Official August 2, 2014 MCAT Thread

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I started FLs this week, so far not look so good lol but I have been learning from my mistakes.
Kaplan FL 2: 8,67 = 21
Kaplan FL 3: 10, 7, 5 = 22
Would have done better if not for the bio where I messed up. FL 4 tomorrow!
 
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And I only need a 24 so am not stressing so much right now but I know I will improve to the 30's with more FLs
 
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You only need a 24? I think you can make that improvement in a month. Your BS is a little low but I'm not sure if Kaplan is harder than the AAMC. Let us know how your FL4 goes!

I hate verbal man.. I'm taking about 9min per passage and consistently getting 2 wrong a passage.
 
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K1NG said:
You only need a 24? I think you can make that improvement in a month. Your BS is a little low but I'm not sure if Kaplan is harder than the AAMC. Let us know how your FL4 goes!

I hate verbal man.. I'm taking about 9min per passage and consistently getting 2 wrong a passage.
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Yeah for a special program but of course am aiming for 30's. Verbal has been crazy and i think Kaplan FL are definitely harder than the AAMC.
Are you done with content?
 
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BigEinstein said:
Yeah for a special program but of course am aiming for 30's. Verbal has been crazy and i think Kaplan FL are definitely harder than the AAMC.
Are you done with content?
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Oh cool, sounds like a nice program lol. I'm finishing up Day 45 right now.. decided I'm going to start FL's next week and continue to finish up content. So far here's my breakdowns for my TBR passages:

Gen chem: 71.79%
Physics: 66.5% 🙁
Orgo: 75.2%
Bio (including EK 30-min IC): 70.7%

Not sure what this is going to translate into :nailbiting:
 
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How guys holding up?? Decided to start FL's next week, so I can hit my goal of Day 60 by July 4 to finish up content. But I used some of the AAMC's when I took it last year, I don't really remember any info that was on it but I still think my scores may be a skewed a little. I was thinking of buying the GS exams people have been talking about. Any other suggestions?

And btw if I start next week I think I'll only have ~3 weeks for exams. Hope that would be enough. I wanted to squeeze more exams in but if I do one every 2 days I think I can get in about 8 or 9.
 
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Hey everyone, this thread is not very active at all! July 12 person just changed registration to August 2.

How's everyone doing?? I'm maybe 2/3 done with content review.

Kaplan FLs in order:
FL1: 31 (8,12,11)
FL7: 28 (9,11,8)
FL10: 30 (9,12,9)
AAMC 5: 28 (9,10,9)
FL2: 33 (11,11,11)
AAMC 4: 31 (10,11,10)
FL3: 30 (11,11,8)

Just took Kaplan FL3, freaked at my 30 and switched my registration. Going over the BS section now...made so many dumb, dumb mistakes. Grr! Me: non-trad <3.0 cGPA from undergrad, shooting for a 35...

Plan: finish content review over next 5 days/watch world cup, do AAMC SA, do tons of the Kaplan online tests/quizzes, finish AAMC tests, rock MCAT.
 
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Good luck my friend. I make a lot of silly mistakes when I'm stressed and trying to do it too quickly. What I'm doing on passages now is just taking a little 5 second breather if I ever feel that way. Helps a lot actually. Anyways going to start FL's next week.. really nervous/excited at the same time lol.
 
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Yeah this is the most inactive thread on sdn so I had to join Aug 7ers, makes me look like thread prostitute lol. Anyway am taking AAMC 5 today after doing bad on AAMC 3 days ago ( 20 )
 
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BigEinstein said:
Yeah this is the most inactive thread on sdn so I had to join Aug 7ers, makes me look like thread prostitute lol. Anyway am taking AAMC 5 today after doing bad on AAMC 3 days ago ( 20 )
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Lol let us make this thread happening again! Hope AAMC 5 goes well for you. That was my first AAMC and it definitely kicked me into high gear because I was not where I wanted to be...
 
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HinduHammer said:
Lol let us make this thread happening again! Hope AAMC 5 goes well for you. That was my first AAMC and it definitely kicked me into high gear because I was not where I wanted to be...
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Lol where are you. Let's keep this **** alive. Where is everyone on this thread??
 
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BigEinstein said:
And I only need a 24 so am not stressing so much right now but I know I will improve to the 30's with more FLs
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BigEinstein said:
Yeah for a special program but of course am aiming for 30's. Verbal has been crazy and i think Kaplan FL are definitely harder than the AAMC.
Are you done with content?
Click to expand...

What program is that?
 
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Hey guys, I took the June 13 mcat, and I don't think it worked out well. I receive my score next Tuesday, and I'm pretty bummed about it, so I've signed up for my retake to be on August 2nd.
 
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BigEinstein said:
Lol where are you. Let's keep this **** alive. Where is everyone on this thread??
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Hey!! Thanks for replying, why is this thread so deaddd????

I took AAMC 7 today. 32 (10,10,12). Not bad, but kinda dissapointed. I thought I did awful on PS so a 10 is fine I guess, but I have done so much F-ing practice and equation memorization... 10 on VR was disappointing, I always end up with like 3-4 minutes with one whole passage to do, and its not enough time to read the passage and answer the questions, and too much time to blindly guess, it pisses me off! Worst of both worlds! By the time bio came around I was like "KILL ME NOW." Bio I think I did OK because I guessed correctly on like all the orgo.

Not where I want to be, but so glad I re-scheduled from July 12. Still have 3 weeks from Saturday. I'll be working in the lab on Fridays, volunteering at the free clinic on Tuesdays, and watching World Cup this weekend...so, I have ALOT to do in the next few weeks!! I have a low GPA so I need to rock this MCAT.

Kaplan FL 1 31(8,12,11)
FL 7 28 (9,11,8)
FL 10 (9,12,9)
AAMC 5 28 (9,10,9)
FL 2 33 (11,11,11)
AAMC 4 31 (10,11,10)
FL 3 (11,11,8)
AAMC 7 today 32 (10,10,12)

Argh!! Why won't you go up VR!!! Why do I waste time on like 2 passages for the first 35 minutes then scramble like a fiend to finish the rest in the last 30-40 minutes!! ARGH!!!

Do any of you guys "Triage"? I've been trying it the last few tests and it doesn't seem to do anything for me except that I waste time clicking back and forth.

Le sigh...

How are you doing @BigEinstein ?
 
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What's up guys!! Still here lurking lol

Update on my part.. started FL this week and so far have completed AAMC 3 and 4. Will take 5 this weekend. Here's my breakdown so far:

AAMC 3 - 30 (12/7/11)
AAMC 4 - 31 (12/8/11)

I hate verbal so much lol really bringing me down! I'm going to try to dedicate more time to them and do ~10 passages a day but trying to finish up the last of my TBR chapters and also working on getting my primary submitted.

@HinduHammer you're scores are looking very solid man. Great balance and consistency. Check my sig for some verbal tips. I've been implementing them but not having much luck as you can see lol just need more practice.

How's everyone else holding up? 3 more weeks!
 
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K1NG said:
What's up guys!! Still here lurking lol

Update on my part.. started FL this week and so far have completed AAMC 3 and 4. Will take 5 this weekend. Here's my breakdown so far:

AAMC 3 - 30 (12/7/11)
AAMC 4 - 31 (12/8/11)

I hate verbal so much lol really bringing me down! I'm going to try to dedicate more time to them and do ~10 passages a day but trying to finish up the last of my TBR chapters and also working on getting my primary submitted.

@HinduHammer you're scores are looking very solid man. Great balance and consistency. Check my sig for some verbal tips. I've been implementing them but not having much luck as you can see lol just need more practice.

How's everyone else holding up? 3 more weeks!
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Hey thanks for the encouragement @K1NG ,, I'd be more grateful for the consistency if the scores consistently went up!! I'm sure you know the feeling, you spend all this time reviewing, making flashcards, reviewing, practice passages, and the scores aren't really going up... BTW, I don't see the verbal tips in your sig that you're referring to...??

Your scores are looking good as well, obviously your science scores are more than competitive. I hate VR!!! It's like, once in awhile I see why my mistake was wrong, but the majority of the time I don't get why the answer I picked is wrong...SIGH.

Re taking AAMCs 4 and 5 this weekend, FWIW I would take one test, de-brief THE NEXT Day, not later that night, and then take the next AAMC either the next day or 1 day later... This way you're looking at the questions from the previous AAMC with somewhat 'fresh' eyes and can process the info better while you sleep. I feel like that works better for me at least.

How is your pacing going? Do you finish with time left usually or not? Do you 'triage' passages or just attack them in order?
 
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HinduHammer said:
Hey thanks for the encouragement @K1NG ,, I'd be more grateful for the consistency if the scores consistently went up!! I'm sure you know the feeling, you spend all this time reviewing, making flashcards, reviewing, practice passages, and the scores aren't really going up... BTW, I don't see the verbal tips in your sig that you're referring to...??

Your scores are looking good as well, obviously your science scores are more than competitive. I hate VR!!! It's like, once in awhile I see why my mistake was wrong, but the majority of the time I don't get why the answer I picked is wrong...SIGH.

Re taking AAMCs 4 and 5 this weekend, FWIW I would take one test, de-brief THE NEXT Day, not later that night, and then take the next AAMC either the next day or 1 day later... This way you're looking at the questions from the previous AAMC with somewhat 'fresh' eyes and can process the info better while you sleep. I feel like that works better for me at least.

How is your pacing going? Do you finish with time left usually or not? Do you 'triage' passages or just attack them in order?
Click to expand...

Oh just realized that your signature only appears on the first post of each page. Check my first post on this page and youll see my signature on the bottom.

I wish I had time for more review but I'm also going to go over each chapter in between FL's days. I also review the next day like you do I think that's the best way. I forget the verbal passages sometimes so I just redo that section separately again if I have time so it's fresh in my mind.

Pacing is good so far. What about you? VR obiously I feel rushed but PS and BS I'm finishing with about a minute to spare. I don't really triage but I'll do all the discretes first and then focus on the passages.

Here are the verbal links btw I just copied and pasted:

Vihasadas's Verbal Strategy | BloodySurgeon's Verbal Guide | QofQuimica Verbal Reasoning Explanations | SN2ed Verbal Post Game Analysis Tips
 
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T-19 days people!! I am still trying to finish content review!! Gonna take AAMC 3 tomorrow and do AAMC SA this week also. Planning to take Kaplan FL4 or AAMC 8 on Thursday too.
 
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So I took AAMC 3 today. I'm not sure who these people are that are saying its so much easier than the later aamc tests!!! I got a 31 (11,11,9). Boo. My last AAMC less than a week ago I got a 12 in BS and today a 9. WTF?!?! I am two weeks away from the test and consistently scoring 4-5 points below where I want to be...
 
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Finished AAMC 8 today, 33 (12/9/12)

Can't seem to find the breakthrough with VR... Timing was way off, I missed 7 questions in the last two passages.. 🙁

I'm also noticing in VR that I miss many of the questions that relate to "weakening/challenging/strengthening" arguments/claims, or ones that relate to which statement the author would most/least agree with.

Anyone have any tips on how to tackle these sort of questions?
 
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I just got a 34 on AAMC 9...thank God... 12,11,11. Good balance, took it in a nice quiet environment today. Not bad. Still have to debrief over AAMC 11 and do the AAMC SA for VR, and both BS, but this is a major positive formation considering I got 5 points lower yesterday when I did AAMC 11... So much work to do in the next 7 days, but very happy over this practice test.

@MolonLabe16 save those questions for the last in the passage set, they take alot of time and thought.
 
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I think I'll give that a go, leave those questions for last and get the easier points first. Thanks for the tip!
 
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MolonLabe16 said:
I think I'll give that a go, leave those questions for last and get the easier points first. Thanks for the tip!
Click to expand...

Also @K1NG has a post earlier in this thread where he has links to some really good VR tips. One I like from Bloody Surgeon (I thnk) is to not re-read sentences just keep going, and another which I'll start practicing tomorrow on the AAMC VR SA is to time myself and try and finish every passage in under 6.5 minutes.
 
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Man I wish I started doing all this SDN stuff earlier!
We are so terrifyingly close guys.
So one of my biggest worries is reading just makes me PASS OUT. Half of my "why I missed it" sheets are full of "eh I was just really sleepy on this one"
I like to think on test day I'll be more alert.
Any one have any tips on STAYING AWAKE or have the same problem?

(I have actually slapped myself in the face to wake myself up but I don't think this will be accepted at the testing site)
 
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llore_lie said:
Man I wish I started doing all this SDN stuff earlier!
We are so terrifyingly close guys.
So one of my biggest worries is reading just makes me PASS OUT. Half of my "why I missed it" sheets are full of "eh I was just really sleepy on this one"
I like to think on test day I'll be more alert.
Any one have any tips on STAYING AWAKE or have the same problem?

(I have actually slapped myself in the face to wake myself up but I don't think this will be accepted at the testing site)
Click to expand...

Yes I have the same problem. I am trying to just look at the questions, this makes me more alert to get thru the passage (reading passage just to get info is boring, reading passage to get answer to question is more active = less boring). Also, erect posture.
 
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Hey HinduHammer, I read through those strategies, and I think I'm starting to feel out this verbal section better. Today, I actively try to understand the topic from the get-go, I spend much longer on the first paragraph than any paragraph in the passage. I then try to link all the subsequent paragraphs back to the main idea/thesis from the beginning of the passage (creating a sort of mental map). At the end I ask myself, "what does the author really want me to get from this?" From doing all of this it has really helped me make the answer choices to questions more black and white. I feel like I can immediately eliminate two answer choices and better my odds. And knocking out the detail questions first really boosts my confidence for the other hard and more time-consuming questions. I still got a 9 on the AAMC 10, but my mindset felt completely different, and I felt much more in control. Time to postgame!

Also, llore_lie concerning falling asleep because of shear boredom on some of these passages: What I try to do is read the passages with an epic and enthusiastic voice in my head, and sometimes make hand gestures at the same time as if I'm giving a speech... This may sound dumb, but it helps make the passages seem less boring and really livens things up. I don't know if this works for everyone, but I gave it a shot and it seems much better than reading some of these humanities passages with a monotone voice. Anyways, hope this helps some!

PS - 36 (14/9/13) on AAMC10! Very happy with this, hopefully I can replicate these results on test day :xf:
 
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One of the biggest things that boosted my score in verbal was answering "for the author" instead of what I thought the right answer should be. Usually works out. (believe that is an exam krackers strategy)
 
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Weird how I started this group, got banned and signed up with new user name. Anyway I have decided to void on Saturday after getting 24 on AAMC 10 today. I know content but with English being my second language, verbal kicks my butt and I find it hard understanding some of the passages and questions.
 
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llore_lie said:
One of the biggest things that boosted my score in verbal was answering "for the author" instead of what I thought the right answer should be. Usually works out. (believe that is an exam krackers strategy)
Click to expand...

Yeah it's also a Kaplan strategy. I try to do that, some questions aren't very amenable to that strategy though.

BigEinstein said:
Weird how I started this group, got banned and signed up with new user name. Anyway I have decided to void on Saturday after getting 24 on AAMC 10 today. I know content but with English being my second language, verbal kicks my butt and I find it hard understanding some of the passages and questions.
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I started the July 12 thread and postponed until August 2 lol. At least you'll be taking the test with us even if you decide to void. Hey if it goes well you can always decide to have it scored.
 
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BigEinstein said:
Weird how I started this group, got banned and signed up with new user name. Anyway I have decided to void on Saturday after getting 24 on AAMC 10 today. I know content but with English being my second language, verbal kicks my butt and I find it hard understanding some of the passages and questions.
Click to expand...

Don't void it!!! I know someone who got into a prestigious school with a 24. My highest practice so far has been a 26, and I'll take anything I can get. I also bombed VR today, maybe because of the same reason you mentioned: I'm from Brazil so understanding some of the more classically written passages where there's a lot of poetic "crap" to it makes no sense.
 
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How is everyone doing?? How are you guys "prepping" this week? My last study day will be tomorrow. I'm taking thursday and friday off and relax. On saturday morning I'll be getting up at 5am, exercising, eating a good breakfast, and taking 15 minutes to go over the Kaplan quick sheets to warm my brain up. Then it'll be rock 'n roll! I know you guys can do this!!!
 
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AAMC11 will be my last practice test tomorrow, then I will go over it and try to relax as much as possible on Thursday-Friday, and test day Saturday.

Anyone else having trouble sleeping? I couldn't fall asleep last night until 2 am because I was so restless, this process has taken its toll... :blackeye:
 
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MolonLabe16 said:
AAMC11 will be my last practice test tomorrow, then I will go over it and try to relax as much as possible on Thursday-Friday, and test day Saturday.

Anyone else having trouble sleeping? I couldn't fall asleep last night until 2 am because I was so restless, this process has taken its toll... :blackeye:
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I'm the same way. What helps a lot is putting 1-2 drops of lavender essential oil on your pillow at night to help you calm down! it works for me 🙂 and the morning of the exam I'll be smelling lots of peppermint and orange essential oils to help my brain wake up and stay alert and focused.
 
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I am getting pretty burnt out, but I'm still going.

Tomorrow I will be taking AAMC 10, my last AAMC official exam, then debriefing it afterwards, attempting to finish Orgo and VR SA and some Kaplan subject tests on Chem, Bio, and Physics.

Thursday, I plan to completely go over Official Guide to the MCAT 100+ questions and finishing the kaplan tests. Friday morning I will be exercising my ass off, and doing flashcard review until about 3pm. Then hang out with some friends, watch a couple movies, and go to sleep early. If I can get up early enough on Saturday I will exercise before the test, if not at least do some yoga. I am getting nervous and seriously burnt out.

Also, I am worried/nervous cuz I took AAMC 11 last Friday and got a 29 (9,10,10), which was really surprising...and then the next day, Saturday, I took AAMC 9 and got a 34 (12,11,11) WTF?!

I am hoping for a nice balanced (high score) on AAMC 10 tomorrow to boost my confidence...
 
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HinduHammer said:
Also, I am worried/nervous cuz I took AAMC 11 last Friday and got a 29 (9,10,10), which was really surprising...and then the next day, Saturday, I took AAMC 9 and got a 34 (12,11,11) WTF?!
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Hey there, taking the test on Saturday too!

Glad to know I'm not the only one, I took AAMC 11 today and got a 31 (11/9/11), I usually do a bit better, in all three sections. I though it was pretty hard; the PS had obscure concepts, VR was the usual lol, and BS was a train wreck... those BS passages were killer. Anyway don't feel too bad I heard AAMC 11 was the hardest, so don't get too discouraged! Unfortunately I saved that one for last but oh well...

Good luck! I'm sure we'll do great!
 
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CarEnthusiast said:
Hey there, taking the test on Saturday too!

Glad to know I'm not the only one, I took AAMC 11 today and got a 31 (11/9/11), I usually do a bit better, in all three sections. I though it was pretty hard; the PS had obscure concepts, VR was the usual lol, and BS was a train wreck... those BS passages were killer. Anyway don't feel too bad I heard AAMC 11 was the hardest, so don't get too discouraged! Unfortunately I saved that one for last but oh well...

Good luck! I'm sure we'll do great!
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I'm right with you @CarEnthusiast , I just finished AAMC11 and got a 32 (13/7/12). VR killed me, I got really thrown off by a passage early on. BS and PS weren't too terrible, but they were definitely more challenging than any of the other AAMC exams. I'm praying that this was/will be the hardest test we have to take...

I'm just going to do verbal for the rest of the day :vomit::yuck::hungover:. I really need a miracle on VR on saturday!!!

Hope everyone's last minute studies go well, we will kill it on Saturday
 
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Wow I just took AAMC 10 and missed 5/6 questions on the 2nd to last passage (the physics one)... it was really conceptual, and I was running low on time. Dropped me from a 12-13 to a 10. Looking over it now, the questions were understandable, but many after the previous passage (the conceptual chem one), I think my brain was kinda fried. Here's hoping to a calc heavy PS on Saturday. Little annoyed by my 31 (10,11,10).
 
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healthyfitmom said:
Don't void it!!! I know someone who got into a prestigious school with a 24. My highest practice so far has been a 26, and I'll take anything I can get. I also bombed VR today, maybe because of the same reason you mentioned: I'm from Brazil so understanding some of the more classically written passages where there's a lot of poetic "crap" to it makes no sense.
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I know where you coming from and thanks but after getting 22 on AAMC 11 today I think I will just void and cry. This is just so hard for me to bear smh
 
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BigEinstein said:
I know where you coming from and thanks but after getting 22 on AAMC 11 today I think I will just void and cry. This is just so hard for me to bear smh
Click to expand...

Hey I would void if I could devote enough time after August 2 to take it later...but I can't, so I'm taking it and having it scored come hell or high water. BTW, why did you get banned lol?
 
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I could but it all depends on how I feel. I have content down, i just find it hard understanding
Oh and for that ban lol, I cursed out at this guy who was complaining of retaking a 35. Like really? retake a 35? I still consider him an idiot or attention seeking prick lol. SDN bans really fast lol
 
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Judging from how silent this thread is, I guess most of the sdn 30+ students will not be taking it this day meaning we wouldn't do so great and the curve will be more lenient.
 
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