I'm really enjoying the MCAT process

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enTropeeeeeeeee

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During the initial stages of my MCAT studying (~30 days ago), I felt a bit overwhelmed by the entire idea of the MCAT. In particular, the bio section was really depressing me due to my relative weakness in that area (humanities major). However, ~30 days into my ~120 day schedule, I'm very happy to report that my bio understanding has increased exponentially. Furthermore, my decreasing fear of the MCAT has shown an increase in enjoyment. Sitting here in my lab on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, I'm realizing how awesome this test really is! When else will be have a dedicated time in our busy life to sit down and improve our understanding of the human body, understanding of the physical world, and reading comprehension? Today is my day off, but I would rather learn more about the heart & lungs. Otherwise, I'll be at home playing online poker or Call of Duty. I'm not saying that I will get a 40T on test day, but that is not the intent of this post. Regardless of my practice exam scores, the point is that we have this incredible opportunity to synthesize our understanding of the basic sciences into this aggregate of UG knowledge that will hopefully allow us to become better scientists.

I'm not at my target scores yet. However, I hope that my enthusiasm and motivation to spend every waking minute to improving on the MCAT will get me there. I'll update this thread when I reach the midpoint of my 120 schedule. I know there will be many people that are feeling down, so I hope this post could brighten your day! Good luck yall!
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I agree with you completely, however, all that positivity fades when I have to think about the timing issues. Its totally cool to get lost in the thoughts of science and logic only to realize that you will be in trouble if you do so and the half the point of MCAT is to figure out what is really being asked.
 
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zoner said:
I agree with you completely, however, all that positivity fades when I have to think about the timing issues. Its totally cool to get lost in the thoughts of science and logic only to realize that you will be in trouble if you do so and the half the point of MCAT is to figure out what is really being asked.
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My issue with timing is slowly fading away because I have realized that as your synthesis of knowledge increases, the time required to answer questions decreases. How far are you into your studying schedule?
 
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1 month into it. Just that the stress of finishing TBR passage on time really stresses me out and make my stomach turn.
 
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well, its different for every homework passage. but usually comes out to be about 7-9 minutes per passage
 
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kk2011 said:
I feel you on the Bio. I am a non-trad who took all of my pre-reqs 6-9 years ago.
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It's like the total opposite for me. I fear Physics / Gen. Chem but look forward to studying Biology since it's mostly memorizing / understanding the concepts for the most part. I suck at math though, so that's probably why.
 
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ilovemcat said:
It's like the total opposite for me. I fear Physics / Gen. Chem but look forward to studying Biology since it's mostly memorizing / understanding the concepts for the most part. I suck at math though, so that's probably why.
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Honestly, so are Physics and Gen Chem. Bio is really more memorization than is chem or physics simply b/c much of the chem of bio is beyond the level of the chem courses you're taking concurrently. G-chem, O-chem & Physics are pretty much all conceptual. If you understand the concepts, the equations really are just neat ways to manipulate the concepts and are quite easy to remember and to utilize. It's also nice to have the concept for times when, for instance, you can't quite remember which is on top in Henderson-Hasselbalch -- is the HA or the A- (when using pH=pKa+log([X]/[Y]) )? Well... is the pH going to go up or down as you add HA?
 
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apumic said:
Honestly, so are Physics and Gen Chem. Bio is really more memorization than is chem or physics simply b/c much of the chem of bio is beyond the level of the chem courses you're taking concurrently. G-chem, O-chem & Physics are pretty much all conceptual. If you understand the concepts, the equations really are just neat ways to manipulate the concepts and are quite easy to remember and to utilize. (It's also nice to have the concept for times when, for instance, you can't quite remember which is on top in Henderson-Hasselbalch -- is the HA or the A- (when using pH=pKa+log([X]/[Y]) )? Well... is the pH going to go up or down as you add HA?
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That's what I'm really liking about the MCAT. I feel that the entire thing is a game that I need to improve on. Sure I am not without anxiety and doubt about the entire process, but certainly dwelling on it all day won't help. Therefore I'm keeping a positive attitude about this whole situation. Honestly, it's a nice change of flavor from the typical, "I hate the MCAT" threads.

:shrug:
 
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I totally relate to the sentiments expressed..

Although i am not strictly following the 120 days schedule (since i've been out of school for over a decade), i have been studying at least 1-2 hrs every weekday (and 3-5 on weekends). Day 1 i was literally sweating in my pants. It all appeared too overwhelming. However, on Day 38 (today) i feel fairly in my element. On Day 1, it was more about i_need_to_study_to_clear_mcat... Now, its i_want_to_study_because_learning_about_basic_sciences_so_interesting!

Using TPR Review series + TBR (on order) + old college textbooks (e.g. Life -- for bio, O-chem text) for the prep.

If only i could retain everything i read, then i'd be a chart topper ;)

-
P.S: I plan to tackle MCAT after around 300-360 days of prep.. I've been told i'll burn out by then, but unfortunately, full-time work (which involves plenty of travel), plus family doesn't give me such luxury as to dedicate 4-5+ hrs everyday.
 
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cartman1980 said:
I totally relate to the sentiments expressed..

Although i am not strictly following the 120 days schedule (since i've been out of school for over a decade), i have been studying at least 1-2 hrs every weekday (and 3-5 on weekends). Day 1 i was literally sweating in my pants. It all appeared too overwhelming. However, on Day 38 (today) i feel fairly in my element. On Day 1, it was more about i_need_to_study_to_clear_mcat... Now, its i_want_to_study_because_learning_about_basic_sciences_so_interesting!

Using TPR Review series + TBR (on order) + old college textbooks (e.g. Life -- for bio, O-chem text) for the prep.

If only i could retain everything i read, then i'd be a chart topper ;)

-
P.S: I plan to tackle MCAT after around 300-360 days of prep.. I've been told i'll burn out by then, but unfortunately, full-time work (which involves plenty of travel), plus family doesn't give me such luxury as to dedicate 4-5+ hrs everyday.
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You're a tough cookie. Best of luck to you! I have reduced all of my expenses and basically live on ramen, and free food that I can find around campus. That way I can focus on this test and not have to work. I figure if I struggle now, I wouldn't have to retake the MCAT.
 
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MCAT is the suck, I'm glad you have positive outlook on this...more power to you. From all the med students/interns/residents/attendings I've spoken to most of this material is basically useless after we are done with it. I hate studying for this test, but I'm glad you can see the good in this god awful test.
 
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My sister is currently in med school (4th yr), 80% of my immediate family (including first cousins of parents) are doctor, 75% of my cousins are doctors... the list is long.. and they call concur w/ the last poster's assertion that most of the stuff MCAT tests you on, is never to be brought up again...

With that said, the little i've read of the MCAT prep materials so far, i am beginning to think that it is not the content (ala: most questions are passage based) of the stuff that MCAT aims to test you at, it is the applicability of it.

Think of us being doctors. If a patient comes in with symptoms {A,B}, a differential could comprise of more than 10-20 (avg) possible causes (sort of like multiple choice). We pick the one that best describes the symptoms (taking patient's historical data into account) -- which is no different (in MCAT) than picking the choice that best fits..

Also, I am told that the amount/volume of information a medical student is expected to process, absorb, and apply is truely vast. For MCAT evaluators, the only measurable criteria of deriving this would be to congregate what the aspiring student has learnt about basic sciences i.e. P+GChem+OChem+Bio -- which could explain the breadth of what MCAT tests..

My useless $0.02
 
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cartman1980 said:
My sister is currently in med school (4th yr), 80% of my immediate family (including first cousins of parents) are doctor, 75% of my cousins are doctors... the list is long.. and they call concur w/ the last poster's assertion that most of the stuff MCAT tests you on, is never to be brought up again...

With that said, the little i've read of the MCAT prep materials so far, i am beginning to think that it is not the content (ala: most questions are passage based) of the stuff that MCAT aims to test you at, it is the applicability of it.

Think of us being doctors. If a patient comes in with symptoms {A,B}, a differential could comprise of more than 10-20 (avg) possible causes (sort of like multiple choice). We pick the one that best describes the symptoms (taking patient's historical data into account) -- which is no different (in MCAT) than picking the choice that best fits..

Also, I am told that the amount/volume of information a medical student is expected to process, absorb, and apply is truely vast. For MCAT evaluators, the only measurable criteria of deriving this would be to congregate what the aspiring student has learnt about basic sciences i.e. P+GChem+OChem+Bio -- which could explain the breadth of what MCAT tests..

My useless $0.02
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I've been studying for the MCAT for so long that when I saw the bolded part, I looked for a pedigree attached to your post...
 
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I had a crummy weekend of studying and didn't do anything really. Just pre-read a few chapters which was a nice change of pace.

Had a bangin' session tonight with a friend. We were going over concepts and joining all the dots and everything. Awesome.

Can this turn into a 'I had an awesome study session' thread? Cause that would be, you know, awesome!
 
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ridethecliche said:
I had a crummy weekend of studying and didn't do anything really. Just pre-read a few chapters which was a nice change of pace.

Had a bangin' session tonight with a friend. We were going over concepts and joining all the dots and everything. Awesome.

Can this turn into a 'I had an awesome study session' thread? Cause that would be, you know, awesome!
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Okay. I take that back after last night. Was doing the EK Chem ch 2 in lecture problems and I got 14 out of 23 right...

Fail. Maybe like 3-4 were stupid mistakes (easily remedied), but the rest were conceptual and I was scratching my head.

Oh well. Back to the drawing board.
 
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ridethecliche said:
Okay. I take that back after last night. Was doing the EK Chem ch 2 in lecture problems and I got 14 out of 23 right...

Fail. Maybe like 3-4 were stupid mistakes (easily remedied), but the rest were conceptual and I was scratching my head.

Oh well. Back to the drawing board.
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I feel this is totally normal. There are days where I do BR passages and get 15s!! On those days, my coffee days better, the air seems fresher, and the Sun is just that much brighter. On other days, I end up getting 9s and it's a bit depressing. However, I'm constantly trying to use those mistakes as an attempt to learn more. It's easier said than done. Honestly, I haven't mastered that academic attitude just yet. I am working on it though! I hope you do the same!
 
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totally can relate to that.. one day i get stellar figures on circulatory and hormone related passages, and the next day, i poop out on the same topic... guess the law of averages should apply such that over a period of time, the # of (silly) mistakes should get corrected thereby inching slowly towards your avg. mean score (which i suppose MCAT abstracts to a score equivalent to your 'natural' thinking ability)
 
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cartman1980 said:
totally can relate to that.. one day i get stellar figures on circulatory and hormone related passages, and the next day, i poop out on the same topic... guess the law of averages should apply such that over a period of time, the # of (silly) mistakes should get corrected thereby inching slowly towards your avg. mean score (which i suppose MCAT abstracts to a score equivalent to your 'natural' thinking ability)
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Agreed. I did so poorly yesterday that I actually stopped studying. My GF calmed me down and reminded me that I was a smart bastard. I'm back on my game today!
 
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