For those who've taken Kaplan

[BigRedStress]

From now until the exam, I have a little less than three months. I was wondering what the optimal was it to organize when to take which practice full length exams. Kaplan has already scheduled their test 1 for me on 2/16 and the remaining exams 2-5 the four weeks prior to the exam. I have kaplan tests 6 and 7 and AAMC tests 1 through 5 to schedule, what order should I do these seven exams?

ok, also, I am very strong in biology (since im a bio major) and am almost done with re-learning all the orgo (though I have yet to do the topical exams). For the physics section, I took physics 101 last semester and got and A and am taking 102 right now, so I've really been preparing for physics for a while and it is (I think) fresh in my head. I have to revisit gen chem, but that shouldnt be too bad. So, my question is, to those who have been in this position as I, how should I work through the material, in that should I take a practice full lenght and see exactly where I am? or keep studying off the books. I'm asking this becxause... my verbal is a problem, I've been working harcore on verbal for a month now and although I have improved from my inital score... I am still getting around 20 questions wrong which I think is around an 8 (is that about right?) so that leads to another problem/question, .... what do I do about this verbal??? I have done Kaplan tests 1 through 8 and have I think 4 more of their practice exams to take but I'm finding it hard to get to the center to take them and be focused enough to take them. I'm really driving myself int oa big mess trying to think all this **** out, please someone help!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[alice]

i'd take them when kaplan schedules them - whether they be the in-house tests or the tests assigned to a given class review. kaplan does tons of research and spaces these things well. it is also worth your while to go to the center. it's a little more realistic than taking the tests at home.

regarding which subjects to study, i say start reading the newspaper every day, and play little games (like those kaplan suggests) like summarizing each paragraph to trace the path of the argument. verbal is really important - it has a stronger correlation to high usmle scores, and the med schools know it.

 

[DNALadder2002]

Kaplan is helpful with their schedules and all. But I wouldn't rest my entire MCAT studies on them. I would schedule full length practice exams on Saturdays 2 months prior to the "real exam." Rather than going through the textbooks and re-studying everything, I would take a lot of practice exams. Go over them. Do verbal passages in the morning to get yourself conditioned for the morning verbal section on the real test date.
I hope this helps. Aim 27 or higher. Good luck.

 

[spacecadet]

Definitely go to the Kaplan full-length tests. It will help you a lot to get used to taking the test all at once in a room full of people. Write the essays too! Even the ones they don't grade - you can ask your Verbal instructor to grade them for you. Also, don't let the proctors re-arrange the test on you - sometimes they try to switch the essay and BS so people can leave early.

I would (and did) blow off AAMC I&II. They are worthless. Do AAMC V last. It is the most realistic.

I'd also recommend that you do as much of the Kaplan library materials as you can. I did every single thing in the library and it helped me a lot. My score went from like 26 on the diagnostic to 39 on the real thing.

I'd plan on spending a couple evenings a week in the Kaplan center. I usually did 2-3 section tests plus a bunch of AAMC practice items about two nights a week.

 

[BigRedStress]

Thank you for your replies.... What strategies did you all find to be the most useful for attacking the verbal.... and also for memorizing all them orgo reactions?!

 

[El Jefe]

Don't worry so much about orgo reactions. Just be confident with the substitution and elimination reactions and you'll probably be fine. Anything too much more complicated is likely to be provided in the passage. As for verbal, just keep practicing those damn things. It starts coming together eventually.