Stuck at the 498-500 range! HELP!!!

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
I don't have any quick fix for anything less than a week. What I found worked for me for CARS was using my school's database and basically find any review articles I can find whether it's a review of a book, a theory...whatever you can find that may offer anything opinion based and start reading those. I also used TPR hyperlearning verbal book and I basically did one passage a day for like 3 months straight.

English is my third language and I still struggle till this day especially my grammar, but what really help for me on these type of exams like CARS and MCAT in general is when it comes to passage I would read the questions before reading the passage just so I can get an idea of what they're asking and make mental note of anything related to that as I'm reading.

For psych/ soc I basically did the same thing and continued reading research articles and really understanding the stat analysis that they used and what it meant. Again, I did the exact same thing for the science sections also.

Good luck!
 
Just a wild guess that you've been clinging to these forums like a life preserver whilst trying to stay afloat in an ocean of anxiety the past couple of days, right?

You can't make any real gains the week before you're test. Do practice passages on khan academy that are way too hard just to try to keep sharp and work on formulas and what not. Pushing yourself to get to that next level this close to exam day will only hurt you.

Go in and do your best. That's all you can do. You might have to void it. That's okay. Just treat it like any other FL.

Also, I heard those test company tests are way harder than the real ones. I know my Kaplan ones were.

Stay off these forums until you get out of your test. It's not good for you. Remember, you will survive. A retake sucks, but you will be able to retake it if you don't get what you need. Good luck!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
With your GPA, a 500 would net you at least a DO acceptance if you apply broadly and to newer schools.
 
Do you have any reccomendations as to new/broad school as far as DO schools go? So far i was primarily focused on MD schools but it looks like i might be going DO instead... But I'm fine with that!
 
Do you have any reccomendations as to new/broad school as far as DO schools go? So far i was primarily focused on MD schools but it looks like i might be going DO instead... But I'm fine with that!

Use the search function and look around, even though it is all moot until you have a real score. I agree with the poster above, take a break f rom these forums because they will induce instant neurocis haha. Just relax and kill that thing
 
Dig up user3's list that he kindly posted in these pages.

A few that come to mind are BCOM, KYCOM, ACOM, LMU, Wm Carey, VCOM (all three).

I can't recommend LUCOM.


Also if you guys have any DO schools that you know of that would fit the 500 ish mcat score 3.75 ish overall gpa and 3.80 ish science gpa (e.c. activities I'm not worried about i have the volunteer research job presentation and stuff taken care of). Please and thank you! I would prefer MD but i would be more than happy to take a DO spot upon my first cycle!!!
 
Kap/TPR are harder FLs. This is widely known. You're probably realistically around 505-508 range on the real thing.
 
Same with me. I took about 6 or 7 FLs and only reached 500 once. I was improving each time I took one, but only one or two points. Reached only 500 about a week before my exam and thought "oh..crap 😢."

Scored a 506 on the real thing.

IMO Kaplan was much harder than the real thing. Their passages are longer, their question stems are more convoluted, topics are more difficult. But I think it prepared me to think harder quickly so during the real exam I kept thinking "oh wow..this isn't that bad."

I scored in the 89th percentile for Bio and I think 83rd percentile for CARS, both of which I was very happy about. Chem/Phys will forever be my downfall and I scored in the 50th percentile range for that. Psych I was in the 64th. I actually thought I did much more terrible in psych, and better in chem.

FYI: My biggest advice for psych, MEMORIZE as much vocab/theories as you can. My biggest regret was not memorizing. I spent so much time trying to "understand" the psych theories. But many questions on the psych section are just derived from definitions of the terms.
 
Last edited:
@dreee same here. I usually score around a 498-500, I think I got like a 501/502 on the practice AAMC one, but since that doesn't have a conversion chart I don't know exactly. Did you happen to take any of the Princeton review exam or the practice AAMC exam? the thing that's holding me back is CARS, as it did on the ACT (reading). from your 506 I'm curious, would you mind sharing what med school you go to/other med schools you got accepted into? along with your gpa?
I'll send you a private msg 🙂
 
Same with me. I took about 6 or 7 FLs and only reached 500 once. I was improving each time I took one, but only one or two points. Reached only 500 about a week before my exam and thought "oh..crap 😢."

Scored a 506 on the real thing.

IMO Kaplan was much harder than the real thing. Their passages are longer, their question stems are more convoluted, topics are more difficult. But I think it prepared me to think harder quickly so during the real exam I kept thinking "oh wow..this isn't that bad."

I scored in the 89th percentile for Bio and I think 83rd percentile for CARS, both of which I was very happy about. Chem/Phys will forever be my downfall and I scored in the 50th percentile range for that. Psych I was in the 64th. I actually thought I did much more terrible in psych, and better in chem.

FYI: My biggest advice for psych, MEMORIZE as much vocab/theories as you can. My biggest regret was not memorizing. I spent so much time trying to "understand" the psych theories. But many questions on the psych section are just derived from definitions of the terms.

The full length that you used from Kaplan, did that came with the study books or the actual course?
 
Dig up user3's list that he kindly posted in these pages.

A few that come to mind are BCOM, KYCOM, ACOM, LMU, Wm Carey, VCOM (all three).

I can't recommend LUCOM.

Also WVSOM
 
Yup! Also NYIT-AR


An SDNer relayed to me this interview question at LUCOM: "So how can an Indian be a Christian?"

I'm only reporting the news, not making it.

Very ignorant of LUCOM's interviewer. I have some Indian friends who are Christian.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goa

More than 25% of the population in Goa, one of the states in India, is Christian. Portugal used to colonize this area.
 
Top