Anybody take AAMC 6R today?

[BaylorGuy]

So i took 6R today and wound up scoring a 34 (PS=11 VR=11 BS=12). It was the same as 5R but with a different distribution. I thought i was gonna score lower because i felt that the physical section really took it out of me and i thought it was going to affect the rest of my test. There were some easy questions that I missed in PS and BS.

On a side note, does anyone have some sort of mnemonic so as to remember what happens to the charge of an amino acid when placed in pH's greater and less to its pI??? I always seem to get this confused and wind up putting the wrong sign of the charge.

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[SanDiegoSOD]

There is no need for a mnemonic. There are two sides to an amino acid that you have to worry about when it comes to charge, unless you have a side group that ends with R-NH2 or R-COOH, in which case you need to worry about the charge of the side chain. In the case of low pH, we know that there are excess protons in the water, so our amino acids don't want to contribute to this excess and they hold onto their protons. That is, COOH will remain protonated, and NH2 will accept a proton to become NH3, leading to a charge of +1. In the case of high pH, we know that there is a lack of protons in the water, so our amino acids want to compensate for this lack by donating its weakly held Hydrogens. Therefore our NH2 remains neutral, and our COOH donates the proton to become COO- (with a charge of negative one). If the solution is nuetral, the AA exists as a zwitterion - both sides are charged as NH3+ and COO-, leading to an overall nuetral charge.
I hope this helps and that its not too convoluted.

 

[tank you]

whenever there is an isoelectric of pKa problem for amino acids, i ALWAYS draw what the amino and carboxylic acid group looks like at that pH.

 

[BaylorGuy]

Thanks a bunch guys. I think SanDiegoSOD did a good job in explaining it. I know that the NH2 and COOH are the ones that act in the charge (as well as some side chains if NH2 or COOH is present), but i always got mixed up as to which is protonated and which is deprotonated. I think i understand this much better now. Thanks

 

[redclover]

Hey!!! I got the same exact scores as you!!!!!!!!! (11P 11V 12 B) WIERD. But yeah, i made so many dumb mistakes it was not even funny.

Grrr. I only went up 2 from my last diag........these crappy AAMC are so different from the crappy TPR ones...man I have to make a whole new strategy now.

So yea the PS was all chem....and it was mostly calculations compared to TPR tests, I thought...
Also I thought the verbal was pretty much impossible compared to TPR....
and yeah BS was easy...guess thats why the curve wasn't that great, LOL.

screw studying problems...i think im just gonna practice AAMC from now onnnnn.....GL all

 

[Shredder]

Just took it and graded it. 13 10 13. Pissed off! 40 is happening on the real thing, I don't care about these fake ones! Since when is Ar3CX not a free radical argon halide, that is a totally misleading formula! I didn't pace myself well on this verbal and couldn't get to that ice glacier one. I feel all studied out, I'm just hoping for a good test 2 weeks from now. I hardly even bother reviewing missed answers after finishing tests; usually the ones I miss are specific to the test and will never be seen again. That DNA helix angle question was bad, as were many others. It could have very well been A or Z considering the deviations given. Now I only have 7 and 8 left...good luck to myself and everyone. I swear those verbal questions can be so subjective and I disagree with them all.

 

[redclover]

aww dont worry...i know how u feel...just keep trying u will get the score u want...

btw i had problems with the same things....and yea the verbal was just ******ed

 

[tank you]

i took it today, and i cant believe how bad i did in verbal, i have been scoring 9-10 on all other tests. i got 11P,7V,12B!!!!!!!!

edit: looking back over PS and BS part, i totally should have scored 12P,13B (i was 1 question away for both). as for the verbal, it can go to hell! hopefully, i will get my avg verbal score on 7.

 

[redclover]

like i said the verbal was just messed up

 

[gujuDoc]

Just took it and graded it. 13 10 13. Pissed off! 40 is happening on the real thing, I don't care about these fake ones! Since when is Ar3CX not a free radical argon halide, that is a totally misleading formula! I didn't pace myself well on this verbal and couldn't get to that ice glacier one. I feel all studied out, I'm just hoping for a good test 2 weeks from now. I hardly even bother reviewing missed answers after finishing tests; usually the ones I miss are specific to the test and will never be seen again. That DNA helix angle question was bad, as were many others. It could have very well been A or Z considering the deviations given. Now I only have 7 and 8 left...good luck to myself and everyone. I swear those verbal questions can be so subjective and I disagree with them all.

Don't sweat it. You'll do great. I have faith that you'll get in the 38-40 range. Where are you shooting to go to med school?? Harvard I'm assuming. Just curious since you are soooooo anxious to get a 40. I'm sure you'll do great.
P.S. I'm sure in June you'll be the one getting ready to teach MCAT classes and posting on here on the MCAT tips board. LOL

 

[JDWflash44]

I took it on saturday, got 12B, 12P, 9V. Was definetly my worst score on verbal in a while, been consistantly getting 10's or 11's on both earlier AAMC and EK's 101 passages. BTW, got 33 on 3r, 32 on 4r, and 35 on 5r, 7r next saturday, then the real thing....


And there really is no big deal whether you get a 37 or a 40, dont think a 40 is much more impressive than a 37, both amazing scores, maybe a difference of 1 or 2 questions on each section, just something to think about

 

[kekee]

U guys have nothing to worry about. You are all in a very good place. If you had received my gradses 7P 8V 8B. Then you would have every right to be very nervous. I have taken time off of work for the next two weeks to study for the test. I was hoping for 30 do you guys think it is a lost cause? ANy tips would be greatly apprecia ted.

 

[Shredder]

Don't sweat it. You'll do great. I have faith that you'll get in the 38-40 range. Where are you shooting to go to med school?? Harvard I'm assuming. Just curious since you are soooooo anxious to get a 40. I'm sure you'll do great. Did you need test 8? Let me know and I'll pm you. Test 8 is the latest one out on aamc.

P.S. I'm sure in June you'll be the one getting ready to teach MCAT classes and posting on here on the MCAT tips board. LOL

Ha you're great gujudoc. I don't know about Harvard. I have no application confidence after getting rejected by MIT and UC Berkeley for undergrad. I guess I just didn't go about it right, so I'll have to make amends this time around. 40 heheh it would be sweet to get it, but I would only shed tears if I dipped below 35 since that's pretty much enough for top 10. But the big, bad 40 can't hurt! 14 12 14 is doable. As for teaching, I tried tutoring for the SAT--not too fun, I get impatient and can't easily put things in simple terms.

Sure there is little pragmatic difference between 39 and 40, but you tell me which you would rather have. It just puts you into another league, and it rolls off the tongue so nicely! Kekee, try flipping through the AAMC MCAT syllabus and quickly reviewing topics you don't know well, and I predict a score jump.

 

[BaylorGuy]

Hey Shredder, when are you taking AAMC 7 and 8? I'm thinking about taking 7 on thursday, then 8 the next tuesday, and then pretty much coast on into the test that saturday. I think i've got my self situated into some kind of rhythm where I'm not stressed for time or anything. But then on the other hand, I have already taken it before so i kind of know what kind of endurance and stamina the test requires.

But i agree with you guys, the verbal was some of the toughest that i've done, i dont know how i managed that score. I'm more than sure i can get at least 40 questions right, but it always seems like the last 20 are complete guess (not in any order)...it seems i must have had a lucky day.

and much like JDWflash said, the difference between a 37 and a 40 is only a handful of questions. Heck, i got a 34, but was 2 right answers away from a 36...its just those last few that really do it.

 

[Shredder]

Princeton's administering 7 this Saturday, so I'll get in a final test simulation then, and I'm planning on tackling 8 on Sunday. That nuisance called school gets in the way during the week, so I don't want to risk putting 8 off any. That week I'm just going to look over all of the aamc tests to see what I missed and how to fix it, and some of that this week too. Also reviewing weak points in the prep books and perhaps looking at that aamc syllabus. A handful of questions indeed, but it can work in your favor as well as against it, it just depends on what you make of it and how you see the water in the glass. On the test day you'll be in the zone and get them right.

 

[redclover]

you aren't taking 3?

 

[Shredder]

I've already taken 3R, 4R, and 5R in the past several weeks. 3 was really easy and not an accurate representation of the test, heed its results with caution. That's why it's free.

 

[gujuDoc]

U guys have nothing to worry about. You are all in a very good place. If you had received my gradses 7P 8V 8B. Then you would have every right to be very nervous. I have taken time off of work for the next two weeks to study for the test. I was hoping for 30 do you guys think it is a lost cause? ANy tips would be greatly apprecia ted.

This depends on how much you have been studying and practicing and whether you have been able to improve your test taking skillls any. It also depends on how you spend the next two weeks. In the past people such as The Prowler, as well as others have said that they studied the 3 weeks before the test and made 36 and above scores. However, these same people did not need to review a lot because they had retained much of what they did in undergrad. On the other hand, there are those that need a couple of months to study beause they need to rereview things that they may not have looked at in over 2 years in some cases.

If you feel that you are confident knowing the material, then I would take practice tests for the whole week and review what you are getting wrong and rereview those points of question. If you think you could use a lot more practice, I say wait til August.

And if you have to wait til August, know that there is a slight disadvantage to taking it then, that does not mean you won't get into a school this year. I have several friends whom applied taking the later MCAT with success of gaining admission this year. So don't take it if you are not prepared. Really it depends on the aforementioned factors.

 

[gujuDoc]

Hey!!! I got the same exact scores as you!!!!!!!!! (11P 11V 12 B) WIERD. But yeah, i made so many dumb mistakes it was not even funny.

Grrr. I only went up 2 from my last diag........these crappy AAMC are so different from the crappy TPR ones...man I have to make a whole new strategy now.

So yea the PS was all chem....and it was mostly calculations compared to TPR tests, I thought...
Also I thought the verbal was pretty much impossible compared to TPR....
and yeah BS was easy...guess thats why the curve wasn't that great, LOL.

screw studying problems...i think im just gonna practice AAMC from now onnnnn.....GL all

PS on the real exam varies from form to form. My friend had a form that had a ton of math and needing to know equations. i had a form which had very very very very little math and all conceptual. Much more like test 8's PS.

You should really look at all the AAMC tests more than TPR tests. TPR tests are harder and slightly formated differently. However, AAMC are better indicators of how the real test is. They are much more true to the style of the real MCAT in that the last 2 were two actual MCATs that were administered and the others are revised versions of much older tests. At this point too, where there are only 2 tests left, it is much better invest your time in taking the AAMCs and then reviewing what you got wrong and reviewing the concepts behind what you got wrong on other exams.

 

[natureboy]

They are much more true to the style of the real MCAT in that the last 2 were two actual MCATs that were administered and the others are revised versions of much older tests.

Are you sure that 7 and 8 were two actual MCATs? I thought that all of AAMC's exams are a compilation of "previously administered items"?

BTW, is 8 comparable to 7 in terms of difficulty?

 

[redclover]

dont worry...it will still go up...you have time left to practice...sounds like u need to raise P so I would memorize the equations and all that

 

[liverotcod]

Are you sure that 7 and 8 were two actual MCATs? I thought that all of AAMC's exams are a compilation of "previously administered items"?

I think you're right.

BTW, is 8 comparable to 7 in terms of difficulty?

That's so subjective. It really depends on what your strengths and weaknesses are. The scoring translation should balance the overall "difficulty" or "ease" of a particular exam form. That's why I don't buy that 3R was all that easy. It may have seemed easier, but I don't think it makes for an easier score.

 

[tigress]

I took 6R today. I agree with everybody, the VR section was pretty hard. Much harder than on 8. I did better on PS than I thought I was doing while I took it, though. Overall I'm fine with the score but I do need to keep on plugging away. I think I'm going to focus on orgo for a day or two. I'm taking 7 on Friday.

The way I'm thinking now: it's sort of like I have finals coming up in 2 weeks in physics, bio, ochem, and gchem. But I can only think of maybe once in college when I actually started studying for finals 2 weeks in advance! So I still have plenty of time for improvement.

Oh, and I'm taking 3R as my last full-length because I want the extra confidence from the supposedly "easier" test

 

[Shredder]

I was surprised to see UV spectroscopy show up on this test. In case it appears on the real one, can someone quickly summarize what it is for? I found the test solution a little too convoluted for my liking. I wish I could forget about it, but I would hit myself in the head if there is a question or passage about it in April. Strong absorption if there are conjugated systems, and I guess weak or no absorption if there aren't?

 

[natureboy]

I took 6R today. I agree with everybody, the VR section was pretty hard. Much harder than on 8. I did better on PS than I thought I was doing while I took it, though. Overall I'm fine with the score but I do need to keep on plugging away. I think I'm going to focus on orgo for a day or two. I'm taking 7 on Friday.

The way I'm thinking now: it's sort of like I have finals coming up in 2 weeks in physics, bio, ochem, and gchem. But I can only think of maybe once in college when I actually started studying for finals 2 weeks in advance! So I still have plenty of time for improvement.

Oh, and I'm taking 3R as my last full-length because I want the extra confidence from the supposedly "easier" test

Anyone else feel that the verbal on 6 was harder than on 8? Just curious...I may buy it just for the confidence booster alone. I'm taking 7 this saturday.

 

[BaylorGuy]

I was surprised to see UV spectroscopy show up on this test. In case it appears on the real one, can someone quickly summarize what it is for? I found the test solution a little too convoluted for my liking. I wish I could forget about it, but I would hit myself in the head if there is a question or passage about it in April. Strong absorption if there are conjugated systems, and I guess weak or no absorption if there aren't?

I'd have to agree with Shredder on this one, I was a little suprised they had UV spec on it. I'm glad I had an upper level o-chem that helped me out.

The basics of UV spec are as follows. A system/molecule/compound that has conjugated dienes, will absorb frequencies of light in the UV spectrum (ex. of these compounds include benzene and any of its derivatives, 1,3-butadiene, 3,5-pentadiene, etc.) Any compound that has double bonds, but are NOT conjugated, or a compound without double bonds at all will not absorb any UV frequency. As for triple bonds, I'm not sure at this moment...i cant remember

This was one of those you either know it or you dont questions. I got confused on one of the gchem questions when they asked about the ionization constant of the acid, and i had no idea what is was (I later found out it was the Ka of the acid...it would have been easier if they said that).

 

[tank you]

was i the only one that had trouble on that damn comet passage in PS and the drosophilia x-linked passage in BS? i missed many question on both passages...

 

[BaylorGuy]

Both of those passages were tough as nails, and they made no sense at all. The comet one was more theoretical than practical considering it involved a big spectrum of newtonian physics. The x-linked drosophila passage was very confusing as well. I must have gotten lucky and guessed right, i think i missed only missed 3 questions in those two passages...it could have been worse.

 

[tsazmand]

was i the only one that had trouble on that damn comet passage in PS and the drosophilia x-linked passage in BS? i missed many question on both passages...

I totally agree, but of course usually bio is my weakest section (ive only taken and will take only 2 bio classes). Those passages raped me!

Anyway i got a PS-9 V-11 B-10, I need a 29 on the real thing, so im kind of nervous right now, i guess will see what happens in a few months

 

[shuzee]

Anyone else feel that the verbal on 6 was harder than on 8? Just curious...I may buy it just for the confidence booster alone. I'm taking 7 this saturday.

7 WILL BE A REAL EYE OPENER,,,,,i thought it was ridiculous!!!!

 

[natureboy]

7 WILL BE A REAL EYE OPENER,,,,,i thought it was ridiculous!!!!

have you taken 8 at all? I may end up buying 8 and because of time constraints, and if I do, I'll will probably have to do the sections on either 7 or 8 on separate days...