MCAT Full Lengths 1 Week Out- SOS

[medschoolhopeful!]

Hello SDNers having a bit of a freak out and need some advice. I just finished crying so be real w me but not too brutal 😉

Last week I took AAMC FL1 and got a 507 (127/128/125/127)...after going some googling I thought, okay, cool, haven't touched the SBs and barely the Q Packs yet, I can probably get my score to a 510 by test day in 2 weeks.

Today (one week later) I took AAMC FL2, I was expecting a score increase, I guess because most people online had posted that they had seen one. Unfortunately, I got a 504 (127/126/126/125) (MAJOR PANIC) . This is after completing and reviewing both the B/B and C/P SBs and also going over FL1 and the content I had missed. Also reviewing the first 40 pages of the 86 page P/S doc.

I was hoping this would have been higher and then I would take FL 3 on Sunday, get above a 510, review it monday, and go into the test Next Saturday with a bit of confidence...now I'm freaking out...especially because I felt better while taking FL2?

I am taking a gap year but I really just wanted to get this done before the school year started so that when I apply next summer I don't have to worry about it. Plus, I studied for 3 months this summer and idk if I'll have a more ideal time to take it. With that being said, I don't want to get a bad score. I have a 3.7 GPA at a "Little Ivy Conference" school and would be alright with DO if it meant not taking this again.

Do I need to reschedule? Am I freaking out for no reason? Has anyone else seen a dip like this and turned it around in 10 days?

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[Lifeblood_20]

The AAMC FLs are very predictive of your score on the actual thing (although not perfectly, of course). I recommend delaying it if you are 10+ points away from your goal.
How did you do on your SBs? Do you know your weaknesses in content?

 

[medschoolhopeful!]

The AAMC FLs are very predictive of your score on the actual thing (although not perfectly, of course). I recommend delaying it if you are 10+ points away from your goal.
How did you do on your SBs? Do you know your weaknesses in content?

69% on both! it seemed like, especially on bio, the answers were moreso in the articles. I think I was relying on outside knowledge instead of looking at the passage, if that makes sense.
I am within ten points of goal, for both exams (i just want above a 510) i am just worried because i havent hit that score...is there a way to get there?

 

[Lifeblood_20]

69% on both! it seemed like, especially on bio, the answers were moreso in the articles. I think I was relying on outside knowledge instead of looking at the passage, if that makes sense.
I am within ten points of goal, for both exams (i just want above a 510) i am just worried because i havent hit that score...is there a way to get there?

If your goal is a 510 I think it's still possible, but your FLs are on the lower side; focus on finishing the rest of AAMC material (Qpacks), review any missed content, and try the last FL. If you think you are missing questions not because of lack of content knowledge but because of the test structure, practice passages and maybe go through the SBs again if have the time.

 

[907914]

Sounds to me like you have been a victim of DAMN-IT syndrome: Delaying AAMC Material, Now I’m Toast

To anyone reading, DO NOT SAVE AAMC MATERIAL UNTIL THE END!!!

The MCAT is a test of style not of content. Studying the content is necessary, but you should be drilling AAMC style throughout your studying.

 

[OrthopedicNeurosurgeon99]

The MCAT is a test of style not of content. Studying the content is necessary, but you should be drilling AAMC style throughout your studying.

How far out do you suggest starting the AAMC stuff? Right after content?

 

[907914]

How far out do you suggest starting the AAMC stuff? Right after content?

This was my MCAT study plan:

MCAT Advice from a 521 Non-Trad - its a marathon not a sprint

I have had 3 people ask for MCAT advice within a couple months of their test date. As a father who was also in the military reserves for the first 3 months of MCAT study time, I can tell you that I did not have massive amounts of dedicated study time. Mostly 2 or 3 hour sessions every other day...

forums.studentdoctor.net

 

[Cornfed101]

How far out do you suggest starting the AAMC stuff? Right after content?

During content. You should be testing your content knowledge with AAMC practice questions from day 1

 

[medschoolhopeful!]

Sounds to me like you have been a victim of DAMN-IT syndrome: Delaying AAMC Material, Now I’m Toast

To anyone reading, DO NOT SAVE AAMC MATERIAL UNTIL THE END!!!

The MCAT is a test of style not of content. Studying the content is necessary, but you should be drilling AAMC style throughout your studying.

any DAMN-IT remedy?

 

[907914]

any DAMN-IT remedy?

Use the AAMC material earlier. It only has preventative treatment, there is no cure once you have it.

 

[medschoolhopeful!]

If your goal is a 510 I think it's still possible, but your FLs are on the lower side; focus on finishing the rest of AAMC material (Qpacks), review any missed content, and try the last FL. If you think you are missing questions not because of lack of content knowledge but because of the test structure, practice passages and maybe go through the SBs again if have the time.

Thanks so much, going to try to push through!

 

[Cornfed101]

Hello SDNers having a bit of a freak out and need some advice. I just finished crying so be real w me but not too brutal 😉

Last week I took AAMC FL1 and got a 507 (127/128/125/127)...after going some googling I thought, okay, cool, haven't touched the SBs and barely the Q Packs yet, I can probably get my score to a 510 by test day in 2 weeks.

Today (one week later) I took AAMC FL2, I was expecting a score increase, I guess because most people online had posted that they had seen one. Unfortunately, I got a 504 (127/126/126/125) (MAJOR PANIC) . This is after completing and reviewing both the B/B and C/P SBs and also going over FL1 and the content I had missed. Also reviewing the first 40 pages of the 86 page P/S doc.

I was hoping this would have been higher and then I would take FL 3 on Sunday, get above a 510, review it monday, and go into the test Next Saturday with a bit of confidence...now I'm freaking out...especially because I felt better while taking FL2?

I am taking a gap year but I really just wanted to get this done before the school year started so that when I apply next summer I don't have to worry about it. Plus, I studied for 3 months this summer and idk if I'll have a more ideal time to take it. With that being said, I don't want to get a bad score. I have a 3.7 GPA at a "Little Ivy Conference" school and would be alright with DO if it meant not taking this again.

Do I need to reschedule? Am I freaking out for no reason? Has anyone else seen a dip like this and turned it around in 10 days?

My score was closest to FL2. Right now, I would predict you are in the 503-506 range. Have you just taken the two FLs? You should be taking 6+ before you take the real thing

 

[medschoolhopeful!]

Use the AAMC material earlier. It only has preventative treatment, there is no cure once you have it.

oh love that! lol Wish I had known sooner...I read people saying the opposite!! rip. so you'd push the test?

 

[medschoolhopeful!]

My score was closest to FL2. Right now, I would predict you are in the 503-506 range. Have you just taken the two FLs? You should be taking 6+ before you take the real thing

I also took the Sample way back before i started and 3 Kaplans in the last 6 weeks (ranging between 500-504)

 

[907914]

oh love that! lol Wish I had known sooner...I read people saying the opposite!! rip. so you'd push the test?

You are solid for most DO schools and you may be pleasantly surprised and be good for many MD schools. My real deal was 2 points higher than my FL2, 5 points higher than my FL3....Things can go for you. If you are comfortable with the possibility of DO or if you are URM, I say you are fine. If you have higher aspirations, I say delay the exam and apply next cycle.

 

[medschoolhopeful!]

You are solid for most DO schools and you may be pleasantly surprised and be good for many MD schools. My real deal was 2 points higher than my FL2, 5 points higher than my FL3....Things can go for you. If you are comfortable with the possibility of DO or if you are URM, I say you are fine. If you have higher aspirations, I say delay the exam and apply next cycle.

I am applying to apply early next cycle (2020)...Just was hoping to get this out of the way so I could keep my GPA during the school year. We'll see how FL3 goes I guess. Ugh DAMN-IT! thanks so much for the advice though

 

[Lifeblood_20]

Never heard of DAMN-IT, but IMO the AAMC stuff didn't take me too long to get through at all (2 ~ 3 weeks max besides the FLs) and not knowing content would be absolutely wasting the best prep material.

 

[907914]

Never heard of DAMN-IT, but IMO the AAMC stuff didn't take me too long to get through at all (2 ~ 3 weeks max besides the FLs) and not knowing content would be absolutely wasting the best prep material.

I made it up lol. AAMC material doesn’t take that long to get through, but it should be ran through multiple times IMO. I did 3 months of pure content review with little to no practice questions (only Khan Academy) then did 3 months where I went through all of the AAMC materials like 3 times. I wasn’t studying the content - already knew that. I was studying the patterns in question style/answer style.

 

[907914]

Never heard of DAMN-IT, but IMO the AAMC stuff didn't take me too long to get through at all (2 ~ 3 weeks max besides the FLs) and not knowing content would be absolutely wasting the best prep material.

Granted, if I did more content review/memorization for P/S near the end then I likely would have scored 1 or 2 points higher than I did.

 

[Lifeblood_20]

Good point, though personally I feel like I'd remember most of the answers after one run and just seek out other practice resources.

 

[907914]

Good point, though personally I feel like I'd remember most of the answers after one run and just seek out other practice resources.

My method was not to answer them based on knowledge, but I would literally read out each answer and say “this one is wrong because it...” or “this one is right because it...” and reference both content and the intent of the questions. I knew all the answers by the end, but I studied WHY they were that way. Different techniques, I guess.

 

[Hunter25]

I also took the Sample way back before i started and 3 Kaplans in the last 6 weeks (ranging between 500-504)

I scored 505-506 in the AAMC FLs one and two weeks prior to exam respectively and scored a 513 on the actual thing, with strep throat. I was thinking about cancelling it and was glad I didn't.

 

[bluepeony]

I scored 505-506 in the AAMC FLs one and two weeks prior to exam respectively and scored a 513 on the actual thing, with strep throat. I was thinking about cancelling it and was glad I didn't.

What do you attribute to the score jump on test day?

 

[Hunter25]

What do you attribute to the score jump on test day?

I mean the only thing that changed was that I came down with strep, so perhaps that had something to do with it.

In all seriousness I was probably just more locked in because of what was riding on it specifically on test day. I treated the practice tests like test day but it still wasn't the same, especially when it came down to Psych/Soc which ended up being my highest score. Also the chem/phys was very difficult and I thought I bombed it but I still scored well because it turns out everyone felt the same way. The rest felt easier than the practice exams. The whole week prior I did nothing but study the Kaplan quicksheets, mostly because I felt awful from the illness, but getting the overall feel of things and not burning myself out just prior to exam was probably to my benefit on test day.

 

[medschoolhopeful!]

I scored 505-506 in the AAMC FLs one and two weeks prior to exam respectively and scored a 513 on the actual thing, with strep throat. I was thinking about cancelling it and was glad I didn't.

thank you so much for this... gives me hope! maybe I'll start licking doorknobs lol congrats on the score

 

[deleted853480]

What’s bizarre about this is aamc fl 1 is harder then fl 2 except for p/s

 

[medschoolhopeful!]

What’s bizarre about this is aamc fl 1 is harder then fl 2 except for p/s

I had a 2 point drop in P/S which was disappointing because I was hoping after reviewing half of the KA doc it would actually go up. I usually get a 128 on CARS and also dropped to a 126 on FL2..not sure what happened. I have seen so many people say fl2 is much easier and they see an increase so this really scared me!
I have seen some people say that they also had a dip on fl2..not sure what to think of it. I have been going over every question today

 

[deleted853480]

Cars on fl 1 is the hardest of all the cars sections thus far. The only passages harder than that are the ones at the first half of q pack one.

 

[OrthopedicNeurosurgeon99]

This was my MCAT study plan:

MCAT Advice from a 521 Non-Trad - its a marathon not a sprint

I have had 3 people ask for MCAT advice within a couple months of their test date. As a father who was also in the military reserves for the first 3 months of MCAT study time, I can tell you that I did not have massive amounts of dedicated study time. Mostly 2 or 3 hour sessions every other day...

forums.studentdoctor.net

During content. You should be testing your content knowledge with AAMC practice questions from day 1

Alright thank you my Kind Sirs. Yeah that sounds like a good plan, I'm gonna just do content for 3 months to make sure I have no huge knowledge gaps, and then instead of saving AAMC for the last 2-3 weeks I'll just implement it as soon as I start my FLs, UWorld, and other practice. Being exposed to AAMC logic slowly over the course of 3 months should hopefully help me get into their mindset!

 

[medschoolhopeful!]

Alright thank you my Kind Sirs. Yeah that sounds like a good plan, I'm gonna just do content for 3 months to make sure I have no huge knowledge gaps, and then instead of saving AAMC for the last 2-3 weeks I'll just implement it as soon as I start my FLs, UWorld, and other practice. Being exposed to AAMC logic slowly over the course of 3 months should hopefully help me get into their mindset!

good luck!

 

[OrthopedicNeurosurgeon99]

Cars on fl 1 is the hardest of all the cars sections thus far. The only passages harder than that are the ones at the first half of q pack one.

Yeah FL1 CARS is something else. I got 125 on that and then took FL2 the next week without changing anything whatsoever and jumped up to 129.

 

[medschoolhopeful!]

Cars on fl 1 is the hardest of all the cars sections thus far. The only passages harder than that are the ones at the first half of q pack one.

what do you make of my bizarre results. Would you sit for the real deal in a week?

 

[medschoolhopeful!]

Yeah FL1 CARS is something else. I got 125 on that and then took FL2 the next week without changing anything whatsoever and jumped up to 129.

what on earth is up with me!!!??? lol UGH

 

[OrthopedicNeurosurgeon99]

what do you make of my bizarre results. Would you sit for the real deal in a week?

Honestly if you pull your P/S up by 3-4 pts just by drilling Anki decks and KA passages, then you're already almost at the 510. Then you'd just maybe have to pull up one of the other sections by 1-2 pts. Seems attainable IMO

 

[medschoolhopeful!]

Cars on fl 1 is the hardest of all the cars sections thus far. The only passages harder than that are the ones at the first half of q pack one.

can you think of any reason for my score? would you sit in a week if you were aiming for a 510?

 

[Future_Bone_Docta]

You are solid for most DO schools and you may be pleasantly surprised and be good for many MD schools. My real deal was 2 points higher than my FL2, 5 points higher than my FL3....Things can go for you. If you are comfortable with the possibility of DO or if you are URM, I say you are fine. If you have higher aspirations, I say delay the exam and apply next cycle.

Random question, did you feel confident after your MCAT that you did well? Or did it feel like a s**t show like for everyone else? Anxious pre med awaiting his score

 

[907914]

Random question, did you feel confident after your MCAT that you did well? Or did it feel like a s**t show like for everyone else? Anxious pre med awaiting his score

Sympathetic answer: oh yah, everyone feels a little nervous and anxious for that month till you hear back.

Honest answer: I felt pretty darn good, then I checked Reddit.

 

[Calizboosted76]

I had a 2 point drop in P/S which was disappointing because I was hoping after reviewing half of the KA doc it would actually go up. I usually get a 128 on CARS and also dropped to a 126 on FL2..not sure what happened. I have seen so many people say fl2 is much easier and they see an increase so this really scared me!
I have seen some people say that they also had a dip on fl2..not sure what to think of it. I have been going over every question today

I had a drop on FL #2 as well. 4 points.

 

[Calizboosted76]

Also my P/S section jumped up after making note cards on every single term in the 300 page khan academy document.

 

[Future_Bone_Docta]

Sympathetic answer: oh yah, everyone feels a little nervous and anxious for that month till you hear back.

Honest answer: I felt pretty darn good, then I checked Reddit.

Hahahaha, appreciate the honesty. Checking Reddit gave me a little more confidence luckily since every was freaking out about C/P & P/S

 

[medschoolhopeful!]

Also my P/S section jumped up after making note cards on every single term in the 300 page khan academy document.

so you would sit in a week? reviewing P/S like mad!

 

[medschoolhopeful!]

Also my P/S section jumped up after making note cards on every single term in the 300 page khan academy document.

I was thinking I will take FL3 on sunday and if it above a 510 then sit for the exam?

 

[Calizboosted76]

so you would sit in a week? reviewing P/S like mad!

I would say take the FL 3 and see where you are and go from there.

 

[medschoolhopeful!]

I scored 505-506 in the AAMC FLs one and two weeks prior to exam respectively and scored a 513 on the actual thing, with strep throat. I was thinking about cancelling it and was glad I didn't.

did you take any other FLs/what were your scores? I keep thinking back to your situation for motivation

 

[medschoolhopeful!]

The AAMC FLs are very predictive of your score on the actual thing (although not perfectly, of course). I recommend delaying it if you are 10+ points away from your goal.
How did you do on your SBs? Do you know your weaknesses in content?

I just looked back at my SBs after finishing Qpacks...69%ages were for B/B and C/P sections, for P/S, i scored 78%. I am confused as to why then my P/S is so low! 78% on SB but 125 P/S on FL@? I am sticking to the plan of finishing AAMC material/86 page doc and taking FL3 but these numbers are throwing me for a loop.

 

[Calizboosted76]

I just looked back at my SBs after finishing Qpacks...69%ages were for B/B and C/P sections, for P/S, i scored 78%. I am confused as to why then my P/S is so low! 78% on SB but 125 P/S on FL@? I am sticking to the plan of finishing AAMC material/86 page doc and taking FL3 but these numbers are throwing me for a loop.

There are multiple confounding variables that come into play. Maybe you were better rested for the section banks? Maybe some subliminal psychological occurrence hindered your performance. Stop stressing over it, take your FL 3 and see what happens.

 

[Lifeblood_20]

I just looked back at my SBs after finishing Qpacks...69%ages were for B/B and C/P sections, for P/S, i scored 78%. I am confused as to why then my P/S is so low! 78% on SB but 125 P/S on FL@? I am sticking to the plan of finishing AAMC material/86 page doc and taking FL3 but these numbers are throwing me for a loop.

Out of the four sections, P/S has the most brutal curve because people do not miss many questions overall. Sub-80% (46/59 correct) will get you a 126. If you want to do decent on P/S, get at least 50/59 correct.

 

[medschoolhopeful!]

Out of the four sections, P/S has the most brutal curve because people do not miss many questions overall. Sub-80% (46/59 correct) will get you a 126. If you want to do decent on P/S, get at least 50/59 correct.

thank you, that explains it!

 

[Hunter25]

did you take any other FLs/what were your scores? I keep thinking back to your situation for motivation

506 was my highest score, the one I took a week before the exam. I scored a 498 on Kaplan's diagnostic before I started studying and it slowly increased on Kaplan. I think my highest Kaplan was 504 and I saved the AAMCs for within a month before the exam. If I were you and I scored a 507 on the FL, I would just take it. If you can handle the stress of exam day I would say just take it and you'll be more likely to do slightly better because you will be locked in for the whole length of the test. My greatest improvement from practice to the real thing was in P/S because I would burn out on my FLs, likely because it wasn't the real test and during the real test my future was riding on it so I pulled through.

Take it easy on yourself this week, and hopefully you were brushing up on your weak areas since posting this, and now you can just do light general overview over the next week so you will be fresh for exam day.

 

[medschoolhopeful!]

506 was my highest score, the one I took a week before the exam. I scored a 498 on Kaplan's diagnostic before I started studying and it slowly increased on Kaplan. I think my highest Kaplan was 504 and I saved the AAMCs for within a month before the exam. If I were you and I scored a 507 on the FL, I would just take it. If you can handle the stress of exam day I would say just take it and you'll be more likely to do slightly better because you will be locked in for the whole length of the test. My greatest improvement from practice to the real thing was in P/S because I would burn out on my FLs, likely because it wasn't the real test and during the real test my future was riding on it so I pulled through.

Take it easy on yourself this week, and hopefully you were brushing up on your weak areas since posting this, and now you can just do light general overview over the next week so you will be fresh for exam day.

yes! have been studying my FLs and the P/S 86 page. Taking FL3 tomorrow then I'll be reviewing that and quicksheets before the exam...hopefully i get an exam day rush. thanks so much for your response