Discouraged while studying for mcat

[kamabush]

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I just wrapped up my sophomore year and decided to take my mcat on September 1st(not sure maybe September 9th) I'm getting through the content at about 2 chapters per day and I'll be done with the content by July 20-ish. I'm using the Kaplan books for content. Everytime I finish a chapter I go and do the chapter specific passage questions that are online with Kaplan and I don't do too well. I feel like although I genuinely understand the concepts I still can't apply them to the questions. And the questions seem impossible. I got a 489 on my Kaplan full length before studying anything and I'm practicing CARS (I consistently score 124 on cars) I'm aiming for at least a 507. This is getting really discouraging. Is this normal? I'm a really good student with a really high gpa and good extracurriculars but I just feel like this exam will ruin my chances. I'm not in a course just self studying.

 

[Kkshake]

I found Kaplan to be the worst of all the prep options.... reading content that you're supposed to already know isn't very helpful unless you have a weak area you need to brush up on, the best thing is to take as many practice tests as possible (I personally liked Barron's)....I realized this late in the game, I did awful on my first MCAT using the Kaplan prep, then panicked and scheduled my second MCAT within a month of getting my bad score, changed my study method to doing practice tests and raised my score 8 points, which is a significant jump, and I do believe it would have been higher if I gave myself more time (but it was good enough to be accepted)

 

[fldoctorgirl]

AAMC material is the best predictor. Kaplan and TPR are the worst. There are a bunch in the middle, like NS, ExamKrackers, Altius.

Can I ask why you want to take the MCAT in September if you just finished sophomore year? Have you taken all the pre-reqs?
Most people take the MCAT in the spring or early summer after junior year.

 

[Optimist Prime]

.

 

[Loonj]

yeah wait until you atleast take physics and biochem, unless you have already taken those courses. The kaplan practice questions are terrible and hard for no good reason. Just be patient, I have the kaplan books and I found them overall pretty helpful. Nice way to review all the material. Finish the content first, don't waste any practice tests yet bc it will only make you feel demoralized. Finish the content, then take practice tests as many as you can. Id say buy NextStep after you finish your kaplan tests and any other free fl's they offer or TPR bc yes those tests are kind of crappy, but their good to start off with. Once you are more comfortable with the MCAT type of tests, you should use other resources which are more indicative. Save the AAMC until the very end, as those are the most valuable tests you have and you don't want to waste them. Also just a tip, taking a practice test the first time is really the only time you can be confident in the score it gives you. If you take the same test again a few weeks or even a month later, chances are you will still remember some of the passages and so you might do better on the test the second time around, but that isn't as reliable. But that is just my opinion, others like to take the same exam again a few months, in hopes they forgot about the material but I wouldn't risk that on an AAMC test.

Anywho, don't be discouraged. You will do fine, just get through the content first then start taking any more practice tests. Remember, the MCAT is nothing like any of the other exams you have ever taken, it combines literally everything together so expect for there to be a learning curve. I started out with a 495 on my first practice test, and now I'm averaging a 510 with a 514 as my highest score so far. Don't worry, itll come to you 🙂

 

[kamabush]

AAMC material is the best predictor. Kaplan and TPR are the worst. There are a bunch in the middle, like NS, ExamKrackers, Altius.

Can I ask why you want to take the MCAT in September if you just finished sophomore year? Have you taken all the pre-reqs?
Most people take the MCAT in the spring or early summer after junior year.

Thank you!
Yes I have already taken all my prereqs and I wanted to get it over with

 

[kamabush]

yeah wait until you atleast take physics and biochem, unless you have already taken those courses. The kaplan practice questions are terrible and hard for no good reason. Just be patient, I have the kaplan books and I found them overall pretty helpful. Nice way to review all the material. Finish the content first, don't waste any practice tests yet bc it will only make you feel demoralized. Finish the content, then take practice tests as many as you can. Id say buy NextStep after you finish your kaplan tests and any other free fl's they offer or TPR bc yes those tests are kind of crappy, but their good to start off with. Once you are more comfortable with the MCAT type of tests, you should use other resources which are more indicative. Save the AAMC until the very end, as those are the most valuable tests you have and you don't want to waste them. Also just a tip, taking a practice test the first time is really the only time you can be confident in the score it gives you. If you take the same test again a few weeks or even a month later, chances are you will still remember some of the passages and so you might do better on the test the second time around, but that isn't as reliable. But that is just my opinion, others like to take the same exam again a few months, in hopes they forgot about the material but I wouldn't risk that on an AAMC test.

Anywho, don't be discouraged. You will do fine, just get through the content first then start taking any more practice tests. Remember, the MCAT is nothing like any of the other exams you have ever taken, it combines literally everything together so expect for there to be a learning curve. I started out with a 495 on my first practice test, and now I'm averaging a 510 with a 514 as my highest score so far. Don't worry, itll come to you 🙂

Thank you so much!
Yes I have already taken all my prereqs. The only class I have left is biochem which I'm taking while I'm studying for the mcat

 

[CyrusHabs7695]

When I took my first Kaplan exam before studying I got less than a 485 and I ended up with a 506 on the real thing (which im happy with considering where I started). Just keep at it, and when you start to feel discouraged, take a break for a day and do something fun. Best thing you can do is keep doing practice questions from AAMC banks! And I also agree with above, dont take the real thing without taking biochem, my scores jumped at least 5 points after taking biochem