The official 08/25/2009 mcat club

[pakipremed786]

Hello?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[marshal3]

I am all signed up to take the MCAT on August 25th! I am currently enrolled in a Kaplan course. However, I am finding it hard to balance the Kaplan course with my class and work schedule. In the end... MCAT wins I guess! Have most people started intensely studying for the exam (who are taking it in late August)?

 

[MirrorTodd]

Hey, hey

 

[ladygwennie]

Will be retaking the MCAT August 25th, since my MAY 28th performance was absolutely awful. Wish everybody luck here and here we go 8/25/2009!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[StarStup]

Hey! I'm retaking it the 25th! Took it last summer and got a 26...so hopefully will do much better! I am re-reviewing the EK books and going through content review. The end of next week I hope to be done with it all and start the practice tests! What is everyone else doing?

 

[ChemEngMD]

Hmm so this was my original planned date, but with working 40 hours a week as an engineering intern and having incredibly low scores so far on the couple TPR tests I've taken...I'm thinking about pushing to September 10th or 12th. How far along are you guys? I feel like my content review is super behind lol because the majority of questions I get wrong are because I don't know the subject matter well enough (or at all). I am planning on taking the last two weeks of August off before school and going nuts with studying and then perhaps changing to September 10...what yall think?

 

[Recoil]

Bonjour

 

[ladygwennie]

Hmm so this was my original planned date, but with working 40 hours a week as an engineering intern and having incredibly low scores so far on the couple TPR tests I've taken...I'm thinking about pushing to September 10th or 12th. How far along are you guys? I feel like my content review is super behind lol because the majority of questions I get wrong are because I don't know the subject matter well enough (or at all). I am planning on taking the last two weeks of August off before school and going nuts with studying and then perhaps changing to September 10...what yall think?

I am retaking after not doing as well as I wanted on May 28th. Make sure that pushing back will enable you to do the study that you want. How are you doing on your practice tests? What content areas seem to be giving you the most trouble and how to do you plan to make them better?

 

[ladygwennie]

So I am in full swing of studying again after getting over the May 28th 25Q. Previously I studied using kaplan (had an in class prep course), and I was definitely disappointed with my performance on test day (in addition, I am a 4.0 student who is not accustomed to failure). I believe that the Kaplan method was definitely not for me, and I should have been strong enough to change it when i started to realize this. Anyway I am studying using EK materials and I have the audio osmosis, and I am enjoying the study. In addition, I am discovering that I really did retain much of the information I studied before. Which leads me to ask how you guys are preparing for the test? I took many of the practice tests first time around, so I am just finding as many other practice problems and saving the tests I had left over till after content review. Just wanted to see how everyone was doing with getting prepared. Wish us all the best of luck!!!

 

[Recoil]

So much excitement in this thread. /sarcasm

Work keeps occupying more and more of my time, and as the test date gets nearer, I'm starting to feel like I won't be prepared in time.

 

[Doodl3s]

OFFICIALLY signed for this baby TODAY!... ITS ON!!

 

[dragon529]

My big day as well...

 

[chutzpah]

I'm in.

 

[agirl]

deleted.

 

[FeatherPen]

^sure, it is later than the vast majority of applicants. however, it is not "too late" for this cycle.

I am taking it 8/25, as well. As you can see by my attached excel study document, I started from scratch a few days ago.

I study 8-10 hrs per day. Thinking about the next 6 weeks is daunting. However, if I stay positive and follow through with my plan, I should clock in ~350-400 hrs of prep.

The benefit of studying this much means that on the test day, provided I do not burn myself out, I will have endurance like no other. A 5 hour test day will be a walk in the park.

Anyway, Good Luck

 

[Omni]

studying as well for it

 

[triplebeing]

I dont know what is wrong with my verbal skills...I keep getting exactly 30 out of 40 in almost all the EK verbal passages that I've done. I did 6 already. Its frustrating that I'm not improving.
Does anyone know about this people called Prep 101? I took one of their practice verbal today...I got a 5 out of 18....which is ridiculously insane.
Any new ideas will be appreciated!

 

[FeatherPen]

I dont know what is wrong with my verbal skills...I keep getting exactly 30 out of 40 in almost all the EK verbal passages that I've done. I did 6 already. Its frustrating that I'm not improving.
Does anyone know about this people called Prep 101? I took one of their practice verbal today...I got a 5 out of 18....which is ridiculously insane.
Any new ideas will be appreciated!

From what I have heard about EK Verbal, a 10 (30/40), will translate to an 11-12 on an actual MCAT. Which is not bad.

Prep 101? Idk. Just do the last 8 EK verbals, a bunch of FLs, and you will be fine.

Good luck

 

[jmanpatsfan]

Hey everyone. I'm taking a Kaplan course but I am using the EK books for content. I found the Kaplan review notes to be too bland, I need bright colors and pictures. I do like those online workshops though. My biggest issue is that I dont have time to review what we did earlier in the course because I spend all my time going over the new material for the next class. I am forgetting everything we did in the beginning of the course. My desk is overflowing with index cards.
I may have to push back my test day.
Good luck everyone.

 

[triplebeing]

From what I have heard about EK Verbal, a 10 (30/40), will translate to an 11-12 on an actual MCAT. Which is not bad.

Prep 101? Idk. Just do the last 8 EK verbals, a bunch of FLs, and you will be fine.

Good luck

Thanks Feather...I hope I improve to at least a 34 before the 10th of Aug

 

[Recoil]

Less than a month... these days are just flying by

 

[Doodl3s]

LEESSSS THAN A MONTTH WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

LETS ROCK THIS MOTHER************

....., no curses that long do not exist... but if there was, i would certainly use it....

a little part of me is excited that I soon will not have to study all day everyday...

but 99.999% is goin crazy

 

[BrainBuff]

ladygwennie, what were you getting on the Kaplan FLs when you took the course? Did you compare that to your AAMCs? I am curious since all I am using for my review is Kaplan.

 

[TW1185]

I took the test 2 years ago while taking 2 summer school classes and working-not a great Idea.

I have now devoted the last 6 weeks and will devote the next 3 weeks (until the test) solely to this god forsaken test.

Using:
TPR book
Kaplan high yield problem book/flash cards/study guides
Exam busters notecards
My roommates left over EK books

-My biggest problem though is getting my damn verbal score up!

 

[mickc]

I pushed it back twice. Now I'm at the 25th of August. No more delays.

 

[luckys]

I am in.
Good Luck to everyone who is taking it

 

[jems]

me tooo !!!! Good luckkkkkk everyone !!!!


P.S. Anyone having trouble in physical sciences? It is not my forte. I am getting no higher than 9 in my practice exams and I'm a little worried now that exam day is creepin around the corner.

Currently taking a Kaplan course and like others, also reading EK because I do like the visual stimulation.

Any advice or tips from any of you??

 

[ladygwennie]

ladygwennie, what were you getting on the Kaplan FLs when you took the course? Did you compare that to your AAMCs? I am curious since all I am using for my review is Kaplan.

Kaplan full lengths ranged from 24-34.
AAMC were somewhere in between. I do not feel like the Kaplan full lengths were as useful as AAMC full lengths AT ALL. I really would recommend AAMC, I also found that the passage mapping strategy was really not what I should have done, but that was my own fault, shoulda stopped with the strategy when my gut told me it wasnt for me. How are you doing on the kaplan full lengths?

 

[ladygwennie]

I took the test 2 years ago while taking 2 summer school classes and working-not a great Idea.

I have now devoted the last 6 weeks and will devote the next 3 weeks (until the test) solely to this god forsaken test.

Using:
TPR book
Kaplan high yield problem book/flash cards/study guides
Exam busters notecards
My roommates left over EK books

-My biggest problem though is getting my damn verbal score up!

For verbal try the EK 101 book and EK strategy, verbal is by far my weakest point, and ive been working at it and turned my 8 (on the actual test) up to 10 with EK practice, still have a lot more work to do on it, but next 3 wks are going to be intense...

 

[Recoil]

For verbal try the EK 101 book and EK strategy, verbal is by far my weakest point, and ive been working at it and turned my 8 (on the actual test) up to 10 with EK practice, still have a lot more work to do on it, but next 3 wks are going to be intense...

You said it.

 

[BrainBuff]

How are you doing on the kaplan full lengths?

I am averaging over mid thirties. AAMCs, high 30s. I do not want to get over confident though. I realize that I am scoring much lower when I do not take the test seriously... I am trying to concentrate as much as possible in these last 3 weeks...

 

[jm192]

Will be retaking the MCAT August 25th, since my MAY 28th performance was absolutely awful. Wish everybody luck here and here we go 8/25/2009!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Exact same boat, friend!

Took the 28th one, redoing it on the 25th of August now.

Good luck to all.

 

[TW1185]

For verbal try the EK 101 book and EK strategy, verbal is by far my weakest point, and ive been working at it and turned my 8 (on the actual test) up to 10 with EK practice, still have a lot more work to do on it, but next 3 wks are going to be intense...

yea I turned my 6 into an 8 already using my houemates old EK strategy books but I havent finished them yet so I theres still improvement I hope! fyi I hate how my friends are always trying to distract me!

 

[RedSoxSuck]

hey gang, I'm taking the test on the 25th. so currently I have been taking kaplan CBTs and substituting their VR for AAMC verbal since I have taken the real test before. So I take the test in the morning and then go over it the next day. I have been taking the CBTs twice a week. I use Kaplans smart report to identify my weak areas and then I review my notes on that particular chapter. Notes were created using TBR. after that I do EK 1001 for 30 min timed and then do BR passages for the same topic.. Usually 7 min per passage for BR. So, now I was thinking about taking 1 CBT every other day. For example. take a CBT today and use rest of the day reviewing the week area and doing EK 1001 and then BR passages ( i.e Bio and gchem) then next day go over the CBT and use rest of the day to go over other 2 subjects (organic and physics) and do EK 1001 and BR passages. What do you guys think??

 

[aam53]

ummmk so i'm actually taking the test next friday the 14th :\ (sorry to be a buzzkill)
i've been taking tests every other day and little practice sets every day along with review in between...but i'm starting to get nervous!
buuut what do you guys think i should be doing the last week? just reviews? or...chilling? or what?

 

[aam53]

and i keep hearing different testimonies...how many passages are on each section??

 

[RedSoxSuck]

They are 7 passages on each section.

 

[Recoil]

^^
That username is win.

 

[TR med]

So, my test date had to be pushed back until this date (original on Aug 6) becuase my test centers computer system wasn't working. I sat there for two and a half hours. I felt so ready and now I have to wait another 2 weeks. Maybe this is a sign from god, if I wait he will bless me with a 40..... if only. This group feels a lot better than 8/6 any ways.

 

[luckys]

How is studying going for everyone?
I had a question for the people using Kaplan, are you guys taking the topical and section tests? Does anyone know if they are worth taking? Thanks

 

[Yoyomama88]

are any of you guys applying this cycle? Im kind of freaking out...that our scores wont be back until Sept. 29...I wonder if we are shooting ourselves in the foot?

 

[Recoil]

are any of you guys applying this cycle? Im kind of freaking out...that our scores wont be back until Sept. 29...I wonder if we are shooting ourselves in the foot?

Thankfully, I don't have to worry about this. I decided to take the MCAT after sophomore year as a practice run. Hopefully I score high enough that I won't have to try again next year.

Oddly enough, in every single AAMC I have done, I've scored higher in the PS section than BS, considering I'm in biology majors and thought PS would be what held me down.

 

[chutzpah]

Yea, I'm also a rising junior. Except I don't consider this time a practice run

 

[ladygwennie]

I am sending my app in August 25th, my first score is enough to get me an interview at my state school, if the 2nd score is significantly higher to apply elsewhere I will amend and send out more.. Unless I happen to walk out having voided.. I always figure if the worst came to it, there is January to retake, but there is NO way I am going to be in that category!!!!

are any of you guys applying this cycle? Im kind of freaking out...that our scores wont be back until Sept. 29...I wonder if we are shooting ourselves in the foot?

 

[CP3]

omg 10 days away...well 9 if you don't count the day of the mcat, so yes 9 days.
Lets rip this mates. 45T everyone. Nothing lower...I mean we don't even know how to get any lower.

 

[triplebeing]

omg 10 days away...well 9 if you don't count the day of the mcat, so yes 9 days.
Lets rip this mates. 45T everyone. Nothing lower...I mean we don't even know how to get any lower.

Ha! We actually have only 228 hours and 4 minutes left before we click on "start my test". We gotta ace this test. Who is taking the test in New York?

 

[chutzpah]

I was going to take it in NJ but all the centers were full. So I'm staying in CT for a week and taking it there.

 

[rockadoodle]

so i did not study through a prep course, is there anything that really helped anyone who took a course that you would recommend i look into during this final week?? thanks

 

[ladygwennie]

so i did not study through a prep course, is there anything that really helped anyone who took a course that you would recommend i look into during this final week?? thanks

I would recommend doing as many problems as you can. That is my plan, good luck!

 

[Recoil]

So how is everyone doing on the AAMC's?