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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Jr MD said:
Very true..I think my post game review is lacking then. What do you do for your review? Do you chart anything? Thanks GTLO

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Dark Ace said:
I would like the answer to this one too 👍
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When I review passages I skim the passage again, as much as needed to understand/remember what's going on, and then answer each question again in my head. I check my new answers with my previously recorded answers as I go in an attempt to predict what I will have gotten right or wrong (if I come to new answer more justifiable in my mind than my previous answer, I predict that I will have missed that question; this is just a mental exercise). I then check the answers and read the explanations for questions I got wrong, making short annotations alongside the X mark on my answer sheet.

By "chart" I assume you mean track my progress with material? No, as of right now I don't have statistics being updated on my number correct or incorrect per section or anything.
 
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timeturner said:
In the same predicament! Except for I lack serious self control...spent the last two days with boyfriend doing absolutely nothing....I feel pretty guilty but then it's hard to study when I'm unhappy too!

What a terrible situation
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Dportorreal said:
Doesnt matter how many years, if she really loves you she will stand by your side. Headaches and all. You're not out in the street you're trying to become a doctor. She should be more understanding. This is coming from a females point of view in a 3yr relationship as well. GL!
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sworzeh said:
Ugh I totally know what you're feeling. I've resolved just to get less sleep so that she doesn't feel like I'm ditching her 🙁 I fall behind a lot though, but I always manage to catch up.
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Thanks for the support guys. 🙂 I'm glad I'm not the only one in this situation. It's not so much that I don't expect her to be supportive as it is that I don't want her to be unhappy.
 
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NuttyEngDude said:
well, classes have started and now i'm behind 😛

today will be a long day but trying to catch back up.
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I hear that. First day back was yesterday. Biochemistry 2 is going to be much more time consuming than the first. Add to that work, volunteering, planning a wedding, and my fiancee nagging me to finish our home improvement project leaves me a touch busy.
 
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Captain Sisko said:
I hear that. First day back was yesterday. Biochemistry 2 is going to be much more time consuming than the first. Add to that work, volunteering, planning a wedding, and my fiancee nagging me to finish our home improvement project leaves me a touch busy.
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hang in there Ned and captain ..ill join you guys come Monday :/

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gettheleadout said:
See yesterday's Fact here

Today's fact concerns the endocrine system!

The posterior pituitary gland secretes the hormones oxytocin and vasopressin (anti-diuretic hormone or ADH), but does not synthesize them. Unlike the hormones secreted by the anterior pituitary, oxytocin and vasopressin are synthesized outside the pituitary gland, in the hypothalamus.
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Interesting. Nice find GTLO 👍

To add to this, the Hypothalamus also regulates the anterior pituitary via the hypothalamic-hypophysial portal by secreting inhibiting and releasing factors, and also regulates body temperature and appetite.
 
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Captain Sisko said:
I hear that. First day back was yesterday. Biochemistry 2 is going to be much more time consuming than the first. Add to that work, volunteering, planning a wedding, and my fiancee nagging me to finish our home improvement project leaves me a touch busy.
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taking biochem 2 as well :laugh: 👎 👎
 
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I feel like I have no energy for anything. I have to do MCAT, classes, clinical volunteer work, research, not to mention the fact that I am the president of a big organization on campus. I can't fit time to eat or work out, so I literally eat during class!

How do you guys find the energy for everything? How do you not feel overwhelmed?
 
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Jr MD said:
hang in there Ned and captain ..ill join you guys come Monday :/

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Captain Sisko said:
I hear that. First day back was yesterday. Biochemistry 2 is going to be much more time consuming than the first. Add to that work, volunteering, planning a wedding, and my fiancee nagging me to finish our home improvement project leaves me a touch busy.
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Thanks guys.............. 😀

EphemeralRose3 said:
I feel like I have no energy for anything. I have to do MCAT, classes, clinical volunteer work, research, not to mention the fact that I am the president of a big organization on campus. I can't fit time to eat or work out, so I literally eat during class!

How do you guys find the energy for everything? How do you not feel overwhelmed?
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schedule schedule schedule schedule and prioritize. i was in a similar situation, i would eat a sandwich on the walk to class. if motivation and being continually pumped is too exhausting, then at some point you might have to make the call to just pare back something. good luck it's only for a few months if anything.
 
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Entadus said:
Interesting. Nice find GTLO 👍

To add to this, the Hypothalamus also regulates the anterior pituitary via the hypothalamic-hypophysial portal by secreting inhibiting and releasing factors, and also regulates body temperature and appetite.
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I'm glad you guys are liking these! I could keep them to myself and just review things I know but that doesn't help anyone else, so I want you guys to be able to get something out of these.

I've already got the next couple planned. 😎
 
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Only done Section 1 of TBR for Physics, Gen Chem and Organic and did a few passages and chad's videos for all of them, looks like I', going to spend the next 60 days or so doing a chapter a day plus passages and then review using Chad's videos, I can not delay this test 😕
 
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See yesterday's Fact here

Today's fact concerns prokaryotes!

The prokaryote nucleoid is also called the chromatin body, but this is misleading, because prokaryotes do not have chromatin.

Prokaryote DNA is packaged with non-histone proteins, forming a structure distinct from chromatin called the genophore.
 
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whoknows87 said:
Only done Section 1 of TBR for Physics, Gen Chem and Organic and did a few passages and chad's videos for all of them, looks like I', going to spend the next 60 days or so doing a chapter a day plus passages and then review using Chad's videos, I can not delay this test 😕
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How are Chads videos?

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I honestly love them , I have no choice but to prepare using TBR books, but they are so dense and filled up with a lot of details that I think wont be tested on the MCAT ( might be naive for me to say that, but the consensus is that TBR is DENSE), I do however read the whole chapter make flash cards as I read/study,, go over them once the chapter is finished, then DO chad's videos then do 3-4 passages in TBR, there are also quizzes that go along with some chad's videos, I also have the 1001 series but I don't think I will touch those books
 
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when do you guys think is a good time to start doing FLs? Has anyone started taking them yet? My q is geared more towards those who are taking full-time courses this semester and studyin forr this mcat.

Also, I'm a retaker (for those who didn't read my last few posts) and I'm thinking of starting one this weekend although I haven't reviewed "all" content (I've really just focused on my weak areas). Starting w/TPR and/or Kaplan FLs. I'm not exactly sure how ready I am for a FL practice, so yeah...
 
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EphemeralRose3 said:
I feel like I have no energy for anything. I have to do MCAT, classes, clinical volunteer work, research, not to mention the fact that I am the president of a big organization on campus. I can't fit time to eat or work out, so I literally eat during class!

How do you guys find the energy for everything? How do you not feel overwhelmed?
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I definitely empathize with you. I have 17 credits (biostats, physics 2, ecology, cultural anthropology, swimming), 15 hours a week research, and about 2 office hours. I am the president of an org on campus. I am also the member of a medical fraternity (that does alot). I started class on the 7th and have literally skipped half my classes this week. I'm not really worried as first week isn't that intense (...except physics...and biostats).

I will have to be doing alot on the weekend. I also go to my bed around 11pm and wake up at 6am just to get like an 1 1/2 study time in the morning. I probably will catch another 2 hours in the days. Then I have my weekend hours.

Also a good friend of mine in med school coached me into drinking coffee in the mornings. That helps perk me up.

Pace yourself, you can do it. Make sure you are doing your work but still find time to occasionally hang with friends.

Oh, and I will be going to all my classes next week lol.
 
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Jr MD said:
How are Chads videos?

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I like them. I havent seen them all but he is very good. especially for gen chem.


Dark Ace said:
Anyone know if aside from AAMC 3, there any other free FLs out there?
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Entadus said:
Princeton Review has a free one
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as Entadus wrote, TPR and kaplan each has one (kaplan maybe you have to go to their facility to take it) but only AAMC3 is free among the AAMC's.
 
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argama said:
when do you guys think is a good time to start doing FLs? Has anyone started taking them yet? My q is geared more towards those who are taking full-time courses this semester and studyin forr this mcat.

Also, I'm a retaker (for those who didn't read my last few posts) and I'm thinking of starting one this weekend although I haven't reviewed "all" content (I've really just focused on my weak areas). Starting w/TPR and/or Kaplan FLs. I'm not exactly sure how ready I am for a FL practice, so yeah...
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this is how i am doing it:
1. finish content review
2. work some extra problems like the 1001 ek series, kaplan, etc
3. do the self assessment from aamc
4. do FL's while doing last 1/3 of TBR problems
 
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argama said:
when do you guys think is a good time to start doing FLs? Has anyone started taking them yet? My q is geared more towards those who are taking full-time courses this semester and studyin forr this mcat.

Also, I'm a retaker (for those who didn't read my last few posts) and I'm thinking of starting one this weekend although I haven't reviewed "all" content (I've really just focused on my weak areas). Starting w/TPR and/or Kaplan FLs. I'm not exactly sure how ready I am for a FL practice, so yeah...
Click to expand...


I'm also a retaker, but my situation may be different than yours. I didn't really take the test seriously the first time and didn't even thoroughly go over the exams after I took them. I think i was still finishing up content review a month before the exam. My plan is to follow SN2ed's schedule and take all the FL's after content review is finished while doing the last 1/3 of BR passages. I hope to also squeeze in the self-assessment in there. I dont want to miss questions based on content review and have it really be something I missed while studying so that's why I choose to do content review completely before taking any FL.
 
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so my immune system decided to fail me and i got really sick. Now i'm a week behind in my study schedule. goodbye break days until I catch up. I really wish I wasn't so anal and didn't try to outline each chapter because BR chapter 6 is a long chapter =/
 
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Albein said:
so my immune system decided to fail me and i got really sick. Now i'm a week behind in my study schedule. goodbye break days until I catch up. I really wish I wasn't so anal and didn't try to outline each chapter because BR chapter 6 is a long chapter =/
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Study the immune system! Haha hope you feel better. Get those lymphocytes going bro!
 
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gettheleadout said:
Study the immune system! Haha hope you feel better. Get those lymphocytes going bro!
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Haha thanks. I finished the immune system. Ironically enough, that's my favorite topic along with endocrinology even though those passages threw me for a loop.
 
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Just bombed another passage... 🙁 soooo demoralizing guys...

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NuttyEngDude said:
what? what was #1 and #2... oh man i'm so dead for htis test 😛

how far are you GTLO? my goal is still to finish up chem and phys by monday morning.......
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Doing Section V - Periodic Motion and Waves in TBR Physics right now, finished half of organic and the first four chapters of EK Bio, and I've got Buffers and Titrations in TBR Gen Chem tomorrow, then I'll be half done with that.
 
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Its A guys...at least ill get this question right 🙁 ..I'm losing this verbal battle :/

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thanks man! Im still grindin it out!! By march Ill be ready and ill look back at these posts and see how miserable i was lol

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See yesterday's Fact here

Today's fact concerns spectroscopy!

There are two "dead giveaway" 1H-NMR peak combos that should be recognized:

A septet and doublet in a 6 : 1 ratio denotes an isolated isopropyl group.

and

A triplet and quartet in a 3 : 2 ratio denotes an isolated ethyl group.
 
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EphemeralRose3 said:
I feel like I have no energy for anything. I have to do MCAT, classes, clinical volunteer work, research, not to mention the fact that I am the president of a big organization on campus. I can't fit time to eat or work out, so I literally eat during class!

How do you guys find the energy for everything? How do you not feel overwhelmed?
Click to expand...

Poor baby 🙁

whoknows87 said:
Only done Section 1 of TBR for Physics, Gen Chem and Organic and did a few passages and chad's videos for all of them, looks like I', going to spend the next 60 days or so doing a chapter a day plus passages and then review using Chad's videos, I can not delay this test 😕
Click to expand...

Yeah you can delay



Soooooo...... is anybody thinking of postponing the test?????
​
 
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Soooo guys...I've been snooping around other offivial mcat date threads and i saw that one guy said that he would just use the Berkeley review for passages strictly and not read them. Instead, he would just read EK and supplement them with other things like Chads videos and such. This is due to the massive extra info the Berkeley review presents...idk i like the BR books...i think they're funny at times lol...but he is right about the info...for instance, the metabolic pathways chapter is EXTREMELY DETAILED lol ....any who...what are y'alls opinions so far???

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Jr MD said:
Soooo guys...I've been snooping around other offivial mcat date threads and i saw that one guy said that he would just use the Berkeley review for passages strictly and not read them. Instead, he would just read EK and supplement them with other things like Chads videos and such. This is due to the massive extra info the Berkeley review presents...idk i like the BR books...i think they're funny at times lol...but he is right about the info...for instance, the metabolic pathways chapter is EXTREMELY DETAILED lol ....any who...what are y'alls opinions so far???

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I thought this was one pathway that sn2ed recommends, at least for biology- to use either ek or tpr to review and then tbr for passages.

For other stuff like gen chem and physics, imo, TBR review is great.
 
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Jr MD said:
Soooo guys...I've been snooping around other offivial mcat date threads and i saw that one guy said that he would just use the Berkeley review for passages strictly and not read them....[snip]...what are y'alls opinions so far???
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it's the passages that are most important, so long as you get exposure to these, the stuff before it doesnt matter. I still read everything i get my hands on including TBR. This is also why my content review takes slower than most.... so long as I/you keep on the schedule it doesnt matter. The point is to learn the material any way you can.

kgpremed11 said:
Soooooo...... is anybody thinking of postponing the test?????
​
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Captain Sisko said:
10 weeks and we'll be just about starting our PS!!! (east coasters, anyway)
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Yep, as of today we have 70 days until the test. Do not postpone until at least you have finished content review AND tried at least one practice test. Some people are just smart/lucky and can get a good score right off the bat. Assess yourself and make an informed decision. I'd wait until two weeks before the test to postpone (i think that is the deadline). Until then, keep going forward as if you are not postponing, push yourself HARD.

I'd work on the personal statement as a break, knowing you have a long time to get it done. Unless you find that stressful then dont lol.
 
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Well said NED...thanks for your opinion

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do you guys think aamc will release any more aamc practice fl's? i wanted to make sure before i decided to buy some...
 
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