The Official June 21, 2014 MCAT thread

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I took today's exam, and I honestly thought all sections were very manageable. PS was laughably easy, but then I have 2 degrees in mathematics and physics. I thought VR was pretty average. BS seemed okay for me; I honestly didn't think it had that much orgo? It was definitely the hardest section of the three, but that could be because I haven't taken bio or orgo. In any case, here's to forgetting about the MCAT for the next month and enjoying some time to relax!
 
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Spriteling said:
I took today's exam, and I honestly thought all sections were very manageable. PS was laughably easy, but then I have 2 degrees in mathematics and physics. I thought VR was pretty average. BS seemed okay for me; I honestly didn't think it had that much orgo? It was definitely the hardest section of the three, but that could be because I haven't taken bio or orgo. In any case, here's to forgetting about the MCAT for the next month and enjoying some time to relax!
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how did you take the mcat without taking bio or orgo? 😕
 
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Spriteling said:
I took today's exam, and I honestly thought all sections were very manageable. PS was laughably easy, but then I have 2 degrees in mathematics and physics. I thought VR was pretty average. BS seemed okay for me; I honestly didn't think it had that much orgo? It was definitely the hardest section of the three, but that could be because I haven't taken bio or orgo. In any case, here's to forgetting about the MCAT for the next month and enjoying some time to relax!
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dudewheresmymd said:
how did you take the mcat without taking bio or orgo? 😕
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Independent study would be my guess. From what I can tell, the Orgo required for the MCAT is extremely watered down, at least from my undergraduate courses.

Then again, your guys' passage sounded like hell.
 
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dudewheresmymd said:
how did you take the mcat without taking bio or orgo? 😕
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lNVlNClBLE said:
Independent study would be my guess. From what I can tell, the Orgo required for the MCAT is extremely watered down, at least from my undergraduate courses.

Then again, your guys' passage sounded like hell.
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Yup, it was all independent study. I did some orgo in high school (I did the IB program, and one of my chemistry options was organic chemistry). I'm an American citizen, but I did my undergrad and master's in Scotland, where you take only subjects relevant to your degree during uni. So, I haven't actually taken any of the chem/bio/ochem pre-reqs yet. I'm taking those all this year and I will apply next year. I studied about 4 hours a day for the last 3-ish months to prepare for the MCAT!
 
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Spriteling said:
Yup, it was all independent study. I did some orgo in high school (I did the IB program, and one of my chemistry options was organic chemistry). I'm an American citizen, but I did my undergrad and master's in Scotland, where you take only subjects relevant to your degree during uni. So, I haven't actually taken any of the chem/bio/ochem pre-reqs yet. I'm taking those all this year and I will apply next year. I studied about 4 hours a day for the last 3-ish months to prepare for the MCAT!
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It's worth mentioning that many medical schools won't be accepting the 2014/early 2015 MCAT scores starting in fall 2016 matriculation, due to the switch to the revised MCAT. I'd apply ASAP if you can get all your prereqs done in a year.
 
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dudewheresmymd said:
did we have different exams? I felt all 3 sections were mangeable.
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I imagine that at the very least the East coasters are taken a different exam than the West Coasters. I mean what's to stop a friend on the east from telling someone to know the answer to something question.
So it's possible.
 
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lNVlNClBLE said:
It's worth mentioning that many medical schools won't be accepting the 2014/early 2015 MCAT scores starting in fall 2016 matriculation, due to the switch to the revised MCAT. I'd apply ASAP if you can get all your prereqs done in a year.
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Oh, I can definitely get them done in a year. The problem is that AAMC doesn't look at international transcripts at all. So if I applied right now, the only grades that I would have officially would be the psych course and 2 econ courses that I am currently taking. Most med schools will *look* at my international transcripts if I get them translated, but they can't really be compared to grades from US institutions. Additionally, many schools say that I must have at least 30 credits from a US institution to apply, although some say that's just to matriculate. I haven't seen on the websites of any of the schools I'm considering that they won't accept the old MCAT, though. They all just say that the MCAT must be within 3 years of application.
 
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serenade said:
I imagine that at the very least the East coasters are taken a different exam than the West Coasters. I mean what's to stop a friend on the east from telling someone to know the answer to something question.
So it's possible.
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Actually I would've thought we'd all have the same. After all, there's only a 3 hour time difference between East coast and West coast, and the MCAT is longer than that. So you'd have to have a really dedicated friend, who is willing to forfeit his own score to rush through and send you the topics...
 
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Spriteling said:
Oh, I can definitely get them done in a year. The problem is that AAMC doesn't look at international transcripts at all. So if I applied right now, the only grades that I would have officially would be the psych course and 2 econ courses that I am currently taking. Most med schools will *look* at my international transcripts if I get them translated, but they can't really be compared to grades from US institutions. Additionally, many schools say that I must have at least 30 credits from a US institution to apply, although some say that's just to matriculate. I haven't seen on the websites of any of the schools I'm considering that they won't accept the old MCAT, though. They all just say that the MCAT must be within 3 years of application.
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Gotchya. My main school recently made their decision, something like 4 days ago. It's worth double-checking their websites just to make sure. 🙂
 
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lNVlNClBLE said:
It's worth mentioning that many medical schools won't be accepting the 2014/early 2015 MCAT scores starting in fall 2016 matriculation, due to the switch to the revised MCAT. I'd apply ASAP if you can get all your prereqs done in a year.
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Who is the "many" you're referring to? As far as I knew, Indiana was on the only one only accepting the new mcat for next year's cycle.
 
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lNVlNClBLE said:
Gotchya. My main school recently made their decision, something like 4 days ago. It's worth double-checking their websites just to make sure. 🙂
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Yeah, good point! I'll keep an eye on it. If worst comes to worst, I can always take the new MCAT next year, I suppose. Hopefully though none of my main schools will decide that, and I score well enough on this sitting! What school is your top choice?
 
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Spriteling said:
Yeah, good point! I'll keep an eye on it. If worst comes to worst, I can always take the new MCAT next year, I suppose. Hopefully though none of my main schools will decide that, and I score well enough on this sitting! What school is your top choice?
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Indiana University, currently. xD

I can't really afford to go out of state. Then again, with public service loan forgiveness, it TECHNICALLY shouldn't matter in the long run... just slightly higher interest rate payments.
 
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lNVlNClBLE said:
Oh, maybe I'm wrong? I'm an Indiana resident and figured the policy was statewide, heh.
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Actually, from all the schools I've researched (and it's a lot of them, due to my circumstances!), IU is basically one of the strictest, in terms of courses required (both psych and sociology and biochem!), and so it follows, the MCAT as well.
lNVlNClBLE said:
Indiana University, currently. xD

I can't really afford to go out of state. Then again, with public service loan forgiveness, it TECHNICALLY shouldn't matter in the long run... just slightly higher interest rate payments.
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Ha! I'm actually /really/ lucky. I grew up in Indiana, and it was my permanent residence until about a month ago, when I moved to Illinois for my job. I was so excited to get Illinois residency, seeing as how IU required me to take 90 credits in the US to be able to attend, which would rule out my one instate choice. Illinois, on the other hand, only requires 30 credits, so I am one happy camper!
 
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Spriteling said:
Actually, from all the schools I've researched (and it's a lot of them, due to my circumstances!), IU is basically one of the strictest, in terms of courses required (both psych and sociology and biochem!), and so it follows, the MCAT as well.

Ha! I'm actually /really/ lucky. I grew up in Indiana, and it was my permanent residence until about a month ago, when I moved to Illinois for my job. I was so excited to get Illinois residency, seeing as how IU required me to take 90 credits in the US to be able to attend, which would rule out my one instate choice. Illinois, on the other hand, only requires 30 credits, so I am one happy camper!
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Now that I think about it, IUSM is EXTREMELY strict with a lot of their policies...

Great school. Getting in is a chore though, for sure.
 
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I had a question about experimental questions - is it ever likely that an entire passage is experimental or is it just scattered questions here or there?
 
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lNVlNClBLE said:
._.

Every time I come to SDN I feel like the worst applicant ever, at least compared to most of you guys.
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Everytime I come to SDN I reevaluate my life priorities and then discover I am not superhuman so I go back to my primitive ways 😀
 
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KnightofBaldMt said:
That test was pretty rough.

PS: I thought there was more emphasis on GenChem, and I didn't feel confident about the section, but didn't feel too bad. My worst section is always PS, so I'm okay. I feel like some my problem was my fault just not being more well-rounded.

VR: The questions were along AAMC practice test difficulty, but I felt the passages were longer.

BS: I agree with everyone else. It was pretty rough. I felt like I was continuously being blindsided by some of those orgo and experimental passages. Really rough, hoping for a lenient scale.

Is it true that the AAMC said there was no longer going to be aromatic chemistry on the test? If so, how did that get put on there....?

All in all, sad, nervous for my score, and kinda upset. Way too unsure to try and predict my score...
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If AAMC says a topic is no longer tested, outside knowledge won't be tested. They can still provide pertinent information within a passage and then test you on it.
 
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lNVlNClBLE said:
._.

Every time I come to SDN I feel like the worst applicant ever, at least compared to most of you guys.
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Yeah ... that's why I didn't even bother applying in 2012 for 2013 cycle ... my philosophy in life is you will never know unless you try! I do believe in odd scenarios & it is possible that you could be one of the odds that got in with low scores ... but coming to SDN & seeing these applicants makes me say NO WAY on earth I'll be the odd person, so I'm not applying! I decided to apply this year regardless of what my score is going to be as I'm not going to apply later anyway .. there is no way that I'll take the new MCAT & I'll forget about the US & move to Europe, Australia or New Zealand !

Take a look!
https://www.aamc.org/download/321508/data/2013factstable24.pdf
 
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yeah sometimes you remember it wrong. I know for sure I got one wrong on PS. How do you think you did score-wire Neuroglia?
 
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I actually felt the verbal section was the toughest. It wasn't that the content was particularly difficult to grasp or so I thought. And then came the questions... I had a tough time finding evidence for a lot of my answers.
 
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IrishGuydoc said:
I actually felt the verbal section was the toughest. It wasn't that the content was particularly difficult to grasp or so I thought. And then came the questions... I had a tough time finding evidence for a lot of my answers.
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was it easy to at least narrow them down two 2? I have the SAME problem with a lot of the AAMC tests
 
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orangetea said:
was it easy to at least narrow them down two 2? I have the SAME problem with a lot of the AAMC tests
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The verbal this time was actually really really really straight forward.

With the exception of 3 passages you literally could know the answer with no doubt or questions. Two of them were like narrow to 2. And one was just out there.
 
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lNVlNClBLE said:
Indiana University, currently. xD

I can't really afford to go out of state. Then again, with public service loan forgiveness, it TECHNICALLY shouldn't matter in the long run... just slightly higher interest rate payments.
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The advising department at my school recently informed me that IU had reversed this decision due to "negative feedback" they had received. I'd still call the university and check if you want to be positive though.
 
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Im going paranoid I was on 4 hours of sleep an had a huge headache during the MCAT so im afraid that affected my score by making me take the test as if i didnt have any test taking skills and wasnt paying attention 🙁((
 
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Saxappeal1 said:
yeah sometimes you remember it wrong. I know for sure I got one wrong on PS. How do you think you did score-wire Neuroglia?
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PS- I've been averaging a 12 on AAMC and thought it was pretty straight forward so I want to be conservative and say 11. First passage was a little tough but I think it was nerves more than actual material.
Verbal-been getting solid 9s in full lengths, though I was always 1 away from a 10 every time. Passage 6 did a number on me, I want to say 10 but who knows.
BS-been getting 11's on AAMC tests and thought this section was rough because of orgo. In really hoping I get my average but I'm super nervous man. I'm strong in bio but the questions are so ambiguous it's hard to feel confident on it, I want to say 11 but that's me being super optimistic.
 
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IrishGuydoc said:
I actually felt the verbal section was the toughest. It wasn't that the content was particularly difficult to grasp or so I thought. And then came the questions... I had a tough time finding evidence for a lot of my answers.
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I wouldnt say it was the toughest, but I agree with you on verbal. I consistently pull 90% on TPRH verbal and 10-12 on AAMC's, and I was having a really hard time eliminating answers during VR of this past test. It was like it was hard to find evidence to narrow down one specific answer. I spent about 10 minutes on the first passage then started hustling, so I'm wondering if I was just rushing/stressing...but in any case, I'm worried about my verbal score...I was hoping for an 11/12, but would be ecstatic with a 10 at this point.
 
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yanks26dmb said:
I wouldnt say it was the toughest, but I agree with you on verbal. I consistently pull 90% on TPRH verbal and 10-12 on AAMC's, and I was having a really hard time eliminating answers during VR of this past test. It was like it was hard to find evidence to narrow down one specific answer. I spent about 10 minutes on the first passage then started hustling, so I'm wondering if I was just rushing/stressing...but in any case, I'm worried about my verbal score...I was hoping for an 11/12, but would be ecstatic with a 10 at this point.
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Idk I did the first one second to last. It didn't take me too long, but I had to go back into the passage at least 5 times to answer a few of the questions.

Passage two and 6 were unreasonable to. Two because I hate law and 6 because it was straight inference and esoteric crap joined with inference is a bitch.
 
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roziii68 said:
unfortunately all test centers are booked within Canada but I got lucky and found an open spot in another province for august 7th. I am soooo pissed right now.
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Which province did you find a spot in? I am waiting for my score from June 13th but figured I could book a seat quickly for a re-take if need be because there were only 6 of us writing the test that day in the facility. Might be shooting myself in the foot waiting...
 
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I think its interesting that many people here think psg 6 in VR was brutal. For me it was psg 2 (i think), probs cuz I chose to do it last and lost stamina. Difficulty in verbal might not have to do with the actual passages, but the order we do them in...idk I'm concluding its an endurance thing
 
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med candidate said:
I think its interesting that many people here think psg 6 in VR was brutal. For me it was psg 2 (i think), probs cuz I chose to do it last and lost stamina. Difficulty in verbal might not have to do with the actual passages, but the order we do them in...idk I'm concluding its an endurance thing
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always been a topic thing for me, and passage 6 was written so convoluted IMO that it totally crushed me.
 
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christinalouise said:
Which province did you find a spot in? I am waiting for my score from June 13th but figured I could book a seat quickly for a re-take if need be because there were only 6 of us writing the test that day in the facility. Might be shooting myself in the foot waiting...
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Spots open up closer to the date, thought you might have to pay a little bit extra for registering closer to the date but still no need to worry about finding a spot (
 
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agree with most -- BS was pretty rough. much tougher than any of the practice exams i did, so likely there will be a nice scale. but who knows

does anyone know if they announce in advance WHEN the scores will be posted? i'm aware that it takes 30-35 days, but i was curious whether there was some sort of announcement like "scores will be posted on xx/xx or if they just suddenly appear one day without notice
 
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Vain Brother said:
agree with most -- BS was pretty rough. much tougher than any of the practice exams i did, so likely there will be a nice scale. but who knows

does anyone know if they announce in advance WHEN the scores will be posted? i'm aware that it takes 30-35 days, but i was curious whether there was some sort of announcement like "scores will be posted on xx/xx or if they just suddenly appear one day without notice
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there's an entire schedule on the aamc website that shows when test scores will be released
 
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Vain Brother said:
agree with most -- BS was pretty rough. much tougher than any of the practice exams i did, so likely there will be a nice scale. but who knows

does anyone know if they announce in advance WHEN the scores will be posted? i'm aware that it takes 30-35 days, but i was curious whether there was some sort of announcement like "scores will be posted on xx/xx or if they just suddenly appear one day without notice
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22nd of July is when our scores are released.
 
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as time goes on I keep thinking of more questions I could have missed haha. came out feeling pretty good but now not so sure..can't wait for july 22
 
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