7/10/08 Club!

[TawMus]

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Since I didn't see a 7/10/08 thread, I thought I would start one. I took mine on 5/27/08 and I thought it was extremely difficult. Hopefully the 7/10/08 one will be more comparable to the practice tests. Happy postings!

 

[itsover26]

Maybe the alternating patterns (straightforward passages vs WTF passages) is a legacy of the old April-August test sessions, just to screw with people.

yeah, i don't think i saw any WTF passages haha. passage topics were straightfoward but more external knowledge oriented. i was expecting to have to use the passages A LOT. you definitely had to use them on some questions but not to the extent i was used to from practice tests and my first mcat i took a few months ago.

so basically, if you knew all your science content real well coming into this test, you'd have done well i'm sure. if you came in thinking you could rely mostly on passages, you probably scored bad haha.

this was definitely an example that shows the MCAT is more of a knowledge-based test than a critical thinking one (i'm not saying that's how the mcat is supposed to be! for this specific test, tho, it was more knowledge based! my BS today had much less text than my BS a few months ago!). note my first mcat was not like this. who knows...i guess they change it up IDK

 

[Jonassen]

yeah, i don't think i saw any WTF passages haha. passage topics were straightfoward but more external knowledge oriented. i was expecting to have to use the passages A LOT. you definitely had to use them on some questions but not to the extent i was used to from practice tests and my first mcat i took a few months ago.

so basically, if you knew all your science content real well coming into this test, you'd have done well i'm sure. if you came in thinking you could rely mostly on passages, you probably scored bad haha.

this was definitely an example that shows the MCAT is more of a knowledge-based test than a critical thinking one. note my first mcat was not like this. who knows...i guess they change it up IDK

I bet 7/18 is going to be like an IQ test, with one passage on the chemistry and effective torque of regenerating solar panels on Mars.

 

[CommSNTS]

Damnnnnnnnn, based on the posts, seems like the curve is gonna suck for this one 🙁

This was my 3rd time taking it and I really needed to do well.

PS - Nerves hit me kinda hard on this one, but I think I did ok. There were a few I had to guess on, which is a first because I usually had some idea of how to approach to problem on the practice tests. I got an 11 my first time, so I hope I can get higher than that.

VS - Not too bad. There weren't really any dense passages, but nothing too easy either.

BS - Seemed to be fairly easy, probably my strongest section.

I pray to GOD that I never have to take this test again. Hoping for a 30+ 👍

 

[itsover26]

I bet 7/18 is going to be like an IQ test. LOL.

yeah, the thing is today's test is probably "as hard" as any other test, though. everyone always thinks their test is harder than everyone else's and then they score the same as on an AAMC practice test. most ppl on here thinks today was easier...it was more straight forward but definitely tricky. i felt i was trying to be tricked in cheap ways on every question. i think all the practice finally helped me pick out some of those tricks. i didn't get to review my sciences, tho, so i honestly don't feel super well on anything, especially the PS. if i had the chance to just look through my answers again without even changing an answer i'd probably feel much better. they were just too many ?s i wasn't 100% positive on that i wanted to revisit later. oh well.

just expect your AAMC average score. that's almost always how it turns out for everyone, regardless of how hard or easy they thought it was. i just want a 30+ PLZZZ

 

[itsover26]

Damnnnnnnnn, based on the posts, seems like the curve is gonna suck for this one 🙁

This was my 3rd time taking it and I really needed to do well.

PS - Nerves hit me kinda hard on this one, but I think I did ok. There were a few I had to guess on, which is a first because I usually had some idea of how to approach to problem on the practice tests. I got an 11 my first time, so I hope I can get higher than that.

VS - Not too bad. There weren't really any dense passages, but nothing too easy either.

BS - Seemed to be fairly easy, probably my strongest section.

I pray to GOD that I never have to take this test again. Hoping for a 30+ 👍

i doubt it. go read past mcat threads. most say how hard their test was and how their test is gonna have a nice curve for sure! they all balance out in the end...don't worry about it. i'm sure most of the curves are about the same. go look through the AAMC practice test curves. they're all relatively the same.

also, keep in mind that we, the ppl on SDN, are the ones saying it may have been easier. i don't know if you realize this, but ppl on SDN NORMALLY get mid 30s. the SDN population is probably the top 20% of testers lol

 

[Revilla]

They do kind of alternate apparently. My gf took the 5/31 one, and it was much more straightforward in subject matter than my crazy 5/27 one (where I seriously thought I guessed a good 40% of the test). And wasn't 6/13 the one right after 5/31?

Yeah, but the people who took it on 7/8 also said it was straightforward so I don't think there's any kind of pattern.

 

[Jonassen]

yeah, the thing is today's test is probably "as hard" as any other test, though. everyone always thinks their test is harder than everyone else's and then they score the same as on an AAMC practice test. most ppl on here thinks today was easier...it was more straight forward but definitely tricky. i felt i was trying to be tricked in cheap ways on every question. i think all the practice finally helped me pick out some of those tricks. i didn't get to review my sciences, tho, so i honestly don't feel super well on anything, especially the PS. if i had the chance to just look through my answers again without even changing an answer i'd probably feel much better. they were just too many ?s i wasn't 100% positive on that i wanted to revisit later. oh well.

just expect your AAMC average score. that's almost always how it turns out for everyone, regardless of how hard or easy they thought it was. i just want a 30+ PLZZZ

The calculations were a bit tedious (like multiple steps). And 3600 was a recurring number (again these MCAT writers really enjoy spitting out the same kind of questions OVER and OVER again in one session).

 

[Jonassen]

Yeah, but the people who took it on 7/8 also said it was straightforward so I don't think there's any kind of pattern.

Oh there goes my theory. Hehe maybe it's a summer thing. MCAT is rewarding all the people who studied the material hard over the summer.

 

[LonghorninSA]

I took the paper version a few years ago and was pleasantly surprised, being able to walk out today at noon! The exam was much like everyone else has stated:
PS: lots of chem. Thankfully I'm better at that than physics. I finished the practice exams with 15-20 mins to spare. Finished today with < 5 mins.
VR: Five of the passages were pretty easy. My brain was fried by the time I got to the last two, lol. finished with < 2 mins left, just as the practice tests.
BS: Surprised by the amount of genetics and lack of ochem. Also surprised at the 2-3 questions requiring such detailed outside knowledge. Finished with 7 mins to spare.

Even though I finished and was confident, there's always that horrible feeling of uncertainty when leaving the testing center. Can't wait until August 12th!

Congrats to everyone who took it today!
time to party

 

[supafield]

Yeah, but the people who took it on 7/8 also said it was straightforward so I don't think there's any kind of pattern.

I went back through the mcat threads over the past year and have noticed a fairly interesting pattern.... however I refuse to count on patterns for anything.... haha I'll tell everyone after my MCAT....

A little bit of fun for the superstitious ones

 

[utjsm08]

Wow...i'm surprised. Everyone thought this test was easier but i felt it was harder than 5/10. I didnt finish verbal (guessed on 7 questions), thought PS was soo calculation based and too much G-chem and not enough physics...I definitely knew I did worse than on 5/10 when I got a 12 on the section. Bio was awesome though! Neurotransmitters, kidney, ions, and just one hard passage on genetics...felt I did better in this section than 5/10. Disappointed, ended up voiding because I didnt want to risk < my previous 29. I have tried everything I can for verbal and I just have to claim defeat...I will never be able to finish 7 passages in 60 minutes...and I've been working on it for a year. A 29 can get me in somewhere? (I hope)

 

[Revilla]

I went back through the mcat threads over the past year and have noticed a fairly interesting pattern.... however I refuse to count on patterns for anything.... haha I'll tell everyone after my MCAT....

A little bit of fun for the superstitious ones

I wasn't superstitious until I got a look at the Friday the 13th MCAT! 🙂

 

[Nikki2002]

That is really, really horrible. AAMC really dropped the ball on their switchover to computer testing. I e-mailed them personally to complain that it is unfair that the testing centers have different/older computers and some are new. I was very lucky to have very nice 17"LCDs and thinkpad laptops. My friend on the other hand had a crappy 15" CRT w/ a 60hz refresh rate that must have been extremely annoying. I'm not sure the AAMC realizes how badly that fact alone changes the testing conditions from student to student. In my opinion, if they were going to move over to computer testing, they should have been ready to make all the test centers equitable. Oh well...hopefully it'll get fixed in the future.

*sigh* they just don't have the funds

 

[Jonassen]

Wow...i'm surprised. Everyone thought this test was easier but i felt it was harder than 5/10. I didnt finish verbal (guessed on 7 questions), thought PS was soo calculation based and too much G-chem and not enough physics...I definitely knew I did worse than on 5/10 when I got a 12 on the section. Bio was awesome though! Neurotransmitters, kidney, ions, and just one hard passage on genetics...felt I did better in this section than 5/10. Disappointed, ended up voiding because I didnt want to risk < my previous 29. I have tried everything I can for verbal and I just have to claim defeat...I will never be able to finish 7 passages in 60 minutes...and I've been working on it for a year. A 29 can get me in somewhere? (I hope)

Verbal I honestly thought was really easy, except for passage #6 which made me think a little. The rest were a breeze to read and the answers were coming strongly from the gut. It's probably a good thing you voided if you guessed 7 questions on VR.

 

[ofoshoukno]

I will never be able to finish 7 passages in 60 minutes...and I've been working on it for a year. A 29 can get me in somewhere? (I hope)

How long does it take you to do individual passages timed?

 

[bjohn]

I want to see if anyone feels the way I do:

I took the MCAT today. Took it last year and got a 27 (8/10/9 - side note: didn't take physics 2 and tried to wing physics). When I took it last year, there were 3 physics passages I pretty much guessed on and I knew I did poorly. I remember feeling terrible after the exam.

Today, this is how I felt:

Physical - felt good but nearly ran out of time. There were 3 questions I kind of guessed on (educated guesses, probably 1 blind) since I didn't have time to think about them.

Verbal - No complaints. Obviously some ambiguity.

Biology - I felt good.


Now, after my exams I always think about the ones I could have missed. I now know for sure I missed at least 4-6 in physics and 4-6 in biology. I don't know what I missed in verbal.

I've given both the biology and physics sections a lot of thought, I always remember ones I've had trouble on. I have been scoring 33 consistently on the practice exams online, but I'm not sure I feel as good. Do any of you guys know you missed a few for sure? As many as I have? I very narrowly missed these ones, I know I always got it down to 2 and it seems I guessed the wrong one.

Has anyone ever felt like this? On one hand, I walked out and felt good. On the other, I'm uncomfortable knowing for sure that I missed a few on each section. That obviously doesn't take into account the ones I felt sure about and actually missed. If you have felt this way on a previous exam, how did you end up scoring?

 

[mozdef]

dude just forget about it. I also felt good about the exam walking out. After an hour or so I just realized I answered one of the questions in PS wrong. Even though it's just one it kinda weakened my confidence in how well I did. I'm just not going to think about ANY of the questions at all until scores come out or I'll end up slowly tearing my hair out.

I'm just gonna try to keep my mind off it. Just watch a lot of movies and tv and just zone out. Good thing I'm addicted to porn.

 

[bjohn]

Well, 1 question is far less than 4-6.

I am making huge generalities about the questions so I don't violate the Terms of Service of this site.

I actually know the specific questions I missed. In physics, one about light bulbs (silly mistake), one about torque, three chemistry (time) and that's about it. These are just the ones I was pretty unsure of and had to make educated guesses, but it turns out at least 4 of the 5 were wrong.

Biology I missed one about t-cells and b-cells, one about development, one about an AA, one about NMR, and finally one about protein structure (embarassing mistake). There is one or two more I may have missed but don't know.

Other than those I felt pretty confident. As I said, I am confident I missed 4-6 in both biology and in physics.

 

[Steveoph]

The worst part is not knowing if I should rewrite or not, since I want to apply to med school but I'm worried my VR score won't make the cut. The other 3 sections I'm quite confident about. 30 days is going to be brutal lol. I know people usually assume the worst, but I can feel an 8 on VR on the practice tests, and this was that feeling lol. Hopefully I'll look back in 30 days and laugh at my worries....

 

[bjohn]

I know exactly which questions you are referring to bjohn

So do you think I'm in bad shape or what? Should I resign for next month's MCAT? I felt great about this test but I've thought about it for 5 hours and I'm pretty sure I missed a minimum of 4-6 in biology and 4-6 in physics.

Again, the ones I'm pretty sure about missing were the ones I retained because I had a lot of doubt.

So what do you think? The fact you can remember these questions -- does that mean you were doubtful on some of them or what?

 

[itsover26]

So do you think I'm in bad shape or what? Should I resign for next month's MCAT? I felt great about this test but I've thought about it for 5 hours and I'm pretty sure I missed a minimum of 4-6 in biology and 4-6 in physics.

Again, the ones I'm pretty sure about missing were the ones I retained because I had a lot of doubt.

So what do you think? The fact you can remember these questions -- does that mean you were doubtful on some of them or what?

what score are you shooting for? missing 4-6 in either science is still like a 12. the thing is you always miss more than you think. you KNOW you missed 4-6, and i'm sure there's a few more incorrect ones that didn't cross your mind. i'm not trying to be pessimistic but rather realistic from my own experience. if you miss 10 ?s in each section you'll at least get 10s.

 

[Soccerdoc11]

So do you think I'm in bad shape or what? Should I resign for next month's MCAT? I felt great about this test but I've thought about it for 5 hours and I'm pretty sure I missed a minimum of 4-6 in biology and 4-6 in physics.

Again, the ones I'm pretty sure about missing were the ones I retained because I had a lot of doubt.

So what do you think? The fact you can remember these questions -- does that mean you were doubtful on some of them or what?

I mean 4-6 is nothing really unless you are shooting for 38 but it is really hard to say.. It really depends on how everyone else did which I am a little nervous about since it seemed to be easier. I know a couple questions that I got definitely got wrong, some others I looked up were correct so who knows. I already took it once before so I am pretty much done and I feel like I did at least as good or better than before. If you feel like you only missed that many then I would stick with it and just pray that it goes well - if you are really worried then sign up and cancel when you get your score (obviously you will lose money, I'm not sure if you lose all of it though.) It is your decision, I'm sure you did fine.. Good luck.

 

[tylerh87]

can someone list what your PS sections were? I cant really remember, i just need a general reminder. I am trying to recheck myself about some questions, but since PS was the first section, I can't really remember it...

 

[chreesteene]

i thought the test today was really reasonable. having read people's reactions to other tests, i was pretty nervous going into this one. fortunately, it seemed really straight-forward. i finished with >15 minutes left in each section, but my mind would just kind of go BLANK at odd moments during the exam...

and i panicked when there was an acid/base passage (my WORST topic). idk, i guess we'll just have to wait and see...

 

[Steveoph]

I can't remember too well tyler. There was the torque, the bicarbonate, the radium, the resistors/boat, nuclear reactor...one more somewhere

 

[inthedark]

My experience:

PS- gen. chem. >>> physics, with an emphasis on stiochiometry. In other words, it was very calculation intensive -much more so than any AAMC practice exams I took- and this was very bad for me. I ran out of time and had to guess at least three simple, but time-consuming, questions. I felt like 95% of the conceptual understanding of physics I had nurtured over the past several months was for naught. In all, it was like the section anticipated my weaknesses and used them against me. I AAMC practice tested 11-12s, but feel my performance was 9-10 level.

Verbal- Who knows! My general impression has been no indication of my practice scoring, so I'll assume the same applies here. Focus was compromised after the PS slap in the face. Used every second of time and had to rush at the end. Practice test scores varied greatly with average of maybe 10.

BS- Much less O. chem., but more genetics than practice AAMCs. Format and difficulty was comparable. Always feel I do well here, but always make a few unrecognized errors so I'll assume I got a 10-12 like in practice.

WS- I'll be happy if I get an OPQ range score. I spent most of my time staring at the screen like an ass. Pulled off some nice essays in practice, but I just don't create in a controlled environment.

Overall feelings: Used, insulted, disappointed, empty-handed. 🙁 😱 😕

 

[sflo]

wow i felt like the mcat raped me anally without lube.
Sad to hear that everyone1 thought it went well probably even worse when scores get back lol.

PS: scored avg 10-11 on practice exams with 20 minutes to spare. Today had about 10 minutes to spare. Much guessing, so much ochem little physics. dissappointed wanted light/waves because much of the practice AAMCs hit that hard. Honestly felt so discouraged after.

VR: Its verbal what can you say. Much ambiguity always. firs few not so bad. Harder came later. and just finished on time.

BS: Wtf with genetics. Not much biochem which i wanted, and not much physiology, besides a passage about the kidneys and urine concentrations. felt stronger than physical but still iffy.

Honestly after my first MCAt I felt demoralized. Was avg 30-31 on AAMC's. Everything i was weak at was thrown at me so that is always fun. hope everyone the best and just relax now. its over

 

[chreesteene]

... I spent most of my time staring at the screen like an ass. Pulled off some nice essays in practice, but I just don't create in a controlled environment.

OMG YES. i was just like WHAAAAT, IDK WORDS? it didn't help that everyone else around me was typing away furiously.

 

[aam9886]

This was my first MCAT and i felt pretty good going into the exam. I had taken a total of about 10 practice tests and my scores on my last 3-4 exams were my target scores with PS being my best section.

I completely panicked when i started the exam... usually i don't have many issues with timing but at the halfway point of the PS section i was only done with 2 passages. The exam felt alot harder than most of the practice tests but my nerves played a MAJOR role. I had to guess on so many questions. After that as much as i tried i could not get my mind off the PS disaster and it really affected how i performed on my other sections.

Anyways, other than to vent about my situation... I'm posting because I would like some advice. My top priority is to apply this cycle. I know most people say that the scores average out to the practice tests.. or that some people think they did really bad but they get a good score, but i KNOW that i got at least 4-5 points lower than my average composite.

My question is what i should do in this position.. i did not void my exam because I wasn't sure if i could take it again. I would like to take the exam again and I feel i can do alot better... I dont think its possible to sign up for the july 18th date but .. should i sign up for an august date before or after my test results come back? also i was planning to submit my amcas in a couple days but i was wondering how much the mcat date would end up affecting my application. any suggestions would really help!! thanks

 

[medlover247]

I feel the same way as a lot of the people who posted above.

PS: I never had timing issues on any of my practice tests, but I had like 15 minutes for the last two passages, I really freaked out, I didn't even read the last two passages, I just went straight to the questions. I guessed on a lot of questions too. I keep thinking about I got wrong I'm already driving my self crazy! I hated the acid/base passage. I agree that it was very calculation, which is why I ran short on time.

VR: It was ok, but I never know with this one, so we'll see what happens. Most of the passages were pretty interesting.

BS: I feel pretty ok about this section. I liked that there was a little ochem. There were a few questions here and there that I had no idea about

I really dont know how I did, I'm hoping verbal and bio will make up for physcial sciences. I really feel like i bombed physical sciences, I dont think it was hard but timing really screwed me over.

We'll see in a month...

 

[NukeQuazar]

My experience:

PS- gen. chem. >>> physics, with an emphasis on stiochiometry. In other words, it was very calculation intensive -much more so than any AAMC practice exams I took ..... I felt like 95% of the conceptual understanding of physics I had nurtured over the past several months was for naught. In all, it was like the section anticipated my weaknesses and used them against me. I AAMC practice tested 11-12s, but feel my performance was 9-10 level.

Verbal- Who knows! ...... Focus was compromised after the PS slap in the face.

BS- Much less O. chem., but more genetics than practice AAMCs. Format and difficulty was comparable. Always feel I do well here, but always make a few unrecognized errors so I'll assume I got a 10-12 like in practice.

Overall feelings: Used, insulted, disappointed, empty-handed. 🙁 😱 😕

I agree completely. I'm especially pissed about spending $280 on AAMC practice tests that I feel mislead me into a false sense of security, thinking I was more than prepared.

 

[student1799]

My question is what i should do in this position.. I would like to take the exam again and I feel i can do alot better... I dont think its possible to sign up for the july 18th date but .. should i sign up for an august date before or after my test results come back?

I'm in almost the same boat as you--took the 7/8 MCAT and feel like I blew the PS. (I didn't even finish: had to leave 8-9 questions blank, so that put a lid on my score right there.) I'm also mulling over whether to retake, but I posted about it in the "Should I retake" thread. I'm thinking your question would be more suited to that thread also.

I do need to warn you of one thing: if you're even thinking of retaking in August, you have to register NOW, because everything is almost full already. I went looking for a seat today, and found that July 18th is booked solid at every test center for hundreds of miles around me. (I live in NYC, and I looked EVERYWHERE in NY State, NJ, CT, even RI, western MA and PA--no luck.) I was able to find a seat for August 5th, but it wasn't easy (it was in Brooklyn, because all the other NYC centers are full.) So you're basically going to have to sign up for a new date without knowing your score, and be prepared to eat part or all of the fee if you change your mind. But if you are going to retake, I'd do it sooner rather than later. (I.e. I think late August is going to put you at a disadvantage in this application cycle, because your scores won't be in until late September.) Of course, if you retake on August 5th or 7th, you'll have to do it without knowing your original score.

Good luck in your decision, and maybe I'll see you over at the "Should I retake" thread.

 

[Frunkey]

Wow!! Finally done!

PS - I was used to about 7-8 on all the practice exams. I had 2:30 left at the end of the questions. No time to check, but I wasn't rushed in the first place. Lots of math, but very simple math. If you knew the basics of everything, you were good.

VR - Very straightforward. I felt like all the right answers stood out this time, where there was always some question before.

WS - lame...as always...who cares right?

BS - A blur, riding high after the essays. Bio is everyone's favorite, and this was no different. Genomics, genetics, and physiology. Finished with time enough to do it all again.

👍

Relativity kicks in--30 very long days await.

 

[tokyoalisa1]

I thought that some questions in the BS and PS sections were easy while some were ridiculously hard (you either got it or you don't). I had to make some educated guesses.

The verbal was reasonable.

I'm hoping for a decent score so I can apply this cycle. Otherwise I'll plan to take it again and reapply in the future.

 

[Little Etoile]

PS: Yeah. PS pretty much murdered me. I took all but one of the AAMC practice tests, four TPR practice tests and I felt all right on them and was definitely really familiar with the material. The questions I was missing were just because of stupid mix-ups, not because I didn't know the material...

...But when I took the PS section today, I serioiusly felt like there was a mix-up and they'd given me the wrong test or something. Half the questions/passages I was like, "Huh? WTF?! I've never seen anything like this before!" There are only so many ways to ask a question on the MCAT, but apparently AAMC pulled some new ones out of their bag of tricks for this one. Jesus. Unreal.

And yeah, I was pissed at all of the repetition. Why are you testing me on the same stuff?? If I didn't know it the first time, I'm certainly not going to know it the second time. TEST ME ON STUFF I KNOW, DAMN IT. 😛 But beyond the personal disadvantage- and as someone else pointed out- this type of repetition really doesn't allow a student to show his/her aptitude. You would think that with the amount of money we pay, combined with the obvious effort they put into *other* areas (e.g. fingerprinting n all that) the least they could was to check the seven passages to make sure there isn't too much overlap. Ugh.

However! As a side note and to those of you worried because you didn't get to all of the passages, when I first took the test a couple years ago I ran out of time and had to randomly bubble in a passage and a half. PS was my weakest subject to begin with, so I was freaked out. I thought I bombed it. Ended up getting a ten. 🙂

V: This is my strongest subject. I didn't even really study for it. Not surprisingly I felt fine about my performance today. The last two passages about African religion and the Renaissance were kind of weird though. Anyway, we'll see! Hopefully pulled it out.

B: Hard to say. I was getting 11 and 12s on practice exams, so hopefully I'll get about the same on this one. There were a few weird passages and I finished with less time to spare than I normally do. All n all I really have no idea how I did.

Overall: I felt like this test was a departure from their and others' practice exams. It seemed really convoluted. TONS of calculations and they were long and indirect. Concepts were really buried. I really don't know how in the world people are saying it was straight forward. I've sat for the exam before. I've taken all the practice tests. This was *not* straight forward and it felt really, really different than the normal testing format. Like I said above with the PS section, it honestly felt like I had accidentally sat down in the wrong classroom and took someone else's final or something. Maybe it was just bad luck, but I felt like 97% of what I knew and worked so hard on was totally useless. *shrug*

I'm not freaking out though. It is what it is and almost everyone feels like they did worse than they did. Either way, there's nothing I can do about it now (but hope for a forgiving curve!). 😉

Good luck everyone!

 

[LC17]

I agree, the repitition was crazy. If you didn't know your chem well (or just bicarbinate lol) you were screwed for PS. In BS, if you were weak in the kidneys or genetics you were screwed yet again. I really feel that a lot of my studying went to waste...for Physics and Orgo I shouldn't of even opened the book...seriously, where was all the physics? (not 1 question on lens and spent forever getting my head around it)...And for BS there are so many systems, why just focus on 1 or 2?

I really hope the upcoming tests are more well rounded, and actually showcase the topics some people spend months studying...

 

[itsover26]

I agree, the repitition was crazy. If you didn't know your chem well (or just bicarbinate lol) you were screwed for PS. In BS, if you were weak in the kidneys or genetics you were screwed yet again. I really feel that a lot of my studying went to waste...for Physics and Orgo I shouldn't of even opened the book...seriously, where was all the physics? (not 1 question on lens and spent forever getting my head around it)...And for BS there are so many systems, why just focus on 1 or 2?

I really hope the upcoming tests are more well rounded, and actually showcase the topics some people spend months studying...

the like one physics passage was literally my WEAKEST physics topic. torque...i was seriously SOLID in any other physics topic. that is garbage, AAMC, and you know it.

 

[deathvvv]

hey guys
did everyone get the same passages? there were a few questions that i think that i didnt see on the exam

 

[cinnamonsugar]

hey guys
did everyone get the same passages? there were a few questions that i think that i didnt see on the exam

Oh my gosh I know!!
I keep getting paranoid that I skipped a passage or something.....>< there's no way we got different tests because we all took it at the same time--8AM...

I don't know if I can't remember any of these questions because I tried to block out all things MCAT after the test, or whether I really was rushing and got careless.....

I suppose there's nothing I can do...too late to void now!!


PS) I barely had to calculate anything. And everyone is saying there were a LOT of calculations. This is really strange. I thought the test on the whole was conceptual....😕

 

[LC17]

Oh my gosh I know!!
I keep getting paranoid that I skipped a passage or something.....>< there's no way we got different tests because we all took it at the same time--8AM...

I don't know if I can't remember any of these questions because I tried to block out all things MCAT after the test, or whether I really was rushing and got careless.....

I suppose there's nothing I can do...too late to void now!!


PS) I barely had to calculate anything. And everyone is saying there were a LOT of calculations. This is really strange. I thought the test on the whole was conceptual....😕

same here, I thought it was more conceptual too. Also, I don't remember a torque passage...what was it about? (not asking for exact detail or anything lol)

 

[J ROD]

There are different versions within the same testing class.

You usually have some of the same passages.

So, do not worry. You will have different versions.

 

[itsover26]

same here, I thought it was more conceptual too. Also, I don't remember a torque passage...what was it about? (not asking for exact detail or anything lol)

it was the passage on the hammer and bow'n'arrow pendulum. it wasn't that bad...but i hate torque and the question on it confused me haha. i spent a decent amount of time on it but to no avail. i was so angry afterward cuz it wasted time i could have used on the very last passage! 👎

 

[corduroy11]

PS: Yeah. PS pretty much murdered me. I took all but one of the AAMC practice tests, four TPR practice tests and I felt all right on them and was definitely really familiar with the material. The questions I was missing were just because of stupid mix-ups, not because I didn't know the material...

...But when I took the PS section today, I serioiusly felt like there was a mix-up and they'd given me the wrong test or something. Half the questions/passages I was like, "Huh? WTF?! I've never seen anything like this before!" There are only so many ways to ask a question on the MCAT, but apparently AAMC pulled some new ones out of their bag of tricks for this one. Jesus. Unreal.

And yeah, I was pissed at all of the repetition. Why are you testing me on the same stuff?? If I didn't know it the first time, I'm certainly not going to know it the second time. TEST ME ON STUFF I KNOW, DAMN IT. 😛 But beyond the personal disadvantage- and as someone else pointed out- this type of repetition really doesn't allow a student to show his/her aptitude. You would think that with the amount of money we pay, combined with the obvious effort they put into *other* areas (e.g. fingerprinting n all that) the least they could was to check the seven passages to make sure there isn't too much overlap. Ugh.

However! As a side note and to those of you worried because you didn't get to all of the passages, when I first took the test a couple years ago I ran out of time and had to randomly bubble in a passage and a half. PS was my weakest subject to begin with, so I was freaked out. I thought I bombed it. Ended up getting a ten. 🙂

V: This is my strongest subject. I didn't even really study for it. Not surprisingly I felt fine about my performance today. The last two passages about African religion and the Renaissance were kind of weird though. Anyway, we'll see! Hopefully pulled it out.

B: Hard to say. I was getting 11 and 12s on practice exams, so hopefully I'll get about the same on this one. There were a few weird passages and I finished with less time to spare than I normally do. All n all I really have no idea how I did.

Overall: I felt like this test was a departure from their and others' practice exams. It seemed really convoluted. TONS of calculations and they were long and indirect. Concepts were really buried. I really don't know how in the world people are saying it was straight forward. I've sat for the exam before. I've taken all the practice tests. This was *not* straight forward and it felt really, really different than the normal testing format. Like I said above with the PS section, it honestly felt like I had accidentally sat down in the wrong classroom and took someone else's final or something. Maybe it was just bad luck, but I felt like 97% of what I knew and worked so hard on was totally useless. *shrug*

I'm not freaking out though. It is what it is and almost everyone feels like they did worse than they did. Either way, there's nothing I can do about it now (but hope for a forgiving curve!). 😉

Good luck everyone!

I completely agree with you about your overall feelings. This definitely summed up the PS section for me. It was so frustrating because I felt like all the practice tests I did (AAMC 3, 8, 9, 10, 5 Kaplan tests, and AAMC PS sections for tests 6 and 7) were unbelievably unrepresentative of what we were faced with on the 10th. I don't understand why the AAMC would provide those exams as samples when they aren't samples of what we get AT ALL. I was getting 10 on every PS section except I got an 11 on the last one I did (AAMC 6) and I felt good about them. With Thursday's exam, I felt like I did before I even started studying...horribly horribly bad. There was only the circuit passage that I felt like was similar to old tests. I'm not even going to apply to American schools any more this year because I feel so bad about the PS section. All the other sections went okay for me too...making it even more frustrating. 🙁

 

[Alfred E Newman]

Generally, it seems most people feel pretty down on the PS section because of either content or they ran out of time due to the calculations involved. What's the chance the PS portion of the July 10 MCAT has a nice curve even if Verbal and BS arent curved so much?

 

[NukeQuazar]

Generally, it seems most people feel pretty down on the PS section because of either content or they ran out of time due to the calculations involved. What's the chance the PS portion of the July 10 MCAT has a nice curve even if Verbal and BS arent curved so much?

It's my understanding that every singe question is evaluated/curved/indexed/normalized against all test-takers. The problem/inequity with this is that those of us who prepared by diligently studying using AAMC guidelines and sample tests got screwed, versus people who might have randomly studied what what on this particular test. Thousands take these things--there are undoubtedly many physics majors who got 15 on this one.

 

[NukeQuazar]

It's my understanding that every singe question is evaluated/curved/indexed/normalized against all test-takers. The problem/inequity with this is that those of us who prepared by diligently studying using AAMC guidelines and sample tests got screwed, versus people who might have randomly studied what what on this particular test. Thousands take these things--there are undoubtedly many physics majors who got 15 on this one.

Oops, messy post, didn't preview. I meant "single," not "singe," and "studied what was on this particular test."

 

[ncguy2005]

I'm glad that some of you feel like me that the physics section wasn't so straight forward. I was starting to feel like I was the only one... I mean, honestly, I agree quite a few of the questions were fairly easy. But some of them just by looking at maybe three of them I could tell how much calculation was going to go into figuring it out and I moved on.

My strategy was to get through the entire test and answer as many questions that I knew, and then go back. Sadly once I got to the end of PS I had like 2.5 minutes left. I had like 6 marked....but I feel good that I at least got to read every passage and answer every question to the best of my ability. I'm really hoping the idea of "scoring in your practice" range is true for me...I really don't want to take this over.

The test feels like a blur though and it feels like the test was 8 questions and I guessed on 6 of them...I really can't remember it..haha.

Also... the power went out in verbal...that was a little distracting. Overall the test center was very nice and they worked very well with getting us in and out during breaks quickly.

 

[bluesnowbunny]

.

 

[CommSNTS]

i doubt it. go read past mcat threads. most say how hard their test was and how their test is gonna have a nice curve for sure! they all balance out in the end...don't worry about it. i'm sure most of the curves are about the same. go look through the AAMC practice test curves. they're all relatively the same.

also, keep in mind that we, the ppl on SDN, are the ones saying it may have been easier. i don't know if you realize this, but ppl on SDN NORMALLY get mid 30s. the SDN population is probably the top 20% of testers lol

Geez, I really hope so. That makes me feel somewhat better 'cause I've been doubting myself since yesterday.

 

[shzgoalie]

I took the paper version a few years ago and was pleasantly surprised, being able to walk out today at noon! The exam was much like everyone else has stated:
PS: lots of chem. Thankfully I'm better at that than physics. I finished the practice exams with 15-20 mins to spare. Finished today with < 5 mins.
VR: Five of the passages were pretty easy. My brain was fried by the time I got to the last two, lol. finished with < 2 mins left, just as the practice tests.
BS: Surprised by the amount of genetics and lack of ochem. Also surprised at the 2-3 questions requiring such detailed outside knowledge. Finished with 7 mins to spare.

Even though I finished and was confident, there's always that horrible feeling of uncertainty when leaving the testing center. Can't wait until August 12th!

Congrats to everyone who took it today!
time to party

I agree with you on the difference between the paper exam vs the computer exam. The whole MCAT experience is so much nicer than the 8-10 hour ORDEAL that the paper test was when I took it!

Thanks everyone for sharing their thoughts on this test. I am in the same boat as everyone. I was surprised by how "easy" it felt but am worried that the curve will be awful. On my previous round at the MCAT (April '04), I got VR 11, BS 10 and PS 8. In my recent practice tests my VR and BS have stayed the same and my PS bounced around from 7-10. I am really hoping to crack 30 this time around!

Only 29 more days to wait. Yea.