MCAT 2015: Sneak Peak

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Brunerm

Brunerm

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Not sure if this has been posted yet, but The Princeton Review released their own breakdown of the 2015 MCAT. I haven't looked through all of it yet, but they did release a mini-test of about 25 questions for each section. For those anxious to learn more about the new MCAT you can find it here:

http://www.princetonreview.com/mcat/MCAT-2015-Changes-Sneak-Peek/

They make you have to go thru the whole checkout process as if you are buying it for some reason, but it is free.
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Whoa 7 hrs and 20 min. So is the physical section not going to be pure chemistry and physics anymore..? And rather testing physics and chemistry mechanisms that occur in the human body? ie, fluid dynamics of the circulatory system?
 
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OhHey said:
Whoa 7 hrs and 20 min. So is the physical section not going to be pure chemistry and physics anymore..? And rather testing physics and chemistry mechanisms that occur in the human body? ie, fluid dynamics of the circulatory system?
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Ya I think this is a good idea don't you think? I mean we are applying to professional school so we should be able to know the implications of what we learnt in undergraduate. This way, students won't complain about physics, chemistry, and unnecessary organic that they had to learn.
 
7+ hours though? They're going to make premeds take an early step 1?
 
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over 7 hours wtf
it's absurd how they keep making more and more hoops for doctors to go through and then telling us that nps are just as good
 
7 hours exam for entrance into graduate/professional school is insane. Its not even about being a good doctor. How can a 20-22 year old master biochemistry, physics, chemistry, organic chemistry, sociology, psychology, humanities... And show it on one exam. How can anyone do this. People will do poorly on this one because they will be overwhelmed. For those that already took the MCAT you know what I mean
 
Espadaleader said:
7 hours exam for entrance into graduate/professional school is insane. Its not even about being a good doctor. How can a 20-22 year old master biochemistry, physics, chemistry, organic chemistry, sociology, psychology, humanities... And show it on one exam. How can anyone do this. People will do poorly on this one because they will be overwhelmed. For those that already took the MCAT you know what I mean
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:scared:
 
It used to be this long. They're just restoring its former glory.
 
Wow...godspeed to all of you taking the new version.
 
The fact that we have to take biochemistry just threw off my whole scheduling system :mad: I am definitely freaking out about this new exam, I might have to take a gap year in order to get all the prereqs done before I take it. :( More things to worry about.

Edit: and by gap year I mean applying senior year instead of junior year
 
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My understanding is that they're changing it because it predicts people who do well during the first two years of medical school. It does not predict who will succeed during the clinical years or as a clinician. This test is designed to focus more on the soft skills required to be a good position. Who knows if it will succeed…
 
SpaceyWacey said:
The fact that we have to take biochemistry just threw off my whole scheduling system :mad: I am definitely freaking out about this new exam, I might have to take a gap year in order to get all the prereqs done before I take it. :( More things to worry about.

Edit: and by gap year I mean applying senior year instead of junior year
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I know how you feel, I am entering sophmore year this fall and I previously wanted to try and take the old version after sophmore year but because of biochem, I wanted to squeeze by with the Jan 2015 exam which will be the last of the current one given. I would have to take some summer classes most likely if I want to take the current test but if it doesn't work out I will take the new MCAT. The thing is those who hope to enter medical school in 2016 are supposed to take the 2015 MCAT so if one did not wouldnt an interviewer ask why you didn't take the new test? That's why I think I might just take the new test.
 
I was curious and decided to take look at the preview on princeton review, and all I got to say is I'm glad I've been accepted to med school already lol.
 
def1 said:
i was curious and decided to take look at the preview on princeton review, and all i got to say is i'm glad i've been accepted to med school already lol.
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+1
 
def1 said:
I was curious and decided to take look at the preview on princeton review, and all I got to say is I'm glad I've been accepted to med school already lol.
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I hate you so much right now.
 
The MCAT actually used to be over 7 hours in the past. Used to be you not only got 10 minute breaks inbetween sections, but an hour long lunch break as well. The CBT version has actually been the shortest version, especially the 2013-2014 CBT.

As for the content, the BS section was already biochem heavy, and since they're replacing orgo with biochem it shouldn't be too much more burdensome. The added social sciences should honestly be the easiest section on there.

I think people are overreacting. What's worth panicking over is that it's going to be a lot harder to prep without good prep materials for the first few years.
 
7 hrs is just insane. Man it better be worth it when I take it!
 
I recently took it when it was 3 hours. 7 Hours seems a bit much for this test doesnt it?
 
OCDOCDOCD said:
The MCAT actually used to be over 7 hours in the past. Used to be you not only got 10 minute breaks inbetween sections, but an hour long lunch break as well. The CBT version has actually been the shortest version, especially the 2013-2014 CBT.

As for the content, the BS section was already biochem heavy, and since they're replacing orgo with biochem it shouldn't be too much more burdensome. The added social sciences should honestly be the easiest section on there.

I think people are overreacting. What's worth panicking over is that it's going to be a lot harder to prep without good prep materials for the first few years.
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Definitely! The fact that past advice wont necesarily apply is really frustrating. You can get tons of help, advice, and prep but it will still feel like you are walking in blind.
 
Wanted to see sample questions, but I dont want to go through registering and all that. Just glad I dont ever have to experience this mcat
 
OCDOCDOCD said:
The MCAT actually used to be over 7 hours in the past. Used to be you not only got 10 minute breaks inbetween sections, but an hour long lunch break as well. The CBT version has actually been the shortest version, especially the 2013-2014 CBT.

As for the content, the BS section was already biochem heavy, and since they're replacing orgo with biochem it shouldn't be too much more burdensome. The added social sciences should honestly be the easiest section on there.

I think people are overreacting. What's worth panicking over is that it's going to be a lot harder to prep without good prep materials for the first few years.
Click to expand...

Organic is still on the MCAT.

Also Im not sure, but I would think the MCAT used to be longer because it was done by hand and not because of more content.

The problem I think is that the test is going to cause people to burn out due to the length and broadness of the material needed to know.

Psych and sociology might not be hard subjects but adding them to an already difficult breadth of subjects is going to be stressful.

The MCAT exam I took which included the writing section was 5 hours long, and I was mentally exhausted by the end. Also this 5 hour MCAT included the writing section which at least allowed you're mind a rest since writing is not necessarily as challenging as answering multiple choice questions. Now you are getting 4 sections with only ten minute breaks in between for a total of 7 hours. Thats rough.

Its easy to comment how the MCAT used to be 7 hours when you didn't experience it.
 
Guess they are trying to give pre-meds the same feel as med students taking Step 1/Step 2 CK....

Hopefully it turns out ok...and there won't be any chaos :scared:
 
def1 said:
Organic is still on the MCAT.

Also Im not sure, but I would think the MCAT used to be longer because it was done by hand and not because of more content.

The problem I think is that the test is going to cause people to burn out due to the length and broadness of the material needed to know.

Psych and sociology might not be hard subjects but adding them to an already difficult breadth of subjects is going to be stressful.

The MCAT exam I took which included the writing section was 5 hours long, and I was mentally exhausted by the end. Also this 5 hour MCAT included the writing section which at least allowed you're mind a rest since writing is not necessarily as challenging as answering multiple choice questions. Now you are getting 4 sections with only ten minute breaks in between for a total of 7 hours. Thats rough.

Its easy to comment how the MCAT used to be 7 hours when you didn't experience it.
Click to expand...

Organic is still on there, yes, but it's been very de-emphasized compared to how it is now (and it's already pretty de-emphasized).

The test used to be so long because it had much more content. There used to be 77 questions on each of the science sections for a total of ten passages in each one. VR had 60 questions and 9 passages. When I was studying for the MCAT I actually used some old practice FLs from back when the MCAT had that format (since the only thing that changed between then and now is the length of the test and the omission of a few topics, they're still very applicable). I did the whole tests for the full 7 hours. It honestly wasn't that bad. I didn't even bother taking the hour long lunch break you're supposed to use either.

I also ended up studying a ton of biochem for the MCAT thanks to TBR bio's massive overindulgence in background knowledge. I studied so much of it that when I took a biochem class starting a week after I finished my MCAT I discovered I already knew almost all of the material in the class from my MCAT prep.

Psych and sociology aren't hard. Had they been on the exam I doubt I would have needed to study for them, but then again I took enough psych credits to double major in it in college.

I feel justified in saying that the new exam won't be as bad as people are making it out to be.
 
OCDOCDOCD said:
Organic is still on there, yes, but it's been very de-emphasized compared to how it is now (and it's already pretty de-emphasized).

The test used to be so long because it had much more content. There used to be 77 questions on each of the science sections for a total of ten passages in each one. VR had 60 questions and 9 passages. When I was studying for the MCAT I actually used some old practice FLs from back when the MCAT had that format (since the only thing that changed between then and now is the length of the test and the omission of a few topics, they're still very applicable). I did the whole tests for the full 7 hours. It honestly wasn't that bad. I didn't even bother taking the hour long lunch break you're supposed to use either.

I also ended up studying a ton of biochem for the MCAT thanks to TBR bio's massive overindulgence in background knowledge. I studied so much of it that when I took a biochem class starting a week after I finished my MCAT I discovered I already knew almost all of the material in the class from my MCAT prep.

Psych and sociology aren't hard. Had they been on the exam I doubt I would have needed to study for them, but then again I took enough psych credits to double major in it in college.

I feel justified in saying that the new exam won't be as bad as people are making it out to be.
Click to expand...

I agree with this. I think it's more fear of the unknown. I think sociology and psych should be the easiest section.. and should help most people.. but still studying for a whole new section on top of everything else does seem to be taxing. I'm glad I'm done with the MCAT.. I love pure physics and Chem... and it helped me out a lot. The fact that they're taking out a lot of physics and applying the rest to biology would've hurt me... at least for the MCAT. Shoot fluid dynamics of the circulatory system was wild confusing. The prep books seemed to contradict themselves on the topic. But then again I wasn't a bio major. Sorry for my stream of consciousness.
 
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OCDOCDOCD said:
Organic is still on there, yes, but it's been very de-emphasized compared to how it is now (and it's already pretty de-emphasized).

The test used to be so long because it had much more content. There used to be 77 questions on each of the science sections for a total of ten passages in each one. VR had 60 questions and 9 passages. When I was studying for the MCAT I actually used some old practice FLs from back when the MCAT had that format (since the only thing that changed between then and now is the length of the test and the omission of a few topics, they're still very applicable). I did the whole tests for the full 7 hours. It honestly wasn't that bad. I didn't even bother taking the hour long lunch break you're supposed to use either.

I also ended up studying a ton of biochem for the MCAT thanks to TBR bio's massive overindulgence in background knowledge. I studied so much of it that when I took a biochem class starting a week after I finished my MCAT I discovered I already knew almost all of the material in the class from my MCAT prep.

Psych and sociology aren't hard. Had they been on the exam I doubt I would have needed to study for them, but then again I took enough psych credits to double major in it in college.

I feel justified in saying that the new exam won't be as bad as people are making it out to be.
Click to expand...

It will be much harder, and as someone that did pretty well on the current version, I'm very glad I won't have to prepare for this new beast. That being said, I don't think the difficulty will be a significant obstacle for anyone that already could have done well on the old test. The design and general approach of the test is the same, and similar skills in test taking and critical thinking will be just as relevant.

I applaud this new version and think it is a good choice. I think people will find that though it is longer, more draining, and covers more material, it's still a similar test to everything we've seen before. Honestly, medical school will require you to focus and study on far more topics (and in greater detail) than this.
 
AAMC once again proves how thoroughly worthless and irrelevant they are.
 
Psych and Socio will be just as hard as the sciences. Granted the courses are easy but this is the MCAT. The practice questions are intense already.
 
This exam will kill all of those excellent but borderline students 29, 30, 31. The poor students, minorities, people from weaker schools.
 
Espadaleader said:
This exam will kill all of those excellent but borderline students 29, 30, 31. The poor students, minorities, people from weaker schools.
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But at least the public will get higher-quality physicians as judged by their ability to answer multiple-choice questions on a new and more convoluted exam.
 
THIS NEW MCAT IS BEAUTIFUL!

I CAN'T WAIT TO TAKE THIS!

I remember when I entered college premeds used to tell me that my class schedule was stupid and I shouldn't be postponing my science classes for "pesky" humanities like Sociology, Psych, History and Anthropology. Now they are all struggling to cram those classes into their 4 year plans while I am finishing off all of my hard sciences...who's class schedule is stupid now? Muahahahahah

LETS GO HEAD TO HEAD BABY, I CAN'T WAIT TO TAKE THIS ****! :D:D:D:D:D:D


- Young Mula Babyyyy
 
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Mt Kilimanjaro said:
31 is border line?!
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circulus vitios said:
On SDN, absolutely.
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Well, to be fair, the median score on the MCAT for accepted students is a 31.2. For applicants with a 30-32 MCAT, the acceptance rate was about 60%. That's not poor in any way, but given that the overall acceptance rate is 44% for all students, a 60% isn't crazy high either. Throw in that a very local segment of SDN is shooting for schools with median MCAT scores of 34-37 and a 31 just doesn't instill as much confidence.

That said, a 31 will not doom anyone's chances of getting into medical school. It's good enough to get in many places.
 
OhHey said:
How will it make it lower? Couldn't the sociology psych section boost their overall score?
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If this new section is anything like my Psych classes were, it's going to involve the same type of reasoning as the verbal section does now, which is going to frustrate pre-meds to no end and most likely lower overall scores.
 
Loveless said:
If this new section is anything like my Psych classes were, it's going to involve the same type of reasoning as the verbal section does now, which is going to frustrate pre-meds to no end and most likely lower overall scores.
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Scores are normalized so they won't really lower an appreciable amount. It may be different people filling the top spots than before though.
 
Espadaleader said:
This exam will kill all of those excellent but borderline students 29, 30, 31. The poor students, minorities, people from weaker schools.
Click to expand...

more room for the excellent students who aren't borderline and come from stronger schools.


the myth on sdn is that simply being unique and/or disadvantaged will give you a leg up if your scores are respectable. May be true some of the time for less competitive schools. But make no mistake, there are more than enough rich kids from big name schools with 3.8+ gpas and 34+ MCATs to fill most medical school classes every year.
 
The max score is 60? This. Changes. Everything.

I am personally looking forward to not being able to form coherent sentences for a week after taking it. I am certainly excited about the new formatting.
 
pandahunter said:
more room for the excellent students who aren't borderline and come from stronger schools.


the myth on sdn is that simply being unique and/or disadvantaged will give you a leg up if your scores are respectable. May be true some of the time for less competitive schools. But make no mistake, there are more than enough rich kids from big name schools with 3.8+ gpas and 34+ MCATs to fill most medical school classes every year.
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Stereotyping rich kids and big name schools is almost as bad as stereotyping disadvantaged students and less competitive schools. I've seen just as much unique/diverse individuals, if not more, at these big name schools u speak of. And big name schools give a LOT more need based financial aid. Rich kids also fill a lot of these "less competitive" schools you speak of. It's not all black and white. Be as unique and sincere as you can.. have a respectable work ethic and get the best stats u can... then be happy with the school that appreciates these things about you.
 
You are crazy if you think the psych section will be easier. You obviously have not looked at the sample questions.

psych and socio are not easy. In undergrad, tpsy 101 and soc 101 tend to be easy but this is not a 101 class, this is the MCAT. Take a look at the preview guide.

This exam will make scores lower and hurt students. Students that already have to work to make ends meet and non-trads will suffer because they have an entire other content section.
 
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Espadaleader said:
You are crazy if you think the psych section will be easier. You obviously have not looked at the sample questions.

psych and socio are not easy. In undergrad, tpsy 101 and soc 101 tend to be easy but this is not a 101 class, this is the MCAT. Take a look at the preview guide.

This exam will make scores lower and hurt students. Students that already have to work to make ends meet and non-trads will suffer because they have an entire other content section.
Click to expand...

This isn't really possible. For better or for (likely) worse, this is a normalized exam and thus a similar percentile of students will always get the top scores. Who those students are may shift and change, but scores on the whole cannot decrease from a move like this.

I think this new version of the test has the very real possibility of putting greater strain on low-income and nontrad applicants. However, this speaks to an overall weakness of standardized testing in general and is part of the reason that I believe that the MCAT is over-utilized and over-interpreted.

That being said, we cannot ignore the realities of medicine. If we are to entertain a standardized test and all its inherent flaws, we should expect this test to adequately cover material that we deem important for incoming students to know. Social/Behavior sciences are an important component of understanding the healthcare world. Rather than feel frustration at their recent inclusion, one could reasonably argue that they should have been in the test in the first place.
 
It's all for the money, by making the exam longer they can increase the testing fee.
 
Narmerguy said:
This isn't really possible. For better or for (likely) worse, this is a normalized exam and thus a similar percentile of students will always get the top scores. Who those students are may shift and change, but scores on the whole cannot decrease from a move like this.

I think this new version of the test has the very real possibility of putting greater strain on low-income and nontrad applicants. However, this speaks to an overall weakness of standardized testing in general and is part of the reason that I believe that the MCAT is over-utilized and over-interpreted.

That being said, we cannot ignore the realities of medicine. If we are to entertain a standardized test and all its inherent flaws, we should expect this test to adequately cover material that we deem important for incoming students to know. Social/Behavior sciences are an important component of understanding the healthcare world. Rather than feel frustration at their recent inclusion, one could reasonably argue that they should have been in the test in the first place.
Click to expand...

Fair.
 
Brunerm said:
Not sure if this has been posted yet, but The Princeton Review released their own breakdown of the 2015 MCAT. I haven't looked through all of it yet, but they did release a mini-test of about 25 questions for each section. For those anxious to learn more about the new MCAT you can find it here:

http://www.princetonreview.com/mcat/MCAT-2015-Changes-Sneak-Peek/

They make you have to go thru the whole checkout process as if you are buying it for some reason, but it is free.
Click to expand...
I just took this! I am taking the 2015 MCAT and I am terrified.... anyone want to take it and post their score? I do not know if mine is good or not.
 
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