MCAT Re-takers, what did you do differently?

[Homer J. Simpson]

To all those MCAT retakers out there who managed to improve their score(s); could you give the rest of us some insight as to what you did differently that you think helped you the most the second time around?

Prep classes? No prep classes? Study notes from school? No notes? etc...

Thanks in advance.

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[kutastha]

I did more Verbal passages than should be allowed by law. So many that they all started to look the same - which is a good thing. Gets yourself into the minds of the MCAT writers.

You're welcome,

Andrew

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

Originally posted by kutastha:
•I did more Verbal passages than should be allowed by law. •••

Where did you get them from? How much did your V score go up by?

 

[Dr. Kermit]

I didn't let my extremely drunk boyfriend come over at 2am and slept

On a more serious note, I read a lot more during the summer. I read every periodical I could find just to get more accustomed to reading philosophy, history, etc. I also made sure that while I used study materials, I also read my text books so I saw the big picture as opposed to just a nervous system, a digestive system, etc. Hope this helps

 

[kutastha]

Originally posted by Homer J. Simpson:
•

Where did you get them from? How much did your V score go up by?•••

Princeton Review. I took the course back in 1996 before they merged with Hyperlearing so I got 3X as much stuff this time around. I went from a 9 to 11.

Andrew

 

[Brian20]

i bombed my verbal on the first go (5) and bumped it up to a 10 the second time around.

i took the class the first time (over the summer) and it was one big waste of time. especially the two hours in the car ( live an hour away from the class).

my best advice is quality not quantity. i had just broken up with my girlfriend of 5 years. then i meet this other girl (im still with her 2 years later). needless to say there was some drama over this particular summer. and i managed to get drunk on fridays and saturdays. i had a great summer, but back to mcat.

the previous summer i had studied much more (although not as well), gone to the class, and taken the practice tests. the practice tests are great, but kaplan time management for verbal sucks. they dont prepare you for mcat verbal. i always finished with time to spare and got 10 and 11's. i got a 5 on the mcat verbal.

so my advice is to get the kaplan books and buy some other books with practice tests in them. time test yourself as much as possible and devote the last few weeks to mcat only. i quit my job and studied my ass off for two weeks right before the test.

remember that you are retaking so most of the info is in your head and you already have the experience. so it is much easier to study and i might even say i enjoyed it a bit.

i had a great summer that year. i was constantly busy and if i wasnt studying i was working, working out or playing. keep your dish full, but not only with mcat.

my verbal doubled and physical actually went down one point. i was actually really suprised about the physical. i didnt do one practice essay the second time around...i dont know what i got, but it was good.

take care and good luck. send me any questions.

later

 

[ccryder]

I took a prep course the second time around (I was also a lot more motivated to study) and it helped that I wasn't ill the day of the test. My score went up 6 points by changing those two factors.

 

[gmendese]

The first three times I took the MCAT, I scored a 7 in verbal (I couldn't get past that score no matter what I did). But Then I read the four Harry Potter Books (easy reading) for speed and accuracy. Well, I went up to a 9 this time for a 29Q total. Best of luck!

 

[Sprockette]

I think what helped me most was....

1. reading for pleasure (helped speed and comprehension, in all sections, esp. verbal)
2. going over topics I felt weak on (e.g. light and optics)
3. the curve!!! I cannot stress this enough. I thought I bombed the whole test, esp. the bio, but I ended up increasing my score by a bunch, and bio ended up one of my best sections. but the first time I took the MCAT, i thought i had done relatively well, and was severely disappointed.

Oh, by the way, i never took a prep course. i relied on the big red kaplan book and course textbooks to prepare me.

 

[Triangulation]

For the first time I enrolled in a Kap course, but rarely studied and never went (my GF at the time was studying at my school for summer quarter. Bad idea.) I scored a 29Q.

This spring I enrolled in Kap course, studied a ton while working 25hrs/wk while still taking Sunday off and scored a 35Q. Get a timer, even for your studying. It'll help. Make studying a ritual (i.e. get a routine.) You'll see results. Good luck!

 

[Zack90]

Second time for me, I took a Kaplan course, and raised my score from a 26 to a 31 (7, 12, 12). Also, second time, I did MANY full length practice tests under timed conditions every Saturday for weeks and weeks before the actual test! After each practice test the following week, I would review everything I missed, and write down the concepts, study them, and make sure I didn't miss the concept again. After doing so many practice tests, you begin to see that the same concepts are tested over and over again, but just in a different way. Good luck!