Audio Osmosis

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

iceman132

Membership Revoked
Removed
10+ Year Member
Joined
May 24, 2011
Messages
1,275
Reaction score
9
Does anyone here have a good plan on how to use audio osmosis? (Take notes first time and then re listen)

I know some people just listen in the car or in the gym .... Anyone have another take on it?
 
Probably not worth taking notes if you have MCAT prep books you can take notes from. I really just used it to review material as I was walking to and from class. I think that's how most people use it.
 
I listened in the car mostly. Towards the end, when I had my weaknesses identified, I listened while looking at my review notes (from other sources). I then took notes to fill in gaps or add some of their catchy mnemonics.

Great resource!
 
I got it a year before the MCAT. I dutifully listened and took notes for the whole thing. Took about two weeks worth of evenings. This was before I ever took chem, bio, ochem, or physics.

Then I listened to it in the car. At the time I had a daily 20 minute commute to school, and a 3 hour (one way) road trip every other weekend. I estimate I heard the complete set of CD's about 20 times over the course of the year. I could probably recite them by now.

When I started studying for the MCAT in earnest, I tried to sit and listen to each chapter as appropriate. I kept falling asleep. My friends said they always fell asleep too.

So I guess as long as I was doing something else important (taking notes or driving a car) I was able to follow along with the CDs. I think they helped me in class, and helped me on the MCAT.
 
I tried listening to it in the car, but found it terribly boring. They are not for me. I prefer books and videos
 
I had it in my car on my ipod. I would just shuffle so every other track would be an AO 2 min lecture. I would just listen and use it to review and understand in my head what i learned from my books, like recapping. Before I knew it, I had heard every track 2 or 3 times already.
 
I was a June 2011 MCAT taker and used the Audio CDs with the EK books. I found that to be the best, because it was nice to have the material infront of me while I was listening. I ended up taking notes from the audio and written materials.
It was definitely the nice cheap option. I figured I could get a horrible lecturer during a MCAT course.

Honestly, using the CDs and books together worked for me. I tried to listen to the CDs in the car after I had listened to em a couple of times with the books, but I found that I wasn't paying attention.

If you pick stuff up when not paying attention, you'll only be picking up facts. You also want a good amount of understanding behind the concepts.
 
Having basically memorized the entire EK set, I found that osmosis was a nice and lazy way to review whenever i felt burnt out
 
Last edited:
Having basically memorized the entire EK set, osmosis was a nice and lazy way to review whenever i felt bunt out

This.

Also, although the sound effects get unbelievably irritating after the third or so iteration, I found them quite valuable to keep my mind in 'mcat mode' during times that I'd otherwise be listening to music. If I heard something that snagged my attention, I'd repeat it and usually write a flashcard or two on the subject.

Plus it's worth listening to just for the: how do you make a hormone? You don't pay her.
 
This.

Also, although the sound effects get unbelievably irritating after the third or so iteration, I found them quite valuable to keep my mind in 'mcat mode' during times that I'd otherwise be listening to music. If I heard something that snagged my attention, I'd repeat it and usually write a flashcard or two on the subject.

Plus it's worth listening to just for the: how do you make a hormone? You don't pay her.

whew... I thought you were gonna comment at my incorrect grammar, I was sweating for a sec
 
Does anyone here have a good plan on how to use audio osmosis? (Take notes first time and then re listen)

I know some people just listen in the car or in the gym .... Anyone have another take on it?

I listened to them while going to bed. As the time went by, I started getting tired and so did not go with it completely. I would listen to them while taking a "break" too or going to get some food.
 
When I started running out of time to split up some of the audio lectures and the note taking from the books I decided to try them at the same time and it seems to be working well for me. Basically, I skim a section, then read it and make note cards. I then listen to it while looking at my note cards and adding anything new to the note cards. This might seem a bit silly and redundant all at once but it seems to help me stay engaged. I also listen to them when I am commuting but I have found if they are not sections that I have already gone over, they go a bit fast for me to really think about the topics.
 
I used it as a supplement to my studying. My method was this: I went through all of the Exam Krackers books, read, took notes, did all of the questions in each section and the the practice passages. Then I took a practice test on ACMAS. I reviewed all of the answers that I went wrong and looked at what my weak points were. Then I went back and studied those areas more, and took another practice test. Repeat repeat. (I think I took like 6 or 7 practice tests total). During all of this, I used Audio Osmosis when I was in the car, working in a back room at work, before bed, etc. I would try to make sure that I was following the tracks as closely as possible so that I was actively absorbing the info. Their jokes are corny but IMO funny, and I really benefit from analogies to help me learn and remember things. I loved Osmosis. :laugh:

Have to add as a somewhat off-topic aside. I had Kaplan, Princeton Review, Exam Krackers, and a ton of other study materials. Some I bought, some were passed down to me from the previous year's applicants. Exam-Krackers was by far the best (for me).
 
It would be like me trying to swim without arms.

Or, I'd try to visualize it so much I'd crash the car / whatever I was doing. If I had to put that much effort into visualizing something, might as well watch the video of it or read the book.
 
I'd use each one after having read and understood the corresponding passage. Listen to it twice. I chose not to listen to it before I read the book- just didn't make sense to me. It's go study prep though- just obviously not enough on it's own.
 
Top