The 5/27/08 MCAT Club

[DrMattOglesby]

I wanted to start a thread for those taking the MCAT on May 27, 2008.
I wanted to see if we could get discussions going on how to schedule a game plan to tackle this test in three months time.

I have Kaplan review books and I am going to have to use them cause I dont have anything else.

I will eventually have a regimen on my own personal plan of attack and stick it out here so I can hear your criticisms =]

come on guys, lets shoot for 30+ scores!!!!

-matt

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[prettyispink]

25 days remaining!! Can you believe it! I've been reviewing the subject material with the Gold Standard review. The DVDs are boring, but really helpful. With a solid 3 weeks left, I really just plan on taking practice exams online. Good luck to everyone in their prep!

 

[DrMattOglesby]

just so you know, the DVD material is available on their internet website.
You were allowed to download that material before your DVDs came in the mail.
If you did, then you have a copy of the review in video format on your computer. Open them with Windows Media Player and simply cue up the tracking. I have been watching those videos at about 1.7 times the normal speed. It makes going thru the material a lot more efficient!

 

[Sillyshoes]

25 days remaining!! Can you believe it! I've been reviewing the subject material with the Gold Standard review. The DVDs are boring, but really helpful. With a solid 3 weeks left, I really just plan on taking practice exams online. Good luck to everyone in their prep!

AHHHHH!! no way!
25? that is less than a month!

 

[tncekm]

No flippin' kidding. I don't think I'll ever feel ready unless I'm scoring 50's on the MCAT

 

[tweaked17]

I'm scheduled for the 27th as well... I just want to take my finals already and be done with this semester!

 

[prettyispink]

That sucks that you still have finals! I was finished last week, thank goodness. Just finish strong, and then get into MCAT mode.

 

[WinterLights]

And to think that I haven't started studying yet.

 

[tourniquet1963]

i too am taking it on May 27th.. sorta trying not to think about it.. which is why i hadn't posted on this particular thread until now.. but alas time has come for me to face my fear.. oh MCAT.. I will kick your ***!

 

[Smiley3693]

How many practice tests is everyone planning on taking between now and the exam??

//how many total??

I know some people are determined to take all of them, but does that help if you don't sufficiently review the ones you've already taken??

 

[tncekm]

I've scheduled 8 exams for myself between now and then. I'm crossing my fingers

 

[tourniquet1963]

i'm scheduling 10 exams. 2 this weekend, and 4 a week for the next two weeks.
Here's to May 27th!

 

[MDWannabe2009]

I'm going to take a FL every other day starting on the 12th. I've been studying for finals for the past 2 weeks so I have to brush up and review everything once more before I start taking FL's. But hopefully I can do around 7-8 before the big one.

 

[DrMattOglesby]

dayum.....
i havent taken a SINGLE practice MCAT yet!
i guess in these remaining 19 days, i will plow through my practice tests =/
yeah, nice timing matt ... ugh.

 

[tweaked17]

dayum.....
i havent taken a SINGLE practice MCAT yet!
i guess in these remaining 19 days, i will plow through my practice tests =/
yeah, nice timing matt ... ugh.

Don't worry, I haven't either. I just can't with finals next week and constant interruptions. As soon as I'm done and move back home, I will try to bang one out every day until I run out. I have just been reading my study materials and stuff.

I got a 31 on my Kaplan diagnostic before starting to study, but have no practice tests to compare that too. Obviously, I'm hoping to do as well as or better than I did on that bad boy.

Waiting on the practice tests isn't great because doing poorly can break your confidence right before the exam. Good luck to us!

 

[MDWannabe2009]

i just went through my physics review notes and i realized i dont know anything about harmonic motion......is this stuff heavily tested?

 

[Vihsadas]

i just went through my physics review notes and i realized i dont know anything about harmonic motion......is this stuff heavily tested?

It depends on the test. Sometimes there can be a passage on it, and sometimes there won't. Don't be scared, just learn it and then ask questions.

 

[Sillyshoes]

still have till may 13 to reschedule...hmm.

then again it would nice to see how it all turns out. eeek!
I sometimes work better under pressure, I think.

 

[Fp02c]

alright... ive been following this posts for weeks as I too am scheduled for the 27th. Anybody here taking it in tallahassee? I have done the aamc tests 4 5 and 6. Planning on taking 7 either tomorrow or tuesday. I used examcrakers. I thought it was very helpful. here are my scores so far

4: 11/10/9
5:11/11/9
6:10/11/11

 

[DrKendrickLamar]

kaplan 2 (ps10,vr7,bs11)
kaplan 6 (ps9, vr10, bs9)
kaplan 7 (ps12, vr7, bs8)
kaplan 8 (ps10,vr7, bs11)
pretty close to my target: at least a 7 on vr, and at least an 11 on the sciences.

Should I stick to this plan: do kaplan 1,9,3 this week and then 4,10,5 next week. and i guess that i'll review the aamc #9, 10 on sunday of memorial weekend. then spend monday morning briefly reviewing equations and a few things here and there. Sadly, I have work 3 days a week for 12 hours in the ER, with not much time to study. But, don't worry, I have all of memorial weekend off to keep reviewing.

Or do you think that it is worthwhile for me to repeat the aamc exams though i did them about a month ago? i do not remember all the questions, but people tell me that the last three exams resemble the actual exam.

 

[139871]

Hey guys, I am a May 27th retaker. I took the exam on April 5th and did not quite get the score I wanted. Good luck to all of you guys in the next couple of weeks prior to the exam!

 

[tncekm]

I just rescheduled because I've lost my verbal confidence. I'll be joining the June 13th club.

 

[olygt]

How is everybody else doing in verbal? I haven't been concentrating on that too much, although I know I should since I've been scoring 6's. It's been a while that I've taken a full length VR. I have two more sections to finish up in my BR general chem. book and I'll be done with studying all the material. If I start up VR again, do you think I'll score at LEAST an 8 or 9 on the real deal? Has anybody had the experience of this actually happening to them?

 

[tncekm]

You'll just have to try and see how you do. I think its definitely possible for you to get an 8 or 9. But, verbal is totally unpredictable for me, so although for a short while I thought I was making significant improvement I just can't tell now, so I don't think I'm in a position to give advice

 

[tourniquet1963]

im really scared guys!! i got a 27 first time around.. and now im retaking on May 27th.. and my biggest fear is that my score will go down.. Im taking the AAMC practice test (which i of course have already done last year).. and im not scoring much better.. last year, i never got a above a 27 on the aamc's.. and since im retaking them i thought i would do dramatically better.. but im not... this worries me..

 

[mterp45]

i just went through my physics review notes and i realized i dont know anything about harmonic motion......is this stuff heavily tested?

Wow, you better learn it and learn it well. It is an AAMC favorite and it's one of those topics which is very easily disguised in seemingly convoluted passages.

 

[olygt]

For the AAMC practice tests, what percent of the questions from each section do you need to get correct in order to get at LEAST an 8? I'm starting get really discouraged right now. I took the AAMC test 3 a couple of days ago and only improved my score by 1 point from the diagnostic. I ran out of time on PS and guessed on the last passage, ran out of time on VR and guessed on the last two passages and guessed on the last passage for BS. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong, I've been studying for months, went through all the BR books and scored between an 8 and 10 on each of their section tests. I don't know how I went from taking the diagnostic (having forgotten mostly everything from my undergrad) to knowing all the material tested on the MCAT and still my score only went up 1 point. I'm scheduling myself to take 9 more practice exams. Do you think it just comes with practice and my score will rise by the 9th test or am I just fooling myself?

 

[DrMattOglesby]

i recently just got ahold of some AAMC material...and im drilling myself on that stuff right now.
my main focus is the physical sciences simply because i scored a 6 last time around. I have since brought it up to an 8...though, I think i can MAYBE hit a 9 (or 10 if im lucky) with enough practice tests.
In fact, I am currently considering taking this test and not getting it scored UNLESS i feel like I did unusually well. Then I would reschedule for june or july at the latest.
i think what ive been lacking more than anything up to this point is practice in taking the tests

 

[ferreed]

.
In fact, I am currently considering taking this test and not getting it scored UNLESS i feel like I did unusually well.

FWIW, not many people walk away from the MCAT feeling like they did very well. Setting up your AAMC practice tests just like the real thing-- Saturday morning, start at 8, take only the allowed breaks, take all sections including the writing sample, and work until you're finished-- can help give you an idea of how you're going to do on the real thing. Your feeling at the end of the test is unlikely to be predictive. Just look at threads with folks taking the test, waiting for scores, and then receiving them. Lots of people follow a pattern something like this:

Pre-test preparation: "Sweet! I'm scoring 27-32 on my practice tests."

Post-test on test day: "Holy crap! What was that stuff?!? That was nothing like the practice tests. It had loads of stuff I never even studied. I'm predicting a 22 on the high end."

Scores reported: "WTF?!? I scored a 31! How did that happen?!?"

 

[TawMus]

I am also taking the MCATS on the 27th and I'm getting a lil worried. I've got huge fluctuations on my diagnostics (26-33) and with only a week left. What do you guys recommend studying for the last week?

 

[tweaked17]

I am also taking the MCATS on the 27th and I'm getting a lil worried. I've got huge fluctuations on my diagnostics (26-33) and with only a week left. What do you guys recommend studying for the last week?

Well, what gives you the most trouble? That's what I would study. Not too much you can do in the last week, I reckon. I'll be working on PS myself.

I took my last final on Friday. I'm just starting to do practice tests. I hope that Kaplan diagnostic was accurate, otherwise I'm going to be in for a nasty surprise

 

[TawMus]

Verbal is definitely my weakest. I also seem to score much higher on AAMC test than Princeton Tests. Is it because AAMC is too easy or Princeton is too hard??

 

[tncekm]

Princeton is way too hard IMHO, and many people agree. I think I've only seen one or two people who think princeton is easier.

 

[tweaked17]

Princeton is way too hard IMHO, and many people agree. I think I've only seen one or two people who think princeton is easier.

What's the word on Kaplan?

Is anyone using the 2007-2008 Premier program (book/cd)?

 

[smk9]

Time is ticking... Way too fast.
Highest Score I've gotten is a 29 on a practice MCAT (Kaplan).

I've been taking a test everyday for the past week, just took AAMC 3 CBT and pulled 10 PS, 10 VR, and 8 BS.

My Bio is haggard, to say the least. PS and VR are consistently around 10 or 11...

But after going through EK 2x, Making notes, flash cards, and doing every problem from EK1001, my Bio still remains stagnant around 8.

Frightening, to say the least. Any ideas, fellow 27ths?

 

[tweaked17]

Time is ticking... Way too fast.
Highest Score I've gotten is a 29 on a practice MCAT (Kaplan).

I've been taking a test everyday for the past week, just took AAMC 3 CBT and pulled 10 PS, 10 VR, and 8 BS.

My Bio is haggard, to say the least. PS and VR are consistently around 10 or 11...

But after going through EK 2x, Making notes, flash cards, and doing every problem from EK1001, my Bio still remains stagnant around 8.

Frightening, to say the least. Any ideas, fellow 27ths?

I got a 29 on the Kaplan I took today, but made a couple of silly mistakes. I got 5 wrong on verbal and that's a 9? Damn.

PS is my bane - I typically find little trouble with verbal and BS. Not that it doesn't usually give me trouble, but I thought the Kaplan PS was pretty damn hard - did anyone else take that particular test?.

I think there are 3 more Kaplan tests (2 on the CD and one online) and I plan on taking a PR pen/paper test I have as well as a couple of others. So far I have a 31 on the Kaplan diagnostic, and a 29. I'll update tomorrow I guess.

What gives you trouble in bio?

 

[MDWannabe2009]

I got a 29 on the Kaplan I took today, but made a couple of silly mistakes. I got 5 wrong on verbal and that's a 9? Damn.

PS is my bane - I typically find little trouble with verbal and BS. Not that it doesn't usually give me trouble, but I thought the Kaplan PS was pretty damn hard - did anyone else take that particular test?.

I think there are 3 more Kaplan tests (2 on the CD and one online) and I plan on taking a PR pen/paper test I have as well as a couple of others. So far I have a 31 on the Kaplan diagnostic, and a 29. I'll update tomorrow I guess.

What gives you trouble in bio?

which kaplan exam did you get the 29 on?

 

[smk9]

What gives you trouble in bio?

Not sure what it is.

I think a couple of things. I get through it way too fast, (after finishing with seconds left in PS and VR). It also doesn't help that I took Bio 1 and 2 five years ago. I'm just going to keep plugging away at it. I've still got a few days before armageddon-- I think I just need to get used to the format of applying passage knowledge to prior knowledge and turning that into correct answers.

 

[DrKendrickLamar]

just did AAMC #10. feeling good and scored a 30 (11ps, 9vr, 10bs). When reviewing the material, i realized that i missed questions because I zoned out a few times. So, I'll make sure that i drink a red bull since the drink will give me wings.

My plans for the rest of this week is to take a couple more kaplan exams and then spend the weekend reviewing my flashcards of material that i struggle with; practicing my prompts for the writing section; doing a pair of vr sections each day; and working out at the gym.

also, if you are doubting yourself for the exam, do not take it. wait until you feel prepared and know that you will obtain your target score.

 

[olygt]

just did AAMC #10. feeling good and scored a 30 (11ps, 9vr, 10bs). When reviewing the material, i realized that i missed questions because I zoned out a few times. So, I'll make sure that i drink a red bull since the drink will give me wings.

My plans for the rest of this week is to take a couple more kaplan exams and then spend the weekend reviewing my flashcards of material that i struggle with; practicing my prompts for the writing section; doing a pair of vr sections each day; and working out at the gym.

also, if you are doubting yourself for the exam, do not take it. wait until you feel prepared and know that you will obtain your target score.

I'm thinking about taking your advice and not sitting for the exam. I don't feel prepared at all, but I don't think I can reschedule anymore. I wish I was in your position now, scoring a 30...I'm only doing half of that and know all the material, I just can't seem to raise my score.

 

[Sillyshoes]

verbal sucks.
It's a hit or miss for me.
seems to be more of a miss.
I just irks me because apparently the verbal on the actual thing is harder.

 

[tweaked17]

which kaplan exam did you get the 29 on?

The one at the end of the "2007-2008 Premier Program" book - that's why I was asking if anyone else was using this Kaplan resource. As far as I can tell, there's nothing that identifies this test - it's just called "Full-Length Practice MCAT." I'm going to hit up one of the CD tests today.

I'm so damn tired.. I'm still recovering from finals.

 

[DrKendrickLamar]

I'm thinking about taking your advice and not sitting for the exam. I don't feel prepared at all, but I don't think I can reschedule anymore. I wish I was in your position now, scoring a 30...I'm only doing half of that and know all the material, I just can't seem to raise my score.

Lose the $200 and do not sit in. Then, just try to reevaluate how you were studying and what you need to do to improve. Like for instance, I did not know the o-chem reactions that well. So, I made flash cards to help me memorize each rxn. With bio, I just wrote flash cards for the female cycle. and just remember that practice makes perfect. that's how i improved my verbal score from as low as a 4 to now as high as a 10.

 

[Sillyshoes]

Lose the $200 and do not sit in.

They can still sit for the test and void it afterwards if it went awful.

 

[tweaked17]

Got a 36 on the Kaplan CD test I took. It was the same damn one they gave for the diagnostic at Stony Brook in February. I was pissed that I payed for it, but I took it anyway since I hadn't seen it in a while. 31 (9, 11, 11) to 36 (12, 12, 12) is good I guess, but I'm obviously not really counting this one.

Hopefully the one I take tomorrow will be one I haven't seen before.

I'm gonna go eat pizza and look at the ones I got wrong

 

[cheasus]

Hey, I'm taking the May 23rd test (so soon!) and the thread for that seems pretty inactive so I thought I'd post here. I had some quick questions and I would REALLY appreciate any input.

My biggest problem is that I seem to just stop being able to concentrate. When I take the tests, by the end I have to keep rereading the passages to get the point. So I wanted to get a routine started to be in the best position when taking the test. I’ve got a bunch of questions:

1) Should I do a small workout in the morning before my test? I live close by and I could wake up at 6am, run a mile, do some yoga, eat and shower in just past an hour. Then get over to my testing site a little bit early.

2) What should I eat for breakfast and the night before? I heard that something high in carbs is best for the night before so I was thinking about making some pasta. For the morning, I’ve heard carbs and amino acids are good so I was thinking eggs and toast.

3) What should I bring to eat during the break? I don’t know if a granola bar will be enough for me.

4) Should I take a mcat practice in the morning for the two days before? The test is on Friday, I want to do a practice test on Wednesday and Thursday. I’ll keep studying on Wednesday and do nothing on Thursday except quickly go over my test.

5) Do you all recommend anything to help keep your concentration and keep focused during the test? I feel like my performance will vary a lot depending on how I’m feeling.

Oh and if you have any routines for the real day/practice days, do you mind sharing?

Thanks!
cheasus

 

[tncekm]

1) 2) & 3) Don't do anything you normally don't do before taking a test. Throwing off your routine can mess things up. If you normally eat light snacks, eat light snacks during the MCAT.

4) Although its different for everyone, most people recommend taking time off for at least a day or two before the test.

5) See #s 1)2)&3)

 

[TawMus]

Looks like you are having attention problems, find yourself some adderall.

 

[tweaked17]

Looks like you are having attention problems, find yourself some adderall.

 

[cheasus]

actually, I dont usually have attention problems. Its just in the morning. When I study or take a test in the evening, everything goes smooth

 

[prettyispink]

Time is ticking... Way too fast.
Highest Score I've gotten is a 29 on a practice MCAT (Kaplan).

I've been taking a test everyday for the past week, just took AAMC 3 CBT and pulled 10 PS, 10 VR, and 8 BS.

My Bio is haggard, to say the least. PS and VR are consistently around 10 or 11...

But after going through EK 2x, Making notes, flash cards, and doing every problem from EK1001, my Bio still remains stagnant around 8.

Frightening, to say the least. Any ideas, fellow 27ths?

I just took #3 today, and got the same scores as you...crazy! Bio seems to give me the most trouble. I think it's partly because I'm not a bio major, and I haven't had bio 1 and 2 since my freshman year (05'-06'). I'm planning on taking 2-3 more practice tests this week. Also, I have the Kaplan flashcards. I think I'm going to drill myself on the bio ones. They seem to be pretty helpful. Also, after taking a practice, review the topics that you're missing a lot of questions on. I just can't remember the facts of the excetory system for the life of me. I'm actually pretty calm, which is very weird for me. Good luck to everyone! There's still plenty of time to learn this stuff!!!