January 2008 MCAT Central

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DrJD

DrJD

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Hey all! Anyone start studying now for the January 2008 test? Seems weird that its only 6 months away... What are all of you doing to study?

Best of luck!
 
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Doc Henry said:
So...I was looking at the EK 10 week plan and I really like it, plus I really like their books. I already have the "complete study package" but that does not include any of the 1001 books that the 10 week plan requires. Should I invest the extra couple 100 bucks to get those? I feel like I need to stick to one plan, and I like that EK has the schedule all worked out for me- so I'm really leaning towards it (although I'd be a week behind where I planned, but oh well)

Thanks!
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I found a bunch of them on half.com... I bought Physics 1001, Gen Chem 1001, and Verbal 101 for about $60 all together, with shipping. I bought them from the same person so the shipping was a bit cheaper. I'm anxiously awaiting their arrival... I was reading through my Kaplan BS book and wanted to cry.

-BP
 
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BassPlease said:
I found a bunch of them on half.com... I bought Physics 1001, Gen Chem 1001, and Verbal 101 for about $60 all together, with shipping. I bought them from the same person so the shipping was a bit cheaper. I'm anxiously awaiting their arrival... I was reading through my Kaplan BS book and wanted to cry.
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Nope, I have all the Kaplan books still. I figure I can consult them for content review; what I really need is just lots of practice.

-BP
 
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I've been hearing that EK is only good for the bio and verbal sections, so I'll probably stick to TPR physics and gchem study materials. However, does anyone know which provides the best review for ochem? I'm having a hard time understanding the concepts from TPR books (never really did well in college on the subject), and I hear that the EK ochem review is very condensed.
 
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DrJD said:
For as far into the material as I have gotten, I would recommend EK over Kaplan. I have yet to finish EK so I am not a perfect judge but it seems to me that EK is written better and easier to understand. I also feel like EK hones in more on what the MCAT will actually test. Kaplan material is good as a back up though! I have also heard that it is good to supplement your EK questions with other questions, and I think that the Kaplan Q-bank is quite good!
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Thank your DrJD🙂 I am definitely going with ek!!!
 
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I think i'm gonna retake. I scored 31N, 7V, 12P, 12B and I'm applying really late this cycle and there's no doubt in my mind I'm going to be waitlisted everywhere or rejected. sighh😕

I took a prep course before but I don't think I'd want to invest another $1700 for a prep course again. Would it be sufficient to study on my own and get a higher score??
 
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Anyone doing the Kaplan on-line course here? Would love to hear some comments on it. It's either I do this in conjunction with my EK materials, or just focus on self-study to do well. Don't know which option is best.
 
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Hey Chiller,

I started the Kaplan online course the last week of August. I'm about a third of the way through their stuff (lessons, etc), but I plan on doing lots of review after class end in December. So far the course seems pretty good, but I really wish I had more time to review some of the content. I would say be sure you have time to do this. The quizzes and tests seem to be good practice and the lessons are helpful in giving a few strategies. If I had more free time I probably wouldn't have done the course, but since I have classes and whatnot I don't have extra time to put together my own quizzes and content review.

I have the EK books also and they seem to be a very very condensed version of the material. Everyone seems to like them though.
 
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So how was the weekend? How is the studying going? I'm starting week 2 of Examkrackers today!
 
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Hi everyone!

I'm new to SDN and yes, I'm also taking the Jan08 MCAT. I started studying with the entire EK set of books the first week of September. I'm trying to get through most of the material by the end of this month so I can focus from November-January on just PRACTICING! I've also discovered that I will never ever come to love General Chemistry, even if the EK study manual tries to make it sound interesting 🙂 The EK books are great; clear, concise, and fun to read.

Good luck to everyone!
 
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Sorry guys, but I'm out. I'm contemplating on whether or not to postpone the exam date to April 5th. I'm going to re-structure my study habits and start studying for Chemistry & Physics first (my weak points), followed by Orgo & Biology. With this, implement doing Verbal everyday.

Hopefully, I'll be able to be prepared by January, but I'm not to sure. What do you guys think?
 
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Jonari said:
Sorry guys, but I'm out. I'm contemplating on whether or not to postpone the exam date to April 5th. I'm going to re-structure my study habits and start studying for Chemistry & Physics first (my weak points), followed by Orgo & Biology. With this, implement doing Verbal everyday.

Hopefully, I'll be able to be prepared by January, but I'm not to sure. What do you guys think?
Click to expand...

Hey, don't overdo the verbal....in other words...just doing a passage a day isn't necessarily going to help you do better in verbal. You'd be much better of picking up a copy of the WSJ every day and reading it. At the end of the day, try summing up what you've read in a few minutes. Not only will you learn to pick up the key points within a topic, you will also be preparing yourself for the writing section.
 
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DrJD said:
So how was the weekend? How is the studying going? I'm starting week 2 of Examkrackers today!
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Hey DrJD. My weekend was good. Since I just changed my mind and decided to do the EK 10wk plan this week will be my first week of EK. Today I did the pre-reading for BIO 1, PHYSICS 1 and VERBAL 1.

I can already see why summer would have been so much better...I have two midterms and a quiz this week...I'm jealous of my friends who are just stressing about those and don't have like 3 hours of MCAT studying a day on top of that
 
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Okay I need help studying for the mcat my dillemma is that I am currently enrolled in the Kaplan cours for the Jan 2008 mcat ad I also have the current examkrackers complete study package and the audio osmosis I need help to figure out how am i suppose to study because I work full time and have a 3 yo HELP................
 
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crosspoint said:
Okay I need help studying for the mcat my dillemma is that I am currently enrolled in the Kaplan cours for the Jan 2008 mcat ad I also have the current examkrackers complete study package and the audio osmosis I need help to figure out how am i suppose to study because I work full time and have a 3 yo HELP................
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If you are in an actual kaplan course I would just go with their schedule and us EK stuff to supplement what you need more practice, instruction for
 
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I feel that the EK material is more to the point but kaplan give me a bit more info because i am shaky on physics and EK really don't have enough practice problems for me I am even shaky on vectors and that is just chp 1
 
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Doc Henry said:
Hey DrJD. My weekend was good. Since I just changed my mind and decided to do the EK 10wk plan this week will be my first week of EK. Today I did the pre-reading for BIO 1, PHYSICS 1 and VERBAL 1.

I can already see why summer would have been so much better...I have two midterms and a quiz this week...I'm jealous of my friends who are just stressing about those and don't have like 3 hours of MCAT studying a day on top of that
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It's intense Doc Henry but it will totally pay off! When you are busy like you are it helps you stay focused!! Keep up the good work, only like 3.5 months left!!

I did the VERBAL 2 for EK today. Very impressive stuff. Answering the questions based only on the question stem without reading the passage. Awesome stuff.
 
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For EK verbal, how are you guys studying for that? I was thinking about handling 4 passages in 20 minutes. From there, try to reduce my time to 15 minutes, if possible. What do you guys think?
 
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Jonari said:
For EK verbal, how are you guys studying for that? I was thinking about handling 4 passages in 20 minutes. From there, try to reduce my time to 15 minutes, if possible. What do you guys think?
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THats a little quick, you should average bw8-9 minutes a passage. so i would say at the least try 4 passages in 25 minutes
 
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advice from anyone I am currently enrolled in a kaplan course for the april 2008 mcat which i am also crossreferencin this study with ek and audio osmosis and during undergrad i had to work two jobs to pay for school and also to send money back home I have ended my undergrad with a bs in biology and my gpa was a 3.2 I took the kaplan diagnostic and i ended up gettin a 20 I just wanted some advice on how to study like what do you suggest and my chances of gettin in school.....
 
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Crap! I got behind on week one...this is harder than I thought it would be. Heres to trying to catch up today when I'm supposed to be prereading.
 
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crosspoint said:
advice from anyone I am currently enrolled in a kaplan course for the april 2008 mcat which i am also crossreferencin this study with ek and audio osmosis and during undergrad i had to work two jobs to pay for school and also to send money back home I have ended my undergrad with a bs in biology and my gpa was a 3.2 I took the kaplan diagnostic and i ended up gettin a 20 I just wanted some advice on how to study like what do you suggest and my chances of gettin in school.....
Click to expand...


hey crosspoint, dont spend your money/time on things like audio osmosis, it does not help because u are not actively learning anything. Only do things that take effort, time, and focus. Take all the practice exams and treat them each like real exams. Make sure u start scoring in your target MCAT range (should aim for >34 with your GPA) before you take the exam.

Best of Luck
 
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AmandaL444 said:
Does anyone know when you can register for the January exam????
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I just checked the AAMC/MCAT website a minute ago which said registration for the January exams will open Tues. Oct. 30.

I will be taking the January exam also. I am using the EK and Kaplan material. Today will be my first day to start studying intensely. We'll see how that goes . . .
 
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DrJD said:
https://www.examkrackers.com/store/...68&PHPSESSID=60b42e3c90a3eddb9d0d2b49df584eff

- Above is the link to the Examkrackers books that we are talking about!!

- As far as when you can register, they just posted it on the AAMC website today. It is on October 30th!

So how is everyone's studying going??
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link!

Do you guys think this is the best choice for study guides other than Kaplan's program? I don't want to spend thousands of dollars. I think this may be a good choice for me. How is the studying going for everyone?
 
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I'm in the middle of the EK Verbal book, and I'm LOVING IT. Their tips are definitely coming in handy. Verbal was my all-time weakness, and on my first diagnostic EK 30-min exam, I got an 11. I'm hoping to continue building up from this. I think the best tip EK gives you is to make yourself get interested in every passage topic. That bogged me down in past practice exams, but now I try to get into the passage as much as possible. FOCUS ON THE MAIN IDEA!!
 
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Does the Examkrackers complete package come with information on the 10 week study period?
 
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Just took an AAMC diagnostic test, which was #5, and unfortunately I only scored a 9 on it - total. Is there anything you guys would recommend on trying to boost that score. I feel quite discouraged at the moment. 🙁
 
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Jonari said:
Just took an AAMC diagnostic test, which was #5, and unfortunately I only scored a 9 on it - total. Is there anything you guys would recommend on trying to boost that score. I feel quite discouraged at the moment. 🙁
Click to expand...

Did you review anything before doing the test? I would start with making sure you have a good foundation in the subjects
 
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dancermd07 said:
I'm in the middle of the EK Verbal book, and I'm LOVING IT. Their tips are definitely coming in handy. Verbal was my all-time weakness, and on my first diagnostic EK 30-min exam, I got an 11. I'm hoping to continue building up from this. I think the best tip EK gives you is to make yourself get interested in every passage topic. That bogged me down in past practice exams, but now I try to get into the passage as much as possible. FOCUS ON THE MAIN IDEA!!
Click to expand...

Haha, thats funny b/c I got like an 11 in verbal on my first kaplan full length and the first EK 30min thing owned me! Actually I kinda sucked at the 2nd too. I just need to get back in the groove I think.
 
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Hey I am just starting to study for the Jan o8 MCATs but I have taken them before and scored in the late 20's, what I want to know, is for those of you aiming for the mid-30s and higher, how much time are you spending each day. Are all you guys doing is following the Ten-week plan?
I have the subject books for Princeton, would you guys still recommend me buying the ek full package?
 
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amounabandoora said:
Hey I am just starting to study for the Jan o8 MCATs but I have taken them before and scored in the late 20's, what I want to know, is for those of you aiming for the mid-30s and higher, how much time are you spending each day. Are all you guys doing is following the Ten-week plan?
I have the subject books for Princeton, would you guys still recommend me buying the ek full package?
Click to expand...

The rest of these peeps can chime in, but personally I would recommend you still getting the EK full package. I have the Kaplan material and the princeton review but I am much happier with EK. I typically try and go back through either Kaplan or princeton review AFTER I have read in EK if I have time.

I am aiming for the mid to high thirties and I am studying between 2 and 4 hours a day depending on the subject, etc. It will definitely become more and more as the test gets closer though. But through November I expect to spend this much time... How 'bout everyone else?

Also, the EK verbal is hard! But that is good... I thought that the hardest was Lecture 3 which I did today. Those were hard passages! Week 3 of EK, yes!!
 
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Week 3 of EK, yes!![/quote]

I'm on week 3 of EK as well. I made up my own study method if anyone cares to know. Mon., EK bio. Tues., EK bio 1001 questions for that chapter; study chem. Wed., EK chem 1001 questions for that chapter; study O-Chem; etc. Then what i will do is when I'm half through a book, for example finishing chapter 5 for bio. (week 5), I will study all day and all night the following week (week 6) reviewing the chapters 1-5 and missed questions and important questions from EK bio 1001. Saturdays consists of EK verbal and review of what was learned that week. Sunday is flashcards.


To me, this is a lot more efficient than what I was doing. Over the summer I was "pseudo-studying", doing all of bio. straight through, then duing all of chem. straight through, etc. That was exhausting for me. This method, your changing the subject every day, which keeps things more interesting and allows you to study better. ALSO, you're reviewing the subject from the day before with questions and reviewing everything learned that week on the weekend.
 
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I know EK says you don't have to memorize the Lac Operon, just understand it- but how much detail do you think we need to memorize about operons in general? Just the promoter and stuff or what?
 
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I've just started PS again, review with Kaplan review notes and supplementing with EK 1001, for Physics right now. My weak points are so obvious that I'm almost excited to work on them!

For those of you with whom I was talking with regarding Kaplan Higher Score Guarantee... I just spoke with the center I took the class with and they agreed to "overlook some of the Verbal 3's that I didn't do" and gave me access to my online stuff (which includes 8 AAMCs!) until January.

When are you guys planning on taking your first full-length?

-BP
 
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BassPlease said:
When are you guys planning on taking your first full-length?

-BP
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I'm not taking one for a while. Probably not until I am through at least 2/3rds of the material. I figure with the verbal 101 and the 30 minute things for each lesson I'm getting a start on the format. I just don't want to waste FLs when I'm not good with the material yet
 
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I am enrolled in a kaplan course and also have ek material but physics is just not clicking somebody please give me some advice on how to study for physics or mcat😕
 
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crosspoint said:
I am enrolled in a kaplan course and also have ek material but physics is just not clicking somebody please give me some advice on how to study for physics or mcat😕
Click to expand...

I would love to know too because I just don't "get" Physics 1.
 
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Hey fellow mcat'ers

I just started studying for Jan and I am super nervous. How many hours should I average to get a really high score..the ten week plan of EKs says 2-3, but I feel you need to do more...I REALLLLLLY don't want to take this exam over...Any suggestions?
 
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amounabandoora said:
Hey fellow mcat'ers

I just started studying for Jan and I am super nervous. How many hours should I average to get a really high score..the ten week plan of EKs says 2-3, but I feel you need to do more...I REALLLLLLY don't want to take this exam over...Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

In the beginning I've been sticking to about 2-3 per day according to that plan. I think I do this until I've gotten a good rhythm going and then start to add on the 1001 and 101 problems on the weekend.
 
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hey guys,

Just saw this thread, and I'm considering taking the January 26 MCAT, only thing is im not sure if I'll be quite ready.

For you, whats the biggest advantage to taking the MCAT so early? My reasoning was that Id have a solid month or two to bust it for an April retake if need be and I want to be ON THE BALL for the next cycle, complete as quickly as possible everywhere.

For prep, Ive just been slowly working though the material, sadly im WAY behind my initial schedule but Im currently In my last two mcat related courses (bio 2 and phys 2) and everything is really fresh, mostly im trying to relearn the details of gen chem, I had an anatomy/phys sequence that I'm now TAing for so thats all the biological physo is real freash too, looking to buy some real pratice tests soon and planning on putting in 8hr+ days during my 3 week christmas break.

good luck to all, keep it going, to JANUARY!!!!!!
 
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Hi all!

Yep, I will be joining all of you lucky folks taking the MCAT in Jan. I need to seriously bring up my Bio Sciences score. I've taken it twice already, with the same dreadful score both times on BS 😱. I used EK Bio and Org review books, and completed ~700 questions out of the Bio 1001 book. I scored well on practice AAMC exams, but the real thing looked completely foreign to what I reviewed.

I need to use something else to review, obviously, EK alone is not working for me. Any suggestions? 😕 I can't afford a review course, but I can definatley invest in some review books that can help...
 
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For all of you using EK 10wk review....are you actually listening to audio osmosis.....???

To Fabu1ous....most people use something else to supplement EK....I would say you could try Kaplan because it is very detailed.
 
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