SN2'd first day

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TexasSurgeon

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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TexasSurgeon said:
I would honestly suggest not doing the self-assessment until like 2 weeks before. Take all your CBTs, review them like a mother, and keep improving. Then in the final stretch when you're like 90%, take the SA and see the very last improvement you need. Then do it and rock your MCAT
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No way, man...I want my final stretch to be FLs. The time to shore up weaknesses is well before that. I'm not going to fill any big holes in my content review just by doing AAMCs, and I'd rather my FL scores be from after I address my weaknesses, for better predictiveness.
 
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mehc012 said:
No way, man...I want my final stretch to be FLs. The time to shore up weaknesses is well before that. I'm not going to fill any big holes in my content review just by doing AAMCs, and I'd rather my FL scores be from after I address my weaknesses, for better predictiveness.
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Hm true. I guess that's a pretty good point
 
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TexasSurgeon said:
I would honestly suggest not doing the self-assessment until like 2 weeks before. Take all your CBTs, review them like a mother, and keep improving. Then in the final stretch when you're like 90%, take the SA and see the very last improvement you need. Then do it and rock your MCAT
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I think last two weeks might be a little too late. The self assessments have like 540+ questions and over 100 passages. It's like 3-4 full lengths. It will take many days to finish, and days to review it. You will end up spending at least 3-5 days on it. You don't want to devote so much time to that in your last two weeks. I say do it earlier.

Plus I think you really want as much content covered and solidified before taking the AAMC exams.
 
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SwedishMD2B said:
I think last two weeks might be a little too late. The self assessments have like 540+ questions and over 100 passages. It's like 3-4 full lengths. It will take many days to finish, and days to review it. You will end up spending at least 3-5 days on it. You don't want to devote so much time to that in your last two weeks. I say do it earlier.

Plus I think you really want as much content covered and solidified before taking the AAMC exams.
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oh crap WTF ok nvm then
 
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SwedishMD2B said:
You could try the AAMC Self Assessments. Not only will you see AAMC style passages, but it will allow you to review all subjects and also tell you exactly where your weaknesses are. So it's kind of like reviewing, doing practice tests, and finding out your weaknesses. If you have extra time (and exams), I don't think extra exams would hurt, you can do those along with doing reviewing and doing extra passages.

If I had 7 weeks. I would start with self assessments. Review all subjects, strengthen the weak areas, take extra exams to see if weak areas have strengthened, then take the rest of the exams. Also, I would be reading a lot of Nature, Science, and Cell articles and get comfortable with reading research papers.
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I haven't finished all the 2/3 and 3/3 BC I've been throwing TPR in there.

Would you still recommend to take the self assessments and then finish the passages? Or vice versa?
 
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pbrocks15 said:
I haven't finished all the 2/3 and 3/3 BC I've been throwing TPR in there.

Would you still recommend to take the self assessments and then finish the passages? Or vice versa?
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I would say finish passages, then self assessment. The 2/3 and 3/3 are there for you to solidify your knowledge. I used the self assessment more to see what didn't actually stick yet. And the self assessments may say that there is nothing that is weak, which is good!

EDIT: I mean, do it after 2/3. 3/3 you do as you do the FLs
 
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pbrocks15 said:
Do you know where I can find the R exams??

And thanks for all the help!!
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So, I know some of the older R exams consists of AAMC 6, and 1 and 2? Those, and I believe the extra passages form the other R exams, became what is now known as the self assessment. The R exams are on paper. If you are planning on doing the self assessments, then I would drop trying to get the older R exams.
 
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SwedishMD2B said:
I would say finish passages, then self assessment. The 2/3 and 3/3 are there for you to solidify your knowledge. I used the self assessment more to see what didn't actually stick yet. And the self assessments may say that there is nothing that is weak, which is good!
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Wait are you saying to finish all 1/3, 2/3 and 3/3 and then do the SA?
 
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pbrocks15 said:
Damn that's late! Im taking it Sept. 10th and I thought I was so ahead haha

Even more time to rock the exam. Are you doing anything while studying? Like school? My bad if you mentioned it earlier.
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I'm untethered until September.

SwedishMD2B said:
So you still have 3 months left and you'll be done with the material soon??? Spots open when you get closer to a date because people drop out. I found my July 12th seat on July 5th.
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I know! I've been trying for over a month now...nothing 🙁

TBRBiosadist said:
Well now I feel inadequate lol. Really though, with the hours you put in im amazed that you dont have only 100s

EDIT: meant to quote her passages
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They're coming now! I was making silly mistakes between Chapter's 3-5. Taking it slow with respect to Orgo because I haven't taken the prerequisite before. I'm planning on mastering Orgo in the next two weeks, so I can take a SA/FL practice test by the end of July/early August.

TBRBiosadist said:
Wait... why are your 3/3s for the first three chapters so low? (ive only done the first 3 myself so far?)
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As Swedish pointed out to me, I suppose everyone else is completing their 2/3s and 3/3s at a later date. On a productive day, I'm answering ALL of the passages on the same day. I plan on taking copious amounts of FL practice tests. However, it is rather time consuming.
 
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SwedishMD2B said:
So, I know some of the older R exams consists of AAMC 6, and 1 and 2? Those, and I believe the extra passages form the other R exams, became what is now known as the self assessment. The R exams are on paper. If you are planning on doing the self assessments, then I would drop trying to get the older R exams.
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I see. Okay, I'll finish my 2/3 and then do the self assessment packages and then as I do the FLs I'll finish the 3/3.

Thanks for the help everyone!

Has anyone used the Kaplan or Princeton exams?

I'm wondering how the compare to the AAMCs.
 
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pbrocks15 said:
I see. Okay, I'll finish my 2/3 and then do the self assessment packages and then as I do the FLs I'll finish the 3/3.

Thanks for the help everyone!

Has anyone used the Kaplan or Princeton exams?

I'm wondering how the compare to the AAMCs.
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Kaplan is like your fairy godmother.. it get's your hopes up by inflating your score to the 40s.. then you take an AAMC and it's a really good reality check aka evil stepmother. #ilovedisney
 
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orangetea said:
Kaplan is like your fairy godmother.. it get's your hopes up by inflating your score to the 40s.. then you take an AAMC and it's a really good reality check aka evil stepmother. #ilovedisney
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Haha I was hoping that you would say otherwise so that I wouldn't be upset if I got a poor score. But the more practice tests the better in my opinion so I'm doing everything I can get my hands on when the time comes.
 
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TBRBiosadist said:
Hold the phone... did you say before that you havent taken ORGO!?
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I was exposed to some rudimentary concepts in Grade12, but aside from that no🙁. I only have electives in my last year (this year) and I'll be taking it in September. That's why I have been taking my time with Orgooo, and why I am two or three chapters behind on Orgooo compared to all of the other subjects.

I'm learning on the fly!

edit: I should add that I have studied Orgo on my own time in the past.
 
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DoctorInASaree said:
A fairy princess from the land of unicorns and sparkle rainbows. I thought this was already known!?😀

Also, a bio-mechanical engineering student. Pacemakers and prostheses...that kind of thing!
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When I grow up, I want to be as smart as you one day.
 
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DoctorInASaree said:
A fairy princess from the land of unicorns and sparkle rainbows. I thought this was already known!?😀

Also, a bio-mechanical engineering student. Pacemakers and prostheses...that kind of thing!
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Really though people like you make me afraid of applying to tier 1 med schools, I feel like the impostor crises would be to real if I got in lol.
 
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TBRBiosadist said:
Really though people like you make me afraid of applying to tier 1 med schools, I feel like the impostor crises would be to real if I got in lol.
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You're such a silly billy. You are one of the most competent posters in this thread!

Anyways, I'm enjoying my break day (I forgot all about studying with such a late start), and now I'm off to figure out how mehc012 creates such fancy Anki cards.
 
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DoctorInASaree said:
You're such a silly billy. You are one of the most competent posters in this thread!

Anyways, I'm enjoying my break day (I forgot all about studying with such a late start), and now I'm off to figure out how mehc012 creates such fancy Anki cards.
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From my understanding, its magic. Actually when your adding cards, click the type field (usually says basic) tones of options, you can make multiple choice, multisided. bunches of good stuff
 
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As you may have noticed before, if the mcat had a spelling or grammar portion, I would never get into med school
 
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Sitting here trying to determine how much of the Self-Assessments is reasonable to do in one day... I feel like I want to just finish all the physics and chemistry today but 426 questions in one day seems like overkill. Would any of you guys be willing to share how you allocated all the sections?
 
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Never mind, I read that wrong. Apparently the entire PS section is 213 questions, not physics and chemistry each. Seems doable in a day then.
 
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Ack I need to practice my verbal more if Im going to break A 12+ on the reall thing. Saree what's your strategy for verbal. My average is stuck in the low 90s.
 
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