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September 2015 MCAT Thread
Started by DAF16
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TBR has 3. I also thought TPR had more than 3.
Hi all! I'm registered to take this beast of a test on September 3rd. I barely took my Kaplan diagnostic this past Monday (after a month of studying) and am quite worried. The psych/soc section is what really got me because of my unfamiliarity of the terminology. Anyway, how often are you guys planning on taking full lengths until test day?
I'm doing/have done 1 per week for 16 weeks with weeks off here and there. I'll probably do 15 total full lengths, plus the Kaplan q bank and the AAMC content.
Wow that's a lot! Looks like you'll be in great shape! Have your scores increased significantly since the first couple of FLs?
yea i thought aAMC only had 1 which i took before the april test .im dong content review, but since i took the test in april, I'm familiar now just grilling it. and doing lots and lots of practice. are the 30 min EK helpful?
So far I have done 8 full lengths. I got a 500 or 502 on all of them until the most recent two, where I went up to 506 and 509. All kaplan. Hoping this is the start of a good trend!
how often do you do a test . and how long does it take you to go over? when is your test and did you do a lot of content review? what did you use?
I have been doing content Monday - Friday, practice test nearly every Saturday, reviewing practice test Sunday. I think its a good schedule - allows me to see friends on Saturday night and chill out Sunday afternoon/night.
I'm almost done with content now, so until the test (9/12) I will probably switch to practice questions/sections during the week.
yea. i just finished summer school so I'm behind. its not lie i don't know the content, I'm familiar with it all just have to review it all. when did you start sutdyig.
how are you doing content review, what books are you using?
Yeah, Sept 23 is the last date for this year.
Ayyy, I took an FL like 2 weeks ago before I finished content reviewing and I am finally going over the answers this week. I realize that my main problems are
- I cannot read, & if I do read, it's too slow
- I don't understand the question
- I cannot do basic math
This last month is going to a lot of fun, especially when school starts again.
I hope everyone is hanging in there!!
I've taken 2 FLs so far and my brain is completely fried by the time I hit the P/S section, although it was not as early as it did when I took the 2nd FL. What are your guys' strategies to improve endurance? I tried an energy drink and some fruit/veggies during the lunch break but I was so mentally worn I don't think they made much of a difference if at all.
Try doing 2 FL's straight without breaks, then usual FL will seem like a walk in the park. 🙂 Just kidding. I would like to know answer to this question too.
Step 1: no energy drinks or coffee, they are going to make you jittery and make you crash.
Step 2: practice, with more FLs you'll get better. Try doing timed passages as well I do them in sections of 3 and 4 sometimes. On of my mistakes was not timing myself with them sooner. Really just practice, when you read a chapter force yourself to sit there for 45 minutes and not look at your phone or get up, small things like that add up to build your endurance.
The practice test I'm using is the one that I bought from AAMC the full length one. According to Reddit it was the one that best represents the actual one.
Do more Full Length's, seriously. Just keep doing them, aim for like 10+. I won't go on my usual long post, but I've done 14 FL's as of today, and its honestly becoming kind of easy to take these tests. Getting a killer MCAT score is 1000% something that can be practiced, you willing to put in the work?
I'll admit, I was even apprehensive at first, but after seeing these last few practice test scores; there's no doubt in my mind that hard work, studying for 8+ hours a day, full-lengths every other or every 2 days in the last 4 weeks, will give an absolutely beautiful MCAT score.
I'm in the same boat. I'm not sure if I should just cancel my Sept 12 exam.
even if your not done with content review?
when is your test and when will you be done with content review?
I'm ready master! Thank you for the tips. I was contemplating doing that before, but I decided to do (each arrow = day): FL --> Review FL --> Independent passages weak areas --> Independent passages weak areas --> repeat
Would you advise against my current schedule and just do FL --> Review FL -- > repeat for the next 5 weeks? I'm definitely willing to do it, but my worry is that I'm not hitting all the topics + gaining mastery in each topic as effectively compared to if I was to take an extra 1-2 days to do independent passages. Do my worries hold any merit?
I believe you have to register for their MCAT course ($2000) to get all their practice tests.
Hello all,
I am looking for some advice... I am wondering how advisable it would be to take the September exam for the first time while applying for the 2016 cycle (The 12th is the last possible date correct?) Have been studying and doing summer school but not quite sure if I should reschedule my test date to give me more time and switch to 2017 cycle instead for a more financially stable route.
I am looking for some advice... I am wondering how advisable it would be to take the September exam for the first time while applying for the 2016 cycle (The 12th is the last possible date correct?) Have been studying and doing summer school but not quite sure if I should reschedule my test date to give me more time and switch to 2017 cycle instead for a more financially stable route.
If you are not done with content review, then no you would need to finish that first before you truly begin mass full-lengths. You should at least be familiar with any topic they could ask, even if you don't know them 100%. That's what the full-length's are for; every time you take them some of your weaknesses come out, then you hammer those weaknesses by doing focused practice problems, taking notes, and re-reading sections of the given textbook (NOT REVIEW BOOK, textbooks themselves for physics/chemistry/biochemistry/psych+soc/orgo etc. are much better than ALL review books. Review books from prep companies are only for the general content overview the first time through, in my opinion). However, in retrospect, I would have started taking full-lengths at least once a week, even during my content review. So much of this exam is not about the content, but about your ability to simply take the test. Your ability to reason, analyze, and piece together as the MCAT uniquely tests it.
If you're not done with content review, but are pressed for time until your exam, then only you can gauge your readiness. For myself, when I first started taking the exams I kind of sucked. Luckily I learned fast with some strategic review and again mass practice but for myself, and I can only speak for myself, I definitely didn't feel anywhere near ready after 5 full length's, and still don't feel 100% after 14 full-length's. It all comes down to the individual, sure there are some people that are just amazing at standardized, and critical/logic based testing right off the bat, but that's definitely not me by a long-shot. If you are one of those people, then sure you can probably skimp on the full lengths and only do a few. But if you're not one of those people, and I would imagine most people are not except the very lucky few, then you are shooting yourself in the foot by not taking at least 10 FL's, imo.
My test is September 3rd, and I've been done with strict content review since June 20th. Granted, I review content every other day as I review the full-length's. I have about 1500 note cards so far. I make note cards for each term I see in each problem that I do not completely understand. I put 1-7 terms or concepts per notecard; generally. I did strict content review for only 4 weeks with the examkrackers 30 minute exams, practice questions from various books, and practice sections from old AAMC exams. Beginning around the 2nd or 3rd week of June I began taking 2-3 FL/week. Now I'm going to be on 3-4/week until September 3rd.
I also read through and practiced most of the textbooks I listed in another post of mine, and just finished taking Orgo, Biochem, Physics, and tutor gen-chem, so my content review was abbreviated somewhat; however I still did review essentially every topic.
Thanks 😛
It really is what works for you. For me, it's all about habit. However, from my experience and I expect most other peoples', when you want to get very good at something, the keys are frequency and volume. Volume as in do a lot of it, frequency as in do it often; don't just do a bunch of it on sunday then not do it again until next sunday. I see no reason whatsoever that this doesn't apply to the MCAT. Your schedule seems to hit the frequency + volume, and so ya if it works for you then go for it! Once you start to implement it then see if it works, you know? If you find you aren't improving scores on full-lengths semi-regularly then maybe it's time to revamp it. I didn't start improving drastically until I started doing them every 2-3 days, and then once I started every other day my scores started to shoot up pretty darn high.
So for me, it was about getting more frequency, the more I keep my "MCAT test taking mindset and skillset" up-to-date, the better I do on the exams. When I was taking 3 days off in between exams, sure I could hammer each topic much more thoroughly, but I wasn't really seeing this reflected the right amount in my test scores. For the MCAT, it seems that there is generally a base level of knowledge you need, but it's like once you have that base level it's all about your logic and ability to think critically under the time pressure and in that moment, it's not about if you know every last detail.
So, I would say that if you're scores don't start improving by at least a few points in ~2 weeks time, it may be time to switch it up, to figure out what works for you. It is completely possible to review a full-length in one day, albeit to do it right takes me about 10-12 hours. So ya, it is kind of annoying to review for so long, but it is SO worth it.
A good thread to check out is this one for some tips, it's one of the places I learned some ideas from, this guy got a 41 on the old one, and his whole thread is full of awesome advice:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/lostinstudys-lis-official-advice-thread.733260/
A quick addendum: spoke to a friend who just took his exam. Real smart guy; one of the only others to get an A in the grad biochemistry class we took.
Confirmed what I think most of us already know (without giving any specifics). In a very brief, but very appropriate summary: most of the test is NOT about what you know, it is about reasoning. He word-for-word just said to me the very best and essential practice was taking a lot of full-lengths, and that content review by itself would have left him horribly ill-prepared to take the test, by far.
Confirmed what I think most of us already know (without giving any specifics). In a very brief, but very appropriate summary: most of the test is NOT about what you know, it is about reasoning. He word-for-word just said to me the very best and essential practice was taking a lot of full-lengths, and that content review by itself would have left him horribly ill-prepared to take the test, by far.
@MrRed Thanks for all your advise! I've heard practice exams are the best preparation for this new exam. I'll have to admit Ive barely taken any due to not finishing content review and seeing those low scores because of questions on topics I haven't covered yet were bringing me down, plus I can't help but compare myself to some of the high scores I see on these forums. But I think I'll start doing 2 full lengths a week now as I'm finally almost done w/ content (all I can fit in with work) and hopefully that'll give me time to review weak topics and do passages etc in between as well. Just gotta tell myself you have one more month of this, so go big or go home. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take right?
Any advise on learning pathways?
It's the thing I'm struggling with most, it's one thing to just memorize TCA or glycolysis but actually being able to apply it to other similar pathways or situations is confusing for me. Example, a question that asks something along the lines of how much ATP do you need to make X?, or how much ATP is produced at step 4 in the figure given? I'm finding that my kaplan books aren't really helping and I don't have access to any biochem textbooks, just the internet but I'm not sure where to start.
Any advise on learning pathways?
It's the thing I'm struggling with most, it's one thing to just memorize TCA or glycolysis but actually being able to apply it to other similar pathways or situations is confusing for me. Example, a question that asks something along the lines of how much ATP do you need to make X?, or how much ATP is produced at step 4 in the figure given? I'm finding that my kaplan books aren't really helping and I don't have access to any biochem textbooks, just the internet but I'm not sure where to start.
Also @MrRed , not sure if you've answered this before but what FL's do you recommend the most? I have Kaplan and princeton but debating switching some out in favor of EK since everyone praises them so much but not sure if its worth all that money?
I am applying very late during this cycle (I'm taking a September exam). I figured I'd rather take the risk of applying late rather than just waiting for the next cycle to apply since I really don't want 2 gap years. Also, I qualified for FAP this year and won't be getting it next year due to a difference in my parents' finances this year. We will miss some application deadlines by the time our scores come out so make sure your top school choices aren't those schools with "early" deadlines. If you're applying DO too then most of them accept applications until about February. Lastly, if you are scoring well on your practice exams then I would keep the September exam date and just apply late because in my opinion if they like what they see then they like what they see-- even if it's late. If you're still in school then taking a gap year won't be so bad so you could just apply early next cycle to ensure more secondary/interview invites.
I'm actually about to start up an EK test in 15 minutes myself. I'd definitely recommend NS (all of them) and ExamKrackers. They are very similar in feel to what I felt the MCAT is like.
Then I'd say Kaplan are next best, followed by TPR. Kaplan and TPR, I think, are about 15-20% harder than NS/EK tests-- if I had to quantify it -- which are both undoubtedly harder than the MCAT (again, I only have limited experience from one actual real test, and granted I wasn't really nervous as I knew I was going to void).
I haven't tried TBR, GoldStandard, or Altius yet; I've done like 4 Kaplan, 6 TPR, 3 NS, and 1 EK; and am taking my second EK in about 10 minutes.
If I do end up trying one of the other test companies I'll let y'all know how it is; probably gonna end up buying a gold standard exam or two just for more variety.
So overall, for true MCAT feel: NS=EK>Kaplan>TPR
For difficulty TPR>/=Kaplan>EK>/=NS; and again it's all only my opinion.
With that said though, if you can, I think you should definitely try some TPR/Kaplan exams. It's a pretty nice feel when you sit down and take a NS or EK exam and are like, wow, this feels SO much easier than the other exams. I haven't taken the AAMC FL yet, or done the OG question/packs by myself; but I did some of the question packs with some friends, and the questions felt so easy, like a walk in the park, compared to what you see on these test company full-lengths.
Hm, well for ATP production it actually is a lot simpler than you would think.
Just remember NADH = 2.5 ATP per and FADH2 = 1.5 ATP per.
This should work in most every question, then just account for how many NADH/FADH2 you made, and how many straight up ATP. I can go in detail with this later on after my exam, but really that's a good general rule. I can honestly write up a pretty good summary of glycolysis all the way to the ETC later if you want, along with some touching on gluconeogenesis/glycogenesis/glycogenolysis/Beta-oxidation/FA synthesis; it would be helpful for myself too as I haven't reviewed biochem as I feel good about it.
BR has three exams for home study at the moment. Because they weren't released for home study until late May 2015, I guess they are not on very many people's radar. But given that pre-2015 BR exams were considered to be the best (look at the SN2ed summary posts), they will pick up momentum. You have to sift through the June, July, and August MCAT threads to find feedback from people after they had taken their MCAT. The feedback from people after they've seen what their real MCAT was like is pretty good. The biggest thing is that you must spend quality time reviewing each answer explanation to get the most out of the exams.
Thanks so much for the reply, the information about the tests is super helpful. I won't skip any of my Kaplan ones then and just work an EK /Next Step exam or two into my schedule. Kaplan just changed their scale so hopefully that reflects the harshness of their tests and evens things out more. I've heard a lot of good things about gold standard for the old exam but I have heard nothing about their FLs for the new one, I think they have free one out though.
I haven't started the AAMC stuff yet either, but I've heard the OG is pretty easy compared to the real thing, the august test takers so far have been saying Psych and CARs is harder than than any of the official AAMC material which worries me because they're the sections I'm most comfortable with. Might go fill in the psych outline from AAMC a lot of people have been saying they've seen terms that their content books didn't go over.
And if you have time please do for the pathways! I need all the help I can get. I find ETC a little more understandable than the rest, maybe because the enzyme names are easier to remember and the whole process is essentially a simple back and forth it's definitely not as difficult for me to get my head around.
Good luck on your EK exam! Are you liking them more than Next Step?
Hi there. go to the reddit mcat wiki and you will see a list of 37 exams. I think the ones on your list are the best ones out there.
I want to frame this and put it on a wall/staple it to my head/I don't know what else. You've pretty much helped me decide the last month or so of my MCAT studying. Nothing but FL's every other day or every 2 days, reviewing those FL's, and reviewing topics that I don't feel 100% comfortable with Khan and passages or whatever else. Good luck MrRed!
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Is there a particular order/sequence for passages and discrete questions in each section of this new MCAT? According to the AAMC FL, it seems to be P1, P2, P3, 4D's, P4, P5, 4D's, P6, P7, P8, 4D's, P9, P10, 3D's. However, this is only based off of one FL. Anyone have more insight?
Anyone know of a way to convert EK FL's? Just finished FL1
This for psych/sociologists: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1653OPZAz7wOTunsplr_QTQNmv9fDCsKwLSLRWz74NtQ/edit
And flash cards for the actual theories, and disease states; also, any of the people above with **, the theories in depth that they developed (Erikson, Piaget, Skinner, et al)
And flash cards for the actual theories, and disease states; also, any of the people above with **, the theories in depth that they developed (Erikson, Piaget, Skinner, et al)
I haven't even been able to manage a 125 for C/P yet, I look at my scores sometimes and feel like all this summer spent studying has been for nothing 🙁 especially seeing such high scores on SDN. I don't want to cancel because I've invested so much time and money in to this already but the discouragement levels are running high
You've got more than enough time to bring that up! I am registered for the August 22nd exam (although this might change depending on how I do on the aamc fl) and I've taken 6 practice FL's so far...C/P has CONSISTENTLY been my worst section and I am still working on bringing up my score for that section as well. I am a very visual learner so reading about the concepts didn't help me very much. What HAS helped me is watching videos on the specific topics (im using coursesaver) and then testing myself with TBR passages and EK 30min exams. My point is try various methods to see what helps YOU learn the material followed by many many practice problems. I think practice passages are just as important as content review.
@geronimo11 - I have the same test date. Moved it out from 8/22.
If I could give one piece of advice to anyone on SDN or another premed forum: please, please, please take EVERYTHING you read with a heaping grain of salt (even from me, the adcoms who frequent here, the med students, residents, and everyone else). Please.
Take what you like and leave the rest. So, please don't look at anyone else's score and think you're failing. If it makes you feel better, I got a 124 on the diagnostic. Not too many on here actually admit to such @#$y scores. I will 🙂 Because hopefully, it gives someone else hope .
Don't give up. Dig in!
If I could give one piece of advice to anyone on SDN or another premed forum: please, please, please take EVERYTHING you read with a heaping grain of salt (even from me, the adcoms who frequent here, the med students, residents, and everyone else). Please.
Take what you like and leave the rest. So, please don't look at anyone else's score and think you're failing. If it makes you feel better, I got a 124 on the diagnostic. Not too many on here actually admit to such @#$y scores. I will 🙂 Because hopefully, it gives someone else hope .
Don't give up. Dig in!
Hi @LakridsA and @Ad2b Thanks for the encouragement! I'm always hesitant about posting my scores on here because of I'm nervous of being judged or being told it's a lost cause. I was originally going to take 8/22 but then registered for 9/12 instead. I'll take your advise on different methods, I'm finding that simply reading content (obviously) hasn't been making much of a difference, I haven't tried videos yet though so I'll give that a shot! Have you tried the physics/chem am Q packs? I'm going to get the CARS ones but debating if any of the others are worth it vs just doing TBR passages, more FLs and classic flashcard/memory review.
@Ad2b I really need to work on the taking things I read on here with a grain of salt and push my inner pessimist aside. You know that saying about how everyone has a good wolf and bad wolf and the one that survives is the one you feed? I've definitely been making my bad wolf nice and fat over these past few months of MCAT prep!
Test taking has always been something I struggle with so there's this fear that that's going to be what wins comes test day. I just have to step back sometimes and remind myself about how 2-3 years ago being in the place where I'm diligently preparing for the mcat and making it a reality was a place that seemed so impossible and far off.
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@PooshBag @HopefulPilot Glad to know I'm not the only one having a hard time! I think a lot of people (myself included) probably do not so well or average on FLs but are to afraid to post about it on here and collectively it leads to thinking scoring higher is the norm. We have a little over a month so we just need to give it our all.
I take my first Kaplan FL this week, already not looking forward to seeing that score and then having to review it. I'll be sure to have some ice cream waiting for me in the freezer to make me feel better lol. Luckily, I also have a job that I love that gives me a nice boost of happiness when MCAT prep starts bringing me down
I take my first Kaplan FL this week, already not looking forward to seeing that score and then having to review it. I'll be sure to have some ice cream waiting for me in the freezer to make me feel better lol. Luckily, I also have a job that I love that gives me a nice boost of happiness when MCAT prep starts bringing me down
