Plateauing, Test in a Week? Advice?

[Jzaga053]

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Hey guys, first time posting here, but long time reader. Some great people and advice in here. Looking for some of my own this time!

My test is in less than a week - next friday, and am... quite nervous as expected. I took the kaplan on site course that ended mid July. I came out of that class scoring a 25 consistently after a diagnostic score of 18. Did a mission trip for a week after than, with no studying whatsoever, came back and still scored a 25. It's been 2 weeks since I've gotten back, and have taken 6 tests.

P-V-B
27 8-10-9 AAMC
27 8-9-10 KAPLAN
28 9-10-9 AAMC
29 10-10-9 KAPLAN
28 9-10-9 AAMC
27 9-10-8 KAPLAN

I cant seem to get above a 28 average. Verbal is fine, although I feel that my score should be higher with how well I've been doing in it percentage wise.

I feel like physical is definitely my weakest. Biological I've been doing ok percentage wise, but I guess more people do well on it as well.

Any tips on how to study this week? Just want the bump for a 30. I honestly feel most of my points have been stupid overlooks. Thanks for any insight, back to studying...

- Joe

 

[V5RED]

When you say that most of your lost points are from "stupid overlooks", what do you mean?


Are you not reading the questions/answer choices carefully? Are you picking answers based on what you thought was asked as opposed to what was asked? Are you fully able to understand why the correct answer is correct and the others are incorrect without looking up any extra information? Are you being careless with your math? Any other "stupid overlooks"?

 

[Jzaga053]

Thats pretty much it. I go over the answer, and a good amount are literally because things like that. Especially thinking things like when the solution increases its pH - and Im thinking oh, more pH, more acidic. These I completely understand, and yet I forget and go to fast for time.

Physical Sciences I've found that I only have about 2 minutes or so left when I'm done.

Verbal I finish right on the dot.

Biological I sometimes have 5-15 left even. So Im thinking Physical I need more content. Biological I need to take my time more.

Few questions - Is there a find function on the computer for the MCAT? IE control+f? Also, I have the EK 1001 question series but didn't think they really were indicative of test passages since it's all discretes. They good to still go over for content review? Thanks!

 

[PanRoasted]

Thats pretty much it. I go over the answer, and a good amount are literally because things like that. Especially thinking things like when the solution increases its pH - and Im thinking oh, more pH, more acidic. These I completely understand, and yet I forget and go to fast for time.

Physical Sciences I've found that I only have about 2 minutes or so left when I'm done.

Verbal I finish right on the dot.

Biological I sometimes have 5-15 left even. So Im thinking Physical I need more content. Biological I need to take my time more.

Few questions - Is there a find function on the computer for the MCAT? IE control+f? Also, I have the EK 1001 question series but didn't think they really were indicative of test passages since it's all discretes. They good to still go over for content review? Thanks!

I've heard from multiple people who have taken the test that there is no ctrl+f or find function.

 

[Vertwous]

Isn't it like AAMC tests, where they have a search bar above the passages?

 

[balambfishie]

Isn't it like AAMC tests, where they have a search bar above the passages?

AAMC states in their tutorial that the search bar and the notes function aren't given on the real exam.

 

[FarMD2012]

Isn't it like AAMC tests, where they have a search bar above the passages?

There is no ctrl F function on the test. I also noticed that when doing the practice AAMC, if you use a different browser (google chrome) there is not search bar at the top of the passages unlike internet explorer.

 

[Vertwous]

Well that's deceiving, because you ask for test conditions and they give you test conditions, except for the fact that the search bar isn't going to be on the real thing.

Practice AAMCs does not support Google Chrome; Firefox is a better browser anyway.

 

[smuscs]

reading the tutorial on the practice tests would have let you know that there was no search function though... so they weren't being deceiving at all.

 

[Vertwous]

I meant them giving you the search function in the practice tests to begin with, but not on the real thing.

 

[MadRadLad]

The notes thing is annoying as hell. I like in the TPR you can double click a word to highlight it. For AAMCs you click anywhere in the passage and the notes pop up. So annoying.

 

[Jzaga053]

Agreed. ^

To try to get over the plateau, I redid content of gen chem and physics totally this weekend, own notes, etc. I should've done it earlier, I think rewriting the stuff really helped. AAMC tomorrow and Wednesday before friday test. Hopefully I can see that 30 on a practice beforehand...

 

[kiwi44]

(removed)

 

[Jzaga053]

Im literally about to take my 9th overall test today, probably AAMC 8. My test on friday is at 1, waiting for that 1pm time to hit to take it. Since I posted/my last test, I decided to take the weekend off tests and review content - something I literally had NOT done since I finished my kaplan course 3 weeks ago.

I've been doing problems and reviewing my old test since, when I think my problem was that I had not reviewed the content - I dont think it really stuck the first time around. Took the whole day sat reading the general chemisty kaplan book and sunday, the physics.

I made a sheet of everything, especially my problem areas and took notes of every chapter and the details - came to be a 4 page word document for each subject. Now I feel much for confident with formulas, etc. We'll see if that was the problem after this test. Only 2 more days of studying really until thursday break and test on fri. So... a little nervous haha.

 

[plasmodium]

--

 

[Jzaga053]

Well, the content review helped with physical, starting to get solid 10s. Just need to do the review for bio now. For some reason my verbal went down to an 8 after getting 10s for the last 4 tests. Just wasn't the best passages for me, I guessed on the last passage because of time.

Greatttt...