The Official June 2015 MCAT Thread

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FreudDude said:
Hey guys,
I'm registered to take the MCAT this month, but I'm having some wet feet, haha.

My AAMC FL was (as of two weeks ago):
Chem/Phys: 66%
CARS: 85%
Bio/Biochem: 68%
Psych/Soc: 81%
Overall: 75%

cGPA: 3.8, sGPA: 3.5. I just graduated and am applying for this cycle. But I'm starting to feel like if I wait a year, I could really boost everything up.
Or, they could be alright stats and I'm just being a neurotic pre-med.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Youre going to be fine. Higher GPA=larger range for MCAT acceptance. Whats the worst that could happen. You take it this year, dont like your score? Still likely get accepted a many schools? Or take a break. Choice is yours

However, I would try to review some of your weakpoints in BCH and C/P
 
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Is anyone else feeling an overwhelming sense of doom, and anxiety at this point? Like the battle has already been won or lost.
 
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alexisfrozen said:
Youre going to be fine. Higher GPA=larger range for MCAT acceptance. Whats the worst that could happen. You take it this year, dont like your score? Still likely get accepted a many schools? Or take a break. Choice is yours

However, I would try to review some of your weakpoints in BCH and C/P
Click to expand...

libertyyne said:
Is anyone else feeling an overwhelming sense of doom, and anxiety at this point? Like the battle has already been won or lost.
Click to expand...
Thank you @alexisfrozen for your encouragement. I think what you said ties into @libertyyne's concerns. We may very well be screwed, but as long as we're not doing TERRIBLY, we can only keep improving our weak areas. Worse case scenario, we apply again.
 
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And #49??? Lol AAMC really sucks with their explanations.

But how does an acidic amino acid (negatively charged) stabilize another carboxylic acid? I chose arginine because it is positively charged, favorably interacting with the negatively charged pantothenate, which happens to be the very same rationale as the next question.
 
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Sir.SavaLottaLife said:
And #49??? Lol AAMC really sucks with their explanations.

But how does an acidic amino acid (negatively charged) stabilize another carboxylic acid? I chose arginine because it is positively charged, favorably interacting with the negatively charged pantothenate, which happens to be the very same rationale as the next question.
Click to expand...

It's from the last paragraph in the passage: "These structures reveal that binding is stabilized by interactions between C2' and C4' hydroxyl groups of pantothenate and a carboxylate group of PanK3..." You're right that it's counterinuitive. Without that sentence, it would be very ambiguous.
 
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libertyyne said:
Is anyone else feeling an overwhelming sense of doom, and anxiety at this point? Like the battle has already been won or lost.
Click to expand...

Is it doom or a sense of freedom? Really, unless you HAVE to get into the very top program, or unless you bomb the test, or unless you have a relatively weak application otherwise, I don't think the MCAT will make or break us. This is the zen state i'm slowly slipping into. I think i have the potential to do really great on the test and get into schools at the top, but i also might just do OK on the mcat. And that's ok. Because Ok schools are ok too! 🙂
 
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Is the scale on the Kaplan's FLs different from that of TPR's scale? I'm looking at the same number of questions wrong for two of the same sections for their respective tests and am seeing two different scores. Odd, I guess no one really knows how to score this thing.
 
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timsk said:
Is it doom or a sense of freedom? Really, unless you HAVE to get into the very top program, or unless you bomb the test, or unless you have a relatively weak application otherwise, I don't think the MCAT will make or break us. This is the zen state i'm slowly slipping into. I think i have the potential to do really great on the test and get into schools at the top, but i also might just do OK on the mcat. And that's ok. Because Ok schools are ok too! 🙂
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It speaks to the terror that this test strikes in peoples hearts, I have done 6000 questions conservatively. Yet, I do not feel prepared.

But I agree, It is the end result that matters. Going to medical school. Not the exam or the location of the medical school.
 
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Sir.SavaLottaLife said:
They say the pathway shown is not necessary for identifying the components but how are we supposed to know that?
Click to expand...

Trend that I observed in my BCH class is that when trying to view what pieces make up the larger molecule, it tends to be the most basic forms of those structures. Given that phosphopantothenate is an intermediate, the Phospho- on it isnt it's typical characteristic.

An Ex using sphingolipids: Sphingolipids are lipids derived from sphingosine. We tend to say that a sphingolipid has a sphingosine backbone, with a fatty acid attached to amine, and whatever else is attached to it; rather than saying we have a ceramide attached to this molecule.

Another Ex using squalene: We tend to say it is composed of multiple isoprene (C5) units, rather than two farnesyl pyrophosphate (a C15 intermediate).

Not sure if this is necessarily how it works, but it is definitely how I approached question 48.
Edit: I believe this should hold true as long as the structure does not drastically change. I.E: a constitutional isomer, or loss of component in it's typical structure.

FreudDude said:
It's from the last paragraph in the passage: "These structures reveal that binding is stabilized by interactions between C2' and C4' hydroxyl groups of pantothenate and a carboxylate group of PanK3..." You're right that it's counterinuitive. Without that sentence, it would be very ambiguous.
Click to expand...

Yea, I originally chose arginine as well, since thats intuitive. However, I noted that I highlighted that and just changed my answer in a leap of faith.
 
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FreudDude said:
It's from the last paragraph in the passage: "These structures reveal that binding is stabilized by interactions between C2' and C4' hydroxyl groups of pantothenate and a carboxylate group of PanK3..." You're right that it's counterinuitive. Without that sentence, it would be very ambiguous.
Click to expand...
Thanks. You would think it would be relevant to quote that in the so-called "solution". At least I now know what content category they are testing now...
 
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DocMarz47 said:
Is the scale on the Kaplan's FLs different from that of TPR's scale? I'm looking at the same number of questions wrong for two of the same sections for their respective tests and am seeing two different scores. Odd, I guess no one really knows how to score this thing.
Click to expand...

Questions carry different weight? Pretty sure that's how it works. And it's likely they have different scales as well. I think even before DeathCAT, their scores were either slightly higher or lower.
 
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alexisfrozen said:
Questions carry different weight? Pretty sure that's how it works. And it's likely they have different scales as well. I think even before DeathCAT, their scores were either slightly higher or lower.
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No no no all questions definitely have the same weight. But you are right in that the "scale" is really an arbitrary setting based on how difficult the company thinks the exams are. I got the same percentages on two TPR exams and it was the difference between a 509 and 507 lol
 
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alexisfrozen said:
Trend that I observed in my BCH class is that when trying to view what pieces make up the larger molecule, it tends to be the most basic forms of those structures. Given that phosphopantothenate is an intermediate, the Phospho- on it isnt it's typical characteristic.

An Ex using sphingolipids: Sphingolipids are lipids derived from sphingosine. We tend to say that a sphingolipid has a sphingosine backbone, with a fatty acid attached to amine, and whatever else is attached to it; rather than saying we have a ceramide attached to this molecule.

Another Ex using squalene: We tend to say it is composed of multiple isoprene (C5) units, rather than two farnesyl pyrophosphate (a C15 intermediate).

Not sure if this is necessarily how it works, but it is definitely how I approached question 48.
Edit: I believe this should hold true as long as the structure does not drastically change. I.E: a constitutional isomer, or loss of component in it's typical structure.



Yea, I originally chose arginine as well, since thats intuitive. However, I noted that I highlighted that and just changed my answer in a leap of faith.
Click to expand...
I totally get that, I guess it's somewhat of a convention. But it's not like a rule that anyone stated (i.e. IUPAC), right? I mean I was torn between those two answer choices, but I ultimately chose the other because they show that the pantothenate is phosphorylated to begin the pathway. I mean you can call it an intermediate if you want but I don't see how it is necessarily wrong to say that it is one of the components of the molecule it ultimately became. I just think its unfair to put BOTH of those answer choices there. But I guess thats how they separate the 15's from the 14's, good ol' ambiguity
 
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piii said:
No no no all questions definitely have the same weight. But you are right in that the "scale" is really an arbitrary setting based on how difficult the company thinks the exams are. I got the same percentages on two TPR exams and it was the difference between a 509 and 507 lol
Click to expand...
The previous AAMC FL's suffer from this sliding scale phenomenon as well.
 
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and this is why kaplan is horrible!

AAMC FL-
PS- 80
CARS- 92
Bio-83
Psych- 90

Similar scores on all other AAMC materials

My final kaplan test that i just took-
PS- 124
Cars- 125
Bio-125
Psych-127
Total 501

My range for all 5 kaplans i've taken have been 499-506

Not sure why i just put myself through that!
 
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timsk said:
and this is why kaplan is horrible!

AAMC FL-
PS- 80
CARS- 92
Bio-83
Psych- 90

Similar scores on all other AAMC materials

My final kaplan test that i just took-
PS- 124
Cars- 125
Bio-125
Psych-127
Total 501

My range for all 5 kaplans i've taken have been 499-506

Not sure why i just put myself through that!
Click to expand...

You should really post the percentages you got right on kaplan. "score" means nothing

Also, no matter what, its good practice. For timing and content, and intellectually stimualting!
 
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timsk said:
and this is why kaplan is horrible!

AAMC FL-
PS- 80
CARS- 92
Bio-83
Psych- 90

Similar scores on all other AAMC materials

My final kaplan test that i just took-
PS- 124
Cars- 125
Bio-125
Psych-127
Total 501

My range for all 5 kaplans i've taken have been 499-506

Not sure why i just put myself through that!
Click to expand...
Kaplan and TPR have incentives to scare you. Ultimately so they can prove you Improved by using them. Also they are structured to test knowledge of the content compared to the test logic. Knowledge ultimately being a prereq to the logic. My results were no better on the Kaplan and TPR tests. I am sticking with the scale I designed for the AAMC FL and believing that score are representative. Ultimately i will probably score with 10% margin above or below, so a six point spread either way of that. So I am thinking 506-518. My prediction for you is 507-519.

Edited prediction. -1
 
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i wouldn't argue that it means nothing as their scale is stable across all their FL, but i'll indulge:

PS- 59%
Cars- 75%
Bio-66%
Psych- 80%

EDIT- i take it back, Pii, you're right, their scale does mean nothing 🙂
 
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yeah i knew i would score bad on the kaplan, so i'm not freaking out or anything. Just amazed at how disparate it is. And this time i thought i actually did good on a kaplan science section! Ha!

And the CARS section...so weird.
 
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timsk said:
i wouldn't argue that it means nothing as their scale is stable across all their FL, but i'll indulge:

PS- 59%
Cars- 75%
Bio-66%
Psych- 80%

EDIT- i take it back, Pii, you're right, their scale does mean nothing 🙂
Click to expand...

Honestly, I think your scores are good. Your AAMC FL, from a few posts above, is pretty solid. Just consider the Kaplan one's as practice.
 
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Sir.SavaLottaLife said:
I totally get that, I guess it's somewhat of a convention. But it's not like a rule that anyone stated (i.e. IUPAC), right? I mean I was torn between those two answer choices, but I ultimately chose the other because they show that the pantothenate is phosphorylated to begin the pathway. I mean you can call it an intermediate if you want but I don't see how it is necessarily wrong to say that it is one of the components of the molecule it ultimately became. I just think its unfair to put BOTH of those answer choices there. But I guess thats how they separate the 15's from the 14's, good ol' ambiguity
Click to expand...

Yea, like I said, I'm not positive that's how it works. Though, it appears to be the trend.
 
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timsk said:
i wouldn't argue that it means nothing as their scale is stable across all their FL, but i'll indulge:

PS- 59%
Cars- 75%
Bio-66%
Psych- 80%

EDIT- i take it back, Pii, you're right, their scale does mean nothing 🙂
Click to expand...

Haha just think about it. Are the Kaplan and TPR scales correlated to any hard statistical data comparing their test scores of students to normalized data of those student's actual MCATs? Nope! They literally just said, hey let's make some hard exams and give it an arbitrary scale to based on how difficult we think it will be.

Anyway, scales don't matter because when you tell someone it, the reader can't really compare it to anything else. But if you give percentages, you can better understand what you mean!

Anyway, I think you probably got about a 70% on your TPR test? I think that is really good! Those tests are difficult. Focus on PS and Bio obviously. Take an EK FL if you want to, they seem to be more reflective on AAMC style.
 
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yeah, i definitely hear what you're saying about the scores. I'm not sure i view the kaplan course worth the nearly 2k that i spent on it, but oooh well.

Well i got about an 85%-90% on the AAMC question packs for chem, physics, and bio, sooo not too concerned. Just more in the mindset of doing as many practice problems as possible, regardless of whether or not they map well onto the actual MCAT. I think someone may have once said that practice makes perfect. Or something like that... 🙂
 
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I dont think I have seen anyone score greater than 512 on kaplan or TPR exams. Alternatively if I take their scale's word and their assessmet's word. I am likely to score a 499-511 . Ha. It is that sense of doom, or as timsk put it "Freedom". Must submit to fate.
 
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Mikewise said:
Has anyone tried the CARS question packs? That's always my strongest section but I swapped in 9 passages from the pack instead of doing the CARS section on my last TPR FL and it absolutely reamed me. I assume the difficulty level is a bit higher than we can expect on the real deal but I'm curious to hear others' experiences. In any case it's good, humbling, practice 😀
Click to expand...

Me! It's reaming me as well. I've been using Kaplan and score >80% on them and now barely passing.
 
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I wonder why they are trying to normalize the distribution in the new test. This will lead to some massive disparities on the median vs top scores. Ultimately allowing top tier schools to become more selective in their mcat scores. If you look at some of them, they are already ridiculous 13-11-13 , Tier ridiculous.
 
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timsk said:
and this is why kaplan is horrible!

AAMC FL-
PS- 80
CARS- 92
Bio-83
Psych- 90

Similar scores on all other AAMC materials

My final kaplan test that i just took-
PS- 124
Cars- 125
Bio-125
Psych-127
Total 501

My range for all 5 kaplans i've taken have been 499-506

Not sure why i just put myself through that!
Click to expand...
timsk said:
i wouldn't argue that it means nothing as their scale is stable across all their FL, but i'll indulge:

PS- 59%
Cars- 75%
Bio-66%
Psych- 80%

EDIT- i take it back, Pii, you're right, their scale does mean nothing 🙂
Click to expand...


Holy shiz, I thought I was just getting absolutely torched by Kaplan. Those fools over there at Kaplan HQ are killing my self esteem, the scales are unethical😛.
 
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libertyyne said:
I wonder why they are trying to normalize the distribution in the new test. This will lead to some massive disparities on the median vs top scores. Ultimately allowing top tier schools to become more selective in their mcat scores. If you look at some of them, they are already ridiculous 13-11-13 , Tier ridiculous.
Click to expand...

The Tufts Med dean told me, after going to an AAMC conference with all med deans, that the point of the new exam is to make the MCAT less important in the future. We'll see if that plays out
 
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Practicing BCH q's and Im using old exams from my BCH class. Figured this Q might be a good one to share with you all:

A scientific team led by Dr. Harold Potter has reported the discovery of a gene in the mitochondria of salivary glands of the Komodo’s dragons that apparently was the responsible of the release of thermal energy in ancient dragons. It seems that the generated heat was enough to vaporize the saliva in the dragon’s mouth, such that these ancient dragons could burn someone with their breath, although the generation of fire looks improbable. This gene, that is not expressed in nowadays’ dragons, codifies the production of dragogenin, a protein involved in the production of heat by serving as a channel in the inner mitochondrial membrane. What is the likely species transported by this channel?

A. ADP and Pi

B. ATP

C. NAD+

D. NADH

E. Protons

I'm so glad I took this class. Honestly one of my favorite. The tests were memory based, fun, but also logic driven.
 
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alexisfrozen said:
Practicing BCH q's and Im using old exams from my BCH class. Figured this Q might be a good one to share with you all:

A scientific team led by Dr. Harold Potter has reported the discovery of a gene in the mitochondria of salivary glands of the Komodo’s dragons that apparently was the responsible of the release of thermal energy in ancient dragons. It seems that the generated heat was enough to vaporize the saliva in the dragon’s mouth, such that these ancient dragons could burn someone with their breath, although the generation of fire looks improbable. This gene, that is not expressed in nowadays’ dragons, codifies the production of dragogenin, a protein involved in the production of heat by serving as a channel in the inner mitochondrial membrane. What is the likely species transported by this channel?

A. ADP and Pi

B. ATP

C. NAD+

D. NADH

E. Protons

I'm so glad I took this class. Honestly one of my favorite. The tests were memory based, fun, but also logic driven.
Click to expand...

E - H+ channel, classic uncoupling question. Uncouple proton motive force from ATP synthesis, ETC continues releasing heat to overcompensate for lack of ATP production.
 
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alexisfrozen said:
Practicing BCH q's and Im using old exams from my BCH class. Figured this Q might be a good one to share with you all:

A scientific team led by Dr. Harold Potter has reported the discovery of a gene in the mitochondria of salivary glands of the Komodo’s dragons that apparently was the responsible of the release of thermal energy in ancient dragons. It seems that the generated heat was enough to vaporize the saliva in the dragon’s mouth, such that these ancient dragons could burn someone with their breath, although the generation of fire looks improbable. This gene, that is not expressed in nowadays’ dragons, codifies the production of dragogenin, a protein involved in the production of heat by serving as a channel in the inner mitochondrial membrane. What is the likely species transported by this channel?

A. ADP and Pi

B. ATP

C. NAD+

D. NADH

E. Protons

I'm so glad I took this class. Honestly one of my favorite. The tests were memory based, fun, but also logic driven.
Click to expand...


Protons
 
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piii said:
The Tufts Med dean told me, after going to an AAMC conference with all med deans, that the point of the new exam is to make the MCAT less important in the future. We'll see if that plays out
Click to expand...
What is funny about this is that the median right now is 24-25. It should theoretically be 21-24. By pushing everyone towards the middle they will exacerbate the differences observed when you look at a score that is higher since mid 515s will look exagerated considering the lower frequency they will see them. Right now we had a good thing going. 30 and you have your foot in the door. But the difference between applicants who are 500 and 510 will seem more exaggerated compared to 25-30.
 
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E is correct. Another, then Im taking a break and going out to eat. Might require more in-depth knowledge of ETC steps.

A biochemist reconstituted an electron-transport chain from purified components. If the only added components were succinate, Q, cytochrome c, complex II and complex IV, which would be the final electron acceptor? That is, where will the electrons end up?
A. Complex II
B. Complex IV
C. Q
D. Oxygen O2
E. Cytochrome C
 
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The answer, before I leave:
alexisfrozen said:
E is correct. Another, then Im taking a break and going out to eat. Might require more in-depth knowledge of ETC steps.

A biochemist reconstituted an electron-transport chain from purified components. If the only added components were succinate, Q, cytochrome c, complex II and complex IV, which would be the final electron acceptor? That is, where will the electrons end up?
A. Complex II
B. Complex IV
C. Q
D. Oxygen O2
E. Cytochrome C








As explained in the answer key.
Answer is C: This is a classic type of question from national examinations. In the electron transport chain, succinate passes its electrons to complex II. Complex II passes its electrons to Q. The next in line to receive electrons is complex III, but it is missing from the mixture. Consequently, the succinate continues to transfer electrons and the reduced form of Q (namely, QH2) builds up.
Click to expand...
 
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Question number 9 on the AAMC FL. I got it right, but why wouldnt the expansion of the diameter due to heating not reduce the resistance?
 
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Okay, so I'm reviewing a TPR test and this question is asking whether the image formed is real, virtual, inverted, or upright. The explanation says "since light must actually strike the film to expose it, the image must be real." I don't understand this reasoning if anyone could help me out. Does the presence of light automatically make the image real??
 
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alexisfrozen said:
Practicing BCH q's and Im using old exams from my BCH class. Figured this Q might be a good one to share with you all:

A scientific team led by Dr. Harold Potter has reported the discovery of a gene in the mitochondria of salivary glands of the Komodo’s dragons that apparently was the responsible of the release of thermal energy in ancient dragons. It seems that the generated heat was enough to vaporize the saliva in the dragon’s mouth, such that these ancient dragons could burn someone with their breath, although the generation of fire looks improbable. This gene, that is not expressed in nowadays’ dragons, codifies the production of dragogenin, a protein involved in the production of heat by serving as a channel in the inner mitochondrial membrane. What is the likely species transported by this channel?

A. ADP and Pi

B. ATP

C. NAD+

D. NADH

E. Protons

I'm so glad I took this class. Honestly one of my favorite. The tests were memory based, fun, but also logic driven.
Click to expand...
Neutrino
 
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libertyyne said:
Question number 9 on the AAMC FL. I got it right, but why wouldnt the expansion of the diameter due to heating not reduce the resistance?
Click to expand...
Number 9 asks what variables are needed to know the current associated with NVC pulse? Are you talking about that one?
 
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libertyyne said:
CP.
Click to expand...

Perhaps I'm looking at the wrong question...are you talking about "what information about an axon is required to calculate.."

Because if you are and you're asking why radius isn't affected, I just related it to that equation R=pL/A. Hypothetically speaking, I would agree with you that the larger the diameter, the less resistance
 
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