Is anybody else deathly afraid of the physical sciences section?

[cbs21]

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I think this is by far the hardest section for me because I'm bad at playing with equations and pulling concepts together... Any suggestions??

 

[mstp2011]

I think this is by far the hardest section for me because I'm bad at playing with equations and pulling concepts together... Any suggestions??

If you are having trouble with the concepts, give TPR physics a shot, its extremely detailed and will written. I've heard of some good things about EK 1001 for concept drilling, when you are done with those, give TPR science workbook a try and perhaps some Kaplan PS tests (these are hard).

 

[VivaLaVida]

TBR Physics and Gen Chem were AWESOME. Wish I had had those texts when I was taking Physics and Gen Chem (They do not take as long to go through as TBR Orgo and TBR Bio...both of which I ultimately did not complete....)

 

[assturtle]

the only thing I suggest is that for every equation, you sit down and really think about WHY the equation works the way it does. until you can do that, physical science will be a struggle as it's immensely difficult to remember things that you don't understand.

 

[Mister T]

the only thing I suggest is that for every equation, you sit down and really think about WHY the equation works the way it does. until you can do that, physical science will be a struggle as it's immensely difficult to remember things that you don't understand.

nice username, 👍

 

[jiayo]

TBR Physics and Gen Chem were AWESOME. Wish I had had those texts when I was taking Physics and Gen Chem (They do not take as long to go through as TBR Orgo and TBR Bio...both of which I ultimately did not complete....)

Did you mean TPR for one of them?

 

[assturtle]

nice username, 👍

👍👍

 

[peripherin]

Memorize all the equations/concepts you need to know. Practice, practice, practice. Try EK 1001 for physics and chemistry. PS should be the easiest section for you to score a 13-15 on the MCAT (unless you're already scoring a 13-15 on the other sections).

 

[Aliskutka]

It was the easiest section on my MCAT. I expected difficult and lengthy calculations, when some of the questions were pretty straightforward. The worst one in my opinion is VR, Biology 2nd. I've had surprisingly lots of Genetics and even Ecology passages squeezed in.
Don't panic, physics wasn't that bad.

 

[cbs21]

It was the easiest section on my MCAT. I expected difficult and lengthy calculations, when some of the questions were pretty straightforward. The worst one in my opinion is VR, Biology 2nd. I've had surprisingly lots of Genetics and even Ecology passages squeezed in.
Don't panic, physics wasn't that bad.

Memorize all the equations/concepts you need to know. Practice, practice, practice. Try EK 1001 for physics and chemistry. PS should be the easiest section for you to score a 13-15 on the MCAT (unless you're already scoring a 13-15 on the other sections).

Are you all serious!? Well I hope so

 

[LostInStudy]

Are you all serious!? Well I hope so

Yep, I can assure you that PS section is the easiest to improve on and your score directly reflects the work you put into it. It takes a lot of practice. The more you practice, the closer you get to a 15. I think this is the easiest section to score a 15 in.

Hope this helps,

-LIS

 

[VivaLaVida]

Did you mean TPR for one of them?

Nope. TBR GenChem and TBR Physics were awesome. I also used TBR Orgo and TBR Bio. Both Orgo and Bio were incredibly details and intense....overwhelming in a non-helpful way. I would use TBR for the physical sciences and take another route on BS.

 

[SN2ed]

Just in case, this thread on arithmetic tricks will probably help you with some of the MCAT math you'll encounter on PS:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=528674&highlight=Arithmetic+Tips+Tricks

Going along with what others have said, PS is definitely the easiest section to improve on. Additionally, don't worry about brunt memorization of formulas. Pound them into your head with tons of practice passages. This will help in memorization, but more importantly, it will give you a better understanding of the basis of the formula. Once you gain a conceptual knowledge of a formula, using it is much easier.

Lastly, when you read over a formula, try to picture it in your head. For instance, PV=nRT:

Think of a balloon with molecules inside. What happens when you raise the temperature? The molecules inside start moving faster, so image what would occur as the molecules move faster. They hit the sides more and with a higher velocity causing an increase in P.