The Official 3/23/13 MCAT Thread

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Redpancreas

Redpancreas

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Figured I'd start this one out. I'll be registering for the MCAT first thing tomorrow. Who else is taking it on this date? How do you all plan on studying over the school year?
 
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Thanks a lot for your opinions guys...this is the best support thread ever! Lol Hope we do better on the mcat than the february and January groups...a little competition never hurt 🙂

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yea we do! Gotta 6/7 on one of my practice passages! Things are looking up! Thanks again for that thread NED

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Hey guys, I was just wondering if anyone here is using EK Bio or TBR Bio for content review? I just wanted to gauge if there were any pros or cons to using either. I'm taking the test a month after you guys, but I've heard pros and cons for both, and I've only taken Cell Bio/Genetics (albeit recently).
 
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I've taken those two plus physiology, and I'm using both EK Bio and TBR Bio. EK seems better for content to me simply because TBR is way too detailed on some things, though you could get through it for content if you had to. TBR Bio has lots of practice passages though... If money isn't an issue I'd get both, though it might take a while to get your TBR books.


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gettheleadout said:
I've taken those two plus physiology, and I'm using both EK Bio and TBR Bio. EK seems better for content to me simply because TBR is way too detailed on some things, though you could get through it for content if you had to. TBR Bio has lots of practice passages though... If money isn't an issue I'd get both, though it might take a while to get your TBR books.


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Ah, I see. I actually have both on the way. I was planning on using TBR Bio for passages and EK for content as suggested, but I've been assuming that I'd probably need a stronger content review for Anatomy and Physiology than what EK provides....

Oh also, are the corresponding TBR passages to EK chapters correct for the 2012 version in the Sn2ed version? I ask because I believe the thread is from 2010...
 
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clothcut said:
Ah, I see. I actually have both on the way. I was planning on using TBR Bio for passages and EK for content as suggested, but I've been assuming that I'd probably need a stronger content review for Anatomy and Physiology than what EK provides....

Oh also, are the corresponding TBR passages to EK chapters correct for the 2012 version in the Sn2ed version? I ask because I believe the thread is from 2010...
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In that case do what I'm doing and skim each TBR chapter as you go through the corresponding EK chapter and extract whatever info you find useful from TBR. As far as I've seen so far the passages listed are still correctly corresponding.


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Hi gettheleadout,

I saw on your MDapp site that you're using the EK 1001 Biology book. Any thoughts on it?

Thank you,
DT93
 
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I thought the equillibrium chapter was super easy (I got like 90% on the passages, and finished most under 7mins), but I'm getting mostly 4/7 on verbal. It makes me lose confidence to know that I can read something and have no idea what I just read. Any tips for increasing your verbal score?
 
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sworzeh said:
I thought the equillibrium chapter was super easy (I got like 90% on the passages, and finished most under 7mins), but I'm getting mostly 4/7 on verbal. It makes me lose confidence to know that I can read something and have no idea what I just read. Any tips for increasing your verbal score?
Click to expand...


I feel your pain 🙁 maybe it just takes time for our brain to get used to it? I hope i start seeing improvements soon :/
 
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balla121 said:
I feel your pain 🙁 maybe it just takes time for our brain to get used to it? I hope i start seeing improvements soon :/
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My problem most likely lies in that I do not read in my spare time, and I rarely read anything to its entirety; I skim by nature.
 
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sworzeh said:
My problem most likely lies in that I do not read in my spare time, and I rarely read anything to its entirety; I skim by nature.
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I feel your pain. I picked up economist/new yorker, 1984, and the republic to help with reading. Hope it pays off. I'm right there with you on 4/7 and 5/7. But I always see people on sdn say they start around a 6 or 7 but eventually hit 11 or 12 after some practice. Hope that happens to me 👍
 
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DieTrying93 said:
Hi gettheleadout,

I saw on your MDapp site that you're using the EK 1001 Biology book. Any thoughts on it?

Thank you,
DT93
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No thoughts on it yet. Though I do have it, I haven't started using it yet. I plan to implement it into my study schedule soon, so I'll post some feedback on it when I do.


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balla121 said:
I feel your pain. I picked up economist/new yorker, 1984, and the republic to help with reading. Hope it pays off. I'm right there with you on 4/7 and 5/7. But I always see people on sdn say they start around a 6 or 7 but eventually hit 11 or 12 after some practice. Hope that happens to me 👍
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Just be persistent and do lots of passages and review them thoroughly!

Going to get out the scooby snacks, it is a late night for me.
 
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gettheleadout said:
No thoughts on it yet. Though I do have it, I haven't started using it yet. I plan to implement it into my study schedule soon, so I'll post some feedback on it when I do.


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EK1001 Bio is a waste of time. I spent a good week completing it during last summer and it didn't resemble my MCAT BS at all.
 
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gettheleadout said:
So everyone says, but I don't intend to use it as a source of legit practice passages so much as a way to check for content deficiencies.
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Yea they are good for content review but it definitely tests on more detail than what is expected for MCAT, as you will see.
 
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osprey099 said:
Yea they are good for content review but it definitely tests on more detail than what is expected for MCAT, as you will see.
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That's fine by me! As my boy Chamillionaire says, "don't just be ready be overprepared." I've also got TBR Bio Passages and have just purchased the TPRH Science Workbook as well for realistic passage practice. 🙂
 
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gettheleadout said:
That's fine by me! As my boy Chamillionaire says, "don't just be ready be overprepared." I've also got TBR Bio Passages and have just purchased the TPRH Science Workbook as well for realistic passage practice. 🙂
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That book is huge! I got it too. Don't know how to use it really. Do you all think that actually doing a.bunch of passages and going over them is more important than content review????

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Jr MD said:
That book is huge! I got it too. Don't know how to use it really. Do you all think that actually doing a.bunch of passages and going over them is more important than content review????

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I think it will be provided you've finished content review lol. What I mean is that you need to have the requisite knowledge, but unless you build the skill to effectively apply that knowledge you won't be a good position to score well. That said if you don't have the knowledge to apply in the first place...
 
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gettheleadout said:
I think it will be provided you've finished content review lol. What I mean is that you need to have the requisite knowledge, but unless you build the skill to effectively apply that knowledge you won't be a good position to score well. That said if you don't have the knowledge to apply in the first place...
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guys I have that book also!! haha... maybe we can compare our scores for the workbook?
 
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gettheleadout said:
I think it will be provided you've finished content review lol. What I mean is that you need to have the requisite knowledge, but unless you build the skill to effectively apply that knowledge you won't be a good position to score well. That said if you don't have the knowledge to apply in the first place...
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Good point. So how are you going to use it??

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UGHHHH ive done about 40 passages from TPRH and EK...some passages I win..some I lose...its demoralizing man...🙁
 
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gettheleadout said:
Well I'm not doing the phases or whatever they're called, those recommended divisions of the passages. I'm just taking every third.


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Same here!

Hey does anyone have any good way to shorten each "block". By block I mean chapter I have to read+questions. Have any of you found success by just reviewing the parts of the chapters you didn't know instead of reading everything. I'm referring to TBR btw.
 
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SuperDhooper19 said:
Same here!

Hey does anyone have any good way to shorten each "block". By block I mean chapter I have to read+questions. Have any of you found success by just reviewing the parts of the chapters you didn't know instead of reading everything. I'm referring to TBR btw.
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I'm sure you could, but I'm not taking any chances.
 
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kimicurtis said:
'interface' what do you mean specifically?
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the webpage looks different, the syllabus is a little different, the "additional resources" is organized different than before. this confused me. the topical tests, section tests, and subject tests are all in different places.

I *think* before at the end of a section like "biology 1" or "chemistry 1" they would have section tests as part of the work, now they are just separate and not listed, to be found in the "additional resources" tab. the topical tests are still there though at the end of each section in "review" but I *think* (not sure) that not ALL of the topical tests are there, just what they presumably think is more important.

I *think* the section tests are similar to TBR passages in terms of difficulty and quality but this is from memory of the pats summer. I havent taken another kaplan test, sectional, topical or subject yet to be sure. Mainly because I'm going in a weird order from pretty much any given schedule or syllabus. Once I finish a kaplan section i'll take the tests associated with that. For example, kaplan groups nuclear chemistry with physics, which I think is because that is how the AAMC outline does it. but pretty much everyone else groups it with chemistry presumably because everyone learns it in chem class, not physics class. My intent was not to learn nuclear chem until later but because TBR has it in chap 1, I sort of learned it. Nuclear Chem, etc are in Physics module 3 of kaplan.

Hmmm hope this explanation wasn't confusing :laugh:
 
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