40+ MCAT study habits

[Shredder]

there was one for 30, so i figured i would start one for this. and would you mind telling your diagnostic progress? dont be shy, be proud...

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[olivesolivia]

I didn't mean to suggest that you shouldn't have lofty goals. Nor am I in a position to be criticizing anyone for wanting to aim for a 40 (with the possible exception of Shrike ) But I do believe that one's goals should be contextually reasonable based on the rest of his/her application. If you don't need the 40 to balance some other inadequacy on your application, why not spend your time doing other things, like volunteering, research, or shadowing, that will greatly strengthen your application and make you a more well-rounded applicant? Because the top medical schools care about those things, too. Applicants with high MCATs are a dime a dozen at top medical schools; you won't stand out that way. What makes you stand out are the nonacademic intangibles. Bottom line: if you are a traditional student with excellent grades, you will be fine with a score in the 30s or possibly even the high 20s, regardless of where you want to go. (Think about it: if 34 or 35 is the average at the most prestigious schools, and several people who go there have 40s, then some others must have scored in the high 20s and low 30s to average it out, right?)

Again, my best suggestion to you is still the same: stop hanging out at SDN for the next two months until you take the test, and study so that you can do the best you are capable of doing. You already know what you have to do to earn a high score. You need to go out now and do it.

Good luck to you, shredder, and everyone else taking in April.

You basically just made my day! I've been studying for my May 23rd MCAT since Dec and I've only slowly (and recently) started climbing my way up to my goal (33). I'm currently at a 8,9,9 and I'm feeling a bit weary. But I appreciate the fact that you said MCAT score is not everything. I've got a lot of other good things that will make me competitive, so I need to relax and realize the score ain't going to be everything! I've known that in the back of my mind for some time, but with test day looming, I'm shaking in my boots a little bit!

 

[PagingDrP]

I think talent gets you to about a 36. Getting to a 40 takes some really good guesses and a whole lot of luck. A person who got a 40 could easily retake and get a 36.

 

[RPedigo]

*checks MCAT score*



*leaves thread*

 

[wizenedone]

*checks MCAT score*



*leaves thread*

We give people benefit of the doubt, its really about 40 +/- 1

 

[QofQuimica]

*checks MCAT score*



*leaves thread*

Goodness, this thread is so old that you probably weren't even in college yet, and most of us (including the OP) will be graduating from med school in another year or two.

I still stand by my previous statements. A 40+ MCAT is definitely *not* necessary to get into med school, and it will *not* make up for an app that is subpar in other respects (GPA, ECs, etc.).

 

[liverotcod]

Goodness, this thread is so old that you probably weren't even in college yet, and most of us (including the OP) will be graduating from med school in another year or two.

I still stand by my previous statements. A 40+ MCAT is definitely *not* necessary to get into med school, and it will *not* make up for an app that is subpar in other respects (GPA, ECs, etc.).

I agree 117%.

 

[What up doc]

QofQuimica, if u dont mind sharing...was your success on the mcat repeated on the boards? Step 1 in paticular...what did you score if you dont mind me asking? which did you find to be more difficult to prepare for? and finally....which test was more mentally taxing..in terms of stress pressure anxiety...

 

[liverotcod]

QofQuimica, if u dont mind sharing...was your success on the mcat repeated on the boards? Step 1 in paticular...what did you score if you dont mind me asking? which did you find to be more difficult to prepare for? and finally....which test was more mentally taxing..in terms of stress pressure anxiety...

You didn't ask me but I'll answer that too. 13 13 13 MCAT. 228 on Step 1. I was disappointed. It's a LOT more knowledge oriented than reading skills, and I was underprepared for Step 1. I was more anxious about the MCAT, partially because I was convinced I would fairly breeze through Step 1, but then didn't. Meh. I did fine, of course, but it messes with my anal perfectionism.

 

[QofQuimica]

QofQuimica, if u dont mind sharing...was your success on the mcat repeated on the boards? Step 1 in paticular...what did you score if you dont mind me asking? which did you find to be more difficult to prepare for? and finally....which test was more mentally taxing..in terms of stress pressure anxiety...

I haven't taken Step 1 yet.

 

[Gbemi24]

The best way to get a 40+ on the MCAT is to exercise your brain and sharpen your critical thinking skills. Try these fun exercises. It should be fun and a nice break from MCAT studying!

 

[DrJD]

40+ requires everything that getting 35+ does, except MEMORIZATION OF MINUTE DETAILS. The number of questions between a 35 and a 40 is only a few, and those are likely detail oriented questions that you just need to memorize that most people don't. (I say likely detail oriented because if you are scoring 35+ then you have the reasoning/passages down)

Just a thought.

 

[littlealex]

I think if you truly understand a section, you can get at least a 12 on each.
From there on with a bit of luck, 40 is in sight.
I couldn't personally do it because of my limited verbal ability, but I think for someone who can consistently get 13s on verbal, 40 isn't that far off.

 

[FishHungry]

40+ requires everything that getting 35+ does, except MEMORIZATION OF MINUTE DETAILS. The number of questions between a 35 and a 40 is only a few, and those are likely detail oriented questions that you just need to memorize that most people don't. (I say likely detail oriented because if you are scoring 35+ then you have the reasoning/passages down)

Just a thought.

I have to respectfully, but TOTALLY disagree. Details such as obscure facts, formulas and vocab have nothing to do with a 40. I happened to get a 40 and spent many, many months of my life working toward that and trying to figure out this dang exam. Details, in my opinion, is where most students go wrong. Getting to the 35 has everything to do with understanding things conceptually, dealing with complex/wierd/obscure passages without being intimidated, being able to quickly run thru possible relationships in your head until you get the "one" the question's author was isolating, etc. Going from a 35 to a 40 is nothing more than systematically removing errors. Most people in the mid 30s are making "several" mistakes or miscues on things they should have gotten right. If they can move that down to only a "couple" of mistakes or miscues they have a shot at a 40+.

 

[IndianVercetti]

why was this bumped? lol

 

[ezsanche]

I have to respectfully, but TOTALLY disagree. Details such as obscure facts, formulas and vocab have nothing to do with a 40. I happened to get a 40 and spent many, many months of my life working toward that and trying to figure out this dang exam. Details, in my opinion, is where most students go wrong. Getting to the 35 has everything to do with understanding things conceptually, dealing with complex/wierd/obscure passages without being intimidated, being able to quickly run thru possible relationships in your head until you get the "one" the question's author was isolating, etc. Going from a 35 to a 40 is nothing more than systematically removing errors. Most people in the mid 30s are making "several" mistakes or miscues on things they should have gotten right. If they can move that down to only a "couple" of mistakes or miscues they have a shot at a 40+.

Dr. JD posted that more than a year ago. I doubt he will read this .

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

I have to respectfully, but TOTALLY disagree. Details such as obscure facts, formulas and vocab have nothing to do with a 40. I happened to get a 40 and spent many, many months of my life working toward that and trying to figure out this dang exam. Details, in my opinion, is where most students go wrong. Getting to the 35 has everything to do with understanding things conceptually, dealing with complex/wierd/obscure passages without being intimidated, being able to quickly run thru possible relationships in your head until you get the "one" the question's author was isolating, etc. Going from a 35 to a 40 is nothing more than systematically removing errors. Most people in the mid 30s are making "several" mistakes or miscues on things they should have gotten right. If they can move that down to only a "couple" of mistakes or miscues they have a shot at a 40+.

I so whole heartedly agree with this statement. My lone attempt at the MCAT landed me one point short of qualifying for this thread. I put my time into studying, but it involved very little review and reading. I would do passage after passage and question after question. Any question I'd miss, I'd see whether it was a careless error, a processing error, or a lack-of-information error. Careless errors fell into one of two categories: (a) didn't fully read the question and answered what I thought they were going to ask instead of what they asked or (b) didn't focus well enough and missed a useful value or key fact. Processing errors were the easiest to correct, because once you recognize you solved it the wrong way, it is easy to remember the right path. For ones I didn't have the information, I'd scan the section before or look at the lectures notes from my review class.

I'd also rewrite any question I missed and do it later. This was more helpful than you might imagine, especially on trick questions.

In the end, I worked more on test taking skills than revewing information, because I felt I started with a good amount of information from my college classes. I contend strongly that the difference between 35 and 40 has as much to do with luck (which test you get) as it does with memorizing trivial facts or learning to overcome the anxieties caused by weird passages. I completely agree that learning to handle the stress of a weird passage helps, because if nothing else, you don't waste time and hurt yourself on the rest of the exam. But that is a necessary skill to get into the mid 30s. Anything beyond 37 is a combination of luck and ability. I got lucky on my MCAT.