What do you make of MCAT getting even less content based and more reading comprehension based?

[yanks26dmb]

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Do you think this implies less time should be spent doing content review? For instance, is it starting to make less sense memorizing every endocrine hormone and location...for example.

Secondly....does "more reading comprehension less content based" apply to PS as well?

 

[mrh125]

I wouldn't say that it's getting less content based. You need a good amount of background knowledge to be able to infer meanings of information given in passages in bio and answer questions. A lot of questions can also be answered correctly w/o the passage (speaking from experience on both of my mcats). Phys sci requires reading comprehension, but you still need the fundamentals memorized.

Also, for me the more content review I knew the better because even if you don't understand the passage you can do a lot with your knowledge of the content.

 

[cookiemonsters]

I don't think the content requirement for the MCAT will ever decrease.

 

[yanks26dmb]

Thanks for the reply.

Did you find on PS a lot of questions could be answered from the passage itself/ without specifically remembering a formula? @mrh125

 

[mrh125]

Thanks for the reply.

Did you find on PS a lot of questions could be answered from the passage itself/ without specifically remembering a formula? @mrh125

i'd say maybe from 10-25%. there were a few ones that could be and sometimes they did give you the formula in the passage. even with those if you knew the content and other formulas/concepts that apply you could do it w/o the passage.

 

[Kaputt]

The MCAT is pretty much a science-themed aptitude test

 

[yanks26dmb]

i'd say maybe from 10-25%. there were a few ones that could be and sometimes they did give you the formula in the passage. even with those if you knew the content and other formulas/concepts that apply you could do it w/o the passage.

so fair to say it's more important to know details/formulas for PS since passages are less relevant in this section?

 

[mrh125]

so fair to say it's more important to know details/formulas for PS since passages are less relevant in this section?

yes, and for BS expect to constantly to be screwed over if you don't memorize small little details about each organ system/concept, etc. I tried going the whole "general picture" route when I first started studying for the mcat, didnt work for PS or BS. Irritated the hell out of me that it didn't too because knowing the general picture really is far more important imo. If you have a natural more detail-oriented mind you're at an advantage though. If you want a 10 or more in each section memorizing as much as you can is beyond necessary.

Also, for discretes in both section they can sometimes bring in totally out of scope information that isn't in any review book. I had that happen on the second time I took the mcat and it was so infuriating.

 

[SilentSoldier]

I'm just glad I never have to take that stupid test ever again.

 

[mrh125]

I'm just glad I never have to take that stupid test ever again.

me too. torturing myself twice and studying countless to not get the score I wanted both times and still be under the same (if not more) pressure applying this cycle is horrific.

 

[yanks26dmb]

yes, and for BS expect to constantly to be screwed over if you don't memorize small little details about each organ system/concept, etc. I tried going the whole "general picture" route when I first started studying for the mcat, didnt work for PS or BS. Irritated the hell out of me that it didn't too because knowing the general picture really is far more important imo. If you have a natural more detail-oriented mind you're at an advantage though. If you want a 10 or more in each section memorizing as much as you can is beyond necessary.

Also, for discretes in both section they can sometimes bring in totally out of scope information that isn't in any review book. I had that happen on the second time I took the mcat and it was so infuriating.

Jesus.

So why the hell are people saying it's getting more passage-based than ever?

 

[hoihaie]

cause you can figure most of it out through the passage, just not with 100% certainty if you didnt memorize the pathways

 

[mrh125]

Jesus.

So why the hell are people saying it's getting more passage-based than ever?

I've found myself asking that more than a few times in all honestly, maybe it used to be a bit less passage-based or maybe they are naturally detail-oriented enough to already know many of the details automatically, so they can do more w/ the passages + clever guessing based off of some passage info. It's a ridiculously massive memorization dump if you ask me. I memorized more for the mcat than I did in a sizable portion of my undergrad and the hardest part of studying for the test for me was realizing and getting over how much we have to memorize for it.

 

[mrh125]

They also toned down a lot of the o-chem content on the mcat I believe (it's like 20% of BS tops now) and pretty much all of that could be answered without a passage.

 

[hoihaie]

They also toned down a lot of the o-chem content on the mcat I believe (it's like 20% of BS tops now) and pretty much all of that could be answered without a passage.

which is so sad, because ochem was the easiest part....

 

[mrh125]

which is so sad, because ochem was the easiest part....

agreed. it's free points. I'd rather have 80% o-chem, instead of a few pitiful o-chem discretes. It's funny because o-chem which is notorious for being detail oriented and requiring intensive memorization is a hell of a lot less detail-oriented and requires way less super-specific memorization on the mcat.

 

[phunky]

I'd say it's already 80% reading comprehension and 20% knowledge. If you approach it as a knowledge test, you're gonna have a bad time.

 

[yanks26dmb]

I'd say it's already 80% reading comprehension and 20% knowledge. If you approach it as a knowledge test, you're gonna have a bad time.

And this is why I'm having such a hard time studying for this test. Some people say what you're saying (not saying you're incorrect) and others say what an earlier poster said...which is basically, approach it as a content test.

 

[DermViser]

agreed. it's free points. I'd rather have 80% o-chem, instead of a few pitiful o-chem discretes. It's funny because o-chem which is notorious for being detail oriented and requiring intensive memorization is a hell of a lot less detail-oriented and requires way less super-specific memorization on the mcat.

Which ironically enough memorization comprises a lot of MS-1/MS-2 anyways.