The Official 04/28/2012 MCAT

[HoltMD]

I figured I should start this thread/support system. Good luck studying!

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[YouNeverKnow22]

TBR Bio is bull **** sometimes, like having to know amino acid structures and such--so frustrating to miss 2-3 on bio passages to questions like this.

 

[Dasypus]

.

 

[pfaction]

Blah. I still haven't taken that Orgo Diagnostic and I don't think I will until AAMC7 is over, so probably Thursday. I did Ch. 6 (1 ch) of Gen Chem from TBR, Ch 6 and 7 of Physics, reviewed Ch9-11 of TPR physics. Reviewed the EK Bio stuff...wow there's so much left for me to do. Tomorrow is all day passages and FSQ, then Weds is AAMC7!

I slacked off today haha, ****.

 

[fas376]

AAMC 8
13/9/12

Wow my verbal is everywhere. Not consistent at all.

 

[YouNeverKnow22]

doing an FL Friday, review/passages til then...I think I knocked out like 11 passages today? While going to two classes and finishing a lab report/studying for a lab practical and printing out my poster for the undergrad research symposium tomorrow...super productive day!

 

[pfaction]

AAMC 8
13/9/12

Wow my verbal is everywhere. Not consistent at all.

Congrats on the ridiculous score dude!! GJ

How hard was this exam compared to the other AAMC's?

 

[fas376]

Congrats on the ridiculous score dude!! GJ

How hard was this exam compared to the other AAMC's?

Honestly dude, now I understand why people say take tons of practice tests. I think when you start, you're nervous and unfamiliar with the format. I'm just getting used to it, I really think that's the only difference. I don't freak out anymore because it's getting so redundant. I would definitely say it's on the same level as the others. I heard 11 is the hardest. I'm not looking forward to that (although I think you said that was the first one you took, right?)

 

[fas376]

Also, is anyone here taking AAMC 6?

 

[SaCkO]

Also, is anyone here taking AAMC 6?

btw speaking about format .. since you mentioned it , AAMC 11 is the closest to the real mcat however it is still really far.. I think prep companies need to evolve year by year with the MCAT , The current MCAT is emphasizing more on passages than content where it is getting to a point where you might not need content at all.... Hearing that english, chinese , and economics majors getting 13-15 MCAT really disgusts me, especially when they have a really shallow understanding about everything.

 

[ridethecliche]

btw speaking about format .. since you mentioned it , AAMC 11 is the closest to the real mcat however it is still really far.. I think prep companies need to evolve year by year with the MCAT , The current MCAT is emphasizing more on passages than content where it is getting to a point where you might not need content at all.... Hearing that english, chinese , and economics majors getting 13-15 MCAT really disgusts me, especially when they have a really shallow understanding about everything.

Or you know, maybe they're better than you at processing new information and going based on that, so you should deal with it.

Your options are either:
a) Figure it out.
or
b) Complain about how the system screwed you out of med school, which is somehow your right.

 

[SaCkO]

Or you know, maybe they're better than you at processing new information and going based on that, so you should deal with it.

Your options are either:
a) Figure it out.
or
b) Complain about how the system screwed you out of med school, which is somehow your right.

They might have better comprehension skills than me .. True .. but i was making a point there about how the aamc content does not represent the real thing

 

[ridethecliche]

They might have better comprehension skills than me .. True .. but i was making a point there about how the aamc content does not represent the real thing

It's a thinking test...

Medicine can be taught. Thinking is much harder to teach. Hence the difficulty in raising the verbal score. (goddammit i just want to stay at my practice average of 10!!!)

It's easier to have a test that tests if you can think like a doctor instead of knowing what a doctor knows. The latter isn't the hard part.

 

[YouNeverKnow22]

BR is good at the experiment passages I think, more than any of the other test prep companies.

 

[fas376]

btw speaking about format .. since you mentioned it , AAMC 11 is the closest to the real mcat however it is still really far.. I think prep companies need to evolve year by year with the MCAT , The current MCAT is emphasizing more on passages than content where it is getting to a point where you might not need content at all.... Hearing that english, chinese , and economics majors getting 13-15 MCAT really disgusts me, especially when they have a really shallow understanding about everything.

I don't know why people are bashing this guy. I think all he's saying is that the content outline for the test states that you have to know so much about so many subjects, but when you get to the actual test, there's little to no content at all. Meaning people who put in a lot of time studying ending up doing worse than people who barely study but have good critical reasoning skills.

 

[wild2taz]

I don't know why people are bashing this guy. I think all he's saying is that the content outline for the test states that you have to know so much about so many subjects, but when you get to the actual test, there's little to no content at all. Meaning people who put in a lot of time studying ending up doing worse than people who barely study but have good critical reasoning skills.

That's so true

Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk

 

[wanderedtoolong]

Hi Dasypus! Delighted to have another "really" non-trad on here. I have an MS, but it's in ecology!
Any one else start sweating/feel like they're going to barf when they think of walking into the prometric center for real in 2.5 weeks? I might have to drive over there this weekend and just do some visualization in the parking lot- imagine walking in, staying calm, dominating the test, and dancing out.
Back to orgo mechanisms .. . which I decided to not even look at until this week, whoops.

 

[fas376]

Hi Dasypus! Delighted to have another "really" non-trad on here. I have an MS, but it's in ecology!
Any one else start sweating/feel like they're going to barf when they think of walking into the prometric center for real in 2.5 weeks? I might have to drive over there this weekend and just do some visualization in the parking lot- imagine walking in, staying calm, dominating the test, and dancing out.
Back to orgo mechanisms .. . which I decided to not even look at until this week, whoops.

Don't worry, I'm not looking at them until next week

 

[Whomp]

So how many FL's are you guys taking between now and test day?

 

[wanderedtoolong]

I just have AAMC 9-11 left- 9 this thurs, 10 sunday, 11 next wednesday, 1.5 weeks of overall review and addressing weaknesses. Maybe I'll even look at some essay prompts/find out what the essay is supposed to include (bwahahahaaa)

 

[fas376]

I just have AAMC 9-11 left- 9 this thurs, 10 sunday, 11 next wednesday, 1.5 weeks of overall review and addressing weaknesses. Maybe I'll even look at some essay prompts/find out what the essay is supposed to include (bwahahahaaa)

What is this writing section nonsense that you speak of? We shall not talk about such ridiculous insignificant things!

 

[Whomp]

I just have AAMC 9-11 left- 9 this thurs, 10 sunday, 11 next wednesday, 1.5 weeks of overall review and addressing weaknesses. Maybe I'll even look at some essay prompts/find out what the essay is supposed to include (bwahahahaaa)

I've got 8-11 left... Should I try to get all 4 done between then? Or pick three and review for the rest?

 

[misseskwee]

So how many FL's are you guys taking between now and test day?

AAMC 7-11! So 5 more to go in three weeks.

I've got 8-11 left... Should I try to get all 4 done between then? Or pick three and review for the rest?

I'd take as many as you can handle. There might be some topics in other aamc fl's that aren't in others and it'd be useful to review those. As long as you don't overdo it. Do as much as you can handle

 

[pfaction]

7-11 left for me as well. I'm doing randomly in Verbal, and I don't feel good about taking AAMC7 tomorrow. At all. I'm mad scared, guys. Everyone is saying the real MCAT is much harder than the practice AAMC's. If we're only getting low 30's now, what does that say about actually hard passages/!

 

[fas376]

7-11 left for me as well. I'm doing randomly in Verbal, and I don't feel good about taking AAMC7 tomorrow. At all. I'm mad scared, guys. Everyone is saying the real MCAT is much harder than the practice AAMC's. If we're only getting low 30's now, what does that say about actually hard passages/!

Dude, I took the January 28th MCAT. It was crazy hard. The verbal passages were 12 paragraphs. The BS section was ochem mechanism heavy. The PS section had crazy passages and calculations.

 

[fas376]

7-11 left for me as well. I'm doing randomly in Verbal, and I don't feel good about taking AAMC7 tomorrow. At all. I'm mad scared, guys. Everyone is saying the real MCAT is much harder than the practice AAMC's. If we're only getting low 30's now, what does that say about actually hard passages/!

See what I did there? I can say anything I want to about any test. Dude, it's an online forum. Don't believe anything you hear (I didn't really take the January test, just trying to prove a point). Talk to your pre med friends. Most of my friends said it was EQUAL in difficulty to AAMC 3. SDN has a ridiculous amount of wrong information.

This site is full of annoying melodramatic whiney ass pre-meds. Don't listen to what they say.

Edit: Most of them will come back one month later and say OMG I GOT A 39!

 

[YouNeverKnow22]

did some review passages in BR today, got PWNED...feel horrible

 

[folktale]

Dude, I took the January 28th MCAT. It was crazy hard. The verbal passages were 12 paragraphs. The BS section was ochem mechanism heavy. The PS section had crazy passages and calculations.

See what I did there? I can say anything I want to about any test. Dude, it's an online forum. Don't believe anything you hear (I didn't really take the January test, just trying to prove a point). Talk to your pre med friends. Most of my friends said it was EQUAL in difficulty to AAMC 3. SDN has a ridiculous amount of wrong information.

This site is full of annoying melodramatic whiney ass pre-meds. Don't listen to what they say.

Edit: Most of them will come back one month later and say OMG I GOT A 39!

Woow. Haha. I saw what you did there. Scared me so much.

 

[folktale]

and I also have 7-11 left. I'm planning on taking AAMC7 tomorrow.

 

[pfaction]

Alright AAMC7 buddies! You, me, I think TI, let's knock it out tomorrow. I'm going to stay optimistic, and I see what you did there fas, but still don't change how I feel!

 

[fas376]

Alright AAMC7 buddies! You, me, I think TI, let's knock it out tomorrow. I'm going to stay optimistic, and I see what you did there fas, but still don't change how I feel!

In my experience, the biggest jump is going from AAMC 7 to 8. AAMCs 3-7 are content heavy, in my opinion. This last one I took (8), seriously had 75% passage based questions.

 

[kryptonian]

I haven't taken any FLs at all so far but will start hitting them this Thurs. Probably will knock 5 & 7 off at the end of this week.

 

[fas376]

I haven't taken any FLs at all so far but will start hitting them this Thurs. Probably will knock 5 & 7 off at the end of this week.

Good luck man!

 

[typicalindian]

Alright AAMC7 buddies! You, me, I think TI, let's knock it out tomorrow. I'm going to stay optimistic, and I see what you did there fas, but still don't change how I feel!

I have an exam to study for I havn't touched anything mcat related since I took aamc 5, i'm so annoyed right now

 

[Doctoor]

Just took AAMC 8 and got a 19

I felt that the physical was the toughest.. either way embarrassingly it is my 2nd highest score ever (behind a 24).

P6 V6 B7

I just want to get a 27 on my actual and go to a DO school, so far this seems impossible

I'll keep on studying my butt off until the 28th and I'll leave the rest in god's hands.

 

[Whomp]

Just finished AAMC #8.. I thought the PS was really hard. My scores decreased since #7 as well. (#7: 32, #8: 31). Hopefully the last 3 aren't so difficult.

 

[pfaction]

Okay, let's start the running dialogue on AAMC7.

PS:
Passage IV; no idea what was going on. At all. I marked all the questions. Everything else, I felt relatively okay on. What the FLYING F AT THE EARTHQUAKE PASSAGE. WHAT. THE. F. I also marked this passage. There better be a generous curve on this, otherwise, holy crapsticks. I was going to say a 11 on PS, but now with two passages...maybe a 9? Marked any and all I couldn't get from the first-get-go, so about 20.

Verbal: Achilles Heel ahoy! Double WTF. The passages here are WAY LONGER. WAAAAAAAAY LONGER than on any other MCAT I've come across. God damn, I'm expecting another 7. thumbdown

Writing: Blah blah, I got an S on my previous passage. All I need is above an N and I should be OK. These essays were weaker than my others, not sure what's going on. Dreading the hurt in the BS..

BS: **** this. I don't know what's going on. 90% of the **** I did here had no relevancy to what I studied or what I know.

Consequently; my score:

****ing ****.

After reading my PS mistakes, it was the earthquake passage. 3 wrong in there, and scattered ones inbetween. I'm kind of pissed at myself for being so close to a 30/40 (is that a 9 or a 10? If 30 is a 10, FFFF) in Verbal.

In BS I had NO IDEA what was going on and some of it doesn't make sense to me now. Gonna review after I eat, godDAMN TI you better know your **** inside out because I switched from "right" to wrong answers for BS and it got me like CRAZY. I should have gotten 46 or so.

 

[fas376]

Okay, let's start the running dialogue on AAMC7.

PS:
Passage IV; no idea what was going on. At all. I marked all the questions. Everything else, I felt relatively okay on. What the FLYING F AT THE EARTHQUAKE PASSAGE. WHAT. THE. F. I also marked this passage. There better be a generous curve on this, otherwise, holy crapsticks. I was going to say a 11 on PS, but now with two passages...maybe a 9? Marked any and all I couldn't get from the first-get-go, so about 20.

Verbal: Achilles Heel ahoy! Double WTF. The passages here are WAY LONGER. WAAAAAAAAY LONGER than on any other MCAT I've come across. God damn, I'm expecting another 7. thumbdown

Writing: Blah blah, I got an S on my previous passage. All I need is above an N and I should be OK. These essays were weaker than my others, not sure what's going on. Dreading the hurt in the BS..

BS: **** this. I don't know what's going on. 90% of the **** I did here had no relevancy to what I studied or what I know.

Consequently; my score:

****ing ****.

After reading my PS mistakes, it was the earthquake passage. 3 wrong in there, and scattered ones inbetween. I'm kind of pissed at myself for being so close to a 30/40 (is that a 9 or a 10? If 30 is a 10, FFFF) in Verbal.

In BS I had NO IDEA what was going on and some of it doesn't make sense to me now. Gonna review after I eat, godDAMN TI you better know your **** inside out because I switched from "right" to wrong answers for BS and it got me like CRAZY. I should have gotten 46 or so.

Great score. That earthquake passage was a total bi.tch for me too, man. Keep it up man!

Doctoor - relax, a 27 isn't that far out of your reach. Just keep trying, bud

 

[fas376]

Just finished AAMC #8.. I thought the PS was really hard. My scores decreased since #7 as well. (#7: 32, #8: 31). Hopefully the last 3 aren't so difficult.

I guessed more on 8 than I have on any other test. I got a high score but when I was looking back at my test, I probably guessed right on 3-4 questions, so I got hella lucky.

 

[pfaction]

So I guess I should really prepare for 8 then? I'm not sure how much else I can do. I clearly have a decent grip on PS, verbal is a constant flux for me. I'm not sure how I F'd up so much in this bio, I changed from right to wrong and I dont know why. Also holy crap, the content was so unfamiliar to me.

Also no it's not really that high, I may be aiming for MD/PhD depending on how my exams go. If I get 32+ then yes.

 

[fas376]

So I guess I should really prepare for 8 then? I'm not sure how much else I can do. I clearly have a decent grip on PS, verbal is a constant flux for me. I'm not sure how I F'd up so much in this bio, I changed from right to wrong and I dont know why. Also holy crap, the content was so unfamiliar to me.

Also no it's not really that high, I may be aiming for MD/PhD depending on how my exams go. If I get 32+ then yes.

8 isn't necessarily harder. It was the first test that I had to really think more than the others. It may be really easy for you, who knows. I just thought it was the test that really showed the shift from content to analytical skills.

 

[pfaction]

The PS, at least, was a lot of content based. I didn't use analytical skills and looking at it, some of the answers I got right were outside and lucky--it said something was zero order, I didn't even notice it, I still got it right. Verbal is verbal, **** it, but this was much longer than expected. Wowsa. And Bio DEFINITELY was reading based, wowsa as well, I guess I really need to step it up if I want at least a 34. And yet, my memory of AAMC10 serves me right, the Verbal in 10 was also much more difficult!!

Huge wake up call from AAMC5.

 

[fas376]

The PS, at least, was a lot of content based. I didn't use analytical skills and looking at it, some of the answers I got right were outside and lucky--it said something was zero order, I didn't even notice it, I still got it right. Verbal is verbal, **** it, but this was much longer than expected. Wowsa. And Bio DEFINITELY was reading based, wowsa as well, I guess I really need to step it up if I want at least a 34. And yet, my memory of AAMC10 serves me right, the Verbal in 10 was also much more difficult!!

Huge wake up call from AAMC5.

Your bio scores are great so don't worry. I haven't studied ochem yet so it's bringing my BS score down

 

[MrNeuro]

Wow just took TBR 3
Ps 13
Bs 11 (guessed on 3 got them wrong went back and looked up one line would've gotten a 13)

SMH why am I doing better on TBR?!?!?!?

Also my BS needs some touching up. What are u guys doing for bs??

 

[folktale]

Just finished AAMC7 guys. I'll give out my score later. So tired. Omg the VR passages were so long.

 

[folktale]

Okay what the heck, I'll post mine now:

Composite 111/144 = 29
PS 44/52 = 11
VR 25/40 = 7
BS 42/52 = 11

I improved on BS, and I can't believe I'm 4 points away from a 9 on VR!!! Wait, what's the range out of 40 for a 7, 8, 9, or 10 on VR?

 

[fas376]

Okay what the heck, I'll post mine now:

Composite 111/144 = 29
PS 44/52 = 11
VR 25/40 = 7
BS 42/52 = 11

I improved on BS, and I can't believe I'm 4 points away from a 9 on VR!!! Wait, what's the range out of 40 for a 7, 8, 9, or 10 on VR?

Nice score! Keep it up

 

[folktale]

Thanks fas! I just need to work on that VR.

 

[Whomp]

Has anyone tried to break up the AAMC tests into sections to get immediate feedback? I have 9,10, and 11 still but I only want to spend my energy on two of the FLs and would like to take 9 broken up into three days. Is that possible? I haven't messed around with the settings too much on the AAMC practice site.

 

[pfaction]

Okay what the heck, I'll post mine now:

Composite 111/144 = 29
PS 44/52 = 11
VR 25/40 = 7
BS 42/52 = 11

I improved on BS, and I can't believe I'm 4 points away from a 9 on VR!!! Wait, what's the range out of 40 for a 7, 8, 9, or 10 on VR?

RIGHT? HOLY **** THOSE PASSAGES WERE LONG. And I think a 31 was a 10.

 

[fas376]

Has anyone tried to break up the AAMC tests into sections to get immediate feedback? I have 9,10, and 11 still but I only want to spend my energy on two of the FLs and would like to take 9 broken up into three days. Is that possible? I haven't messed around with the settings too much on the AAMC practice site.

I wouldn't. A lot of people that don't take it under test conditions end up freaking out during the actual exam because they're not used to it. Personally, I always click on the "simulate actual test" button. It's been helping me calm my nerves (I don't freak out about time anymore)