The Official August 16, 2013 MCAT Thread

[gettheleadout]

Welcome everyone! For those following the SN2ed or a similar 3-month study schedule, prep should begin in the next few weeks.

Hope to see some ambitious and optimistic people here with me, and shout out to the 3/23'ers from before I bailed on that test date.

Let's go!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[balla121]

What do you think is the smallest score I could be averaging now, to get a 35+ on 8/16?

In your opinion...

absolute lowest in my opinion is around 23-25. If you want that 35+ if you are scoring extremely low, you better be willing to put in at least 8 hrs/day for these last 3 weeks

 

[gettheleadout]

What do you think is the smallest score I could be averaging now, to get a 35+ on 8/16?

In your opinion...

I know this isn't the answer you want, but honestly I wouldn't even venture a guess. I would just expect way too much variation between different people's potential to improve and reasons for not yet scoring at max capability.

 

[jjunior]

just did my fourth FL
here are the previous scores
AAMC3 (10/7/10) =27
AAMC4 (9/8/12) =29
AAMC5 (13/8/11) =32
AAMC7 (13/8/13) =34
im quite happy to see the overall improvements, however im still worry about my verbal. Since on the last AAMC i scored a 28/40, which to me i felt i did very well, lucky guesses here and there, however it only translates to an 8
i think my verbal will stay with an 8 forever...

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

AAMC #3- 7/6/7

Haven't reviewed bio yet and haven't done any practice questions. Planning on working 10 hours a day and doing passages in BR to get these scores up. Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[inycepoo]

AAMC #3- 7/6/7

Haven't reviewed bio yet and haven't done any practice questions. Planning on working 10 hours a day and doing passages in BR to get these scores up. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Don't do 10 hours. You'll burn out, especially with that much ground to cover (i.e., reviewing bio is a lot of work for this short of a time crunch).

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

Don't do 10 hours. You'll burn out, especially with that much ground to cover (i.e., reviewing bio is a lot of work for this short of a time crunch).

I know what you mean, but I kinda feel like I don't have a choice. So far, what I have done is Chad's Videos for chemistry and physics (and the associated quizzes with it). I took AAMC #3 primarily without doing any practice passages or anything (however I know 20 is a horrible score). I missed at least 5 physics questions only because I didn't remember the formulas (I hadnt gotten to that part in my Chad's Videos yet. I am finishing physics review tonight).

My plan was to work problems in Berkeley Review, do 5 verbal passages a day, and do a practice exam every 3 days until test day.

How does this sound? Can I make up the ground in time?

 

[balla121]

Is anyone else using tpr sw and finding their solutions to be inadequate? It's kinda annoying but it's making me go figure out concepts on my own which will probably benefit me in the end.. Just more time consuming

 

[theguardsman]

Hey all quick question about TBR passages. Could you give me an opinion on this? My test is Sept 7th and I'm currently about half way through content review (I'm doing compressed sn2ed with no break days, so plan to be done in ~20 days). The only thing I haven't been super stable on is how many passages I do for every chapter. In the earlier chapters I did one third, but as I realized I had less time and I wasn't sticking to the schedule 100% and wasn't going back for the second third I switched to one half.

So I'm currently doing every other passage at the end. This makes sense given my scenario right? Once I've finished content review in these 3 weeks, I will take the SAs and use the second half of the passages to target weaknesses.

Also - opinion on doing all passages timed vs doing the first section of "practice passages" not timed as BR suggests?

 

[inycepoo]

I know what you mean, but I kinda feel like I don't have a choice. So far, what I have done is Chad's Videos for chemistry and physics (and the associated quizzes with it). I took AAMC #3 primarily without doing any practice passages or anything (however I know 20 is a horrible score). I missed at least 5 physics questions only because I didn't remember the formulas (I hadnt gotten to that part in my Chad's Videos yet. I am finishing physics review tonight).

My plan was to work problems in Berkeley Review, do 5 verbal passages a day, and do a practice exam every 3 days until test day.

How does this sound? Can I make up the ground in time?

People absorb at different rates. YMMV, but sounds reasonable.

 

[HotHamH2O]

What do you think is the smallest score I could be averaging now, to get a 35+ on 8/16?

In your opinion...

I got a 30, 30, 29 on AAMC 9, 10, and 11 and I got a 24 on the real thing...

 

[Sarvish]

I got a 30, 30, 29 on AAMC 9, 10, and 11 and I got a 24 on the real thing...

Well that's reassuring... Did you just get hammered by things you were weak on? Or did nerves get to you?

 

[Nazik]

I've been postponing my MCAT for a while now, because I still don't feel ready. I rescheduled from August 2nd to August 16th. Am I too late for the 2014's cycle?

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

I've been postponing my MCAT for a while now, because I still don't feel ready. I rescheduled from August 2nd to August 16th. Am I too late for the 2014's cycle?

No

 

[inycepoo]

I've been postponing my MCAT for a while now, because I still don't feel ready. I rescheduled from August 2nd to August 16th. Am I too late for the 2014's cycle?

No, but significantly disadvantaged to getting IIs for non-rolling and IIs/acceptances to some rolling.

 

[Nazik]

What about orgo? And do you have a good biology background that can make your reviewing go faster? Give yourself at least 2 weeks of full lengths only... So you have only 1 week to finish reviewing everything. Take one full length per day, then do a good review on it after you're done. Take notes!!! I was shocked by the amount of information I missed when I was reviewing, and my notes from the full lengths are actually more beneficial than my reviewing notes. Dont depend on your memory and say that you will remember this question. Your brain is loaded with too much info, and its so easy to forget. Write down everything.

 

[Nazik]

Ugh yea ..

 

[inycepoo]

What about orgo? And do you have a good biology background that can make your reviewing go faster? Give yourself at least 2 weeks of full lengths only... So you have only 1 week to finish reviewing everything. Take one full length per day, then do a good review on it after you're done. Take notes!!! I was shocked by the amount of information I missed when I was reviewing, and my notes from the full lengths are actually more beneficial than my reviewing notes. Dont depend on your memory and say that you will remember this question. Your brain is loaded with too much info, and its so easy to forget. Write down everything.

Hey newbie, be sure to quote when you're responding to things like this. Too many posts to keep track of replies easily.

 

[Nazik]

I know what you mean, but I kinda feel like I don't have a choice. So far, what I have done is Chad's Videos for chemistry and physics (and the associated quizzes with it). I took AAMC #3 primarily without doing any practice passages or anything (however I know 20 is a horrible score). I missed at least 5 physics questions only because I didn't remember the formulas (I hadnt gotten to that part in my Chad's Videos yet. I am finishing physics review tonight).

My plan was to work problems in Berkeley Review, do 5 verbal passages a day, and do a practice exam every 3 days until test day.

How does this sound? Can I make up the ground in time?

What about orgo? And do you have a good biology background that can make your reviewing go faster? Give yourself at least 2 weeks of full lengths only... So you have only 1 week to finish reviewing everything. Take one full length per day, then do a good review on it after you're done. Take notes!!! I was shocked by the amount of information I missed when I was reviewing, and my notes from the full lengths are actually more beneficial than my reviewing notes. Dont depend on your memory and say that you will remember this question. Your brain is loaded with too much info, and its so easy to forget. Write down everything.

 

[Nazik]

Hey newbie, be sure to quote when you're responding to things like this. Too many posts to keep track of replies easily.

LOOL this was confusing I clicked on reply but then it didn't show the quote thanks!

 

[inycepoo]

LOOL this was confusing I clicked on reply but then it didn't show the quote thanks!

You click on "Quote" to get the quote.

 

[Nazik]

You click on "Quote" to get the quote.

yea I figured

 

[sd227]

Hey guys I have a question about verbal.

I am a little worried about my score because I got a 9 on aamc 3 and just recently bombed kaplan fl 2 which I received an 8 on. Should I do the extra passages in the AAMC R versions of the test and verbal self assessment? I was originally saving aamc R and self assessments for a retake if necessary.

 

[inycepoo]

Hey guys I have a question about verbal.

I am a little worried about my score because I got a 9 on aamc 3 and just recently bombed kaplan fl 2 which I received an 8 on. Should I do the extra passages in the AAMC R versions of the test and verbal self assessment? I was originally saving aamc R and self assessments for a retake if necessary.

1. You don't enter this exam considering a retake. That attitude will only get you a retake.
2. Kaplan VR is ****. This is well-known on SDN. An 8 there could mean a 11 on AAMC, and vice-versa.
3. You've only taken 1 AAMC? Calm down.
4. All AAMC VR material is gold. Do them now. That is the only way to prepare.

 

[sd227]

1. You don't enter this exam considering a retake. That attitude will only get you a retake.
2. Kaplan VR is ****. This is well-known on SDN. An 8 there could mean a 11 on AAMC, and vice-versa.
3. You've only taken 1 AAMC? Calm down.
4. All AAMC VR material is gold. Do them now. That is the only way to prepare.

Alright thanks for the advice. I agree that my attitude was wrong. I was just trying to be realistic because I need a very specific score on my mcat that's why I was considering leaving material for a retake.

 

[sakabato93]

Alright thanks for the advice. I agree that my attitude was wrong. I was just trying to be realistic because I need a very specific score on my mcat that's why I was considering leaving material for a retake.

Use AAMC Verbal Self-Assessment.

 

[jjtheairplane]

Guys i recently took aamc 3 and 4 and got 24 and 27 respectively. Is it possible to for me to even get a 36 with the test coming up, I feel like at this point i know the content just not how to apply it well.

 

[inycepoo]

Guys i recently took aamc 3 and 4 and got 24 and 27 respectively. Is it possible to for me to even get a 36 with the test coming up, I feel like at this point i know the content just not how to apply it well.

Focus not on the 36, but on why you are getting the mid-20s.

 

[jjtheairplane]

I will/am. I plan to dissect every question whether right or wrong. The effort will be put in. I'm just wondering if its even possible with these scores. Do people go up like that after taking all the FL's?

 

[inycepoo]

I will/am. I plan to dissect every question whether right or wrong. The effort will be put in. I'm just wondering if its even possible with these scores. Do people go up like that after taking all the FL's?

What other people do doesn't define what you can do. If I say no, do you cry and feel a little more down than you do now? If I say yes, do you breathe a sigh of relief and tackle studying with a bit more confidence?

Confidence is a must, with this little time left. It needs to come from within, not externally.

Study hard and well, my friend. You will have the answer when you've averaged all your AAMC FLs.

 

[sakabato93]

You will have the answer when you've averaged all your AAMC FLs.

I disagree. I don't think an average, in this case, will give him a good answer. Assuming his content is strong, practice will alleviate the problems he's having (to lower his scores to 24/27). I'd say whatever scores you get toward the end of the FLs are going to be closer to the real thing than the average on the FLs. The first few scores will weight down his average.

Averaging AAMC FL scores works best when you are already well acclimated to how the test works, which is usually what happens after the SN2ed or Spinach Dip plans. But that's not true for someone who is still getting used to the test.

Assuming jjtheairplane gets used to the FLs halfway through doing them, his real score will be closer to the scores he gets on the last few FLs he takes.

Getting used to the MCAT definitely can take your score from 24 to 35/36, as long as you put and earnest effort, which it seems like you will. Good luck!

 

[Roxas]

I took AAMC #3 today and I'm feeling a little bummed. I scored a 26 (10PS, 7VR, 9BS). I was really hoping my issues with verbal were unique to TPR tests but apparently not. I was pretty happy with my science scores, and fwiw I was 1 question away in both VR and BS from another point, so I was very close to a 28.

I guess all I can do now is review the s*** out of the AAMC tests as I take them and try and fill in areas where I'm weak. Having taken the real thing before, I'm far less worried about memorizing details and am working more towards the intuition the tests wants. I really want to kick my verbal up a few points, and its so frustrating because its only a handful of questions to do that. I'll keep posting my test scores as I take them, regardless of how bad they are because I am more motivated to study and do better if I do.

Here's my thx so far:

4/26 MCAT- 24 (10PS, 8VR, 6BS)

TPR #1- 20 (4PS, 7VR, 9BS)

TPR #2- 22 (7PS, 6VR, 9BS)

TPR #3- 25 (8PS, 7VR, 10BS)

TPR #4- 24 (8PS, 7VR, 9BS)

AAMC #3- 26 (10PS, 7VR, 9BS)

 

[jjtheairplane]

I disagree. I don't think an average, in this case, will give him a good answer. Assuming his content is strong, practice will alleviate the problems he's having (to lower his scores to 24/27). I'd say whatever scores you get toward the end of the FLs are going to be closer to the real thing than the average on the FLs. The first few scores will weight down his average.

Averaging AAMC FL scores works best when you are already well acclimated to how the test works, which is usually what happens after the SN2ed or Spinach Dip plans. But that's not true for someone who is still getting used to the test.

Assuming jjtheairplane gets used to the FLs halfway through doing them, his real score will be closer to the scores he gets on the last few FLs he takes.

Getting used to the MCAT definitely can take your score from 24 to 35/36, as long as you put and earnest effort, which it seems like you will. Good luck!

Thanks man. I actually have been working on passage style questions and did the aamc R tests before this ( pretty decent too on them). The added pressure of time definitely messes me up in terms of thinking ability, but, as you said, I can only fix that with practice :T

 

[Nazik]

Do you guys have time to do the calculation problems when you take timed FL's? My brain just stops when I get to the acid/base or redox calculation problems so I end up guessing most of them. (and I'm talking about problems that require more than 1 or 2 steps of calculations). They are pretty doable if there was a little more time

 

[inycepoo]

Do you guys have time to do the calculation problems when you take timed FL's? My brain just stops when I get to the acid/base or redox calculation problems so I end up guessing most of them. (and I'm talking about problems that require more than 1 or 2 steps of calculations). They are pretty doable if there was a little more time

Um...yes? Guessing is not okay?

 

[balla121]

Do you guys have time to do the calculation problems when you take timed FL's? My brain just stops when I get to the acid/base or redox calculation problems so I end up guessing most of them. (and I'm talking about problems that require more than 1 or 2 steps of calculations). They are pretty doable if there was a little more time

Haha calculating is the easy part of the mcat! Figuring out what to calculate is usually the hard part my advice for any calculation problems would be to change everything into scientific notation whenever possible! It will save you lots of trouble

 

[sakabato93]

Do you guys have time to do the calculation problems when you take timed FL's? My brain just stops when I get to the acid/base or redox calculation problems so I end up guessing most of them. (and I'm talking about problems that require more than 1 or 2 steps of calculations). They are pretty doable if there was a little more time

Practice practice practice!! EK Chem 1001! Seriously though, I agree with the post that said that calculations are the easy part of the MCAT, because they should be second nature!

Get the EK book and hit all the calculations you have problems with.

 

[balla121]

Took AAMC 4 this morning,

got 15/12/15 --> 42 woot!

Nice little confidence booster although its probably not very representative lol...

also, MY 12 IN VERBAL WOOOOTTTTT; HARD WORK PAYING OFF!!!!!

Time to take an hour break, eat lunch, then back to work haha

 

[Roxas]

Took AAMC 4 this morning,

got 15/12/15 --> 42 woot!

Nice little confidence booster although its probably not very representative lol...

also, MY 12 IN VERBAL WOOOOTTTTT; HARD WORK PAYING OFF!!!!!

Time to take an hour break, eat lunch, then back to work haha

Holy crap nice job!

 

[athockey7]

Took AAMC 4 this morning,

got 15/12/15 --> 42 woot!

Nice little confidence booster although its probably not very representative lol...

also, MY 12 IN VERBAL WOOOOTTTTT; HARD WORK PAYING OFF!!!!!

Time to take an hour break, eat lunch, then back to work haha

everytime i look at ur avatar i think leonardo dicaprio for some reason

but jason bourne right?

and wow....

 

[inycepoo]

everytime i look at ur avatar i think leonardo dicaprio for some reason

but jason bourne right?

and wow....

That picture's from his "Good Will Hunting" days.

 

[Nazik]

Took AAMC 4 this morning,

got 15/12/15 --> 42 woot!

Nice little confidence booster although its probably not very representative lol...

also, MY 12 IN VERBAL WOOOOTTTTT; HARD WORK PAYING OFF!!!!!

Time to take an hour break, eat lunch, then back to work haha

Good job!!!!

 

[Nazik]

Practice practice practice!! EK Chem 1001! Seriously though, I agree with the post that said that calculations are the easy part of the MCAT, because they should be second nature!

Get the EK book and hit all the calculations you have problems with.

Haha calculating is the easy part of the mcat! Figuring out what to calculate is usually the hard part my advice for any calculation problems would be to change everything into scientific notation whenever possible! It will save you lots of trouble

Um...yes? Guessing is not okay?

Alright thanks guys. I will try

 

[Roxas]

Took AAMC 4 this morning,

got 15/12/15 --> 42 woot!

Nice little confidence booster although its probably not very representative lol...

also, MY 12 IN VERBAL WOOOOTTTTT; HARD WORK PAYING OFF!!!!!

Time to take an hour break, eat lunch, then back to work haha

Can you summarize what you do for verbal strategy? And also your mindset as you review verbal passages?

 

[gettheleadout]

Took AAMC 4 this morning,

got 15/12/15 --> 42 woot!

Nice little confidence booster although its probably not very representative lol...

also, MY 12 IN VERBAL WOOOOTTTTT; HARD WORK PAYING OFF!!!!!

Time to take an hour break, eat lunch, then back to work haha

Sick man! Looks like we'll have some pretty similar practice test scores.

 

[balla121]

Sick man! Looks like we'll have some pretty similar practice test scores.

haha thanks!!! I'm pretty comfortable with my sciences at this point, if I can keep my verbal as high as yours, I'll be pretty content with my score lol

 

[balla121]

Can you summarize what you do for verbal strategy? And also your mindset as you review verbal passages?

The thing about verbal is that... its basically a reading comprehension test. The better of a reader you are, the more obvious the answer to the question will be. And I don't think its too late to start reading some hard material till test date actually(2-3 hours of reading economist a day and UNDERSTANDING whats going on will up your score at least 2 points I think in 20 days)

For example, If you compare an average reader with a good reader on reading a super convoluted verbal passage, the average reader will become flustered and lose confidence because he/she can't follow the flow of the writing and have no idea what a passage is about; in contrast, a good reader will read the same convoluted verbal passage knowing that 90% of the material is useless and only that 10% of the material is actually making a point about something. Its that 10% that will get you all 6/6 or 7/7 on the questions.

Before this summer I never read much... no reading intensive courses or anything. Took AAMC 3 before studying and got a 7 on verbal lol. So I forced myself to read ALOT..
My summer reading list: 2-3 hours everyday all summer

-How to read a book by Adler <-- this book made me a huge fan of reading "great books" ; randomly came across it in the library , lol almost like fate
-The Republic - Plato
-The Iliad
-The Odyssey
-Wealth of Nations
-Pride and Prejudice
-Sophie's world
-Various works by Leo Tolstoy
then... magazines such as economist, new yorker, american history, architecture... etc.

As for technique, keep yourself focused by "guessing" whats going to come next, such as the transition words that princeton and kaplan preach... moreover = more evidence for a prior argument, however = negative aspects of the proposal are coming up... etc. And subtle answers are almost always better than absolute answers that include words like ALL, EVERY, NONE ... etc.

And last but not least; once you are able to "laugh" at the reading material on verbal, you will be scoring much much higher lol. It sounds weird but there are actually a lot of subtle jokes/ironic points in our verbal passages... for instance in aamc 4 there was a passage about religion and how the followers totally 100% misinterpreted its meanings, half way thorough the passage I cracked up laughing thinking "these idiots are so stupid" lol, ended up getting all the questions right on that passage.

but anyways, good luck! I hope you do better

 

[Roxas]

The thing about verbal is that... its basically a reading comprehension test. The better of a reader you are, the more obvious the answer to the question will be. And I don't think its too late to start reading some hard material till test date actually(2-3 hours of reading economist a day and UNDERSTANDING whats going on will up your score at least 2 points I think in 20 days)

For example, If you compare an average reader with a good reader on reading a super convoluted verbal passage, the average reader will become flustered and lose confidence because he/she can't follow the flow of the writing and have no idea what a passage is about; in contrast, a good reader will read the same convoluted verbal passage knowing that 90% of the material is useless and only that 10% of the material is actually making a point about something. Its that 10% that will get you all 6/6 or 7/7 on the questions.

Before this summer I never read much... no reading intensive courses or anything. Took AAMC 3 before studying and got a 7 on verbal lol. So I forced myself to read ALOT..
My summer reading list: 2-3 hours everyday all summer

-How to read a book by Adler <-- this book made me a huge fan of reading "great books" ; randomly came across it in the library , lol almost like fate
-The Republic - Plato
-The Iliad
-The Odyssey
-Wealth of Nations
-Pride and Prejudice
-Sophie's world
-Various works by Leo Tolstoy
then... magazines such as economist, new yorker, american history, architecture... etc.

As for technique, keep yourself focused by "guessing" whats going to come next, such as the transition words that princeton and kaplan preach... moreover = more evidence for a prior argument, however = negative aspects of the proposal are coming up... etc. And subtle answers are almost always better than absolute answers that include words like ALL, EVERY, NONE ... etc.

And last but not least; once you are able to "laugh" at the reading material on verbal, you will be scoring much much higher lol. It sounds weird but there are actually a lot of subtle jokes/ironic points in our verbal passages... for instance in aamc 4 there was a passage about religion and how the followers totally 100% misinterpreted its meanings, half way thorough the passage I cracked up laughing thinking "these idiots are so stupid" lol, ended up getting all the questions right on that passage.

but anyways, good luck! I hope you do better

Thanks a lot man, I really appreciate it. I have never made it a priority to read difficult material, but I would consider myself a fairly avid reader. The MCAT just feels so different, and maybe that's due to mental fatigue after the PS section combined with the stress of knowing that I'm taking a test.

Until I started taking FLs, my scores fluctuated quite a bit, I'm betting because I handle some types of passages better than others. I know I specifically have a harder time with philosophy or art related passages. I agree that it's not too late to make significant changes in my reading skills, but I wonder if in addition to my FLs every other day I could add extra verbal passages in as well (I haven't used all of TPR Verbal yet) which might be more advantageous because I would get the reading of difficult material along with questions.

Also fwiw when reviewing VR passages I reread the passage at a slightly more casual pace (~5 minutes) and work through every question again, and I usually get far more of them right the second time. Is that a sign that if I could just chill out during the test I could do better?

I might experiment with a couple different things, since I have some TPR Verbal passages, the AAMC SAs, and 7 more AAMC FLs to do before game day.

 

[balla121]

Also fwiw when reviewing VR passages I reread the passage at a slightly more casual pace (~5 minutes) and work through every question again, and I usually get far more of them right the second time. Is that a sign that if I could just chill out during the test I could do better?

I might experiment with a couple different things, since I have some TPR Verbal passages, the AAMC SAs, and 7 more AAMC FLs to do before game day.

Doing more tpr verbal will definitly help, but one thing to note... although doing passages does help you both with reading hard passages and also answering questions, it deffinitly develops more critical thinking skills than reading comprehension ; it takes an average person ~3-3:30 mins to read a passage... that means that 2 hours of reading economist or new yorker is equivalent to doing the reading of 35-40 verbal passages<---- thats a lot of passages! just something to keep in mind

 

[HotHamH2O]

No, but significantly disadvantaged to getting IIs for non-rolling and IIs/acceptances to some rolling.

This isn't that accurate. It all depends on your state. I live in Florida and schools interview all the way up until march/april here. I spoke to multiple schools and they said that with my retake in August as long as I improve my scores I still stand a fine chance at interviews with an even somewhat competitive application. Granted, I am already verified and secondaries for most of the schools are already completed. With a score result in september you have only missed the first round of interviews. Best to check with the schools you are interested in though.

 

[99dmg]

it takes an average person ~3-3:30 mins to read a passage...

Damn... It takes me 4-4:30 to read the passages

Any faster and my comprehension takes a big hit.

Do you have to get a perfect score to get 15's?