The Official August 2015 MCAT Thread

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LakridsA said:
Netflix&Chill
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I have a problem with getting addicted to things. I once had a Bchem midterm on a Saturday, which is fine, but on the Friday House of Cards came out...and since they release the entire season all at once instead of studying I binge watched the entire season during the night.

Point is I cancelled my Netflix subscription back in April.
 
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blahblahpremeds said:
@StudyLater -If you don't get at least a 131 on Psych/Soc, I will personally write a letter to the AAMC to protest.
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Ha, if I did it'd be kind of a waste. I'm fine to just do OK. Getting this **** over with will be the real reward. 😀

Wa1337 said:
Just finished the AAMC FL.

C/P 69%
CARS 77%
B/B 68%
P/S 85%

I will be reviewing my weaknesses over this next week before my exam on the 21st. I am just worried that I will not score close to or improve in any of these percentiles. Are there any cases where real exam scores deviate heavily from the FL? Or is AAMC FL generally around what you will get on the real exam, even if you marked or guessed on a fair amount of C/P and B/B questions?
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Well, sir, do I have good news for you! They're not percentiles. And the percentiles do deviate from the percent correct, in the positive.
 
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lanciastratos said:
I have a problem with getting addicted to things. I once had a Bchem midterm on a Saturday, which is fine, but on the Friday House of Cards came out...and since they release the entire season all at once instead of studying I binge watched the entire season during the night.

Point is I cancelled my Netflix subscription back in April.
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Life is pursuing a series of addictions. The results will differ based on the different pursuits, but we're always addicted to something. Depends on your goals, I suppose.
 
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FindingNismo said:
I feel like I'm running out of practice material....anybody else feel the same?

Sat: Khan videos, review AAMC FL
Sun: More Khan videos, more FL review?
Mon: Last EK 30min exam, some Khan, some other content review
Tues: Khan passages, AAMC CARS Vol 2 QPack
Wed: Probably more Khan & last minute content review
Thurs: Review CARS QPack, last Khan videos & passages
Fri: Some light review, go over formulas, flash cards, extended chillage
Saturday: MCAT DAY
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Nah, you're fine. It's best to stick more more reliable resources (AAMC+KA) that are straightforward than using prep companies that will use both ridiculous logic and questions that will make you go crazy and paranoid.
 
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Wa1337 said:
Just finished the AAMC FL.

C/P 69%
CARS 77%
B/B 68%
P/S 85%

I will be reviewing my weaknesses over this next week before my exam on the 21st. I am just worried that I will not score close to or improve in any of these percentiles. Are there any cases where real exam scores deviate heavily from the FL? Or is AAMC FL generally around what you will get on the real exam, even if you marked or guessed on a fair amount of C/P and B/B questions?
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I don't trust my FL scores, just based on people's reaction of the actual content of the real test (mostly physics, mostly orgo, mostly biochem, too many/too little calculations, etc.) I only got the score I did on C/P because there weren't that many" Physics 1" type questions as there was biochem, orgo, and gen chem. Use the practice FL to review weaknesses only.
 
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For fellow CARS strugglers: I noticed a pattern that had developed in my thinking from test prep companies that cost me 10 questions on the AAMC CARS Qpack. I was overthinking a lot of questions. The answer simply lay in the passage. When in doubt, go with the simpler answer.
 
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Hey guys, does anyone know how similar the actual exam is to the AAMC FL? I found that CARS seemed a lot easier compared to other tests I've done lol. And is the actual exam easier than the EK tests?

can't believe the test is in a week omg
 
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keepingitreal007 said:
Hey guys, does anyone know how similar the actual exam is to the AAMC FL? I found that CARS seemed a lot easier compared to other tests I've done lol. And is the actual exam easier than the EK tests?

can't believe the test is in a week omg
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I found the CARS easier too, and I don't want a false sense of hope. From the responses to my post above and the google doc (by mcatjelly and another sdn poster), that's the closest comparison we got. Improve on your weaknesses, you don't know what topic they can pull on you so be prepared. As for CARS, just look over all your practice tests and see why you got the questions you got wrong, wrong. I took EK 1 and 2 and scored 62% and 59% respectively (C/P and B/B had A LOT of guessing...scored 53% and 51% on C/P but scored 51% and 69% for B/B...don't know if I'll be as lucky test day), found the AAMC FL easier.

I go back to school two days after the MCAT...damn.
 
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I have been trying to convert my AAMC FL percentages to actual scores for the past hour. I am not sure whether I understand how to use the charts/spreadsheet properly (made by mcatjelly)

Just wondering if anyone can convert these percentages into tentative scores:
C/P: 61% (36/59)
CARS: 72% (38/53)
BC/B: 66% (39/59)
P/S: 75% (44/59)

I'd really appreciate it, thanks!
 
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I keep feeling like I should study until later but I end up going to bed at like 9:30 so I can say "well only 6 days of studying left"
 
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Also, has anyone watched the Khan videos for psych/soc? I kind of want to watch them all in one day (probably Tuesday)...is one day enough time to get through all of them?
 
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yungspleen said:
Also, has anyone watched the Khan videos for psych/soc? I kind of want to watch them all in one day (probably Tuesday)...is one day enough time to get through all of them?
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I watched most of them and they're very good. But there's no way in hades you get through them in one day (it's hours and hours worth of videos). Spread it out over about a week and it should be a good review (and it won't be like drinking from a firehose either 😉)
 
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blahblahpremeds said:
I feel less prepared with every passing day.
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image.jpg
 
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aspireformed said:
I have been trying to convert my AAMC FL percentages to actual scores for the past hour. I am not sure whether I understand how to use the charts/spreadsheet properly (made by mcatjelly)

Just wondering if anyone can convert these percentages into tentative scores:
C/P: 61% (36/59)
CARS: 72% (38/53)
BC/B: 66% (39/59)
P/S: 75% (44/59)

I'd really appreciate it, thanks!
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C/P ~ 125
CARS ~ 125
B/B ~ 128
P/S ~ 127

Keep in mind these are very tentative. I extrapolated them from the graphs on page 2 of the compilation thread ( http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...tiles-and-practice-exam-scores.1143965/page-2 ) which correlate peoples' practice scores with their actual scores. Yours are subject to variation (as with any comparative MCAT scores).

General tip for everyone here still studying for the MCAT: as someone who took the test last Thursday, I definitely recommend not taking too much time to worry about comparisons between practice scores and actual scores. I did that a ton and it detracted from time I could have used to study formulas or concepts. I finally stopped doing it a couple weeks before the MCAT (I pretty much had to stop coming to SDN) and it helped my focus.
 
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blahblahpremeds said:
For fellow CARS strugglers: I noticed a pattern that had developed in my thinking from test prep companies that cost me 10 questions on the AAMC CARS Qpack. I was overthinking a lot of questions. The answer simply lay in the passage. When in doubt, go with the simpler answer.
Click to expand...

Here's the strategy for CARS: Read the passage, and when a question asks about something from the passage, you look back at the passage for the answer.

Prep companies should not have CARS books unless they are simply just filled with practice passages that are great representations of the real exam.

blahblahpremeds said:
I feel less prepared with every passing day.
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I feel the opposite. Either that or I'm just getting more relaxed about possibly screwing up.

keepingitreal007 said:
image.jpg
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Wait. I thought she didn't have the top half of her head anymore.
 
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I know for biochemistry, people have been saying to focus on amino acids. I feel pretty confident with amino acids and biochem lab techniques, does anyone know to how much depth we need to know metabolism? I feel solid on glycolysis, TCA, electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation, but less so for PPP, beta-oxidation, gluconeogenesis, and urea cycle.
 
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clathrin413 said:
I know for biochemistry, people have been saying to focus on amino acids. I feel pretty confident with amino acids and biochem lab techniques, does anyone know to how much depth we need to know metabolism? I feel solid on glycolysis, TCA, electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation, but less so for PPP, beta-oxidation, gluconeogenesis, and urea cycle.
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Ctrl+f the outline and the only content you get for "urea" is under "bureaucracy."

PPP is bull****. You'll learn it in 5min.

Beta-ox also not an issue. Carnitine acyltransferase I is RLS. Then I just memorized the steps. There's all of 4. FAD --> FADH2 makes it an alpha-beta ketone. Then add H2O to get the corresponding alcohol (NOT adjacent to the ketone). Oxidize the alcohol to a ketone with NAD+ (which gets converted to NADH). And then add CoA-SH to split the ketones. You're left with Acetyl-CoA and the rest of the chain.

Memorize the propionic acid pathway for extra credit. But it's likely AAMC doesn't give a damn.

Gluconeogenesis amounts to PEPCK, Fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase (RLS), and Glucose-6-phosphatase.

Know where they happen and what controls them where applicable.
 
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StudyLater said:
Here's the strategy for CARS: Read the passage, and when a question asks about something from the passage, you look back at the passage for the answer.

Prep companies should not have CARS books unless they are simply just filled with practice passages that are great representations of the real exam.



I feel the opposite. Either that or I'm just getting more relaxed about possibly screwing up.



Wait. I thought she didn't have the top half of her head anymore.
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I agree. The verbal books are a good intro to the section if you've never seen/heard of this test before, but I feel like they dont actually help. Strategies are so personalized and everyone should do what is most comfortable for them.
 
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StudyLater said:
Here's the strategy for CARS: Read the passage, and when a question asks about something from the passage, you look back at the passage for the answer.

Prep companies should not have CARS books unless they are simply just filled with practice passages that are great representations of the real exam.



I feel the opposite. Either that or I'm just getting more relaxed about possibly screwing up.



Wait. I thought she didn't have the top half of her head anymore.
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Kaplan's book has lessons in straight philosophy and formal logic, like from a course in that kind of thing.

Didn't help me a lick.

blahblahpremeds said:
I'll be so happy walking out of the test center next week because I know I won't have to review the real exam.
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The best feeling is just knowing you're done with the MCAT!
 
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Anyone else agree that there are many terminologies in Psychology/Sociology that are covered in Kaplan's and NS's content review books but missing from TPR's (and that's including the addendum)?

I feel like I still don't know about 30-40% of the terminologies so I decided to read the P/S book again 🙁 not sure if it's the most efficient way of doing it at this point
 
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TheAnonymous said:
Anyone else agree that there are many terminologies in Psychology/Sociology that are covered in Kaplan's and NS's content review books but missing from TPR's (and that's including the addendum)?

I feel like I still don't know about 30-40% of the terminologies so I decided to read the P/S book again 🙁 not sure if it's the most efficient way of doing it at this point
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What's the best way to go over these terms if you just have the TPR book?
 
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clathrin413 said:
What's the best way to go over these terms if you just have the TPR book?
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I hope others can chime in and confirm but I really do think that Kaplan has extra terms added in. Maybe the best way is to look at the glossary at the end of the Kaplan book and make sure you know all of them? I haven't taken the AAMC FL and I'm not the right person to comment on the extent to which we need to know the minutia/specific details so I really hope more people can comment here. It's possible that I simply overlooked the stuff in my TPR book. Also, not sure to what extent we need to know the functional anatomy of brain / visual system / auditory system so I would be grateful if someone can give us some feedback. Sorry if it's been mentioned already.
 
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TheAnonymous said:
I hope others can chime in and confirm but I really do think that Kaplan has extra terms added in.
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Oh hell yeah they do. It's sort of confusing that they bold words from the outline but also bold other words that I guess they think will be important.

This is actually why I really liked the parts of EK I did. They would basically only bold things that were directly in the outline, and they used the terms word for word. Even the EK headings would most of the time be exact representations of the headings on the outline. Pretty awesome.
 
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Is anyone not doing any studying at all the day before the test? That's probably what I'll do.

Also, for those taking it on the 22nd: One week from right now we will be in the testing room. It's getting real
 
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From practice FLs, I've noticed that Psych/Soc is about 60% data interpretation and finding trends and 40% knowing the term and applying it to a situation. So, while I don't know every single theory in the TPR book by heart, I do know the basic idea well enough so that I can guess the right answer on an MC exam. Anybody else feel this way?
@yungspleen -I'm doing light review prior to test day. 5 days to go!!!
 
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orangeblue said:
I'm taking about 2 exams per week with a 2-3 day gap in between each exam. One week (2 weeks before my exam), I'm taking 3 exams per week. I know it's a bit brutal but it's good to get in the rthym for me. Sept 11 exam. It's going to be Bam, monday, bam friday and then bam, bam, bam, test day!

Anyone doing the same? I'm looking for validation 😀
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That's exactly what I did and I don't feel burned out rn (Aug 21st test) took 10 total

yungspleen said:
Is anyone not doing any studying at all the day before the test? That's probably what I'll do.
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Hopefully, if I get through everything I want to do this week.

I'm planning to
- Reread all EK books + my notes
- Anki like hell
- Read Kaplan for topics that are still questionable
- Use TPR / Kaplan glossaries for Psych/Soc
- Maybe finish EK101 Verbal? I stopped doing it because it seemed a little bit off in terms of quality.
 
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blahblahpremeds said:
From practice FLs, I've noticed that Psych/Soc is about 60% data interpretation and finding trends and 40% knowing the term and applying it to a situation. So, while I don't know every single theory in the TPR book by heart, I do know the basic idea well enough so that I can guess the right answer on an MC exam. Anybody else feel this way?
@yungspleen -I'm doing light review prior to test day. 5 days to go!!!
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I feel exactly the same way. P/S freaks me out because I feel like I don't know ****, I've never taken a psych course, and i'm worried that the real thing is going to be substantially different from the fl and og questions. It's consistently my highest scoring section though (I got a 90% on the FL), I feel like most of the questions can be broken down into analyzing the data presented and the methods used to do the research. I'm worried that the real thing is going to be more vocab/content oriented and i'm going to **** a brick
 
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yungspleen said:
Is anyone not doing any studying at all the day before the test? That's probably what I'll do.

Also, for those taking it on the 22nd: One week from right now we will be in the testing room. It's getting real
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Doing 2 FLs the day before cuz I hear your score is directly proportional to how many FLs you do.
 
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Man, P/S was my one of my highest scores on both EK 1 and EK 2 (~85% on both), but was my lowest (78%) on the AAMC FL, and most people apparently think psych was much easier on the FL than the real exam...hoping it ends up being closer to the EK scores!
 
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