Need MCAT Advice

[NotYY4U]

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Hey everyone, will try and make this short and sweet.

My 2nd attempt at this thing is 5/18 (subject to change of course) I'm only applying DO so time is more on my side. My first attempt was July 2017 and I scored a 498.

Content wise, I seem to be ok. When there are questions on amino acids, periodic trends, general content knowledge etc., I get the answer on my practice material right more times than not.

The problem is interpretation...always has been.

So basically comprehension, which is funny because writing and English were some of my strengths in undergrad. Questions like "Why did the scientists likely use this instead of that?".

Is there a straetgwey anyone can recommend or to just practice?

Right now I'm taking questions like this slowly so I can really think about them and then work on speed.

My target score is a 505 and anything over 500 I will honestly be jumping up and down (pre MDs can come in and laugh now).

I honestly believe I have what it takes to be a physician based on all my experience in this incredible field and I refuse to give up on my dreams. This is not plan A or B, it's plan Z as well...

 

[Xanias]

Have you tried reading the answer explanations to questions that require interpretation; (types of questions you have difficulty with). Does the explanation generally make sense? Try spending a good amount of time understanding why the correct answer is correct and why you picked the wrong answer. try writing it down as if you are explaining it to yourself. The MCAT generally follows a similar testing pattern, you will be able to develop similar reasoning skills the more practice you do.

 

[NextStepTutor_1]

Hi @NotYY4U -

To amplify @Xanias's reply a little bit, be sure to focus both on why you picked the wrong answer to interpretative questions and why the incorrect answers are wrong. You may be able to pick up on recurring themes -- for instance, you might tend to go for incorrect answers that sound more interesting but require logical leaps that go beyond the scope of the question/passage. This can be a common problem for people who were strong in writing/literature/humanities coursework, because those subjects generally reward you for asking interesting questions that go beyond the scope of what you're given or require imaginative leaps, whereas those habits don't generally translate well into MCAT logic. Instead, the typical MCAT pattern for interpretative questions is to ask you to take one step beyond the scenario you're given, with that step being justifiable by scientific reasons (in the science sections) or by straightforward logic (in CARS).

Best of luck as you keep preparing!!

 

[NotYY4U]

Thanks for the replies! So far I have not taken a FL but hammering out the QPacks and SBanks and seem to be getting far more questions correct than my last MCAT prep. It's like I'm finally seeing what the hell they are asking for haha!!