The official 08/25/2009 mcat club

[pakipremed786]

Hello?

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[sv3]

Hey man

I read on a previous thread that you retook the MCAT 10 days after this one because you thought you bombed verbal. I've been speaking to a lot of people who thought they bombed verbal who wrote on the same day as us. I think you might be pleasantly surprised seeing as these guys were scoring upwards of 38 on their diagnostics and around 12s on their Verbal.

There could be a generous curve based on its difficulty.

wsa this meant for me? you didnt specify. Perhaps someone else did the same thing?

i havent looked. i get the other results oct 6th. not really looking forward to that either but i rather be dissapointed all at once. I might be the first person not to look. that's why you know you didn't do well.............

 

[supafield]

I'm seeing much better scores, but that hasn't dampened the thrill!

Took July 2nd MCAT, to produce: 11PS 6VR 10BS R

Came back round w/the Aug 25th, and: 10PS 12VR 10BS S

No prep course. Almost all EK material w/ an added Schaum's Genetics (though apparently it didn't help me much). I'm a bit surprised that I didn't score higher on my sciences, but...to me, and personally, it feels mighty good to go from a 6 VR to a 12 VR.

Good luck to all!

You doubled your verbal in under 2 months! That's amazing

 

[BrainBuff]

GLAD IS OVER!

38Q (PS 14, VR13, BS 11)

As a rising junior I am elated (to say the least!) that I do not have to worry about the damn test this year. I thought that my VR and BS would be switched, but I am actually happier I did better on the VR.

Wish you all the best and to those who are not happy with it, do not give up!

 

[DrHillerStyle]

You doubled your verbal in under 2 months! That's amazing

Thanks! My AAMC avg. was 9/10 prior to the first test, but I didn't touch VR for the last two weeks leading into the first test. I took AAMC #10 prior to the first test, and got an 8, my lowest score...and then I got a 6 on the real thing the first time around...which became the new lowest score. In the three week interim from when I got my first scores back and my second test, I concentrated heavily on VR, implementing a couple of new strategies. I ended up taking AAMC #10 again the day before the 2nd test, and got a 12 on VR...go figure (though I also got a 39 composite...so uh, the reflection ended at VR, and did not carry over to PS and BS).

Here's hoping this provides hope for someone. I remember looking at those "probability tables" for retakers, and was pretty disgusted.

Thanks for the kudos, Supafield.

 

[LupeFiasco]

Sorry. That was meant for sv3.

I guessed on almost all the questions on the entire last passage but i still got a 10 in VR.

I'm sure you did well.

 

[sv3]

Thanks! My AAMC avg. was 9/10 prior to the first test, but I didn't touch VR for the last two weeks leading into the first test. I took AAMC #10 prior to the first test, and got an 8, my lowest score...and then I got a 6 on the real thing the first time around...which became the new lowest score. In the three week interim from when I got my first scores back and my second test, I concentrated heavily on VR, implementing a couple of new strategies. I ended up taking AAMC #10 again the day before the 2nd test, and got a 12 on VR...go figure (though I also got a 39 composite...so uh, the reflection ended at VR, and did not carry over to PS and BS).

Here's hoping this provides hope for someone. I remember looking at those "probability tables" for retakers, and was pretty disgusted.

Thanks for the kudos, Supafield.

Did you aquire a second freakin brain? Come on.......share those strategies. that is an unreal improvement!

 

[sv3]

Sorry. That was meant for sv3.

I guessed on almost all the questions on the entire last passage but i still got a 10 in VR.

I'm sure you did well.

it was my fault. i was so shocked after the oil painting and irish passages (they were both in the first 3 passages i did) that i almost gave up. I mean I'm writing the test wondering if i should go home or not. Perhaps other things added to that feeling but its my fault for prctically giving up. I felt like i was going through the motions. I'm usually great under pressure.....but that' fine. It's on me. Showed me a weakness i wasnt aware of and i just gotto suck it up.

thanks for the posts tho bud

 

[apmiller21]

12ps
8vr
13bs
33o!!

how bad is the verbal going to hurt me?

 

[Forbes]

11 9 10 P I am so unhappy it is not even funny. It is what it is. I don't know if a 9 on VR makes it worth retaking, ugh.

 

[lakers MD]

.

 

[positron 511]

3

 

[floweriepot]

Congrats you guys!

My story wasn't so happy unfortunately

I got 8/8/8/R

It makes no sense to me though...I swear I thought I aced BS and VR...I only thougth I screwed up PS...I have no idea how they came so equally screwed...

This really killed my day...I was waiting for this day so much to only cry myself to sleep...

 

[dragon529]

31R - 11/9/11

AAMC avg - 29

 

[Torongo]

Congrats you guys!

My story wasn't so happy unfortunately

I got 8/8/8/R

It makes no sense to me though...I swear I thought I aced BS and VR...I only thougth I screwed up PS...I have no idea how they came so equally screwed...

This really killed my day...I was waiting for this day so much to only cry myself to sleep...

Aww dont be sad, look at me I got 8 in verbal and u dont know how happy I am! I would recommend retaking it and next time U will most likely do as you expect.

 

[marty mcfly]

04/2007: 29M

08/2009: 35N, very happy. Hilarious upgrade in my essay; still not good, but a little better.

Dont be afraid to retake, as long as you are more prepared. 2nd time's a charm.

 

[boaz]

38R (AAMC avg. =34)

PS 14 (AAMC avg. =14)
VR 10(AAMC avg. =7)
BS 14 (AAMC avg. =13)

I am very pleasantly surprised about VR! My AAMC avg. was 7. Man, was I worried about the VR.

It exceded my best estimation!

Sounds familar!

 

[grafton]

29T
PS8
VR11
BS10

How much is that shoddy physics score gonna affect my chances? Should I retake?

 

[mathsciencedude]

VR PS WS BS Total
10 13 M 10 33M

Hopefully my MCAT experience will set all of you future and current MCATers at ease.

I did not take a preparatory course, and did not follow any type of scheduled content review, other than my organic chemistry course that I completed 3 months before the test. For the actual test, I was unable to finish each section in the allotted time, the effects of which are most reflected in my writing score.

For Physical Sciences, The clock struck 00:00 before the last passage.

For Verbal Reasoning, The clock struck 00:00 and I was unable to read the last two passages.

For Biological Science, The last two passage were hard, as I knew nothing about genetics.

For the sciences, I skipped around and looked for a passage or topic that I had a working knowledge of from my undergraduate studies. I focused on these passages and questions. I also completed the discrete problems first since these questions did not require me to read a passage beforehand.

For the verbal, my score is a pleasant surprise. I actually went in order for these passages. For the passages I completed, I devoted my full attention to all of the questions. I was set on answering every question that I spent time on correctly. When I was not sure about a particular question I spent time reading and re-reading the pertinent parts of the passage until it clicked.

For the writing sample, I predicted this outcome. I have a hard time writing developed paragraphs under time constraints, so I focused on writing one good introduction and two less than satisfactory body paragraphs and conclusions.

I guess what I am trying to convey through my incoherent rambling above is that you should trust your critical thinking skills and reasoning abilities. Use these skills and abilities to focus on what you are somewhat familiar with. If you truly believe you know how to solve a problem, spend the necessary amount of time doing so. I have always said that my response speed to a question/problem may be really low, but my accuracy in answering questions/problems that I devote the time to is very high.

Trust in yourself, trust in your abilities, own your weaknesses as well as your strengths, and utilize your strengths to counter your weaknesses.

Best,

m_s_d

 

[sv3]

VR PS WS BS Total
10 13 M 10 33M

Hopefully my MCAT experience will set all of you future and current MCATers at ease.

I did not take a preparatory course, and did not follow any type of scheduled content review, other than my organic chemistry course that I completed 3 months before the test. For the actual test, I was unable to finish each section in the allotted time, the effects of which are most reflected in my writing score.

For Physical Sciences, I blindly guessed (I mean just picked any bubble without reading the question before the clock struck 00:00) on the last passage.

For Verbal Reasoning, I was unable to read the last two passages, and also blindly clicked some random bubbles.

For Biological Science, I blindly guessed on the last two passage (I knew nothing about genetics).

For the sciences, I skipped around and looked for a passage or topic that I had a working knowledge of from my undergraduate studies. I focused on these passages and questions. I also completed the discrete problems first since these questions did not require me to read a passage beforehand.

For the verbal, my score is a pleasant surprise. I actually went in order for these passages. For the passages I completed, I devoted my full attention to all of the questions. I was set on answering every question that I spent time on correctly. When I was not sure about a particular question I spent time reading and re-reading the pertinent parts of the passage until it clicked.

For the writing sample, I predicted this outcome. I have a hard time writing developed paragraphs under time constraints, so I focused on writing one good introduction and two less than satisfactory body paragraphs and conclusions.

I guess what I am trying to convey through my incoherent rambling above is that you should trust your critical thinking skills and reasoning abilities. Use these skills and abilities to focus on what you are somewhat familiar with. If you truly believe you know how to solve a problem, spend the necessary amount of time doing so. I have always said that my response speed to a question/problem may be really low, but my accuracy in answering questions/problems that I devote the time to is very high.

Trust in yourself, trust in your abilities, own your weaknesses as well as your strengths, and utilize your strengths to counter your weaknesses.

Best,

m_s_d

But you must have gotten lucky with blindly guessing on two passages no? Even if you aced 5, thats like 27 questions, so you musta got close to 50% right on guessing to get a 10. Its a supremely risky strategy i would think.......but damn.......it workeed! So congrats on sticking to your guns and slugging it out...well done

 

[gyoza]

38R (AAMC avg. =34)

PS 14 (AAMC avg. =14)
VR 10(AAMC avg. =7)
BS 14 (AAMC avg. =13)

I am very pleasantly surprised about VR! My AAMC avg. was 7. Man, was I worried about the VR.

It exceded my best estimation!

How do you study your biological science? Which books do you use? What a good score! Congrats!

 

[holesinthinair]

Just got back from celebrating. 14s across the board
Good luck to everyone who hasn't yet checked!

 

[Silver12065]

39S

PS - 14
VR - 10
BS - 15

I'm real psyched. My AAMC average was 36 and my highest was a 38. Would've like to have been a bit more well-rounded, but I'm not complaining!

 

[RockWhisperer]

34Q with 12/11/11...

Although a couple points short of my AAMC average, I am elated. I got literally an 11 on every AAMC verbal I did (3-10 and the actual test). And although my bio was lower than I would have liked, I just cannot complain.

Its so well balanced.

 

[ezsanche]

It seems everyone is getting 35+ scores. Doesn't seems like doing well on the mcat is a special accomplishment anymore.

 

[ezsanche]

It seems everyone is getting 35+ scores. Doesn't seems like doing well on the mcat is a special accomplishment anymore.

 

[OrangeOrangutan]

for the PS, did anyone get that last physics passage on some peice of wood going up an inclined plane?? lol i almost ran out of time, and i didnt have time to read the passage, so i basically tried the questions w/o reading the passages. I could answer all of em except one.

 

[sv3]

It seems everyone is getting 35+ scores. Doesn't seems like doing well on the mcat is a special accomplishment anymore.

that's a ridiculous comment.

 

[ezsanche]

that's a ridiculous comment.

lol that was pretty ridiculous.

 

[sv3]

lol that was pretty ridiculous.

tons of people dont post scores. if you look at alot of the posters with high scores...they have made <20 posts here all time. says something but its a common theme

plenty of people didnt get 35, in fact i think something like 90% of people don't get it.........keep that in mind

 

[CP3]

tons of people dont post scores. if you look at alot of the posters with high scores...they have made <20 posts here all time. says something but its a common theme

plenty of people didnt get 35, in fact i think something like 90% of people don't get it.........keep that in mind

people who did **** aren't gonna post on a wall when people are posting high 30s and almost 40s.

I have a question seeing as I'm gonna rewrite...
is it a smart strategy to write in June and then possibly late august or early september if my second run through in June is bad and I need a third crack?

 

[POWP]

to make some people feel better... Verbal:7 PS: 9 BS: 9

My avg for PS was a 10, avg for Bio was a 12, (took a bunch of aamcs, NEVER GOT BELOW 11, HIGH was 13)

Verbal I was doing poorly in, so Im not surprised...

I felt very confident with BIO, and I basically guessed on A LOT of PS..... this exam is absurd.

 

[LupeFiasco]

Hey CP3,

I have a couple friends who are in the same position as you and I am going to give you the same advice that I gave them. Sign for a date in late July and after you've done that MCAT, sign up for one in September. This way you get to study 3 months for your first attempt. However, right after you finish your July MCAT, you're going to have to keep studying just in case. This way, even though you didn't do well on the July MCAT (hypotheically) then you will definitely do better on the September one.

In my opinion you should NOT write the MCAT 3 times in one summer, because unless anxiety is a serious factor, something is wrong with the way you are studying and you need to step away from the material and reflect on what you are doing wrong.

You should be fine though. Make sure you do diagnostics (although the real MCAT is harder than the AAMC one). The diagnostics give you a good feel as to how prepared you are.

Hope this helps.

 

[sv3]

Hey CP3,

I have a couple friends who are in the same position as you and I am going to give you the same advice that I gave them. Sign for a date in late July and after you've done that MCAT, sign up for one in September. This way you get to study 3 months for your first attempt. However, right after you finish your July MCAT, you're going to have to keep studying just in case. This way, even though you didn't do well on the July MCAT (hypotheically) then you will definitely do better on the September one.

In my opinion you should NOT write the MCAT 3 times in one summer, because unless anxiety is a serious factor, something is wrong with the way you are studying and you need to step away from the material and reflect on what you are doing wrong.

You should be fine though. Make sure you do diagnostics (although the real MCAT is harder than the AAMC one). The diagnostics give you a good feel as to how prepared you are.

Hope this helps.

 

[snannepa]

12 PS, 10 BS, 10 VR 32R

Avg AAMC 30
Avg AAMC #6 thru #10 32

AAMC tests are closer to the actual MCAT

 

[drusillaaw]

to make some people feel better... Verbal:7 PS: 9 BS: 9

My avg for PS was a 10, avg for Bio was a 12, (took a bunch of aamcs, NEVER GOT BELOW 11, HIGH was 13)

Verbal I was doing poorly in, so Im not surprised...

I felt very confident with BIO, and I basically guessed on A LOT of PS..... this exam is absurd.

Yeah this exam is really unpredictable. I think what happened for us was that the curve on BS was kind of harsh on this exam. Those crazy orgo questions probably were experimental? I thought I did the best on this section but ended up doing a little below PS.

On the other hand, I think the curve for PS was probably not too bad. I know I missed a few (and a few more I was unsure of), and I still got a 14 somehow (my AAMC avg). Though PS didn't feel appreciably harder than BS, so who knows. You really can never predict things with this exam, and post-exam feelings are not indicative. I felt pretty destroyed afterwards for sure.

Congrats to everyone for getting through this beast, regardless of the outcome!

 

[Doodl3s]

Sv3 will get on my butt again lol... but...

I will agree with both people that the MCAT is both absurd and unpredictable. my verbal average was like 9... and like i said, i really had ZERO hours of sleep. My finger was literally hanging over the VOID button!!!

obviously i'm glad i didnt void. but even on a full nights sleep, i wasn't expecting what i got.

 

[LupeFiasco]

Yeah I would agree with the last 2 posts about the curve.

I guessed on about 5 questions in Physical Sciences and ended up getting a 10 (I'm sure I made more mistakes but these were the ones I had no clue). By talking to other people and reading this thread, I'm assuming that the Physical Sciences Curve was generous.

Also, I have a feeling that the Verbal Reasoning curve was generous as well.

However, the Biological Sciences curve must have been pretty harsh, I felt like I got perfect on that one, but I got an 11.

I did not feel good after the MCAT and was planning a re-write.

PS. I used Exam Crackers and Princeton for Verbal and I just used Princeton for everything else.

 

[drusillaaw]

for the PS, did anyone get that last physics passage on some peice of wood going up an inclined plane?? lol i almost ran out of time, and i didnt have time to read the passage, so i basically tried the questions w/o reading the passages. I could answer all of em except one.

I got this passage...I read it first and remember thinking during the questions that the passage was pretty unnecessary. Definitely good luck on your part!

Yeah Lupe, I'd agree the VR curve was prob decent, not that it matters at this point. I was shocked when I saw my score - I got a 14 on this section and I do not think it's possible I only missed 1-2 qs. I remember staring at the Irish psg thinking WTF??? is this. (it was the first one I got, while I was still trying to forget a silly PS error I couldn't change before the clock hit 0). I know I'm not alone on the Irish psg, maybe it was expt? I didn't have the oil painting one though.

sv3, you might be pleasantly surprised! But who knows with this test.

 

[sv3]

I got this passage...I read it first and remember thinking during the questions that the passage was pretty unnecessary. Definitely good luck on your part!

Yeah Lupe, I'd agree the VR curve was prob decent, not that it matters at this point. I was shocked when I saw my score - I got a 14 on this section and I do not think it's possible I only missed 1-2 qs. I remember staring at the Irish psg thinking WTF??? is this. (it was the first one I got, while I was still trying to forget a silly PS error I couldn't change before the clock hit 0). I know I'm not alone on the Irish psg, maybe it was expt? I didn't have the oil painting one though.

sv3, you might be pleasantly surprised! But who knows with this test.

dude 14 is crazy! That VR section was killer. I had both the painting and irish passages. It killed me that the politics one (election systems) was last and i had to guess on 4 questions blindly - it was an easy passage

havent looked yet. Applications in Canada are due in 19 hrs so working on tht. I wish i had gotten so discouraged during the test. Thts what hurt me. Forget my perspective and let it fall. anyway, back to this app crap

PS ( i spent 11 minutes on that irish passage, that whole thing best not be experiemental. it would be dumb to have entire passages thrown out - really messed with timing and stuff)

 

[OrangeOrangutan]

for me VR, i felt confident, but in the end, didnt do too well on it. my killer passage was one on dressing and laws governign it...i had no clue what was going on in there.

 

[CP3]

Hey CP3,

I have a couple friends who are in the same position as you and I am going to give you the same advice that I gave them. Sign for a date in late July and after you've done that MCAT, sign up for one in September. This way you get to study 3 months for your first attempt. However, right after you finish your July MCAT, you're going to have to keep studying just in case. This way, even though you didn't do well on the July MCAT (hypotheically) then you will definitely do better on the September one.

In my opinion you should NOT write the MCAT 3 times in one summer, because unless anxiety is a serious factor, something is wrong with the way you are studying and you need to step away from the material and reflect on what you are doing wrong.

You should be fine though. Make sure you do diagnostics (although the real MCAT is harder than the AAMC one). The diagnostics give you a good feel as to how prepared you are.

Hope this helps.

This more than helps. Thanks a lot. You've instilled some ounce of confidence for next year. Doing it too early will be hazardous considering that I'd only really be able to study a lot after the school year is fully complete.

again thanks a lot.

 

[LupeFiasco]

This more than helps. Thanks a lot. You've instilled some ounce of confidence for next year. Doing it too early will be hazardous considering that I'd only really be able to study a lot after the school year is fully complete.

again thanks a lot.

Hey CP3,

No worries. Ask any more questions if you need more advice.

I'm not sure what your score was specifically but i know for me, doing Verbal was not easy. I think a bit of luck was involved with my score of 10 because I only got more than a 9 once during practice.

So if Verbal is not your strong suit, I would advise you to read the Exam Krackers method of extracting the main point and recognizing the authors tone and/ or his view point. Once you've done that, read the Economist or magazine like it and think about each article after you've read it.

If you start doing this now, Verbal will be a breeze for you. I know I wish I did that, but I'm perfectly fine with a 10.

- Lupe

 

[Doodl3s]

Making one last past in this thread until, like all others it gets buried. Now that most of us have taken and received our scores...

I will always remember 8/25 as one of the worst days... I never slept... I was stressed. I did have fun that night though lol... But, in hindsight I know it was actually a great day.

I did NOT expect my score, i had my finger over void. I chalk alot of my good score up to luck to be honest. ESPECIALLY on verbal. I'll still stick around the MCAT forum to answer questions, but, I'm glad this chapter of my life is done. (time to burn all my materials... or sell them for cash lol)

 

[LupeFiasco]

Making one last past in this thread until, like all others it gets buried. Now that most of us have taken and received our scores...

I will always remember 8/25 as one of the worst days... I never slept... I was stressed. I did have fun that night though lol... But, in hindsight I know it was actually a great day.

I did NOT expect my score, i had my finger over void. I chalk alot of my good score up to luck to be honest. ESPECIALLY on verbal. I'll still stick around the MCAT forum to answer questions, but, I'm glad this chapter of my life is done. (time to burn all my materials... or sell them for cash lol)

 

[Forbes]

to make some people feel better... Verbal:7 PS: 9 BS: 9

My avg for PS was a 10, avg for Bio was a 12, (took a bunch of aamcs, NEVER GOT BELOW 11, HIGH was 13)

Verbal I was doing poorly in, so Im not surprised...

I felt very confident with BIO, and I basically guessed on A LOT of PS..... this exam is absurd.

Ugh I felt the same way. I was acing Kaplan's and AAMC's but when I took the test my scores fell way lower than excpected!

AAMC Avg = 34 Kaplan = 36

I never got lower than an 11 in bio and phys and I was not particularly good with verbal averaging a 10.5 which was not too good.

I got 11 PS (yay!) 9 VR (boo) 10 BS (ok) so 30P. I am very unhappy with my score, I feel like I studied hard! I took all of the AAMC's in test like conditions. I did all of EK 101 VR, and used their books on top of Kaplans! I dunno WTF happened. I'm pretty sure I can get into a school in my state but I wanted to have like a 32 so my chances were good. I don't know If I am going to retake since I prepped hard, I don't know what else I could do!

 

[mensamuse]

got a 36 and thrilled!
ps: 10 vr: 12 and bs:14
not terribly balanced but i dont really care!! yay!!
never got above a 12 in bio in the practice exams, but usually got an 11 on ps on practice exams. my vs scores on practiced tests ranged from 11 to 15 so the 12 is just fine.
Happiness!!
Congratulations to everyone who is happy with their score and everyone who isn't- if at first you don't succeed try, try again!