*Official MCAT January 2017 Thread*

[Singerpremed]

Hi, I know there are many people who are also studying for the MCAT in January and I would like to connect with you guys and get insights. I'm currently taking a live online Kaplan MCAT course. I go to the University of Florida.

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[Dr. To Be]

I disagree with him taking too long. It is far better to take a few practice exams but thoroughly review each one. A lot of people get caught up in taking as many exams as possible. Yes, that increases test taking endurance which is important, but if people feel rushed to fit in as many exams as possible then there is no chance they will review properly. It becomes more of a "ok cool, I got this answer right/wrong," rather than a "why did I get this answer right/wrong." I highly recommend everyone uses the 7sage blind review method. Learn about it here

Also mcatmatt's blog has some great advice on how to properly review exams. It should take a few days to review an exam, and obviously it will take longer the worse you do. Remember, reviewing an exam is content review itself.

This is great! Thanks for posting!

 

[Groggs]

Well, I just took NS 2 today and scored exactly the same as I did for NS 1 a couple weeks ago (slight adjustments in subscores): 127/127/128/129 -> 128/128/127/128. Percentage-wise, I scored marginally better in C/P, marginally worse in B/B and P/S, and much better in CARS. So it seems like a bit of a wash to me.

I have noticed that I keep running out of time in the NS C/P sections, though - something that doesn't usually happen to me in the TPR/AAMC materials that I've used previously. (I was probably only 1/3 of the way done by the 50 min. mark and had to rush through the rest of the section). Does anyone who's taken the NS FLs have advice or experience with that?

So far, I've taken NS 1, EK 4, and NS 2. I'm planning on taking NS 3, AAMC 1, NS 4, AAMC 2, and maybe EK 3 or 5 in the upcoming weeks, along with review and the AAMC section banks/question packs. Any other suggestions?

Recently took NS 2 as well and did one point worse on it than NS1. I thought it was the roughest FL I've done. It made the AAMC FL1 look like a cakewalk.

 

[enchantediris]

Recently took NS 2 as well and did one point worse on it than NS1. I thought it was the roughest FL I've done. It made the AAMC FL1 look like a cakewalk.

Oh, you've taken the scored already? How was that? And yeah... With EK 4 and NS 2, I got so demoralized after the C/P section that I felt bad for the rest of the sections. It seems to be all in my head so I'm going to work on that.

P.S. Is it bad that I'm happy that more people are posting in this thread, so I can procrastinate a bit more from studying?

 

[Orthopedics101]

Well, I just took NS 2 today and scored exactly the same as I did for NS 1 a couple weeks ago (slight adjustments in subscores): 127/127/128/129 -> 128/128/127/128. Percentage-wise, I scored marginally better in C/P, marginally worse in B/B and P/S, and much better in CARS. So it seems like a bit of a wash to me.

I have noticed that I keep running out of time in the NS C/P sections, though - something that doesn't usually happen to me in the TPR/AAMC materials that I've used previously. (I was probably only 1/3 of the way done by the 50 min. mark and had to rush through the rest of the section). Does anyone who's taken the NS FLs have advice or experience with that?

So far, I've taken NS 1, EK 4, and NS 2. I'm planning on taking NS 3, AAMC 1, NS 4, AAMC 2, and maybe EK 3 or 5 in the upcoming weeks, along with review and the AAMC section banks/question packs. Any other suggestions?

It sounds like we are doing the same prep (I have taken NS 1, 2 and 3 and EK 1 and 4, I am taking NS 4 this weekend and I still have unscored and AAMC FL 1 and 2). When taking the NS C/P I found myself rushing and almost always running out of time. I find that what takes me the most time isn't reading the passage but either trying to get the exact answer for a math question or choosing between two answers. My advice is to say to yourself going into the section that I want to spend no more than x amount of minutes on a passage and after x questions I want to have x time left. I started implementing that on C/P and CARS and its really helped me with my timing. For C/P I try to follow EK's method where its 20-23 questions in 30 minutes or about 6-8 minutes per passage

 

[Mcat2016student]

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[ch91]

Is it bad that I haven't done any practice tests yet...? I've been doing Khan passages as I work through content. I'm in the middle of P/S, haven't even looked at physics but finished everything else, with somewhat regular CARS practice. Kinda stressing with the holidays as I'm traveling to visit my family and likely wont be able to study much (boyfriend is coming with so I can't exactly ditch him with my parents to study, though I will be doing Anki). I'm testing the 28th and don't have any plans all of January so figured I'd dedicate the whole month to practice tests but looking at how many you guys are doing already is making me question if I should take them now without any physics...

 

[enchantediris]

It sounds like we are doing the same prep (I have taken NS 1, 2 and 3 and EK 1 and 4, I am taking NS 4 this weekend and I still have unscored and AAMC FL 1 and 2). When taking the NS C/P I found myself rushing and almost always running out of time. I find that what takes me the most time isn't reading the passage but either trying to get the exact answer for a math question or choosing between two answers. My advice is to say to yourself going into the section that I want to spend no more than x amount of minutes on a passage and after x questions I want to have x time left. I started implementing that on C/P and CARS and its really helped me with my timing. For C/P I try to follow EK's method where its 20-23 questions in 30 minutes or about 6-8 minutes per passage

Sounds good, maybe that's where I was going wrong – for some reason, I thought it was okay to be around 10 min per passage (although that doesn't mathematically make sense). I also know I need to go over how to do basic chem calculations (I kid you not, when I took NS 1 I took about 5 min to try to figure out how to calculate the number of moles of a substance there was...) with EK 1001. If only I had the motivation

Is it bad that I haven't done any practice tests yet...? I've been doing Khan passages as I work through content. I'm in the middle of P/S, haven't even looked at physics but finished everything else, with somewhat regular CARS practice. Kinda stressing with the holidays as I'm traveling to visit my family and likely wont be able to study much (boyfriend is coming with so I can't exactly ditch him with my parents to study, though I will be doing Anki). I'm testing the 28th and don't have any plans all of January so figured I'd dedicate the whole month to practice tests but looking at how many you guys are doing already is making me question if I should take them now without any physics...

I think you still have time, especially if you're studying full time in January. It depends where you are in your studying though... Would it make you feel better mentally to take a practice FL just to see where you are? I find that the hardest thing about FLs is the amount of endurance you need to be focused for that long, which unfortunately only comes with practice. Perhaps you could start the Question Packs and Section Banks over break, at least? Doing a couple of passages every day won't take too long.

 

[Groggs]

Oh, you've taken the scored already? How was that? And yeah... With EK 4 and NS 2, I got so demoralized after the C/P section that I felt bad for the rest of the sections. It seems to be all in my head so I'm going to work on that.

P.S. Is it bad that I'm happy that more people are posting in this thread, so I can procrastinate a bit more from studying?

The AAMC FL was similar to next step exams in that there was a lot of analyzing data and research, but the graphs made far more sense in the aamc exam. I got a 511 and 510 on NS1 and NS2 and got a 518 on the AAMC. As you can tell the AAMC wasn't nearly as bad. Next step has definitely been good prep for rough passages.

 

[ch91]

S
I think you still have time, especially if you're studying full time in January. It depends where you are in your studying though... Would it make you feel better mentally to take a practice FL just to see where you are? I find that the hardest thing about FLs is the amount of endurance you need to be focused for that long, which unfortunately only comes with practice. Perhaps you could start the Question Packs and Section Banks over break, at least? Doing a couple of passages every day won't take too long.

So this may be a dumb question but I recently purchased the AAMC pack and I noticed it said you have a limited amount of 'starts'...does that include accessing the question and section banks (like if I were to only do some one day and go back to it another day)? Or is that just resetting all the questions to reattempt them again? I've been avoiding starting them because I wasn't sure and didn't want to use up a 'start' just to see how it works..

 

[enchantediris]

The AAMC FL was similar to next step exams in that there was a lot of analyzing data and research, but the graphs made far more sense in the aamc exam. I got a 511 and 510 on NS1 and NS2 and got a 518 on the AAMC. As you can tell the AAMC wasn't nearly as bad. Next step has definitely been good prep for rough passages.

That gives me so much hope, thank you! I scored similarly on NS1 & 2 so it's relieving to see that I'm probably on track to my goal. You're, Jan. 18, right?

So this may be a dumb question but I recently purchased the AAMC pack and I noticed it said you have a limited amount of 'starts'...does that include accessing the question and section banks (like if I were to only do some one day and go back to it another day)? Or is that just resetting all the questions to reattempt them again? I've been avoiding starting them because I wasn't sure and didn't want to use up a 'start' just to see how it works..

What I do is I use one start, and just pause the question pack if I'm not going to do it in one sitting (which I never do). AAMC allows you to resume an incomplete start an infinite number of times (well, infinite might be a stretch but they don't seem to limit those). I usually go through untimed, and with the answers on so I can get feedback on how I'm doing every day (otherwise, you would only get your score at the end when you complete the pack).

 

[ch91]

What I do is I use one start, and just pause the question pack if I'm not going to do it in one sitting (which I never do). AAMC allows you to resume an incomplete start an infinite number of times (well, infinite might be a stretch but they don't seem to limit those). I usually go through untimed, and with the answers on so I can get feedback on how I'm doing every day (otherwise, you would only get your score at the end when you complete the pack).

You have no idea how helpful that was, thank you for that! I didn't realize you could pause a 'start'. Is is the same way for the section bank?

 

[Groggs]

That gives me so much hope, thank you! I scored similarly on NS1 & 2 so it's relieving to see that I'm probably on track to my goal. You're, Jan. 18, right?

Yeah, 18th or 19th

 

[enchantediris]

You have no idea how helpful that was, thank you for that! I didn't realize you could pause a 'start'. Is is the same way for the section bank?

Yes, it's the same for all of them! A heads up on the Section Bank though – the Bio, Chem/Phys, and Psych/Soc Section Banks are all testing options within the larger "Section Bank", so you will have to use 3 attempts in order to do them all once.

 

[Nosh_01]

Hey guys so as I am taking the winter bootcamp course with Princeton review this winter break and I just took my first TPR 1 and these are following scores I got:
124 - Chem/Phys
124 - Cars
127 - Bio
123 - Psyc and Soc * I kind of expected this section to be low since I have not brushed up on Psyc/ Soc at all and my concentration power was extremely low by the time I got to this section.
Total: 498
What suggestions do you all have for me to improve my scores in the other sections? Do you think there is a possibility for me to improve my score to a 508 by Jan 28th?

 

[Orthopedics101]

Hey guys so as I am taking the winter bootcamp course with Princeton review this winter break and I just took my first TPR 1 and these are following scores I got:
124 - Chem/Phys
124 - Cars
127 - Bio
123 - Psyc and Soc * I kind of expected this section to be low since I have not brushed up on Psyc/ Soc at all and my concentration power was extremely low by the time I got to this section.
Total: 498
What suggestions do you all have for me to improve my scores in the other sections? Do you think there is a possibility for me to improve my score to a 508 by Jan 28th?

The common consensus here seems to be that TPR and Kaplan aren't that representative of the mcat and tend to deflate scores so a 498 on TPR isn't necessarily equivalent to a 498 on the actual mcat. I think the best way to gauge if you're ready is to buy the aamc bundle and see how you do on their questions (if you don't want to drop $300 on the full bundle you can just spend $10 - 15 on the official guide questions which is essentially 30 questions from each section).

 

[Nosh_01]

The common consensus here seems to be that TPR and Kaplan aren't that representative of the mcat and tend to deflate scores so a 498 on TPR isn't necessarily equivalent to a 498 on the actual mcat. I think the best way to gauge if you're ready is to buy the aamc bundle and see how you do on their questions (if you don't want to drop $300 on the full bundle you can just spend $10 - 15 on the official guide questions which is essentially 30 questions from each section).

So princeton review offers aamc stuff including the 2 official aamc practice tests, section bank questions, and etc. But which practice tests should I take that are representative of the mcat? Is next step good?

 

[Orthopedics101]

So princeton review offers aamc stuff including the 2 official aamc practice tests, section bank questions, and etc. But which practice tests should I take that are representative of the mcat? Is next step good?

Next Step and EK are the most representative. If you want to practice with next step, they have a free diagnostic and FL 1 that you get just for signing up on their website

 

[Thoth]

Is it bad that I haven't done any practice tests yet...? I've been doing Khan passages as I work through content. I'm in the middle of P/S, haven't even looked at physics but finished everything else, with somewhat regular CARS practice. Kinda stressing with the holidays as I'm traveling to visit my family and likely wont be able to study much (boyfriend is coming with so I can't exactly ditch him with my parents to study, though I will be doing Anki). I'm testing the 28th and don't have any plans all of January so figured I'd dedicate the whole month to practice tests but looking at how many you guys are doing already is making me question if I should take them now without any physics...

I mean, it is what it is, so bad or good is irrelevant. I would strongly recommend taking one stat, though. The reason I've been doing them throughout (starting when I got through Unit 1 of the Kaplan self paced prep course, which is approximately 1/3 of the way through) is that they tell me what I need to study. If I miss questions on topics I haven't gotten to yet, then I see if there is a way I could have figured it out from the explanation, but mostly I kind of ignore those. However, if it is on something I have already studied, I make a note of it. This is how I learned that I retained absolutely nothing from electricity and thermochemistry - so I will be going back with the EK books and doing them from scratch.

When will you be back home so you can easily do one?

Don't forget, you don't HAVE to sit down and spend eight straight hours doing a test. There is nothing wrong with doing some of them unit by unit. You can pause the tests and go back to them, or with EK you can choose with sections you want to do. Spending 1.5 hours for four nights might be doable - or maybe you can fit in two sections one of the nights, or do one of them earlier in the morning. If he's a late sleeper or the type of person who wakes up slowly and needs to enjoy his coffee a bit (guilty...) then he probably won't miss you. Just pause the test if you need to.

 

[Thoth]

Hey guys so as I am taking the winter bootcamp course with Princeton review this winter break and I just took my first TPR 1 and these are following scores I got:
124 - Chem/Phys
124 - Cars
127 - Bio
123 - Psyc and Soc * I kind of expected this section to be low since I have not brushed up on Psyc/ Soc at all and my concentration power was extremely low by the time I got to this section.
Total: 498
What suggestions do you all have for me to improve my scores in the other sections? Do you think there is a possibility for me to improve my score to a 508 by Jan 28th?

How far into the course are you?

If you put the time in, you will improve.

Edit: if you are at less than halfway through, I think you are doing great. The BB/CP sections are the most important and definitely the most difficult IMO. A lot of people struggle with CARS, but a 124 is a good place to be when you have time left. The more passages you do, the better you will get, and you are much better off than a lot of people at halfway through or less.

Regarding psych/soc, that's ok. You said you didn't study much, but realistically, it's the easiest section because it requires a much more shallow understanding of the material. You need to know a lot of terms and a lot of names (my worst part..I can't even remember the names of people I have met 3 times) but you don't need to have a fundamental, deep-level understanding of anything.

Disclaimer: Just my opinion. Obviously I haven't taken the MCAT yet either.

 

[Thoth]

I usually go through untimed, and with the answers on so I can get feedback on how I'm doing every day (otherwise, you would only get your score at the end when you complete the pack).

When you pick with the answers, does it show you them automatically or do you select that you are ready? I tend to pick an answer but sometimes change it before I move on.

Same question with EK. FYI it drives me insane that when you go back to review you have to manually click 'show explanation' on every question! Whyyyy can't it be like Kaplan and show them all when you go in for review?

 

[enchantediris]

When you pick with the answers, does it show you them automatically or do you select that you are ready? I tend to pick an answer but sometimes change it before I move on.

Same question with EK. FYI it drives me insane that when you go back to review you have to manually click 'show explanation' on every question! Whyyyy can't it be like Kaplan and show them all when you go in for review?

It doesn't show up unless you click a question mark. If you submit the whole question pack for review, then all the answers will be displayed when you review it. If you're still answering questions though, they're hidden unless you click for them. I feel you on the EK, though -- it's annoying how you have to click for every question, and also how you can't jump to the next passage or next section. I will probably stick to NS FLs because I don't feel like paying $50 to go through that again.

Edit: To be fair, though, I'm also a little annoyed with NS FLs in that they don't save the answer choices that you've crossed out. As soon as you click the next or previous button, *poof*.

 

[enchantediris]

Hey all, I could use your advice for what I should focus on in the next week! I have taken a FL every week for the past 3 weeks. My plan was to take one FL every week until my exam, but unfortunately due to finals week I'm a little behind on reviewing (currently halfway through FL #2, and still have to review FL #3). My scores haven't really changed for all 3 FLs, and I wonder if that's because I haven't reviewed properly (I took FL #3 right after finals so I basically did nothing MCAT related between FL #2 and FL #3) and/or had time to do practice problems and work on my weaknesses.

Do you think it would be more beneficial for me to not do a FL this week and instead focus on (1) finishing my review of my FLs, and (2) working on my weaknesses? The only thing I'm worried about is that I do still have some problems concentrating during the entire MCAT exam, which I feel like comes with practice. However, I don't want to "waste" an entire day and FL only to see that I haven't improved, because I haven't had the chance to do much reviewing.

 

[syk111]

Hey guys, looking for some encouragement and help from fellow January test takers!
I have taken 5 FLs so far but my score has been stagnant and i am scheduled for 01/28. I'm so worried and frustrated. I am working part-time and studying but my schedule has been inconsistent and I haven't had a solid consistent plan because I feel overwhelmed with the amount of material I need to continue to study. I have access to all Kaplan course materials as well as TPR books. I'm not sure at this point if I should continue to take FLs and review missed topics, or focus on content review, or if I should do the AAMC question packs. I feel like I'm running out of time here. My goal score is 510 and I really don't want to push back my exam. Any suggestions/advice is welcome!

My FL scores are as follows:

Kaplan FL 1: 492
AAMC scored: 499
Kaplan FL 3: 497
Kaplan 4: 499
Kaplan 5: 499

Thank you!!

 

[Orthopedics101]

Hey guys, looking for some encouragement and help from fellow January test takers!
I have taken 5 FLs so far but my score has been stagnant and i am scheduled for 01/28. I'm so worried and frustrated. I am working part-time and studying but my schedule has been inconsistent and I haven't had a solid consistent plan because I feel overwhelmed with the amount of material I need to continue to study. I have access to all Kaplan course materials as well as TPR books. I'm not sure at this point if I should continue to take FLs and review missed topics, or focus on content review, or if I should do the AAMC question packs. I feel like I'm running out of time here. My goal score is 510 and I really don't want to push back my exam. Any suggestions/advice is welcome!

My FL scores are as follows:

Kaplan FL 1: 492
AAMC scored: 499
Kaplan FL 3: 497
Kaplan 4: 499
Kaplan 5: 499

Thank you!!

It depends. When reviewing your FLs, are you missing questions because you don't know the background material or are you missing questions because you know the material but don't understand what the passage is asking? If it is the former than I think you should reschedule. While the q packs do contain a good amount of possible content on the mcat, there's more testable material that they don't go over so just because it shows up on the qpacks doesn't mean it will show up on the test. If it is the latter than I suggest not rescheduling and focusing on doing practice passages so you can get better at answering those type of questions. Regardless, I think your first step now should be to go on AAMC's website and read over everything that could be tested. They break it up conveniently into 10 content points each with 3 or 4 subpoints across the 3 sections. Shouldn't take more than a day or so but if you find yourself not familiar with a majority of the bullpoints then reschedule.

 

[Orthopedics101]

Hey all, I could use your advice for what I should focus on in the next week! I have taken a FL every week for the past 3 weeks. My plan was to take one FL every week until my exam, but unfortunately due to finals week I'm a little behind on reviewing (currently halfway through FL #2, and still have to review FL #3). My scores haven't really changed for all 3 FLs, and I wonder if that's because I haven't reviewed properly (I took FL #3 right after finals so I basically did nothing MCAT related between FL #2 and FL #3) and/or had time to do practice problems and work on my weaknesses.

Do you think it would be more beneficial for me to not do a FL this week and instead focus on (1) finishing my review of my FLs, and (2) working on my weaknesses? The only thing I'm worried about is that I do still have some problems concentrating during the entire MCAT exam, which I feel like comes with practice. However, I don't want to "waste" an entire day and FL only to see that I haven't improved, because I haven't had the chance to do much reviewing.

I think reviewing your FLs is most important. Then again, when you take a FL you don't need to take the whole thing in one sitting. If you find yourself short on time but still want to take more FLs, how about like doing 1 full section and reviewing it (shouldn't take more than 3 hours) and then doing content review instead of taking a whole FL and being too drained to study after.

 

[syk111]

It depends. When reviewing your FLs, are you missing questions because you don't know the background material or are you missing questions because you know the material but don't understand what the passage is asking? If it is the former than I think you should reschedule. While the q packs do contain a good amount of possible content on the mcat, there's more testable material that they don't go over so just because it shows up on the qpacks doesn't mean it will show up on the test. If it is the latter than I suggest not rescheduling and focusing on doing practice passages so you can get better at answering those type of questions. Regardless, I think your first step now should be to go on AAMC's website and read over everything that could be tested. They break it up conveniently into 10 content points each with 3 or 4 subpoints across the 3 sections. Shouldn't take more than a day or so but if you find yourself not familiar with a majority of the bullpoints then reschedule.

Thanks! Is there a condensed version of the topic outline somewhere? I only found links to old 2015 ones that have since been taken down.

 

[DrivenAndDangerous]

I have a question about practicing (which I'm finally getting into, tg)

I know a lot of us strive for the 90%+ averages, especially in school... but I'm gathering that with the MCAT/AAMC material/FL's/section banks, etc... percentages at around 80-85% are actually stellar.

I've just started the AAMC materials (no FL's yet, but soon!) and I'm averaging around high 70's%... but tipping into the 80%s as I'm getting used to the material...

Where am I at, relatively?? I know it's just bits of practice, not a FL, but I'm just looking for affirmation that I'm not entirely sucking, I guess. And that the 80-85% is something that's actually worth shooting for, rather than being frustrated at where I'm at now/feeling doomed. I know I have room to grow, but I just was wondering where this puts me at....

Hope studying is going well guys!

 

[Orthopedics101]

Thanks! Is there a condensed version of the topic outline somewhere? I only found links to old 2015 ones that have since been taken down.

There should be. The outline I am using is the one in the official guide to the MCAT exam book they sent me after I purchased the bundle. Its the 2015 edition and I purchased in like 2 weeks ago so I am assuming the content is the same.

 

[star_7]

Took the free NS diagnostic today. 514. I haven't taken any FL yet. Plan is to finish all the EK's 30 minutes Chapter exams and then try the AAMC sample test. Then do the AAMC section bank and Question packs and the two AAMC exams. If I have time, I will do the free NS1 and may be other FL's. One day at a time! Good job to you guys, who have taken multiple FLs.

 

[star_7]

Has anyone taken the 30 minute chapter exams at the end of EK books? Bio2 & CARS are especially hard and confusing.

Happy Holidays, guys!

 

[enchantediris]

Has anyone taken the 30 minute chapter exams at the end of EK books? Bio2 & CARS are especially hard and confusing.

Happy Holidays, guys!

Yeah, I've done most of the bio ones. I think I usually average a 127 haha... Don't worry so much about the scores, but rather the process that gets you to your answer.

 

[star_7]

Yeah, I've done most of the bio ones. I think I usually average a 127 haha... Don't worry so much about the scores, but rather the process that gets you to your answer.

hmm, I have EK 10th edition and the 30 minute chapter exams at the end of the books have 23 questions (CARS 21). How do you scale the score to 132? It specifically says that they wont scale as it doesn't reflect the score accurately.

 

[enchantediris]

hmm, I have EK 10th edition and the 30 minute chapter exams at the end of the books have 23 questions (CARS 21). How do you scale the score to 132? It specifically says that they wont scale as it doesn't reflect the score accurately.

In the 9th edition at least, the page with the correct answers has a scale. Maybe they've changed it in the new edition? Also – I wouldn't get too caught up in EK CARS. For CARS, a lot of test prep companies have a hard time emulating what AAMC CARS is actually like (a lot of times they either want you to infer more or less than what AAMC does).

 

[enchantediris]

Also, I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend – I know that I took a bit of a break, and am now going back to MCAT studying in full gear! This week, my plan is to finish reviewing my NS FL 2 and doing the NS Science Diagnostic to start patching up my weaknesses before I take the AAMC FL 1 this Saturday. (I hope that it tells me that I'm on the right track to my goal score ) Good luck to everyone!

 

[SangriaSalsa]

I'm taking it Jan 28th, so far my full lengths:
Kaplan #1: 507
EK #1 : 71% (sucked on phys/chem)
Kaplan #2: 509
Kaplan #3: 509

Feeling pretty good considering what other people have scored on the practice tests compared to the real thing. AAMC #1 next weekend

 

[avdentes]

Is anyone using the Kaplan textbooks for content review? If so, how have you used the concept summaries at the end of the chapter? I'm asking because i've been reading thru chapters and taking notes in the form of questions and answers and then reviewing the questions i created BUT this takes a large amount of time per chapter(2-3 hrs).

I've been debating if i should just do the same but use the concept summary instead just to get a good overall understanding. Then only go back to the chapter for things i don't understand or after getting things wrong on practice questions. Any thought and/or tips?? My test date is Jan 28th so time is limited and efficiency needs to be high!

 

[DrivenAndDangerous]

Is anyone using the Kaplan textbooks for content review? If so, how have you used the concept summaries at the end of the chapter? I'm asking because i've been reading thru chapters and taking notes in the form of questions and answers and then reviewing the questions i created BUT this takes a large amount of time per chapter(2-3 hrs).

I've been debating if i should just do the same but use the concept summary instead just to get a good overall understanding. Then only go back to the chapter for things i don't understand or after getting things wrong on practice questions. Any thought and/or tips?? My test date is Jan 28th so time is limited and efficiency needs to be high!

I stopped doing them because it was taking too much time. I'm also not too sure how helpful they are. A lot of people say "screw em." So I wouldn't worry about them. I think the number one thing people suggest is to spend the least amount of time possible on content review, anyways, and the most amount of your time on practice. Better to get through the content and then practice "better" material, IMO.

 

[enchantediris]

Is anyone using the Kaplan textbooks for content review? If so, how have you used the concept summaries at the end of the chapter? I'm asking because i've been reading thru chapters and taking notes in the form of questions and answers and then reviewing the questions i created BUT this takes a large amount of time per chapter(2-3 hrs).

I've been debating if i should just do the same but use the concept summary instead just to get a good overall understanding. Then only go back to the chapter for things i don't understand or after getting things wrong on practice questions. Any thought and/or tips?? My test date is Jan 28th so time is limited and efficiency needs to be high!

I made flashcards for every chapter in the TPR series (I think I have a little over 4300... it's like I swallowed an entire set of books). While the memorization does help me with answering questions (mostly for B/B and P/S), one problem is that flashcards in isolation don't necessarily build up a good understanding of a topic as a whole. It's the whole trees vs. forest problem. When I started reading through EK, lightbulbs kept flashing left and right because I could finally start connecting some of the tidbits that I had brute-force memorized. If you're short on time, might I suggest skimming through EK instead?

 

[Groggs]

For those doing Next Step Exams, have you seen any improvement? I've done 1-4 and have scored 511 three times and 512 once.

 

[enchantediris]

For those doing Next Step Exams, have you seen any improvement? I've done 1-4 and have scored 511 three times and 512 once.

I've only done NS 1 and 2, but I did get a 511 twice. To be fair, if you look around on SDN/Reddit and on the Score Compilation spreadsheet, it seems like a lot of people's scores fluctuate within 2-3 points over time and they turn out fine! I think some of the NS FLs are harder than others (especially 3 and 4).

 

[Thoth]

One month...

 

[enchantediris]

One month...

I keep going between, "I'm going to be ready, I got this!" to "I can't believe I'm still reviewing this / I can't believe I didn't do this earlier / If only I had a little more time... / What am I doing with my life???" In any case, I've decided that for my sanity I will be taking the MCAT next month no matter what. (I suppose unless I realllly bomb the AAMC FL 1 this weekend. Then I will reassess.) I don't think that a couple of points over a few more months are worth my sanity

 

[Kayce]

Hey guys! For those of you who are taking the MCAT on January 28th, we have exactly ONE MONTH LEFT!!! Good luck to everyone taking the exam in January!

So, I've JUST finished content review but I'm honestly iffy about some physics concepts and metabolic pathways. I haven't taken any practice exams, I plan on taking them starting in two days...about 6 FLs and 2-3 diagnostic half-lengths. Do you think I should push back my test date or do I have enough time to brush up on concepts and do enough FLs and practice problems? I'm trying to score a 500 or higher! Thanks

 

[enchantediris]

Hey guys! For those of you who are taking the MCAT on January 28th, we have exactly ONE MONTH LEFT!!! Good luck to everyone taking the exam in January!

So, I've JUST finished content review but I'm honestly iffy about some physics concepts and metabolic pathways. I haven't taken any practice exams, I plan on taking them starting in two days...about 6 FLs and 2-3 diagnostic half-lengths. Do you think I should push back my test date or do I have enough time to brush up on concepts and do enough FLs and practice problems? I'm trying to score a 500 or higher! Thanks

I would say to reserve judgment until after your first FL, however, a 500 seems like a very achievable score. For physics, there are only so many concepts/equations that are usually tested on the exam so I think it's something you could study as you go along.

• fluids: Bernoulli's equation, f = Av, faster fluid velocity = lower pressure on arteries
• simple optics: v=lambda*f, E = hf, I have yet to see anything on mirrors or lenses
• radioactive decay: alpha, beta+, beta-/proton capture, half-life
• forces: friction (f = mu*normal force), torque (F = rFsin(theta)), F = ma, Newton's laws
• conservation of energy: PE = KE (usually mgh = 1/2 mv^2), W = change in kinetic energy
• circuits: resistors/capacitors in series and parallel, V = IR, Q = CV, P = IV
• electricity and magnetism: F(e) = qE, F(b) = qvB (although I honestly haven't seen this yet)
• kinematics
• basic exponent multiplication and division: multiplication = add together, division = subtract (note that having a negative exponent in the denominator = adding)

Not really an exhaustive list, but that's the extent to what I've seen on practice exams so far. You could look up Kaplan's quick sheet on physics for a better summary haha. Metabolic pathways are a little more complicated, but I would focus on: what goes in, what comes out, where this all happens, and any limiting steps. Why does the body have this pathway? When is the pathway activated? Some people memorize the structure of every intermediate in the pathways, but I'm not sure if that's a very good use of time.

 

[SangriaSalsa]

For those doing Next Step Exams, have you seen any improvement? I've done 1-4 and have scored 511 three times and 512 once.

Those are great scores, consistency is good, don't worry too much about not improving tons, focus on learning the concepts you missed

 

[SangriaSalsa]

Hey guys! For those of you who are taking the MCAT on January 28th, we have exactly ONE MONTH LEFT!!! Good luck to everyone taking the exam in January!

So, I've JUST finished content review but I'm honestly iffy about some physics concepts and metabolic pathways. I haven't taken any practice exams, I plan on taking them starting in two days...about 6 FLs and 2-3 diagnostic half-lengths. Do you think I should push back my test date or do I have enough time to brush up on concepts and do enough FLs and practice problems? I'm trying to score a 500 or higher! Thanks

31 Days left. Metabolic pathways aren't that big of a deal, focus the most on enzymes and amino acid stuff. Just know general concepts of each pathway. 6 FL's in the last month seems a little much, but shouldn't be too bad. Will depend on your FL scores if you should push back or not.

 

[enchantediris]

Would someone who took NS FL 2 be able to explain the gametogenesis/folliculogenesis passage to me (B/B #10-13)? I literally got all of the questions wrong and could use some help (especially #11-13). Thanks!

 

[Groggs]

Would someone who took NS FL 2 be able to explain the gametogenesis/folliculogenesis passage to me (B/B #10-13)? I literally got all of the questions wrong and could use some help (especially #11-13). Thanks!

Hands down the hardest passage I have seen in a practice MCAT. I only got one right and mainly got lucky to get that one.

 

[BWM95]

Hands down the hardest passage I have seen in a practice MCAT. I only got one right and mainly got lucky to get that one.

Would someone mind screen shotting and attaching the passage, I'd be interested in seeing it


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[enchantediris]

Hands down the hardest passage I have seen in a practice MCAT. I only got one right and mainly got lucky to get that one.

After a lot of re-reading, I'm pretty sure I understand why I got #10-12 wrong (a mixture of not finding the right numbers in the passage and referring to the incorrect images). Would you be able to explain #13 to me? It's about nondisjunction and when you can expect two different copies vs. two identical copies of a chromosome from the same parent. I'm actually mostly confused because I thought meiosis meant ending up with non-identical copies of a chromosome due to synapsis...

Here's to hoping AAMC FL 1 is a lot easier than that (I think you said it was ).

Would someone mind screen shotting and attaching the passage, I'd be interested in seeing it


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

Sorry, I don't think I'm really saavy enough to do that :/

Spoiler

It's essentially about an experiment conducted to determine where follicle reactivation and maturation occurs in the ovaries. There are a couple of time lapse fluorescence images from different parts of the ovaries, which I wasn't used to interpreting. The passage itself is rather straightforward, and now that I can review the answers without time pressure, I can see what they were trying to get at (somewhat). My entire face when I was answering those questions was a mix of .