Retakers: how did you feel?

[nassir]

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Any other retakers found themselves to me much more relaxed and calm throughout the exam? I thought this exam was more doable compared to the Aug one--perhaps confidence attributed to this? However, this is not to say it was still extremely difficult. A lot of questions seemed like they had more than one correct answer. I just had to pick one and get over it...

I studied independently this time and all my practice tests have been in the 30-35 range, with an average of 32. This was a great improvement for me from aug whre my average was always in the 25-26 range. I am praying that my practice test scores will reflect how I did yesterday.

 

[Orthodoc40]

I retook yesterday but my August test was 100x easier than yesterday's. Even though I was much more prepared yesterday. It felt to me like you needed a degree in biology to take that bio section. And even when I knew the right formulas to use in the PS section, my answers weren't matching any of the choices! 😱

 

[HilfigerCelica]

I felt this was more doable than the August one. I think it has to do with me being more prepared which lead to me being more comfortable. Also the desk this time was nicer. We had desks that wrapped around the room so I had pretty of workspace. Last time, I had a desk that had a tiny top so I had my scan sheet in my lap and my test on the desk. I also had my stopwatch on my desk. Trying to bubble in answers without dropping anything was a pain.

 

[~CDN Pre-med~]

I feel a lot better than august...partly due to confidence...partly because i'm starting a masters so theres less stress on this test and partly because i know i knew he info cold...

I didnt want to have to rely on the curve so i made sure i knew everything really really well...

problem is that i thought overall the test was easy in comparison to before and i hope i'll be on the right side of the curve!

 

[UIC Killa]

I retook yesterday but my August test was 100x easier than yesterday's. Even though I was much more prepared yesterday. It felt to me like you needed a degree in biology to take that bio section. And even when I knew the right formulas to use in the PS section, my answers weren't matching any of the choices! 😱

Yeah...the bio passages were very difficult to understand...but I just kept reminding myself that they can only test you on "basic stuff"...it kept me calm and focus while reading...i learned this while reading some difficult princeton review stuff...alot of people get discouraged and then its downhill from there...you probably did ok...

 

[bubabugster]

I felt this time things were better than August. August's test was horrible, I had to zoom through two passages in 5 min, got only through 6 VR passages ( got an 8--I thought it would be a 5!), and had to rush through the very last bio passage as well. This time, I liked PS more, bio was so-so, but I fininshed on time. VR was brutal as always.

 

[musiclink213]

I honestly don't remember how I felt in August. But I didn't do bad, 29, but I had to retake it for the PS. I felt ok about this PS, it seemed more to do with chem. than physics. But I felt good after the PS in August, adn I got a 7, so go figure. THe BS this time was much harder, and a couple of the VR passages were hard to stay awake for. But this was my third time taking it. If i don't get in this next cycle, that's it, I'm done. I can't imagine taking it again and again.

 

[GujuMD]

In August-I felt more confident. this time I wasn't as confident. maybe it was because i was confident last time and ended up retaking it. but my score should go up. since my practice scores went up from august.

 

[krichard96]

I thought that this test was much harder than August, and I too felt much more prepared and confident this time. In August, I walked out thinking oh, that wasn't so bad, and well here I am so obviously it was. Yesterday was demoralizing to say the least.

Do any of you have game plans in case this test doesn't go well? Is anyone already planning for August?

 

[rose2summer]

I am studying for August, but then again I have to, because I voided.

 

[STUCKinUCR]

I thought that this test was much harder than August, and I too felt much more prepared and confident this time. In August, I walked out thinking oh, that wasn't so bad, and well here I am so obviously it was. Yesterday was demoralizing to say the least.

Do any of you have game plans in case this test doesn't go well? Is anyone already planning for August?

i definately thought august was simpler compared to this test.

as for planning, im going with the whole contingency plan

im applying us allopathic, SMPs, and the carib

im soooooooooo friggin worried about this crap

 

[PBandJ]

i definitely think i improved from august. just having been through that experience once before boosted my confidence. i did think that the test was difficult, but i felt more prepared in general having taken AAMC practice tests this time (only took 4 kaplan FLs last time). i will be happy if my score comes out at the average of my practice scores (30), and i definitely think that's possible.

 

[nassir]

I hope that all of us retakers will reach our goal score. 🙂

I don't know about the rest of you, but taking it a third time is probably my last resort. I'm not too sure what I could possibly do differently studying wise.

Those of you who are applying this year, are you going to work on your applic and hold sending it until the scores are released?

 

[musiclink213]

I hope that all of us retakers will reach our goal score. 🙂

I don't know about the rest of you, but taking it a third time is probably my last resort. I'm not too sure what I could possibly do differently studying wise.

Those of you who are applying this year, are you going to work on your applic and hold sending it until the scores are released?

That's my plan. Although this year, I'm also going to apply to DO schools. Last year, I didn't know they needed my foreign transcripts, and by the time they told me, it was too late. So I figured I'd save my money and reapply. This was also my third time. If no luck this year, then I'll do something else. It's not worth the headaches all over again.

 

[PBandJ]

I hope that all of us retakers will reach our goal score. 🙂

I don't know about the rest of you, but taking it a third time is probably my last resort. I'm not too sure what I could possibly do differently studying wise.

Those of you who are applying this year, are you going to work on your applic and hold sending it until the scores are released?

my plan is to get everything ready for AMCAS and wait to hit the submit button till i get my scores. it's only about 2 weeks after you can first submit anyway, so i don't think that will put me at a disadvantage. i'd hate to spend all tha money and then not have the scores i need to apply to some schools.

 

[mangos3]

I hope that all of us retakers will reach our goal score. 🙂

I don't know about the rest of you, but taking it a third time is probably my last resort. I'm not too sure what I could possibly do differently studying wise.

Those of you who are applying this year, are you going to work on your applic and hold sending it until the scores are released?

Going along with that, I'm also a retaker but I felt like I completely bombed... I didn't get to 2 passages in PS and 1 passage in Verbal, although I felt pretty good about BS. I guess it's hard to tell how well you do, though, since it's based on a curve and I've heard the same reactions from several other people with the same form as me. How bad is it to take the MCAT a third time though? I'm just hoping that my score doesn't go down from the first time I took it....that would be really bad.

 

[Sartre79]

I felt a bit better this time compared to August, but I was also a lot more prepared. I got a 22Q the first time, but I put a lot more time into prepping (work full time so it's a b@#^& to study). I had form AG. I thought the PS and BS were decent and the VR a little more challenging than what I was used to. I am suprised though at how everyone who is posting in the AG forum says they thought the test was sooo hard. Kind of makes me wonder if I screwed something up!!!. Guess I'll see in ~ 60 days.

 

[Orth2006]

I took the first one last April. My second one was last Sat. I thought this years test was more doable in the PS. I didnt stick to my plan in the VB so im just uneasy about it. The BS was about medium for me. Overall I hope I do better in this one that last year's

 

[sweetstuff25]

cool

 

[nassir]

i had form AS and i usually start with the discretes for every section first. usually discretes GIVE me confidence but i was so unsure about my answers that it started to piss me off and shook me up a little!!

I also felt like there were more than one correct answer and so I just prayed to god and picked the one that felt good. I felt like I was guessing more than actually using my reasoning. Hopefully, there is some phenomenal curve! 😳

 

[humerus]

Do any of you have game plans in case this test doesn't go well? Is anyone already planning for August?

Yup, already planning. Most of the hard part is over, ie hardcore topical study. Now I feel it's just a matter of fine tuning. I really felt that I needed to work on timing for my next set of practice tests for August, which really killed me on Sat. I feel like it'll be easier to keep studying now rather than trying to pick it up again at the end of June.

 

[Ebete]

Although my practice scores went up I feel I did terrible 🙁 I walked out feeling like I did worst than my 1st time (last Aug) At least I finished all the sections on time and some time to spare; which for me could be a bad sign...rushing to get to all the questions and not enough focus on each individually. I had form FK and verbal was ok, PS I only wish it didn't have any optics/waves (the only thing I really didn't study much), the Chem was nice. Writting really threw me off. The first time I had 15 min. to spare on each essay, and did very well; this time the guy was calling time and I was writting my last word! for both essays!, needless to say that drainned me for Bio. BS started rough my eye kept on twiching and was seeing double for a while, but it got better when I reached the first independent Q's. Its all done now, I'm doing my application still, worste case scenario I'll take it again.
I just hope I did better than my first test. I just wish I could feel better about it!!!

 

[kypdurron5]

I felt like this test was MUCH easier than the August test. The verbal section I had was more difficult, but the PS and BS sections were just so much easier. I hardly had to do any calculations at all. I know part of my feeling is because I was so much better prepared, but still, I think there's no question my form was easier this year.

 

[~CDN Pre-med~]

If i have to write again...which i pray that i dont have to...i will in august, simply because i'm stubborn!

BUT...i honestly think i've done as much preparation as i possibly could the last two times so i really dont know what i would do different.

 

[reylting]

I am studying for August, but then again I have to, because I voided.

Why did you void it? What happened?

 

[basten0]

the first time i took the mcat was april 2004. this april 2006 one was my second time and i thought the biological sciences was intense. i did really well on the april 2004 biological sciences (12) and studied a ton more for bio this time yet i seriously think i did worse.

PS was my worst section in april 04 (i got an 8) and even though i went in this time with more studying and confidence, i got real nervous when the physical sciences section started just cause its basically the start of the mcat and you get those jitters. i hate the fact that aamc puts this section first. you have the be the most clearheaded during this section but i assume a lot of people clear out jitters at the beginning because this is the test they have spent the last 3 months studying for.

verbal is verbal. don't know what else to say.

the thing is: once you've done the studying, so much of your score is about confidence and pacing. i'm convinced that you end up missing questions that you could get, thinking about other questions less clearly, and taking more time per question if you get razzled some how.

to me the mcat is basically like a mental fight. you have to get yourself to trust yourself and your abilities. i don't know, maybe i'm overdramatizing it. its good for me to read that some of you fellow retakers went in there with a ton of confidence and never looked back.

 

[confused-one]

I made the mistake of the looking at the AAMC's posting of how retakers do on the exam- it doesn't seem to favor huge jumps!!

I took it three years ago though, PS 8, VR 12, BS 12, WS Q. I was scoring consistently above 35, with a pretty even break down of 11/12s, and hit my highest on AAMC 9 with a 42. Is it unrealistic to hope I'd have scored better on the real thing?

I have to agree with what others have said about confidence- I'm older now and calmer and saner, I worked hard to keep a steady sleep/study/life schedule, I worked hard to stay calm. The last time I freaked out and took ~20 minute "breaks" during each of the sections... oops. So this time, I finished the whole test, stayed calm, reviewed my answers etc.

I feel a hundred thousand times better about this one than I did three years ago.

Now I'm just dying to know my score report, and crossing my fingers that I'm one of those outliers on the retakers report, gaining >3 points PS!

 

[bubabugster]

i had form AS and i usually start with the discretes for every section first. usually discretes GIVE me confidence but i was so unsure about my answers that it started to piss me off and shook me up a little!!

I completely agree! Even the "EZ" questions were not straight-forward. I only felt good about one passage. I've never had that happen. However, I kept telling myself not to give up and keep plowing through the horror. After I was done my eyes kept crossing.

 

[nassir]

How many of you retakers are pondering taking it a third time if you don't get your target score. Like CDN-premed, I'm not sure what I could possibly do differently. I changed things around this second time, I made myself more relaxed, I know the material cold....I really cannot think what in god's name i could do differently to do better. I'll probably just accept whatever score I get and apply anyhow. What are you all planning?

 

[humerus]

Just a thought nassir, but what about reading superhard articles from scientific & medical journals as well? I'm also contemplating doing that myself.

 

[dorkalous]

I am afraid to get my hopes up for a good score this time because of what happened last time. I had form FG and I felt good about PS, decent about verbal and horrible about BS.

Last time I felt decent about PS, horrible about verbal and fantastic about BS. I ended up with the lowest score in BS and the highest score in Verbal.

Just hoping for a generous curve for BS to pleasantly surprise me...