The Official March 22, 2014 MCAT Thread...

[BeachBlondie]

I'm registered!

For those of you studying now, or in the future:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-HYZv6HzAs

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[stuw]

What testing center are you guys going to be at? Im at prometrics.

Im worried they are gonna tell me I cant bring in my ear plugs.

Hey snllama, I took my first mcat at a prometrics site, and they were fine with me bringing in ear plugs! They also had really comfy noise cancelling headphones, which was nice.

On another note, i'm taking my retake on the 22nd and hoping for the best! Good luck studying to all of you

 

[snllama]

i hope its not awful to ask but is there a difference between a prometric site and a non-prometrics site?

Most of the testing centers are prometrics, but a few are located at universities and have different policies and procedures. I've heard that some testing centers require your ear plugs to be in a sealed container that you can only open after you get inside, but the ear plugs I like only come in a huge pack. I'll have to call and confirm so I dont have a rude awakening on test day.

 

[sb213]

Hi everyone! I'm also taking the Mar 22 exam - using Kaplan and TBR. How are you all doing with taking full-lengths? I haven't taken many (only 2), but will hopefully be taking many more in the weeks to come. Hope your studying is going well!

 

[snllama]

Thanks stuw for the reassurance!

Im having an awesome study day. I feel like its down to the wire and Im feeling committed and have a renewed energy and focus. I have a lot of work to get through this month but I feel like I can do it!
Hope everyone else is feeling good!

 

[brood910]

Started taking self assessments today.
Here comes the full-length test marathon.. Dear God... plz.

 

[madmuttal]

Took TBR FL 5!!! totally got murdered!! PS was so tough!! had a hard time finishing on time....kinda freaked! has anyone taken this exam? any thoughts?

next up AAMC 3 on monday...

 

[missdoc91]

Took TBR FL 5!!! totally got murdered!! PS was so tough!! had a hard time finishing on time....kinda freaked! has anyone taken this exam? any thoughts?

next up AAMC 3 on monday...

Hey
I took it on friday and scored 11/5/11 i was so distracted on vb though i think i could have done better like an 8 lol but yeah totally agree w u. Those were type of passages that are likely to be on real mcat...... Msg me if u want.

 

[iskhan9999]

Okay so i've taken like 5 TPR FLs so far lowest score was the first one a 19 and highest was the 3rd one with 28. My avg is around 24-27. Depending on my mindset Verbal or PS is my weakest. I am consistently getting 9s on bio which i'm okay with. I am having trouble improving though. Every question i see on the exams i recognize, i just can't remember how to do them or can narrow it down between 2-3 choices and have to guess. It's especially bad on bio where i can narrow it down to two and then have to pretty much pick one. For the PS section i still find myself not knowing how to do the problem but recognize what they want from me. When i review answers it feels so easy and i can't believe i didn't remember it during the exam.

Question is how do i improve from here...I was planning on taking this week off from all exams and just go content review all the way but i had a schedule where i take a FL every 3-4 days and i don't know if i should deviate but i do know i need to make a change.

Also side note i changed my Verbal strategy recently and have seen improvements from a score of 6-7 to 9-10 on FL verbal only exams and on the 1 FL i used new strategy i got a 8 on VR which is an improvement.

 

[missdoc91]

Okay so i've taken like 5 TPR FLs so far lowest score was the first one a 19 and highest was the 3rd one with 28. My avg is around 24-27. Depending on my mindset Verbal or PS is my weakest. I am consistently getting 9s on bio which i'm okay with. I am having trouble improving though. Every question i see on the exams i recognize, i just can't remember how to do them or can narrow it down between 2-3 choices and have to guess. It's especially bad on bio where i can narrow it down to two and then have to pretty much pick one. For the PS section i still find myself not knowing how to do the problem but recognize what they want from me. When i review answers it feels so easy and i can't believe i didn't remember it during the exam.

Question is how do i improve from here...I was planning on taking this week off from all exams and just go content review all the way but i had a schedule where i take a FL every 3-4 days and i don't know if i should deviate but i do know i need to make a change.

Also side note i changed my Verbal strategy recently and have seen improvements from a score of 6-7 to 9-10 on FL verbal only exams and on the 1 FL i used new strategy i got a 8 on VR which is an improvement.

I really suggest TBR book for practicing the PS section. I think you are doing good. TBR FLs are hard ! I do have the same problem with bio. Try to read EK bio for content review. Btw can you please share your new strategy.... Because im rly struggling with my verbal

 

[TheAnonymous]

Okay so i've taken like 5 TPR FLs so far lowest score was the first one a 19 and highest was the 3rd one with 28. My avg is around 24-27. Depending on my mindset Verbal or PS is my weakest. I am consistently getting 9s on bio which i'm okay with. I am having trouble improving though. Every question i see on the exams i recognize, i just can't remember how to do them or can narrow it down between 2-3 choices and have to guess. It's especially bad on bio where i can narrow it down to two and then have to pretty much pick one. For the PS section i still find myself not knowing how to do the problem but recognize what they want from me. When i review answers it feels so easy and i can't believe i didn't remember it during the exam.

Question is how do i improve from here...I was planning on taking this week off from all exams and just go content review all the way but i had a schedule where i take a FL every 3-4 days and i don't know if i should deviate but i do know i need to make a change.

Also side note i changed my Verbal strategy recently and have seen improvements from a score of 6-7 to 9-10 on FL verbal only exams and on the 1 FL i used new strategy i got a 8 on VR which is an improvement.

I'm curious too, I would appreciate if you share your new strategy with us. I'm also scoring ~6-7s

 

[iskhan9999]

I really suggest TBR book for practicing the PS section. I think you are doing good. TBR FLs are hard ! I do have the same problem with bio. Try to read EK bio for content review. Btw can you please share your new strategy.... Because im rly struggling with my verbal

I'm using the princeton review and yea i guess i need to do some content review. For Verbal i just don't bother looking at time anymore, i took two FL Verbal tests without a timer and took 1hr 10 min and had a big improvement. And by my 3rd full length verbal i was able to finish in time (58min) going to keep practicing that way. The time kept stressing me out so i'd rush my self and end up finishing 10-11 minutes early but get a poor score, slowed down and forced myself to actively read instead of skimming and saw a noticeable improvement.

 

[iskhan9999]

Also I notice i let my thoughts wander and think about random things while reading VR passages so every time i did that i forced myself to reread the paragraph. For me my problem is mental so i'm just forcing myself to keep working and i am improving.

 

[stuw]

Would anyone mind sharing some advice? I've worked through all of my TPRH verbal review (since the 22nd will be my retake, i've worked through a lot of the passage prior) and I found myself actually improving and UNDERSTANDING how to approach verbal. However, since then I've been attacking EK's 101 passages, and my scores have been all over the place. It's a little disconcerting that this is happening, so does anyone have any advice? Is EK actually representative of the AAMC passages/questions? I'm just irritated at how they're so picky on specifics in questions (where the actual questions are literally in the passage) as opposed to TPR's questions where they focused more on inferring and capturing the main points of the readings.

 

[brood910]

Also I notice i let my thoughts wander and think about random things while reading VR passages so every time i did that i forced myself to reread the paragraph. For me my problem is mental so i'm just forcing myself to keep working and i am improving.

That was my main problem as well.
Try to read SLOWLY.
This fixed it all for me.

 

[justalittlestar]

My mind also starts to wanders during VR passages but not so much when I find the passage interesting. @stuw , I'm in the same boat, my EK101 scores are all over ranging from 6-10. I have yet to find an approach that works each time. I've improved somewhat by just going with my first instinct and actually going to the passage and seeing exactly what the question is referring to because like you said sometimes the answers are very specific.

I took a Kaplan FL test today and got a 9 in PS which was surprising since I'm literally still brushing up on some of the PS topics and blanked on a couple questions. I also surprisingly scored an 8 in VR. Hopefully I can get above 10s. Has anyone else taken the Kaplan CBTs that come with the prep books just wondering how Kaplan compares to the real thing.

 

[iskhan9999]

Guys a bunch of new CA testing locations just opened up don't know how long they will be up go switch if you need to.

 

[sb213]

Hey all! Does anyone have any advice on improving from the high 20s to low 30s? I've been stuck in the 28-30 range for my last four practice exams over the past few weeks. I've been post-phrasing extensively, but my science sections are usually high 9s or barely 10s. Any advice on improving in PS or BS? I'm getting kind of nervous because March 22 is only a few more weeks away. I am really hoping I can get an 11 in PS and BS. I'd appreciate any advice, and I hope your studying is going well!

 

[workethic712]

Hey all! Does anyone have any advice on improving from the high 20s to low 30s? I've been stuck in the 28-30 range for my last four practice exams over the past few weeks. I've been post-phrasing extensively, but my science sections are usually high 9s or barely 10s. Any advice on improving in PS or BS? I'm getting kind of nervous because March 22 is only a few more weeks away. I am really hoping I can get an 11 in PS and BS. I'd appreciate any advice, and I hope your studying is going well!

PS: hit up BR passages and post phrase them (not quite as extensively but enough that you really understand where your weaknesses are)
know how to use every single formula like the back of your hand

BS: let me know when you find out

 

[sb213]

Thanks for the tips, workethic712! I'll give TBR a try for sure! And I'll let you know if I figure something out for BS, haha. Have you tried BS Section Tests if you're using Kaplan? Those seem pretty helpful.

 

[iskhan9999]

sooooo frustrated finished AAMC 4 with a 27 socre (9/9/9)...how do i improve from here

 

[missdoc91]

sooooo frustrated finished AAMC 4 with a 27 socre (9/9/9)...how do i improve from here

Good job its pretty balanced!!!!! My friend with the same score got into davis this year ! Did u try doing TBR PS? I scored 11/7/11 on this exam few days ago!

 

[missdoc91]

Hey guys,
Im recovering from a nervous break down period where my neck n head hurt so much that all i did lay down in my bed n sleep; even then it would hurt !! So guys dont stress out. We all have other options if we ever screw this up! Dont go through the january threads lol
It's really amazing how funny things work out. Believe in miracles i guess
Good luck everyone.

 

[aspiring20]

Hey guys,
Im recovering from a nervous break down period where my neck n head hurt so much that all i did lay down in my bed n sleep; even then it would hurt !! So guys dont stress out. We all have other options if we ever screw this up! Dont go through the january threads lol
It's really amazing how funny things work out. Believe in miracles i guess
Good luck everyone.

love this attitude

just know that 25-26 can still get you into a DO school, making you a physician.

make that as the floor, NOT 33+

 

[stuw]

A little less than 5 weeks to go, friends. Keep up the pace, get well rested, don't cuss out your practice books (not admitting anything here.......), and keep a positive attitude!
good luck!

 

[bltng]

i think i've accumulated just a tad too many books and supplements and really don't know which ones would serve me the best.

which ones from these would you recommend as top priorities to complete before the test?
ps/bs: tprh science workbook, last 1/3 TBR, kaplan topical, kaplan section tests
verbal: tprh verbal & in-class compendium, kaplan section tests

and also, how many FLs are people planning to take per week?

 

[brood910]

i think i've accumulated just a tad too many books and supplements and really don't know which ones would serve me the best.

which ones from these would you recommend as top priorities to complete before the test?
ps/bs: tprh science workbook, last 1/3 TBR, kaplan topical, kaplan section tests
verbal: tprh verbal & in-class compendium, kaplan section tests

and also, how many FLs are people planning to take per week?

To be honest, TPRH will be fine if you dont care about getting really high scores.

 

[stuw]

To be honest, TPRH will be fine if you dont care about getting really high scores.

I hope you don't mind me asking why you say this. I've been hearing this all around the board, so it seems to be generally agreed upon.

 

[brood910]

I hope you don't mind me asking why you say this. I've been hearing this all around the board, so it seems to be generally agreed upon.

If you have not taken AAMC FLs, do it. You will see what I mean.
TBR is made to be much harder to prepare you for the worst. But AAMC will never ask you any questions that go into so much detail.

 

[stuw]

If you have not taken AAMC FLs, do it. You will see what I mean.
TBR is made to be much harder to prepare you for the worst. But AAMC will never ask you any questions that go into so much detail.

Ah thanks for the answer. I'm actually loving the BR practice for physics; their answers are also very concise, agreeable, and sometimes pretty funny. Taking my first AAMC FL tomorrow!

 

[brood910]

Ah thanks for the answer. I'm actually loving the BR practice for physics; their answers are also very concise, agreeable, and sometimes pretty funny. Taking my first AAMC FL tomorrow!

Yep. I also used TBR for PS. They are incredible. Even though they "overprepare" you, it makes AAMC questions look like a joke compared to theirs.

 

[stuw]

oh gawd starting to see what you guys mean about difficult br passages. the energy practice test destroyed me

 

[aspiring20]

To be honest, TPRH will be fine if you dont care about getting really high scores.

just to clarify, what do you consider to be "really high scores"?

since you are talking about TBR, let's just leave verbal out of the equation

would you consider 12+ PS/BS "really high scores"?

or do you draw the line at 13?

i've already 35'ed the MCAT, but i am just curious regarding your definition!

 

[stuw]

Welp took aamc 3 today and completely bombed verbal (6). hit 10's on ps and bs, which i'm happy with, but i know that i can definitely do better. Aiming for 12-13's on ps and bs and 9-10 for verbal.

is anyone else fighting that uphill battle with verbal? I'm about to do my post-game analysis to see what went wrong...

 

[brood910]

just to clarify, what do you consider to be "really high scores"?

since you are talking about TBR, let's just leave verbal out of the equation

would you consider 12+ PS/BS "really high scores"?

or do you draw the line at 13?

i've already 35'ed the MCAT, but i am just curious regarding your definition!

I think it's pretty subjective.
It depends on individuals. Personally, I regard 12+ as a high score as it seems like that's when luck comes into play an important role since one~two questions can raise your score by 1~2.

I was just trying to point out that TBR prepares you for the worst, and if you get those hard questions right on the real deal, that can change your score.

 

[Idrinkwater]

Verbal is still dragging me down. I dont know what to do. I dont want to postpone, but there is no point in going there and repeating the same mistake as last. Im getting 10s and 11s on PS, BS is straight, but my VR varies across the 6-11 range.

 

[Idrinkwater]

The VR on the actual MCAT is way longer . What are some strategies anyone is utilizing? Im a slow reader.

 

[Idrinkwater]

just to clarify, what do you consider to be "really high scores"?

since you are talking about TBR, let's just leave verbal out of the equation

would you consider 12+ PS/BS "really high scores"?

or do you draw the line at 13?

i've already 35'ed the MCAT, but i am just curious regarding your definition!

I would be happy with a 30. I got 29 on my summers MCAT. Was really annoying. The difference between a 29 and 30 is symbolic for medschools imo

30 is good for low tier to medium medical schools. I would love if I got a higher score!

 

[aspiring20]

I would be happy with a 30. I got 29 on my summers MCAT. Was really annoying. The difference between a 29 and 30 is symbolic for medschools imo

30 is good for low tier to medium medical schools. I would love if I got a higher score!

for DO schools, you dont need a 30 (26 should be sufficient at many places)

for MD schools, you would want at least a 30 (preferably a 31). low tier MD schools have MCAT averages around 31, while mid tier schools frequently have 32+

having said all that, a 29 will not close MD doors if you have an easy state school and/or the other areas of your application (name c/sGPA and ECs) are strong.

 

[Professor-X]

Just signed up for this date. Good luck with studying everyone!

 

[brood910]

lol.. TBR FL #2 PS has a passage that is almost equivalent to one from AAMC#5 PS..
What a copycat...

 

[TheAnonymous]

lol.. TBR FL #2 PS has a passage that is almost equivalent to one from AAMC#5 PS..
What a copycat...

that's what I'm afraid of with these companies... you do great on the AAMCs but that's false hope ...

 

[sps27]

Anybody doing GS FL's? If so, how do you compare GS FL's with TBR FL's?

 

[brood910]

Anybody doing GS FL's? If so, how do you compare GS FL's with TBR FL's?

I heard GS science sections are really good.
Especially PS because they are calculation-heavy and recent MCAT exams have calculation-heavy PS according to ppl.

 

[dannybht]

Anybody doing GS FL's? If so, how do you compare GS FL's with TBR FL's?

PS is very useful. Helped me estimate numbers quick. BS is good too. I thought verbal was good but then after a while I realized the questions were terrible; too many had answers that were straight verbatim and were not very representative.

 

[brood910]

GAWD I THINK IM GONNA HAVE PANIC DISORDER BY THE TIME I TAKE MCAT.

 

[sb213]

I'm freaking out as well, @brood910 !!!

 

[madmuttal]

me too!!...man verbal is really pissing me off....i'm having a hard time finishing verbal on time! always have one passage in the end! any advice to improve?

 

[sb213]

me too!!...man verbal is really pissing me off....i'm having a hard time finishing verbal on time! always have one passage in the end! any advice to improve?

Hey madmuttal, I would really try timing yourself and see how long it takes you to first read the passage ("x" min) and then how long it takes you to answer the questions usually. I try to give myself 7-8 min total for each passage and question set - so I try to limit myself to 3 min of reading the passage (or less if it seems like an easier one) and then 5 min of going through the questions and re-reading a sentence or two if needed. See if you're spending too long on a certain type of passage (natural sciences, etc), and maybe go from there? Hope that helps! Be really strict with timing yourself (in terms of x min/passage) when you practice.

 

[scrub2scrubs]

I feeling a little anxious as well. And I totally forgot February only has 28 days

 

[justalittlestar]

I hope I can still hang out with you guys in this thread even though pushed my exam back a few weeks to April but it's all the same to me at this point considering I'm not even counting days anymore. Just focusing on doing better in my practice exams. Looking at the great scores in the January 25th MCAT thread is making me more anxious.

On the upside I scored, an 11 on Verbal on a Kaplan CBT. Although, I hear Kaplan has a forgiving curve. I was still shocked I did so well. Think I'm starting to get the gist of verbal passages. My PS and BS are still below a 10 though. Highest I got on PS was a 9 on Kaplan and a 7 on AAMC. Not sure what I'm going to do about that. BS has been even lower (ouch!) - I admit I've been putting off studying Biology/Orgo thinking I can wing it.