easy admin questions for previous MCAT takers

[ilovefeet]

1. Are we allowed to use IPOD's during breaks?
2. Are we allowed to wait until we receive our scores to send it to AACPMAS?

thanks!!

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[BIH91]

1) You cant access any of your belongings other than food or water during the break.

2) You send your scores after you receive them which is about a month after the test.

 

[dsoz]

1) no. Go to the bathroom or relax and close your eyes for a few minutes. I had a soda and a bag of mixed nuts to munch on to get some energy before the next round. Any way you look at it, no electronic devices.

2) no. Scores are not given for about a month and are automatically reported to the application services. It is going to be a loooooooong month. But is only one of many long months. The time between application and interviews, between interview and acceptance, and between acceptance and attending are all long months!

dsoz

 

[nikkisorous]

1) no. Go to the bathroom or relax and close your eyes for a few minutes. I had a soda and a bag of mixed nuts to munch on to get some energy before the next round. Any way you look at it, no electronic devices.

2) no. Scores are not given for about a month and are automatically reported to the application services. It is going to be a loooooooong month. But is only one of many long months. The time between application and interviews, between interview and acceptance, and between acceptance and attending are all long months!

dsoz

Not true. The score will show up on the AAMC site when the results come out and from there you have to manuelly request to send it to AACPMAS. Keep in mind if you get a score you aren't pleased with and decide to retake it, AACPMAS will recieve both scores, you can't pick and choose which to send.

 

[ilovefeet]

thank you all for the feedback !!

 

[ilovefeet]

Question: I have heard from some people that doing 6 out of the 7 passages really well will earn me a good score, how valid is that?

 

[itsallgood19]

I have another question, are you allowed a scientific calculator while taking the mcat to do physics calculations? Also are you allowed to work on scrap paper?

 

[BIH91]

I have another question, are you allowed a scientific calculator while taking the mcat to do physics calculations? Also are you allowed to work on scrap paper?

No calculator everything can be done by hand as long as you know the formula, and they will give you scrap paper that you turn in afterwards.

 

[ManUnderFire]

Question: I have heard from some people that doing 6 out of the 7 passages really well will earn me a good score, how valid is that?

Hmmm...not sure about that, but seems plausible given my experience. I managed to finish 5 out of the 7 completely and winged-it on the 6th (so basically did 5 passages all day) because I got cocky and thought I had plenty of time to spare when in actuality, I didn't. At the end of the day, I scored an 8 on VR... which is humbling, but not terrible given the avg for matriculating students.

 

[DrRock44]

Question: I have heard from some people that doing 6 out of the 7 passages really well will earn me a good score, how valid is that?

You should do enough practice VR sections to be able to finish all the passages in the allotted timeframe. Remember that on test day, it is just as much about anxiety and crisis management as it is actual intellectual ability(by design in fact. that is one of the things they are evaluating) what is recommended is to preview the TYPE of passage and leave the ones you are least comfotable with until the end.Like those weird artsy fartsy hypothetical existential ones. They are put on there to purposely trick the science minded premed kids into wasting time freaking out about them

1) I had a soda and a bag of mixed nuts to munch on to get some energy before the next round.
dsoz

Sodas, especially caffeinated ones, will increase your need to pee during the next section. a sports drink is best as it has the opposite effect

 

[rushrhees]

No calculator everything can be done by hand as long as you know the formula, and they will give you scrap paper that you turn in afterwards.

No calculator, and honestly most equations are given to you, you really only need to memorize the most fundamental of equations.

Question: I have heard from some people that doing 6 out of the 7 passages really well will earn me a good score, how valid is that?

Absolutely false. The MCAT verbal is curved the least. Until you get really down there you pretty much start losing a point for each wrong answer whereas other sections you usually can have 3 wrong before you get shaved a point. If you miss a passage the highest you can probably get is a 9 and that is assuming you got 100% on all the other sections. Kaplan and all the other books stressed as much as they could that you need to be able to finish, then you go on refining you skills to get that score up.

 

[ilovefeet]

interesting.
thank you again for all the input and advice SDNers

AND GOOD LUCK TO THOSE TAKING IT ON THE 24TH OR 26TH !!!

 

[nikkisorous]

If you miss a passage that has 5 questions and get the rest entirely right you can still get an 11 in verbal. If you miss a passage with 7 questions you can get a 10, again assuming the rest is absolutely correct .

Generally 31-33 right is a 10
34-35 correct iis a 11

 

[itsallgood19]

for those that took it this past summer, when did you actually register for an MCAT? I keep checking the aamc website but all of the registration dates for the later MCAT dates are "TBD" - (basically they have released the MCAT dates for 2012-2013, but they are actually not open for registration yet (for the June 16 sitting and beyond).

I find it really annoying because I want to register and save a spot as early as possible because I know seats fill quickly, esp. in the summertime. So does anyone remember when they actually reserved a spot for a late summer MCAT? thanks!!