*The Official MCAT January 2018 Thread*

[mariposas905]

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.

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[FutureDoctor06]

Finding these last weeks very hard to study. I've been waking up late and going straight to netflix.

 

[prairiemusic]

I read the passage, but not too in depth, just to get an idea of what is going on. If I don't understand something 100%, I don't worry about it unless I see a question on it later. From there, I go to the questions, and pick the portions that they refer to in the passage and read those over more carefully before making a decision. I do this in B/B too - where I feel like it's helped me, however, I'm weaker in C/P so who knows.

This has been my approach exactly, although I'm curious about going the other way around. I'll try it with my NS FL tomorrow and see how it goes. It is kind of hard to wade through a passage and then get a question that's barely related lol

 

[prairiemusic]

Finding these last weeks very hard to study. I've been waking up late and going straight to netflix.

Do you want to be a doctor? You need to sit and reflect on how badly you want this - I have a picture I took the first time I got to wear scrubs and I made it my phone background to remind me that that's what I'm working towards. Do you have anything similar?

Make yourself earn the Netflix by completing a certain amount of practice questions or reading a certain amount of content. When I'm not feeling it I at least put KA videos on in the background while I draw or play on my DS so I'm still taking in some information. We're coming up on the home stretch, and I think you'll be really upset with yourself looking back if you slack off this week. That being said, you may need to designate a day or two where you give yourself permission to take the day off so you'll be able to tackle this again when your break is over. You can do this.

 

[LebronManning]

This has been my approach exactly, although I'm curious about going the other way around. I'll try it with my NS FL tomorrow and see how it goes. It is kind of hard to wade through a passage and then get a question that's barely related lol

You're gonna try reading passage in more detail tomorrow for NS? Definitely let me know how that goes vs. your usual strategy.

 

[prairiemusic]

You're gonna try reading passage in more detail tomorrow for NS? Definitely let me know how that goes vs. your usual strategy.

No, I'm going to try what you said about scanning for info for the questions first. I'll try anything once lol

 

[MoDiddy]

Just finished the section banks..
B/B: 93%
C/P: 93%
P/S: 86%

I felt pretty confident with them for the most part except for psych.. if anyone has any questions on them feel free to PM me and I can try and help you out.

 

[LebronManning]

Just finished the section banks..
B/B: 93%
C/P: 93%
P/S: 86%

I felt pretty confident with them for the most part except for psych.. if anyone has any questions on them feel free to PM me and I can try and help you out.

Did you take it timed and with solutions on or off? And did you do it all today?

 

[MoDiddy]

Did you take it timed and with solutions on or off? And did you do it all today?

Time isn't really an issue for me. I used them as a learning tool, solutions on but didn't go over the questions until I was done with the passage. Broke it up into 4 different sittings. So I finished all three over 4 days. 25 questions each day from each pack.

 

[LebronManning]

Time isn't really an issue for me. I used them as a learning tool, solutions on but didn't go over the questions until I was done with the passage.

My time issues lie more in agonizing over two answer choices than in reading speed. How quickly do you pick an answer and move on when two choices both look good? I guess this is the holy grail mcat question lol but if you have any insight that'd be nice. Great job on the SBs

 

[MoDiddy]

My time issues lie more in agonizing over two answer choices than in reading speed. How quickly do you pick an answer and move on when two choices both look good? I guess this is the holy grail mcat question lol but if you have any insight that'd be nice. Great job on the SBs

Just making this up on the spot. Lets say in the passage that the catalytic active site of some enzyme binds molecule X. Molecule X contains 2 amino acids: a negatively charged amino acid and a hydrophobic amino acid. Let's say that the more hydrophobic molecule X is the higher affinity it has for the enzyme.

Now if it asks: Which amino acid pair would be give molecule X the highest affinity for the enzyme.

1. A and E
2. L and D
3. R and Q
4. E and D

You can already rule out that 3 and 4 wouldn't be correct because you need a hydrophobic amino acid and negatively charged amino acid. So that leaves us with 1 and 2. Now you can see how 1 and 2 look similar but if you read carefully the larger hydrophobic R chain, the better affinity molecule X has for the enzyme. So you would pick option 2 because leucine is bigger thus more hydrophobic than alanine. It's just picking up little details in the passage and applying them as much as possible. If you can get it down to two answers you're halfway there.

 

[Sheiko]

Just finished the section banks..
B/B: 93%
C/P: 93%
P/S: 86%

Das it mane

 

[SiakTiDoc]

I finished most of the Q-packs about a month ago,
do you guys think its worthwhile to go over them again a second time? Specifically the Chem/Phys set as extra practice?
If everything goes according to plan I'll have one extra week and a coupe days before my actual exam where I won't have an FL to take (ran out them and I'd prefer not to buy another one, need the money to fly out to take my exam).

Or should I retake FL #1 again?

 

[CAFFEINE!]

Or should I retake FL #1 again?

I personally think it would be a huge waste of time to take the same practice exam more than once, but that's just me. I plan on doing some of the question packs again just to identify topics that I'm weak in.

 

[prairiemusic]

Ugh, 505 (127/127/124/127) on NS FL 1. I'm happy about the C/P score but not much else. I thought B/B was brutal on this one - is this one deflated like the TPR one? Because it's free and they want you to sign up? Or are they pretty fair about it?

 

[MoDiddy]

Ugh, 505 (127/127/124/127) on NS FL 1. I'm happy about the C/P score but not much else. I thought B/B was brutal on this one - is this one deflated like the TPR one? Because it's free and they want you to sign up? Or are they pretty fair about it?

what I've read online is that Ns 1 is inflated and generally easier compared to the others. I thought the Cars was hard though. I would take 1-3 and see how you do on them

 

[Master Thinker]

Ugh, 505 (127/127/124/127) on NS FL 1. I'm happy about the C/P score but not much else. I thought B/B was brutal on this one - is this one deflated like the TPR one? Because it's free and they want you to sign up? Or are they pretty fair about it?

Yeah, personally I thought the NS1 was slightly inflated because scores seemed to be high for a given percentage. It is still good practice though

Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

 

[prairiemusic]

what I've read online is that Ns 1 is inflated and generally easier compared to the others. I thought the Cars was hard though. I would take 1-3 and see how you do on them

Yeah, personally I thought the NS1 was slightly inflated because scores seemed to be high for a given percentage. It is still good practice though

Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

WELP guess I've got a lot of work to do this week. I don't have access to the rest of them (this one was free) so maybe I'll push the AAMC Sample back and do more content review first.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

Finding these last weeks very hard to study. I've been waking up late and going straight to netflix.

I know this will go against the grain of this site, but this could actually be a very good sign. Having worked with MCAT students for a very, very long time, the ones who work hard for a good stretch of time and then hit a point a few weeks before their exam where they feel like shutting it down are often the ones who walk in most prepared. Don't shut it down completely, but if you have a good grasp on how to extract the most from passages and you have good multiple-choice reasoning, then you are fine. Getting good sleep, good exercise, and keeping stress in check are as critical as studying in the time nearing your test date. Best of luck! And if you aren't studying, I sure hope you are at least watching good shows or movies. It would suck to waste study time on a bad show.

Do you want to be a doctor? You need to sit and reflect on how badly you want this - I have a picture I took the first time I got to wear scrubs and I made it my phone background to remind me that that's what I'm working towards. Do you have anything similar?

Make yourself earn the Netflix by completing a certain amount of practice questions or reading a certain amount of content. When I'm not feeling it I at least put KA videos on in the background while I draw or play on my DS so I'm still taking in some information. We're coming up on the home stretch, and I think you'll be really upset with yourself looking back if you slack off this week. That being said, you may need to designate a day or two where you give yourself permission to take the day off so you'll be able to tackle this again when your break is over. You can do this.

Your post is another example of what makes SDN great. Pulling for each other is such a great sign that medicine will be in good hands down the road. Good luck to you as well. There will be plenty of interviewers that will see this side of you and love you for it.

 

[FutureDoctor06]

I know this will go against the grain of this site, but this could actually be a very good sign. Having worked with MCAT students for a very, very long time, the ones who work hard for a good stretch of time and then hit a point a few weeks before their exam where they feel like shutting it down are often the ones who walk in most prepared. Don't shut it down completely, but if you have a good grasp on how to extract the most from passages and you have good multiple-choice reasoning, then you are fine. Getting good sleep, good exercise, and keeping stress in check are as critical as studying in the time nearing your test date. Best of luck! And if you aren't studying, I sure hope you are at least watching good shows or movies. It would suck to waste study time on a bad show.



Your post is another example of what makes SDN great. Pulling for each other is such a great sign that medicine will be in good hands down the road. Good luck to you as well. There will be plenty of interviewers that will see this side of you and love you for it.

Thanks to both of you. I needed to hear that. I definitely am watching a great show(Madame Secretary for those who want to watch a high-drama political show). I'm hopefully back on track today and will continue to grind leading up to me taking the my first AAMC FL soon.

 

[LebronManning]

Ugh, 505 (127/127/124/127) on NS FL 1. I'm happy about the C/P score but not much else. I thought B/B was brutal on this one - is this one deflated like the TPR one? Because it's free and they want you to sign up? Or are they pretty fair about it?

FWIW, I also found the NS 1 B/B to be brutal and that was one of my better sections before.

2.5 weeks left guys. Literally might be a couple of the most important and deciding weeks of our lives.

 

[prairiemusic]

FWIW, I also found the NS 1 B/B to be brutal and that was one of my better sections before.

2.5 weeks left guys. Literally might be a couple of the most important and deciding weeks of our lives.

I tried reading the questions first and scanning for the info and I felt like it took me more time than it saved. This was also my worst CARS score and the only time I read through all the questions before reading the passage. YMMV but I'm going back to reading the passage first lol

 

[etp123]

Finding these last weeks very hard to study. I've been waking up late and going straight to netflix.

I know this will go against the grain of this site, but this could actually be a very good sign.

Anecdotal, but for what it's worth I do remember reading a post from someone on this forum who was studying very hard and then suddenly just hit a huge wall like a month before his exam. Tried to study but it was so difficult, so he just decided to stop. Called in sick from work and just sat and watched TV and ate pizza for like 3 days. Afterwards he felt more relaxed/refreshed and was able to get back into the rhythm and keep up a good pace until the exam which he scored very well on. If you're hitting a wall I think it's understandable, and honestly taking a couple days off studying to get your mental health in order is probably better than trying to force yourself through, then becoming more and more neurotic/upset at yourself. As BerkReview said though, don't get too comfy and keep trying to nudge yourself back into the race

 

[FutureDoctor06]

Anecdotal, but for what it's worth I do remember reading a post from someone on this forum who was studying very hard and then suddenly just hit a huge wall like a month before his exam. Tried to study but it was so difficult, so he just decided to stop. Called in sick from work and just sat and watched TV and ate pizza for like 3 days. Afterwards he felt more relaxed/refreshed and was able to get back into the rhythm and keep up a good pace until the exam which he scored very well on. If you're hitting a wall I think it's understandable, and honestly taking a couple days off studying to get your mental health in order is probably better than trying to force yourself through, then becoming more and more neurotic/upset at yourself. As BerkReview said though, don't get too comfy and keep trying to nudge yourself back into the race

I appreciate it. I think the break did me pretty well ass I think I am back on the wagon now. Thanks and goodluck to you!

 

[deleted446889]

Ugh, 505 (127/127/124/127) on NS FL 1. I'm happy about the C/P score but not much else. I thought B/B was brutal on this one - is this one deflated like the TPR one? Because it's free and they want you to sign up? Or are they pretty fair about it?

Hey, I was in a similar position a couple weeks ago. I got a 504 on NS1 (126/126/124/128) and I freaked out a bit. B/B was definitely hard for me, and I think it's because it was based almost entirely on content knowledge rather than critical thinking skills. I took the AAMC sample just a week later and got a 511 (68%, 91%, 80%, 81%). I believe you and I are similar in that CARS is good but sciences are weaker? I would take the Sample to get a better idea of where you're at, and hopefully that CARS skill will finally show up in your score. Hope it helps

 

[deleted446889]

Has anyone gotten any experience with the Altius exams?
I just took an FL yesterday
and got a 504, (uneven) and I'm getting quite nervous with test day coming up!

I took 4 Altius exams (493, 503, 499, 504). They are super deflated but great practice. Got 511 on the AAMC Sample and AAMC FL1 a couple weeks later. Don't ever ever ever trust third party scores!

 

[prairiemusic]

Hey, I was in a similar position a couple weeks ago. I got a 504 on NS1 (126/126/124/128) and I freaked out a bit. B/B was definitely hard for me, and I think it's because it was based almost entirely on content knowledge rather than critical thinking skills. I took the AAMC sample just a week later and got a 511 (68%, 91%, 80%, 81%). I believe you and I are similar in that CARS is good but sciences are weaker? I would take the Sample to get a better idea of where you're at, and hopefully that CARS skill will finally show up in your score. Hope it helps

Yup, weak on sciences and good with CARS. I got a 510 on AAMC FL3 last week and I was feeling good about that. I'm not using anything but AAMC materials from here on out.

 

[BBBallIsLife]

has anyone done the AAMC official guide questions? I clicked on it once before just to get a general idea of what to expect in terms of schedule planning, I forgot what all was in it, and don't want to waste a click. Can someone give me a quick synopsis of it?

 

[FutureDoctor06]

has anyone done the AAMC official guide questions? I clicked on it once before just to get a general idea of what to expect in terms of schedule planning, I forgot what all was in it, and don't want to waste a click. Can someone give me a quick synopsis of it?

Basically 30 questions each. About the length of a half-length exam.

 

[Master Thinker]

Does anyone read out the entire C/P and B/B sections before answering the questions? I feel like much of the data are not tested and you can usually extract whatever you need as you go.... I read the full CARS and P/S though

 

[Sheiko]

I appreciate it. I think the break did me pretty well ass I think I am back on the wagon now. Thanks and goodluck to you!

I've also taken a couple days off here and there if I was too exhausted and my performance ahsn't suffered. Don't force yourself to study if you don't have the energy, you'll just be spinning your wheels. Taking time off here and there is OK in my book.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

I took 4 exams (493, 503, 499, 504). They are super deflated but great practice. Got 511 on the AAMC Sample and AAMC FL1 a couple weeks later.

That is so AWESOME!!! Congrats on getting it all coming together at just the right time!

 

[Sheiko]

Just got 89% on CARS Q pack 2. Hopefully this translates into a decent score on test day.

 

[FutureDoctor06]

Decided to take FL 1 today. Will update with my results(hopefully I'm excited at the end of this).

 

[Jennawitz]

Has anyone taken AAMC FL 3 yet who can vouch for it as similar to the others? I made the mistake of taking FL 1 and then FL 2 and am taking FL3 this weekend but am nervous about its validity...

 

[CAFFEINE!]

Has anyone taken AAMC FL 3 yet who can vouch for it as similar to the others? I made the mistake of taking FL 1 and then FL 2 and am taking FL3 this weekend but am nervous about its validity...

I thought it was similar in difficulty to FL2, but I obviously have no idea how to predict your MCAT score based on your FL3 score. I have plans to begin collecting data from other SDN members to characterize the relationship between FL3 score and MCAT score.

 

[Jennawitz]

I thought it was similar in difficulty to FL2, but I obviously have no idea how to predict your MCAT score based on your FL3 score. I have plans to begin collecting data from other SDN members to characterize the relationship between FL3 score and MCAT score.

So you got about the same between FL2 and 3? I just want to know whether I should expect a score decrease or anything.

 

[CAFFEINE!]

So you got about the same between FL2 and 3? I just want to know whether I should expect a score decrease or anything.

I got the exact same composite score on FL2 and FL3, but this is the result of me simultaneously improving my CARS strategy while also having a crappy C/P day on FL3.

 

[Jennawitz]

I got the exact same composite score on FL2 and FL3, but this is the result of me simultaneously improving my CARS strategy while also having a crappy C/P day on FL3.

Gotcha thanks so much!

 

[LebronManning]

Schedule for next 2 weeks. Wish me luck lol

 

[etp123]

Schedule for next 2 weeks. Wish me luck lol

I swear I just saw a post like this on Reddit lol was it you??

Edit: oh well I'm dumb, didn't notice the same names. Best of luck!

 

[prairiemusic]

@LebronManning I'd move the OG HL up to this week and push everything back accordingly. It's not very representative and it might wreck your confidence so close to the test. What are quicksheets?

 

[FutureDoctor06]

Decided to take FL 1 today. Will update with my results(hopefully I'm excited at the end of this).

Welp- not good but definitely not bad. 509-(128/127/126/128).

Spoiler-free(ish) thoughts of Exam:
C/P: Right of the bat I got hit with 10 organic questions that made me question my decision to go into medicine. But it started to level off and I didn't know what to expect.
CARS: WTF I usually score around 129/130 and some of these passages were just so ???. Really hoping it's not gonna be like or I need to fix somoething
B/B: Some difficult passages along with some bad mistakes. B/B I think is getting to be my weakest section especially due to the experimental nature of some of these passages:
P/S: Not bad. I know the curve can be harsh but looking at some of the mistakes I made, If I can improve in just some of the mistakes I made I'm right there.

Overall, not bad at all. 2.5 weeks left to grind some more. Goal of 514-516. Let's see if I can do it.

 

[Jennawitz]

Schedule for next 2 weeks. Wish me luck lol

View attachment 227475 View attachment 227476

It seems like almost everyone reads through the KA P/S notes document. I have a pretty strong psych background and just used Kaplan & a few KA videos for sociology, but I'm wondering if people are finding it useful in addition to that?

 

[Master Thinker]

Is it just me or is AAMC FL3 harder than FL1 and FL2? I got the lowest score on FL3 for some reason

 

[Jennawitz]

Is it just me or is AAMC FL3 harder than FL1 and FL2? I got the lowest score on FL3 for some reason

Taking it on Saturday, so can let you know then!

 

[LebronManning]

It seems like almost everyone reads through the KA P/S notes document. I have a pretty strong psych background and just used Kaplan & a few KA videos for sociology, but I'm wondering if people are finding it useful in addition to that?

Just a well organized summary of everything you need to know well for us with worse P/S backgrunds

 

[BBBallIsLife]

looks like I'm gonna do 3-2-1 for the FL's then haha

 

[LebronManning]

@LebronManning I'd move the OG HL up to this week and push everything back accordingly. It's not very representative and it might wreck your confidence so close to the test. What are quicksheets?

Thing is that I start school on 1/16, so have to take my last FL on 1/15. Can't push that back and all the other FLs are in sequence before with just enough time to review them. But I did want to do OG questions (do everything AAMC at all costs right?). Decided to break OG into sections and distribute them over 3 days that are in between FLs.

Kaplan Quicksheets are like a 24 page booklet of all the most high yield stuff from the kaplan book set.

 

[prairiemusic]

Thing is that I start school on 1/16, so have to take my last FL on 1/15. Can't push that back and all the other FLs are in sequence before with just enough time to review them. But I did want to do OG questions (do everything AAMC at all costs right?). Decided to break OG into sections and distribute them over 3 days that are in between FLs.

Kaplan Quicksheets are like a 24 page booklet of all the most high yield stuff from the kaplan book set.

Oh yeah right there with you, last FL is on the 14th for me. We've got this

 

[SteyrFWB]

DS sitting on FL3 psych/soc 129, FL2 126 (yesterday).

Have not gone through Khan p/s notes yet. Want to burn through that last week.

How much time realistically does it take to burn through those 90 pages notes?
How much time does it take to burn through UWorld MCAT psy/soci section? (a few guys swear by it)

If you have to choose one for last days, which one of the two paths?