*Official MCAT January 2017 Thread*

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Singerpremed

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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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Those of you that have taken a lot of practice tests: what formulas/equations have you seen on the tests most frequently that you highly recommend knowing?

physics: V=IR, power = work/time, q=mcat, snell's law, E=hv, wavelength/frequency relationship, 1/ i + 1/ o = 1/ f = 2/r, potential and kinetic energy
chemistry: gibbs free energy, ideal and combined gas laws, Ka/pH calculations, buffer solution pH, rate kinetics

these are all the ones that stand out to me from my memory
 
How long do you guys tend to spend on each chapter of content review? As mentioned I still have some left and am worried I am taking too long. I guess it doesn't really matter, I go faster thru soc ones or bio/biochem that I'm already familiar with. It's the chem and physics that slows me waaaay down...and I let myself put them off because I hate them. Bad move, self.

On the other hand, Past Thoth did not have the benefit of experience that Current Thoth has. One can only hope that Future Thoth is even wiser and more prepared.
 
How long do you guys tend to spend on each chapter of content review? As mentioned I still have some left and am worried I am taking too long. I guess it doesn't really matter, I go faster thru soc ones or bio/biochem that I'm already familiar with. It's the chem and physics that slows me waaaay down...

I used to take about 1 hour per chapter, except for physics I took 2 hours because that's my weakest subject. If you have access to stand-alone practice questions I think that would be the best way to review content at this point!
 
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I just took it today and got a 125 as well. 513 overall if CARS is what is going to stop me from getting 515+ I am going to flip out....

That's a little relieving (no offense) since CARS is what dropped my total score relative to what I actually thought I'd get (received a 509 on the scored exam when I was aiming more towards 511-512 on the scored) and word I'd flip out too
 
Took NS FL1 today. I have taken three FL's so far -- AAMC practice exam1, AAMC sample test and NS FL1 in that order. I feel like my endurance is going down with each exam :(

I feel burned out and want this to be over but on the other hand feel like I need more time to do content review. I had a lot of extra time with AAMC exam 1, but with NS FL1 I barely finished it with no time to spare.

I am really impressed with those of you who have taken so many FLs.
One thing to take into account is the next step exams tend to be more difficult than AAMC. I thought NS was more difficult than the sample test and I thought the sample test was more difficult than AAMC 1. It could be that you have been taking harder exams progressively and think your endurance is going down.
 
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Kap FL 8 passage 7 on the Bio, I have a hard time with passages that goes on a whole list of pathways for 5 paragraphs, any good techniques? Drawing it all out just take so much time.
 
I really think it is up to you and how good you are at cramming. Speaking from experience (I took the exam last june) I wish I had been confident with the test before I took it. If you are not confident with the structure and length then I might reconsider but that is just my opinion. I went from getting a 505 in june on the actual exam to getting a 512 last week on the AAMC Scored 1 as well as 82% total score on the official sample test. Also, if it helps I did land an allopathic interview (which I am waiting for the decision) with the 505, so a 510+ is not the only ticket into medical school but it does help haha. Best of Luck Friend!

What did you feel like helped you raise your score? I scored a 503 on the AAMC 1 and I'm seriously reconsidering postponing to March bc my goal is a 510+... Trying to think of what I need to change/do differently moving forward
 
Those of you that have taken a lot of practice tests: what formulas/equations have you seen on the tests most frequently that you highly recommend knowing?
Henderson Hasselbach
LE CHATELIER
CAPACITORS
Ohms Law
Work
 
Glad I'm not alone... I feel like some of you do with just wanting to get this over with, and I'm trying to be careful not to burnout. It was especially tough for me after a grueling fall semester, although I'm sure many of you are struggling just as much. Goal is a 515+ on the real deal and I'm sitting just below if not yet there. Hopefully that translates on the real deal. I'm just coasting into the finish, trying to stay sharp. Kaplan FL today, classes start this week & I'm finishing up the section bank during school (finished question packs yesterday... avg'd probably 80% overall) and I'll be fine tuning some content, then AAMC FL 2 next weekend and test day that Thursday!

For me, the anxiety has somewhat subsided... it was so extreme when I began practicing (is there some sort of psych term for this? Is anyone else's life bombarded with psych terms, or biology facts, etc? Got into an argument with my parents over which cholesterol was the "good" cholesterol last night... "Look I've been studying for over 6 months, this I'm pretty sure of" - LDL = bad, HDL = good) but over time the anxiety has numbed and I'm just impatiently waiting for Jan 19th. Not saying I have bursting confidence or that I feel absolutely ready... I'm just over it :) and test day's going to come whether we like it or not!

I wish everyone luck in the upcoming weeks... especially on test day.
 
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What did you feel like helped you raise your score? I scored a 503 on the AAMC 1 and I'm seriously reconsidering postponing to March bc my goal is a 510+... Trying to think of what I need to change/do differently moving forward
The first time I took the test I read a ton of kaplan books and did lots of review. this time around I am just doing tons of practice problems (like a 100-150 in a day) and then reviewing thoroughly in order to try and figure out trends. For example, if the test wants to know if there is an environmental factor over a genetic factor the answer is almost always some form of identical twins separated at birth. Also, I research the choices that I don't know even if I got the question right. I think in the end it is about getting into the minds of the testers. You can know the topic inside and out but still get it wrong because you aren't used to the double negative or odd wording format of the question. As my coach said, "perfect practice makes perfect". So in my opinion I highly recommend lots of perfect (test-like) practice and the AAMC section banks, official guides, and q packs are a great place to start.
 
physics: V=IR, power = work/time, q=mcat, snell's law, E=hv, wavelength/frequency relationship, 1/ i + 1/ o = 1/ f = 2/r, potential and kinetic energy
chemistry: gibbs free energy, ideal and combined gas laws, Ka/pH calculations, buffer solution pH, rate kinetics

these are all the ones that stand out to me from my memory

Henderson Hasselbach
LE CHATELIER
CAPACITORS
Ohms Law
Work

Thanks! Many of those showed up on AAMC 1 alone
 
How did it go for you? I feel the same way, but also burned out hard today so I think I'm going to take a break tomorrow and recalibrate. As much as extra studying is helpful, you don't want to crash before the actual exam.

NS1: 516 (130, 128, 129, 129)

Hope you could relax and revise today!
 
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I agree with you on this, I took the test in June and I am retaking it now. What I noticed was that the cars section from Kaplan didn't help me that much for the AAMC material. However, the C/P and B/B sections were much harder from Kaplan and I would get like 127s every time but now that I am taking the AAMC material I am getting 129-130 on everything and averaging around 90% raw score. CARS QPACK 1 was nasty!
For which Kap Exams? I was getting 128 consistently until exam 6 started falling into 126 and 127
 
Long-time lurker thought I'd ask for your guys' opinion!

So I am taking the MCAT Jan 19th, and hoping for a 515, but would be happy with a 510+ I've taken five and half exams so far, but not sure if I'm in my target range or not. In order my results are

Demo TPR-495 ( C/P 122, B/B 122, Cars 125, P/S 126 ): Was surprised it was this low even though I heard it was absurdly hard because I felt as though I understood most of the content/questions.

NS 1: 508 (127 on everything): In line with what I expected based on difficulty of the test.

NS half-length diagnostic: 511( C/P 126, B/B 126, Cars 131, P/S 128): Surprised my science scores went down due to taking this after the FL.

AAMC sample (C/P 63%, B/B 86%, Cars 87%, P/S 80%): Still don't know if this was good or not. The C/P should have been higher; About 3/4 of the way through I misread a calculation for diameter as density and wasted a lot of time meaning, I had to skim over the rest of the passages. Reviewing the test, I found 4-5 easy questions (amino acid type gimme type) I probably would have gotten right had I not skimmed through and another 3-4 I understood and may have gotten right without the wasted time. B/B and P/S seemed right.

AAMC scored: 509 ( C/P 126, B/B 128, Cars 127, P/S 128): Still need to review this but it seemed harder than the sample...and maybe even NS. I felt like I understood most of the content, but thought I'd get a 127 on C/P (seemed to be a question or two away from that). CARS surprised me since I got 77% correct but on the AAMC qpacks I've been getting 83% correct minimum (though I've been doing 3 timed passages a day rather than a whole exam so maybe I'm not doing it right?) but B/B and P/S seemed right...though again seemed harder haha. I thought I'd do better considering I heard people tend to do a few points better than their NS, and I'm about a week and a half from the actual thing.

Don't know if it matters but on my physics qpack I got 74%, chem 82%, and biology 86% a few weeks ago. This has been on par with the TBR exams I've been taking (been doing better % wise on TBR biology however). Section bank 60% C/P, 64% B/B, 71% P/S though this was months ago while still reviewing content.

Sorry for the long post, but by your estimates is a 509 about what I should expect or is 510-515 still within reasonable grasp?

Thanks for the help, and good luck everyone! It will all be over soon!
 
For which Kap Exams? I was getting 128 consistently until exam 6 started falling into 126 and 127
I got a 126 C/P, 128 B/B on FL 1 but I bounced between 126 and 127 in the C/P sections and B/B sections in Kaplan FLs 2-5. Have you done the AAMC scored 1 yet? I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
 
I got a 126 C/P, 128 B/B on FL 1 but I bounced between 126 and 127 in the C/P sections and B/B sections in Kaplan FLs 2-5. Have you done the AAMC scored 1 yet? I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
Not my first take, took scored FL in May, so only the Scored FL 2 will be a fair gauge of my ability, let me know what you think of it when you take it.
 
Was hoping someone could offer some insight into this explanation for an examkrackers question. It wasn't extremely relevant to the question at hand, but in their solution examkrackers mentions that the metabolism of 1 pyruvate produces a net of 1 ATP, 4 NADH, and 2 FADH2. If I am correct shouldn't it only be 1 FADH2 per pyruvate from one cycle of Krebs? I was unsure if there was any way a second FADH2 would be generated.
 
That may have been a typo, I have seen a couple on EK since it was my main review as well. The metabolism of one acetyl CoA produces 1 GTP (succynl-CoA - succinate which is equivalent to 1 ATP) 3 NADH (isocitrate - a-ketoglutarate, a-ketoglutarate- succynl-CoA, malate - oxaloacetate) and 1 FADH2 (either succinate - fumarate or fumarate to malate I forgot which one.)

On that note, has anyone taken AAMC FL 2?
 
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Hello, Long time lurker, first time poster. Im taking my exam on the 28th, and just like a lot of you, im stressing with this last push, because I really am hoping to get a good score. One issue that has been coming up constantly, has been my interpretation of the design of an experiment, and understanding the purpose of experimental based passages (mostly in Chem Phys, and Bio/Biochem). I have heard different strategies on how to tackle them (people suggest understanding the bigger picture and looking at the graph for Bio/biochem BEFORE reading the passage), which t has helped me a bit in B/BC, but not really for C/P as it seems the tables/graphs are not always asked about on the question, and seems to just waste my time. I was wondering what strategy works best for you guys on tackling the experimental passages in B/BC, C/P, and even BS, and if you have different strategies for each.

Secondly, on the EK exams, the bottom of the science passages usually has the name of the experiment, and by looking at it in the beginning has helped me formulate the big picture/purpose of the experiment early on. I was wondering if you guys have also used these little headers for help, and if these are actually as descriptive in the real mcat, or if its just an EK thing.

Thanks, and best of luck to us all!
P.S: ignore my username... its my facebook email from ages ago lol.
 
I'm on the fence about rescheduling (I test the 28th) and my last day to decide is the 13th. I'm going to take either a NS or Kaplan FL on wednesday and decide depending on the score. In terms of which is more similar to AAMC, which should I take first Kaplan 1 or NS 1?
 
I'm on the fence about rescheduling (I test the 28th) and my last day to decide is the 13th. I'm going to take either a NS or Kaplan FL on wednesday and decide depending on the score. In terms of which is more similar to AAMC, which should I take first Kaplan 1 or NS 1?
I've taken 3 kaplan tests and 4 NS. There is no comparison, Next Step was far closer to the AAMC materials than Kaplan was.
 
That may have been a typo, I have seen a couple on EK since it was my main review as well. The metabolism of one acetyl CoA produces 1 GTP (succynl-CoA - succinate which is equivalent to 1 ATP) 3 NADH (isocitrate - a-ketoglutarate, a-ketoglutarate- succynl-CoA, malate - oxaloacetate) and 1 FADH2 (either succinate - fumarate or fumarate to malate I forgot which one.)

On that note, has anyone taken AAMC FL 2?

One pyruvate produces FOUR NADH. Don't forget pyruvate dehydrogenase.
 
Not my first take, took scored FL in May, so only the Scored FL 2 will be a fair gauge of my ability, let me know what you think of it when you take it.
I take it Saturday. . . so my fingers are crossed that it goes well because it is the last big indicator of my preparedness. I'll let you know!
 
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Good luck y'all! Testing on the 28th here. Finally starting to see improvement in CARS after months of practicing, yeeee. :)
 
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How did everyone do on the AAMC Sample test? How is it compared to the other AAMC Fls?

If you are wondering how your sample translates into a scaled score, there is a converter floating around reddit you can use. I thought it was a little bit harder than FL 1 although I did roughly the same on both tests
 
How did everyone do on the AAMC Sample test? How is it compared to the other AAMC Fls?
AAMC Sample: C/P 85%, CARS 72% (my weakness!), B/B 90%, P/S 80 %
AAMC Scored 1: 512 (130 C/P, 126 CARS, 128 B/B, and 128 P/S)
 
Has anyone taken the ek fls? I have gotten 61%, 64% and 64% on fls 1, 2 and 3. Is this time to panic?
 
How did everyone do on the AAMC Sample test? How is it compared to the other AAMC Fls?

Sample: C/P 75% CARS 89% B/B 71% P/S 83%
Scored 1: C/P 128 CARS 125 B/B 128 P/S 128
Scored 2: C/P 128 CARS 122 (lol) B/B 128 P/S 126

I found them all around the same difficulty except CARS on the sample test is a little bit more straightforward (but ignore my scored 1 and 2 cars because I'm going through a weird drop with it right now)
 
How did you do? Haven't finished mine yet
504...ran out of time on C/P and CARS so didn't answer like 5 questions in each section which really killed me...trying to work on my timing, I spend way too much time reading into passages and referencing them while answering the questions :(
 
504...ran out of time on C/P and CARS so didn't answer like 5 questions in each section which really killed me...trying to work on my timing, I spend way too much time reading into passages and referencing them while answering the questions :(

The method I have used to prevent leaving questions blank in other major exams like this, which has been very effective, is that when there are FIVE MINUTES LEFT - stop what you're doing (or finish that question - NOT that passage) and select a choice WITHOUT READING for all remaining questions. Then, you can go back and pick up where you left off. It takes longer to click a button for each question than you think. The worst thing you can do is leave an answer blank. I always pick B for all answers on the theory that I should get about 25% right if I pick all the same letter, but could get 0% if I pick different ones.
 
504...ran out of time on C/P and CARS so didn't answer like 5 questions in each section which really killed me...trying to work on my timing, I spend way too much time reading into passages and referencing them while answering the questions :(

keep working at it! I struggle with that on CARS too. just finished NS1 and got 511. kinda rushed through it and didn't really check over my answers whoops :p
 
How did everyone do on the AAMC Sample test? How is it compared to the other AAMC Fls?

I felt both tests were similar.

AAMC Sample: 84.8% total; 75%/89%/90%/86% Converter put me between 514 - 518
AAMC Fl 1: 516 total (86.5%); 129/128/130/129 (86%/81%/88%/90%)

I took these about a week and a half apart, most of which I spent studying physics and chem, which I believe is reflected in the 129 for that section.
 
The method I have used to prevent leaving questions blank in other major exams like this, which has been very effective, is that when there are FIVE MINUTES LEFT - stop what you're doing (or finish that question - NOT that passage) and select a choice WITHOUT READING for all remaining questions. Then, you can go back and pick up where you left off. It takes longer to click a button for each question than you think. The worst thing you can do is leave an answer blank. I always pick B for all answers on the theory that I should get about 25% right if I pick all the same letter, but could get 0% if I pick different ones.

That's a great idea, I'm going to try it next time. I feel like that would be good if I run out of time on C/P (I seemingly always do thus far)...on CARS I actually tried NS's last minute strategy of reading the first and last sentences of each paragraph and it works surprising well in a time crunch. I definitely need to work on this before the 28th though...


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I'm with ya, friend! I haven't gone thru the section bank yet (that's on the to-do for next couple days before FL 2 on Saturday)... Let's do this! Good luck :)
Are you taking it 19th? I am on the 28th, so I'm taking AAMC #2 on the 21st. I bought the whole $200 pack thing from AAMC, so I've done about 70% of all of it. These last couple weeks just fine tuning and keeping the mind fresh
 
Yo and hello. Just posting for the hell of it, and making myself available for questions.
Took the real mcat last summer - scored 511 but CARS was a heartbreaker up here in Canada (scored 125 - eye roll.)
Managed to bump my practice scores up a bit in the last few months. Won't bore you with the details of those because I've essentially taken them all.
But to answer some of the above questions - yes, I have done Testing Solutions for CARS. Curled into a ball and cried after nearly every test but the real deal is a cake walk now.
And to a second question asked above - I have done AAMC FL2. Score is as follows: 517 (129:130:130:128)

Open to any questions about the whole process/writing twice/testing solutions/AAMC Fls (and FLs from any other company for that matter)/applying in Canada/study strategies/life strategies/favourite dog breed, etc.

Hang in there champs - you're all superstars and we WILL get there. Deep breaths and naps and snacks and hugs are the keys.
 
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Yo and hello. Just posting for the hell of it, and making myself available for questions.
Took the real mcat last summer - scored 511 but CARS was a heartbreaker up here in Canada (scored 125 - eye roll.)
Managed to bump my practice scores up a bit in the last few months. Won't bore you with the details of those because I've essentially taken them all.
But to answer some of the above questions - yes, I have done Testing Solutions for CARS. Curled into a ball and cried after nearly every test but the real deal is a cake walk now.
And to a second question asked above - I have done AAMC FL2. Score is as follows: 517 (129:130:130:128)

Open to any questions about the whole process/writing twice/testing solutions/AAMC Fls (and FLs from any other company for that matter)/applying in Canada/study strategies/life strategies/favourite dog breed, etc.

Hang in there champs - you're all superstars and we WILL get there. Deep breaths and naps and snacks and hugs are the keys.

Could you give us your thoughts on FL1 vs FL2 vs unscored vs the real deal? All of us soon to be test takers are understandably nervous and want to get a sense of how confident we can be that FL1 and FL2 will serve as decent predictors of our performance.

Also, congrats on your impressive CARS improvement!
 
Could you give us your thoughts on FL1 vs FL2 vs unscored vs the real deal? All of us soon to be test takers are understandably nervous and want to get a sense of how confident we can be that FL1 and FL2 will serve as decent predictors of our performance.

Also, congrats on your impressive CARS improvement!

For sure! (And for the record, I'm testing next thursday, so I'm sitting in the nervous boat with you all!!)

Hands down, AAMC materials are the BEST predictors for what your score will likely be. That **** is sacrosanct.
I took the unscored FL last year, and percentage-wise, I scored slightly below what I managed to pull off on the real test day. I definitely felt it was the most representative of what I experienced testday, maaaaybe slightly light on physics, though that varies test-to-test on the real deal.

FL1 and FL2 weren't actually available to me last year before I wrote (yeah I went in blind - it sucked). But I have since done them, and LOVED them. They were so similar to what I experienced last year on test day - tricky questions and all. The typical AAMC sneaky questions are there; the subject yields all felt about right; the passages stressed research as opposed to direct content, etc. And to top it off, FL1 and 2 really balanced one another out - so what was lighter on 1 was a little more heavy on 2, and vice versa. So I think if you can confidently state that you understand the concepts tested in all three of those AAMC tests, you can be comfortable and confident on test day.
Personally, I though FL2 was a little harder than FL1, but that varies person to person.

Moral of the story, I think they are definitely predictive of your score! But if you don't do well on them, do NOT lose hope! Just review the grand concepts contained within them, and you're bound to do better on test day. :)
Happy studying!
 
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