One Month Till MCAT

[doubledeac92]

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Hi!

I'm currently a month (37 days, eek) out from my MCAT. I signed up in June for the Jan 13 test date and have been tutoring myself since. I'm currently getting my MS in Pharmacology so I've been balancing studying for my MCAT with getting a good GPA in my program and publishing my research. I've been using the Princeton Review subject books and have gone through them all. I took a full length practice test (AAMC Practice Test 4) and felt more confident while taking it but received essentially the same score as I did in June before studying (AAMC Practice Test 3) which is incredibly annoying. I'm obviously planning on taking many more practice test but I was wondering if any of y'all have any tips on things I can focus on/strategies to use until my test date to get as high of a score as possible....

Background:
Took the MCAT June 2013 and got a 26. Essentially getting straight 26's on these practice tests
Aiming for a 30 or higher
HELP 🙁

 

[GomersGoToGround]

There will be plenty of advice from others on here, so I'll just put in one suggestion, which, obviously, is NOT my only suggestion.

I would switch things up. If you've been studying for that long and are still scoring exactly as you were before you began studying, something is not working properly. Yes, you're balancing school. You have to keep your grades up. But the reality is that a 26 simply will not do, for MD schools. Maybe DO schools, if that's your goal, but even there, I would push for a bit higher.

Sure, you're MCAT is not the only thing, but it's a pretty big one.

If you are getting straight 26's on your practice tests, you can expect about the same thing (perhaps +/- 1 point, maybe) on the real thing. Doing poorly on your MCAT once is not great. Retaking it and performing to the same (or perhaps an even worse) degree is a death sentence, in your case. You will not hit a 30 or higher.

You have to look at what it is that you're missing: is it a reasoning problem? Do you have a gap in facts/knowledge? Are you a slow reader? Take a quick break and analyze what exactly is going on here. Maybe consider a new test date. Sure, that'd require taking the new MCAT. Maybe get NEW study materials, look for different ways to study, and try again. It's a lot of work, but depending on what your goals are, scoring 26 twice will likely not help you reach them, if you want to go MD.

 

[MrLogan13]

If you've been studying content all this time and still scoring 26 consistently, then it is time to start working on your test taking skills. I've found that many people underestimate the importance of good test taking strategy.

 

[Ismet]

You need to give more of a background than that.

What's your weakest section? Is that section consistently weak or does that vary by test?
Which practice tests have you taken?
Do you think it's more of a knowledge issue or a test taking issue?

With a month left, you need to be doing and reviewing practice tests. I think I did two a week in the month before my exam, with content review in between. Unfortunately if you're still averaging 26's over the next few practice tests, a 30 on test day is pretty unlikely, and I'd suggest postponing. As said above, the only thing worse than a low MCAT score is two low MCAT scores. It would be better to postpone the test and have to take the 2015 one than to get a 26 again or to only bump up by 1-2 points. Are you planning to apply DO as well?

 

[doubledeac92]

Thanks so much guys! I think at this point it's mostly test taking issues (narrowing down between two and guessing wrong, falling for tricky wording etc). My verbal is consistently around an 11, my biological sciences 8/9 (organic chemistry is killing me.) and physical sciences is consistently weak. I feel like I'm struggling memorizing physics equations. I took 3 physics courses at wake and had above a 96 in all three. Any hints on how to fix this??

I'm planning on applying to DO schools, as well. I've closed down my lab and done with classes till after my MCAT so I'm wanting to do about two practice tests a week (I have the current AAMC practice pack) and some Princeton review printed ones. I want to use my time between practice tests well though.

I appreciate all y'all's advice!

 

[optimistic3]

If memorization is one issue, try using Anki. It's a flashcard app on your smartphone and computer with spaced repetition that will help you learn efficiently. Check out their website and the Anki thread somewhere on SDN. I admit there is a learning curve to it but once you learn how to use it, it's excellent.

Best of luck!

 

[sliceofbread136]

Reschedule your test, you aren't ready at all. Give yourself dedicated study time (like a summers worth), don't mix it with other stuff

3 and 4 are the easier tests too, if you are doing poorly on those you will only do worse on the real thing.

 

[Ismet]

If memorization is one issue, try using Anki. It's a flashcard app on your smartphone and computer with spaced repetition that will help you learn efficiently. Check out their website and the Anki thread somewhere on SDN. I admit there is a learning curve to it but once you learn how to use it, it's excellent.

Best of luck!

I don't think that's something that will really help with about a month left (should be mostly done with content review and really honing testing skills), but definitely if he postpones to April (earliest for the new MCAT).

 

[doubledeac92]

Just improved my score 3 points to a 29! Thanks for the tips y'all. Still got a few weeks left so just going to keep implementing my current plan and hope for the best!

 

[doubledeac92]

Also I'm a girl! Just for the record

 

[YogaBe@r]

What I did, since physics is my weakest subject, I used flash cards to memorize formulas and constantly copied them down on sheets of paper for repetition. During the 10 minute tutorial during the actual MCAT, I wrote down every single formula on the scratch paper (I actually practiced this 3 days before my MCAT til I could write them all down in less than 7 minutes). This really helped me, especially if you have a problem with blanking out on a formula during any practice AAMC tests.

Use practice problems and tests. If you have content down, what is probably holding you back is test taking skills. Just some MCAT workbooks and start hitting passage based problems/questions.

Also go back and look at the types of questions you miss on the practice tests. I know that I am terrible at the roman numeral questions (i.e. is the answer I and II? or just I? or III?) so I would save those for last. Just figure out what you are best at and maintain that strength while working on your weaknesses.

 

[baxt1412]

Also I'm a girl! Just for the record

Why does that matter? Good luck

 

[doubledeac92]

What I did, since physics is my weakest subject, I used flash cards to memorize formulas and constantly copied them down on sheets of paper for repetition. During the 10 minute tutorial during the actual MCAT, I wrote down every single formula on the scratch paper (I actually practiced this 3 days before my MCAT til I could write them all down in less than 7 minutes). This really helped me, especially if you have a problem with blanking out on a formula during any practice AAMC tests.

Use practice problems and tests. If you have content down, what is probably holding you back is test taking skills. Just some MCAT workbooks and start hitting passage based problems/questions.

Also go back and look at the types of questions you miss on the practice tests. I know that I am terrible at the roman numeral questions (i.e. is the answer I and II? or just I? or III?) so I would save those for last. Just figure out what you are best at and maintain that strength while working on your weaknesses.

Thanks so much! I've been working on some of these things but using the 10 minute tutorial time is brilliant!

 

[doubledeac92]

Why does that matter? Good luck

It doesn't. I was just called a "he" a few times so I was clarifying haha but thanks!