So I just took a practice MCAT and got a 19.

[xpinchx]

All considering I don't think that's too bad. I'm a 3rd year student, but I'll be taking a victory lap because I changed majors this year (So I'll graduate undergad in 2009 I think. I haven't taken any Biology and only up to general chemistry (plus I took survey to organic and biochem), and my first physics class. Other than that I just sort of winged it. I didn't do any preparation to speak of, I wanted to do this test as a diagnostic to see where I really am and what to focus on the most in the next couple of years. My physics and organic chemistry parts were pretty rough.

Anyway, the MCAT isn't quite as daunting now that I've seen it. A decent handful of questions don't really need any specific science knowledge and can be figured out by reading the passage and using deduction. Anyway, I just wanted to share.

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[Mr_Doc]

"A decent handful of questions don't really need any specific science knowledge and can be figured out by reading the passage and using deduction"

uhhh not really. if you think this is the case, you're a fool.

 

[MEG@COOL]

scores arent on a linear distribution.

 

[gotmeds?]

A decent handful of questions don't really need any specific science knowledge and can be figured out by reading the passage and using deduction. Anyway, I just wanted to share.

Sounds like you took a Kaplan test to me. The real thing does require a lot of specific knowledge, but it's usually basic knowledge. My impression of the Kapan tests was that they covered incredibly complicated topics but basically stuck the answers somewhere in the passage if you knew how to look for them. I didn't think they were terribly realistic.

Anyway, it sounds like you feel good about your first test and you've still got plenty of time to take classes and study. Just keep at it and you should do fine.

 

[R.P. McMurphy]

uhhh not really. if you think this is the case, you're a fool.

please tell me you are kidding with this comment

to the OP. Yes, the MCAT does in fact have tons of questions that are derived directly from the passage and are literally impossible to figure out without reading the passage but very doable without any outside knowledge (it tests not only your general science knowledge, but also your critical reading skills). However, without a solid background and understanding of all of the required materials, you will struggle.

 

[dakotaman]

I wouldn't listen to people who like to namecall!

My advice is to know all that science really well because it provides a backdrop of knowledge in addition to answering actual questions. Take plenty of practice exams and you'll know what you need. Aside from Kaplan, get some actual old tests that the MCAT people have released. Critical (in a quick way!) reading skills help a whole bunch.

But take what I say with a grain of salt since I took it WAAAAY back in 2002. Many people say, though, that the MCAT is harder than any of the USMLE (licensing tests) Steps: 1, 2, and 3. The reason is because it's so hard to predict what's gonna be on there. There could be some truth to that.

Good luck to you...feel free to ask me any questions as I am a "veteran" of the application process. Yikes, I feel old.

 

[blargh]

"A decent handful of questions don't really need any specific science knowledge and can be figured out by reading the passage and using deduction"

uhhh not really. if you think this is the case, you're a fool.

i agree with the original poster. quite a few questions can be answered by reading the passage alone.

 

[fkhan3]

well there are several things here... One, you could just get lucky with answers... and two, you are smarter than you think... You are right about having little knowledge and deriving the answer from passage... MCAT is not about HOW much you know rather than HOW you get the answers out of the passage... most of the time, the answer is there...

but dont think it'll be easy... always take the MCAT as a challenge... sorta like a bully who wants to beat you down... you need to face your challenger and defeat him... make sure you study even though you scored well w/o much science knowledge... and take more practice ones to see if you do as well...

 

[Funky]

A decent handful of questions don't really need any specific science knowledge and can be figured out by reading the passage and using deduction. Anyway, I just wanted to share.

were you doing a verbal reasoning section there?

 

[mvenus929]

I took the 3R test AAMC released and there were a number of questions in the science sections that could be answered from the passage. Either that, or I just got insanely lucky.

 

[xpinchx]

were you doing a verbal reasoning section there?

The VR is the section I did best on, but the BS was mainly the one I was referring to. I would say half of the questions I answered correctly, I actually knew very little about the subject. I forgot the exact question, but ie "Hydralizing of lactose to create glucose and galactose, what molecule forms after the bond between the two carbohydrates are broken." Well, looking at the compounds it's clear that H2O had been added, plus it was "hydralized." That, and reading charts is usually easy, and in quite a few questions the answer can be derived directy from the passage, or by using common sense. I'm in no way saying the MCAT is easy, but I'm just relieved it isn't the immortal test that sets men from boys and women from girls. It's just a test, only one that needs more preparation than most.

I took the 3R test AAMC released and there were a number of questions in the science sections that could be answered from the passage. Either that, or I just got insanely lucky.

I'm pretty sure that's the one I took...

 

[killinsound]

be wary of the 3R score. it is NOT representative of what you are going to get. the general consesus is that the 3R is not an accurate depiction of the real thing.

 

[premed2007]

The MCAT is not only an analysis of how much physics, gen chem, orgo and bio you have learned but if you can analyze a passage given to you and answer questions about it. So yes when I took it I found some questions I could answer without trying to think back to gen chem my first year. Of course there are always plenty of questions that require outside knowledge.

 

[novawildcat]

Don't ever trust your Kaplan practice test score. They make them 1000x's more difficult than the real thing to scare you into paying $1500 to take their course.

 

[thadocta26]

Not to bust anyone's bubble, but 3R is really not representative of the MCAT today. I took 3R as practice before I began studying for the MCAT and scored a 33. The questions are easy and a lot of the answers are obvious by simple intuition. In my opinion, this is not so for the MCAT in its current form. Take AAMC 7,8, or 9 if you want a more accurate indication of what the current MCAT is like.

 

[mvenus929]

Not to bust anyone's bubble, but 3R is really not representative of the MCAT today. I took 3R as practice before I began studying for the MCAT and scored a 33. The questions are easy and a lot of the answers are obvious by simple intuition. In my opinion, this is not so for the MCAT in its current form. Take AAMC 7,8, or 9 if you want a more accurate indication of what the current MCAT is like.

And I was so excited too. Meh.

 

[Cirrus83]

"A decent handful of questions don't really need any specific science knowledge and can be figured out by reading the passage and using deduction"

uhhh not really. if you think this is the case, you're a fool.

lol what are you talking about, plenty of the questions can in fact be figured out by reading the passages and using deduction on the choices.

In fact, an entire section known as the verbal qualifies lol.

 

[Cirrus83]

Don't ever trust your Kaplan practice test score. They make them 1000x's more difficult than the real thing to scare you into paying $1500 to take their course.


If anyone would like free, real, old MCAT exams for practice don't waste your money and buy them from the evil MCAT/AMCAS/KAPLAN conglomerate, PM and I will send the materials. You need to have a big mail box though because the files are quite large.

I only felt it was way more difficult for the physical science section...the other sections seemed about the same level of difficulty as the real deal (did a bunch of AAMC tests and took the real deal). More or less the physical science section kaplan gives is totally not even close to the real thing, lol.

 

[olemissbabydoc]

I like that terminology "victory lap". heh. Right there with ya!

 

[DrBowtie]

I scored 1 point higher on the real thing than on 3R. In fact, it was my highest practice test too.

 

[smuwillobrien]

I scored 1 point higher on the real thing than on 3R. In fact, it was my highest practice test too.

I scored one point higher on the real thing than on 3R too. I went from a 35 (I didn't do the writing section) to a 36Q. My highest practice score was 37 on AAMC 9.

 

[akinf]

"A decent handful of questions don't really need any specific science knowledge and can be figured out by reading the passage and using deduction"

uhhh not really. if you think this is the case, you're a fool.

Actually, I agree with him. Writing the MCAT is as much (or more) a skill than actual knowledge. There are definitely ways of getting around questions if you can just figure out what is being said in the passage.

 

[Kaifung]

I have a similar feeling as well. But if you have a good amount of background knowledge, the deduction becomes much, much easier since you can draw from other sources of information.

It's just a good idea to have the science knowledge to back you up. I don't think anyone can argue against that.