The Official April 11, 2014 MCAT Thread

[txlonghorn2314]

This happens to fall on my birthday...don't know if that's a good thing or bad. Starting sn2d's 3 month program on Monday! I'm scared.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[cjcarter]

that's a great feeling ! looking forward to that day

How much longer until you're done? What prep company have you been using for content review?

 

[TheAnonymous]

How much longer until you're done? What prep company have you been using for content review?

I'm actually writing it in May not April but I think I will be done with content by mid-march but with minimal practice passages (strict content review). I'm using TBR for Physics/Gchem/OChem and TPR for Bio. I'm almost done with Physics, planning to start Gchem next week

 

[jcb123]

Hey guys! Hows studying?
The weeks are going by kind of fast and im starting to get nervous about the real thing. I decided If I don't at least get the score im shooting for in a practice test then im gonna postpone.

 

[cjcarter]

Hey guys! Hows studying?
The weeks are going by kind of fast and im starting to get nervous about the real thing. I decided If I don't at least get the score im shooting for in a practice test then im gonna postpone.

I'm getting nervous too. Only 48 days counting today! I'm going to start AAMC FLs next week, one a week. I think I'm just going to do tests 8-11. It sucks bc I already took them the first time I took the MCAT, so hopefully I won't remember how to do the problems already -___-

 

[jcb123]

I'm getting nervous too. Only 48 days counting today! I'm going to start AAMC FLs next week, one a week. I think I'm just going to do tests 8-11. It sucks bc I already took them the first time I took the MCAT, so hopefully I won't remember how to do the problems already -___-

same.... I did all of them back in august... but I barely post gamed them. so I probably don't remember much.

 

[t5Nitro]

I'm finished with content review and I've completed four of the self assessments.

Anybody want to study topics over Skype in addition to our own studying? I just thought it would be good to bounce ideas around and force me to study an extra hour or two each day.

 

[cjcarter]

I'm finished with content review and I've completed four of the self assessments.

Anybody want to study topics over Skype in addition to our own studying? I just thought it would be good to bounce ideas around and force me to study an extra hour or two each day.

Id be into that. I'd like to be able to ask someone questions whenever I'm confused which is a lot haha. My Skype name is caitjcarter

 

[t5Nitro]

Id be into that. I'd like to be able to ask someone questions whenever I'm confused which is a lot haha. My Skype name is caitjcarter

Sounds good. I sent you my contact request.

 

[halie14]

Going through corrections for gen chem passages and I'm sitting here like: Duh, what was I thinking???

Seems like when I'm under "passage" mode, I make small stupid mistakes. Then when I'm more relaxed later and go through them, I literally moan at the mistakes I've made. Do any of you have a way to avoid this? Sigh

 

[cjcarter]

Just looked at the Jan 25th test day thread...so many great scores. This is making me super nervous. Has anyone started taking FLs?

 

[jcb123]

Just looked at the Jan 25th test day thread...so many great scores. This is making me super nervous. Has anyone started taking FLs?

Nope. Should probably start FLs ASAP but I'm still working through TBR

 

[Bbqchickenman]

JCB did you do TBR all along? I am finishing Kaplan this week and started FLs. Based on those posts it feels like ppl felt underprepared, so I want to switch to practicing with TBR for physics, orgo, and chem. Any recommendations for a 1 month TBR crash-course?

 

[jcb123]

JCB did you do TBR all along? I am finishing Kaplan this week and started FLs. Based on those posts it feels like ppl felt underprepared, so I want to switch to practicing with TBR for physics, orgo, and chem. Any recommendations for a 1 month TBR crash-course?

I actually only started TBR last week. So far I've gone through half the chem chapters and about two of the physics.

I really like it though because after I do a chapter I feel like I know that topic well.
I don't get very far into the questions because I get pretty burned out after reading a full chapter. But I'm going to go back and try to do at least half of them before I move on.

 

[inasensegone]

JCB did you do TBR all along? I am finishing Kaplan this week and started FLs. Based on those posts it feels like ppl felt underprepared, so I want to switch to practicing with TBR for physics, orgo, and chem. Any recommendations for a 1 month TBR crash-course?

I actually only started TBR last week. So far I've gone through half the chem chapters and about two of the physics.

I really like it though because after I do a chapter I feel like I know that topic well.
I don't get very far into the questions because I get pretty burned out after reading a full chapter. But I'm going to go back and try to do at least half of them before I move on.

I'm going to finish my last TBR chapter today (OChem Lab Techniques - per the SN2ed schedule), and I can definitely understand this sentiment. It is exhausting. Trying to cram it into a month would be brutal... plus it may not be the best use of your time if you are sacrificing full length tests in favor of content review (unless of course you haven't done content review yet).
-------------------------------
Has anyone done the AAMC self assessments yet? What are your thoughts? I'm doing the science ones in a couple days to see what areas I should sharpen up before the test. I wish the verbal was split up into 3 full-length equivalent tests so I could do one a day, but instead it's just a bunch of passages with varying numbers of questions.

 

[Bbqchickenman]

I'm going to finish my last TBR chapter today (OChem Lab Techniques - per the SN2ed schedule), and I can definitely understand this sentiment. It is exhausting. Trying to cram it into a month would be brutal... plus it may not be the best use of your time if you are sacrificing full length tests in favor of content review (unless of course you haven't done content review yet).
-------------------------------
Has anyone done the AAMC self assessments yet? What are your thoughts? I'm doing the science ones in a couple days to see what areas I should sharpen up before the test. I wish the verbal was split up into 3 full-length equivalent tests so I could do one a day, but instead it's just a bunch of passages with varying numbers of questions.

Hey insanesgone,

What i meant was that I would use TBR to supplementing my 1-2 FLs/week. For example, instead of cramming the whole schedule, only doing the 1st 1/3 of the passages in each book. Would that be a good approach in your opinion? Either way I will be supplementing my FLs with some kind of practice questions...

Also, haven't done the AAMC self-assesment. Is it worth our time?

Thanks!

 

[jcb123]

The thing that is making me really procrastinate the full lengths is that the are so expensive >_<

 

[inasensegone]

Hey insanesgone,

What i meant was that I would use TBR to supplementing my 1-2 FLs/week. For example, instead of cramming the whole schedule, only doing the 1st 1/3 of the passages in each book. Would that be a good approach in your opinion? Either way I will be supplementing my FLs with some kind of practice questions...

Also, haven't done the AAMC self-assesment. Is it worth our time?

Thanks!

Ahhh I see... Yeah I think that's a pretty good plan, but that is of course just my opinion. I think it would especially be wise to use TBR for the areas in which you feel weak. TBR is pretty solid in presenting the sciences (except for Bio which is borderline excessive). There are a couple sections I took issue with in TBR (like electricity/magnetism/electrochemistry) but I supplemented these sections with Wikipremed and TPR and now I feel better about them. As for the passages in each TBR chapter, if you don't plan to do all of them, I would choose passages that seem to be a recurring theme among different test prep companies (e.g. the eyeball as a lens system, the nephron, etc.) That isn't to say that these are "high-yield" topics, but rather that they combine a few different subjects. The eyeball covers some physiology and lenses, while the nephron covers some endocrinology and excretory etc.

I just finished the verbal reasoning self assessment, however I haven't done the physical or biological science SA's. So far, I would say the verbal SA is pretty good because these questions are not available in any AAMC FL test and at the end you can go over all the questions with a fine tooth comb and see where you are consistently making errors. It also gives you a summary report that tells you which areas you are weak in etc. I can imagine that being super useful in the science self assessments.

 

[inasensegone]

Dang... our thread is dead compared to the other test-day threads. Even the April 24th and May 8th threads have more action and our test is before theirs. I guess you all are the "strong silent type"

Has anyone taken an AAMC full length yet? If so, how'd you do and which prep material did you use?

 

[cjcarter]

Dang... our thread is dead compared to the other test-day threads. Even the April 24th and May 8th threads have more action and our test is before theirs. I guess you all are the "strong silent type"

Has anyone taken an AAMC full length yet? If so, how'd you do and which prep material did you use?

I've been telling myself, "Im going to start FLs this week" for the past 2 weeks. I'm FOR SURE going to do AAMC #3 this weekend just to gauge where I'm at. I only have AAMC 4,5,7 since I didn't take those studying over the summer for my first MCAT. What about you? Have you taken any AAMC exams?

 

[d1vald]

Hey guys! Retaker here. I just started taking aamcs. So far taken aamc 3/4 . I've taken them before almost 2 years ago so they're somewhat familiar. But hopefully not too inflated. Been using Princeton review material

 

[inasensegone]

I've been telling myself, "Im going to start FLs this week" for the past 2 weeks. I'm FOR SURE going to do AAMC #3 this weekend just to gauge where I'm at. I only have AAMC 4,5,7 since I didn't take those studying over the summer for my first MCAT. What about you? Have you taken any AAMC exams?

No... I pushed my schedule back a bit to accommodate work and the self-assessments, but according to my revised schedule, I should still have time to do all the SA's and take all of the practice AAMCs. I will do my first test (#3) on the 15th of this month.

 

[inasensegone]

Hey guys! Retaker here. I just started taking aamcs. So far taken aamc 3/4 . I've taken them before almost 2 years ago so they're somewhat familiar. But hopefully not too inflated. Been using Princeton review material

Nice... seems like you are chugging along. Do you feel more confident on these retakes than you did 2 years ago?

I've been comparing Berkeley with Princeton and I have to say that I am quite impressed with Princeton's quality (Princeton's regular books, not the hyperlearning series). I still prefer TBR, but Princeton does a pretty good job. I know this sounds childish, but I like the colors and diagrams that Princeton throws in. It's a well known fact that adding a visual stimulus increases information retention.

 

[d1vald]

Yeah definitely more confident ! And been liking tpr much more than Kaplan. Trying to increase my verbal right now. It's the only thing holding me back.

 

[inasensegone]

Yeah definitely more confident ! And been liking tpr much more than Kaplan. Trying to increase my verbal right now. It's the only thing holding me back.

I feel you buddy... I feel you.

 

[Bbqchickenman]

Yeah definitely more confident ! And been liking tpr much more than Kaplan. Trying to increase my verbal right now. It's the only thing holding me back.

When you say definitely better than Kaplan... can you elaborate? I just finished Kaplan and I am starting TBR for my weak spots. But I am afraid that I am under-prepared by Kaplan. Did you study less on Kaplan or was the material lacking?

Thx

 

[d1vald]

I wouldn't say lacking it's all there. I think I just didn't like the way things were presented and over looked some things . As for their practice tests.. They're really highly inflated since they are harder and gave me a false sense of confidence

 

[abrakazam]

Hi guys! I haven't posted on this website before, but I'm getting into panic mode the closer the date is approaching.

Using Princeton's MCAT book, as well as their practice tests -- walked myself through the free AAMC one though but didn't take it as a 'real' practice test since I was consistently checking answers. Is Princeton Review okay? This is my first time with the test, and I originally planned on taking it in May so I have a lot less time than anticipated.

 

[farnell]

Third time test taker here. I worked full time my first two takes and this time is no different.

This time around I'm using EK to prep, and I think it has made a huge difference (I used Kaplan for the first two).
I took AAMC 8 the other day and scored a 12 / 7 / 12. I am feeling more confident than ever, and am hoping to break 30 on the real thing (my previous score was a 29).

Since using EK I have noticed a HUGE difference in my understanding of physics/gchem. Just hoping I don't flop the verbal section on test day! Good luck to everyone.

@jcb - thanks for replying to my question in the MCAT Q&A thread!

 

[amonty144]

How much time do you guys do per TPRH science Biology passages? I did 8mins but was still destryoed!!!

 

[deleted545718]

I've actually only been doing FLs...oops. I've taken AAMC 3, 4 , 5, 6, and 7 (one a week) but I should probably be doing a little more review other than FLs

I originally used PR for everything but I decided I like Kaplan better (except EK for verbal).

 

[t5Nitro]

Has anybody tried TBR's CBTs? I thought about buying a few just to take the science sections as practice.

 

[inasensegone]

Has anybody tried TBR's CBTs? I thought about buying a few just to take the science sections as practice.

I'm sure you already received an answer to this... but I would suggest talking to Brood. He seems to like them. I can imagine they must be quite good considering the quality of their passages. I was planning on getting a few, but I have to figure out if I will have the time for them.

 

[Love_Cats_without_the_M]

Has anybody tried TBR's CBTs? I thought about buying a few just to take the science sections as practice.

I just recently bought TBR CBTs, and took the first one which I scored a 31 (PS: 10 VR:10 BS: 11). To be honest since I used TPR and Kaplan for my study material, it made the exams more difficult (mostly do to the way they ask their questions/passages). I would not suggest doing TBR CBT's unless you are studying using TBR materials or unless you are out of FL exams to take (like me).

They are good for practice just like every other practice tests, but their verbal I feel is nothing like the actual exam as I find it too easy to find the answer directly form the passage with very little inference questions which the actual MCAT seems to like.

 

[Bbqchickenman]

I just recently bought TBR CBTs, and took the first one which I scored a 31 (PS: 10 VR:10 BS: 11). To be honest since I used TPR and Kaplan for my study material, it made the exams more difficult (mostly do to the way they ask their questions/passages). I would not suggest doing TBR CBT's unless you are studying using TBR materials or unless you are out of FL exams to take (like me).

They are good for practice just like every other practice tests, but their verbal I feel is nothing like the actual exam as I find it too easy to find the answer directly form the passage with very little inference questions which the actual MCAT seems to like.

Interesting... I finished Kaplan course too and I started using TBR to do practice problems in my weak Chem and Physics spots. Do you think I should stick with Kaplan section tests for Verbal, or should I try TPR? How about Bio passages?

 

[Love_Cats_without_the_M]

I'm also not sure if anyone is having trouble with verbal, but what I found extraordinarily helpful was to scan the questions before diving into the passage. By scan I mean read the questions that are shorter while any question that have a lengthy question stem just skip.

By scanning the questions I am able to
1. See what the passage is about in general before reading, allowing me to prepare for the passage.
2. It allows me to be on the lookout for certain things that were in the question stems.
3. allows me to ignore anything I didn't understand if it wasn't related to any questions

Before reading the question stems I would often read through a whole passage trying to remember everything and anything (because it might end up in the questions) and by the end of the passage ask myself wtf did I just read. I would often have to go back to the passage to answer the questions which caused me to become even more confused in some cases.

After reading question stems, my reading style changes without me even realizing it. I pick up on important details and ideas and by the end of the passage, I have a general understanding of what is going on and can answer most if not all the questions without referring back to the passage.

I am not a verbal master, but I found this strategy helpful for anyone who is in the 6-8 ranges trying to score in the 9-10 range.

 

[Love_Cats_without_the_M]

Interesting... I finished Kaplan course too and I started using TBR to do practice problems in my weak Chem and Physics spots. Do you think I should stick with Kaplan section tests for Verbal, or should I try TPR? How about Bio passages?

I love Kaplan Section tests for Physical Sciences and Biological Sciences, for Verbal I suggest EK101 or TPRH, but to be completely honest I would only use EK101 and TPRH for getting my timing down, after my timing is down, I would take all AAMC verbals (yes even if you have already taken them) and review them extensively (basically dissect every part of them to find common patterns), because they are written by people who actually write the MCAT.

I do not really find it that important to review EK101 or TPRH passages extensively because they do not write the test so their reasoning can be and sometimes will be wrong, which could lead you to second guess yourself on the actual test.

For example a question in EK101 asks

For which of the following conclusions does the passage offer the least support?

one of the answer choices which had no support for it was wrong because although there was no support for it in the passage, it was NOT a passage conclusion so the answer choice is wrong. (this type of thought process from my experience is never used in MCAT questions)

If you have already taken all the AAMC exams, you can break up the self assessment package into 3 separate verbal exams and review them extensively, and buy The Official Guide to the MCAT Exam which contains another 7 verbal passages as well as 7 PS and 7 BS passages (pretty much an AAMC exam on paper)

 

[Bbqchickenman]

I love Kaplan Section tests for Physical Sciences and Biological Sciences, for Verbal I suggest EK101 or TPRH, but to be completely honest I would only use EK101 and TPRH for getting my timing down, after my timing is down, I would take all AAMC verbals (yes even if you have already taken them) and review them extensively (basically dissect every part of them to find common patterns), because they are written by people who actually write the MCAT.

I do not really find it that important to review EK101 or TPRH passages extensively because they do not write the test so their reasoning can be and sometimes will be wrong, which could lead you to second guess yourself on the actual test.

For example a question in EK101 asks

For which of the following conclusions does the passage offer the least support?

one of the answer choices which had no support for it was wrong because although there was no support for it in the passage, it was NOT a passage conclusion so the answer choice is wrong. (this type of thought process from my experience is never used in MCAT questions)

If you have already taken all the AAMC exams, you can break up the self assessment package into 3 separate verbal exams and review them extensively, and buy The Official Guide to the MCAT Exam which contains another 7 verbal passages as well as 7 PS and 7 BS passages (pretty much an AAMC exam on paper)

Great advice. I'm surprised you don't recommend Kaplan for verbal, I thought it was pretty similar to the AAMCs. I also know exactly the question you are referring to from EK lol I was complaining about it to my gf last week.

I have a lot of trouble reviewing the AAMC verbal sections. For PS and BS I have a running excel sheet with types of questions, reasons I missed it, and I write down facts in a notebook that I missed. But for verbal I just read the explanation and say... OH ok, moving on. Any recommendations or techniques on how to identify those patterns your referring to?

 

[t5Nitro]

I'm sure you already received an answer to this... but I would suggest talking to Brood. He seems to like them. I can imagine they must be quite good considering the quality of their passages. I was planning on getting a few, but I have to figure out if I will have the time for them.

Yeah, I feel like I'm trying to cram in a lot of material in a short time. I have 206 passages in TPRH SW yet that I wanted to complete in addition to some other things. I made a new schedule today to follow in order to fit in the full lengths that I want and complete these among some other practice material, but I would have to cut out some TPRH problems if I want to squeeze in some TBR CBTs for their PS and BS sections only as additional practice. As mentioned above, their VR seems to be not worth doing.

 

[inasensegone]

Yeah, I feel like I'm trying to cram in a lot of material in a short time. I have 206 passages in TPRH SW yet that I wanted to complete in addition to some other things. I made a new schedule today to follow in order to fit in the full lengths that I want and complete these among some other practice material, but I would have to cut out some TPRH problems if I want to squeeze in some TBR CBTs for their PS and BS sections only as additional practice. As mentioned above, their VR seems to be not worth doing.

Yeah I'm not sure I would bother with their VR either, especially with limited time. Did you already do the self assessments from AAMC? I did OChem and GChem so far, and they seem way too easy to be representative of the current MCAT?

 

[t5Nitro]

Yeah I'm not sure I would bother with their VR either, especially with limited time. Did you already do the self assessments from AAMC? I did OChem and GChem so far, and they seem way too easy to be representative of the current MCAT?

I did the Gchem, Ochem, physics, and bio self assessments. I've been saving the VR. I should it soon.

Overall, I thought they were informative. They are a bit easier than the real MCAT, but at least you know that you understand the fundamentals in order to answer more complex problems you're likely to find on the real test. Plus the comparison to the average examinee is a nice indicator of your performance. The passage length is also much shorter than on the actual exam.

What are you doing now with a month left? I'm not sure that I want to finish every passage in the TPRH science workbook or not. Maybe I should just work through numerous FLs and do a fraction of what I have left in that large book. I've already done the TBR passages. On another note, I feel like it's good practice to keep fresh on the material (but maybe I'd run into most of the problem types with numerous FLs).

 

[inasensegone]

I did the Gchem, Ochem, physics, and bio self assessments. I've been saving the VR. I should it soon.

Overall, I thought they were informative. They are a bit easier than the real MCAT, but at least you know that you understand the fundamentals in order to answer more complex problems you're likely to find on the real test. Plus the comparison to the average examinee is a nice indicator of your performance.

What are you doing now with a month left? I'm not sure that I want to finish every passage in the TPRH science workbook or not. Maybe I should just work through numerous FLs and do a fraction of what I have left in that large book. I've already done the TBR passages. On another note, I feel like it's good practice to keep fresh on the material (but maybe I'd run into most of the problem types with numerous FLs).

True... It was nice to see the general break-down.

I still have to finish the Bio and Physics SA's over the next couple days. I'm taking my first AAMC FL (3) this Saturday. After that it'll be a FL every 3 days and the remaining passages from TBR mixed in (per the SN2ed schedule). I'm also going to try to do all of the Bio TPRH passages, but the ebay prick that sold me the book tore out some pages. I got a good deal on it though, so I still kept it. I'm fairly solid on the concepts, so right now it's just about nailing down the equations and building speed. I also want to finish reading all of the TPR Biology book. It's so much better than EK Bio (which I did in accordance with the SN2ed). I finished both the SA's so far with plenty of time left (they're not timed but I give myself 1.3 minutes for each question). I thought that was pretty good considering there is a higher ratio of passages to questions on the SA's than on the actual test. I just hope I do as well on Physics and Bio. If not, then I will be devoting much of the remaining 30 days to Bio and Physics review.

BTW, I just noticed that you finished content review back in February. Did you do a variation of the SN2ed?

 

[t5Nitro]

True... It was nice to see the general break-down.

I still have to finish the Bio and Physics SA's over the next couple days. I'm taking my first AAMC FL (3) this Saturday. After that it'll be a FL every 3 days and the remaining passages from TBR mixed in (per the SN2ed schedule). I'm also going to try to do all of the Bio TPRH passages, but the ebay prick that sold me the book tore out some pages. I got a good deal on it though, so I still kept it. I'm fairly solid on the concepts, so right now it's just about nailing down the equations and building speed. I also want to finish reading all of the TPR Biology book. It's so much better than EK Bio (which I did in accordance with the SN2ed). I finished both the SA's so far with plenty of time left (they're not timed but I give myself 1.3 minutes for each question). I thought that was pretty good considering there is a higher ratio of passages to questions on the SA's than on the actual test. I just hope I do as well on Physics and Bio. If not, then I will be devoting much of the remaining 30 days to Bio and Physics review.

BTW, I just noticed that you finished content review back in February. Did you do a variation of the SN2ed?

I started after I graduated in December just because I thought that I was going to do all TBR FLs as well at the time (as you can probably tell, I have not yet bought them and am unsure if I will even buy the first 3). I mixed SN2ed in with TPRH and Kaplan online course material. Needless to say, I burned out for a few weeks where I took it lightly. Since I've gotten back into the groove I completed the self assessments and began doing 12 passages daily from TPRH in addition to reviewing my flashcards and watching topic videos online. But I too will finish every physics and bio passage in there. If anything, I will pick and choose passages from Gchem and Ochem. I took 2 Kaplan FLs. I'm not sure how representative they are for composite scores; I've read comments both supporting and arguing against their predictability. I thought the PS and BS sections seemed very real, though. VR I can never predict.

 

[inasensegone]

I started after I graduated in December just because I thought that I was going to do all TBR FLs as well at the time (as you can probably tell, I have not yet bought them and am unsure if I will even buy the first 3). I mixed SN2ed in with TPRH and Kaplan online course material. Needless to say, I burned out for a few weeks where I took it lightly. Since I've gotten back into the groove I completed the self assessments and began doing 12 passages daily from TPRH in addition to reviewing my flashcards and watching topic videos online. But I too will finish every physics and bio passage in there. If anything, I will pick and choose passages from Gchem and Ochem. I took 2 Kaplan FLs. I'm not sure how representative they are for composite scores; I've read comments both supporting and arguing against their predictability. I thought the PS and BS sections seemed very real, though. VR I can never predict.

Yeah... I'm hoping to magically get some super lax VR passages on the real thing Probably not gonna happen though. Haha.

As for TPRH, I hope I can do a bunch of passages, but I think that depends on how long it takes me to review the AAMC FL's. I barely scored above the average on the VR self assessment. Granted, I made a fair number of careless errors, but a lot of the questions I just feel are too subjective.

So have you finished all of the TBR passages already? How do you feel they prepared you for the AAMC FL's?

 

[mspeedwagon]

Hi All, going to join the group and offer some encouragement to everyone. Second time prepping, though I cancelled my test last time around after my scores didn't go up as the exam approached. Aiming for a 10 / 10 / 10 (most of the schools I'm looking at have an average MCAT around 30/31). So far my highest practice test was on Kaplan Full-Length 2 at 28 (9/10/9). I'll be wrapping up with content soon. And hopefully taking the self assessment and some full lengths starting next week. Good luck to all! I can't wait to put this test behind me, and I'm sure I'm not alone.

 

[Bbqchickenman]

I started after I graduated in December just because I thought that I was going to do all TBR FLs as well at the time (as you can probably tell, I have not yet bought them and am unsure if I will even buy the first 3). I mixed SN2ed in with TPRH and Kaplan online course material. Needless to say, I burned out for a few weeks where I took it lightly. Since I've gotten back into the groove I completed the self assessments and began doing 12 passages daily from TPRH in addition to reviewing my flashcards and watching topic videos online. But I too will finish every physics and bio passage in there. If anything, I will pick and choose passages from Gchem and Ochem. I took 2 Kaplan FLs. I'm not sure how representative they are for composite scores; I've read comments both supporting and arguing against their predictability. I thought the PS and BS sections seemed very real, though. VR I can never predict.

My biggest concern is that I am going to start forgetting all the details I learned now that the Kaplan course is over : /

Btw mSpeedWagon, I am not saying this to make your life miserable, but to make sure you are aware that many people see their scores drop a point or two on game day. So aim for a consistent 32/33 on practice tests! That's what I am shooting to do.

 

[mspeedwagon]

Thank you. I've heard about the drop, but before I set my aim too high, I want to break 30 on a practice test (any practice test). Then I'll work on consistency and finally on scoring higher... at that point the sky is the limit (or 45) . This is my last week of work so next few weeks are just MCAT prep. I'm pretty excited about this test, doing well and getting this behind me.

My biggest concern is that I am going to start forgetting all the details I learned now that the Kaplan course is over : /

Btw mSpeedWagon, I am not saying this to make your life miserable, but to make sure you are aware that many people see their scores drop a point or two on game day. So aim for a consistent 32/33 on practice tests! That's what I am shooting to do.

 

[Love_Cats_without_the_M]

Great advice. I'm surprised you don't recommend Kaplan for verbal, I thought it was pretty similar to the AAMCs. I also know exactly the question you are referring to from EK lol I was complaining about it to my gf last week.

I have a lot of trouble reviewing the AAMC verbal sections. For PS and BS I have a running excel sheet with types of questions, reasons I missed it, and I write down facts in a notebook that I missed. But for verbal I just read the explanation and say... OH ok, moving on. Any recommendations or techniques on how to identify those patterns your referring to?

Verbal is excruciatingly painful to review for that exact reason. you tell yourself Oh ok, moving on and then fall into the similar mistakes on the following exams. My best advice to you from now until test day would be to take 120 minutes a day to do 3 passages and review them.

Example: put 24 minutes on a timer and do 3 passages. After completion of the 3 passages do not go to the answer sheet instead go back to the first passage and read it out loud, then go to the questions and answer them again seeing if you had a change in heart form your previous answer choice, if so document why you had the change of heart and what makes the new answer better and what makes your old answer incomplete/flawed. If you stick with your answer try and justify why it is the correct answer and for each of the wrong answer choices give a reason to why they are wrong. do this for the other 2 passages this should take up roughly 90 minutes (24 minutes for the exam, 20-25 minutes to go over each passage). Once you have done this then go to the answer sheet and see how your logic held up taking up the last 3o minutes.

It is important in my opinion to do this right when you wake up, because it allows you to make no excuses later in the day to why you cant go over verbal. Many people hate verbal review because they feel like they are getting nothing out of it and as a result put a lot of time and effort into PS/BS and are exhausted when it comes to reviewing verbal for that day. This leads to poor results and procrastination in studying verbal.

As for worrying about forgetting details, I made a ~110 page review sheet for both physics and general chemistry if you want I can email them to you, I suggest just adding what you want to them and then reading them over every night for about 1-2 hours before bed.

 

[Bbqchickenman]

Verbal is excruciatingly painful to review for that exact reason. you tell yourself Oh ok, moving on and then fall into the similar mistakes on the following exams. My best advice to you from now until test day would be to take 120 minutes a day to do 3 passages and review them.

Example: put 24 minutes on a timer and do 3 passages. After completion of the 3 passages do not go to the answer sheet instead go back to the first passage and read it out loud, then go to the questions and answer them again seeing if you had a change in heart form your previous answer choice, if so document why you had the change of heart and what makes the new answer better and what makes your old answer incomplete/flawed. If you stick with your answer try and justify why it is the correct answer and for each of the wrong answer choices give a reason to why they are wrong. do this for the other 2 passages this should take up roughly 90 minutes (24 minutes for the exam, 20-25 minutes to go over each passage). Once you have done this then go to the answer sheet and see how your logic held up taking up the last 3o minutes.

It is important in my opinion to do this right when you wake up, because it allows you to make no excuses later in the day to why you cant go over verbal. Many people hate verbal review because they feel like they are getting nothing out of it and as a result put a lot of time and effort into PS/BS and are exhausted when it comes to reviewing verbal for that day. This leads to poor results and procrastination in studying verbal.

As for worrying about forgetting details, I made a ~110 page review sheet for both physics and general chemistry if you want I can email them to you, I suggest just adding what you want to them and then reading them over every night for about 1-2 hours before bed.

Love Cats,

Such wonderful advice thank you. I think I will start doing this every morning! With school and FLs it's def hard to follow the regiment, but this is my priority for the next month.

 

[ZymurgySurfer]

Hey guys, this is my first post on SDN. I've finished content review, its my second time taking the exam and I did fairly well on BS last time around but didn't do as well on PS so I've gone much more heavily into that. I've taken a few FLs so far but I figured I'd do the self assessment while I still had time to cover topics rather than last minute, how did anyone go about taking them? Each section in its entirety, or portions of multiple over several days?

 

[cjcarter]

Hey guys, this is my first post on SDN. I've finished content review, its my second time taking the exam and I did fairly well on BS last time around but didn't do as well on PS so I've gone much more heavily into that. I've taken a few FLs so far but I figured I'd do the self assessment while I still had time to cover topics rather than last minute, how did anyone go about taking them? Each section in its entirety, or portions of multiple over several days?

I want start those this weekend, so I would also like to know the best way to approach them too! Any advice from those who took them already?