Four Weeks Out: Game Plan?

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So, as of tomorrow, it's four weeks until the August MCAT. What's your game plan?

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Finish the EK content in 3 weeks leaving one for just straight review, hit the verbal hardcore with as many EK 101 as possible, and take AAMC FL 6-9.

And get myself used to waking up at 7 AM.
 
Start practice exams Sunday...EK 1g, 2 Kaplans, AAMC 3R-6R, 7, 8, 9. Take one exam every other day and review the EK books in between.
 
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I guess I'm the.. uhh.. softcore?.. version of Williams.

Every week: 2 exams days, 3 practice test half-days (volunteer on 2 of those days, 3rd is "break day"), 2 review days.
 
trozman said:
I guess I'm the.. uhh.. softcore?.. version of Williams.

Every week: 2 exams days, 3 practice test half-days (volunteer on 2 of those days, 3rd is "break day"), 2 review days.

Even though I'm sucking big time on verbal right now, I'm writing it no matter what, I've studied way too much to wait till January. So for the final 4 weeks, I will be doing AAMC and EK 101 verbal everyday, 3 passages here and there. And review stuff that I know I forgot and not review stuff that I know I know! Lastly, do the aamc's every 3 days or so. That's it. Okay peeps, keep it up going!!! :thumbup:
 
WilliamsF1 said:
Start practice exams Sunday...EK 1g, 2 Kaplans, AAMC 3R-6R, 7, 8, 9. Take one exam every other day and review the EK books in between.


i'm planning the same thing. do you think it might be counterproductive taking that many?
 
Similar plan here as well.

Last week, I have Kaplan FL #1, AAMC 3R, Kaplan #6 with one or two day/days spacing in between.

This week so far, have taken Kaplan #7, #8 on my own and will be taking #2 on Sunday(as part of the Kaplan classroom course)

Next week, EK1, EK2 and again Kaplan FL #3 as part of the course.

1st week of July: EK 3, Kaplan #9, AAMC 4, AAMC 5 and Kaplan #4 as part of the course.

2nd week of July: AAMC 6, 7, 8, and Kaplan #5 as part of the course.

Test week: AAMC 9 and skim over the test I had taken and also do the EK 101 #11 (last set of passages) around Thursday.

I'm really hoping that I will never have to take the MCAT over again b/c then I'm in trouble, as I would have run out of materials to study off of. :p

For those days in between, I'm reviewing about 1-2 chapters of content off the EK books and doing some topicals or EK Mini-MCAT to keep be entertained. Do not freak out if you're not doing as much as I am, b/c I am not working or taking classes for this summer. I can't imagine anyone being able to go too crazy if he/she has other things in life at the moment.

So far, the practices have helped me in pacing myself, especially physical sciences and verbal. I realize, sometimes, you really just have to force yourself to move on to the next question. It was hard for me in the beginning b/c I tend to try to dwell on the harder questions and try to understand the nitty gritty details of the passages (which is not necessarily helpful for physical passages).

If you have the time, once you get into the pattern of doing a FL every other or 2 days, it's not as tiring. I actually feel like I want to do the next FL on those days I'm not scheduled to do one. :D
 
go lakers said:
i'm planning the same thing. do you think it might be counterproductive taking that many?

Not at all. My mind is the type that loses info rather quickly. The more frequently I keep working at it, the more it will stay with me. After the MCAT, within a month, most everything will be gone. :) I started reading EK books 2.5 weeks ago starting with Bio, Phys, Orgo, Chem, and the Bio is already fading. Once I review that book again tomorrow for a couple hours, it will be fresh.

I just spent 7 hours reviewing inorgo with only 2 20 minute breaks for food. I don't feel burnt out whatsoever so I don't think an exam for 5 hours will be hurting me at all. I'll probably spend an hour or two going over the In-class lecture exams and call it a night around 1-2am.
 
The plan:

2 full lengths a week (wens and saturday)
Other days- 5 hours of various stuff from EK review, verbal passages, topical tests, section tests and more to fill in the time.
 
3rd TPR diag tomorrow, AAMC 8 next Saturday, AAMC 9 the Saturday after that. I'll keep reviewing and working passages. Hey, my strategy isn't as fancy as y'alls!
 
Mongmong,

You are going to be taking Kaplan, AAMC, and EK practice tests. Where do you get all those tests? I understand that you can purchase the AAMC tests, and if you enroll in the Kaplan course or the EK course you get access to their tests. Does that mean that you have purchased all the AAMC tests and enrolled in both Kaplan and EK to get access to those tests? That is craziness. If you are just getting copies of those tests from buddies, then that blows for the rest of us who can't afford the courses and don't have friends in them. I definately feel at a disadvantage.

My plan: Take 4R next week, 6R the week after that, then 7, 8, and 9 the last two weeks. I have EK verbal, and I am going to finish off that (three more to go), work questions in EK 1001 Chemistry, and review MCAT 45, which I have found has really good explanations that refreshed the material pretty good for me.

RS
 
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Kids. As a fellow MCATer (I took it in April and am applying, no August Retake), I HIGHLY recommend that you focus on a little bit of everything. Don't stop doing biology just because your scores in it are to your satisfaction.

What I am trying to say is that I kept practicing verbal, but not as much because I was worried about physical, and I had a little slip in verbal from my Kaplan diagnostic scores.

Now, I did GREAT in physical (a 10 which was a BIG BIG achievement for me, personally) but slipped in verbal to an 8. I had been easily getting 10's and 11's in verbal. On the real test, I had a pacing problem. If I could go back, I wish I would have practiced verbal more evenly. I got an 11 in biology and an R in writing, because I know someone will ask. :)

:luck: to you all. You guys CAN do it. If I can do it three years out of school, so can you.

PS I think my secret weapon on Physical was having my important equations (the ones I could NEVER REMEMBER!) up on computer paper sheets on the wall. I made them with highlighters. They were really ugly, but memorable. I actually needed that one for root mean square voltage and it was easy points for me.
 
My advice after taking the April test:

For all of you planning on taking multiple full-lengths during the week before the test, I suggest you ease back a bit that week so you don't burn out. My last full length was taken each section on a different day (Monday-Wednesday) and I did some reviewing each day later on. I took Thursday and Friday completely off, and I think that's what calmed me down about the test alot. If you would have seen me the weekend before it, I was going crazy, but I gave myself time to relax.

Make sure you are still taking good care of yourselves. Exercising regularly and eating well will help with your concentration and your sleeping schedule. Make sure to keep that up the last week and start getting up earlier so that you are prepared for getting up that day.

Good luck all. :luck:
 
my Game Plan:

By End of this week (7/29)
-- Finish All the lectures in EK BOOKS ( only one or two left) and Review the lectures that i m weak in also finish the 1001 since i m up to date with that.

Starting July 31st till Aug 15th -- Take 1 exam Every Other Day or Every Third Day. In between i will review the answers, look up my weak spots maybe do extra reading on them.

I hope this Game plan works. Let me know what you guys think. and yeah of course this game plan has Many Energy Drinks (Full Throttle) in it.
 
Sounds good. I'm a fan of Monster myself (the XXL size - stuff is like liquid crack; it will seriously juice you up for hours).


M bhai MBBS said:
my Game Plan:

By End of this week (7/29)
-- Finish All the lectures in EK BOOKS ( only one or two left) and Review the lectures that i m weak in also finish the 1001 since i m up to date with that.

Starting July 31st till Aug 15th -- Take 1 exam Every Other Day or Every Third Day. In between i will review the answers, look up my weak spots maybe do extra reading on them.

I hope this Game plan works. Let me know what you guys think. and yeah of course this game plan has Many Energy Drinks (Full Throttle) in it.
 
Study the crap out of Physics...it is completely owning me...mostly because I don't have the stupid formulas memorized and the calculations Kaplan keeps asking during the FL's are long.

Also need to brush up more on Bio stuff. Verbal isn't scaring me even a little bit.

Now, I just need to decide if I want to take the time to practice some Writing Samples...
 
i work full time an hour from home so it's 6:30-6:30. so i plan on listening to audio osmosis on the way and getting through the tapes at least 2 more times, and
Mon: do a PS full length section after work; during work read physics for 2 hrs
Tues: do 60 EK 1001 phys problems and kaplan high yield, and do a topical test in physics
Wed: do a BS full length section after work; during work read medical physiology textbook(by the end of day read 100 pages)
Thurs: do 60 EK 1001 phys problems; do a topical test in orgo
Fri: do a verbal reasoning full length after work; during work read chem or organic chem
Sat: full length( 2 sections(phys and bio) and pause to grade and read answers in between)
Sun: type up all the notes and go over all the notes i've made that week(i have like 20 pages of notes on little hints and tricks/curveballs on the test that i've made from answers to FL and from Kap/EK
Starting August 4: full length every 3 days, and at least a sectional test(full timing etc) a day(can use kaplan topicals for this or do two 30 min EKs)
AND COME TEST DAY I THINK I SHOULD BE GOLDEN. SO FAR SO GOOD
 
Wow, you guys have a library of practice tests. I am going to do AAMC 3 and AAMC 9, which I bought. Dont know anybody else who has taken the MCAT, and I dont have the money to buy more AAMCs, TPR, EK tests. Anybody wanna... ;) :D
 
EBI831 said:
i work full time an hour from home so it's 6:30-6:30. so i plan on listening to audio osmosis on the way and getting through the tapes at least 2 more times, and
Mon: do a PS full length section after work; during work read physics for 2 hrs
Tues: do 60 EK 1001 phys problems and kaplan high yield, and do a topical test in physics
Wed: do a BS full length section after work; during work read medical physiology textbook(by the end of day read 100 pages)
Thurs: do 60 EK 1001 phys problems; do a topical test in orgo
Fri: do a verbal reasoning full length after work; during work read chem or organic chem
Sat: full length( 2 sections(phys and bio) and pause to grade and read answers in between)
Sun: type up all the notes and go over all the notes i've made that week(i have like 20 pages of notes on little hints and tricks/curveballs on the test that i've made from answers to FL and from Kap/EK
Starting August 4: full length every 3 days, and at least a sectional test(full timing etc) a day(can use kaplan topicals for this or do two 30 min EKs)
AND COME TEST DAY I THINK I SHOULD BE GOLDEN. SO FAR SO GOOD

you are so organized
 
TPR Class in morning until 11'30

Gym until 1'30 pm

1'30 - 11 pm, study; eat the sandwiches in the cubicle

4 weeks --> 3 weeks: Do AAMC 3,4,5, 7, 8 and solidfy foundation in physics and biosci

2 weeks onward --> cleanup AAMC 6, 9; do review questions from EK in physics and gchem to keep the brain active and review bio continuously; Also do a few EK passages to keep my verbal stamina

I have too much kaplan material, i might use it or maybe not

1 week before: should be done all past tests, 1 EK passage left and just review sciences hardcore

3 days before: study max 8 hours or so, and try to sleep early.
 
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