The Official August 2015 MCAT Thread

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vsantav

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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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Approximately how many do we need to get correct for an old score of a 10?

I never understood the conversions floating around lol
 
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Just got home

p-Not too bad, lots of really easy and some kinda difficult ones.
V- long passages/doable
B- easy at first but it got super hard. Lots of biochem
Psych- i kinda zoned out the last 20 questions

Overall, it was much much harder then the practice tests i have taken including aamc.
 
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I thought:
C/P: lots of orgo, hardly any physics, overall not too bad
Cars: passages were doable but I ran out of time and had to do the last passage in 6 minutes so hopefully I did well on the rest of the section, cars was always my worst.
Bio: much harder than the practice, a lot of convoluted experiments, mostly biochem. Some questions were very tricky and nitpicky
Psych: not really that bad although there were many where I thought there can be two answers, so I'm not really sure how this will turn out
Overall: glad it's over, could have been a lot worse.
Good luck on it for people taking it tomorrow! Get some sleep and don't stress out about it anymore, a lot of the exam is just figuring out stuff on the spot so you need to be on top of your game and most importantly, confident!
 
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I hate the questions where there's I, II, and III as answers, and you have to know or reason through like 3 separate things to get the question right. grrrr
 
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tried to do some practice passages just now, I felt really out of it and sleepy...I guess I'll just polish up on amino acids and maybe watch a few khan videos and call it a night..
 
Thank God it's over.

I think the most important thing is CONFIDENCE. The key is to not be flustered by seemingly intimidating passages or questions. Most often you can get to the root of what they're asking for, which is typically a pretty basic scientific concept. Don't scare yourself!

My thoughts on today's exam:
P/C: very do-able. I actually was surprised at how easy this section was. So easy I might have made careless mistakes because I went through the passages really fast and didn't even read some of them from top to bottom.
CARS: passages were very simple to understand, very similar to the sample test. Some tricky questions, but this section again was do-able.
B/B: This is where things took a downturn. This section was by far the hardest for me. I got really flustered with some experimental passages in which I had no idea what was going on and ended up blindly guessing on a lot of these questions. This entire section had my heart racing and I wasn't really focusing that well because I was so flustered. I'm sure if I had calmed down, I would have been able to do well. This is why I think confidence and composure are so important!
P/S: Difficult, but not horrendous. I had to guess on a lot of questions here too, but for the most part there weren't any unfamiliar names or concepts. The hard part was just how the question were worded, and the answer choices that were provided.

Good luck to everyone taking it tomorrow. Be confident! You'll do great.
 
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Best of luck to everyone taking the exam tomorrow. We're almost free!!

Besides, in the end, MCAT scores are just a social construct.
 
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it sounds like we might see a bunch of surprises tomorrow... something some med students told me is that even if a passage really throws you off, don't let it throw you off for the rest of the test, just shake it off and don't lose your confidence.

Taylor-ballerina-650x355.jpg


;)
 
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Just finished, too. Not too bad. I hope I did well enough to be competitive in my uni. I don't think I did well, but hopefully it's like one of those practice tests that I did better than I expected. Not being too negative, but I've already been thinking about how to prepare better for a retest next year just in case.
 
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In honor of my avatar/username I am celebrating finishing the test by curling up in bed with a glass of wine and rewatching Daredevil.
 
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I don't know how i feel... on the aamc fl online i got a 507 but after this test, i feel like i got <500 :( someone feeling the same way?
 
For those that took the MCAT recently: Is Examkrackers psych/soc sufficient in terms of content review? I've never taken either class (i do know some basics) but I'm lost as to whether EK is good enough.
Also are EK tests good to go by in terms of similarity to the actual test??
 
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For those that took the MCAT recently: Is Examkrackers psych/soc sufficient in terms of content review? I've never taken either class (i do know some basics) but I'm lost as to whether EK is good enough.
Also are EK tests good to go by in terms of similarity to the actual test??
It really depends on you. If you've done well on P/S in practice tests (especially AAMC's), then maybe EK is enough for you. Most of it is interpreting data.
 
It really depends on you. If you've done well on P/S in practice tests (especially AAMC's), then maybe EK is enough for you. Most of it is interpreting data.
I see. I did hear that the P/S section for EK is most similar and the actual test is much harder than AAMC so I'm not sure which to follow.
 
P.s there was a passage straight from the old berkley gen chem book.

Interesting. Despite not pasting "2015" all over our books, they have slowly been moving in the 2015 direction with each new edition over the last four years. In reality, they aren't so "old".
 
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Aug 5 test taker here... best of luck to you guys today. kick ass, i pray you are rested and able to perform to your true ability. i was thinking about it, and if you look at where the test dates fall, there has been enough time between the tests for the AAMC to compare data between several administrations before the scores were released. while this has been beat to death, yes, the AAMC does not curve based on how those you sit with test....but since the test is so new, i am wondering if the AAMC does "adjust" or "equivalate" or whatever the test scores for the Aug 5/6 test dates with the Aug 21/22 test dates. they could have done with the other exams...

THEORETICALLY:
April scores were adjusted with May and vice versa
July scores were adjusted with August 5/6 scores
August 5/6 scores adjusted with Aug 21/22 scores ...
Sep 3/11/12 adjusted with Aug 21/22 scores, etc
Sep 22 adjusted with Sep 3/11/12
all combined with the previous mcat2015 data...so they can keep their precious bell curve. :poke::vomit:

No? What do you guys think? My reasoning and train of thought started because percentile ranks had fluctuated so much for the first several administrations for some people. the estimated percentile range were released before the next test was administered, but the real scores given afterwards. There have been numerous variables brought into this test that they had no data on (one huge one: length of time on a CBT) as well as the obvious: new material being tested as if it really counts and not a trial section. the 2015 cycle is giving them precious data on how to set the scale for years forward...

so while i wish no one to bad on the exam, i really hope there aren't a ton of crazy einstein's taking today and pulling 520's left and right.

maybe i'm thinking about this too much. not maybe, i definitely am. i took the old exam, and after an unsuccessful application for the 2014 cycle, and a lot of questioning, suffering and sacrifice since then, i am full force with the 2016 cycle. i just want this over and to move on with my life and actually start doing what i'm made to do. back to secondaries... (not meaning to have a sob story...everything about this test and process sucks so bad. :( )
 
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Aug 5 test taker here... best of luck to you guys today. kick ass, i pray you are rested and able to perform to your true ability. i was thinking about it, and if you look at where the test dates fall, there has been enough time between the tests for the AAMC to compare data between several administrations before the scores were released. while this has been beat to death, yes, the AAMC does not curve based on how those you sit with test....but since the test is so new, i am wondering if the AAMC does "adjust" or "equivalate" or whatever the test scores for the Aug 5/6 test dates with the Aug 21/22 test dates. they could have done with the other exams...

THEORETICALLY:
April scores were adjusted with May and vice versa
July scores were adjusted with August 5/6 scores
August 5/6 scores adjusted with Aug 21/22 scores ...
Sep 3/11/12 adjusted with Aug 21/22 scores, etc
Sep 22 adjusted with Sep 3/11/12
all combined with the previous mcat2015 data...so they can keep their precious bell curve. :poke::vomit:

No? What do you guys think? My reasoning and train of thought started because percentile ranks had fluctuated so much for the first several administrations for some people. the estimated percentile range were released before the next test was administered, but the real scores given afterwards. There have been numerous variables brought into this test that they had no data on (one huge one: length of time on a CBT) as well as the obvious: new material being tested as if it really counts and not a trial section. the 2015 cycle is giving them precious data on how to set the scale for years forward...

so while i wish no one to bad on the exam, i really hope there aren't a ton of crazy einstein's taking today and pulling 520's left and right.

maybe i'm thinking about this too much. not maybe, i definitely am. i took the old exam, and after an unsuccessful application for the 2014 cycle, and a lot of questioning, suffering and sacrifice since then, i am full force with the 2016 cycle. i just want this over and to move on with my life and actually start doing what i'm made to do. back to secondaries... (not meaning to have a sob story...everything about this test and process sucks so bad. :( )
No one really knows how the AAMC curves the MCAT except them. Your theory sounds good though. I've also heard that it's much more complicated - each question having its own curve.

What score did you get for 2014 cycle? How did you study differently? When you say "secondaries," you mean you're already doing secondary application this cycle?
 
No one really knows how the AAMC curves the MCAT except them. Your theory sounds good though. I've also heard that it's much more complicated - each question having its own curve.

What score did you get for 2014 cycle? How did you study differently? When you say "secondaries," you mean you're already doing secondary application this cycle?
After studying while full time work for 2.5 months, I got a 24: 8/8/8. Thought I was ready after a 31 on a practice test, but alas... can you say devastated? the practice test must have tested my strengths, and my real mcat played on my weaknesses. i obviously wasn't ready, in hindsight.

graduated summa cum laude with biology, did some volunteer work full time for almost a year while I was figuring out if medicine was really something I was going to give my professional life (and a lot of my personal life) to, then regrouped and studied for 4-5 months full time studying (maybe it's extreme but I know I've done everything I can do and I can lay it to rest now) and my estimated score using the AAMC FL conversion is a ~512. ~127/~127/~129/~129. I can only hope. God willing. yes, secondaries for this cycle.
 
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Here was my reactions:
C/P: Well f#$%k :help:
CARS: Pretty much what I expected and rather easy
Bio: Well f#$%k me again :uhno:
Psych. Not to bad. :cool:

Mostly I'm just glad to be done with it. Hopefully this will be my only time taking it.

We must be the same mind. This is exactly how I felt! I am praying we both don't have to study again!
 
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Just got home

p-Not too bad, lots of really easy and some kinda difficult ones.
V- long passages/doable
B- easy at first but it got super hard. Lots of biochem
Psych- i kinda zoned out the last 20 questions

I had this exact test / test experience. Thought it was most comparable to AAMC Sample but a bit harder.
 
Started @ 7:30, ended @ 1:40

P/C : Like only one physics question the whole time. Very heavy in analytical techniques. Almost every goddamn chem passage involved spectral analysis and knowledge of wavelengths. Medium in terms of calculations needed. Def. harder than any P/C from my practice tests. 6 min. left over.

CARS : Eh, middle of the road difficulty. Got easier about half-way through. Interesting and engaging topics. 15 min. left over.

B/B : Easiest bio section out of all my practice. Almost no biochem. Good bit of physiology with lots of procedural stuff. Plenty of stupidly easy discretes. Actually enjoyed this section. 10 min. left over.

P/S : Tricky as always. Moderately difficult with one or two topics I've never seen before. 20 min. left over.



Very pleased to be done with this. Aside from P/C, I feel confident I did well.
 
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Started @ 7:30, ended @ 1:40

P/C : Like only one physics question the whole time. Very heavy in analytical techniques. Almost every goddamn chem passage involved spectral analysis and knowledge of wavelengths. Medium in terms of calculations needed. Def. harder than any P/C from my practice tests. 6 min. left over.

CARS : Eh, middle of the road difficulty. Got easier about half-way through. Interesting and engaging topics. 15 min. left over.

B/B : Easiest bio section out of all my practice. Almost no biochem. Good bit of physiology with lots of procedural stuff. Plenty of stupidly easy discretes. Actually enjoyed this section. 10 min. left over.

P/S : Tricky as always. Moderately difficult with one or two topics I've never seen before. 20 min. left over.



Very pleased to be done with this. Aside from P/C, I feel confident I did well.
congrats! What did you study with?
 
They don't email you a confirmation of completion after the test do they? (8/21 test taker)
 
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Waiting for my roommate to pick me up, so writing my thoughts.
First off, think ill get 11/12/13/13 or so. Not too good with new scores.
C/P: First time ive ever felt rushed for time. Finished with only 5 mins after reviewing and felt nervous the entire time. Lots of physics compared to what I expected. 10-11
Cars: Not much to say, same as always. Anywhere from 10 - 13
B/B: So easy. Literally hit all the things im good at, even random details that i only remembered because they were interesting 13-15
P/S: Knew every term but answer choices were tricky. Studied only 1 thing this morning, and it showed up here. So lucky 12-13

Time to relax and start doing HW
 
Wasn't too horrible overall.

C/P: More calculations than what I was expecting; I thought there were a couple of dumb orgo questions, but overall everything was represented pretty well. There were a couple of physics questions I couldn't figure out, and I know at least a couple other questions I did dumb things on, but probably only a bit harder than the AAMC FL.

CARS: Thought it went well, just a couple of tricky passages. I'm really worried after the July scores though because so many people did worse than they expected. Again, just a bit harder than the AAMC FL, although that's probably because the FL was so easy.

B/B: Started off really, really easy, got harder toward the end. There were a couple of tricky questions, but overall this was probably my best section.

P/S: Usual - I knew all the terms, but the difficulty with this section, in my opinion, is that there are lots of questions you just can't be sure about. Hopeful it went well, probably the section I'm least sure about.

I think P/S, B/B were about the same as the AAMC FL, CARS and C/P were a bit harder, but the difficulty was comparable in my opinion. My test covered every subject pretty equally I think. I was just annoyed about a handful of questions that I thought were really specific about a couple of minor details, but that's not that surprising. Just have to wait a month now!
 
Well... it's over....


Overall, it wasn't as bad as I had expected. Especially after reading last nights reviews from Aug 21 exams.


For me, the two sciences were difficult. With C/P being the worst. B/BC was manageable but still very difficult.

CARS was SO much easier than I expected. I feel really good about that. So good, it's actually worrying me.... Maybe it's because the passages were actually super interesting IMO. (am I allowed to say that?)

Psy/Soc was just what I expected. I found that to be very doable.



Timing was more of an issue for me today than any of my practice exams.. Barely had time to go through marked questions for C/P and B/BC. I flew through psych/soc, and had a lot of time to go back and go through every marked question. I finished CARS with about 12 minutes left, plenty of time to check marked questions.



For those who are about to take it... I HIGHLY suggest something like, a 5 hr energy shot before the final section. That saved me I think. After I walked out of B/BC I felt like I had hit a hard wall. I chugged that shot and went back in after 10 minutes and my eyes were wide open again. Doesn't have to be a 5 hr energy shot. But you should try to plan something to combat that last break fatigue.

Also, I noticed that I would come across a passage that was just so intimidating. And it freaked me out. All the questions seemed impossible. This happens to all of us!! Take deep breaths and remind yourself that its just this one passage that is difficult and dense. Not every single one! Keep your head up when you take it and remember that you're smart AF.
 
C/P: more calculations than I was hoping for. I felt rushed for time, marked a bunch, started running out of time and had to make guesses. My worst section by far, it was harder than the aamc FL.

CARS: started out ok then I started running out of time and had to rush 2 passages and couldn't look over my answers. Don't feel good

B/B: started out easy and then got ridiculously difficult...don't feel good here either

P/S; typical PS and comparable to aamc FL

In hindsight I wish I voided...I feel like I will likely need a retake unfortunately
 
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C/P: more calculations than I was hoping for. I felt rushed for time, marked a bunch, started running out of time and had to make guesses. My worst section by far, it was harder than the aamc FL.

CARS: started out ok then I started running out of time and had to rush 2 passages and couldn't look over my answers. Don't feel good

B/B: started out easy and then got ridiculously difficult...don't feel good here either

P/S; typical PS and comparable to aamc FL

In hindsight I wish I voided...I feel like I will likely need a retake unfortunately


noooo! don't say that! we have a month before our scores are released.. that line of thought will kill you!
 
Just got done:

C/P: Just as most people have been saying, more calculations than expected. Was doable, but a little tougher than AAMC.
CARS: With the exception of about 2 or 3 passages, they were readable. I felt as if the questions an answers were written to make it hard to chose the BEST answer, but I guess that is what the AAMC does best. Scoring-wise, I feel this section could go either really well or poorly for me.
B/B: I honestly thought this was pretty difficult. The passages were sort of hard to understand and there were quite a few questions I didn't really have any idea about. Was definitely harder than the AAMC FL.
P/S: I honestly felt like this section was the easiest. It was a nice break compared to the other sections. There were some terms I didn't know about, but it was easy enough to pick the correct answer based off of the terms that I did know. It seems as if AAMC liked to make up terms for some of their answer choices as well.

Overall, I felt as if this exam were pretty tough, but managable. Definitely harder than the AAMC FL.
 
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C/P: So horrifically hard. Very biochem focused and a lot of surprisingly specific questions. Much harder than AAMC Sample test. I finished with only 5 minutes to spare and had to really make guesses for the last two passages. :(
CARS: Easy, definitely the easiest section. No hard, convoluted passages.
B/B: Easy-Medium. I had to guess on a few questions but overall doable.
P/S: Harder than I expected. I thought I'd fly through this section because I've been getting 129-130 on PR tests, but was unpleasantly surprised by ambiguous answer choices and very specific terms I never saw in intro psych or any of my prep books. Still much easier than the C/P section though.
 
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Holy ****. That is all I have to say about that test. It was not even close in terms of difficulty to the FL. FWIW, I felt I did well on the FL (83% C/P, 87% CARS, 85% B/B, 90% P/S) but what I just took was not even close in terms of difficulty. I never got less that 83% on any AAMC material but I will be shocked if I break 505 on this.

C/P - This was straight physics. I have never seen a section as difficult as that. Maybe one or two general chem questions thrown in. Calculation heavy. I knew the equations to use for a few of them and couldn't figure out the answer. I guessed on a few. The FL was not even close. It was harder than the EK FLs.
CARS - Not terrible, but slightly harder than the FL. I'd say it was on-par with some of the Q Packs.
B/B - This wasn't terrible. I would again say harder than the AAMC FL. Memorization heavy, very little reasoning.
P/S - I marked about half the questions. I memorized almost every card in my Kaplan flash cards deck. I watched all the Khan videos. There were terms on here that I did not know.

I should have voided, but I am so done with this test and generally disheartened that I just want to get my score and move on to something else.
 
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C/P: Hard but doable. Very calculation heavy, a lot more physics than expected.
CARS: Usually my best section, and it wasn't too bad. Maybe one tricky passage. Harder than AAMC FL but DOABLE!
B/B: Well..........I would like to submit my last will and testament...to SDN, I leave my false sense of hope and dignity, as I await my impending doom....Lol no but really everyone is different and I just found this hard.
P/S: My second best section usually. Harder than AAMC FL, but DOABLE. A bit harder than CARS, proportionally speaking.

Best of luck to all takers!
 
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Just got done:

C/P: Just as most people have been saying, more calculations than expected. Was doable, but a little tougher than AAMC.
CARS: With the exception of about 2 or 3 passages, they were readable. I felt as if the questions an answers were written to make it hard to chose the BEST answer, but I guess that is what the AAMC does best. Scoring-wise, I feel this section could go either really well or poorly for me.
B/B: I honestly thought this was pretty difficult. The passages were sort of hard to understand and there were quite a few questions I didn't really have any idea about. Was definitely harder than the AAMC FL.
P/S: I honestly felt like this section was the easiest. It was a nice break compared to the other sections. There were some terms I didn't know about, but it was easy enough to pick the correct answer based off of the terms that I did know. It seems as if AAMC liked to make up terms for some of their answer choices as well.

Overall, I felt as if this exam were pretty tough, but managable. Definitely harder than the AAMC FL.

I think we had the same exam.

C/P has always been my "weak area" on FLs but today didn't seem too bad. Doable!
CARS: passages were easy but ended up completely guessing on the last passage. OPPS!
B/B was really difficult! It got easier towards the end (maybe the last three passages) but I ended up losing time because I spent a majority of my energy trying to understand the beginning passages.
P/S was the easiest in my opinion although there were a few tricky questions.
 
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I think we had the same exam.

C/P has always been my "weak area" on FLs but today didn't seem too bad. Doable!
CARS: passages were easy but ended up completely guessing on the last passage. OPPS!
B/B was really difficult! It got easier towards the end (maybe the last three passages) but I ended up losing time because I spent a majority of my energy trying to understand the beginning passages.
P/S was the easiest in my opinion although there were a few tricky questions.

Definitely agree with that B/B assessment. Easier, shorter passages came later. The earlier ones, with the large intimidating pictures/graphs/mechanisms and large blocks of text with signaling cascades really got me haha
 
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C/p- so much physics, very little biochemistry. It really messed me up to see that much physics so unexpectedly. Weird passages, hoping one of them was experimental because there may be no way I get above a 125 on this bad boy.

Cars - very similar to AAMC, straightforward passages. Nothing too philosophical. The questions were ok, I think I did fine, but cars isn't so necessarily my best subject anyhow

B/b - a little easier than the full length. My fav section, not hard, didn't feel stumped. Felt very comfortable. Typical know your amino acids. But besides the AA not very much biochem.

Psych - straightforward. A little more difficult than AAMC, but it was my best section (90%) felt very prepared (thanks KhanA) for the most part except one sociology passages that kind of threw me for a loop.

Overall I think I will get above a 508 unless c/p beats me over the head. but I think that c/p has topics that many people will stumble over and so I'mmhoping to ride the curve.
 
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Did anyone find with B/B that the passages were just so word heavy that you got completely lost in them? Maybe they were looking for us to extract pertinent information, but honestly after a while the words just seemed to all blur together.
 
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YEEEAHAHAHHAHAAHHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:


I think I was one of the first people done in the west. 7:30-1pm. Finished considerably early on everything, just like with the FL. Oh, and the exam was pretty similar to the FL, too.

C/P did unspeakable things to me. Everything else was solid.

OH, and about the CARS being much longer....nope. FL CARS was pretty long, and this was long too. Very representative.

@AAMC thanks for shoving all those random psych/soc terms in my face that weren't on the outline. I really appreciated that. :p

Psych/soc passages were like 2-3 paragraphs and easy reads, just like the AAMC FL.

@Pusheen Good luck on your last section, which you are probably taking right now. ;)
 
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Did anyone find with B/B that the passages were just so word heavy that you got completely lost in them? Maybe they were looking for us to extract pertinent information, but honestly after a while the words just seemed to all blur together.
Only one instance. There was a passage with only 3 questions where about 1/2 of the passage was totally useless.
 
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Did anyone find with B/B that the passages were just so word heavy that you got completely lost in them? Maybe they were looking for us to extract pertinent information, but honestly after a while the words just seemed to all blur together.
I felt the same way... like the passage would be about the machanism of hormone x and the question would be like "why is the sky blue when the cats are litter trained under the theory of X"
 
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I felt the same way... like the passage would be about the machanism of hormone x and the question would be like "why is the sky blue when the cats are litter trained under the theory of X"
What do you guys think would have prepared you well for these types of experimental passages? Khan? Past AAMC? Nothing? lol.
 
Holy ****. That is all I have to say about that test. It was not even close in terms of difficulty to the FL. FWIW, I felt I did well on the FL (83% C/P, 87% CARS, 85% B/B, 90% P/S) but what I just took was not even close in terms of difficulty. I never got less that 83% on any AAMC material but I will be shocked if I break 505 on this.

C/P - This was straight physics. I have never seen a section as difficult as that. Maybe one or two general chem questions thrown in. Calculation heavy. I knew the equations to use for a few of them and couldn't figure out the answer. I guessed on a few. The FL was not even close. It was harder than the EK FLs.
CARS - Not terrible, but slightly harder than the FL. I'd say it was on-par with some of the Q Packs.
B/B - This wasn't terrible. I would again say harder than the AAMC FL. Memorization heavy, very little reasoning.
P/S - I marked about half the questions. I memorized almost every card in my Kaplan flash cards deck. I watched all the Khan videos. There were terms on here that I did not know.

I should have voided, but I am so done with this test and generally disheartened that I just want to get my score and move on to something else.
This echoes my own sentiment exactly. ****
 
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