Move my MCAT?

[Hospitalized]

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X-post since I'm not getting any responses in the MCAT forum.

Currently scheduled for June 18th. I am applying this cycle. Aiming for 506+, MD. I have good ECs. GPA is 3.85, all A's and A-'s in prereqs, decent state university.

Scores/progress so far:
Date: 2/18; NS Half-Length diagnostic -- 495 (123/122/125/125)
Date: 3/20; TPR FL demo -- 493 (121/124/123/125)

Since December:
I've been doing spotty content review with EK books. I've finished 6/31 total chapters and taken 3 of the end-of-lecture exams.
I do 3 "questions of the day" every day and have been for the last year and a half.
I've done about 60 KA passages, I'd say I average around 3/5 correct on those. CARS passages I typically score higher on there (they seem much easier than anything else).

I know the diagnostics mean next to nothing, but it's all I have to go on for now.

How should I decide if I need to move my test back to July 8th/9th?

I don't see a lot of posts here saying that someone has taken only a month and half to study; I don't have a lot of references in person for scores either.

I finish finals this week and am planning on going full-on studying for the MCAT until I take my test. My only other commitment is 16 hours of work a week, where I do have downtime to study as well (Anki flashcards or books on my tablet).

My thought is I would take the AAMC sample at the end of next week, and if I score <50% on multiple sections, then I would move my test back.

Anyone have any advice for me? Much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Petrichor1]

My thought is I would take the AAMC sample at the end of next week, and if I score <50% on multiple sections, then I would move my test back.

I would suggest first doing this and then coming back. If you are relying on demos and diagnostics of companies, they are usually harder to begin with.

 

[cardzkp]

I did exactly what you are planning to do. I finished junior year finals around 5/10 of 2015, studied until around 6/15 for my 6/20 MCAT (5 days relaxation, get mind ready), and scored 88th percentile.

Make it your full time job. Do 8+ hours a day of content review and take a practice exam once every week. You can get in about 5 before test day (I took the only available AAMC FL 2 weeks before exam, deemed myself ready to go).

Remember: content review is important, but so is learning how to take the test and dealing with mental fatigue. Replicate test day during practice exams.

Edit: I'm not sure how many AAMC FL there are out there nowadays, but do not waste them. I think I scored 71/73/83/80 raw % correct two weeks out. That was also easier than the real thing. I guess it boils down to how well do you do under pressure.

 

[Lucca]

one month before the test date take the AAMC sample. If you are not scoring 70%+ on every section then I would move the exam. Two weeks before the test date take the scored exam. If you are not breaking 510 I would move the exam. I know that's higher than your posted target (507) but you should give yourself a little wiggle room for going up or down on the real thing. 510 is a good benchmark on the scored exam. My real exam was harder than the scored exam.

 

[Hospitalized]

Anyone else have any input? Really struggling with this!

 

[Hopeful_vet]

Anyone else have any input? Really struggling with this!

I don't think any other input would be helpful. The only way to gauge your performance is AAMC material. Here's my story for example.

Took Kaplan half length diagnostic in February and scored a 500.
Kaplan FL 1 in late march: 506
Kaplan FL 2 in early april:500
AAMC scored in late april: 509
Tested on 5/6

I felt really down after the 500 on Kaplan FL 2, but then the 509 eased my worry.

 

[AnonPanda1]

Anyone else have any input? Really struggling with this!

I see a few things wrong with your studying habits. It's been months and you're only a fifth through your content review? Content review first until you know like 70-80% of the material. Then, take practice exams as you finish the other 20-30% working on both test taking techniques and content review. KA passages and their questions always felt nothing like the real exam and I find them a waste of time. The KA videos for psychology are nice but go really slow. There are people out there who have a transcript version of the videos. You can double your efficiency by just reading it. EK books also always felt like they were designed as a cursory overview. They're easy to read but it felt like they had no meat on them. Like whipped cream without the pie. I would take the AAMC Sample test ASAP for two reasons. The first being whether you should push back your date. I'd say if you're not scoring over 60% 4 weeks before the exam, push back. The second being how the exam actually feels like. This feeling will be invaluable to guide your studying process. Also, go through the section bank and official study guide. Leave the scored for a week or 2 before the exam to give you a good gauge.

 

[Hospitalized]

Thanks all. I think I've come up with a good plan. AAMC sample ASAP. 😛