Raise PS score?

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

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What should I do? I've got the TBR books ( But I personally dislike them) and the EK and the Nova Physics book?

 

[goodluck66]

It really depends on what you are currently scoring, and what you want to eventually be scoring. In general though:

If you don't like BR's style, do not use it; use the other two. After studying from EK/Nova and doing all the practice problems and taking notes, go to the AAMC website and look at each topic listed for PS. Make sure you know each topic well, and associated formulas. You need to have the basics down cold, because the real MCAT PS tests very fundamental knowledge/concepts/reasoning. No need to practice complex calculations extensively. If you are still shaky in the basics and not confident in scoring a 11+, definitely get EK 1001 physics and chem. Keep a separate notebook in which you write down EVERYTHING that you learn that you think is important, including question specific stuff.

After doing this, do some AAMC CBTs, and then, about 3 weeks before your test date, do the self assessments for chem and physics. These are absolutely excellent. About 2.5 weeks before test date, do another rapid round of content review from EK, reviewing your weak areas from the self assessment. Then 2 weeks before test date, start doing your remaining AAMCs - you should save at least 2 or 3 CBTs for the final two weeks.

The day before the test, it would be smart to go over major formulas/concepts really quickly. Don't do any practice passages or tests though.

 

[HH8911]

I agree with the above- I'm studying for a retake now (with a 9 in PS the last go-around). I studied with TBR last time and had a hard time with it. Now I'm trying a combo of Nova, EK 1001 and Chads vids/ Khan Academy. We will see how it goes!

 

[starlight15]

What should I do? I've got the TBR books ( But I personally dislike them) and the EK and the Nova Physics book?

Do you think you are having more trouble on the physics or chemistry problems?

I only used the BR books to study and I felt the physics content was a bit weak (might be because I wasn't using newest physics edition) although physics is my favorite and strongest subject so I was able to get over the book content.

I would say make sure you have the basics down. Oftentimes I thought I understood kinematics or bonding but then I would get questions about those topics coming from a different angle and I was lost. So if you think you have most of the content down, I think the best idea is to do as many problems as you can so that you can see how the questions are asked. I found BR physics to be super helpful in this respect--I'm pretty sure I learned more about each section from reading the answers to problems rather than the content.

*So if you don't like BR, at least use the book for the problems/explanations. (I remember for buoyancy and circuits the problems really solidified my understanding).

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

I'm weaker on the physics than the chemistry, but I'm not all that good at chemistry either. I think it's mostly because I find it difficult to remember a million equations and getting myself to do a lot of practice problems that require me to do math.

Like for example I remember a crap ton of the projectile motion basis and the equations, but then they always put in an extra bit of something that throws me off.

 

[starlight15]

I'm weaker on the physics than the chemistry, but I'm not all that good at chemistry either. I think it's mostly because I find it difficult to remember a million equations and getting myself to do a lot of practice problems that require me to do math.

Do you think its due to weak content understanding or application of knowledge?

I agree w/ the other posters that Chad's or Khan Academy videos could be helpful. I haven't personally used them but I think they can help with intuitive chem/physics understanding.

And I guess if you haven't already, try to figure out which topics in chem/physics you have trouble with. I'm sorry I can't be more helpful; I just feel that doing as many practice problems as you can and reading the explanations will help the most. And don't just go for the "mcat style" questions. Yes they seem "easier" and less detailed but I feel it really tests your basic understanding, but before you go take those level of question, do the more "detailed" ones like for BR. Sometimes the more specific something is, the easier it is to develop intuition. And the more specific it is, the more comprehensive the explanation of the problem.

Let me know if you have more questions! I also took the 9/11 MCAT, so I feel we are a community together

 

[starlight15]

Oh ok, just read your edit. Hm yeah, I had problems w/ memorizing equations too. What I did was for each chapter in BR, I would write down all the eqns they mentioned on the front of the notecard. And on the back, just any pieces of info that was important. I would look at theses cards everyday to review them.

As for calculations, yeah, its tedious. Although, most of the time you can eliminate 1-2 answers either because the units are wrong or the number is just physically impossible.

As for projectile--I felt the same way at the beginning. I just try to do as many problems as I can to prepare for those circumstances and to also each time, break it down into the parts I do know and see if I can figure out the answer from there.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Do you think its due to weak content understanding or application of knowledge?

I agree w/ the other posters that Chad's or Khan Academy videos could be helpful. I haven't personally used them but I think they can help with intuitive chem/physics understanding.

And I guess if you haven't already, try to figure out which topics in chem/physics you have trouble with. I'm sorry I can't be more helpful; I just feel that doing as many practice problems as you can and reading the explanations will help the most. And don't just go for the "mcat style" questions. Yes they seem "easier" and less detailed but I feel it really tests your basic understanding, but before you go take those level of question, do the more "detailed" ones like for BR. Sometimes the more specific something is, the easier it is to develop intuition. And the more specific it is, the more comprehensive the explanation of the problem.

Let me know if you have more questions! I also took the 9/11 MCAT, so I feel we are a community together

I think it's more an issue with a lack of content knowledge. So I think a few weeks of me rewatching chad video's over and over again will do me major good. Especially since I only started watching them 2 weeks in advance and I only got through chem once. Physics tbh, I think I barely even began to work on I more or less just tried memorizing everything.
But yah, I think this time around I'll give myself more time to process the material.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

I only used the BR books to study and I felt the physics content was a bit weak (might be because I wasn't using newest physics edition) although physics is my favorite and strongest subject so I was able to get over the book content.

You hit on two very key points here. First off, the older physics books (2009 and earlier) lack some content in key chapters. In the newer version more tricks are included, the passages are more updated, and most chapters have been revamped. The other thing is the impact of how well you know physics and the utility of a given book. Many BR passages are designed to screw with the fundamentals, just like the MCAT does. If you know your stuff really well, this is the greatest thing a passage can do for you. If you know it pretty well, that's good too, because you pick up content and strategies from the passages. But if you struggle with physics concepts in general, the passages are going to be frustrating, because most of them aren't straight forward. They're not suppose to be, because this is preparing you for the range of dififculties you are ikely to encounter on the actual exam.

I would say make sure you have the basics down. Oftentimes I thought I understood kinematics or bonding but then I would get questions about those topics coming from a different angle and I was lost. So if you think you have most of the content down, I think the best idea is to do as many problems as you can so that you can see how the questions are asked. I found BR physics to be super helpful in this respect--I'm pretty sure I learned more about each section from reading the answers to problems rather than the content.

*So if you don't like BR, at least use the book for the problems/explanations. (I remember for buoyancy and circuits the problems really solidified my understanding).

I can't second this enough. The style of the material in the text section of each chapter is not designed for everyone, but the passages are. It's critical to practice with many different types of passages. And the best learning you can do is from passages.

I'm weaker on the physics than the chemistry, but I'm not all that good at chemistry either. I think it's mostly because I find it difficult to remember a million equations and getting myself to do a lot of practice problems that require me to do math.

Like for example I remember a crap ton of the projectile motion basis and the equations, but then they always put in an extra bit of something that throws me off.

That's what practice will help with. I think many people feel that frustration at first. getting things wrong is annoying, but it's how you get better. In school, you read a textbook and then do the regurgitation-based questions at the end of the chapter and that's what feels natural after a while. Then with the MCAT, the passages and questions are different (more conceptual and more "what if we change this..."), and it takes a while to adjust. Just keep plugging away, and it slowly gets better. It's the style of the questions that usually gets to people at first, but in time you'll appreciate the way MCAT questions are written. It will become a way of thinking.

 

[gtbROX]

You can only raise PS/BS scores by fully understanding the concepts, and it's easy to understand concepts when you can visualize them. There are plenty of videos online that help you visualize and understand physics concepts (khanacademy and freelance teach are the best imo). I recommend reading through a difficult topic in your book doing intense note taking and doing practice problems, and then watch the corresponding video while also taking notes. Then do some practice problems again to retain the knowledge.