The Official 4/29/2011 MCAT Club!

MCAT is Hard? Not with BeMo's 515 Score Guarantee.
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TXKnight

TXKnight

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I think It may be too early for this, but curious to know who's writing on this date. Join this thread and let's share knowledge/experience and blow this test out of the water!!
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i don't know what to do with myself! i just want to take the test already..
i'm so excited to be done! :)
 
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Frazier said:
Perhaps your greatest comfort should come from the fact that you have already PROVEN that you have the ability to score in the 30's. You have done it multiple times. Going into test day, you don't need to feel like "gee, I sure hope I get lucky and break the 30 barrier today for the first time" or "I hope that one time I scored +30 last week wasn't a fluke".

You have successfully done it numerous times, back to back to back. It's now habit.

If anything, look forward to test day, you just got to show up and do your thing - then relax!
Click to expand...

i like the way you think
 
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I'm ready to get this test over with.

After 4-6 months of MCAT, I'm ready to take back my life...

and then lose it again after the results. :laugh:
 
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iamshedoctor said:
I'm ready to get this test over with.

After 4-6 months of MCAT, I'm ready to take back my life...

and then lose it again after the results. :laugh:
Click to expand...

I agree :p It's taken over our lives somewhat...It's about time we kick this thing hard in the rear and show who's boss :p Hopefully, we all do well :)
 
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haha...it is so funny how people who are really serious about their MCAT studies say that it takes over your life. IT REALLY DOES. I don't leave my house or the library or my work. If you need to find me, go to one of those 3 places and I will be there 101% of the time. I am ready to get my life back as well.....I think my friends want me back too. I will feel terrible when I leave that test and know that I will "know" that I did bad, but no matter what I get, i've decided i'm applying. People get accepted, waitlisted and rejected for fifty-thousand different reasons so I am going to do my best and continue to apply.



ps. How many times this week have you said, "sorry, I'm taking the MCAT on Friday so thats why....(whatever reason).. my count is like 84 times and yes, its only Monday.
 
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AAMC 11: 30 (12-6-12)

LOL WOW. Finally broke a 30, but not in the way I was hoping.

yeah, no idea on verbal anymore. absolutely no idea. I understand the passages. I get the main idea, and i totally finish with like 3 minutes to spare every time. I just have a hard time understanding what the questions are asking. And I have a very very unreliable process of elimination... So, 4 days away, not sure what more I can do other than go into the test thinking I'm a MASTER of VR, and hoping I can steal an 8 on this section.
 
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PianoMajor said:
AAMC 11: 30 (12-6-12)

LOL WOW. Finally broke a 30, but not in the way I was hoping.

yeah, no idea on verbal anymore. absolutely no idea. I understand the passages. I get the main idea, and i totally finish with like 3 minutes to spare every time. I just have a hard time understanding what the questions are asking. And I have a very very unreliable process of elimination... So, 4 days away, not sure what more I can do other than go into the test thinking I'm a MASTER of VR, and hoping I can steal an 8 on this section.
Click to expand...

looking good~
 
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I wouldn't say I'm freaking out, but I'm not happy with my PS performance. I took AAMC 10 today and scored a 31 8-10-13. It made me feel better after dropping from a 33 on #7 to a 29 on #9. But still, I'm missing the easy questions in PS. Any thoughts on getting those easy ones? Maybe I'm just not remembering the right formulas for plug and chug? Or missing the idea of the question sometimes? I'm pretty pleased since I started my Kaplan course with a diagnostic of 16. I'd just like to goose things in the PS/VR department a tiny bit.

ZAK
 
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Zakley said:
I wouldn't say I'm freaking out, but I'm not happy with my PS performance. I took AAMC 10 today and scored a 31 8-10-13. It made me feel better after dropping from a 33 on #7 to a 29 on #9. But still, I'm missing the easy questions in PS. Any thoughts on getting those easy ones? Maybe I'm just not remembering the right formulas for plug and chug? Or missing the idea of the question sometimes? I'm pretty pleased since I started my Kaplan course with a diagnostic of 16. I'd just like to goose things in the PS/VR department a tiny bit.

ZAK
Click to expand...

haha a 16...i laugh because thats exactly what i got on the kaplan diagnostic. I dont know what I can say about "getting those easy ones," but seriously, ive found that with this test (which usually does not hold true for other tests such as ones in college) it is my gut instinct that is seriously correct like 85-90 % of the time. Thats a pretty good percentage considering you can get 75% of the questions right on the exam and make a great score. I dont know if that can help you but you might as well try it since you only have a few days left and that does not really require any serious amount of time.

On the other side of things, I took aamc 11 today (actually forgot that I hadnt taken this one when i said i had done all of the FLs) and got a 11PS/9VR/10BS......only thing about that score is...for some reason I found the PS portion to be different and for that I took way longer than usual and didnt finish in time. I went back and finished the questions with a little extra time and filled them into the other test (you know the drill) and it came out to be an 11. Anyone else think this test was different or ever have those tests that take you longer than usual?? This is a serious question because I sometimes finish the PS and BS sections with like 5 mins to go in each, but other times I still have an entire passage and even sometimes a little more than that which takes a HUGE toll on my score.

Any suggestions PLEASEEEE PLEASEEEE on how to speed up?
I read the passages in like 2.5 minutes but when it comes to the questions i dont trust myself or "over-check'' and am too careful or something...I really dont know what it is but this obviously cant happen on test day. For all of you that do not have problems with timing...what is your secret. I can seriously get like a 40 if I take all the time in the world, but I obviously dont have that. For me i truly believe its some mental or psychological thing that I can change overnight because somedays im fine and others im not. Ill stop rambling..what can i do. I need help and dont want this to hinder me getting a good score.

Thanks in advance for your help
 
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Good luck folks, i took it on the 9th. If i had advice it'd be to just go over easy stuff this week so you can really blow through it on the test to have more time on involved questions.

In VR I briefly panicked once, but even if it means guessing on 1-2 questions to get through, do it. Don't let time run out and screw other passages up.
 
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MrDedicated said:
haha...it is so funny how people who are really serious about their MCAT studies say that it takes over your life. IT REALLY DOES.
ps. How many times this week have you said, "sorry, I'm taking the MCAT on Friday so thats why....(whatever reason).. my count is like 84 times and yes, its only Monday.
Click to expand...

I've said that 12 times TODAY already...

Sorry can't hit the movies... MCAT
No shopping Friday... MCAT
Won't be able to hang... I'm expecting death this Friday

And so forth... haha.


I AM SOO LOOKING FORWARD TO SATURDAY...

What's everyone doing after the test? I'm thinking of finding some awesome lake to jump in a cool off.
 
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I agree that the aamc 11's PS portion was a bit different. One PS passage incorporated like three different whole concepts. The BS was a bit different from the other aamcs too. The verbal seemed to be easier although I didn't score high on that. If we were given all the time in the world, we'd all happily make 40s and higher, but sadly, it'll never happen. That is the tragedy of the mcat haha.
 
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iamshedoctor said:
I've said that 12 times TODAY already...

Sorry can't hit the movies... MCAT
No shopping Friday... MCAT
Won't be able to hang... I'm expecting death this Friday

And so forth... haha.


I AM SOO LOOKING FORWARD TO SATURDAY...

What's everyone doing after the test? I'm thinking of finding some awesome lake to jump in a cool off.
Click to expand...

Lol haha, I know exactly what you're talking about...The library is my new hangout till after this test. Hopefully, never again :p
MCAT, please have mercy on us.
 
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MrDedicated said:
haha a 16...i laugh because thats exactly what i got on the kaplan diagnostic. I dont know what I can say about "getting those easy ones," but seriously, ive found that with this test (which usually does not hold true for other tests such as ones in college) it is my gut instinct that is seriously correct like 85-90 % of the time. Thats a pretty good percentage considering you can get 75% of the questions right on the exam and make a great score. I dont know if that can help you but you might as well try it since you only have a few days left and that does not really require any serious amount of time.

On the other side of things, I took aamc 11 today (actually forgot that I hadnt taken this one when i said i had done all of the FLs) and got a 11PS/9VR/10BS......only thing about that score is...for some reason I found the PS portion to be different and for that I took way longer than usual and didnt finish in time. I went back and finished the questions with a little extra time and filled them into the other test (you know the drill) and it came out to be an 11. Anyone else think this test was different or ever have those tests that take you longer than usual?? This is a serious question because I sometimes finish the PS and BS sections with like 5 mins to go in each, but other times I still have an entire passage and even sometimes a little more than that which takes a HUGE toll on my score.

Any suggestions PLEASEEEE PLEASEEEE on how to speed up?
I read the passages in like 2.5 minutes but when it comes to the questions i dont trust myself or "over-check'' and am too careful or something...I really dont know what it is but this obviously cant happen on test day. For all of you that do not have problems with timing...what is your secret. I can seriously get like a 40 if I take all the time in the world, but I obviously dont have that. For me i truly believe its some mental or psychological thing that I can change overnight because somedays im fine and others im not. Ill stop rambling..what can i do. I need help and dont want this to hinder me getting a good score.

Thanks in advance for your help
Click to expand...

Yeah, I had this problem too. The easy answer is that you need to just speed up your thinking! Duh!:smuggrin:

PS has always been me my weak spot, I left two passage blank at my last mcat. I went from 9-10's untimed on the AAMC tests to a whooping 6 on the real thing because of my timing issue. Now I finish with time left and my scores range from 10-12. Here is what helped.

1. Mental math-I got good at it. Nothing fancy just multiplying and dividing two digits numbers very quickly and accurately. (If mental math is your weakness then you better hope our test is conceptual because this takes more time than 3 days).

2. Recognizing what is relevent from what is not- I take maybe 1.5min to read thru a PS passage. This is not verbal, PS is governed by concrete rules that stay the same regardless of how convoluted the passage is making it out to be.

Things I look for
A. relationships- sometimes a relationship, ex like molar capacity increases as temperature increases will be written out instead of given in the form of an equation. I usually write that down in the form of an equation.

B. Tables and figures- I scan tables and figures to see what they information they give. I don't waste anytime figuring out the details. I can come back as needed.

C. Exceptions- Obviously I highlight the exceptions to the equation they might be talking about.

D. Gimmies- I think a lot of PS can be done without even reading the passage but if you do that then you miss the gimmies that are contained in the passages.
 
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PianoMajor said:
AAMC 11: 30 (12-6-12)

LOL WOW. Finally broke a 30, but not in the way I was hoping.

yeah, no idea on verbal anymore. absolutely no idea. I understand the passages. I get the main idea, and i totally finish with like 3 minutes to spare every time. I just have a hard time understanding what the questions are asking. And I have a very very unreliable process of elimination... So, 4 days away, not sure what more I can do other than go into the test thinking I'm a MASTER of VR, and hoping I can steal an 8 on this section.
Click to expand...

Solid science scores. Nice improvement.
 
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AAMC 11 PS was very calculation heavy... I marked about 2-3 problems that required calculations, and I went back to them with 5 minutes left. The only moments in which I take too much on calculations is when I'm not sure if I should be doing the calculation in the first place, or when I'm so worried about taking too long on the calculations, that I start getting careless with the math, or manipulation of variables. I usually do well with calculations when I dive into it and don't feel rushed, and make sure my writing is neat. When I get rushed, I get sloppy and am prone to errors, which result in a lot of time being wasted. So when facing a calculation problem, I just pretend that there's no timer, and take my time, and I find that I usually don't spend more than a minute on the calculation this way. And heck, these are the problems I would want to take more time on anyway, because these should be instant points! The calculation problems are one of the few problems on the MCAT you can complete and know you got it right.
 
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Etorphine said:
Hey so this is the last time I'll be checking the boards until my test, but I just wanted to wish all of you good luck. I've had the pleasure of studying alongside many of you along these last couple of arduous months, and I know many of you have put in a ton of effort. Rest assured, it will pay off. Keep your chin up, and have confidence in yourself on game day.
Click to expand...

Good luck! Pass a few spare points in VR over here when you get the chance. :luck:
 
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AAMC 03: 12PS / 11VR / 13BS = 36
AAMC 11: 12PS / 10VR / 10BS = 32
AAMC 10: 15PS / 11VR / 11BS = 37
AAMC 09: 12PS / 13VR / 13BS = 38
AAMC 08: 14PS / 13VR / 13BS = 40

I attribute the increase in the practice exam scores to these items eaten during the 10-minute breaks:
  • Gummy bears
  • 5 hour energy
  • CLIF bars
  • H2O
 
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HatWobble said:
AAMC 03: 12PS / 11VR / 13BS = 36
AAMC 11: 12PS / 10VR / 10BS = 32
AAMC 10: 15PS / 11VR / 11BS = 37
AAMC 09: 12PS / 13VR / 13BS = 38
AAMC 08: 14PS / 13VR / 13BS = 40

I attribute the increase in the practice exam scores to these items eaten during the 10-minute breaks:
  • Gummy bears
  • 5 hour energy
  • CLIF bars
  • H2O
Click to expand...

good scores obviously and i honestly dont understand how people get those kind of scores, but why did you get a significantly lower score (compared to your usual apparently) on BS aamc 11? Did you find that section difficult or what is the reason for that?
 
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Took AAMC 11 yesterday in a really stressful environment - Kaplan testing center where they wouldn't let me use a computer at first, then the room was a million degrees, there were people walking in and out the entire time, and several times my monitor just went black - I figured out that the cable was loose. I wasn't going to finish a couple of sections in time, so I used the pause button to make sure I did.
Still, I pulled a 30 - 10s across. I'd love to be doing a little better, but I'm proud of myself for doing that well in such a bad situation. Tomorrow, in the hopefully better environment, I just need to keep calm, and move through the test as I usually would.

As to speeding up... I've always been a fast reader, but sometimes I don't retain what I'm reading, so I've gotten in the habit of slowing myself down just a little by literally moving my lips and narrating to myself silently - once in a while in an appropriate accent. Likely no accents tomorrow, though. :)

Good luck, all.

ZAK
 
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MrDedicated said:
good scores obviously and i honestly dont understand how people get those kind of scores, but why did you get a significantly lower score (compared to your usual apparently) on BS aamc 11? Did you find that section difficult or what is the reason for that?
Click to expand...

I took that after an 8 hour day of work, so it was probably fatigue. And I think there were some subjects on there that I needed to freshen up on.
 
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Zakley said:
As to speeding up... I've always been a fast reader, but sometimes I don't retain what I'm reading, so I've gotten in the habit of slowing myself down just a little by literally moving my lips and narrating to myself silently - once in a while in an appropriate accent.
Click to expand...

haha, this is like a somewhat less dorky version of what I do. I have the same problem with reading quickly and missing details, so I started trying to hear the verbal passages in my head as I read them, if that makes sense. Specifically, the voice I "hear" them in, is an NPR radio host's voice. Laugh away, but it works for me. Probably works for me because I spent so much time hearing those voices while commuting, and REALLY listening because it was more interesting than the traffic.

If it works out and I do OK in verbal on the real thing, maybe I'll post my, um, strategy, somewhere, and then I can be forever known as the one who hears voices.
 
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Sending best wishes to everyone for tomorrow, I know you all will rock this test! Just stay encouraged and know you've done more than enough to ACE this test!
 
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yeah...the last thing you want to do is think you have to go faster or feel rushed or forget all of your personal strategies that you have practiced on the 4000 practice tests you have done. Thats what I did the first time and guess what.....im taking it for a second time tomorrow haha....

own it, ace it, end it.
 
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Good luck guys! :luck:. Stay calm and focused during the test. I brought snacks and 5 hr energy drinks. It helped a lot, but remember to use the bathroom every break if need be (I had to pee SO bad for the last half hour of the BS section :thumbdown:. Quite distracting)
 
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keep the heads high and stay confident. Whoever said that before is right...a HUGE part of this is a mental mind game....mind over body
 
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GGood luck everyone!! I have auto-banned myself from the web from some time now. Strictly work and research. Best of lucks tomorrow to all! I hope I can personally repeat my 38 average from AAMC FL's......Not;)
 
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Whatever is on that test, don't freak out. If it seems like you're wasting time, skip it and come back later. Good luck, everyone!
 
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Good luck everyone who is taking it! I was supposed to take it on this day, but I decided to postpone. April 29 is the best test date in my opinion because you'll have your scores back on the very day AMCAS allows you to send you application.

If you go into the test with a "I'll give it my best, but if I don't do well, whatever" attitude, you will DOMINATE the exam. Take care.
 
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Best wishes to all of us on the MCAT today! T-minus three hours and one minute for me... I'm so excited and so much looking forward to it being over :)
 
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