MCAT advice needed

[nutritiontomed]

Hello everyone. I'm a Canadian who commutes to the US and goes to school there. I am planning to attend an MD school in the US (knowing that it would probably be more competitive for me than other applicants who are US residents). I was planning to take the MCAT on August the 12th...however I'm really sick at the moment and I don't think I'll be getting better by then. So I believe I'm going to postpone my MCAT until September 9th or so in order to maximize my output, since I will be fasting Ramadan upcoming (Starting the 11th or so) and I have a bit of a problem with verbal. I seem to consistently get a 6/7 in verbal and I cant seem to improve and I remember all the AAMC exams (hence there would be no point of redoing them) and I have finished EK and I am almost done with TPR. I'm not sure what to do, but I don't want to stay a year behind since I already have my bachelors and have nothing to do for this whole year. Does anyone have advice on what I should read....is it worth reading the newspaper or something of that sort (can I get the possible improvement by next month)?

Any help is appreciated

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[TheMightyBoosh]

Hello everyone. I'm a Canadian who commutes to the US and goes to school there. I am planning to attend an MD school in the US (knowing that it would probably be more competitive for me than other applicants who are US residents). I was planning to take the MCAT on August the 12th...however I'm really sick at the moment and I don't think I'll be getting better by then. So I believe I'm going to postpone my MCAT until September 9th or so in order to maximize my output, since I will be fasting Ramadan upcoming (Starting the 11th or so) and I have a bit of a problem with verbal. I seem to consistently get a 6/7 in verbal and I cant seem to improve and I remember all the AAMC exams (hence there would be no point of redoing them) and I have finished EK and I am almost done with TPR. I'm not sure what to do, but I don't want to stay a year behind since I already have my bachelors and have nothing to do for this whole year. Does anyone have advice on what I should read....is it worth reading the newspaper or something of that sort (can I get the possible improvement by next month)?

Any help is appreciated

Common advice on these forums is to read magazines like The Economist, The New Yorker, Harper's, or the Wall Street Journal. However, doing that a month before you're MCAT probably won't help you much. I'd consider buying BR Verbal because that's the only source of decent passages that's really left out there.

 

[Silverfalcon]

OP, like other member suggested, TBR Verbal is only your choice remaining. It's not really good though but that's your last option.

You may also want to try out different strategies to bump up your score to at least 8. Why don't you want to apply to Canadian schools? I understand it may be personal, but I recall some members saying that Canadian schools add score to the applicant if they score well in Writing section (a section that US medical schools don't care about..).

 

[nutritiontomed]

The cutoff in vr in Canada is around 8/9. So I'd probably have a better chance in the states

 

[SN2ed]

The cutoff in vr in Canada is around 8/9. So I'd probably have a better chance in the states

No, the verbal cutoff here is pretty much the same. Although schools might not have an official cutoff, a verbal score of below an 8 basically puts you out of the running. The only schools where people generally get in with a low verbal are in-state schools. On top of that you'll have an even tougher time because you're an international student. In-state schools almost never accept international students and the schools that do accept a decent number are typically big out of state schools.

 

[nutritiontomed]

Also in regards to testing in the MCAT do you guys suggest not taking a break between PS and VR. The reason why I am asking is because I tend to be distracted relatively quickly and people most of the time get in before me and take no breaks. Hence, they are on the ws while I'm on VR and that throws me off because of all the typing. What do you guys think?

 

[Baylor2012]

Also in regards to testing in the MCAT do you guys suggest not taking a break between PS and VR. The reason why I am asking is because I tend to be distracted relatively quickly and people most of the time get in before me and take no breaks. Hence, they are on the ws while I'm on VR and that throws me off because of all the typing. What do you guys think?

I'd take a break between the PS and VR otherwise your brain will be dead, at least thats what happens with me. Ramadan Mubarak

 

[SN2ed]

Also in regards to testing in the MCAT do you guys suggest not taking a break between PS and VR. The reason why I am asking is because I tend to be distracted relatively quickly and people most of the time get in before me and take no breaks. Hence, they are on the ws while I'm on VR and that throws me off because of all the typing. What do you guys think?

Try to get to the center an hour early. That way you can start sooner. Also, always take all of your breaks to keep you fresh.

 

[stevohornick]

I'd focus on practicing more passages instead of reading papers and magazines, since the passages are already taken from such magazines. I had 21 practice passages from testprep-online added with theoretical background and solving tips, which gave me an extra practice together with the common TPR BR and kaplan. You should try it out and focus on having more and more passages.

I have that feeling (and correct me if i'm wrong) English ain't your mother tongue, so you need to give it time, and practice full-on as much as possible. One month is still enough time to catch the train...