The Official August 2015 MCAT Thread

Boost your MCAT score by 12 points or more.
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Sort by date Sort by votes
Once more into the fray.
Into the last good fight I'll ever know.
Live and die on this day.
Live and die on this day.

Good Luck to you all! I'll be in the same place in 1 month.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Em1212 said:
If anyone is looking for last minute practice problems, plutoprep.org has over 700 with explanations. Lots of August test takers have done all of them in one sitting.
Click to expand...

Quit spamming on here dude. Go to the Pre-******* forum to try and lure potential victims to hack!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
charles2493 said:
@moesman777

I'd recommend doing all the AAMC material if you can. Qpacks and official guide passages are more useful than any of the practice exams I took (I took 7 Kaplan exams and 3 EK exams). After the AAMC material, I'd recommend EK4 and EK3 - they're the most representative. Can't stress enough how important the AAMC material is.
Click to expand...

Thanks!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Just took it today and the psych section was pretty tricky, in terms of application and critical reasoning. CR passages were extremely long and harder than expected, but the C/P section was the most enjoyable imo (lots of biochem though). Know your amino acids and your DNA (bio aamc fl was quite similar to the real thing) and please don't slack on psych content
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Pusheen said:
I just did EK 4
76%/66%/56%/80% :bang:

I legitimately don't know what my problem is. I've never gotten below a 80% on verbal ever. And I felt great about bio. I'm just feeling so confused right now...legitimately considering pushing my date back 🙁
Click to expand...
You shouldn't. EK verbal is tough so don't be sad if you don't do as well as you have been. Actually, the entire exam is really tough. Don't pay attention to these percentages too much. I'm sure you are right on track to do well. Keep your chin up.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
To those of you that studied with Kaplan, what did you find missing from their Psych book? I looked over the AAMC list and it seems like they're missing mainly sociology stuff? It kind of seems like they're missing a lot too.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
There's so much fear-mongering going on in this thread. I wrote today. It became my "practice" test because unfortunately, I am quite behind schedule and have only completed half my content review. The only practice passages I did were EK101/TPRH verbal ones (tried to keep them timed at ~7 minutes). I am weakest on physics/chem, so got smoked on that section. However, I was able to deduce a lot more than I thought I would've. I thought I'd have a blank face and drool throughout that section, but nope - I think I managed to answer most questions fairly confidently.

The rest of the test was fairly straightforward. VR wasn't particularly difficult if you're used to shorter timed passages. I think everyone is inadvertently making everyone else lose their **** - if someone like me, with so little practice, can actually get a confidence boost from today's so-called "insane" test, the rest of you will be able to kill it in your upcoming exams! Best of luck you guys! I actually feel so much less anxious knowing that this test isn't some monstrosity, but is a very manageable thing. Feel way more motivated to study for a re-write at this point.

A point of contention to make is that in the schools I am applying to (Canadian schools), they only look at your most recent MCAT score. You folks applying through AMCAS may need to more careful than I, given that AMCAS schools look at all your MCAT scores.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Dobechance said:
i really want to start getting up earlier! Any advice for waking up that early consistently?
Click to expand...

For waking up early, I suggest trying to "reset" your rhythm a day before. So if you want to wake up, lets say, Monday without difficulties, wake up Sunday morning at a RIDICULOUSLY early time, (I typically do around 4:30a or so..) and stay awake, (NO NAPS!). Try to workout or go for a run in the morning. Then, by 6p or so, you'll be so exhausted, you'll fall asleep so easily, and then it'll be easy to wake up at 6am on Monday morning. I do this whenever I get out of my normal sleep schedule, and it works every time!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Also for waking up early: fast the day before, starting around the afternoon. Our diet is tied in with our circadian rhythms, and fasting/waking up to eat early can help in facilitating an earlier/morning circadian rhythm.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
TheRelevant said:
There's so much fear-mongering going on in this thread. I wrote today. It became my "practice" test because unfortunately, I am quite behind schedule and have only completed half my content review. The only practice passages I did were EK101/TPRH verbal ones (tried to keep them timed at ~7 minutes). I am weakest on physics/chem, so got smoked on that section. However, I was able to deduce a lot more than I thought I would've. I thought I'd have a blank face and drool throughout that section, but nope - I think I managed to answer most questions fairly confidently.

The rest of the test was fairly straightforward. VR wasn't particularly difficult if you're used to shorter timed passages. I think everyone is inadvertently making everyone else lose their **** - if someone like me, with so little practice, can actually get a confidence boost from today's so-called "insane" test, the rest of you will be able to kill it in your upcoming exams! Best of luck you guys! I actually feel so much less anxious knowing that this test isn't some monstrosity, but is a very manageable thing. Feel way more motivated to study for a re-write at this point.

A point of contention to make is that in the schools I am applying to (Canadian schools), they only look at your most recent MCAT score. You folks applying through AMCAS may need to more careful than I, given that AMCAS schools look at all your MCAT scores.
Click to expand...

Depends on the school actually, and from the schools I have my eyes set on its actually your BEST score. You are correct that U of T, McMaster, Western but the following schools look at your best score

1.) Saskatchewan (Best of new vs old)
2.) Manitoba
3.) Queens
4.) Alberta School (granted they only look at 2015 MCAT but even then their previous policy was best)
5.) Dalhousie (you choose which score)

don't know about Quebec schools or UBC but there you have it.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
TheRelevant said:
There's so much fear-mongering going on in this thread. I wrote today. It became my "practice" test because unfortunately, I am quite behind schedule and have only completed half my content review. The only practice passages I did were EK101/TPRH verbal ones (tried to keep them timed at ~7 minutes). I am weakest on physics/chem, so got smoked on that section. However, I was able to deduce a lot more than I thought I would've. I thought I'd have a blank face and drool throughout that section, but nope - I think I managed to answer most questions fairly confidently.

The rest of the test was fairly straightforward. VR wasn't particularly difficult if you're used to shorter timed passages. I think everyone is inadvertently making everyone else lose their **** - if someone like me, with so little practice, can actually get a confidence boost from today's so-called "insane" test, the rest of you will be able to kill it in your upcoming exams! Best of luck you guys! I actually feel so much less anxious knowing that this test isn't some monstrosity, but is a very manageable thing. Feel way more motivated to study for a re-write at this point.

A point of contention to make is that in the schools I am applying to (Canadian schools), they only look at your most recent MCAT score. You folks applying through AMCAS may need to more careful than I, given that AMCAS schools look at all your MCAT scores.
Click to expand...

This gives me hope!

I haven't taken a Biochem class yet, which kind of worries me before doing the actual MCAT. I've been studying for more than two months, and I'm now thinking if I should forgo my Aug. 21st test and just do it in January. I guess I could retake if my scores will be low.

So far, I've done OG (71%), EK 3 (63% overall; 80% B/B), NS 5 (502 with new scale), Qpacks (Chem 88%, Physics 77%, Bio I 71%, CARS I first-half 68%), as well as TPR (494 and 496) and TBR (503?).

With those scores, do you guys think my B/B is okay even though I haven't taken the class yet? I only need about 506-508 (other parts of my application are great). Thoughts?
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
@Dobechance I wake up at 630am for work 4-5 days of the week and come the weekend or a day off I still can't wake up early. Some people just aren't morning people, and even coming over 5 hours of sleep I can still stay up late. So sometimes waking up early is going to be hard and suck no matter what.

Best advise is also the most simple. Just force yourself to do it. Set an alarm, when it goes off don't press snooze even if you're dead ass tired just get up and get in the shower and eat something you don't want to find out test day that your stomach can't handle food that early or that certain meals just make you more tired.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I've never taken biochem before. Do you guys think that studying the Kaplan book will be enough to get me through? I have two weeks!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
@zzzetrigan @TheRelevant and other Canadian folk. I never realized how difficult your medical schools were to get in to. Do you not have DO schools?

On the plus side you guys are strong on your national park game? I'll trade you some easier, not so strict US medical schools for Banff National Park.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I recommend postponing the exam. Sincerely. Biochem is in every single part of the exam except for maybe - maybe! - CARS. You have to know it well. I took the full course from someone who is nationally recognized for his teaching and can rip out AA's like no tomorrow and the blah blah blah blah blah blah ...

and I am 99% sure *I* am postponing (not due to biochem) ... I just think if you don't know it, don't take the MCAT. You set yourself up for failure.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
^^^^^ that ^^^^ no way can you get the biochem down in 2 weeks. At this point, you should be doing FL exams, review of them, and nothing else. Content should be done.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
geronimo11 said:
@zzzetrigan @TheRelevant and other Canadian folk. I never realized how difficult your medical schools were to get in to. Do you not have DO schools?

On the plus side you guys are strong on your national park game? I'll trade you some easier, not so strict US medical schools for Banff National Park.
Click to expand...

No DO schools. The difficulty comes in different ways. If you are a resident in the province of Ontario, gaining acceptance at a medical school is pretty much ridiculous, need a 3.9+ GPA, 127-128 in CARS or higher, balanced score of 32+ in the old MCAT and certain schools required like PS/VR/BS - 9/11/13 as a cut off..that's right - 13 was a CUT OFF. Then the # of out of province applicants OTHER provinces accept is dismally low at like 5-10 people of the whole class. If you are a resident of smaller provinces I don't think it's AS bad as Ontario (maybe British Columbia isn't great and Alberta is starting to get ridiculous too).

All in all it just comes down to very little spots, outrageous applicant pool and favouratism based on residence. That and we have massive grade inflation due to certain programs that just hand out marks.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
pre.med2016 said:
I only need a 125, so I think I can do it. But thanks for all of your support
Click to expand...

How do you only need a *125* ?? it's a 528 pt test. Biochem is in 75% of it, at least (CARS is an unknown but I presume biochem is not there).
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
zzzetrigan said:
No DO schools. The difficulty comes in different ways. If you are a resident in the province of Ontario, gaining acceptance at a medical school is pretty much ridiculous, need a 3.9+ GPA, 127-128 in CARS or higher, balanced score of 32+ in the old MCAT and certain schools required like PS/VR/BS - 9/11/13 as a cut off..that's right - 13 was a CUT OFF. Then the # of out of province applicants OTHER provinces accept is dismally low at like 5-10 people of the whole class. If you are a resident of smaller provinces I don't think it's AS bad as Ontario (maybe British Columbia isn't great and Alberta is starting to get ridiculous too).

All in all it just comes down to very little spots, outrageous applicant pool and favouratism based on residence. That and we have massive grade inflation due to certain programs that just hand out marks.
Click to expand...

Why are there very little spots? I would think with universal healthcare, U guys need more docs.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
pre.med2016 said:
I only need a 125, so I think I can do it. But thanks for all of your support
Click to expand...

And you also stated you do not have organic chemistry either. so, you're missing biochem (in 75% of test), orgo (maybe 10% of the test); 528 is a perfect score ... :eyebrow:
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I haven't taken a Biochem course either but Khan academy videos are really good! I coupled them with the TPR book and it worked really well for me. Obviously people have different strengths but for me personally, I focused quite a bit on biochem and it was my strength in all of the TRP practice exams. Point is-its doable! It definitely will require quite a bit of memorization (be comfortable with amino acids and metabolism) but it is nothing overly complicated that will confuse the **** out of you if you havent seen it before. You have taken Bio before and have seen biochem stuff to some extent. For the stuff i had never seen before (ex. beta oxidation) I relied on Khan academy to get the gist. It's your call if 2 weeks is enough but this is just my 2 cents and thought that you would like the opinion of someone who hasn't taken a formal Biochem course 🙂
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Ad2b said:
How do you only need a *125* ?? it's a 528 pt test. Biochem is in 75% of it, at least (CARS is an unknown but I presume biochem is not there).
Click to expand...
125 in the bio/biochem section. Not overall. My other sections are where they need to be. I'm in a bs/md program, and they basically tell you what score you need to get, and matriculation is guaranteed.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
pre.med2016 said:
125 in the bio/biochem section. Not overall. My other sections are where they need to be. I'm in a bs/md program, and they basically tell you what score you need to get, and matriculation is guaranteed.
Click to expand...

Okay but here's my question: you realize biochem is in EVERY section of the test EXCEPT for CARS? and you have not had orgo either ...
 
Upvote 0 Downvote

Universal healthcare is expensive for the government lol. Try getting them to cough up more money for doctors. Even worse is doing any specialty other than primary care-residency spots are few and declining because hospitals dont wanna pay them a ton of money (hence why wait times to see a specialist here are insane!)

Don't hate on any of your future Canadian classmates! Lol
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
GypsyHummus said:
Why are there very little spots? I would think with universal healthcare, U guys need more docs.
Click to expand...

Universal healthcare means someone has to PAY for that healthcare. Doctors are employed by the government and the government doesn't have infinite money. So while you get free healthcare this creates an embarrassing disparity between wait times and # of specialists. You have people waiting months to see a specialist, but the government doesn't have the money to hire more specialists - because lets face it they cost lots of money. Just this year they decided to cut 50 residency spots in Ontario.

So you have this awkward position where you have doctors, but don't want to pay them to work in their speciality. Canada needs more family and rural doctors but no one really wants to go into that speciality. However there are recent trends that the # of doctors in canada is starting to rise so some schools may start to decrease enrollment even further.

It's complicated to say the least.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
pre.med2016 said:
Yes, I'm well aware.
Click to expand...
Okay. So how well do you have to do in the other sections?

If you are in a BS/MD program, are they teaching you orgo as part of the curriculum? and biochem? and are they now pushing you to take the MCAT unprepared?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
msfuturedoctor8888 said:
Universal healthcare is expensive for the government lol. Try getting them to cough up more money for doctors. Even worse is doing any specialty other than primary care-residency spots are few and declining because hospitals dont wanna pay them a ton of money (hence why wait times to see a specialist here are insane!)

Don't hate on any of your future Canadian classmates! Lol
Click to expand...

But Universal healthcare is amazing, just ask everyone in the media!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
zzzetrigan said:
No DO schools. The difficulty comes in different ways. If you are a resident in the province of Ontario, gaining acceptance at a medical school is pretty much ridiculous, need a 3.9+ GPA, 127-128 in CARS or higher, balanced score of 32+ in the old MCAT and certain schools required like PS/VR/BS - 9/11/13 as a cut off..that's right - 13 was a CUT OFF. Then the # of out of province applicants OTHER provinces accept is dismally low at like 5-10 people of the whole class. If you are a resident of smaller provinces I don't think it's AS bad as Ontario (maybe British Columbia isn't great and Alberta is starting to get ridiculous too).

All in all it just comes down to very little spots, outrageous applicant pool and favouratism based on residence. That and we have massive grade inflation due to certain programs that just hand out marks.
Click to expand...

That's crazy, I thought some states here were bad about only accepting their own residents but you are making applying to California schools as a out of state student look way way easier. Have you thought about applying anywhere in the states as backup? Some of those cut offs are ridiculous. Seems like you are defined by a number no matter where you go, which sucks. Best of luck to you and all you other Canadian residents in your application cycles.

Edit: Never even thought of that side to universal healthcare. I guess growing up in the US I've always just been told how great it is and how we're the only developed ones who don't have it in place for our healthcare. Makes the whole "who wouldn't want universal healthcare?" notion a little more understandable.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
Ad2b said:
Okay. So how well do you have to do in the other sections?

If you are in a BS/MD program, are they teaching you orgo as part of the curriculum? and biochem? and are they now pushing you to take the MCAT unprepared?
Click to expand...
Yes. Orgo will be in the fall, and biochem will be in the spring. We have a limited number of times that we can take the exam. I graduate after spring, so August and January seemed to be the only two options to take the exam. I decided to take it in August. In the event that I didn't pass, January would be my other opportunity.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Gotcha. Can I say this as a mom to someone who is probably your age and not have it sound anything but coming from a mom?

Please don't take the test in two weeks.

You have SO much going for you. Your program which means you're wicked smart, your youth, your brains ... don't waste that by taking the MCAT twice.

IF you are hellbent on taking it in two weeks, here is what I would do for the biochem:

1) go to my blog: http://adoc2be.blogspot.com - and click on the link for the AA's and their components. DRAW this. MANY times.
2) use the Kaplan book for the MM and LB graphs. Understand them. If I change a concentration of this or that, how will the graph change? Now put that into vectors and other pressures
3) make sure you can DRAW the entire TCA cycle with all the substrates, enzymes, and by-products
4) make sure you can DRAW the gluconeogenesis and all the others without stopping
5) make sure you can identify the AA's and what conformational changes will happen on the outside and inside of the plasma membrane
6) come back here when done with that and I'll give you another list 🙂
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Ad2b said:
Gotcha. Can I say this as a mom to someone who is probably your age and not have it sound anything but coming from a mom?

Please don't take the test in two weeks.

You have SO much going for you. Your program which means you're wicked smart, your youth, your brains ... don't waste that by taking the MCAT twice.

IF you are hellbent on taking it in two weeks, here is what I would do for the biochem:

1) go to my blog: http://adoc2be.blogspot.com - and click on the link for the AA's and their components. DRAW this. MANY times.
2) use the Kaplan book for the MM and LB graphs. Understand them. If I change a concentration of this or that, how will the graph change? Now put that into vectors and other pressures
3) make sure you can DRAW the entire TCA cycle with all the substrates, enzymes, and by-products
4) make sure you can DRAW the gluconeogenesis and all the others without stopping
5) make sure you can identify the AA's and what conformational changes will happen on the outside and inside of the plasma membrane
6) come back here when done with that and I'll give you another list 🙂
Click to expand...
Thank you for the advice. I'll be sure to do that. By the way, I didn't mean it to come off as if I have not been studying biochem. I have been since May. What I meant is that I have two weeks left to prepare -- not that I have two weeks to begin and finish!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
pre.med2016 said:
What I meant is that I have two weeks left to prepare -- not that I have two weeks to begin and finish!
Click to expand...

apparently, there's not an emoji for wiping the brow but phew. I would not want to see you set yourself up for failure. If you have been studying, then just keep at it; do what you're doing. Take practice tests. Figure out what you do and don't know.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Timmy248 said:
You shouldn't. EK verbal is tough so don't be sad if you don't do as well as you have been. Actually, the entire exam is really tough. Don't pay attention to these percentages too much. I'm sure you are right on track to do well. Keep your chin up.
Click to expand...
Thank you, I appreciate the encouragement..
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
StudyLater said:
Anyone else kind of excited to have your life plans finally confirmed/shattered?
Click to expand...
My life plans, goals, and aspirations don't abide by the result of one MCAT test.


michael-jordan-obstacles-dont-have-to-stop-you-2ndskiesforex.jpg
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

blue_muse47
August 16th MCAT too late for this cycle?
Replies
3
Views
2K
blue_muse47
blue_muse47
M
Should I retake the MCAT?
Replies
5
Views
1K
Dral
Dral
S
Should I retake the MCAT?
Replies
4
Views
3K
babySimba
B
L
Do NOT take the Blueprint MCAT course
Replies
1
Views
5K
ClashRoyaleKing
ClashRoyaleKing
russeast9374
Taking the MCAT before finishing all prereqs?
Replies
2
Views
2K
russeast9374
russeast9374
Top