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anyone else taking the MCAT this day?
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Don Draper said:
I don't post a lot here because there is no one here.

Did a lot of passages today.

I think this is an unpopular date. We really only have about 5-6 SDN'ers on this thread every week, give or take.
Click to expand...

So is this is a good or bad thing in terms of scaling for scores if it's an unpopular test date? Does it matter?
 
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Yeah this thread is VERY quiet lol. So how are you guys spreading out your AAMC's I have 5,7,8,9,10 to take should I take them closer to 7/8 or do them every 3-4 days?

I'm afraid I'll finish them off and not have anything to work with closer to test day.

:luck:
 
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SNS said:
So is this is a good or bad thing in terms of scaling for scores if it's an unpopular test date? Does it matter?
Click to expand...

It doesn't matter. Most the passages we will take have been used already, and thus are already on a scale from 1-15.
 
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wow, this thread is quite quiet...

Hi guys,
I am taking mine on June 17th but will be voiding and taking it on July 8th.. I need some more practice since I am having timing problems...
I will be taking two tests per week.. will post my progress!
 
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Hey Everyone!

I'm also writing my MCAT on July 8... And I'm scared out of my mind! I haven't started my FLs yet, as I want to finish all the PR questions + EK Verbal 101 before attempting them... How are you all spreading out your FLs? Do you review your incorrect answers immediately after writing the test, or the following day?

Good luck studying everyone :luck: ! The countdown is on! :p
 
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I, personally, like to take a full length, rest the rest of that day and then review the ENTIRE test the next day, even the questions I got correct. This actually helps to reinforce concepts you already know, and remember the concepts that you didn't know for that test. The day after I review the test, I review the content I was weak on then take another test. I take a test every 3-4 days.
 
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Armywife06 said:
I, personally, like to take a full length, rest the rest of that day and then review the ENTIRE test the next day, even the questions I got correct. This actually helps to reinforce concepts you already know, and remember the concepts that you didn't know for that test. The day after I review the test, I review the content I was weak on then take another test. I take a test every 3-4 days.
Click to expand...

Oh I like this method!! I think I'll try it, I get lazy sometimes when reviewing TPR exams and take ~1.5 days to go over the exam (PS is so calculation heavy!) but I will try this method, thanks for posting Armywife!
 
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pawprints said:
Hey Everyone!

I'm also writing my MCAT on July 8... And I'm scared out of my mind! I haven't started my FLs yet, as I want to finish all the PR questions + EK Verbal 101 before attempting them... How are you all spreading out your FLs? Do you review your incorrect answers immediately after writing the test, or the following day?

Good luck studying everyone :luck: ! The countdown is on! :p
Click to expand...

I'm actually taking a FL everyday for about 15 days. Most people probably wouldn't enjoy this pace though.

How?


  • Test
  • Break
  • Review + Notes
  • Reinforcement of concepts? multiple times over the next 15 days b/c of notes.
A FL a day isn't that bad really, I'm actually doing BR passages on top of the FLs everyday. But I am a full-time mcat studier, so I don't have other obligations right now.
 
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Don Draper said:
I'm actually taking a FL everyday for about 15 days. Most people probably wouldn't enjoy this pace though.

How?


  • Test
  • Break
  • Review + Notes
  • Reinforcement of concepts? multiple times over the next 15 days b/c of notes.
A FL a day isn't that bad really, I'm actually doing BR passages on top of the FLs everyday. But I am a full-time mcat studier, so I don't have other obligations right now.
Click to expand...



Sounds great though I am afraid you might feel burnt out by the end.. I took 4 in 5 days since I felt 'in the zone' and kept going but it hit me bad and couldn't focus for a while afterwards :(

But, then again, everybody is different and I don't want to screw up your plan .. just wanted to share..:thumbup:
 
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have you guys been practicing taking the exam at 8am?

i still need to train myself. :(
 
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Unforgettable said:
wow, this thread is quite quiet...

Hi guys,
I am taking mine on June 17th but will be voiding and taking it on July 8th.. I need some more practice since I am having timing problems...
I will be taking two tests per week.. will post my progress!
Click to expand...

Same here about voiding on Thursday..did you get a new seat reserved yet? I can't figure out how to even look for open spots.
 
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Unforgettable said:
Sounds great though I am afraid you might feel burnt out by the end.. I took 4 in 5 days since I felt 'in the zone' and kept going but it hit me bad and couldn't focus for a while afterwards :(

But, then again, everybody is different and I don't want to screw up your plan .. just wanted to share..:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads up, I appreciate it.

I've been handling this pace (via passages) for the past few weeks, so I know what it's like. I also know the burnout feeling (I've hit that at least 3-4 times in the past month), but I tend to recuperate from it quickly. Like taking 0.5-1 day off and I'm fine again.

I know when I'm burnt out because I'll read the same question about 6 or 7 times and it still seems like I'm reading a foreign language.:)
 
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Don Draper said:
Thanks for the heads up, I appreciate it.

I've been handling this pace (via passages) for the past few weeks, so I know what it's like. I also know the burnout feeling (I've hit that at least 3-4 times in the past month), but I tend to recuperate from it quickly. Like taking 0.5-1 day off and I'm fine again.

I know when I'm burnt out because I'll read the same question about 6 or 7 times and it still seems like I'm reading a foreign language.:)
Click to expand...


so, how are your scores?
 
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Unforgettable said:
so, how are your scores?
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Good. I'm not a score poster, I don't want to be focused on the wrong thing before the exam. But my FLs don't start for another week ~June 21st (15FL in ~15 days). I'm all BR passages right now.

I want 33+ on the exam. I'll post stuff after August 8th though :thumbup:
 
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Don Draper said:
Good. I'm not a score poster, I don't want to be focused on the wrong thing before the exam. But my FLs don't start for another week ~June 21st (15FL in ~15 days). I'm all BR passages right now.

I want 33+ on the exam. I'll post stuff after August 8th though :thumbup:
Click to expand...



I think that is a great decision (bolded)! :thumbup:

I am focusing on practicing only also.. I have got the content down but need practice to bring me upto speed..
 
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I know some of you (like Don) have seen me post these links before, however, people often tell me they wish they'd seen them sooner, so I'm going to post them here.

These are the sites I used the most for my MCAT prep.

For a great last-minute review, read through as much of http://mcat-review.org as you can. They take those study outlines the AAMC has on their website and actually add extra notes to them. I went through all of it the day or two before the test and I think it was a HUGE help! I was crunched for study time by the end of it and this site saved my butt.

If you're like me, and learn best when you're hearing, seeing and writing the material, then check out the videos at www.Khanacademy.org. This videos include (I'm pretty sure, anyway) all of the general chemistry material, almost all of the physics material (aside from Optics), and most of the biology material you may see on the test. I know a lot of people have trouble with the kidney/nephron and his video on that one is particularly good. He does not have any organic chemistry on there... at least not yet.

Another EXCELLENT video site is www.wikipremed.com. Don't be fooled by the title; it is not a wikipedia site (though I believe he gets a lot of images from wiki) and it's not like anyone can edit it. His videos are longer than Khan's, but very detailed and great for relating concepts. If you have the time, you will benefit from his videos, IMO. I believe some of the vids are still missing, but most of the things that are missing from Khanacademy (mostly organic chemistry, optics and some parts of biology) you can find here.

For organic chemistry, I also made O-chem flash cards from this website, and DRILLED them into my brain. I think there were 2 or 3 questions on the actual McKitty that I got right as a direct result of that. http://www.goldstandard-mcat.com/organic-chemistry-mechanisms/

For Verbal, I used the EK 101 book, but I didn't do nearly as much of it as I originally planned to. I think VR REALLY benefits from practice and getting used to the kinds of questions asked. I got an 11 on the real deal, which was my average (10s and 11s on most of the practice tests) but I think if I had more time, this book could have gotten me a 12... maybe even a 13.

I had the big ass Kaplan book, but I barely used it at all. I also had a Barron's book I bought a few years ago that I mostly used to distract my toddler and let her scribble on/rip pages out of it. >.< The EK 101 book and the EK 1001 General Chemistry book I grabbed were the only ones I used. I didn't get as far into them as I'd like, but I thought they were great.

These sites were all great resources that are largely responsible for my 14/11/14 score breakdown. I hope they can help you guys, too!

Good luck!
 
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hope you're studying is going well.

so since we won't get our scores till early August, does that also mean that we won't get secondaries till then also since that's when our primary app would be complete?
 
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Some schools send secondaries without MCAT scores, others are posted on SDN. I will be complete early/mid August.

I'm using "complete" to mean my entire app (not primary).
 
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Will medical school send secondaries if I already have one MCAT score but my application indicates that I am retaking on the July 8th date? I just wondered if they will wait to see my new score or use my april score to send secondaries? I only applied to school where my stats (as of right now) are average, when I get my new score I plan on adding more schools.
 
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Hey everyone-- I'm taking the July 8th MCAT and am having a little trouble prioritizing my studying alongside AMCAS stuff. I was wondering if anyone else is applying this cycle and thinking about putting off AMCAS until after July 8th to maximize study time. Or, if that's a really bad idea.
 
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Armywife06 said:
Will medical school send secondaries if I already have one MCAT score but my application indicates that I am retaking on the July 8th date? I just wondered if they will wait to see my new score or use my april score to send secondaries? I only applied to school where my stats (as of right now) are average, when I get my new score I plan on adding more schools.
Click to expand...

I've heard you click anticipated, but I believe that can just accept your earlier score. There was talk about this on other threads. If you search you can find it. Search for "july MCAT" or things like that (or August MCAT). You will see people asking similar questions in those threads.
 
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Wermz said:
Hey everyone-- I'm taking the July 8th MCAT and am having a little trouble prioritizing my studying alongside AMCAS stuff. I was wondering if anyone else is applying this cycle and thinking about putting off AMCAS until after July 8th to maximize study time. Or, if that's a really bad idea.
Click to expand...

Bad idea. I'm doing my whole app in one day (I already have the PS done of course).

The reason why its not a good idea is that you will take 6 weeks to verfiy, which means you MCAT will come in on August 10 but you will verify on August 25th? I guess in the scope of things, it isn't a huge flaw but a small one.

If your app is great in most every area then nothing to worry about. If there are issues anywhere (mcat/gpa/ecs/PS) then it just makes it a bit harder. Basically it is not ideal.
 
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Don Draper said:
I'm actually taking a FL everyday for about 15 days. Most people probably wouldn't enjoy this pace though.

How?


  • Test
  • Break
  • Review + Notes
  • Reinforcement of concepts? multiple times over the next 15 days b/c of notes.
A FL a day isn't that bad really, I'm actually doing BR passages on top of the FLs everyday. But I am a full-time mcat studier, so I don't have other obligations right now.
Click to expand...

I did something like this in my last few weeks as well. I couldn't go from studying 12 hours a day to just doing 1 FL. After my FL I would quickly review some chapters (like 15-20min review for each), then drill passages randomly from TBR that I hadn't completed. Worked great and helped me expose those last minute weak areas even more.
 
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Doing alot of full lengths, like every day or even every other day, as I did before I took the april MCAT, actually burned me out. By test 5, I was rushing to get through the test and not reviewing it afterwards as much as I had been. But, everyone is different. My kaplan teacher told us not to take any full length after it was a week before our test. This time I going to listen to that advice.
 
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i postponed to july 8th from june 16th.. prob a bad decision but can't do anything about it now. i thought at first mcats will need a LOT of time to study for but now that im studying i realized you dont need that much knowledge since most of the stuff is in the passages. i dont know about real mcat but i just took AAMC 10 the other day and i thought bio was only basic info and the other questions are straight from the passage, while physics/chem were basic concepts too... i hope the real mcat is something like that
 
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Armywife06 said:
Doing alot of full lengths, like every day or even every other day, as I did before I took the april MCAT, actually burned me out. By test 5, I was rushing to get through the test and not reviewing it afterwards as much as I had been. But, everyone is different. My kaplan teacher told us not to take any full length after it was a week before our test. This time I going to listen to that advice.
Click to expand...

I agree with this advice somewhat. You need to know your own pacing.

Most of us have been preparing for over 4 weeks, so you should know by now how much time you can study in a week and be OK. You obviously don't want to double your workload in the last 2 weeks, but if you've handled a workload for the previous 3 weeks without issues then there is no problem keeping the pace IMO.

I think a lot of people who "burn out" have doubled their pace in the few weeks before the exam.

I experience burn out multiple times per week. But sometimes it's about how quickly you can recover (hours?/half day?/a few days?/week?). Plus it depends how many obligations you have outside the MCAT.
 
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Completely agree. I think this was part of the reason for my burnout before the 4/23 MCAT. I was heading up my own research, being trained on the new electron microprobe, had classes (only 13 hours but still I was studying for the MCAT), and have children to take care of (although my husband actually did step up alot to give me time to study), I didn't have any time to relax EVER, so that was a big problem looking back. Taking the time to relax a little bit is really important, I think.

To the poster asking if the real MCAT is like the AAMC practice tests. The answer is yes and no. The real MCAT was much more difficult than the AAMC practice test, especially the Bio section.
 
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I'm taking the MCAT July 8th too. I'm planning on taking 6 more AAMC full lengths before the exam, plus doing a lot of content review.

I'm also putting off my AMCAS application until after the mcat. I just can't focus on summer school, the mcat AND that application too. I'm in Texas though, and my TMDSAS app is already submitted.
 
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less than 3 weeks left!

hows studying coming along for everyone?

i still have a few things to go over, but iv started taking FL's and plan on taking all the aamc ones
 
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hey guys, i'd really like to order some TBR full lengths but i'm worried about having access to them before the date gets here. anyone order from them before? how long did it take for you to get access?
 
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I ordered them such a long time ago, so I forgot.

I always say with TBR ~2 weeks. And that may be +/- depending on how busy they are right now.
 
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Wow, you guys intimidate me with your studying. I study 4 hours a day (this is week 8) with one day off a week and about 1 FL a week. I work 30 hours a week so I really can't study 12 hours a day. Plus...I have a life. I've only taken 3 FL's so far and got 34's on all of them, although my section scores have been all over the place so I don't know...I guess lucky 34? If I got a 34 on the actual exam, I'd be pretty thrilled...do you guys think you might be overdoing it?
Of course, maybe I can't talk since my subsections have been all over the place...verbal 11-14, biology 10-13, physical 10-12. I wish I was more consistent.
 
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P.S. In response to someone else, I always take my FL's at 8 am, but this isn't a problem for me because I'm kind of a morning person. Plus I'd rather get up early and be done with it at 1 since I usually take them on Saturdays. I take it at the library...is there a better way to simulate environment?
 
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you studied for 4 hrs/day for 8 WEEKS?! wow your good! id never last that long. but anyway your scores look so good with those high verbal scores, i always think verbal is the hardest to improve on so if you got those scores your are in great shappee!
 
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Tomatogirl said:
Wow, you guys intimidate me with your studying. I study 4 hours a day (this is week 8) with one day off a week and about 1 FL a week. I work 30 hours a week so I really can't study 12 hours a day. Plus...I have a life. I've only taken 3 FL's so far and got 34's on all of them, although my section scores have been all over the place so I don't know...I guess lucky 34? If I got a 34 on the actual exam, I'd be pretty thrilled...do you guys think you might be overdoing it?
Of course, maybe I can't talk since my subsections have been all over the place...verbal 11-14, biology 10-13, physical 10-12. I wish I was more consistent.
Click to expand...

Don't be intimidated. You are scoring well.

Remember, more studying doesn't always equate to higher scores. Some people study inefficiently and some people do a lot of content studying. In the end, the MCAT is about solving problems and choosing the right multiple choice answer. A whole bunch of content review and memorization doesn't always help with that.

You will do well.:thumbup:
 
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Good luck everyone. I'll probably be gone for a while, we'll see.

I read over Bleargh's thread again, which is pretty good.

4) General Advice

*STOP ENDLESSLY DISSECTING YOUR STUDY MATERIALS AND PLAN. Please. Once you set your schedule, put your blinders on, especially to SDN chatter. All the materials commonly used can get you to whatever score you want.
*Use SDN wisely. There are great resources here. For study questions, such users (as of April 2010) as BerkReviewTeach, Kaushik, loveoforganic, kentavr, and many others are absolute gems in answering your study questions. Take advantage of their generosity, and do be courteous. However, as a whole, stay away from pre-allo and the MCAT date specific threads. Your personal well-being may very well depend on it.
Click to expand...

We'll see if his general advice works for me. Good luck.
 
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Just discovered this thread!

7/8 will be my second time taking the MCAT. The first time I scored a 27O, not terrible, but I KNOW I can do better this time around!

Anyone else prep with Kaplan? I did this time around, and WOW have I seen an improvement!

I am a little worried about burning out since pretty much all I am doing is taking FLs (every other day or every day, depends). Hope all goes well for everyone!
 
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Armywife,

About an earlier comment of yours...Is the real MCAT really harder than the AAMC practice tests 3-10?? Did you score around your average of those tests when you took the exam for the first time?

I just got really scared when you said that the real thing is way harder.....AAAH!! ..Because if the AAMC pratice tests are supposed to be our closest approximation to what we'll get on the real thing.......and the real thing is harder....I don't know what I'm going to do!! :scared:

Oh and was the PS section harder as well? Just wondering...

Thankss
 
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bamboo44 said:
Armywife,

About an earlier comment of yours...Is the real MCAT really harder than the AAMC practice tests 3-10?? Did you score around your average of those tests when you took the exam for the first time?

I just got really scared when you said that the real thing is way harder.....AAAH!! ..Because if the AAMC pratice tests are supposed to be our closest approximation to what we'll get on the real thing.......and the real thing is harder....I don't know what I'm going to do!! :scared:

Oh and was the PS section harder as well? Just wondering...

Thankss
Click to expand...

I could help with that. This is my second time taking the MCAT, and it is true... The actual MCAT will be the hardest test you ever take. It'll be harder than any other practice test you'll have taken thus far.

HOWEVER, don't let that deter you! I thought I BOMBED a section (literally, was gonna be sick, crying in the chair), and it ended up being my best section (I got a 10). So don't let this fact get to you! Remember also that included in the MCAT are "experimental questions" that are just for the test takers to gauge the difficulty - these questions aren't factored into your end score.

I wish I would have known this all before I took it the first time... The best prep is knowledge of what is coming. Hope this helps!
 
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IrishCalini said:
I could help with that. This is my second time taking the MCAT, and it is true... The actual MCAT will be the hardest test you ever take. It'll be harder than any other practice test you'll have taken thus far.

HOWEVER, don't let that deter you! I thought I BOMBED a section (literally, was gonna be sick, crying in the chair), and it ended up being my best section (I got a 10). So don't let this fact get to you! Remember also that included in the MCAT are "experimental questions" that are just for the test takers to gauge the difficulty - these questions aren't factored into your end score.

I wish I would have known this all before I took it the first time... The best prep is knowledge of what is coming. Hope this helps!
Click to expand...

I agree with this, my real MCAT wasn't much like my practice MCAT. I have yet to get my scores back, but the general consensus is that the real MCAT is harder yet has a much more forgiving curve.
 
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I have really hit my groove studying this last week and think I could get me a better score by changing from 7/8 to 7/16. Is this too late? It is only a week and a day later.

3.8 overall GPA
3.7 science gpa

decent ecs and volunteering

looking to get into CA schools
 
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Hi everyone,
Hope studying is going well.

I have been studying moderately these past two weeks as I just finished my research project.

However, yesterday, I took the AAMC 10 and got a 20. I am so depressed and disappointed. But I have already sent in my application for verification this cycle and want to do my best this July 8th hoping for a miracle.

Does anyone have any tips on what I could possibly do during these last two weeks? Would going over more of the AAMC practice tests possibly help (i.e. AAMC 7-10). I have glanced over the troubling topics in EK, and I did a Berkeley Review last Summer.

However, BR for Bio is rather insane, and I was advised by my peers not to do it.

Would you suggest going over it once more though?

Thanks in advance.
 
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Use EK and start reviewing!!! EK is short so you can do each book fast! if you got a 20 on practice test, then you obviously dont got the materials down so def start memorizing and understanding those key concepts and i think Ek does a good job of summarizing everything
 
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