The Official 3/23/13 MCAT Thread

[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?

 

[tibetanowl]

2/24/2013 Composite Score 103 39 27 37 AAMC 4
Scaled Score 28 10 9 9
2/27/2013 Composite Score 104 31 30 43 AAMC 5
Scaled Score 28 7 10 11

Hmmm.. not sure what happened there, but have been thoroughly reviewing PS since then...taking AAMC 7 first thing tomorrow...REALLY hope I finally hit at least a thirty...

I am also starting to believe that I am (unfortunately) the only SDNer taking the test on the 23rd who's actually HUMAN

 

[NuttyEngDude]

I am also starting to believe that I am (unfortunately) the only SDNer taking the test on the 23rd who's actually HUMAN

i'm right there with you 😀

 

[Captain Sisko]

So in looking at the verbal section I did yesterday I was surprised to see an author I'd read before. It was a rare military history passage about naval warfare prior to world war I written by a guy more famous for Russian history. I just finished a book by him on Peter the Great. Guy's name is Robert Massie. I highly recommend his work if you're at all interested in European history. It sort of got me thinking, just from a curiosity standpoint, has anyone else encountered material they've already read? I'd imagine it's fairly uncommon but not unheard of. But it may be more, considering the only nonfiction I read is history, and not law, art, or literature criticism. Anyone?

 

[tibetanowl]

And yet another 28 on AAMC 7...although this time slightly more balanced (10/8/10)...WHAT AM I DOING WRONG??!! :cry:

 

[osprey099]

And yet another 28 on AAMC 7...although this time slightly more balanced (10/8/10)...WHAT AM I DOING WRONG??!! :cry:

What materials are you using as practice? That could be a factor in you not getting the scores you want.

 

[osprey099]

So in looking at the verbal section I did yesterday I was surprised to see an author I'd read before. It was a rare military history passage about naval warfare prior to world war I written by a guy more famous for Russian history. I just finished a book by him on Peter the Great. Guy's name is Robert Massie. I highly recommend his work if you're at all interested in European history. It sort of got me thinking, just from a curiosity standpoint, has anyone else encountered material they've already read? I'd imagine it's fairly uncommon but not unheard of. But it may be more, considering the only nonfiction I read is history, and not law, art, or literature criticism. Anyone?

Wow what a coincidence! Did you get all of the questions for that passage right? 🙂

I've never encountered a passage that I've read from a previous context before but I can say that after doing so many practice verbal (200+ passages), I have encountered almost all the possible passage types so while I haven't specifically read a new passage, I will most likely have encountered the topic the passage is talking about in previous passages.

 

[Entadus]

Aw TibetanOwl your scores are not bad at all! You are really close to a 30, since you have scored 10+ in all the sections before. You just need to do well in all 3 at the same time 🙂

I think you should try taking a little longer gap before your next AAMC practice test. Go over the whole exam and do lots of practice passages before your next one. Believe in yourself and I think you can do it!!

 

[tibetanowl]

Thank you both! 🙂

osprey099 - For practice material, I've mostly been using TBR for Physics and Gen Chem and TPR for Bio and Orgo. For bio and orgo I've been doing passages from TPRH book.

I also think one of my issues is that it is SO INCREDIBLY hard for me to sit there for so long and just get through the exam. I have to keep telling myself stuff along the lines of "it's almost over...just x number of passages before you can take a break, etc" Is that something that you guys encounter? I tried making myself take the entire ten min break between each section to see if that would help, but it didn't quite work...midway through each of the sections I just wanted to die/just get it over with. blah

Also, at least my composite score has been steadily increasing: 103/104/106....so at least that gives me some hope🙄

 

[carboxylase]

So in looking at the verbal section I did yesterday I was surprised to see an author I'd read before. It was a rare military history passage about naval warfare prior to world war I written by a guy more famous for Russian history. I just finished a book by him on Peter the Great. Guy's name is Robert Massie. I highly recommend his work if you're at all interested in European history. It sort of got me thinking, just from a curiosity standpoint, has anyone else encountered material they've already read? I'd imagine it's fairly uncommon but not unheard of. But it may be more, considering the only nonfiction I read is history, and not law, art, or literature criticism. Anyone?

I read a thread on SDN a while back of someone seeing an exact article they read as one of their passages.

Also, I appreciate the congratulations on the score increase everybody, but I'm somewhat skeptical. After reviewing the test, it seemed way too easy. I'll let AAMC-8 be the judge.

 

[Jr MD]

Was it you entadus or captain that uses earplugs when studying? WHoever it was send me the link please! My library is so annoying :/

 

[NuttyEngDude]

*snip*

per mcat regs the plugs are allowed- they come in individual packs. Linky:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/b005nibkb2/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=utf8&psc=1

was it you entadus or captain that uses earplugs when studying? Whoever it was send me the link please! My library is so annoying :/

=8. Earplugs=

Get some.

Short story: When I took the GRE a couple years ago, some woman a few tables down started crying. I don't know if it's because she was too stressed or had just seen her score, but she was sobbing and trying to be quiet about it. She was also failing, and I'm pretty sure everyone in the testing center could hear her. The only reason I could hear her was because I had forgotten my earplugs that morning.

Short Story #2:When I took the MCAT a couple months ago, I was randomly assigned to seat #1. Do you know which one that is? In my test center, it's the one closest to the door. People were walking behind me and opening and closing that squeaky door the whole time. Gladly, I remembered to bring my earplugs this day, so the noise was practically indistinguishable.

Now, I realize that people have different size ear canals, so I have put together a quick list based on my own experiences with trying to find the perfect noise-blocking earplug:
—Very Small Ears: Mack's Dreamgirl. Don't laugh. Anyway, these things are tiny. Only small females and children would find these useful.
—Small Ears: 3M 1120. They look weird, but are actually soft and very easy to place. "3M" is the maker and "1120" is the model number.
—Medium Ears: Max Lite. This is the kind I use almost every night. They are slightly hard to place, but are very comfortable when in right and cut sound amazingly well. I can wear these for 12+ hours without discomfort.
—Large Ears: Laser Lite. The same as Max Lite, but with a larger diameter. I can wear these for a short time, but they begin to irritate my ears after a couple hours.
—Very Large Ears: EARsoft FX. These have the absolute highest noise reduction rating, but are for huge ears only. I can wear these for a few minutes before they start bothering me.

🙂

for me, shipping costs more than the actual earplugs, lol. maybe a trip to the corner drug store is in order

 

[Captain Sisko]

🙂

for me, shipping costs more than the actual earplugs, lol. maybe a trip to the corner drug store is in order

this was a problem for me, but i had two requirements: first, they had to be individually packaged to comply with test regulations, and second, i wanted to get more than one so i could practice with them. the majority of those online were either bulk packages with several hundred in a bin, or like ten bucks for a single pair. i also wanted something that had reasonable reviews. the item i posted met those requirements- despite the shipping they're like 50c each. i got five pairs shipped for around five bucks total.

 

[carboxylase]

I thought we couldn't bring anything in...as in nothing.

People I've talked to told me they give you some over-the-ear headphones.

You guys would know better than me though, so I trust yall.

 

[NuttyEngDude]

this was a problem for me, but i had two requirements: first, they had to be individually packaged to comply with test regulations, and second, i wanted to get more than one so i could practice with them. the majority of those online were either bulk packages with several hundred in a bin, or like ten bucks for a single pair. i also wanted something that had reasonable reviews. the item i posted met those requirements- despite the shipping they're like 50c each. i got five pairs shipped for around five bucks total.

This is a very good point Sisko 😀

I thought we couldn't bring anything in...as in nothing.

People I've talked to told me they give you some over-the-ear headphones.

You guys would know better than me though, so I trust yall.

hey carboxylase, I dont know either, i havent taken the test yet. maybe some of the others who have could chime in?

 

[Albein]

This is a very good point Sisko 😀




hey carboxylase, I dont know either, i havent taken the test yet. maybe some of the others who have could chime in?

You're allowed to bring ear plugs, but they check them to make sure they're just ear plugs with no earpiece.

 

[dellian101]

i fell of the mcat bandwagon for a few days and trying to get my mojo back... me thinks burnout but i hope not!!

ditching all resources and will solely be reviewing and redoing AAMCs.

i've noticed that kaplan/tbr/examcrackers skews your view of the test. they are awesome questiosn but NOT mcat style so the focus is a bit different....

 

[Chalupa Batman]

i fell of the mcat bandwagon for a few days and trying to get my mojo back... me thinks burnout but i hope not!!

ditching all resources and will solely be reviewing and redoing AAMCs.

i've noticed that kaplan/tbr/examcrackers skews your view of the test. they are awesome questiosn but NOT mcat style so the focus is a bit different....

Haha me too! I havent done much the past two days and Ive been waking up late!

Today Im gonna get back into it though!

The last thing I have to cover is human reproduction which ill do today. Anyone have advice on how to tackle this beast?

 

[Captain Sisko]

Haha me too! I havent done much the past two days and Ive been waking up late!

Today Im gonna get back into it though!

The last thing I have to cover is human reproduction which ill do today. Anyone have advice on how to tackle this beast?

seven up and it's called a spermatagonium because it's gonna be a sperm.

 

[Chalupa Batman]

seven up and it's called a spermatagonium because it's gonna be a sperm.

haha thats good -going to be sperm 👍 Ill remember that now.

seven up is the only thing I know about human repro


whats some good study material for reproduction?

 

[Albein]

Finally finished passages. Going to do as much review of my outlines and make index cards today and start first BR test tomorrow and review in between tests. Those of you taking practice tests, do you do anything later in the day after you take the test or is the test the only thing you can swing?

 

[Captain Sisko]

Finally finished passages. Going to do as much review of my outlines and make index cards today and start first BR test tomorrow and review in between tests. Those of you taking practice tests, do you do anything later in the day after you take the test or is the test the only thing you can swing?

I'll typically have a beer after a practice test.

 

[NuttyEngDude]

Well, I took AAMC5 today: 28

PS - 10
VR - 8
BS - 10

PS - the bad news is the same as the good news, math mistakes are killing me in PS, I had almost every problem set up correctly 😡 I did not feel any content weakness here but wow can I not add subtract divide or bleh
VR - i'm in trouble here, but I will have to keep working on it. This is a huge wild card for me
BS - orgo is what's killing me here, I think this is fixable. There were some weaknesses that I reasoned my way through but I shouldn't have had to reason on this. the section seemed mostly just recall.

overall i felt the test was kind of easy, i sort of feel a punch to the gut but yeah...

any suggestions would make me forever thankful. any suggestions that directly improve my score would make me directly worship you 😛

 

[osprey099]

Well, I took AAMC5 today: 28

PS - 10
VR - 8
BS - 10

PS - the bad news is the same as the good news, math mistakes are killing me in PS, I had almost every problem set up correctly 😡 I did not feel any content weakness here but wow can I not add subtract divide or bleh
VR - i'm in trouble here, but I will have to keep working on it. This is a huge wild card for me
BS - orgo is what's killing me here, I think this is fixable. There were some weaknesses that I reasoned my way through but I shouldn't have had to reason on this. the section seemed mostly just recall.

overall i felt the test was kind of easy, i sort of feel a punch to the gut but yeah...

any suggestions would make me forever thankful. any suggestions that directly improve my score would make me directly worship you 😛

How much time do you end up with in PS? If you have the time to spare, I suggest slowing down on calculation heavy problems.

 

[Captain Sisko]

Well, I took AAMC5 today: 28

PS - 10
VR - 8
BS - 10

PS - the bad news is the same as the good news, math mistakes are killing me in PS, I had almost every problem set up correctly 😡 I did not feel any content weakness here but wow can I not add subtract divide or bleh
VR - i'm in trouble here, but I will have to keep working on it. This is a huge wild card for me
BS - orgo is what's killing me here, I think this is fixable. There were some weaknesses that I reasoned my way through but I shouldn't have had to reason on this. the section seemed mostly just recall.

overall i felt the test was kind of easy, i sort of feel a punch to the gut but yeah...

any suggestions would make me forever thankful. any suggestions that directly improve my score would make me directly worship you 😛

sorry to hear that man. my people have a saying though. everything will be ok in the end. if everything is not ok, it's not the end!

here's something I've just sort of come up with that may help. with regards to calculations, there's rounding and estimation but only to a point. the maximum your answer should deviate from a multiple choice is 10%. any more and you've done something wrong. previously I've been going for rough order of magnitude numbers, especially in acid base or titrations. but if I'm getting 0.3 when the choices are 0.1, 0.5 and 1 I've done something wrong. for us engineers who know the basics, we've the design down but it's about QA to finish.

 

[NuttyEngDude]

How much time do you end up with in PS? If you have the time to spare, I suggest slowing down on calculation heavy problems.

A good 10 min, like 10:30 or so and that's with me double checking as I go through the problems. Problem is I'm not marking the ones I'm missing because I dont think I'm making such terrible math mistakes. And my problem is mental, I'll look at 2+2 and write 5 double check and say yep, 2+2=5 alright. 😕 (that's an example not literal).

sorry to hear that man. my people have a saying though. everything will be ok in the end. if everything is not ok, it's not the end!

here's something I've just sort of come up with that may help. with regards to calculations, there's rounding and estimation but only to a point. the maximum your answer should deviate from a multiple choice is 10%. any more and you've done something wrong. previously I've been going for rough order of magnitude numbers, especially in acid base or titrations. but if I'm getting 0.3 when the choices are 0.1, 0.5 and 1 I've done something wrong. for us engineers who know the basics, we've the design down but it's about QA to finish.

Yeah it's QA for sure 😛 Like I said, there's a certain hurt pride to not do well on PS hehe, not that a 10 isn't good, but you know what I mean..... ugg.




Thanks guys, I think my plan will be to just work some more whole PS sections from kaplan. Orgo should not be giving me the troubles that it is. It will probably give me the most yield at the moment on the practice tests even if they are putting less of it on the exams now. Verbal is just wow....lol.

 

[osprey099]

A good 10 min, like 10:30 or so and that's with me double checking as I go through the problems. Problem is I'm not marking the ones I'm missing because I dont think I'm making such terrible math mistakes. And my problem is mental, I'll look at 2+2 and write 5 double check and say yep, 2+2=5 alright. 😕 (that's an example not literal).

I know what you're talking about. Do more discretes (TPRHL, EK1001) and I think that problem will go away. I used to make similar mistakes in Bio (think of meiosis when question is talking about mitosis; read cell membrane instead of cell wall) and I think it's indicative of insufficient practice.

 

[dellian101]

YOUTUBE!! it taught me everything i need to know about reproduction!! it was awesome!! i didn't like the review books for it too much

 

[timeturner]

YOUTUBE!! it taught me everything i need to know about reproduction!! it was awesome!! i didn't like the review books for it too much

Second that, a lot of time it's just easier to watch something than read something lol

Anyway, got diagnosed with bronchitis. Fun stuff. Taking a week off probably and 3 midterms next week. I'm actually not freaking out....Kind of wish I could see more 35+ scores though, but at this point I'm ready to just take my average 34.

 

[NuttyEngDude]

I know what you're talking about. Do more discretes (TPRHL, EK1001) and I think that problem will go away. I used to make similar mistakes in Bio (think of meiosis when question is talking about mitosis; read cell membrane instead of cell wall) and I think it's indicative of insufficient practice.

Thank you. I hear what youre saying TPR discretes are all done, just have the passages left. I have the kaplan qbank, and their stuff is more math intensive too so that will help. I'm going to take the rest of the day off and just relax (and regroup).

YOUTUBE!! it taught me everything i need to know about reproduction!! it was awesome!! i didn't like the review books for it too much

Good stuff 🙂

Second that, a lot of time it's just easier to watch something than read something lol

Anyway, got diagnosed with bronchitis. Fun stuff. Taking a week off probably and 3 midterms next week. I'm actually not freaking out....Kind of wish I could see more 35+ scores though, but at this point I'm ready to just take my average 34.

Feel better!

 

[dellian101]

another practice test tomorrow AM... here is to hopig i finally hit a 30 🙁 when i review the answers, i know the stuff!! but just cannot show my knowledge on this exam 🙁

any suggestions for that?

 

[tiredofschool]

feeling totally down in the dumps. it seems that my verbal score is on a downward trend with the AAMC's but upward trend with TPR practice tests. Freaking out bc now I'm thinking TPR is making me analyze the passages/questions wrong.... I have EK as well but can't seem to get over a 10...

Anyone else using TPR and having the same problem?

 

[kimposibl]

another practice test tomorrow AM... here is to hopig i finally hit a 30 🙁 when i review the answers, i know the stuff!! but just cannot show my knowledge on this exam 🙁

any suggestions for that?

No suggestions, but I feel your pain. I just review the tests and try to go over things I'm still iffy on, while trying not to forget what I've already mastered??? The bad thing is you're studying for 2 years of premed courses and the test only touches on 70% of the material, but you don't know which 70% and how depth the questions will be!

feeling totally down in the dumps. it seems that my verbal score is on a downward trend with the AAMC's but upward trend with TPR practice tests. Freaking out bc now I'm thinking TPR is making me analyze the passages/questions wrong.... I have EK as well but can't seem to get over a 10...

Anyone else using TPR and having the same problem?

I've plateaued with my PS score, and its depressing, both on TPR and AAMC. I don't especially like the way TPR teaches Verbal and I've been going with EK's advice.... but then again, I've never gotten above 10 on VR either so....

 

[timeturner]

feeling totally down in the dumps. it seems that my verbal score is on a downward trend with the AAMC's but upward trend with TPR practice tests. Freaking out bc now I'm thinking TPR is making me analyze the passages/questions wrong.... I have EK as well but can't seem to get over a 10...

Anyone else using TPR and having the same problem?

I thought TPR is what raised my score, after EK and LSATs being completely useless. I went from a 9 to a 13 but then again the 13 was a one-time thing but I had been getting 10s and 11s.
I didn't read the book though, just did their passages. I thought their questions were very much on par with AAMC style.

Also, Kaplan sucks.

 

[PlasmodiumVivax]

Well, I took AAMC5 today: 28

PS - 10
VR - 8
BS - 10

PS - the bad news is the same as the good news, math mistakes are killing me in PS, I had almost every problem set up correctly 😡 I did not feel any content weakness here but wow can I not add subtract divide or bleh
VR - i'm in trouble here, but I will have to keep working on it. This is a huge wild card for me
BS - orgo is what's killing me here, I think this is fixable. There were some weaknesses that I reasoned my way through but I shouldn't have had to reason on this. the section seemed mostly just recall.

overall i felt the test was kind of easy, i sort of feel a punch to the gut but yeah...

any suggestions would make me forever thankful. any suggestions that directly improve my score would make me directly worship you 😛

Keep working it at it, you deserve >30 🙂. if it makes you feel better I got the same score on TBR CBT 3

10/8/10

Going to take a break and calm down. This test felt harder than the rest, I'm going to discard verbal and focus on improving sciences tomorrow.

 

[tibetanowl]

18 days left to go guys !

 

[Albein]

Taking AAMC 3 today. Wish I would've gotten more sleep, but here goes nothing.

 

[Captain Sisko]

Taking AAMC 3 today. Wish I would've gotten more sleep, but here goes nothing.

have fun!

 

[NuttyEngDude]

another practice test tomorrow AM... here is to hopig i finally hit a 30 🙁 when i review the answers, i know the stuff!! but just cannot show my knowledge on this exam 🙁

any suggestions for that?

Good luck!

feeling totally down in the dumps. it seems that my verbal score is on a downward trend with the AAMC's but upward trend with TPR practice tests. Freaking out bc now I'm thinking TPR is making me analyze the passages/questions wrong.... I have EK as well but can't seem to get over a 10...

Anyone else using TPR and having the same problem?

Yeah 😛 I'm officially back on the "damn VR" bandwagon

Keep working it at it, you deserve >30 🙂. if it makes you feel better I got the same score on TBR CBT 3

10/8/10

Going to take a break and calm down. This test felt harder than the rest, I'm going to discard verbal and focus on improving sciences tomorrow.

Yeah I'm definitely not going to stop working at it. I just didnt like what the test was telling me about how much more work I have left. oh well. 😳

Taking AAMC 3 today. Wish I would've gotten more sleep, but here goes nothing.

Good luck!

 

[Albein]

Don't worry nutty, I'm sure my score will make you feel better. I feel I'm in the same boat but I guess we'll see what happens.

 

[NuttyEngDude]

Don't worry nutty, I'm sure my score will make you feel better. I feel I'm in the same boat but I guess we'll see what happens.

only thing that will make me feel better is MY score

knock it out of the park albein!

 

[Captain Sisko]

18 days left to go guys !

7 weeks till scores come out
57 days until amcas opens
91 until we submit
151 till i get married
453 until i can quit my job, assuming i get in somewhere, md or do.

that's my countdowns spreadsheet that i allow myself to look at once a week.

 

[NuttyEngDude]

7 weeks till scores come out
57 days until amcas opens
91 until we submit
151 till i get married
453 until i can quit my job, assuming i get in somewhere, md or do.

that's my countdowns spreadsheet that i allow myself to look at once a week.

👍

 

[timeturner]

how much is everyone studying these last couple of weeks? i'm honestly just sleeping a lot haha....feeling guilty but i think my brain rejects anything that has to do with MCAT

 

[NuttyEngDude]

I dont have the luxury, i'm going hard until 2 days before the test.

I was going to wait until we're at 2 weeks left to ask but I may as well do it now, do you guys have a day-before and game day ritual or plan?

 

[dellian101]

how much is everyone studying these last couple of weeks? i'm honestly just sleeping a lot haha....feeling guilty but i think my brain rejects anything that has to do with MCAT

same here!! my brain hates mcat. i wanted to take another AAMC today but pushed it back to tomorrow so I could do some more studying today. all i did was one examcrackers passage one hour test 10!!!! YAYYYYY) and reviewed orgo basics and time for class.

i'm thinking of leaving orgo rxn cramming till the last week.....

i can't believe its almost two weeks. so scary

 

[dellian101]

Taking AAMC 3 today. Wish I would've gotten more sleep, but here goes nothing.

good luck!! for what it's worth.. i thought AAMC 3 was harder than AAMC 9...

 

[Captain Sisko]

how much is everyone studying these last couple of weeks? i'm honestly just sleeping a lot haha....feeling guilty but i think my brain rejects anything that has to do with MCAT

keep on playing my game. review areas where I'm weak, do practice tests. I'm in a groove but it's not like i ever got crazy busy with it anyway.

another random q, and be honest. do i ever sound douchey on the boards? someone said something to me in another thread that made it seem that way. do i come off as arrogant at all?

 

[Entadus]

keep on playing my game. review areas where I'm weak, do practice tests. I'm in a groove but it's not like i ever got crazy busy with it anyway.

another random q, and be honest. do i ever sound douchey on the boards? someone said something to me in another thread that made it seem that way. do i come off as arrogant at all?

Chill out Sisk

 

[Albein]

AAMC 3: 30 with 10-9-11.
I took it last year and I recognized some passages but I didn't properly post phase and no answers came to me from last year. I'm ecstatic. Even though its not the superhuman scores you guys are producing, if I can raise it by 3 points at least, I'll be happy. That being said, do you guys think a part of it may have been subconsciously recognizing things without realizing it? A part of me is a bit skeptical but that might be because I'm too damn negative.

 

[NuttyEngDude]

keep on playing my game. review areas where I'm weak, do practice tests. I'm in a groove but it's not like i ever got crazy busy with it anyway.

another random q, and be honest. do i ever sound douchey on the boards? someone said something to me in another thread that made it seem that way. do i come off as arrogant at all?

you're fine, i think someone defended you too. welcome to the internet.