SN2'd first day

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

TexasSurgeon

I don't pay state taxes
10+ Year Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2012
Messages
2,652
Reaction score
1,285
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.
 
Last edited:
gYPpsF2.gif
 
Are you going to take the exam while the semester starts ?
no. exams on the 15, the semester starts on 25. Its just I wont be studying nearly as much for classes as for the mcat because...I dont really need to study terribly much. Then again biochem and advanced animal physiology are supposed to be notoriously difficult at my uni so that might change
 
no. exams on the 15, the semester starts on 25. Its just I wont be studying nearly as much for classes as for the mcat because...I dont really need to study terribly much. Then again biochem and advanced animal physiology are supposed to be notoriously difficult at my uni so that might change
Cool man that's around the corner good luck . My semester will start with me having 2 months to my exam .. Dont know how that will turn out ... Do you feel that studying is more intense after content review ?
 
Cool man that's around the corner good luck . My semester will start with me having 2 months to my exam .. Dont know how that will turn out ... Do you feel that studying is more intense after content review ?
time wise, no. Intensity level yes simply because there are so many questions/passages as compared to mostly note taking before
 
but you do have more free time, I was originally going to add stuff to the schedule, but as usual, with work and everything else I just am barely keeping up
 
I feel so guilty wasting the whole day away after taking an AAMC.... but then I remind myself that an AAMC is basically 14 practice science passages and 7 verbal passages so then it doesn't sound so bad lol.

Also, I've realized that I'll be really happy if the real MCAT has more gen chem than physics as I'm seeing in some of the earlier AAMCs. Hope this continues...
 
but you do have more free time, I was originally going to add stuff to the schedule, but as usual, with work and everything else I just am barely keeping up
Thanks for the advice man.. What do you suggest with 2 months to spare after content review . More FL exams or doing the TPR SW passages
 
I feel so guilty wasting the whole day away after taking an AAMC.... but then I remind myself that an AAMC is basically 14 practice science passages and 7 verbal passages so then it doesn't sound so bad lol.

Also, I've realized that I'll be really happy if the real MCAT has more gen chem than physics as I'm seeing in some of the earlier AAMCs. Hope this continues...
Everytime I take an AAMC i tell myself Im going to do extra later in the day.....I never do.
 
Thanks for the advice man.. What do you suggest with 2 months to spare after content review . More FL exams or doing the TPR SW passages
Stay fresh on content with probs tpr sw, its there is a reason studying past 4 months prior is not recommended, it gets so easy to forget small details. Reread all of br too, and read alot of science journals to get used to the current bs format
 
**** idk whats wrong with me. I feel like im having a mental breakdown. I just want to cry for no reason. Im ancy and depressed and I just ****ing want it to be over. ****

You know what, I think I am going to go have a good cry. First one in years.......
 
Skipped AAMC's 3 and 4 because I'm going to do ten days of pure content/formula memorization for the subjects - wrote AAMC 5 today before doing the 10 days of review I'm planning on doing and I scored a 31 (9 PS/10 BS/ 12VR). The PS was higher than I expected because I'm atrocious at physics, BS is what I expected at this point and I think I can improve it a lot as I get more time to memorize some of the more fact-based answers. VR was actually screwed up by a single passage in which all of my wrong answers were found - I'm hoping this was a sign of a flukey passage and hopefully future AAMC's will show a higher VR (at least 13) Super pumped considering I still have a month left to improve on the score and I haven't even done the 10 day intensive studying part yet. Hoping I can raise that score up to a 33-34 by the time I write!
 
Last edited:
Okay, officially on the SN2ed schedule I should start on Aug. 3rd for the 3 month plan, I started on the 30th of July and I still haven't finished the first Physics chapter. This is bad lol...but I have to juggle a 9 month old baby, that's why I started that early, I needed to get a feel for it. Tell me I can do it and I'll be fine lol.

I've been waking at ~3am to study until 6am, then between my sons 30 min naps and feedings I try to catch up. But I'm not ready to give up just yet!
 
**** idk whats wrong with me. I feel like im having a mental breakdown. I just want to cry for no reason. Im ancy and depressed and I just ****ing want it to be over. ****

You know what, I think I am going to go have a good cry. First one in years.......

You of all people are ancy? If I were getting your scores I'd just reschedule my mcat for tomorrow
 
Okay, officially on the SN2ed schedule I should start on Aug. 3rd for the 3 month plan, I started on the 30th of July and I still haven't finished the first Physics chapter. This is bad lol...but I have to juggle a 9 month old baby, that's why I started that early, I needed to get a feel for it. Tell me I can do it and I'll be fine lol.

I've been waking at ~3am to study until 6am, then between my sons 30 min naps and feedings I try to catch up. But I'm not ready to give up just yet!

Mad Props! That's so impressive and respectable. An infant and MCAT!
 
**** idk whats wrong with me. I feel like im having a mental breakdown. I just want to cry for no reason. Im ancy and depressed and I just ****ing want it to be over. ****

You know what, I think I am going to go have a good cry. First one in years.......
Get some sleep! Haha
 
For you... you also get 40+ scores
true, maybe im not the best judge....
I am serious about saree though lol. Her content is on point and she seems immune to the stupid mistakes I occasionally make, So I dont see why she wont get 45s on every FL
 
Thoughts out to @K1NG while he is sitting his exam as we speak . Hope him the best of luck and the clearest of minds!

Thanks homie!! Just got back.. felt I could've done better honestly.. Whole thing felt like verbal and I think I zoned on because of the long passages lol. But the test wasn't too bad except when I got to BS... I felt I was too relaxed because of the other sections and as a result and wasn't ready for that beast of a BS section. I put my thoughts in the Aug.1 thread for anyone wondering. About to take a nap. I'll try to post a bit more when I wake up (if I do lol)
 
Last edited:
Thanks homie!! Just got back.. felt I could've done better honestly.. Whole thing felt like verbal and I think I zoned on because of the long passages lol. But the test wasn't too bad except when I got to BS... I felt I was too relaxed because of the other sections and as a result and wasn't ready for that beast of a BS section. I put my thoughts in the Aug.1 thread for anyone wondering. About to take a nap. I'll try to post a bit more when I wake up (if I do lol)
For the lazy that dont want to go to august thread, General impressions are a VERY concept heavy PS (basically the opposite of everything we have heard so far). A fairly difficult experimental BS (the usual) and an average verbal. Overall it felt like an "easier" mcat then what has been heard about so far.
 
For the lazy that dont want to go to august thread, General impressions are a VERY concept heavy PS (basically the opposite of everything we have heard so far). A fairly difficult experimental BS (the usual) and an average verbal. Overall it felt like an "easier" mcat then what has been heard about so far.

Yup you got it man. And that's what's pissing me off.. I knew I couldve done better! I was hoping for more orgo too but besides one passage I can't really remember anything else. Maybe 5 of the bio passages were experiment based if I remember correctly.
 
Yup you got it man. And that's what's pissing me off.. I knew I couldve done better! I was hoping for more orgo too but besides one passage I can't really remember anything else. Maybe 5 of the bio passages were experiment based if I remember correctly.

Congrats on being done and thank you for sharing your insights with us! Any tips on how to prepare for this BS/PS if you had to do it over?
 
Yup you got it man. And that's what's pissing me off.. I knew I couldve done better! I was hoping for more orgo too but besides one passage I can't really remember anything else. Maybe 5 of the bio passages were experiment based if I remember correctly.


Done better? You have no idea how you did! Relax guy.
 
Congrats on being done and thank you for sharing your insights with us! Any tips on how to prepare for this BS/PS if you had to do it over?

For PS I would just say don't get caught off guard by long/convoluted passages. I looked at the questions first for a passage and ended up answering all of them without reading the passage lol I did read it after of course to make sure but they put a lot of unnecessary info. It was pretty straightforward besides that. For BS it was experiment heavy (surprise surprise) so if I were to study again I would've done more passages from TBR and maybe read some articles. I have a research background so it wasn't too bad but there were some terms in there I feel only people who have done research before would have known.

Done better? You have no idea how you did! Relax guy.

Haha you right man. I have a 28 from last year so kind of paranoid I got the same score or less.
 
Also, I'm really on my procrastination game today, but you guys have to check this out

http://www.buzzfeed.com/lukelewis/16-doctors-on-the-dumbest-patients-they-have-ever-treated?s=mobile

#bestcareerchoice #savingtheworld

They were all hilarious but this one takes the cake:

"Patient comes in with her bf. They are indignant, as if somehow I could’ve prevented [the pregnancy]. The problem? Well, the pills were bothering the girl’s stomach, so, being a gallant bf, he decided to start taking them instead"

Loooool
 
They were all hilarious but this one takes the cake:

"Patient comes in with her bf. They are indignant, as if somehow I could’ve prevented [the pregnancy]. The problem? Well, the pills were bothering the girl’s stomach, so, being a gallant bf, he decided to start taking them instead"

Loooool
saw it on an askreddit thread awhile back. Buzzfeed just copied the top posts....like always.



Anyone else here hate the fact they seem to LOVE using blood as an example of ideal flow and have PS questions about it? There are so many facets and tidbits I know about blood flow that make it far from an ideal fluid and I need to shut those up every time I come across these passages. Just give me some pipes with the same questions please.
 
Top