No MCAT Score Improvement

[Ging7452]

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[GypsyHummus]

I will be blunt and honest, you either have some significant gaps in knowlage of the material, or are not cut out as a physician, IQ wise, if you are scoring that low. Since you got a 494 as your highest, I doubt that your IQ is the problem. How long has it been since you have had the pre recs? For me (I never scored less than 490) it was gaps in knowlage.

I recommend either retaking the classes specific to the mcat within a year and then taking it, or do the best you can now and settle for podiatry. A 3.0 and a 490 can get into a pod school if you aren’t picky.

 

[deleted888443]

If those practice tests are all princeton review tests, I can tell you those are probably the hardest ones out there. I completely bombed the princeton review tests and I scored above 500 on the actual thing. Take AAMC practice tests if you havent already.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

I have been studying for the MCAT for months, the first day of September I kicked it up to 6-8 hours a day of content review...

I haven’t even broken 500 yet. I started at 489, then 491, 485, 485, then saw slight improvement to 494 and the last two tests were 489 and the one I just finished, 488.

If I weren’t putting the time into studying and content review, then I would understand these results but to be honest with you...

I would think with just taking practice test alone I would see at least some improvement...

I broke your post into four key parts, as I see it, and highlighted the parts I want to bring up. I'm hoping it doesn't come across as too harsh, but there are some things you need to hear/read that will not feel great, but if followed can be a huge help. So please forgive my little diatribe here, as it comes from a sincere and caring place.

If the MCAT rewarded content knowledge, then you would be seeing improvement. In fact, all of the people who put time and energy into elaborate flashcard sets would see huge improvements. But time and again, those who focus too much on memorizing, retaining, and ultimately recalling content get a false sense of security that they are studying well and deserve a good score, which ultimately never comes. The MCAT is a thinking exam, not a content-based exam. You need to know definitions and concepts in general, but that is just a small part.

You have to master the art of taking a multiple choice, conceptually-based exam. This means recognizing wrong answers as much as recognizing correct facts. Just taking a practice exam will help you better understand your stamina and focus, but the act of taking the exam is not a growing experience. Thoroughly reviewing the exam afterwards is the growing experience, as that is where you will see your greatest improvements. Any question you get wrong, try again (with three answer choices). If you get it wrong again, then try with two answer choices. Only after doing this should you read the answer explanations. For every question you miss, rewrite a similar question for yourself, with the same type of wrong answers. Even if you just do this in your mind it will be extremely helpful. If you get a question right, review it as well. Rank the answer choices from best to worst as you review it.

These unorthodox suggestions are the bread and butter behind why our students do as well as they do. It is very time-consuming, but you will see huge improvements in your test skills.

As far as studying goes, you need to focus on passages and questions WITH detailed answer explanations. IMHO, the place where the vast majority of study materials fall short is the answer explanations. A good explanation should explain not only why the best answer is best, but why the other three answers are wrong. It should also present at least two pathways to a solution, because we all tend to think differently. One algorithm to a solution does not fit all

For now, make a schedule based on how many passages and questions you will get done each day, NOT based on the hours you will be spending. I have seen people make big leaps in performance when they transition from counting hours and checking off boxes on a to-study and to-do list, and instead build their entire preparation process around passages and reviewing the questions in detail. Make notes when you go over answers, NOT when you read content-heavy text material.

IMO, you need to start from scratch with your approach. Start with a one passage at a time perspective and get better on every single passage you do. It's all about post-game analysis and making improvements in your approach.

 

[GypsyHummus]

Yeah, if your pre Rex’s were all from 5 years ago, retake them and learn the material, ideally within a year and then take the mcat.

Always have a plan B

Thank you for your reply, but to jump ship after a little adversity is usually not the path I take. I rather self correct, adjust and try again before entering a career path I would have less passion for, simply because it was the only option. Pre reqs of basic sciences were taken 4-5 years ago (chem and physics), all higher level sciences were taken within the last year. It may be an issue with knowledge* gaps from those years mixed with test taking strategy deficiencies. As you brought up IQ, without flexing stats I can assure you it is not an IQ issue.

 

[rg2o3]

I scored a 509 on the actual MCAT. My Princeton scores were around 497. I stopped using their FLs because they are no where near similar to the MCAT. I began utilizing AAMC FLs and Qbanks. I got accepted with that 509. So don’t be too discouraged by your PR scores.

 

[rg2o3]

That's good to hear honestly. Maybe I will start delving into the Q-bank more. Is there an optimal way to use it or kind of just go through and do them all in one sitting, etc?

I broke my days up into 1 subject at the beginning and then after a few weeks two subjects a day. I would begin by reviewing my notes I have/prep books. I would cover topics I felt were still difficult to me etc. then at some point throughout the day I would sit and do maybe 5 sets of questions from the respective subject. I would do them all. Then review what I got wronged. The topics I got wrong I would then fully review again that day.

 

[deleted888443]

Update: I took a practice AAMC FL and I only scored a 492, which is 2 points lower than my highest score on my other (supposedly harder) practice tests. Is it now time to start panicking about being 1 month away from my MCAT and still not being able to break a 500?

I think you might want to push the exam off. AAMC FL 1 is considered to be the easier one of the 3 practice tests (I thought so). The actual exam is comparable to AAMC FL 2 which I thought was a bit more difficult than AAMC FL 1. Can you give me a score breakdown of your 4 sections (the raw percentage and percentile on each section)

It would also help to go through your exam and see what you got wrong, and then review that material accordingly.

Looking at this thread' history, it doesnt look like you have any gaps in the knowledge. I think you might have gaps in how you apply the knowledge and your critical thinking skills. The mcat is an endurance test. See if most of the questions youve gotten wrong are towards the end of each section. That might suggest you may want to improve your endurance.

Concentration might also be a problem. In these dark days of studying for the mcat and getting into medical school, it is important to keep a level head and not go to online fora to increase our already skyrocketing anxiety levels, as that can effect our concentration. Its important to get a good nights sleep, socialize, exercise, eat healthy meals, etc.

All this nonsense about IQ and you not being cut out to be a physician is just what it is... nonsense. Anyone with an average IQ can be a physician. The reason why everyone doesnt become a physician is because it takes alot of hard work, delayed gratification, sacrificing your entire 20s. Its alot of hard work which everyone doesnt want to do.

-ice tray the gang

 

[acbakshi]

If those practice tests are all princeton review tests, I can tell you those are probably the hardest ones out there. I completely bombed the princeton review tests and I scored above 500 on the actual thing. Take AAMC practice tests if you havent already.

I second this. Princeton Review passages were at times convoluted, vague, and lengthy. The highest I scored was a 501 on TPR. The AAMC material is obviously the most representative. Highest I scored was a 509 on the AAMC tests. I scored a 505 on the real thing. I did not spend a lengthy amount of time reviewing my tests, so I think that's why I didn't do very well. I worked on stamina and timing so that I could see all the questions and have time to think. I ended up getting 7 interviews, 3 acceptances, 1 pending, so it worked out, but the rest of my app is different than most, so n=1. Just letting you know that not all hope is lost. Make some adjustments, keep working hard, and results will follow. Best of luck, hope I helped!

 

[thinkchangeflow]

Thank you very much. What you said is very true and refreshing to hear. I'm not exactly sure what it is or what I am doing wrong but to still be performing like this after 4 months of content review, taking and going over practice tests is a little alarming. I was really hoping that I would have performed better on the AAMC FL. I felt good taking it and I felt like it was very easy compared to the other tests and practice passages I have been doing, but my score didn't reflect that. The material I started studying and memorizing at the end of August is already fading, so I fear pushing off the test will make matters worse, but to take the test in a month and score where I want seems to not be a reality. How much would I be able to increase my score or locate my deficiencies by the 25th do you think? Also my scores in each section fluctuate a lot, at this point, I'm not sure what to do or how to fix it. For example, I have covered all books, reading material, classes and practice problems for the Bio/Biochem section, I feel confident with my knowledge in this subject but cannot break 125 in this section, despite having gone through all the material I have on it.

For the AAMC full length I just took:

Chem/Phys was 121, 13 percentile, 22/ 59 right
CARS: 125, 61 percentile, 39/53 right (which was shocking, CARS is never the highest for me, I also felt as if I didn't do well on these passages)
Bio/Biochem: 122, 20th percentile, 28/59
Psych: 124, 41 percentile, 37/59

Looking at the distribution of where I got the questions wrong, they don't seem to appear more frequently toward the end of sections.

Thank you so much

Definitely reschedule your exam. Go through the Q packs and Section Bank question by question and make sure you understand every concept and word in the questions and all answer choices. Then take AAMC 3 in exact testing conditions.

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[acbakshi]

Thank you! It did help, after previous scores on the Princeton tests, I was hoping to at least break 500 on the AAMC one, but for some reason I fell short. I don't run out of time on any section. In fact on the psych section I took today I had 15 extra minutes, so I went back and checked over questions (still got 124) and I felt very confident on that section. I know my chem and physics need work, but my biology score also remains stagnant, despite having reviewed it already. You mentioned getting accepted/interviewed, was that with the 505?

I was exactly like you. I was finishing psych/soc with 20 minutes left, but I was a psych major, so most of it I knew. I only really spent time on the graph/results analysis. That section is quite a bit of memorization, but there are the occasional graph analysis, so take your time reading the axis and what the question is inferring. Chem/phys was my weak point, so I spent a bulk of my time on content review for that section as well as just doing a buttload of passages and practice tests. I did 10 TPR practices tests, on top of AAMC sample test and FL 1 and 2. I completed all the passages in all of the TPR books, ended up with a 125 in that section. I was killing it on TPR CARS section, but not so much on AAMC material. Ended up with 125/125/127/128. Yes, I was given interviews and accepted with a 505 to DO schools. Not a peep from MD programs, but there are a variety of factors when it comes to interview invites and acceptances. Just need to focus on the MCAT for now. Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions about anything really, I'd be happy to share my experience and give advice. You can do this!