Physical science section giving me hell!

[Palam]

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While I'm not doing "great" in my other sections (consistently 9 on verbal and biology) I keep scoring around 7 on the physical science section. This is largely due to the fact that I'm relatively new to chemistry and physics and it all seems to go through one ear and out the other. I study it, get it, and forget it. It seems like I'm equally weak in chemistry and physics, although chemistry gets me with the quantitative and the physics with the conceptual.

Some things I know I need to work on:

1) Getting the major concepts is more important than all those extraneous equations
2) Get better at dividing/multiplying large numbers. I'm okay with smaller stuff but my last practice test it was evident that I'm not comfortable with huge numbers
3) The MCAT likes to focus on certain topics. They throw in lots of random stuff but I consistently see the same topics on the practice exams. Focus on these topics!


Is there any advice you can offer besides study more? I have another 2.5 weeks, but the last week is to simulate test day and go over weaknesses. I can always push my exam back but I just want to get my life going.

Thanks and good luck!

 

[Palam]

I'm currently using only TPR books which are helpful, but obviously contain a great depth of information. Since I found the EK bio book to be easy to read and concise should I pick up their chemistry and physics version?

 

[Bamfu]

EK Verbal book has an MCAT math section in there that is actually pretty helpful. I am good at math, and the simple rounding perspective is good to keep in mind.

As far as big picture, there are a number of things to keep in mind. One subject that is always tested, though - know/understand redox reactions, especially how they pertain to a galvanic cell with the energies and stuff. Especially those charts with the mV values for reduction of ions/atoms. I never looked at it much in Chem 2 except in passing (granted my chem 2 teacher was terrible), and I find it on everything.

As for your second post, I really only used the EK stuff (had a TPR Bio and Physics book also that I didn't use fully). It was great, and I felt like most of what I saw was covered pretty well. Worst case, you're not out much for buying the EK stuff. It's pretty cheap.

Good luck!

 

[mushuwu158]

I'm currently using only TPR books which are helpful, but obviously contain a great depth of information. Since I found the EK bio book to be easy to read and concise should I pick up their chemistry and physics version?

No. EK Bio is amazing, but physics and chem leaves much to be desired. They tend to take relatively simple concepts and complicate the hell out of them.

TPR and TBR books are much better for physics and chem, though I personally think TBR also overcomplicates certain concepts with details that you would never need.

 

[Palam]

No. EK Bio is amazing, but physics and chem leaves much to be desired. They tend to take relatively simple concepts and complicate the hell out of them.

TPR and TBR books are much better for physics and chem, though I personally think TBR also overcomplicates certain concepts with details that you would never need.

Sadly it seems evident that there aren't any quick fixes but simply studying more and more passages/discretes. I have the ek 1001 physics discretes so maybe I'll make sure to do all the sections I have trouble on. I also need to make sure I don't make the same calculation misstakes.

Thanks for the tips so far!

 

[Palam]

The good news is that I'm going over the PS section right now and there's about 14-15 wrong answers that are totally surmountable. There are two questions that were badly worded (in my opinion), and the rest were calculation mistakes or the classic I-actually-know-this-question-but-I'll-guess-instead.

If I can minimize foolish mistakes, I think a 10 is possible.

 

[Temperature101]

The good news is that I'm going over the PS section right now and there's about 14-15 wrong answers that are totally surmountable. There are two questions that were badly worded (in my opinion), and the rest were calculation mistakes or the classic I-actually-know-this-question-but-I'll-guess-instead.

If I can minimize foolish mistakes, I think a 10 is possible.[/QUOTE]
10 is definitely possible for PS if you are using TBR for chemistry... TBR physics is OK...Personally, I am not a good fan of TBR physics. I think people on SDN give it too much credit.