Deciding between Jan. and Mar. test dates. Insight appreciated.

[AAATPase]

Hi everyone,

Been a lurker for about 4 years, now I have an MCAT schedule dilemma and am hoping for insight.

I am currently signed up for Jan 23 MCAT, and have been sinking about 30 hours a week into it to at this point. I have been using TBR for PS, and have been impressed, as the passages and text have practically re-taught me long forgotten concepts.

I have take three practice tests:

Kaplan1 (P9/V11/B10) Taken one month ago
AAMC3 (P9/V9/B11) Taken one week ago
AAMC4 (P11/V13/B11) Taken yesterday


My dilemma: I now have now until March FREE from most obligations other than volunteering and working on committee letter requirements. While I am happy with my last test, I still feel very uncomfortable with PS, and have done minimal OCHEM/physiology review. I am wondering whether taking the next 90 days to hit the sciences hard (I have access to both TPR and Kaplan resources) and take a March test seems like a good idea or “SDN crazy”. The alternative is scrambling to shore up PS and Ochem over the next three weeks. I feel as if a strong science background will help my score more than relying on getting lucky on VR again.

Anyone have experience with delaying until March and feel it was worth it? I would love to hear from someone who has “done this before”. This question in my mind has begun to hamper my studying (clearly).

Note: I still have all remaining AAMCs, Kaplan FL’s and AAMC diagnostic material. No shortage.

-Thank you

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[nemo123]

If you don't think you've done all the content review you've wanted and you think you can accomplish all of that with an extra month and a half, then postpone it. Otherwise take it in January if your practice test average (just AAMC) comes out to where you want it to be.

 

[MedPhys2MD]

What's the disadvantage of waiting if you don't have anything else to do til March? If you'd feel more comfortable then, if delay

 

[AAATPase]

Thank you,

My main concern is that it seems that the general advice is 3 months of studying, and beyond that you begin to decline, perhaps due to forgetting week 1 stuff.

While I finally feel like I can do the problems that may me asked, I think I am lacking the understanding necessary for unfamiliar experimental problems under time stress. Ie: tell me it’s a rate law-I got it. Mask that fact, and I don’t think I have practiced enough to push through.

I guess it’s best to reserve March now before they fill up? Looks like my new test center is one hour away now.

Perhaps time to read-though TBR PS again and hit the in-text questions? Mirror SN2 for the remaining months?