Retake 33S = Advice for 13+ in each section

[oh but wait]

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12P/10V/11B on 9/1/12 MCAT

I know you're all going to say, don't retake. But I know I want to have a shot at an UC school (I'm at UCB currently, 4th year, bio major, 3.74cum/3.69sci/average extracurriculars) so I am only looking for critiques on how I studied before and advice for my future retake (probably around April. or May 2013 at the latest). Regardless if I retake or not, I will be applying 2013 cycle. At this point I am 70% convinced I will do a retake.

So anyway, I studied from the last week of May until September 1st. I had work that took up 20-30 hrs/week from 6/18 to 7/28... (didn't leave me with too much time or energy to look at the MCAT) and I also took a week off for vacation in early August. Besides those periods of time, it was MCAT full time (about 7-10 hrs/day, almost everyday). I didn't have a social life (saw friends once every MONTH), and I relaxed by watching a movie here and there.

Materials:
- AAMC 3-11 (only took 3, 10, 11 in one breath; did not have trouble with timing, so I just overlooked taking them under *real* conditions; but I worked through the problems in 90% of these tests)
- Official Self-Assessment bundle from AAMC (ordered 10 days before the exam, stupid I know. I went through a lot of the problems during this time, and I thought it was helpful)
- BR books (but only used them for Physics/ Chemistry)
- EK 1001 Ochem & EK Ochem (felt comprehensive enough)
- EK 101 Verbal & TPR Verbal (did not do in hour chunks... i'm dumb.)
- EK Bio & mcat-review.org & wiki ... was not intensive/engaging enough

How I studied for each section (12P, 10V, 11B)

-Verbal = used EK 101 (did 70% of all the passages in that... not in large chunks though); did most of TPR Hyperlearning Verbal too (70%), again, not in large chunks. I felt that my reading comprehension has always been fine, so I simply thought to myself that I didn't need to force myself to get stressed out each time I practiced. I was studying a bit too much on a regular basis for me to really even have the energy to go all out on large chunks of verbal passages at a time. AAMC averages 9-11. There were small chunks of EK 101 passages (that I did in one breath) that I would always get perfects in, so I wasn't as worried as I needed to be? Idk.

-Physical sciences = I went through the majority of BR for physics/chemistry. So I have no idea how the hell... I ended up with a 12. All I can say is that I did not do a cumulative, comprehensive review of my weak spots and I thought that doing 80% of the problems in the back of each chapter would suffice, in terms of eliminating extreme blind spots and just thinking in the MCAT mode. Obviously, there is a lot of room for improvement here. Physics/Gen chem have always actually been my strong point, so it is making believe that there are just general flaws to my studying/test-taking/me, instead of just subject knowledge and content. Highest score on my AAMC phys secs during practice = 13.

-Biological sciences = Used EK bio & mcat-review.org for content review. BR was way too detailed, so I didn't use it. Did the 1001 EK Ochem thing, read through EK orgo. I don't think I ever really missed much for ochem in my practice/real exam. I know my real exam was difficult because of the passages themselves and figuring out what the hell they were asking. The highest I received on any AAMC bio section was barely a 13.

So just to be clear, I'm not surprised/taken off guard/pissed off by my 33S. I just thoroughly believe that I can improve. We can all improve. I think I hit a plateau around July-August and never quite got out.

My analysis of my flaws

- I did not take many FLs in one breath... only took AAMC 3 at end of June, got something like a 11/9/10. I thought it was good, since I still had 2 months to pull it up to where I wanted (37-38 ish). Took AAMC 11 and received a 33 at 3 weeks before the exam. Saw my mistakes were mostly dumb ones, and I decided not to freak out about them. Too late for anything drastic, obviously. But the difference between 11-13 on any section is manageable, I told myself. Besides these two FLs, all I did was do all the official/prac problems haphazardly...

- There were topics on the AAMC website that were not really covered by EKbio/my other bio resources. I saw the content list on the website WAY too late for me to really hone in on topics that I barely knew.

- I was not as focused as I could have been the first 2.5 years of undergrad. I studied and got mostly A's and several B's, but my focus just wasn't in it. I obviously can't change the past, but I feel that this summer definitely represented the hardest period of work of my undergraduate career. Sad, but true. That said, by the time I retake, I will be getting my act together, or rather, keeping my act together until I get what I need to get. My upper div bio courses this semester and the next should help.

Anybody with 13+ in any section, PLEASE advise! I will not sign up for a retake until I can consistently get around 38-40s. I know a few points is stupid.

 

[Amk90]

Yup honestly...if you studied for 7-10 hours a day over that period of time I think ur insane to retake. What do I know though.

Hope you get an awesome score if you retake though!

 

[CaribbeanBlue]

UC's as in UCSD, UCSF, and UCLA??

I think you're fine for UCI, UCD, and (upcoming) UCR.

 

[eDITN]

I think you need to ask yourself the same questions that someone who is thinking about retaking a mid 20s MCAT does: Do you have the time to study (more effectively) than you did last time? And what will you do differently if you were to study again?

The problem that I see is that you used a lot of the best materials already that I would have suggested to someone who wanted to really improve their score. What would you use this time? You mentioned that BR was too detailed for BS so you used EK instead. That could be a good starting point for you. I think BR is WAY detailed but it makes you incredibly prepared for the real thing. I used BR and I honestly struggled with how difficult and detailed the questions were but it paid off - I got a 14 on BS on the real thing.

You can definitely improve your verbal but that takes time and a willingness to practice everyday (not to mention you used a lot of the passages already). What worked for me was just doing a couple (2-3) TIMED passages everyday. I didn't do a whole section (only on FL's) but I made sure that I was doing verbal just about everyday.

If I read your post properly, you only took two of the AAMC FL's? Well that is definitely a tool that you should take advantage of should you decide to retest. I took about two full lengths each week for the 6 weeks up until my test. I think your score is pretty solid but if you really want to retest then you have a lot to think about. At the end of the day, it is your choice and your application. If you think you can improve by as much as you'd like to then go for it. I do agree that anyone can improve. You just have to ask yourself if you have the time and the means.

 

[oh but wait]

I only really took AAMC 3 and AAMC11 in one sitting (correct timing and stuff). Yeah, I'm really stupid. The other AAMCs, I simply did the problems one passage or two passages at a time. A few of them, I did entire sections at a time. Something like that. Haphazard.

I thought it was more important to be able to think correctly on individual passages, etc. And I never really had issues with timing for long exams.

But anyway, I sound pretty dumb, I know.

Biological sciences I can stand to improve by using BR and just paying more attention in my upper bio div classes.

Physical sciences... brush up on silly topics...

Verbal. Heh. Yeah. We'll see. I definitely only really "studied" for 5-6 weeks by going crazy on the EK101 passages one by one around mid july/august. Felt impossible to improve dramatically. Any advice here would be wonderful. I do have like about 5-6 months, so I have time to start reading a **** ton more.

Do you guys recommend BR FLs and Gold Standard FLs? I have gigabytes of kaplan stuff on my drive too. Kaplan FLs, topical tests, everything you can imagine.

I also plan on reviewing ALL of my previous mistakes. Analyzing more critically what it was that I was missing. Instead of the usual "I was not paying attention, I made a silly error" justification I usually come up with. I am thinking that this summer, I was a bit less critical of my mistakes, and just kept thinking if I spend more hours reading and whatnot, someone my flaws in my critical thinking would resolve themselves. I could have studied more intelligently, I am totally sure.

 

[eDITN]

I've used TBR and they were good. Very detailed but they are good practice.

Never used Gold Standard so I can't really say anything about that.

I've taken a few Kaplans and I think they are OK. I found the science sections to be fairly good practice but the verbal to be horrible.

 

[SN2ed]

Your time would most likely be better spent building your ECs. You have plenty of time to do that and it will look better than a small bump in your MCAT score. Numbers are good to have and can get your foot in the door, but ECs can make you stand out in a way numbers usually don't.

Now if you actually scored a 40 or above, of course that would help. No question. However, how likely is it for that to happen? Then, weigh the time spent studying for that score versus the time you could put into a meaningful EC experience. Chances are much greater the EC experience will pan out versus getting a 40. Not to mention, the EC can easily make your interview more engaging and get you an acceptance.

 

[oh but wait]

Your time would most likely be better spent building your ECs. You have plenty of time to do that and it will look better than a small bump in your MCAT score. Numbers are good to have and can get your foot in the door, but ECs can make you stand out in a way numbers usually don't.

Now if you actually scored a 40 or above, of course that would help. No question. However, how likely is it for that to happen? Then, weigh the time spent studying for that score versus the time you could put into a meaningful EC experience. Chances are much greater the EC experience will pan out versus getting a 40. Not to mention, the EC can easily make your interview more engaging and get you an acceptance.

I am thanking you for the lack of outright bashing on my desire to retake. Thank you. I understand what you are saying, and I think you are right.

In terms of ECs... there is not too much for me to do/start but to continue what i'm doing now. 300hrs or what-have-you for the MCAT can be squeezed out over the course of the next 6 months... that comes down to what, 50 hrs a month? 10-15 hrs a week? I already procrastinate way too much. (this site included....)

We'll see. I won't be touching MCAT stuff until winterbreak, anyway. I just started this thread (sorry for rehashing such a common topic) to get opinions on this.

Thanks and keep them coming!

 

[Narmerguy]

When you do the bio content review, are you really checking to make sure you learned the material? It's one thing to read something, think "Oh I don't know it", read it, and then think "Ok good, I have that covered"...but it's another to actually go back later and make sure you can still recall the content.

For physics and chemistry, go through the AAMC topic list to make sure you can recall every topic on the list (literally every one) and even form a mental picture of relevant figures/graphs that are related to that topic and what those figures would look like (straight line because the reaction rate changes linearly for 1st order, line that has a peak for the transition state in enzyme catalyzation, line that is steep around pH 7 because it involves a strong acid and strong base, etc).

Verbal...nothing to say. There are certainly nuances to be learned but I think taking the AAMC FL's are the only way to be successful.

 

[235009]

stop torturing yourself. it seems like you tried your best and got a really good score. you've obviously been spending way too much time on SDN and have a warped view of reality. move on with your life, work on other parts of your app and apply in 2013....you'll be fine.

 

[DoctorWhoo]

If you want to get a 38-40 you have to put in some serious work. What makes you think you will do it this time if you didn't last time? What do you plan on doing differently now? What have you done in the past that makes you think that you are among the top 1% of pre-med students?

If you can't answer these questions well, you should probably stick with your 33 and be happy with your great score. If you legitimately think you can do better, go for it with all you've got... Med schools don't look kindly upon round 2 with the MCAT unless it ends in a knockout.

 

[oh but wait]

When you do the bio content review, are you really checking to make sure you learned the material? It's one thing to read something, think "Oh I don't know it", read it, and then think "Ok good, I have that covered"...but it's another to actually go back later and make sure you can still recall the content.

For physics and chemistry, go through the AAMC topic list to make sure you can recall every topic on the list (literally every one) and even form a mental picture of relevant figures/graphs that are related to that topic and what those figures would look like (straight line because the reaction rate changes linearly for 1st order, line that has a peak for the transition state in enzyme catalyzation, line that is steep around pH 7 because it involves a strong acid and strong base, etc).

Verbal...nothing to say. There are certainly nuances to be learned but I think taking the AAMC FL's are the only way to be successful.

For bio/phys sections, that's exactly what I thought I was missing. There were topics that I saw on the AAMC list (i didn't think it was useful to look at until maybe 2 weeks before the actual exam, for some stupid reason) that I just didn't know very well. I wasn't very honest with myself, I did want to avoid stress. I did think I was able to make educated guesses on all the ones I was shaky on. I attributed my lack of complete understanding to not reading correctly, being tired, general lapse in attention. This is one clear way I know I can use.

Verbal. Yeah. General capacity for reading/understanding. Yeah, I know.

As for the other replies -- I thank you for your skepticism. Don't worry, I thoroughly agree with all of you on all of your points. I won't even sign up for a retake until I know I can consistently be where I need to be.

Before my september mcat, I knew I was nowhere close to a consistent 36-38 range (my original goal). But some people do get lucky, and it was very foolish of me to think I could have been one of them.

I don't think I have a "warped view" of reality. A 33 isn't competitive for most UC's, this is reality 🙂

 

[Dianyla]

I don't think I have a "warped view" of reality. A 33 isn't competitive for most UC's, this is reality 🙂

True, a 33 isn't the most competitive for UC schools. But neither is it uncompetitive or disqualifying. Schools like UCSF reject candidates with scores of 36+ all the time, so don't think that adding a few more points will "do the trick". Your time would be better spent buffing the rest of your app til it gleams.

With more prep, you could probably raise your science section scores. From reading about how you prepared for the verbal section, I think you might already be close to your personal upper boundary for that section.