**MAY 18, 2017 MCAT**

[Alazo47]

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Hey Guys!
First time poster, who's ready for this MCAT?!?! I'm NOT! Can anyone tell me how they think I should do? I know there are MANY factors, but just looking to see if I should cancel/void. SO far I started studying in January and used the sample/AAMC test 1 as baseline(Bad idea) and scored 499. I have used EK and NS for prep as well as QP's and SB. I have scored on NS 504, 506, 505, and 508. On AAMC FL2 I scored 506. On SB for nearly every section I was 66%. Do you think I can reach 508? Also, let me know how you guys are studying these final days(Thank god) I'm done doing questions and am memorizing last minute structures(C T A G) and formulas!
Good luck and thanks!

 

[fldoctorgirl]

I think you can definitely score 508 seeing as NS is deflated, and most people score +/- 2 their AAMC FL and you got a 506.

I'm also taking it on the 18th...I did two NS FLs this week and reviewed them. I did the Official Guide Questions yesterday/today & reviewed them. Tomorrow comes AAMC FL2, review on Tuesday, and then hit the beach on Wednesday!

Good luck 🙂

 

[Alazo47]

You got it FlDoctor! Im also from FL at FSU. Good luck!! How did your NS go?

 

[fldoctorgirl]

You got it FlDoctor! Im also from FL at FSU. Good luck!! How did your NS go?

I got a 503 on NS2 but thought it was made way too hard (CARS, which I find is harder on all NS tests, but C/P on this test was just ridiculous in my opinion...). I did some research on threads both here and on reddit and found that most people agreed that NS was too hard on CARS and that NS2 C/P was ridiculous. I then took NS4, which I heard was one of the best NS exams, and got a 509, so I'm feeling better about that! AAMC is obviously the most predictive though...so we'll see tomorrow!

 

[Alazo47]

Please post here on how you do on AAMC FL, Good luck again!

 

[fldoctorgirl]

Please post here on how you do on AAMC FL, Good luck again!

I definitely will. Thanks, good luck to you too! At least the long study days are almost behind us..

 

[fldoctorgirl]

So.....super unbalanced 505. Not sure how I feel about it. C/P and B/B definitely didn't play to my strengths...I also found the B/B passages really hard to focus on.

 

[Alazo47]

@fldoctorgirl dont fear 🙂! I spoke to some friends today, and they said they felt the real thing was MUCH easier than what everyone here hypes it up to be.. Also 505 is a great score! I was pretty average all around and agree the B/B was TOUGH! SO many A/B or C/D questions where I couldn't choose. But i've been scoring 85-90% on Bio and on that test did 75..so Don't worry too much. I realized you and I have both studied hard, and its gonna pay off, no matter what we're gonna be wearing that white coat. Lets get out there and show em what we got!!!!!!!

 

[fldoctorgirl]

@fldoctorgirl dont fear 🙂! I spoke to some friends today, and they said they felt the real thing was MUCH easier than what everyone here hypes it up to be.. Also 505 is a great score! I was pretty average all around and agree the B/B was TOUGH! SO many A/B or C/D questions where I couldn't choose. But i've been scoring 85-90% on Bio and on that test did 75..so Don't worry too much. I realized you and I have both studied hard, and its gonna pay off, no matter what we're gonna be wearing that white coat. Lets get out there and show em what we got!!!!!!!

Thank you for those words!!! Definitely just excited to be done with this and move on, one way or the other.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

If possible, and it's so hard to do, IGNORE practice exam scores.

Instead, spend time the next couple of days negotiating your anxieties, getting good sleep, and trusting that your instincts will kick in on test day. Ever since the new exam went into effect in April of 2015, it seems that test taker anxiety has been higher than it was with the old style MCAT. I know an extra section adds some stress, and that is undoubtedly a part of the issue. But it's more than just an additional section making people freak out. It seems to have become part of the premed culture more than before. You have to get the stress in check to be optimally prepared.

Looking at students in our courses the last two years, we have seen higher stress levels on average. But the good news is that we have also seen more jaw-dropping scores and higher average scores. We have seen many, many people getting better scores on their actual MCAT than any of their practice exams.

What we believe this means is that test taking logic and a good grasp of the fundamentals means more on this exam than it did on the older exam. That is to say, we believe that emphasizing how to think your way through questions has become the most important part of preparing. Answer explanations that focus on test skills and reasoning are by far the most important part of preparation materials, and as long as you have been getting better at test reasoning over the course of your preparation, you'll be fine.

So no matter what your practice MCAT scores are telling you, you really need to ignore them and just make sure you know your basics and can think clearly and logically on test day. Best of luck!

 

[fldoctorgirl]

If possible, and it's so hard to do, IGNORE practice exam scores.

Instead, spend time the next couple of days negotiating your anxieties, getting good sleep, and trusting that your instincts will kick in on test day. Ever since the new exam went into effect in April of 2015, it seems that test taker anxiety has been higher than it was with the old style MCAT. I know an extra section adds some stress, and that is undoubtedly a part of the issue. But it's more than just an additional section making people freak out. It seems to have become part of the premed culture more than before. You have to get the stress in check to be optimally prepared.

Looking at students in our courses the last two years, we have seen higher stress levels on average. But the good news is that we have also seen more jaw-dropping scores and higher average scores. We have seen many, many people getting better scores on their actual MCAT than any of their practice exams.

What we believe this means is that test taking logic and a good grasp of the fundamentals means more on this exam than it did on the older exam. That is to say, we believe that emphasizing how to think your way through questions has become the most important part of preparing. Answer explanations that focus on test skills and reasoning are by far the most important part of preparation materials, and as long as you have been getting better at test reasoning over the course of your preparation, you'll be fine.

So no matter what your practice MCAT scores are telling you, you really need to ignore them and just make sure you know your basics and can think clearly and logically on test day. Best of luck!

Thanks for saying this! I am doing my best to ignore practice exam scores, as it seems to me scores are often deflated, even with AAMC. I am doing my best to stay positive..like @Alazo47 said, I will have a white coat one day soon 🙂

 

[harkas]

This motivational video was posted in the 5/19 thread:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLcJHC9J7l4

I love it. My favorite and most applicable line to this situation: "Go through it, you ain't gon die." 🙂

 

[cbastor]

I got a 506 on AAMC FL 2 and got a 512, I think you'll be alright.

 

[Foodjunkie1028]

How are you guys feeling after today? Post exam reactions?


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[fldoctorgirl]

How are you guys feeling after today? Post exam reactions?


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The reddit thread sums it up more eloquently than I can right now (I'm exhausted haha), so check it out if you want specifics: Thursday May 18, 2017 Exam Day Reaction Thread • r/Mcat

Keeping it short, C/P was much harder than I thought it would be, but it seems that most people on reddit feel the same way, so hopefully the curve will be generous. My test barely had any physics. Most of it seemed fact-based-- you either knew it, or you didn't. Not a lot of room to dig answers out of passages, which I found strange for the MCAT.

I felt that B/B was relatively easy. It had a lot of passage-based interpretation, data/graphs, and questions that you could definitely find the answer to through POE. I felt pretty confident during this section.

CARS was about the same as on the FLs. P/S was slightly harder, but very much doable.

 

[mariposas905]

The reddit thread sums it up more eloquently than I can right now (I'm exhausted haha), so check it out if you want specifics: Thursday May 18, 2017 Exam Day Reaction Thread • r/Mcat

Keeping it short, C/P was much harder than I thought it would be, but it seems that most people on reddit feel the same way, so hopefully the curve will be generous. My test barely had any physics. Most of it seemed fact-based-- you either knew it, or you didn't. Not a lot of room to dig answers out of passages, which I found strange for the MCAT.

I felt that B/B was relatively easy. It had a lot of passage-based interpretation, data/graphs, and questions that you could definitely find the answer to through POE. I felt pretty confident during this section.

CARS was about the same as on the FLs. P/S was slightly harder, but very much doable.

So it wasn't as bad as the May 13 test? Those post-exam reactions I could barely do the section bank timed, and May 13 just crushed my hopes.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

So it wasn't as bad as the May 13 test? Those post-exam reactions I could barely do the section bank timed, and May 13 just crushed my hopes.

From what I heard from those people, I'm assuming the 18th wasn't as bad. C/P was definitely something else though....

 

[Spr1ngrolls]

So it wasn't as bad as the May 13 test? Those post-exam reactions I could barely do the section bank timed, and May 13 just crushed my hopes.

Yeah I'm reading the reactions to the May 18th exam right now and I'm so happy that they didn't continue the trend of having questions that made the SB look like a joke... I took the exam on May 13th and voided it so I've been waiting for this day. It's been so hard to get any motivation to get back up and study (I haven't really since May 13th) because it felt so dismal to even attempt after going through that slaughterhouse.

May 19th'ers, SHOW EM WHAT YOU'VE GOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mariposas905]

Yeah I'm reading the reactions to the May 18th exam right now and I'm so happy that they didn't continue the trend of having questions that made the SB look like a joke... I took the exam on May 13th and voided it so I've been waiting for this day. It's been so hard to get any motivation to get back up and study (I haven't really since May 13th) because it felt so dismal to even attempt after going through that slaughterhouse.

May 19th'ers, SHOW EM WHAT YOU'VE GOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You never know with the AAMC lol When are you taking the MCAT next? Are you applying this cycle?

 

[Spr1ngrolls]

You never know with the AAMC lol When are you taking the MCAT next? Are you applying this cycle?

I haven't signed up for my next date yet, but I'm thinking either mid-June or June 30th. Yes I plan on applying this cycle if all goes well!

 

[Lilbird123]

I scored 507 on FL1 and 511 on FL2.

C/P: This is always my weakest section (125-127).some of the passages were manageable and more oriented towards biochemistry. Other passages had me like wtf staring at my computer and just picking a damn answer because I had no clue. They were definitely things you couldn't pull from the passage which is a strength of mine. :/ This section was very discouraging for me, but I put it out of my head the rest of the test. One bad section isnt going to sink your score. I don't see how their can't be a generous curve for this section, since it was full of things that I had never heard of at all.

CARS: This is always my best section (129, 131) and it seemed on par with the cars on the FLs. It was very fair and actually had some interesting passages. I'm expecting it to raise my score up and redeem my score on C/P if that curve isn't generous.

Bio/biochem: I didn't think it was that bad, but I'm a bit pissed because I have really focused my studying on biochemistry. Literally not much biochemistry at all. I was very disappointed. I feel fairly confident about this section though as I am a biology major and understood most of the passages really well. I usually score (127-129) in this section. I also did the section bank for this section and scored 62%. Some of the passages were section bank-like but overall a fair section (except for the missing biochemistry ugh)

P/S: This was definitely the easiest section. I might add that I am also a psych minor and have taken a handful of psych and sociology courses. There were only a couple of terms that I didn't recognize but it was easy to make an educated guess based on the passage. I usually get (126-129) depending on how brutal that curve is on the FLs. I feel confident that I have score within that range.

My best advice to anyone about to take the exam is to not let a hard section get in your head. Keep calm and put it out of your head. When encountering an extremely difficult section just remember that is will most likely have a generous curve. I honestly felt calm and collected during the whole test, freaking out will get you nowhere but scoring lower than your potential. Stay confident!

Now we all just have to wait an agonizing month to get our scores back. I'm going to just try to forget about it, because worrying will get you nowhere. The FLs predicted me to score between 507 and 511 and I'm going to trust in them.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

Agree with you about the agonizing month. I made a stupid mistake in psych that I knew the answer to, but for some reason just blanked while I was looking at the question. I walked out of the testing center and then it hit me.....now it's going to haunt me for a month haha

 

[Lilbird123]

Agree with you about the agonizing month. I made a stupid mistake in psych that I knew the answer to, but for some reason just blanked while I was looking at the question. I walked out of the testing center and then it hit me.....now it's going to haunt me for a month haha

Same here. I looked up an answer I put in the bio section and I got it wrong. It seems like there aren't many people who walk out of taking the MCAT feeling great about it lol

 

[DSM_302.0]

C/P absolutely wrecked me. Sooo impossible. I wondered if I had studied anything at all relevant? So out of left field.

The other three sections seemed fine. CARS easier than Section Bank CARS for sure. B/B - low biochem! Where are my amino acid gimmies? All the enzyme inhibition questions?
Psych/Soc seemed easy. Long passages but straightforward questions. I bet the curve will be unforgiving on this one.

I felt wretched coming out. I got a 511 FL2 a month ago and a 516 last week, but I can't imagine getting a 515 on that yesterday.

I just wish we could know our scores right away!

 

[Dr.Cut.em.up]

I thought the c/p was the easiest ive seen. I guess because I am horrid at math and this seemed really math light and more straight up knowledge. Almost everything seemed discreet. I scored 509 and 511 on AAMC material so I am hoping for similar scores. I thought P/S was hard because I was more prepared for experimental passages. Biochem was almost irrelevant unlike the full lengths ive taken. Very interesting to say the least. hopefully I don't have to retake.

 

[mariposas905]

I thought the c/p was the easiest ive seen. I guess because I am horrid at math and this seemed really math light and more straight up knowledge. Almost everything seemed discreet. I scored 509 and 511 on AAMC material so I am hoping for similar scores. I thought P/S was hard because I was more prepared for experimental passages. Biochem was almost irrelevant unlike the full lengths ive taken. Very interesting to say the least. hopefully I don't have to retake.

Did you take the May 18 or 19 exam?

 

[Dr.Cut.em.up]

Did you take the May 18 or 19 exam?

I took the May 18th exam. Maybe I just did horrible on CP and that's why I thought it was kind of easy or maybe it played on my strengths. I though BB was harder imo. I guess difficulty is relative. Cars gave me some timing issues. CARS is usually my score booster but I am not so sure about this one. We will see in this long, miserable month. I found myself dreaming about my score last night. I cant get it out of my head lol.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

I took the May 18th exam. Maybe I just did horrible on CP and that's why I thought it was kind of easy or maybe it played on my strengths. I though BB was harder imo. I guess difficulty is relative. Cars gave me some timing issues. CARS is usually my score booster but I am not so sure about this one. We will see in this long, miserable month. I found myself dreaming about my score last night. I cant get it out of my head lol.

I think the reason most of us found C/P difficult was because it tested really low-yield topics that many of us had barely studied. Everything seemed really obscure and you couldn't get a lot of the answers from the passages; you pretty much either knew it, or you were stuck guessing.

 

[Dr.Cut.em.up]

I was happy to see the decay material and the passage on the lungs. Hopefully it turns out well for us all.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

I thought the c/p was the easiest ive seen.

This is the comment I've been hearing repeatedly the last few days. Student feedback was that everything seemed familiar (stuff they had reviewed or seen in class) and that the topics were ones they thought would be medium to high yield.

CARS: ...it seemed on par with the cars on the FLs. It was very fair and actually had some interesting passages.

This comment sums up the feedback we got. One person said that the passages seemed a bit longer than they expected.

I felt that B/B was relatively easy. It had a lot of passage-based interpretation, data/graphs, and questions that you could definitely find the answer to through POE. I felt pretty confident during this section.

THIS! Pretty much the consensus feedback we heard.

Psych/Soc seemed easy. Long passages but straightforward questions.

Feedback was mostly in line with this, although I might add that many students felt that it was CARS 2.0. Memorizing the glossary paid dividends.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

I think the reason most of us found C/P difficult was because it tested really low-yield topics that many of us had barely studied. Everything seemed really obscure and you couldn't get a lot of the answers from the passages; you pretty much either knew it, or you were stuck guessing.

Most everyone who contacted us agreed that you didn't need the passage as much as the FLs they took and that questions could often be answered without consulting the passage.

However, yield expectation is curious. I know you can't elaborate on what you feel is high yield or low yield, but there might be an issue in terms of what some people believe to be high yield versus low yield. So far the feedback I've seen is that the C/P was medium to high yield material and that they had seen everything at some point in their review.

I personally think that there really is no such thing as high yield or low yield, but for some reason there is a big interest amongst people studying for this exam to know what is high yield versus low yield. It appears to me that people make decisions on what is high yield versus low yield based on either (1) the material on the AAMC exams or (2) what their review course/books tell them.

Hopefully this thread gives future test-takers the heads up that high-yield versus low-yield emphasis can be misleading.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

Most everyone who contacted us agreed that you didn't need the passage as much as the FLs they took and that questions could often be answered without consulting the passage.

However, yield expectation is curious. I know you can't elaborate on what you feel is high yield or low yield, but there might be an issue in terms of what some people believe to be high yield versus low yield. So far the feedback I've seen is that the C/P was medium to high yield material and that they had seen everything at some point in their review.

I personally think that there really is no such thing as high yield or low yield, but for some reason there is a big interest amongst people studying for this exam to know what is high yield versus low yield. It appears to me that people make decisions on what is high yield versus low yield based on either (1) the material on the AAMC exams or (2) what their review course/books tell them.

Hopefully this thread gives future test-takers the heads up that high-yield versus low-yield emphasis can be misleading.

It's interesting that you report getting that feedback from students, as most people on the reddit thread for the May 18th exam seem to agree that C/P was straight out of left field, rather than medium/high yield topics. One person even wrote that they "wouldn't even know what to call that".

But yes, all-in-all, it's probably better to ignore commentary on low-yield vs. high-yield topics.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

It's interesting that you report getting that feedback from students, as most people on the reddit thread for the May 18th exam seem to agree that C/P was straight out of left field, rather than medium/high yield topics. One person even wrote that they "wouldn't even know what to call that".

But yes, all-in-all, it's probably better to ignore commentary on low-yield vs. high-yield topics.

Wow, you are so right. I have to admit I am surprised by the Reddit comments on that section. It looks like two thirds (at least) felt abused and surprised by the section. I guess it was an all or nothing (love it or hate it) section.

Hopefully the general feeling means that the curve is generous. Good luck and my you be pleasantly surprised in about twenty-seven days.

 

[jazzmetal]

It looks like two thirds (at least) felt abused and surprised by the section. I guess it was an all or nothing (love it or hate it) section.

Per Reddit and this thread, it sounds like there were at least two different C/P versions that day that were really different from each other: one was more physics and calculation heavy, and the other was from out of left field. Oooooh how I wish I'd gotten the former! I found myself halfway through that section thinking, "I guess I'm not going to med school after all." I too hope that June 20 brings us all happy surprises!

 

[Foodjunkie1028]

Does anyone else feel that bio wrecked them or am I the only one? Everyone that took it that day constantly says bio was cake and I'm most worried for bio..


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[jazzmetal]

Does anyone else feel that bio wrecked them or am I the only one?

I thought bio was hard too, just not as shockingly different from the AAMC FLs as C/P was. If you got the C/P section with the more "predictable" question types, then maybe your B/B was harder?

 

[amg_la]

im just sitting here waiting and wondering why it takes more than 4 weeks to get the scores.

for a computer based test i would assume all their standardizing and curving should not take more than a week. this is 2017

 

[fldoctorgirl]

im just sitting here waiting and wondering why it takes more than 4 weeks to get the scores.

for a computer based test i would assume all their standardizing and curving should not take more than a week. this is 2017

My honest thought is they want you to feel like you should register for another test before knowing your scores to be on the safe side. Then by the time you get your score, if you cancel they still keep most of your money. This is the only explanation that makes sense to me, because it really shouldn't take so long.

 

[Dr.Cut.em.up]

Guys, I am getting anxious for these scores. I'm seriously loosing sleep. I know it's awhile for the scores but I am so scared I did worse on this than my practice exams.

 

[Alazo47]

Lmao, don't freak out. Believe me, I want to see my score so badly, especially after how hard that ****ing C/P was. BUT, you know what? I believe, no, I KNOW that one day I will become a physician, whether I have to take the MCAT again or not. As long as you know that you'll also become a doctor one day, then don't fear. It's merely wasted energy and worry, if you did well, you wasted all that anxiety/self worry. If you didn't do well, you began sulking a month early, and that doesn't help. Relax @Dr.Cut.em.up

 

[ChopinLiszt]

Only 21 days to go! I mean, 19 if you don't count today or June 20, haha. I seriously chose May 19 instead of 18 just so I'd have one less day to wait for the score. Try to distract yourself, work on AMCAS, and whatever you do, stay off Reddit!! For every few score reactions where someone gets a higher score than their AAMC FLs that makes you all excited and hopeful, there's another post where someone got lower than their FLs and it will seriously mess with your head. Just don't do it.

 

[jazzmetal]

I seriously chose May 19 instead of 18 just so I'd have one less day to wait for the score.

That cracks me up! I had that in mind too. I ended up going with Thursday just to make it even less likely that my neighbors would have a party the night before.

Ok, let's do a Top Ten Ways to Kill Time While Waiting for MCAT Scores:

#10 - Be glad you didn't take the California Bar Exam (three-day test, four-month wait).
#9 - Watch ER re-runs and figure out how to work your favorite character into your personal statement.
#8 - Buy a stethoscope and start practicing *because you will eventually get there.*
#7 -???

Anyone?

 

[ChopinLiszt]

#7 - Obsess prematurely about interview clothes
#6 - Research local therapists to help you recover self-esteem in case of low score, or to help diagnose the root of your over-achiever neuroticism in case of high score
#5 - Start a "Bring Cristina Back to Grey's Anatomy" petition online
#4 - ???

(also, I've already bought an otoscope, but that's more because my toddler likes to put stuff up his nose)

 

[fldoctorgirl]

I will sign for #5! 😉

#4- Schedule a massage. I'm waiting for my boyfriend to finish his LSAT next week, then we're off to relaxation......until scores come out at least....

 

[neuroresearchguy23]

Oooo, I just got a massage this past weekend.... it was aaaaammmaazzzinnnnggggg. Highly suggest it 🙂

3. Binge watch Scrubs and Master of None, while trying to not get frustrated with family members repeatedly asking if I got my scores back yet.
2. ???

 

[amg_la]

spending my time watching Office reruns rather than prewriting secondaries because those darn mcat scores

 

[Lilbird123]

Got a 513! I'm so freaking happy right now!

 

[lj_99]

Definitely a big curve on the C/P.... almost walked out during that section because of having to guess on so many and having a semi-meltdown. Ended up getting exactly where I was on AAMC 1 and AAMC 2! Lesson learned: trust the AAMC practice scores and keep going during the test!

 

[Lilbird123]

Definitely a big curve on the C/P.... almost walked out during that section because of having to guess on so many and having a semi-meltdown. Ended up getting exactly where I was on AAMC 1 and AAMC 2! Lesson learned: trust the AAMC practice scores and keep going during the test!

Definitely! I ended with a 129 on cp section and had never scored that high on that section on practice exams. I felt horrible about this section and thought it would be my worst and ended up being my second best section

 

[amg_la]

anyone have any insight on a rescore. I scored a 513 ( which is great, im very happy)
but i got 129/124/130/130.

i have never scored below a 126 on cars even on the worst practice test. I thought this cars section didnt give me any trouble but now i scored in the 48th percentile.

any advice?