Need to get MAJORLY better in bio in 2 weeks! Advice?

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MedSchoolHope04

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I take the MCAT May 23rd. I'm pretty solid on PS and I'm very confident about VR, but my BS is awful. Extremely awful. What should I do to get better? I'm really good at VR, which should translate at least a small amount into BS because from what I've read BS is a lot of those skills, but I'm just not getting it. I think a good chunk of it has to do with anxiety as well, because I am not as well versed in bio, not being a biology major. I'm studying from 7AM to 8PM every day until the exam, so I have the hours needed to do a ton of review, but what would be the best way to review everything as a whole within two weeks? I plan on watching Chad's videos but as they are incomplete, what would help the most?

I'll be getting TPR tomorrow, in you guys' opinions, would working through that cover to cover help a significant amount?

I'm starting to freak out...please help!
 
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MedSchoolHope04 said:
I take the MCAT May 23rd. I'm pretty solid on PS and I'm very confident about VR, but my BS is awful. Extremely awful. What should I do to get better? I'm really good at VR, which should translate at least a small amount into BS because from what I've read BS is a lot of those skills, but I'm just not getting it. I think a good chunk of it has to do with anxiety as well, because I am not as well versed in bio, not being a biology major. I'm studying from 7AM to 8PM every day until the exam, so I have the hours needed to do a ton of review, but what would be the best way to review everything as a whole within two weeks? I plan on watching Chad's videos but as they are incomplete, what would help the most?

I'll be getting TPR tomorrow, in you guys' opinions, would working through that cover to cover help a significant amount?

I'm starting to freak out...please help!
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I'm in the same boat man. Scoring 10+s on PS and 12+s on VR but anywhere from 8-10 on BS...and I'm taking it on the same date as you. I think a lot of what you need to do at this point is focus on the areas in which you show the weakest (for me it's genetics and endocrine system). Once you get those down go at it again and see if anything else is glaringly horrible...the key to getting a 10 is not being amazing at half the material and useless in the rest...it's about being decent in all of it and recognizing the basic principles as they apply to the passages. The stuff you already know well enough to get the majority of a passage right, put that on that backburner and focus on the stuff you're confused by. If you are shooting for 12+ on bio you probably don't have enough time to be honest, but I think a 10 is doable by correcting for the easy mistakes you make on the subjects you don't feel as strong.

Hope this helps!
 
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Thanks!! My problem though is I need a basic review of everything. Like, I need to either go through a book that covers everything or watch videos that go over everything. I'm talking I've been getting 5-6 on BS. I think a general review of everything would be the best help, I just don't know what would be the quickest way to go about that.
 
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MedSchoolHope04 said:
Thanks!! My problem though is I need a basic review of everything. Like, I need to either go through a book that covers everything or watch videos that go over everything. I'm talking I've been getting 5-6 on BS. I think a general review of everything would be the best help, I just don't know what would be the quickest way to go about that.
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Wow... You are getting 10+ in VR and 5-6 in BS! Your BS content is REALLY lacking then. You should spend 3-4 days on EK bio doing content review and then spend your remaining days doing the whole TPRH bio and Ochem. You should be able to bring up that bio score to a 9+ since your VR skills are strong.
 
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Temperature101 said:
Wow... You are getting 10+ in VR and 5-6 in BS! Your BS content is REALLY lacking then. You should spend 3-4 days on EK bio doing content review and then spend your remaining days doing the whole TPRH bio and Ochem. You should be able to bring up that bio score to a 9+ since your VR skills are strong.
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Thank you for that!! I don't have EK though, would it be worth the money to have it overnight shipped? TPR should be here tomorrow, do you think that would be a sufficient review or would EK be better enough that it would be worth it to have it shipped quickly to me?
 
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clothcut said:
I'm taking the exam on 5/23 as well... check out http://mcat-review.org/... I like their Bio section. Succint and to the point.
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Thank you. I think that's what I need to start with before delving into all of the details. I will go over all of that then work passages for tonight. I'll get TPR tomorrow and dive right into that and hopefully after going over the topics on that website I'll be able to see a tiny light at the end of the tunnel! Good luck to you on the 23rd 🙂
 
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MedSchoolHope04 said:
Thanks!! My problem though is I need a basic review of everything. Like, I need to either go through a book that covers everything or watch videos that go over everything. I'm talking I've been getting 5-6 on BS. I think a general review of everything would be the best help, I just don't know what would be the quickest way to go about that.
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A 5-6 on the BS would most probably be due to content issue. I would get the Bio review book from tpr review and also get the big science workbook from them and start doing the bio passages. IMO the tpr bio passages and question from the science workbooks are GOLDEN. I honestly think thats what got me the 11 on the BS section.

don't give up!!!! you're almost there! The good news is that bio is much easier to improve than verbal and since verbal is your strong suit you seem to be in better shape than those who have trouble with verbal instead of the sciences.
 
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Jjkwest1 said:
A 5-6 on the BS would most probably be due to content issue. I would get the Bio review book from tpr review and also get the big science workbook from them and start doing the bio passages. IMO the tpr bio passages and question from the science workbooks are GOLDEN. I honestly think thats what got me the 11 on the BS section.

don't give up!!!! you're almost there! The good news is that bio is much easier to improve than verbal and since verbal is your strong suit you seem to be in better shape than those who have trouble with verbal instead of the sciences.
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Thank you SO much. I know it's mostly a content issue and knowing that is my downfall because that causes my anxiety to multiply tenfold. I won't give up!! I'm not rescheduling because I know I can do it. It's not like I can't reason through the passages, obviously if I'm getting 11/12 on VR. Hopefully I can get through TPR in about 3-4 days and after that take an AAMC and see if it has (hopefully) improved!
 
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MedSchoolHope04 said:
Thank you SO much. I know it's mostly a content issue and knowing that is my downfall because that causes my anxiety to multiply tenfold. I won't give up!! I'm not rescheduling because I know I can do it. It's not like I can't reason through the passages, obviously if I'm getting 11/12 on VR. Hopefully I can get through TPR in about 3-4 days and after that take an AAMC and see if it has (hopefully) improved!
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With such score in VR, your BS score should be 10+. Do NOT neglect Ochem because some MCAT tests might have 2-3 passages of Ochem.
 
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MedSchoolHope04 said:
Thank you SO much. I know it's mostly a content issue and knowing that is my downfall because that causes my anxiety to multiply tenfold. I won't give up!! I'm not rescheduling because I know I can do it. It's not like I can't reason through the passages, obviously if I'm getting 11/12 on VR. Hopefully I can get through TPR in about 3-4 days and after that take an AAMC and see if it has (hopefully) improved!
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I don't mean to be disheartening but if you are consistently scoring 5-6 on BS, there is a serious gap in your knowledge of the content required for this exam. I'm not sure that 3-4 days of review will be adequate.

By all means, proceed as planned but don't be shocked if your score doesn't improve all that much after just a few days of review. It may ultimately be in your best interest to push back another month just to make sure you have the time to get everything down.
 
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eDITN said:
I don't mean to be disheartening but if you are consistently scoring 5-6 on BS, there is a serious gap in your knowledge of the content required for this exam. I'm not sure that 3-4 days of review will be adequate.

By all means, proceed as planned but don't be shocked if your score doesn't improve all that much after just a few days of review. It may ultimately be in your best interest to push back another month just to make sure you have the time to get everything down.
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It's already too late to push back the test because May 9th was the last day to reschedule.
 
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Temperature101 said:
It's already too late to push back the test because May 9th was the last day to reschedule.
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Its too late to reschedule for the discounted price, yes. But you can still cancel the exam and schedule a new one - you'd just have to pay full price. Yeah, its a lot of money, but if OP's score is not where he/she wants it to be, then they may have to pay full price to retake the exam anyways.

I'm just trying to be realistic. Most people cannot learn all the biology necessary for this exam in two weeks. That is why it is suggested that if people are not at their target score by that two week deadline that they push the exam back. Everyone is different, though, and maybe OP can get it all down in two weeks. Some people can get crazy scores on the MCAT after just a few weeks of studying. I'm just saying that it doesn't work that way for most people.
 
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eDITN said:
Its too late to reschedule for the discounted price, yes. But you can still cancel the exam and schedule a new one - you'd just have to pay full price. Yeah, its a lot of money, but if OP's score is not where he/she wants it to be, then they may have to pay full price to retake the exam anyways.

I'm just trying to be realistic. Most people cannot learn all the biology necessary for this exam in two weeks. That is why it is suggested that if people are not at their target score by that two week deadline that they push the exam back. Everyone is different, though, and maybe OP can get it all down in two weeks. Some people can get crazy scores on the MCAT after just a few weeks of studying. I'm just saying that it doesn't work that way for most people.
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I agree with you but I don't think OP is looking to get 12+ in BS. I think OP will be ok with 9-10 in BS, which I think OP might be able to pull in two weeks since OP verbal skills are good.
 
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Temperature101 said:
I agree with you but I don't think OP is looking to get 12+ in BS. I think OP will be ok with 9-10 in BS, which I think OP might be able to pull in two weeks since OP verbal skills are good.
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Well, over a week later and much better. I take it in three days and I'm doing much better. Consistent 10's in PS, 11's in VR, and 8/9 on BS, which I'm much happier about. Hoping to maybe solidify a 9 on BS if not a 10 by watching all of Chad's videos over the next two days and going over the basics. I've found that a lot of it is just having basic knowledge, and the details you can get from the passage. I'd be happy with a 29/30 on the test in a few days!
 
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MedSchoolHope04 said:
Well, over a week later and much better. I take it in three days and I'm doing much better. Consistent 10's in PS, 11's in VR, and 8/9 on BS, which I'm much happier about. Hoping to maybe solidify a 9 on BS if not a 10 by watching all of Chad's videos over the next two days and going over the basics. I've found that a lot of it is just having basic knowledge, and the details you can get from the passage. I'd be happy with a 29/30 on the test in a few days!
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Happy that you are doing much better in BS. You can check these bio animations as well if time permit...

http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/9834092339/sitemap.html
 
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armpitcurry said:
how are some people pre-meds and end up doing worst in Bio?
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Yeah, I'm not a bio major and I haven't had biology since freshman year. It's not that I'm not smart or capable of learning complex topics. Obviously I can since I'm doing well in PS and VR, I just don't have as strong of a background in biology as others, such as bio majors who study nothing but biology, do.
 
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Tipp said:
what are "Chad's videos" you guys keep talking about?
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***********.com it's $50 for a month access but it is BEYOND worth it. I didn't watch orgo because I'm solid in that and he covers a lot that I didn't need to, but it helped X10 solidifying physics and especially gen chem. He explains everything so well and you can print all of the outlines and watch the videos as if you are taking a course. I would definitely highly highly recommend it if you are weak in any of the sciences.
 
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Tipp said:
haha thank you. I have 9 days til i take the test, and I get in the 10-12 range in the sciences. do you think it would be worth it, with so little time remaining?
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I mean personally I'd be stoked with 10-12 in both sciences. It'd be worth it if you have a few topics that you are really shaky on. But if the things you're missing you go over and realize why you made the mistake and understand what you did wrong and how to do it right then I wouldn't pay for it. But if you have a few topics you don't have a really solid grasp on, it would be. And hey, in the long, medical school route, scheme of things, $50 is like a penny compared to what we'll be paying (hopefully!) a year from now.
 
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MedSchoolHope04 said:
I mean personally I'd be stoked with 10-12 in both sciences. It'd be worth it if you have a few topics that you are really shaky on. But if the things you're missing you go over and realize why you made the mistake and understand what you did wrong and how to do it right then I wouldn't pay for it. But if you have a few topics you don't have a really solid grasp on, it would be. And hey, in the long, medical school route, scheme of things, $50 is like a penny compared to what we'll be paying (hopefully!) a year from now.
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haha yea i agree. Thanks!
 
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