4/9/2011 MCAT Club!

[lexie]

I've just jumped ship from the Jan MCAT. It was the earliest one I could get after January. Anyone else signed up for this date??

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[adenine]

Misterdoctor,

I pretty much do the same thing as FattySlug. I made an outline for each chapter in BR for chem, ochem and phys. I used EK for bio. I made lots of flashcards, and I do lots of practice problems. In fact, I just bought another Princeton Review book for extra practice problems.

For problem that you get wrong, figure out why, and make a note of it in your summary; your goal is to make sure you don't get the same problem wrong again, should it show up on the real thing.

 

[MD23]

I feel like no one is taking the 4/9 MCAT! How are the practice tests going for everyone? I'm taking #9 tomorrow morning

 

[zhaizor]

terrible, I've done Kaplan FL1-6, and AAMC3,4,5, averaging at 29-32...however I know the material well, but I'm great at making silly mistakes.

 

[FutureMD23]

Well, looks like you can get over a 30 which in the real world seems to be a good score. I know what you mean about silly mistakes. I hope on test day the adrenaline is pumping and I can be super focused with the little details like that.

 

[FutureMD23]

I'm averaging over 30 now (after AAMC 6, 7, 8). Now just to keep it over 30 and carry that momentum to the real deal. Taking AAMC 9 tomorrow and 11 next Saturday.

 

[zhaizor]

Well, looks like you can get over a 30 which in the real world seems to be a good score. I know what you mean about silly mistakes. I hope on test day the adrenaline is pumping and I can be super focused with the little details like that.

yeah, it just sucks because I feel like I'm spending so much more time than other people I know who I normally do better in class in, and then I hit the MCAT and suck. It's a huge confidence killer to be a 3.9GPA student at Madison and not be able to consistently hit 35 on my practice tests for the amount I've been studying :/

 

[zhaizor]

I'm averaging over 30 now (after AAMC 6, 7, 8). Now just to keep it over 30 and carry that momentum to the real deal. Taking AAMC 9 tomorrow and 11 next Saturday.

I'm taking AAMC 7 tomorrow, wish me luck and good luck tomorrow on 9

 

[FutureMD23]

I'm taking AAMC 7 tomorrow, wish me luck and good luck tomorrow on 9

Thanks, and good luck to you too!

 

[adenine]

My scores have been consistently getting better, but I'm sure I'm going to hit my ceiling soon...

In order:
26, 28, 31, 33, 34

I think we're all guilty of silly mistakes - I make them constantly. :/

GL to everyone taking practice tests! We can do this!

 

[Nogo]

Ahhhhhhh 2 more weeks!!! On a side note, I hate TPR Verbal

 

[FutureMD23]

Took AAMC 9 today. PS went up, VR went down. Gotta get this verbal stuff down over the next 2 weeks!

 

[ru4real1666]

this is NOT looking good. VR is owning me. God damn it. so little time.

 

[zhaizor]

Ugh, woke up this morning, did PS, was doing well, and realized I DIDN'T DO THE LAST DISCRETE SECTION!! (loss 6 questions). I have never, ever in the past 6 practice exams ever forgot a section... so I decided that I need to take the day off before beating myself up with frustration, and go at it tomorrow until test date. It felt good though seeing my friends for once and having a few drinks...think I'm ready to tackle the next two weeks.

Oh, and on a side note, I ordered Examcrackers 101 Verbal from Walmart.com (came the next day...impressive and shipping was only $1.50) so I recommend anyone still having problems with verbal to try it out. My friend who got a 41 on the MCAT said Verbal was his toughest section, and this book helped him out a lot.

 

[adenine]

Ugh, woke up this morning, did PS, was doing well, and realized I DIDN'T DO THE LAST DISCRETE SECTION!! (loss 6 questions). I have never, ever in the past 6 practice exams ever forgot a section... so I decided that I need to take the day off before beating myself up with frustration, and go at it tomorrow until test date. It felt good though seeing my friends for once and having a few drinks...think I'm ready to tackle the next two weeks.

Oh, and on a side note, I ordered Examcrackers 101 Verbal from Walmart.com (came the next day...impressive and shipping was only $1.50) so I recommend anyone still having problems with verbal to try it out. My friend who got a 41 on the MCAT said Verbal was his toughest section, and this book helped him out a lot.

I tried EK 101, but it hasn't helped me improve my verbal score at all. :/

 

[Esio Trot]

did everyone else get the lovely email from the mcat people? "the first tip is simple - show up to your exam!"

it's like they knew how much i'm considering running away april 8th.

 

[Sw33tDoc]

final stretch guys!

 

[adenine]

final stretch guys!

Don't remind me!

 

[ridethecliche]

Disclaimer: I have not taken the 'real MCAT' yet.

Thoughts: If you've taken all these classes before and have actually learned the material, then it follows that when you study for the MCAT, you will find it easy to relearn what you knew before.

Now, the other material that you haven't seen before or didn't do well on the first time, you can learn and pick up for the exam without issue, but it will take more time. This is fine.

Point is, do you remember the first time you were tested on new material. You did well, but it wasn't perfect until you drilled down and got everything. So how do you maximize your score? Do you spend all your time on the new material? Nah, that doesn't really make sense since you'll forget the stuff you used to know well!

So how to go about it?

The old stuff should take you maybe half the time as the new stuff so a 1/3 old to 2/3 new stuff works pretty well for time because even though you're reviewing everything, you should be able to work faster through sections that you are confident in and that you do well in as demonstrated by practice passages and such.

On the exam, you will probably make MORE mistakes on the NEWER stuff vs the OLD stuff. So if you can MINIMIZE the 'STUPID MISTAKES' that are all too common, you give yourself a fighting chance to do as well as you should.

For myself, I've found that I get over confident or cocky with stuff I know, but don't *really* know. So look through everything as if you've never seen it before. You'll still get through it faster than the new stuff, but you're less likely to have your eyes glaze over on you!

 

[zhaizor]

Don't remind me!

.

ugh 30 on aamc (8) on VR..

 

[Azmany]

Not a big poster, but I am veryyyy excited to take this thing and be done with it! Anyone have any exciting plans post mcat?

 

[adenine]

Not a big poster, but I am veryyyy excited to take this thing and be done with it! Anyone have any exciting plans post mcat?

Heck yes! My boyfriend's taking me on a date to Ikea lol!
I've also got plans for a trip to NY to go to my cousin's graduation recital, and I can finally make social plans again. Can't wait for this thing to be over, but I'm getting more and more nervous as the date approaches... anyone got a remedy for pre-MCAT jitters?

 

[FutureMD23]

Heck yes! My boyfriend's taking me on a date to Ikea lol!
I've also got plans for a trip to NY to go to my cousin's graduation recital, and I can finally make social plans again. Can't wait for this thing to be over, but I'm getting more and more nervous as the date approaches... anyone got a remedy for pre-MCAT jitters?

My plans = absolutely nothing. Except rest!

 

[crazedpiggy]

ONLY ONE WEEK. T_T I gotta get this verbal crap down fast - my scores fluctuate anywhere from 7-10. I score low when I encounter passages I have no idea what the heck they are even about (no clue about main idea, etc). Any last minute tips?!!

 

[ru4real1666]

sometimes I play sports to get rid of jitters because it gets me tired enough so I can go to sleep without laying in bed (and staring at the ceiling) for hours.

For verbal, my only tip is just really take interest and you'll find less passages which you don't completely understand (but I can't above an 11...usually a 10).

 

[OneTyme]

Hey guys,

I took the 4/10 MCAT last year (4/10 for life!!!!).

I know that about this time I was seriously struggling with motivation and confidence. Like, seriously!

My best advice is to do lots of full length practice tests and keep your eye on the prize. I got into my first choice program and I can tell you, IT IS WORTH IT IN THE END.

Good luck and as always, 4/10 for life!!!

OT

 

[adenine]

I know that about this time I was seriously struggling with motivation and confidence. Like, seriously!

This is exactly how I feel, it's killing me. I was so motivated just a few weeks ago. Still diligently doing my practice tests, though. Studied for at least 4-5 hours today.

As for the verbal, I generally get 9-10s. I highlight weird words and stuff that I think is important - author's feelings, information in a series, etc.
Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

[OneTyme]

This is exactly how I feel, it's killing me. I was so motivated just a few weeks ago. Still diligently doing my practice tests, though. Studied for at least 4-5 hours today.

As for the verbal, I generally get 9-10s. I highlight weird words and stuff that I think is important - author's feelings, information in a series, etc.
Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

I started using EK (http://www.google.com/products/cata...CA&ved=0CFQQ8wIwAA&biw=909&bih=632#ps-sellers) over the last month on days in between full exam practice tests. I did 4-5 passages a day, one at a time. I worked on speed of reading and focus on each sentence. After each paragraph I would ask myself, 'what is the author saying here?'.

I also underlined specific words or phrases. This helped me; 1) remember more of the passage, and 2) be able to find specific information when I went back.

Really, the MCAT is about learning how to take the test (ie understanding what the question is asking). For me that came down to practice testing, I took 20 practice tests in all, and I took them under the exact circumstances I expected the test to be under (no snacking, no texting, no facebook, etc).

I followed this pretty much to the letter. http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=6022602&postcount=96


The most important thing is, YOU CAN DO IT.

Study hard. Go get some.

OT

 

[FutureMD23]

Anyone else taking AAMC 11 tomorrow?

 

[Nogo]

Anyone else taking AAMC 11 tomorrow?

I'm taking AAMC 11 Tuesday or Wednesday. Good luck tomorrow! And let me know how it goes.

 

[adenine]

Thanks One Tyme, I'm going to do a little extra practice today and see where that takes me. I used all my EK 101 already - but didn't find it terribly helpful for the real test. :/

Taking 11 on Monday and reviewing it on Tues/Wed, then zenning it up until the test lol

 

[Nogo]

Is it just me or does it seem like no one else is taking the test with us...

 

[Verloren]

I took AAMC 11 today. I've been enjoying a steady increase in scores up to a 34, until today when I got a 30.

Also my Verbal was once a constant 11, now it's stuck at 10.

I'm nervous!

 

[FutureMD23]

Just finished AAMC 11 also...went down 2 points from my usual score, DANG!

 

[Wakesc]

Just finished AAMC 11 also...went down 2 points from my usual score, DANG!

Bummer man, I'm going to take it monday or tuesday. Pretty nervous about it though because my BS a PS scores went down one AAMC 9.

 

[Azmany]

I'm taking AAMC 11 Tuesday or Wednesday. Good luck tomorrow! And let me know how it goes.

Im taking mine Monday. How are you guys approaching this final week? I have been recommended everything from dont look at a book, to cram like hell. Right now I am thinking of just light studying all week.

 

[410Doc]

Im taking mine Monday. How are you guys approaching this final week? I have been recommended everything from dont look at a book, to cram like hell. Right now I am thinking of just light studying all week.

I'm having a hard time focusing. Guess it's burnout? I like the whole not looking at the book idea, but then I feel like I'm wasting time! Man, can't wait til this whole ordeal is over! Best of luck to us all

 

[Azmany]

I'm having a hard time focusing. Man, can't wait til this whole ordeal is over! Best of luck to us all

X2

I feel like at this point, I know everything I should, its just whether or not I minimize stupid mistakes, and think logically on the exam lol...Anyone else feel this way?

 

[Verloren]

Haha I'm saving the not-looking-at-anything-MCAT-related for Friday!

Funny how as a freshman my goal was 35+, maybe even 37+. I've had to do some goal adjusting recently

 

[zhaizor]

I'm going to study 8 hours/day until Friday. AAMC 10 tomorrow, AAMC 11 on Wednesday.

Frustrating that I've barely broken 30 on AAMC, and I hit 36's on Kaplan.

 

[zhaizor]

Haha I'm saving the not-looking-at-anything-MCAT-related for Friday!

Funny how as a freshman my goal was 35+, maybe even 37+. I've had to do some goal adjusting recently

Yeah, I feel you. I once thought I could go to Harvard, esp since I have a strong GPA and resume, but now looking at the MCAT practice scores...I've started to think about Hawaii.. LOL

 

[misterdoctor]

I'm going to study 8 hours/day until Friday. AAMC 10 tomorrow, AAMC 11 on Wednesday.

Frustrating that I've barely broken 30 on AAMC, and I hit 36's on Kaplan.

Doing the same thing is zhaizor!

Good luck everyone!

 

[ru4real1666]

About to panic and run around in circles like a headless chicken.

 

[adenine]

I'm having a hard time focusing. Guess it's burnout? I like the whole not looking at the book idea, but then I feel like I'm wasting time! Man, can't wait til this whole ordeal is over! Best of luck to us all

This this this. I feel like I've learned all I can - then again, a week is quite a bit of time... what else can I study?!

@ru4real - Lol! Me too! Pre-MCAT anxiety is killer...

 

[zhaizor]

lol 6 on aamc 10 verbal, my lowest score of all time, i average more like a 9, im not going to med school

 

[calidoc10]

Hey what did you guys think of the verbal on AAMC 9 and AAMC 11?

I thought the verbal in those two were a lot harder, especially the reading of the passages, a lot harder to follow along with the author. Somehow I still managed 9s on them.

I hope this represents the hardest that verbal can get.

 

[Nogo]

X2

I feel like at this point, I know everything I should, its just whether or not I minimize stupid mistakes, and think logically on the exam lol...Anyone else feel this way?

I'm with you there. If I stopped doing so many stupid mistakes then my scores are where I really like... except for the verbal, I'm stuck at 7-9

Hey what did you guys think of the verbal on AAMC 9 and AAMC 11?

I thought the verbal in those two were a lot harder, especially the reading of the passages, a lot harder to follow along with the author. Somehow I still managed 9s on them.

I hope this represents the hardest that verbal can get.

I haven't taken 11 yet but I agree with you on 9, verbal was extremely brutal!

 

[FutureMD23]

Hey what did you guys think of the verbal on AAMC 9 and AAMC 11?

I thought the verbal in those two were a lot harder, especially the reading of the passages, a lot harder to follow along with the author. Somehow I still managed 9s on them.

I hope this represents the hardest that verbal can get.

I feel the same. My score has gone down 1-2 pts on the verbal sections of 9 and 11. Im going to review the heck out of these verbal sections and hope to pull a 10 on Saturday! I'm just goin to try and stay focused and calm during it and hope for the best I guess

 

[calidoc10]

Ya same. I thought AAMC 10 VR was easier than both though. So its also just luck of the draw and not necessarily a trend. The curve for AAMC 9 and AAMC 11 VR were pretty similar: a 26/27 was the bottom end of a 9 for both.

I was going over some of their explanations but they don't help at all.

Also, when the test feels easier, I score better. When it sucks like 9 and 11, I get the bottom of my range which to me means the curve doesn't help me all that much...

AAMC 5 and AAMC 6 seemed the easiest and I got 12, 11 respectively on those... VR is a crapshoot, yet will determine if I get into medical school...

If I get what I got on AAMC 11 though I'll be really happy (13/9/12).

Sorry for venting on here, but I'm stressing out...

 

[calidoc10]

Look at this:

For AAMC 3 VR: 9 (26-29) 10 (29-32)

AAMC 11 VR: 9 (27-29) 10 (30- 31)

I'm sorry AAMC, but no. NO WAY can AAMC 3 and AAMC 11 have that similar of curves on VR.

 

[Azmany]

, im not going to med school

I keep telling myself this when I freak out, but really its not true. Remind yourself of all the other good things on your app and this is just part of it.