Examkrackers Chemistry Lecture Exams

[masterMood]

So I did well on the first two lecture exams for chemistry (got at least 10s on those).

The 3rd and 4th were ridiculously hard I thought.

Can anyone comment on what they thought of the 4th chemistry lecture exam?

it took me 45 minutes to finish that ****er/banchod mainly because the first passage (on the *unknown solution*) took me a long time trying to visualize and understand what was going on.

ooopph i hope this won't correlate strongly to 8,9, and 10 on AAMCs...

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[greg1184]

I mentioned this in another thread. I believe General Chem is EK's weakest section. The lecture exams are ridiculous and destroyed my confidence the first time I took the MCAT. Frankly I like Kaplan's Chem notes better but that is just me.

If you read the very first page in the book, it tells you that it only consists of the harder MCAT questions because it assumes you can answer the easy questions.

 

[masterMood]

it's breaking my confidence to be sitting on one page of a lecture of chemistry and realize that one hour has gone by sometimes because i will be trying to understand what the hell they are trying to explain.

That's a really horrible feeling when you've been sitting there for 3-4 hours and you've gone through only a few pages ughhh.

I don't have time to use another chemistry book, besides it seems that for the most part Kaplan and Princeton just explain the concept, and give sample "plug and chug" problems and since chemistry is maybe 2 or 3 passages at the most (with a frequency of 1 to 2 on average) that I can take this risk of not focusing so much on chemistry...

 

[dwc929]

I also got killed on Lecture 3. All I have to compare to is Princeton and it definitely seems harder.

 

[ultramman]

I am having the same issues with exam krackers Chemistry -- also Physics. I scored like 12, 12 on chapters 1 &2, and 7, 7 - barely on 3 & 4. I am using the Kaplan MCAT book, along with my old notes from gen chem 1 & 2 to get the basics back in my mind. The physics was killing me too. I was getting 6 - 7 on every one, I was beginning to feel pretty ******ed. I purchased NOVA physics and it does a way better job of breaking things down to the extreme basics and then slowly building you up to tougher problems. As far as your Gen Chem issue, I'd try to score a rush copy off ebay of a kaplan study guide. Or look up all the basics of Gen Chem on the web and start plugging away. I am making this switch mid- 10 week study plan for the August 5th MCAT -- so also, by all means I am no connoisseur.

 

[engineeredout]

What I've been doing is reading a lecture and going through the normal problems, then going to the 1001 question book and going through roughly half the problems for that lecture before taking the 30 minute exams. Even so I'm not doing great.

I wouldn't worry about it being a real representation of mcat performance though. You're taking these exams after just having learned the material (or just reviewing it for the first time in a while). And like someone said above, the select only the difficult questions to throw into those 30 minute exams.

 

[masterMood]

It seems that if I had an hour to do these, I would be able to lay out the logic on paper and figure i tout.

I think my problem is not thinking quickly enough and that when i get a "mental picture" of what to do, i forget what i thought about about 3-4 steps beforehand ha ha. Maybe taking quick symbolic notes might alleviate this problem.

 

[cornpops21]

it's breaking my confidence to be sitting on one page of a lecture of chemistry and realize that one hour has gone by sometimes because i will be trying to understand what the hell they are trying to explain.

That's a really horrible feeling when you've been sitting there for 3-4 hours and you've gone through only a few pages ughhh.

I don't have time to use another chemistry book, besides it seems that for the most part Kaplan and Princeton just explain the concept, and give sample "plug and chug" problems and since chemistry is maybe 2 or 3 passages at the most (with a frequency of 1 to 2 on average) that I can take this risk of not focusing so much on chemistry...

I think you're incorrect in thinking this. The PS section is becoming more gen-chem heavy. I've heard this from others who've taken the MCAT and also from my own MCAT experience last August. I'd say PS is about 60/40 in favor of gen-chem, so I would expect at least 4-5 passages.

 

[Empi]

I just started looking at the Gen Chem EC book and I really tanked the lecture 4 exam. It did make me a little insecure. I'm glad to know that I'm not alone. Strangely, I was pretty weak with solutions when I was taking Chem. That and redox, for some reason, if I do the opposite to what I think in redox, I'll get the right answer.

 

[supafield]

I think you're incorrect in thinking this. The PS section is becoming more gen-chem heavy. I've heard this from others who've taken the MCAT and also from my own MCAT experience last August. I'd say PS is about 60/40 in favor of gen-chem, so I would expect at least 4-5 passages.

I think it's best to go in expecting = amounts of each.. people have recently reported a few physics heavy sections.... I think if you go in there expecting a 50/50 split you'll be ready for whatever comes at ya.

 

[Revilla]

I think you're incorrect in thinking this. The PS section is becoming more gen-chem heavy. I've heard this from others who've taken the MCAT and also from my own MCAT experience last August. I'd say PS is about 60/40 in favor of gen-chem, so I would expect at least 4-5 passages.

It depends on the exam you get. I took the June 13th exam and had five Physics passages.

 

[engineeredout]

On a related note I just took the 30 minute exam at the end of the Orgo lecture 1. Man I was so pissed throughout it. After the first passage the rest of them were mostly about **** not yet covered. I would rather have waited until finishing the book before taking this exam because at least then it would have been good practice. I had orgo two years ago, I don't remember a whole hell of a lot of it, so I almost threw a fit over this exam.

Oh well.

 

[masterMood]

but they say not to worry too much about the orgo on the exam. Maybe 5-6 questions.

Btw, EK Chemistry is going by a lot smoother for the rest of the book. it's basically chapters 2,3,4 that were ****ty for me.

But 5,6,7 went well.

If you have a good sense of intuition and if you know NMR then you should be able to minimize the number of questions you get wrong to like 2-3. Which imo, is fine for me. I'm probably gonna cram orgo the day before the exam.

 

[engineeredout]

but they say not to worry too much about the orgo on the exam. Maybe 5-6 questions.

If you have a good sense of intuition and if you know NMR then you should be able to minimize the number of questions you get wrong to like 2-3. Which imo, is fine for me. I'm probably gonna cram orgo the day before the exam.

Yeah I understand that. Still its just that I like taking the 30 minute exams and getting that scaled mcat score. I ended up with like a 5 because I did so horrifically on the lecture exam because its orgo material I haven't seen in two years. If they actually did it on what was in lecture 1 I would have been fine


Ohh well. On to bio lec 5 now...

 

[masterMood]

i wouldn't worry too much about the orgo 30 minutes. They ask pretty simple orgo questions from what I'm seeing.

If you do some searching, most people thought the orgo 30 minutes were pretty ****ty.

Don't stress about it too much.

 

[sunsfan]

Ok, I'm feeling slightly better now that I found this thread. I just did the 30-min exam for Lecture 4. Ran out of time with 7 Qs left. This test ruined my afternoon, shot my confidence, ripped my heart out and fed it to the dog.

AAAAARGH! When will I ever get to finish a feggin PS test in time????!!!!

 

[smk9]

Then I got Berkeley Review.

Holy Smokes. They are quite the resource.

Seriously, you should consider investing in them. Great passages, great explanations, great lectures.

I'm retaking the MCAT (pulled a 29 the first time 10P/9V/10B) but my chem was ridiculously strong. I usually missed only one or two chem problems on AAMC tests. Unfortunately, my MCAT on 5/27 was mostly physics.

Anyhow, so I've been going back through EK because I want a quick content refresher before the next exam, and I just took EK Chem 3's 30 minute test.

Score: 11 (I attribute this entirely to Berkeley.)

 

[requeim]

the EK chem 3,4,5 is weak.

i was in the same situation as mastermood feeling like i'm gong to fail the mcat if i dont get this stuff.

then i got some old tpr books and WHAT AN IMPROVEMENT!!!!!. i've been going through those and as much as people complain that there is too many details etc, it is def better than EK chem.

 

[onb2014]

My take on this is that to get good scores, you need to practice on tough problems. I think that *unknown solution* passage was good because it really tested your reasoning skills as opposed to just brute memorization/plug in the formula. EK says specifically that the scaled scores mean nothing--I wouldn't sweat it.

 

[sunsfan]

Then I got Berkeley Review.

Holy Smokes. They are quite the resource.

I have an old set of TBR books. I really like them and study off them most of the time. But the my TBR books don't have a chapter dedicated to Solutions and Solubility so I turned to EK.
Do you know how much the books (content) have changed over the years? My set came free from a friend's friend who took the MCAT 7(!) years ago. I wonder if I should buy a newer set.

 

[JA Prufrock]

I have an old set of TBR books. I really like them and study off them most of the time. But the my TBR books don't have a chapter dedicated to Solutions and Solubility so I turned to EK.
Do you know how much the books (content) have changed over the years? My set came free from a friend's friend who took the MCAT 7(!) years ago. I wonder if I should buy a newer set.

Well the set I have (I think it's the 2007 version) definitely has a section in the Equilibrium chapter devoted to solubility, and it has one chapter of acids/bases and one chapter of buffers/titrations.

 

[Just Joshin]

I don't know why people find it acceptable to use the word rape when discussing things like this. Shows a lack of vocabulary and maturity.

 

[engineeredout]

I don't know why people find it acceptable to use the word rape when discussing things like this. Shows a lack of vocabulary and maturity.

[YOUTUBE]http://youtube.com/watch?v=3av_qRR_DWc[/YOUTUBE]http://youtube.com/watch?v=3av_qRR_DWc

 

[Just Joshin]

Since this wasn't used as a joke but more as the OP talking about how he felt "violated" by EK Chem, I'm going to say your youtube was irrelevant. I maintain that while he has a right to say it, it shows a lack of vocabulary and maturity.

 

[stixx]

Do people seriously not even read the books you paid a decent amount of money for? It specifically says the tests are deliberately difficult and the "scaled" scores aren't representative of what your true performance will be. Why do you need SDN to validate this?

 

[mozdef]

i thought the lecture exams for all EK books were kinda hard. I was getting embarrassingly low scores. After taking a few I decided I'm not going to do them anymore because they were just making me too depressed. I just focused on the 1001 books. Meanwhile my practice tests ranged from 33-38 so i knew those lecture exams weren't indicitive of mcat scores and I took my mcat 7/10 and i think I probably got within that range.

 

[masterMood]

::edited::


too funny for SDN's innocent eyes

 

[masterMood]

Since this wasn't used as a joke but more as the OP talking about how he felt "violated" by EK Chem, I'm going to say your youtube was irrelevant. I maintain that while he has a right to say it, it shows a lack of vocabulary and maturity.

a lack of vocabulary and maturity?

lmao... i'm sorry maybe i should have used the word penetrated instead? Or would stab, assault, ravish, violate, defile, hmmm or deflower suffice instead?

Have I satisfied the former part of your criteria? A lack of vocabulary? Lmao, you're a tool, get bent.

 

[Gabby]

This issue has come up before on SDN and as a woman, I find it extremely offensive and so do several others -- men and women. Perhaps you could just use another word to describe your outrage at being "violated."

 

[masterMood]

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/05/28/101-being-offended/

To be offended is usually a rather unpleasant experience, one that can expose a person to intolerance, cultural misunderstandings, and even evoke the scars of the past. This is such an unpleasant experience that many people develop a thick skin and try to only be offended in the most egregious and awful situations. In many circumstances, they can allow smaller offenses to slip by as fighting them is a waste of time and energy. But white people, blessed with both time and energy, are not these kind of people. In fact there are few things white people love more than being offended.

Naturally, white people do not get offended by statements directed at white people. In fact, they don't even have a problem making offensive statements about other white people (ask a white person about "flyover states"). As a rule, white people strongly prefer to get offended on behalf of other people.

It is also valuable to know that white people spend a significant portion of their time preparing for the moment when they will be offended. They read magazines, books, and watch documentaries all in hopes that one day they will encounter a person who will say something offensive. When this happens, they can leap into action with quotes, statistics, and historical examples. Once they have finished lecturing another white person about how it's wrong to use the term "black" instead of "African-American," they can sit back and relax in the knowledge that they have made a difference.

White people also get excited at the opportunity to be offended at things that are sexist and/or homophobic. Both cases offering ample opportunities for lectures, complaints, graduate classes, lengthy discussions and workshops. All of which do an excellent job of raising awareness among white people who hope to change their status from "not racist" to "super not racist."

Another thing worth noting is that the threshold for being offended is a very important tool for judging and ranking white people. Missing an opportunity to be outraged is like missing a reference to Derrida-it's social death.

If you ever need to make a white person feel indebted to you, wait for them to mention a book, film, or television show that features a character who is the same race as you, then say "the representation of <insert race> was offensive and if you can't see that, well, you need to do some soul searching." After they return from their hastily booked trip to land of your ancestors, they will be desperate to make it up to you. At this point, it is acceptable to ask them to help you paint your house.

 

[supafield]

This issue has come up before on SDN and as a woman, I find it extremely offensive and so do several others -- men and women. Perhaps you could just use another word to describe your outrage at being "violated."

Agreed.... while it says nothing about vocabulary it does say something about the choice of words and more indirectly maturity.

Given that, among a college population as large as is represented by those on SDN you're almost certainly dealing with people who some of which will be victims of rape and sexual assault.

It's clear it was a figure of speech to express how terrible those end of lecture tests in ek are.... but assuming you're an aspiring physician, the fact that you can't appreciate the sensitivity of the subject no matter how you intend to use the word doesn't say much for your ability to deal with any psychological issues among patients or your understanding of people in general.

So while not intending to be offensive, people have every right to be offended.

 

[masterMood]

yawn refer to post 30.

You gotta love the pre-med "holier than thou" kids for preaching their message of what is right and what is wrong and then judging your ability as a future physician lol.

 

[supafield]

yawn refer to post 30.

You gotta love the pre-med "holier than thou" kids for preaching their message of what is right and what is wrong and then judging your ability as a future physician lol.

What is right and wrong.... I don't intend on projecting my values on anyone... walk into an interview.... Tell them their questions are raping you and see how it goes.

 

[supafield]

You're stirring the pot for fun and baiting me into it.... use all the sarcasm you want.... I'll leave the issue alone... hopefully the mods deal with this and if they don't I suppose I'm out of line....

 

[engineeredout]

Naturally, white people do not get offended by statements directed at white people. In fact, they don't even have a problem making offensive statements about other white people (ask a white person about "flyover states")

I'm white, what the hell is a "flyover state"?


As an aside, anyone ever see this site: http://www.blackpeopleloveus.com

We love playing Pictionary. Time was running out and Sally just could not get it!

Is that roof high enough...or does it need to be raised?!
Johnny gets props from a close friend!

I work with Johnny, and sometimes he stops in the middle of our corporate hallways, but instead of shaking my hands he gives me a fist pound and says "what up." He's so in touch with the street, its astonishing.

 

[masterMood]

i'm guessing a "flyover" state is one that not that many people really think about. You know a lot of the mid-west ones like Nebraska, kansas, etc. etc.

lmao at the blackpeopleloveus.com website i've been there a long time ago.

You should check out also,

www.origamiboulder.com i think you'll like it (the website is legitimate the writing is even more hilarious)

I'm white, what the hell is a "flyover state"?


As an aside, anyone ever see this site: http://www.blackpeopleloveus.com

.[/B]

 

[Vihsadas]

I'd like to thank the poster that reported this thread, as I hadn't seen it previously.

The MCAT forums are intended to be a professional discussion place. This thread clearly does not fulfill that criteria, and the premise of the thread is in bad taste. If you wish to discuss social or political issues keep it out of the main forums. I suggest the doctor's lounge or the socio-political forums.

Thread closed.