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..
 
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Temperature101 said:
I am hopin Kaplan VR is more accurate since I am getting 70%+ in it, and 50%-60% on everything else. Anyhow, from what I have been reading on SDN, it seems like most people say that TPRH is more accurate because the passages are more similar to the AAMC ones. Also, many on SDN complain about a lot wishy-washy questions/answers in EK 101.
Click to expand...

Ya, I did EK-and some of the answers that were written, had no justification. Kaplan seems to be focused on the details and not the main idea/ strengthen weaken questions ( which is seems that the AAMC's favor more on avg), TPR seems to be more focused on the main/idea and strengthen/weaken questions..... Your best bet to, is to do to LSAT verbal- that's how my verbal shot up... LSAT verbal is different in structure, but the writing style/question types are the same...and if you can get through those questions (which answer choices are so similar, and particularly tricky), you should be able to nail mcat verbal.
 
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ktanner777 said:
You and I both man. PS is what is keeping me from my 30. I keep scoring 10's in bio and verbal and I can't move from an 8 in PS. I think I figured out what I need to do to fix it though and I'm going to give it a try on #7 which I am taking in 2 days.

For me it's not a lack of knowledge of the PS material. It's stupid crap like rushing through a calculation or misreading. PS makes me nervous and therefore I rush and can't keep a level head. Luckily, PS is the easiest section to improve on especially if it's just test taking mistakes. So, I need to train myself to just keep my cool. Either that or I'm going to need some benzo's before the test (kidding).

Let me know if you find any thing that works for you. It sounds like you and I need the same miracle.
Click to expand...

Have you guys tried out Wikipremed for you weaknesses in physics? I think he does a really good job on trying to build intuition on some of the topics he covers.
 
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Incontrol said:
Have you guys tried out Wikipremed for you weaknesses in physics? I think he does a really good job on trying to build intuition on some of the topics he covers.
Click to expand...
I wish he had a 2x speed for his videos. Very in depth but very very very slow.
 
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GandalfTheWhite said:
Chads Videos >>
Click to expand...

He is good. I have watched all of his videos. But in physics I think wikipremed does a better job for a deeper understanding.

For chad's physics, is a good review to cover all the basics.

For comparison I would say Chad's physics is like EK whereas Wikipremed is more like TBR.
 
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hey guys. Im also taking the test on the 26th. I was wondering if anyone had any good ideas for verbal practice after the EK 101 book. I just finished it the other day and I don't really know where to go from here. My verbal scores have been all over the place (13 on AAMC#4 and 8 on AAMC#5....)
Thanks!
 
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jcopper said:
hey guys. Im also taking the test on the 26th. I was wondering if anyone had any good ideas for verbal practice after the EK 101 book. I just finished it the other day and I don't really know where to go from here. My verbal scores have been all over the place (13 on AAMC#4 and 8 on AAMC#5....)
Thanks!
Click to expand...

EK101, TPRH Verbal Workbook, and TBR FLs will help.

I found TPRH to be harder than EK and AAMC to be similar to EK more than TPRH.
 
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Hemorrage said:
Anyone have an opinion on whats more accurate, EK Verbal 101 or TPRH Verbal Workbook? I'm getting my ass handed to me in EK verbal (getting 6-8), however, i did the same amount of passages w/ the same allotment in the TPRH workbook and got a 10...
Click to expand...

IMO, after taking a few FL's, EK 101 is more indicative of the difficulty of the actual MCAT material. I think TPRH is a little too easy. The MCAT actually requires you to go back to the passage for a lot more than TPRH requires. Questions like "which of the following has no examples/support by the author in the passage" require you to go back and confirm. Just getting the main idea will allow you to answer 75% of the questions in VR but the rest you have to refer to the passage and I feel TPRH does not have questions that require this.
 
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Incontrol said:
Have you guys tried out Wikipremed for you weaknesses in physics? I think he does a really good job on trying to build intuition on some of the topics he covers.
Click to expand...

I'll check it out but I really think my issue is test taking mistakes. My knowledge of the content is pretty solid. When I review what I get wrong, if I take a little bit more time, I usually derive the right answer before looking at the solution. My problem is that it takes me half of the PS section to get over the anxiety of taking a FL, which of course will be worse come test day. FFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
 
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Did you guys stalk the 3/23 thread? I posted a bio passage I made. Would you like me to post it on here?
 
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Yup he did. It was hard too lol

Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch Q using SDN Mobile
 
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For those of you familiar with the Princeton review practice tests, which ones are the most similar to aamc ones that you have taken? I want something indicative but not ridiculously harder than aamc. Thanks in advance
 
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Hey everyone!! I'm also stuck with verbal! here are my scores! (
(Ph/V/B)
kaplan practice 3: 11/7/15 --> 33
AAMC 8: 12/8/10 --> 30
AAMC 9(took today):12/9/13-> 34

kinda all over the place! but i really found the AAMC verbal assessment really helpful!! any good suggestion for what to do for verbal!!?😕🙂
 
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No motivation to do these self assessments. Had a long day volunteering and teaching boxing, all i got done was half of a verbal exam. Hope everyone's studying is going better
 
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Jr MD said:
Stay up albein...I know how you feel lol

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

I pushed the self assessment to tomorrow morning because I would be doing them just to finish it. I decided to make some more physics index cards and hope some of that boring material sticks.
 
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Jr MD said:
Lmao whatever works... do you consider yourself a fast reader??

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

I am a pretty fast reader so it helps but for ultimate concentration I have to write things down, hence, my crazy method haha.
 
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Does anyone know how the EK passages in their 101 book is ranked?

i scored a 12 on #5 and an 11 on #6. Im just asking so I dont get over-excited if it is an easy version thats not indicative of the MCAT.
 
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Just took AAMCSA GChem- 88%

pretty excited about it. I hope I can up that a little before test day. My weakest is physics, which I'm taking tomorrow. Here's to hoping.
 
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GandalfTheWhite said:
Does anyone know how the EK passages in their 101 book is ranked?

i scored a 12 on #5 and an 11 on #6. Im just asking so I dont get over-excited if it is an easy version thats not indicative of the MCAT.
Click to expand...

Gandalf you should just take the MCAT tomorrow- with your performance on all these books i wouldn't be surprised if you got a 40 lol. I'm getting owned in EK verbal- any tips? Weird thing is though I'm doing perfectly fine in TPRH verbal (10-11 ATM)
 
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ktanner777 said:
IMO, after taking a few FL's, EK 101 is more indicative of the difficulty of the actual MCAT material. I think TPRH is a little too easy. The MCAT actually requires you to go back to the passage for a lot more than TPRH requires. Questions like "which of the following has no examples/support by the author in the passage" require you to go back and confirm. Just getting the main idea will allow you to answer 75% of the questions in VR but the rest you have to refer to the passage and I feel TPRH does not have questions that require this.
Click to expand...

ugh. Damn I was hoping it wouldn't be Like that. Looks like I need to up my EK verbal.
 
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Hemorrage said:
Gandalf you should just take the MCAT tomorrow- with your performance on all these books i wouldn't be surprised if you got a 40 lol. I'm getting owned in EK verbal- any tips? Weird thing is though I'm doing perfectly fine in TPRH verbal (10-11 ATM)
Click to expand...

LOL thanks for the vote of confidence.

I start out by reading each passage at a fairly fast pace (3-4 minutes). That way I know the subject matter for each paragraph. So when a question asks me something specific, I can go back and read it again.

For the questions that ask you "based on the assumption" or infer things... you should be able to eliminate two answer choices easily. Theres always an answer choice that sounds similar to an idea in the passage.. sometimes copied verbatim. Dont pick that answer either. Anything in the passage is stated, not implied or assumed. ( this was what helped me the most because I always picked answers I could find in the passage).

ill post my first 10 ek scores once Im done by next week.
 
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That bio self assessment is tougher than I thought. My confidence in bio is slowly shrinking. I really don't like the fact that we have to complete the whole thing to see the results.
 
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Just finished taking AAMC 10. Scored 28 (11,6,11). God, I hate verbal. Those verbal passages were lengthy and I had only 6mins left to deal with the final passage.

I thought the curve on this test was tough. I had 45/52 on BS and still ended up with 11. Similarly, I had 23/40 on verbal and got 6.

I'm surprised, however, that the test wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I finished both BS and PS with 10mins to spare. Boy, I wish that I could apply those extra minutes toward verbal. Why can't they make one long, one-section test without breaks?

I'm happy with this score regardless. Especially that it is my first take.

Next week, I'm taking AAMC 9. Saving the best, AAMC 11, for last :scared:

How's everyone doing?
 
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Back 5 said:
Is it worthwhile to retake just the PS portions of the aamc's as practice?
Click to expand...

Yes, exploit those passages. For some AAMC tests, I practiced the same passages at least 3 times, just to make sure I get comfortable with their style that is very different from anything else.
 
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BIO SA: 84%
CHEM SA: 85%
O-CHEM SA: 80%

AAMC 3: 35 13PS /11VR /11BS
AAMC 4: 35 12PS /9VR /14BS
AAMC 5: 30 9PS/ 11VR/ 10BS
AAMC 7: 34 13PS/ 9VR/ 12BS

was hoping for a 35.... stupid VR.😡
 
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70% on Bio SA. This is pretty alarming since bio was always my strong suit. Going to review it tomorrow and see where I screwed up. I feel I rushed through it towards the end and maybe my confidence in bio has led me to ignore bio when studying.
 
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Ibn Alnafis MD said:
Just finished taking AAMC 10. Scored 28 (11,6,11). God, I hate verbal. Those verbal passages were lengthy and I had only 6mins left to deal with the final passage.

I thought the curve on this test was tough. I had 45/52 on BS and still ended up with 11. Similarly, I had 23/40 on verbal and got 6.

I'm surprised, however, that the test wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I finished both BS and PS with 10mins to spare. Boy, I wish that I could apply those extra minutes toward verbal. Why can't they make one long, one-section test without breaks?

I'm happy with this score regardless. Especially that it is my first take.

Next week, I'm taking AAMC 9. Saving the best, AAMC 11, for last :scared:

How's everyone doing?
Click to expand...

The curve for BS and VR on AAMC 10 is harsh then. I bet your score would be a 12 and 7 BS and VR if that was the real deal. But are you willing to live with an unbalanced 30 (11...7...12)? because that 7 in VR would not cut it for MD-- would be fine for DO however.
 
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That bio self assessment completely ruined me for the day. Am I the only one who can't wait for this to be over!?
 
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Ibn Alnafis MD said:
Yes, exploit those passages. For some AAMC tests, I practiced the same passages at least 3 times, just to make sure I get comfortable with their style that is very different from anything else.
Click to expand...
I just sat down and re-did the PS section of aamc#3 un-timed. Worked through each question and ended up with an 85% (44/52) for a score of 11. Granted, I did recognize some of the questions, but I felt much more relaxed and was able to recognized the silly little mistakes I made taking it the first time.

Let's hope I can continue to work through the test taking strategies for PS and score my 30+
 
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Has anyone taken AAMC #8 yet? That was easily my worst one yet. On the last few Kaplan and AAMC tests I've taken, I have scored 34-37. Got a 31 on AAMC #8.

Is this test particularly difficult, or did I just happen to run into a few passages that exploited my lack of knowledge in certain areas?

Thanks,
Bill R.
 
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BillrothI said:
Has anyone taken AAMC #8 yet? That was easily my worst one yet. On the last few Kaplan and AAMC tests I've taken, I have scored 34-37. Got a 31 on AAMC #8.

Is this test particularly difficult, or did I just happen to run into a few passages that exploited my lack of knowledge in certain areas?

Thanks,
Bill R.
Click to expand...

8-11 tend to be more indicative of the real exam
 
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Hemorrage said:
8-11 tend to be more indicative of the real exam
Click to expand...

Well that's bad news for me! Glad I pushed my test back a little bit. Thanks for the heads-up.

How are you doing on your studying?

Is anyone else totally inconsistent? My practice tests have ranged from quite high (37 on AAMC #7) to about as low as my diagnostic score (31 on AAMC #3).

-Bill R.
 
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Back 5 said:
I just sat down and re-did the PS section of aamc#3 un-timed. Worked through each question and ended up with an 85% (44/52) for a score of 11. Granted, I did recognize some of the questions, but I felt much more relaxed and was able to recognized the silly little mistakes I made taking it the first time.

Let's hope I can continue to work through the test taking strategies for PS and score my 30+
Click to expand...

this is good but instead of keeping it untimed, use a timer to see how long it actually takes you to complete it. That way you have an idea on how to divide up your time or where to look for improvement.
 
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Ibn Alnafis MD said:
Just finished taking AAMC 10. Scored 28 (11,6,11). God, I hate verbal. Those verbal passages were lengthy and I had only 6mins left to deal with the final passage.

I thought the curve on this test was tough. I had 45/52 on BS and still ended up with 11. Similarly, I had 23/40 on verbal and got 6.

I'm surprised, however, that the test wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I finished both BS and PS with 10mins to spare. Boy, I wish that I could apply those extra minutes toward verbal. Why can't they make one long, one-section test without breaks?

I'm happy with this score regardless. Especially that it is my first take.

Next week, I'm taking AAMC 9. Saving the best, AAMC 11, for last :scared:

How's everyone doing?
Click to expand...
I'm with you, I took AAMC 8 today (12/7/9). My score of the VR section bounces between 7-8, but more frequently 7. I would be satisfied with an 8 on VR, but it is frustrating not being able to do better and not sure how to improve.
It seemed like AAMC 8 was more difficult than the previous exams, but somehow I scored my best yet. At lot of my answers came down to analyzing the passage and finding something that slightly cured me to pick on answer choice over another (after eliminating the two obviously wrong), but I was unsure on many of my answers. I didn't expect my scores to be quite as high on the PS or BS section, but I guess they need to get a little better since my VR isn't improving.
 
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Temperature101 said:
The curve for BS and VR on AAMC 10 is harsh then. I bet your score would be a 12 and 7 BS and VR if that was the real deal. But are you willing to live with an unbalanced 30 (11...7...12)? because that 7 in VR would not cut it for MD-- would be fine for DO however.
Click to expand...

I truly hope so.

Honestly, I would throw a big party if I score 7 on verbal on the real thing. I know, my username says MD, but that was long before I learned about the DO route. I couldn't care less what initials I carry after my name as long as I become a physician. I'm applying to DO regardless of what I score.
 
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Has anyone done the orgo passages in Kaplan FLs or Kaplan BS section tests? Do you guys feel like Kaplan orgo is insanely hard?
 
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stlrams22 said:
I'm with you, I took AAMC 8 today (12/7/9). My score of the VR section bounces between 7-8, but more frequently 7. I would be satisfied with an 8 on VR, but it is frustrating not being able to do better and not sure how to improve.
It seemed like AAMC 8 was more difficult than the previous exams, but somehow I scored my best yet. At lot of my answers came down to analyzing the passage and finding something that slightly cured me to pick on answer choice over another (after eliminating the two obviously wrong), but I was unsure on many of my answers. I didn't expect my scores to be quite as high on the PS or BS section, but I guess they need to get a little better since my VR isn't improving.
Click to expand...

That's exactly how I felt today taking AAMC 10. I "educationally" guessed on at least 6 qs on both science sections, and wasn't 100% confident on at least 25% of the questions. In regards to verbal, I think I guessed on 75% of the material, because for most questions I was debating between two answers and I ended up choosing the one I felt most comfortable with.
 
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Ibn Alnafis MD said:
I truly hope so.

Honestly, I would throw a big party if I score 7 on verbal on the real thing. I know, my username says MD, but that was long before I learned about the DO route. I couldn't care less what initials I carry after my name as long as I become a physician. I'm applying to DO regardless of what I score.
Click to expand...

I'm all about DO as well! Glad to see someone on SDN not hating on it..
 
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Ibn Alnafis MD said:
That's exactly how I felt today taking AAMC 10. I "educationally" guessed on at least 6 qs on both science sections, and weren't 100% confident on at least 25% of the questions. In regards to verbal, I think I guessed on 75% of the material, because for most questions I was debating between two answers and I ended up choosing the one I felt most comfortable with.
Click to expand...

If you don't mind me asking, why did you skip #9?
 
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ahstern said:
If you don't mind me asking, why did you skip #9?
Click to expand...

Fro what I read on SDN, tests 10 and 11 are the most representative FL's to the real test. Therefore, I decided to do test 10 first to allow myself sufficient time to either postpone my test date, in case I bombed it, or focus on my areas of weakness.
 
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