*The Official MCAT January 2018 Thread*

[mariposas905]

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Hey guys! Now that the new test dates are out, I figured I'd start a thread for all the January 2018 test-takers prepping for (and most definitely, slaying) this beast! 😉 This is a retake for me, but I'm aiming high! Who else is taking it in January?

I'm sure that sharing insights and support on SDN will make this journey all the more worth it. I have a feeling 2018 is off to a great start! Good luck everyone and may the odds be ever in our favor.

 

[LebronManning]

Personally, I would not take this test without finishing content review. You just don't know what could show up on test day, try your best to finish that last 25%. I would take AAMC tomorrow and see how you do, if you aren't close to your target score maybe consider rescheduling to March. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

I think I'm gonna take Kaplan 1 tomorrow cause it'll be my first FL and I don't wanna waste my AAMC FLs on my first FL. If I can get a 500, with its deflation, I think it can be a reasonable goal to crank out a 510 after a month's work of studying/practice tests. If not, I'll have to rethink. Definitely agree with you about finishing the content review actually though. Will update tomorrow..

 

[BBBallIsLife]

Does anyone know whether KA videos are considered good for content review? Just reading the Kaplan books and taking notes is so boring compared to videos for me... hoping they're solid enough to improve my scores

I feel you prairie, I went through each chapter and took notes during last semester, probably lost a few extra years of my life trying to get through that. I encourage you to go through all of it because it was honestly a good review of everything. I had thoughts of considering skipping sections that I felt confident in, but i didnt want that to be the beginning of a slippery slope of feeling like I could skip a lot of stuff. So I got really good at skimming everything 🙂 If you don't want to read the entire chapter, the chapter review at the end of each chapter would be good to note.

In terms of KA, they are good. Again, you have to remember the MCAt has both some detailed questions, but a lot of concept questions. If you ask me, I'd do the kaplan chapter, then look at KA as a good wrap up! thats my 2 cents

 

[deleted600623]

What's your timing strategy and its relation to remembering questions?

What I meant was that I think my ability to answer questions correctly is more due to my timing strategy than my memory of the questions and answers of the SB when I did them a couple months ago.

 

[BTC0821]

I feel you prairie, I went through each chapter and took notes during last semester, probably lost a few extra years of my life trying to get through that. I encourage you to go through all of it because it was honestly a good review of everything. I had thoughts of considering skipping sections that I felt confident in, but i didnt want that to be the beginning of a slippery slope of feeling like I could skip a lot of stuff. So I got really good at skimming everything 🙂 If you don't want to read the entire chapter, the chapter review at the end of each chapter would be good to note.

In terms of KA, they are good. Again, you have to remember the MCAt has both some detailed questions, but a lot of concept questions. If you ask me, I'd do the kaplan chapter, then look at KA as a good wrap up! thats my 2 cents

To add on to this, I just finished content review by taking notes on all the Kaplan summaries at the ends of the chapter. I read the chapters beforehand but you could probably get away with just studying the summaries, then if you feel hesitant on a subject, read through the chapter until you feel better about it. Note of caution, the psych section should be glanced through as the summaries in that book leave out some things I found important

 

[MoDiddy]

I think I'm gonna take Kaplan 1 tomorrow cause it'll be my first FL and I don't wanna waste my AAMC FLs on my first FL. If I can get a 500, with its deflation, I think it can be a reasonable goal to crank out a 510 after a month's work of studying/practice tests. If not, I'll have to rethink. Definitely agree with you about finishing the content review actually though. Will update tomorrow..

Oh it's your first FL? Yeah don't take AAMC. Let me know how it goes

 

[prairiemusic]

To add on to this, I just finished content review by taking notes on all the Kaplan summaries at the ends of the chapter. I read the chapters beforehand but you could probably get away with just studying the summaries, then if you feel hesitant on a subject, read through the chapter until you feel better about it. Note of caution, the psych section should be glanced through as the summaries in that book leave out some things I found important

That's the thing, I'm finding that with the KA videos it's much easier to recognize that I already know a certain part of a concept and skip that video than figuring out where the Kaplan books are going lol. I hadn't thought of just using the summaries though, I'll definitely try that today! I'm a psych major so I'm not as worried about that section but thanks for the heads up 🙂

 

[BBBallIsLife]

That's the thing, I'm finding that with the KA videos it's much easier to recognize that I already know a certain part of a concept and skip that video than figuring out where the Kaplan books are going lol. I hadn't thought of just using the summaries though, I'll definitely try that today! I'm a psych major so I'm not as worried about that section but thanks for the heads up 🙂

lol yeah Im the complete opposite of you. I was a chem heavy major and only took one intro to psych class (didnt get anything out of it except an A), so kaplan was real effective at teaching psych for me

 

[Alikhan9]

AAMC sample will be the most telling but looks to me like you're on the right track!

Wow amazing practice test scores what did you use for content review?

 

[MoDiddy]

Wow amazing practice test scores what did you use for content review?

Thanks. Kaplan books and TPR for Psych/Soc with Khan notes as well!

 

[Master Thinker]

I am using Kaplan and EK. EK is good when you want to consolidate your knowledge closer to the exam date.

Also, EK CARS strategy>Kaplan CARS in my opinion... note taking during exams takes too much time.

 

[Alikhan9]

Thanks. Kaplan books and TPR for Psych/Soc with Khan notes as well!

Thanks for the reply back my plan is to use the kaplan 2018-2019 set, and I wasnt planing on incorporating TPR at all. Rather, I heard that TBR is really good its just that I dont want to overhwhelm myself with content review books then I feel I will not have time to finish the content and jump to test review. Is this a viable concern is it necessary to use TPR for the psych section? I guess I am torn because people have used Kaplan and ppl on these forums as of late have really praised using TBR and justifying it for there high science scores etc. I want the best materials but I guess I am torn on which to pick. If anyone who has scored in the 515+ can tell me what was the biggest help for them that would be great. I am aiming for the best possible score but I am scared of the possibility of failure.

 

[Alikhan9]

I am using Kaplan and EK. EK is good when you want to consolidate your knowledge closer to the exam date.

Also, EK CARS strategy>Kaplan CARS in my opinion... note taking during exams takes too much time.

Is EK good the books are very detailed but I was leaning torwards to Kaplan

 

[Master Thinker]

Is EK good the books are very detailed but I was leaning torwards to Kaplan

Kaplan books are definitely more detailed, but also contains quite a bit of stuff that you most likely will not need to know.

 

[Alikhan9]

Kaplan books are definitely more detailed, but also contains quite a bit of stuff that you most likely will not need to know.

What do you think I was getting the Kaplan MCAT set is that good? Or should I take EK

 

[Master Thinker]

What do you think I was getting the Kaplan MCAT set is that good? Or should I take EK

Are you planning to take the test in a month? If so, I would just stick with Kaplan if you already have it. The EK is good for reviewing but that will also take quite a bit of time.

And if you are only planning to get 1 set, I would get the Kaplan set since it is more comprehensive.

 

[LebronManning]

Update: Got a 500 today on the Altius half length diagnostic. Pretty much felt like trash when I got that score. My goal is a 510+ and I got a 508 on the NextStep half length diagnostic 1 month ago. Since then I’ve slacked hard and so today was the conseuquence. I didn’t even review my next step diagnostic lol...

Gonna go hard from now and take Kaplan 1,2,3, and Next Step 1 and AAMC: Sample, 1,2,3 in the next 6 weeks along with section banks and Q packs to practice. Let’s see...

At least I’m almost done with content review but I’m finding a lot of it is useless on the first couple of Exam I took if you don’t at least have some of it memorized

I think I'm gonna take Kaplan 1 tomorrow cause it'll be my first FL and I don't wanna waste my AAMC FLs on my first FL. If I can get a 500, with its deflation, I think it can be a reasonable goal to crank out a 510 after a month's work of studying/practice tests. If not, I'll have to rethink. Definitely agree with you about finishing the content review actually though. Will update tomorrow..

Update: Just got a 504 (124,127,126,127) on Kaplan 1. *Sigh of relief* Statistically people in the 502-506 Kaplan FL range have all been getting 510+ on AAMC, so I think I'm on the right track for my 510 goal on test day. Was super stressed after that 500 on the Altius half length diag 2 days ago. Hopefully this means that was a fluke.
508 on NS diag 1 month ago, and a 504 today on the deflated Kaplan 1 probably means my AAMC level right now is between a 508-510 at least. I just gotta keep my foot on the gas so I can definitely get my 510

Here's the score spreadsheet from reddit comparing people's practice exam score to actual test day if anyone doesn't have it:
Edit: It wont let me add the link so just PM me for it if you dont have it

 

[prairiemusic]

Just took the Altius HL, 124/129/126/127 (506). Excited about the improvement in B/B! And the tiny C/P improvement. Keeping my spirits up through a full length is going to be a challenge though, I felt burned out towards the beginning of B/B and kind of zoned out during P/S. I'll definitely have to consider drinking coffee that morning and bringing a Starbucks doubleshot for the lunch break or something. Anyone else planning to use caffeine?

 

[LebronManning]

Just took the Altius HL, 124/129/126/127 (506). Excited about the improvement in B/B! And the tiny C/P improvement. Keeping my spirits up through a full length is going to be a challenge though, I felt burned out towards the beginning of B/B and kind of zoned out during P/S. I'll definitely have to consider drinking coffee that morning and bringing a Starbucks doubleshot for the lunch break or something. Anyone else planning to use caffeine?

Idk about that. Today was my first FL and one of my biggest problems was that I needed to piss baddd 60% through every single section. Lol definitely underestimated this problem cause I took 2 Half lengths first

 

[BBBallIsLife]

Just took the Altius HL, 124/129/126/127 (506). Excited about the improvement in B/B! And the tiny C/P improvement. Keeping my spirits up through a full length is going to be a challenge though, I felt burned out towards the beginning of B/B and kind of zoned out during P/S. I'll definitely have to consider drinking coffee that morning and bringing a Starbucks doubleshot for the lunch break or something. Anyone else planning to use caffeine?

This is a great opportunity to practice timing your caffeine! I ran into the same problem as lebron, but I discovered if I wake up at 6:00am, down some caffeine by 615, I can relieve myself by 7:30-7:45 aand be set by 8 😀

 

[Alikhan9]

This is a great opportunity to practice timing your caffeine! I ran into the same problem as lebron, but I discovered if I wake up at 6:00am, down some caffeine by 615, I can relieve myself by 7:30-7:45 aand be set by 8 😀

Thats why i take ten shots of espresso!

 

[prairiemusic]

Idk about that. Today was my first FL and one of my biggest problems was that I needed to piss baddd 60% through every single section. Lol definitely underestimated this problem cause I took 2 Half lengths first

Hmmmm I'll have to watch out for that, although I'm pretty good at holding it if it comes down to it. I'm also finding that I'm not using the full time for each section? I'm a very fast reader so I think that's part of it, and I usually tend to finish exams early, so hopefully it all works out. Gotta keep grinding.

 

[LebronManning]

Hmmmm I'll have to watch out for that, although I'm pretty good at holding it if it comes down to it. I'm also finding that I'm not using the full time for each section? I'm a very fast reader so I think that's part of it, and I usually tend to finish exams early, so hopefully it all works out. Gotta keep grinding.

Huh time is actually a problem for me. Im a pretty fast reader too but sometimes I re read repeatedly cause i get paranoid about my understanding of the passage. My most time wasted, though, is agonizing over one or two answer choices lol. I have to learn to let go.

 

[Master Thinker]

Hmmmm I'll have to watch out for that, although I'm pretty good at holding it if it comes down to it. I'm also finding that I'm not using the full time for each section? I'm a very fast reader so I think that's part of it, and I usually tend to finish exams early, so hopefully it all works out. Gotta keep grinding.

Lol you can invest in some adult diapers that you can wear to the exam

 

[LebronManning]

Lol you can invest in some adult diapers that you can wear to the exam

or a condom catheter

 

[BBBallIsLife]

Hey you could also see it as a bladder muscle strength and conditioning program! The long term benefits are impeccable. Save time on long road trips, during movies, etc. If people were to ask in 20 years why we never pee, its because the MCAT trained our bladders (proceeds to observe shock on everyone's faces)

 

[deleted600623]

This is a great opportunity to practice timing your caffeine! I ran into the same problem as lebron, but I discovered if I wake up at 6:00am, down some caffeine by 615, I can relieve myself by 7:30-7:45 aand be set by 8 😀

This is my plan for the first half of the test. And then down a Red Bull for the 2nd half. Every practice test that I've taken so far, I've hit a wall halfway through B/B and then P/S is just all downhill. I'm testing my strategy this Wednesday for AAMC FL 1. We'll see how it goes.

 

[prairiemusic]

Is anybody else itching to study today? I get that it's Christmas but there's so much content I need to cover...

 

[MoDiddy]

I'm scoring around 90% on the section banks. I find these passages a lot easier than NS. Anyone know a good target score range for these? Shooting for 518+

 

[prairiemusic]

I'm scoring around 90% on the section banks. I find these passages a lot easier than NS. Anyone know a good target score range for these? Shooting for 518+

If you look at that Reddit spreadsheet that's linked to in the sidebar on r/MCAT under "Compilation of User Exam Scores" you can kind of get a sense of what practice scores lead to what real score. For instance, there's someone who scored a 522 who was in the 80s and 90s on section banks and from a quick glance at that data I'd say you're in target range.

 

[MoDiddy]

If you look at that Reddit spreadsheet that's linked to in the sidebar on r/MCAT under "Compilation of User Exam Scores" you can kind of get a sense of what practice scores lead to what real score. For instance, there's someone who scored a 522 who was in the 80s and 90s on section banks and from a quick glance at that data I'd say you're in target range.

Thanks as always!

 

[LebronManning]

Are y’all doing the section bank like a test or untimed for like educational process?

 

[Alikhan9]

Are y’all doing the section bank like a test or untimed for like educational process?

what section bank are you using?

 

[LebronManning]

what section bank are you using?

AAMC. isnt that the only one

 

[Alikhan9]

AAMC. isnt that the only one

Sorry, I am new to looking for review materials but doesn't NextPrep also have question banks and if it does are those the questions that will be used in there Full Length exams? I was planing on buying World Mcat question banks to practice during content review then moving on to practice exams and I was curious what test materials are you using solely for the exams?

 

[LebronManning]

Sorry, I am new to looking for review materials but doesn't NextPrep also have question banks and if it does are those the questions that will be used in there Full Length exams? I was planing on buying World Mcat question banks to practice during content review then moving on to practice exams and I was curious what test materials are you using solely for the exams?

You can use a wide variety but the ones you can't miss are the AAMC material. Namely AAMC full length exams 1,2,3, AAMC sample exam, AAMC section banks, and AAMC question packs

 

[Alikhan9]

You can use a wide variety but the ones you can't miss are the AAMC material. Namely AAMC full length exams 1,2,3, AAMC sample exam, AAMC section banks, and AAMC question packs

What is the deal with their ten starts and five starts? Can you still review the questions after you have used up all the starts?

 

[MoDiddy]

Are y’all doing the section bank like a test or untimed for like educational process?

Untimed bro, solutions on, check after completion of passage. Definitely use these as a learning tool

 

[prairiemusic]

Just got the AAMC Pack for Christmas!

 

[BBBallIsLife]

^^ what a gift hahaha. Hey, I hope everyone had a merry Christmas today!

Is anybody else itching to study today? I get that it's Christmas but there's so much content I need to cover...

Except for a small content review this morning, I took today off and spent it with family. Of course, everyone was asking me left and right about the MCAT... but it was a nice break today away from everything. Back at it tomorrow though!

 

[prairiemusic]

^^ what a gift hahaha. Hey, I hope everyone had a merry Christmas today!



Except for a small content review this morning, I took today off and spent it with family. Of course, everyone was asking me left and right about the MCAT... but it was a nice break today away from everything. Back at it tomorrow though!

I've managed to restrain myself to some amino acid review and going over the Altius HL but I still got in some family time I promise!

 

[BBBallIsLife]

its funny how I was thinking literally exactly one year ago at this exact point, I would be spending winter break and Christmas studying for the MCAT my how time flies

 

[Alikhan9]

Just got the AAMC Pack for Christmas!

what gift was that can I get a link?

 

[prairiemusic]

what gift was that can I get a link?

It was this one 🙂

 

[prairiemusic]

How are y'all approaching the math without a calculator? The AAMC QPack explanations do the exact math and I'm over here like... I cannot divide 6.57 by 262.84 in my head...

 

[prairiemusic]

How are y'all approaching the math without a calculator? The AAMC QPack explanations do the exact math and I'm over here like... I cannot divide 6.57 by 262.84 in my head...

Update: I found a series of videos on Youtube that are saving my life, they're linked there for anyone else who needs them!

 

[BBBallIsLife]

How are y'all approaching the math without a calculator? The AAMC QPack explanations do the exact math and I'm over here like... I cannot divide 6.57 by 262.84 in my head...

Yeah, I was taught was to get to write in scientific notation and simplify the decimal to a good guestimate haha but thanks for that youtube video! I always hate log and ln calcs ...

 

[Master Thinker]

Honestly from my experience on practice tests, the MCAT is not math heavy. You just need to be able to do basic addition/subtraction and the occasional exponential. Most often, the numbers work out nicely so if you get what looks like a difficult computation, you are probably using the wrong numbers

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

I heard that TBR is really good its just that I dont want to overhwhelm myself with content review books then I feel I will not have time to finish the content and jump to test review.

The BR books are about 25% content review, about 15% sample questions in the text portion, about 30% passages with questions, and 30% answer explanations to the passages and questions. If you focus on the passages, that is essentially the same thing as test review. The best thing you will get out of the experience in terms of improving as a test taker will be going over the answer explanations thoroughly and learning different strategies and short cuts (especially math tricks for things like pI and pH) to make future questions easier. That should be your goal with any review book: get better at test taking using passages on the MCAT topics.

... ppl on these forums as of late have really praised using TBR and justifying it for there high science scores etc. I want the best materials but I guess I am torn on which to pick. If anyone who has scored in the 515+ can tell me what was the biggest help for them that would be great. I am aiming for the best possible score but I am scared of the possibility of failure.

For many years this has been the case. The bottom line is that doing well on this exam comes down to getting better at passage-based multiple choice questions. The biggest thing you can do to improve, is to do practice passages and thoroughly analyze how you did, how you can do better, and how much you can get right using what you already know. The goal is not to try to memorize more information, but rather, become very logical and analytical so that you can use your currently information base to get questions right, even when you don't 100% understand the passage and possibly even the question. The praise you have read about our science books likely stems from how good the answer explanations are.

 

[Alikhan9]

The BR books are about 25% content review, about 15% sample questions in the text portion, about 30% passages with questions, and 30% answer explanations to the passages and questions. If you focus on the passages, that is essentially the same thing as test review. The best thing you will get out of the experience in terms of improving as a test taker will be going over the answer explanations thoroughly and learning different strategies and short cuts (especially math tricks for things like pI and pH) to make future questions easier. That should be your goal with any review book: get better at test taking using passages on the MCAT topics.



For many years this has been the case. The bottom line is that doing well on this exam comes down to getting better at passage-based multiple choice questions. The biggest thing you can do to improve, is to do practice passages and thoroughly analyze how you did, how you can do better, and how much you can get right using what you already know. The goal is not to try to memorize more information, but rather, become very logical and analytical so that you can use your currently information base to get questions right, even when you don't 100% understand the passage and possibly even the question. The praise you have read about our science books likely stems from how good the answer explanations are.

I gotta hand it to you. You can really sell lol!

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

I gotta hand it to you. You can really sell lol!

I hope it didn't come across that way, but now that I read it again, I can see that. I have always made a point to say that buying our books used is a good option, in part to support people who bought our books that wish to sell them and in part to come across as not selling. Selling goes against the fabric of our company.

The main reason I chose to reply to your post is your description of our books. There is a misconception that they are heavy on content review when in fact what makes them so large is the large number of passages, questions, and answer explanations. We give detailed answer explanations that emphasize test logic and multiple solutions, so our books are pretty thick. We firmly believe that going through passages and learning how to become a better test-taker is key.

In another post of yours, you said:

I am in need of help, I am torn between choosing from Berkley Review Content books or Kaplan Review Books 2018-2019. The whole idea of having books(TBR) that are extremely more difficult I feel is very intriguing for me because it can prepare you for anything come test day.

I bring this up, because you describe them as "content review books" and "extremely difficult." If you choose to use them, then you will see (1) they are actually heavy on passages and test tricks more than content (although in doing passages you cover a good deal content) and (2) they are structured such that practice passages progress from medium to difficult, but as you master some of the tricks the harder questions actually feel easier. Our goal is to have 10% of our questions be extremely difficult, but provide enough previous similar questions that our students can master the challenging questions quickly.

I guess my whole belabored point here is that until you actually use the books, it's hard to describe them.