*Official June 2016 MCAT Thread*

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Hey there everyone! Figured I'd start this thread since I recently started preparing for the June 18th MCAT. For those of you who are taking the June 2nd MCAT, June 18th MCAT, or still considering one of those two dates, feel free to post here with any questions, comments, concerns, or support you have to offer!

Good luck to you all! Let's crush it.
 
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About to give Next Step FL 1 a shot! Fully caffeinated and ready to go. I also have tons of caffeine ready for me to down during the 10 minute breaks so I won't burnout today. If my heart doesn't explode, I WILL SUCCEED... Theoretically.
 
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Lola222 said:
Do we need to know the structures of the nucleotides? I missed like 3 questions on the section pack because I didn't think we had to know that....i'm so tired of AAMC testing us on tiny details.
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I saw that and I think it wouldn't hurt. I think sorting them first by knowing that Purines are double ringed and Pyrimidines are single ringed can help. Then knowing that whatever letter the nucleotide starts with (e.g. Adenine and Guanine) helps me to know that Guanine (because it farther along the alphabet) has something EXTRA when compared to adenine along with being a double ring. (It has a amide group just poking out in comparison to adenine). But there was one question on the question pack where you had to absolutely know the structure of cytosine as well so....
 
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bYGODSGRACE said:
Yo if these section banks are what the MCAT is like now.....and what people are facing, I'm gonna fail
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I think the general consensus is that they are very intimidating and extremely detail oriented. For example, the new EK books I used didn't breakdown the pathways for pentose phosphate, gluconeogenesis or for glycogenolysis and there were questions about specific enzymes in each one. I'm not sure if AAMC put extremely specific details on there to make it known that they would be fair game, or what.
 
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Lola222 said:
Do we need to know the structures of the nucleotides? I missed like 3 questions on the section pack because I didn't think we had to know that....i'm so tired of AAMC testing us on tiny details.
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Heard that! I thought I learned the structures in biochem, but 2 years later....
 
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Hey guys so I can understand biochem fairly well but cant seem to do simple stoichiometry problems anymore can anyone explain how to do this one? What approximate volume of reaction was used in the experiments described in the passage if 0.5 mg of MgCl2 were added to the reaction mixture. They added 10mM MgCl2
 
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bYGODSGRACE said:
Hey guys so I can understand biochem fairly well but cant seem to do simple stoichiometry problems anymore can anyone explain how to do this one? What approximate volume of reaction was used in the experiments described in the passage if 0.5 mg of MgCl2 were added to the reaction mixture. They added 10mM MgCl2
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You're looking for volume, which will be in liters and the molecular weight of MgCl2 is ~ 95 grams/mol (use 100)

0.5 x 10^3 grams of MgCl2 x (mol/100 grams) x (L/10 x 10^-3 mol) = 5 x 10^-6 L which is also equal to 5 uL
 
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Halfway there with the NS. C/P wasn't bad, but I don't know how I feel about CARS. Passages were SUPER long, and there were definitely questions where it could've gone either way between answer choices.
 
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theNDhopeful44 said:
@NecrotizingFascitis I'm taking NS FL 1 today too! Good luck, let's reconvene after it's done.
Click to expand...

Mr. otcoD said:
@NecrotizingFascitis @theNDhopeful44 Im taking NSFL 3 today! let me know how NSFL1 goes for yall!
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Hospitalized said:
How'd it go?
Click to expand...

CARS murdered me as well. I'm always bad at CARS.. I always get 124-126... Any tips on boosting that score? Maybe I need a new approach to the sections..

There were a few terms I hadn't seen before in my Examkrackers book in the psych section.

I thought the questions for C/P weren't bad! The sections were just wordy and dense compared to AAMC. I still had 16 questions left at the 15 minute mark so a lot of guessing went into most of those questions.. no time to read the passages. Lol.

But anyways:

127/124/127/127
505

Meh.
 
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NecrotizingFascitis said:
CARS murdered me as well. I'm always bad at CARS.. I always get 124-126... Any tips on boosting that score? Maybe I need a new approach to the sections..

There were a few terms I hadn't seen before in my Examkrackers book in the psych section.

I thought the questions for C/P weren't bad! The sections were just wordy and dense compared to AAMC. I still had 16 questions left at the 15 minute mark so a lot of guessing went into most of those questions.. no time to read the passages. Lol.

But anyways:

127/124/127/127
505

Meh.
Click to expand...
Whats your approach for CARS? I use the EK method and like it. I also have always enjoyed reading and try to get myself interested in the passage (easier for some passages than others) and read it almost solely for the tone of the author. Was your stamina better this time around?
 
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sleepyhead22 said:
Whats your approach for CARS? I use the EK method and like it. I also have always enjoyed reading and try to get myself interested in the passage (easier for some passages than others) and read it almost solely for the tone of the author. Was your stamina better this time around?
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Agree with the first half!!! I think throughout my FLs the thing that caused the most improvement was forcing myself to be interested in the passage!! Some of the CARS ones are actually really interesting, others not so much. The psych/soc are all usually pretty interesting and a few bio/Biochem ones are cool when it gets realllll medically involved


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sleepyhead22 said:
Whats your approach for CARS? I use the EK method and like it. I also have always enjoyed reading and try to get myself interested in the passage (easier for some passages than others) and read it almost solely for the tone of the author. Was your stamina better this time around?
Click to expand...

Way better! I caffeinated on the 10 minute breaks.

I use the EK method but maybe I need to re-read how they do things or do more CARS passages or something.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app
 
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NecrotizingFascitis said:
CARS murdered me as well. I'm always bad at CARS.. I always get 124-126... Any tips on boosting that score? Maybe I need a new approach to the sections..

There were a few terms I hadn't seen before in my Examkrackers book in the psych section.

I thought the questions for C/P weren't bad! The sections were just wordy and dense compared to AAMC. I still had 16 questions left at the 15 minute mark so a lot of guessing went into most of those questions.. no time to read the passages. Lol.

But anyways:

127/124/127/127
505

Meh.
Click to expand...

I always try to "prove" every single answer I select in CARS; i.e if there is anything up for interpretation in an answer, make sure it is supported by the language in the passage. This seems to be helping a little bit in the Qpack (although I'm still getting murdered in Qpack 1 so far). I sort of stemmed this off of Kaola-T's guide to CARS.

I felt like I got absolutely annihilated on C/P, was considering just stopping taking the test/giving up on everything, and ended up with a 126. I think that section is scored a little generously to be honest (not to take anything away from either of our scores though!). I also rushed through the last passage.
 
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Hospitalized said:
I always try to "prove" every single answer I select in CARS; i.e if there is anything up for interpretation in an answer, make sure it is supported by the language in the passage. This seems to be helping a little bit in the Qpack (although I'm still getting murdered in Qpack 1 so far). I sort of stemmed this off of Kaola-T's guide to CARS.

I felt like I got absolutely annihilated on C/P, was considering just stopping taking the test/giving up on everything, and ended up with a 126. I think that section is scored a little generously to be honest (not to take anything away from either of our scores though!). I also rushed through the last passage.
Click to expand...
See I honestly dont know how well you can compare NS scores to AAMC scores. Like the last test I took before NS was AAMC. but the number of questions correct was different AAMC's number of questions correct in terms of the section score. Im starting to get scared a bit since mine is in a week. NSFL3:
126/125/127/127 = 505 (went down 2 points from 2 days ago)
 
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Hospitalized said:
I always try to "prove" every single answer I select in CARS; i.e if there is anything up for interpretation in an answer, make sure it is supported by the language in the passage. This seems to be helping a little bit in the Qpack (although I'm still getting murdered in Qpack 1 so far). I sort of stemmed this off of Kaola-T's guide to CARS.

I felt like I got absolutely annihilated on C/P, was considering just stopping taking the test/giving up on everything, and ended up with a 126. I think that section is scored a little generously to be honest (not to take anything away from either of our scores though!). I also rushed through the last passage.
Click to expand...

Mr. otcoD said:
See I honestly dont know how well you can compare NS scores to AAMC scores. Like the last test I took before NS was AAMC. but the number of questions correct was different AAMC's number of questions correct in terms of the section score. Im starting to get scared a bit since mine is in a week. NSFL3:
126/125/127/127 = 505 (went down 2 points from 2 days ago)
Click to expand...

Eyyyy whaddup, 505 club *fist bumps*

I agree with you guys... The scoring seems off. My percentages don't line up with AAMC either.

As for C/P yeah I felt like they were generous lol. But maybe they have their own percentiles for people who have only taken the NS exams? No idea.

I just read about a method a guy used for CARS he called the "stupidity method" (it's in the 509+ Study Habits thread) where you take little childish notes for each paragraph like, "this guy hates ___" and "this guy thinks that guy is stupid" and I think I'm going to try and give this a go tomorrow for some CARS practice. Maybe it'll add some entertainment value for the CARS section haha.
 
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Finished up the Chemistry and Physics Q-Packs today. I found the physics one to be pretty difficult. I didn't take these all at once (have spread them out over 2 days each) and got 80% Chemistry and 65% Physics. Pretty annoyed over the physics, but it did help me to see the topics that they feel are relevant (aka what we've all been saying- circuits, fluids, lenses). Just praying that I don't have a ton of physics on my test, b/c it's consistently my weakness even after focusing on just physics an extra couple of weeks.
 
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Did anyone else feel so mentally exhausted after the biology section pack? By the end of it I was so exhausted, and i'm worried that on the real test day i'm going to have fatigue. The interpretation of so many experiments is so time consuming and tiring.
 
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Anyone know what the purpose of making the MCAT impossible is? And what the purpose of putting practice exams out that don't reflect the real deal? I don't understand the AAMC's logic.
 
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theNDhopeful44 said:
Anyone know what the purpose of making the MCAT impossible is? And what the purpose of putting practice exams out that don't reflect the real deal? I don't understand the AAMC's logic.
Click to expand...

1.) Weed out. While I believe it is somewhat of a poor filter, there has to be some way to keep people out.

2.) Money.

I hate it as much as the next. Just keep chugging along, don't let it break you.
 
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Hey guys, new to this thread but always on this forum - I'm taking the MCAT on June 18th and have officially started practice tests (about a week behind schedule but I'm not trying to stress before I get my first FL score!)

I am struggling with timing for the C/P section. When I do question untimed, I do pretty well (missing 1-2 max on each passage). But in timed conditions, I always go right until time runs out and always end up scoring significantly worse (3-4 wrong per passage). Any tips? I've thought about going straight to the questions first and only referring to the passage when needed, but I'm not sure that's such a good idea. Has anyone tried this? I know doing that (for me at least) on the B/BC section is impossible because it's so data-heavy/passage-based, but I love any ideas for C/P. Its by far my worst section!
 
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xxabi said:
Hey guys, new to this thread but always on this forum - I'm taking the MCAT on June 18th and have officially started practice tests (about a week behind schedule but I'm not trying to stress before I get my first FL score!)

I am struggling with timing for the C/P section. When I do question untimed, I do pretty well (missing 1-2 max on each passage). But in timed conditions, I always go right until time runs out and always end up scoring significantly worse (3-4 wrong per passage). Any tips? I've thought about going straight to the questions first and only referring to the passage when needed, but I'm not sure that's such a good idea. Has anyone tried this? I know doing that (for me at least) on the B/BC section is impossible because it's so data-heavy/passage-based, but I love any ideas for C/P. Its by far my worst section!
Click to expand...

You really should have started taking practice tests in the beginning, because getting used to the test and timing is crucial. I think what's happening with you is that you're not understanding the heavy data passages in a short amount of time. I would recommend going to Khan Academy and doing each passage timed so that you can practice heavy information comprehension in a short amount of time.
 
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Lola222 said:
You really should have started taking practice tests in the beginning, because getting used to the test and timing is crucial. I think what's happening with you is that you're not understanding the heavy data passages in a short amount of time. I would recommend going to Khan Academy and doing each passage timed so that you can practice heavy information comprehension in a short amount of time.
Click to expand...

I wasn't doing practice tests at the beginning but I was doing all the TBR passages for each chapter as I reviewed content, but you're right I definitely should've started timing sooner. It seems that C/P is my only issue so I will definitely look to Khan Academy for their heavy data passages!
 
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What's everyone's opinion on the whole "don't study the day before thing"?

I was thinking of hitting some high yield topics but avoiding practice questions/anything involves intense analyzing.

And if anybody is planning on adhering to the whole lazy day before the mcat thing, what are your plans?

(I think I forgot how to relax)


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Scrubs101 said:
What's everyone's opinion on the whole "don't study the day before thing"?

I was thinking of hitting some high yield topics but avoiding practice questions/anything involves intense analyzing.

And if anybody is planning on adhering to the whole lazy day before the mcat thing, what are your plans?

(I think I forgot how to relax)


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Click to expand...

I've heard a lot of people say they review formulas the day before, which I think is a good plan, since these past MCATS have been calculation/physics heavy.
 
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Scrubs101 said:
What's everyone's opinion on the whole "don't study the day before thing"?

I was thinking of hitting some high yield topics but avoiding practice questions/anything involves intense analyzing.

And if anybody is planning on adhering to the whole lazy day before the mcat thing, what are your plans?

(I think I forgot how to relax)


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
Click to expand...
I think formula review is absolutely fine along with reviewing mistakes or concepts that you've compiled. But nothing like a test or anything LOL. Also TXHopeful thank you so much for showing me how to do that problem, its like it unlocked a key for a really dusty door that I had impeding me from those problems.
 
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Does anyone know what AA are not supposed to be found on a transmembrane domain? Is it just Glu and Asp because they are very negative?
 
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Lola222 said:
Does anyone know what AA are not supposed to be found on a transmembrane domain? Is it just Glu and Asp because they are very negative?
Click to expand...
Think of it this way: Transmembrane proteins are EMBEDDED in the plasma membrane of a cell. Inside the bilayer are all the phospholipids fatty acid chains. These are naturally hydroPHOBIC (insoluble)
So these domains that are embedded in the plasma membrane naturally have to be hydrophobic in order for this to be possible (if it was hydrophillic, how could it exist in the same environment as the fatty acid chains)?
So AA that you want for transmembrane domains are nonpolar (like glycine or leucine or isoleucine or valine or alanine)
 
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Scrubs101 said:
What's everyone's opinion on the whole "don't study the day before thing"?

I was thinking of hitting some high yield topics but avoiding practice questions/anything involves intense analyzing.

And if anybody is planning on adhering to the whole lazy day before the mcat thing, what are your plans?

(I think I forgot how to relax)


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
Click to expand...
What I've been doing is taking my Next Step exams, then going through them writing down RANDOM facts that I didnt know or questions that I got right for the wrong reasons (solubility of solids/liquids increase as Temp increases -> OPP for gases! Solubility decreases as Temp increases) and just going through my 9 pages of facts(front and back). Some of them are repeated (like Transduction uses a virus. Transformation directly uptakes the genetic material) but yeah...I don't know if it can help but its helped me remember when i see a question the next day.
 
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Something I'm noticing on the section banks is that I often get questions right for the wrong reasons. Hoping it doesn't become a problem.
 
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Just finished NS 1: 510 (128/126/128/128).

It wasn't very experimental-based, which was upsetting, but overall it definitely felt similar to the AAMC unscored.
 
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Should I wait?
I've taken many practice tests and I'm slowly improving. My score literally shot up 8 points in a weeks time from 497 to around 505.
May 22 - NSFL1: 503
May 24 - NSFL2: 507
May 26 - NSFL3: 505
I'm debating honestly. I'm a sophomore right now so I'm not even applying this cycle and I kind of want to get it done with the first time. Should I just wait until June 18th to try to get higher? My initial goal was a 510 but I'm honestly thinking would it be good enough? My GPA right now is a 3.6 so I'm gonna work on improving that these next 2 years but I dont know
what do you guys think? Because now im thinking with more time I can boost it up to a 515 or something...
 
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@Mr. otcoD You're a sophomore????? Dude, go enjoy your summer or something. Take the MCAT when you're ready, not because you feel obligated to.

Granted, even though I've been doing decently well on tests I don't even feel ready. I never will either. None of us are going to ever feel ~truly~ ready to take it.
 
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theNDhopeful44 said:
Just finished NS 1: 510 (128/126/128/128).

It wasn't very experimental-based, which was upsetting, but overall it definitely felt similar to the AAMC unscored.
Click to expand...

Nice! You scored my goal score. I aspire to be you when I'm sitting in my exam 3 weeks from now.


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Should I buy NS FL exams? I have the 3 FL Kaplan exams and 3 FL TPR exams. I'm going to take a FL tomorrow and not sure which is best/most representative. Stick with the free or go with NS? I've heard NS is most representative.
 
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Yep, took that one. Worth buying more or stick with Kaplan/TPR since I already have those from my prep materials?
 
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Mr. otcoD said:
Should I wait?
I've taken many practice tests and I'm slowly improving. My score literally shot up 8 points in a weeks time from 497 to around 505.
May 22 - NSFL1: 503
May 24 - NSFL2: 507
May 26 - NSFL3: 505
I'm debating honestly. I'm a sophomore right now so I'm not even applying this cycle and I kind of want to get it done with the first time. Should I just wait until June 18th to try to get higher? My initial goal was a 510 but I'm honestly thinking would it be good enough? My GPA right now is a 3.6 so I'm gonna work on improving that these next 2 years but I dont know
what do you guys think? Because now im thinking with more time I can boost it up to a 515 or something...
Click to expand...


Definitely put it off unless you're feeling your reaching you maximum capacity for scoring. Have you taken all the pre-reqs yet? I know it's not required to take the MCAT and most can make due, like I'm missing orgo 2 and Biochem as of right now. But no need to rush it so soon especially when you have so much time to improve overall! Not just in prereqs but ability to critically analyze, and just by hearing more of the super scientific terms thrown around/reading more research. I can't even imagine if my sophomore self had to take the MCAT lol

Basically if you're not 100% set on it, I think it would do you a lot of good to put it off a bit more




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Dang no one is as amazing as I am. Still finishing up with content review lmao. Almost done though. In like four days. Peace out people
 
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Scrubs101 said:
Definitely put it off unless you're feeling your reaching you maximum capacity for scoring. Have you taken all the pre-reqs yet? I know it's not required to take the MCAT and most can make due, like I'm missing orgo 2 and Biochem as of right now. But no need to rush it so soon especially when you have so much time to improve overall! Not just in prereqs but ability to critically analyze, and just by hearing more of the super scientific terms thrown around/reading more research. I can't even imagine if my sophomore self had to take the MCAT lol

Basically if you're not 100% set on it, I think it would do you a lot of good to put it off a bit more




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Click to expand...
I have. I took Orgo 2 and biochem this semester (spring 2016) and orgo 1 and physics 2 last semester (fall 2015)
I'm just debating because I have other commitments set in line and it all follows me taking it June 2nd (that right there kind of increases the pressure more for me) so i dont know
 
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Decided to book a hotel for the night before, since my test site is 80 miles away. On a whim, used Priceline to save some money, and now I see some of the reviews of the place are pretty sketchy. Soo....that will be fun. I guess as long as there are no bed bugs, I can deal with anything.
 
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Lola222 said:
I got a 65%, and I honestly think those are really hard, and the MCAT shouldn't have a lot of those passages hopefully
Click to expand...
I hope so. Wasn't feeling that great today so I'm going to blame that. All those specifics on enzymes from the different pathways really got me. I don't think I'm going to be able to know those so I hope they don't end up on the test.
 
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Final section bank scores: C/P 63%, B/B 55%, P/S 65%. Maybe not as high as I'd like, but I'm trying not to stress out over them. With one week left before the test, other than taking and reviewing the scored practice, I plan on relaxing and reinforcing the content gaps that I have. I think my reasoning is pretty solid, and my timing is fine, so hopefully a small bump in content review will make a big difference.
 
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