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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I get which discrete you mean. Maybe I did the math wrong? I can't remember the specifics, but I do remember it.
 
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PS: There was a lot of calculations, and a lot of wtf stuff on my test. This was definitely the hardest part for me. Hopefully the not-counted passage is one of the hard ones...

VR: Honestly I thought this was very easy. As easy as AAMC 3. Everyone else is saying it's a crapshoot but I feel very very good about this one and could justify all my answers.

BS: Seemed pretty easy. The only thing is there was 1 very hard passage and several discretes where you just had to know certain things, and I'm not sure if I knew those details... The bio passages were a lot easier than that Ebola thing in my opinion, but we'll see.

Does anyone else think it sucks that you really can't tell how you did, because for all you know the easiest or the hardest passage could have not counted at all?
 
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Innie said:
I can't find the OP but I had a PS discrete where the math DID NOT WORK. And like, without voiding my MCAT confidentiality rules, they gave you all the values and equation in the problem but if you did the unit conversions correctly the answer was not any of the ones given.

I remembered learning about this equation in physics when I took it as an undergrad and chose the answer that seemed to ring the most bells but not from my math.
Click to expand...

That was me. The answer I was looking for was at least 2 orders of magnitude off. I wrote up a statement and am trying to fax it to them but I think their office is closed.
 
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Oh goodness my head hurts

PS: lots of calcs and I had to guess on a lot, I was super happy in the beginning because it was easy but then the test slapped me in the face and put me back in my place
VR: thought it was easy, finished with time left on the clock
BS: there was one bio and one ochem passage where I was so confused. Other than that i felt ok..

I think I got a 28 and Im fine with it at this point. But honestly who knows..
 
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A question about SOMETHING OVER SOMETHING. **** it was so simple. O M F G.

If you have this much amount of monkey poop and you have this much monkey pee, then what is monkey poop over monkey pee?! Does anyone know how much monkey poop over monkey pee comes out to? It has units of how much monkey poop over how much that monkey pee weighs. Can't believe I choked on that question.

Discrete.
 
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Technorino said:
A question about SOMETHING OVER SOMETHING. **** it was so simple. O M F G.

If you have this much amount of monkey poop and you have this much monkey pee, then what is monkey poop over monkey pee?! Does anyone know how much monkey poop over monkey pee comes out to? It has units of how much monkey poop over how much that monkey pee weighs. Can't believe I choked on that question.

Discrete.
Click to expand...
Man, I can't remember much of anything about PS, despite your clever analogies 🙁

Well, I can remember stuff, but I will never tell.

One NDA to rule them all, A team of attorneys to find them, One lawsuit to ruin it all, And serving coffee at Starbucks finds you.
 
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Hi all,
Here's what I thought after I had a chance to nap on it. I didn't sleep well last night; scumbag brain: "Hey, you got an important test tomorrow? Let's flood your system with adrenaline!"

PS: As others have said, calc-heavy. It's usually my most nerve-wracking section and I nearly gave up halfway through, but I thought this was just because I'm not terribly handy with numbers. Have to agree with the weird discrete that seemed to not have a valid answer listed.

VS: Passages seemed pretty entertaining to read. VR is usually my chillest section, but it also has the most score fluctuations. I think I had a handful where I wasn't really sure, but rest seemed straightforward.

BR: Easy except for the last ochem passage. ARGH
 
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Technorino said:
A question about SOMETHING OVER SOMETHING. **** it was so simple. O M F G.

If you have this much amount of monkey poop and you have this much monkey pee, then what is monkey poop over monkey pee?! Does anyone know how much monkey poop over monkey pee comes out to? It has units of how much monkey poop over how much that monkey pee weighs. Can't believe I choked on that question.

Discrete.
Click to expand...

The problem was that all of the given options didn't even come close to the calculated monkey poop over monkey pee.
 
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Overall, how did you guys feel about the length? Passages longer than the AAMC's or about the same? Specifically for PS and BS.

Also, someone may have asked or posted this already, but what was the test MOST similar to in terms of AAMC? 10, 11?
 
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Ibn Alnafis MD said:
The problem was that all of the given options didn't even come close to the calculated monkey poop over monkey pee.
Click to expand...

But it did 🙁 If we were given like 15000 pellets of monkey poop and like 50000 jars of monkey pee, it was possible to figure out monkey poop over monkey pee and it comes out to number 3 (poop + pee) heehee (so witty)

Also, thank gods I have Jewish friends.
 
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patelkc said:
Overall, how did you guys feel about the length? Passages longer than the AAMC's or about the same? Specifically for PS and BS.

Also, someone may have asked or posted this already, but what was the test MOST similar to in terms of AAMC? 10, 11?
Click to expand...

The length of the PS was on par with AAMC tests. Verbal might have been a little longer, but easier to read. Some one bio passage was very long, a verbal passage-type long. Also, one ochem passage was extremely long.
 
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Well, finally done. Thoughts:

PS: Tough. Not easy. Weird, strange, and difficult questions. I think here, it was important to guess and move on. I was stubborn on some questions and that cost me. I know for sure I got 1 wrong, left 2 blank (maybe more). There were around 10 questions that were semi guesses. I seriously considered voiding the test right after PS, but decided against it. I hope for at least 10. Worst case scenario, 8 🙂scared🙂 or 9. Hoping for a generous curve.

VR: Interesting Passages! My comprehension was definitely better than AAMC and questions seemed easier. Looooong passages. Left 2 blank. Prediction: 9 :xf:

BS: Overall, doable. Very similar to AAMC 11, imo. Passages were doable, but some were tricky. Prediction: 12

Overall: if I get 10/10/12 I will be extremely excstatic. If I get 9/9/11 I guess I will be satisfied....
 
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I thought the test was maybe in between AAMC 10 and 11 in terms of difficulty. Bio definitely wasn't that bad, but PS was on par with 11. I thought VR passages were lengthier than usual (AAMC average).

LOL, I wish I could remember anything from the test. I can't even check because most of it was wiped from my memory.
 
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Technorino said:
But it did 🙁 If we were given like 15000 pellets of monkey poop and like 50000 jars of monkey pee, it was possible to figure out monkey poop over monkey pee and it comes out to number 3 (poop + pee) heehee (so witty)

Also, thank gods I have Jewish friends.
Click to expand...

The answer I calculated was, at least, one billion standard deviations away.
 
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hdeng said:
I thought the test was maybe in between AAMC 10 and 11 in terms of difficulty. Bio definitely wasn't that bad, but PS was on par with 11. I thought VR passages were lengthier than usual (AAMC average).

LOL, I wish I could remember anything from the test. I can't even check because most of it was wiped from my memory.
Click to expand...

It's funny. I remember every single passage, every one of them. I also remember most of the discrete questions. Heck, I remember the stuff I read in the trial section.
 
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osprey099 said:
Wow. Other than the fact that I had to take a MAJOR **** during the PS section, everything went very smoothly.

PS - calculation heavy and a lot of weird questions. This is my strongest section though so I'm not that worried about it. Finished with about 4 minutes to spare. Predict a 12.

V - first 3 passages and last passage were easy. Middle 3 were hard. I felt good about it but I never know about verbal. Predict a 10.

BS - very very very easy compared to my BS section on my 9/1 MCAT last year. There were 2 experimental biology passages and after going through the hard ones on my last test, these were cake. I also had 3 orgo passages (LOL), one of which was pretty experimental and hard. Discretes were easy; got one wrong though. Predict a 13.

Prediction: 35 (12PS, 10V, 13BS)
🙂
Click to expand...

looks like you got the test you were looking for, good job and good luck man 🙂
 
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Ok, everyone is thinking about the PS question that just didn't seem to make sense.

Guys, the stem said "which value is CLOSEST" to the correct value.

As many others have said, even the most extreme answer (smallest) was nowhere near the correct value, yet it was still the CLOSEST to the correct value.

AAMC has moved towards this type of question/answer combo - check out the sample problems for the new MCAT (someone posted a link in this thread a week or so ago). I'm confident that this is a nuance of test-writing rather than an error.

---

My test rundown:

PS was rad for those that manipulate scientific notation quickly and effectively. If not, I'm sorry.

VR was fine until the last passage, when I was like.... Sure, whatever you say. It seemed much more straightforward than many AAMC practice exams.

BS WAS organic. I would love to know which passage was experimental.

Overall: others have said that the MCAT has relatively overweighted Gen Chem and Organic (and thus Biochem by extension), and I would agree completely.

Ultimately it's the luck of the draw on what one gets come test day, but those who are de-emphasizing OChem in their preparations are likely to feel a bit roughed up on test day.

GL to everyone - I hope the worst is over for each of you (ie no retakes)!
 
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I think I blindly guessed on 2-3 PS questions and educationally guessed on at least another 5. For bio, I blindly guessed on maybe 2 and educationally guessed on at least 7. As for verbal, I blindly guessed on at least 5 and educationally guessed on most of the rest :scared:

I can't, and I won't speculate my score. I will keep studying lightly until the scores come up, in case I need to retake.
 
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Everyone is saying Verbal was easy, which has me nervous. Verbal has been my best subject during my practice aamc's, but I felt like the answer choices were very similar today. Previous tests, one answer choice just kinda jumped out at me, or it was very easy to eliminate to a 50/50. I also didn't have to refer to the passage as much as I had to today.

I hope I didn't mess this section up. :scared:
 
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repititionition said:
Ok, everyone is thinking about the PS question that just didn't seem to make sense.

Guys, the stem said "which value is CLOSEST" to the correct value.

As many others have said, even the most extreme answer (smallest) was nowhere near the correct value, yet it was still the CLOSEST to the correct value.

AAMC has moved towards this type of question/answer combo - check out the sample problems for the new MCAT (someone posted a link in this thread a week or so ago). I'm confident that this is a nuance of test-writing rather than an error.

---

My test rundown:

PS was rad for those that manipulate scientific notation quickly and effectively. If not, I'm sorry.

VR was fine until the last passage, when I was like.... Sure, whatever you say. It seemed much more straightforward than many AAMC practice exams.

BS WAS organic. I would love to know which passage was experimental.

Overall: others have said that the MCAT has relatively overweighted Gen Chem and Organic (and thus Biochem by extension), and I would agree completely.

Ultimately it's the luck of the draw on what one gets come test day, but those who are de-emphasizing OChem in their preparations are likely to feel a bit roughed up on test day.

GL to everyone - I hope the worst is over for each of you (ie no retakes)!
Click to expand...

I know which question(s) you are referring to, but this one in particular was different. It's like asking which of the following is the closest to one billion?

a)0.999998
b)0.999997
c)0.999996
d)0.999995
 
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Ibn Alnafis MD said:
I know which question(s) you are referring to, but this one in particular was different. It's like asking which of the following is the closest to one billion?

a)0.999998
b)0.999997
c)0.999996
d)0.999995
Click to expand...

right, and given that question and those answers, one is definitively correct.

Hey - it's all idle speculation at this point. We're here just to commiserate in our shared 30-35 day misery.
 
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Ibn Alnafis MD said:
I know which question(s) you are referring to, but this one in particular was different. It's like asking which of the following is the closest to one billion?

a)0.999998
b)0.999997
c)0.999996
d)0.999995
Click to expand...

👍

I honestly believe this question was an experimental and will get thrown out.
 
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BS ended with discretes, right?

I had a computer problem today (documented with AAMC), and never trusted my system afterwards. I ended up freaking out that I didn't get to all BS questions. So, the question: BS was 7 passages (plus intermediate discretes), and ended with 3-4 discretes?
 
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Ibn Alnafis MD said:
I think i know which one you are talking about. Was it a discrete?
Click to expand...

Yeah and dumb lil me chose the one that "sounded" like the right answer because batman is different from superman. But little did I know that it was quite the opposite and that batman and superman fly because they're superheroes. Duh.
 
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Ibn Alnafis MD said:
I think I blindly guessed on 2-3 PS questions and educationally guessed on at least another 5. For bio, I blindly guessed on maybe 2 and educationally guessed on at least 7. As for verbal, I blindly guessed on at least 5 and educationally guessed on most of the rest :scared:

I can't, and I won't speculate my score. I will keep studying lightly until the scores come up, in case I need to retake.
Click to expand...

Ibn Alnafis...What's your score prediction? I' ll make one for you 11/8/10. Or at least that is what I want you to get...
 
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Temperature101 said:
Ibn Alnafis...What's your score prediction? I' ll make one for you 11/8/10. Or at least that is what I want you to get...
Click to expand...

I will be extremely happy with this score. I need a score that gets me into ANY DO school and that's it. I'm not too picky. 10,7,9 would do it, but the higher is the better. However, thanks for believing in me.
 
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Ibn Alnafis MD said:
Kidding, right?

Do you want AAMC to decapitate me?

I wouldn't share this even with my wife :scared:
Click to expand...

nah buddy, since its a public article, it is open to public dissemination.
But its ok if you dont.

repititionition said:
Ok, everyone is thinking about the PS question that just didn't seem to make sense.

Guys, the stem said "which value is CLOSEST" to the correct value.

As many others have said, even the most extreme answer (smallest) was nowhere near the correct value, yet it was still the CLOSEST to the correct value.

AAMC has moved towards this type of question/answer combo - check out the sample problems for the new MCAT (someone posted a link in this thread a week or so ago). I'm confident that this is a nuance of test-writing rather than an error.

---

My test rundown:

PS was rad for those that manipulate scientific notation quickly and effectively. If not, I'm sorry.

VR was fine until the last passage, when I was like.... Sure, whatever you say. It seemed much more straightforward than many AAMC practice exams.

BS WAS organic. I would love to know which passage was experimental.

Overall: others have said that the MCAT has relatively overweighted Gen Chem and Organic (and thus Biochem by extension), and I would agree completely.

Ultimately it's the luck of the draw on what one gets come test day, but those who are de-emphasizing OChem in their preparations are likely to feel a bit roughed up on test day.

GL to everyone - I hope the worst is over for each of you (ie no retakes)!
Click to expand...

there was actually a close answer to this question unless you did your math wrong.

osprey099 said:
Thanks man! The more I think about it though, the more I think I got wrong, especially in PS. W/e though, it's over now.
Click to expand...

yo osprey, can you hop on CoD later today?
 
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Question:

Did any of you find obscure vocabulary words in Verbal (ie. words you didn't understand and had to interpret by context)?

Thanks and good luck to everyone! 🙂
 
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DNA said:
Question:

Did any of you find obscure vocabulary words in Verbal (ie. words you didn't understand and had to interpret by context)?

Thanks and good luck to everyone! 🙂
Click to expand...

Nothing unusual. The passage were easy to read compared to AAMC passages. However, as Back has mentioned, many questions had two equally possible answers.
 
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Now that I have taken the test, I see that only AAMC 11 bares some resemblance to the real test. AAMC seriously needs to update their prep material.
 
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request: can someone please just tell me what I'm 99% certain of already... that BS ended with discretes. again, I had a computer error during the test, and I just wanna quit doubting that I somehow missed a final (8th) passage.

Is this crazy? Absolutely. But as I'm sure most who took the test today know... crazy is an immediate consequence of taking the exam.
 
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repititionition said:
request: can someone please just tell me what I'm 99% certain of already... that BS ended with discretes. again, I had a computer error during the test, and I just wanna quit doubting that I somehow missed a final (8th) passage.

Is this crazy? Absolutely. But as I'm sure most who took the test today know... crazy is an immediate consequence of taking the exam.
Click to expand...

Your assumptions are correct
 
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repititionition said:
request: can someone please just tell me what I'm 99% certain of already... that BS ended with discretes. again, I had a computer error during the test, and I just wanna quit doubting that I somehow missed a final (8th) passage.

Is this crazy? Absolutely. But as I'm sure most who took the test today know... crazy is an immediate consequence of taking the exam.
Click to expand...

they all end with discretes... the only time you would need to be worried is when your verbal ends with discretes... then youre screwed.
 
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GandalfTheWhite said:
lol weve been averaging 60 -100 people viewing this thread al day, and we only have a handful of commenters.... :laugh:
Click to expand...

LOL, thats bc most ppl viewing are ppl like me (future test takers) who want to see what everyone thinks about the test. Im sure all of you guys on here did well. However, as ppl have described from todays test, it is the exact opposite of what i want lol, especially in terms of BS; definitely need to hit orgo harder bc I do tend to brush it off
 
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It's not like it's bad to have a lot of Orgo.. but I was just SOOO surprised there was barely any ACTUAL biology. I mean, what is more important to be a physician? The roles of organ systems, hormones, and how physiology works...or being able to do organic chemistry?

I just don't understand.
 
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