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?

 

[Redpancreas]

I'm not sure why, but I can barely remember any questions from the test. The few I do remember, I looked up the answer on Google and said "sweet, I got that one right......wait, did I put that answer?", so I'm not sure what to make of it.

I would kill to go back to this morning to start over (not even considering that I've looked up some answers - purely from a test-taking standpoint). I was keeping pretty calm up to the test, but once I physically started the test, I felt...different? When I didn't know and answer right away, I somewhat panicked (not terribly, just enough to fog you're thinking a bit) and just picked a best answer because I thought I had to keep moving...at least I THINK...that's what's weird, I really DON'T REMEMBER much from this morning, which leaves me unsettled.

Same thing with VR. I developed a strategy that was working pretty well literally a few days before today. I even outlined the strategy on the scratch paper so I would remember. Once the first passage came up, I somewhat abandoned it for the first two passages. Maybe they were just hard, but I had to do the "pick an answer and keep moving" strategy. Then for the third one, I told myself to snap out of it and stick to the plan. I felt fine after that, but didn't have time to investigate a few questions because the first two passages took longer than they should've.

BS - again, I really don't remember anything. Did I really read 7 passages and take 52 questions? Doesn't seem like it. Again, maybe that's because I had to quickly pick answers and keep moving sometimes.

Trial - My section was on biochem. I think I owned it. Maybe AAMC will feel nice and pass along some effort points.

I still think I'll come out with a 29ish. The practice tests averaged 10 questions wrong for an 11. I don't think it's a stretch to say I got more than 10 wrong on them, especially since I can't remember anything. I realize a passage may have been purely experimental so the scoring is different but I'm also not expecting much of a curve on this. Still feel like I underperformed.

Oh my gosh! This is exactly how I felt on Verbal!!! The first two passages, I was in a daze, I just picked answers from what sounded reasonable. After that I was like snap out of it, concentrate, actually read the material and it went better after that.


PS: I started off confidently for the 1st 1-2 passages. I had to guess for quite a few more than I wish. I hope I still get a 10 on this, chem was easy but I had to still guess on way more than I'd have wanted. I can't remember much. This was the hardest section. I barely even read one of the passages but luckily there were a lot of pseudo-discretes mixed into that one. (9-10)

VR: 1st 2 passages were extremely boring but afterwards it was actually ok. Still rushed on the last passage but stil think it went ok. (8-10)

BS: This was my best section. I started off confidently and I don't remembering a question I was not sure about until I got to like the second set of discretes (around 30) and by that point I was already confident. I think I might have encountered 1-2 tricky ones but that was really it. Obviously prolli got more than 3 wrong but still. (10-13)


That averages out to a 30. Hopefully that what I got. That's all I really want.

 

[TRInerd]

Am I the only one with a Psychology/Sociology trial section?

After going through Bio, that section felt pretty insane hahaha.

Haha I had that trial section too! I basically had no idea what was going on. It had way too many words for me to deal with it after the rest of the test 😛

 

[whoknows87]

PS: Destroyer Ran out of time
VR: well that's VR thought the passages were pretty long, some were very interesting that I giggled a bit.. about 1-2 Very boring passages

BS: Eh AAMC were much Harder with the exception of 1-2 passages, some discrete's were easy and some were like oOook

for me Definitely a retake due to the PS section, just not sure how to study for it anymore seems like everything that I was strong in did not show up, time to buy the AAMC self assessment

I'm dying to know the answers to some of the discretes at least lol, but cant recall most of them :/, also in regards to PS I did a few minor calculations.. just tried to rule out answers without confusing my self ...

 

[osprey099]

Darn, it looks like I'm unlucky again this time. Im scheduled to retake on 4/26 but you guys had a easy BS/hard PS so that means I will most likely have a hard BS/easy PS. Same thing happened to me last time when I took it 9/1, the 8/23ers had a hard PS with a easy BS and then I had a easy PS with a hard BS. Then my friend from 9/6 told me he had a hard PS/easy BS. Hopefully this is just speculation and not an actual trend because PS is my strength but I get destroyed on the experimental Bio passages.

 

[discowisco]

Did tbr help with ps? And for those of you who think you rocked bio what did you guys use?

 

[Meredith92]

Darn, it looks like I'm unlucky again this time. Im scheduled to retake on 4/26 but you guys had a easy BS/hard PS so that means I will most likely have a hard BS/easy PS. Same thing happened to me last time when I took it 9/1, the 8/23ers had a hard PS with a easy BS and then I had a easy PS with a hard BS. Then my friend from 9/6 told me he had a hard PS/easy BS. Hopefully this is just speculation and not an actual trend because PS is my strength but I get destroyed on the experimental Bio passages.

You know the next exam is April 4th! So you actually may get your wish!

 

[Shams al Deen]

Hold on, so are we gonna get an easy PS for 4/4 then? Lol Believing this theory makes me feel like a crazy person but whatever. I DO feel, after taking most of the AAMCs, that each test has one killer section meant to lower your score. AAMC 10 ps was too hard, while AAMC 7 verbal was too hard.

 

[Meredith92]

Hold on, so are we gonna get an easy PS for 4/4 then? Lol Believing this theory makes me feel like a crazy person but whatever. I DO feel, after taking most of the AAMCs, that each test has one killer section meant to lower your score. AAMC 10 ps was too hard, while AAMC 7 verbal was too hard.

That is my hope!!!! I know it's probably a weird sdn rumor but I've looked at old threads and it sorta seems like a trend? It would be great if it were true!

 

[NuttyEngDude]

I would kill to go back to this morning to start over (not even considering that I've looked up some answers - purely from a test-taking standpoint). I was keeping pretty calm up to the test, but once I physically started the test, I felt...different? When I didn't know and answer right away, I somewhat panicked (not terribly, just enough to fog you're thinking a bit) and just picked a best answer because I thought I had to keep moving...at least I THINK...that's what's weird, I really DON'T REMEMBER much from this morning, which leaves me unsettled.

Hang in there man or it will be a long month 😛

NED, this is hilarious!! I wonder what the difference was between my silent test center and your nervous/talkative one? Maybe if one person at mine had opened their mouth, the nervous pre-med banter would have spread like wildfire-contagion!



I'm not worried 🙂 I'm just super glad that my 4 months of studying is over 🙂 I'm going to take a break from "studying"

😀

Am I the only one with a Psychology/Sociology trial section?

After going through Bio, that section felt pretty insane hahaha.

Seems like you are...lucky 😛 I'm so curious!

This is why I cracked a bunch of terrible jokes and didn't mention one thing about studying or MCAT anxiety. I asked the test proctor if I was allowed to take a nap in between sections because it didn't really have a 10 minute timer. She advised against it, but gave me a pity smile at my attempt of a joke. 👍

I also happen to look nothing like my driver's license, so that was fun watching the proctors struggle with that.

Did tbr help with ps? And for those of you who think you rocked bio what did you guys use?

I'll let the others answer about PS, I just think on this particular test, bio was just the easier section. As a result, I'm pretty sure the curve will be kind of harsh. You are pretty much set using any of the prep companies (imo) because there aren't really any tricks to bio, you either know how to do it and apply the information or you don't. I think Entadus and Sisko love TBR for it. A lot of people around here like TPR passages.

 

[osprey099]

You know the next exam is April 4th! So you actually may get your wish!

Ah your right! I forgot that there is a test on 4/4! Gonna go monitor that thread now.. 😛

 

[Captain Sisko]

Oh my gosh! This is exactly how I felt on Verbal!!! The first two passages, I was in a daze, I just picked answers from what sounded reasonable. After that I was like snap out of it, concentrate, actually read the material and it went better after that.


PS: I started off confidently for the 1st 1-2 passages. I had to guess for quite a few more than I wish. I hope I still get a 10 on this, chem was easy but I had to still guess on way more than I'd have wanted. I can't remember much. This was the hardest section. I barely even read one of the passages but luckily there were a lot of pseudo-discretes mixed into that one. (9-10)

VR: 1st 2 passages were extremely boring but afterwards it was actually ok. Still rushed on the last passage but stil think it went ok. (8-10)

BS: This was my best section. I started off confidently and I don't remembering a question I was not sure about until I got to like the second set of discretes (around 30) and by that point I was already confident. I think I might have encountered 1-2 tricky ones but that was really it. Obviously prolli got more than 3 wrong but still. (10-13)


That averages out to a 30. Hopefully that what I got. That's all I really want.

come to think of it, i also struggled on the first two verbal passages. fortunately or unfortunately while i think they were longer verbage wise i believe they had fewer questions. did anyone else get a little peeved you couldn't scroll through the questions with the mouse wheel? also the scroll bar was not indicative of where you were in the passage- you could have a quarter inch left but three questions. uber peeved.

 

[NuttyEngDude]

come to think of it, i also struggled on the first two verbal passages. fortunately or unfortunately while i think they were longer verbage wise i believe they had fewer questions. did anyone else get a little peeved you couldn't scroll through the questions with the mouse wheel? also the scroll bar was not indicative of where you were in the passage- you could have a quarter inch left but three questions. uber peeved.

haha yeah I had a feeling there wouldn't even be a third mouse button much less a wheel on a mouse. mine had a wheel that didn't work as well. Overall, I was impressed with the testing set up, I thought there would be someone next to me bumping my elbows the whole time, it was quite spacious. The only annoyance that I felt could have impacted me was the scrap paper they provided you with had a weird shimmer to it, so the reflection off the fluorescent lights made it hard to see the writing on it. i had to block out the overhead lights with my head to see my calculations.

 

[dellian101]

come to think of it, i also struggled on the first two verbal passages. fortunately or unfortunately while i think they were longer verbage wise i believe they had fewer questions. did anyone else get a little peeved you couldn't scroll through the questions with the mouse wheel? also the scroll bar was not indicative of where you were in the passage- you could have a quarter inch left but three questions. uber peeved.

Mine had a mouse wheel!!!!

 

[NuttyEngDude]

Mine had a mouse wheel!!!!

WHAT i'm calling aamc! test unfairness!

 

[dellian101]

WHAT i'm calling aamc! test unfairness!

i know --- i did tutorial and it scrolled....or maybe i'm just crazy?!


i'm reading the post where everyone says genchem was easy and .....i didn't think it was easy at ALL!!!!!!!!! and physics ughhhhhhhhhhhhhg

 

[Captain Sisko]

i know --- i did tutorial and it scrolled....or maybe i'm just crazy?!


i'm reading the post where everyone says genchem was easy and .....i didn't think it was easy at ALL!!!!!!!!! and physics ughhhhhhhhhhhhhg

+1 harder than all other aamc ps sections I've seen. on par with a gold standard exam

 

[carboxylase]

I was impressed with the testing conditions as well. The only thing that bugged me was not being able to take a sweatshirt off.

I took my sweater off, and put it on the desk. The proctor walked up and told me it had to wear it or I had to leave testing room, sign up, scan my fingerprint, hang the sweater up, sign back in, rescan my fingerprint, and then return to my computer. I just rolled up my sleeves...

 

[Medhopes]

I completely agree about the shimmering paper, VERY annoying.

And my mouse had a scroll wheel but it didn't work! I had to click the sides, which was also annoying. Glad we were all on the same playing field... 🙄

 

[NuttyEngDude]

i know --- i did tutorial and it scrolled....or maybe i'm just crazy?!


i'm reading the post where everyone says genchem was easy and .....i didn't think it was easy at ALL!!!!!!!!! and physics ughhhhhhhhhhhhhg

+1 harder than all other aamc ps sections I've seen. on par with a gold standard exam

I KNEW I should have ordered those!! Agreeing with dellian101 and Sisko, it was one of the hardest, if not the hardest PS sections I've seen. Problem I'm having now is trying to remember what was exam material and what was practice material, to say it all blends together is sort of an understatement.

I was impressed with the testing conditions as well. The only thing that bugged me was not being able to take a sweatshirt off.

I took my sweater off, and put it on the desk. The proctor walked up and told me it had to wear it or I had to leave testing room, sign up, scan my fingerprint, hang the sweater up, sign back in, rescan my fingerprint, and then return to my computer. I just rolled up my sleeves...

Never had my sweater off, temperature conditions were pretty good for me.

I completely agree about the shimmering paper, VERY annoying.

And my mouse had a scroll wheel but it didn't work! I had to click the sides, which was also annoying. Glad we were all on the same playing field... 🙄

lol. it's soo not an issue in the grand scheme of it

 

[Captain Sisko]

I KNEW I should have ordered those!! Agreeing with dellian101 and Sisko, it was one of the hardest, if not the hardest PS sections I've seen. Problem I'm having now is trying to remember what was exam material and what was practice material, to say it all blends together is sort of an understatement.



Never had my sweater off, temperature conditions were pretty good for me.

I know!! Taking that TBR molecular bio diagnostic the day before was a good morale booster but now I keep thinking of things and wondering, was that from Friday or Saturday??? I suppose I could go back, but I'm staying away from my MCAT stuff unless the lady tells me to move them somewhere. They're in the study we never use unless we need quiet.

I went with the multiple t-shirts approach- a long sleeve Boeing shirt as my middle layer and a NASA t on top. It occurred to me after I got dressed that I was completely blue with my jeans too, but I said screw it. engineers don't have fashion sense and the t-shirts are lucky. Rolling the sleeves, definitely the way to go.

Sisko loves the aerospace

 

[dellian101]

why didn't I avoid 🙁

my physical science has been 10-13 YET i guessed on ~20 questions, with some just BLINDLY (without doing any work)

 

[carboxylase]

why didn't I avoid 🙁

my physical science has been 10-13 YET i guessed on ~20 questions, with some just BLINDLY (without doing any work)

I feel your pain man. The thought crossed my mind of voiding, but I didn't give it much more time/thought than two seconds because I told myself before the test I would only void if I didn't finish an entire passage or two.

Although I think I did poorly compared to what I'm capable of (and it seems like you feel that way too), I decided A) I don't want to study for this stupid test again, and B) half the people in the 30+ thread think they did poorly, so I should just wait it out and see what I get.

 

[NuttyEngDude]

If you guys are truly worried and somewhat masochistic, start up the studying again next Saturday (equates to 1 week off). I may join you (then again.... 😛 )

If it turns out you do need a retake you can jump right back into it without really any loss of knowledge and hopefully this week would prove to be relaxation and insurance from burn out.

 

[dellian101]

If you guys are truly worried and somewhat masochistic, start up the studying again next Saturday (equates to 1 week off). I may join you (then again.... 😛 )

If it turns out you do need a retake you can jump right back into it without really any loss of knowledge and hopefully this week would prove to be relaxation and insurance from burn out.

yea NED im gonna start studying

which one are you gonna sign up for?

 

[johnny5473]

This is my first post on this website because I feel I need to get my frustration out about this test. To start with I have been scoring 37-40 on the AAMC practice tests. But that Physical Sciences section was UNREAL. There is no AAMC physical science section that was in any way comparable to the one on the real exam. The questions were way more difficult and impossible to finish in the amount of time given. I was scoring 13-14 on the physical sciences section on practice AAMCs, but I feel violated by that section. I'm going to call AAMC on Monday and express my frustrations.

 

[dellian101]

This is my first post on this website because I feel I need to get my frustration out about this test. To start with I have been scoring 37-40 on the AAMC practice tests. But that Physical Sciences section was UNREAL. There is no AAMC physical science section that was in any way comparable to the one on the real exam. The questions were way more difficult and impossible to finish in the amount of time given. I was scoring 13-14 on the physical sciences section on practice AAMCs, but I feel violated by that section. I'm going to call AAMC on Monday and express my frustrations.

thank you!! i'm not totally crazy!!!! i have NEVER guessed on questions -- NEVER left questions blank, and i did bc i didn't even know how to approach them

 

[NuttyEngDude]

yea NED im gonna start studying

which one are you gonna sign up for?

I'm not going to sign up until I have my score in hand. Even so, if it's "good enough" I will apply anyways. I'm going to do light if any studying at all to help out some trad. friends who are taking it later. If I decide I need to do it again then I'll pick up the studying. I'm pretty burnt out right now hehe.

This is my first post on this website because I feel I need to get my frustration out about this test. To start with I have been scoring 37-40 on the AAMC practice tests. But that Physical Sciences section was UNREAL. There is no AAMC physical science section that was in any way comparable to the one on the real exam. The questions were way more difficult and impossible to finish in the amount of time given. I was scoring 13-14 on the physical sciences section on practice AAMCs, but I feel violated by that section. I'm going to call AAMC on Monday and express my frustrations.

Not sure what this will amount to, I dont see them budging.

Keep in mind that it is uniformly difficult so there will be a large curve on PS and a harsh one on BS (imo). Verbal is just there to take care of anyone they may have missed with PS or BS

 

[slz1900]

People really thought BS was easy? I got 12-14 on the later aamcs, and I'd agree that the passages were not too difficult, but there were enough difficult discretes to negate that. I left thinking it was easy too, but I wonder how much of that was just because it followed a killer PS.

 

[carboxylase]

If you guys are truly worried and somewhat masochistic, start up the studying again next Saturday (equates to 1 week off). I may join you (then again.... 😛 )

If it turns out you do need a retake you can jump right back into it without really any loss of knowledge and hopefully this week would prove to be relaxation and insurance from burn out.

Maybe "worried" is the wrong word. I'm (at least so far...yesterday and today) I would say I'm rather "indifferent". Mostly "relieved" it's over. Disappointed at how I approached the test yesterday, but I still have some hope that everything turned out alright. I think I completely guessed at just a handful, and maybe my intuition was on point yesterday...so I'm not depressed and beating myself over it, as long as there's still hope.


Also, I have two tests next week [on subjects I learned (for the first time) backwards and forward for the MCAT ], then spring break Saturday.

People really thought BS was easy? I got 12-14 on the later aamcs, and I'd agree that the passages were not too difficult, but there were enough difficult discretes to negate that. I left thinking it was easy too, but I wonder how much of that was just because it followed a killer PS.

I didn't think BS was extremely easy either, and I agree about the discretes. Although, I looked some of them up and I think I nailed them. The passages weren't a breeze as described in this thread. But again, I have hope that my intuition carried me to the promised land.

 

[Excision]

If you guys are truly worried and somewhat masochistic, start up the studying again next Saturday (equates to 1 week off). I may join you (then again.... 😛 )

If it turns out you do need a retake you can jump right back into it without really any loss of knowledge and hopefully this week would prove to be relaxation and insurance from burn out.

This is what I will be doing.

I feel like I was obliterated yesterday.

 

[NuttyEngDude]

If you are going to do it then make sure you enjoy this week. I mean, REALLY ENJOY IT. In the grand scheme of things, it's only a few months.

Hope we all are pleasantly surprised in a month when we get our scores.

 

[NuttyEngDude]

Also, I have two tests next week [on subjects I learned (for the first time) backwards and forward for the MCAT ], then spring break Saturday, where I may break land speed records on the amount of alcohol I consume.

I missed this...

 

[Captain Sisko]

Yeah, some of the stuff in ps was off the wall. Almost like they took their experimental BS bs and applied it to PS instead. But to echo others, if we all found it supremely tough there may be a pleasant curve. Was it AAMC9 that had the tough PS, where a 48/52 got you a 14? I think I remember seeing something like that.

so I ended up not getting drunk yesterday. Instead I ate a lot of chinese food, saw Admissions, which was good but kind of scary given I'm going to apply to medical schools in a couple months, and then had two beers before passing out at 10 pm. wtf. I'll just be hungover tomorrow 🙂

 

[NuttyEngDude]

mmm chinese food. I have this fear that instead of a silent rejection I will get a letter in the mail from med schools with just one word: "lol"... i kid i kid...

I've been working on assignments and catching back up on classes I've blown off in the past few weeks..... then I'm going to have a drink or two. 😛

 

[timeturner]

Maybe "worried" is the wrong word. I'm (at least so far...yesterday and today) I would say I'm rather "indifferent". Mostly "relieved" it's over. Disappointed at how I approached the test yesterday, but I still have some hope that everything turned out alright. .

This is exactly how I feel lol. I came out feeling like it's probably going to be a 33 or 32, which almost broke my heart. I tried looking up some stuff today and just couldln't remember enough but I remember it was a pretty brutal experience in terms of timing. It certainly didn't feel easy.

I'm mentally preparing myself for the prospect of having to study again. But I'm really hoping not. At this point I'm taking anything 34+, will think about re-taking if it's a 33, and definitely retaking if 32 or below. Sigh. I never ever scored below a 33 on a practice exam and that was without a lot of prep...

I've been telling everyone that I felt it was hard but just glad it's over. I kind of wish I moved faster on the test also.

Definitely not studying this week! I need to cure my insomnia haha, slept so much last night with the help of half a drink (didn't want to overdo it) 😴😴

 

[dellian101]

Yeah, some of the stuff in ps was off the wall. Almost like they took their experimental BS bs and applied it to PS instead. But to echo others, if we all found it supremely tough there may be a pleasant curve. Was it AAMC9 that had the tough PS, where a 48/52 got you a 14? I think I remember seeing something like that.

even then ..10 wrong is and you are down to a 10 =XXXXX i deff got more than 10 wrong

 

[Jr MD]

NED, CAPTAIN !! All of y'all! Hope it went well despite the rough patch of PS questions. ENJOY the break!

Sent from my Nexus 7 using SDN Mobile

 

[Captain Sisko]

anyone else slowly recalling things from the exam? last night one of them "came " to me and i verified it in the morning. since then I've recalled about five different questions. so weird. maybe this is some sort of ptsd...

 

[Captain Sisko]

NED, CAPTAIN !! All of y'all! Hope it went well despite the rough patch of PS questions. ENJOY the break!

Sent from my Nexus 7 using SDN Mobile

same to you old sport.

 

[osprey099]

From the post-test responses you guys have posted and my own experience last summer, I think that Kaplan FL 1-6 PS and BS sections are actually better tests to take than the AAMC FL PS and BS. The trick is to convert your raw scores using an AAMC scale so that you don't get tricked by the "extra sense of security" kaplan provides. What do you guys think about this?

 

[NuttyEngDude]

NED, CAPTAIN !! All of y'all! Hope it went well despite the rough patch of PS questions. ENJOY the break!

Thanks Jr MD good luck on your upcoming test!! 👍

even then ..10 wrong is and you are down to a 10 =XXXXX i deff got more than 10 wrong

hehe at the rate you are going you're not going to make it to the retake In a worst case scenario your new score will out do this one, especially if you build on what you do now after a good break. Hang in there and !!

anyone else slowly recalling things from the exam? last night one of them "came " to me and i verified it in the morning. since then I've recalled about five different questions. so weird. maybe this is some sort of ptsd...

Nope. Not at all. It's like a bad dream that I'm slowly forgetting.

From the post-test responses you guys have posted and my own experience last summer, I think that Kaplan FL 1-6 PS and BS sections are actually better tests to take than the AAMC FL PS and BS. The trick is to convert your raw scores using an AAMC scale so that you don't get tricked by the "extra sense of security" kaplan provides. What do you guys think about this?

I was going to wait and do a write up if I had a decent score, but I feel that the Kaplan and TPR tests are quite good, not as score predictors but as weakness finders, throw away the scales and just try to get them all correct. In truth I think taking them all (kaplan 1-6, TPR 1-5? and AAMC) is a good idea. I got overwhelmed with materials so I cut back a bit.

And everyone seems to agree that the AAMC's are better score predictors in general.
The sectional tests are good practice too, imo, for PS/BS. Skip the VR unless you cant sleep at 2am, yes i did this lol. Qbank does not have as many problems as I was hoping, you can easily exhaust that thing in a week.

Also, they either added this new or i never noticed until too late, but the stuff in "additional resources" with "FLEX" in the names are pretty nice videos.

 

[SN2ed]

Just a reminder. Discussion of MCAT specifics is not allowed.

 

[carboxylase]

questions

Note: I'm not sure if it's okay to post specific questions, as AAMC made it pretty clear not to reveal anything. I could be wrong. However, to be safe, I'm going to lean to the side of caution.

They seemed pretty serious about discussing answers whatsoever.

I could just be paranoid, but I wouldn't roll the dice.

 

[carboxylase]

Nope. Not at all. It's like a bad dream that I'm slowly forgetting.

 

[Captain Sisko]

heh, i was wondering if someone from our group was going to get mods involved. lol.

 

[carboxylase]

EDIT: Figured it out. Not sure out to delete post.

 

[MTHFR]

First post on the site. I was told the real deal would seem much harder than the practice tests provided by AAMC, but that, ultimately, the scores you got on those were pretty indicative of the score you'd end up getting. Definitely true in regards to the test seeming harder. Also, whoever said it first - the Kaplan FLs were more representative of test difficulty - I completely agree. Here's my rundown:

PS: Hard. I probably guessed on 5-10. I HATE guessing. 😡 Likely my least strong section.

VR: I actually felt good about this section (which I know doesn't mean too much given that earlier in my studies I'd feel great about a practice VR section and would get an 9, but later would feel just "okay" and get a 12-13). I'm trying to be optimistic.

BS: Came much more easily to me than PS, but I still had to guess on a few. Again... HATE. Hopefully I don't have unfounded optimism, but I worked so hard the last 3 months.

Overall: Everything was way longer and I felt rushed. The AAMC tests were not indicative of length. Crossing my fingers it all went well like I'm sure you all are.

Does anyone know how the curve works? I had read that the people that took the "hard" tests were, for the most part, rewarded with a *better* score than they averaged? Any validity to this?

Good luck to you all. I'm glad I found this site. 🙂

 

[NuttyEngDude]

Does anyone know how the curve works? I had read that the people that took the "hard" tests were, for the most part, rewarded with a *better* score than they averaged? Any validity to this?

Good luck to you all. I'm glad I found this site. 🙂

It's all a guess. I've made peace with whatever score I get. I am fine with a retake, although typing that in right now just made me feel a little nauseous 😛

Good luck!

 

[Entadus]

This is my first post on this website because I feel I need to get my frustration out about this test. To start with I have been scoring 37-40 on the AAMC practice tests. But that Physical Sciences section was UNREAL. There is no AAMC physical science section that was in any way comparable to the one on the real exam. The questions were way more difficult and impossible to finish in the amount of time given. I was scoring 13-14 on the physical sciences section on practice AAMCs, but I feel violated by that section. I'm going to call AAMC on Monday and express my frustrations.

I disagree. I mean really... "impossible to finish"?

I finished 🙄

I know it seems hard when you are psychologically impacted by the stressors of test day... but it really wasn't an abnormal P.S. section.

I hope I'm not being unreasonable, here.... can somebody back me up on this? Maybe I'm just that guy since my practice test scores were the highest in the thread... But let's not be melodramatic!

Personally I did not finish the hardest passage until the end. I saw a few questions that had me going "hmmm WTF" and I moved on, found some easy passages (yes, EASY), and came back when I could. Do I think I scored 100%? Obviously not. Was it just a cruel trick by the AAMC? Please

 

[Albein]

Good job and congratulations to those who finished. I took this test last year and I couldn't quote all of you from my phone. No one is ever fully prepared for this test is what one of my friends told me last year and he was spot on. You can know the material inside out and still be completely unprepared for something thrown at you. Also, even if someone held me at gunpoint, I wouldn't be able to tell you any questions on my test because it was all gone soon as I left the room. Regardless, I'm sure you all did better than you think and I expect to see a lot of "30+" posts in a month!