Advice needed, 1 more week before MCAT

[coolcucumber91]

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I was originally supposed to take it last September, but I voided. Now my MCAT is in a week. Oddly enough, I was expecting my verbal to drag my down a lot, but the last 2 AAMCs I've taken (4 and 8), I've got this:

4: 10 P; 9 V; 8 B --> 27
8: 9 P; 10 V; 9 B --> 28

So it seems like my priority is to increase my sciences. Physical frustrates me because I feel like I know everything...every time I look over my mistakes I'm like "DUH"

Biological is kicking my butt. I'm gonna quickly review some bio weak points and reinforce my organic.

I'm going to take 2 more AAMCs. What should I be scoring to not void? I really don't want to void because I want to apply as early as possible. Any thoughts?? Advice on how to study?

I've taken 3 others in the past, and I got this respectively: 25, 26, 26.

 

[Mt Kilimanjaro]

I was originally supposed to take it last September, but I voided. Now my MCAT is in a week. Oddly enough, I was expecting my verbal to drag my down a lot, but the last 2 AAMCs I've taken (4 and 8), I've got this:

4: 10 P; 9 V; 8 B --> 27
8: 9 P; 10 V; 9 B --> 28

So it seems like my priority is to increase my sciences. Physical frustrates me because I feel like I know everything...every time I look over my mistakes I'm like "DUH"

Biological is kicking my butt. I'm gonna quickly review some bio weak points and reinforce my organic.

I'm going to take 2 more AAMCs. What should I be scoring to not void? I really don't want to void because I want to apply as early as possible. Any thoughts?? Advice on how to study?

I've taken 3 others in the past, and I got this respectively: 25, 26, 26.

Why not cancel and take in April or may? Your bio and ps could improve with another few weeks of intense review.

 

[coolcucumber91]

Why not cancel and take in April or may? Your bio and ps could improve with another few weeks of intense review.

It'll be a waste of money and I really want to get it over with...but I will definitely be registering for a later test date. As of now, I want to give all I've got

 

[Mt Kilimanjaro]

It'll be a waste of money and I really want to get it over with...but I will definitely be registering for a later test date. As of now, I want to give all I've got

I'm no MCAT guru but I think it would make more sense to wait until you feel confident you'll break 30.

 

[ragnarokx]

It'll be a waste of money and I really want to get it over with...but I will definitely be registering for a later test date. As of now, I want to give all I've got

What's worse - dragging out this test, or doing poorly and having to retake?

 

[EnginrTheFuture]

It'll be a waste of money and I really want to get it over with...but I will definitely be registering for a later test date. As of now, I want to give all I've got

Wanting to getting it over with when prepared, okay... getting it over with when you are scoring under 30, not recommended. I wouldn't want to have a <27 lurking on my app even with a 32 later.

Honestly, the real thing is harder than the practice exams. The scoring may work out the same, but it is much harder. I would suggest you take some of the later exams, but I have a feeling you'll need them in the future so I do not want you to waste them. If I were you, I would postpone until an early June exam and study extremely hard for the next two months until I was scoring >32 consistently.

Verbal is a crap shoot. Significant consistent gains in verbal are hard to come by above a score of 9. Bio and Physics, much much easier to get significant consistent gains there.

I would do a randomized set of TBR physics/genchem/orgo/ bio passages to find my weaknesses and really dissect why I do not understand what I am getting wrong. I would not use practice exams until I felt very very ready because they are a limited resource.

The fact that you are saying "duh" means you probably know the material but are not good at applying it (lacking practice). On the real deal, you will be expected to do it right but more importantly do it fast. Intuition and fast practical math skills are a huge advantage. All of this points to practice... so that is what I would do for a couple months, throw in a practice exam in the middle and then the rest of the practice exams at the end.

That's my 2 cents. Good luck!!!

 

[Cambino]

I was originally supposed to take it last September, but I voided. Now my MCAT is in a week. Oddly enough, I was expecting my verbal to drag my down a lot, but the last 2 AAMCs I've taken (4 and 8), I've got this:

4: 10 P; 9 V; 8 B --> 27
8: 9 P; 10 V; 9 B --> 28

So it seems like my priority is to increase my sciences. Physical frustrates me because I feel like I know everything...every time I look over my mistakes I'm like "DUH"

Biological is kicking my butt. I'm gonna quickly review some bio weak points and reinforce my organic.

I'm going to take 2 more AAMCs. What should I be scoring to not void? I really don't want to void because I want to apply as early as possible. Any thoughts?? Advice on how to study?

I've taken 3 others in the past, and I got this respectively: 25, 26, 26.

Dude you're not ready. Don't take the MCAT until you have practice tests averaging 30+ consistently. Why is there such a rush mentality? If you get into medical school and become a physician, you will be a physician for the rest of your life. What's the difference of waiting another 2 months or 2 years really.

 

[TheShaker]

Past scores affect your application, don't take it just to retake in the future. I recommend that you reserve at least a few weeks of dedicated intense study time. That way you can condense the studying enough to make connections between different subjects which is important for a strong score.

 

[Chem4Days]

Agree 100% with the other posts in this thread. Wait until your above 30 take it. Your verbal is good right now. The sciences are the easiest to improve, so just go over the content till you know it cold. After that, go rock the test and start applying.

 

[music2doc]

I was originally supposed to take it last September, but I voided. Now my MCAT is in a week. Oddly enough, I was expecting my verbal to drag my down a lot, but the last 2 AAMCs I've taken (4 and 8), I've got this:

4: 10 P; 9 V; 8 B --> 27
8: 9 P; 10 V; 9 B --> 28

So it seems like my priority is to increase my sciences. Physical frustrates me because I feel like I know everything...every time I look over my mistakes I'm like "DUH"

Biological is kicking my butt. I'm gonna quickly review some bio weak points and reinforce my organic.

I'm going to take 2 more AAMCs. What should I be scoring to not void? I really don't want to void because I want to apply as early as possible. Any thoughts?? Advice on how to study?

I've taken 3 others in the past, and I got this respectively: 25, 26, 26.

Frankly, you need to postpone it 1-2 months and get your sciences up. The verbal is often fairly stable but it seems many people drop on their sciences a bit (1-2 pts) b/w the AAMCs and the real thing. If you're hoping to go MD, you should be scoring mid-30s on the most recent AAMCs (9-11) just prior to the real thing. As of now, you would be looking at podiatry school and a Hail Mary for some DO program interviews.

 

[Chem4Days]

Frankly, you need to postpone it 1-2 months and get your sciences up. The verbal is often fairly stable but it seems many people drop on their sciences a bit (1-2 pts) b/w the AAMCs and the real thing. If you're hoping to go MD, you should be scoring mid-30s on the most recent AAMCs (9-11) just prior to the real thing. As of now, you would be looking at podiatry school and a Hail Mary for some DO program interviews.

I agree with postponing, however a 26-28 is by no means only acceptable for podiatry school. That score is more than sufficient for DO barring any major hiccups on the rest of the application.

 

[music2doc]

I agree with postponing, however a 26-28 is by no means only acceptable for podiatry school. That score is more than sufficient for DO barring any major hiccups on the rest of the application.

You should have read my post more closely:

Fact: Avg DO school is around a 25-26
Fact: OP is scoring about ~9/9/9 on older practice tests (8 is probably the easiest of the AAMCs)
Fact: Most people drop 1-2 pts on the sciences

So... probable score for OP: 8/9/7 = 24.... that's not going to help with a DO app (although it does not bar the OP from DO either)

 

[Spinach Dip]

You've got a good start, and practicing BS and PS should get you up to the 'magical' 30 mark.

Try flashcards and careful review of your tests after the fact.

Good luck!👍

 

[music2doc]

You've got a good start, and practicing BS and PS should get you up to the 'magical' 30 mark.

Try flashcards and careful review of your tests after the fact.

Good luck!👍

I would avoid flashcards as you are not trying to memorize anything. The goal is application. You need to do LOTS of practice passages. If you had a year or more, I'd say tutor those subjects to REALLY understand them.

 

[Spinach Dip]

I would avoid flashcards as you are not trying to memorize anything. The goal is application. You need to do LOTS of practice passages. If you had a year or more, I'd say tutor those subjects to REALLY understand them.

I found flashcards extremely helpful for memorizing equations (F=ma, V=IR, etc) and important biological concepts. Briefly, they increase your knowledge base, which in turn increases how well you can score on passages.

But the most important factor by far is your own dedication to studying for the test.



(Also, you can read the thread in my sig if you want to see how I boosted my MCAT score.)

 

[wish2bMD]

Were you studying the whole time since last September to prepare for the MCAT?
I honestly think it will be a waste of time for you to take off another month or two if you're going to continue studying the same way. Especially if you've been studying since last September and are seeing such little progress.

If you are going to take some more time to prepare, you will have to approach MCAT studying differently in order to see significant improvements. EnginrTheFuture hits on some key points.
1) tackle your weaknesses and take very good notes. go over problems again and again. If you have trouble with one topic, compile a list of practice problems and go over them thoroughly.
2) since it sounds like you're getting a lot of 'I totally knew the answer' moments, it sounds like your problem is either not doing practice problems or not being comfortable enough in an MCAT test like setting (or both). Take practice exams until you get used to the timing and don't have to rush as much. Wear ear plugs. Also, take your practice exams again (after a while so you don't just remember the correct answer choice) to see if you really understand the material. Make the same mistake twice= admit that you don't really know the material as well as you thought you did. Of course ignore the score for your retakes on practice exams. If you need more practice exams, I recommend TBR. Practice exams are great ways to find out your weaknesses, but are a limited resource.
3) take some time to understand why something is the way it is. The key to doing well on the PS and BS sections is to genuinely understand the material rather than plugging and chugging. You may see things on the MCAT that you've never seen before. For example, you may encounter a new orgo reaction. You should be able to find the correct answer based on your knowledge of other reactions you are already familiar with.

If you need more review material, I recommend TBR or Princeton Review review books. They explain topics pretty well and have a lot of practice problems as well. Old editions work well if you want to save some money.

Also remember to keep an eye out for questions that require you to convert units. Ex. you need to use a number in meters, but they gave it to you in cm.

Remember that the avg. for someone attending an MD school is around a 31 at the moment. If you are a URM, then upper twenties may be all you need depending on your gpa. If you are not a URM and have a mediocre or a low gpa, you will definitely need a 30+.

Look at the graphs in this thread to get a better understanding of what MCAT score you should get with your gpa:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=888650

Good luck!

You don't want to end up in a pickle, coolcucumber91 😀

 

[coolcucumber91]

Thank you for your responses! Yeah, the truth is I probably needed to do more practice problems. I have done the MCAT self assessment and the practice AAMCs, but other than that I haven't done much. I got caught in the endless cycle of content reviewing last year...and that wasted my time.

I just got a copy of the hyper learning science prep book so until now til the beginning of May I will be thoroughly doing all those problems. Looking over my mistakes and looking through the book for further explanations if needed. I feel this will be helpful for the physical science especially. Especially since the hyper learning passages are timed and I feel that's what I need to work on. Any thoughts about this?

Also, I'm going to use the extra time to go over organic chemistry, because that was my weak point. I've went through the Kaplan but I still feel I'm weak. I have the copy of the Berkeley Review so I will reinforce my knowledge. So far, I really like it.

Biology, I'm gonna to problems but continuously go over the material to make sure I don't forget anything. And do the hyper learning problems of course.

Any comments and critiques would be helpful!!!

 

[coolcucumber91]

I mean, I haven't done all the practice AAMCs. I have 9, 10, and 11 left. But the others I done was I wasn't ready, except for 2 of them

 

[Bamfu]

30+ is something to aim for, but it is not a requirement for med school (even M.D.). It is only a requirement to be a sure thing. I think if your EC's are good, your current average would be plenty fine for D.O., and a 28 could get you into an M.D. program. Note: could =\= would

Remember, if average acceptance is 31, there are definitely schools accepting lower than 31. I know of at least one person accepted with a 26 in my class (M.D.) this August. I also know a practicing physician that scored a 24 - also M.D. He's actually a great doctor and performed very well in med school.. it just took him getting his feet wet to give a ****. Neither are minorities.

And FWIW, not everyone does worse on the real thing than their practice AAMCs. I've seen plenty of folks score higher. I've seen folks score lower. And lots of folks score their average (including me).. which I found to be the most common according to all the 'Official Test Date X' threads I went through leading up to my test and the buddies I went through it all with.

In the end, I'd say it's definitely safer to wait until you break 30 at least a couple times, but the anxiety of not having taken that freaking test is still fresh on my mind - I know how bad it sucks and how great it felt to have taken it. I don't know what I would do in your situation. Good luck!

 

[survivordo]

Even if you score what you're averaging you are just barely cutting it. Many people score significantly less on the actual test day. VERY few do better. I agree 100% with posters above, your best bet is to hold off. A few months and some $$ here will mean nothing in the long run compared to getting a poor score. If you do decide to go through with it then good luck!

Survivor DO

 

[coolcucumber91]

Even if you score what you're averaging you are just barely cutting it. Many people score significantly less on the actual test day. VERY few do better. I agree 100% with posters above, your best bet is to hold off. A few months and some $$ here will mean nothing in the long run compared to getting a poor score. If you do decide to go through with it then good luck!

Survivor DO

Yes, thank you! I am taking it the end of May. I want to get my score up to at least a 32. It's doable, isn't it? As long as a do enough practice problems and study HARD until my test date. Also, my verbal isn't holding me back too much, it's just a matter of raising my science like 2 points each...

I am applying for MD btw guys... I realize what I was thinking was dumb as I should get at least a 30 on the MCAT. My gpa is around a 3.74 (okay I guess) and I have solid ecs

 

[DocGodfather]

You should reconsider taking the test if you're not breaking 30. Heck, I just changed my April MCAT to May, because I feel like the extra 4 weeks will help a lot. You'll still be able to register early with an April or May MCAT.

 

[Shenanigan]

You should reconsider taking the test if you're not breaking 30. Heck, I just changed my April MCAT to May, because I feel like the extra 4 weeks will help a lot. You'll still be able to register early with an April or May MCAT.

This, exactly. I pushed mine back and it made a huge difference.

It's early... Taking it now vs in a month won't impact your application negatively. It will just give you ample opportunity to study and get a better score. You should not feel like you need to cram or study hardcore the last week, or at least the last few days before the exam. You might get fatigued and do worse