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I'm registered, 8am. Will be on the 4 month S2N study plan, all materials in hand. This is a retake for me.
Good luck all.
D712
Good luck all.
D712
I just took the MCAT this morning too. Mixed feelings.
The verbal passages are longer, but I thought they were easier than the earlier AAMC FLs. PS and BS both just seemed different to me. Lots of guessing! I'd probably recommend what some of the earlier posters have said: Go back and study a lot of the concepts, a lot of the essentials, and then get used to analyzing your passages, combing through them for important details and using that to answer your questions.
There wasn't a lot of OChem this time around. Not calculation heavy, IMO, but you did need to know some formulas.
I was lucky in that I did finish earlier than most people, but how that affects my final score... Well, we'll see April 24th.
can you elaborate on what formulas? I know they wont be the same obviously but just as an idea I'd like to know
There is no way to really be sure that we are all talking about the same test is there?
I'm pretty sure they administer the same test to everybody
nope thats not true
pretty sure that not everyone takes the same exact test.....its all a bit different, maybe not drastically.
But who knows anymore...
was there mostly genetics passages? My freind said what it was about 80% genetics when she took it....
pretty sure that not everyone takes the same exact test.....its all a bit different, maybe not drastically.
But who knows anymore...
was there mostly genetics passages? My freind said what it was about 80% genetics when she took it....
Haha, I heard the complete opposite. Someone said "there was barely any genetics on it."
By research type passage questions, do you all mean more biochemistry questions? I'm trying to figure out if they are slowly trying to move toward the 2015 format/way they would like to ask questions by sticking some experimental types in with the others. Maybe more biochem as well as that will eventually be required. What do you all think?
anyone have primarily genetics, cell molec passages? i have been focusing on that a little more over physio....maybe this will bite me ha...
Also anyone have a LOT of ochem? More than a whole passage and a few discrete?
thanks all
Yeah, like everyone already said, barely any Ochem. There were a few genetics discretes in there...
Damn the first passage of the PS, I was so lost and it took so much time! Argh!
Can you elaborate on being "lost" on the first PS passage. It seems that this occurrence is fairly common and I realize that the real exam is probably different than most practice exams. However, I haven't encountered a single passage so far that I was lost on in all of my studying, and I am by no means an MCAT wiz. I'm scoring between a 30-33 on my practice tests. Was it the application of the concept that was just hard to follow?
I'm not chalking this one up to test day jitters. In my opinion, it made every other practice MCAT PS passage look elementary. It was a weird concept and I had difficult time visualizing it. I read the passage, became baffled, skipped it, and finished it last.
the way i atttack PS section is i skip through the passages till i get to the discrete questions -solve them and bost my confiedence- then look for a passage that is not lengthy it only takes 15 seconds to decide. The test maker puts the longest passage with diverse applications that is hard to follow to be the first passage on purpose, which basically puts you down for the rest of the section, that's how they get you lol
Also, I'm surprised at the number of Helicopter Parents posting on here about how they think their children did. Keep in mind that the line between being supportive and being smothering is very fine.
Golaso, how were you scoring in your practice prep before the exam? This sounds like a good idea otherwise!
For those who took the 3/24 MCAT, could you specify which of the practice materials you worked with (i.e. AAMCs, Kaplan FLs, Kaplan Section Tests, TBR, etc.) were the most similar to your actual MCAT? I know that overall, the test felt different and outside of what you were used to, but which materials correlate best, in your opinion?
Frankly, I have tried almost everything Kaplan, EK, TPR, TBR. None are close to the actual MCAT. The best material is the AAMC tests themselves which give you very good practice IMHO.
My take is that you need a very solid understanding of the concepts. Formulas are good, but on the MCAT we just took, I found that the PS was the least calculation intensive of all AAMC tests I have taken. However, it seems the questions are geared toward understanding and questions asked are the one you wouldn't expect. A lot of reasoning, and at time educated guessing. I think in the PS section I probably used less than 10 formulas all in all.[/QUOTE
Ditto. It's an excellent test but super challenge. You need to have very strong fundation and solid concepts. We'll see the scores when it comes out on April 24th.
For those who took the 3/24 MCAT, could you specify which of the practice materials you worked with (i.e. AAMCs, Kaplan FLs, Kaplan Section Tests, TBR, etc.) were the most similar to your actual MCAT? I know that overall, the test felt different and outside of what you were used to, but which materials correlate best, in your opinion?
Frankly, I have tried almost everything Kaplan, EK, TPR, TBR. None are close to the actual MCAT. The best material is the AAMC tests themselves which give you very good practice IMHO.
My take is that you need a very solid understanding of the concepts. Formulas are good, but on the MCAT we just took, I found that the PS was the least calculation intensive of all AAMC tests I have taken. However, it seems the questions are geared toward understanding and questions asked are the one you wouldn't expect. A lot of reasoning, and at time educated guessing. I think in the PS section I probably used less than 10 formulas all in all.[/QUOTE
Ditto. It's an excellent test but super challenge. You need to have very strong fundation and solid concepts. We'll see the scores when it comes out on April 24th.
Agreed. I didn't really try to memorize any equations (minus the basic velocity equations), I just worked at understanding the concepts until the equation variables made sense, that was really what was important; how the equation works not how to use it.
Wait. TPR and EK is EASIER than AAMC Verbal? I've been eeking out 8's and 9's....
My GOD does anyone else feel like the month of March has been the LONGEST month of their life? Jeez I hope april goes by faster, the anxiety of not knowing my score is killin meeee. I thought i would feel relief when all this was over but I really cant shake the feeling that I could've done better, its stressful ugh #mcatproblemz
My GOD does anyone else feel like the month of March has been the LONGEST month of their life? Jeez I hope april goes by faster, the anxiety of not knowing my score is killin meeee. I thought i would feel relief when all this was over but I really cant shake the feeling that I could've done better, its stressful ugh #mcatproblemz
One week until scores are released. I'm going out on my mind waiting for these scores to be released.
agreed!i agree
agreed!