The Official 5/23/13 MCAT Thread

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DieTrying93

DieTrying93

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Hi everyone!

I just registered to take the MCAT on May 23, 2013 at 8:00 a.m.! I had to register early because I live in NYC and seats fill up fast!

I'm gonna start with SN2's schedule in a couple of months. I ordered the books (TBR, EK, EK1001, etc) a couple of days ago.

How are you guys gonna study?

Best of luck everyone,

- DT93
 
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clothcut said:
Hey guys, I just took AAMC3 after a few days off and got a 8/10/10. How representative is this test compared to the other practice tests/actual exam?
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hey clothcut,

I took my first MCAT 2years ago. General consensus is AAMC 3 is one of the easier ones, and as mentioned earlier the later aamc tests particularly 10& 11, are most representative of the actual test. That being said, you got a great score for your first practice test. 🙂
 
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Sydela said:
Definitely agree that aamc 10 & 11 reflected the mcat I took the most (11 especially). I scored a 26L - PS: 11, VR 7 BS 8. The sciences was around my average practice scores. I felt that studying for bio helped me very little - it was mostly application. Practice passages are the way to go. I was scoring an average of 10-11 for verbal. Long story short - ran out of time for verbal. I was happy to take the best guess and move on during the practice exams but couldnt seem to do that on the real thing. Also felt the passages were a little longer. My advice is to try and complete the practice exams with 5 - 10 minutes to spare. You need a time buffer for exam anxiety on the real deal. (at least I did).
Click to expand...

Sydela, thanks for the tips and mcat advice. Its very easy to underestimate the power of anxiety on test day and ignore that component of it during test prepping. You can't really mock anxiety in test practice but completing passages quicker would account for any delays in time. Does any one know anyway of dealing with the anxiety aspect or what I mean to ask is how to prepare for it?

Best believe ill be doing aamc 10 and 11 when I do my FL's.


Sent from my HTC VLE_U using SDN Mobile
 
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Congrats on the good score. Means that all that prep pulled off. At the same time, aamc 3 is one of the easier ones even though I've read some posts that claim that the verbal passages on aamc 3 are one of the more challenging ones.

Since test day is drawing closer, I suggest we all try this to motivate each other. Once you start practice exams and I'm hoping they're aamc exams, let's post our scores and our general feelings regarding the exam and then exchange ideas as how to maximize our strengths and reduce weaknesses. Since aamc 3 is the diagnostic, let's start with that and work our way up till test day.

I just finished content review though its pretty much useless from what I've been reading on other posts. Im taking my diagnostic sometime tomorrow and ill keep you all updated.


Sent from my HTC VLE_U using SDN Mobile
 
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Just scored a 29 10/10/9 on Kaplan FL 1. So far, I'm up 6 points from my diag. I'm about a third of the way through content review. Hopefully in a few weeks I'll be ready to crack 30!
 
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Ugh I feel like such a loser. This whole spring break was so wasted...and I don't drink haha. ahhhafdkl;ajfkl;dadl;aj

I need to get out of the house soo badly and the libraries choose to close the one week I need them 🙁 😡
 
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Chem4Days said:
Just scored a 29 10/10/9 on Kaplan FL 1. So far, I'm up 6 points from my diag. I'm about a third of the way through content review. Hopefully in a few weeks I'll be ready to crack 30!
Click to expand...

Congrats on the improvement from your diagnostic so far. As we both know, you've got a long way to go as I know you're hoping for at least a mid 30 score. Best of luck with your studies.

I took my diagnostic test this past Friday and I was pretty disappointed with the results. I'm not extremely worried because I took the test in a noisy environment and had distractions left and right. My logic was that performing well in a not so ideal ambiance would lead to improvements in an ideal test environment. As for my score, I got 9's across the board and looking over the results, should have had at least an 11, 10, 13. I will say it, always take FLs in an ideal testing environment. Minimal noise, no phones, just paper, pencil and your computer.

Also, if you're looking for another plan besides sned2 study plan, try the spinach method. I really like the verbal tips and the whole approach to the mcat. No matter your scores, the spinach method will help you raise your score.
 
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Hey Guys I might be joining you guys here! I am in school right now, just waiting for opening for this date. I took Kaplan FL while ago (w/t 1/4th content review) got 10/7/10 :scared:. I know I need to get that verbal together.
Good Luck Studying everyone!
 
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Please keep sharing the FL scores! I will be taking my first FL in about two weeks and will decide whether I should postpone or not. I will postpone if my score is below 24 on AAMC 3.
 
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hey guys,
can't seem to find a official may 30, 2013 group so I will join this one! I am 30 days into the SN2ed schedule, set to finish content review in 2 weeks and then have 6 weeks for FLs. I am a retaker😱, scored a 26 [9/7/10] 23/08/2011. Took all my AAMC practice test in summer 2011 so I just ordered TBR FL, seemed like the best option. Looking forward to getting to practice tests as I am getting sick of content review! Hoping to score 30+
 
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pinkcountry said:
hey guys,
can't seem to find a official may 30, 2013 group so I will join this one! I am 30 days into the SN2ed schedule, set to finish content review in 2 weeks and then have 6 weeks for FLs. I am a retaker😱, scored a 26 [9/7/10] 23/08/2011. Took all my AAMC practice test in summer 2011 so I just ordered TBR FL, seemed like the best option. Looking forward to getting to practice tests as I am getting sick of content review! Hoping to score 30+
Click to expand...

Anything you doing differently this time compared to the first time you prepared for it?

I have finished content review for all except organic chemistry using TPR, focusing on just understanding the concepts. I think I only retained about half the material 😱 I started doing practice problems and will probably start a FL this weekend to get a better reflection of where I am at, but from the practice problems, so far its far from ideal :scared: It gets frustrating though because I always have to break off my schedule because of class work and other things going on.
 
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kat987 said:
Anything you doing differently this time compared to the first time you prepared for it?

I have finished content review for all except organic chemistry using TPR, focusing on just understanding the concepts. I think I only retained about half the material 😱 I started doing practice problems and will probably start a FL this weekend to get a better reflection of where I am at, but from the practice problems, so far its far from ideal :scared: It gets frustrating though because I always have to break off my schedule because of class work and other things going on.
Click to expand...
My weakest section was verbal, in the schedule I am following I do at 3 verbal passages a day and honestly just by doing that I have seen a huge improvement (consistently getting 9 or 10 as opposed to 7s). Last time I would do probably only 7 passages a week. As for retaining content, I am no master at that and still have to work out the kinks myself haha
 
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Just took Kaplan FL 2 and scored a 31. This was after scoring a 29 about 2 weeks ago on #1. Think I'll be ok on the real deal if I keep this up? Getting nervous...
 
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Well I just took a Kaplan #1 nd scored a 25 :'( Im greaking out because on TBRs I average ~75% in all subjects....IDK what im doing wrong 🙁 everyone is saying that Kpalan FLs have inflated scores but mine is *****.!!!!
 
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Count me in! Postponed from my April exam date to May by around a month. Anyone afraid of running out of practice questions for verbal? I'm
currently in a TPR course and see myself doing about 20 passages a week and probably done by the end of April conservatively? Is EK a plausible next option? Any recommendations and input for where TPR stands in reliability for verbal in the totem pole of prep corps?
 
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You guys are funny. :naughty: All these frantic posts make me facepalm because most of them will not get any responses.
 
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Signed up for this date as well. When I'm done, there shouldn't be much of a difference between the MCAT and Alderaan. :naughty:

























or my career dreams and Alderaan.
 
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Thanks for the input, guys.

AAMC 4 score: 10/10/9... getting there.

Side note: I scored 32/40 on the Verbal and ended up with a 10.... da fuq 😕.

Nonetheless, happy studying! We can do this.
 
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There is no single reliable preparation resource for VR. Some people walk in and score 14-15 without any specific MCAT VR prep, particularly if they were originally studying for the GRE. The key skills to learn are (1) allowing yourself a max of 3 min per passage and 1 min per question, and checking the clock only once during the VR section (2) finding a reading style that helps you absorb what you read during those three minutes. These skills can be learned with AAMC, TPR, or EK practice exams. The key point is that VR practice that is not timed under real conditions is worthless.

That being said, EK 101 has the most convoluted passages/ questions so people often use that first. Your plan of moving to that next sounds good.
 
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Kaplan's practice exams vary drastically in difficulty, making it difficult to compare the % correct between them. The scaled scores tend to be more reliable since they are internally standardized. I have generally found Kaplan's scaled MCAT scores to be more predictive than TPR's. The AAMC Practice Exams are the only fully reliable diagnostics.
 
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I took AAMC 3 today, got 24, 9 6 9 I ran out of time in every section ( had to guess on last 2 passages in each section). This score is lower than Kaplan FL 1, I took while ago. I am really disappointed :-(.
I just pray I can improve on time of exam.
 
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Pokemon88 said:
I took AAMC 3 today, got 24, 9 6 9 I ran out of time in every section ( had to guess on last 2 passages in each section). This score is lower than Kaplan FL 1, I took while ago. I am really disappointed :-(.
I just pray I can improve on time of exam.
Click to expand...

What is your target get score? If it is 35+, it will be an uphill battle. But 28-31 is certainly doable for the time you have left.
 
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My target score is 33, I reviewed my FL, now I am focusing on areas I am weak at. I have timing issue, but I know it is because I am not able to recall info fast enough. I am taking my next test on April 14, I will post my score then. GL studying guys!
 
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Mine is May 23 as well. Rescheduled 4 times, struggle with verbal since I am ESL. I never had problem with science since my first AAMC bs/ps score were double digits. My verbal was always between half and one third of my science. I am trying to get a 9 on verbal. Plan to re-study science using TPR, the thick science review book.
 
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AAMC3: 8/10/10
AAMC4: 10/10/9
AAMC5: 10/9/10

Stupid mistakes were the death of me... that's the worst part. I plan to take 7 - 11 by next week and from there assess what route to take.
 
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Count me in, I am freaked out too. I only took AAMC3: 8/10/13. I am really bad at physical science. I have mainly been focusing on physics and trying to nail down my weaknesses, but I feel I am doing content review all over again except coupled with practices. I am trying to keep up with daily verbal practices too. There are just much to do with so little time. I hope I can see some improvements by the end of April.

@Clothcut: You seem to be pretty consistent. Get those questions you could of gotten right right and you should be able to hit above a 10. Keep it up!!
 
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pre med 2014 said:
Anybody else freaking out yet?
Click to expand...

Heck yes! Thinking about postponing. This will be my second time taking the exam and I don't want another bad score. i haveonly taken 1 aamc 3 scored 11/6/7 I want to get at least a 25 so that means higher than that if possible but I don't even know if even a 25 is possible at this point 🙁
 
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Hi, Guys
I disappeared for while, I just wanted to get enough data before I post

Kaplan test are after AAMC grading scale
Kaplan 4 28 10/8/10
Kaplan 5 26 10/6/10
Kaplan 6 29 10/9/10
TBR verbal I tend to fall asleep I am not sure why?
TBR 1 26 10/6/10
TBR 2 26 10/6/10
TBR 3 28 12/7/9
TPR verbal Hyper learning last seven [passages 37-43] 10
TPR verbal test 1 8
Hope everyone is doing good, Post your FL's, Let's motivate each other we only have less than month guys :luck:
 
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clothcut said:
AAMC3: 8/10/10
AAMC4: 10/10/9
AAMC5: 10/9/10

Stupid mistakes were the death of me... that's the worst part. I plan to take 7 - 11 by next week and from there assess what route to take.
Click to expand...

Looking good.


Pokemon88 said:
Hi, Guys
I disappeared for while, I just wanted to get enough data before I post

Kaplan test are after AAMC grading scale
Kaplan 4 28 10/8/10
Kaplan 5 26 10/6/10
Kaplan 6 29 10/9/10
TBR verbal I tend to fall asleep I am not sure why?
TBR 1 26 10/6/10
TBR 2 26 10/6/10
TBR 3 28 12/7/9
TPR verbal Hyper learning last seven [passages 37-43] 10
TPR verbal test 1 8
Hope everyone is doing good, Post your FL's, Let's motivate each other we only have less than month guys :luck:
Click to expand...

No AAMC FL's?
 
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Like said:
Looking good.




No AAMC FL's?
Click to expand...

I took AAMC 3 beginning April, before taking the FL's above and got 24 9/6/9, to be honest got little scared, I just wanted to get used to FL's before taking another AAMC.
 
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Just thought I'd chime in here. I'll be with you guys on that dreadful Thursday morning as well. You are mostly all ahead of me at this point. I am only getting into full lengths now.

4/1/13 -- AAMC #3 10/12/8
4/27/13 -- (Free Kaplan Test) 10/12/10

I'm going to take the free Princeton test soon...

Guess we'll see how the AAMC tests go after that...I really do not want to reschedule again haha

Good luck and keep working hard!
 
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just took AAMC #11... 10/9/9... *sigh*.... i took a 2 week hiatus from the exams after scoring a paltry 26 on aamc #7. still have to take 8, 9 and 10. still debating whether or not to delay to 5/30. good luck, everyone.
 
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clothcut said:
just took AAMC #11... 10/9/9... *sigh*.... i took a 2 week hiatus from the exams after scoring a paltry 26 on aamc #7. still have to take 8, 9 and 10. still debating whether or not to delay to 5/30. good luck, everyone.
Click to expand...

Up until what day can we delay? I'm getting nervous myself 😳
 
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I just took AAMC 3 and got a whooping 24 (10/6/8); therefore, I am postponing for July because I am way below 28+, which is my target score.
 
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Is there anyone out there who is murdering the aamc's? All the posts I see about crappy practice scores are making me relax too much and accept my fate (DO :meanie:). I need some motivation 🙁

As I had planned out months earlier, this is the perfect test date for me to submit my application early. ...so there will be no postponing from me. Surgery options look bleak in the DO world, most likely will go into internal medicine -> cardiology luls
 
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Like said:
Is there anyone out there who is murdering the aamc's? All the posts I see about crappy practice scores are making me relax too much and accept my fate (DO :meanie:). I need some motivation 🙁

As I had planned out months earlier, this is the perfect test date for me to submit my application early. ...so there will be no postponing from me. Surgery options look bleak in the DO world, most likely will go into internal medicine -> cardiology luls
Click to expand...

I was told that general surgery is not that difficult to get as a DO.
 
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Like said:
Is there anyone out there who is murdering the aamc's? All the posts I see about crappy practice scores are making me relax too much and accept my fate (DO :meanie:). I need some motivation 🙁

As I had planned out months earlier, this is the perfect test date for me to submit my application early. ...so there will be no postponing from me. Surgery options look bleak in the DO world, most likely will go into internal medicine -> cardiology luls
Click to expand...

I have been doing well on my AAMC's, but I am scared to look too much into it. The other recent MCAT threads all say the real MCAT was much harder. I am trying to use that fear to motivate me until 5/23 haha.
 
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