Final 2 Weeks + Score Improvement

[j306c954]

Hey all, I just wanted to see if anyone here ever increased their score by at least 1-2 points (on each section, whether it be on FLE's or on the actual MCAT) in the final 2 weeks?

Hoping to accomplish that currently...mistakes I'm making are mainly on some content I first learned early in the studying process, so just need to brush up.

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[ElectricNoogie]

Have I seen it? Yes. Is it likely? It depends.

If your mistakes are mostly content related, then a quick cram/brush up on high priority material can quickly bum up your score.
If most of your mistakes are due to misunderstanding the MCAT way of presenting/testing science, your task is to change your way of thinking to be more in line with the AAMC. This is a more involved process than just learning science.

As you take each FL exam (no more than 2/week) these last 2 weeks, give your self enough time to learn from it, assess your mistakes, and do homework designed to address said mistakes before you rush into another FL exam.

Hope this helps.

Good luck!

 

[j306c954]

Have I seen it? Yes. Is it likely? It depends.

If your mistakes are mostly content related, then a quick cram/brush up on high priority material can quickly bum up your score.
If most of your mistakes are due to misunderstanding the MCAT way of presenting/testing science, your task is to change your way of thinking to be more in line with the AAMC. This is a more involved process than just learning science.

As you take each FL exam (no more than 2/week) these last 2 weeks, give your self enough time to learn from it, assess your mistakes, and do homework designed to address said mistakes before you rush into another FL exam.

Hope this helps.

Good luck!

Thank you! I always go over each question I missed (as well as the ones I got correct), and critically analyze them. Then I ask myself two questions
1) Exactly WHY did I miss this question?
2) If content related, what am I going to do to make sure I NEVER miss a question on this topic again?

 

[tenblackalps]

I scored 83% on the AAMC official test about 2.5 weeks out from my actual test.

Between that test and my actual test, I took and thoroughly reviewed six more practice tests and really focused on understanding concepts so that if I missed a question, I made sure I would never miss something similar again. I think that is the key to reviewing practice exams.

I reviewed every question (missed or correct) and wrote out explanations for every missed question. I watched Khan academy videos for more intricate topics. I felt the videos on Khan were excellent and made many intricate topics easier to understand: carbohydrate chemistry/biology, muscles (actin/myosin/tropomyosin/sarcoplasmic reticulum), etc., so that when I to thought about these topics going forward I was able to visualize them in my head rather than recalling rote facts. On the actual test, I scored a 520 which I think was a clear improvement from that 83%!

 

[Neutrophil2016]

I reviewed every question (missed or correct)

This is a really important part of the study process that gets overlooked by way too many students because of overconfidence. You'd be amazed how many questions you might have gotten right for the wrong reason or just because you got lucky guessing. Skipping those question during your review of the test is highly detrimental.

 

[j306c954]

This is a really important part of the study process that gets overlooked by way too many students because of overconfidence. You'd be amazed how many questions you might have gotten right for the wrong reason or just because you got lucky guessing. Skipping those question during your review of the test is highly detrimental.

I think you might have misunderstood what I said. I meant that I review EVERY question, even the ones I do get correct. For the ones I get correct, I ask myself "Why did I get this correct?"

 

[j306c954]

I scored 83% on the AAMC official test about 2.5 weeks out from my actual test.

Between that test and my actual test, I took and thoroughly reviewed six more practice tests and really focused on understanding concepts so that if I missed a question, I made sure I would never miss something similar again. I think that is the key to reviewing practice exams.

I reviewed every question (missed or correct) and wrote out explanations for every missed question. I watched Khan academy videos for more intricate topics. I felt the videos on Khan were excellent and made many intricate topics easier to understand: carbohydrate chemistry/biology, muscles (actin/myosin/tropomyosin/sarcoplasmic reticulum), etc., so that when I to thought about these topics going forward I was able to visualize them in my head rather than recalling rote facts. On the actual test, I scored a 520 which I think was a clear improvement from that 83%!

Thanks!
About how many hours per day would you say you put in during that time? I plan to take 2 more practice tests within the next week (I've already taken 4).

 

[tenblackalps]

Thanks!
About how many hours per day would you say you put in during that time? I plan to take 2 more practice tests within the next week (I've already taken 4).

Practice test days I took just like the real thing so 7.5 hours. Normally I didn't do anything the rest of the day, but occasionally I would do an hour or less of light studying in the evening. I always reviewed practice tests the next day and those were long days. I would estimate that each test took me 8-10 hours to review, or about 2 hours per section minimum. Days where I had no practice tests I usually put in about 10 hours, typically like 8a-11:30a, 1p-4p, then 7p-10:30p. However, in the evenings if I ever felt tired and felt like I wouldn't gain anything by studying I would just close the books and call it a night. Here and there I took and afternoon or evening off just to get out of the house and away from the mcat world in my head.

I took the test on a Friday and stopped studying the Wednesday evening before, so I took about a day and half off before the test. I felt prepared at that point and taking that time off helped me feel refreshed and optimistic the day of the test.