Form AN

[Freakingzooming]

Anyone feel that PS is going to be curved tremendously? I was hard pressed on time. Man it was horrible. I don't know what to expect.

Bio and verbal wasn't bad.

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[humuhumu]

Cool! Someone else with my form. I'll paste in my comments from another thread:

I was surprised (OK, shell-shocked) by the PS section too. Lots of real curveballs. It wasn't nearly as "fair and balanced" in its coverage of physics and chemistry as the AAMC practice tests I took (3, 4, 5, 6). VR, on the other hand, was comparable to the practice tests, and BS was very straightforward (but, then, biology is my forte). My first essay was good, my second was mediocre -- but I can't blame the topics, which I thought were both reasonable.

 

[shuzee]

yeaaah...i had AN too and i felt bad after the PS section, as far as the verbal goes, for the first time EVER in my life i finished the section five minutes before and BS was good too but i didnt like how they tested on the ear and nose bio (there were only two questions on that).....oh whatev....hoepfully the PS curve will help me!!!!!

 

[Hook17]

I thought PS was okay, nothing way too out there, though i didnt like the passage about the moon.

Verbal was actually pretty easy compared to other practice tests i took, which isnt good because that means the curve isnt as great. the last passage about about total cause sucked.

I thought Bio was the toughest section, there were alot of questions involving discrete information, that i just never learned. However i finished the section with 25 min left. I think thats a good indication of how bad i did.

 

[USArmyDoc]

PS= Pretty damn hard
VR= OKay, one or two tricky passages
BS= Okay, once again there were about two or three passages that were difficult

 

[sahir j]

I thought PS was okay, nothing way too out there, though i didnt like the passage about the moon.
Verbal was actually pretty easy compared to other practice tests i took, which isnt good because that means the curve isnt as great. the last passage about about total cause sucked.
I thought Bio was the toughest section, there were alot of questions involving discrete information, that i just never learned. However i finished the section with 25 min left. I think thats a good indication of how bad i did.

sounds pretty much like my experience:
ps - what the hell was that 'lensing mass', 3 points in space? i never even heard of that
vs - the bird mating passage was roughest for me.
bs - murder murder. several passages baffled me. hope i get that 10.

 

[jmebme]

I'm with Hook and sahir on my opinion of the test!

I didn't think PS was terrible, but I was just really glad that I wasn't freaking out afraid that I might not finish the section. I'm definitley with everyone about that stupid moon passage too!

The verbal wasn't too bad--that last passage I answered and then had to reread. I don't know why but that one threw me off.

And then the biology--dang! I don't think it was the worst one I did, but I definitley feel it was a far cry from AAMC 6R (the last one I took).

 

[Hook17]

anyone want to talk on aim or through private messages about specific questions to guage ourselves? my aim is hook17

 

[shuzee]

you guys....in the BS section...what did you guys put that was the same for BOTH Cathedrin and Antigen-Antibody interaction?? all of the choices looked wrong to me! (And i just had a whole quarter of immunology!)

 

[knicks0819]

you guys....in the BS section...what did you guys put that was the same for BOTH Cathedrin and Antigen-Antibody interaction?? all of the choices looked wrong to me! (And i just had a whole quarter of immunology!)

i put that they both bind to something.. how about u?

 

[tank you]

you guys....in the BS section...what did you guys put that was the same for BOTH Cathedrin and Antigen-Antibody interaction?? all of the choices looked wrong to me! (And i just had a whole quarter of immunology!)

i had a different form, but i was stuck on that damn question for so long! i couldn't choose between "both require proteins on plasma membrane" or "both bind cells together". in the end, i chose the latter choice.

technically, none of those is right, since antibodies can be soluble, so they wouldnt need to be on the plasma membrane and therefore would not stick two cells together. maybe it was an experimental passage?

 

[Pontifex Maximus]

I didn't have that form, but I also chose bind cells together. That's what antibodies do, bind to an antigen.

 

[shuzee]

I didn't have that form, but I also chose bind cells together. That's what antibodies do, bind to an antigen.

yeah, i chose bind cells too, because Abs agglutinate cells....but still.....i really think none of the choices made any sense!!!!!

 

[junebuguf]

i had a different form, but i was stuck on that damn question for so long! i couldn't choose between "both require proteins on plasma membrane" or "both bind cells together". in the end, i chose the latter choice.

technically, none of those is right, since antibodies can be soluble, so they wouldnt need to be on the plasma membrane and therefore would not stick two cells together. maybe it was an experimental passage?

Actually antibodies are proteins so they are water soluble but not lipid soluble, which means they would need a receptor (ie an antigenic determinant) on the cell membrane to bind to it. Thats why I ultimately picked the choice that was something to the effect that they both bind to receptors on the cell membrane....although I cant remember now if the answer actually said 'they both bind to proteins on the cell membrane,' which could be wrong.

In retrospect, the latter answer about binding cells together may be the correct answer because cadherins cause cells to stick together and one of the ways that antibodies can act is by causing agglutination. Also, antigenic determinants dont necessarily have to be proteins, they can be the carb portions of glycoproteins, so I guess if the answer really was '...bind proteins on the cell membrane' I'm wrong. But if it was '...receptors on the cell membrane' I could be right.

 

[Pontifex Maximus]

Actually antibodies are proteins so they are water soluble but not lipid soluble, which means they would need a receptor (ie an antigenic determinant) on the cell membrane to bind to it. Thats why I ultimately picked the choice that was something to the effect that they both bind to receptors on the cell membrane....although I cant remember now if the answer actually said 'they both bind to proteins on the cell membrane,' which could be wrong.

In retrospect, the latter answer about binding cells together may be the correct answer because cadherins cause cells to stick together and one of the ways that antibodies can act is by causing agglutination. Also, antigenic determinants dont necessarily have to be proteins, they can be the carb portions of glycoproteins, so I guess if the answer really was '...bind proteins on the cell membrane' I'm wrong. But if it was '...receptors on the cell membrane' I could be right.

Pretty sure it was bind proteins, not receptors.

 

[Hoberto]

Hey Hook-

I finished Bio with 25 minutes left, too! Course it wasn't like I could goback and correct any answers.

This was the first PS test I took and didn't finish with 20+ minutes. Usually this is my best section....don't know this time.

I picked need proteins on the membrane...or whatever that choice was.

 

[crazy_cavalier]

i had a different form, but i was stuck on that damn question for so long! i couldn't choose between "both require proteins on plasma membrane" or "both bind cells together". in the end, i chose the latter choice.

technically, none of those is right, since antibodies can be soluble, so they wouldnt need to be on the plasma membrane and therefore would not stick two cells together. maybe it was an experimental passage?

I am taking a class called "Tissue Engineering." We covered cadherins in very good detail, along with integrins, extra-cellular matrix interactions, etc.

Basically, cells communicate through three primary mechanisms: cell-cell interactions, cell-ECM interactions, and soluble-signal interactions. Anyway, the point of cadherins is that they are proteins that are embedded in the plasma membrane of the cell. Cells stick to one another via this cadherin protein: it is like so: cell_A-cadherin-cadherin-cell_B. This is analogous to the way antigens work, because you have cell_A-(presenting)-AntigenA on the surface of the membrane; then the next cell recognizes or interacts with the antigen protein by whatever means to whatever ends (i.e. antibody protein attaches, cell-recognition devices, etc.)

In short, I believe the answer was both require proteins on plasma membranes. This answer choice could not possibly be wrong. The other choice, "both bind cells together", seemed certainly applicable to cadherins (indeed this is what cadherins do, the mechanism of course working through the protein-protein interaction) but I wasn't 100% sure if was as appropriate for the antigen/antibody analogy.

Anyway, it was a stupid question. Just shows you can know what the hell is going on and still not get the point

 

[DMC81]

The PS section was the only one I finished with time to spare. I felt good after doing the non passage based questions first. The lensing mass question was just testing if you remembered that light can be affected by gravity.

The VR and BS had basically what I was expecting. The only one that gave me trouble was the common law burglary one.

 

[tank you]

The PS section was the only one I finished with time to spare. I felt good after doing the non passage based questions first. The lensing mass question was just testing if you remembered that light can be affected by gravity.

The VR and BS had basically what I was expecting. The only one that gave me trouble was the common law burglary one.

so, can light be affected by gravity?

 

[DrChandy]

so, can light be affected by gravity?

Yes.

Intense gravitational fields in space (ie dark matter, centers of galaxies) bend light significantly. The greater the body density, the greater the gravitational effect on matter, photons included.

 

[frankrizzo18]

I had form AH. I don't remember a question that you needed to know that information. I think you are referring to the question where the answers were like speed, frequency, wavelength etc.? I hope that was the experimental passage as well as the passage with the fan, refrigerator, and circuit!!

Yes.

Intense gravitational fields in space (ie dark matter, centers of galaxies) bend light significantly. The greater the body density, the greater the gravitational effect on matter, photons included.

 

[Mixtli]

Thats what I put. I had 10 minutes to do the last 2 passages. I skimmed that lensing mass passage and read that question? I was like? WTF?
So I put down gravity because I remembered something about gravitational wells and Einstein time-space. I'm really surprised MCAT would test non-classical physics. For the biology question I also put down they both require proteins on cell surface. Thank god for one of the only biology courses I took in school-cell engineering.

Yes.

Intense gravitational fields in space (ie dark matter, centers of galaxies) bend light significantly. The greater the body density, the greater the gravitational effect on matter, photons included.

 

[RobbingReality]

For the biological question I put they both bind cells together. Although Cavalier is correct on the function of cadherin, and I too went back and forth between the two answers. I ultimately pick the one that would require the least amount of specific outside knowledge, considering that the MCAT is only a test of simple concepts.

 

[frankrizzo18]

That is how I felt about it!! I thought the over-thinking answer was the protein answer. Simple science reveals macrophages (or many immunological cells like granulocytes, monocytes etc.) bind cells via their respective MHC complex. The passage revealed Cadherins bind cells together. So, the pathway both biological processes take place using are different, but they do both connect one cell to another for them to exert there effects!! I just hope that stupid ten-question verbal passage on ionization was experimental as well as those stupid passages in physical sciences on lens and the other passage on the refrigerator.

For the biological question I put they both bind cells together. Although Cavalier is correct on the function of cadherin, and I too went back and forth between the two answers. I ultimately pick the one that would require the least amount of specific outside knowledge, considering that the MCAT is only a test of simple concepts.