mdias590's Guide To The MCAT As A Recent +30 Test Taker.

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mdias590

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Mdias590's guide to the MCAT

I'm writing this because as I prepared for the MCAT over the last few months, I often referred to these forums for advice and ideas. It took lots of time, something we are all short on. To this end, I would like to put everything useful I learned in one source for others to use and save other people the time and effort. This is just my take on preparing and taking the MCAT. In here I have details of my content review, practice exams and my thoughts on the exam as well as other things. None of this is set in stone and these are only my opinions and thoughts as honestly as I can give it. I received a 32 in my MCAT exam, not a particularly amazing score, but one that I worked hard for, am proud of, and most importantly, is good enough to succeed in my goal to go to medical school. One final thought before the good stuff: I think the world would be a better place with more physicians, and if my advice facilitates the way for even just one person, then this was well worth the time to write it all, and I encourage those of you who have taken the MCAT and scored a 30 or higher to share what worked for you.

My score: 32 overall, test date July 2nd 2013. P: 12 V: 11 B: 9

This is a summary of my study strategies and basically everything I did in preparation for the MCAT exam. This was a difficult journey, but I learned a lot about myself, refined my study techniques and have come one step closer to being a physician. I've tried to include every detail possible, as I don't know what could be useful to others, and it could be the smallest thing that was holding you back from the score you want, and anything I can do to help you there is worth it. So here it is:



Time Studied:


I started studying back in January, when I enrolled in the Kaplan course. At the same time, I was enrolled in 13 credits at FIU, so as the semester went on, I couldn't put much time into the MCAT studying, in order to maintain good grades. I also noticed that, to me, Kaplan is very memorization centered. Lots of memorizing specific facts, formulas, etc. And really, the MCAT is more about understanding concepts, how things work, and really understanding things. For example. The optics and sound physics section in Kaplan is straight up formulas, and it doesn't really explain it conceptually, which made it really hard for me to remember facts and answer questions effectively. I felt I learned nothing conceptually, although to be fair I was not able to invest as much time as I would like. So by the end of the spring semester, I decided to ditch Kaplan and self-study. I have to stress here that for the next two months until the test, I literally did nothing but study for the MCAT. No research, no internships, no shadowing, definitely no classes, minimal socializing and just a baseline of exercise time, which I felt helped my focus. I typically exercise 4-5 days a week, 2 hours a day, but for this time period I only did 2-3 times a week, 30-60 minutes. Time management was really important. Around May 5th or so after the semester ended, I completely restarted my content review. I spent maybe 10-12 hours a day studying, during those first 3 weeks, then the final week of content review I was feeling close to burning out so I moved it to about 6-8 hours a day. I didn't take break days, and but I did that out of necessity to cover the material in a month, and if you are going to study over a longer period of time, please do yourself a favor take break days (maybe 1 or 2 days a week and just completely don't even think about the MCAT, do whatever you want, you'll come back the next day with a new energy and enthusiasm), don't burn out. That period of studying was very hard for me, and to be completely honest, I never studied that hard in my life. It was very trying for me, emotionally and physically, and there were a lot of times that I felt like quitting, but I just kept my eyes on the end goal, and I can tell you now, it was so worth it. So whatever you do, I encourage you to keep your goals in mind and persevere.


I covered everything by about June 8th, then I started taking 2-3 practice tests a week. I think I had 7 or 8 practice tests by the test date, July 2nd. I took a mini-vacation before the test and I just totally relaxed and didn't study for the 3-4 days before the test. Slept a lot, ate a lot, chilled with friends, played video games etc., just to come in with a refreshed state of mind.


Content Review:


I messed around with a lot of stuff, did a lot of research on studentdoctor.net, and asked a lot of people to get down to what are the best sources to use and here's what I found. Most people seem to agree that Kaplan can be used, but it is definitely not the best source. Reasons being: doesn't stress conceptual understanding, doesn't check understanding with the right type of questions, the questions they ask don't resemble MCAT style questions, and the physical sections stress memorization too much as well as using questions that overstress calculations with weird numbers, and I found that in the real MCAT there were almost no specific calculations with numbers, but there were some formula manipulation problems that stressed conceptual understanding and basic algebra skills (ex: which one of these is a valid expression for velocity? and there will be various arrangements of variables in the answer choices)


There's a general agreement that the Berkeley Review (BR) books are the best sources for General Chem, Organic, and definitely Physics (and absolutely get the newest 2012 versions, they are superior to earlier versions in my opinion, especially the physics book) . Their Bio books are way way wayyyyyyy too detailed for the MCAT, and you will literally go insane using them if you read them for content review. Some people get the BR Bio book just to use it for the practice questions. I did a little bit of that in the beginning of my review, and honestly I just didn't like it. The questions were really hit and miss for me, so I figured I would have a better use of my time doing other things. Some questions were good, others were unusually and cruelly specific, for example if you didn't have the specific structure of a molecule or very specific enzyme function memorized you wouldn't be able to answer the question, and that is pretty much useless for the MCAT (except for perhaps the main monosachrides- glucose, fructose, ribose, galactose, mannose, for which the BR organic book has excellent memory devices). A better Bio resource is the examkrackers MCAT bio book. It is pretty much no BS, only has information you must know, no extra fluff, has good diagrams and explains things well. I supplemented it with a few chapters of the Princeton review bio book, specifically the immunology, biochemistry, and hormones/reproductive sections. If you have the time, using both books in depth would be a great strategy. I didn't have the time, but if I did, I would have went in depth into both. As you can see from my score, honestly Biology was my weakest section, and while a 9 is a fine score, I was probably only a few unlucky guesses away from an 8, which is becoming less competitive. A desirable score seems to be a 30 higher, with preferably nothing lower than a 9, and if you can get all 3 sections at 10 or higher, then that is stellar.


Also I used Chad's videos for General chem. and Organic. Key thing here: I watched ALL of them before getting into the Orgo and Gen Chem BR books. That allowed my studying from the books to be far more effective, and I understood concepts better in the book, because I already had a framework from which to understand them. For me, Chad's videos for chemistry acted as the meat of my chemistry knowledge, and the books supplemented those subjects with further details. I can't emphasize enough how good his chemistry videos (General and organic) are, he explains things in very intuitive ways that just make sense. After watching and internalizing the videos, I could look at conceptual questions and be able to point out the answer, saying "Well duhh, of course it's that, all the other answers don't even make physical sense." More than that, I gained a real appreciation for chemistry that I never had before, and I'm grateful that.


Now an important note on how I studied. This is probably the most effective thing I did. For Chad's videos, I watched the videos at 1.5 speed to save time, and took in depth notes on what he said, in outline format, using various color inks, etc. This allowed me to refer back to what his lessons with ease and in a time efficient manner. Then for the books, I would first read the book, highlighting and making notes in the margins of the book. Then I would go through again and write notes by outlining the chapter. I don't know if this is common, but I make "packets" when I study. It's basically a pack of non-lined paper, where I make a "spark notes" or "for dummies" version of the chapter for myself, written in my own terms. What I do is organize the information in a way that makes sense to me, and if I'm using information from various resources, put them all together. So for Gen Chem. and Orgo. I integrated my Chads Videos notes and book notes into one packet of paper per chapter/section/topic etc. This is somewhat work intensive, but it's not as much writing as you think. At the end, I make a "cheat sheet" with only the most essential information, concepts/formulas to know about the chapter, that summarizes the information in the chapter (and my outline). This was pretty time intensive, and some people might say it is ineffective studying, but this method really allowed me to internalize the information, for faster retrieval when in testing information and to learn it better. There's something about seeing every concept on one page that helps ingrain it into your brain, it forces you to organize the information. Another advantage of the cheat sheets is that once you cover several chapters/books, you can review large amounts of the MCAT material in short amounts of time. By the end of the content review, I could go over everything that would be covered in the MCAT in under an hour, thanks to the cheat sheets. When I went over the cheat sheets, I assumed the voice of a tutor explaining the terms/concepts/ ideas on the sheets to a student in my head, and I would sort of give a lecture to myself on the material on the cheat sheets, trying my best to not refer to my main note packets. This was a great way to check understanding, and if you forget details, you just go back to your main notes and check it. After a couple days of doing this every day, the material really begins to stick.

Also, during studying, I made a special effort to avoid distractions, for the studying to be effective. Not using the computer, unless absolutely necessary, staying off the phone, and staying focused. I found chewing gum and drinking plenty of water beneficial to my concentration. Note on the gum, people say the brain is highly associative, linking memories with smells, tastes, sounds, and a popular idea is that if you chew gum while studying, it will facilitate memory retrieval in testing situations when chewing that same gum during exams. I can't say if it is true or not, but I have done this for years and it is part of my test taking routine, and I did this for the MCAT to decent results, so take what you will from that (Also note that I never chew gum outside of tests and studying situations). In any case, chewing gum improves concentration and the mint flavor increases my wakefulness, so it is beneficial even without the associative properties. Take a 5-10 minute break per hour, and every 3-4-5 hours (depends on how determined and energetic you are that day) take 30 minutes off, get away from the study area and eat something, move around a bit.

How I practiced:

My practice consisted of book practice and practice AAMC tests. Something I found helpful was keeping a composition notebook, and every question that I got wrong or had to guess, I wrote down why I got it wrong, what was my misunderstanding, and if it was some kind of conceptual misunderstanding, I studied the subject and wrote down an explanation clearing up that misunderstanding. I did this for all my practice questions from books in all subjects and my AAMC exams that I got wrong. When you review the error notebook, you are covering things that you missed for a reason, and they are all things that you are/were weak on. This is great for studying on the go, if you have to go somewhere, you have one small book with all your mistakes and their corrections all in one place to review, and this is excellent for spotting and working on weaknesses. It's really important that you explain and correct your mistakes in your own words, write the explanation that makes sense to YOU, as long as you get it. Draw graphs, diagrams, whatever works.

Book Practice-
I did all the questions, in chapter and end of chapter questions in the Berkeley review books (Gen Chem., Orgo., and Physics), ONLY after reading the chapter and reviewing the notes and I had a decent grasp on the concepts presented in the chapter. Reason for this being once you see the question and answer, the question is "used" and not as effective of a learning tool anymore, so use them wisely the first time. The in-chapter questions, I didn't do them in a timed manner, just really thought about my answer, asking myself why it would be right, focusing on conceptual understanding, taking as long as I needed. Then the end-of-chapter questions, I used the book suggestions (1st third of questions in a similar non-timed manner, 2nd third and final third I did them in a timed manner). When I did them timed, I didn't have an actual timer in front of me, as I felt that would add stress and be distracting, so I just worked on the section of 25 or so questions in the section with a certain time in mind. For example, the real MCAT test, you have 70 minutes to do 52 questions, so about 35 minutes for 25 questions. So just write down a start time on your paper, and do your work in a focused manner, not trying to rush, but at the same time not getting stuck on questions. Then when you finish, write your stop time and compare with your desired time, (35 minutes in my example). At first I was getting like 40, 45, even 50 minutes sometimes, but with enough sections and getting used to doing problems, your time starts to get quicker and you get used to thinking critically and faster. I felt this was an effective strategy as over time, I developed a sense of how much time I was spending on reading passages and answering questions, and developing an instinct for spending the right amount of time on questions that makes test day easier. When I first started using the Berkley books and doing questions, they were very intimidating to me and I felt a bit of despair at first, but don't worry as you will get better and it isn't so bad. They actually match real MCAT style questions very closely, and you will feel right at home once you start practice exams and eventually the real thing.

For verbal, I honestly studied very little, I only studied it for a week or so at the start of my 2 month period of exam preparation, and I felt it was unnecessary. I think this is because I've always enjoyed reading, and am always reading some book or the other. The book I used is the Examkrackers 101 passages, and if verbal is an area of weakness, I would recommend using it, in a timed manner, and review your mistakes. 2-3 passages a day. You often see recommendations from other students of reading the economist, medical journals etc. to improve verbal skills. I disagree. If you have time, I recommend trying to get through 1 book a month or so, out of this list: Moby Dick (a favorite of mines, excellent for MCAT prep, has philosophy, scientific parts, history, poetry, social issues, everything), Plato's Republic, The Last of The Mohicans, The complete Sherlock Holmes vol. 1 and 2, Crime and Punishment, The histories by Herodotus, Ralph Waldo Emerson's Essential Writings, The Count of Monte Cristo, and the Lord of The Rings. This isn't from a particular list or anything, but is just a list of books that I thoroughly enjoyed reading, felt I emerged a more complete person for reading and that I think are beneficial to one's reading comprehension and vocabulary. I always read with a dictionary by my side, and every word I don't understand even a bit, or am curious about, I look the word up , highlight it in my dictionary, and I write the word and definition down in a notebook I keep with me and go over periodically. Keep in mind that when you read the books, or anything for that matter, try to not read in an absented-minded manner but try your best to have an interest in what you're reading, look at the use of words, notice sentence structure, put yourself in the author's shoes and really absorb the writing. A good way to learn how to summarize main ideas and important details is this: while reading the article of interest, pretend you are being charged a thousand dollars per word, and you want to use the minimal, most accurate amount of words to describe the main points of the work. Do all this, and I can guarantee that your verbal score will go up.

Practice Exams

In practice exams, I took Kaplan full Length 1 and 2 and AAMC's 7,10,11,8,9 in that order. I think I got 34,37,34,33,35,33,34, while I scored a 32 in the real test which is almost spot on my average (probably around 34). So you could say the tests are pretty similar to the real thing, if a bit to marginally easier in difficulty. People say the practice AAMC's are less simulation of the actual test, but more of a predictive nature to how you will score on the real thing. In my test, the biology section most resembled AAMC 11, and the other 2 sections were fairly on par with the AAMC's in general, although it is possible that my test date , July 2nd 2013, was an easier than average test or something, I can only speak from my own experience. I will say that apparently the real test includes experimental sections that noticeably raise the difficulty of the exam, but I have a strong feeling that they are not "graded" or perhaps wrong answers don't count against you but correct answers help, I'm not sure, but just keep that in mind when you take the test and remind yourself that some of these crazy questions aren't going to count against you, so don't get hung up on them. I walked out of the test feeling okay, and later on feeling like I bombed it, but I think the right mentality is to just remember that you did plenty of practice tests, you have a good average, and the AAMC's are highly predictive, therefore you should score around your average. As long as you didn't run out of time and miss questions/have to completely guess on some questions, and you didn't choke, there is no reason to void and you should be fine.

After the practice exams, I would do my "error corrections" in my notebook for every question that I got wrong, had to guess on or was unsure about. My practice tests being in the morning, I would take the test, then go home and just relax for the rest of the day, sleep a lot, recover. The next day or 2 days would be spent on the error corrections and I continued to review my cheat sheets and my error notebook every day except exam days. My focus on the second and last month of test preparation was on not burning out, retention of everything I learned in the content review month, honing my test taking technique and routine, and working to discover any weaknesses/areas of improvement to work on, as well as mistakes I tend to make in order to be mindful of them.

I took the tests at the same time the real test would be (8am), away from home in the quiet section of the school library, in a cubicle. I also chewed my gum as usual, got up during section breaks to move around, use the bathroom and drink water. I wore the same type of clothing I would on test day, used earplugs, and brought scratch paper and 2 wooden pencils ( extras in a bag of course). This was all to have test day as routine as possible, to eliminate any sort of foreign feelings and distractions when the real test came. With the test being in the morning, I ate the same exact breakfast each practice test morning, and on the real MCAT morning as well (for curiosity, it was a large bowl of oatmeal with chocolate powder, a banana and a tall glass of milk, a nice mix of slow and fast digesting sugars, and some protein too, I felt well-sustained through my tests). The 2 days before the real test, I drove out to the test center, parked, and went up to the testing center each day, just to know where the place is, check out where the bathrooms are, etc. and get over any feeling of unfamiliarity with the center.

A nice piece of advice I found is to use the 20 minutes you have to make the contractual agreements before taking the test to write down all the formulas you tend to forget, useful graphs to have labeled etc., and an addition of mines is to add typical graphs of various mathematical relationships (inverse, square, direct, exponential, logarithmic, etc.), as there are usually 1 or 2 questions asking what kind of graph would represent a variable of some given equation. This can help shave off 20-30 seconds here and there on the test, which can add up to minutes by the end of the section, to now use for checking answers etc.

And that's pretty much it. That's everything I did for this beast of an exam. There are things that I wish I did differently, that perhaps would've increased my score. But given the circumstances and my fairly short preparation time, I am happy with my results, just remember that the average MCAT score of a matriculating med student (basically the average MCAT score of an accepted med school applicant) is about 30.4 I believe. So get around a 30 and things are looking good. I hope this helps, and I hope you do great on your exam.


MISC. Useful Info., Final Tips and Thoughts

1. How to tell if Berkeley Review books are the 2012 version:
- The first pages of each chapter have an outline of the main points, with numbered bullet-points. In older versions, the bullet-points are little guys that are the Berkley review symbol. The new 2012 version has cats as the bullet points. I would insist that you get the 2012 physics book, as it is really better than earlier years in every way, particularly its sound, optics, and electromagnetic/circuit chapters are vastly improved. The general chemistry book can be older (preferably 2009 or newer) and the organic chemistry get at least the 2011 if the 2012 is not possible.

2. SIGN UP FOR THE MCAT MONTHS IN ADVANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!
-I'm going to say this again.
SIGN UP FOR THE MCAT MONTHS IN ADVANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Why? Because I thought that 2 months before was okay, but living in Miami, apparently Florida is a state that has many MCAT takers. I tried to sign up in the beginning of May, (test date for Jul 2nd) and would you know, there was literally not one spot in the entire state of Florida. So I ended up getting a spot in New Orleans for the date I wanted ( the date was non-negotiable as I am applying this cycle, and without a prior MCAT score, a July 2nd MCAT date is late enough as it is). Of course, going to the airport, getting a hotel, taking the test in an unfamiliar place, and total disruption of my morning routine would wreak havoc on my confidence for the test so I felt a New Orleans test date was catastrophic. By a miracle of God, checking the spots every day, I managed to get a spot IN Miami just 2 weeks before my test date. So lesson learned, figure out a date that fits your study schedule and sign up at least 3 months or more in advance.

3. Do not depend on scoring above your average AAMC score range.
If you are averaging 33's on your practice exams, consider that basically your maximum possible score on the real thing. I'm not saying it's impossible to beat your average, but it doesn't happen often. The AAMC tests are very predictive, and that common saying that the last 2 exams you take before the real deal (preferably from AAMC'S 8-11) is most predictive is true. I didn't really believe it, but my tests were consistently hitting 33/34 and I got a 32. The physical and bio section scores can vary depending on the subjects that show up on the test, playing to your weaknesses and strengths accordingly. If after taking several tests, you are not scoring consistently in 3 point range (for your total composite score) then this means you have some glaring weaknesses, most likely knowledge-wise, that you must address before moving on and taking any further tests. As for the verbal section, I have a feeling the scores tend to be more steady as it tests a skill rather than knowledge. As for my own verbal scores, I scored 11's on every AAMC test except for AAMC 9 which I received a 10, and like clockwork, I got an 11 on the real deal.

4. If you aren't scoring what you want 2 weeks before the test, then postpone the exam.
No question about it. It will affect your confidence, and honestly the best situation is to score a 30 or higher on the first attempt of the MCAT. Statistically, if you score close to a 30 the first time (say a 27 or 28), most test retakers will receive the same score or worse (if you don't take my word for it, just look it up, apparently there are studies on this). The only way to seriously improve 3 or more points, which is what medical schools will want, and expect, to see upon a retake is several serious months of studying, working on your weaknesses and using new strategies. To paraphrase another poster on SDN, taking the test once for a 32 or 33, is better than taking it for 3 times for a 28, a 27 then a 35. So if you are already in that position, I think some of the strategies I listed above will be helpful. For those of you who will be first timers, do yourself a favor and try your best to get it right the first time.

5. Your body and mind will be your greatest asset in succeeding in this test, and for that matter, in anything.
- I‘m a strong proponent of the idea that a healthy body makes for a healthy mind. So eat healthy, exercise regularly, maintain good hygiene, take in sun and fresh air regularly. You want to become a physician, so practice what you preach and be healthy. Likewise, keep your mind healthy. Don't be afraid to reach out and ask for help and emotional support during this trying time. View stress as an enemy of your success and fulfillment, and be active in decreasing and preventing it. If you are a religious person, rely on your faith and know that it will carry you through these difficulties. Follow your hobbies, listen to music that relaxes you, and go out with your friends. Keep this test in perspective. It is just one more hurdle in this marathon to a beautiful career. Look at this test not as something you have to do, but something you get to do. This is the chance to join an amazing profession that many people only wish they could do, and the best part is that you have more than one shot at it. This test in and of itself, will not and cannot define you as a person. No matter what happens with this test, you will still be yourself and its results will not and should not determine your happiness. Happiness comes from knowing who you are and acting in accordance with that. Focus on that, and you will be a happier person and a more effective person. So please keep these things in mind. I've seen way too many people post here, getting caught up in the craziness of it all, despairing and doing damage to themselves by losing that important proper perspective.

6. HUFF PUFF HUFF OMIGOOD ITS JULY 1ST AND MY APPLICATION ISN'T IN YET!!
- As far as test dates, from speaking to adcoms at my school and advisors, people on this site tend to be neurotic about it to an excessive degree. I would say, with decent stats (3.5< GPA, 30 or higher MCAT) you can apply as late as August and have a good chance of getting in. Of course, having the application in as early as possible is better, but not having the primary apps out by June is not the end of the world that people make it out to be. So if taking the test later, like July in my scenario, will make you score better, then take that date and don't feel bad about it.

7. YOU DON'T NEED 35's PLUS/40'S TO GET INTO MEDICAL SCHOOL.
-Amidst all the hyperventilating, it is easy to lose sight of reality, but the truth is, there are 141 Medical Schools IN the US. You do NOT need to get into a top 10 or 20 school, "or you will amount to nothing". Truth is, in all my shadowing experience I have never, not once, seen a patient ask their doctor, "Hey by the way what medical school did you graduate from?" (Here is where the neurotic pre-meds would imagine the patient recoiling in horror like Dracula from a crucifix upon hearing a not top 20 school) It really doesn't matter. If you are a licensed physician in the US, your visible, tangible competence and attitude towards to patients will matter far more than the words on that framed piece of paper on the wall in your office. So if you are that concerned about where you go to medical school, maybe you should reevaluate yourself and really think about why you're pursuing a career in medicine. If it's for prestige, respect, etc. Then I question your integrity and I think you should either change career paths or work on that. I personally wouldn't want to be treated by a physician who cares more about their self-image and success rate than about me as their patient and a fellow human being. So aim for a score in the neighborhood of 30, and things are looking good.

8. Please give feedback and feel free to criticize and ask questions.
If theres any topics you think I missed, then let me know, and I'll do my best to cover that. I am currently in the application process, and hopefully I will be able to share the good news with you all, but more than that ; should the application process prove successful, I would like to write an in depth post like this on the application process. If you think that would be helpful, please let me know and give suggestions on topics to go over.

Hope this is useful, and best of luck to you all,

Mdias590

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Here is one last point I would like to add. (I ran out of characters in the original post)

9. In My Opinion, Dynamic Study Plans Are Better Than Set, Rigid Ones

What does this mean? I looked at SN2'D study plan closely, and I got many ideas and valuable bits of advice from there, so I am not speaking against his/her plan in any way. That said, when studying, you will encounter weaknesses and some subjects will require more time and effort to master. So when following a strict schedule saying you MUST cover X chapter and do Y chapter each day, etc. I feel it is misleading as this seems to imply each concept will take the same amount of time, and lead to the common mentality often seen on these forums of "I don't have the time to study this topic in depth and understand it like I should! Oh well, I guess it will have to be good enough and time to move on." Well a chain is only as good as its weakest link, and that one topic could very well have an entire passage in your MCAT. So don't get caught up in meeting a schedule, and rather focus on achieving a well rounded, complete mastery of material.
 
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I do the same thing with the mini booklet for each main subject area( like ill do one for the reproductive system and one for alcohols etc), I write notes with colored pens first then put in a couple pages with my own questions (fill in the blanks, or short answer or blank graphs to label, that sort of thing). I use those folders with the 3 ring metal prongs and label each folder with the topic. Those I take with me for easy review on the go.
 
IslandStyle808- Thanks! Hope you found it helpful :D

ElCapone- That's a great idea, Due to the size of the post, I think I'll put up a link on
that thread, thanks for the suggestion!

mbaumann1123- Yeah I find this note taking/study technique super useful, I use it for all my classes. I really like your idea with the 3-ring binders, I can be kind of lazy and just keep them hanging around in a pile on my desk or all shoved into a big file, but your way seems more efficient, I might just have to steal that idea! Thanks ;)
 
Mdias590’s guide to the MCAT

I’m writing this because as I prepared for the MCAT over the last few months, I often referred to these forums for advice and ideas. It took lots of time, something we are all short on. To this end, I would like to put everything useful I learned in one source for others to use and save other people the time and effort. This is just my take on preparing and taking the MCAT. In here I have details of my content review, practice exams and my thoughts on the exam as well as other things. None of this is set in stone and these are only my opinions and thoughts as honestly as I can give it. I received a 32 in my MCAT exam, not a particularly amazing score, but one that I worked hard for, am proud of, and most importantly, is good enough to succeed in my goal to go to medical school. One final thought before the good stuff: I think the world would be a better place with more physicians, and if my advice facilitates the way for even just one person, then this was well worth the time to write it all, and I encourage those of you who have taken the MCAT and scored a 30 or higher to share what worked for you.

My score: 32 overall, test date July 2nd 2013. P: 12 V: 11 B: 9

This is a summary of my study strategies and basically everything I did in preparation for the MCAT exam. This was a difficult journey, but I learned a lot about myself, refined my study techniques and have come one step closer to being a physician. I've tried to include every detail possible, as I don't know what could be useful to others, and it could be the smallest thing that was holding you back from the score you want, and anything I can do to help you there is worth it. So here it is:



Time Studied:


I started studying back in January, when I enrolled in the Kaplan course. At the same time, I was enrolled in 13 credits at FIU, so as the semester went on, I couldn't put much time into the MCAT studying, in order to maintain good grades. I also noticed that, to me, Kaplan is very memorization centered. Lots of memorizing specific facts, formulas, etc. And really, the MCAT is more about understanding concepts, how things work, and really understanding things. For example. The optics and sound physics section in Kaplan is straight up formulas, and it doesn't really explain it conceptually, which made it really hard for me to remember facts and answer questions effectively. I felt I learned nothing conceptually, although to be fair I was not able to invest as much time as I would like. So by the end of the spring semester, I decided to ditch Kaplan and self-study. I have to stress here that for the next two months until the test, I literally did nothing but study for the MCAT. No research, no internships, no shadowing, definitely no classes, minimal socializing and just a baseline of exercise time, which I felt helped my focus. I typically exercise 4-5 days a week, 2 hours a day, but for this time period I only did 2-3 times a week, 30-60 minutes. Time management was really important. Around May 5th or so after the semester ended, I completely restarted my content review. I spent maybe 10-12 hours a day studying, during those first 3 weeks, then the final week of content review I was feeling close to burning out so I moved it to about 6-8 hours a day. I didn't take break days, and but I did that out of necessity to cover the material in a month, and if you are going to study over a longer period of time, please do yourself a favor take break days (maybe 1 or 2 days a week and just completely don't even think about the MCAT, do whatever you want, you'll come back the next day with a new energy and enthusiasm), don't burn out. That period of studying was very hard for me, and to be completely honest, I never studied that hard in my life. It was very trying for me, emotionally and physically, and there were a lot of times that I felt like quitting, but I just kept my eyes on the end goal, and I can tell you now, it was so worth it. So whatever you do, I encourage you to keep your goals in mind and persevere.


I covered everything by about June 8th, then I started taking 2-3 practice tests a week. I think I had 7 or 8 practice tests by the test date, July 2nd. I took a mini-vacation before the test and I just totally relaxed and didn't study for the 3-4 days before the test. Slept a lot, ate a lot, chilled with friends, played video games etc., just to come in with a refreshed state of mind.


Content Review:


I messed around with a lot of stuff, did a lot of research on studentdoctor.net, and asked a lot of people to get down to what are the best sources to use and here's what I found. Most people seem to agree that Kaplan can be used, but it is definitely not the best source. Reasons being: doesn't stress conceptual understanding, doesn't check understanding with the right type of questions, the questions they ask don't resemble MCAT style questions, and the physical sections stress memorization too much as well as using questions that overstress calculations with weird numbers, and I found that in the real MCAT there were almost no specific calculations with numbers, but there were some formula manipulation problems that stressed conceptual understanding and basic algebra skills (ex: which one of these is a valid expression for velocity? and there will be various arrangements of variables in the answer choices)


There's a general agreement that the Berkeley Review (BR) books are the best sources for General Chem, Organic, and definitely Physics (and absolutely get the newest 2012 versions, they are superior to earlier versions in my opinion, especially the physics book) . Their Bio books are way way wayyyyyyy too detailed for the MCAT, and you will literally go insane using them if you read them for content review. Some people get the BR Bio book just to use it for the practice questions. I did a little bit of that in the beginning of my review, and honestly I just didn't like it. The questions were really hit and miss for me, so I figured I would have a better use of my time doing other things. Some questions were good, others were unusually and cruelly specific, for example if you didn't have the specific structure of a molecule or very specific enzyme function memorized you wouldn't be able to answer the question, and that is pretty much useless for the MCAT (except for perhaps the main monosachrides- glucose, fructose, ribose, galactose, mannose, for which the BR organic book has excellent memory devices). A better Bio resource is the examkrackers MCAT bio book. It is pretty much no BS, only has information you must know, no extra fluff, has good diagrams and explains things well. I supplemented it with a few chapters of the Princeton review bio book, specifically the immunology, biochemistry, and hormones/reproductive sections. If you have the time, using both books in depth would be a great strategy. I didn't have the time, but if I did, I would have went in depth into both. As you can see from my score, honestly Biology was my weakest section, and while a 9 is a fine score, I was probably only a few unlucky guesses away from an 8, which is becoming less competitive. A desirable score seems to be a 30 higher, with preferably nothing lower than a 9, and if you can get all 3 sections at 10 or higher, then that is stellar.


Also I used Chad's videos for General chem. and Organic. Key thing here: I watched ALL of them before getting into the Orgo and Gen Chem BR books. That allowed my studying from the books to be far more effective, and I understood concepts better in the book, because I already had a framework from which to understand them. For me, Chad's videos for chemistry acted as the meat of my chemistry knowledge, and the books supplemented those subjects with further details. I can't emphasize enough how good his chemistry videos (General and organic) are, he explains things in very intuitive ways that just make sense. After watching and internalizing the videos, I could look at conceptual questions and be able to point out the answer, saying "Well duhh, of course it’s that, all the other answers don't even make physical sense." More than that, I gained a real appreciation for chemistry that I never had before, and I'm grateful that.


Now an important note on how I studied. This is probably the most effective thing I did. For Chad's videos, I watched the videos at 1.5 speed to save time, and took in depth notes on what he said, in outline format, using various color inks, etc. This allowed me to refer back to what his lessons with ease and in a time efficient manner. Then for the books, I would first read the book, highlighting and making notes in the margins of the book. Then I would go through again and write notes by outlining the chapter. I don't know if this is common, but I make "packets” when I study. It’s basically a pack of non-lined paper, where I make a "spark notes" or "for dummies" version of the chapter for myself, written in my own terms. What I do is organize the information in a way that makes sense to me, and if I'm using information from various resources, put them all together. So for Gen Chem. and Orgo. I integrated my Chads Videos notes and book notes into one packet of paper per chapter/section/topic etc. This is somewhat work intensive, but it’s not as much writing as you think. At the end, I make a "cheat sheet" with only the most essential information, concepts/formulas to know about the chapter, that summarizes the information in the chapter (and my outline). This was pretty time intensive, and some people might say it is ineffective studying, but this method really allowed me to internalize the information, for faster retrieval when in testing information and to learn it better. There’s something about seeing every concept on one page that helps ingrain it into your brain, it forces you to organize the information. Another advantage of the cheat sheets is that once you cover several chapters/books, you can review large amounts of the MCAT material in short amounts of time. By the end of the content review, I could go over everything that would be covered in the MCAT in under an hour, thanks to the cheat sheets. When I went over the cheat sheets, I assumed the voice of a tutor explaining the terms/concepts/ ideas on the sheets to a student in my head, and I would sort of give a lecture to myself on the material on the cheat sheets, trying my best to not refer to my main note packets. This was a great way to check understanding, and if you forget details, you just go back to your main notes and check it. After a couple days of doing this every day, the material really begins to stick.

Also, during studying, I made a special effort to avoid distractions, for the studying to be effective. Not using the computer, unless absolutely necessary, staying off the phone, and staying focused. I found chewing gum and drinking plenty of water beneficial to my concentration. Note on the gum, people say the brain is highly associative, linking memories with smells, tastes, sounds, and a popular idea is that if you chew gum while studying, it will facilitate memory retrieval in testing situations when chewing that same gum during exams. I can't say if it is true or not, but I have done this for years and it is part of my test taking routine, and I did this for the MCAT to decent results, so take what you will from that (Also note that I never chew gum outside of tests and studying situations). In any case, chewing gum improves concentration and the mint flavor increases my wakefulness, so it is beneficial even without the associative properties. Take a 5-10 minute break per hour, and every 3-4-5 hours (depends on how determined and energetic you are that day) take 30 minutes off, get away from the study area and eat something, move around a bit.

How I practiced:

My practice consisted of book practice and practice AAMC tests. Something I found helpful was keeping a composition notebook, and every question that I got wrong or had to guess, I wrote down why I got it wrong, what was my misunderstanding, and if it was some kind of conceptual misunderstanding, I studied the subject and wrote down an explanation clearing up that misunderstanding. I did this for all my practice questions from books in all subjects and my AAMC exams that I got wrong. When you review the error notebook, you are covering things that you missed for a reason, and they are all things that you are/were weak on. This is great for studying on the go, if you have to go somewhere, you have one small book with all your mistakes and their corrections all in one place to review, and this is excellent for spotting and working on weaknesses. It's really important that you explain and correct your mistakes in your own words, write the explanation that makes sense to YOU, as long as you get it. Draw graphs, diagrams, whatever works.

Book Practice-
I did all the questions, in chapter and end of chapter questions in the Berkeley review books (Gen Chem., Orgo., and Physics), ONLY after reading the chapter and reviewing the notes and I had a decent grasp on the concepts presented in the chapter. Reason for this being once you see the question and answer, the question is "used" and not as effective of a learning tool anymore, so use them wisely the first time. The in-chapter questions, I didn't do them in a timed manner, just really thought about my answer, asking myself why it would be right, focusing on conceptual understanding, taking as long as I needed. Then the end-of-chapter questions, I used the book suggestions (1st third of questions in a similar non-timed manner, 2nd third and final third I did them in a timed manner). When I did them timed, I didn't have an actual timer in front of me, as I felt that would add stress and be distracting, so I just worked on the section of 25 or so questions in the section with a certain time in mind. For example, the real MCAT test, you have 70 minutes to do 52 questions, so about 35 minutes for 25 questions. So just write down a start time on your paper, and do your work in a focused manner, not trying to rush, but at the same time not getting stuck on questions. Then when you finish, write your stop time and compare with your desired time, (35 minutes in my example). At first I was getting like 40, 45, even 50 minutes sometimes, but with enough sections and getting used to doing problems, your time starts to get quicker and you get used to thinking critically and faster. I felt this was an effective strategy as over time, I developed a sense of how much time I was spending on reading passages and answering questions, and developing an instinct for spending the right amount of time on questions that makes test day easier. When I first started using the Berkley books and doing questions, they were very intimidating to me and I felt a bit of despair at first, but don't worry as you will get better and it isn't so bad. They actually match real MCAT style questions very closely, and you will feel right at home once you start practice exams and eventually the real thing.

For verbal, I honestly studied very little, I only studied it for a week or so at the start of my 2 month period of exam preparation, and I felt it was unnecessary. I think this is because I've always enjoyed reading, and am always reading some book or the other. The book I used is the Examkrackers 101 passages, and if verbal is an area of weakness, I would recommend using it, in a timed manner, and review your mistakes. 2-3 passages a day. You often see recommendations from other students of reading the economist, medical journals etc. to improve verbal skills. I disagree. If you have time, I recommend trying to get through 1 book a month or so, out of this list: Moby Dick (a favorite of mines, excellent for MCAT prep, has philosophy, scientific parts, history, poetry, social issues, everything), Plato's Republic, The Last of The Mohicans, The complete Sherlock Holmes vol. 1 and 2, Crime and Punishment, The histories by Herodotus, Ralph Waldo Emerson's Essential Writings, The Count of Monte Cristo, and the Lord of The Rings. This isn't from a particular list or anything, but is just a list of books that I thoroughly enjoyed reading, felt I emerged a more complete person for reading and that I think are beneficial to one's reading comprehension and vocabulary. I always read with a dictionary by my side, and every word I don't understand even a bit, or am curious about, I look the word up , highlight it in my dictionary, and I write the word and definition down in a notebook I keep with me and go over periodically. Keep in mind that when you read the books, or anything for that matter, try to not read in an absented-minded manner but try your best to have an interest in what you're reading, look at the use of words, notice sentence structure, put yourself in the author's shoes and really absorb the writing. A good way to learn how to summarize main ideas and important details is this: while reading the article of interest, pretend you are being charged a thousand dollars per word, and you want to use the minimal, most accurate amount of words to describe the main points of the work. Do all this, and I can guarantee that your verbal score will go up.

Practice Exams

In practice exams, I took Kaplan full Length 1 and 2 and AAMC's 7,10,11,8,9 in that order. I think I got 34,37,34,33,35,33,34, while I scored a 32 in the real test which is almost spot on my average (probably around 34). So you could say the tests are pretty similar to the real thing, if a bit to marginally easier in difficulty. People say the practice AAMC's are less simulation of the actual test, but more of a predictive nature to how you will score on the real thing. In my test, the biology section most resembled AAMC 11, and the other 2 sections were fairly on par with the AAMC's in general, although it is possible that my test date , July 2nd 2013, was an easier than average test or something, I can only speak from my own experience. I will say that apparently the real test includes experimental sections that noticeably raise the difficulty of the exam, but I have a strong feeling that they are not "graded" or perhaps wrong answers don't count against you but correct answers help, I'm not sure, but just keep that in mind when you take the test and remind yourself that some of these crazy questions aren't going to count against you, so don't get hung up on them. I walked out of the test feeling okay, and later on feeling like I bombed it, but I think the right mentality is to just remember that you did plenty of practice tests, you have a good average, and the AAMC's are highly predictive, therefore you should score around your average. As long as you didn't run out of time and miss questions/have to completely guess on some questions, and you didn't choke, there is no reason to void and you should be fine.

After the practice exams, I would do my "error corrections" in my notebook for every question that I got wrong, had to guess on or was unsure about. My practice tests being in the morning, I would take the test, then go home and just relax for the rest of the day, sleep a lot, recover. The next day or 2 days would be spent on the error corrections and I continued to review my cheat sheets and my error notebook every day except exam days. My focus on the second and last month of test preparation was on not burning out, retention of everything I learned in the content review month, honing my test taking technique and routine, and working to discover any weaknesses/areas of improvement to work on, as well as mistakes I tend to make in order to be mindful of them.

I took the tests at the same time the real test would be (8am), away from home in the quiet section of the school library, in a cubicle. I also chewed my gum as usual, got up during section breaks to move around, use the bathroom and drink water. I wore the same type of clothing I would on test day, used earplugs, and brought scratch paper and 2 wooden pencils ( extras in a bag of course). This was all to have test day as routine as possible, to eliminate any sort of foreign feelings and distractions when the real test came. With the test being in the morning, I ate the same exact breakfast each practice test morning, and on the real MCAT morning as well (for curiosity, it was a large bowl of oatmeal with chocolate powder, a banana and a tall glass of milk, a nice mix of slow and fast digesting sugars, and some protein too, I felt well-sustained through my tests). The 2 days before the real test, I drove out to the test center, parked, and went up to the testing center each day, just to know where the place is, check out where the bathrooms are, etc. and get over any feeling of unfamiliarity with the center.

A nice piece of advice I found is to use the 20 minutes you have to make the contractual agreements before taking the test to write down all the formulas you tend to forget, useful graphs to have labeled etc., and an addition of mines is to add typical graphs of various mathematical relationships (inverse, square, direct, exponential, logarithmic, etc.), as there are usually 1 or 2 questions asking what kind of graph would represent a variable of some given equation. This can help shave off 20-30 seconds here and there on the test, which can add up to minutes by the end of the section, to now use for checking answers etc.

And that's pretty much it. That's everything I did for this beast of an exam. There are things that I wish I did differently, that perhaps would've increased my score. But given the circumstances and my fairly short preparation time, I am happy with my results, just remember that the average MCAT score of a matriculating med student (basically the average MCAT score of an accepted med school applicant) is about 30.4 I believe. So get around a 30 and things are looking good. I hope this helps, and I hope you do great on your exam.


MISC. Useful Info., Final Tips and Thoughts

1. How to tell if Berkeley Review books are the 2012 version:
- The first pages of each chapter have an outline of the main points, with numbered bullet-points. In older versions, the bullet-points are little guys that are the Berkley review symbol. The new 2012 version has cats as the bullet points. I would insist that you get the 2012 physics book, as it is really better than earlier years in every way, particularly its sound, optics, and electromagnetic/circuit chapters are vastly improved. The general chemistry book can be older (preferably 2009 or newer) and the organic chemistry get at least the 2011 if the 2012 is not possible.

2. SIGN UP FOR THE MCAT MONTHS IN ADVANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!
-I’m going to say this again.
SIGN UP FOR THE MCAT MONTHS IN ADVANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Why? Because I thought that 2 months before was okay, but living in Miami, apparently Florida is a state that has many MCAT takers. I tried to sign up in the beginning of May, (test date for Jul 2nd) and would you know, there was literally not one spot in the entire state of Florida. So I ended up getting a spot in New Orleans for the date I wanted ( the date was non-negotiable as I am applying this cycle, and without a prior MCAT score, a July 2nd MCAT date is late enough as it is). Of course, going to the airport, getting a hotel, taking the test in an unfamiliar place, and total disruption of my morning routine would wreak havoc on my confidence for the test so I felt a New Orleans test date was catastrophic. By a miracle of God, checking the spots every day, I managed to get a spot IN Miami just 2 weeks before my test date. So lesson learned, figure out a date that fits your study schedule and sign up at least 3 months or more in advance.

3. Do not depend on scoring above your average AAMC score range.
If you are averaging 33’s on your practice exams, consider that basically your maximum possible score on the real thing. I’m not saying it’s impossible to beat your average, but it doesn’t happen often. The AAMC tests are very predictive, and that common saying that the last 2 exams you take before the real deal (preferably from AAMC’S 8-11) is most predictive is true. I didn’t really believe it, but my tests were consistently hitting 33/34 and I got a 32. The physical and bio section scores can vary depending on the subjects that show up on the test, playing to your weaknesses and strengths accordingly. If after taking several tests, you are not scoring consistently in 3 point range (for your total composite score) then this means you have some glaring weaknesses, most likely knowledge-wise, that you must address before moving on and taking any further tests. As for the verbal section, I have a feeling the scores tend to be more steady as it tests a skill rather than knowledge. As for my own verbal scores, I scored 11’s on every AAMC test except for AAMC 9 which I received a 10, and like clockwork, I got an 11 on the real deal.

4. If you aren’t scoring what you want 2 weeks before the test, then postpone the exam.
No question about it. It will affect your confidence, and honestly the best situation is to score a 30 or higher on the first attempt of the MCAT. Statistically, if you score close to a 30 the first time (say a 27 or 28), most test retakers will receive the same score or worse (if you don’t take my word for it, just look it up, apparently there are studies on this). The only way to seriously improve 3 or more points, which is what medical schools will want, and expect, to see upon a retake is several serious months of studying, working on your weaknesses and using new strategies. To paraphrase another poster on SDN, taking the test once for a 32 or 33, is better than taking it for 3 times for a 28, a 27 then a 35. So if you are already in that position, I think some of the strategies I listed above will be helpful. For those of you who will be first timers, do yourself a favor and try your best to get it right the first time.

5. Your body and mind will be your greatest asset in succeeding in this test, and for that matter, in anything.
- I‘m a strong proponent of the idea that a healthy body makes for a healthy mind. So eat healthy, exercise regularly, maintain good hygiene, take in sun and fresh air regularly. You want to become a physician, so practice what you preach and be healthy. Likewise, keep your mind healthy. Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help and emotional support during this trying time. View stress as an enemy of your success and fulfillment, and be active in decreasing and preventing it. If you are a religious person, rely on your faith and know that it will carry you through these difficulties. Follow your hobbies, listen to music that relaxes you, and go out with your friends. Keep this test in perspective. It is just one more hurdle in this marathon to a beautiful career. Look at this test not as something you have to do, but something you get to do. This is the chance to join an amazing profession that many people only wish they could do, and the best part is that you have more than one shot at it. This test in and of itself, will not and cannot define you as a person. No matter what happens with this test, you will still be yourself and its results will not and should not determine your happiness. Happiness comes from knowing who you are and acting in accordance with that. Focus on that, and you will be a happier person and a more effective person. So please keep these things in mind. I’ve seen way too many people post here, getting caught up in the craziness of it all, despairing and doing damage to themselves by losing that important proper perspective.

6. HUFF PUFF HUFF OMIGOOD ITS JULY 1ST AND MY APPLICATION ISN’T IN YET!!
- As far as test dates, from speaking to adcoms at my school and advisors, people on this site tend to be neurotic about it to an excessive degree. I would say, with decent stats (3.5< GPA, 30 or higher MCAT) you can apply as late as August and have a good chance of getting in. Of course, having the application in as early as possible is better, but not having the primary apps out by June is not the end of the world that people make it out to be. So if taking the test later, like July in my scenario, will make you score better, then take that date and don’t feel bad about it.

7. YOU DON’T NEED 35’s PLUS/40’S TO GET INTO MEDICAL SCHOOL.
-Amidst all the hyperventilating, it is easy to lose sight of reality, but the truth is, there are 141 Medical Schools IN the US. You do NOT need to get into a top 10 or 20 school, “or you will amount to nothing”. Truth is, in all my shadowing experience I have never, not once, seen a patient ask their doctor, “Hey by the way what medical school did you graduate from?” (Here is where the neurotic pre-meds would imagine the patient recoiling in horror like Dracula from a crucifix upon hearing a not top 20 school) It really doesn’t matter. If you are a licensed physician in the US, your visible, tangible competence and attitude towards to patients will matter far more than the words on that framed piece of paper on the wall in your office. So if you are that concerned about where you go to medical school, maybe you should reevaluate yourself and really think about why you’re pursuing a career in medicine. If it’s for prestige, respect, etc. Then I question your integrity and I think you should either change career paths or work on that. I personally wouldn’t want to be treated by a physician who cares more about their self-image and success rate than about me as their patient and a fellow human being. So aim for a score in the neighborhood of 30, and things are looking good.

8. Please give feedback and feel free to criticize and ask questions.
If theres any topics you think I missed, then let me know, and I’ll do my best to cover that. I am currently in the application process, and hopefully I will be able to share the good news with you all, but more than that ; should the application process prove successful, I would like to write an in depth post like this on the application process. If you think that would be helpful, please let me know and give suggestions on topics to go over.

Hope this is useful, and best of luck to you all,

Mdias590

I just wanted to comment a little about the "applying in August" bit. I think you're absolutely right in that it is definitely better to take the MCAT when you're prepared. My health professions office advised me in the same way. Late August/Early Sept isn't the worst thing especially if you're applying to in-state schools. Reading all those APPLY EARLY OR YOU'RE DOOMED posts by some SDN members can be detrimental since you may be forced to apply early at the expense of a poor MCAT score.
 
mkp-

Yeah I definitely agree with you on the state schools. Actually that is what I am doing right now. I was originally planning to take the MCAT in June, but I knew I wasn't ready and would not score a 30 or higher, so I moved it back to July 2nd, and I'm glad I did. My in-state schools are my preference, and I'm currently going to FIU for my undergrad, where I've spoken to members of the FIUCOM admissions commitee, showed them my application (EC's, personal statement, all that) and they told me get a 30 or higher and you are pretty much guaranteed in, so I'm pretty excited about what the future will bring.

Being a new school, it seems they have a strong "in-school" bias as I guess you would call it. If you have, I believe, a 27 or 28 or higher and 3.5 or higher GPA as an FIU undergrad, then you are guaranteed interview, which is awesome. I think everyone should check if their undergrad institution (provided that school has a college of medicine) has something like that in place, it can really factor in to your game plan.

But really I have to agree with you, people will read posts here and think, if I want to apply this cycle, I am totally screwed if I take a test date later than June, which is totally not the case.
 
Great post, man! I couldn't help but notice that you attend FIU. Same here! I took my mcat this past Wednesday, for a second time. I was shooting for a score of at least 30. After my exam though, I'm not so sure. I was more calm and everything this time, but PS is always challenging for me on the real deal. I'm honestly thinking I got anywhere between a 26-28. I'm keeping hope, though.

In regards to the whole "apply early or else" fiasco, I can't help but agree as well. I'm planning to apply still in this cycle.
 
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