How did you

[Ebete]

For all non-trad. and tradi. peeps who work f/t that have/will take the MCAT, how did you handle your study method and everything else? I have now been studying for about 4-5 months for 2-3 hrs 3-4 days/week sometimes less and sometimes more. My family life takes a lot of time out of my study time, so I feel like I'm not improving due to the lenght of time it has taken me to get all info(if that makes any sence). I still feel I can't get out of my 8 score for verbal and PS and my 9 in BS! I read TPR books (some of it anyway) and then followed by a slightly modified MCAT 10 week home study (14 weeks actually) I am down to the 13 th week and feel I'm not showing any progress, so started doing large blocks of note card reading during the week ends for like 8 hours and feel a little better, but instesd of doing a few chapters in each subject I do like 5-6 phys chapters for example in one day. I guess I'm just tired of doing the same ol' thing and seeing NO results, just trying something different. How about you all?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[mhockey14221]

4 to 5 months? I'm in the same boat as you, but I've only been really studying for the past month. What I've gleaned so far from this site is that the most important thing to do is to review every single question you answered, correctly or not. See why you answered that way, and, if you got it wrong, why you got it wrong. Keep track of what your weaknesses AND your strengths are, are plan accordingly. See if patterns develop. Information is your friend in these battles.

I'm just worried, like you, that a 31 is the best I can do.

 

[Nikki2002]

4 to 5 months? I'm in the same boat as you, but I've only been really studying for the past month. What I've gleaned so far from this site is that the most important thing to do is to review every single question you answered, correctly or not. See why you answered that way, and, if you got it wrong, why you got it wrong. Keep track of what your weaknesses AND your strengths are, are plan accordingly. See if patterns develop. Information is your friend in these battles.

I'm just worried, like you, that a 31 is the best I can do.

a 31 is a great score. I know it seems like everyone is getting 38's based on the posts here on SDN, but in reality a 31 is a competitive score.

And if you are consistantly scoring around a 31 on your practice tests, who knows? You may be able to increase that score by a few points on the actual exam.

On test day, just go in confident and try to keep yourself calm and focused. Really try to get in the zone and don't let anything get to you--this exam is as much about testing your critical thinking skills and how you perform under stress as it is about testing your knowledge.

 

[Nikki2002]

For all non-trad. and tradi. peeps who work f/t that have/will take the MCAT, how did you handle your study method and everything else? I have now been studying for about 4-5 months for 2-3 hrs 3-4 days/week sometimes less and sometimes more. My family life takes a lot of time out of my study time, so I feel like I'm not improving due to the lenght of time it has taken me to get all info(if that makes any sence). I still feel I can't get out of my 8 score for verbal and PS and my 9 in BS! I read TPR books (some of it anyway) and then followed by a slightly modified MCAT 10 week home study (14 weeks actually) I am down to the 13 th week and feel I'm not showing any progress, so started doing large blocks of note card reading during the week ends for like 8 hours and feel a little better, but instesd of doing a few chapters in each subject I do like 5-6 phys chapters for example in one day. I guess I'm just tired of doing the same ol' thing and seeing NO results, just trying something different. How about you all?

What I've seen in the admissions process is that numbers definitely aren't everything. You have shown great dedication. You really planned out your studying and made time for it no matter what. You can balance your family, work, and studying which leads me to believe that you are really good with time management. Give yourself some credit!!

What I would do in your situation is just start taking practice exams. It seems that you really have a good foundation of knowledge but maybe just need to work on how you approach the exam. When you are taking a practice exam, you must put everything else out of your mind. Don't think about any outside pressures--just get in the zone and be confident--you know the material and you can do this.