Official 8/5/09 MCAT thread

[radhika]

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Hi everyone!!

August 5th is comming up soon! 2 months away!!! hope everyone has started reviewing!

This will be my third and final time...the first time i was expecting a lowins score and got a 24...the second time i was hitting 28 on the practice tests from aamc (practice tests 8,9 and 10)....but totally blew it on the exam and got a 22....so i have 1 FINAL shot....im not too nervous because i do know most of the material......thats my story!

good luck everyone!!!!!!

 

[SoCCeRgUrL14]

Hello!

I am taking the MCAT August 5th also! This will be my first time and im pretty nervous. I have started reviewing and am starting the Kaplan class in a few days. Are there any other helpful tips you suggest since you have already taken the MCAT? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

Good luck to you and keep in touch!!

 

[radhika]

Hi!
Stay relaxed and lots of practice problems is what raised my score! I went from a 24 to a 28 (the 28 i got was from aamc#10) I hope i can get a more accurate score on the actual this final time!

Goodluck studying!

What year are you?

 

[SoCCeRgUrL14]

Ill be a senior in college this fall .... but the school I go to doesnt have a pre med program or anything, so i have basically been trying to figure all this stuff out on my own which kinda sucks lol... so are you planning on applying for the 2010 year or the 2011? ...

 

[radhika]

i still have 2 years of undergrad left to go! I took some time off to audit some classes to study for mcats and to volunteer and to take the test.....i guess i was impatient...i wanted to know if i was permed material before i finished undergrad...lol.....so far i spent 1 year auditing classes and another volunteering and studying for macts with work.....this is my last attempt!

how a re practice tests going for you?

good luck!!

 

[SoCCeRgUrL14]

I havent really taken any full length tests yet... and i have only taken the biological sciences section of the one practice test i have.. i feel like thats the section i know the best, not some much the organic but deff the biology lol ... on that practice test I got a 7 .. but thats all i have done so far.. just basically reviewing and refreshing my memory... but I actually start the kaplan course tomorrow so I hope that brings some kind of benefit to me... i have heard alot of different opinions about it so im not sure what to expect....

 

[radhika]

have you taken organic classes at school yet?

 

[SoCCeRgUrL14]

yea i have ... but i could deff use a refresher... its been almost 2 years! lol

 

[radhika]

Awesome! you should be fine then! how long is the kaplan course?

 

[itsalovestory]

Hi you all! First of all, good luck this summer! I know it's really difficult to study when everyone else is off having fun, but it'll be worth it! I just got my MCAT score back a few days ago and can help you out if you need it. I noticed that one of you said you were already taking the late AAMC tests... if I were you, I'd leave those till the end. They are the most representative of what your score will be like on the real day, and so you'll want to save them up for then!

 

[SoCCeRgUrL14]

the kaplan course is until Aug. 2nd ... so just about 2 months and ends 3 days before the real thing.. im not sure if thats a good thing or a bad thing, but im gunna give it a shot lol...

hiii itsalovestory.... awesome job on ur scores!!! u should deff be proud, i deff would be! lol ... did u take a prep class? how did you study especially for the physical sciences section, b cuz thats the section that is kicking my butt hard core right now... any advice would be fantastic!!!!!!

 

[itsalovestory]

soccergurl14, physical sciences kicked my butt for the longest time... AND it kicked my butt on the real exam. i'm not too happy with that score, but in the context of everything else, i'm not crying over it either. please don't use EK for PS if you're not good at it naturally... i felt as if EK is great for those who have the material down but are just looking for shortcuts. try berkeley review instead. their genchem is magic.

and feralisextremum, i literally had every organ system memorized to the last detail, and used kaplan's organic chemistry to get down their reactions. EK provided too few reactions, but their chapter 1 and chapter 4 were amazing. ultimately, my BS section was incredibly difficult... just look at some of the reviews from 05/01! the reason i think i scored the way i did was how i broke the section up: first went through and hit all the discretes, then did all the physiology passages, and then came back for organic chemistry. i had three ochem passages, which sucked big time, but because of this, ended up with about 45 minutes for all of them. even people who love ochem sometimes struggle at the BS section because the reactions can be absolutely bizarre. because of this, i made sure to have my bio down like no other, and then i could have a ridiculous amount of time left over.

with ochem, i try my hardest not to use reactions i have memorized in my head for the passages.. i instead look at the reactants that are given, and see what can be done with them. for example, whenever i see a carbonyl carbon, the first step i imagine is the double bond on the oxygen turning into an extra electron pair and negative charge on the oxygen, and then a nucleophile attacking the open carbon. sorry if that doesn't make sense.. let me know if you need clarification!

 

[radhika]

Hi everyone!!! almost a month away!!! how's it going?? im still trying to do and review all the problems from EK as i can and am waiting to take practice tests starting 3 weeks before test day.....

i hope things go differently this time though....i was ready last time....knew the concepts and did great on the recent aamc ( 8,9) actual practice tests.....but did horrible on test day ...i remember being really tired during the breaks..do you all think it was a one time bad luck thing or something that has to do with me...let me know! any advice would be deeply appreciated!! thanks !!!

good luck!!

 

[kabtq9s]

I'll be taking it (GOD willing) Aug 5th too...good Luck everybody 👍

 

[quynhhuong]

It's July 4th and I'm not planning to do anything fun at all. I'm studying my butt off indoor today even though it's so nice outside (very rare for the northwest to have a dry 4th ). I figure if I get in, I'll party all out next year. lol. I've been struggling with PS and VR scoring around 22-24 rite now. I'm so stressed out. Hopefully my scores will raise to near 30s by the test day, Aug 5.
English is my second language so most Qs i got wrong on is not understanding the passage. any advice?

 

[moose45]

Im taking it august 6th, do i fit in this group?

 

[radhika]

sur you do.....we'll just be free a day before you!!! just kidding!!!😀 good luck studying.....28 days!!!!🙂

 

[drzing]

takin it the 5th..3rd time...had a 29 then a 28...shoulda never retaken it.

 

[suk1111]

Im SERIOUSLY struggling with verbal. btw how long before the real test date should I have started taking the practice tests. I am taking my first practice test this friday.

 

[moose45]

this friday is the perfect day to start taking the full lengths. then take one every 3 days after this friday.

Im SERIOUSLY struggling with verbal. btw how long before the real test date should I have started taking the practice tests. I am taking my first practice test this friday.

 

[radhika]

where can i find more verbal practice....im almost done with EK!

thanks!!!🙂

 

[mouiw]

omg.. i don't know about everyone else.. but aug. 5th is coming by so fast! :/

 

[quynhhuong]

I know, only 2 weeks to go and I'm totally not ready. VR is killing me. AAaaahhhhhhhhhhhh.

 

[radhika]

I took aamc #8 today.... PS 9 VR 10 bs 10

during the test it didn't feel like i remembered anything.....but i took this same test exactly three months ago....i was wondering if these scores are an accurate prediction...

thanks bunches !!!
15 days...good luck!!!!🙂

 

[drzing]

bump

 

[radhika]

bump

😕

 

[drzing]

😕

sorry...didnt realize it was so close to tthe top..youd think we would have more people posting by now unless this day is just not popular at all..lol

 

[radhika]

no worries....have you started practice tests yet from aamc?

 

[bruceleehiiiyaa]

where can i find more verbal practice....im almost done with EK!

thanks!!!🙂

you have 2 more years left?! what is wrong with you. you are KILLING your chances at med school by retaking this exam so early. why dont you stop worrying about your fate, and like every other normal premed, take all the classes before you take the mcat. i can assure you that you'll do a LOT BETTER.

just so you know...even a 28 isnt a good score for med school. i am retaking and i got a 31P (i didnt get into med school last year and i have above a 3.7). i hope that puts things in perspective.

 

[radhika]

you have 2 more years left?! what is wrong with you. you are KILLING your chances at med school by retaking this exam so early. why dont you stop worrying about your fate, and like every other normal premed, take all the classes before you take the mcat. i can assure you that you'll do a LOT BETTER.

just so you know...even a 28 isnt a good score for med school. i am retaking and i got a 31P (i didnt get into med school last year and i have above a 3.7). i hope that puts things in perspective.

ive finished all of the pre-med requirements.......and im shooting for do schools......plus my aamc tests have gotten a lot better....🙂

i left school to transfer b/c it was too expensive and i had to wait for a loan...i used the time to audit classes id already taken so i could understand them better....and study for mcats....even all the counselors gave it a thumbs up....

what do you think about my original question though....Thanks!!!🙂

 

[bruceleehiiiyaa]

ive finished all of the pre-med requirements.......and im shooting for do schools......plus my aamc tests have gotten a lot better....🙂

i left school to transfer b/c it was too expensive and i had to wait for a loan...i used the time to audit classes id already taken so i could understand them better....and study for mcats....even all the counselors gave it a thumbs up....

what do you think about my original question though....Thanks!!!🙂

i meant take all the classes for a grade, instead of auditing

 

[radhika]

i meant take all the classes for a grade, instead of auditing

already took all pre-med req. officially.....

 

[bruceleehiiiyaa]

already took all pre-med req. officially.....

oh well in that case, shiiiit good luck. i think you may be like me and find too much comfort in the AAMC exams. I tend to do really well if the exam is "easy" , but i don't do proportionally as well when the exam is "hard". as in, not only do i get more questions wrong (obviously), but i get a lot MORE questions wrong due to mental stress or frustration or whatever.

so, do a lot of the other exams i.e kaplan, tpr just for mental stability and preparation. That's what i'm working on. I know the ****ing material, ugh, but when i come across a question that is "hard", i get really flustered and that mindset carries onto the next question, next section, etc.

so keep doing hard questions and keep improving your mindset, and i think you will do a LOT better.

 

[drzing]

so ive been takeing practice tests...TPR is ridiculous..i think i might stop taking those.

I only have Kaplan 10 & 11 left from the kaplan series that i can take and i heard theyre pretty hard..but i got a 34 on Kaplan 9 yesterday, which was great

 

[radhika]

thats awesome!.....which of the kaplan tests are hardest....where can i find them....Thanks so much guys!!!🙂

 

[vandyam]

so ive been takeing practice tests...TPR is ridiculous..i think i might stop taking those.

I only have Kaplan 10 & 11 left from the kaplan series that i can take and i heard theyre pretty hard..but i got a 34 on Kaplan 9 yesterday, which was great

Please do not take 10 and 11 -- they are totally unrepresentative, your score will drop dramatically, and it will do nothing but ruin your confidence right before the MCAT. Just stick to AAMC right before the test day for the most accurate prediction of how you will do.

 

[radhika]

thanks!!!.....

im just worried b/c ive already taken 8, 9,10 aamcs about 3 months ago (while i was getting ready for my mcat....im retaking🙁).....

i took aamc 8 on monday.....my score went up.....and it did not feel like i remembered anything from the first time.....

but do you think my most recent score is still a good estimate....thanks bunches!!!🙂

any thoughts would be loved!!!!😀

 

[stockraider]

whats up ppl, its almost midnite and i'm goin over g chem stuff, i have nailed this on the mcat before, my biggest problem was bio, so hopefully i'll beat the crap out of it. whats everyone else's problem area?

 

[quynhhuong]

whats up ppl, its almost midnite and i'm goin over g chem stuff, i have nailed this on the mcat before, my biggest problem was bio, so hopefully i'll beat the crap out of it. whats everyone else's problem area?

mine is VR, VR, n VR. seems like I understand the passage but tend to forget the details. Especially long questions and answer choices confuse the heck out of me and make me forget what was actually in the passage. do u have any suggestion?

 

[drzing]

Please do not take 10 and 11 -- they are totally unrepresentative, your score will drop dramatically, and it will do nothing but ruin your confidence right before the MCAT. Just stick to AAMC right before the test day for the most accurate prediction of how you will do.

haha i wasnt planning on it really...just going to do 3 or 4 more TPR and then AAMC 10, 5, 3, and maybe 9 again (just took it in may for the may 22 mcat, which i did bad on..lol), on and maybe aamc 6

 

[stockraider]

mine is VR, VR, n VR. seems like I understand the passage but tend to forget the details. Especially long questions and answer choices confuse the heck out of me and make me forget what was actually in the passage. do u have any suggestion?

ok so VR thank God has never been a problem for me, i've scored in double digits even on my very first practice exam...however i've met several ppl that do have a problem with it, so i looked back at the way i do things and how it's different from everyone else and heres what i've realized:
1. i stay focused on the task at hand and never, ever read too much into the passage. remember you are reading this passage to answer questions, not to learn something about african tribal traditions or whatever.
2. if i don't understand a passage or if the topic is too hard, i don't read the passage, the first thing i do is look at the questions that are being asked and quickly skim over them and the answer choices, THEN i go back and read the passage paying attention to only the things taht come up in the questions.
3. i always keep in mind (and sometimes write down on a scrap peice of paper) the actual topic and thesis of teh passage once i figure it out before moving on to the rest of the passage. if i can't figure out the overall point, i just keep a summary of the first paragraph in my head
4. as i read through the passage, if any difficult word comes up, or any convoluted idea is presented that isn't completely elaborated, i make sure to make a mental note of its context and location (or i just write it down)--this helps for questions like what does the author MEAN when he says this or mentions that. in this context and implication are important since you have no explicit data to fall back on.

hope this helps, about to start a kaplan verbal reasoning exam in the MCAT 45 book, will get back to y'all on how i do and any more advice i can give.

 

[stockraider]

my biggest problem seems to be orgo, anyone willing to give me some pointers on that? i know there's like 8 questions on the mcat with orgo, what should i focus on at this point and what should i not bother doing? i'm studying the TPR books, as well as the EK book, which one is better. what is everyone else's study habit to help them memorize the conditions and reactions?

 

[radhika]

is it true that the aamc tests fl 7,8,9,10 are the only ones that are accurate because they are difficult?

thanks!

 

[stockraider]

is it true that the aamc tests fl 7,8,9,10 are the only ones that are accurate because they are difficult?

thanks!

i don't really think that is necessarily true, when i last took the mcat, the bio section was COMPLETELY different than any of those fl's, although the physical and verbal sections were consistent in difficulty. my one piece of advice, use the aamc's you mentioned to practice your physicals and verbal skills, but keep reviewing the material for bio and orgo, cause i feel no matter how many difficult aamc fl's you take, you will need to be on top of your game for the bio section. those exams could be deathly inaccurate if you walk into exam day with your only studying being going over the aamc practice exams for the last couple of weeks. study your orgo reactions and concepts especially well cause this makes or breaks your bio score! bottom line, don't rely on the latter aamc fl's to prepare you in any way for the bio section. for physics and verbal on the other hand..they are accurate.

 

[radhika]

ver true.....now that you said it.....i just thought i got tired by the end of the test or something......but the orgo concepts and rxns are sooo important!....ive been trying to review all my important notes every 4 days.....plus ill be taking the remaining aamcs.....how are prepping these last few days?

good luck studying!🙂

 

[suk1111]

HEY GUYS,
i need your help. this is my first time taking the mcat test. and i started doing the kaplan practice tests and the highest I got was a 25. I dont know what to do and Im really really scared. I feel like i am not strong on the content so that is why I do bad on the tests. But even when I study the content I do poorly. Any help guys? August 5th is coming up real fast, and i dont know how I should go about studying. Please give me insight, please please???

 

[stockraider]

HEY GUYS,
i need your help. this is my first time taking the mcat test. and i started doing the kaplan practice tests and the highest I got was a 25. I dont know what to do and Im really really scared. I feel like i am not strong on the content so that is why I do bad on the tests. But even when I study the content I do poorly. Any help guys? August 5th is coming up real fast, and i dont know how I should go about studying. Please give me insight, please please???

here is the thing...have you taken any of the AAMC exams? if you have and are still in the 20s, i recommend not taking the exam this month. your kaplan scores highlight a serious gap in your grasp of the material. you need to sit down review, review and review. if you don't feel you are strong on the content, there is no reason to take the test and be disappointed at the result especially if you're vying for md schools. the best thing you can do is have a clear head, cancel any activity that takes up a lot of your time and just sit down and hit the books until it makes sense. if it doesen't, bet a study partner and bounce ideas off each other or go on SDN chat and find someone you can work out a schedule with...some ppl (like me) work better with a single study partner. i dunno what year of school you are in, or if you've had most of the pre-req courses for pre-med, but if you're not strong on the content don't take the exam...i seriously cant stress this enough. you'll get your score, level out, feel you can't do any better and settle for carribbean or DO programs and think about how your life would've been 10 years from now if you'd actually sacrificed more for the exam. if your goal IS DO or carribean, then i'd say it's worth the risk, but for alleopathic MD sacrifice your whole summer if you have to to get this test right.

 

[stockraider]

ver true.....now that you said it.....i just thought i got tired by the end of the test or something......but the orgo concepts and rxns are sooo important!....ive been trying to review all my important notes every 4 days.....plus ill be taking the remaining aamcs.....how are prepping these last few days?

good luck studying!🙂

hahaha yeaaa from what i've been hearin they are using orgo this year to seperate the weak from the strong in bio.

 

[radhika]

how will you be prepping from orgo😕......

it seems like i take away different thinks from studying the actual reactions.....that seems to build confidence.......

and doing practice problems seems to teach me the little tricks in the concepts.....

how about you?????

Thanks!!!😀😀

 

[suk1111]

Hi everyone!!

August 5th is comming up soon! 2 months away!!! hope everyone has started reviewing!

This will be my third and final time...the first time i was expecting a lowins score and got a 24...the second time i was hitting 28 on the practice tests from aamc (practice tests 8,9 and 10)....but totally blew it on the exam and got a 22....so i have 1 FINAL shot....im not too nervous because i do know most of the material......thats my story!

good luck everyone!!!!!!

hey radhika,
i just had a question, the first time you took your mcat (1st test) how were you doing on your practice tests. Its just that im taking my test a year earlier than most students and im not doing so well on it, but i have been studying and now i cant really change the date of my test. Any suggestions you can give to me, on how to improve the scores,.
thanks