How can you remember all that for the MCAT?

[DEFINATELY]

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Hi, I'm a non-traditional student with a computer science degree who has been out of school and working for 19 years in the field. I took inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, physics and biology last semester. I've been studying for the mcat since last February using the Examcrakers review books (2007) along with their osmosis tapes but I'm not doing good at all in their 30-minute exams they give at the end of each lecture. Also, I took the 3rd CBT Test by AAMC and again, I didn't do well at all. How can you not only remember but thoroughly understand and master all that material for the mcat? It feels impossible to pass the exam! And believe me... I graduated eith a 3.68 GPA in computer science!

 

[Balantidiumcoli]

"... remember ... master"

There's your problem right there. Memorizing is not mastering.

If you approach this test with the intent of 'memorizing' minutiae of scientific details (e.g. only memorizing but not understanding *why* E = .5mv^2) you're setting yourself up for failure. If you can actually understand the concepts underlying the equations and scenarios you have a much better chance at success (and 'memorizing' becomes much less important). Everyone is different so I don't know if this would help you but I would try and look over the history of the experiments that brought about concepts like Avaogardo's number and really understand why the worked the way did and when I say understand I mean in such a way that you can articulate it to someone else why the concepts are correct as opposed to simply knowing the mathematical arguments behind them.

I have yet to take the test not have I been studying for it very diligently yet but from what practice tests (4 Kaplan and AAMC 3) I have done I consistently bat in the mid to lower 30's (highest 35, lowest 26 before I finished pre-reqs but haven't gotten below 30 since).

 

[VictorAlpha]

Just keep doing problems and going over them. Things will probably come back and if they don't, then learn them "new" from the problems. You could go back and read through how everything was derived or discovered but then you might as well just enroll in UG classes to cover the subject areas. At this point, and having taken the test myself (more than once), I would just do every single question you can find and keep doing questions and keep doing questions and go over each one of them. Then if you can't find any questions you haven't seen before, keep looking, then if you still can't find any new ones, then start over. You'll get the main concepts of what they like to test.

 

[Captain Sisko]

Hi, I'm a non-traditional student with a computer science degree who has been out of school and working for 19 years in the field. I took inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, physics and biology last semester. I've been studying for the mcat since last February using the Examcrakers review books (2007) along with their osmosis tapes but I'm not doing good at all in their 30-minute exams they give at the end of each lecture. Also, I took the 3rd CBT Test by AAMC and again, I didn't do well at all. How can you not only remember but thoroughly understand and master all that material for the mcat? It feels impossible to pass the exam! And believe me... I graduated eith a 3.68 GPA in computer science!

Non-traditional engineer here.

The others are right. It's a question of algorithm, not database. You can liken the nomenclature and concepts to the language, but what you do with it depends on how you process the information given. You'll do fine, just practice doing passage based questions, not so much memorizing things.

 

[QofQuimica]

You have multiple issues going on here.

1) You took all four prereqs at the same time and expect to have mastered all of them just because you took the classes. However, what you learned in class doesn't perfectly correlate with the topics you need to know for the MCAT. You need to study specifically for what is on the MCAT. Which brings me to....

2) You're using six year old prep materials. Come on, as a computer scientist, you're a logical guy or gal. Are you seriously going to spend a quarter of a million dollars to attend medical school, but not be willing to invest a few hundred dollars to get some decent, up to date prep materials? The MCAT has changed since 2007. At minimum, you should have prep materials from within the past year, as well as the newest, most recent few AAMC exams.

3) You're feeling overwhelmed and spinning your wheels after four months of no results. Since you're not improving with self study, it may be worth considering a prep course, either live or online. For the typical busy nontrad, there's something to be said for having everything planned out for you where all you have to do is complete the reading and practice test assignments. It can also be helpful to have a study partner or a sympathetic person who knows what you're going through and can provide support and encouragement.

Getting a competitive MCAT score isn't, well, computer science. But you do need to approach your studying in a pragmatic, get-er-done kind of way. And don't be penny wise and pound foolish. Your score on this exam is important enough to your app that it is worth investing enough time and money to ensure that you do well on it.

 

[DEFINATELY]

Thank you so much for your input, it helps. When I started studying for the MCAT I checked the material I had with the material sold on EK and I saw that I have the 7th edition as they are selling, so I figured I have the appropriate material (why re-buy them). You are right I had to wait and take classes at a slower paste, but given the time limitations I have I figured I'll do the best out of what I have 🙁
As for the AAMC exams I'll buy all of them, I just took the first one to see how a "real" MCAT would look like!
Did you take the MCAT? How did you prepare for it?
Thanks again 🙂

 

[DEFINATELY]

Thank you so much for your input, I totally agree with you...everyone says "don't memorize, understand the concepts" however there are SO many things to remember. For example, I was just reading Org Chem and they talk about all these Lab Techniques I must know for the MCAT. Recognizing them if I see them on a passage is one thing, but remembering the characteristics of all of them and deciding which one is appropriate for a scenario/experiment is another story lol. Many times I read, I feel I understood the material and then I take the 30-min practice exam on that lecture and I don't do well. I don't understand where I go wrong with my studying... 🙁

 

[Captain Sisko]

Thank you so much for your input, I totally agree with you...everyone says "don't memorize, understand the concepts" however there are SO many things to remember. For example, I was just reading Org Chem and they talk about all these Lab Techniques I must know for the MCAT. Recognizing them if I see them on a passage is one thing, but remembering the characteristics of all of them and deciding which one is appropriate for a scenario/experiment is another story lol. Many times I read, I feel I understood the material and then I take the 30-min practice exam on that lecture and I don't do well. I don't understand where I go wrong with my studying... 🙁

Organic chem is a perfect example of why you should learn the reasons reactions take place, and why experiments are done. It can really be distilled (ha!) down to maybe a dozen or so themes that permeate the whole year-long sequence. Once you get down to those basic themes for the MCAT, you're dealing with maybe a hundred, as a high number, for the entire exam, but with 3-6 months of practice they'll become second nature.

If you're having trouble with EK, might I suggest a change in review book? Berkeley Review is highly regarded around here, and I used it too. Website: http://www.berkeley-review.com/TBR/home-study.html

The books are a lot better than EK, with much more practice material that's in passage form. Some people do ok with EK, but a lot of people don't. Worth the $250 or so, especially considering the cost of attendance at any medical school makes it a drop in the bucket.

One other thing, now that you've done AAMC exam 3, you should hold off on the rest of the official exams until you feel like you've a very good idea of what you're doing. You know your weaknesses right now, which is a great thing to know. You don't need another diagnostic until closer to your exam, and there are only 7 other official exams available, i.e. they're a limited resource.

 

[Temperature101]

Thank you so much for your input, I totally agree with you...everyone says "don't memorize, understand the concepts" however there are SO many things to remember. For example, I was just reading Org Chem and they talk about all these Lab Techniques I must know for the MCAT. Recognizing them if I see them on a passage is one thing, but remembering the characteristics of all of them and deciding which one is appropriate for a scenario/experiment is another story lol. Many times I read, I feel I understood the material and then I take the 30-min practice exam on that lecture and I don't do well. I don't understand where I go wrong with my studying... 🙁

What are you getting in these 30-min exams? If you are getting 8+, your content knowledge is not severely lacking as you might think. Some of these 30-min exam questions in biology require one to know minute details that are unlikely to appear in the real test. I don't think EK is good for people who are not bio major IMO. A poster above recommend TBR, which I also think is a lot better than EK for non-bio major...

 

[DEFINATELY]

Wow! Again, thank u all for ur valuable advise. It seems like I have to change my studying methods 🙂

 

[QofQuimica]

Did you take the MCAT?

Of course I took the MCAT, albeit a decade ago now. I'm in my last year of residency. 😉

How did you prepare for it?

Go check out the MCAT Q&A subforum if you haven't yet. I was one of the cofounders, and I wrote tons of reference posts in there.

 

[kami333]

What are you getting in these 30-min exams? If you are getting 8+, your content knowledge is not severely lacking as you might think. Some of these 30-min exam questions in biology require one to know minute details that are unlikely to appear in the real test. I don't think EK is good for people who are not bio major IMO. A poster above recommend TBR, which I also think is a lot better than EK for non-bio major...

Agreed, personally I think both the EK 30min exams and Kaplan tests in general try to get you to focus too much on small details. I was a bio major and I did pretty well on the real MCAT but the 30min exams were brutal.

 

[Captain Sisko]

Agreed, personally I think both the EK 30min exams and Kaplan tests in general try to get you to focus too much on small details. I was a bio major and I did pretty well on the real MCAT but the 30min exams were brutal.

i thought they were the best practice that ek offered, but that's not saying much. i did them towards the end of my prep to identify weak areas

 

[Temperature101]

@Captain Sisco and kami333... I see that you both have great BS score... What was your average score on these bio 30-min exams?... I am averaging 10 in these exams no matter how much I study these chapters (getting frustrated to say the least), and I just want to know if I should double my effort in bio since I am shooting for an 11+ in BS.

 

[Captain Sisko]

@Captain Sisco and kami333... I see that you both have great BS score... What was your average score on these bio 30-min exams?... I am averaging 10 in these exams no matter how much I study these chapters (getting frustrated to say the least), and I just want to know if I should double my effort in bio since I am shooting for an 11+ in BS.

i didn't track that statistic, but i scored between a 12 and a 15 on them, but this was really in the last two weeks. the way i studied bio was to go through ek and take incredibly detailed notes, filled up half a notebook with just that. then i went and did the br passages, then all the gs exams. i also took a year of biochemistry while i was studying. it probably doesn't help you at this point, but I'd suggest practicing with tbr. i did their diagnostics a few days before my exam and it predicted my score very well.

 

[WaterPog]

The most valuable kernel of advice I received so far (10 weeks to test day) was:

"The MCAT above all else tests scientific intuition, not detailed knowledge"

This was initially from a friend (current surgical PGY4 who scored 39) and was repeated almost word for word in the audio osmosis lectures.

 

[shezadeh]

You have multiple issues going on here.


2) You're using six year old prep materials. Come on, as a computer scientist, you're a logical guy or gal. Are you seriously going to spend a quarter of a million dollars to attend medical school, but not be willing to invest a few hundred dollars to get some decent, up to date prep materials? The MCAT has changed since 2007. At minimum, you should have prep materials from within the past year, as well as the newest, most recent few AAMC exams.

I think those are the newest materials available from ExamKrackers. Somebody please correct me if I am wrong.

 

[Temperature101]

I think those are the newest materials available from ExamKrackers. Somebody please correct me if I am wrong.

Yep... The newest editions (if you can call it like that) for EK have been out since 2007....

 

[rodmichael82]

Hi, I'm a non-traditional student with a computer science degree who has been out of school and working for 19 years in the field. I took inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, physics and biology last semester. I've been studying for the mcat since last February using the Examcrakers review books (2007) along with their osmosis tapes but I'm not doing good at all in their 30-minute exams they give at the end of each lecture. Also, I took the 3rd CBT Test by AAMC and again, I didn't do well at all. How can you not only remember but thoroughly understand and master all that material for the mcat? It feels impossible to pass the exam! And believe me... I graduated eith a 3.68 GPA in computer science!

If you think the MCAT has overwhelming amount of material wait till step 1 then talk LOL

The difficulty and quantity of the material in the MCAT is a walk in the park compared to step 1. If you can't handle the heat now then how the hell will you handle it in med school?

 

[LUCPM]

You learn to walk first before you start running. No one here jumps straight to STEP 1 from premed.

 

[rodmichael82]

You learn to walk first before you start running. No one here jumps straight to STEP 1 from premed.

MCAT = crawling
First 2 years of medical school = walking
Step 1 = running.

my point is If you can't crawl you won't be able to walk and if you can't walk then you can't run.

 

[Shjanzey]

Step 1 = falling while wildly screaming

fixed it 😀

 

[Captain Sisko]

MCAT = crawling
First 2 years of medical school = walking
Step 1 = running.

my point is If you can't crawl you won't be able to walk and if you can't walk then you can't run.

op is learning how to crawl. if he gave up then he certainly wouldn't be able to run later on. don't be so discouraging, not everyone does well right off the bat...

 

[rodmichael82]

op is learning how to crawl. if he gave up then he certainly wouldn't be able to run later on. don't be so discouraging, not everyone does well right off the bat...

I was not trying to be discouraging. I'm trying to tell OP to suck it up and push forward. Complaining will not achieve anything only hard work will. God forbid I didn't sit there and cry a river with him about the MCAT jeez.

 

[viomedski]

What helps me study (and unfortunately I found this out during my 5th year victory lap) is writing out questions for me to answer from the material I just 'learned". So, if I just read a section about molarity, I try and use the topics and write questions a professor/MCAT might ask about this section. It helps me solidify the information and show myself where my weaknesses are. If I can't figure out a question to ask, I obviously do not have a firm grasp of the topic at hand. Regurgitation of information does not mean you understand it and can apply it.

Also, a lot of my friends in med school said this way of studying worked the best for them. They landed some awesome residency matches too.

Hope you get the help you need!! Good luck fellow non-trad!

 

[LUCPM]

Second TBR, especially for PS.

 

[deleted483737]

Honestly, TBR really is the best. They give you amazing tips to allow you to remember things more easily.

I've been studying on and off for 6 months and I find that reading things at least twice and making my own review sheets for each chapter and reviewing them everyday is very helpful.

I second everyone in doing as many practice passages as possible. I have TPR's big science book and TBR's books. At first, I felt really uncomfortable with the the passages, but with time, you'll get used to it and get better.

There's also a great app called "Brain Neumonics" that I used to memorize parts of the brain.

So, basically neumonics and constant review. Now that I am studying everyday, I'm doing much better.

I haven't taken the real MCAT yet, but my score rose from a 20 to a 26 so far. 🙂

 

[deleted483737]

If you think the MCAT has overwhelming amount of material wait till step 1 then talk LOL

The difficulty and quantity of the material in the MCAT is a walk in the park compared to step 1. If you can't handle the heat now then how the hell will you handle it in med school?

That's really mean and discouraging. It might be true, but I felt that way at first (overwhelming) but, with constant studying, I'm feeling like I'm getting better. It just takes work and dedication.

 

[yossarian444]

If you think the MCAT has overwhelming amount of material wait till step 1 then talk LOL

The difficulty and quantity of the material in the MCAT is a walk in the park compared to step 1. If you can't handle the heat now then how the hell will you handle it in med school?

I found the MCAT hard and felt I spun my wheels most the time studying. I did decent but not great (31). Whereas for Step 1/2/3, I felt much better prepared and did comparitively better (high 230s - 250s).

So, don't get too down on the OP. Some of us apparently prefer the USMLE heat. Step 1 was a walk in the park compared to the MCAT for me.

 

[QofQuimica]

I found the MCAT hard and felt I spun my wheels most the time studying. I did decent but not great (31). Whereas for Step 1/2/3, I felt much better prepared and did comparitively better (high 230s - 250s).

So, don't get too down on the OP. Some of us apparently prefer the USMLE heat. Step 1 was a walk in the park compared to the MCAT for me.

Agree that Step 1 and the MCAT are different enough tests that it's not a simple apples and apples comparison. I did well on the USMLE steps, but nowhere near the astronomical score I got on the MCAT. I thought Step 1 in particular required a lot more memorization to do very well than the MCAT did, and memorization has never been my strong suit. Whereas, I'm very good at the kind of analytical reasoning they test on the MCAT. Not that you don't have to do some analysis and reasoning on the USMLE as well, but you can do a lot better on the USMLE by sheer memorization than you can on the MCAT. On the other hand, it's also true that the USMLE covers a much greater amount of material, albeit in a narrower range.

All that being said, it's a bit premature for the OP to worry about Step 1 at this point. As some of the others have said, definitely learn to crawl before you try to walk or run. And if EK has seriously not updated since 2007. definitely ditch it for something that's at least from the current decade. 👎

 

[g8orlife]

fixed it 😀

Nice