than 33P on my TPR diagnostics either... but I did a lot better on the AAMC tests which really boosted my confidence.
I set myself a goal and you should do the same. At first I put "45T" on a post-it above my desk and aimed high... the next month I put up "39Q" over the post-it... and the next month I replaced it with something like "30P". Lol.
I came out of the real MCAT shell-shocked and not feeling I did that well... IGNORE THESE VOICES. There's nothing you can do after the MCAT, and how you felt about it is no indication of how well you did!
No matter how discouraged you feel during the preparation process, don't give up! (This is easy to say in hindsight, I know.)

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

May to August. 8 hours of classroom time a week. I forget how many hours per week I was studying, but when I wasn't working or in the TPR classroom, I was studying. Obviously I was less intense at the beginning of the summer.

This seems decent, im going into my last year, taking the year slowly as of classes..... Thanks for the POST!

 

[molar23]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
Try 1- PS 7 VR 6 BS8 Composite 21P
Try 2-PS=11 VR=11 WS=Q BS=11 Composite=33R (Average AAMC about 30ish)

2) The study method used for each section
Examkrackers review and 1001. I read each chapter and did questions correlated to the info. I also made notes as I read to review.

3) What materials you used for each section? ExamKrackers all the way and AAMC practice tests

4) Which practice tests did you use?
only AAMC 3-10

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biology, Chem, genocide studies

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us? Have hope. This was my second time taking. I bombed it the first time because of nerves and stress. I came back stronger and built up my confidence.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
2 months about 5.5 hrs during weekdays 3 hrs a day during weekends

 

[requiem87]

1) Your individual scores and composite score

PS=14 VR=11 WS=R BS=14 Composite=39R (Jul '09)
PS=10 VR=11 WS=R BS=11 Composite=32R (Aug '08)

2) The study method used for each section + 3) Resources used
First time...used Kaplan completely. Kaplan is geared towards helping people reach a 30, but if you want higher, you will have to develop your own custom-tailored plan. For my second approach on PS and BS, I blended Kaplan and EK. It was the most effective approach for me, as it combined EK's broad overview + highlighted tips, tricks, essentials with Kaplan's almost textbook specificity.

Don't get me wrong, I still credit most of my success to Kaplan...not because of their study schedule prescription, but because it gave me the insane wealth of online resources I needed to structure my own studying and truly master each topic that gave me difficulty.

For Verbal, I recommend EK (nothing new here). They simply offer the most useful, accurate practice. Get 101 Verbal and you should be fine.

WS: DO NOT WING IT. You may still get a great WS score if you wing it, but a lack of confidence after completing it cold (wondering if u did it right, wishes that you had practiced) can negatively impact ur BS. That's what happened to me the first time.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
1st time: Kaplan and AAMC
2nd time: AAMC, AAMC, AAMC. all of them. I spent half the time it took to take each full length to go over EVERY question...even the ones I got right.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Bio, with a lot of liberal arts work (the reading helped)

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
LOVE the material. You CAN and WILL master it if you muster up the strength and discipline to put in long hours for a long time. Study with the intention to become a gen chem or physics, or bio, or orgo master...don't study for the MCAT, you know what I mean? It helps you see a certain subject, such as gas laws from a plethora of different perspectives, and you can be certain that the AAMC will mask simple science through examples you are completely unfamiliar with. This is 70-80% a thinking test, after all, despite what anyone says.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
2 months, avg. 5-6 hours a day.

**One last word of advice. don't become addicted to SDN while you're studying. It will just fuel your anxiety and will distract you from ur ultimate goal to master this test. And ONE last word of advice 😀, please take whatever anyone says (including me!) with a grain of salt! the best mcat plan is the one you research yourself!

feel free to pm me whenevs if you want to talk about any of this or if i wasn't clear. i promised I would help others if I did well this time around 🙂

 

[azrael87]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=9 VR=11 WS=R BS=10 Composite=30R

2) The study method used for each section:
Using ExamKrackers materials (not the course): For BS and PS, I would read through a chapter of each section without answering the questions first. Then I read them a second time, this time answering the questions in the middle of the chapters. At some point during this time, usually while "relaxing" or driving, I'd listen to the Audio Osmosis version of the chapters I'd read. Next, I would do the "In-Class Exam" for each chapter I'd read. After the In-Class Exam I would read each chapter over again. I did this process for chapter 1 of every section, then chapter 2 of every section, etc. until I'd finished everything. For verbal, I would go through one of the timed full-length practice sections after completing all of the other section chapters (meaning practice verbal one after completing all the BS and PS chapter 1's). For ALL of the questions I made sure to go over and understand the answer explanations after I'd completed and graded them.

Once I'd finished the examkrackers books, I started taking the AAMC practice exams about once every 5 days (on computer, timed, closed room, no distractions; total test room simulation). In between exams I would reread Examkrackers chapters, redo the questions/reread explanations, and listen to the Audio Osmosis over again, emphasizing subjects I did poorly with on the practice exams.

For a couple practice tests and study sessions I actually set it up so I'd hear annoying sounds while taking the test such as tapping, scratching, coughing, or loud vents. I did this to get used to it just in case other test takers were making these noises during the actual test. One sound I didn't use that happened in the actual test was loud typing. The other people taking the MCAT will probably finish parts of their exams at different times. This means you will have a bunch of people typing their WS section essays while you're trying to do VR or BS multiple choice questions. Be prepared to test with annoying sounds, but also be prepared to test in COMPLETE silence. Basically, be able to test in any sound environment cuz once you're in the room you need to be able to deal with it.

Finally, I took about 2 days off before the exam with nothing MCAT related. You may want to cut this down to one day off, depends on your preference/learning habits.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc):
All of the Examkrackers materials, AAMC 3,4,5,9,10

4) Which practice tests did you use?
Examkrackers test sections,
AAMC 3: 29 (8 PS, 10 VR, 11 BS; taken before I started working on my weak spots)
AAMC 4: 33 (11 PS, 11 VR, 11 BS)
AAMC 5: 31 (10 PS, 10 VR 11 BS)
AAMC 9: 36 (11 PS, 12 VR, 13 BS)
AAMC 10: 33 (10 PS, 10 VR, 13 BS)


5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biology, Bachelor of Science

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
-Maintain strict study habits AND strict relaxation habits. You don't want to slack off, but you don't want to burn out either. Find your balance, then try to slowly push to increase the study time as you get used to it.

-If you have a morning exam, make sure you study in the morning. Afternoon exam, study in the afternoon. This is so by the time exam day comes, you can be totally awake and thinking clearly since you'll be used to regular activity at that time of day. This doesn't mean you can ONLY study at these times. On the contrary, you should probably be studying for more than just 4 hours in a day even if that time is split up. Just make it a priority to be active during your test time.

-Like I suggested earlier try to be prepared to be thinking critically in different environments. Totally quiet, with persistent background noise, with sporadic background noise, too hot, too cold, etc. If you're short on time, you should just focus on the material and skip this stuff. Only if you've finished your major content review and done a couple of exams in a comfortable environment should you start trying to expand your comfort zone.

-If you don't know something, guess and MOVE ON. You don't want to miss easy answers cuz you wasted time on hard ones. To be honest, I'm pretty disappointed in my score. Even though I followed this advice during practice exams, I got a little anxious during the actual exam and wasted too much time on some PS questions. Because of that, I had to go through the last 2 passages pretty quickly, even forced to guess the last couple without even reading them. I'm almost sure that was what kept me from getting a 10. Rookie mistake. Don't repeat it. Be VERY aware of and used to your time limits.

-This isn't advice as much as it is a side comment on my score. I really have no idea what happened with my BS score (10 isn't technically bad but it's a little below average). All the scores I got on the practice exams were without much stress or effort. The section didn't feel difficult or rushed when I took the actual exam and I felt confident about all the material. I guess my only advice based on this is be prepared for the "**** happens" factor. Even if you're comfortable and confident about a subject, be careful when reading and answering questions. Even if you think you're an expert in a subject, double check things IF you have the time and when studying, make sure to go over that stuff again.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
From mid-May to the very beginning of August, so about 10 weeks, between 4 and 8 hours a day depending on other things I had to do. On days when I took full length timed practice exams, I didn't do anything else MCAT related.

 

[bruceleehiiiyaa]

35O (14P, 10V, 11B)

AMCs:

3: 33
4: 34
5: 34
6: 34
7: 35
8: 39 (wtf?)
9: 33
10: 33

so, i basically hit my average scores. I never got a 14 on P, but I did damn well on the real thing. Luck, I guess.



my advice: do lots of practice tests. i did all the AMCs and Kaplans (1-7,8Ps,9Ps) and, i used EK 101V instead of kaplan's verbal.

Also, given my STELLAR writing score, i can tell you that its bull****. **** writing.

 

[TexasPrincess]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
Scores: Total: 32R 85.1 - 88.9
PS: 12 90.9-96.2 BS: 10 57.8-76.9 V: 10 69.1-84.5 W:R 84.9-94.0

2) The study method used for each section

My best advice is to take the prereqs and Anatomy and Physiology 1 and 2. Print off the list of topics from the AAMC website and make sure you know all of them. The EK books go pretty close to the list. I would use the EK books as a summary review. Use your textbooks for the real review (with those lists!). I felt like my Marieb A and P textbook was the best review for biology.

Organic Chemistry: I had just finished Orgo 2, which included a lot of biochem so I just reviewed my notes and the review guide for the final.

Physics and Chemistry: I liked the Princeton Review Hyperlearning book for those. There were a lot of topics that I had never learned, plus my physics and Chemistry was almost 10 years old.

Here is the list of books that I used for the MCAT: (By the way, they are available for purchase) Some of the books I used more than others.
Official Guide to the MCAT (I highly suggest you get this and the discounted test)
I took AAMC tests 3 and 10

Princeton Review: MCAT Workout
Princeton Review: Best 168 Medical Schools (2008 Ed)
2005 Hyperlearning MCAT books from The Princeton Review:
+Physical Sciences Review
+Biological Sciences Review
+Verbal Reasoning & Writing Review
+Verbal Workbook
+In-Class Compendium

KAPLAN MCAT High-Yield Problem Solving Guide (2005)
KAPLAN New MCAT 45 (2007 Ed)

ExamKrackers: MCAT Verbal Reasoning and Mathematical Techniques 7th Ed (NEW)
ExamKrackers: Physics 7th Ed
ExamKrackers: Biology
( I misplaced the organic chem and chem books so I didn't use those to study recently.)


Columbia Review MCAT PREP 2004: Book 3 Inorganic Chemistry
Columbia Review MCAT PREP 2004: Book 6 Verbal Reasoning and Writing Samples



ExamKrackers MCAT Simulated Exam #1H.
ExamKrackers Audio Osmosis: Complete Set.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
I took AAMC tests 3 and 10. EK 1H

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Undergrad GPA: 3.5
BS in Physics and BA in Astronomy with a minor in Math.

Prereqs were met mostly by AP tests in high school. No advanced Bio beyond A and P 1 and 2. Extra physics didn't help (except being comfortable with doing physics problems).

Post Bac: Recent A & P 1 and 2, Orgo 1 and 2 GPA: 4.0

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
I didn't really do ANY practice for the writing section so I felt like I didn't do such a good job on the first one just because I was rusty. Later when I studied for the GRE, the Princeton Review Book gave a good structure for writing essays. I suggest finding a format to follow. I guess I did ok with my R even though I didn't feel confident. Intro, 3 points with examples, conclusion: write as much as you can. Write coherently. Brainstorm for 5 minutes, etc.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT? 3 hours a day for 2 months.
I consider taking the classes as a way to study. My orgo class ended at the beginning of May. I wanted to take the June 18th test. When I went to register there were no available spots nearby. I waited for the next afternoon test on July 30. I am glad I had the extra time to study. It gave me more confidence. I suggest getting Audio Osmosis when you start your classes to listen to and the EK books as supplements. I didn't get AO till the last month and didn't even listen to it all. It was a good way to keep my mind on the MCAT when I was driving. My time studying was mainly just going through all the books I had. I did more review than practice because I felt like I needed that more. I am a good test taker in general, but I didn't feel like I knew all the material. I didn't finish all the practice problems I had, nor did I take all the free practice tests I had available to me. If I had more time, more practice probably would have helped me.

FYI: I walked out of the test having no clue how I did. I felt like I new most of the answers on the practice tests. On the real MCAT, I was had a lot of uncertainty. I also was finishing with 10-15 minutes left on the AAMCs on most of the sections. The real MCAT I was finish with only a couple of minutes left, which didn't leave much time to review those I wasn't sure about.

I suggest that if you can, take the MCAT twice. Once with plenty of time to study after for the second one. I feel pressure now, because I couldn't let myself submit my primary without knowing how I did, so I am now late in the cycle. You don't need that extra stress.

I also tutored a lot of students recently in Physics and Chemistry, so I think that helped me remember the material, which for the most part I hadn't looked at since high school. One of the best ways to learn is to teach!

Good luck!

 

[coolcat1859]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=14 VR=11 WS=R BS=13 Composite=38R

2) The study method used for each section
Read study material and did questions.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
Princeton Review: Cracking the MCAT CBT, EK Verbal Passages.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biochemistry

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Not really

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
3 months

 

[rjsmit2]

.

 

[Back2School4DO]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=9 VR=10 BS=11 WS=M Composite=30M

2) The study method used for each section
I am a recently licensed chiropractor, so I have not seen this material since '04. I spent the last 4 years studying clinical material, so this stuff was kicked out to make room. Except for most Bio and the basics of the rest, I had to relearn everything. 😱 I started with the EK book set, but noticed that some of the concepts were not in depth enough for me. For those areas, I consulted the big Kaplan book, which basically assumes you know less. I also had Audio Osmosis playing in my truck at all times (sparkling, yet mysteriously fruity ). I did not study Bio extensively since I knew that stuff pretty well and wanted to dedicate my time elsewhere.

For the first couple months I focused on just mastering the concepts again. Once I got a hold on the concepts, I referred only to EK. I began using the EK question books (physics, chemistry, and verbal) to test myself. Those books really helped a ton, because they force you to look at the concepts from different angles. I would suggest them to anyone.

I took an AAMC practice test halfway through studying and got a 26 so I knew I had a lot of work to do. I made flash cards with the tougher (to me) concepts and looked through them everyday starting about six weeks before the test. I would take them to the office and look through them between patients and at lunch.

There were some subjects that I struggled with in undergrad and nothing changed this time around. For these special subjects, I would look them up on You Tube. There are some pretty good tutorial videos. I liked chemguy (bannanaiscool), khanacademy, and derekowens.

I began taking AAMC practice tests about 3 weeks out. I took one each week for two weeks and two the week before the real deal.

As you can see, I made sure to appeal to all learning pathways. Audio Osmosis took care of auditory. You Tube took care of audiovisual. Making flash cards and taking notes took care of the tactile side of things. I also read aloud to fire multiple learning pathways simultaneously. (little neuro tricks from grad school)

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
EK Book Pack and Question Books (Physics, Chemistry, Verbal); Audio Osmosis; Kaplan Premier Program Book (just for certain concepts); You Tube (no kiddin')

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC: 3>(26) (halfway test) chronological: 5>(28);9>(29);7>(30);10>(30)

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biology

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
This test would have been MUCH easier if I had taken it right after undergrad, so if you think you might go into medicine, take it before you forget it all. Stick to a schedule and work hard. If you really feel burnt, rest your brain. I didn't spend a second practicing the writing sample, because, well, I didn't care. I know it's a joke, and my score reflects that. My girlfriend gives me everything she writes so I can make it sound professional, articulate, whatever and she got a much better score on her WS. She practiced with the Princeton method, and I guess it worked. If it's important to you, I guess practice with the Princeton book.

I have been in the nutrition field for a very long time so I relied on good supplementation to remain focused while I was working 40+ hours per week. One particular herb really helped. It's called Rhodiola rosea. It's an adaptogen that has been studied extensively (check Pubmed) lately and has been shown to improve memory and standardized test scores. I took a product called Adreset made by Metagenics because we have it in the office for patients, but any GMP certified brand of Rhodiola should help (can't hurt...well unless you're a dumba** and take a fistfull).

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
~4 months alternating 2-3 hours one day, then 4-5 hours the next.

 

[avatarftw]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=11
VR=11
WS=R
BS=10
Composite=32R


2) The study method used for each section
Physical: Princeton Review books (the big ones!) and exam krackers.

Verbal: I used the Princeton Review verbal review book.

Biological: Princeton Review books and exam krackers.

Writing Section: The Writing Sample book of the Princeton Review for strategy--I only wrote about 4 sample essays to prepare.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
Princeton Review (primary books) and Exam Krackers (only a little bit).

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC tests and Princeton Review.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Spanish

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Study consistently and effectively--it doesn't help to cram a few weeks before the test or to study in groups where you don't get much work done. Relax and take breaks. I found it helpful to study in "sets" of 45 minutes followed by 10 minute breaks. I would do at least 6 sets of 45 minutes, almost 4 hours, per day.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
About 7 hours per week for 1.5 months, 25-30 hours per week for 3 months + 5 practice tests.

 

[adamber]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=13
VR=11
WS=R
BS=10
Composite=34R

AAMC average: 28-32
Predicted score coming out of test: 30-31


2) The study method used for each section
Physical: Kaplan, Exam Krackers, Lecture Notes

Verbal: Practice tests and Exam Krackers

Biological: Kaplan and Exam Krackers

Writing Section: Absolutely nothing

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
Kaplan (primary books) and Exam Krackers (used review books and 1001 books).

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC tests and Kaplan Tests

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biochemistry

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
The first time I took the test, I scored a 27S. I planned to retake it 3 months later, doing light study for about two weeks, then 12 hour study days for two weeks straight, and this really seemed to help. Don't be discouraged if this test does not go so well the first time, it is a total crap shoot on what shows up on it, and you could get a lot of stuff that you did not master, and it really is luck of the draw. Verbal is awful, but be totally confident going into it and get in the zone and you will do fine.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
Total, about 4 months. Total about 4 weeks of really intensive studying over two different times taking the test.

 

[jikuty]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=14
VR=11
WS=Q
BS=14
Composite=39Q
AAMC average: ~ 11 VR, 14 PS, 13 BS = 38.

2) The study method used for each section / materials
Took Kaplan's MCAT course and prepared using their materials exclusively, except for Verbal Reasoning for which I used EK 101VR Passages. Occasionally I looked up some Bio facts (since I was learning most of it for the first time) in EK books.

3) Which practice tests did you use?
Kaplan Diagnostic and Tests (#1-6, 8, 9) and AAMC Tests (#3-10 CBT). I skipped Kaplan FLs 10 and 11 because they're apparently not very well written. If I had a few more days I would have also written Kaplan 7.

4) What was your undergraduate major?
Chemistry

5) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Kaplan books gave me all the content review I needed for this test. I recommend EK 101 VR for the verbal review, since the Kaplan verbal passages weren't very MCAT-like in my opinion. I skipped most of the Kaplan verbal stuff, except for the verbal sections on Kaplan the full-lengths which I still did to get the timing/confidence down. The EK tests basically predicted my actual VR score perfectly.

Apart from that, write lots of practice tests, and treat them like your real exam! I was confident when I wrote the exam because of all the practice tests I had already written. After finishing a section on test day, forget about it. This may be harder to do than it seems, so get in the habit of doing this when you're writing the practice tests.

6) How long did you study for the MCAT?
Approximately 3 months, ~5 hours/day. Weekends light for the first month.

 

[mcatdesperate]

I haven't taken the mcat yet- therefore this thread is my BIBLE.

I have 2 general questions.

I've spent some time reading through this thread and I think I can notice some patterns:

Preparation courses get praise here since they offer so many practice tests (10+ for kaplan, about 10 for TPR) and practice questions

But if you can't do a prep course- Sounds like berkely or exam krackers get really good reviews

I guess the basic principle is pick a prep company do all their practice materials- but also be open to using multiple prep companies....like ek verbal and kaplan/tpr/whatever for the sciences...

ek= verbal
berk OR kap OR tpr = sciences
Then do a huge load of practice tests and questions whether they be kaplan, tpr, ek, or whatever else; saving aamc for last.

My First Question: Am I getting this right? Anyone feel free to correct me.

My Second Question: Since AAMC scores seem to be similar when you take them- this means your score won't jump much if you just
do aamc exams without also doing other practice tests in between? Is this because each aamc test tests different concepts (i have only taken aamc 3 and 4 and will save the rest for MUCH LATER once I do a bunch of other companys review/tests)

It's amazing how the mcat is so based on practice questions- tons of content review doesn't seem to increase one's score, without practice.
That makes sense since in medicine each patient is like a "problem solving question.

 

[IndianVercetti]

It's amazing how the mcat is so based on practice questions- tons of content review doesn't seem to increase one's score, without practice.
That makes sense since in medicine each patient is like a "problem solving question.

Haha, that's clever 😀

 

[FlowRate]

1) Your individual scores and composite score

PS=14 VR=11 BS=14 WS=Q

AAMC average: 12/10.5/10.5 (34)

2) The study method used for each section

PS: Chemical Engineering major. It's what I do. Studied Exam Krackers materials and used the ptests for practice.

VR: Practice, practice, practice. EK 101 (about 6 tests) and AAMC practice.

WS: Didn't care. I'm a decent writer.

BS: Read over EK biology materials several times. Listened to EK audio osmosis a lot (it's actually helpful, IMO). Studied OChem a little (just got out of an A/A/A Ochem1/2/lab year)

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)

AAMC practices (most important)
EK review books (useful to a certain degree)
EK audio osmosis (good for pounding rote stuff in with biology, some ochem) Try to visualize what they're talking about when you listen to it.

4) Which practice tests did you use?

AAMC 3-10
EK verbal 101
EK practice (that came with the combo pack)

5) What was your undergraduate major?

Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Emphasis + a couple of extra classes.

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?

AAMC and EK verbal 101 are very important. I recommend taking Genetics, Microbiology (In it now, after the mcat) and ANP (seems like it may have been helpful) before the test. If you can't do that, LEARN your first-year Bio, don't just regurgitate it.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

About 1 Month. 3-6 Hours a day. 5-6 Days a week.

 

[planktonelement]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=13 VR=11 WS=R BS=13 Composite=37R

2) The study method used for each section
PS & BS: Read the big Kaplan book and the Examkrackers books
VR: Did a few tests from EK101

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
I read both the Kaplan and EK books for the sciences. EK101 all the way for VR practice.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
I did AAMC 3-10 (although out of order) for practice. I started taking them after a month off from studying, so my range was 32-41 with a mean of 35.6

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Chemistry. Even though I haven't taken some of these classes for a few years, most of my studying time felt like review.

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
EK101 was very helpful, even though I only took about 4 or 5 of the tests due to time constraints. Also, I was lucky in the exam because there were a few Physiology questions related to stuff I had already studied. Even if people say that you don't have to take upper level bio classes for the MCAT, it certainly doesn't hurt.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
For three weeks in May, I just read and reviewed material from the Kaplan book for about 5-6 hours a day. During June, I reviewed Examkrackers for about 3 hours a week due to work. I didn't do any studying in July. During August, I spent three weeks taking and reviewing the AAMC tests about 7-8 hours a day.

 

[ezsanche]

I am a retaker and a reapplicant. I took the MCAT last year and I got a 27 (P=11 BS=11 V=5). I was so distraught after I got my scores. I took it in September and I didn't have time to retake until the next summer (because of classes and work). I was determined to do much better the second time around. I realized when I took the MCAT the first time that the MCAT focuses much more on critical reasoning than on straight rote memory. I was so focus on learning and memorizing all the minute details that I was in for a shocker when I found out the MCAT did not test those kinds of things. The second time around I laid off the content review and focused more on critical reading, reading comprehension, mathematical computation (all of which are skills I believe are necessary to do well on the MCAT.)


Your individual scores and composite score

PS=14 VR=9 BS=13

AAMC average: 33-38

2) The study method used for each section

PS: I spent the first month or so doing content review. After that I did passages over and over again.

VR: Practice, practice, practice. READ. READ READ. One thing about this section is that I never really know how I did. I had to rely on my gut feeling. During the test I blindly guessed on the last passage. If I was able to finish on time I could have gotten an 11. This was my worst subject but I am so proud of my 9 because the first time i took the test i got a 5. I improved 4 points!!!!

WS: Just write some BS.

BS: I spent the first month or so doing content review. After that I did passages over and over again.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)

AAMC practices (most important)- I used all my AAMC as full length test under timed conditions.

EK review books (useful to a certain degree)

EK audio osmosis (good for pounding rote stuff in with biology, some ochem) Try to visualize what they're talking about when you listen to it.

Kaplan and TPR- I used the comprehensive guides to go over content review. I also used my practice test to do passages and practice, but i did not take any full length tests because I believe they are not accurate.

Columbia Review - used them for practice passages




4) Which practice tests did you use?

AAMC 3-10 -Complete
Kaplan 1-8
EK practice (that came with the combo pack)
TPR A-D
Columbia Review Test 1-3
GS 1
5) What was your undergraduate major?

Microbiology
Chemistry
and a minor in Biomedical Physics

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?

STUDY HARD! Dont focus too much on the content. Focus on doing practice passages.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
2 months

 

[ratatat]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
BS=12 PS=11 VR=11 WS=Q Composite=34Q

2) The study method used for each section

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)

BS - I used Examkrackers and supplemented that with some of my old textbooks. I did a few Kaplan topic tests too.

PS - I used Examkrackers and used an old textbook as a supplement. I did some Kaplan topic tests as well.

VR - I used Examkrackers 101 passages for VR

WS - I didn't practice too much for this. I did a few prompts the week of my exam and posted a few samples on a forum. I should have practiced more though, because I didn't finish one of my essays.

Overall, I felt Examkrackers was key. It was very concise, and even though I wasn't that strong in physics, it taught me what I needed to know. At the same time, it was a little too 'barebones' at times, so I had to refer to extra material for every subject (gen chem, organic chem, biology, and especially physics)



4) Which practice tests did you use?

I did all but one of the AAMC practice tests. I felt #10 was most indicative of the real test (in terms of difficulty)

5) What was your undergraduate major?

I was in the sciences

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?

Always do your practice tests under life-like settings. Also, as much as Kaplan and EK try to mimic the AAMC tests, only the AAMC tests are gonna be like the real MCAT.

Also, don't get too flustered if you don't do well on your EK 30 min exams. I struggled early on with them, but they're not exactly the same types of q's you'll get on the MCAT.

On test day, be calm. I saw *a lot* of people who were nervous, and understandably so, but being calm can make the difference between missing the cutoffs and making the grade.

Lastly, as people always say, it's a critical thinking test. Know your stuff, don't get me wrong, but a lot can be figured out by reading, particularly for the BS section.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

I studied about 3.5 months. I wasted a lot of time early on though, studying only like an hour or two a day sometimes and not fully committing myself to focussing. I became more serious as time went on though.

I'd like to thank the people on these forums (and other forums) for their help during my time studying.

Good luck to everyone.

 

[hqt331]

1) Your individual scores and composite score

40Q

PS=14 VR=13 BS=13

AAMC average: got 37-39 for all but one, which was 34

2) The study method used for each section

Kaplan test prep course for everything but VR. Focused a lot on AAMCs at the end. Went over questions after practice exams. Wrote down list of all formulas needed for PS, but then mostly studied Kaplan's quick sheets for formulas.

VR - Kaplan is bad. I used EK 101, which wasn't perfect either. AAMC is definitely the best, but its passages were shorter than actual exam.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)

AAMC practices (most important)
EK VR 101
Kaplan Content Review
Kaplan Quick Sheets

4) Which practice tests did you use?

Most AAMCs
EK verbal 101
Kaplan practice tests: pretty good tests. Scores were higher than AAMCs, but then again, so was my actual MCAT. However, I would still say Kaplan scores are inflated since I even got a 42 on one.

5) What was your undergraduate major?

Neuroscience, but I pretty much had taken mostly prereqs before MCAT. I had also taken Genetics (not really necessary, but somewhat useful)

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?

It is possible, IMO, to learn too much for the MCAT. The basics are already a lot, and it's impossible to remember it all for a long period. I feel like I've already forgotten a lot since I took it 1 month ago.

AAMCs very important.

Don't panic - I barely had sleep the night before, and I still did fine.

Also: don't take VR lightly, even if you're good with English. I am, and I found it pretty difficult.

Oh also, I found mapping, especially for PS and BS, to be a massive waste of time, and even for VR.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

3 months. Ramped up studying considerably near the end.

 

[hiiiEEE]

I got a 31 on my 1st practice. (14VR, 11Bio, 6PS)
I got a 38s on my real mcat (14vr, 13bio, 11ps)

I didn't use any prep material. After my 1st practice test, I studied EK physics (just the formulas at the end of chapters) for 2 or so hours and EK organic (just read over some reactions) about 5 hours. So 7 hours my 1st day. That is the only "studying" I did.

I ordered 6 official AAMC practice tests, the new online ones. There was a 7 week gap between my practice test and my mcat date. So, I did a practice test every saturday morning, under regulated testing conditions and checked my answers later that night or the following sunday. I wrote down whatever I missed or didn't understand. At the end of the 6th practice test, I had a good 30-40 paged stapled notebook.

My advice? practice. I am a bio chem major so I was familiar with most of the topics. Just needed to memorize some physics formulas I haven't seen in a while. I didn't do too much preparing (just one day, read above). I just did practice tests and figured whatever I missed, I didn't know and wrote it down. And I would study these notes throughout the week and take a new practice test on saturday and add notes to my study booklet.

 

[SIUnit]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=11 VR=11 BS=10 WS=R Composite=32R

2) The study method used for each section
Used Baron's MCAT review book 2006 and 2009 edition. I mainly used their Biology section for reviewing material. I used my Organic Chemistry text book as well as my old OChem notes+flashcards for the reactions.

I went through my old Physics and General Chemistry textbooks for the PS review. Did a few end of chapter problems in the said book.

I did a few of the VR sections on the said Baron's book and decided it's not worth my time to do anything major for this section.

I winged it for WS.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
See above + AAMC 3, 8, 9, 10

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC 3, 8, 9, 10

5) What was your undergraduate major?
General Biology

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Not really an advice per se. But if you do well in your gen chem, ochem, physics, and intro bio classes, you should be on good footing just studying from your old textbooks and notes.

For ochem, if you're sweating about reactions, learn 3 reactions a day, cumulatively. Fee free to do more if you think you can handle it.

For WS, just don't be living under a rock and you'll be fine. Be somewhat knowledgable about important historical and current events. Watch some TV. For my WS, I used JFK, Obama, House, and the Simpsons.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
3 weeks before the text, roughly 6 hrs a day.

 

[Suffusion]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=11 VR=13 WS=P BS=11 Composite=35P

2) The study method used for each section
Read, do practice test, repeat.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
Examkrackers all the way, and then TPR to supplement at the end

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC, Kaplan

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Math

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Not really.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
Two months, four or five days a week.

 

[tmntdonjuan]

Hooray I can finally post on this thread! I have undergone much frustration with the MCAT but I can finally say I conquered the beast. 😀

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=12
VR=10
WS=M
BS=12
Composite=34M

AAMC average: PS 12-13 VR 10-11 BS 11-12.

2) The study method used for each section
Physics: Read the Kaplan Phi Sci book multiple times and took notes

Gen Chem: Read the Kaplan Phi Sci book multiple times and took notes

Orgo: Read the Kaplan Bio Sci book multiple times and took notes

Bio: Read the Kaplan Bio Sci book multiple times and took notes

Verbal: EK VR 101. This book is useful but do realize that it has a couple of errors in it.

Writing: I got an R on a previous MCAT so I figured I didn't need to prove my writing skills anymore

3) What materials you used for each section
What I said above

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC practice tests are the most useful. I used Kaplan practice tests also just to give me something new but realized that AAMC practice tests are the most representative. Also be prepared for a ton of Genetics on the real deal and Ochem is still pretty heavily tested. Be prepared for more verbal-style questions on the Bio section.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Psychology from UC Riverside

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?

I consider this the most important section for advice. I'm going to re-state what someone told me. Make sure your studying and practice testing conditions simulate your testing conditions. That means studying and doing practice tests in the morning if you have an AM exam or in the afternoon if you have a PM exam. I honestly believe this will make a huge difference in scoring at your potential. The MCAT is designed so you can't score significantly above your potential (i.e. practice test scores) but you CAN score significantly below your potential if the conditions aren't right.

In my case I have a horrible sleep schedule and often sleep at 4-5 AM. That means I wouldn't start studying or doing practice exams until 1-2 PM. Despite my late study schedule I made the mistake of signing up for the AM exams more than once. My practice exam averages were at 34-35 but I scored at 28 more than once on the real deal. The July 2 exam I got a 28O (10 PS 7 VR 11 BS), significantly below my practice test averages. I signed up for the 2PM administration on Aug 21 after finding out my July score and with less than 2 weeks of studying my score shot up to 34!

Take of my situation what you will but I highly recommend making sure your practice test conditions match the real deal as much as possible. Besides the test timing, if you drink coffee during practice tests, bring a big thermos of coffee to the real deal and sip it in between breaks. Don't make the same mistake I did and end up scoring significantly below your potential because your testing conditions weren't right.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

This has been an ongoing pain in my @$$ for the past 2 years. I took the test on July 2 but got horrible scores. I had a little less than 2 weeks to study before I took the test on Aug 21.

 

[350zj]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=13
VR=11
WS=O
BS=11
Composite=35O

AAMC average: 31-34

AAMC # 6: 33
PS= 12
VR= 11
BS= 10

AAMC # 8: 34
PS= 10
VR= 13
BS = 11

AAMC #9: 31
PS=10
VR=11
BS=10

Predicted score coming out of test: 30-33


2) The study method used for each section

Physical: Used some BR and EK

Verbal: Took 3 EK 101 passage tests

Biological: EK Bio and Ek 1001 Bio

Writing Section: Did not prepare at all, which I now regret

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)

-Used Berkley Review for Physical Science and the whole EK set.
-Used the EK 101 Verbal passages (only completed 3 practice tests) and EK 1001 for Bio


4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC # 6, 8, and 9

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Currently a bio and history major

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
-I made the mistake of not taking an AAMC test until my final week before the exam. I wish I would have taken more AAMC tests, because frankly there really is no substitute for the actual test. I also found the EK 1001 questions for Chemistry and Physics to be absolutely useless. I didn't believe it until I actually started taking the practice tests, but the MCAT really doesn't require too much outside knowledge, but it really is more about reading, understanding and relating the passage to simple concepts.
- I found Berkley Review to be a little too in depth. Many of their passages were a lot more difficult compared to the actual test. Overall, I strongly believe EK books are all you really need to review. I would strongly recommended the 1001 bio and 101 verbal books (if you're weak in verbal).
-Also, don't underestimate the value of a good nights sleep. I had a horrible sleep schedule, where I would sleep at 3 or 4 AM every morning before the exam.
-Finally, if I were to do it over again, I would probably try to take my AAMC practice tests during my scheduled test time (8 AM) instead of taking it during the evening.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
-I studied for roughly 2 months for about 4-6 hours per day

Best of luck to everyone!

 

[avatarftw]

Responding to your two questions:

1. I don't think you necessarily have it right. I did not use a test prep agency--I just bought the Princeton Review books (the same exact materials that you would be using if you paid 1,700 dollars) for 40 dollars and then took the AAMC tests--they're like 30 dollars each. Just taking a class won't give you a solid score--you need to study hard.

2. I don't think that your score will differ that much from your practice tests. However, one piece of advice I would give is to spread out the MCAT practice exams. I did most of the practice tests the week before test day and it was a little stressful. In addition, I got an "R" in the writing section with very little preparation; I don't you need to stress over it much.




My Second Question: Since AAMC scores seem to be similar when you take them- this means your score won't jump much if you just
do aamc exams without also doing other practice tests in between? Is this because each aamc test tests different concepts (i have only taken aamc 3 and 4 and will save the rest for MUCH LATER once I do a bunch of other companys review/tests)

It's amazing how the mcat is so based on practice questions- tons of content review doesn't seem to increase one's score, without practice.
That makes sense since in medicine each patient is like a "problem solving question.[/QUOTE]

 

[Doodl3s]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=14 VR=12 WS=Q BS=14 Composite=40Q

2) The study method used for each section
Verbal = EK 101!! all the way
PS/BS= i had the kaplan books and EK books. kaplan books went more in-depth from EK so i only used it wen EK was TOO broad about a topic

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
Kaplan/EK/ and the AAMC exams


4) Which practice tests did you use?
Kaplan 1-4 (the sciences are a little harder, makes AAMC easier, verbal is WAY off)
AAMC 3-10 (close the real thing, altho my real exam was a little more convoluted in the questioning, less straight forward)

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biochemistry

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Make sure you do ALOT of practice passages for Verbal. don't take it until you sure you've looked at everything you can possibly look at. Don't do anything the day or two before. get some sleep (altho i got none lol)...

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
Summer, may-august, took it the end of aug (3-4 months)

 

[Silver12065]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS=14 VR=10 WS=S BS=15 Composite=39S

2) The study method used for each section
I did a general BS and PS review. I had just taken molecular bio and organic, so I didn't really need to review those as much. I focused on the human body. I did however, have to teach myself physics, since I hadn't had it in 3 years. Did some EK, (not all) for verbal, Absolutely nothing for Writing

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
Kaplan for BS and PS review, EK for verbal, AAMC released CBTs

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC 3, 4, 9, 10 (average 36, high 38)

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Chemistry

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
The real test will be different than the practice test, so not so much for advice on studying, but be prepared and be ready to swing at curveballs that they throw at you.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
I started with a general review about 2 months out, really kicked it into gear with a month to go.