It’s finally done 🥲🙏🏼🎉 I went in hoping for a 19AA and was SO worried I would have to retake, so I am beyond thrilled with the results. Here’s my very long #breakdown
Firstly, I really only used bootcamp. I took part of boosters free exam (Bio-22, GC-19, OC-22, and QR-13 lol) the day before my test just to get my brain the the test taking mode since I took my last practice test around a week before that. I noticed 1 or 2 questions that were similar from booster on the biology section, but other than for extra practice problems I don’t think booster is at all necessary if you already have bootcamp. I followed Ari’s study schedule, and then I bought the plus packs around 2 weeks before my test and went through all of those questions which I thought was super helpful!
One thing that I think is really important is understanding how you personally study and doing what works for you specifically! I really liked Ari’s study schedule, but I noticed that by following it I was more so going through the content to check it off my to do list rather than actually learning and understanding the material. I didn’t realize this until I took my first biology test and got a 14. Don’t be like me and wait till a month before your test to get it together!! Also make sure to schedule breaks! I have myself close to 90 days because I took time off to get married and go camping. Those breaks are important to prevent burnout, and they can also be helpful if you need to catch up at any point (so you don’t have to spend 12 hours a day for the last month before your test studying with no breaks because you didn’t put in the time beforehand like me 🥲).
Also one other thing to note, at my testing site there was a 5 second lag between changing each question where the time was still running. This means you’ll lose approximately 3 minutes of testing time for each section so keep that in mind. I did the test drive at my test center and didn’t notice it then, but the computer program itself looked different so that could be why. On test day the program was more like bootcamp which I was glad for. Not sure if the test drive is worth it for that aspect, but it was nice to get to look around and get a sense of where everything is before test day. I will say, I hated using the dry erase pens and laminated paper. I felt like I didn’t have enough room for scratch paper, so during my break I made sure to get 2 fresh sheets so I didn’t have to waste test time doing that.
PAT- Exactly like bootcamp. I didn’t have any rock keyholes or floating cubes thank goodness. I never really struggled too bad with any section specifically, but making sure to keep an eye on time is key. I would start at question 31 (angle ranking) and then work my way to the end and start up again. I liked this method because it got the more time consuming sections that I knew I had a better chance of scoring well on done in the beginning (hole punching and cube counting). Whatever time I had left (usually 20-25 minutes) I used to speed through the remaining 30 keyhole and TFE questions.
QR- Easier than bootcamp, but still a time crunch. I was hoping for at least a 19 so I am content with my score considering time was my biggest obstacle in this section. It was mainly basic algebra and word problems with probability sprinkled in there. I went through the question bank the night before my test and did a ton of problems to keep myself exposed to a variety of questions.
RC- Not gonna lie I’m a little disappointed in this score! My passages felt super easy and straightforward, and I even had 10 minutes to spare to check over my questions so not sure what happened there. 2 of my questions had graphs but they were easy to read and interpret overall.
BIO- I was worried when I took my first practice test and got a 14. I felt like I knew nothing, and the entire last month of reading had just left my brain. I think the biggest issue here was my lack of true active learning. I would read the full length notes and highlight and write important information, then do the bio bites and forget it essentially. To remedy this, I started from scratch. I went through all the chapters again, this time making flash cards. I think THIS specifically is what allowed my to get a 22. I would write down the important information, and then quiz myself after I wrote it. You would be surprised how much stuff you can mindlessly write without paying attention to it, so this forced me to be engaged and actively learn as I went through the material. After I made the flash cards I would review them the next day and then do the corresponding bio bites. 2 days before my test I attempted to go through all the flash cards and do the question banks for each chapter. I did all the question banks but honestly trying to do the flashcards was too much and put me to sleep half the time due to the number of them I had made (close to 2000 flash cards). I didn’t have any taxonomy on my test, and the questions felt super general compared to bootcamp. Honestly I would say it was easier.
GC- I think I honestly got lucky with this section. I had 2 or 3 calculation questions and the math was already set up for you so you didn’t even have to plug in all your numbers. I was prepared for math though because I heard of others having half their problems be calculations, so I wouldn’t slack on that because you never know what you’ll get. I practiced ice tables before bed the night before my test just in case 😅.
OC- I just took OC this year so it was really fresh. I had a great professor so I already had a good base knowledge, but the book organic chemistry as a second language has some good information and practice in it as well. I found the first and second semester topics for free by just googling it. You don’t even have to download a file, it will let you view it in your web browser. The most important thing I would say for this section is practice and repetition! I am one of those people who has to do 100 different practice problems in 100 different situations before I truly understand the topic, so practice problems really helped me here because the questions were structured differently than something my professor would have asked. Make sure to watch the videos when you get answers wrong, because there’s little nuggets of knowledge buried in there that can help you avoid future mistakes.
I think I had 4 or 5 reaction questions so make sure you know those reactions! It can be easy to get overwhelmed, so making flashcards and running through them frequently will help. If you don’t want to just memorize, look for patterns within regents and reactants and pair them together so it seems like there’s less to remember. I want to say I got lucky in this section but I really dedicated a lot of time to studying this section so maybe not idk 🤷🏼♀️
Overall I want to give a big thanks to bootcamp and their team! I honestly couldn’t imagine trying to study for this beast of a test without bootcamp, so every penny spent was worth it.
If you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out! I had lot of self doubt when it came to this test but all you can do is try your best and remember that your worth is not based on some test score ❤️
Firstly, I really only used bootcamp. I took part of boosters free exam (Bio-22, GC-19, OC-22, and QR-13 lol) the day before my test just to get my brain the the test taking mode since I took my last practice test around a week before that. I noticed 1 or 2 questions that were similar from booster on the biology section, but other than for extra practice problems I don’t think booster is at all necessary if you already have bootcamp. I followed Ari’s study schedule, and then I bought the plus packs around 2 weeks before my test and went through all of those questions which I thought was super helpful!
One thing that I think is really important is understanding how you personally study and doing what works for you specifically! I really liked Ari’s study schedule, but I noticed that by following it I was more so going through the content to check it off my to do list rather than actually learning and understanding the material. I didn’t realize this until I took my first biology test and got a 14. Don’t be like me and wait till a month before your test to get it together!! Also make sure to schedule breaks! I have myself close to 90 days because I took time off to get married and go camping. Those breaks are important to prevent burnout, and they can also be helpful if you need to catch up at any point (so you don’t have to spend 12 hours a day for the last month before your test studying with no breaks because you didn’t put in the time beforehand like me 🥲).
Also one other thing to note, at my testing site there was a 5 second lag between changing each question where the time was still running. This means you’ll lose approximately 3 minutes of testing time for each section so keep that in mind. I did the test drive at my test center and didn’t notice it then, but the computer program itself looked different so that could be why. On test day the program was more like bootcamp which I was glad for. Not sure if the test drive is worth it for that aspect, but it was nice to get to look around and get a sense of where everything is before test day. I will say, I hated using the dry erase pens and laminated paper. I felt like I didn’t have enough room for scratch paper, so during my break I made sure to get 2 fresh sheets so I didn’t have to waste test time doing that.
PAT- Exactly like bootcamp. I didn’t have any rock keyholes or floating cubes thank goodness. I never really struggled too bad with any section specifically, but making sure to keep an eye on time is key. I would start at question 31 (angle ranking) and then work my way to the end and start up again. I liked this method because it got the more time consuming sections that I knew I had a better chance of scoring well on done in the beginning (hole punching and cube counting). Whatever time I had left (usually 20-25 minutes) I used to speed through the remaining 30 keyhole and TFE questions.
QR- Easier than bootcamp, but still a time crunch. I was hoping for at least a 19 so I am content with my score considering time was my biggest obstacle in this section. It was mainly basic algebra and word problems with probability sprinkled in there. I went through the question bank the night before my test and did a ton of problems to keep myself exposed to a variety of questions.
RC- Not gonna lie I’m a little disappointed in this score! My passages felt super easy and straightforward, and I even had 10 minutes to spare to check over my questions so not sure what happened there. 2 of my questions had graphs but they were easy to read and interpret overall.
BIO- I was worried when I took my first practice test and got a 14. I felt like I knew nothing, and the entire last month of reading had just left my brain. I think the biggest issue here was my lack of true active learning. I would read the full length notes and highlight and write important information, then do the bio bites and forget it essentially. To remedy this, I started from scratch. I went through all the chapters again, this time making flash cards. I think THIS specifically is what allowed my to get a 22. I would write down the important information, and then quiz myself after I wrote it. You would be surprised how much stuff you can mindlessly write without paying attention to it, so this forced me to be engaged and actively learn as I went through the material. After I made the flash cards I would review them the next day and then do the corresponding bio bites. 2 days before my test I attempted to go through all the flash cards and do the question banks for each chapter. I did all the question banks but honestly trying to do the flashcards was too much and put me to sleep half the time due to the number of them I had made (close to 2000 flash cards). I didn’t have any taxonomy on my test, and the questions felt super general compared to bootcamp. Honestly I would say it was easier.
GC- I think I honestly got lucky with this section. I had 2 or 3 calculation questions and the math was already set up for you so you didn’t even have to plug in all your numbers. I was prepared for math though because I heard of others having half their problems be calculations, so I wouldn’t slack on that because you never know what you’ll get. I practiced ice tables before bed the night before my test just in case 😅.
OC- I just took OC this year so it was really fresh. I had a great professor so I already had a good base knowledge, but the book organic chemistry as a second language has some good information and practice in it as well. I found the first and second semester topics for free by just googling it. You don’t even have to download a file, it will let you view it in your web browser. The most important thing I would say for this section is practice and repetition! I am one of those people who has to do 100 different practice problems in 100 different situations before I truly understand the topic, so practice problems really helped me here because the questions were structured differently than something my professor would have asked. Make sure to watch the videos when you get answers wrong, because there’s little nuggets of knowledge buried in there that can help you avoid future mistakes.
I think I had 4 or 5 reaction questions so make sure you know those reactions! It can be easy to get overwhelmed, so making flashcards and running through them frequently will help. If you don’t want to just memorize, look for patterns within regents and reactants and pair them together so it seems like there’s less to remember. I want to say I got lucky in this section but I really dedicated a lot of time to studying this section so maybe not idk 🤷🏼♀️
Overall I want to give a big thanks to bootcamp and their team! I honestly couldn’t imagine trying to study for this beast of a test without bootcamp, so every penny spent was worth it.
If you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out! I had lot of self doubt when it came to this test but all you can do is try your best and remember that your worth is not based on some test score ❤️
