Is

[deleted850921]

Hey pplz,

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[morejedi]

That document offers a list of all possible topics that can be covered on the MCAT exam - but if you search through these forums/reddit you'll find that some topics show up a lot more than others.

I wouldn't necessarily call that a study guide, I mean if you want you can really learn all of the details of every topic listed but that

1. sounds like hell
2. sounds like the most impossible and unnecessary feat ever.

There are lists out there that are condensed and earlier to follow, your best bet would be finding one of those.

 

[jazzmetal]

is it a good study guide to go by

If I have to retake, I'll aim to have at least a surface knowledge of everything on those lists. I let the AAMC practice materials be my guide to content, and got blindsided by a test full of so-called "low yield" topics and, at least in the C/P section, very little emphasis on being able to use critical reasoning skills to pull information from the passage.

 

[pms_testosterone]

That list is also in a more easily navigable form here: What's on the MCAT Exam?

I highly recommend studying with the list open at all times, both to make sure you cover everything, and to avoid spending time on topics not on the MCAT.

 

[theonlytycrane]

It doesn't really work like a review guide for a college class. The topics listed are not exhaustive and also you won't know how topics will be presented until you do enough practice problems.

Doing practice problems and passages is the best way to study and know what to expect for the exam.


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[Altius Premier Tutor]

Here's a more manageable list. It contains everything on the AAMC list, but all the duplicates are removed. For example, some topics such as amino acids or DNA are listed in both the B/B section and the C/P section.

 

[jazzmetal]

Doing practice problems and passages is the best way to study and know what to expect for the exam.

With respect, you need to do both. I did 90% practice problems and only 10% using the list to make sure I was covering everything, and I got seriously blindsided. The vast majority of the questions in my particular C/P section were nowhere to be seen in any of the AAMC materials (or NextStep or ExamKrackers), and vice versa. I simply didn't do enough pure content review.

 

[theonlytycrane]

With respect, you need to do both. I did 90% practice problems and only 10% using the list to make sure I was covering everything, and I got seriously blindsided. The vast majority of the questions in my particular C/P section were nowhere to be seen in any of the AAMC materials (or NextStep or ExamKrackers), and vice versa. I simply didn't do enough pure content review.

Topics on the list need to be mastered, but with an understanding of how the topics will be presented on the test- which is discovered through practice problems and passages. That's just my opinion, though. Thankfully the MCAT is behind me!

 

[aromatic substitution]

Anybody think it's possible to self study metabolism for biochemistry? I didn't cover that in my undergrad biochem 1 class.

 

[pms_testosterone]

@aromatic substitution Yes, it's mostly rote memorization. You can study it on your own (it just won't be fun).

 

[jazzmetal]

Topics on the list need to be mastered, but with an understanding of how the topics will be presented on the test- which is discovered through practice problems and passages. That's just my opinion, though. Thankfully the MCAT is behind me!

yes, i completely agree. definitely not one or the other, but both. if i have to retake, i'll aim to make at least one pass through the official topic list, maybe 5-10 minutes per topic, just to make sure i could recognize it again if i saw it in the multiple choice context, rather than letting the practice materials be my sole guide to content.

how did the test turn out for you? did your actual score match your practice scores?

 

[theonlytycrane]

yes, i completely agree. definitely not one or the other, but both. if i have to retake, i'll aim to make at least one pass through the official topic list, maybe 5-10 minutes per topic, just to make sure i could recognize it again if i saw it in the multiple choice context, rather than letting the practice materials be my sole guide to content.

how did the test turn out for you? did your actual score match your practice scores?

I would aim to be very comfortable with the topics list. I knew every topic and had an idea about how each topic might be tested. After doing enough practice questions/passages I saw a lot of patterns in how material was presented.

My test felt harder than any practice exams or material. It turned out solid- I got a balanced 516 (131/128/129/128). Aamc #2 wasn't out when I was testing but I got 515 on Aamc #1. My P/S section was unreal and I usually scored 130's on my practice. I was happy with 128 in verbal though so it worked out.

I did the section bank twice and knew what my approach would be to tough passages. I also did EK practice tests #1-4 which I felt helped with experimental/interpretation, which is the bulk of the test. The new test is becoming more research based like the section banks and less like the question packs.

 

[jazzmetal]

My test felt harder than any practice exams or material. It turned out solid- I got a balanced 516 (131/128/129/128).

All right, well done! You must be so stoked! Were you surprised by your score, or was it in range of what you were expecting?

I was in a similar ballpark on the AAMC FLs and felt really dejected after my May 18 test - it just seemed so, so much harder than AAMC2 or 1. Seems like most people think the real test is harder, though, yet still end up with scores comparable to their practice scores. Fingers crossed!

 

[theonlytycrane]

All right, well done! You must be so stoked! Were you surprised by your score, or was it in range of what you were expecting?

I was in a similar ballpark on the AAMC FLs and felt really dejected after my May 18 test - it just seemed so, so much harder than AAMC2 or 1. Seems like most people think the real test is harder, though, yet still end up with scores comparable to their practice scores. Fingers crossed!

It was in the range I was expecting, but I was really happy and relieved.

The real test is scaled and hard/easy is all relative. With an easier test, the scaling is different. I didn't realize that you just took it and didn't have a score back yet. Wishing you the best that you hit your target

 

[jazzmetal]

It was in the range I was expecting, but I was really happy and relieved.

The real test is scaled and hard/easy is all relative. With an easier test, the scaling is different. I didn't realize that you just took it and didn't have a score back yet. Wishing you the best that you hit your target

thank you, and congrats! yeah, no score yet - i should probably stop weighing in until i have some evidence that i know what i'm talking about.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

If I have to retake, I'll aim to have at least a surface knowledge of everything on those lists. I let the AAMC practice materials be my guide to content, and got blindsided by a test full of so-called "low yield" topics and, at least in the C/P section, very little emphasis on being able to use critical reasoning skills to pull information from the passage.

I am curious what makes you (collective you) believe something is a low-yield topic. I don't recall seeing this comment at SDN before the MCAT changed, but have seen it a good number of times the past year. It just seems really odd that the new MCAT is only two years old and there are rumors of what is high-yield and what is low-yield. Whatever source is telling you (collective you) that something is low yield or high yield appears to be WAY off the mark. If a book written in 2014 or early 2015 describes something as high-yield or low-yield, then hopefully it's clear that there is absolutely no way they could possibly know what they are talking about.

We (TBR) are the second oldest MCAT prep company, so we have been around long enough to know that the MCAT is the result of random assembly. It defies the notion of yield. If you study for everything on the AAMC list and have enough flexibility to cover topics only slightly connected to the AAMC list, then you will be ready for everything. If your practice questions range from abstract connections of concepts to rote memorization and application, then you'll be set. It seems that some people at SDN are going into the MCAT with a sense that it will be exactly as they envision form their practice materials, and this is time and again proving to be wrong.

The biggest thing is that you must be flexible and ready for anything. Forget the notion of high-yield and low-yield.

 

[jazzmetal]

some people at SDN are going into the MCAT with a sense that it will be exactly as they envision from their practice materials

I can share my experience, understanding that you're looking for input from others too.

No one told me that certain topics were high-yield or low-yield, and I didn't expect the real test to be identical to the AAMC practice materials, but I did make what turned out to be a false assumption that the real test would have the same emphasis, e.g., plenty of bioenergetics, a healthy dose of physics calculations, lots of careful reading and reasoning my way to the right answer. I ended up with a C/P section that was nothing like that. I might as well have taken it without studying at all, that's how unprepared I felt. From what I've read, I wasn't the only one caught by surprise by that particular version of C/P. For the C/P section I had, I wish I'd done more pure content review. The other three sections were about what I expected.

I took the TBR in-person course and took all of the TBR practice FLs, but I did not work through all of your books or practice passages. What I did read/do, I liked a lot. I also did a couple of EK FLs and three NS FLs, one Altius FL and some of their other material, and 100% of the AAMC materials including the official guide questions and the flashcards - except, I did not run through every topic on the AAMC list of topics.

My takeaway is in line with what you're saying: be prepared to tackle any topic from that list. Also, don't assume that it will be mostly a thinking test. And - take everything I'm saying with a grain of salt until I get my scores.