Opinions on Retaking Material

[SD3321]

So I have a bit of a dilemma on what to do study wise for the MCAT. My score came back a while ago 25O and I was pretty devastated as I had a summer to study it with a lot of free time. I have decent extracurriculars and a 3.61 cGPA (my goal is DO now) so I decided I should retake but I don't know where to start.

My biggest problem is that I used up all the AAMC practice tests as well as the first 6 kaplan practice tests which I found the very helpful. I also used up the entire EK verbal book which I thought helped. I used these two to supplement with my kaplan material as I was enrolled in the course. So now I don't know where to go with practice tests which I think is my biggest problem and is demotivating me to start a study plan. I feel that I can't do better then before if I already completed these tests. I'm also not sure what material I should be reading, whether to redo my kaplan or get new books. Any advice would be great.

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[BerkReviewTeach]

It's hard to answer your question without knowing a little more about how you studied. You need to raise your score at least 3 points, hopefully more, to be a viable candidate for the schools you are seeking. You are going to have to do something different this time around, but whether it's the materials or your approach, only you can best answer that question.

It sounds like you took plenty of practice FLs this past summer, but did you thoroughly review them? Did you determine how much you were affected by time pressure, if you made careless mistakes, if you bombed a couple passages entirely or spread your errors out, and if you knew your material well? Did your actual MCAT feel like those practice exams or did it feel different?

Once you answer those questions, then you can make a good choice as to the materials you'll use this time. No matter what, you're going to have to focus on doing passages this next cycle. I personally think it's best to use completely fresh material, because no matter what, you are going to recall facts from the answer explanations you read in the past. If that happens, then you might not be assessing yourself correctly and you could get a false sense of security.

No matter what you do, best of luck and here's hoping the next exam goes much better!

 

[SD3321]

Yea I think I may have to get other books to replace my kaplan ones. I used the kaplan books as well as the online material the last time I studied for this test. I guess my question is what is the general consensus on the best material to use now. As for the AAMC I did review each one thoroughly, which is upsetting since now I can't reuse them as a viable aid.