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
________________________________________________
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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On review days I skim over bits of the TBR bio that isnt covered well in Ek, but other than that, I use EK for bio review, but I try to memorize everything and not just what they highlight.

Day 33. Had my first break day yesterday because I had started a few days late. It was so amazing.

TBR for everything else and TPRH for verbal. Everything else I tend to get about mid 80s on. But in general, even though the content is getting harder, I'm doing better than when I first started on everything, (although occasionally I will do terrible for being stupid. ie Let's do some passages at 3 in the morning after not sleeping the night before!) Ultimately I'm lovin SN2's schedule
 
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QueenJames said:
And this is why you are named TBRBiosadist. LOL I love it! But fareal, if you're doing work on those passages, keep doin' you booboo! You got this 🙂
Click to expand...

aww you warm my shriveled ginger heart 😍

really tho, git gud at tbr bio and you will do better on everrrryyyythhhinnngg else
 
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sooooooooo doing waves and periodic motion and this wasn't directly covered it TBR(or maybe it was and I am just dumb fml) but when you want to calculate the angle displacement of a bob after 1 cycle you would just use F=-mgsin(theta) right? #soconfused
 
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TBRBiosadist said:
On review days I skim over bits of the TBR bio that isnt covered well in Ek, but other than that, I use EK for bio review, but I try to memorize everything and not just what they highlight.

Day 33. Had my first break day yesterday because I had started a few days late. It was so amazing.

TBR for everything else and TPRH for verbal. Everything else I tend to get about mid 80s on. But in general, even though the content is getting harder, I'm doing better than when I first started on everything, (although occasionally I will do terrible for being stupid. ie Let's do some passages at 3 in the morning after not sleeping the night before!) Ultimately I'm lovin SN2's schedule
Click to expand...
good for you!! honestly sometimes I wonder if I'm missing more than I should simply because I take a lot of passages late night like 11 PM after coming back from the gym, eating dinner, and showering. So I'm super exhausted by then
 
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QueenJames said:
No clue wtf to do with TBR physics. This stuff is CRAY CRAY. I have a feeling i need to do the EK 1001 problems to get a solid grasp of the content before I attempt the passages (which I am NOT doing great on either... just got a 3/7 for passage 1 on ch 3 for physics). Am considering going with Khan academy for physics review as TBR just isn't cutting it for me.

Bio and O-chem are my favs. Simply because I was a bio major (may need a little brushing up to do) and just finished retaking O-chem this last year as part of my postbacc. ArRGGHH need some advice right now peeps! driving myself crazy!
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If it helps, I literally feel exactly the same about Physics. I feel like I get the content and I'm fresh out of physics, yet that momentum chapter killed me HARD. I got 1 right on one of the passages, and it's been my worst chapter yet. Hang in thereeee
 
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Anybody have experience with KAplan physical sciences book? My aunt dropped some off but they have writing in them... and they are from 2004... Was planning on brushing up content with their material and then using TBR passages to practice. Any advice?
 
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TexasSurgeon said:
good for you!! honestly sometimes I wonder if I'm missing more than I should simply because I take a lot of passages late night like 11 PM after coming back from the gym, eating dinner, and showering. So I'm super exhausted by then
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I miss about 5-15% more if I do passages after 11pm I find. I usually just save them and do them the next morning before everything else if it gets to late, which happens when I work all the time. I just stare at the questions with no idea of where I even am for a minute. Either that or I just plow down some coffee and ride that jittery high.
 
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orangetea said:
sooooooooo doing waves and periodic motion and this wasn't directly covered it TBR(or maybe it was and I am just dumb fml) but when you want to calculate the angle displacement of a bob after 1 cycle you would just use F=-mgsin(theta) right? #soconfused
Click to expand...
the angle of the bob would be equal to the when it was first released and we can find this with Upotential=mgl(1-costheta). you can make this equal to 1/2mv^2 if they give you the info for it. Is there a question you are asking about in particular?
 
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General PSA: I've been SUPER demotivated lately by my scores in BR and have been plugging along, but I finally picked up the TPRHSW and guys, if you don't have it, GET IT! It is a godsend. I think it has to be super similar to the real thing and it's a great way to reaffirm previous material.

I started it today and I'm going to do like 8 passages every other day, 2 from each subject, starting from chapter 1 with material I did like three weeks ago. That way I'm still reinforcing and learning.

Just a heads up! Happy studying this weekend 🙂
 
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OH HA! You think ochem days are bad now, wait till you get to the second book. The chapters are 50 pages each. If you know all your reactions already, its easy. If not, there is about 30 you'll need to memorize
 
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TBRBiosadist said:
OH HA! You think ochem days are bad now, wait till you get to the second book. The chapters are 50 pages each. If you know all your reactions already, its easy. If not, there is about 30 you'll need to memorize
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But..but..."To best prepare for the MCAT, your goal should not be to memorize every reaction, but instead, learn a few simple, common mechanisms and have a conceptual picture of how they work." - BR Orgo book 1

.....scumbag berkeley review
 
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TexasSurgeon said:
But..but..."To best prepare for the MCAT, your goal should not be to memorize every reaction, but instead, learn a few simple, common mechanisms and have a conceptual picture of how they work." - BR Orgo book 1

.....scumbag berkeley review
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upload_2014-6-15_10-2-8.jpeg
 
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TexasSurgeon said:
Berkeley Review verbal's answer explanations are literally as long as legal briefs...for EACH answer...
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One word (well actually Acronym) TPRH. Dont use berkely for verbal, they're wonky at times, use TPRH if you can.

TexasSurgeon said:
But..but..."To best prepare for the MCAT, your goal should not be to memorize every reaction, but instead, learn a few simple, common mechanisms and have a conceptual picture of how they work." - BR Orgo book 1

.....scumbag berkeley review
Click to expand...
Yeah they speak lies using a sperpent's tongue. I mean technically if you have REALLY good theoretical knowledge you could derive most of the reactions on your own.....which for alot of people is not going to happen. I just lucked out because my orgo tests were books and we kinda had to memorize everything (I love drawing out full mechanisms of obscure reactions from memory!) and I just finished orgo 2 like a month ago.

Funny thing is my weakest section is probably physics at this point because my pre req professor was god awful. I'm super strong on everything else. (well on verbal I either get 2000% or miss everything)
 
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^^ same here. Physics is the bane of my existence. And a lil bit of chem as well. Just got some more Kaplan books from a buddy from like 2010 so I shall be using those for physics and chem. Maybe continue using the TBR passages for practice.
 
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kinda unrelated but On ch6 of gchem #66. I think their answer, (and explanation for it) are complete BS and completely ignore several things they talk about in chapter, like the whole reason mercury is used over less dense liquids in the first place. Anyone do this yet? Its just one of the first questions where I outright disagree with BR even after reading their explanation.
 
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yeah i'm going to use Princeton verbal and rotate through it over the next month or so
i'll use the TPR science workbook for extra passages (on the rereading days). I'm not going 1001's yet.

I need to do SA package first and then i'll reinforce with TPR science. I think TPR verbal and TPR science book is great
 
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Nice! Wait passage or section? Both are great but, I mean, if it was a section I will be asking secrets from you sensei.
 
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TBRBiosadist said:
Nice! Wait passage or section? Both are great but, I mean, if it was a section I will be asking secrets from you sensei.
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Haha it was a passage only. I missed about one question per passage on the rest of them
It's kindof like you said- just read carefully. I also wasn't doing these at 12 AM so that may have something to do with it
 
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the more I study for the mcat the more I realize memorizing isnt that important, when doing reviews 9/10x when I forgot the equation I still had the right answer because the gave me enough info to eliminate the other choices logically
 
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orangetea said:
I cannot for the life of me get less than 2 wrong on TBRH verbal. fml.

#ihateextremeanswerchoices.
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I find TPRH's passages to be harder than EK 101. My score's slowly been improving because of increased retention and wasting less time re-reading things. For me it helps to visualize cinematic images and clips as I read. And in some cases (especially passages about nature), pretending that morgan freeman is narrating helps make things more interesting.
 
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MrTaco92 said:
I find TPRH's passages to be harder than EK 101. My score's slowly been improving because of increased retention and wasting less time re-reading things. For me it helps to visualize cinematic images and clips as I read. And in some cases (especially passages about nature), pretending that morgan freeman is narrating helps make things more interesting.
Click to expand...


AHAHHAAHHAAHHAHAHA MORGAN FREEMAN. i died. so my issue is that i can get a question right if I refer back to my map/passage but sometimes I am under time constraints and so I have to make an educated guess and i am lacking in that department because out of the 2 answer choices I have narrowed down I pick the wrong one 😀 #yay.
 
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2 wrong per passage or passage set? Oh and I usually picture richard hammond and jeremy clarckson trading quips while narrating to keep me interested.

Hey how are you guys (or gals) taking notes in general? I usually take super detailed notes (basically rewrite the chapter) and then NEVER look at them ever again.
 
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orangetea said:
AHAHHAAHHAAHHAHAHA MORGAN FREEMAN. i died. so my issue is that i can get a question right if I refer back to my map/passage but sometimes I am under time constraints and so I have to make an educated guess and i am lacking in that department because out of the 2 answer choices I have narrowed down I pick the wrong one 😀 #yay.
Click to expand...
I did that so much because I would always lean towards the more definite (read:extreme) answer. I read the other day from someone that got a 40+ that with the verbal, you can almost always narrow it down to two choices, an extreme and a wishy-washy answer. Always go wishy-washy.
 
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TBRBiosadist said:
I did that so much because I would always lean towards the more definite (read:extreme) answer. I read the other day from someone that got a 40+ that with the verbal, you can almost always narrow it down to two choices, an extreme and a wishy-washy answer. Always go wishy-washy.
Click to expand...


YES!!! i noticed that too.. "extreme" answers are always the worng ones.. which is so counter-intuitive since PS/BS are so black and white...

shout out to AAMC for the intense mind F*ck .. #iwishicouldmeetatestwriter
 
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TBRBiosadist said:
2 wrong per passage or passage set? Oh and I usually picture richard hammond and jeremy clarckson trading quips while narrating to keep me interested.

Hey how are you guys (or gals) taking notes in general? I usually take super detailed notes (basically rewrite the chapter) and then NEVER look at them ever again.
Click to expand...


I get 2 wrong per passage 1 if I am SUPER lucky which leaves me at 7/8 and I JUST WANT A 9.. I take notes in a notebook life if I was taking notes for a class.. on review days instead of re-reading 40+ pages I review my notes.. I also make TONS of flashcards on important topics/questions that might help. 🙂
 
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TBRBiosadist said:
I did that so much because I would always lean towards the more definite (read:extreme) answer. I read the other day from someone that got a 40+ that with the verbal, you can almost always narrow it down to two choices, an extreme and a wishy-washy answer. Always go wishy-washy.
Click to expand...
This was seriously his strategy? It actually makes sense
 
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But BR seriously needs to fix it's errors in their books. They not only have grammar errors but also have random science ones. For example they wrote

Torque = Fparallel x r. That's not even true lol! It's torque = Fperp x r which gives you torque = r x Fsin(theta). The error is in BR ch 4 on the "selected equations, facts, concepts, etc" page
 
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orangetea said:
I get 2 wrong per passage 1 if I am SUPER lucky which leaves me at 7/8 and I JUST WANT A 9.. I take notes in a notebook life if I was taking notes for a class.. on review days instead of re-reading 40+ pages I review my notes.. I also make TONS of flashcards on important topics/questions that might help. 🙂
Click to expand...
I have a small document where I write down any subject I get wrong more than once, equations, and also keep track of ch scores so I know where I am week. Ive never been one to read my own notes (mostly because they are illegible), but I'm a fast reader so I can plow through the chapters real quick on review days. Still takes effin forever with everything else (and I'm usually a passage set or two behind from when I work). On that note, **** 50 page ochem chapters when coming home after a 9 hour shift.
 
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TexasSurgeon said:
But BR seriously needs to fix it's errors in their books. They not only have grammar errors but also have random science ones. For example they wrote

Torque = Fparallel x r. That's not even true lol! It's torque = Fperp x r which gives you torque = r x Fsin(theta). The error is in BR ch 4 on the "selected equations, facts, concepts, etc" page
Click to expand...
The ek1001s are waaaaayyyyy worse. Lucking to go 20 problems without an error in one of the answers. BR, for what it is, and serving a somewhat niche group, isnt to bad.
 
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"The testing clock will begin to count down as soon as the examination is started. The timer is visible on your testing monitor throughout the examination. Time is counted down by section. If you end a section early, you may continue on to the next section. The additional time will not be counted towards any subsequent sections." -https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/taking/85604/taking_regulations.html

yuppo!
 
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TBRBiosadist said:
"The testing clock will begin to count down as soon as the examination is started. The timer is visible on your testing monitor throughout the examination. Time is counted down by section. If you end a section early, you may continue on to the next section. The additional time will not be counted towards any subsequent sections." -https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/taking/85604/taking_regulations.html

yuppo!
Click to expand...

So ever section the clock shows a fresh 60 or 70 mins?
 
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listener23 said:
So ever section the clock shows a fresh 60 or 70 mins?
Click to expand...


this is how the test looks like on the computer

mcat_screen_1.jpg



you can also take a practice test at AAMC/Kaplan/Princetonreview . They do a great job of live simulation including buttons, timer etc. Also yes. Every section comes with a new timer/periodic table.
 
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