The Official Sept 1, 2012 MCAT Thread

[MAnne]

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I was registered for May 31, but was not ready so I changed my date. With having a family, work, and volunteering, I underestimated the amount of time I needed. I started studying in February and took 2 AAMC's in April and was rudely awakened. I am taking Orgo 2 Lab and a 1 credit research course during July-mid August so I figured this date would give me enough time to get the content down.

Where is everyone at in their journey?

~M

 

[SD3321]

Long time lurker but just wondering what are you guys doing since you finished the test. Are you guys going to keep studying to keep it in your memory or just completely no MCAT for a month? This goes especially to the ones who are unsure if they got the score they wanted.

 

[Narmerguy]

Guys, does anybody think that there was a mistake in the PS section ? One of the questions just did not have the right answer listed ... is it just me ?

I'm wondering if we're thinking the same one. I was actually considering writing a challenge to AAMC but decided against it.

 

[bk9iq]

I'm wondering if we're thinking the same one. I was actually considering writing a challenge to AAMC but decided against it.

I am pretty sure we are thinking of the same question. Does the closest answer listed differ by 6 from the right answer in the question you are thinking of ?

 

[sps27]

Bingo! Yes, you got it. We are on the same page. Yup, the actual ans differs by 6. To me that's a big margin of error, if I am correct. Actually, I had written about it in this forum but the forum adminstrator took down the msg -- and rightly so, I should not have done that.

 

[sps27]

I am pretty sure we are thinking of the same question. Does the closest answer listed differ by 6 from the right answer in the question you are thinking of ?

Bingo! Yes, you got it. We are on the same page. Yup, the actual ans differs by 6. To me that's a big margin of error, if I am correct. Actually, I had written about it in this forum but the forum adminstrator took down the msg -- and rightly so, I should not have done that.

 

[sps27]

Long time lurker but just wondering what are you guys doing since you finished the test. Are you guys going to keep studying to keep it in your memory or just completely no MCAT for a month? This goes especially to the ones who are unsure if they got the score they wanted.

I was wondering along the same lines. Not sure what to do. There are no exam dates after 09/11. Is there any point in giving the exam again in Jan. Most schools would have already short listed their candidates for academic year 2013, right ? I am not sure. Has anybody given the exam in Jan and still made it to the first year class in medical school for the same academic year ?

 

[Big N Tasty]

Long time lurker but just wondering what are you guys doing since you finished the test. Are you guys going to keep studying to keep it in your memory or just completely no MCAT for a month? This goes especially to the ones who are unsure if they got the score they wanted.

I feel uncertain, in fact, increasingly uncertain with time. I'm planning on not doing anything MCAT related for the next month. I just want to shift my focus on school and I'll cross the MCAT bridge once I get there.

 

[dropper]

I feel uncertain, in fact, increasingly uncertain with time. I'm planning on not doing anything MCAT related for the next month. I just want to shift my focus on school and I'll cross the MCAT bridge once I get there.

Lolz @ "you may say I'm a dreamer but I'm not"

Steve carell <3

 

[Vena7]

Your exam must have been hell then (just like the one I took on May 24th). I look at the other threads and there isn't as much b!tching, which means some tests are just much harder than others. Unfortunately, yours was pretty bad...

I did not do well on the May 24th exam (27 O-when I had taken it last year I had a 28Q and had taken a TPR hyperlearning class and still did worse) and so I took the Sept. 1st exam. I thought Sept 1st was easier, but perhaps I was just better prepared. I noticed a few comparing this exam to the one on May 24th, so I thought I'd put my two cents in because I actually took both tests.

 

[octap]

deleted

 

[osprey099]

Bingo! Yes, you got it. We are on the same page. Yup, the actual ans differs by 6. To me that's a big margin of error, if I am correct. Actually, I had written about it in this forum but the forum adminstrator took down the msg -- and rightly so, I should not have done that.

Ok now I know exactly what question you are talking about because I read your post before the forum administrator deleted it. I can assure you that the problem's answer choices contained the right answer. You forgot one last step; that is why your answer is off by 6.

 

[naye3m]

but was the BS as heavily dense with experimental passages as was the 8/17 exam?

 

[Big N Tasty]

Lolz @ "you may say I'm a dreamer but I'm not"

Steve carell <3

Glad you caught the reference 😛

 

[Narmerguy]

I am pretty sure we are thinking of the same question. Does the closest answer listed differ by 6 from the right answer in the question you are thinking of ?

Nah the one I was thinking of involved a concept that it seemed like was being used slightly wrong. The "obvious" answer probably didn't make people think twice, and that's the one that I chose, but technically the problem was not asked properly to warrant any of the answer choices they offered.

 

[dartmed]

Nah the one I was thinking of involved a concept that it seemed like was being used slightly wrong. The "obvious" answer probably didn't make people think twice, and that's the one that I chose, but technically the problem was not asked properly to warrant any of the answer choices they offered.

Why in the world was our BS test so freaking hard??? Everyone else seemed fine except July 27th.

 

[osprey099]

Why in the world was our BS test so freaking hard??? Everyone else seemed fine except July 27th.

We are just unlucky. I'm pretty sure I will have to retake and it is all because of BS 🙁

 

[Narmerguy]

Why in the world was our BS test so freaking hard??? Everyone else seemed fine except July 27th.

That's a good question. I'm hoping that is reflected in the curve...somehow I imagine the "generous" curve might involve just one extra point shift. Oh well. I'm currently taking solace that we don't know and a lot of people claim they felt awful after their tests and then did about what they would have expected from their practice and preparation. Ugh.

I don't know that we're unlucky though, maybe the AAMC always makes one of their sections really hard. I am kind of irritated that for the 9/6 test it seems like the PS section was the real hard one...I definitely think I could handle a hard PS better than the kind of BS that we got, but the grass is always greener I suppose.

 

[deleted479237]

That's a good question. I'm hoping that is reflected in the curve...somehow I imagine the "generous" curve might involve just one extra point shift. Oh well. I'm currently taking solace that we don't know and a lot of people claim they felt awful after their tests and then did about what they would have expected from their practice and preparation. Ugh.

I don't know that we're unlucky though, maybe the AAMC always makes one of their sections really hard. I am kind of irritated that for the 9/6 test it seems like the PS section was the real hard one...I definitely think I could handle a hard PS better than the kind of BS that we got, but the grass is always greener I suppose.

agreed! I would much prefer a hard PS than a hard BS, but it's random and I guess we were stuck with it unfortunately 🙁

 

[MAnne]

Just from reading the 9/6 and 9/7 threads, it seems we are still the lucky ones with the hardest test. I am continuing to study for a Jan retake. Looking through my TBR Molecular passages but seems to not even come close. How should I study for those types of Bio passages?


~M

 

[Godric]

I still think that the amount of experimental passages (6) versus the non-experimental passages (0), was just unfair. It didnt phase me during the exam as much as it did when the void screen showed, and esp after the exam.

 

[jmanning345]

Yeah, feel like you need to throw everyone a bone and put 1-2 passages that can be synthesized quickly so you have more time on the articles with six proteins and three inhibitions going on.

Got my expectations at 9-11 for PS, 9-12 VR and 7-13 for BS. Expect to end up on the extreme low end or extreme high end.

 

[Narmerguy]

Yeah, feel like you need to throw everyone a bone and put 1-2 passages that can be synthesized quickly so you have more time on the articles with six proteins and three inhibitions going on.

Got my expectations at 9-11 for PS, 9-12 VR and 7-13 for BS. Expect to end up on the extreme low end or extreme high end.

Don't forget the four gene activators and random unknown substances

 

[dartmed]

Don't forget the four gene activators and random unknown substances

Still pissed. Like a lot. I think I missed like at least 11 questions that I remember from BS. I just want a 9+. Please God. I didn't get to the discretes at the end :-(

 

[ElPedroRomero]

I'm worried. I feel completely different than most of you.

I thought PS was fairly tough, Verbal was a fun read, but can never be too sure on how I did answering the questions, and I thought the Bio section to be the easiest and most reasonable I've seen. I finished it in thirty minutes and reviewed every single question thoroughly. The passages were dense but nowhere near as tough to read as your traditional journal articles. Oh well...

 

[Amine]

go F---- your self if you finished BIO in 30 mins then you are suppermen.

 

[Big N Tasty]

go F---- your self if you finished BIO in 30 mins then you are suppermen.

Actually, I finished it with around 15 minutes to go but I don't feel as comfortable about it as he does. I'm just used to experimental type bio questions because I'm a molecular bio major and all our tests are like that.

 

[oh but wait]

What is the general consensus? Was our test a hard one?

Or does our thread simply have too many whiners lol.

What I thought of it
-Physical sciences doable but there were more questions I was unsure of than I would have liked. During break, realized I for sure got this one discrete wrong. And also... meh. Sucks cuz this was supposed to be my strongest section
-Verbal = got through the damn thing with 7 mins to spare. Which then freaked me out, cuz I usually run out of time on this section/zone out. The first passage had me unsure about 2 questions, which I thought was annoying. This one involving something from maybe a science magazine was interesting/weird and had this question that I stared at for at leas 5 mins. I probably bombed :'(
-Bio = barely any ochem eh?? seriously?? first passage was a nightmare, I swear, I wasted time just flipping through and trying to start off with the passages that looked the nicest. I ended up doing the first passage last. didn't have time to check all my answers.... f

In any case, my friends who took it 8/17 all are barely content/unhappy with their scores. Made me panic for a while on Tuesday too.

Man, why do they do this to us? Doesn't take this long to get the damn thing corrected. I want to plan the rest of my senior year out, ****ttt

 

[osprey099]

So when exactly on October 2nd do our scores come out? 5pm?

 

[lastdrop]

So when exactly on October 2nd do our scores come out? 5pm?

They say 5pm eastern, but the majority of scores are released at 3:15 eastern +/- 15 minutes.

 

[Amine]

Actually, I finished it with around 15 minutes to go but I don't feel as comfortable about it as he does. I'm just used to experimental type bio questions because I'm a molecular bio major and all our tests are like that.

I mean to finish with 15 minutes to spare is understandable. But to finish the whole BIO section in 30 minutes and have 40 minutes to left to review is kind of impossible... But Hey maybe I am slow lol I had 0 minute to spare on my BIO section

 

[dartmed]

I mean to finish with 15 minutes to spare is understandable. But to finish the whole BIO section in 30 minutes and have 40 minutes to left to review is kind of impossible... But Hey maybe I am slow lol I had 0 minute to spare on my BIO section

I hope this guy ends-up doing research. If you could get through that Bio in 30 mins. WOW.😱

 

[jmanning345]

.

 

[mushuwu158]

Don't forget the four gene activators and random unknown substances

And the bloody IR questions.

 

[MA20007]

Is anyone else nervous about verbal? That is always my worst subject, and I felt rushed at the end. I pretty much had to guess on the last Q, and I usually have a minute or two left at the end. I'm going to be frustrated if the VERBAL is the reason I'm unhappy with my score...

 

[Big N Tasty]

Is anyone else nervous about verbal? That is always my worst subject, and I felt rushed at the end. I pretty much had to guess on the last Q, and I usually have a minute or two left at the end. I'm going to be frustrated if the VERBAL is the reason I'm unhappy with my score...

You're not alone.

 

[jmanning345]

Is anyone else nervous about verbal? That is always my worst subject, and I felt rushed at the end. I pretty much had to guess on the last Q, and I usually have a minute or two left at the end. I'm going to be frustrated if the VERBAL is the reason I'm unhappy with my score...

Hah,I guessed on last one too because of time. Luckily that was the hardest passage I think, so not too broken up about it

 

[dartmed]

Hah,I guessed on last one too because of time. Luckily that was the hardest passage I think, so not too broken up about it

On my last MCAT, I skipped AN ENTIRE passage in Verbal and felt rushed on one. On this one, I actually finished all of them and I had like 30 seconds left over. Hopefully, I will do better than that 8 last time. My average on the three tests I took was a 10.

 

[Brodo]

One week. That is all

 

[Amine]

Hah,I guessed on last one too because of time. Luckily that was the hardest passage I think, so not too broken up about it

Because of the last passage I am not going to vote in November. I hate voting all together!! if you know what I mean !!!!😀 I read the last passage but I was not able to understand a thing, it was def the hardest passage for me.....Ah it is going to be a long week!!! cheers

 

[MA20007]

because of the last passage i am not going to vote in november. I hate voting all together!! If you know what i mean !!!! i read the last passage but i was not able to understand a thing, it was def the hardest passage for me.....ah it is going to be a long week!!! Cheers

+1

 

[Suluki]

Well the first 3 weeks of waiting flew by and I even can say I forgot about it! The only time I was reminded was when people asked what I did this summer and I reluctantly tell them..

I had to avoid this forum because I felt a bit choked when I thought it was the best bio section ever and everyone else thought it was really difficult... Makes me feel like I may have missed something! And we definitely had the same exam based on the things discussed (ex. only 1 orgo passage). Most of you sound like you were 100X more prepared than me (and with great AAMC scores) so I'd be surprised if I suddenly outperformed everyone on a section.

ANYWAYS, this last week has turned into torture! I probably look at my calendar 5 times a day to count down the days! Ugh, I cannot wait! Luckily, I have midterms this week so that has kept my mind a bit busy!

How are you all doing with the wait?

 

[oh but wait]

Longer the time has passed, the less faith I have in my performance.

Irrational, but why do I feel this way?

 

[osprey099]

Unless I get a 14 and a 11 on PS and V respectively, I will probably have to retake 🙁

 

[ShikoHitajiya]

Well the first 3 weeks of waiting flew by and I even can say I forgot about it! The only time I was reminded was when people asked what I did this summer and I reluctantly tell them..

I had to avoid this forum because I felt a bit choked when I thought it was the best bio section ever and everyone else thought it was really difficult... Makes me feel like I may have missed something! And we definitely had the same exam based on the things discussed (ex. only 1 orgo passage). Most of you sound like you were 100X more prepared than me (and with great AAMC scores) so I'd be surprised if I suddenly outperformed everyone on a section.

ANYWAYS, this last week has turned into torture! I probably look at my calendar 5 times a day to count down the days! Ugh, I cannot wait! Luckily, I have midterms this week so that has kept my mind a bit busy!

How are you all doing with the wait?

I didn't think the bio section was too bad either...I thought it was way different than what I'd studied, but fortunately for me I'm a biomedical sciences PhD student, so it basically reflected every grad school class I've ever taken. After doing pretty terrible the first time I took the MCAT, reading everyone's posts makes me feel better...if I have to take the stupid test a third time, I'll kill myself. The PS I thought was somewhat difficult...almost ran out of time, had to blatantly guess on like 2 questions and there were plenty others I made educational guesses on.

 

[Suluki]

I didn't think the bio section was too bad either...I thought it was way different than what I'd studied, but fortunately for me I'm a biomedical sciences PhD student, so it basically reflected every grad school class I've ever taken. After doing pretty terrible the first time I took the MCAT, reading everyone's posts makes me feel better...if I have to take the stupid test a third time, I'll kill myself. The PS I thought was somewhat difficult...almost ran out of time, had to blatantly guess on like 2 questions and there were plenty others I made educational guesses on.

It's comforting to know that I'm not the only one! But then again, you do have a rather amazing background that pruned you for it. 🙂 I definitely didn't study that type of material either but I felt like it would be rather difficult to... It was more about reasoning than remembering facts. Of course, you need some of those facts to make sense of it all!
Watch as I get a sub 10 after saying all this... 🙂

@oh but wait,

I totally agree! I believe my original prediction was 10/10/12 but now I am down to 9-10/9/10. At first, I was 100% that I wouldn't be redoing and now, I am almost 90% that I AM redoing. I almost wanted to start lightly reviewing in preparation! We'll see what Tuesday brings!

 

[Big N Tasty]

Ahh! The fact that this thread is becoming active again can only mean we're in the home stretch... So nervous for Tuesday 😳

 

[dartmed]

Ahh! The fact that this thread is becoming active again can only mean we're in the home stretch... So nervous for Tuesday 😳

I just want a 12/11/10. Please God. Help me. I will even take 12/10/10. Just nothing below double digits...

Screw it.

I just want a 30.

 

[Big N Tasty]

I just want a 12/11/10. Please God. Help me. I will even take 12/10/10. Just nothing below double digits...

Screw it.

I just want a 30.

I know what you mean. At this point, I'll just be happy with anything close to a 30 so long as I don't have to retake...

 

[sps27]

Well, I am expecting somewhere like 23 or 24 or maybe less. 30 or thereabouts, will give me a heart attack. I need one desparately..🙂. Anyways, was wondering if there is any place we can go and revisit that exam and look at the right answers with some explanations. Does AAMC post the correct ans anywhere on the web ? Would be kind of stupid not to know where you errored.

 

[lastdrop]

I know this is me subconsciously (or now consciously) managing my expectations, but in my mind it does not seem possible that I scored well, despite a respectable average on my practice test scores and typical performance, timing/stress wise, on the actual MCAT.