1) Your individual scores and composite score
Physical Sciences: 11
Verbal Reasoning: 11
Biological Sciences: 13
Writing Sample: P
Composite: 35P (Percentile 93.1-95.1)
2) The study method used for each section
I studied in the Spring semester and the first month of summer before my test in June. During the semester I would read/study review books, listen to Audio Osmosis, take section tests and do practice problems. I had finished reviewing most content by the end of Spring Break (guess what I did over break?

) I sort of took a break from studying in April because school was winding down and I didn't have as much time. When school was done in mid-may, I did some light review and started taking AAMC practice exams every couple of days. In between tests I would review areas I felt weak in or wasn't scoring well in.
PS: I think NOVA's MCAT Physics Book was the biggest help for me (I had a horrible Physics class where I didn't learn very much despite doing well). For chemistry, I didn't need in-depth review (I'm a Chem major), I focused more on topics I didn't feel confident/didn't score well in on practice tests.
VR: Practice, Practice, Practice! I didn't use any passage mapping, just tried to read for the overall point and figure out what the author was saying and where he/she was coming from. I bought the EK101 VR book and started doing 3-4 passages in a sitting, making sure I was on the right pace for the actual CBT timing. I made sure I was doing passages every day for ~1.5 months up to the exam. If you have enough full length exams, I would recommend just doing a few passages a day (keep track of time) from this book and use the FL's to practice the endurance. Review all the answers and try and figure out how you misunderstood/misinterpreted the passage. This section is the hardest to score well in consistently, just keep practicing it.
BS: In Bio I had to re-memorize a lot of physio stuff. I was fresh off of a year of Biochemistry and semester of Genetics in school so that helped. But I had to go back to Gen. Bio topics that were not as fresh. EK's 1001 Q's book helps a lot in areas you feel weak in. For example, I felt a weak area for me was the endocrine system. I reviewed the chapter in the EK book (again), studied Kaplan flash cards, then hit the passages in the 1001 book. I felt like the endocrine master after this
😉)
For O.Chem I studied the EK book first, then I would review the relevant Kaplan flash cards and do the section in the 1001 Q's book. This worked out really well for me, but I also enjoy OChem quite a bit and it was probably my strongest area overall.
WS: Umm...I don't recommend Kaplan's guidelines too much. I used the 3 paragraph method: explanation/example, counter-example, and synthesis/conclusion. If you are a decent writer, just write normally and don't try to change your style too much just for this. The graders read so many of these and I think a lot of us try and follow a 'recipe' of what they want to read--just go for it! Read the sample essays on e-mcat.com and practice with a few prompts. I always did the WS prompts during FL exams for timing/endurance purposes.
3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
I used the Examkrackers Complete Study Package 6th edition, the entire EK 1001 Q's series and EK 101 VR book, Kaplan flash cards and
NOVA's The MCAT Physics Book.
4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC CBT 3-10
Code:
Test PS VR BS Total
3 11 08 11 30
4 11 09 09 29
5 12 11 10 33
6 10 11 11 32
7 11 09 11 31
8 10 10 11 31
9 12 09 10 31
10 12 09 11 32
5) What was your undergraduate major?
Chemistry with an emphasis in Biochemistry and minor in Biology.
6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
-Spread out your studying, don't just cram for a month before. Repetition is key.
-Review all answers, not just the wrong ones.
-Do the AAMC full-length exams, and don't skip the WS part.
-Use AAMC score reports to find weak areas to study.
-Take a break from studying during the week (I always took Saturday's off).
-Be consistent with your VR practice.
-NEVER GIVE UP!
7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
February-April during school (approx. 8 hours a week and 4 hours a day over spring break). Middle of May-June 15th I was working part time and would study after work for 3-4 hours and on my days off take full-length tests and review them.