Stuck in the 10-11 range :( How to get up to 12-13?

[USC 22]

For the PS and BS sections i'm stuck in the 10-11 range and am well aware that 14-15 is luck based, so I have made my goal to get 12s and 13s. I often miss questions about interpretation of information rather than simple content based questions. Doing passages hasn't helped (i've been stuck at 10-11 for ages). any advice?

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[FSU2013]

For the PS and BS sections i'm stuck in the 10-11 range and am well aware that 14-15 is luck based, so I have made my goal to get 12s and 13s. I often miss questions about interpretation of information rather than simple content based questions. Doing passages hasn't helped (i've been stuck at 10-11 for ages). any advice?

Don't sweat it, man. Look at the stats. If you have good grades and score 10-11 on each subsection, you should get in somewhere, especially if you get on the higher end.

 

[NickNaylor]

You would be better served checking out/posting in the MCAT forum: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=31

 

[Narmerguy]

Moving to MCAT Discussions.

 

[gettheleadout]

am well aware that 14-15 is luck based

No.

 

[Captain Sisko]

No.

Scoring high can be luck based but you can probably do more than you think to reduce the uncertainty in doing well, OP.

 

[gettheleadout]

Scoring high can be luck based but you can probably do more than you think to reduce the uncertainty in doing well, OP.

This is absolutely true and the "can" is key. Does luck often play a factor for test takers? No doubt! Does it have to? No way.

 

[Captain Sisko]

This is absolutely true and the "can" is key. Does luck often play a factor for test takers? No doubt! Does it have to? No way.

Qft glad we agree on something lol

 

[mr chievous]

This is absolutely true and the "can" is key. Does luck often play a factor for test takers? No doubt! Does it have to? No way.

For the most part, I'd say getting up to a 13 is based on knowledge. 14-15 is based on luck. I've talked to people who scored 15s in BS or PS (on SDN, of course) and every single one of them has said they got lucky in some way.

 

[Captain Sisko]

For the most part, I'd say getting up to a 13 is based on knowledge. 14-15 is based on luck. I've talked to people who scored 15s in BS or PS (on SDN, of course) and every single one of them has said they got lucky in some way.

This passage does not most weaken the authors argument.

 

[Hemorrage]

You're complaining about a 10-11 cmon.. really?

 

[mr chievous]

You're complaining about a 10-11 cmon.. really?

I used to do the same.

I'm not all that great in verbal, so I'm also aiming for a 12+ in the sciences (I could probably get in with a 12/8/12, but a 10/8/10 would most likely cause me to retake). i.e., more pressure on doing well in BS and PS

 

[jeffs office]

This passage does not most weaken the authors argument.

lol. ugh, verbal. D:

 

[mr chievous]

lol. ugh, verbal. D:

go to bed!

 

[jeffs office]

go to bed!

I woke up 5 hours ago. Got 4 hours of sleep.

YOU go to bed!

 

[gettheleadout]

For the most part, I'd say getting up to a 13 is based on knowledge. 14-15 is based on luck. I've talked to people who scored 15s in BS or PS (on SDN, of course) and every single one of them has said they got lucky in some way.

Unless you're just picking answers at random, there is no reason why you can't eliminate luck as a factor. The science sections are based on material that is known ahead of time. If you allow yourself to go into the exam with weaknesses, then of course luck can play a role. Every testable topic should be your strength.

This passage does not most weaken the authors argument.

Haha

 

[BABSstudent]

I used to do the same.

I'm not all that great in verbal, so I'm also aiming for a 12+ in the sciences (I could probably get in with a 12/8/12, but a 10/8/10 would most likely cause me to retake). i.e., more pressure on doing well in BS and PS

I totally got a 10/8/10 my first time taking the MCAT. I took it a year early in case I wanted to retake. Ended up getting an 11/10/11 the second time. Still bummed about the BS (was averaging a 13 on practice tests) but I love seeing that 10 in VR.

I will attribute that 10 to "luck" because the hardest passage was the last one and I had 15 minutes left on the clock. I got to read, reread and read once more a passage that was so boring and dense that I needed it. I even had time to map out that passage in detail and find every answer in the passage. If I would have had that passage earlier, I would have given it the normal 7-8 minutes and not done as well. Even having time left over, going back and rereading the passage wouldn't have done as much as reading and rereading right away.

 

[Narmerguy]

Scoring high can be luck based but you can probably do more than you think to reduce the uncertainty in doing well, OP.

For the most part, I'd say getting up to a 13 is based on knowledge. 14-15 is based on luck. I've talked to people who scored 15s in BS or PS (on SDN, of course) and every single one of them has said they got lucky in some way.

Luck, if used this way, has no real meaning. It's no more luck based than getting a 12 or a 13. As GTLO has stated, at least in the science sections, there's no magic or tricks to them. If you study every section thoroughly, you can get 14s and 15s. If you do not, you can still get 14s and 15s depending on your luck and the sections that get tested. But every test taker could say that for every question and every passage and every subject.

Thus we study, because we do not want to leave our scores to luck. With sufficient preparation and comprehension, 14s and 15s can be achieved quite consistently.

Not going to lie, I think the VR section is hot garbage. I said that before I took my practice tests, during the practice tests, and after my test despite receiving a 14. Garbage.

 

[Sailor Senshi Dermystify]

Luck, if used this way, has no real meaning. It's no more luck based than getting a 12 or a 13. As GTLO has stated, at least in the science sections, there's no magic or tricks to them. If you study every section thoroughly, you can get 14s and 15s. If you do not, you can still get 14s and 15s depending on your luck and the sections that get tested. But every test taker could say that for every question and every passage and every subject.

Thus we study, because we do not want to leave our scores to luck. With sufficient preparation and comprehension, 14s and 15s can be achieved quite consistently.

Not going to lie, I think the VR section is hot garbage. I said that before I took my practice tests, during the practice tests, and after my test despite receiving a 14. Garbage.

LOL at the tiny sentence about Verbal. You did so well but still complain about this section! Verbal is really killing me right now .

 

[Narmerguy]

LOL at the tiny sentence about Verbal. You did so well but still complain about this section! Verbal is really killing me right now .

I'm hoping you'll pull it up!

I try to be vocal about verbal so that others who struggle don't feel like this is somehow an indication that they're stupid or that they're the only ones in this situation. Stick with it though When going over your misses and you see the correct answer, try seeing if you can figure out what the explanation for the correct vs wrong answer will be before reading the actual explanation.

 

[Sailor Senshi Dermystify]

I'm hoping you'll pull it up!

I try to be vocal about verbal so that others who struggle don't feel like this is somehow an indication that they're stupid or that they're the only ones in this situation. Stick with it though When going over your misses and you see the correct answer, try seeing if you can figure out what the explanation for the correct vs wrong answer will be before reading the actual explanation.

Thanks Namerguy! I am always battling between 2 answer choices. It depends on how they phrase the answer choices as well. Some are absolute answers while others are very vague. I wish they substituted Verbal and Physics with something else. Or give like 10 more minutes for the Verbal Section ;D.

SN: How is school and the classes coming along? Are you applying this year for next year?

 

[bluestreaks]

I don't know if this helps, but I got my verbal up ~2 points by doing this packet of 101 verbal passages. I basically did as many passages as possible, anywhere I could find them. Verbal was also my weakest section. Good luck.

 

[Narmerguy]

Thanks Namerguy! I am always battling between 2 answer choices. It depends on how they phrase the answer choices as well. Some are absolute answers while others are very vague. I wish they substituted Verbal and Physics with something else. Or give like 10 more minutes for the Verbal Section ;D.

SN: How is school and the classes coming along? Are you applying this year for next year?

Bad at first but then good. Still deciding whether I want to apply this year or next, leaning toward this year. PM me

 

[cuculici1]

Unless you're just picking answers at random, there is no reason why you can't eliminate luck as a factor. The science sections are based on material that is known ahead of time. If you allow yourself to go into the exam with weaknesses, then of course luck can play a role. Every testable topic should be your strength.


Haha

Agreed, however I will say that it is realistically impossible to make every content area equally strong. You will naturally have some areas that are stronger than others, whether that is due to personal preference or just what stuck in your head the most after review. Thus, passage variability does play a role in determining the overall science score. However, if you truly close up all gaps in your knowledge to a sufficient level it will help tremendously in scoring 12+ in the sciences.

What I've found is a lot of the questions I get wrong in PS or BS are based on a shaky foundation in the topic. In essence, you may be able to get the question right by extrapolating information from the passage or just using test taking logic and POE to get the right answer, but why rely on that alone? Content knowledge is a much better crutch in my opinion. Also, since the MCAT generally likes to test you on application of concepts, it is much better to truly understand the concepts than simply memorize them.

For example, instead of just memorizing that vasoconstriction increases blood pressure, you'd want to understand why it happens in the context of Poiseuille's principle and Bernoulli's equation.