Question for March 27th and January MCATers

[chicago88]

1) How many Orgo passages did you guys have?


2) Was the biology heavy on molecular biology & genetics? (I know it was last year, just wanted to see if this trend is continuing)



I hope this is not dwelling into too much MCAT detail..


Thank you.

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[luckyducky87]

i just took it today. can't remember, but maybe 2 orgo passages? i think of the 2, 1 was strongly biochem-ish. so maybe just 1 "strictly" orgo passage.

mine was so, so heavy on molecular bio and genetics, though i thought the 2010 january takers had something entirely different.

 

[NYR56]

The 1/29 exam had a good amount of genetics and molecular biology. I think the trend is indeed continuing (although I didn't know there was a trend, heh). I think there was 2 passages on orgo, not totally sure. It wasn't bad orgo though from what I remember.

 

[crosspoint]

I took the Jan MCAT and it had 3 orgo passages and I agree it was heavy in genetics and molecular biology I had 2 genetics passage

 

[RogueUnicorn]

OP, this is a futile exercise unfortunately. Focus your thoughts elsewhere

 

[chicago88]

I'd like to disagree that this is a futile exercise.

Looking at the 3/27 trend, some people are claiming as little as 1 question in physiology. I am perfectly WELL AWARE that if someone told me "I had only 1 orgo passage", or that "I had only 1 physiology question", that it does not mean that I shouldn't study orgo or physiology because my test may be way different than theirs.

However, to focus your studies more on molecular biology & genetics, and to not dwell too deep into all the minor nuisances of orgo, IMHO, is a responsible use of your time. If the test is molecular bio heavy, and heavy in minor details (like the 3/27ers are claiming), this is a GENERAL trend that is reliable.

 

[PhilIvey]

I'd like to disagree that this is a futile exercise.

Looking at the 3/27 trend, some people are claiming as little as 1 question in physiology. I am perfectly WELL AWARE that if someone told me "I had only 1 orgo passage", or that "I had only 1 physiology question", that it does not mean that I shouldn't study orgo or physiology because my test may be way different than theirs.

However, to focus your studies more on molecular biology & genetics, and to not dwell too deep into all the minor nuisances of orgo, IMHO, is a responsible use of your time. If the test is molecular bio heavy, and heavy in minor details (like the 3/27ers are claiming), this is a GENERAL trend that is reliable.

It is futile and really annoying. You should know everything. The MCAT varies. There are some tests that are mostly physiology and others that are all genetics. There are 22 administrations and they pull anything. Bleargh is right that instead of figuring what what will be on your test, spend time studying. I studied fluids and electric circuits and all of second half physics but almost none of it showed up. Was I angry? No, because they can only test you on so much.

 

[chicago88]

If you were to go and look at the threads in the past year, it would be hard to find a person claiming that theirs was heavy on physiology. This is a trend, not an isolated incidence.

Also, I did not ask what is focused on in physical sciences, because if you follow the threads closely there is NOT a trend there. All the topics are fair game.

I understand that tests are variable in what they test and some may have more or less physiology, but the fact that every single one has a lot of genetics and molecular bio on it in comparison to general physiology is certainly important. The level of physiology that they do test is largely intuitive if you have a biology background, the molecular bio/genetics is not and needs to be studied intensely to have a good understanding of it.

Also, Orgo used to make up half of the biological sciences, then they decreased it to significantly less, but as of the last 1-2 years they have slightly upped it from the point when it was tested at its lowest.

This is relevant information. I would never advise someone to not study physiology or orgo, or to not take them seriously. But in my situation, for example, where I have spent lots of time going through EVERYTHING already and want to know which topics I should review most thoroughly, general trends in what is tested more is extremely relevant.

 

[NYR56]

It is futile and really annoying.

If it's so annoying why bother posting? Everyone knows they have to learn all the material but if you think you should cover everything equally then you are definitely not being as efficient as possible. Let the OP research the trends if they wants to instead of jumping on them and complaining.

 

[chicago88]

If anything, many people are still caught up in this mindset that orgo is 'barely tested' as a result of it no longer being half of the biological sciences section.

This is a mistake, and you will not get away with a good score on BS without orgo. Perhaps this 'rumor' stems from the time when they originally cut the amount tested, but I think that it is tested more heavily now then when it was at its lowest.

So anyway, I'm not trying to find an easy way out here by any means. Just trying to efficiently focus the little time that I have left.

 

[NYR56]

The orgo being tested seems to be more intuitive rather than just recalling reactions. To be perfectly honest, I didn't even totally learn all of the reactions in the EK orgo book (and they trimmed orgo down to only 4 chapters) but I ended up with a good score. I think the biggest thing for MCAT orgo is to just understand why things happen overall and not bother with too many specific details.

 

[SN2ed]

Don't rely on trends. I have looked at past MCAT club threads and I remember the last time people tried follow to trends was with O-chem. For awhile there was only one passage and some discretes, rarely two passages. Then, all of a sudden the AAMC gave out several MCATs with 2-3 passages. It actually started with a group getting three passages. What I'm getting at is that trends can change suddenly. This wasn't a gradual move towards more, it was an unpredictable shift that caught the majority of test takers off guard. Furthermore, no one thinks their test will be the one where the AAMC shifts its topics.

Another way to look at it is that if there has been a trend over the past couple years for genetics, isn't it time for a change?

Rather than trying to gamble with predicting topics, it would be more efficient to focus on your weaknesses.

Don't worry, I won't spam your thread anymore with this topic.

 

[PhilIvey]

If it's so annoying why bother posting? Everyone knows they have to learn all the material but if you think you should cover everything equally then you are definitely not being as efficient as possible. Let the OP research the trends if they wants to instead of jumping on them and complaining.

I do it, because if I recall correctly, the OP has been preparing for the MCAT on and off since last summer. So many kids ask these questions. Just know everything. The reality is 50% of the MCAT can't be prepared for. The AAMC has a list of topics. There really is no way to have prepared for the passages yesterday. You had to understand the basics (aka EK bio) and be able to extrapolate. However, the discretes were hard. They were very specific. So, my advice was to know everything. I would have never guessed that the hardest part of the BS would be the discretes. I missed 4. They tested me on low yield stuff. So, if you want a 12, know the basics but if you want a 14 then you better hope not to be nailed by crazy stuff.

Also, regarding the O-chem, it varies. There are some administrations that test your knowledge directly and you CAN'T use intuition. My point is that kids should stop trying to guess what will be on the MCAT. Finally, OP, the September 10 and a lot of the late July to August tests had lots of physiology. So, there is no trend, just be prepared.

In closing, physiology is my strength. There was one question on it. Did I complain? No, I was prepared and that's it. There was a tricky physiology disrete that I got right that I'm sure most kids missed. If you're happy with a 12 or 13 then don't go overboard. I now realize that getting a 15 BS requires good inference skills and LUCK on the discretes. It's up to you.