SN2'd first day

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TexasSurgeon

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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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I am officially 2 days behind on review...yay....and I was going to try to get laid tomorrow :/

Mcat is only pleasure I need
 
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Feeling so burned out today, didnt have the urge to wake up yet managed to do 5 psgs of verbal, will have shake shack burger for lunch then watch the new transformers did anyone watch it ?
 
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ramires said:
Feeling so burned out today, didnt have the urge to wake up yet managed to do 5 psgs of verbal, will have shake shack burger for lunch then watch the new transformers did anyone watch it ?
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yeah i didnt like it .. Planet of the apes wasnt that bad
 
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I dont think its the same without Shia dunno if Mark Wahlberg is gonna fill the gap. He is just like a bad verbal psg ...
 
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so......I remade my tinder account....I just need to release some tension, but now im faced with getting ahead again tomorrow night, or going out with this cute girl I just matched with....such is life
 
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I just looked up tinder .. LOL its kinda odd. Are there any normal people on it?? Excluding yourself of course . 🙂 or is it filled with dudes straying to band everything that moves
 
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woof!! NYC doesn't have much to offer, but this app will provide somewhat useful when school opens..
 
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@avenlea I love your attitude 🙂 My score on AAMC 3 was similar to yours, because I did okay in PS and BS but ended up with a 5 in Verbal. But I wrote the MCAT last year, and compared to my score last year, my score on AAMC 3 this year did not improve at all in any of the sections. In fact, it went down by one point each in PS and VR. When I saw my score I panicked, and it literally took me a few weeks to calm down and get back on track. I think I actually went into depression because I didn't even look at my books or notes in that time....On my next AAMC which I wrote after a month, I only improved by 2 points, although there were no improvements in VR. But instead of panicking, I decided to be positive about it, and reward myself for the improvement. My new goal is to improve by two points on every AAMC, and get a final score of 11+ in VR no matter no what I have to do. And TBH there's always a voice in the back of my head telling me that a jump from a 5 to 11 in VR is unreasonable and unrealistic, but whatever, guess I'm just going to have to prove to myself that it isn't. These AAMCs are mock tests, and if we make mistakes on them now, we save ourselves from making them on the real deal!!!
 
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Sleep is no longer a bodily function for me its a treat I give myself when I finish all I have to do for the day .. Finish this chapter now bedy bye time!!
 
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Just came here to say that @TBRBiosadist 's verbal strategy has been the best thing to happen to my verbal score since...ever.

My score just bumped at least 3 points from a 10-13 on everything I am taking.

zUO6G7C.gif
 
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sillyjoe said:
Yes. I got my score up to a 37 and 38 thanks to @TBRBiosadist
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The reason it worked so well for me is because I always lost the forest in the trees in the passages. The content in the middle of the passage would confuse me because I had yet to get a glimpse of the main point. By reading the first and last paragraph first and then reading the entire passage (so you double up on the first and last paragraph) allows you to solidify the main point so you can then look at all the rest of the passage as arguments for or against that main point.
 
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sillyjoe said:
The reason it worked so well for me is because I always lost the forest in the trees in the passages. The content in the middle of the passage would confuse me because I had yet to get a glimpse of the main point. By reading the first and last paragraph first and then reading the entire passage (so you double up on the first and last paragraph) allows you to solidify the main point so you can then look at all the rest of the passage as arguments for or against that main point.
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dude youll be hitting those 14s easy by test day. Sounds like by your scroe breadown its one of your strongest now
 
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well its a difference of only a question or so. I still get 13s here and there just in practice sets. Its very easy to fall out of using this tactic if you dont pay attention
 
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I was wondering if anyone else does this after reading chapters, but what I've been doing is writing a one page summary sheet for each chapter, then put it all into anki as flashcards. Then after I feel like I have a good grasp on the important eqns and definitions I do the passages without any notes. Doing first 1/3 untimed and second 1/3 timed...timing still an issue...
 
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namesthegame21 said:
I was wondering if anyone else does this after reading chapters, but what I've been doing is writing a one page summary sheet for each chapter, then put it all into anki as flashcards. Then after I feel like I have a good grasp on the important eqns and definitions I do the passages without any notes. Doing first 1/3 untimed and second 1/3 timed...timing still an issue...
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There are people who do passages WITH notes?!
 
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namesthegame21 said:
I was wondering if anyone else does this after reading chapters, but what I've been doing is writing a one page summary sheet for each chapter, then put it all into anki as flashcards. Then after I feel like I have a good grasp on the important eqns and definitions I do the passages without any notes. Doing first 1/3 untimed and second 1/3 timed...timing still an issue...
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I did, but I only put into Anki what I didn't know from the sheet when I reviewed it the second time. And I don't use my notes for passages.
 
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ah yes. In that vein, I remember hearing someone freakout because it wasnt until 2 weeks before the MCAT that they learned they couldnt use a calculator
 
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namesthegame21 said:
Day 1 I used my phys cheat sheet on passages then realized I needed to not do that
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I disagree. For my first 1/3rd I would use the formula cheat sheet at the beginning of the chapter. I made all these note cards too with formulas...but after the 1st 1/3rd and re-read I didn't need it again. I think part of the learning process is using the cheat sheets on the first go through.
 
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TBRBiosadist said:
ah yes. In that vein, I remember hearing someone freakout because it wasnt until 2 weeks before the MCAT that they learned they couldnt use a calculator
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Really? Dang even w/ tbr going through all the math tricks? I never thought it was a big deal, using a calculator will slow you down on lots of problems and this math is uber basic...

EDIT: forgot what Swedish said about the recent MCAT >.<
 
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Hey guys, could have been discussed on this thread before, but is everyone completing the relevant EK 1001 q's per subject as per schedule?
 
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namesthegame21 said:
lol and Texassurgeon is the one on the bike
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DoctorInASaree said:
I'm trying to imagine Harvey Specter riding on a pink bicycle with training wheels. 😀
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I WORE PINK YESTERDAY!!!!! :banana:

DAMN IT. THERE'S ONE DAY EVERY WEEK WHERE I'M JUST COMPLETELY BURNED OUT AND HAVE NO MOTIVATION. TODAY IS THAT DAY.

I'm just gonna go work out, drink delicious protein shakes, and watch Jerry Maguire. I'll be at the library tomorrow at 8 AM...so I can catch up on stuff.
 
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Additionally, is anyone reading the BR Bio chapters instead of EK. Seems like the BR Bio questions are pulling a lot from their detailed content?
 
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aspiringMD/DO said:
Additionally, is anyone reading the BR Bio chapters instead of EK. Seems like the BR Bio questions are pulling a lot from their detailed content?
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Yes, and yes. However, unless you have plenty of extra time at your disposal, I would not recommend TBR Bio (TPR > EK) or any of the EK 1001's. To be as forthcoming as possible, I haven't been answering the EK 1001's lately, because I don't find them beneficial to myself.

The MCAT is all about solving passages (MC questions) that involve critical thinking skills and analysis&synthesis. EK 1001's remind me of easy high-school MC questions. I understand that one can use EK 1001s to solidify one's knowledge base, but you will most likely find that most of the commentators in this thread are using Anki to that end.

Edit: Biology content review -> TPR and TBR. Passages from TPR, TBR, and EK.
Chemistry content review -> TBR. Passages from TBR and TPR.
Organic Chemistry content review -> Textbook, TBR, and TPR. Passages -> TBR, TPR, Kaplan
Physics content review -> TBR Passages -> TBR, EK, TPR
Verbal -> EK 101, TPRH Verbal, and as of this weekend Kaplan verbal tests. I'm saving TPR and AAMC's SA for the end of August/early September.

I strongly recommend TBR for every subject with Biology being the sole exception, and study from Princeton Review (TPR) instead. With respect to Verbal, I would encourage you to use almost every resource available to you! Mixing up EK and TPRH Verbal seems to work well (one day EK, the next day TPRH).

Edit #9859: July 24th - DrSaree learns how to use colors on the SDN forums!
 
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aspiringMD/DO said:
Can I ask what you have been doing/what has been most beneficial?
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For me at least, beyond anything else, doing TBR passages and then Post gaming the ever living hell out of them. This is way more important than content review since you should be familiar with 90%+ of that. The passages point out your weaknesses and differentiates between things you "know" and things you KNOW.
 
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aspiringMD/DO said:
Can I ask what you have been doing/what has been most beneficial?
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The thing that is MOST important is to realize if the questions you are getting wrong are because you have a content gap or that you just fell into the trap of the equation. For content I just customize on my own quizzes on the Kaplan qbank, TPRH, and add some EK1001 if I am feeling spicy that day 😉

I HIGHLY recommend the AAMC self assessments.. the verbal saved my life.. since I don't think any other company can really emulate AAMC verbal.

Good luck dear! 🙂
 
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TBRBiosadist said:
For me at least, beyond anything else, doing TBR passages and then Post gaming the ever living hell out of them. This is way more important than content review since you should be familiar with 90%+ of that. The passages point out your weaknesses and differentiates between things you "know" and things you KNOW.
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can you walk me through your process of post-gaming the TBR passages?
 
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same as i post gameeverything. Write out my reasoning for every quesiton unless super easy, check with tbr to make sure I have the correct reasoning, and if I get something wrong, write out why I got wrong, what I could do to not get it wrong, and imagine similiar questions ans how I will answer them in the future
 
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it takes huge amounts of time to do it completely, which I guess was my main drive to try to make everything easy. So I dont have to spend five hours postgaming 5 passages
 
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Ok, in ochem ch5, #60, that is such a bs answer. I understand why the one they select is correct, but I honestly could see them choose D as well. I understand that c is slightly more correct if you take into play the possibilites of steric hinderance, but that question was meant to be a pitfall

ehh im just bitching, I just dont like it when tbr is vague
 
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