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OP
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Got my exam rescheduled to September 19th due to Harvey... Good Luck to the folks taking the exam this Saturday!
Taking it in La Crosse, WI. Feeling a little overwhelmed, I am ready for it to be over!
OP
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So happy to hear that you were able to be rescheduled! Hope you and your family are doing well.
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Thank you. We are doing well as we were fortunate our area wasn't flooded as much as some of the other areas. Would have liked to be done with the test but I guess I can use the extra days for some more practice..So happy to hear that you were able to be rescheduled! Hope you and your family are doing well.
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OP
- Nov 3, 2014
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Just finished FL 2: 512. May the MCAT God be with me tomorrow. Anything close to that, I'll be fine with.
Let's go!
Let's go!
Hope everyone got a good night's rest and is ready today! Remember to stay calm in the face of difficult passages and just do your best!
- Nov 3, 2014
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Well, if any of the 4 other padres are on SDN, you'll now put a face to this avatar 
Our site was canceled today due to a power outage. After 2 hours of sitting in the lobby of the 13 - 15 story building, we were finally told Prometric canceled our exam and would be rescheduling it.
In a way, God works in very mysterious ways In other ways, really???
Question is: how to get back into study mode for the reschedule date? I'm through all the AAMC materials including FL 1 and FL 2, SB's, q-packs, etc... ugh/yay?
Our site was canceled today due to a power outage. After 2 hours of sitting in the lobby of the 13 - 15 story building, we were finally told Prometric canceled our exam and would be rescheduling it.
In a way, God works in very mysterious ways
In other ways, really???Question is: how to get back into study mode for the reschedule date? I'm through all the AAMC materials including FL 1 and FL 2, SB's, q-packs, etc... ugh/yay?
Looks like you guys might be rescheduled for the 19th along with us....Well, if any of the 4 other padres are on SDN, you'll now put a face to this avatar
Our site was canceled today due to a power outage. After 2 hours of sitting in the lobby of the 13 - 15 story building, we were finally told Prometric canceled our exam and would be rescheduling it.
In a way, God works in very mysterious ways
Question is: how to get back into study mode for the reschedule date? I'm through all the AAMC materials including FL 1 and FL 2, SB's, q-packs, etc... ugh/yay?
And I have the same question as well, I am through with all the materials. I m just going over SBs and FLs more but if anyone has any advice, let us know
I have mixed feelings about how I did, I guess now all there is to do is wait...
- Nov 3, 2014
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You in Houston? We were told it'd be 48 hours until we heard from the center... guess I also wonder how that affects schools who say they won't accept a test date after 9/9? For Houston, that's obvious why the test day was moved but for us, the new won't carry a power outage in a beach town
Same at time I felt like I was destroying it then at others I felt like I was getting rekked lol. Overall it felt slightly harder than the AAMC practice exams (as in I feel like I probably scored maybe 4 to 5 points less?). Time to agonize until october but I'm glad it's done. Good luck to those retaking! Keep reviewing your mistakes. I saw at least 4 or 5 obvious questions that I previously got wrong and knew the answer to them because of that.
Exam just finished and what was that lmao
C/P was okay...not impossible but some questions just left me scratching my head in confusion. The passages weren't hard to understand for the most part, but they just asked some obscure questions.
CARS is always weird for me. My CARS scores on NS and AAMC tests range from 124 to 129 and I always feel the same about every single one of them so I have no real input here.
B/BC was also okay but also had a lot of questions that made me go "what the heck?!" Usually B/BC is my best of 2nd best to P/S but I think this time I didn't do too hot.
P/S was also kinda difficult. Perhaps even worse than C/P and B/BC. Maybe I'm just paranoid, maybe it's the post-test taker syndrome (i just made that up), or maybe it's all true, idk.
I also haven't ran out of time on any practice test since July yet I somehow ran out of time on every section except for 1 (I honestly don't remember which.) I ended up clicking randomly on like 9 questions so RIP :/
TL;DR - it was difficult but not impossible, harder than AAMC1 and 2. I'd say they were slightly harder than or on par with the Section Banks (but remember there are different versions of each test). I definitely guessed a lot more than I would've liked.
For reference in case anyone was wondering, my NS test average was 506 and my AAMC1 was 509, AAMC2 was 514
Hopefully I get at least a 510!
But remember that each test is different so don't let my review of the exam discourage you guys. Just study hard and keep up the good work. You all can do it, I believe in you
C/P was okay...not impossible but some questions just left me scratching my head in confusion. The passages weren't hard to understand for the most part, but they just asked some obscure questions.
CARS is always weird for me. My CARS scores on NS and AAMC tests range from 124 to 129 and I always feel the same about every single one of them so I have no real input here.
B/BC was also okay but also had a lot of questions that made me go "what the heck?!" Usually B/BC is my best of 2nd best to P/S but I think this time I didn't do too hot.
P/S was also kinda difficult. Perhaps even worse than C/P and B/BC. Maybe I'm just paranoid, maybe it's the post-test taker syndrome (i just made that up), or maybe it's all true, idk.
I also haven't ran out of time on any practice test since July yet I somehow ran out of time on every section except for 1 (I honestly don't remember which.) I ended up clicking randomly on like 9 questions so RIP :/
TL;DR - it was difficult but not impossible, harder than AAMC1 and 2. I'd say they were slightly harder than or on par with the Section Banks (but remember there are different versions of each test). I definitely guessed a lot more than I would've liked.
For reference in case anyone was wondering, my NS test average was 506 and my AAMC1 was 509, AAMC2 was 514
Hopefully I get at least a 510!
But remember that each test is different so don't let my review of the exam discourage you guys. Just study hard and keep up the good work. You all can do it, I believe in you
Yes I am, but I tried to have them reschedule me for 9/9 but they wouldn't, even though 9/9 is not cancelled so idk. And i m not sure about not accepting a test date after 9/9, maybe they might schedule you in before that or on 9/9 just gotta hope for the best i guess.You in Houston? We were told it'd be 48 hours until we heard from the center... guess I also wonder how that affects schools who say they won't accept a test date after 9/9? For Houston, that's obvious why the test day was moved but for us, the new won't carry a power outage in a beach town
Honestly I feel like I totally bombed. The first time I ran out of time on C/P.... I got destroyed. CARS was a bit better. BIO was idk.... and PS was weird. Like some questions were obvious and some ridiculously out of control.... it was so much harder than the test in May.... ugh... I'm totally regretting retaking it...
If you're applying for this cycle, I'm sure you can call and email the schools to let them know your situation.
I'd wait and see, almost everyone in my section was complaining about c/p. Only reason I finished it was because I noticed my time running low and skimmed the last two passages instead of reading. Still didn't feel too good about it and it's usually my strongest section. Bio was fine but too much about the immune system for my liking. Never seen that much on any of my practice exams. P/s like you said was weird. Cars felt longer than usual but also more interesting so I didn't mind. Overall I struggled with time more than on any practice exam and same for most in my testing center. But Im hoping we're ok. On practice exams i never felt confident about my scores but always did better than I thought so I'm hoping for the same here.
That's the thing... I've always done okay on C/P .... usually from 126-130... but I honestly feel like I hit a 120 it was a complete mess. I literally started having palpitations... it was so bad. Like you said, the CARs was long but interesting. I almost spent more time just taking in the passages, like "wow, you don't say?" I was almost too into the passages. Sigh... I'm gonna stop freaking and just go play video games Thanks for cheering me up, though
I took the 9/1 MCAT, but I feel the exact same about C/P. I was consistently getting 125 on practice exams C/P sections, and then the real thing wrecked me. Legit feel like I got a 120 also, so you're not alone.
All my opinion. Feel free to agree or disagree.
I gotta agree. C/P had a few WTF and it totally knocked me off my timing. Picked up the pace and I finished the C/P section with literally 30 seconds left on the clock.
CARS was a little funky but ok overall for me.
I blasted through Bio. I don't know what happened, if lunch put me on a roll or it was the fact that halfway through i got a ridiculous urge to pee but probably my best section overall.
P/S had some straight up wonky stuff.
Does anyone else have a mini panic attack when you walk out? I did, because I just blanked on if I clicked on score or void? I swear I clicked "Score" but man...
I gotta agree. C/P had a few WTF and it totally knocked me off my timing. Picked up the pace and I finished the C/P section with literally 30 seconds left on the clock.
CARS was a little funky but ok overall for me.
I blasted through Bio. I don't know what happened, if lunch put me on a roll or it was the fact that halfway through i got a ridiculous urge to pee but probably my best section overall.
P/S had some straight up wonky stuff.
Does anyone else have a mini panic attack when you walk out? I did, because I just blanked on if I clicked on score or void? I swear I clicked "Score" but man...
Haha I triple checked the score button was clicked, I'm paranoid about that stuff.
So looks like most people here agree about the c/p section being kinda bad and the p/s just being weird lol. So hopefully that's how the majority of people felt and if no one was ridiculously good at guessing then the curve can work in our favor lol.
Really though on c/p that one passage with the huge 3d molecules is what messed me up. Was going strong with plenty of time till I hit that and lost my cool.
Cars was surprisingly nice, but I can never really tell how well I'm doing.
Compared to practice exams where I'd have like 15 to 20 marked per section (I mark anything I have any doubt on) I marked closer to 18 to 25 per section on the real thing? Pretty sure most marked questions was p/s at like 23 or 24. Kinda sucks because that's usually the least room for error section.
So any ideas on how not to think about this constantly I keep coming back on here to see what people are saying even though I'm trying to push it to the back of my mind.
Yea. That was the turning point of the CP part for me. I saw it, spent 15sec trying to focus on it, saw the time, and just literally guessed on em and skipped the passage. Readjusted my timings for the time remaining, got back on track, and managed to get a respectable answer for everything.
As for getting your mind off it, I think this is the perfect time to find a new hobby or EC. Personally, I bought some piano lesson books. I haven't played since elementary, so after 15 years I'm going to re-teach myself piano.
Also going to dust off the old road bike and tennis rackets and get try to get back into shape via cycling and tennis before the weather gets too bad.
Maybe even learn spanish. Duolingo has some great reviews after all.
Basically anything that requires focus and time, and doesn't let me get on the internet during my free time.
As for getting your mind off it, I think this is the perfect time to find a new hobby or EC. Personally, I bought some piano lesson books. I haven't played since elementary, so after 15 years I'm going to re-teach myself piano.
Also going to dust off the old road bike and tennis rackets and get try to get back into shape via cycling and tennis before the weather gets too bad.
Maybe even learn spanish. Duolingo has some great reviews after all.
Basically anything that requires focus and time, and doesn't let me get on the internet during my free time.
Nice, are you an undergrad still? I have a lighter semester now that MCAT is out of the way and all premed requirements are done so if I have time on top of everything else I think I'll also try working on my Spanish haha. Haven't taken it since high school but would definitely be useful.
For now though I think I'll take the time to do a lot of shadowing and find a new volunteering position I enjoy more. I haven't done enough clinical stuff especially this summer with all the studying and research.
Nope. 5 years out of college, so def a non-trad.
Multiple languages are definitely a plus for any application, even if it's just basic or conversational.
Definitely work on ECs though.
I'll be applying next cycle, so I'll also be doing prep work for my app. Personal statement, work on some of the more common secondaries, etc.
C/P was booty. I hit anatomy and physics hard but it was barely any of em. Meanwhile it was biochem and gen chem galore...which I foolishly ignored. Took it in Daytona Beach, FL!!
almost didn't finish CARS...had to skim the last two passages...
bio section almost didn't finish either. made sure to take all my breaks
bio section almost didn't finish either. made sure to take all my breaks
absolutely. the passages were interesting...wide range of topics. feel the strongest in that one
Absolutely agree. A part of me kinda wanted to look up some of the original source material but.... AAMC rules says I can't say anything or disclose things or write it down for later so boo.
especially not writing down...apparently taking scratch paper out of the center is considered misconduct
I wanted to take the MCAT tmrw, but there was no spot available so I took it with you guys last week. I feel like it's a long time since I took the test even though it's only been a week.
I agree with you guys on the C/P and B sections. I took the test last year, and I remember that B was definitely easier. C/P was calculation heavy last year, so I almost ran out of time, but this time I focused on finishing everything in time, so I didn't run out of time for any of them, except...CARS.
I actually got interrupted during the section. So my jacket wasn't on my chair, so then the Prometrics staff tapped on my shoulder and said something.
I was wearing ear plugs, so I had to take them out and found out that she wanted me to put the jacket on the chair. SO I had to do all that and put my ear plugs back in and that took some time......It's frustrating that she had to do that during the section and not during the breaks. I mean, why does it matter that my jacket was not on the back of my chair..Was she allowed to do that? Should I let AAMC know? I literally needed a min or two to finish the last question, so the I lost was precious.
I think P/S was okay. When I took it, it was really really weird, so compared to that, it wasn't bad.
I agree with you guys on the C/P and B sections. I took the test last year, and I remember that B was definitely easier. C/P was calculation heavy last year, so I almost ran out of time, but this time I focused on finishing everything in time, so I didn't run out of time for any of them, except...CARS.
I actually got interrupted during the section. So my jacket wasn't on my chair, so then the Prometrics staff tapped on my shoulder and said something.
I was wearing ear plugs, so I had to take them out and found out that she wanted me to put the jacket on the chair. SO I had to do all that and put my ear plugs back in and that took some time......It's frustrating that she had to do that during the section and not during the breaks. I mean, why does it matter that my jacket was not on the back of my chair..Was she allowed to do that? Should I let AAMC know? I literally needed a min or two to finish the last question, so the I lost was precious.
I think P/S was okay. When I took it, it was really really weird, so compared to that, it wasn't bad.
In my test center they said before hand we had to put them on the chair if we took them off so it might be one of those over the top rules that they have to follow. If they never told you though you should file a test center complaint. If they did though then really they're not at fault.
They did tell me about it beforehand, but I didn't think it was that important for them to disrupt me during the test. My jacket was on the chair but not on the back rest b/c it fell off. -_- I was just unlucky.......*sigh*
Btw, I just checked the average MCAT score of the matriculating class at UCSD, and it's 515 (93 percentile)!!! I thought 510 would be good enough, but I guess not..
Btw, I just checked the average MCAT score of the matriculating class at UCSD, and it's 515 (93 percentile)!!! I thought 510 would be good enough, but I guess not..
My test center made it pretty obvious they'd step in if they saw anything off so I just was very careful with things. Also don't give up on a school just because of an MCAT score you haven't even gotten back yet. GPA is just as important and all the other stuff in your application. I've been working on my personal statement and that's a lot harder than I expected. Trying not to be generic while being honest. It's kind of tough because Im not one of those people so always knew they'd be a doctor. Was more of a path I decided to pursue relatively recently, I was one of those people who had no clue what they were doing freshman year and just tried a bit of everything. Anyways I'd suggest working on yours to get your mind off things and it's a huge part of the application that can make up for other things if done right.
Hey! Chin up bud! Remember that an average is just that: average. There are scores higher, and scores lower. For every 520, there's a 510 so don't give up hope.
Remember, your GPA and MCAT are what get you in the door, it's everything else that gets you a white coat.
Irma just took a lot out of me...don't think I can handle any bad news regarding the MCAT ugh
21 days guys...
21 days guys...
Yeah, you're right. Working on my PS, in addition to taking 4 classes, is keeping me occupied. I'm trying not to make mine sound so generic, but to what extent can my PS be personal? Btw, I decided to become a doctor not too long ago, too... Are you applying next year?
Thank you for the encouragement!
My GPA isn't that great, so I'm really hoping I did well on the MCAT.
As of now I plan to, but if the time gets closer and I feel like my application still needs a lot of work then I'd consider pushing it back.
With the PS just start by making a list of things you can talk about that aren't in other parts of the application. Maybe come up with some general themes. I'm still in the very early starts of mine but I can already tell its going to be tough.
How's everyone holding up with a little over a week left? I haven't thought about it too much myself but it's hard not to think about it when everyone you see asks you if you found out your score yet :/
I've done way better than I thought I would have with the month wait. Was just so relieved for it to be over. Irma helped distract quite a bit. Had a dream about the test the night before last.
I feel like the first three weeks were easy, but this last week is killer (and its only Monday).
2 days left (in case anyone needed a reminder ) ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh time to have as much fin as possible before monday XD
) ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh time to have as much fin as possible before monday XD