*The Official MCAT June 2018 Thread*

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pretty_positron

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June 2nd, 2018 here.

81 days until the test, here.

Let's rock, brothers and sisters.

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Three weeks out (June 1st). A practice FL every Monday and Friday.

Should I use all 3 days between each test to review each exam, or 1 day review, 2 days AAMC practice questions? Should I throw in content review?

Currently at 126/131/127/128

How many practice tests have you taken so far?
 
Three weeks out (June 1st). A practice FL every Monday and Friday.

Should I use all 3 days between each test to review each exam, or 1 day review, 2 days AAMC practice questions? Should I throw in content review?

Currently at 126/131/127/128

To everyone who wants to feel better about their life, I decided late in my decision to apply and am applying to masters programs, which require latest June 16 exam. SO, I started studying officially today. Really doing my best to catch up to you guys and give myself a fair chance at a good score with studying rigorously for the next 4.5 weeks. I am currently using examcrackers (10th edition) and all of the AAMC bundle. I also tutor GRE and SAT prep, along with most of the pre-med prerequisites, so PLEASE WISH ME LUCK. I really need it. :( I get double time accommodations for tests and since it is too late to apply for it, I am stuck with the issue of severe ADHD without accommodations as well. DAMN YOU ODDS!!!
 
How many practice tests have you taken so far?
NS diag, AAMC I, NS free, EK I, and tomorrow is Kaplan I.
So 3 plus a diagnostic


AAMC II is this Friday (18th), Kaplan II the Monday following (21st) and AAMC III is Friday the 25th

With the exception of Tuesdays and Saturday the 26th I put in 10 - 12 hour days. Those days are half days (volunteer/shadow/work)
 
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To everyone who wants to feel better about their life, I decided late in my decision to apply and am applying to masters programs, which require latest June 16 exam. SO, I started studying officially today. Really doing my best to catch up to you guys and give myself a fair chance at a good score with studying rigorously for the next 4.5 weeks. I am currently using examcrackers (10th edition) and all of the AAMC bundle. I also tutor GRE and SAT prep, along with most of the pre-med prerequisites, so PLEASE WISH ME LUCK. I really need it. :( I get double time accommodations for tests and since it is too late to apply for it, I am stuck with the issue of severe ADHD without accommodations as well. DAMN YOU ODDS!!!
What score do you need for your program entry?
Have you recently taken some of the classes? Still in undergrad?
Diagnostic yet?
 
June 16th here and I am stuck with full time research that is eating up all my time ugh. But very high chance I might get published by mid July which is kind of useless since I will submit early June. got a 497 on kapland FL1 and a 503 on NS FL1. Need.....more.....timeeeeee
 
What score do you need for your program entry?
Have you recently taken some of the classes? Still in undergrad?
Diagnostic yet?

I need something that is Med School Competitive (so ideally at least a 510). But they have minimums (e.g. 503) to be even considered for application. I graduated undergrad last year, but haven't taken these basic science courses in at least 4 years, so haven't recently taken any premed prereq classes (unless you count psychology and sociology, which I took 2 years ago). Exam Crackers is a 10 week study review plan, which I plan to crunch into 2 weeks (one+ lesson per day, for a total of 15 days of review) and spend the remaining two weeks eating practice tests and reviewing them, along with AAMC section and question banks. I am super nervous and kind of stressed about being able to use all these resources in time. But weirdly, I have hope..and the pressure of the date being so close is helping me stay focused more.

In regards to the diagnostic, I am saving the first diagnostic for until I finish reviewing the material (in two weeks). Then, I am hoping to take one practice test every 3 days (5 total until the test day) and spend the days in between reviewing and doing question/section banks with a focus on my weak areas.
 
June 16th here and I am stuck with full time research that is eating up all my time ugh. But very high chance I might get published by mid July which is kind of useless since I will submit early June. got a 497 on kapland FL1 and a 503 on NS FL1. Need.....more.....timeeeeee

THIS is the exact reason I didn't start studying for the MCAT until now. DOESN'T IT FREAKING SUCK?!?! Especially being in the lab for 15 hrs and getting paid for only 7.5.

But at least you're scoring at the Median! You can only go up from here. I, on the other hand, am worried about even HITTING that Median. Will update when I review more.
 
I need something that is Med School Competitive (so ideally at least a 510). But they have minimums (e.g. 503) to be even considered for application. I graduated undergrad last year, but haven't taken these basic science courses in at least 4 years, so haven't recently taken any premed prereq classes (unless you count psychology and sociology, which I took 2 years ago). Exam Crackers is a 10 week study review plan, which I plan to crunch into 2 weeks (one+ lesson per day, for a total of 15 days of review) and spend the remaining two weeks eating practice tests and reviewing them, along with AAMC section and question banks. I am super nervous and kind of stressed about being able to use all these resources in time. But weirdly, I have hope..and the pressure of the date being so close is helping me stay focused more.

In regards to the diagnostic, I am saving the first diagnostic for until I finish reviewing the material (in two weeks). Then, I am hoping to take one practice test every 3 days (5 total until the test day) and spend the days in between reviewing and doing question/section banks with a focus on my weak areas.

I think EK is the right way to go, being in a similar situation as you with starting content. One lesson a day is ambitious, having gone through the set myself. What was your major? Any upper level bio or math? How much time per day can you dedicate and stay efficient?

Keep that hope going, when you go through EK, the end of each chapter will have a timed practice test. Realize that the test is super focused on the content of the chapter and doesn't quite capture the thought process that AAMC practice questions will ask.

Some thoughts on CARS
Don't bother with the CARS book, start doing AAMC CARS question sets now. Everyday do at least one passage, and work into timed settings as fast as you can. One thing that I found to really work for me: Take Qbank CARS (however many passages you want) and set a timer accordingly. As you go, any question that you feel like you're not super confident in, flag. When you're ready to review, DO NOT hit the check answer button for the questions you flagged. Go through the passage and highlight precisely why you thought your answer was right. You may find out why you chose the wrong one. Once you feel like you have a good understanding why you chose what you did, THEN see if you got it right. If you jump the gun and just see if you were right, it doesn't reinforce that thought process. You can read why it was wrong, but it wont stick in a way to translate to other passages. This works well for me and somehow I have a 131 in AAMC FL CARS right now. See if it helps you.
TLDR: Don't do EK CARS book. Do timed AAMC questions. Justify your answer before you see if you were right.
 
THIS is the exact reason I didn't start studying for the MCAT until now. DOESN'T IT FREAKING SUCK?!?! Especially being in the lab for 15 hrs and getting paid for only 7.5.

But at least you're scoring at the Median! You can only go up from here. I, on the other hand, am worried about even HITTING that Median. Will update when I review more.[/QUOTE

it sucks so bad. I'm required to be here for 40 hrs a week and by the time i get home i just wanna pass out. My best advice to you is take a FL to see where you're at. I wish i had done that long ago. Before i took mine I had no idea where I would land. 480s? 500? smart enough for 510? ahah until i took one. So take one to pinpoint your weaknesses. Also, if u take kaplan FL, don't even look at their score.
 
Jun 30 here! How many tests are y'all taking before the real thing? I want to start taking tests this weekend (one per week) and start doing 2/week 2 weeks before the real deal. Realistic or too optimistic?
 
Three weeks out (June 1st). A practice FL every Monday and Friday.

Should I use all 3 days between each test to review each exam, or 1 day review, 2 days AAMC practice questions? Should I throw in content review?

Currently at 126/131/127/128
Suggestion: I think I would review content that was necessary to get wrong questions right. After review I would add AAMC practice... not an expert here but it sounds like an effective approach. :) Hope this helps!
 
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I think EK is the right way to go, being in a similar situation as you with starting content. One lesson a day is ambitious, having gone through the set myself. What was your major? Any upper level bio or math? How much time per day can you dedicate and stay efficient?

Keep that hope going, when you go through EK, the end of each chapter will have a timed practice test. Realize that the test is super focused on the content of the chapter and doesn't quite capture the thought process that AAMC practice questions will ask.

Some thoughts on CARS
Don't bother with the CARS book, start doing AAMC CARS question sets now. Everyday do at least one passage, and work into timed settings as fast as you can. One thing that I found to really work for me: Take Qbank CARS (however many passages you want) and set a timer accordingly. As you go, any question that you feel like you're not super confident in, flag. When you're ready to review, DO NOT hit the check answer button for the questions you flagged. Go through the passage and highlight precisely why you thought your answer was right. You may find out why you chose the wrong one. Once you feel like you have a good understanding why you chose what you did, THEN see if you got it right. If you jump the gun and just see if you were right, it doesn't reinforce that thought process. You can read why it was wrong, but it wont stick in a way to translate to other passages. This works well for me and somehow I have a 131 in AAMC FL CARS right now. See if it helps you.
TLDR: Don't do EK CARS book. Do timed AAMC questions. Justify your answer before you see if you were right.

Hey! Thanks for the advice. I actually liked the EK CARS advice to read everything and answer questions, but are you saying just skip the book and practice? I was a biochem major but havent taken basic science for bio and biochem in YEARS. I have taken immunology and advanced cell and molecular biology, but have long forgot things like michaelis menten and the metabolic pathways, etc. I also dont remember ANY organ system intro to bio and ANY physics 2/electromagnetism. I took off from work for the next 4 weeks to focus on MCAT full time. I was hoping to take my first full length after i feel more confident im my content review.

Speaking of which, I did some research and went into panic mode over people saying EK is terrible for biochem content unless you took a full biochem course like yesterday and need a brief review. So now, I pulled out my Kaplan Biochem book and am on page like 30, hoping to finish it soon so I can focus on all the other crap im faulty on (e.g. Physics). I took psychology not too long ago, but all my exams were photographic memory and not learning. Same with sociology.

My plan, so far (to be completed start to finish in 2 weeks, studying 10 hrs a day):

Study Biochem content with Kaplan (although Im loving it and it explains things very nicely and thoroughly, this is going WAY too slow) can ANYONE help me with this dilemma please?? Biochem is so high yield and I need it to be my strongest point


Study Bio content from EK book 2 (systems). I barely remember anything from here, but have heard great things. Thoughts?

Physics: Although I remember near nothing of physics 2, math is my strong point, so I am planning to use the EK book for physics 1 and 2. Is this a bad idea for someone who doesnt remember?

Chemistry and ochem: I tutor general chemistry and organic, so EK review should be fine.

Use Anki and the 300pg KA sheet for Psych and Sociology content review.

Use EK for CARS and thorough passage practice.

For the final two weeks before exam time, I plan to do, entirely, practice exams (all four AAMC and at least one TPR) and questions packs and section bank.

I would greatly appreciate anyone and everyone's advice to help me. Thank you in advance.
 
it sucks so bad. I'm required to be here for 40 hrs a week and by the time i get home i just wanna pass out. My best advice to you is take a FL to see where you're at. I wish i had done that long ago. Before i took mine I had no idea where I would land. 480s? 500? smart enough for 510? ahah until i took one. So take one to pinpoint your weaknesses. Also, if u take kaplan FL, don't even look at their score.

Hey!

Check my above reply. Also, I am so nervous of taking and bombing a FL, only for it to tell me i am behind on 90% of review, just so i can go back to what i qas doing before (reviewing).

My biggest crutch right now is the biochemistry. I am not sure if EK is enough (super concise) or Kaplan is necessary (what im doing now).

Who can help?
 
Hey! Thanks for the advice. I actually liked the EK CARS advice to read everything and answer questions, but are you saying just skip the book and practice? I was a biochem major but havent taken basic science for bio and biochem in YEARS. I have taken immunology and advanced cell and molecular biology, but have long forgot things like michaelis menten and the metabolic pathways, etc. I also dont remember ANY organ system intro to bio and ANY physics 2/electromagnetism. I took off from work for the next 4 weeks to focus on MCAT full time. I was hoping to take my first full length after i feel more confident im my content review.

- So if you haven't yet, go buy the AAMC practice questions. The question bank, full lengths, and volume sets.

One thing that really surprised me is how little you need to know for the test. I obsessed over content for a long time before I looked at any AAMC questions. I don't think that it was a bad thing since I had a little extra time, but I do think that if I understood how the questions are posed on the MCAT I would've changed the strategies I used to learn content.

Which leads me to, pick your strongest subject (sounds like chemistry) and do a section of AAMC chemistry. There is a volume set of questions specifically for chemistry w/o physics. It will give you a feel of how it requires a familiarity of the concept, and not so much require you to know the math as it was back in class.


Speaking of which, I did some research and went into panic mode over people saying EK is terrible for biochem content unless you took a full biochem course like yesterday and need a brief review. So now, I pulled out my Kaplan Biochem book and am on page like 30, hoping to finish it soon so I can focus on all the other crap im faulty on (e.g. Physics). I took psychology not too long ago, but all my exams were photographic memory and not learning. Same with sociology.

- I loved EK biochemistry, and there's a chapter in there on laboratory procedures that is golden. Amino acids are key, and with your understanding of generic chemistry and organic, I think just knowing their structures (acid/base, polarity, side chains etc) is going to put you in an excellent position.

My plan, so far (to be completed start to finish in 2 weeks, studying 10 hrs a day):

Study Biochem content with Kaplan (although Im loving it and it explains things very nicely and thoroughly, this is going WAY too slow) can ANYONE help me with this dilemma please?? Biochem is so high yield and I need it to be my strongest point

- You will be surprised how overly detailed Kaplan is (never a bad thing to be over-prepared, always a bad thing to run out of time). I used EK, found it very beneficial, I do have a background more geared towards this though. I do think knowing what bonds are between molecules will help you a ton, which enzymes make and break those bonds and that this will be easy to pair with your chemistry knowledge. You're better off than you think.

Study Bio content from EK book 2 (systems). I barely remember anything from here, but have heard great things. Thoughts?

- I am pretty familiar with bodily systems so I don't know if I can give good advice for you here. For what it's worth, I used Kaplan's biology, but it took a long time to get through.

Physics: Although I remember near nothing of physics 2, math is my strong point, so I am planning to use the EK book for physics 1 and 2. Is this a bad idea for someone who doesnt remember?

- BEFORE you do content, take a physics passage from the AAMC physics volume review. Find a passage on something you're familiar with (i.e. not electric). This will completely change your strategy on how to review / interpret the info from EK. I used EK for my physics, though, I do still have some work to go with electric. I started with Kaplan physic's but felt like they focused wayyyy too much on the precise math and not the concept. Also, with so many MCAT passages they give you the equations.

Chemistry and ochem: I tutor general chemistry and organic, so EK review should be fine.

- Go now and do a few AAMC chemistry volume practice sets. It will show you how much content you need to have to derive the answers, it will be a confidence booster.

Use Anki and the 300pg KA sheet for Psych and Sociology content review.

- Rote memorization unfortunately. ANKI it up. Look over a few AAMC practice questions so you kinda get the feel for it, but I feel like this is the AAMC's way of seeing if you can just memorize stuff.

Use EK for CARS and thorough passage practice.
- Only do AAMC practice passages, if EK strategies are working for you then that's awesome. But only do AAMC passages.

For the final two weeks before exam time, I plan to do, entirely, practice exams (all four AAMC and at least one TPR) and questions packs and section bank.

- Very ambitious, AAMC tests are not an option, but I would drop TPR and do AAMC question packs. Set the timer accordingly (TPR has a webpage that lists how many minutes per passage per question per subject: ie 5 questions in CARS is 8.5 min but only 8 min in the sciences). Do an hour or so of timed questions, flag each one that you feel you're unsure of, when you go back to see if you got it right, do not look at the correct answer. If you got it wrong, turn the solutions back off and re-work the question to see if you can think through it on your own.

I would greatly appreciate anyone and everyone's advice to help me. Thank you in advance.
 
Hey!

Check my above reply. Also, I am so nervous of taking and bombing a FL, only for it to tell me i am behind on 90% of review, just so i can go back to what i qas doing before (reviewing).

My biggest crutch right now is the biochemistry. I am not sure if EK is enough (super concise) or Kaplan is necessary (what im doing now).

Who can help?

I personally have the Princeton Review books. Since I only used them, I don't have a reference point to judge on how in depth or concise they are. But if you are going to do content review, here is the best advice I can give you, which surprisingly i rarely ever see anyone mentioning. AAMC published a PDF file that literally lists every topic/subtopic they expect you to know for all 3 scientific sections. It is very useful when doing content review so you can check them off as you go. I found out about it late so sadly I couldn't benefit a lot. just google "MCAT content AAMC". Other than that, based on the 2 FLs i took (third party), i learned that the mcat asks basic science questions. The passages seem so intimidating and complex and some of the questions sometimes can sound very intimidating as well, but i learned that it all comes down to basic science and learning to understand what the questions is asking and also LEARNING THAT EVEN THOUGH SOME OPTIONS WILL SOUND GREAT, THEY DO NOT ADDRSS THE QUESTION. so it's all about a mix of knowing the foundational basics and mastering how to approach/answer their questions. I went up 6 points from just my first FL to my second just by reviewing that one FL. Unfortunately for myself my mcat is approaching and I'm very behind in some of the content reviewing but i have like negative time for it.
 
Hey! Thanks for the advice. I actually liked the EK CARS advice to read everything and answer questions, but are you saying just skip the book and practice? I was a biochem major but havent taken basic science for bio and biochem in YEARS. I have taken immunology and advanced cell and molecular biology, but have long forgot things like michaelis menten and the metabolic pathways, etc. I also dont remember ANY organ system intro to bio and ANY physics 2/electromagnetism. I took off from work for the next 4 weeks to focus on MCAT full time. I was hoping to take my first full length after i feel more confident im my content review.

- So if you haven't yet, go buy the AAMC practice questions. The question bank, full lengths, and volume sets.

One thing that really surprised me is how little you need to know for the test. I obsessed over content for a long time before I looked at any AAMC questions. I don't think that it was a bad thing since I had a little extra time, but I do think that if I understood how the questions are posed on the MCAT I would've changed the strategies I used to learn content.

Which leads me to, pick your strongest subject (sounds like chemistry) and do a section of AAMC chemistry. There is a volume set of questions specifically for chemistry w/o physics. It will give you a feel of how it requires a familiarity of the concept, and not so much require you to know the math as it was back in class.

Speaking of which, I did some research and went into panic mode over people saying EK is terrible for biochem content unless you took a full biochem course like yesterday and need a brief review. So now, I pulled out my Kaplan Biochem book and am on page like 30, hoping to finish it soon so I can focus on all the other crap im faulty on (e.g. Physics). I took psychology not too long ago, but all my exams were photographic memory and not learning. Same with sociology.

- I loved EK biochemistry, and there's a chapter in there on laboratory procedures that is golden. Amino acids are key, and with your understanding of generic chemistry and organic, I think just knowing their structures (acid/base, polarity, side chains etc) is going to put you in an excellent position.

My plan, so far (to be completed start to finish in 2 weeks, studying 10 hrs a day):

Study Biochem content with Kaplan (although Im loving it and it explains things very nicely and thoroughly, this is going WAY too slow) can ANYONE help me with this dilemma please?? Biochem is so high yield and I need it to be my strongest point

- You will be surprised how overly detailed Kaplan is (never a bad thing to be over-prepared, always a bad thing to run out of time). I used EK, found it very beneficial, I do have a background more geared towards this though. I do think knowing what bonds are between molecules will help you a ton, which enzymes make and break those bonds and that this will be easy to pair with your chemistry knowledge. You're better off than you think.

Study Bio content from EK book 2 (systems). I barely remember anything from here, but have heard great things. Thoughts?

- I am pretty familiar with bodily systems so I don't know if I can give good advice for you here. For what it's worth, I used Kaplan's biology, but it took a long time to get through.

Physics: Although I remember near nothing of physics 2, math is my strong point, so I am planning to use the EK book for physics 1 and 2. Is this a bad idea for someone who doesnt remember?

- BEFORE you do content, take a physics passage from the AAMC physics volume review. Find a passage on something you're familiar with (i.e. not electric). This will completely change your strategy on how to review / interpret the info from EK. I used EK for my physics, though, I do still have some work to go with electric. I started with Kaplan physic's but felt like they focused wayyyy too much on the precise math and not the concept. Also, with so many MCAT passages they give you the equations.

Chemistry and ochem: I tutor general chemistry and organic, so EK review should be fine.

- Go now and do a few AAMC chemistry volume practice sets. It will show you how much content you need to have to derive the answers, it will be a confidence booster.

Use Anki and the 300pg KA sheet for Psych and Sociology content review.

- Rote memorization unfortunately. ANKI it up. Look over a few AAMC practice questions so you kinda get the feel for it, but I feel like this is the AAMC's way of seeing if you can just memorize stuff.

Use EK for CARS and thorough passage practice.
- Only do AAMC practice passages, if EK strategies are working for you then that's awesome. But only do AAMC passages.

For the final two weeks before exam time, I plan to do, entirely, practice exams (all four AAMC and at least one TPR) and questions packs and section bank.

- Very ambitious, AAMC tests are not an option, but I would drop TPR and do AAMC question packs. Set the timer accordingly (TPR has a webpage that lists how many minutes per passage per question per subject: ie 5 questions in CARS is 8.5 min but only 8 min in the sciences). Do an hour or so of timed questions, flag each one that you feel you're unsure of, when you go back to see if you got it right, do not look at the correct answer. If you got it wrong, turn the solutions back off and re-work the question to see if you can think through it on your own.

I would greatly appreciate anyone and everyone's advice to help me. Thank you in advance.

Thank you so much! I will see how much of the biochem kaplan book I can finish today. If it isn't a significant portion, I'll rethink my strategy.

I fortunately have all of the AAMC materials purchased (also, can anyone tell me: if i finish a question pack, does my restart give me a whole set of 120 new questions? Same goes for Section banks.)

I am definitely gonna do chem qbank next and see what you mean. But I still lack so many basics and looking at the official guide, Kapl basically covers all I need for biochem. Im gonna focus on physics next. Then psych and soc. Then chem. Then cars.

Thank you so much again!
 
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I personally have the Princeton Review books. Since I only used them, I don't have a reference point to judge on how in depth or concise they are. But if you are going to do content review, here is the best advice I can give you, which surprisingly i rarely ever see anyone mentioning. AAMC published a PDF file that literally lists every topic/subtopic they expect you to know for all 3 scientific sections. It is very useful when doing content review so you can check them off as you go. I found out about it late so sadly I couldn't benefit a lot. just google "MCAT content AAMC". Other than that, based on the 2 FLs i took (third party), i learned that the mcat asks basic science questions. The passages seem so intimidating and complex and some of the questions sometimes can sound very intimidating as well, but i learned that it all comes down to basic science and learning to understand what the questions is asking and also LEARNING THAT EVEN THOUGH SOME OPTIONS WILL SOUND GREAT, THEY DO NOT ADDRSS THE QUESTION. so it's all about a mix of knowing the foundational basics and mastering how to approach/answer their questions. I went up 6 points from just my first FL to my second just by reviewing that one FL. Unfortunately for myself my mcat is approaching and I'm very behind in some of the content reviewing but i have like negative time for it.

So does this mean you're abandoning content review? Shouldn't my situation give you hope haha? Im planning to do content review, start to finish, in 2 weeks

Also, I have the AAMC official guide and it is SO helpful. What's not helpful is that it has so much I havent yet touched in yet, prompting me to just review the books.

Thank you for your helpful response! Im itching to take a FL now haha. Maybe this weekend! ^.^
 
So does this mean you're abandoning content review? Shouldn't my situation give you hope haha? Im planning to do content review, start to finish, in 2 weeks

Also, I have the AAMC official guide and it is SO helpful. What's not helpful is that it has so much I havent yet touched in yet, prompting me to just review the books.

Thank you for your helpful response! Im itching to take a FL now haha. Maybe this weekend! ^.^


i understand what you mean and a month is technically a lot of time. But for myself, I am stuck at school every day 8am-6pm so that eats up a lot of my time like I cant even take a full length on a weekday since it requires almost 8 hours of testing., besides I'm just really ****ty at time management lol.
 
I think EK is the right way to go, being in a similar situation as you with starting content. One lesson a day is ambitious, having gone through the set myself. What was your major? Any upper level bio or math? How much time per day can you dedicate and stay efficient?

Keep that hope going, when you go through EK, the end of each chapter will have a timed practice test. Realize that the test is super focused on the content of the chapter and doesn't quite capture the thought process that AAMC practice questions will ask.

Some thoughts on CARS
Don't bother with the CARS book, start doing AAMC CARS question sets now. Everyday do at least one passage, and work into timed settings as fast as you can. One thing that I found to really work for me: Take Qbank CARS (however many passages you want) and set a timer accordingly. As you go, any question that you feel like you're not super confident in, flag. When you're ready to review, DO NOT hit the check answer button for the questions you flagged. Go through the passage and highlight precisely why you thought your answer was right. You may find out why you chose the wrong one. Once you feel like you have a good understanding why you chose what you did, THEN see if you got it right. If you jump the gun and just see if you were right, it doesn't reinforce that thought process. You can read why it was wrong, but it wont stick in a way to translate to other passages. This works well for me and somehow I have a 131 in AAMC FL CARS right now. See if it helps you.
TLDR: Don't do EK CARS book. Do timed AAMC questions. Justify your answer before you see if you were right.

UPDATE. EK is absolute trash for content review and Kaplan literally covers all of the topics in the official guide, and ONLY the topics on the official guide. Nothing more and nothing less. They also explain it in exactly enough detail. Examcrackers FLIES through everything and does not mention so many things (or just mentions the word to check it off the list). This disappoints me.

My strategy now is 1. Review SCIENCE content from the official guide that I am not familiar well with using Kaplan materials (~80-85%) over the course of 2 weeks. As I am doing science review, make Anki flash cards for the entire 300page KA P/S section and review whole thing every few days (for the entire month period, up to test day). Incorporate CARS Qbanks (~6 passages/every 2 days) into the 2 week content review. 2. As I finish a section, do the EK discrete questions and 30min exams to reinforce material (along with Kaplan end of Chapter questions). Do the AAMC Qbank questions (timed) for the science sections I completely finish and use the score report to patch up remaining holes in content. 3. After content review is finished (hopefully within 2 weeks), do the AAMC official guide (timed). Review and patch any holes. 4. Take AAMC sample test, timed, and use that to further gauge my lasting holes in content and patch those up, in addition to working on my time management for the real thing. 5. Take AAMC FL1. Analyze thoroughly and learn why I got certain questions wrong, and fix those issues. 6. Repeat step 5 for AAMC FL 2. Send practice scores to SMP programs (if they are decent). 6. Do all of the section banks (untimed or timed, will figure it out later) and review. 7. Do AAMC FL3 (2 days before exam day).

Sidenote: I think four full lengths should be enough..I was thinking about including TPR (the free one), which is offered at a nearby college to be taken in standardized conditions (pretty neat), as well as a Next Step FL, which is said to be very close to AAMC standard. What do you guys think? If I was to include non-AAMC FL's into my post-content-review phase, which full length should I try and where should I insert it (between AAMC sample test and FL1? After FL1?)

The reason why I am hesitant to take non-AAMC FL's is because 1) I believe 4 FLs should be enough-ish, no? and 2) I want to train my brain to focus on the way AAMC asks questions and thinks, and not spoil it with anything else.

Thoughts? Also, good luck to all! I am literally only sleeping and MCATing every day REALLY hope this plan works.
 
UPDATE. EK is absolute trash for content review and Kaplan literally covers all of the topics in the official guide, and ONLY the topics on the official guide. Nothing more and nothing less. They also explain it in exactly enough detail. Examcrackers FLIES through everything and does not mention so many things (or just mentions the word to check it off the list). This disappoints me.

My strategy now is 1. Review SCIENCE content from the official guide that I am not familiar well with using Kaplan materials (~80-85%) over the course of 2 weeks. As I am doing science review, make Anki flash cards for the entire 300page KA P/S section and review whole thing every few days (for the entire month period, up to test day). Incorporate CARS Qbanks (~6 passages/every 2 days) into the 2 week content review. 2. As I finish a section, do the EK discrete questions and 30min exams to reinforce material (along with Kaplan end of Chapter questions). Do the AAMC Qbank questions (timed) for the science sections I completely finish and use the score report to patch up remaining holes in content. 3. After content review is finished (hopefully within 2 weeks), do the AAMC official guide (timed). Review and patch any holes. 4. Take AAMC sample test, timed, and use that to further gauge my lasting holes in content and patch those up, in addition to working on my time management for the real thing. 5. Take AAMC FL1. Analyze thoroughly and learn why I got certain questions wrong, and fix those issues. 6. Repeat step 5 for AAMC FL 2. Send practice scores to SMP programs (if they are decent). 6. Do all of the section banks (untimed or timed, will figure it out later) and review. 7. Do AAMC FL3 (2 days before exam day).

Sidenote: I think four full lengths should be enough..I was thinking about including TPR (the free one), which is offered at a nearby college to be taken in standardized conditions (pretty neat), as well as a Next Step FL, which is said to be very close to AAMC standard. What do you guys think? If I was to include non-AAMC FL's into my post-content-review phase, which full length should I try and where should I insert it (between AAMC sample test and FL1? After FL1?)

The reason why I am hesitant to take non-AAMC FL's is because 1) I believe 4 FLs should be enough-ish, no? and 2) I want to train my brain to focus on the way AAMC asks questions and thinks, and not spoil it with anything else.

Thoughts? Also, good luck to all! I am literally only sleeping and MCATing every day REALLY hope this plan works.

Any of FL's outside of AAMC are really just good for conditioning yourself to sit for 7.5 hrs and answer questions.
 
Any of FL's outside of AAMC are really just good for conditioning yourself to sit for 7.5 hrs and answer questions.

I think sitting for 12 hrs a day nonstop studying is helping a little with that too. Which FL would you say is most AAMC? Also, Im so surprised at how few responders we have here. June 16th MCAT is sold out for most of the country, thought it'd be more popular here.
 
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I think sitting for 12 hrs a day nonstop studying is helping a little with that too. Which FL would you say is most AAMC? Also, Im so surprised at how few responders we have here. June 16th MCAT is sold out for most of the country, thought it'd be more popular here.

The difference is in timing. When you are taking FL's you are practicing what happens when you get stuck on a question and need to move on or what happens when you realize that your breakfast isn't agreeing with you :D It is testing for game day conditions. As far as which is most like AAMC, I don't think any of them are great but if I had to choose, I would do Uworld sections that were the length of actual MCAT sections over any of the 3rd party tests.
 
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June 16th here. Went from 500 and 501 on Altius FLs 1 and 2 back in Feb to 507 on FL3 today. Getting better but quite a ways to go for 515!

I still have section banks, Aamc 2 and 3 to go. Lots to do but CP and PS are my worst. I’m planning on hitting the section banks and dissecting my remaining altius FLs for CP and using that to guide some targeted content review. For PS, again dissected Altius, Khan 300 doc and Anki.

Any thoughts on this approach?
 
June 16th here. Went from 500 and 501 on Altius FLs 1 and 2 back in Feb to 507 on FL3 today. Getting better but quite a ways to go for 515!

I still have section banks, Aamc 2 and 3 to go. Lots to do but CP and PS are my worst. I’m planning on hitting the section banks and dissecting my remaining altius FLs for CP and using that to guide some targeted content review. For PS, again dissected Altius, Khan 300 doc and Anki.

Any thoughts on this approach?

Just took my third NS FL today and got a 503 (126, 123, 127, 127) lol CARS is
June 16th here. Went from 500 and 501 on Altius FLs 1 and 2 back in Feb to 507 on FL3 today. Getting better but quite a ways to go for 515!

I still have section banks, Aamc 2 and 3 to go. Lots to do but CP and PS are my worst. I’m planning on hitting the section banks and dissecting my remaining altius FLs for CP and using that to guide some targeted content review. For PS, again dissected Altius, Khan 300 doc and Anki.

Any thoughts on this approach?


Just took my third NS FL today and got a 503 (126, 123, 127, 127) lol CARS is raping me by definition. shooting for a 509 but I'm putting like 10 hours a week for this exam bc of my busy schedule and i have under a month left. Kind of mad bc my app is well rounded except for this satanic test. Really don't want a gap year

any tips on improving CARS with the little time i have left? how helpful is the KA doc if anyone is using it? 300 page or 100 page?
 
I’m taking the June 29th test. I am actively reading all the Kaplan books everyday and I haven’t yet taken any exams because I want to increase my preparedness first. I’m thinking maybe in two weeks I will start taking exams. As for right now, I spend 8-10 hours a day studying content. I’m nervous that it’s coming fast but I’m hoping the amount of Intense studying I will be doing will prepare me. Anyone have advice?
 
I’m taking the June 29th test. I am actively reading all the Kaplan books everyday and I haven’t yet taken any exams because I want to increase my preparedness first. I’m thinking maybe in two weeks I will start taking exams. As for right now, I spend 8-10 hours a day studying content. I’m nervous that it’s coming fast but I’m hoping the amount of Intense studying I will be doing will prepare me. Anyone have advice?
You need to start taking practice exams to work on your timing and endurance. The MCAT is NOT a CONTENT exam. It's a CRITICAL THINKING exam. Memorizing minute details about some pathway will not help you. The MCAT is about how you approach and reason your way to the correct answers.
 
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Just took my third NS FL today and got a 503 (126, 123, 127, 127) lol CARS is



Just took my third NS FL today and got a 503 (126, 123, 127, 127) lol CARS is raping me by definition. shooting for a 509 but I'm putting like 10 hours a week for this exam bc of my busy schedule and i have under a month left. Kind of mad bc my app is well rounded except for this satanic test. Really don't want a gap year

any tips on improving CARS with the little time i have left? how helpful is the KA doc if anyone is using it? 300 page or 100 page?
I found NS CARS absolutely useless; I would do them, but not review them. I believe that focusing just on AAMC CARS question packs and FLs is the way to go. I find that other companies tend to have convoluted answers that are incongruent with AAMC logic. The last 4 weeks before my MCAT I focused on solely AAMC material so that I was entirely in their mindset. For the remaining time, I would recommend focusing on CARS question packs, completing each passage within 10 minutes, and spending at least equal time reviewing it - review it twice if you have time.

As for the the KA doc, I used the 100 page and felt like it covered topics well enough. I watched the KA videos and used the 100 page doc (didn't even open my EK book), and scored 130 on the actual.
 
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I’m taking the June 29th test. I am actively reading all the Kaplan books everyday and I haven’t yet taken any exams because I want to increase my preparedness first. I’m thinking maybe in two weeks I will start taking exams. As for right now, I spend 8-10 hours a day studying content. I’m nervous that it’s coming fast but I’m hoping the amount of Intense studying I will be doing will prepare me. Anyone have advice?

When did you start content review?
 
I found NS CARS absolutely useless; I would do them, but not review them. I believe that focusing just on AAMC CARS question packs and FLs is the way to go. I find that other companies tend to have convoluted answers that are incongruent with AAMC logic. The last 4 weeks before my MCAT I focused on solely AAMC material so that I was entirely in their mindset. For the remaining time, I would recommend focusing on CARS question packs, completing each passage within 10 minutes, and spending at least equal time reviewing it - review it twice if you have time.

As for the the KA doc, I used the 100 page and felt like it covered topics well enough. I watched the KA videos and used the 100 page doc (didn't even open my EK book), and scored 130 on the actual.

So what brings you to this page? Retaking?
 
You need to start taking practice exams to work on your timing and endurance. The MCAT is NOT a CONTENT exam. It's a CRITICAL THINKING exam. Memorizing minute details about some pathway will not help you. The MCAT is about how you approach and reason your way to the correct answers.

I totally understand, I know I need to start taking exams ASAP. I’m just worried that I am going to forget pertinent information. I don’t want to lose easy points on content that I just forgot from psychology 4 years ago.
 
When did you start content review?

I started hard this week. But I just graduated last Saturday so biochem is very fresh because I just had two semesters. Obviously gen chem and physics I haven’t had in a while so I’m a little concerned about the equations and math. Luckily though, I am doing NOTHING except studying until test day
 
I totally understand, I know I need to start taking exams ASAP. I’m just worried that I am going to forget pertinent information. I don’t want to lose easy points on content that I just forgot from psychology 4 years ago.
Don't worry you won't forget. When you start taking practice exams, anki/make flash cards for any questions you get wrong (drill content on weak areas on your practice exams). You will still be doing content, but it will only be on questions that you got wrong and had no clue on how to arrive to the correct answer.
 
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I found NS CARS absolutely useless; I would do them, but not review them. I believe that focusing just on AAMC CARS question packs and FLs is the way to go. I find that other companies tend to have convoluted answers that are incongruent with AAMC logic. The last 4 weeks before my MCAT I focused on solely AAMC material so that I was entirely in their mindset. For the remaining time, I would recommend focusing on CARS question packs, completing each passage within 10 minutes, and spending at least equal time reviewing it - review it twice if you have time.

As for the the KA doc, I used the 100 page and felt like it covered topics well enough. I watched the KA videos and used the 100 page doc (didn't even open my EK book), and scored 130 on the actual.

God bless your soul for the motivating words. I have every single AAMC resource and I'm starting with them this Monday. I kind of feel optimistic because when i took the AAMC OG questions a while back prior to reviewing my highest was the CARS (21/30). I was astounded. hopefully I'll get something close to that. So if i can hit average or at most 126 on CARS, I think i can get the score i want by focusing on the other sections.
 
God bless your soul for the motivating words. I have every single AAMC resource and I'm starting with them this Monday. I kind of feel optimistic because when i took the AAMC OG questions a while back prior to reviewing my highest was the CARS (21/30). I was astounded. hopefully I'll get something close to that. So if i can hit average or at most 126 on CARS, I think i can get the score i want by focusing on the other sections.
That means you have 452 CARS questions to practice and review - make sure you review them inside and out. I did all AAMC material except CARS 2 (due to emergency) in 4 weeks while working full time. You have time, just keep at it.
 
Don't worry you won't forget. When you start taking practice exams, anki/make flash cards for any questions you get wrong (drill content on weak areas on your practice exams). You will still be doing content, but it will only be on questions that you got wrong and had no clue on how to arrive to the correct answer.

That does seem more advantageous than the way I have begun to study. I’m going to take a fl tomorrow and change my studying to the way you laid it. It seems smarter! Thank you!
 
Did anyone use the Kaplan quick sheets to study? Were they useful?
I did and I liked them. They cover most of the high-yield topics. I used it by crossing off things that I knew well; if I was unfamiliar/uncomfortable with something, I would use more detailed review before moving on.
 
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Reminiscing...

I'm happy with my score. The test is a pain, and I'm just trying to offer my experiences and opinions.

Beshwaji, what do you think about my plan?

"1. Review SCIENCE content from the official guide that I am not familiar well with using Kaplan materials (~80-85%) over the course of 2 weeks. As I am doing science review, make Anki flash cards for the entire 300page KA P/S section and review whole thing every few days (for the entire month period, up to test day). Incorporate CARS Qbanks (~6 passages/every 2 days) into the 2 week content review. 2. As I finish a section, do the EK discrete questions and 30min exams to reinforce material (along with Kaplan end of Chapter questions). Do the AAMC Qbank questions (timed) for the science sections I completely finish and use the score report to patch up remaining holes in content. 3. After content review is finished (hopefully within 2 weeks), do the AAMC official guide (timed). Review and patch any holes. 4. Take AAMC sample test, timed, and use that to further gauge my lasting holes in content and patch those up, in addition to working on my time management for the real thing. 5. Take AAMC FL1. Analyze thoroughly and learn why I got certain questions wrong, and fix those issues. 6. Repeat step 5 for AAMC FL 2. Send practice scores to SMP programs (if they are decent). 6. Do all of the section banks (untimed or timed, will figure it out later) and review. 7. Do AAMC FL3 (2 days before exam day). "

I have 10-12hrs a day to study until June16th (minus a day to move). I have never taken a FL before and wanted to review ALL content before taking one and then use those to reinforce things that I am weak on. Is this a bad idea? How essential is content to the MCAT? As in, how essential is it to now information outside of the given passage?

Thanks in advance.
 
Beshwaji, what do you think about my plan?

"1. Review SCIENCE content from the official guide that I am not familiar well with using Kaplan materials (~80-85%) over the course of 2 weeks. As I am doing science review, make Anki flash cards for the entire 300page KA P/S section and review whole thing every few days (for the entire month period, up to test day). Incorporate CARS Qbanks (~6 passages/every 2 days) into the 2 week content review. 2. As I finish a section, do the EK discrete questions and 30min exams to reinforce material (along with Kaplan end of Chapter questions). Do the AAMC Qbank questions (timed) for the science sections I completely finish and use the score report to patch up remaining holes in content. 3. After content review is finished (hopefully within 2 weeks), do the AAMC official guide (timed). Review and patch any holes. 4. Take AAMC sample test, timed, and use that to further gauge my lasting holes in content and patch those up, in addition to working on my time management for the real thing. 5. Take AAMC FL1. Analyze thoroughly and learn why I got certain questions wrong, and fix those issues. 6. Repeat step 5 for AAMC FL 2. Send practice scores to SMP programs (if they are decent). 6. Do all of the section banks (untimed or timed, will figure it out later) and review. 7. Do AAMC FL3 (2 days before exam day). "

I have 10-12hrs a day to study until June16th (minus a day to move). I have never taken a FL before and wanted to review ALL content before taking one and then use those to reinforce things that I am weak on. Is this a bad idea? How essential is content to the MCAT? As in, how essential is it to now information outside of the given passage?

Thanks in advance.
Overall, I would try to wrap up content review as fast as possible. Don't try to memorize the minutiae, just grasp the overall concepts. It is more important to move onto AAMC and get some of their practice material under your belt in the last month. Personally, I did the science Q packs untimed since I was using them more as a knowledge check, and to understand what topics AAMC is likely to cover (I usually finished in 2 - 3 hours). I would start section banks a little earlier (probably around FL1) and limit them to 10 minutes per passage. These will be the most difficult AAMC passages and they are good at preparing you for difficult FL questions. Definitely start CARS Q packs early, timed, and spread out - learn from my mistakes. You can't cram for CARS.

The important thing to remember is that the MCAT is a reasoning exam with discrete questions thrown in. Baseline knowledge is required, and after that practice is king.
 
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Took the AAMC Sample...

C/P = 38/59 = 64% (ALMOST RAN OUT OF TIME)

CARS = 38/53 = 72%

B/B = 43/59 = 73%

P/S = 46/59 = 78%

Goal Score 509-510

When I used a conversion chart to find my score, I averaged my percentages and plugged into x and calculated using y = 64.625x + 462.62 and got a 508.98. How accurate is this? If this isn't very accurate, where do I stand? Thanks

Now I found another conversion chart which uses y=72.938x + 455.62 and gives me a 507.95?

I found these conversion charts, but I'm not sure where I stand!
 
Overall, I would try to wrap up content review as fast as possible. Don't try to memorize the minutiae, just grasp the overall concepts. It is more important to move onto AAMC and get some of their practice material under your belt in the last month. Personally, I did the science Q packs untimed since I was using them more as a knowledge check, and to understand what topics AAMC is likely to cover (I usually finished in 2 - 3 hours). I would start section banks a little earlier (probably around FL1) and limit them to 10 minutes per passage. These will be the most difficult AAMC passages and they are good at preparing you for difficult FL questions. Definitely start CARS Q packs early, timed, and spread out - learn from my mistakes. You can't cram for CARS.

The important thing to remember is that the MCAT is a reasoning exam with discrete questions thrown in. Baseline knowledge is required, and after that practice is king.

I finished the Bio 1 Qpack and got a 78%, and then I did the whole Section Bank for B/B timed and found it to be SO smooth and easy (except the last 20 questions which I messed up on because of vague familiarity with metabolism specifics. I didn't do that review yet, so I'm feeling no saltiness for now) and I got an 86%.

Please tell me that the B/B section bank is what the real MCAT B/B will be like. It was almost ENTIRELY reasoning from figures and research and including a tiny bit of background knowledge and I found it to be EASIER than Bio1 QBank in regards to content. I don't know why so many people made the section banks to be so brutal but then again, I have not even STARTED reviewing for the C/P or P/S sections, so I will write back when I review for that and do THOSE section banks. Crossing my fingers the B/B real MCAT will be more section bank and less Qbank haha. The reasons I really don't like the Qpacks for B/B review is because it is 100% biology based. No biochemistry.
And thank you! I will certainly take your advice and start preparing for CARS (I was planning to do 3 timed passages a day from the Qpack and maybe gradually increase to 5 passages?). I want to finish my bio/biochem knowledge asap so that I can focus on C/P and take that section bank, which I heard is more brutal than B/B. Thank you so much for your advice!
 
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Took the AAMC Sample...

C/P = 38/59 = 64% (ALMOST RAN OUT OF TIME)

CARS = 38/53 = 72%

B/B = 43/59 = 73%

P/S = 46/59 = 78%

Goal Score 509-510

When I used a conversion chart to find my score, I averaged my percentages and plugged into x and calculated using y = 64.625x + 462.62 and got a 508.98. How accurate is this? If this isn't very accurate, where do I stand? Thanks

Now I found another conversion chart which uses y=72.938x + 455.62 and gives me a 507.95?

I found these conversion charts, but I'm not sure where I stand!
I wouldn't worry about conversion charts and would use these values do patch whatever it is that is giving you these numbers (which aren't bad) and start doing scored full lengths. You're lucky you're hitting in the mid 70s! I would certainly say this is at least a 506-507.
 
What’s the best way you guys are studying physics? I just did my first FL and that was the worst section for me
 
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Guuuyssss....I so want to start with AAMC question packs but I'm not completely through with content yet. Are the Qpacks only content based or do they include passages as well? I'm starting with the QBank passages in about 9 days.. Thanks y'all!!!
 
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