Should I postpone my MCAT?

[Chromatic543]

I have been studying since the 10th of June and my test is on the 10th of September. I thought I was improving gradually with some of my test scores, but after taking the AAMC FL...I don't know anymore. These are my FL scores:

TBR FL 2: 502
TBR FL 1: 502
TBR FL 3: 502
EK FL 1: 50%
EK FL 2: 54%
EK FL 4: 58%

AAMC FL C/P: 125, CARS: 124, B/B: 126, Psych/Soc: 122, OVERALL: 497

Usually a lot of my mistakes are because of careless errors, and this has been very evident in the TBR and EK tests, but I am not sure what happened in the AAMC FL, especially in the Psych/Soc section. I expected the CARS to be like that but I am surprised with the C/P section.

I am not sure what to do. I am aiming for at least a 508 and I want to apply to DO schools, but I don't know if it's good to take the test in two weeks. What should I do? Should I reschedule for the January tests even though I will be in school? Is it possible to study for the MCAT while being a full time student? Or should I correct the test, evaluate my errors, and take two more FLs as planned (EK 3 and AAMC FL unscored)?

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[premedkid1994]

I don't know what your shooting for but It's pretty obvious what you're really weak in.
I would just study mostly psych for the next two weeks and take the test, but its up to you.

I read the princeton review psych book in a week and a half and have been scoring around a 127 on ns exams for psych

 

[Chromatic543]

I don't know what your shooting for but It's pretty obvious what you're really weak in.
I would just study mostly psych for the next two weeks and take the test, but its up to you.

I read the princeton review psych book in a week and a half and have been scoring around a 127 on ns exams for psych

Have you read any other Psych books besides TPR? I usually don't score this low in Psych/Soc which surprised me, but it had a lot of things that I didn't know which is not usually the case according to the other FLs I have taken. >.<

 

[premedkid1994]

Have you read any other Psych books besides TPR?

been watching khan academy videos on sociology (I think soc. is very ambiguous so I want to know the most I can for it)

 

[Chromatic543]

W

been watching khan academy videos on sociology (I think soc. is very ambiguous so I want to know the most I can for it)

What about for C/P and B/B? I am usually strong in these sections but I either make a lot of careless errors, or I just don't understand what they are asking.

 

[StretchDoe]

Have you read any other Psych books besides TPR? I usually don't score this low in Psych/Soc which surprised me, but it had a lot of things that I didn't know which is not usually the case according to the other FLs I have taken. >.<

Supposedly there's a 100 page document on Reddit MCAT for Psych/Soc that's basically the Khan videos in written form. There's also a 300 page document, which supposedly is even better.

Don't rush if you don't feel you can reach your score though. Are you good at gauging how your practice test is? If you are figure it out as you take your real exam. Also have you done AAMC material other than the scored exam? Focus on those, but time is limited if you haven't.

 

[premedkid1994]

Have you been making notes/flashcards on concepts you are missing on your fls?
have you made any notes when you did content review?

I think a score <125 for science sections shows a deficiency in content. You should be reviewing your notes throughout the week

Also, have you taken the section banks?

 

[premedkid1994]

Supposedly there's a 100 page document on Reddit MCAT for Psych/Soc that's basically the Khan videos in written form. There's also a 300 page document, which supposedly is even better.

Don't rush if you don't feel you can reach your score though. Are you good at gauging how your practice test is? If you are figure it out as you take your real exam. Also have you done AAMC material other than the scored exam? Focus on those, but time is limited if you haven't.

Good points but 2 weeks is enough time to get through section banks and a fl

 

[Chromatic543]

Have you been making notes/flashcards on concepts you are missing on your fls?
have you made any notes when you did content review?

I think a score <125 for science sections shows a deficiency in content. You should be reviewing your notes throughout the week

Also, have you taken the section banks?

I am in progress with the section banks...completed a few passages from C/P only...should I continue with this and take the AAMC sample? Or should I reschedule to take January MCAT?

 

[Chromatic543]

How do you study for the MCAT during the school year? I may want to postpone till January!

 

[Chromatic543]

How do you study for the MCAT during the school year? I may want to postpone till January!

 

[SwordOfTheMorning]

Since you're scheduled to take the test in September, were you planning on applying this year or next year? If you're aiming for a 508, I think it would be best to postpone. An 11 point jump in less than two weeks doesn't seem possible. And a psych/soc score of 122 tells me you haven't really mastered that content well.

I took my first mcat despite my low practice scores because I was rushing to take it. I ignored the scores and expected a miracle. Don't expect one if you're off by that many points. You want to take the exam when you're ready, and it seems like you need more time. I found studying during school to suck, but people make it work. Although if you just want to go DO, as you stated, you don't necessarily need a 508 and can get accepted with a lower score than that.

 

[Chromatic543]

Since you're scheduled to take the test in September, were you planning on applying this year or next year? If you're aiming for a 508, I think it would be best to postpone. An 11 point jump in less than two weeks doesn't seem possible. And a psych/soc score of 122 tells me you haven't really mastered that content well.

I took my first mcat despite my low practice scores because I was rushing to take it. I ignored the scores and expected a miracle. Don't expect one if you're off by that many points. You want to take the exam when you're ready, and it seems like you need more time. I found studying during school to suck, but people make it work. Although if you just want to go DO, as you stated, you don't necessarily need a 508 and can get accepted with a lower score than that.

If I postpone to take the January test, how do I study while I'm in school? Luckily I won't have to do as much content, but should I just take practice tests and just gradually study 1-2 hours per day? Also, if I have taken AAMC FL scored, TBR 1-3, and EK 1, 2, and 4 what else can I use to practice? I haven't finished the section banks yet. Do you think pushing it to January and gradually studying will help?

I am planning on applying next cycle

 

[bigindian4891]

If I postpone to take the January test, how do I study while I'm in school? Luckily I won't have to do as much content, but should I just take practice tests and just gradually study 1-2 hours per day? Also, if I have taken AAMC FL scored, TBR 1-3, and EK 1, 2, and 4 what else can I use to practice? I haven't finished the section banks yet. Do you think pushing it to January and gradually studying will help?

I am planning on applying next cycle

Youre applying next cycle, so take it in January. You are not ready, as the sample is the best predictor. Its manageable to study with school, just treat it as another class.

 

[SwordOfTheMorning]

If I postpone to take the January test, how do I study while I'm in school? Luckily I won't have to do as much content, but should I just take practice tests and just gradually study 1-2 hours per day? Also, if I have taken AAMC FL scored, TBR 1-3, and EK 1, 2, and 4 what else can I use to practice? I haven't finished the section banks yet. Do you think pushing it to January and gradually studying will help?

I am planning on applying next cycle

Since you're applying next cycle, you should definitely cancel. You're really setting yourself up for a retake if you rush it. You have time. Slugging it out during school isn't ideal. But with an AAMC practice below 500, it's better than doing bad and retaking it.

I'm not sure what your school/work schedule is like. But you can take a lighter course load in the fall or reduce work hours, if you can. You'll have to figure that out.

And luckily for you, AAMC will be releasing a *new* scored exam in the fall. (They haven't announced a specific date yet, but it will be in the fall.) So you'll have that to gauge your progress, since you've used the official scored exam already.

 

[premedkid1994]

your c/p, cars, and b/b scores are decent for a low-mid tier DO school
but that psych section needs to improve significantly for you to get a 500+

You know yourself and how you study/retain info.
If you feel like you cannot know most of psych in 10-11 days, then I would reschedule.

 

[Chromatic543]

your c/p, cars, and b/b scores are decent for a low-mid tier DO school
but that psych section needs to improve significantly for you to get a 500+

You know yourself and how you study/retain info.
If you feel like you cannot know most of psych in 10-11 days, then I would reschedule.

Thank you for all your help! I just went through the C/P, and I found countless after countless careless errors! A big problem I have is the time scares me (I get scared that I will run out of time), which makes me rush through the passages, which sometimes keeps me from analyzing data properly, which makes me face the questions without considering all the answers properly, which causes me to choose the wrong answer.

When I go back and correct my FLs, I am able to catch my mistakes and understand them SO QUICKLY! It is so frustrating, and it has been happening throughout all my FLs.