The Official 3/23/13 MCAT Thread

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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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Trayshawn said:
damn dude. amazing scores.
did you take these practice tests the first time around?
Im kinda in your shoes. Took the test already, did reasonably well, but know I can do much better. But I'm worried about score inflation with the AAMCs since I took them all already. Its been like atleast 7 months since I've seen one, but still.
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Albein said:
so im officially looking to postpone my test for the 4th of April. Checking every day and hoping someone in either Brooklyn or Manhattan cancels or reschedules. I am finishing up content review tomorrow and don't know how comfortable I am with a little more than 30 days for practice tests and reviewing them thoroughly. Good job on the scores Entadus! Keep it up.
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Thanks guys. The only AAMC I took previously was #3, so the rest of them are new for me.

I hope you figure out exactly when/where you're taking the exam, Albein. Whatever the case, keep your head up 🙂
 
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Jr MD said:
Hey guys. So I understand that my problem is mainly doing calculation problems. Any question with mathematical answer choices kill me. :/ Anybody got any tips for that??
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I had this problem but just did more practice. if you have kaplan they have a "math refresher" which was not in my original course and seems to be new.
 
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carboxylase said:
Don't quit yet. At least take a practice test or two to see where you stand.
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Entadus said:
Thanks guys. The only AAMC I took previously was #3, so the rest of them are new for me.

I hope you figure out exactly when/where you're taking the exam, Albein. Whatever the case, keep your head up 🙂
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the plan is to take some practice tests because unfortunately, i can't find an open slot for the april date. im going to take a BR practice test this week and see what happens.

as of now, im still set for 3/23, but ideally, id take it the 4th. i dont feel comfortable with content done early on and optics has been by nemesis high school physics.
 
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janutt345 said:
Is there a price difference between just cancelling my current 3/23 test and then signing up for a 4/27 date some time in the future (I would do this only if there are no 4/27 dates available currently) and changing my test date from 3/23 to 4/27 (which I would do only if there currently are openings for 4/27)?
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I looked it up and max refund is $135 (so you are out $90). Also, I was wrong about the $70, the cost to change date/location is $90 as well.

Thing is, you don't want to put yourself in either of two positions:
1) Taking the test not prepared very well (possibly 3/23)
2) Preparing very well but not having a seat

So make a decision ASAP and stick with it. You don't want to wait another week to see if you can push yourself to make 3/23, decide to postpone and risk not getting a seat until later in the summer.

If it were me (and I'm facing a similar circumstance, signing up for 5/11 but hoping to take 4/27), I'd sign up for 4/27 now if you can.. and if you can't, I'd sign up for the next available test date at your preferred location so you guarantee yourself a shot at the MCAT in a reasonable time frame. You are either out another $90 but get to take the test 4/27 or have an extra few weeks to study and take it later. Not worth the risk of having to take the test in another state/area because it was the closest available and being uncomfortable or risk not being able to take the test at all.

Where do you live? I know California especially rarely has openings.
 
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Jr MD said:
More practice like how NED?
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my problem was stupid. remember i'm a non trad and having come back to school and allowed to use a calculator extensively, it really was a long time before i did any "real" math. so my mistakes were simple like dividing fractions, multiplying, sin/cos values, scientific notation. I just sat down and did every chem and physics problem i was exposed to. It went away with time. This probably doesn't help you, but that's what I did.

Not sure what exactly you're having problems with, but if it's just straight up math then do some 1001 physics problems or physics problems in general. It will exercise those math muscles indirectly. If it's logs and such then work all the acid/base problems. if it's scientific notation, do a lot of the solubility product problems with some magnetism problems sprinkled in. That should do it.

If it's stuff like dimensional analysis and stoichiometry, just do the first chapter or two of your gen chem textbook. If it's vectors, same do the first chapter or two of your gen physics book.
 
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Jepstein30 said:
I looked it up and max refund is $135 (so you are out $90). Also, I was wrong about the $70, the cost to change date/location is $90 as well.

Thing is, you don't want to put yourself in either of two positions:
1) Taking the test not prepared very well (possibly 3/23)
2) Preparing very well but not having a seat

So make a decision ASAP and stick with it. You don't want to wait another week to see if you can push yourself to make 3/23, decide to postpone and risk not getting a seat until later in the summer.

If it were me (and I'm facing a similar circumstance, signing up for 5/11 but hoping to take 4/27), I'd sign up for 4/27 now if you can.. and if you can't, I'd sign up for the next available test date at your preferred location so you guarantee yourself a shot at the MCAT in a reasonable time frame. You are either out another $90 but get to take the test 4/27 or have an extra few weeks to study and take it later. Not worth the risk of having to take the test in another state/area because it was the closest available and being uncomfortable or risk not being able to take the test at all.

Where do you live? I know California especially rarely has openings.
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Indiana. So are you saying that if I wait too long, there's a good chance I might not even get a 4/27 seat anywhere? (I don't care if I have to go out of the country, I just want a seat for 4/27 should I choose to delay, but will only have a better idea of whether I should delay in about 2 weeks)

Or are the chances of getting a 4/27 anywhere (preferably in the U.S.) good if I start looking every day from let's say beginning of March until 4/27?
 
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janutt345 said:
Indiana. So are you saying that if I wait too long, there's a good chance I might not even get a 4/27 seat anywhere? (I don't care if I have to go out of the country, I just want a seat for 4/27 should I choose to delay, but will only have a better idea of whether I should delay in about 2 weeks)

Or are the chances of getting a 4/27 anywhere (preferably in the U.S.) good if I start looking every day from let's say beginning of March until 4/27?
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No clue about chances but probably fairly decent.. but ask yourself if its worth the risk. I'm sure there will be a seat open somewhere.. but if you're going to have to travel hundreds of miles potentially, it's going to mess with you test day.

You should be fine if you check everyday starting from March but if it's me, I'd try to make a decision asap so you don't end up screwing yourself.
 
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My verbal just isn't getting better :/ I did 4 PR passages today and only managed 16/24. Does anyone have any tips?
 
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Albein said:
My verbal just isn't getting better :/ I did 4 PR passages today and only managed 16/24. Does anyone have any tips?
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i find relaxing and playing my own game helps my verbal a lot. you can't be afraid, just do your thing. i think the mental aspect of it raised my practices at least a couple points.
 
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Todays plan: Practice more section tests and review with verbal

I took a TBR course in summer which was a great program, and I remembered they gave out additional practice tests for ochem, gchem, and physical sciences. They're brutal but great practice. I've done all the g-chem and ochem and I've scored 10's on them.

Also I think it's time to start the verbal self-assessment, 2-3 passages per day. Let's do this!
 
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Albein said:
My verbal just isn't getting better :/ I did 4 PR passages today and only managed 16/24. Does anyone have any tips?
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I feel TPRH are easier than EK because they rely heavily on understanding the passage. What I like to do is read the first paragraph and analyze what's going on. I use a method of the "W questions". Who, what, when, why, and where. Understand who the author is, whether it's a historian or poet or bored college student, what is he/she talking about (main idea), when is this going on or does it matter (feudal japan, WW2, depression era), why is this important (to teach you, to explain a problem in society), and where is the location.

Usually the where and when are the least important but its good to understand them if provided. Treat each passage as a message of understanding. This person is TEACHING you something, whether it's that the dinosaur's went extinct because of the ice age or not, how to properly finish your wood design, or that Nietzsche is the best philosopher ever. Appreciate what they're trying to convey and try to spend time after each passage mentally explaining what you just read.

After doing 2-3 passages per day of the TPR VW I got 53/60 on test #3 through this method.
 
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PlasmodiumVivax said:
I feel TPRH are easier than EK because they rely heavily on understanding the passage. What I like to do is read the first paragraph and analyze what's going on. I use a method of the "W questions". Who, what, when, why, and where. Understand who the author is, whether it's a historian or poet or bored college student, what is he/she talking about (main idea), when is this going on or does it matter (feudal japan, WW2, depression era), why is this important (to teach you, to explain a problem in society), and where is the location.

Usually the where and when are the least important but its good to understand them if provided. Treat each passage as a message of understanding. This person is TEACHING you something, whether it's that the dinosaur's went extinct because of the ice age or not, how to properly finish your wood design, or that Nietzsche is the best philosopher ever. Appreciate what they're trying to convey and try to spend time after each passage mentally explaining what you just read.

After doing 2-3 passages per day of the TPR VW I got 53/60 on test #3 through this method.
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Who what where when...i like it!

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Captain Sisko said:
i find relaxing and playing my own game helps my verbal a lot. you can't be afraid, just do your thing. i think the mental aspect of it raised my practices at least a couple points.
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agree with this and with what PlasmodiumVivax wrote. approach it like you're an impatient SOB with no time and you want to know what the gist of it is. when reading the passage take the attitude of "GET TO THE POINT WILL YOU?"

I know this type of advice sounds so vague and pie in the sky, but it will come.

I think I have enough materials to do a whole verbal section from here until test day, so I will be hitting verbal pretty hard on a daily basis.
 
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NuttyEngDude said:
agree with this and with what PlasmodiumVivax wrote. approach it like you're an impatient SOB with no time and you want to know what the gist of it is. when reading the passage take the attitude of "GET TO THE POINT WILL YOU?"

I know this type of advice sounds so vague and pie in the sky, but it will come.

I think I have enough materials to do a whole verbal section from here until test day, so I will be hitting verbal pretty hard on a daily basis.
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Good insight, Nutty. Also, people get so focused on some kind of imaginary "7 minute rule". I don't really know where this came from, since 7 passages in 60 minutes averages to more than 8:30 per passage. Besides, some of the passages will take less time and some will take more. The hardest passage on the exam (or the one with the most questions, the longest passage, etc) will surely take you more than 9 minutes!

Relax and read like you CARE about whatever the heck the author is writing about. Figure out why the AUTHOR CARES.
 
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So entadus while you were practicing verbal you didn't do verbal passages with time limits? If you did how long did you take?

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Jr MD said:
So entadus while you were practicing verbal you didn't do verbal passages with time limits? If you did how long did you take?

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I don't really use time limits, no. I mean, I try and keep up a good pace obviously.... but if I can't answer the questions correctly anyway, what's the point of going quickly?

I find that if I spend 12 minutes on a nasty-difficult passage, but stay focused and avoid getting panicky or losing my cool, and then get all the questions right.... that is a huge confidence booster and good preparation for the real deal. On test day, I will probably spend this extra time at the very end, after I've finished the "easier" passages. The beautiful thing is you can mark the question(s) that are stumping you, and come back later and put in a few extra minutes to really grasp what's going on and nail the passage.

I trust that through practice I will naturally acquire the speed I need. My practice FL's are timed, so that is where my methods are tested 😉

EDIT: Finished TPR:HL Verbal #4 with 36/40. Some tough passages but it's all good practice. Finally finished with the book 🙂
 
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Thanks for all the help guys. I was able to do the "convince myself it's the most interesting thing I've ever read" for some time last year. I find its usually one extremely boring passage which I can't comprehend and that's where things go downhill. I'm going to try and read them while asking myself the 5 Ws and hopefully that helps. Concentration is a big issue for me because I'll often find my mind drifting during one of those passages.
 
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Nope I used EK101 last time. This was my first run-through of PRHL.
 
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Entadus said:
I don't really use time limits, no. I mean, I try and keep up a good pace obviously.... but if I can't answer the questions correctly anyway, what's the point of going quickly?

I find that if I spend 12 minutes on a nasty-difficult passage, but stay focused and avoid getting panicky or losing my cool, and then get all the questions right.... that is a huge confidence booster and good preparation for the real deal. On test day, I will probably spend this extra time at the very end, after I've finished the "easier" passages. The beautiful thing is you can mark the question(s) that are stumping you, and come back later and put in a few extra minutes to really grasp what's going on and nail the passage.

I trust that through practice I will naturally acquire the speed I need. My practice FL's are timed, so that is where my methods are tested 😉

EDIT: Finished TPR:HL Verbal #4 with 36/40. Some tough passages but it's all good practice. Finally finished with the book 🙂
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:claps: GJ on finishing the book. What year is it? Mine is 2007 and it's in 9 passages/60 questions per test.

We also share the same opinion on passages, I rather spend 10 minutes on a philsophy/economic's passage and get it all right than force myself 7 minutes on it and get 3/6 correct. What I do is 10 minutes timed per passage. So if I have 2 passages, I set a limit of 20 minutes. That doesn't mean I take 20 minutes, my quickest is 12, and my longest was 18:30 with an average around 15.

Albein - Don't force yourself to like it, just relax and see why it's important to understand it. Mental is everything. I used to see art passages and give up. Once I decided to suck it up and see it from their viewpoint, I saw a great increase in my humanities section. If concentration is an issue try this: After reading each paragraph, explain to yourself what was the point of that paragraph? Was it an example of why democratic policies are good? Was it because the Author hates the modern art movement? Then once you reach the end, try to add all those paragraphs to see what was the overall point of that passage. Was the main idea why martial arts is out of touch with culture and SHOULD never be taught, or that it needs modifications to fit society? To differentiate those two would require a key paragraph or sentences.

Jr MD - Thank you 🙂
 
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PlasmodiumVivax said:
Albein - Don't force yourself to like it, just relax and see why it's important to understand it. Mental is everything. I used to see art passages and give up. Once I decided to suck it up and see it from their viewpoint, I saw a great increase in my humanities section. If concentration is an issue try this: After reading each paragraph, explain to yourself what was the point of that paragraph? Was it an example of why democratic policies are good? Was it because the Author hates the modern art movement? Then once you reach the end, try to add all those paragraphs to see what was the overall point of that passage. Was the main idea why martial arts is out of touch with culture and SHOULD never be taught, or that it needs modifications to fit society? To differentiate those two would require a key paragraph or sentences.

Jr MD - Thank you 🙂
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Bolded part is KEY.

If you guys want some hope for verbal, take a look at my improvement from last time (middle column):
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=939305

and in case you're wondering the last column is bio 😳 My achilles heel
 
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Hi all, so after obsessively checking, a spot finally opened up on the 4th. I believe this is the best decision for me as I will have an extra 10 days of study time and will have plenty of time to do my BR tests and AAMC practice tests. I hope you will all still accept me on this thread seeing as how I still feel a stronger bond to this group.
 
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New to the forum here. I'm taking the test on the 23rd too. For EK101, I'm left with the last one, but I still can't finish on time (if only I have 10 more mins). And my score ranges from 7-10. My recent one was 7. Is redoing 101 a good choice? Or I should fine other materials to practise? I'm intending to start on FL this weekend.
 
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Hey entadus,

How did you incorporate that whole science workbook into your content review or did you just do it after your content review. I grow weary of TBR although its great I wanna see some different passages lol I also want to finish all of those pesky discretes or the whole book by April 25. Im scheduled to finish content review by mid march. What do you think?

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crystalight said:
New to the forum here. I'm taking the test on the 23rd too. For EK101, I'm left with the last one, but I still can't finish on time (if only I have 10 more mins). And my score ranges from 7-10. My recent one was 7. Is redoing 101 a good choice? Or I should fine other materials to practise? I'm intending to start on FL this weekend.
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I'm not a believer in repeating Verbal material but some people are fine with it. I believe it's better to use subpar new material than reuse excellent material. With BS and PS passages and discretes, I think it's ok. But you also want new material for this if possible.

Captain Sisko said:
+1


how's everyone doing? we're 31 days out!
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i'm nervous to take an actual FL lol.... I'm going to do a few days worth of discretes/passages then take one this weekend
 
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NuttyEngDude said:
I'm not a believer in repeating Verbal material but some people are fine with it. I believe it's better to use subpar new material than reuse excellent material. With BS and PS passages and discretes, I think it's ok. But you also want new material for this if possible.



i'm nervous to take an actual FL lol.... I'm going to do a few days worth of discretes/passages then take one this weekend
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you get nervous when you're afraid of going backwards. the full length after my practice 37 was tough because you hate to lose ground. entadus must be getting gray hairs! you've a clean slate. enjoy it, you can only go up!
 
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Did 3 PR passages today and did 5/8, 3/6, and 6/6. I guess it's some progress? There was one passage that tripped me up which was a Boyle, and Darwin based passage. My mind was all over the place and I couldn't really find a main idea or purpose for some paragraphs.
Plan for today is to finish outlining that brutally long chapter 10 in Berkeley and start on reviewing content review. Hopefully take a BR practice test this weekend, terrified to take it though. Worried score might not be where id like it to be.
 
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Captain Sisko said:
you get nervous when you're afraid of going backwards. the full length after my practice 37 was tough because you hate to lose ground. entadus must be getting gray hairs! you've a clean slate. enjoy it, you can only go up!
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Thanks for the kind words. I feel I'm on the cusp of doing well but would really like to have a good test or something to serve as an indicator. Only thing I can do is keep chugging along.
 
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crystalight said:
New to the forum here. I'm taking the test on the 23rd too. For EK101, I'm left with the last one, but I still can't finish on time (if only I have 10 more mins). And my score ranges from 7-10. My recent one was 7. Is redoing 101 a good choice? Or I should fine other materials to practise? I'm intending to start on FL this weekend.
Click to expand...

I recommend the PR Hyperlearning Verbal Workbook as a GREAT source of practice passages (maybe even better than EK101).

Jr MD said:
Hey entadus,

How did you incorporate that whole science workbook into your content review or did you just do it after your content review. I grow weary of TBR although its great I wanna see some different passages lol I also want to finish all of those pesky discretes or the whole book by April 25. Im scheduled to finish content review by mid march. What do you think?

Sent from my Nexus 7 using SDN Mobile
Click to expand...

I didn't touch the science workbook until I finished content review... except for the discreets! In fact I used the physics discreets AS a big part of my content review since practice problems are the best way to refresh on the equations and concepts. Also I sprinkled the bio discreets in for the variety and to keep me on my toes.

The passages, though, I think are best saved for after content review 🙂 You could always do one or two after a particular BR chapter, but I didn't try that method.

Captain Sisko said:
you get nervous when you're afraid of going backwards. the full length after my practice 37 was tough because you hate to lose ground. entadus must be getting gray hairs! you've a clean slate. enjoy it, you can only go up!
Click to expand...

:caution: Lousy kids! Get off my lawn!

Errrr-- I mean yeah these things are rough on the mind! I am NOT looking forward to tomorrow's FL... 😏
 
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NuttyEngDude said:
You are right Carboxylase, perspective is key. But keep in mind that if you are not at least close to your goal, you are doing yourself a disservice by taking the test without being completely prepared. But yeah, the stress sucks 😛
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Want to know something ridiculous? We get our scores back 4/23, according to aamc's website. That's the same day as my big bad biochem final, which starts at 4:30 Eastern. Do I check it before, or wait til after?? Stress is worrisome even though it's two months out and I haven't even taken the mcat yet!!
 
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carboxylase said:
This isn't a popular opinion here, but while I strive to maximize my score, I realize it is just a test. It is an important test, but I'll be damned if I let it stress me out. The nature of the MCAT creates stress. Realize the pressure and just roll with it.

Our school's spring break is right after March 23. I'm going to the beach for a week straight, ultimately locking me into the March 23 date (unless I want to schedule it way after). Could I use the extra time to study? Absolutely. Would the extra time help my score that much? Probably not.

Just keep it in perspective before you freak out and run to change your date.
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I'll agree with this to an extent, but I think it differs for different situations. I fell behind in my study schedule and plan on taking all of the AAMC practice tests and the BR exams as well. If I stayed with my test date of 3/23 I would've rushed to finish content review and would've had to take exams on 2 consecutive days for a few of them. None of this is conducive to studying. However, if someone is consistent getting mid 20s, I don't think an extra 10-14 days will help them.
 
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Has any one looked at the nitrogenous compounds chapter of tbr? Its saying basically, KNOW ALL THE AMINO ACIDS but i heard we didn't have to...true or false? Should i use Ek for it? Thanks guys

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Captain Sisko said:
Want to know something ridiculous? We get our scores back 4/23, according to aamc's website. That's the same day as my big bad biochem final, which starts at 4:30 Eastern. Do I check it before, or wait til after?? Stress is worrisome even though it's two months out and I haven't even taken the mcat yet!!
Click to expand...

Seems to be a no brainer to me...check after lol. If you scored great you'll be distracted from the elation and if you scored poorly you'll be distracted from the depression. Having said that if I were in that position I'd check every second of that day because of the lack of self control :laugh:

Jr MD said:
Has any one looked at the nitrogenous compounds chapter of tbr? Its saying basically, KNOW ALL THE AMINO ACIDS but i heard we didn't have to...true or false? Should i use Ek for it? Thanks guys
Click to expand...

Know which are basic, acidic, polar, non-polar, but you dont need to know the structures themselves. It helps though if you can or have already been exposed to them in classes (but not required). Edit: The TBR chapter is pretty rough and a bit over the top on it. So dont feel bad if you are doing pretty poorly based on what they are expecting of you.

Plan:
More discretes today then take a test tomorrow. I can already tell that stamina will be an issue, just doing one whole section of verbal sucks a lot of the life out of me. Hmm...


Edit: So, out of curiosity, who's actually taking the test on 3/23? I feel like there's only like 5 of us.
 
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I am! I'm just trying my best to stay away from this site for my own sanity and to avoid overall procrastination as well...30 days to go!!! almost there!!!
 
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