Thoughts on sept 7th exam.

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Well, I just got back from taking the MCATs in Delaware. For the most part I thought both science sections were rather hard. More specifically, I believed the BS section either asked questions differently or focused on other areas of BS from my last exam. In the PS section, I thought it was hard, but rather bearable. The VR section was not bad as I thought it would be, and writing I thought was a piece of cake.

I was wondering if anybody agrees or disagrees with me? I'm interested in your thoughts as well.
 
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This was my first time taking the MCAT and it was tough.

PS - Somewhat similar to AAMC tests
VR - Very similar to AAMC tests
BS - A Lot more Orgo than I expected (which made it very hard for me) and not representative of AAMC tests

Anyway, now it's time to go out and party 🙂
 
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WTH was up with the physical science section? i was doin really well and then by question #30 fell way off track
 
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Definitely agree with you that Biology was the worst section. Of course it didn't help that the electricity went out about halfway through it... Has this ever happened to anyone else? If so, is there something you can do?
 
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🙁I dun think I'll score in the 30s, but here's my thought:

PS: Passage-based and outside knowledge for both physics and chem...my numbers just didn't come out right today...finished in time but no spare time.

VR: long as usuall, but passages are not that boring...ran out of time on last passage...I never finish verbal anyway so the hell with that.

WS: cool prompts...better score well on the 2nd one cuz I gave good examples...but who knows

BS: 3 orgo passages this time, and they're little bit confusing, so dun underestimate orgo kiddo..bio was passage-based and outside knowledge...hate questions on frequency so dun think I got those right..finished in time but no spare time...again...that's usually bad sign for me😡

Overall: this test was average but not easy...one piece of advice: work on ur weaknesses cuz I guarantee u it'll be on the test...k back to studying again in case I have to retake.:meanie:
 
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Just got back from writing in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

PS - harder than AAMC exams, but representative of AAMC.
VR - slightly harder than AAMC exams, but I'm not strong in VR so it's always hard for me
WS - the same as always
BS - harder than AAMC exams, not really representative of AAMC, but doable.

Overall good experience. Didn't use laptops like I thought. Nice LCD monitors with new keyboards. Nice proctors. Started at 11:30 am. Comfy chairs although I didn't use the backrest too much.
 
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PS - More general chem tested, not many physics concepts
BS - Worst. Like everyone else said, a lot of orgo which I wasn't prepared for and some of the passages were just annoying to read.
VR - Wasn't bad really and finished with 2 minutes to spare
W - Too easy
 
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PS - I thought the physics came outta nowhere, a lot of obscure formulas and electromagnetism

VR - long passages, otherwise the same as AAMC

WS - a joke as always

BS - 2 out of 3 orgo passages were absurd, bio passages were not bad but had some anatomy questions from left field.

I got low 30s on my last couple AAMC's, not really expecting to reach that level on that test. I think I did better than my 26 in June though (I better have or else I'm gonna have to start looking for a law school forum).
 
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PS - Like everyone said, it was more chem than physics and sadly for me physics was my strength. but it was doable. just like aamc exams.

BS - This is my strongest section overall. I did all of 1001 EK questions, but I don't think they helped at all today. The ochem kicked my butt for sure and even the bio passages looked like they were out of nowhere. So it must have been hard if it was hard for me being my strongest section.

Verbal - Just like AAMC passages for sure. Wasn't too bad.
 
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PS: Honestly better than I expected.

VR: Okay, not too bad.

WS: I thought I did pretty good, honestly.

BS: Awful, awful, awful. Seemed like 75% organic chemistry. Seriously, I would be surprised if I got above a 6.

Overall I thought I was doing wonderfully until I got to BS...I guessed randomly on about half the questions, I'm not kidding. I hope by some miracle I scored an 8, but I'm not holding my breath.
 
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hey. so do you guys think the sept 8th test could be similar since it's the next day, or could still be completely 180 degrees?

thanks
 
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i don't think aamc would be dumb enough to do that... just go in expecting the worst, and hope for the best
 
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any thoughts about verbal? how about the passages? too long or short? 🙂
 
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aclementine said:
i don't think aamc would be dumb enough to do that... just go in expecting the worst, and hope for the best
Click to expand...

thanks. have there been instances like this over the past year? where they administer tests on consecutive days?
 
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This was my first time taking it... was actually pleasantly surprised by the whole process, almost feel like I built it up too much.

Definitely not an easy test, but physical sciences wasn't too bad, only a couple questions I was kinda lost on.

Verbal ranged. A few passes were actually quite long, probably more than two screens worth of text, but then some were a little shorter. All and all seemed average, the beginning was really easy and quick and the towards the end it seemed harder.

Writing was cake...

Bio... ugh. I'd be much happier without all those orgo passage. Things I've never seen before.... WAY out of left field. I laughed at one question though... not sure what i can say but the first three answers were things I've never ever heard of, then the last thing was so obvious. Litle bit passage based, little bit outside knowledge. Let's hope this gets a big curve.

My suggestions:
I read too much on SDN, had made it out to be a test experience that it wasn't at all. Wasn't really too bad, until the orgo.
 
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physical = more chem, less physics. for chem i had: two passages on titrations/indicators, some questions on solubility, bonding, acid/base. for physics: momentum, energy, a lot of light/dispersion questions. overall, too many calculations to do!! i was surprised with how i needed to know rare formulas like the potential energy btw capacitors?! couldn't remember that for the life of me. finished it but guessed on few questions cuz of time.

verbal = very close to aamc. but man, was it just me or did the passages towards the end get extremely n tremendously long! i didnt get to finish so had to guess on last passage.

biology = similar to aamc (except for crazy amt of orgo). for bio, there was a lot of genetics..make sure u know allele freq.. and make sure u know some anatomy also. n for orgo, what was up with a paragraph (literally) of numbers and some letters here n there??!

overall, i guess it's a doable test..except for strange stuff with orgo n those calculations in not just physics but also bio!! i'm glad it's over.
 
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for organic chemistry, there was a paragraph of numbers and letters?!?! please elaborate. thanks 🙂
 
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in the practice aamc cbts, the orgo passages sometimes describe the reaction that's taking place... just that this one was describing a rxn and i really didn't have the time to read through it. i'm guessing they were carbon numbers or something.. w/e i didn't read it and actually i don't think it was needed. useless info!

don't get intimidated guys! i tried to reason through that passage and it wasn't all that bad (let's hope lol).. if u know ur stuff, then don't let anything weird throw u off. maybe it was useful, i don't know, but becuz of time constraints i just used my knowledge and reasoning skills to answer the questions. actually now that i think back, for orgo, some paragraphs were junk and a pointless waste of time since the questions weren't involved with the passages as bio ususally is.
 
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The test was doable. Similar to AAMC practice tests, except there was more organic than I anticipated. All you future MCATers - stop reading SDN and take a practice test or study your high yield concepts. Reading these posts before taking the test will only eff you up! Be interested to see what everyone else has to say.
 
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detvar said:
what made it hard though? was it picky info they were seeking or what?
Click to expand...

it wasn't hard. only that i was running low on time and didn't have the time to read through that paragraph.. it didn't matter whether i read it or not cuz when i went to the questions, u could easily reason throught it.

don't worry! just study ur material and have it down cold!! and know how to sift through useless info.. most of the paragaphs in the orgo passages were pointless info (unless of course they're describing an experiment, that's useful).
 
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sunset said:
n for orgo, what was up with a paragraph (literally) of numbers and some letters here n there??!
Click to expand...

Ugh, I think I know which one you're referring to. Upon first glance I was like yeah, that's not readable and if I had sorted through all of that I would have lost time. It had the melting points which were useful amongst all that garbage.
 
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Hey Everyone,

I was a July 13th test taker. After my exam I was positive that I bombed PS, had a 13 or above on BS, and really had no clue about VR. I ended up with a VR:9 BS:11 PS:12 Not at all what I expected, I really thought I did worse. So for all of you that are thinking you did terrible, RELAX, I'm sure you all did great. Good luck waiting!
 
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PS: I agree that there were too many calculations to do. Normally I make silly mistakes with exponents and stuff like that, so I was trying my hardest to be careful. I finished with about 7 min to check my answers, but it wasn't enough time to re-do all the calculations. There were 2 questions that I had no idea on, so I had to guess after eliminating some choices.
Though for one of those, I eliminated two choices and picked a 3rd one that I was telling myself couldn't possibly be right! How silly...I'm pretty sure I missed both of those, but hopefully I got the calculations questions right? *crossing fingers*

VR: I was reading aloud to myself, mumbling under my breath. It helped me focus, since I could hear the passages in my head better than if my eyes had just glazed over a whole line of text. Good thing we had noise canceling headphones, for everyone else's sake. The passages themselves were pretty interesting, and I finished with 3 min to spare and quickly clicked back through the other passages looking for obvious mistakes but I didn't catch anything. I probably just got tricked by all the trick answer choices, haha...

Writing: My 2nd essay was sort of long, so I was typing my last sentence when time ran out. It was obvious what I was going to say, but I just hated that I left it hanging mid-sentence. I should've just left that sentence out altogether or something. But I was pretty happy with the topics.

BS: I actually thought it was pretty easy, but bio has always been my best section. There was definitely more o-chem, but I think it was reasonable. The two questions I was really unsure on were both o-chem questions, and I know I missed one for sure, after wikipedia-ing my answer choice. I thought the free standing questions were pretty fair, and not completely out of left field. The bio passages were pretty interesting, and the questions were pretty passage-based, but reasonable, for the most part.


Overall, I didn't run out of time on any section besides WS, and I got to double check all my bio questions so the two I was unsure of were ones where I just didn't know the material. I'm sure I missed more than I think I did, because that's what always happens.
 
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A reminder to all that no specific MCAT questions or answer choices are to be listed on SDN..... Violations will result in 1-week post-hold. You've done a great job so far- this is just pre-emptive.

You guys need to be especially careful, b/c I took it today, too- so I will know a Q/A if I see it! 😀

:luck: to us all and congrats on finishing strongly.
 
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PS- wayyyyyy better than 8/16. actually more like the aamc's that i had lost faith in. although some physics were a little absurd. and the calculations could be tricky if you aren't awake completely.

verbal-i thought was hard. i guess on the last 3-4 questions. it's not really what i expected, and it's not what princeton review has on their verbal exams. don't trust them.

bs-i thought was kinda hard. but i think my brain was so fried by then that i was spending twice as long on some questions as i shoud've. one orgo passage (yes, with a bunch of n's and nubmers) was just..weird. i had 5 mins left to complete that passage and ended up guessing on like all the questions. damn. i don't think the passage was impossible, but just hard if you are short on time and panicking and trying to make sense of a bunch of symbols.

anyways, i would just recommend finishing up the questions that you know as quickly as possible. just in case you run into surprised, you'd have the time to figure it out.
 
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Who else was fried by the end of the test? I don't think I was speaking in coherent sentences for three hours after I was done. This was the first time I took it...and, maaaannn....

PS - I can't even remember what was on it for the life of me, but I know I finished that section thinking it was really hard. I ran out of time and put "C" for probably ~5 questions. Yikes. But PS is always the hardest for me.

VR - I'd been getting 10-13s in my practice tests but this one didn't feel so good. I also ran out of time here which is really freaking me out.

WS - sad that this is the only thing from the test I feel good about

BS - Wow. I'd been ranging 10-12 on most of my BS practice tests, but again, this felt horrible. What was with the three o-chem passages?!? And the worst part is that of all my science classes, o-chem was by FAR my strongest. I set the class curve on the ACS exam and was solid in it all year (and on all the practice MCATs) and somehow they managed to stump me on it today, which really does not make me feel too good. And the bio stuff was normal-ish, guess. I've been finishing 10-15 minutes early on the bio practice tests but today I finished this with only 15 seconds to spare.

I really don't know why I was going so slow today, but I'm majorly freaked out.

Oh well, nothing to do but wait for 30 days and go from there...CONGRATS ON BEING DONE, EVERYONE!!!! =)
 
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HaveHope said:
I've been finishing 10-15 minutes early on the bio practice tests but today I finished this with only 15 seconds to spare.

I really don't know why I was going so slow today, but I'm majorly freaked out.

QUOTE]


I know, same here...my heart was throbbing so bad when I see that I only have 5 minutes left for one passage and some independent questions for bio. Man, that one question w/ the DNA sequence...anyone figured it out cuz I got 2 min. left and I just could not for god's sake...I was pissed cuz I know it was easy...oh well
Click to expand...
 
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i've got a nagging question and i know it's over but does anyone remember if the FIRST question to a non-ochem bio passage (a molecular bio passage, i believe there was only one of such) had the word EXCEPT in it or if any of the biology (non ochem) passage questions had the word EXCEPT. I am asking in very general terms b/c i don't want to violate the rules. A simple yes or no would suffice and please don't post the question or answer and if you don't know what i'm attempting to vaguely refer to, i won't pursue it further.

edit: To the upcoming sept test takers (i know you guys are reading this):
the exam wasn't too far off from the AAMC practice tests at all, save for a few off the wall bio questions (but who can prepare for those?) People in the past have said the exam has changed but I don't really think so. If it has, I don't think it should be too big of a challenge if you've covered the basics and know how to apply them to different situations. Hopefully this will be the last post on this thread you'll be reading and you'll be spending your time more wisely, like getting some more practice done or reviewing some concepts. Best of luck to all of you.
 
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Ok, what the hell was the sept 7th mcat thinking? Are you kidding me, the first PS passage was like something from mars and everything else was either from dental school or law school because everything was hard. i barely could get the answer and if i did, it was lucky.

ps was hard as hell i dont know anyone who said it was easy. i hope the curve is legit for this.

bs was BS! what the hell was aamc thinking? oh we'll make it all about orgo and forget anything about bio. jesus, those aamc tests were a good waste of money. the only aamc test that could ahve helped was #10 but thats it. jesus.

and verbal? are you serious! was that in spanish or japanese because there was only 1 solid understandable passage.

overall the test was a bust. im not tryin to freak anyone out here but i felt terrible about the test, and ive been ranging in the 30s. I'll be lucky if i get on the score board with this freak show circus act aamc just pulled.
i am so pissed.
 
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I know this is off topic but immediately after the test, we had the survey and then the question of YES, or NO. In a frenzy to leave and while still in MCAT reading mode, I clicked YES for submission of score. But now I'm concerned does YES refer to void or submission? While it's fresh in everyone's mind, thanks. :scared:
 
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i also agree with westhaven.... in the bio part, what the HELL were the passages on? it was SO ridiculous... sure it was passage based, but the passage itself was freakin hard
 
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I am so happy that the MCAT is OVER!!!

I have been studying furiously for the past five weeks, and it all paid off today. I felt like I put forth my best effort, and had fun tackling some challenging questions. IMHO, out of Kaplan, TPR, and Examkrackers, EK was by far my favorite books to study from. Most of the topics from today's exam was covered in the Examkrackers books. I am so fond of these books that I will be holding on to these books for future reference.

I drove three hours today to take the test in Salisbury, MD. Although the drive was a little taxing, I felt it was well worth it. The testing center was clean and set at the perfect temperature. The proctor was a totally cool, relaxed guy. His calming attitude made the process so much easier for me. The bathrooms were very close and there were only 2 other test takers (both MCAT). The proctor gave me a lot of freedom for breaks, as well. The only downside is that this center had old computer moniters with horrible resolution. The computer screen was irritating to my eyes and distracting.

The MCAT was much like the AAMC practice tests. I took #3,5,6,8,and 10. They were all helpful and simulated today's MCAT very well.

PS - much like practice tests (I have been scoring consistently 10 -11)
VR - I have no idea!! I did not answer one question due to time constraints!
BS - much like practice tests (I have been scoring consistently 10 -11)

the m/f question, I guessed and I got right! The genetics question, I guessed and I got right (I think)!! A lot of questions made you think instead of regurgitating memorized information! Two organic chem questions were really difficult, it almost seemed like you needed to have had OCHEM classes still fresh on your mind!!
 
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Wow, that was an experience. One that I hope I do not have to repeat.

First off, i was really impressed with the test location. the proctor was really friendly and calm, and helped ease my nerves. The testing location was good too. I had a great computer, comfortable seat and overall good test environment. A little cold though.

anyways.. the test.. I found it harder than most other exams I have taken.

PS = I did the discretes and the first few questions and I was feeling GREAT. but at some point it started getting harder. I hope I did all right.

VR = To be honest, VR has been one of my stronger points, but today it felt tough. I felt the passages were quite long, not hard to understand for the most part, but I felt the questions were a bit harder.

WS = who knows haha.

BS = To be honest, It was probably the hardest part of the test! On ochem I don't miss a beat, and I have taken a couple upper level Ochem classes, but some of the crap I saw on that section was completely foreign. I hope I didnt screw up this section too much.

On the whole, I'm a bit nervous, as I dont feel TOO good about the exam. I hope the curve is friendly.. I really do not want to take this test again...
 
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I'm a little concerned about my WS - my last MCAT I got a Q but for some reason I lost track of time during mine this time and they were pretty short. I included all the necessary information per instructions, but yikes!
 
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I spent two month studying for this test. Bought a **** load of aamc test and examkrackers stuff. I thought I knew everything inside and out but the real test was nothing close to the AAMC stuff. Question were longer harder and very passage oriented. Bio had the most orgo I have ever seen. Overall very hard test. Usually I have about 20 minutes left after bio this time had none
Well the only easy section was the writing section the rest offered very challenging questions.
 
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PS- this section took me by surprise.... I couldnt believe how hard it was.
WS- okay not too bad
V- not to shabby
BS- not bad at all


overall, the PS was crazy hard compared to diagnostics from Princeton. VERY VERY SAD
 
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The more I think about the exam the worse I think I did. I'm even beginning to think I forgot to answer some questions. YIKES!! Is this post-MCAT paranoia?? 😕
 
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There was a problem on the physical science section.. General chemistry that has been driving me CRAZY!!! I swear the answer was not a choice given, although I know it must be my error on my part, I'd like to know why?

I am not trying to break any rules, but can someone who took the test PM me so I can ask them this one question!?!! 😀
 
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I agree about BS. I think it depends on what you were trying to get out of it, but I thought a couple of the questions were crap. I got 15's on BS on both AAMC9 & 10, so I was expecting to fly through it and ran into a decent number of questions I didn't know - terms that weren't in review materials, etc. Specifically, there were 3 questions I can recall that came WAY out of left field. I've been googling to find answers and think that a some of my guesses went the right way - but if you do well on all the previous sample exams I don't think you should be reduced to guessing.

PS - I thought a little easier than the AAMC's, if not then about average. There were very few questions where I had to think long and hard - lots of plug & chug.

V - Relatively straightforward - I suck at verbal compared to other sections so I'm usually praying for my 10 or 11 and escaping to the next section. Passages weren't too ridiculous - no 8 page essays about the fierce arguments involving humpback whale gatorade intake philosophies.

Writing - ummm, who cares?

We'll see on results day - maybe it'll turn out well.
 
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