** Official EK schedule/material users thread **

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Pontifex Maximus

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Whether you're using the study schedule, just the books, or just the 1001 series, check in here. We can update each other on progress, and ask questions. I did my first practice MCAT today, and got a 24-25 depending on who you ask. I'm fairly satisfied.

Feel free to post anything here. Doesn't even have to be MCAT related :)

:thumbup:
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I am glad someone started this thread!

I'v been reviewing the EK books and listening to Audio Osmosis for the past month. I'll be starting the EK 10 week Home Study Plan with a full-length practice exam this weekend. Hopefully my 'baseline' won't be too bad! :scared:

Good luck to everyone!
 
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Good luck to you guys, I'm in week 4 of the prep schedule and just took my second practice MCAT today and went up 4 points (who cares if everyone says test 3 is the easiest, it's good for the ego...ha!) What I've found is that studying different subjects during the week has prevented me from learning one thing then forgetting it as I move on to the next subject.

Ada
 
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I started the 10 week plan a week early, so that I have some extra breathing room and review time. I took my first practice exam today and I received a score of a 27. I'm aiming for a 35 on the real thing, hopefully I can boost my score!

Make sure you keep posting and keep me motivated :)
 
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Got a 21, but this I did this after a long layoff form studying and in the wrong order that EK proposes to do (ie I did it before I was supposed to). Getting 10's across the board on the 30 min tests in the books, so hopefully things will look up and improve when the time is right... like sometime in April :thumbup:
 
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got a 25 on the 3R this saturday which was about what I was hoping for since I have not taken physics or chemistry in about 6 years. It's annoying to take the exam and see a simple radiation problem that I can't solve.

I'm not following the EK study schedule. I have my own.

I'd reading the economist every day and soon will start Harper's.reading every single article from cover to cover. After 1.5 weeks I am already finding that I am not zoning out when reading and I am forming the MAIN IDEA much quicker. hopeful 101 verbal passages will get me above 10's before I finish the book.

how are you guys going over the verbal? the verbal method says to go back to the passage a day later. I'm trying to do the following:
1. take verbal exam timed. score it.
2.each day during next few days I redo 1-3 passages over by reading it slowly and not timing myself.trying to get a lot out of the questions stems.
3. review detailed answers
 
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Hey Everyone, I am new to this board. For a few months I have been lurking and decided to join SDN and post too!!! I started EK study schedule about a week ago. I took the TPR 4911 Diag and scored a 7PS, 7VR, 10BS. I do however understand that the TPR exams are not a good representation. I look forward to actually going and kicking a lot of butt on this exam. This is a very great thread! :thumbup:
 
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kcernak said:
I started the 10 week plan a week early, so that I have some extra breathing room and review time. I took my first practice exam today and I received a score of a 27. I'm aiming for a 35 on the real thing, hopefully I can boost my score!

Make sure you keep posting and keep me motivated :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for starting this thread. I also started the 10 week study program early. It's been a while since I had Biology and I need a lot of review. I won't be taking any of the practice exams until I get a big chunk of that completed. So far, I like the review material.
 
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run_4ever said:
I won't be taking any of the practice exams until I get a big chunk of that completed. So far, I like the review material.
Click to expand...

You should conisder taking the old exams as scheduled in the study guide, if only to become familiar with sitting down for ~6 hours and taking the test, and ignoring your score. When studying, you will mainly be answering questions that are not based on passages. On the MCAT, these types of questions are the vast minority.

Good luck!

Adam
 
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I completely agree, practice tests are integral in the whole studying process. Try spacing out exams throughout your study so you can build up the 'endurance' to concentrate for hours on end :) You can really see improvement when doing verbal practice tests, which are, as EK puts it, 'skills-based' more than 'knowledge-based.'

Has anyone done any of the EK online courses?
 
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Hi Guys,
anyone trying the EK mini Mcats. Also, when do the EK people recommend doing those? I am taking kaplan but will be studying according to the EK schedule. So do let me know what everyone is thinking about the mini mcats. Aslo, anyone who took the EK verbal practice exams, how did the scores relate to the actual thing?

Thanks.
 
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aamartin81 said:
You should conisder taking the old exams as scheduled in the study guide, if only to become familiar with sitting down for ~6 hours and taking the test, and ignoring your score. When studying, you will mainly be answering questions that are not based on passages. On the MCAT, these types of questions are the vast minority.

Good luck!

Adam
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Adam, thanks for the input. I don't think I was totally clear about my plan. As far as the BIO review, I am more than halfway done and the ExamKrackers 10 week study schedule doesn't start until the week of Feb. 6th. I'm not even "behind" yet! :)

I only have a few chapters left to review, so getting the tests done in a timely way won't be a problem. I get what you are saying though. My plan is to take my first full length exam in about 2 weeks, so I should be pretty much on target. I've also been doing the in-class tests (for all subjects), as well as working Verbal passages from the 101 book, so I have been getting quite a bit of practice with the format. I didn't make that plain in my original post. Thanks.
 
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I'm two weeks into the EK schedule, though I'm not following it to the letter (actually I'm a little ahead right now). I haven't taken a practice exam yet, but I've been doing pretty good on the 30 minute exams. I'll probably take a practice exam next weekend.
 
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kcernak said:
I started the 10 week plan a week early, so that I have some extra breathing room and review time. I took my first practice exam today and I received a score of a 27. I'm aiming for a 35 on the real thing, hopefully I can boost my score!

Make sure you keep posting and keep me motivated :)
Click to expand...

Kcernak,

Last year (so long ago) I followed the EK home study schedule last year. I saw your 27 1st test and it gave me a flashback. My first practice score was a 27. I got a 34 on the real thing. No the 35 you're shootin' for, but close (and I did take a week long rock climbing trip in the middle of it). You're right on track. Keep truckin'

Good Luck to all of you!!!! Those of us at the other end of the application process remember the pain of the MCAT and are thinking good thoughts for you!!

Study hard, take lots of practice tests , and don't forget to play everyonce in a while. :)
 
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Using just the ek materials (study package, audio osmosis, 1001/101 books, and mini mcats) I was able to pull off a 30 on the real deal. Only down side is I was averaging a 34 on the practice tests. But good luck to everyone here going the same route I did, if you put in the time you'll do fine.
 
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Does anyone know if the Examcrackers complete study guide (5 volume set) is sufficient enough for the MCAT or do you need to buy the 1001s series also.
 
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Following the EK home study schedual seems to be working pretty well for me- I feel like I'm progressing well. However, I feel to really get what you need out of it, you need to be prepared to fork over the extra cash for the 1001/101 books and AAMC practice exams. A lot of work, but most of the other pre-meds at my school are doing the Kaplan course, which, according to them, is just a lot more money to have a teacher assign you the homework to do.
 
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Does anyone have the updated EK home study schedule that includes EK 1001 Bio questions????
 
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I'm starting the 10 week study schedule this weekend. I actually just printed off 6R so that it is all ready to go for me to take on Sunday :)

Good Luck to everyone :luck:
 
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run_4ever said:
As far as the BIO review, I am more than halfway done
Click to expand...

Sounds like your as motivated as any of the rest of us. One observation I made about my own study habits was that when I was studying the Organic section cover to cover, and then moving on to another subject, I put the information on the backburner. With the EK program, you study 4 subjects in a week (one lecture per day). For me, this has greatly helped in retention of all of the material and not just what I'm studying that week (I'm sure this sounds weird unless you've had the same experience).

As for the bio review, I'd forgotten how many hormones there were to know!

If anyone has taken the 3rd 30 minute Verbal exam, I'd be interested to hear how you did. I went 9, 10, 7... not quite the trend (or lack thereof) I was hoping for.

Adam
 
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I also tend to think the Exam Krackers books are more quality. Abeit they are very dense and it takes a bit to go through one lecture, it cuts down on wasted time and gets to the chase. Also the paper is nice and thick, and not like the newsprint (cheap paper) and has full color diagrams and emphasized fonts. I am taking TPR right now too and their books suck, too much detail and useless stuff to know. Their class sucks balls too. Oh yeah Salty Kicks butt too. :thumbup:
 
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aamartin81 said:
If anyone has taken the 3rd 30 minute Verbal exam, I'd be interested to hear how you did. I went 9, 10, 7... not quite the trend (or lack thereof) I was hoping for.
Click to expand...

I had the same trend...went down 3 points on the 3rd Verbal 30 minute test. I think they put a difficult one at the end of the book to motivate you to go on to the 101 Verbal.
 
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aamartin81 said:
Sounds like your as motivated as any of the rest of us. One observation I made about my own study habits was that when I was studying the Organic section cover to cover, and then moving on to another subject, I put the information on the backburner. With the EK program, you study 4 subjects in a week (one lecture per day). For me, this has greatly helped in retention of all of the material and not just what I'm studying that week (I'm sure this sounds weird unless you've had the same experience).

As for the bio review, I'd forgotten how many hormones there were to know!

If anyone has taken the 3rd 30 minute Verbal exam, I'd be interested to hear how you did. I went 9, 10, 7... not quite the trend (or lack thereof) I was hoping for.

Adam
Click to expand...

Similar trend--- 10,10,5. Ouch. I will say that using other materials (TBR), I did terribly on their exams and ended up with a 9 on the real deal last year (retaking this April), so hopefully this is a similar trned for everyone in that they pummel you early, only for you to be a lean mean MCAT taking machine come game day and you own the actual exam
:thumbup:
 
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lol I went 8,7,6 good to know other people fared the same.

then took 3R and I got 9 for verbal

I should be starting 101 verbal tomorrow.



run_4ever said:
I had the same trend...went down 3 points on the 3rd Verbal 30 minute test. I think they put a difficult one at the end of the book to motivate you to go on to the 101 Verbal.
Click to expand...
 
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I just started the 10-week schedule this week, though I did Biology tonight and saved the Intro for tomorrow night when I'll have a lot less time. I only have the 101 Verbal and the 1001 Chem...do you guys recommend getting all of them? Hopefully after tonight's 1st 30 min exam I will learn to follow my intuition and not second guess myself, I finished the exam in 20 minutes, so I had way too much time to go back and look at my answers. After changing some answers, I went from a 12 to a 9, though I'll take the 9 for the first test.

Hopefully I can keep up the motivation, though with so much at stake, I don't see that being a problem. Good luck everyone!
 
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godawgs39 said:
I only have the 101 Verbal and the 1001 Chem...do you guys recommend getting all of them?
Click to expand...

I bought the 1001 for Chemistry and Physics, but in reality, I don't think they are all that helpful compared to the practice exams (most questions come from passages). The 101 Verbal, however, is very helpful as it is the same format you see on the AAMC tests.

Adam
 
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Is anyone doing a full-length this weekend? I'll probably do AAMC 3R. I purchased the EK online review of AAMC 3R and 7R, and the review of 3R is next week. Anyone else going to have a loooong Saturday? :laugh:
 
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I was inspired by SDNers to buy EK materials. I should be getting my EK complete package any day now (wal-mart.com is great).

I was wondering if the 1001 questions science workbooks were necessary. I have tons of PR passages (science wkbk) in add'n to all PR tests and AAMC tests.

I have the 101 ques for EK verbal, I've heard great news about this book.

I just can't even think about buying anything right now since I'm broke. But. I'm debating on whether to buy EK 1001 science books as a couple of other posters above were wondering the same thing.

Thanks.
 
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aamartin81 said:
I bought the 1001 for Chemistry and Physics, but in reality, I don't think they are all that helpful compared to the practice exams (most questions come from passages). The 101 Verbal, however, is very helpful as it is the same format you see on the AAMC tests.

Adam
Click to expand...

Thanks Adam, I bought the 1001 Chem book over Christmas break after taking a practice physical science test after realizing how little I remembered from my Gen Chem class, which was two years ago. Like you said, I don't think it will be as helpful as 101 Verbal, so if the other 1001 books are like Chem, then I'll just concentrate on the practice exams.

DocKW said:
Is anyone doing a full-length this weekend? I'll probably do AAMC 3R. I purchased the EK online review of AAMC 3R and 7R, and the review of 3R is next week. Anyone else going to have a loooong Saturday? :laugh:
Click to expand...

I think I might give AAMC 3R a shot this Saturday as well. I signed up for the free Kaplan test, which is on the 12th, so I might as well get some practice in on the real deal.
 
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godawgs39 said:
Hopefully after tonight's 1st 30 min exam I will learn to follow my intuition and not second guess myself, I finished the exam in 20 minutes, so I had way too much time to go back and look at my answers. After changing some answers, I went from a 12 to a 9, though I'll take the 9 for the first test.
Click to expand...


Ha, I kind of had the opposite problem. On the first few exams I did I finished really fast, but I didn't go back and check my answers and most of the ones I got wrong I would've gotten right if I checked them or had taken my time and read them more carefully. I'm deliberately taking as long as I can on each question now and my scores have gone way up (physics went from 7 on the first exam to 12 on the second, bio from 8 to 12, and verbal from 8 to 13.)
 
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Does anybody else think that the EK general chemistry lecture #2 is really dense and hard to grasp? I am having a very difficult time getting through it. I am taking notes, but I am still having a hard time. Any suggestions?
 
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Caligirl98 said:
I'm starting the 10 week study schedule this weekend. I actually just printed off 6R so that it is all ready to go for me to take on Sunday :)

Good Luck to everyone :luck:
Click to expand...

Hey Everyone,

YOu guys seem to be raving about this 10wk EK schedule. Is there any way that someone can send it to me? I am just beginning to study now and I'm pretty anxious. I signed up for a Princeton review course but I really like the EK books much better, this 10wk study plan seems much more appealing now. Please help me out if you can!!!!

* me * :) ahh, yes, email [email protected]
 
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I really like the EK Verbal advice/strategy. But, I don't think they say much about perhaps better ways of approaching the science passages do they? I haven't seen anything, nor have they addressed this in AudioOsmosis that I have seen. Any thoughts?
 
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EK says to know the concepts for the science passages. Not much else besides practicing will help you here.


cfdavid said:
I really like the EK Verbal advice/strategy. But, I don't think they say much about perhaps better ways of approaching the science passages do they? I haven't seen anything, nor have they addressed this in AudioOsmosis that I have seen. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
 
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Well, after the first three 30 minute exams this week, (Bio, Physics, and Verbal) I ended up with an 9, 12, and 9 respectively. I can't complain, but I took verbal last night and man, everything was going great until the last passage. I have to laugh because I had only missed 1 question on each of the first two, then I missed 5 on the last one. Hopefully it was just fatigue and not my inability to reason, but I guess that's what practice is for!
 
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I just finished a full length exam (3R) and scored 10 on bio, 10 on phys, and 13 on verbal. I took a Kaplan course this summer and found myself consistantly getting a 13 on the verbal. I am using EK now, and they say that you should finish with no more and no less than 2 minutes left on your verbal section, though every time i find myself done with at least 20 minutes to spare. I'm scoring perfectly well, but I was wondering if anyone else is finding themselves in the same position? I am wondering if my pace is keeping me from missing those couple of questions each time? Any tips on how to slow down? (I guess I should be counting my blessings, since most posts are looking for ways to speed up.)

Anyway, good luck to everyone starting up this weekend. It is Mardi Gras time in New Orleans, and the massive amounts of people streaming by my apartment certainly weren't conducive to studying!!! :)
 
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