How to raise your score by 6 points in 4 weeks

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TulBox

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What up SDN,
I just thought I'd share the methods that helped me boost my score from an AAMC test average of 32-33 to a real score of 38S (14 B, 14 P, 10 V, S on that thing that nobody cares about). Clearly the verbal is nothing spectacular, and it was below my practice test average, but I am farrrr from complaining with my score!
In April my BS/PS averages were around 11, and by the same time in May it was at a consistent 14 average. For those of you who also saw quick dramatic score increases, please post away!

1. Don't try fitting all your knowledge of a subject into the passage. This is what helped me most. By this I mean that, necessarily, most studying is fact based, or at best synthesizing different concepts. Don't let this cloud your reading of a passage. Initially, if I read something in a passage, like say acetylcholine, my mind would immediately jump to the sympathetic vs. parasympathetic system, etc etc. Because of this, I would overlook the simplicity of what the passage was trying to articulate. MANY QUESTIONS CAN BE ANSWERED SIMPLY BY ANALYZING THE PASSAGE. I swear.

2. Review ALL answers from the tests you take. Too often I was tempted to simply read the solutions for the questions I missed. However, in their explanations of answers, many times a solutions guide will go one step further- they will explain why the other answers are wrong. This can help you learn alot more, even on questions you aced.

3. Don't let your studying become routine; always question what you read! I may be using the slacker's defense, but this is where I believe my lack of heavy studying helped. I studied a significant amount (120 hours or so), but never more than about 15 hours a week. The benefit of this is that I never got into the rut of simply reading page after page after page. There are unlimited ways to study the material. You can read the kaplan books, then the EK books, and "unwind" with TPR books. You'll be inundated with facts, sure, but thats not the optimal way to study. Every page you read, try to "place it" in a larger context. If you read "mature erythrocytes have no well defined nucleus or organelles" what does that tell you? Anything that acts at transcription level has no effect, since the cell produces no proteins! Stuff of that sort, question what you read!

4. Question stems hold many answers. Often, the question itself is sufficient to eliminate a few of the answer choices. When reading a question, try to form an answer in your mind before looking at the answer choices. This way, you won't go "chasing the squirrel." If you haven't heard the term, it means getting preoccupied with a strange answer that just doesn't sound right. Many people advise skimming the answer choices first to get a feel for what the question is asking...in my personal experience, this didn't help.

5. When doing mental math, be very rough with your estimates. This one's more minor, but can save a good deal of time. MCAT answers are usually pretty far apart so don't try to calculate to the nth decimal point.

Other than that, relax and have some fun homies. Remember, they WANT you to get stressed. Don't do them that favor, stay chill and composed and ace it. Also, dont be extremely cocky about your Verbal ability and not study any verbal outside of practice exams and then get undeserved irritation at the score you got...haha ok so I'm a tad bitter.

Hope this helps, and its not stuff you've heard dozens of times. If you need good music to help distract you...Carter 3 by Weezy, CunninLynguists, Immortal Technique, Binary Star, Brother Ali, and the Aladdin soundtrack. Seriously, magical music.

-TulBox

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What up SDN,
I just thought I'd share the methods that helped me boost my score from an AAMC test average of 32-33 to a real score of 38S (14 B, 14 P, 10 V, S on that thing that nobody cares about). Clearly the verbal is nothing spectacular, and it was below my practice test average, but I am farrrr from complaining with my score!
In April my BS/PS averages were around 11, and by the same time in May it was at a consistent 14 average. For those of you who also saw quick dramatic score increases, please post away!

1. Don't try fitting all your knowledge of a subject into the passage. This is what helped me most. By this I mean that, necessarily, most studying is fact based, or at best synthesizing different concepts. Don't let this cloud your reading of a passage. Initially, if I read something in a passage, like say acetylcholine, my mind would immediately jump to the sympathetic vs. parasympathetic system, etc etc. Because of this, I would overlook the simplicity of what the passage was trying to articulate. MANY QUESTIONS CAN BE ANSWERED SIMPLY BY ANALYZING THE PASSAGE. I swear.

2. Review ALL answers from the tests you take. Too often I was tempted to simply read the solutions for the questions I missed. However, in their explanations of answers, many times a solutions guide will go one step further- they will explain why the other answers are wrong. This can help you learn alot more, even on questions you aced.

3. Don't let your studying become routine; always question what you read! I may be using the slacker's defense, but this is where I believe my lack of heavy studying helped. I studied a significant amount (120 hours or so), but never more than about 15 hours a week. The benefit of this is that I never got into the rut of simply reading page after page after page. There are unlimited ways to study the material. You can read the kaplan books, then the EK books, and "unwind" with TPR books. You'll be inundated with facts, sure, but thats not the optimal way to study. Every page you read, try to "place it" in a larger context. If you read "mature erythrocytes have no well defined nucleus or organelles" what does that tell you? Anything that acts at transcription level has no effect, since the cell produces no proteins! Stuff of that sort, question what you read!

4. Question stems hold many answers. Often, the question itself is sufficient to eliminate a few of the answer choices. When reading a question, try to form an answer in your mind before looking at the answer choices. This way, you won't go "chasing the squirrel." If you haven't heard the term, it means getting preoccupied with a strange answer that just doesn't sound right. Many people advise skimming the answer choices first to get a feel for what the question is asking...in my personal experience, this didn't help.

5. When doing mental math, be very rough with your estimates. This one's more minor, but can save a good deal of time. MCAT answers are usually pretty far apart so don't try to calculate to the nth decimal point.

Other than that, relax and have some fun homies. Remember, they WANT you to get stressed. Don't do them that favor, stay chill and composed and ace it. Also, dont be extremely cocky about your Verbal ability and not study any verbal outside of practice exams and then get undeserved irritation at the score you got...haha ok so I'm a tad bitter.

Hope this helps, and its not stuff you've heard dozens of times. If you need good music to help distract you...Carter 3 by Weezy, CunninLynguists, Immortal Technique, Binary Star, Brother Ali, and the Aladdin soundtrack. Seriously, magical music.

-TulBox

Awesome advice in my opinion... should be posted on 30+ techniques.
 
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