30+ MCAT study habits???

[confewshz]

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Hello everyone,

I know this question has been asked a zillion times, but I like to get fresh perspectives. For those who got 30+ MCAT scores(SouthernGirl, beanbean, JScrusader, Samoa, nero, and anyone else who has a 30+ MCAT score), can you post the following information please? It would be greatly appreciated.

1) Your individual scores and composite score

2) The study method used for each section

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

4) Which practice tests did you use?

5) What was your undergraduate major?

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

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

Thanks guys and congrats to everyone who recently took the MCAT ,

confewshz

 

[PBandJ]

ur a f*cking genius

yea, i second that. WOW! CONGRATS!

 

[Maverick828]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS: 14
V: 11
BS: 14
Wr: S
Com: 39S

2) The study method used for each section
Spent about 30% of the time learning the material (flash cards, lecture notes, etc.) and about 70% on practice tests. Practicing your technique and sense of timing is KEY for this test. ALWAYS practice under time pressure. It sucks at first, but it's well worth it. Especially for verbal if you're bad at it like I am.

3) What materials you used for each section
TPR. Did every single problem in all of the books.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
TPR diags. All of them. Plus the "Practice Tests A-D" book. Practice test A in this book is pretty tough and they get progressively harder. This was great practice for the real test, which felt much easier compared to these.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Management Science and Engineering.

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
It all depends on your style. I do better if I have structured schedules and I'm a visual learner, so TPR's lecture-based system and highly structured syllabus worked real well for me. But no matter what your style is, PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE under time pressure. Trust me.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
My school was on the quarter system so it ended later than other schools. Therefore I started TPR about 3 weeks late. In total, I studied about 8 weeks, but I had a full-time job that summer. So probably around 2 hours a day of studying plus the class time for TPR.

Good luck to all of you. It's a hard test, but you can handle it!

 

[ctv1116]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS: 14
V: 11
BS: 10
Wr: N
Com: 35N

2) The study method used for each section
EK 10 week plan, sort of. Basically, I knew the Physics, Gen Chem, and Orgo pretty well from classes, just needed to learn bio, pretty much from scratch (my premed bio courses dove way too much into genetics).

3) What materials you used for each section
EK, Complete Study Package and the 1001 Bio and 101 Verbal

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC 3R-8. Started off with 14P, 9V, 8B on 3R, and my aamc 8 was 13P, 11V, 12B.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Operations Research & Financial Engineering. Pretty much a breeding ground for Ibankers, I think there was only one other MCAT taker in my major.

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Take loads of practice tests, and make sure you can finish each section with PLENTY of time to spare. I unfortunately did not finish either the PS or BS without really rushing through the last passage, which definitely affected my score for Bio. If there's any advice I can give, it is, if you are stuck between two answers, just go with your gut and move on; spending anothoer minute dwelling on it really won't change your answer, and it increases the probability that you won't finish the section, which is devastating to your score.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
I really started studying about 10 weeks prior to the exam, quickly realized that I'd really only need to study bio, and just crammed as much bio as possible. You'll quickly realize that its not really as much memorization as its made out to be; there's a lot of conceptual and logic based questions on the exam, and the amount of material you need to know isn't all that large, especially for the PS and Orgo.

I really hope this helped; again, don't dwell when deciding between two answers, just FINISH THE SECTION AT ALL COSTS!!!

 

[jglouie]

1) Your individual scores and composite score

(PS/VR/BS/W): 11/9/13/Q ==> 33Q

2) The study method used for each section

AAMC, EK practice for VR. Not sure if it worked...

I don't recommend taking the TPR course, but I do recommend using their course materials (probably look on ebay) for BS, PS. Try to obtain a schedule for their course schedule so you can stay on track.

For VR, took a look at EK, TPR, Kaplan, etc. strategies, found what worked for me, and took EK101 and AAMC exam verbal sections (often skipping the other two sections).

Practice some of the prompts for the writing section... get familiar with some events in history to have something to discuss or draw comparisons to, etc.

3) What materials you used for each section

BS,PS: TPR books
VR: EK101

Used AAMC to practice all three sections.

4) Which practice tests did you use?

AAMC, EK101 verbal sections, some prep company practice tests (ebay). Did more AAMC than the others...

5) What was your undergraduate major?

engineering

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

practice tests work wonders. can't emphasize enough how helpful AAMC tests were.

also, take this test seriously, you don't want to prepare for it twice!!!

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

~10 weeks, 2-3 hours a day on average.

 

[Pixelthecat]

1) Your individual scores and composite score

15BS/13VS/13PS/Q

2) The study method used for each section

Worked through the EK study books. Met with a study partner each weekend for an hour or two.

3) What materials you used for each section

Examkrackers' books, audio CD & 101 verbal reasoning passages.

4) Which practice tests did you use?

AAMC free ones, plus the EK one.

5) What was your undergraduate major?

Electrical engineering

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

Start early, keep up with the studying. Do full-length practice tests at least a couple of times before the real exam - including the real timings. Get sleep before the test - last minute cramming won't really help, but not being tired does.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

Started about 6 months before the MCAT. I met with a study partner once a week for a couple of hours, plus I did a couple more hours/week on my own. Listened to the audio review whenever I drove somewhere.

Biology and OChem I'd taken recently (actually, I was still in OChem when I took the MCAT 4/05). Physics I'd had in '91, chemistry '89 or so, so those weren't quite as fresh.

Do lots of verbal reasoning practice tests - EK seemed to be good. There's another brand of practice test that I'd checked out from the library. Those sucked - some of the answers were plain wrong.

 

[Jawwad]

1)

35 O

13
11
11

2) The study method used for each section

Physical science: do problems
Verbal: None, just read the passages
Bio: read read read
Writing: my score sucked, so dont use my strategy

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
I took the princeton review course


4) Which practice tests did you use?
The princeton 4913, 4923, and 4933 and the AAMC 4r 5r and 6r

5) What was your undergraduate major?

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

Chillax, all you can do it try your best

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

2 months, and hour a day...

 

[cm1285]

1) Your individual scores and composite score

15PS 12VR 13BS = 40Q

2) The study method used for each section

just went to my princeton classes did the readings and homeworks

3) What materials you used for each section

only the 2 feet stack of books that came with my princeton review class

4) Which practice tests did you use?

the diags given by princeton and the free ones on AAMC, I DID NOT DO THE PRINCETON A-D tests as i heard the results would be demoralizing

5) What was your undergraduate major?

still not sure - i just started my 3rd year, although its gonna be some kind of cell/molecular bio

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us? +
7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

although everyone says to start early, i would not recommend that if you have done decent in your pre-req classes...
you already know the material, theres no point in putting that stuff back in your brain 2 months ahead of time b/c it wont be fresh come test day. also you will be burned out and sick and tired of the dam mcats when you hit that very criticcal point where you really have to turn it up.
I kept up with princeton material as much as i could, but i never spent more than a couple hours every other day.....
if you want to risk it, then do what i did: i started exactly 10 days before exam day and studied about 10-13 hours a day (not including the 2.5 hour princeton class or time to eat meals, defecate, shower etc...)

 

[jennyomar]

gosh, you guys are all geniuses. i've been studying since last year, took it twice and are not at ease with my scores.

i am really bad at reading comprehension. and that kills me on ALL of the SECTIONS. I truely believe it's a reading comprehension and standardize test taking skills. i think I will focus on reading more, than maybe the rest will just come naturally.

thanks for all your great comment.

 

[Jawwad]

gosh, you guys are all geniuses. i've been studying since last year, took it twice and are not at ease with my scores.

i am really bad at reading comprehension. and that kills me on ALL of the SECTIONS. I truely believe it's a reading comprehension and standardize test taking skills. i think I will focus on reading more, than maybe the rest will just come naturally.

thanks for all your great comment.

that sounds good, good luck 🙂

no one does good on the mcat without hard work.

 

[ortho24]

1)32M 10P 10V 12B

Form DL August 2005

how i studied for each section
read every damn post in this thread and decided to get my hand on TPR workbook, EK complete guide, and EK 101 verbal. Did not use TPR science workbook much but read the EK complete guide cover to cover 3-5 times.

started studying for April 2005 MCAT and diagnostic scores of about 25 made me quit about 5-7 weeks before the exam. studied for August exam for 12 weeks while working, volunteering and taking 3 classes. For verbal used EK 101 verbal. did the whole book except one passage and also did about 7 kaplan verbal passages. EK has the best questions kaplan has the best essays. started at an 8 and moved to the mid to high 10 range by the end of studying

BS purchased EK complete 1 year before the exam and took bio and orgo the year directly before the MCAT. Used the EK complete orgo and bio a lot to review.

PS should've spent more time studying hear. was an engineering major before so took physics with calculus some engineering classes and thought I would own it. But I have not taen gen chem or physics in about 10 years and it showed when i started doing diagnostics. the last 3 weeks I concentrated on PS since I was running out of time consistently on practice exams. used EK, textbooks, and about 3 chapters from the kaplan BIG book.

writing sample. you don't want my advice but I tried to finish each topic with 5 minutes to spare and closed my eyes/chilled out.

practice MCAT scores
in order taken
3R around 30 untimed. took it twice
5R 25 1st time and high 20s second time
EK 1G 25
free kaplan online 25
free TPR online
6R about 30
4R about 29
7 29

Tips
Start early! don't cheat on time on practice exams. I did for PS and on the real deal it was the only section i ran out of time. use SDN for tips but ignore what people are getting on practice exams. I did not get a 30 on a practice exam until about 10 days before the exam.

i only took basic sciences. for bio i would do questions first and then the passages a strategy found in the MCAT HELP forum.Try to read each problem and find key words that are in basic science to find "what is it really asking".

on the way to the exam I took a 45 min train ride. closed my eyes and imagined calling all of my family to tell them of my great score.

BE CONFIDENT. even after the goose egg on PS I chilled during my break and then was determined to own the BS/Verbal section.

After the MCAT called mom and said thanks for everything. Did the same when I got my scores.

major
biochem. wish i was a nutrition major or something.

length of studying
5 weeks for the april MCAT and quit and then about 12 weeks for the August MCAT. spent about 20-30 hours/week on the August MCAT. I just did not want to have to take this again.

Nutrition is a very informative major, and it relates to everything in medicine. I wish that it was more of a requirement for pre-med.

 

[deleted77919]

1) Your individual scores and composite score

(PS/VR/BS/W): 11/13/13/R ==> 37R
April 2005 Form CP

2) The study method used for each section

Took the Kaplan review course (the January to April class). Didn't find the review material very helpful, but I was pretty comofrtable with the stuff to begin with. What I did appreciate was it made me sit down in a simulated testing situation many times before the actual test. It gave me a much better idea of how to answer MCAT questions. This was the most useful aspect of the course for me.

I worked a fair number of practice problems (from Kaplan) for the PS section. I was taking physics at the time, but needed to cover some topics not covered in my class.

I worked tons of problems for bio, just because I didn't take intro bio classes (I had AP credit) so I was missing some of the basics and this frightened me.

I didn't do much at all for the verbal section, I was pretty comfortable from the beginning and was doing well on VR on the practice tests.

3) What materials you used for each section

Kaplan course materials.

4) Which practice tests did you use?

Kaplan practice exams. Did not take any AAMC exams.

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?
Practice tests are key. I'd reccomend spending as much as 1/2 your study time reviewing the basics if there are topics you are uncomfortable with, but spending a lot of time doing practice tests was the most useful for me. For all three sections it's good to have an idea of how the MCAT questions are written and the type of responses that are correct. I wish I had spent some more time with PS, I slacked a bit because I was doing well in a calc based class and felt like I knew the material pretty well.

As far as VR my only suggestion is to work through practice passages. I'm not sure how useful reading things like "The Economist" would be especially compared with reading old passages, answering the questions, and then understanding why your answers weren't the best.

If you can't afford a review course then take the AAMC tests on your own, but hold yourself to the time limits strictly. It's also best if you find a space similar to the one you'll be tested in (i.e. on your bed in your apt is probably not the best place). After you've called time I think it's good to go ahead and try to answer questions you didn't get to, but by the end you should have your timing down well enough that it won't be an issue.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
Mid January through mid April, 6 hours in class each week plus 3 or so outside of class.

 

[QuikClot]

Hello everyone,

I know this question has been asked a zillion times, but I like to get fresh perspectives. For those who got 30+ MCAT scores(SouthernGirl, beanbean, JScrusader, Samoa, nero, and anyone else who has a 30+ MCAT score), can you post the following information please? It would be greatly appreciated.

1) Your individual scores and composite score

P14, V13, B12, Wr S.

2) The study method used for each section

In physics, I tried to learn the content really well, and not memorize formulas without clearly understanding what they mean. I noticed on the practice tests that MCAT physics questions tending to mix two or three areas of physics knowledge (a sinking ballon tests understanding of both buoyancy and the ideal gas laws) and I tried to prepare for that.

I spent most of my time on physics in the final weeks, for two reasons; it was my weakest score on my practice tests, and; only ten minutes seperate it from verbal reasoning. Which brings me to how I studied verbal reasoning which, basically, was to study physics.

My first practice test gave me a fourteen in VR, but in later practice I scored as low as ten. From that, and the nature of the curve in VR, I reasoned that what was most important to a good VR score was being relaxed, focused, and on top of one's game, to avoid the three of four mistakes that take you from a 13 to a 10. To achieve this on test day, I hammered the physics day after day until I could finish all the passages with a few minutes to spare. That let me lead into VR feeling good, instead of caught up in what happened on the physics section (even if you have the mental discipline of a Shaolin monk, it's hard to shake off a bad performance in ten minutes.)

For biology, I also focused on content. I didn't get to take biochemistry on genetics before the MCAT, and I'd definitely recommend that. As with the rest of the MCAT, though, the most important thing is to be able to read quickly, understand what you've read, and make good decisions based on incomplete information. 90% of the answers are in passages; specific science knowledge, which is very important, is mostly needed in order to identify and extract the answers from the passage. If you aren't fluent in genetics and human anatomy, you'll read the answer in the passage and not even know it was there.

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

Kaplan, with my college textbooks as backup.

4) Which practice tests did you use?

Kaplan has five full-length practice tests given for time. That's all the practice I did.

5) What was your undergraduate major?

English (graduate school, too.)

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

Unless you have the self-discipline of the aforementioned monks, take a class. If I hadn't taken a class I would have put my review off -- I know smart people who procrastinated themselves right out of the MCAT that way.

Understand it's just a test. You need to do well enough to get into school. Once you are a doctor, no one will care what your MCAT was. Build your interview skills, EC, and patient contact experience -- don't pin your hopes on a 40 that will open all the doors of paradise (it wouldn't anyway).

The MCAT is a reading test. It sets you difficult texts and want you to quickly absorb them, and then think critically about them. Build your reading skills any way you can.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

About three months prior.

 

[sweetstuff25]

I swear, every post on this 30+ thread is outta this world. 99% of these kids probably have IQ's close to mensa standards. I have rarely seen mcat scores that range in the low 30's, which is quite unfortunate cuz in reality they probably comprise the majority.

 

[Telemachus]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
36R (14P, 11, 11)

2) The study method used for each section
Just took undergrad courses and actually attended lectures and payed attention. Flipped through a friend's skinny Kaplan book two days prior to the test to get a better understanding of the format (i.e., 4 sections, what each tests)

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
none

4) Which practice tests did you use?
none

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?
Don't be like me -- do a prep course, use practice tests, all the stuff people here are recommending. However, if you have worked hard in your undergrad courses you will probably be able to generate a solid but not outstanding performance just based on that.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
no dedicated study period, as indicated above

 

[~CDN Pre-med~]

gosh, you guys are all geniuses. i've been studying since last year, took it twice and are not at ease with my scores.

i am really bad at reading comprehension. and that kills me on ALL of the SECTIONS. I truely believe it's a reading comprehension and standardize test taking skills. i think I will focus on reading more, than maybe the rest will just come naturally.

thanks for all your great comment.

I second this...since i am in the same boat and i really know the sciences cold. I'm also a good reader, so maybe i'm just easily tricked.. 😀

 

[DrBuro]

I swear, every post on this 30+ thread is outta this world. 99% of these kids probably have IQ's close to mensa standards. I have rarely seen mcat scores that range in the low 30's, which is quite unfortunate cuz in reality they probably comprise the majority.

Take every score here along with a grain of salt. I've noticed some of the posters claiming one score on this thread, then a completely different score in another thread (definitely scores that people would not retake the test with). The advice here is good, but half these people are full of crap. Less than 100 people scored a 38+ across the country, yet half the people on this thread claimed to have scored it.. I'd say that's not likely.

 

[Conqueror]

Hello everyone,

I know this question has been asked a zillion times, but I like to get fresh perspectives. For those who got 30+ MCAT scores(SouthernGirl, beanbean, JScrusader, Samoa, nero, and anyone else who has a 30+ MCAT score), can you post the following information please? It would be greatly appreciated.

1) Your individual scores and composite score

2) The study method used for each section

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

4) Which practice tests did you use?

5) What was your undergraduate major?

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

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

Thanks guys and congrats to everyone who recently took the MCAT ,

confewshz

1) VR: 10; PS: 13; BS: 11; WS: T. Total 34T.

2) See long post below.

3) Princeton Review materials.

4) Princeton Review practice tests.

5) Spanish

6) See below.

7) See below.

I am probably the worst "MCAT preparer" in the history of medicine. I devoted very little time to MCAT prep overall. I enrolled in the Jan - April Princeton Review course, because I knew that it would force me to spend some time on test prep. However, by the end of that semester I was probably skipping at least 1/3 to 1/2 of the class meetings. I did attend and take all 6 full-length practice tests.

I did ZERO studying on my own time. I mean none. Not even in the weeks immediately before the test. I read through my notes from the Princeton course a single time, on the night before the test.

The main advantage for me to take the course was in the practice tests - I felt it was very valuable to become familiar with the test format, how to pace myself, etc. That alone was worth the $1500 in my book; the classroom material reviews were icing on the cake. Would I have done better if I had studied more before the MCAT? It's certainly possible, but I feel like we pre-meds place FAR too much insane emphasis on MCAT prep. Obviously it's important, but someone who locks themself in a room for three weeks to force-feed themself biology from a stack of books is going about it all wrong. Approach the MCAT with a sense of calm: if you did OK in your pre-med courses, you will also do OK on the MCAT. The vast majority of SDNers will eventually get into med school, so take a deep breath and relax. YOU WILL GO SOMEWHERE, AND YOU WILL BE A DOCTOR. Say it to yourself. Doesn't that feel good?

CQ

 

[baja2oo2]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
31M (PS 8, VR 11, BS 12)

2) The study method used for each section
PS - My weakest section, probably because I hadn't taken Physics II yet. I first had to teach myself the basics of the content covered in Physics II. Then, I took some AAMC practice tests and discovered that I needed to review Physics I concepts as well (I did this with the Kaplan review book and my undergrad textbook). I tried to understand everything conceptually, and I only memorized a few formulas that I saw appear on multiple practice tests. I reviewed Chem. with the Kaplan book, but I found that I remembered a lot of it from undergrad. courses.
VR - After taking a practice test, I realized that I needed to focus more on huge improvements in PS than possible slight improvements in VR. I attribute my relative success in this area to my lifelong love of reading.
WS - I didn't study at all for it, I just did a few practice writing samples.
BS - I used the Kaplan book to review, and found I remembered a lot from undergrad bio. and ochem.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
Kaplan review book for PS, VR, and BS, and three AAMC practice tests for all sections.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC 5,6,7 (took them, went over explanations to each answer, and made flashcards of unfamiliar formulas or concepts)

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Molecular biology and Spanish.

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
It's all about strategy. Take some practice tests to find your strengths and weaknesses, and systematically eliminate the weaknesses. Take some time away from studying to do something fun every day so you don't burn out.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
I started in the middle of June for the August MCAT, but I was doing lots of other things that took away from study time (for example, I was doing an internship with an osteopathic physician, raising a rescued kitten, and playing tennis almost every day) Also, I had a study partner, and we met once or twice a week to go over questions and give ourselves "assignments" of what to study for the next meeting, so we could pace ourselves.

 

[potato51]

deleted

 

[ND2005]

Hello everyone,

I know this question has been asked a zillion times, but I like to get fresh perspectives. For those who got 30+ MCAT scores(SouthernGirl, beanbean, JScrusader, Samoa, nero, and anyone else who has a 30+ MCAT score), can you post the following information please? It would be greatly appreciated.

1) Your individual scores and composite score

2) The study method used for each section

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

4) Which practice tests did you use?

5) What was your undergraduate major?

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

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

Thanks guys and congrats to everyone who recently took the MCAT ,

confewshz

1) 14 PS, 13 VR, 13 BS, O Writing

2) Kaplan prep course and review books for Physical and Biological sciences, plus my own notes/textbooks from pre-req courses. No studying for VR or writing (other than attending the [worthless] Kaplan courses on those sections)

3) Kaplan

4) Kaplan full lengths and section tests

5) Psychology

6) Don't stress. Know the basics (basically all the stuff Kaplan tells you to memorize) and know when/how to use those basics

7) End of May until August MCAT (2.5 months)

 

[Lanced]

Anyone else notice how there's a lot of posts here from first time posters with very high scores? Makes me wonder if they aren't dummy accounts from the test-prep companies...

 

[gujuDoc]

Anyone else notice how there's a lot of posts here from first time posters with very high scores? Makes me wonder if they aren't dummy accounts from the test-prep companies...

My experience in the past has been that a very very high percentage of these people have been real genuine and have gone on to post in the rest of the threads related to the application cycle. it is just that many people don't feel the need to post until after they have their scores and start applying.

i know this is the case for at least one good real life friend of mine that posts on here. It is also true of others that I have talked to on here.

Besides a testimonial would be written in a much different way then what people have said here, in which they only talked about one course's course material rather then talking about how many of them used combinations of different course material such as Kaplan and EK together or TPR and EK together, etc. and seeing that those who used EK solely did not sit in on the course, I don't think that would really be a testimonial for a course they didn't even sit in on.

 

[mb3mb3]

Anyone else notice how there's a lot of posts here from first time posters with very high scores? Makes me wonder if they aren't dummy accounts from the test-prep companies...

Well, I'm a first time high-score poster and neither am I a dummy nor an employee of a test-prep company. 😛

Like many other high achievers, I came here to check out others' high scores, compare my scores and gloat about them. 😀

1) 12 PS 13VR 12BS WS:Q Total 37

2) I did the bare minimum within Kaplan's program

3) Kaplan materials used

4) Kaplan practice tests - helped with timing/pace issues

5) I rolled my own undergraduate major and mixed in history/philosophy/psychology.

6) If you are smart and lazy, take a Kaplan course. Giving up $1000 provides some good motivation to study.

7) I studied maybe 40 hours beyond my Kaplan activities. I took second semester physics at the same time and was driving about 2.5 hours a day to boot, so not a lot of time left over (house/family/kids too).

I've read that Kaplan practice test scores are a poor predictor of MCAT performance. But, my actual MCAT score lies nicely on a line that may be extrapolated (via simple linear regression) from my five Kaplan practice tests. Go figure. I thought the actual MCAT was easier than the Kaplan practice tests, in all areas save biology which was quite different from anything I'd seen on Kaplan practice tests.

I think I received good value for my $1000 bucks, but then I'm intrinsically motivated to think that, because I spent the bucks...Who knows?

 

[Lanced]

Thanks for the replies, I was genuinely concerned about the validity of some of the posts. I'm just questioning my decision take the TPR course as the majority of the posters are Kaplan and/or EK people.

 

[ND2005]

Thanks for the replies, I was genuinely concerned about the validity of some of the posts. I'm just questioning my decision take the TPR course as the majority of the posters are Kaplan and/or EK people.

Me no dummy.

I took Kaplan b/c it was honestly all I knew about at the time. There was no TPR in my area that I knew of, and just about everyone at ND who pays for MCAT prep does Kaplan. I had literally never heard of EK until I visited this website.

I also am hesitant as to whether Kaplan is worth it for everybody. For me it worked very well b/c it gave some structure to my very short-term preparations, and b/c I used all of the extra tests and review materials pretty extensively -- the Kaplan office staff and I were buds b/c I came in and did practice tests so much (and my hands were blue for a month from the dang vis-a-vis markers). At the same time, I thought some of the review sessions were pretty pointless (esp. Verbal and Writing), and I was a little frustrated that my tutor at the end of the summer seemed to know less orgo than I did.

For people who are motivated, or have a long time to prepare, or are concerned about cost, there are definitely cheaper ways to go about it that can be just as effective.

 

[HunterGatherer]

Also know that kaplan is the most established test prep company and has very good coverage nationwide whereas the other prep companies concentrate a few sites in some big cities. Kaplan also has prep for many other exams such as SAT, GRE, etc. so they dominate the class room based MCAT prep market. EK started off as a home study package. kaplan, berkely, and TPR offer books for sale that ARE NOT the same as the books they offer in the classroom. This makes these books seem inferior to what they offer in the class. kaplan, TPR, and berkely were more interested in doing classes so this allowed EK to dominate the home study market. This is why you see mostly EK and kaplan.

Don't be concerned with chagning your review material now. as long as you use EK, TPR, kaplan, or berkely you should be in good shape if you put in the time. 6 weeks out from the exam look at your diagnostic scores, look at the AAMC topic list, and see what are your weak topics/subjects. If you feel that TPR does not have the resources to cover your weakness(es) then use outside resources.

I used mostly EK but in the last 4 weeks I used outside sources(kaplan BIG book/text books) to cover the weak topics in the sciences.

be sure to do those AAMC exams! That is the highest common denominator.

Thanks for the replies, I was genuinely concerned about the validity of some of the posts. I'm just questioning my decision take the TPR course as the majority of the posters are Kaplan and/or EK people.

 

[Pipacus]

Why do u wish u were a nutrition major?

 

[Dr^2]

Thanks for the replies, I was genuinely concerned about the validity of some of the posts. I'm just questioning my decision take the TPR course as the majority of the posters are Kaplan and/or EK people.

Ultimately, all of these test-prep companies teach the same thing: the AAMC's published list of topics. Anyone could just take the list of topics and look them up individually in college science textbooks - my incredibly motivated roommate did just that, and though I don't know how she scored, she's been getting a lot of impressive interviews.

I know I chose Kaplan over TPR simply because the class location was about 5 blocks closer. Really sophisticated logic right there =) I helped a friend who was taking TPR with physics over the summer, and I did notice that their texts and questions were all-in-all more difficult that Kaplan's. Depending on individual style, this may discourage some people from ever mastering all of the material (bad) or make the actual MCAT much easier for those who do (very good). I hope you belong to the latter group =)

 

[AguasHeladas]

Take every score here along with a grain of salt. I've noticed some of the posters claiming one score on this thread, then a completely different score in another thread (definitely scores that people would not retake the test with). The advice here is good, but half these people are full of crap. Less than 100 people scored a 38+ across the country, yet half the people on this thread claimed to have scored it.. I'd say that's not likely.

Perhaps some bogus scores do get posted here, but the figure cited above seems a bit off. As I read the 2005 statistics, 1.3% of test takers received a score of 38 or more. Since 66,433 people took the test, there must be more than 800 who received a score of 38+.

http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/examineedata/combined05.pdf

 

[moreech]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
PS: 11
VR: 10
BS: 12
Composite: 33R

2) The study method used for each section
Sciences - I hit the Kaplan big book really hard, made flash cards, used my old roommate's Kaplan cards, took notes,
Verbal - I read over Kaplan's tips, did practice passages.

3) What materials you used for each section (Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, etc)
For the sciences I used the Kaplan book and Exam Krackers Audio Osmosis. For the verbal I used Kaplan and then tried to read other things. I did old tests for all sections, and they were the only material I used for the writing. I knew writing was one of my strengths so I took it easy on that (plus everyone tells me nobody really pays attention to it). I also knew that my school's organic chem course was rather decent and that there were less questions on it on the MCAT comparatively, so a lot of the time I'd just talk it over with my dad (for me, talking about things with someone who knew about the subject was equally important, it helped solidify the learning). So, know your strengths and resources!

4) Which practice tests did you use?
The Princeton Review book of tests and a few from the AAMC (there is one available free online somewhere).

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biological Sciences

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
I studied over the summer, so my timescale was basically 8ish weeks before the test. PACE yourself. If I had done a better job of that I think I could've done better on the test. I wouldn'tve spent the day before worriedly cramming and then not being able to sleep a wink out of nervousness (seriously I had not one minute of sleep the night before the test, believe you me I was not happy - try to take the day before the test OFF!). Take classes if you cannot structure yourself. Every single week do a practice test, regardless of whether or not you've covered your study material. So much of the MCAT is building up endurance, and you get to know the MCAT's style. Practice exams are critical. For the verbal, read newspapers and journals for practice (if only I had!). For the physical sciences, get yourself a book of problem sets and finish it front to back (again, if I only had!). For the biological sciences I can't offer much advice as much of my knowledge has come from studying it in school. Find early on what studying conditions work for you (location, time, etc). And find things to do to relax when you need it 🙂

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
From the second week of June til the August test (9 weeks?), Monday through Friday on average from 9 to 12 in the morning and then about 3-6, then 7-10, until I started volunteering at the hospital. By then the time away from the desk was welcome, be sure not to frazzle yourself out by test day. To be honest I think I studied too many hours a day and then I tired myself out, making my time less productive. I'm a person who has to repeat a lot to begin with, but my case may've been overkill.

 

[gujuDoc]

Perhaps some bogus scores do get posted here, but the figure cited above seems a bit off. As I read the 2005 statistics, 1.3% of test takers received a score of 38 or more. Since 66,433 people took the test, there must be more than 800 who received a score of 38+.

http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/examineedata/combined05.pdf

Not all the data is shown completely. For instance, someone could get a 43 and it won't be shown on the charts because 2 out of 66000 plus people makes up for 0.001 percent or something like that, and they only show percentages to the tenth place.

For instance, there are 2 people on here who got a 43 and now aide in the Subforum where they have been able to answer almost every single question a student may need help with and have done well through the process too, earning acceptances at some very very prestigious schools along with good financial offers.

Again, the stats are rough estimates to the tenth place and do not give the exact percentage of people achieving the score, so you'd need to carry it out a few more places to get exact number.

 

[gujuDoc]

Also, take into account that you are only accounting for the people who took the test in one test administration. The posts on this thread date back to 2004. I believe they start with 2004 April test takers and move to August test takers tips and then to 2005 April and 2005 August people.

Taking that into account, you have to look at the number of people in 2004 and 2005 combined, achieving a certain score.

That's out of a sample size of more then 120000 test takers rather then 60000+
test takers.

 

[cabrillo]

Also know that kaplan is the most established test prep company and has very good coverage nationwide whereas the other prep companies concentrate a few sites in some big cities. Kaplan also has prep for many other exams such as SAT, GRE, etc. so they dominate the class room based MCAT prep market. EK started off as a home study package. kaplan, berkely, and TPR offer books for sale that ARE NOT the same as the books they offer in the classroom. This makes these books seem inferior to what they offer in the class. kaplan, TPR, and berkely were more interested in doing classes so this allowed EK to dominate the home study market. This is why you see mostly EK and kaplan.

Don't be concerned with chagning your review material now. as long as you use EK, TPR, kaplan, or berkely you should be in good shape if you put in the time. 6 weeks out from the exam look at your diagnostic scores, look at the AAMC topic list, and see what are your weak topics/subjects. If you feel that TPR does not have the resources to cover your weakness(es) then use outside resources.

I used mostly EK but in the last 4 weeks I used outside sources(kaplan BIG book/text books) to cover the weak topics in the sciences.

be sure to do those AAMC exams! That is the highest common denominator.

I have EK,TPR hyperlearning, and Kaplan books and resources. my experience has been that after trying these 3 prep companies book's, I would rate them like this EK<Kaplan<TPR in order of difficulty. EK is the easiest and best explained out of the 3. I am abio major so probably I dont need too much detail. TPR scared the S**T out of me, too detailed but good if you need to really look into details or re-learning the material again. I am actually using TPR for physics right now. Kaplan is in the middle.

 

[abcxyz0123]

Perhaps some bogus scores do get posted here, but the figure cited above seems a bit off. As I read the 2005 statistics, 1.3% of test takers received a score of 38 or more. Since 66,433 people took the test, there must be more than 800 who received a score of 38+.

http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/examineedata/combined05.pdf

also, remember that this is the f*ckn STUDENT DOCTOR NETWORK, not weed smokers anonymous. obviously, anyone who is driven and intelligent enough to get such high scores probably didnt have much trouble in finding this site...thus you will see an abundance of extremely high scoring members in this forum. most truly average people would not visit this site as much as the high scoring nerds would.

 

[dbhvt]

1) Your individual scores and composite score

PS 15 BS 14 VR 11 WS R

2) The study method used for each section

I just pmd someone an answer to what my study strategy was, and I'll just paste that here. It's really long, so watch out.


Sorry it took me so long to get back to you, but here are some tips.

I didn't take a regular MCAT course, but I did use Kaplan's online course, as well as the examkrackers CDs. I went through almost all of the old MCAT exams, and I found them to be much more usefull than the Kaplan practice tests.

There were a couple of key points to my preparation.

a) Hitting the content from multiple different angles. I would read through the Kaplan review section, watch the lesson online, listen to the CDs, and review my old textbooks.

b) Preparing with cycles of review. I didn't study straight from December to August. Rather, I studied for several intense periods of ~3 wks, and then let it be for a few weeks. My final cycle was 6-7 weeks straight, and I dropped everything else I was doing about 2 weeks before the exam so I could devote all my time to the final preparation. I tried to cover as many topics as possible each cycle, and then re-review the next time through. This way I was able to really solidify the information. I went into more detail in December for the areas I felt less comfortalbe with (ie, physiology).

c) Practice. I used the MCAT q-bank to test myself with MCAT style questions after reviewing each topic from day 1. I started taking full length practice exams about 6-7 weeks before the exam.

d) Re-evaluation. After each end of review minitest or full length practice exam, I would look at each question I missed, and try to understand what went wrong. Sometimes it was a strategy issue (eg, i misread the question), sometimes it was a content issue (say I didn't understand a particular concept). I kept a record of each of these reasons for missed questions, analyzed why they happened and how to not miss a similar question the next time. When I started to see patterns I would jot them down in a master notebook with some trouble-shooting ideas. I reviewed this master notebook regularly, and went through the few key points early in the morning on test day.

e) Pacing is not about pushing yourself to go faster, it's about making the answers automatic. I got to the point where I could get all the physical science questions right if I was able to take more time, but became frustrated because then I couldn't finish all the questions. When I tried to increase my pace, I would get a lot of questions wrong. Finally I realized that pacing wasn't about going faster, but about having the forumulas and basic approaches to problems down cold. I started reviewing all of the Kaplan PS flashcards that weren't automatic answers (about 70%) right before I would take a practice test. When I started that process, I began getting 14 or 15 on PS every time. I woke up really early on test day to get through all of the flashcards after I reviewed the key themes from my "how not to miss this kind of question again" master notebook. I went through the relevant orgo flashcards (about 50%) and biology flashcards (about 20%) first, and then the PS flashcards -- because PS is first on test day.

I never figured out my pacing problem for verbal, and kind of blew it on test day. I ended up just filling in the C bubble for the last set of verbal questions on test day (5-7 questions?) because I ran out of time.

I think the key to my performance was developing a personal approach by analyzing MCAT style questions I had missed. If you can pick apart the reasons for choosing the wrong answer for practice exams, you can do this.

Good luck!





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

Kaplan online
EK CD's
Old textbooks

4) Which practice tests did you use?

AAMC

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 you work hard, you can get a kickass score. I'm generally a good test taker, but not THAT good. I just worked very very hard.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

I started studying in December, and took the MCAT in August.

 

[Slobban]

Hello everyone,

I know this question has been asked a zillion times, but I like to get fresh perspectives. For those who got 30+ MCAT scores(SouthernGirl, beanbean, JScrusader, Samoa, nero, and anyone else who has a 30+ MCAT score), can you post the following information please? It would be greatly appreciated.

1) Your individual scores and composite score
14BS 13VR 12 BS N WS - 39N
2) The study method used for each section
I bought the kaplan comprehensive study guide and read it, then I did some practice exams.


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


4) Which practice tests did you use?
2 online as well as some Kaplan

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 MCAT is about the ability to think more then it is about the information. You need to know the information to get a good mark, but just because you know that info, doesn't mean you will do well. The test is designed to see how well you can solve problems, which in large part is innate and not learned. If you have studied hard, taken the test multiple times, and still get a low mark, then maybe that is just the mark you are capable of. I am not trying to be rude, but the MCAT is not designed so everyone can ace it if they study hard enough. Truthfully, forget the tips and tricks, they are just work arounds. Each questions is a question, it's as simple as that. If you can apply your knowledge to just look at the question and think about what they are asking you, you will do fine.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
about 3 months
Thanks guys and congrats to everyone who recently took the MCAT ,

confewshz

 

[gujuDoc]

also, remember that this is the f*ckn STUDENT DOCTOR NETWORK, not weed smokers anonymous. obviously, anyone who is driven and intelligent enough to get such high scores probably didnt have much trouble in finding this site...thus you will see an abundance of extremely high scoring members in this forum. most truly average people would not visit this site as much as the high scoring nerds would.

Its not that they wouldn't visit the site, its that they wouldn't post their score if they weren't happy with it.

But I do agree with the rest of your sentiments.

 

[PhysicsDoc]

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

2) The study method used for each section
PS and BS: Cramming + AAMC Practice Exams
VR and WS: Didn't study

3) What materials you used for each section
For PS and BS, I used the examkrackers materials. Occasionally I made reference to old course materials (i.e., whenever the examkrackers materials turned out to be inadequate... for example, the sections on optics and E&M). I didn't really study for VR... I took the AAMC 3R and 4R verbal sections ~3mos before the real thing and decided I wasn't going to be able to change my score much, if at all.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC Practice Tests. I took the PS and BS sections of Practice Test 8 two days before the real thing and the scores matched what I received on the actual MCAT.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Physics (BS) and Biochemistry (BA)

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
I ran out of time on the verbal section, so I rushed through the final passage and had to fill in the last 3-4 bubbles with random answers. I think practicing under timed conditions might have helped me to avoid this, but had I trained myself to move at a faster pace I might have been more prone to miss questions on earlier passages. In the end, I don't think there is a terrible amount of difference between an 11 and a 12, especially since I am applying to MSTP's. Nevertheless, I would advise taking at least a few practice VR sections *under timed conditions* the week before test day so that you get a feel for the amount of time you should be spending on each passage.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
About a week (no, I'm not kidding). I got back from two conferences + vacation on the 12th of August, busted my ass for ~8hrs a day each day from the 14th to the 18th and took the 19th off. I spent one day on each of the examkrackers books (reading through the lectures and answering the questions), save the VR + math skills one.

Although I spent a significant amount of time studying optics over the summer (I wanted to get credit for the lower-div optics class in the physics department), there was neither a passage-based question nor a discrete that had anything to do with optics on my MCAT form (AR, if I remember correctly). There was also very little E&M on the PS section. As for BS, every one of the passages was biologically-related and required little outside knowledge (in fact, the BS felt more like the reading comprehension section than the VR did). There were a few ochem discretes, 2-3 of which dealt with the chemistry of heterocycles.

One final piece of advice related to the BS section... make sure you are aware that "stereogenic center" is synonymous with "stereocenter". While taking the test, I inferred that the former refers to prochiral centers (since they can "generate" stereocenters)... but I was wrong.

 

[flip_d]

1) Your individual scores and composite score

15 verbal, 14 bio, 13 physical, T writing



2) The study method used for each section

i read princeton review books 3-4x each, but i tried to emphasize answering questions--not just reading and memorizing--in my studying. (see below)


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

physical and bio: i borrowed some old princeton review books from a friend. the 2003 edition, i believe.
verbal: i did NOT use the princeton review material. i used the examkrackers 101 verbal passages book.


4) Which practice tests did you use?

AAMC


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 princeton review books really do have all of the information you need to know, and more. after reading them and taking a few AAMC tests, it should become clear what you need to memorize (e.g., hormones) and what you do not need to memorize (e.g., bones in ear). once you have a solid handle on the princeton review material, focus on doing practice passages. the princeton review passages are poorly written and significantly harder than the real thing. if you get around 1.0-1.5 wrong per passage, youre set for a mid-30s score on the real test. don't stress about trying to lower this number to 1 or 0.5: the problem is that the questions are just poorly written, so it doesn't really mean anything if you get them correct or not.

for the verbal section, the examkrackers 101 passages book is the best approximation of the real exam. do all of them.

obviously, gauge your progress by doing AAMC tests regularly: they are great predictors, albeit sometimes a bit low because the pressure of test day eliminates some stupid mistakes.

the princeton review books are actually reasonably well written. i cant imagine that 1000 dollars is well spent on taking the class when you can easily just snag the books

also obvious, but worth stating: no matter how many times you read your princeton review book, youll find something in it that you had forgotten. don't worry. once you hit 90-95% of what you think you need to know, make flashcards for the rest and then close the book for good--youre wasting your time reading it. at this point you should be doing practice passages exclusively. i know a lot of kids at my college who know the facts in and out, but because they haven't practiced problem solving before tests, they have no idea how to think. you really do not have to know much material for the MCAT--you just have to answer hundreds of questions. each on its own is trivially easy: the difficulty is t hat you can't afford to make mistakes. as such, MOST of your studying should just be practicing answering MCAT-like questions.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

started late june, tried do a few practice passages a day, took the august test

 

[Medicineman20]

For the Physical Sciences, I would suggest using flash cards for physics and chem equations.

 

[psrai85]

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

2) The study method used for each section
PS and BS: Cramming + AAMC Practice Exams
VR and WS: Didn't study

3) What materials you used for each section
For PS and BS, I used the examkrackers materials. Occasionally I made reference to old course materials (i.e., whenever the examkrackers materials turned out to be inadequate... for example, the sections on optics and E&M). I didn't really study for VR... I took the AAMC 3R and 4R verbal sections ~3mos before the real thing and decided I wasn't going to be able to change my score much, if at all.

4) Which practice tests did you use?
AAMC Practice Tests. I took the PS and BS sections of Practice Test 8 two days before the real thing and the scores matched what I received on the actual MCAT.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Physics (BS) and Biochemistry (BA)

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
I ran out of time on the verbal section, so I rushed through the final passage and had to fill in the last 3-4 bubbles with random answers. I think practicing under timed conditions might have helped me to avoid this, but had I trained myself to move at a faster pace I might have been more prone to miss questions on earlier passages. In the end, I don't think there is a terrible amount of difference between an 11 and a 12, especially since I am applying to MSTP's. Nevertheless, I would advise taking at least a few practice VR sections *under timed conditions* the week before test day so that you get a feel for the amount of time you should be spending on each passage.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
About a week (no, I'm not kidding). I got back from two conferences + vacation on the 12th of August, busted my ass for ~8hrs a day each day from the 14th to the 18th and took the 19th off. I spent one day on each of the examkrackers books (reading through the lectures and answering the questions), save the VR + math skills one.

Although I spent a significant amount of time studying optics over the summer (I wanted to get credit for the lower-div optics class in the physics department), there was neither a passage-based question nor a discrete that had anything to do with optics on my MCAT form (AR, if I remember correctly). There was also very little E&M on the PS section. As for BS, every one of the passages was biologically-related and required little outside knowledge (in fact, the BS felt more like the reading comprehension section than the VR did). There were a few ochem discretes, 2-3 of which dealt with the chemistry of heterocycles.

One final piece of advice related to the BS section... make sure you are aware that "stereogenic center" is synonymous with "stereocenter". While taking the test, I inferred that the former refers to prochiral centers (since they can "generate" stereocenters)... but I was wrong.

You are goddddddd........ wholy how did u do that well in such a short time !!! Oh, where did u go to vacation at, maybe something to do with that !!!

 

[gujuDoc]

You are goddddddd........ wholy how did u do that well in such a short time !!! Oh, where did u go to vacation at, maybe something to do with that !!!

Nah, there's another guy on here by the name of NutMeg who posts in the SDN MCAT Subforum as a helping aid to others. With his Chemical Engineering and Molecular Biology background, he had sooooooo much knowledge on the subjects and understanding of how to manipulate it etc, that he pulled a 40 without any studying whatsoever except for about 1 day before the test.

I don't know about the person you quoted, but most engineering and physical science trained people tend to do proportionately better then biology majors with less amount of studying because their whole major deals with conceptual learning and how to apply knowledge and manipulate it for practical design of new products.

 

[QuikClot]

I don't know about the person you quoted, but most engineering and physical science trained people tend to do proportionately better then biology majors with less amount of studying because their whole major deals with conceptual learning and how to apply knowledge and manipulate it for practical design of new products.

Bio majors don't seem to do well as a group . . . I hear from my pre-med advisor that humanities majors do the best of all. It could be that you have to be more motivated and focused to switch from Art History to medicine. I think the main reason, however is that the humanities are all about reading -- and the MCAT is a reading test.

 

[gujuDoc]

Bio majors don't seem to do well as a group . . . I hear from my pre-med advisor that humanities majors do the best of all. It could be that you have to be more motivated and focused to switch from Art History to medicine. I think the main reason, however is that the humanities are all about reading -- and the MCAT is a reading test.

To some extent I've heard philosophy majors do really well because they are taught logic in a way others aren't. However, I doubt that all Humanities majors as a group do statistically better then most science majors. Maybe in the verbal section but not as a whole. Of course if any one has data to prove me wrong, then I'll freely admit that I'm wrong.

My own experience has been seeing that not one single engineer I've talked to has gotten less then a 30. I think about every engineering student at my Uni and on SDN that I've talked to have been shown to do proportionately well on the MCAT with 30 or above easily by virtue of the way they are thought to think and conceptualize and apply knowledge.

 

[abcxyz0123]

i highly doubt that certain majors get higher mcat scores than others b/c of the way their major taught them how to think. the differences arise from the actual person behind the major. in order to be good at engineering, you have to be damn smart, so whether those damn smart people would have majored in english or chem E, their intelligence would lead them to a solid mcat. humanities majors probaby do better b/c they already on avg. more motivated, more knowledgable about the application process and are more focused than the avg. bio major, since the avg. bio major picks that concentration by default since they think thats what they need in order to go to med school (this avg. includes a lot of misinformed and dumb people), wheras the humanities major would not even think about taking the pre-reqs unless they were really serious about med school.

 

[Mr. Tee]

i highly doubt that certain majors get higher mcat scores than others b/c of the way their major taught them how to think. the differences arise from the actual person behind the major. in order to be good at engineering, you have to be damn smart, so whether those damn smart people would have majored in english or chem E, their intelligence would lead them to a solid mcat. humanities majors probaby do better b/c they already on avg. more motivated, more knowledgable about the application process and are more focused than the avg. bio major, since the avg. bio major picks that concentration by default since they think thats what they need in order to go to med school (this avg. includes a lot of misinformed and dumb people), wheras the humanities major would not even think about taking the pre-reqs unless they were really serious about med school.

Do you see the irony and contradiction in your own post?

 

[gujuDoc]

i highly doubt that certain majors get higher mcat scores than others b/c of the way their major taught them how to think. the differences arise from the actual person behind the major. in order to be good at engineering, you have to be damn smart, so whether those damn smart people would have majored in english or chem E, their intelligence would lead them to a solid mcat. humanities majors probaby do better b/c they already on avg. more motivated, more knowledgable about the application process and are more focused than the avg. bio major, since the avg. bio major picks that concentration by default since they think thats what they need in order to go to med school (this avg. includes a lot of misinformed and dumb people), wheras the humanities major would not even think about taking the pre-reqs unless they were really serious about med school.

I don't think being an arts major makes a person more motivated then a bio major by any means!!!!!! That is absolutely contrary to the truth. In fact, your post is sooooooo far off, it is almost laughable. Most people who do the work in any major and get good grades by putting their effort are motivated. However, not all programs really stress critical thinking. For instance, if a test is written for total recall and not really putting in application type of questions which many bio classes do at various schools, not counting top tier schools, then it may hurt the person in the long run because they are used to studying through total recall rather then application based problem solving of what they've learned.

Statistically, philosophy majors are taught various classes on logic and forced to use what they've read as a tool to understand the abstract concepts of these earlier philosophers.

The engineering statements I partially agree and partially disagree. You are right in the sense that most engineering students including the 3.0 GPA engineering students are often extremely bright individuals and if they have subpar gpa's its often due to the rigorous nature of their program. There, I will credit what you are saying. However, I still do think the way they are forced to think and constantly apply their knowledge in a way most bio majors are not used to, and this has helped them acquire a set of learning skills that have taught them how to see the bigger picture. I know several students who often have 3.9 GPAs and are equally motivated but the virtue of the fact that they haven't been used to non total recall type of learning strategies is what often throws them off on the MCAT. Or other times they do well in the sciences but totally do horrible in the Verbal because they are soooooo used to being focused on the sciences but have a hard time getting into the humanities and understanding of those kind of things on verbal that they don't do well in that section.

You can't judge a person's motivation by their major or MCAT score, although you may be able to partially judge intelligence and/or the kind of learning skills they may acquire from different majors.

 

[QofQuimica]

i highly doubt that certain majors get higher mcat scores than others b/c of the way their major taught them how to think. the differences arise from the actual person behind the major. in order to be good at engineering, you have to be damn smart, so whether those damn smart people would have majored in english or chem E, their intelligence would lead them to a solid mcat. humanities majors probaby do better b/c they already on avg. more motivated, more knowledgable about the application process and are more focused than the avg. bio major, since the avg. bio major picks that concentration by default since they think thats what they need in order to go to med school (this avg. includes a lot of misinformed and dumb people), wheras the humanities major would not even think about taking the pre-reqs unless they were really serious about med school.

This is basically the same argument that I once heard for why evolution couldn't be true. The person said, "If god made several finch species with different kinds of beaks, wouldn't it be logical that they would just fly to the proper island (in the Galapagos) where they could find the right kind of food for their type of beak?"

The problem with this logic is that there are naturally intelligent, motivated, and knowledgeable people spread out among EVERY major. This is because people choose majors based on their personal interests, suggestions from friends, parents, and advisors, their perception (right or wrong) that major A will prepare them for a career better than major B, and a host of other outside reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with their intelligence level. Each major requires its students to learn a specific set of skills to the exclusion of other skills. Most students do not already possess these skills before coming to college; if they did, they would not need to go to college.

In addition, any person can improve his test-taking ability with training and practice. (If that weren't possible, Kaplan, TPR, and all of the other test-prep companies wouldn't be in business.) There are definitely some people who have innate test-taking ability, just as there are people with innate athletic ability, innate mathematical ability, or innate artistic ability. But even the vast majority of people who are not naturally proficient at taking tests can LEARN the skills necessary to improve their performance on tests. Whether they learn these skills from their college coursework, or from Kaplan, or from another source altogether, most people do have to train themselves to be good test-takers. The students who have humanities and mathematical/physical science backgrounds have a head start on acquiring the necessary skills compared with bio majors, all else being equal. It doesn't mean that they are innately more intelligent, motivated, or knowledgeable about the pre-medical process than bio majors are, though. (If anything, I'd argue that BIOLOGY majors are probably the most knowledgeable about the pre-med process. None of you goes to your English or engineering departments for pre-med advising, do you???)

 

[gujuDoc]

To add to Q's post, even the med students who never had anything lower then a B and never failed a course in their life, sometimes end up having to go to learning strategy centers once in med school because they are not used to the new changes in learning styles.

We had a lady from our Academic Counseling office and Learning Center come and speak. This is a division of USF that deals with helping students figure out where their weaknesses are in terms of test taking skills, study skills, etc. They are also contracted with the med school on campus to help counsel med students who may need help. She pretty much stressed how many students who aren't innately smart are often lacking in developing proper study skills or learning different ways to look at things, whether it is critical thinking skills when reading or learning to become a better person at rote memorization and those kind of skills are things that can be learned. I could go on about this, but I'll stop here and say that as I already pointed out, I think the logic of Seth03 is LAUGHABLE if not absolutely RIDICULOUS because it is not logical at all.

 

[abcxyz0123]

To add to Q's post, even the med students who never had anything lower then a B and never failed a course in their life, sometimes end up having to go to learning strategy centers once in med school because they are not used to the new changes in learning styles.

We had a lady from our Academic Counseling office and Learning Center come and speak. This is a division of USF that deals with helping students figure out where their weaknesses are in terms of test taking skills, study skills, etc. They are also contracted with the med school on campus to help counsel med students who may need help. She pretty much stressed how many students who aren't innately smart are often lacking in developing proper study skills or learning different ways to look at things, whether it is critical thinking skills when reading or learning to become a better person at rote memorization and those kind of skills are things that can be learned. I could go on about this, but I'll stop here and say that as I already pointed out, I think the logic of Seth03 is LAUGHABLE if not absolutely RIDICULOUS because it is not logical at all.

first of all, you are pathetic. even if i was completely wrong, the tone of your response to my post was completely unneccessary. if you guys would have any lives outside of the world of SDN, my post would have made sense. Not logical at all? There are so many things i want to reply to but I seriously don't want to bother wasting my time. But i'll try to explain myself again, and you can ask me to clarify later on...

To know that you can major in a non-science and apply to med school puts you at a higher level of "med-school admission" knowledge than the below average pre-med. Pretty much all below avg premeds major in biology because thats what they think you need in order to apply to medical school. There exist people who are in their 2nd year of college, and are pre-med, and don't even know what the mcat is. You may not believe me, but those type of people are around my hometown community college. So if these people don't even know what the mcat is and they are pre-med, which is appaling, do you think that they would know you could apply to med school as an anthropology major? These kids would laugh in your face. These are the types of people that bring the avg score for bio majors down. The other types are just people who thought the idea of med school was intriguing, but also found other healthcare professions interesting as well, and decided to major in biology because thats what everyone else does, and took the mcat to see if they could cut it. I know tons of kids like this, and they also bring the avg score for bio majors down.

Now if you took the mcat scores of SDNers and divided them up by their majors, you would see an entirely different disparity between majors. I'm sure you could then argue that one major prepares you better than another, because you would know that the amt. of people on this site who took the mcat halfheartedly are far fewer than the amt. total.

I never said that humanities majors are innately more intelligent or more focused. i'm not saying that one becomes more intelligent and better at taking the mcat by virtue of becoming a such and such major. its just that the majority of unremarkable med school applicants usually pick the bio major by defualt, because they don't know any better, and thus bring the avg. down.

Please ask me to clarify if you still don't get what i'm saying, and don't try to write me off as some idiot so quickly.