How to improve my MCAT score :'(

[mandi_1234]

Hi everybody

I'm sure you guys see plenty of posts like this, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask this question here. Essentially, I got a 508 (128/126/128/126) on my MCAT (this was my first time taking it).

As a summary of how I studied (I went through all the Kaplans):

In regards to cp and bb, I didn't do as well as I hoped. Since I basically finished all of the Uworld problem sets, I was expecting to do slightly better than a 128. I think I could have reviewed the questions I got wrong more, but I felt like I had to rush to finish all the questions that were available to me.

In regards to cars, I just suck I don't know how to improve. I was doing well on the Uworld passages, but somehow during the questions that I saw through the AAMC package question set, I was struggling so much with the length of the passages and deciphering what the questions were asking. I felt the same way during the actual exam.

In regards to psych, I think I could have done better if I hadn't slacked off on my Anki, but I also did not enjoy studying this way because it was a struggle to get through all the decks. I also think that the questions were a lot more difficult on the actual exam than compared to Uworld.

I also couldn't finish any of the practice exams simply because I was so anxious...I don't feel the same anxiety anymore, but I do feel lost on how to approach the exam again.

I plan on taking it next year around January or March, so I think I have enough time to figure it out, but I also am starting a new job so I want to start figuring things out now.

Are there any tips or tricks on how you guys studied for the exam? My goal is not a 520+, but I do want to get around a 515 the next time I take it. Thank you everybody!

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[affable_dwarf]

im sort of in the same boat...any advice would be really appreciated!

 

[KaiBuzz]

I tried to study on my own but was just making any progress. I then enrolled in a Princeton course that forced me to attend an online live course 4 nights a week after work. I also took 12 practice exams and really reviewed the questions I missed. I did get a 515+.

 

[lockstitch]

508 is not a bad score at all, so don't get too discouraged. It looks like there are some things you can work on to maximise your gains in a retake.

That said, it's a little hard to say for sure because you have no practice exam scores to compare to your actual score (if I'm reading you correctly about the test anxiety). Did you feel similarly anxious when taking the real exam? I'm concerned that testing anxiety is an issue for you, among other things. Your mileage with other means of improving your score (eg practice and revision or whatnot) might not be so good if you don't get a handle on testing anxiety!

For C/P and BB, what was your % correct on Uworld and did you review the questions you got wrong? You can't count on simply having done questions; you have to use them to direct your revision and studying. Also, did you use the AAMC section banks? (They're not very reflective of the exam as it's currently written, but they do focus on basic principles and help build up confidence.)

You should also review full lengths after you finish and score them, and do them under test conditions.

For CARS--don't give up! It's a challenging section for nearly everyone. I think Uworld is not very reflective of the style of the real CARS section, so it's not unimaginable that you did well on Uworld and not on the real thing or the AAMC question bank. I would recommend focusing on the AAMC resources for CARS and in general.

All the best!

 

[mandi_1234]

508 is not a bad score at all, so don't get too discouraged. It looks like there are some things you can work on to maximise your gains in a retake.

That said, it's a little hard to say for sure because you have no practice exam scores to compare to your actual score (if I'm reading you correctly about the test anxiety). Did you feel similarly anxious when taking the real exam? I'm concerned that testing anxiety is an issue for you, among other things. Your mileage with other means of improving your score (eg practice and revision or whatnot) might not be so good if you don't get a handle on testing anxiety!

For C/P and BB, what was your % correct on Uworld and did you review the questions you got wrong? You can't count on simply having done questions; you have to use them to direct your revision and studying. Also, did you use the AAMC section banks? (They're not very reflective of the exam as it's currently written, but they do focus on basic principles and help build up confidence.)

You should also review full lengths after you finish and score them, and do them under test conditions.

For CARS--don't give up! It's a challenging section for nearly everyone. I think Uworld is not very reflective of the style of the real CARS section, so it's not unimaginable that you did well on Uworld and not on the real thing or the AAMC question bank. I would recommend focusing on the AAMC resources for CARS and in general.

All the best!

Thank you for your encouraging message!

For some reason, I felt oddly calm during the actual exam. I was really tired though because I only got 2 hours of sleep (I kept waking myself up somehow LOL)

For CP and BB, I would average around like 60-70% correct. I would say for BB I only spent a month studying because of finals and what not and I was able to increase my initial average around like 40-50% to a 60-70%. I spent doing the AAMC questions towards the end of my studying period.

I initially would review a chapter or two of Kaplan books and then find questions from Uworld that fit with what I reviewed for CP, BB, and PS. I'm thinking maybe I could do the opposite so that I stop wasting so much time just reviewing content. What are your thoughts?

 

[redpanda15]

I'm sorry you're in this position and I was there too, so I know it feels :/ I took the exam in January, got a 508 (126/124/129/129) and was crushed because I was averaging higher on my exams. C/P felt super hard and I psyched myself out for CARS. I knew I could do better so I studied for ~2.5 months and retook the exam in April. Scored a 514 (129/127/128/130). I was still averaging higher on the FL but I'm proud of my increase in a short amount of time. Here are some things I did to help:

1. you are not defined by that first score. believe in yourself and know that you are capable of scoring better. It's okay to feel sad at first but use the sadness as fuel to do better, your mindset is SO important.
2. You need to take multiple full-lengths (at a minimum all of AAMC) and take them under testing conditions. do not pause them, take the breaks as scheduled, take them in a test-like environment if you can, do not look up anything and wear earplugs. All these things helped me feel more comfortable on test day
3. reviewing questions thoroughly >>>> answering lots of questions. I didn't answer all the world c/p questions and I went from a 126-->129 in two months. don't fear getting things wrong - it shows you where you are weak. look over EVERY question thoroughly (even your correct answers), redo the problems, and make sure you are solving them the right way and the most efficient way.
4. getting scientific notation down was a huge time saver for me in C/P, I used it for every problem. I did Hoodamath problems every day to get really fast at basic calculations and that helped me
5. For P/S the best thing I did was Uworld and make a flashcard for EVERY SINGLE term you do not know, connect them back to examples so you recognize how they are applied
6. CARS - I didn't score great either time but I did improve my score - the best thing you can do is just very consistent practice every single day
7. YOU GOT THIS!!!!

 

[redpanda15]

I'm sorry you're in this position and I was there too, so I know it feels :/ I took the exam in January, got a 508 (126/124/129/129) and was crushed because I was averaging higher on my exams. C/P felt super hard and I psyched myself out for CARS. I knew I could do better so I studied for ~2.5 months and retook the exam in April. Scored a 514 (129/127/128/130). I was still averaging higher on the FL but I'm proud of my increase in a short amount of time. Here are some things I did to help:

1. you are not defined by that first score. believe in yourself and know that you are capable of scoring better. It's okay to feel sad at first but use the sadness as fuel to do better, your mindset is SO important.
2. You need to take multiple full-lengths (at a minimum all of AAMC) and take them under testing conditions. do not pause them, take the breaks as scheduled, take them in a test-like environment if you can, do not look up anything and wear earplugs. All these things helped me feel more comfortable on test day
3. reviewing questions thoroughly >>>> answering lots of questions. I didn't answer all the world c/p questions and I went from a 126-->129 in two months. don't fear getting things wrong - it shows you where you are weak. look over EVERY question thoroughly (even your correct answers), redo the problems, and make sure you are solving them the right way and the most efficient way.
4. getting scientific notation down was a huge time saver for me in C/P, I used it for every problem. I did Hoodamath problems every day to get really fast at basic calculations and that helped me
5. For P/S the best thing I did was Uworld and make a flashcard for EVERY SINGLE term you do not know, connect them back to examples so you recognize how they are applied
6. CARS - I didn't score great either time but I did improve my score - the best thing you can do is just very consistent practice every single day
7. YOU GOT THIS!!!!

also by redo the problems I mean in C/P review, I would work through calculation-based problems again to check that I was arriving at the same answer and getting there in a way that made sense so I knew I could apply it to a slightly different problem in the future. It also helps you get the hang of how to approach certain types of problems

 

[mandi_1234]

I'm sorry you're in this position and I was there too, so I know it feels :/ I took the exam in January, got a 508 (126/124/129/129) and was crushed because I was averaging higher on my exams. C/P felt super hard and I psyched myself out for CARS. I knew I could do better so I studied for ~2.5 months and retook the exam in April. Scored a 514 (129/127/128/130). I was still averaging higher on the FL but I'm proud of my increase in a short amount of time. Here are some things I did to help:

1. you are not defined by that first score. believe in yourself and know that you are capable of scoring better. It's okay to feel sad at first but use the sadness as fuel to do better, your mindset is SO important.
2. You need to take multiple full-lengths (at a minimum all of AAMC) and take them under testing conditions. do not pause them, take the breaks as scheduled, take them in a test-like environment if you can, do not look up anything and wear earplugs. All these things helped me feel more comfortable on test day
3. reviewing questions thoroughly >>>> answering lots of questions. I didn't answer all the world c/p questions and I went from a 126-->129 in two months. don't fear getting things wrong - it shows you where you are weak. look over EVERY question thoroughly (even your correct answers), redo the problems, and make sure you are solving them the right way and the most efficient way.
4. getting scientific notation down was a huge time saver for me in C/P, I used it for every problem. I did Hoodamath problems every day to get really fast at basic calculations and that helped me
5. For P/S the best thing I did was Uworld and make a flashcard for EVERY SINGLE term you do not know, connect them back to examples so you recognize how they are applied
6. CARS - I didn't score great either time but I did improve my score - the best thing you can do is just very consistent practice every single day
7. YOU GOT THIS!!!!

oh my god I just saw your response so I apologize for replying late. Thank you so much!!! That's amazing that you were able to jump scores so much in so little time. I just started restudying for this exam on Aug 1, but do you also have any tips on content review? I've been skimming the kap books, doing Milesdown anki of each chapter I'm reviewing, and doing the kaplan/jack westin questions that relate to the topic I reviewed. I am considering getting uworld later since it's pretty expensive.

Again, thank you for your response, and if you are applying this cycle good luck on your secondaries!

 

[redpanda15]

oh my god I just saw your response so I apologize for replying late. Thank you so much!!! That's amazing that you were able to jump scores so much in so little time. I just started restudying for this exam on Aug 1, but do you also have any tips on content review? I've been skimming the kap books, doing Milesdown anki of each chapter I'm reviewing, and doing the kaplan/jack westin questions that relate to the topic I reviewed. I am considering getting uworld later since it's pretty expensive.

Again, thank you for your response, and if you are applying this cycle good luck on your secondaries!

I used the Kaplan books and milesdown for my first exam. But for my retake, I didn't even look at the kaplan books again because i started studying so soon after and it felt like a waste of time. I guess it depends on how strong your content base is but I felt like my issue was more related to applying the information. I would recommend giving yourself a good amount of time to work through Uworld because I genuinely think this is what increased my score but yes, it's super expensive . I also think if I had more time and kept doing uworld I could've scored higher. I think the best content review comes from practice questions because it shows you what topics you don't understand and specifically what it is that you don't understand about them. I would make Anki cards based on anything I didn't know and would start reviewing them immediately the next day. I think this really helped.

also I'm not sure if you are a visual learner but something that helped me a ton was making study sheets and flow charts. I would condense all the important topics onto study sheets and physically write them out. I would also go to whiteboards and just start writing out anything I could remember about a topic (glycolysis, amino acids, kidneys, metabolism etc.) this helps you test your recall and you would be surprised how much you already know! then I would fill in the gaps with my notes and make connections across topics. if you're able to I would try to do this every week at the end of your studying. you could go to a library if you have access to one or even buy poster boards lol. I think understanding the big picture and how topics connect is extremely important for the MCAT and if you can start to make those connections I think it will really help increase your score.

 

[redpanda15]

Another thing I would add is that for P/S - I wouldn't recommend using the Kaplan books because it doesn't cover all the information you need. if you think you need content review I would read through the 300 pg KA doc that you can find on Reddit. or watch the Khan academy videos if the doc isn't detailed enough for you. then just practice, review, Anki cards and repeat. this section is rly just memorization and the more you practice the more you will realize they ask the same types of questions/use the same examples