The 9/4/09 MCAT Club

[JeetKuneDo]

I signed up for it today! Who else is taking it at this date?

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[boulderrun]

10PS, 10V, 12B, M, 32M ... how much do you think the M writing sample matters? I've never been good at writing quickly.

 

[mishaS]

Not much at all. There's an explanation of the letters on the eighth page of this pdf. I've heard as long as you're not in the J-K range you're probably fine.

A score consistently 10 or above is better than a wildly varied score right? If so, the strange consistency I got in my score was at least something.

 

[Vince86]

woohoo 31 N !!! P:11 V:10 B:10

The great part is my verbal avg. score was a 6-8 on aamc! Kaplan exams gave me 10s!

Plus my aamc avg was a 28!!!

So it is possible to do better on the real thing!!!!

Glad I am done with this beast. That toilet passage was funny!

 

[tigerfan2014]

.

 

[Bruinmarcher]

38S on the 8 am test on the 4th!

14/10/14. Apparently I know my science, but need some help in the reading. lol.

Congratulations to everyone! Even though I posted maybe 3 times on this thread, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading every single post made! Good luck in all of your future endeavors, and can't wait to call some of you my colleague hopefully in the future!

 

[Eponymous]

I haven't posted much on this thread bc I recently moved...but thank you all for your advice and it's been great having a support group!

That being said, I'm both pleasantly surprised and disappointed in my score....

PS 13 *Note: I almost CANCELLED this test bc I ran out of time on this section and had to guess like the last 7 answers! This makes no sense to me, but it's about what I was getting on the Gold Standard tests.

VR 9. THIS is what I DO NOT understand!!! I averaged 12 for the VR tests plus I'm an ENGLISH major and I'm getting a MASTER degree in english right now!!!

BS 11. A little lower than practice tests. Kind of disappointed bc I didn't think the bio section was that hard.

Writing: T.

So what do you all think? 33T total and the kicker is the VR but the T attests to my writing ability and my degrees should more than make up for the lower VR score...right? Should I take it again? I just don't want to have to deal with studying for it while doing graduate work in a foreign country...there aren't many testing sites and it's even more expensive!!

Thoughts would be VERY much appreciated!

 

[phEight]

Unlike most people who complain about high scores, your reason actually sounds somewhat appropriate Eponymous. I can see why you feel that way considering your educational background, but in my lowly premed opinion I really don't think adcoms will put that much emphasis on it. A 33T is a solid score, and a 9 for VR is nothing like a 13 in PS, but it's still not horrible. It's still better than more than half of the test takers. I think you should be in good shape, congrats on your score.

 

[Zenag89]

yeah, I did horrible, which sucks because I felt very ready and I was not nervous... maybe it just wasn't my day...

PS 8
VR 8
BS 5
WS R

that's a fricking 21R!
I NEVER went that low in either of the Kaplan and AAMC exams..My lowest practice score was 23 and I did ALL the practice tests offered to me through aamc and kaplan...I studied for 3 months!!! I didn't work, I didn't travel... I was averaging 30 on Kaplan and 27 on aamc... I was averaging 11 on BS and that was my highest average of the three...

FRICKKKK!!!! I'm angry and SDN is like one of the few places that I can vent and people will understand...


oudshf's;klskhfe.S,D M;LFJELKDFNDX.,MCDKsalkdjoufhmcx c ddkkdkdddkkd

UGHHHHHHHHHHHH!

 

[Eponymous]

yeah, I did horrible, which sucks because I felt very ready and I was not nervous... maybe it just wasn't my day...

How'd you feel during the test? From what I've read on the other threads and people who've taken more than one, we seem to have gotten hit with a pretty hard test. Your WS was good, though.

 

[Zenag89]

I thought the VR and PS was fair enough, harder than I expected but I didn't feel it was anything to complain about... I felt the BS was really tough compared to the rest and compared to practice tests.. But I was stronger in the BS section so I assumed that I was just tired and drained.. I thought at worst, I would get one point less than the other sections..I totally didn't think it would be that bad...

Right now, I'm just going to prepare to take it in January..I'm just in third year so I still have time, but it's really not the test one wishes to take more than once

 

[jenana176]

So reading all of the amazing MCAT scores kinda makes me a little less happy about mine but I'm still happy!! I went from a 26q (ps 8 v8 bs10) on June 18 to a 31q (ps 9 v11 bs 11). My gpa is really high, I'm an URM, disadvantaged status and I've got good EC's..I've already got an invite from FSU so I think I'll be ok...Any thoughts?

 

[Nybz2005]

PS 11
BS 8? really?
VR 10
WR J ????? WTF???

This is crap who the heck gets a J, I wonder if I didn't save it or something....

Can I even call that an improvement over my previous 25O...?

 

[gemma77]

.

 

[cafaro]

11P 9B 6V 26S ugh i averaged 9-10 on aamc verbal ....SOOO FRUSTRATING

 

[demayette]

omg i started freaking out at first thinking that i did accidentally void...but what happened is i accidentally created two account on aamc....

anyway, i finally got my score...31S...10P, 10V, 11B

that was dead on my aamc average, but i was hoping to do better, but i think it's pretty good for a first attempt... im definitely retaking, but i dont know when yet?

A 31S warrants retaking !!! wow. This score means you are smarter than about 80% of people who took the test. If your GPA is not low and you are not trying to get in the top 20 schools, I dont think it would be wise to retake. By the way, I would like to have your score when I am gonna retake in january. That would make me somewhat competitive for D.O.

 

[demayette]

11P 9B 6V 26S ugh i averaged 9-10 on aamc verbal ....SOOO FRUSTRATING

Apply to D.O. schools... Your score is good enough for D.O.

 

[mishaS]

I NEVER went that low in either of the Kaplan and AAMC exams..My lowest practice score was 23 and I did ALL the practice tests offered to me through aamc and kaplan...I studied for 3 months!!! I didn't work, I didn't travel... I was averaging 30 on Kaplan and 27 on aamc... I was averaging 11 on BS and that was my highest average of the three...

Sorry to hear that. I was honestly pretty annoyed with the AAMC after coming out of the exam. It wasn't anything like their practices, which is what I was basing my studying on. I really took the whole, they're old exams, they're the closest thing to the real deal, to heart and, though I came out ok, I'm sure a lot of other people got screwed as well.

At least you know there is only room for improvement and that this is almost certain to be a fluke of terrible luck.

 

[narcosleepy]

PS 11
VR 12
BS 12

35O. I took the Irvine Berkeley Review course over the summer and found it really helpful, much more so than Princeton (however I only attended a week's worth of class for PR). I was averaging around a 30 using their online practice tests, which I felt were much harder than the AAMC practice tests. I also read the Examkracker review material for good measure. I'm satisfied with my score and won't be retaking (THANK GOD).

 

[PersiannDO]

it seems like everyone got really good scores...30+

well, i didnt, wah wah wahh...



VR 9
Phy 9
Bio 9

Total: 27 S

If only medical schools placed most of the weight on the writing section...

I don't know whether to be happy or sad right now...I think i'm more happy. I want to attend DO.

 

[cartwal]

36K (13VR, 12BS, 11PS). Somewhere, I can hear Ren saying "you idiot!"

 

[cyanide]

39R (14PS 11VR 14BS)

...very surprised considering I walked out of there feeling like it was a disaster, a little uneasy about the uneven scores but overall, I'm extremely happy. In fact, I almost broke my bed jumping on it when I found out.

My AAMC practice exams were something like 36,38,38,35,38,39,40, so I guess I'm right there in my range.

I hope everyone else is happy or at least satisfied with how things turned out.

I completely agree. I thought the test was much harder than the AAMC practice tests and I felt horrible coming out of it, but it looks like there was a huge curve to make up for the difficulty.

41P (14P, 14V, 13B)

 

[Longshanks]

I knew when I got the update e-mail late last night that there were 98 new posts, that the scores must have come out. But being the superstitious dude that I am I had to wait until after classes today.

THIRD TIME WAS A CHARM!!
35Q!! 12/10/13 (PS/VR/BS)

Up from 27 (7/10/10) and 28.

I haven't seen the whole updated thread yet, but from what I've seen so far bravo on a job well done 9/4'ers!!

 

[brianmed]

well I got a 30S..........im happy but i got a seven AGAIN in verbal!!

I also got an S again in writing......I don't think I have the strength to retake this monster again so I hope my GPA and everything else can weigh in and save me!! Also a 12 in PS and 11 in BS are pretty solid! I tihnk itd be a terrible shame to hold me back because of some stupid section

 

[kismetcatcher]

QUICK QUESTION!! Anyone applying in this cycle (2010)??

Are you updating schools on this new score? Should I write letters to them and make sure they have my new score on file??

Any response would be appreciated!!

My score jumped from 29 to 36. SUPPERRR RELIEVED!! Congratz everyone!

 

[JJThomson]

QUICK QUESTION!! Anyone applying in this cycle (2010)??

Are you updating schools on this new score? Should I write letters to them and make sure they have my new score on file??

Any response would be appreciated!!

My score jumped from 29 to 36. SUPPERRR RELIEVED!! Congratz everyone!

I'm applying next year so I'm not sure about the updates. However I got a 31Q 10/10/11/Q and I'm currently considering retaking. What did you do between the first and second time to improve your score?

 

[Longshanks]

I'm applying next year so I'm not sure about the updates. However I got a 31Q 10/10/11/Q and I'm currently considering retaking. What did you do between the first and second time to improve your score?

If you have a strong GPA, and depending on how different your 31 was from your practice test scores, I would advise against retaking [yes I took it three times but my uGPA is rather low]. Unless you're positive you can get 3 or 4 points out of it, retaking 30+ is a little tricky, since its just as easy to go down as it is up with this type of exam, and a 31 is very competitive, don't let SDN fool you.

 

[JJThomson]

If you have a strong GPA, and depending on how different your 31 was from your practice test scores, I would advise against retaking [yes I took it three times but my uGPA is rather low]. Unless you're positive you can get 3 or 4 points out of it, retaking 30+ is a little tricky, since its just as easy to go down as it is up with this type of exam, and a 31 is very competitive, don't let SDN fool you.

My undergrad GPA is strong enough to go to any school I want (cgpa 3.76+ and sgpa 4.0, biology major). My 31Q is not. I self studied for the test for a little over 2 months over the summer (I also worked full time). I am considering taking a prep course before I retake. My local school is very competitive and I don't think a 31Q cuts it. I have a lot of good reasons to want to go to this school (prestige is not one of them, too complicated to explain quickly). I plan to consider my options for a few weeks and make a decision on whether to retake or not. I won't retake unless I'm confident I'll get a 34+.

 

[JeetKuneDo]

I knew when I got the update e-mail late last night that there were 98 new posts, that the scores must have come out. But being the superstitious dude that I am I had to wait until after classes today.

THIRD TIME WAS A CHARM!!
35Q!! 12/10/13 (PS/VR/BS)

Up from 27 (7/10/10) and 28.

I haven't seen the whole updated thread yet, but from what I've seen so far bravo on a job well done 9/4'ers!!

Congrats Longshanks, well done! It's good to see hard work paying off. I got a 10/9/10 for 29. I think I will have to join the ranks of the Jan 30th MCATers. This is only the beginning.

 

[tako]

QUICK QUESTION!! Anyone applying in this cycle (2010)??

Are you updating schools on this new score? Should I write letters to them and make sure they have my new score on file??

Any response would be appreciated!!

My score jumped from 29 to 36. SUPPERRR RELIEVED!! Congratz everyone!

I am also interested in what you did differently the second time around, and if you have any helpful suggestions. Congrats on your jump -- I hope to do the same!

On a side note, we seem to have a couple of 29ers. We should make a club.

 

[jenana176]

QUICK QUESTION!! Anyone applying in this cycle (2010)??

Are you updating schools on this new score? Should I write letters to them and make sure they have my new score on file??

Any response would be appreciated!!

My score jumped from 29 to 36. SUPPERRR RELIEVED!! Congratz everyone!

I am applying this cycle and I was wondering the same thing. Most of my application statuses say they are on hold until they get my new MCAT score so I think I will wait a while until that changes. If not, I will probably start writing them especially with such a big change in score. Congrats!!!

 

[s2thindi]

QUICK QUESTION!! Anyone applying in this cycle (2010)??

Are you updating schools on this new score? Should I write letters to them and make sure they have my new score on file??

Any response would be appreciated!!

My score jumped from 29 to 36. SUPPERRR RELIEVED!! Congratz everyone!

Congrats on the score. I'm in the same boat. Got a 29 on the 18th test. I just hope my score increase looks something like yours!

If you don't mind me asking, how did you feel after each test?
And how much studying/what did you do in between?

One more week until my test release

 

[Longshanks]

Congrats Longshanks, well done! It's good to see hard work paying off. I got a 10/9/10 for 29. I think I will have to join the ranks of the Jan 30th MCATers. This is only the beginning.

Ah, the dreaded 29, a good score though. If you're retaking I definitely think you can get it up from that. You've put a lot of time into this, and maybe a little bit more and a second go is all you need. If you still have questions left in TBR (I think you were also using that right?), the phase II and III passages are a great learning experience. Good luck though if you do Jan 30th. Stay calm though, you've been through this before and have taken plenty of practice tests. Personally, I came in with too high of an energy level for my second attempt and then freaked out, so hopefully you can keep an even keel knowing this is nothing new and you've done great before and only good can come out of it.

 

[bloodysurg]

I knew when I got the update e-mail late last night that there were 98 new posts, that the scores must have come out. But being the superstitious dude that I am I had to wait until after classes today.

THIRD TIME WAS A CHARM!!
35Q!! 12/10/13 (PS/VR/BS)

Up from 27 (7/10/10) and 28.

I haven't seen the whole updated thread yet, but from what I've seen so far bravo on a job well done 9/4'ers!!

Hi, I just took the MCAT for the first time and got a 28, I thoought the bio section was much harder than the other AAMC practice tests because I have scored better than 8 every time on practice. I'm not sure how to practice now. What did you do to improve from a 28-35. Further, verbal I think is my real weakness and lucked out with a 9. Please help me I don't know how to study..

 

[GlamDoc]

Hi, I just took the MCAT for the first time and got a 28, I thoought the bio section was much harder than the other AAMC practice tests because I have scored better than 8 every time on practice. I'm not sure how to practice now. What did you do to improve from a 28-35. Further, verbal I think is my real weakness and lucked out with a 9. Please help me I don't know how to study..

Same here. Need some good tips as well. And that's some impressive improvement Longshanks!

 

[LeverArm]

Hey all that got in the 27-29 mcat range DO NOT FRET!! Come join us in the 27-29 group, we have been kicking some @$$. Do not let sdners and other anal premeds scare you from what really matters and that's becoming a physician. Personally I have 2 interviews so far at very good (mid-tier) American MD programs and expect more. No I am not URM nor did I perform open-heart surgery in Africa nor do I have any publications. I just really want to be an MD and adcoms can see. I have been lurking for a long time but I just had to finally say something because I know there are a lot of you that got sub-30 and think that life is over but believe me it is not.

 

[Longshanks]

Hi, I just took the MCAT for the first time and got a 28, I thoought the bio section was much harder than the other AAMC practice tests because I have scored better than 8 every time on practice. I'm not sure how to practice now. What did you do to improve from a 28-35. Further, verbal I think is my real weakness and lucked out with a 9. Please help me I don't know how to study..

Same here. Need some good tips as well. And that's some impressive improvement Longshanks!

I've received some PMs and you guys here are asking what I did so I'll answer here, it may be a bit lengthy and I apologize. [edit: if its too long the final paragraph sums up the post IMHO]

There's no magic bullets in life, and what I did may not work for others just as much what worked for other posters may not have worked for me. The 27-29 range isn't a bad spot to be in if you have a great GPA, I had to keep trying with this exam because my uGPA is low and I didn't catch my stride until later in my academic life and am in grad school now. With that in mind:

The first two test takes, I did Kaplan's program. First time their class room, second time just their online material. I've come to learn there's better material out there, but also I had a lot going on externally during both sit downs and that most likely affected my performance. A big thing is composure, the first time I was overwhelmed and felt unprepared even though I had done plenty of material, review and practice tests. Second time around I felt much better prepared, but came in with way too high of an energy level and then just freaked when things didn't go right in PS again (although I actually ended up improving there, I doubted myself the rest of the exam and hurt myself in other sections). This time I just came in with the attitude of, I've done tons of practice problems and practice tests, I've been here before, stay calm but focused, and if there's something difficult or I don't know don't freak out, make the best choice you can for an answer and move on.

For the most recent take of the test, I pretty much followed SN2's three month schedule. I didn't follow it to the letter, but I found aspects of it that I liked and worked for me in terms of studying for other classes and may have done the schedule a little different to fit whats going in my my life but that was the general idea. I obviously needed PS help so I turned to TBR, and since I needed new material I found a TPR set on ebay for relatively cheap. I didn't have the money to pay for a full prep program again, so I did what I could do with multiple prep sources. I used TBR for PS, TPR for verbal/BS, and EK 101 for verbal.

You have to do what works best for you. The key though IMHO is to stay focused and really dedicate your all to this test for three solid months. Anymore and you're missing out on life or will begin to forget stuff (this probably happened for my second take because I had to keep moving the test date due to a personal family issue). Don't separate review and practice, they should be integrated. That's what I enjoyed about SN2's set up, and how TBR and TPR had passages for practice unlike Kaplan. TPR's bio was a little easy and more straight forward than how the actual MCAT appears to be lately, but it was still good practice and had a lot of passages based on experiments. One thing that would definitely help for BS is being exposed to scientific journals. If you noticed at the bottom of the page, many passages had copyrights from Nature, Cell, etc. Either through your classes, or on your own time, just do a pubmed search on a topic you're interested about. You'll learn a little more, but also see basic or clinical research is done and get used to the wording and how things are presented.

What helped me very much, especially being someone who's not great at math, in PS was TBR's philosophy on the section in their review book. We've experienced physics our whole life, so use your intuition for problems. The math doesn't have to be done all the way through, just what gets you to the answer. Plenty of MCAT questions ask for general formulas and how an answer might change of a certain variable changes, use both your intuition and limiting cases. This can also be done for equations you might forget (though the MCAT will give you plenty of equations in the passages and questions.. so for me personally my time was better spent understanding physics and chem rather than memorizing equations which I did the first two times). In the past I always would forget whether it was the period of a pendulum or some other pendulum equation had g in the denominator. So just think about it, how would we expect the period to change if gravity changed? It must be in the denominator then. That sort of thing, and it can be applied to almost any PS topic.

But really it comes down to the effort you put in, at least it did for me. It sounds silly or a cope out, but the love you give is the love you receive. I don't really have an answer for what single thing helped me improve, it was just being focused on the task, really trying to learn the material, and keep practicing. Always practice and understand why you go something right or wrong, both material wise and your own tactical approach. What lead you to that answer? What were you thinking? Did you let yourself get fooled, go down a wrong path, or just didn't know? If you are going to retake spend some time relaxing to refresh your mind and have some fun before diving into this full swing. I may have repeated a lot of things I've seen before on the forum, or things I've said in the past, and I apologize for that but you have to find what works best for you. Some things that I think apply to everyone is being focused, calm, and putting in a ton of effort and always being critical of yourself. Do a strong "post-game" analysis of your practice problems and practice exams, including the questions you go right since you may have been lucky or got them right using some completely wrong logic (you confused it with something else and still got it right.. it happens, I'll admit I've done it myself). And the "spacing method"! Don't cram material. SN2's three month schedule, though intentional or not on his part does take advantage of the spacing method.

Good luck!

edit: There is always some luck involved, I was averaging 33-34 in practice tests for both my retakes and ranging 31-37. I came out of 9/4 feeling I did better, but hoping I broke 30, maybe get 32 if I was lucky. So I'm pleasantly surprised with the turnout.

edit#2: By spacing method I mean how in SN2's set up or TBR's set up you don't do all the questions regarding a topic at once. I would do 3 or 4 passages, and move on to another topic. After I rotated through Physics, Chem, VR, Orgo, Bio, I would dedicate a day of doing another 3-4 passages for the chapters I just covered in each section. Take a day off and then continue on to new topics and repeat, eventually after finishing review would do the remaining problems in each chapter for each topic. This is attributed to SN2's schedule so I can't take credit, but also TBR's "phases" schedule. This method takes advantage of spacing though. You learn the material, test it, do a new topic, test it, review the old topic it, test it, repeat for new topics and eventually come back later and test it again and review if needed and you'll be surprised how fresh everything remains.

 

[GlamDoc]

Thanks Longshanks for that wonderful reply! It really does help.

I felt that I had prepared enough for my exam w/ 3 months of studying, tons of practice tests, and a classroom prep course, but like you mentioned in your post, I felt rather unprepared. Nerves and timing unfortunately got the best of me.

I'll definitely take a look at some of the TBR and EK materials as well as SN2ed's schedule, so that I can mix and match for a new study plan. And I most definitely agree... what you put in is what you get. The journey to the end can be so darn frustrating though.

Thanks again for taking the time out to write all of this. Really appreciate it, and good luck with all of your future endeavors!

 

[NoleDoc]

yeah, I did horrible, which sucks because I felt very ready and I was not nervous... maybe it just wasn't my day...

PS 8
VR 8
BS 5
WS R

that's a fricking 21R!
I NEVER went that low in either of the Kaplan and AAMC exams..My lowest practice score was 23 and I did ALL the practice tests offered to me through aamc and kaplan...I studied for 3 months!!! I didn't work, I didn't travel... I was averaging 30 on Kaplan and 27 on aamc... I was averaging 11 on BS and that was my highest average of the three...

FRICKKKK!!!! I'm angry and SDN is like one of the few places that I can vent and people will understand...


oudshf's;klskhfe.S,D M;LFJELKDFNDX.,MCDKsalkdjoufhmcx c ddkkdkdddkkd

UGHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I know the feeling. I too got a 21 (PS:8 BS:8 VR:5). I took Kaplan, reviewed with EK's, only thing is I didnt put too much emphasis on the VR as I studied. With a fulltime job and such and trying to complete all 4004 EK questions left me with little time to study on the VR. What a BIG!!! mistake that was... I guess I rushed into taking the exam.

 

[Nicholas Conrad]

Most unbalanced score ever:

Phys: 14
Bio: 11
Verbal: 7
WS: R

FML.

 

[fullofair]

Most unbalanced score ever:

Phys: 14
Bio: 11
Verbal: 7
WS: R

FML.

That's essentially what I got.

P:14
B:12
V: 7... this one section just kills the entire test.

Are you re-taking it?

 

[Nicholas Conrad]

That's essentially what I got.

P:14
B:12
V: 7... this one section just kills the entire test.

Are you re-taking it?

definitely. i've been reading things online that say that med schools usually don't accept people with verbal scores < 8, regardless of composite score. At least it couldn't get much worse for us in terms of verbal grade; we could very easily get in the high 30s if we found a way to improve on verbal. I just couldn't get the hang of the logic or flow of that section when i was studying. any suggestions on how to improve on verbal?

 

[Nicholas Conrad]

That's essentially what I got.

P:14
B:12
V: 7... this one section just kills the entire test.

Are you re-taking it?

PS - are you an engineering major too? (why we got good P scores...) and how does it feel to be told that we're borderline illiterate

 

[FutureDrButts]

QUICK QUESTION!! Anyone applying in this cycle (2010)??

Are you updating schools on this new score? Should I write letters to them and make sure they have my new score on file??

Any response would be appreciated!!

My score jumped from 29 to 36. SUPPERRR RELIEVED!! Congratz everyone!

I'm applying this cycle, and I sent an email to each school I'm applying to the day our scores were posted. I just said I would like to inform the Admissions Committee that my most recent MCAT scores are now available. I also attached the Score Report that you can create yourself when you log in to view your scores, because if you're applying to schools that use AACOMAS or TMDSAS sometimes don't immediately get score updates from the AAMC.

Most of the schools replied to this update, and I got a lot of mixed responses. A couple didn't respond, a few replied that they would wait to view my scores when AAMC sent them, some thanked me for the update, and one school actually called me THAT DAY to invite me for interview (it was a Texas school, and I'm glad I did update them because they otherwise would have waited for the AAMC update, and probably would've taken awhile to call me for an interview).

Bottom line: I would suggest you let the schools know that your scores are available. Even if they do have your new scores on file, a POLITE notification that they are available could make them take another look at your file.

 

[royturn]

Most unbalanced score ever:

Phys: 14
Bio: 11
Verbal: 7
WS: R

FML.

You beat me. I thought I had the most unbalanced score ever.
14 Physical
11 Verbal
8 Biological

 

[fullofair]

PS - are you an engineering major too? (why we got good P scores...) and how does it feel to be told that we're borderline illiterate

I'm actually a bio major. I just did better on my physical sciences... go figure. I mean I was doing well (12-13) on aamc's, and with some luck, I got a 14 on the real thing.

Back to verbal. I know if I really worked at it, I will be able to pull it up, but I also know the odds of me scoring a 14 on physical sciences is pretty small. Essentially, I will be trading points from my sciences for verbal. Having to study again for this test because I messed up one section really sucks.

Anyways, how were you doing on your aamc tests on verbal?

 

[fullofair]

definitely. i've been reading things online that say that med schools usually don't accept people with verbal scores < 8, regardless of composite score. At least it couldn't get much worse for us in terms of verbal grade; we could very easily get in the high 30s if we found a way to improve on verbal. I just couldn't get the hang of the logic or flow of that section when i was studying. any suggestions on how to improve on verbal?

I agree, the 7 will not cut it at a lot of schools, regardless of the total score. Most schools have a 10th percentile score of at least an 8. At this point, I'm less worried about my total score, I'd be happy getting the same score with a better distribution.

I'm definitely not a good person to ask for any verbal suggestions, maybe the sciences, but not verbal... haha.

 

[Nicholas Conrad]

I'm actually a bio major. I just did better on my physical sciences... go figure. I mean I was doing well (12-13) on aamc's, and with some luck, I got a 14 on the real thing.

Back to verbal. I know if I really worked at it, I will be able to pull it up, but I also know the odds of me scoring a 14 on physical sciences is pretty small. Essentially, I will be trading points from my sciences for verbal. Having to study again for this test because I messed up one section really sucks.

Anyways, how were you doing on your aamc tests on verbal?

well, let's try to be optimistic. we could probably do well on the P again. for the verbal, i was averaging about a 9. i got a 10 once. as i said before, i couldn't figure out the flow of it all. i'll probably sit for the jan 30th test. we'll see. are you taking it again?

 

[Vince86]

I was averaging 6-8 on my EK 101 verbal, and 6s for aamc. But on test day i got a 10. The thing that helped me the most was not relying on my practice scores. I found that my problem was spending too much time on questions i second guessed myself on. So it caused me to not finish on time. But on test day i just stuck with my first unless i was not really sure, then id spend about 10 sec skimming for some evidence. But the main thing is to finish the verbal on time and complete without guessing.

Also someone told me if you have trouble trying the answer the questions, try to formulate a raw answer before you look at your choices. Take maybe 5-10 seconds to think. And then look for that in the choices. Then if its not there go back to the passage to look for it.

Also my other problem was that i was assuming information and it caused me to overthink the answer alot of times. So when i caught myself drifting on an answer on test day, I just picked a good answer and moved on. I also kept myself on a strict time limit. I gave myself 8 to 9 mins for each passage and when time was running up for a passage, I knew i had to work faster and move on.

I guess don't take your practice scores too seriously because verbal passages can be in your favor. On test day, the passages were easy to read, so that gave me more time on questions. Hopefully this info can help you out.

 

[Nicholas Conrad]

I was averaging 6-8 on my EK 101 verbal, and 6s for aamc. But on test day i got a 10. The thing that helped me the most was not relying on my practice scores. I found that my problem was spending too much time on questions i second guessed myself on. So it caused me to not finish on time. But on test day i just stuck with my first unless i was not really sure, then id spend about 10 sec skimming for some evidence. But the main thing is to finish the verbal on time and complete without guessing.

Also someone told me if you have trouble trying the answer the questions, try to formulate a raw answer before you look at your choices. Take maybe 5-10 seconds to think. And then look for that in the choices. Then if its not there go back to the passage to look for it.

Also my other problem was that i was assuming information and it caused me to overthink the answer alot of times. So when i caught myself drifting on an answer on test day, I just picked a good answer and moved on. I also kept myself on a strict time limit. I gave myself 8 to 9 mins for each passage and when time was running up for a passage, I knew i had to work faster and move on.

I guess don't take your practice scores too seriously because verbal passages can be in your favor. On test day, the passages were easy to read, so that gave me more time on questions. Hopefully this info can help you out.

haha, yeah. I got the 101 EK verbal passages too. I was averaging anywhere from 6 - 10. On MCAT day however, i felt like the passages felt different than the passages in the EK book. i don't know. I read all the things that EK suggested, but obviously it didn't help me. oh well. Jan 30th here i come! thanks for the advice

 

[Vince86]

I would try as many different practice questions from different sources. The one that helped me the most was kaplan. Even though it didn't have those main idea questions, it did help teach going back to the passage to look for detail.

I also used the kaplan method of mapping the passage - but with phrases and not long sentences. And did scope. Scope should be the author's view on the subject.

I never scored a 10 on my verbal practices. I just kept an open mind and reasoned my way out of questions.

Find out what your problem is, and spend time correcting it. Mine was slowing down with reading and answering questions. I decided on test day to just plow through the passages and read for 4-5 mins and answer questions in 3-4 mins. For some reason, time seemed to move a bit quicker on test day. Maybe because of the stress. GL