Normal post test feelings?

[indianjatt]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

I do not know how normal it is, but I think about the MCAT a bit too much. I just took the exam on the 7th and consistently switch from thinking: I did good/okay, I did horrible and ****ty (I wasted 3 months etc.). It's pretty much a constant battle.

Does anyone have any personal experience (post test feeling to actual score?):

Here's how I felt during the test:

PS: first question was a little hard and I panicked for a good minute or so. Regained some confidence and did the rest of the test with a few unsure ones I guessed on to the best of my ability. Finished with 10-15 minutes to check answers (not sure if I rechecked all of the ones I wanted too.) I missed 1 for sure; verified 2-3 ones I guessed on that I got right. Still not sure on some others I'm sure.
VR: Felt similar to all my other tests, but I can never predict my score here. Sometimes I feel horrible and do surprisingly well, other times I do horrible, other times right on target.
WS: I actually liked it
BS: Two hard BS passages; rest was definitely reasonable. Probably unsure about 3-5 answers (Some were really dense passages.) Finished with 10 minutes to check some of my marked questions.

AAMC AVG: 34.5

I just want to be done with test lol. Like others, I pretty much spent my entire summer studying.

 

[newmember1]

Man, look at in on the bright side. I spent the entire summer and most of the year studying and I didn't even finish the PS. I had to pretty much guess a passage on there and the verbal. You'll be fine chill out. Leave the sleepless nights and worrying to people like me.

 

[indianjatt]

Man, look at in on the bright side. I spent the entire summer and most of the year studying and I didn't even finish the PS. I had to pretty much guess a passage on there and the verbal. You'll be fine chill out. Leave the sleepless nights and worrying to people like me.

Bro, I'm sure you did fine.I kind of guessed on a VR passage too. I'm starting to think that maybe we all feel like this. Honestly, I didn't feel as confident going out of each section, which is why I'm worried. I never felt that way before ahhaa. I think it may be due to the enormity of the test, but i dk

 

[eggs13]

I do not know how normal it is, but I think about the MCAT a bit too much. I just took the exam on the 7th and consistently switch from thinking: I did good/okay, I did horrible and ****ty (I wasted 3 months etc.). It's pretty much a constant battle.

Does anyone have any personal experience (post test feeling to actual score?):

Here's how I felt during the test:

PS: first question was a little hard and I panicked for a good minute or so. Regained some confidence and did the rest of the test with a few unsure ones I guessed on to the best of my ability. Finished with 10-15 minutes to check answers (not sure if I rechecked all of the ones I wanted too.) I missed 1 for sure; verified 2-3 ones I guessed on that I got right. Still not sure on some others I'm sure.
VR: Felt similar to all my other tests, but I can never predict my score here. Sometimes I feel horrible and do surprisingly well, other times I do horrible, other times right on target.
WS: I actually liked it
BS: Two hard BS passages; rest was definitely reasonable. Probably unsure about 3-5 answers (Some were really dense passages.) Finished with 10 minutes to check some of my marked questions.

AAMC AVG: 34.5

I just want to be done with test lol. Like others, I pretty much spent my entire summer studying.

i took the test twice.

First time: thought I did just fine----28Q
Second time: thought I bombed the verbal section again----35Q

No sense in worrying about it now, as there is nothing you can do about it. I would say that for most people, your AAMC average is a pretty good predictor of how well you will actually do.

 

[peNs]

Yeah, I get those. I took it on the 7th too, and the PS really threw off my timing. My brain keeps tormenting me with the thought of the worse case scenario - an 8 in PS, which would mean having to get a 13 in both VR and BS for me to get the score I want. I did pretty well on the latter sections, but then I think, getting a 13 would be like getting a 39 in all sections. It's like looking up at Mt. Everest and thinking "damn do I have to climb that?" and then I start to get dizzy and downspirited despite the fact that I've spent the past two months training for this.

 

[MDforMee]

I do not know how normal it is, but I think about the MCAT a bit too much. I just took the exam on the 7th and consistently switch from thinking: I did good/okay, I did horrible and ****ty (I wasted 3 months etc.). It's pretty much a constant battle.

Does anyone have any personal experience (post test feeling to actual score?):

Here's how I felt during the test:

PS: first question was a little hard and I panicked for a good minute or so. Regained some confidence and did the rest of the test with a few unsure ones I guessed on to the best of my ability. Finished with 10-15 minutes to check answers (not sure if I rechecked all of the ones I wanted too.) I missed 1 for sure; verified 2-3 ones I guessed on that I got right. Still not sure on some others I'm sure.
I felt about the same on the PS. I had to guess on a few (2), but they were educated guesses. I didn't finish with that much time left, but I did finish on time. I took a break at the end of the PS section, and felt really good walking out of the test. The feeling that you get when you know that you did well.

VR: Felt similar to all my other tests, but I can never predict my score here. Sometimes I feel horrible and do surprisingly well, other times I do horrible, other times right on target.
Seeing as how I didn't study for the VR section, and only glanced over a practice VR test the night before the MCAT (but didn't do any practice questions), I felt really good about this section. If MCAT wants to knock me for having my own interpretation of what constitutes a thesis or central idea of a passage, I'm willing to take a lowered score. Same goes for other types of interpretative questions. I couldn't see missing more than 5 on this one, if that.

WS: I actually liked it
Same here

BS: Two hard BS passages; rest was definitely reasonable. Probably unsure about 3-5 answers (Some were really dense passages.) Finished with 10 minutes to check some of my marked questions.
Same here, too. I felt unsure of about 3-5 questions. I missed one that I should have known that was really simple. Other than that, it went well. This was the hardest section of the test, for me. I've heard that this section has appeared on previous MCATs, and that it has a reasonable curve. I doubt that I'll get less than an 11 or 12. If I do, meh. Who really cares.


AAMC AVG: 34.5
My average from 2 practice exams are 12s and 13s in PS, 12s in BS, and I'm assuming that I'll at least get over an 11 on the VR. 35+- or so at the minimum for practice tests.

I just want to be done with test lol. Like others, I pretty much spent my entire summer studying.

I shrunk your writing and added my own comments in a normally sized font.

You seem pretty similar to me.

I'd like it to just be done and over. But, I feel like it's not. It'll pass, I'm sure.

 

[PistolPete44]

I do not know how normal it is, but I think about the MCAT a bit too much. I just took the exam on the 7th and consistently switch from thinking: I did good/okay, I did horrible and ****ty (I wasted 3 months etc.). It's pretty much a constant battle.

Does anyone have any personal experience (post test feeling to actual score?):

Here's how I felt during the test:

PS: first question was a little hard and I panicked for a good minute or so. Regained some confidence and did the rest of the test with a few unsure ones I guessed on to the best of my ability. Finished with 10-15 minutes to check answers (not sure if I rechecked all of the ones I wanted too.) I missed 1 for sure; verified 2-3 ones I guessed on that I got right. Still not sure on some others I'm sure.
VR: Felt similar to all my other tests, but I can never predict my score here. Sometimes I feel horrible and do surprisingly well, other times I do horrible, other times right on target.
WS: I actually liked it
BS: Two hard BS passages; rest was definitely reasonable. Probably unsure about 3-5 answers (Some were really dense passages.) Finished with 10 minutes to check some of my marked questions.

AAMC AVG: 34.5

I just want to be done with test lol. Like others, I pretty much spent my entire summer studying.

You finished PS with time to spare? Well congrats in advance on your 14+. I majorly f*cked up on the PS section. I ended up spending way too much time on some left field questions, that left me scrambling for time on other questions (I've now since solved those questions and I think I missed the majority). I literally got a 14 on a practice test for PS like 2 days before the exam I felt so prepared. Now, I will be lucky to get an 11. Judging by how quickly you finished the sections, you are likely looking at a 35+ score. I've actually been depressed about PS since test day. It was my best section going in and with a different test on a different day, the 14 would have been possible for me. I already know I missed 4 flat out, which doesn't even take into account the 10ish or so that I marked. Oh well. C'est la vie.

But yeah, ,you're not alone. I can't think about anything else but this test. Now, I'm scared that I fell for many tricks in Bio and Verbal, cuz I thought they were manageable. I really hate this test. I've actually had to fight off the urge to study more. Not, so much because I think I performed poorly, as the fact that this test has been such a big part of my life for so long, that not studying for it feels weird. There's a void...

 

[indianjatt]

You finished PS with time to spare? Well congrats in advance on your 14+. I majorly f*cked up on the PS section. I ended up spending way too much time on some left field questions, that left me scrambling for time on other questions (I've now since solved those questions and I think I missed the majority). I literally got a 14 on a practice test for PS like 2 days before the exam I felt so prepared. Now, I will be lucky to get an 11. Judging by how quickly you finished the sections, you are likely looking at a 35+ score. I've actually been depressed about PS since test day. It was my best section going in and with a different test on a different day, the 14 would have been possible for me. I already know I missed 4 flat out, which doesn't even take into account the 10ish or so that I marked. Oh well. C'est la vie.

But yeah, ,you're not alone. I can't think about anything else but this test. Now, I'm scared that I fell for many tricks in Bio and Verbal, cuz I thought they were manageable. I really hate this test. I've actually had to fight off the urge to study more. Not, so much because I think I performed poorly, as the fact that this test has been such a big part of my life for so long, that not studying for it feels weird. There's a void...

I'm sure you did absolutely fine. I finished early, but I had to guess on a few. Just like you, I was kind of stumped on some left field discretes and had to guess on them to the best of my ability. You got 14s before the test! But yeah, I'm scared too ahaha. But we just have to wait.

 

[DoctorWhoo]

AAMC Average: 37.5

Post test I felt like $#*!... I didn't think I had done poorly, but I definitely did not feel that I scored near my average. The idea of not reaching my average made me sad because it meant that even with months of preparation, I could not meet my potential. I nervously awaited my scores (worst month ever), and almost died when I received my score (14/12/14 Q).

Moral of the story: You can't rationally predict how you did on the MCAT because you are impaired by the adrenaline rush that comes with the test! Keep yourself busy for the month, because if you dwell on it for too long you'll just hurt yourself!

Best of luck,
Dr. Whoo?

 

[geh926]

Is it bad I can barely recall what any passages were about? It makes me feel like I did poorly, but I simply just don't remember any of them...

 

[neilpryde21]

I agree with DoctorWhoo. The post-exam feeling really isn't a good indicator. I had a similar AAMC average and when I came out, I felt pretty bad as well but I think it was because I was focusing on the few questions that I was either unsure about or had no idea. It was also the first time where I actually had some time constraint issues on PS and BS where I had just enough time to go over my marked questions as opposed to my practice AAMC's where I had around 10 minutes for PS and up to 20 minutes on BS left when I was done but I ended up doing better than my average and got a 39S. It's important to remember, though, that for those WTF questions, there is a decent chance that it could be an experimental question or even passage and if you're that stumped by it, chances are majority of other test takers felt the exact same way.

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

Is it bad I can barely recall what any passages were about? It makes me feel like I did poorly, but I simply just don't remember any of them...

I could barely remember anything specific about the passages even just an hour after my test. I just remember they felt easy and a few other details about certain passages. Hell, I don't even remember what 6/7 of my PS passages were about. Same goes for VR.

 

[bauhinia123]

I think it's normal to feel bad about the test afterwards. I felt very uncertain about my score for the entire month. Kept on thinking about the questions that I potentially missed/missed for sure. My score turned out to be higher than I expected so I basically spent one month worrying about something that I should not have worried about.

Don't worry too much about it. Focus on other things to relax and ease your mind. 🙂
For me, doing research helped. I went back to the lab the day after the mcat and it definitely kept me worry-free for the time being. =)

 

[PocketJacks]

I've been having these feelings too :S. I normally get a good/relaxing feeling after doing the AAMC practice tests and score pretty decently. After the real thing, I didn't really feel "good" and felt pretty bad especially because I realized that I made stupid mistakes (like identifying the graph of a sqrt -.-). It could also be because during the AAMC tests, I had the chance to know exactly how I did right after.

At this point, I really don't know what to expect -- it can probably range from 28-40.Just have to hope for the best.

 

[CaribbeanBlue]

Heh, you kidding me?

I WISH I could have your thoughts on that 9/7 test and this was my 3rd attempt at the exam.

 

[grawrmoooink]

I voided my exam today... It was so depressing and emotionally straining. I feel like giving up on medical school because I feel like it's impossible to do decent on the MCAT. Bio section was fine. Verbal is just practice. The physical science section just killed me. Physical science is my weakness and I don't know how to get better at it. No matter how much I study it, I just can't get a good grasp on it.

I don't know what to do. I've been wanting to go to medical school for so long and I can't just give up just because of the MCAT... I really need some motivation and encouragement..

Anyone out there who went through what I'm going through right now have any really good advice or tips?

 

[indianjatt]

I voided my exam today... It was so depressing and emotionally straining. I feel like giving up on medical school because I feel like it's impossible to do decent on the MCAT. Bio section was fine. Verbal is just practice. The physical science section just killed me. Physical science is my weakness and I don't know how to get better at it. No matter how much I study it, I just can't get a good grasp on it.

I don't know what to do. I've been wanting to go to medical school for so long and I can't just give up just because of the MCAT... I really need some motivation and encouragement..

Anyone out there who went through what I'm going through right now have any really good advice or tips?

Hey man, don't take it too hard on yourself. This is just one test out of the many other factors that go into making a great doctor. I'm sure you'll be a wonderful doctor and do great in medical school, but just keep your head up and look at your ultimate goal of serving people. I'm sure if you really evaluate your issues with PS and really work on fixing them, you will own this exam next time. I.e. Ask yourself: why am I missing this? Do I not understand the concept? If so, how do I learn the best and what should I do to fill this content knowledge?

Good luck! Just keep your eye on the goal! Fingers crossed for ya

 

[Nymphicus]

I felt really tired and was worried I got a 29. I also then went to Chik-fil-a for the first time ever. I can't even remember what I did after that.

 

[brianmullanl]

I spent the entire summer and most of the year studying and I didn't even finish the PS

 

[TheLadyVanishes]

I averaged about 37 on AAMC 3, 4 and 8, and 35 on AAMC 9, 10 and 11. The MCAT felt pretty similar to AAMC 10 and 11 and I was wise to some of the pitfalls that had gotten me on the practice tests.
I felt totally positive leaving the MCAT. Now, after reading all these people who got great scores but felt terrible after leaving the test, I'm freaked out that I must have failed big time 🙁

 

[levodopa]

Immediately after I took my test, I predicted my score and I was right. Then, as time passed, I started to second-guess myself and thought I did very poorly. My immediate post-test impression was entirely accurate and I ended up scoring higher than my AAMC average.

 

[futureortho]

I left the exam Same feelings as you. Took it on 9/11. Two of my friends voided and another came out crying.

 

[newmember1]

Honestly guys, just do what I am doing. Take your mind off the MCAT, and put your mind on things more interesting...like Ashley Hinshaw

 

[MDforMee]

I voided my exam today... It was so depressing and emotionally straining. I feel like giving up on medical school because I feel like it's impossible to do decent on the MCAT. Bio section was fine. Verbal is just practice. The physical science section just killed me. Physical science is my weakness and I don't know how to get better at it. No matter how much I study it, I just can't get a good grasp on it.

I don't know what to do. I've been wanting to go to medical school for so long and I can't just give up just because of the MCAT... I really need some motivation and encouragement..

Anyone out there who went through what I'm going through right now have any really good advice or tips?

Get all the review books you can find, a case of adderall, and put this song on repeat. Don't leave your house till you're either dead or in jail... and if you're in jail, break out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJIGC90liAE

 

[solitarius]

PS: first question was a little hard and I panicked for a good minute or so. Regained some confidence and did the rest of the test with a few unsure ones I guessed on to the best of my ability. Finished with 10-15 minutes to check answers (not sure if I rechecked all of the ones I wanted too.) I missed 1 for sure; verified 2-3 ones I guessed on that I got right. Still not sure on some others I'm sure.
VR: Felt similar to all my other tests, but I can never predict my score here. Sometimes I feel horrible and do surprisingly well, other times I do horrible, other times right on target.
WS: I actually liked it
BS: Two hard BS passages; rest was definitely reasonable. Probably unsure about 3-5 answers (Some were really dense passages.) Finished with 10 minutes to check some of my marked questions.

AAMC AVG: 34.5

I just want to be done with test lol. Like others, I pretty much spent my entire summer studying.

Sounds like you're overly neurotic (the underlined portion serving as proof). Just curious, which of the two BS passages did you think were hard? I thought four of the seven BS passages were tough.