*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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Scrubs101 said:
509 (126/126/128/129)
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nice!
Lola222 said:
@walloobi Do you know if people score 1-2 points higher on the real thing than the do on the scored?
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I saw some stats that said that the actual MCAT was an average of 3 points higher than the scored FL, so hopefully that means you'll get 512+! However, the standard deviation was quite large, and the r^2 value was only around .64 so there seemed to be quite a bit of variation.
 
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walloobi said:
nice!

I saw some stats that said that the actual MCAT was an average of 3 points higher than the scored FL, so hopefully that means you'll get 512+! However, the standard deviation was quite large, and the r^2 value was only around .64 so there seemed to be quite a bit of variation.
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I just hope my computer won't glitch on Thursday haha
 
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Damn you guys stress me out... I seriously am starting to take no comfort in a 503 then 507 on my first two FL. I feel like I'm still going to end up with a score less than 503 on the real deal. July 8th is going to come way too fast.
 
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Lola222 said:
I've never studied for CARS, which I thank God for since I had to study nonstop for Chem and Physics. 90% of the time the first instinct you have on a CARS passage is right, so I answer all the questions, even if I mark them, then I go back at the end. It gives me a piece of mind haha. I have 3 things I normally follow: 1) Read the whole passage first. I know many people do questions first and then go back to the passage, but I find reading the whole thing lets me go faster. I normally finish within a hour. 2) For each paragraph write a few words on the main idea. I then go back at the end and write a huge main idea. This helps so much because so many questions deal with the main idea, or the author's view on certain topics. 3) Translate the question. Sometimes there are long and convoluted questions that no one can make sense of. I take that and shorten it into a few words and make it easier. This took practice initially, but it helps so much. Also, unless you are super certain you were wrong, don't change answers. The questions I tend to miss were ones I switched back. Trust your instinct on CARS.
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EK strategy emphasized the same "get the main idea together" and it really helps! Maybe I should write it down because when I get to the end, my brain wanders so much and I rush into questions. They also had a lot of exercises on cutting the long questions down to very simple ones and it helps too.
Thanks!
 
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Hospitalized said:
Damn you guys stress me out... I seriously am starting to take no comfort in a 503 then 507 on my first two FL. I feel like I'm still going to end up with a score less than 503 on the real deal. July 8th is going to come way too fast.
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You're going to kill it. WE'RE ALL GOING TO KILL IT.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app
 
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Does anyone have a good summary of the kidney? I get those questions right, but I feel like I don't really know what's going on. I know the order that the filtrate goes through, but for example, I didn't know the difference between cortical collection duct and the medullary collecting duct.
 
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Lola222 said:
Does anyone have a good summary of the kidney? I get those questions right, but I feel like I don't really know what's going on. I know the order that the filtrate goes through, but for example, I didn't know the difference between cortical collection duct and the medullary collecting duct.
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I say focus on what affects GFR, where are things reabsorbed and secreted, where do aldosterone and ADH act, and also understand how filtrate concentration changes throughout the kidney.
 
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Can anyone clarify something for me with gen chem?
I have TPR and it says that Videal>Vreal and Pideal>Preal however everyone else says Pideal<Preal and Videal<Vreal.
Also for a low temperature and a high pressure does that make an ideal gas more real or a real gas more ideal? Thanks!
 
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Preal>Pideal I believe, and the opposite for Volume.
A real gas will behave better with a low pressure and a high temperature- just think of those phase diagrams.
 
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zax said:
Can anyone clarify something for me with gen chem?
I have TPR and it says that Videal>Vreal and Pideal>Preal however everyone else says Pideal<Preal and Videal<Vreal.
Also for a low temperature and a high pressure does that make an ideal gas more real or a real gas more ideal? Thanks!
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Lola222 said:
Preal>Pideal I believe, and the opposite for Volume.
A real gas will behave better with a low pressure and a high temperature- just think of those phase diagrams.
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Preal < Pideal

In a real gas, intermolecular forces "slow down" the molecules as they come into contact with or pass each other, and that leads to a decreased pressure. In an ideal gas, we don't take into account those intermolecular forces, so the pressure that we assume is artificially high.

This is also clear when looking at the equation that takes into account deviations from ideal gas behavior. The pressure term becomes (Preal + an^2/V^2) = Pideal
We need to add an^2/V^2 to the real pressure to get the ideal pressure, so we know that the real pressure is less than the ideal.
 
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walloobi said:
Preal < Pideal

In a real gas, intermolecular forces "slow down" the molecules as they come into contact with or pass each other, and that leads to a decreased pressure. In an ideal gas, we don't take into account those intermolecular forces, so the pressure that we assume is artificially high.

This is also clear when looking at the equation that takes into account deviations from ideal gas behavior. The pressure term becomes (Preal + an^2/V^2) = Pideal
We need to add an^2/V^2 to the real pressure to get the ideal pressure, so we know that the real pressure is less than the ideal.
Click to expand...

Oops haha I was wrong! Hopefully they're not going to test small details like this! Haha
 
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Is there a consensus on if the scored is easiest than the unscored? or vice versa? Any reason to take one before the other?
 
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Hospitalized said:
Is there a consensus on if the scored is easiest than the unscored? or vice versa? Any reason to take one before the other?
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The unscored came out first, I believe, so I'd assume that the scored is more representative of the current MCAT and thus should be the one that you take second.
 
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Hospitalized said:
Is there a consensus on if the scored is easiest than the unscored? or vice versa? Any reason to take one before the other?
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Take unscored to get a feel for AAMC questions, it's significantly easier in the CARS section but about the same everywhere else. Then take the scored to get an accurate reading of where you're at closer to test date!

Here are my scores for reference: in % right
AAMC unscored
64%/88%/75%/76%
Scored
69%/75%/80%/86%

Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
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Scrubs101 said:
Take unscored to get a feel for AAMC questions, it's significantly easier in the CARS section but about the same everywhere else. Then take the scored to get an accurate reading of where you're at closer to test date!

Here are my scores for reference: in % right
AAMC unscored
64%/88%/75%/76%
Scored
69%/75%/80%/86%

Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
Click to expand...

walloobi said:
The unscored came out first, I believe, so I'd assume that the scored is more representative of the current MCAT and thus should be the one that you take second.
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Sweet. Guess I'll do the unscored tomorrow. Don't feel ready at all. Kill me.
 
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I'm glad I drove to my test center today even though I thought I knew where it was. I took two wrong turns.
Scrubs101 said:
Soooooooooo any other June 2nders have a mental breakdown right now?


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Yes. My eye has been twitching constantly for a month and that only happens when I'm extremely stressed.
 
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I've seen some idea thrown around about the section bank vs real test recently that seemed pretty possible to me.

One of them being that the current FL's out right now are how the new MCAT started out, easier, less critical, etc. But the section bank is what the AAMC wants the mcat to turn into. So they can't shift it all at once, so slowly the MCAT will get more and more like the section bank(which is what people are saying). And eventually that's what the MCAT will be like.


So I'll be over here hoping that I get a decent score so I never have to take one of those theoretical down the road mcats


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
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Titus Andromedon said:
I'm glad I drove to my test center today even though I thought I knew where it was. I took two wrong turns.

Yes. My eye has been twitching constantly for a month and that only happens when I'm extremely stressed.
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Ou good idea I'll do that tomorrow! I'm also gonna call about rules about snacks and ear plugs and what not and make sure it's all good to go.

My immune system has gone to crap I've gotten sick like 10+ times since I started studying and got really sick this past weekend since the stress hit hard. Hoping to be fully better by test day, even if it's just a cold I don't need that during the mcat lol.

I'll be happy to be done with this and just hope I never have to take it again!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
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Hospitalized said:
Some of the AAMC flashcards are an absolute joke. Others are making me feel like I'm a turd. Some of this stuff was really not covered in EK (psych/soc, looking at you...)
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They are! Some of the questions I've seen before as well. I think I had about 5 from each section that I missed and I am by no means a genius. Complete joke.

Hospitalized said:
Sweet. Guess I'll do the unscored tomorrow. Don't feel ready at all. Kill me.
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Taking the unsecured tomorrow as well. Best of luck to us!
 
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64% for C/P section bank......

was honestly expecting 30%, wow. I guess im a good guesser? Because i literally had no idea what i was doing.
 
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Nickerbocker said:
Starting to question my desire to become a physician :bored:
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sleepyhead22 said:
Lol I'm taking it June 18th and these thoughts crept into my mind tonight already. I'm shadowing one day the week of my mcat so hopefully that will give me the fuel I need to keep going!
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I got that damn feeling in the middle of the C/P NS1... I thought I absolutely bombed the **** out of it, still scored 126 which is not terrible at all... Then I felt okay, then better after my next test, and now I feel like crap again right before my next practice test. I have a feeling that the vicious cycle of emotions does not ever stop, even into practicing as an attending. Some of the ER doctors I work with as a scribe really seem like they love it one day, and then hate it the next. That could just be ER though... but seriously this path is such a whirlwind.
 
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Scrubs101 said:
64% for C/P section bank......

was honestly expecting 30%, wow. I guess im a good guesser? Because i literally had no idea what i was doing.
Click to expand...

Got a 65 and was bummed, but then found out that anything 50 and above is considered decent. Trying to figure out if I should review the section banks tmmrw before the test.
 
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Scrubs101 said:
64% for C/P section bank......

was honestly expecting 30%, wow. I guess im a good guesser? Because i literally had no idea what i was doing.
Click to expand...

That's a pretty dang good score! I honestly haven't seen many above 80%+ and definitely have seen people score 510+ with numbers near that.
 
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Lola222 said:
Got a 65 and was bummed, but then found out that anything 50 and above is considered decent. Trying to figure out if I should review the section banks tmmrw before the test.
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Yeah only reason i felt relieved was because i found that to be the consensus as well! I honestly think it just had a lot more convoluted passages with questions based more on interpretation of multiple parts of a passage than just quick stuff.

But thats what I'm doing tomorrow! Waking up going over section bank, high yield khan videos, AA quiz app, khan videos on stuff i have problems with, maybe a bit of flashcards for p/s. Hoping to finish all that by like 6 eat a gooooooooood dinner, hit the gym, and go to bed hopefully before 10!
 
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Hospitalized said:
That's a pretty dang good score! I honestly haven't seen many above 80%+ and definitely have seen people score 510+ with numbers near that.
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haha thank you, that's reassuring! I'd be eternally happy with 510+, lets hope when i go over it that it wasnt mostly due to luck in my guessing lol
 
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Scrubs101 said:
Yeah only reason i felt relieved was because i found that to be the consensus as well! I honestly think it just had a lot more convoluted passages with questions based more on interpretation of multiple parts of a passage than just quick stuff.

But thats what I'm doing tomorrow! Waking up going over section bank, high yield khan videos, AA quiz app, khan videos on stuff i have problems with, maybe a bit of flashcards for p/s. Hoping to finish all that by like 6 eat a gooooooooood dinner, hit the gym, and go to bed hopefully before 10!
Click to expand...

What Khan videos do you consider high yield?
 
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NecrotizingFascitis said:
You guys are talking about the AAMC question packs right? Those things?


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Click to expand...

Section banks.

A lot of the people who have tested since these came out swear by them as the hardest thing to expect on test day, with most passages being easier than what is in here.
 
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Lola222 said:
What Khan videos do you consider high yield?
Click to expand...
Sorry I was pretty vague i just kind of meant watching some videos of the high yield topics on kahn.

So far what I have written down.(Please do + or - if you think this list could be tweaked):
Lechatleirs principle
Titrations and buffers
Enzyme kinematics
Reaction thermodyanmics
Ideal gas law
Lenses and Mirrors
Hormones
Mitosis/Meiosis
Glycolysis
ETC
SN2 reactions
Group terms for soc/psych
AA's and applicable stuff involving them


Then just some things i want to go over:
Dopler effect
brain anatomy/functions
spermatogenesis and oogenesis


I dont actually have the Khan video names written down, i was just planning on using them to look this stuff up. Ill probably take out the biochem stuff besides AA's, and take out mitosis/meiosis to save time if that ends up taking some time
 
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Scrubs101 said:
Sorry I was pretty vague i just kind of meant watching some videos of the high yield topics on kahn.

So far what I have written down.(Please do + or - if you think this list could be tweaked):
Lechatleirs principle
Titrations and buffers
Enzyme kinematics
Reaction thermodyanmics
Ideal gas law
Lenses and Mirrors
Hormones
Mitosis/Meiosis
Glycolysis
ETC
SN2 reactions
Group terms for soc/psych
AA's and applicable stuff involving them


Then just some things i want to go over:
Dopler effect
brain anatomy/functions
spermatogenesis and oogenesis


I dont actually have the Khan video names written down, i was just planning on using them to look this stuff up. Ill probably take out the biochem stuff besides AA's, and take out mitosis/meiosis to save time if that ends up taking some time
Click to expand...

Good list! I'm probably going to look up vision videos on Khan, since I keep missing those on psych/soc. And of course the kidney- which is literally the bane of my existence haha
 
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sleepyhead22 said:
I think it's actually a great thing that you have good guessing instincts! That's probably at least 50% of success for the mcat IMO.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure that's been a lot of my success on the NS exams... Always narrow everything down to two, rationalize the last answer. We'll see how that translates to AAMC formatting.
 
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Lola222 said:
Good list! I'm probably going to look up vision videos on Khan, since I keep missing those on psych/soc. And of course the kidney- which is literally the bane of my existence haha
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Haha from what I've heard once we're all done with the MCAT we'll get to hate the kidneys once again in med school 😀
 
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Lola222 said:
Does anyone have a good summary of the kidney? I get those questions right, but I feel like I don't really know what's going on. I know the order that the filtrate goes through, but for example, I didn't know the difference between cortical collection duct and the medullary collecting duct.
Click to expand...
Kidney is easy. Just remember: in terms of excretion, you want to "Dump the H.U.N.K." (hydrogen ions, urea, ammonia, potassium ions). Reabsorb sodium and chloride.

**thanks kaplan
 
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sleepyhead22 said:
I'm doing the section banks later this week, for those of you who have taken them, what makes them so difficult? A lot of calculations or just confusing passages?
Click to expand...

The passages were hard to interpret and it took a lot of energy to even know what was going on lol
BTW: are you a Passion Pit fan?
 
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walloobi said:
nice!

I saw some stats that said that the actual MCAT was an average of 3 points higher than the scored FL, so hopefully that means you'll get 512+! However, the standard deviation was quite large, and the r^2 value was only around .64 so there seemed to be quite a bit of variation.
Click to expand...
Dude, if I got a 513 on the mcat (3 points higher than my scored, 510) I'd go streaking through my neighborhood. No joke. Balls to the wall.
 
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sleepyhead22 said:
I'm doing the section banks later this week, for those of you who have taken them, what makes them so difficult? A lot of calculations or just confusing passages?
Click to expand...
Literally i had some doubts in my literacy capabilities the passages were so crazy. The questions fluctuated some were on par with the unscored and scored fl and some were quite in depth!


edit: had to edit some grammatical errors, guess i have full reason to question my literacy lol
 
Last edited:
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So question, anybody planning out specific nutritional/hours of sleep requirements for themselves tomorrow and test day?

Im thinking 8hrs of sleep, maybe 9 if i pop a benadryl early. Decent sized breakfast at 6am, eggs, toast, fruits, nuts, maybe a cup of coffee if im feeling adventurous about my bladder. Probably gonna go the caffeine pill route for the exam. Then probably a couple bags of almonds for shorts breaks and maybe a meal replacement bar for the lunch break. Im thinking about wearing ear plugs but i heard something about them needing to be new in the bag so ill call my testing center about that tomorrow.
 
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Scrubs101 said:
So question, anybody planning out specific nutritional/hours of sleep requirements for themselves tomorrow and test day?

Im thinking 8hrs of sleep, maybe 9 if i pop a benadryl early. Decent sized breakfast at 6am, eggs, toast, fruits, nuts, maybe a cup of coffee if im feeling adventurous about my bladder. Probably gonna go the caffeine pill route for the exam. Then probably a couple bags of almonds for shorts breaks and maybe a meal replacement bar for the lunch break. Im thinking about wearing ear plugs but i heard something about them needing to be new in the bag so ill call my testing center about that tomorrow.
Click to expand...
Oh yeah (although I'm taking it on the 18th). I'm probably gonna spend as much time figuring out my sleep and nutrition plans as I spend on actually studying during the last couple days before the test haha
 
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Scrubs101 said:
So question, anybody planning out specific nutritional/hours of sleep requirements for themselves tomorrow and test day?

Im thinking 8hrs of sleep, maybe 9 if i pop a benadryl early. Decent sized breakfast at 6am, eggs, toast, fruits, nuts, maybe a cup of coffee if im feeling adventurous about my bladder. Probably gonna go the caffeine pill route for the exam. Then probably a couple bags of almonds for shorts breaks and maybe a meal replacement bar for the lunch break. Im thinking about wearing ear plugs but i heard something about them needing to be new in the bag so ill call my testing center about that tomorrow.
Click to expand...
I went snack shopping yesterday. Haven't thought about sleep much. Seems like Benadryl would be dangerous, I'm a zombie if I take it. I've got a cliff bar, dark chocolate, gatorade, dr pepper, pretzals, a fruit cup, mints, and beef jerky for the test day. I'll probably end up eating nothing because of nerves, but I wanted to be able to meet any craving if necessary.
 
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