****Announcement For All August 19-20 MCAT Takers: Please Read****

[QofQuimica]

With a week left to go until test day, I just want to make sure that we are all on the same page as far as the rules about what is and is not permitted to be posted on SDN are concerned. It is natural after you finish the test to want to come here and discuss it, and that's fine. BUT, you absolutely, positively, under any circumstances, may NOT discuss individual test questions and answers on SDN. This is a very logical rule, because the AAMC might reuse the questions you post, and you could be giving future test-takers an unfair advantage. The AAMC does monitor what is posted here on SDN, so we are going to enforce this rule strictly.

We had a total and utter free-for-all on SDN in April, which necessitates our clamping down on offenders, and particularly repeat offenders, so that we can avoid a repeat of that. Thus, for those users who don't want to follow the rules, here are the repercussions: The first offense will result in your post being deleted and your thread being locked, and you will receive a warning by PM telling you to stop posting specific information about the MCAT on SDN. The second offense will result in you being post held, which means that you will not be able to post on SDN for a few days.

With that unpleasantness out of the way, I know that there is some confusion about what may and may not be posted on SDN. Broadly, anything that is general and common knowledge may be posted. Anything that relates to specific content that a person who did not take the test could not know would be on the test may NOT be posted. Here are some examples.

ACCEPTABLE: I thought the passage about stereochemistry was difficult. What did you all think? (Stereochemistry is on the list of AAMC topics to study, so anyone could reasonably infer that a stereochemistry passage could appear on the MCAT without having seen your test form. Posting the general passage topic is ok.)
UNACCEPTABLE: The passage says that the stereochemistry of compound A is R, but after it goes through an Sn2 reaction it is still R. How can this be? (Too specific as far as giving info directly from the test.)

ACCEPTABLE: How do you figure out what the rate-limiting step of a reaction is? (RLS is a general topic that is covered on the list of AAMC topics.)
UNACCEPTABLE: Question #43 in PS asked for the RLS of the decomposition of ozone. I thought it was the first step. Did anyone else put the first step? (Too specific; posts an actual MCAT question!)

ACCEPTABLE: Did any of you find that you didn't get any of the answer choices for the question asking you to calculate the pH of the buffer? (Calculating a buffer's pH is a general topic on the AAMC list.)
UNACCEPTABLE: I got 0.2 M for that question about calculating buffer pH, but that wasn't one of the answer choices. What did you guys get? (Not only can you not post AAMC test questions; you can't post question answers, either.)

ACCEPTABLE: I got partway through solving the magnetic field problem, but I couldn't figure out the answer. (Again, it is common knowledge that magnetic fields can be tested on the MCAT. Responders to this post should not then go and post the answer though!)
UNACCEPTABLE: How did you know that you had to multiply the answer by 1/4 for the magnetic field question? (Gives details on how to solve a specific MCAT problem.)
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Above all, please use your common sense, and if you're in doubt about whether you should post something, don't. We really don't want to have to spend our Saturday night post holding anxious post-MCAT pre-meds, so please, please, PLEASE follow the rules when you post on SDN. Good luck to all of the August MCATers.

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