The Official 4/26/13 MCAT Thread

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In lieu of the other threads popping up, I thought it'd be good for those of us taking the test to identify ourselves 👍

I'm not planning on following a rigid study schedule until January, but I think I'm going to watch a single video off of wikipremed daily to lightly review.

Good luck to everyone... we will crush this exam..

 

[Albein]

Osprey you're killing it! Keep up the good work! 3/23 is rooting for you!

Well that hurts </3.... Lmao. Yeah, I've officially lost it

 

[osprey099]

Osprey you're killing it! Keep up the good work! 3/23 is rooting for you!

Thanks for the encouragement! I'm still actively checking 3/23's thread to see what you, NED, and Entadus got 😛

 

[Captain Sisko]

Well that hurts </3.... Lmao. Yeah, I've officially lost it

Heh sorry albein, didn't see you there 🙂 you know you're an honorary 3/23 too

 

[Albein]

Thanks for the encouragement! I'm still actively checking 3/23's thread to see what you, NED, and Entadus got 😛

👍

Just finished PS portion of AAMC 10 and all I can say is sheesh, I've got a lot of minor tweaking to do. I can't wait to see the results of that section. That wire passage with the chambers really made me go wtf for a second. On to verbal after my break. Have a good day studying. I'm going to power through these next 2 days and take Saturday off to watch some playoffs basketball and let everything settle in.

 

[Status Sciaticus]

👍

Just finished PS portion of AAMC 10 and all I can say is sheesh, I've got a lot of minor tweaking to do. I can't wait to see the results of that section. That wire passage with the chambers really made me go wtf for a second. On to verbal after my break. Have a good day studying. I'm going to power through these next 2 days and take Saturday off to watch some playoffs basketball and let everything settle in.

Good luck! I decided to take mine tomorrow instead of today because I wanted to finish up reviewing a few things.

 

[Albein]

Good luck! I decided to take mine tomorrow instead of today because I wanted to finish up reviewing a few things.

That was probably something I should've done, but I wanted to do that today, review it tomorrow and then do the guidebook Saturday and review it Sunday and finish with 11 on Monday. Verbal time. I'll update soon as I'm finished.

 

[grindtime1]

How does the timer on the computers at the official testing centers work? Does it go from 70 minutes to 0 or the other way around? I have been doing the other way around (not that it matters much, just curious) and was just wondering.

 

[Albein]

Verbal was brutal. The last 2 passages were ridiculous in my opinion, more the last one. Not really feeling too good about the first 2 passages. Had to rush through last few verbal questions and guess the last 2.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

Verbal was brutal. The last 2 passages were ridiculous in my opinion, more the last one. Not really feeling too good about the first 2 passages. Had to rush through last few verbal questions and guess the last 2.

Yup, I the last one (Pizza) was the worst.

 

[Back 5]

👍

Just finished PS portion of AAMC 10 and all I can say is sheesh, I've got a lot of minor tweaking to do. I can't wait to see the results of that section. That wire passage with the chambers really made me go wtf for a second. On to verbal after my break. Have a good day studying. I'm going to power through these next 2 days and take Saturday off to watch some playoffs basketball and let everything settle in.

I just finished PS of #10 and I thought the entire section was too easy...which means I will score a 6 🙁 I always score higher the more beat up I feel after the PS section. Guess we will see what my score is in a bit!

 

[Albein]

Yup, I the last one (Pizza) was the worst.

They were all horrible haha, but the last one certainly takes home the prize for the worst.

Wow, that was brutal. My lowest score since AAMC 4 and I feel like the curve was unforgiving as well. I got a 27: 10/7/10 🙁

 

[Postictal Raiden]

They were all horrible haha, but the last one certainly takes home the prize for the worst.

Wow, that was brutal. My lowest score since AAMC 4 and I feel like the curve was unforgiving as well. I got a 27: 10/7/10 🙁

What did you think of the proportional chamber passage on the PS? Half of the points I missed on the PS section were because of this passage. Also the hantavirus passage on the BS was my killer. I discovered that the same exact passage with similar questions was presented on the tprh ICC book.

 

[Albein]

What did you think of the proportional chamber passage on the PS? Half of the points I missed on the PS section were because of this passage. Also the hantavirus passage on the BS was my killer. I discovered that the same exact passage with similar questions was presented on the tprh ICC book.

I thought it was difficult. I usually go over my test quickly just to see what topics I messed up on, but I didn't do that today, wasn't really in a great mood after that score. That hantavirus one was a little tricky but I think I managed to get through it. But again, I don't really know. I probably should've glanced through it quickly.

Was the curve also different? Or is it just me?

 

[MedGrl@2022]

What did you think of the proportional chamber passage on the PS? Half of the points I missed on the PS section were because of this passage. Also the hantavirus passage on the BS was my killer. I discovered that the same exact passage with similar questions was presented on the tprh ICC book.

:-/ Will be taking that one on Sunday... I hope it doesn't freak me out

 

[Postictal Raiden]

I thought it was difficult. I usually go over my test quickly just to see what topics I messed up on, but I didn't do that today, wasn't really in a great mood after that score. That hantavirus one was a little tricky but I think I managed to get through it. But again, I don't really know. I probably should've glanced through it quickly.

Was the curve also different? Or is it just me?

the curve is brutal. I only missed 8 on PS and 7 on BS and my score was 11 on both. Verbal is even worse. My raw score was 23 and that gave me only 6. The curve what makes this test "special", but overall the difficulty of the passages/questions was significantly lower than what I've encountered on the Guide book, at least for bio. Verbal, however, is tough on this test. That last verbal passage is very involving and requires a high level of active reading to be able to apply the concept to answering the questions.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

:-/ Will be taking that one on Sunday... I hope it doesn't freak me out

Don't worry too much. In my opinion, AAMC 7 was harder than this test, but the grading scale is much worse on this test.

 

[Albein]

the curve is brutal. I only missed 8 on PS and 7 on BS and my score was 11 on both. Verbal is even worse. My raw score was 23 and that gave me only 6. The curve what makes this test "special", but overall the difficulty of the passages/questions was significantly lower than what I've encountered on the Guide book, at least for bio. Verbal, however, is tough on this test. That last verbal passage is very involving and requires a high level of active reading to be able to apply the concept to answering the questions.

I've been tracking my scores from last summer compared to this time around and all of them are +5/6, this one was only +2. I'm really at a loss for words. Hopefully I learn from the review tomorrow and the guidebook tunes some other knowledge gaps before AAMC 11 on Monday. I think you're right with the curve because I feel I've had similar breakdowns with much higher scores. It also didnt help to go read opinions of this test vs real mcat. I'm just a walking, taking, poor decision-maker today haha.

 

[Back 5]

I just finished PS of #10 and I thought the entire section was too easy...which means I will score a 6 🙁 I always score higher the more beat up I feel after the PS section. Guess we will see what my score is in a bit!

Scored a 28. 8/10/10.

Verbal scale was rough. I had 32/40 for a 10 😱 If I only miss 8 on verbal and score a 10 on the real deal...I'll be angry.

EDIT: Oh man 🙁 I missed 2 questions in PS because I clicked the bubble under the correct answer. How silly of a mistake is that, clicking the wrong answer. I also missed 3! orgo questions because I was going way too fast through BS and misread the questions. Man, I feel like crap. That's 5 total answers wrong because of stupid errors on my part.

 

[Albein]

I couldn't study after that test. Going to go home, rest for a bit, grab a bite, glance over it to see where I made mistakes and continue bio index cards. That test really has me shaken up because I was doing well and somewhat confident. As a retaker, I don't have much leeway this time around :/

 

[MedGrl@2022]

random but important question:

What are you all planning to do for food on the day of the exam? Are you bringing snacks for the breaks? If so, what do you all recommend?

Thank you!!!

 

[Postictal Raiden]

random but important question:

What are you all planning to do for food on the day of the exam? Are you bringing snacks for the breaks? If so, what do you all recommend?

Thank you!!!

for me, I have taught myself to eat one tablespoon of peanut butter and proceed with the test without breakfast. I do this mostly to avoid nature attack. In addition, taking the test on a full stomach has had adverse influence on my score.

 

[osprey099]

random but important question:

What are you all planning to do for food on the day of the exam? Are you bringing snacks for the breaks? If so, what do you all recommend?

Thank you!!!

During my first MCAT, I made the terrible decision of eating a complete granola bar and chugging down a couple gulps of gatorade during the breaks. I swear that is the reason I did so poorly on verbal last time and now I have to retake because during the verbal section, half my concentration was on reading the passages and answering the questions and the other half was devoted towards holding that urine in. NEVER drink or eat excessively before or in-between breaks; it will most likely overwhelm your small intestine's reabsorptive abilities and make you wanna pee frequently, especially when you're concentrating really hard cause that makes your blood pressure increase and increases glomerular filtration rate.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

During my first MCAT, I made the terrible decision of eating a complete granola bar and chugging down a couple gulps of gatorade during the breaks. I swear that is the reason I did so poorly on verbal last time and now I have to retake because during the verbal section, half my concentration was on reading the passages and answering the questions and the other half was devoted towards holding that urine in. NEVER drink or eat excessively before or in-between breaks; it will most likely overwhelm your small intestine's reabsorptive abilities and make you wanna pee frequently, especially when you're concentrating really hard cause that makes your blood pressure increase and increases glomerular filtration rate.

So, it's you verbal score that you're not satisfied with. Reading your posts on how tough the BS section was gave the impression that you are retaking because you were killed by those PubMed bio passages.

 

[WSHRocks]

I was thinking oatmeal mixed with various things for breakfast and a granola bar for the second break (between verbal and biology). Last time I took the test, oatmeal held me up all of the way through until 30-40 minutes into the bio section. I try not to drink very much, although I usually use the breaks for a quick bathroom break.

 

[Back 5]

Looks like I'm in the target zone of +/- 27 for my MCAT? Hopefully on the + side, if possible. Man, that's disappointing 🙁

aamc#3: 26 6/10/10 (first aamc taken)
aamc#4: 24 7/8/9 (bad test day, outlier score)
aamc#5: 29 8/10/11
aamc#7: 26 7/9/10
aamc#8: 27 8/9/10
aamc#9 29 10/9/10
aamc#10 28 8/10/10

 

[Albein]

What did you think of the proportional chamber passage on the PS? Half of the points I missed on the PS section were because of this passage. Also the hantavirus passage on the BS was my killer. I discovered that the same exact passage with similar questions was presented on the tprh ICC book.

Just looked over my exam. I only got one wrong in that passage and it was the why do they prefer curved over straight? Still, made mistake or two in just about every passage. In bio, the hantavirus wasn't bad, all I missed was the mouse/voles because I had no clue what a vole was and a few discretes. The pylori one I also missed 2 in.

Still extremely disappointed and morale is at a low

 

[positivityrocks]

random but important question:

What are you all planning to do for food on the day of the exam? Are you bringing snacks for the breaks? If so, what do you all recommend?

Thank you!!!

I took the MCAT last summer and brought a whole assortment of snacks with me (banana, peanut butter crackers, yogurt, power bar, etc.). I find that I have a hard time concentrating when hungry, so wanted to be prepared and thought it worked out pretty nicely 🙂

I'm pretty sure my low score last year (28) was due to some specific content-related weaknesses with the PS section (8 on PS, 10 on V and BS), as well as medical issues that got pretty serious/scary around that time. Also likely didn't help that prereqs were taken several years ago, and I basically just tried to cram a lot of review into the few weeks before the test (while working full time!), which was pretty foolish, in retrospect.

This time, I signed up for a TPR online course, completed all of the Chem and Phys practice questions online (some Bio and Verbal too). I'm also trying to rework through TBR Chem and Phys in the evenings/weekends, as well as review flashcards (Bio, mostly) to/from work (about an hour on the bus each way, so 2 hours/day of extra practice!).

Big change in my studying recently has been to use flashcards for any discrete questions I happen to miss. I basically put the problem on one side and the answer/explanation on the other, then go through about 10 each night to confirm I can do the problem correctly now. I think it's helping a lot, even if only to improve my confidence!

 

[osprey099]

So, it's you verbal score that you're not satisfied with. Reading your posts on how tough the BS section was gave the impression that you are retaking because you were killed by those PubMed bio passages.

I got a 12PS, 8V, 10BS the first time. I think I definitely could've done better on BS if the 9/1 test didn't have 5 pubmed articles in it. Also, I missed a couple of easy PS questions and almost ran out of time on that section, probably due to the fact that the only timed PS passages I did was the AAMC ones.

 

[Albein]

I got a 12PS, 8V, 10BS the first time. I think I definitely could've done better on BS if the 9/1 test didn't have 5 pubmed articles in it. Also, I missed a couple of easy PS questions and almost ran out of time on that section, probably due to the fact that the only timed PS passages I did was the AAMC ones.

I would've loved to have gotten a 28 my first time around. I had such an awful experience. I had to change dates last minute so I rented a hotel. I got 30 minutes of sleep and looked like a drug addict all itchy and bloodshot . My content review was also seriously lacking. My practice tests averaged a 24.6 and I ended up with a 23 (7-7-9). I'm hoping for at least a 30 this time around but AAMC 10 has my confidence shot.

I brought some red bull and snickers for snacks and I don't remember any of them having any effect on my having to use the bathroom. I can only offer this as some advice and its something I'm still trying to register: the exam will be like nothing you have seen in practice and you can't let the first sign of trouble or panic ruin the test. If you sense panic, stop and take a few breaths and refocus. You've done your studying and have all the knowledge required.

 

[chickensoupdr]

Have you guys done the verbal from AAMC's self-assessment? What are your thoughts? I'm halfway through, and the passages seem a little easier than the FLs. (doesn't mean that I'm getting all the questions right though. heh)

 

[Postictal Raiden]

I got a 12PS, 8V, 10BS the first time. I think I definitely could've done better on BS if the 9/1 test didn't have 5 pubmed articles in it. Also, I missed a couple of easy PS questions and almost ran out of time on that section, probably due to the fact that the only timed PS passages I did was the AAMC ones.

That was a good score though. If I get this score I wouldn't retake the mcat even if the Dean of Johns Hopkins himself guarantees me a seat there contingent on scoring better. However, your performance on the FL's is very promising and I'm sure you are much more prepared this time.

 

[osprey099]

Have you guys done the verbal from AAMC's self-assessment? What are your thoughts? I'm halfway through, and the passages seem a little easier than the FLs. (doesn't mean that I'm getting all the questions right though. heh)

The first 16 or so passages are easy. The last 5 are pretty hard.

 

[HotHamH2O]

Don't worry too much. In my opinion, AAMC 7 was harder than this test, but the grading scale is much worse on this test.

I still say 8 was the hardest thus far. Still have to take 10 and 11 though.

 

[osprey099]

That was a good score though. If I get this score I wouldn't retake the mcat even if the Dean of Johns Hopkins himself guarantees me a seat there contingent on scoring better. However, your performance on the FL's is very promising and I'm sure you are much more prepared this time.

I am mainly retaking because of the 8 in verbal and my advisor suggested that I retake because he said a lot of schools will look down at that. Personally, I thought I had the ability to do a lot better since I studied ~4 hours every day over the summer and the score I received was not indicative of the amount of practice I put into the test.

Also, keep in mind that the Kaplan PS/BS scores are very very inflated. 39/52 gets you a 13... and I had already done the AAMC FLs last summer already..

 

[HotHamH2O]

You are studying for MCAT and working full-time?? May God be with you!

I work part-time and barely feel I have enough time for sufficiently prepare for the test.

I work full-time nights as an ED tech, taking one class this semester, and have a wife and 2 little kids...it's been such a fun 4 months 🙂

 

[Postictal Raiden]

I would've loved to have gotten a 28 my first time around. I had such an awful experience. I had to change dates last minute so I rented a hotel. I got 30 minutes of sleep and looked like a drug addict all itchy and bloodshot . My content review was also seriously lacking. My practice tests averaged a 24.6 and I ended up with a 23 (7-7-9). I'm hoping for at least a 30 this time around but AAMC 10 has my confidence shot.

I brought some red bull and snickers for snacks and I don't remember any of them having any effect on my having to use the bathroom. I can only offer this as some advice and its something I'm still trying to register: the exam will be like nothing you have seen in practice and you can't let the first sign of trouble or panic ruin the test. If you sense panic, stop and take a few breaths and refocus. You've done your studying and have all the knowledge required.

Just outta curiosity, why didn't you apply to DO with that score. I know it's a long shot, but some of the new schools might have turned a blind eye for you given that you had everything else in line.

I scored 20 on my first take (8, 3, 9). Yes, that's not a typo; I scored 3 on verbal. That pretty much kept me out of the run. Had I scored 6, I would have submitted few applications to low-tier schools. Scoring that low was totally my fault. My average on AAMC FL was 21 and on verbal was 4.5. So far, my AAMC FL average is 27.75 with a verbal score average of 6.4.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

I work full-time nights as an ED tech, taking one class this semester, and have a wife and 2 little kids...it's been such a fun 4 months 🙂

How do you handle it? I'm too married and has a kid, so I understand how pressured you are. Sure, I could probably fit in a little more work load, but I need to allow myself time to relax and be with my family.

 

[Albein]

Just outta curiosity, why didn't you apply to DO with that score. I know it's a long shot, but some of the new schools might have turned a blind eye for you given that you had everything else in line.

I scored 20 on my first take (8, 3, 9). Yes, that's not a typo; I scored 3 on verbal. That pretty much kept me out of the run. Had I scored 6, I would have submitted few applications to low-tier schools. Scoring that low was totally my fault. My average on AAMC FL was 21 and on verbal was 4.5. So far, my AAMC FL average is 27.75 with a verbal score average of 6.4.

My advisor told me not to risk it because it would be even more difficult as a reapplicant. My GPA is a little lower than what most med schools require so I had a lot going against me. I felt if I put in the effort, I could do better. If I gave it my all and got that score, I probably wouldn't retake knowing I did all I could, but I was far from it. Lets kill it next week and make that first take a distant memory. I have faith (well some in my case, but you seem to have been putting in the work).

 

[LaughingMan]

How do you handle it? I'm too married and has a kid, so I understand how pressured you are. Sure, I could probably fit in a little more work load, but I need to allow myself time to relax and be with my family.

Well that is interesting. I always imagined you as a 20ish year old. No offense of course.

 

[Albein]

Well that is interesting. I always imagined you as a 20ish year old. No offense of course.

As did I haha, as did I.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

Well that is interesting. I always imagined you as a 20ish year old. No offense of course.

I am still in my mid twenties. I got married at a young age. I enjoy being a husband and a parent. I wouldn't trade that for the world...even for Medicine.

 

[osprey099]

How do you handle it? I'm too married and has a kid, so I understand how pressured you are. Sure, I could probably fit in a little more work load, but I need to allow myself time to relax and be with my family.

Wow man. You are "relatively old" but still want to be a doctor. That's dedication.

 

[osprey099]

I am still in my mid twenties. I got married at a young age. I enjoy being a husband and a parent. I wouldn't trade that for the world...even for Medicine.

Oh nvm, I just read this

 

[vagusnerve]

Just did a bunch of optics problems today, feeling much better about that topic now. Ray tracing is a friend, not foe haha. Decided to work on acid/base chem, electrochem, and genetics so I feel more confident come next Friday. Its almost here, eeek!😛

 

[Albein]

Just did a bunch of optics problems today, feeling much better about that topic now. Ray tracing is a friend, not foe haha. Decided to work on acid/base chem, electrochem, and genetics so I feel more confident come next Friday. Its almost here, eeek!😛

What did you use? I need to feel that way with optics haha

 

[vagusnerve]

I used NOVAS physics book, did their problems and also reviewed TBR light and optics section and did those passages! I also youtubed a significant amount haha. Thank goodness for the internet.

 

[Albein]

I used NOVAS physics book, did their problems and also reviewed TBR light and optics section and did those passages! I also youtubed a significant amount haha. Thank goodness for the internet.

Darn, I don't have NOVAS. I guess I'll go over TBR one more time and do EK 1001

 

[Back 5]

Darn, I don't have NOVAS. I guess I'll go over TBR one more time and do EK 1001

There is information, or material, overload. Make sure you don't overdo it bud.

 

[Status Sciaticus]

There is information, or material, overload. Make sure you don't overdo it bud.

dude just memorize the rules for mirrors/lens based on if its diverging or converging from the TBR Physics book. its litterally like 8 flash cards and youre good to go.

 

[Albein]

There is information, or material, overload. Make sure you don't overdo it bud.

I think I've been hitting that point recently. I'm quite sure that point is there when the will to go on is gone.