Game plan for last 2 weeks

[pathologyDO]

Status: Really freaking nervous

Date of Test: June 21st

Practice Scores:

5/2/12 Kaplan FL 1 - 25 (8P, 6V, 11B)

5/3/12 AAMC #3 - 26 (8P, 8V, 10B)

Friday I will be completely finished with the Kaplan Review Notes. So now the question really comes down to how often should I take practice tests. Would it be best to take them every couple of days and then brush up on content that I missed using Q-Bank and High Yield Problems, or is it better to take 1 practice exam per day and then study what I miss via the solutions provided and then take another one the following day?

I know I can be scoring much higher than 26 and I need to come up with a 2 week game plan here guys, HELP!

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[kasho11]

You could be passively going through the practice tests. To score well you really have to be focused on the test and even in the science passages think why are they telling me this, what are they really asking about, what does this data mean?

Where are your errors coming from? Go back through the tests and see how many questions you got wrong because of content based errors vs. passage analysis errors. If it's primarily content then keep reviewing the knowledge and feel good that the actual MCAT asks few content questions directly. If the wrong answers are mostly from misreading questions or failure to understand the passages then focus on reading critically and actively answering questions, thinking what are they asking, what do I know about this topic, etc.

 

[pathologyDO]

Physical Sciences:
- missed mostly harmonics and sound for physics (5 pts on one passage!)
- missed mostly acid-base and redox for gen chem (hadn't gone through the kaplan review for this yet)

so ultimately for physical sciences, I know I could easily score 5-7 more points just from reviewing the content above... but yet that is before I take a new test with new questions!

Biological Sciences:

- all questions I missed were just down right stupid. I either second guessed myself and changed from the wrong answer, or just completely read through the question so fast that I missed a keyword. bio is def my strong section, but its overconfidence and overthinking that killed me here

Verbal:

- YUCK! verbal is my worst hands down. For the kaplan FL 1 I used passage mapping skills and ended up not having time to do the last 4 questions so I just defaulted all of them
- for the AAMC 3 I just went straight to the questions, read them, then skimmed quickly through the passage to find keywords and such. Surprisingly, with this method I was almost able to finish the entire section without defaulting (I think I did on one or two though) and actually scored 2 pts higher this way. However, this method was only good for an 8 and I'm not sure how to improve this now because passage mapping didn't work. Maybe instead of going straight to the questions, I should critically read as you have said and be sure to ask myself what is happening... my only fear is not having the time to answer the questions properly however.

 

[pathologyDO]

Alright!!! Finally took another practice test and ended up with a 28 (10P, 9V, 9B)

Very dissappointed with the biology score, on my others I scored 10&11. But with the increase in verbal to 9 I am very happy, and the 10 in physical was very surprising for me!!

Although I am still short of my 30+, I feel as though that score proves that with a little more effort and a little more skill with the test format I can surely achieve my goal!!


5/2/12 Kaplan FL 1 - 25 (8P, 6V, 11B)

5/3/12 AAMC #3 - 26 (8P, 8V, 10B)

5/7/12 AAMC #4 - 28 (10P, 9V, 9B)

 

[pathologyDO]

thanks! Yeah i know right, trading off my points in B for V lol!! But I missed some really easy questions in the bio section which I honestly should have aced, such as the ones regarding the E. coli, I missed like 5/7!

I saw that you got a 30 on AAMC 5 btw, congratz!

 

[pathologyDO]

We can do this though, still 13 days left till the big day!! That leaves at least 6 practice tests!!! I feel really good now that I have knocked out all the review material, now its just study my practice exams, do kaplan high yield problems + notecards, and then repeat!

Shooting for 30+ on AAMC #5

 

[pathologyDO]

Yes, yes, I have been doing the same with the orgo! There's just so many rxns that memorizing them all could be seriously time consuming! gunna work on endocrine/physiology and do some Kaplan high yield gen chem problems 2maro, then another AAMC on Sunday. Man oh man I cannot sleep these days I'm so amped lol

 

[pathologyDO]

Yes, definitely!!! What you must do.... and I know it is going to sound iffy... but you must try less hard for verbal! Yes, thats right, try less! This last AAMC instead of referring back to the passages when going through the questions, I instead went from memory. I spent more time actively reading the passages while I went through, didn't rush at all, and this worked MUCH better for me. I cannot emphasize enough how easy it is to pick an "extreme" or "distortion" type choice whenever you refer back to the passage as opposed to just going with what you remember from reading. Always actively ask yourself questions too like "what is the author presenting me with all these facts for" and "why is it that he/she feels this way or has this view."

What someone recently told me on here was to quickly skim the questions for any keyword type questions, then while reading highlight them, which would def save some time.

Hope this helps!!

 

[ace12345]

Here's my take,

Two weeks is not very much time. You cannot take a test every other day. You will burn out, and it is not enough to time go over your missed questions, of which you will have many while scoring in the upper 20's. You need to go over these exams once you finish them.

Work on the high yield problems. Work on individual sections you need practice in. Do not take 6 more full tests. I took maybe 8-10 tests total over 2 months and did very well. You need to get up to the 30's consistently though, that is important. You're not going to see a random fluctuation upward on the real thing if you're not doing it on the practice exams.

 

[pathologyDO]

updated for latest exam:

5/2/12 Kaplan FL 1 - 25 (8P, 6V, 11B)

5/3/12 AAMC #3 - 26 (8P, 8V, 10B)

5/7/12 AAMC #4 - 28 (10P, 9V, 9B)

5/9/12 AAMC #5 - 28 (8P, 10V, 10B)

This is so stupid! I get random fluctuations in my scores every time, always trading 2 points in one section for another, and never getting consistent scores in one section. This is making me very angry!! And who else here hates periodic and wave motion!!!!!!!!!! Arrrrggghhhh

New plan:

study for 2 days before taking the next exam, hitting the concepts of waves HARD, honing in on my gen chem reaction problems, and definitely brushing up on micribiology and mating of freaking bacteria cause that concept always bites me in the ass in the bio section !

 

[pathologyDO]

LOL I am making stupid errors! I have been dedicating less time to the physical sciences so when I approached it on AAMC 5 I wasn't really as prepared as I had been... so this time, instead of studying 1 day in between I am gunna do 2 days to make sure I improve on my PS stuff... honestly... I feel like I could easily pull up my BS to 11 and my PS to 11 too, I just need to spend more time on doing problems on paper I think. With the PS section my main problem is always the stupid waves.... like one question asked what the length from one adjacent node to the next was, and I chose 'lambda' instead of 'lambda/2' !! Just stupid... maybe I need more sleep I dk haha!

 

[pathologyDO]

I DK but probably pretty good!!! Never done TPR but if its anything like taking a practice test then you are right on track for a 10 i'd say!! Man that damn picasso section of the exam killed me, I missed 5 of 7 on that section... I could have gotten a 12-13 if that dang picasso didn't exist lol !!

Keep trying on the verbal though... luckily my technique = less practice and more of just taking my time on the actual practice exam. Stressing out I think plays a large part in bringing people's score down in verbal. But then there's also that serious side of it ya know... some of the wording can be very convoluted and you just have to try and 'reword' it to yourself and make the best educated guess possible. Even then if you can narrow it down to just 2 answers by crossing out the irrelevant/extreme answers then you have at least a 50% shot at the question ya know!!

You can do it, I know you can! Keep it up and you will get that 10-11 that you need !

 

[V5RED]

Lol too late for us.. :/

Void your test and then schedule a later one(I am assuming it is too late to just bump your exam). There is no reason to take the MCAT when you are not ready. You don't sound ready. It blows my mind that someone would take such an important exam without being as prepared as possible given that you get to pick when you take the exam.

This isn't like a semester exam that you realized you are not close to prepared for. You are free to schedule the MCAT so that you have as much time as you need to prepare for it.

Also, rapidfire burning through all the AAMCs will just leave you with a lot less study material available for the retake you will probably need if you actually take the MCAT(and don't void) that you are currently signed up for.

 

[pathologyDO]

Honestly guy above, I have seen very few people on these forums that are feeling 100% confident about owning the MCAT even after months of studying. I mean just showing them exactly wtf is up. Some are taking it for the second and third times and still feel unprepared. Its such a huge exam and postponing it this late in the summer would mean postponing medical school for a year. For many of us, thats just not a practical timeline to follow unless it is completely necessary. I feel more inclined to take the exam and give it my all, if I fail then VOID at the end and take it next year.

 

[pathologyDO]

Wow that is awesome! Thanks man(maam)? lol I sure can use the support and encouragement right now lol! I love your determination and focus, hopefully it rubs on.. I am going to take a FL tomorrow or day after (AAMC-9) and will let you know how I did! Good luck with your next FL!

How are your scores improving? Any epic turnarounds in verbal yet?!?

I just took a nice 24 hour breaktime from studying and it was very rejuvinating. I feel like a million bucks If you havn't yet I highly recommend it!

 

[fas376]

Here is something that will calm your nerves. I was averaging 11s in Bio before my exam and thought I was fairly good at it. When I went to the test, it was much harder than anything I had seen. I ended up blindly guessing (literally guessing without reading the question) for about 10 answers. I still got a 10.

Lesson: Don't freak out during the exam. Even if the passages are harder, that's okay. The curve is very generous.

 

[pathologyDO]

Not being scared of the test is great advice ty!!

UPDATE:

I finally did it!! I scored above a 30 on a practice test WOOT!

5/2/12 Kaplan FL 1 - 25 (8P, 6V, 11B)

5/3/12 AAMC #3 - 26 (8P, 8V, 10B)

5/7/12 AAMC #4 - 28 (10P, 9V, 9B)

5/9/12 AAMC #5 - 28 (8P, 10V, 10B)

5/12/12 AAMC #7 - 31 (13P, 8V,10B)

Hows that for improvement eh? 13 in physical = I only missed 4 questions out of 52. I was quite impressed with myself for that lol.

 

[gumbyj]

Not being scared of the test is great advice ty!!

UPDATE:

I finally did it!! I scored above a 30 on a practice test WOOT!

5/2/12 Kaplan FL 1 - 25 (8P, 6V, 11B)

5/3/12 AAMC #3 - 26 (8P, 8V, 10B)

5/7/12 AAMC #4 - 28 (10P, 9V, 9B)

5/9/12 AAMC #5 - 28 (8P, 10V, 10B)

5/12/12 AAMC #7 - 31 (13P, 8V,10B)

Hows that for improvement eh? 13 in physical = I only missed 4 questions out of 52. I was quite impressed with myself for that lol.

That is so awesome!!

 

[Postictal Raiden]

Not being scared of the test is great advice ty!!

UPDATE:

I finally did it!! I scored above a 30 on a practice test WOOT!

5/2/12 Kaplan FL 1 - 25 (8P, 6V, 11B)

5/3/12 AAMC #3 - 26 (8P, 8V, 10B)

5/7/12 AAMC #4 - 28 (10P, 9V, 9B)

5/9/12 AAMC #5 - 28 (8P, 10V, 10B)

5/12/12 AAMC #7 - 31 (13P, 8V,10B)

Hows that for improvement eh? 13 in physical = I only missed 4 questions out of 52. I was quite impressed with myself for that lol.

Impressive. Great job bringing your score up by 6 points in only 10 days

 

[pathologyDO]

Thanks guys!! Working hard is paying off

Any tips on how to stay awake through the biology portion? LOL, I know I could easily go up a couple points in that section if I could just stay focused. By the time I get around to it, physical and verbal has me worn out and bored

 

[pathologyDO]

Haha i know right! Literally, I took the day off. I recommend everyone to do this when they start getting hopeless and their scores start to plateau. Got myself out of the serious mode I always resort to during tough periods of studying. And I think you know what kind of mode I am talking about... where my girlfriend and I will be talking to one-another and yet the only thing I am thinking the whole time is "I did so crappy on verbal of that practice test, I need to come up with a new study plan like now." I couldn't do anything but focus solely on the MCAT studying for the past 3 weeks. Then I finally gave it up and took a break time, went to see my mom, ate some good comfort Italian cuisine at a nice upscale local restaurant. Then the following day I studied using the Kaplan "high yield" questions and their "high yield" reading material which was amazing! I just went over all topics I missed on the previous physical sciences exam... seemed to have worked well!

The high-yield and make your own lecture material with Kaplan has really boosted the value of their course imho

 

[shootingstr]

I'm taking it the same day as you! GOOD LUCK! I've been doing okay on the practice tests. But I've been taking one like every day. I think that's a bad idea right now. I'm just going to go ahead and do high yield for a day or two and then try again. I feel like I keep freaking out too much while taking them because of all the anxiety so maybe taking some time off will help :\

 

[pathologyDO]

Yes anxiety = bad for you AND your test score!!!

Just took AAMC #9 and here is my newest score set!!

6/2/12 Kaplan FL 1 - 25 (8P, 6V, 11B)

6/3/12 AAMC #3 - 26 (8P, 8V, 10B)

6/7/12 AAMC #4 - 28 (10P, 9V, 9B)

6/9/12 AAMC #5 - 28 (8P, 10V, 10B)

6/12/12 AAMC #7 - 31 (13P, 8V,10B)

6/14/12 AAMC #9 - 32 (12P, 9V, 11B)

6/17/12 AAMC #10

6/19/12 AAMC #11

AAMC AVERAGE - 29 (10.2P, 8.8V, 10B)

My girlfriend came home from walmart RIGHT around the time I had started verbal. She totally ruined my flow and I was irritated to the point of almost giving up on it.

Hopefully my trend will remain 30+ for 10&11

 

[pathologyDO]

Haha thanks!!! Good luck you're gunna rock it out I know it!!! Don't let the verbal section fool you, its not that bad, and there is a couple of really nice and calming biological related sections in there

BTW thanks for catching my really stupid mistake haha!

 

[SamyLSF]

Hmm, spend last two weeks doing AMCAS practice exams, and do the diagnostic if you can afford to (it has a ton of passages from retired exams so you practice some more). Also write a few notecards here and there. That's what I'm doing.

Last three days go to the beach haha.

 

[pathologyDO]

Last three days go to the beach haha.

^^ I could really go for this idea

 

[SamyLSF]

^^ I could really go for this idea

That's what I'm going to do.

Beach and other things

 

[pathologyDO]

wowza! 13 on PS!!! Way to go !!! That is an excellent score. Verbal is really a guessing game isn't it lol?

 

[MedPR]

Just get into whatever routine you're going to have on test day.