feeling prepared?

[st.exupery]

now that there's only a month and a half left, i thought i would be feeling more prepared by now. i thought that a lot of the material would have sunk in and clicked by now, but i'm feeling pretty unprepared despite a good amount of studying... is this normal and i'm just freaking out, or i should really consider the august test? thanks.

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[Turkeyman]

When I start thinking about how much time is left, I start semi-freaking out...but I'd say not to stress over it. Make a plan, stick to it, and don't over analyze it. Plan to finish material with a cushion time for practice tests everyday, and just do it :-D

We're all in pretty much the same boat, but some see it so differently than others that it really screws them over in the end.

Making the plan is probably the hardest part...and making the sacrifices to stick to that plan.

 

[Pontifex Maximus]

I actually feel less prepared then I did a couple weeks ago. The latest stuff is killing me.

 

[2DEG]

I am not semi-freaking out. I am freaking out in full speed. My work is killing me. I am working from 8/8:30am till 8pm, then I go home and spend time with my daughter. I barely get one hour study done. I am not sure how long this is gonna continue - probably for 3 or 4 more days. Then it will be 9 to 5 job again.

Can anyone suggest whether it would be better to spend time on 1001 series books, or take the TPR's science work book and do as many passages as I can? I mean since we don't have much time left, would you recommend 1001 series stuff or science book passages?

I am hoping to take the third week of this month off from work. That will give me solid 9 days including the weekend.

Quiting job is not an option, unfortunately

S.

When I start thinking about how much time is left, I start semi-freaking out...but I'd say not to stress over it. Make a plan, stick to it, and don't over analyze it. Plan to finish material with a cushion time for practice tests everyday, and just do it :-D

We're all in pretty much the same boat, but some see it so differently than others that it really screws them over in the end.

Making the plan is probably the hardest part...and making the sacrifices to stick to that plan.

 

[Chachie2682]

I am not semi-freaking out. I am freaking out in full speed. My work is killing me. I am working from 8/8:30am till 8pm, then I go home and spend time with my daughter. I barely get one hour study done. I am not sure how long this is gonna continue - probably for 3 or 4 more days. Then it will be 9 to 5 job again.

Can anyone suggest whether it would be better to spend time on 1001 series books, or take the TPR's science work book and do as many passages as I can? I mean since we don't have much time left, would you recommend 1001 series stuff or science book passages?

I am hoping to take the third week of this month off from work. That will give me solid 9 days including the weekend.

Quiting job is not an option, unfortunately



S.

It's really common to feel that as it gets closer to the MCAT... the less prepared a student feels; and, at times, it feels like all the studying I have done...I feel like I can't and don't know anything. It's just nerves. Take each day at a time. It's a psychological game, every day say to yourself: I'm taking the MCAT, it's April "whatever date." Be comfortable with that idea. Give yourself positive energy and movitation. Don't dwell on the dates of the months, or how many days left until...Just focus on studying. And don't over do it with the studying, something you need to step away from it. When March came, I just studied maybe 3 hours a day, because of work and school.
BTW: I heard "exam crackers" work.

 

[MeowMix]

This is normal.

How are you doing on full-length practice tests? That will be your best indicator of whether you should postpone. I would say if you are scoring more than 10 points under your target MCAT score, on AAMC tests, you need to figure out what's going on and perhaps reconsider. (if you're one of those diligent people shooting for a 40, ignore above and just keep working hard) If you are shooting for a 30 and are still scoring under 25, it is too early to make the call on postponing, but you need to keep working hard and efficiently.

It is best to avoid freaking out. You just keep studying and telling yourself, I am going to do my best. I cannot learn everything perfectly, but I will do my best. This situation will come up over and over again in first year of med school and you will have to go into exams feeling woefully unprepared.

Make a list of problem topics as you work through the science content. Highlight the most problematic. Know that you will never have enough time to review all of them, but at least try to tackle a few of the worst per week (e.g. lenses, focal length, etc.) and really learn them properly.

Be sure that you are not leaning towards studying the stuff you already know well, and avoiding your problem areas. This is an easy trap to fall into.

Keep doing MCAT-format practice passages and tests (instead of 1001-style), even if you have not finished reviewing the content. Use these to help identify problem areas in content and strategy. You should be doing full-lengths at least every second Saturday by now.

Be sure to keep checking your timing on passages. You need to know that you can finish a science passage in 7-8 minutes and a verbal in 9. You can always go back after the allotted time and try again to answer the questions (BEFORE looking at answers is most effective!).

Make sure that you review and analyze your wrong answers on PS and BS sections. Figure out if you are consistently making math errors or other simple errors such as not reading the passage or questions properly.

shahab - you need to figure out a way to find more time for life as well as studying. If you can't cut back your work hours, something else needs to change. Again, how you are doing on practice tests is a useful indicator.

good luck