Any suggestions

[woodhorse22]

Hello. I am planning to retake the MCAT sometime in Spring. I got a 21 Q (5v, 8p,8B). Very very dissappointed. What material should I use to improve my score? I used up all of the EK 101 verbal passages and all of the AAMc3r-7r. I used the TPR books to review. I had the EK complete study pacakge, but I didnt use it at all. Should I try the EK study package this time around. WHat about the 1001 quesitons book series? Do these help. For verbal, i will just start to read the Economist on a regular basis.

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[akinf]

I think you may be approaching some material incorrectly. Try not to focus too much on details when studying, but more on major concepts and exceptions. I found MCAT tested exceptions to rules or special cases often.

Also, try not figure out exactly what is going on in each passage, but try to find the concept behind it. For example, the Doppler effect can be disguised in many ways, but they ask they same fundamental questions every single time.

 

[serendipity0112]

I would also recommend reading scientific papers on a regular basis in addition to the Economist. Reading articles from Science, Nature, and other major publications should help with the bio. The test makers seem to take a lot of passages from previous experiments/studies and modify them slightly to get the exam passages. The physiology you'll just have to study on your own but for a lot of molecular biology and genetics stuff scientific papers should be a big help. Don't get too bogged down with the details but try to understand why they did certain experiments and what did the results mean. Basically, you have to be able to deduce things and think critically on the test.

 

[UMP]

Did you study hard?

If the answer is yes...
call it quits.
There are too many standardized tests in this field, and those tests are not your strong point, unfortunately.

 

[woodhorse22]

to ump,
I didnt ask you to bring me down or discourage me. I didnt ask you to judge me as a student; i simply asked for advice on studying material. I dont think u have the right to say ***t like that... you might have a good MCAT score but that doesnt show who you are.. so think before u type up ****. dont try to be pompous or anything..

 

[vooweevoo]

to ump,
I didnt ask you to bring me down or discourage me. I didnt ask you to judge me as a student; i simply asked for advice on studying material. I dont think u have the right to say ***t like that... you might have a good MCAT score but that doesnt show who you are.. so think before u type up ****. dont try to be pompous or anything..

I think he was just trying to give sound advice. If you've struggled with standardized tests before chances are you will in the future, but it's just that chances. Who's to say somewhere along the line you might catch the MCAT for what it is and kill it the next time?

There's a lot of good general advice on this forum, but the most basic things I think you need to focus on are: 1) you said you didn't read the entire EK material, if that's the case it's possible there's a lot of areas the MCAT is testing you are not jiving with - if that's the case you owe it to yourself to know the material the MCAT is testing in and out - read ALL the material until your sick of it, then do the 1001 questions until you're even more sick of it - goes for chem/orgo/physics 2) verbal: you *need* to be able to understand where the auther is coming from, I'd recommed going over the EK 101's again and make sure you can do that and continue improving your critical reading skills.

 

[Maccha]

Woodie,

Nobody is born with the talent of getting a very good score in MCAT or any standardized tests, so dont worry about it., All you need is determination and belief in yourself that you can do better.

Work hard and harder to get there, I know a friend who took GMAT 3 times and got bad score first time, Worst score second time, and then, he read the same material but with more determination and strength, took it as a challenge, and succeded the 3rd time with 90% score. So, you cant say that you wont be able to be succesful, just try and try harder you will surely succeed. Many people wont be bold enough to even ask for advise, so you are stronger than them, and you know what you want.

So Good luck, there is nothing that you cant do, if you want... Just be strong and work hard, Success is yours.

 

[eraser]

Did you study hard?

If the answer is yes...
call it quits.
There are too many standardized tests in this field, and those tests are not your strong point, unfortunately.

You are wrong. On many levels.
The answer should be "if the answer is yes... Don't give up. Try again and study harder".
In its current form your reply makes you look like an a$$.