In need of some serious SDN advice!

[gumbyj]

I just recently started studying for June 21st or July 6th MCAT and after only a week of studying (1-4 hours/day) I have come to the horrible realization that, while I got A's and B's in my pre-reqs, I never really "learned" the material.

I have been reading (no note-taking, just active reading) the BR Physics and Chem chapters and doing the passages and have been getting 33% - 65 % right on each passage, averaging closer to 45/50%. I also am only getting ~50% of Ek 1001 Bio correct, and I feel like it is pretty easy and straightforward in terms of fact-recall.

I need some serious advice - How should I go about learning this material? It has been 3-4 years since my pre-reqs and most of the material I didn't end up committing to memory.

The only silver lining that I can find to my current cloud of MCAT misery is the fact that I have completed 4 EK 101 Verbal Exams and scored 6 (took in cold Starbucks while on FB oops!), 12, 13, 13, so I am hoping that I will be alright when it comes to verbal.

I can commit 1-3 hours/day on the weekdays to studying and 8 hours/day on the weekends.

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[Big N Tasty]

I know what you mean. Have you tried reviewing your notes from your actual prerequisite classes (assuming you still jave them) to supplement your MCAT books? I haven't taken physics in college yet but I'm using my high school notes as a refresher course alongside EK and it's been working pretty well

 

[gumbyj]

I know what you mean. Have you tried reviewing your notes from your actual prerequisite classes (assuming you still jave them) to supplement your MCAT books? I haven't taken physics in college yet but I'm using my high school notes as a refresher course alongside EK and it's been working pretty well

Unfortunately, I don't have any of my class notes.

I am thinking these are my options at this point:

- Textbooks
- Chad's Videos
- Wikipremed
- Khan academy

Supplemented with
- TBR
- EK
- TPR.

I am beginning to get overwhelmed.

Does anyone have any advice on what I should use?
Has anyone started MCAT studying by an intense review/teaching of the subject matter?

 

[411309]

All you need is TBR/TPR and you will be fine, you have a good amount of time left use it wisely, study as much as possible.

 

[SN2ed]

It sounds like you simply aren't studying enough. You probably need more hours per day. 1-4 hours on average isn't much time. That said, you also haven't been studying for very long, so you might need to get used to taking timed passages and BR's passages are fairly difficult. Also, don't go through EK Verbal 101 that quickly because it's one of two good verbal sources.

 

[gumbyj]

It sounds like you simply aren't studying enough. You probably need more hours per day. 1-4 hours on average isn't much time. That said, you also haven't been studying for very long, so you might need to get used to taking timed passages and BR's passages are fairly difficult. Also, don't go through EK Verbal 101 that quickly because it's one of two good verbal sources.

I work full-time so 3 hours/day on weekdays is pretty much my max.

 

[chemhead123]

Get TPR content books and learn everything there. The Content is overwhelming, but you do not need to have taken the classes to do well. Textbooks are a bad idea. Too much detail and they do not necessarily relate to MCAT science. Don't worry, just study.

 

[pfaction]

I just recently started studying for June 21st or July 6th MCAT and after only a week of studying (1-4 hours/day) I have come to the horrible realization that, while I got A's and B's in my pre-reqs, I never really "learned" the material.

I have been reading (no note-taking, just active reading) the BR Physics and Chem chapters and doing the passages and have been getting 33% - 65 % right on each passage, averaging closer to 45/50%. I also am only getting ~50% of Ek 1001 Bio correct, and I feel like it is pretty easy and straightforward in terms of fact-recall.

I need some serious advice - How should I go about learning this material? It has been 3-4 years since my pre-reqs and most of the material I didn't end up committing to memory.

The only silver lining that I can find to my current cloud of MCAT misery is the fact that I have completed 4 EK 101 Verbal Exams and scored 6 (took in cold Starbucks while on FB oops!), 12, 13, 13, so I am hoping that I will be alright when it comes to verbal.

I can commit 1-3 hours/day on the weekdays to studying and 8 hours/day on the weekends.

1. I welcome you wholly to the club. I took my pre-reqs 5 years ago and Physics 2 years ago, so I don't remember a goddamn thing, and since I'm a pharmacy major, none of these topics (besides Bio) crosses into medical "reality" so I was basically first-time learning everything as well. TBR is onslaught of information. TBR Physics and O-Chem is ****ing HARD. Most people, I think, score in the upper 60's. So you're not doing bad IMO. but i'm stupid lol. IF YOU HAVE THE TIME, start with Princeton (good intro) and then into TBR...or just read TBR over and over. It does have intro.
2. 4 EK! That's awesome, me too. Here's my EK breakdown: 6/7/8/7. Where is this 12 and 13 coming from, please tell me!! In TPR verbal I'm getting similar, and on my practice tests--you guessed it, 8 is my toppest score. I'm praying (well...) for a 9 on my actual exam.
3. TL;DR: Read TBR over and over while taking notes, like how I do with TPR, or TPR->TBR and then go!

 

[pfaction]

It sounds like you simply aren't studying enough. You probably need more hours per day. 1-4 hours on average isn't much time. That said, you also haven't been studying for very long, so you might need to get used to taking timed passages and BR's passages are fairly difficult. Also, don't go through EK Verbal 101 that quickly because it's one of two good verbal sources.

Here's the thing; I study for 8 hours a day across the 4 topics (Phys, OChem, PChem, Bio) and then half an hour on verbal. EVERY DAY. And I'm getting better, but marginally. I don't understand passages, I can't concrete anything together, I'm just bad. I can't fix this because I've gone over all the material. Twice, now, in fact. I don't know what to do. I'm continuing to do passages but when I'm getting 3/6, 4/7, occasionally 5 and 6/7 it feels random. Like, POE guessing and not understanding why. So I don't know what to do now. I feel I understand the concepts (except electricity, genetics, reproductory--which I am going to review tomorrow) well enough....