- Joined
- Aug 15, 2007
- Messages
- 810
- Reaction score
- 1
Hard work pays off - in my opinion, if you walked out of an exam thinking you can do better, chances are you can.
First time:
PAT : 18
QR : 17
RC : 20
BIO : 21
GC : 22
OC : 20
TS : 21
AA : 20
Retake:
PAT : 19
QR : 22
RC : 28
BIO : 26
GC : 30
OC: 23
TS: 26
AA: 26
I found it really helpful to read how others improved their scores with study material, so I hope that it can help someone else.
PAT: I used cracked the PAT (not the royal flush option). I'm disappointed that I didn't score higher, because I spent a good amount of time practicing only to score one point higher. I am sure I did fine on all the sections, except for angle ranking, which really messed me up.
QR: Other people have scored higher than me, but I improved my score by using the SAT I math prep book by Barron's. The practice was what really helped me, because I've always been slower on calculations. The DAT destroyer was helpful, because it does provide good practice. Just a note though, that I got function questions on my DAT that were not covered in the Kaplan blue book or the Destroyer. Luckily, the Barron's book covered it briefly, so I was able to figure them out.
RC: I used the Princeton Review MCAT verbal passage and reasoning review. I don't think they sell it individually, but if you have a friend who took the PR course for the MCAT, buy this book off them. It's very, very good practice for difficult tone and detail passages. My strategy was speedreading initially, read through one more time with a brief outline, and go to the questions. I had a little over 4 minutes left over after I finished all the questions.
BIO: I used Kaplan blue book (which honestly wasn't enough to nail down everything), looked at Schaum's Outlines for Biology (especially for systems biology, plant biology, evolution, and ecology.) The Cliffs AP BIO i thought, wasn't worth the $1.80 I paid for it. I then finished it off by looking over the Princeton review for Biology, and filled in holes in knowledge (after taking a few topscore, achiever exams, and DAT destroyer questions with the Leninger Biochem textbook and Campbells). Destroy I think is also very good practice. Two questions straight out of the destroyer section on my exam.
GC and OC: The MCAT review for GC and OC is actually really good. Princeton Review reviewed it far better than the Kaplan Blue book. The depth of calculation questions were definitely overkill when compared to the actual DAT, but I thought it was better to overshoot than undershoot.
The chem sections, I think, is where the Destroyer really shines. I was disappointed with my OC score, because I was spent so much time trying to figure out one problem that frustrated the hell out of me. Bottom line, practice makes perfect. I relied on Kaplan, Destroyer, MCAT Princeton review for orgo and gc, as well as a good orgo textbook written by Maitland Jones.
Good luck to all of you !
First time:
PAT : 18
QR : 17
RC : 20
BIO : 21
GC : 22
OC : 20
TS : 21
AA : 20
Retake:
PAT : 19
QR : 22
RC : 28
BIO : 26
GC : 30
OC: 23
TS: 26
AA: 26
I found it really helpful to read how others improved their scores with study material, so I hope that it can help someone else.
PAT: I used cracked the PAT (not the royal flush option). I'm disappointed that I didn't score higher, because I spent a good amount of time practicing only to score one point higher. I am sure I did fine on all the sections, except for angle ranking, which really messed me up.
QR: Other people have scored higher than me, but I improved my score by using the SAT I math prep book by Barron's. The practice was what really helped me, because I've always been slower on calculations. The DAT destroyer was helpful, because it does provide good practice. Just a note though, that I got function questions on my DAT that were not covered in the Kaplan blue book or the Destroyer. Luckily, the Barron's book covered it briefly, so I was able to figure them out.
RC: I used the Princeton Review MCAT verbal passage and reasoning review. I don't think they sell it individually, but if you have a friend who took the PR course for the MCAT, buy this book off them. It's very, very good practice for difficult tone and detail passages. My strategy was speedreading initially, read through one more time with a brief outline, and go to the questions. I had a little over 4 minutes left over after I finished all the questions.
BIO: I used Kaplan blue book (which honestly wasn't enough to nail down everything), looked at Schaum's Outlines for Biology (especially for systems biology, plant biology, evolution, and ecology.) The Cliffs AP BIO i thought, wasn't worth the $1.80 I paid for it. I then finished it off by looking over the Princeton review for Biology, and filled in holes in knowledge (after taking a few topscore, achiever exams, and DAT destroyer questions with the Leninger Biochem textbook and Campbells). Destroy I think is also very good practice. Two questions straight out of the destroyer section on my exam.
GC and OC: The MCAT review for GC and OC is actually really good. Princeton Review reviewed it far better than the Kaplan Blue book. The depth of calculation questions were definitely overkill when compared to the actual DAT, but I thought it was better to overshoot than undershoot.
The chem sections, I think, is where the Destroyer really shines. I was disappointed with my OC score, because I was spent so much time trying to figure out one problem that frustrated the hell out of me. Bottom line, practice makes perfect. I relied on Kaplan, Destroyer, MCAT Princeton review for orgo and gc, as well as a good orgo textbook written by Maitland Jones.
Good luck to all of you !
