The Official August 2015 MCAT Thread

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Registration opens up sometime today so I thought I'd go ahead and make this thread. Anyone else taking it in August?
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federer875 said:
Have people been looking at published articles? People who've taken the exam are advising that we do that...any ideas about the best way to go about doing this? Looking up random studies on pubmed doesn't seem ideal.
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I feel the way, I always want to start incorporating reading them but don't know where to begin (also just haven't had the extra study time). If anyone wants to share articles they've found that have been helpful please do!
 
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queenoftheclouds said:
Okay I'm for real panicking. I took a TPR Demo section of the test for Bio/biochem and got a 123, and this was after heavy content review for a month. This was my first time dealing with passages though. I was just reading Kaplan before that. But a 123 is extremely discouraging knowing that that's what people get pre-content review. I haven't even started studying physics/chem. Should I postpone? :(
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Would you postpone if you got a 125? Your scores are going to fluctuate between different companies pra6th.ctice tests. Remember they want you to be like," damn I need to sign up for a TPR class immediately"!!!!! Look and see why you missed the ones you missed, and move on. Also you got plenty of time Even if your test is the 5th or
 
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Are you guys doing the question packs? Is anyone finding the questions strangely....easy?
 
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Scumione said:
Are you guys doing the question packs? Is anyone finding the questions strangely....easy?
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Yep, they're easier than companies' prep material. However, I have a feeling the real thing will be harder than the most of the question packs' material.
 
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I'm starting to get nervous that I'm focusing way too much time on TPR that I haven't even touched the AAMC test yet. I had 2 more TPR FLs scheduled and then AAMC FL 2 weeks before and the half-length AAMC exam a week before. Also people here and there on SDN are saying TPR wasn't that much harder than the June MCAT. Really odd because I know some individuals in real life who took the June MCAT and took multiple TPR exams and said it felt easier.

I'm scheduled to take it on Aug 6. Just briefly looked at some Aug 21/Aug 22 locations for the test in my home state and boy, all the locations remaining are definitely an inconvenience for the most part.
 
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Dreamstoo said:
I'm starting to get nervous that I'm focusing way too much time on TPR that I haven't even touched the AAMC test yet. I had 2 more TPR FLs scheduled and then AAMC FL 2 weeks before and the half-length AAMC exam a week before. Also people here and there on SDN are saying TPR wasn't that much harder than the June MCAT. Really odd because I know some individuals in real life who took the June MCAT and took multiple TPR exams and said it felt easier.

I'm scheduled to take it on Aug 6. Just briefly looked at some Aug 21/Aug 22 locations for the test in my home state and boy, all the locations remaining are definitely an inconvenience for the most part.
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I sense fear. One thing I noticed during my MCAT prep is that having fear is completely useless. Don't listen to what other people are saying, it'll just freak you out even more. Just keep taking tests and if you're not where you want to be before the last day you can change the test date, then change. But until then, I believe you should ignore everyone else and stick to your schedule because TPR has worked for people.
 
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God everyone please stop looking at these useless practice scores. All you're doing is getting scared and nervous like schoolchildren. This exam is about critical thinking and doing problems. If you can figure out how to think the right way and Dona ton of problems then you're set. Don't even THINK about your practice exam scores.
 
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Dreamstoo said:
Alright thanks. How's your prep going by the way? I still remember you from last summer.
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Much better this time man. I think I'm getting it figured out. I've been off SDN for the most part this summer. Because people posting things make you worry and there's no room for emotions in this exam. Just gotta do the work

Is your prep going alright?
 
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TexasSurgeon said:
Much better this time man. I think I'm getting it figured out. I've been off SDN for the most part this summer. Because people posting things make you worry and there's no room for emotions in this exam. Just gotta do the work

Is your prep going alright?
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Yeah man, I feel I know more material this summer too. Taking a gap year too?
 
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I am taking the AAMC two weeks before the exam as well. I took the Official Guide today and got 25/30 C/P, 29/30 CARS, 17/30 Bio, and 29/30 Psych/soc, so apparently this week is Bio week!!! I am on the docket for the August 6th Exam date. Keep pushing y'all, its time to make the last push to the finish line.
 
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EEtoPre-Med said:
I am taking the AAMC two weeks before the exam as well. I took the Official Guide today and got 25/30 C/P, 29/30 CARS, 17/30 Bio, and 29/30 Psych/soc, so apparently this week is Bio week!!! I am on the docket for the August 6th Exam date. Keep pushing y'all, its time to make the last push to the finish line.
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How was the difficulty compared to other FLs if you took any from prep companies?
 
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I felt like the Psych/Soc was much easier than Kaplan's and the Cars was maybe a bit easier or on par. Chem/Phys was about the same as Kaplan. Bio/Biochem seemed harder (obviously) because the passages were very dense with experiments. Kaplan tends to ask similar questions but you aren't ciphering through as much technical language and real-life data representations as in the Official Guide. And they tell me the Official Guide is easy, so I need to get to work!
 
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EEtoPre-Med said:
I felt like the Psych/Soc was much easier than Kaplan's and the Cars was maybe a bit easier or on par. Chem/Phys was about the same as Kaplan. Bio/Biochem seemed harder (obviously) because the passages were very dense with experiments. Kaplan tends to ask similar questions but you aren't ciphering through as much technical language and real-life data representations as in the Official Guide. And they tell me the Official Guide is easy, so I need to get to work!
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hmmm interesting, I think I'm gonna take this tomorrow to see where I am. Been itching to see what the AAMC stuff is like.
 
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Took Kaplan #1 today and got a 495

My percent correct were:
P/c 54%
CARS 74%
Bio 51%
Psych 54%

I did the AAMC official guide to mcat questions (2 weeks ago) and got:
P/C 56%
CARS 70%
Bio 70%
psych 76%

Just in case anyone wanted to compare. The Kaplan passages are very different (not representative) but I think good for determining content knowledge holes.

I'm aiming to bring all the section scores up to at least 80% in the next 4 weeks. I think that's feasible, although super nervous about physics and chem.
 
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I'm probably gonna take AAMC next week which would be a month before my test. Figure that if there are any glaring deficiencies I'd do best to address them. I'm hoping to get in 11 tests before the real one-- 3 TPR, 3 TBR, 4 EK and 1 AAMC.
 
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Im trying to decide which full lengths to buy. I've taken one EK exam so far and people say it is the most representative of the actual thing so far. Do you guys think the nextstep exams are worth it? And whats the consensus on the TBR exams?
 
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james11 said:
I'm probably gonna take AAMC next week which would be a month before my test. Figure that if there are any glaring deficiencies I'd do best to address them. I'm hoping to get in 11 tests before the real one-- 3 TPR, 3 TBR, 4 EK and 1 AAMC.
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So you are trying to do 11 FLs within a 28-30 day time frame? That's a little too much in my opinion.
 
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EEtoPre-Med said:
I felt like the Psych/Soc was much easier than Kaplan's and the Cars was maybe a bit easier or on par. Chem/Phys was about the same as Kaplan. Bio/Biochem seemed harder (obviously) because the passages were very dense with experiments. Kaplan tends to ask similar questions but you aren't ciphering through as much technical language and real-life data representations as in the Official Guide. And they tell me the Official Guide is easy, so I need to get to work!
Click to expand...

Just took the official guide as well:

C/P: 24/30=80%
CARS: 22/30=73.30%
Bio: 22/30=73.30%
P/S: 26/30=86.70%
overall: 78.30%

Honestly, that BIO was tough... are you sure the official guide is supposed to be easier? Aside from that, C/P was pretty straightforward I say on par with both Kaplan and TPR but a lot less calculations. Psych/Soc...pretty on par with TPR and definitely easier than Kaplan. CARS?...I hate CARS...but I'd agree with it being on par with Kaplan...a little longer passages for some though. If I had to guess (basing off theoretical scales) I got something like a 127-128/126/126/129=508-509ish, which is weirdly on point with my current TPR average around 508-510, so there's that. Again, I can't really say that TPR and Kaplan are representative at all, and the AAMC material just has a completely different feel to it. I think this is good news for anyone that is stressing about memorizing all those random details in your books because you really don't need a lot of that random minutiae. A lot of the answers had more to do with intense understanding of experimental interpretation and using a balance of fundamental more "big-picture" concepts and filling in the holes that are given in the passage. A few of my friends said that the official guide questions felt a lot harder than what they got in June, and that the real thing felt a lot more like taking a TPR exam, so who knows. Might definitely check into Khan passages after seeing what I saw today though.
 
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itsallgood92 said:
Just took the official guide as well:

C/P: 24/30=80%
CARS: 22/30=73.30%
Bio: 22/30=73.30%
P/S: 26/30=86.70%
overall: 78.30%

Honestly, that BIO was tough... are you sure the official guide is supposed to be easier? Aside from that, C/P was pretty straightforward I say on par with both Kaplan and TPR but a lot less calculations. Psych/Soc...pretty on par with TPR and definitely easier than Kaplan. CARS?...I hate CARS...but I'd agree with it being on par with Kaplan...a little longer passages for some though. If I had to guess (basing off theoretical scales) I got something like a 127-128/126/126/129=508-509ish, which is weirdly on point with my current TPR average around 508-510, so there's that. Again, I can't really say that TPR and Kaplan are representative at all, and the AAMC material just has a completely different feel to it. I think this is good news for anyone that is stressing about memorizing all those random details in your books because you really don't need a lot of that random minutiae. A lot of the answers had more to do with intense understanding of experimental interpretation and using a balance of fundamental more "big-picture" concepts and filling in the holes that are given in the passage. A few of my friends said that the official guide questions felt a lot harder than what they got in June, and that the real thing felt a lot more like taking a TPR exam, so who knows. Might definitely check into Khan passages after seeing what I saw today though.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I heard that about the June 19th test.
 
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itsallgood92 said:
Yea, I highly recommend doing them. It's 120 questions total...30 questions each section. I basically just did it as a half length: 48min per section.
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I've been tempted to just use it as practice and not as a half length. I guess each its own.
 
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Can anyone shed some light on the difference between the TPR exams? There are Course, Complete, and Review exams, and I'm not sure how they differ. Just bought it last week to try something different than Kaplan FLs
 
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itsallgood92 said:
Yea, I highly recommend doing them. It's 120 questions total...30 questions each section. I basically just did it as a half length: 48min per section.
Click to expand...

I was confused about what the official guide was as well. So does it allow you to time it and take if as a half length or is that just something you did yourself? i.e. is it meant to be a half length or just practice (like the question packs) but you treated it as a half length?

Sorry if that sounded confusing
 
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geronimo11 said:
I was confused about what the official guide was as well. So does it allow you to time it and take if as a half length or is that just something you did yourself? i.e. is it meant to be a half length or just practice (like the question packs) but you treated it as a half length?

Sorry if that sounded confusing
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Sorry let me clarify. No there is no timer, I just treated it as a half-length by allotting myself 48min per section. You definitely don't have to do it the way I did it, but I do think its important to do them regardless whether it be for practice or as a half-length.
 
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itsallgood92 said:
Just took the official guide as well:

C/P: 24/30=80%
CARS: 22/30=73.30%
Bio: 22/30=73.30%
P/S: 26/30=86.70%
overall: 78.30%

Honestly, that BIO was tough... are you sure the official guide is supposed to be easier? Aside from that, C/P was pretty straightforward I say on par with both Kaplan and TPR but a lot less calculations. Psych/Soc...pretty on par with TPR and definitely easier than Kaplan. CARS?...I hate CARS...but I'd agree with it being on par with Kaplan...a little longer passages for some though. If I had to guess (basing off theoretical scales) I got something like a 127-128/126/126/129=508-509ish, which is weirdly on point with my current TPR average around 508-510, so there's that. Again, I can't really say that TPR and Kaplan are representative at all, and the AAMC material just has a completely different feel to it. I think this is good news for anyone that is stressing about memorizing all those random details in your books because you really don't need a lot of that random minutiae. A lot of the answers had more to do with intense understanding of experimental interpretation and using a balance of fundamental more "big-picture" concepts and filling in the holes that are given in the passage. A few of my friends said that the official guide questions felt a lot harder than what they got in June, and that the real thing felt a lot more like taking a TPR exam, so who knows. Might definitely check into Khan passages after seeing what I saw today though.
Click to expand...

The Official Guide being easier is just something that I had heard on here. People sort of equalized it to the question packs, which are supposed to be a smudge easier than the real exam. Maybe somebody who has taken the test has some more insight.

I agree with the more intense experimental interpretation. I think a key skill is looking at a particularly convoluted experiment and telling yourself "I don't have to understand all of this, I just need to sift through the information to find what I need to answer the question". Not pushing the FREAK OUT button is important.
 
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EEtoPre-Med said:
The Official Guide being easier is just something that I had heard on here. People sort of equalized it to the question packs, which are supposed to be a smudge easier than the real exam. Maybe somebody who has taken the test has some more insight.

I agree with the more intense experimental interpretation. I think a key skill is looking at a particularly convoluted experiment and telling yourself "I don't have to understand all of this, I just need to sift through the information to find what I need to answer the question". Not pushing the FREAK OUT button is important.
Click to expand...

Btw how have you been approaching CARS? I feel like it's by far my most inconsistent section, and I just can't find my groove. I usually just highlight stuff, but that weird highlighting function kinda threw me off today.
 
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Guys. Desperately in need of tips on bio/biochem. I have all old TPR material and TBR, and I purchased the entire new EK set thinking it'll due since I already have so many prep books already. However their biochem section was very disappointing to say the least.. I tried going back to my biochem textbook today (Lehninger) and found it to be way too detailed to tease through.

SO - any suggestions? I think my next best resort is TBR bio II. Any feedback from anybody that's used it? Did you go through all the chapters or just the metabolic ones?

Also, I know I've asked this multiple times but I've gotten mixed answers - is everyone memorizing the structure of all the molecules in the metabolic pathways? The name, enzyme, energy input/output, etc. for sure for each pathway along with the structure of major and common macromolecules, but is everyone else memorizing all the intermediate structures as well? (I've gotten yes's from people and we didn't even have to do that in college.. o.o)
 
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So, the question packs and the official guide are different questions? If I purchase the problems from online on the AAMC page are they the same as the book
 

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itsallgood92 said:
Btw how have you been approaching CARS? I feel like it's by far my most inconsistent section, and I just can't find my groove. I usually just highlight stuff, but that weird highlighting function kinda threw me off today.
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Kaplan was really good about introducing the various question types and how to approach them. However, their "outline" strategy I found to be very difficult. I then read the ExamKrackers method and it is 180 degrees opposite of Kaplan. I really saw an improvement when I combined the EK passage method with the background about question types that I learned from Kaplan. The EK method involves reading the passage and looking for the main point. In the process you are thinking about what kind of person the author is, conservative or liberal, old or young, do they drink beer or wine? It sounds ridiculous but it has helped me a lot. Then when you answer the questions you are interviewing or asking questions of the author. The biggest thing I learned from the EK method is this: don't speed read. Odds are that you probably read fast enough. Your goal is to read normal speed and look back at the passage a minimal number of times. Also, elimination of wrong answer choices is key. Finally, when the author brings up other viewpoints (as almost all MCAT passages do) try to figure out where on the spectrum the author lies in relation to these viewpoints.

I wouldn't overdo the highlighting because it may cause you to focus on specific details while missing others. Try to read it as your friend is telling an interesting story. A positive attitude toward the passage works wonders for me.
 
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lostnconfused said:
I think my next best resort is TBR bio II. Any feedback from anybody that's used it? Did you go through all the chapters or just the metabolic ones?

Also, I know I've asked this multiple times but I've gotten mixed answers - is everyone memorizing the structure of all the molecules in the metabolic pathways? The name, enzyme, energy input/output, etc. for sure for each pathway along with the structure of major and common macromolecules, but is everyone else memorizing all the intermediate structures as well? (I've gotten yes's from people and we didn't even have to do that in college.. o.o)
Click to expand...

Don't take this as a "tip", because I'm pretty nervous about Biochem too, but I'm working through the KA Biomolecules and Cells sections and digging in with TBR BioII. I've also turned to Lehninger when things seem confusing. Then I'll do the TBR questions when I get to the end of each section. It's rigorous and it feels like I'm taking too much time, but the feedback said it was good prep. As for memorizing structures, I really don't know. AAs: yes. All of the side chains. Glycolysis: I'm hoping to be able to recognize the structures for the rate-limiting steps. Krebs: we had to memorize every structure in my biochem class but holy heck I'd rather not spend time on it and just know Acetyl CoA and OAA. If you hear anything else about knowing intermediates, let me know! :)
 
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WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot said:
Don't take this as a "tip", because I'm pretty nervous about Biochem too, but I'm working through the KA Biomolecules and Cells sections and digging in with TBR BioII. I've also turned to Lehninger when things seem confusing. Then I'll do the TBR questions when I get to the end of each section. It's rigorous and it feels like I'm taking too much time, but the feedback said it was good prep. As for memorizing structures, I really don't know. AAs: yes. All of the side chains. Glycolysis: I'm hoping to be able to recognize the structures for the rate-limiting steps. Krebs: we had to memorize every structure in my biochem class but holy heck I'd rather not spend time on it and just know Acetyl CoA and OAA. If you hear anything else about knowing intermediates, let me know! :)
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That's a little re-assuring, thank you. Are you using the old TBR bio or did you purchase the 2015 version? Do you know if there's a significant difference?
 
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I'm using an older version of uh... unknown provenance. I think it's 2011 but the section goals are the exact same as 2015.
 
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I took the MCAT June 20
CHEM 82-97%
BIO 49-64%
VERBAL 9-24%
PSYCH 50-65%
OVERALL 44-54%. I probably got 499
AAMC Practice tests
CHEM 58%
BIO 46%
PSYCH 68%
VERBAL 70%
i will be retaking August 6. Advice Anyone? especially on verbal?please :-(
 
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Just took the Official Guide Online Questions. Made plain silly mistakes (especially with forgetting simple psychology/sociology terms)... here are my scores: 16/30 (53%) Bio
22/30 (73%) Chem/Phys
19/30 (63%) Psych/Soc
22/30 (73%) Cars

I am testing on August 21st and finished content review a couple of days ago. For studying I did the EK 10 week home study but forgot quite a bit of information along these weeks. I am planning on buying EK FLs 1-4 and have purchased the AAMC Sample FL as well. Before I begin with all the FLs I want to do the question packs...when should I begin those? ASAP? I want to also supplement with some KhanAcademy to fill in with practice because I have about 40 days for just practicing and I am not sure if 5 FLs spread out is enough practice (or is it?). I will be doing light flashcard review daily (a couple of sets per day, my friend used them and did very well). Any advice would be appreciated!
 
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Just finished Kaplan FL 1. Scored a 498 (124/125/125/124)
Few things I noted:

Alot of the questions seemed convoluted and not clear in what they were expecting.
With the exception of CARS, I'm finishing my sections with a bunch of time left to spare (like 15-20 minutes to go, except CARS). How long do you guys take on reading the passage before answering the questions? (I'm aiming to give myself 7-8 minutes a passage with a minute a piece on discretes)
Kaplan's passage mapping strategy is god awful IMO. I worried and wasted time thinking of what to write down instead of focusing on reading more thoroughly.
My CARS performance is really hit or miss. Some passages I get none or 1 wrong, some I get at least half of them wrong.

Taking this score with a grain of salt, but hoping I can seriously improve before the real deal on the 6th.
 
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