SN2'd first day

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TexasSurgeon

I don't pay state taxes
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EDIT: This was supposed to be a thread about the first day of SN2. However as with all intelligent life, things evolve. This thread has now become a support page for people following the SN2 plan. You can think of it as Alcoholics Anonymous for people studying to take the MCAT using the SN2 plan.

EDIT July 1, 2014:
If you are interested in @mehc012's Anki Deck, DO NOT SEND A PM. Here is the link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/7if6wgaif98rkoa/mehc012 SN2edCh4s.apkg
**A NOTE: @mehc012 and several others (myself included) want to tell you guys that studying from another person's deck will probably not be as beneficial to you as creating your own cards. Yes you can take advantage of @mehc012's generosity, but you won't get the same advantage. Study the material. Create cards as you go along. You will find it more helpful to your studying. **

EDIT July 22, 2014:
The following is @TBRBiosadist's official MCAT Verbal Reasoning Strategy:
@TBRBiosadist's strategy that got [him] from a 7 average to scoring 13-15 average..

Spend the bulk of your time reading. Up to 3 minutes per passage.
  • Read the first and last paragraph thoroughly to begin with. Understand what the authors main point will be because 90% of questions require nothing more than a general idea.
  • After this, read the entire passage slowly enough where you dont feel like you need to reread sentences for understanding.
Next is just answer questions, there is a few tricks here that work about 90% of the time
  • Unless the passage is asking you about a specific detail, dont look back. READ EVERY ANSWER THOROUGLY AND THEN Answer what makes sense from the general point of the passage. Its very easy to prove a wrong answer to be somewhat correct if you dig hard enough, dont. Answer what your gut says and move onto the next question, dont contemplate to much. With that being said...
  • Answer like you were dropped on the head as a child. Alot of times if Im arguing between two answers, there is the answer that is 100% correct, and one that is 90% correct. Be an idoit and choose the one that seems like it is correct. However.....
  • "Always" is a word to avoid. If an answer uses this word, or definites like it, it is something to avoid. I would say 80% of the time the wishy washy answer is more correct then the highly affirmative one. This leads to my final point....
  • 100% of the time you are not actually looking for the "right" answer in verbal, this isnt PS or BS where 1+1 almost always equals 2 (unless we are talking about the different sedimentation values for Ribosomes). In verbal you are looking for the answer that isnt wrong. Often times an answer will seem very "right" but one aspect of it is clearly wrong, as compared to an answer that isnt wrong, but doesnt seem as right as that answer, these are meant to fool you. Choose the answer that isnt wrong.
I understand that I few of these tips may be at odds with each other. Ultimately you must adjust slightly for each passage, but it comes down to one thing. Read thoroughly. Read every sentence in the passage. Read every question. Read every answer. Then the correct answer will be fairly obvious. This may seem like it takes longer, but it takes much less time than skimming, and then trying to find the correct information later.

Or to summarize in one sentence

Understand what the hell the author is arguing

EDIT July 26, 2014:

@DoctorInASaree uploaded a guide to Verbal Reasoning. If you're interested, it's worth a look. Here is the link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2byivymmqwlvjms/MCAT VR Primer DRSAREE.pdf

EDIT 2, July 26, 2014: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/sn2d-first-day.1074344/page-52#post-15510851
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Just finished the first day of SN2...man is it long and exhausting.

The first day is BR physics chapter (translational motion) + 1/3 of the passages. I felt like I wasn't able to apply the stuff I read into the stuff I was tested on.

Has anyone felt this way when following the schedule? It just seems like the contents of the chapter didn't really stick in my head when I took the practice passages. Will this improve over time?

EDIT 3, March 4, 2015:

For verbal, if you are feeling lost and confused, I highly highly recommend you to look into the MCAT Strategy Course by @Jack Westin. I've been working with him, and nothing comes close to his course and teaching. It's a strategy course, so it will cover everything, not just the VR/CARS section.
 
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My bad. I should have elaborated. I meant I'm almost done with my LAST WEEK of content review. So this LAST WEEK's second 1/3s are gonna suck.
 
Im annoyed at myself at missing two bio questions and guessing on two (I got the two i guessed right) and having to guess on a physics one as well. But now I have to live up to this one, which will act as my pressure. /sarcasm (somewhat)
 
AAMC 4#
(15/15/15)

Great job!

Just got a 39 on AAMC 3 (13/12/14). Pretty happy but not going to put too much stock into it. Physics is my weak subject and I got all of the physics questions right; there's no way that's happening on test day lol. The BS questions seemed to be too simple, interestingly enough I got tripped up on a couple of ochem questions instead of bio.
 
Big thanks to Texas and TBRbiosadist been using your guys advice on verbal especially the reading the first and last chapter first... Did 3 passages today and got only one wrong in 2 of them.. Didn't do so hot in the last one but i attribute that to someone calling my phone in the middle of the passage.. I guess these are really baby steps but im glad its improving from the 7 out of 21 question i got at the beginning of verbal ..
 
AAMC 4#
(15/15/15)

I have become the highlander

Nice shooting Rex! 🙂

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chocolate covered cherries, seedless watermelon, the perfect 5 miles and finally some clarity on passages...

if that's not love idk what is.
 
[QUOTE="sharkbyte, post: 15489860, member: 5881wrongreat job!

Just got a 39 on AAMC 3 (13/12/14). Pretty happy but not going to put too much stock into it. Physics is my weak subject and I got all of the physics questions right; there's no way that's happening on test day lol. The BS questions seemed to be too simple, interestingly enough I got tripped up on a couple of ochem questions instead of bio.[/QUOTE]
Let me guess. You got the xray probability one wrong on physics.
 
I just hope this trend sticks till test day. If I get 40+ I have a real chance at my dream school. If I actually got into ucsf I would give out free blowjobs for a week as a straight male
 
Guys I am officially screwed, I still have 2 bio chaps 1 org and 1 phys and today was supposed to be my first hat trick day ... I am hoping to read all the chapters today and solve all the passages tmrw in hope of some miracle what are your thoughts ?
 
Guys I aicially screwed, I still have 2 bio chaps 1 org and 1 phys and today was supposed to be my first hat trick day ... I am hoping to read all the chapters today and solve all the passages tmrw in hope of some miracle what are your thoughts ?
Hard but doable if your stong on the material. Ive done hat trick exactly twice. Its not super necezsary
 
Sadly I would have loved to do it in Dubai since I am familiar with country been there a couple of times and have relatives there, but to no avail it is not given there. I'll be leaving the day before to get settled and rest, don't want to get tired from traveling and end up flunking
 
Sadly I would have loved to do it in Dubai since I am familiar with country been there a couple of times and have relatives there, but to no avail it is not given there. I'll be leaving the day before to get settled and rest, don't want to get tired from traveling and end up flunking
You should get +3 pts for the effort
 
Sadly I would have loved to do it in Dubai since I am familiar with country been there a couple of times and have relatives there, but to no avail it is not given there. I'll be leaving the day before to get settled and rest, don't want to get tired from traveling and end up flunking

Just avoid all the Israel/Palestine bloodbath over there.
 
imagine passing through airport security with all those TBR books and EKs, I have a friend who got searched because his bag looked suspicious with all those books
@TexasSurgeon I think I should email aamc😛

@SwedishMD2B Oh that is far and hopefully let's just hope I finish in time

380$ for the Mcat + 1500$ traveling expenses + Mcat books and material = I BETTER GET THAT 35
 
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