August 26 MCAT Club!

[meddocapplicant]

I didn't see a post for the 8/26 MCAT, so I'm wondering if anyone is taking it on August 26? Have you started taking practice exams? Are you still reviewing the material? Is this your first MCAT?

I just started reviewing and will be taking my first practice MCAT tomorrow. Good luck everyone!!

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[amar21]

you just started content review today?

 

[meddocapplicant]

yep, 40 days to a 40...hopefully

 

[up40loves]

Are you applying for this cycle?

 

[nothing123]

Hi,

I will be writing on this date. I will be applying this cycle but up here in Canada so it's a little different (don't have to stress about applications until after the MCAT). I finished my TPR course about two weeks ago and am just finishing up content review now (was working full-time during the course and there was no way I was keeping up). My last two TPR CBTs were both 29 but they were 3 weeks and 5 weeks ago respectively so I'm hoping to see some improvement on the next one!

 

[wrathofgod64]

can i mention this club on my amcas?

 

[Mango14]

August 26-er here! I'm still reviewing biology (using EK to study), but plan on starting AAMC practice tests soon. Anyone else started the practice tests?

 

[kabtq9s]

Guys,

I guess if I postpone it this time, them I am already out of this application cycle right ? and I have to wait another whole year ?

 

[TerryLo]

what's going on? why is there no one posting here? how is everyone's studying going??

 

[waitwhat]

Yup, August 26th MCAT'er here. Although I am considering pushing it back a week.

 

[Tutmos]

Aug 26th here. Just finished Kaplan online material yesterday. Starting to do full lengths and EK101 verbals every other day and the big thing for me, memorizing all the basic formulas. I missed quite a few points on the first FL due to not knowing a number of the formulas. I was wondering if a thread was ever going to show up for the 26th.

 

[Ninjaface]

Hey all

Writing the 26th in Canada (Sask) here as well. I did a read through of all the EK material and am just finishing Kaplan. I'll take my first AAMC practice test this Tuesday I think. Starting late with the traditional studying, but I read science texts in Spanish constantly while volunteering at medical clinics in South America over the last year (just got back 3 weeks ago), and I generally land on the far right of the Bell curve in everything so am not overly worried. Yet. We'll see on Tuesday. I've got an MSc. with pubs and had the top grad average in the faculty of science for my undergrad, so I likely don't need too high of a mark to get in (U of C, 3 year program), but still stress a little anyways of course, because, well, that's how it's done.

Good luck to all, although, I guess that would shift the scale, so... errmm...?

Do your best?

 

[secants]

Finally a 8/26 thread! I almost thought no one was signed up for this date due to college starting. Anyway I started studying for this back in may and during the whole summer. Did all 11 Kaplan FL and will do AAMC 5 CBT tommorow and will finish with 10 a few days before the read deal. I basically just take the test and go over it; I kind of stopped doing content review at this point altogether.

I just want to get this over with and hopefully only take it once so that it wouldn't look like I wasted my whole summer for a sub-par score

 

[SaharaGirl]

I'm signed up for Aug 26th, and it is my first time. I have been preparing with Kaplan (classes, online, private tutor) for last 2 months. Just finished the material, and taking 2 FL per week. I already applied for 2009, and hope to score good enough to get in at the first try.

 

[TerryLo]

How are you guys doing on practice exams?? there's still so much!

 

[Wandegs]

Hey everyone,

Relieved to see this thread here! I'm taking the Aug26th mcat and applying this cycle-have already submitted amcas--am horribly worried about being late in the process. As I understand it, scores won't come out till end of sept? --so can't be complete till end of sept. How much does this hurt chances?

 

[AZFutureDoc]

Count me in. Retake actually. Hopefully second round is a little better. Actually, I know it will be.

 

[Tutmos]

Hey all

Writing the 26th in Canada (Sask) here as well. I did a read through of all the EK material and am just finishing Kaplan. I'll take my first AAMC practice test this Tuesday I think. Starting late with the traditional studying, but I read science texts in Spanish constantly while volunteering at medical clinics in South America over the last year (just got back 3 weeks ago), and I generally land on the far right of the Bell curve in everything so am not overly worried. Yet. We'll see on Tuesday. I've got an MSc. with pubs and had the top grad average in the faculty of science for my undergrad, so I likely don't need too high of a mark to get in (U of C, 3 year program), but still stress a little anyways of course, because, well, that's how it's done.

Good luck to all, although, I guess that would shift the scale, so... errmm...?

Do your best?

You're an MD/PhD student that's never taken the MCAT? How'd you manage that?

 

[Ninjaface]

Ahh, oops, thought that said MSc/PhD Student. I'm not one of those either though.

I guess I should start reading all the letters in a word if I want to do well on the verbal.

 

[Tutmos]

Ahh, oops, thought that said MSc/PhD Student. I'm not one of those either though.

I guess I should start reading all the letters in a word if I want to do well on the verbal.

No harm no foul. Good luck on the test!

 

[mdfacs]

How are you guys scoring on your TPR diags compare to AAMC diags I am starting to get worry I am doing about average 27 on my TPR and 32 on AAMC

 

[waitwhat]

Thread bump.


How is everyone doing on the AAMC practice tests? I seem to be testing around 27-32 on the AAMC and 28-31 on the Berkeley Review CBT's.

I'm thinking of pushing it back until I am getting consistent 30+ scores. Anyone in the same boat?

-waitwhat

 

[stn1983]

Hello my fellow SDNer's, I have a question and need your most honest and helpful advice. I am currently enrolled to take the Mcat on the 26th of August. However, I feel like I do not have the adequate time to successfully study for this exam by the 26th. I want to be able to take a practice test per day and not multiple practice tests on the same day. I feel that if I had an extra week or two it would benefit me very well. My question is if I changed the test date from August 26th to September 6 would I be at a great disadvantage when applying for the 09 fall cycle? I will only be applying to D.O. schools. I will have all the secondaries completed by the time my scores are posted. Any input is appreciated. Thank you in advance.

 

[Ninjaface]

OK, just finished my first ever set of practice questions (the AAMC free test), and got 10-11-12. Not horrible, but seeing as I haven't really finished content review and this is the first practice of any kind I've done, I am thinking and hoping for a good deal of improvement over the next 2 weeks.

I finished all sections with a lot of time remaining, and never went and looked back at anything because i didn't feel like it, though I don't know if changing that strategy will help me overly much as I spent as long as I wanted on each individual question, though some I definitely left fairly unsure about. I actually had a higher grade for the questions I'd left marked unsure than for my average as a whole...?

 

[double07]

ok. so i was on for august 26th for a second shot at this exam. 1st time got 29Q which was the lowest score i ever got on any practice and i had done every aamc exam + every kaplan exam. I was getting mid 30s so dunno wat went wrong. i allready applied with the 29 and 3.5 gpa hopefully i'll get in somewhere..even DO school would be great..if i can get in... but i just rescheduled to Sep. 3.. need more studying. Anyway does anyone know how many times i can take and void my exam without it ever showing up on any records??? I was thinking of taking it on the 3rd then voiding if i feel i did bad and then retakin on the 5th, or whenever and voiding again you get the point..keeep taking/voiding till feel great about the exam i took. I'm pretty sure I can tell when the exam is going well bc i def. knew that 29 was coming the first time since felt terrible after exam. And i have no problem sitting in for the exam within days since i've been takin an exam a day for a while so i have the stamina...sooo please any comments on my "grand" plan lol

 

[Mango14]

I have done a few of the AAMC practice tests -- so far #4-8 and I've been consisitently getting similar scores in each section, however I just took the online Kaplan free diagnostic and I got 2 points lower in each section than I normally get on the AAMCs...
Has anyone else had the same thing happen to them? Is the real thing more like the AAMC's or Kaplan, because I've heard different things...

 

[TerryLo]

where the heck is everyone? studying i presume....aaaaaah....mcat in 9 days....omgomgomg....how goes it people?

 

[Dr. Josh]

ok. so i was on for august 26th for a second shot at this exam. 1st time got 29Q which was the lowest score i ever got on any practice and i had done every aamc exam + every kaplan exam. I was getting mid 30s so dunno wat went wrong. i allready applied with the 29 and 3.5 gpa hopefully i'll get in somewhere..even DO school would be great..if i can get in... but i just rescheduled to Sep. 3.. need more studying. Anyway does anyone know how many times i can take and void my exam without it ever showing up on any records??? I was thinking of taking it on the 3rd then voiding if i feel i did bad and then retakin on the 5th, or whenever and voiding again you get the point..keeep taking/voiding till feel great about the exam i took. I'm pretty sure I can tell when the exam is going well bc i def. knew that 29 was coming the first time since felt terrible after exam. And i have no problem sitting in for the exam within days since i've been takin an exam a day for a while so i have the stamina...sooo please any comments on my "grand" plan lol

You can't sign up for two tests at the same time; sorry to ruin your plans.

 

[secants]

Well guys, we have just about a week left!

How is everyone's studying going?

I have only AAMC 9 and 10 left as I already did 3-8 and all the Kaplan FL's. My score actually started to dip but then I read that 8 was kind of hard. Anyway doesn't seem like many people are taking it on this day, probably because schools are opening that week. Oh well, maybe there will be a favorable curve! =)

 

[futuredoctor10]

Anyway doesn't seem like many people are taking it on this day, probably because schools are opening that week

Yeah probably fewer people are taking it on this date due to classes restarting... either that or 8/26 testtakers are not on SDN!

 

[Ninjaface]

Hey all,

things are going decent here, to the point where I wish I could just have a practice score as my real score and be done with it. 1 more week though, so might as well get better. I'm completely done with the flash cards/memorization as of today, and will try and get at least 4 FLs in before the big one. Got 35s on the last two practice tests, then took 4 days to just focus on the things that I was consistently getting wrong. Gonna write another AAMC tomorrow now that I believe I have made my weak points strong points, and am hoping for a 39 or so. 13 seems really hard to get past on any section. Hopefully I can go in with a 39 and come out with a 36, I'd be happy with that.

42 has always been my favorite number, but that's looking a little unrealistic...

Maybe I'll buy a tube of lube and smuggle this Golden Horseshoe here into the exam...



Good luck all. I think SDners tend to have far higher averages than the norm, so hopefully there aren't lots of them writing and that's why this thread is relatively dead.

 

[JC2]

I took AAMC6 and saw a sudden sharp increase in my score (we are talking from mid 30s to a 40). Did anyone else find AAMC6 to be like this? I definitely don't want to risk being complacent in the last week I've still got quite a bit of studying to do.

 

[mosquitoman]

Yeah probably fewer people are taking it on this date due to classes restarting... either that or 8/26 testtakers are not on SDN!

think that would help with the curve?

i'm also taking it 26th

 

[Mango14]

I took AAMC6 and saw a sudden sharp increase in my score (we are talking from mid 30s to a 40). Did anyone else find AAMC6 to be like this? I definitely don't want to risk being complacent in the last week I've still got quite a bit of studying to do.

Yeah, the same thing happened to me - I've been consistently getting mid 30's and I got a 39 on AAMC 6.

 

[futuredoctor10]

I took AAMC6 and saw a sudden sharp increase in my score (we are talking from mid 30s to a 40). Did anyone else find AAMC6 to be like this? I definitely don't want to risk being complacent in the last week I've still got quite a bit of studying to do.

Yep I had a dramatic score increase on AAMC6.

Sounds like it might have been generally an easier exam with a better curve?

 

[Redgar]

Yeah, AAMC 6 was my highest score so far (only have on, #9, left). Generally I was improving until this week (in order):

Test#: Comp, PS, VR, BS
3: 32, 10, 11, 11 (2 months ago =just started prep, no real content review)
5: 31, 11, 8, 12 (2 weeks later)
10: 33, 10, 12, 11 (2 weeks later)
4: 37, 13, 12, 12 (content review for PS finished; three weeks ago)
6: 40, 14, 13, 13 (2 weeks ago)
8: 37, 14, 11, 12 (content review for BS finished; last week)
7: 30, 9, 8, 13 (today... wtf?)

I'm hoping my gf is right that it's a combination of being too nervous (test really close) and not nervous enough (not the real thing). Not that I'd be unhappy with a 30 (though I'd want my scores to be a little more symmetrical), it's more the trend that I'm worried about than anything else. Meh. Oh well. I shouldn't have even looked at my score, just used this exam as practice and ignored the score.

Anyway, I wish all you guys luck next week!

 

[JC2]

Yep I had a dramatic score increase on AAMC6.

Sounds like it might have been generally an easier exam with a better curve?

Definitely possible.

Although I just took AAMC7 and got a similar score (15P 9V 15B) so maybe I'm just seeing improvement. Unless AAMC7 is like this as well? (judging from the above poster I'm guessing not though)

 

[Ninjaface]

Maybe i should do 6 for the confidence boost.

Just finished 9 and got 12-9-12, though only the VR is a real drop.

There was one passage in there that destroyed me, I got all 7 wrong.

I think I may have learned something from my mistakes though.

I'll write 10 tomorrow and find out.

 

[thatgirl413]

Im taking the infamous exam the 26th as well...been studying the past couple of months (sacrificing a summer blahh) ..and my scores have been staying at 10, 10, 10 ...seriously, the past 4 practice exams have been like this! mehh. i guess consistency is good?? i just need to get passed stupid mistakes!

 

[lixxx669]

Hi, how's eveybody doing now?
Unfortunately I'm on the same boat with your guys~
I've only been seriously studying my MCAT for 11 days, before that I took a TPR class while i was working 7 hours a day in a lab for two month. I used 3 days to review the books from TPR, and began to do one full practise exam every day. So far my score is PS around 13, VR around 6 (English is my second language and I've just been to US for 2 years T_T), BS around 12.
Now I'm really scared of VR and wish I didn' sign up for 8/26..... Anyways there's no room for me to retreat now so wish you guys and myself best luck~

 

[Redgar]

Hi, how's eveybody doing now?
Unfortunately I'm on the same boat with your guys~
I've only been seriously studying my MCAT for 11 days, before that I took a TPR class while i was working 7 hours a day in a lab for two month. I used 3 days to review the books from TPR, and began to do one full practise exam every day. So far my score is PS around 13, VR around 6 (English is my second language and I've just been to US for 2 years T_T), BS around 12.
Now I'm really scared of VR and wish I didn' sign up for 8/26..... Anyways there's no room for me to retreat now so wish you guys and myself best luck~

Have you taken an AAMC practice exam? I think you'll find their verbal sections a completely different animal from the test prep versions. I generally get anywhere from 2-4 points lower on, say, the EK verbal tests than on the AAMC ones... and that's even AFTER having to go through a whole physics section (whereas for EK prep, I do the verbal first thing and am "fresher.") If you haven't, give an AAMC exam (or even just a verbal section) a try, it'll probably boost your confidence!

Best of luck on test day!

 

[lixxx669]

Unfortunately, that's my VR score for AAMC practice. I did 4 of them, got 6,7,6,7.... I'm desperate now...

 

[Mango14]

so how's everyone's studying going? i just took my last practice test and i think i'm just gonna stop studying now - try and relax before the big day.

 

[JC2]

so how's everyone's studying going? i just took my last practice test and i think i'm just gonna stop studying now - try and relax before the big day.

I'm actually on my 10 minute break for my very last practice test.

I think it's pure content review from here on out for me. I'm familiar with the format I just need to make sure I have everything down.

 

[domani]

Hey All!

about to take my last practice test, review it and them i'm done! I think relaxation is the best study aid after this point and honestly, we deserve it! Good luck to everyone...it's almost over!

 

[thatgirl413]

sooo ealier today i finished my LAST PRACTICE TEST EVER (crossed fingers) and just finished reviewing it. my scores are consistent so im content. not really sure what to do the next couple of days...definitely planning on relaxing/beaching, even though i know i will be very tempted to open a review book!
im so so excited to finally have my life back! and im sure all of you can relate!
good luck to everyone, we're almost there!!

 

[Ninjaface]

Just hitting practice probs on areas I am not yet at 100% on today (pH stuff and simple harmonic motion). Maybe one last practice test tomorrow and then very light review/glancing over everything on Monday. I'd just be thinking about the test if I tried to stay away from studying completely anyways, so instead I will just study without any real goals or pressure. I found a verbal strategy that really works for me now (I can read very fast, so now basically read the passage entirely a whole extra time for every question instead of jsut staring at it and thinking), the rote memorization for the sciences is pretty much done except for really weird specifics, and writing is writing.

I'm hoping for lots of nervous system stuff and not much tricky equilibrium shifting/common ion type stuff.

Tuesday evening is going to kick ass. Too bad I won't be able to remember it.

 

[mosquitoman]

thatgirl,

I won't have my life back until after tuesday lol
today is a practice test, tomm is the last practice and monday is content review/looking up topics for essays

the last 2-3 wks have been 10hr a day study sessions.. i feel like im wasting away slowly

mcat ruins people's lives!

 

[Tutmos]

Boy did I just hit a brick wall and thank god I did it now when I've got time to fix it. I think I've been doing way too many AAMC exams. I did seven of them in the last 11 days, often one day after another.

Today while doing 9, I've been doing them in order, I suddenly couldn't answer any questions half way through the biology section, I couldn't recall anything I was reading etc. I eventually had to just pause it and walk away for an extended period and come back to limp through the rest of the questions kind of half hearted using pauses. Even with pausing on the remainder I couldn't think straight.

I was planning to do CBT10 tomorrow and review Monday before the real deal. After this, not a chance. I don't know where I got this idea that I had to do all of the AAMC's but the common wisdom preached around here about spreading out your FL's to avoid getting burned out really appears to have a lot of merit.

Scores went as follows:

3: 33 late night falling asleep
4: 33
5: 28 severly late night from 3am to 6:30am, couldn't stay awake
6: 37
7: 32 last late night exam
8: 32
9: 33 Just now where I had the lock up in bio (12, 11, 10)

I think it got to be too much at about exam 7. When reviewing the results there were a lot of thoughtless mistakes. I thought the whole burnout thing was silly, but it seems pretty real to me now : ). The next two days and tonight will be spent doing mentally "light" tasks and just light content review and some formula memorization.

Thank god I didn't push it and have this happen on the real deal where there is no pause button! Let's hope two days is enough to recharge for a 33+.

Good luck everyone.

 

[secants]

I just finished my last MCAT practice exam - AAMC 10 CBT. Got a 33 and one question from a 34. Anyway tomorrow I'm going to go over it quickly but spending slightly more time on going over verbal. Then I want to review some notes on physics and GC and equations. I still have one more test left in EK 101 verbal but I'm considering not doing altogether. Monday I'm pretty much going to be lazy/try some meditation. I'm just hoping CBT 9 and 10 will be representative of what we will expect on Tuesday.