What does 'ready' feel like?

[bonez318ti]

I've been taking Kaplan the past few months and lately, I've been doing my own content review with EK and my text books, as well as taking practice exams... but it seems like I don't have a firm grasp on the material..

For example: when I try to think of the formula for Voltage or its relationship to Electric field.. its not instantaneous like you would expect it to be.. (this is just a specific example.. but I usually can't pull out any random factoid out of the blue when quizzed)

Although when I am taking a practice test and there is a problem in front of me, i can usually figure out what i need to for the right answer. (been doing about average on the exams.. maybe 30 or so)

if it matters, I never really was a big 'memorizer'.. i usually learn at a more conceptual level and derive what i need to on the exam.. of course, this isn't feasible on the MCAT..

Does this sound familiar to anyone else?

Any ideas on if i should just do what I've been doing or just sit there and try to memorize everything by rote so that it is at my finger tips (This is REALLY hard for me).

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[JDAD]

15
15
15
T

 

[omarsaleh66]

Just do as many practice tests as u can, and analyze why u are getting stuff worng and go over that stuff u are consistently getting wrong. If u are gettng 30 on practice tests than u can go anywhere from 26 -36 on the real thing.

If u are about to take it in a month, just do as many questions as possible, see why u are getting things right, see why u are getting things wrong, see why other choices on each question are wrong etc... that way u can learn like 5 facts from each question u do

peace

Omar

edit: its real easy to read and look at the material and u can fool ur self to thinking u know it, the real learning happens when u take practice tests and do problems, no one likes doing this and thats why many people dont do well on this test.

 

[Howard Roark]

i tried to understand as much as i could for the mcat. but i also memorized every equation i could get my hands on. it paid off on the exam - didnt have to think at all! equations just popped into my head and i cranked out the answer real fast. it worked. ended up with a 34 (B12, P11, V11). good luck




.

 

[N-toxicologist]

Forget memorizing EVERYTHING. Memorize some important equations. The idea is to know a little bit about lots of stuff, or at least be able to grasp a new concept if thrown at you, and understand the equations you do need to memorize. It's impossible to "totally prepare," so just having confidence in the things that you know (like basic concepts) and knowing how to manipulate the equations that you do have memorized is about as "ready" as you can get. You'll rarely be asked to just pull something up from memory; most everything will be in the passage. As for the independent q's, you can usually spot the two absurd answers immediately, and then you have a 50/50 shot at a correct response. Most of all, have confidence. Attitude counts.

 

[MoosePilot]

Ready feels confident. You feel like the test is a chance to show off vs. something to be survived. You look forward to seeing your grade because you know you did well, you just wonder how well.

Ready feels like seeing two AAMC tests around or above your goal.

 

[Kazema]

Ready is walking into the test center knowing that there are no questions they can ask that you don't know how to answer, either by pulling out the right formula or as UNTlabrat said, being able to manipulate a given formula to suit your needs.

Ready is looking at the test as an opportunity, not an obstacle.

There are only a few formulas you really need to have memorized. If you understand when and how to use the rest, that's probably good enough. For BS there are some details you should memorize, like hormones and stuff like the phases of mitosis/meiosis, but in general BS is more about using the concepts in novel ways.

A conceptual understanding is what you really want to go for, with memorization for select items. Don't try to memorize everything, nobody can do that.

Well, maybe that 12-year old with a 200+ IQ at Pritzker can.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

Ready feels like.....a walk in the park holding the hand of your significant other with the breeze blowing gently on your face; it feels like the cool calm ocean waves passively hitting your toes just before a storm, it feels like the gentle tingling of every nerve ending as your gf or bf massages your now content body while your favorite CD plays softly in the background; it feels like the peacefulness of a hot air balloon as you gently glide over beautiful mountains, waterfalls and gorges; and it feels like all those other things you can barely even remember while studying for the MCAT but you once knew they were part of your life.

 

[VFrank]

I really don't think there is such a thing as feeling ready for this test. There is no way even the most prepared person is going to walk into the test thinking "this is going to be a breeze." And if someone really did think that, they probably wouldn't do as well because the adrenaline and the anticipation is good for your concentration. I think the best thing to do is study as much as you can and then when the test comes, think to yourself, "well, this is as prepared as I'm going to be and I'm going to do my very best with the knowledge I have." Don't spend your time psyching yourself out with "SHIZIT!! AM I GOING TO BE READY?!?" You could use that time to prepare. Good luck!!!

 

[MoosePilot]

Ready feels like.....a walk in the park holding the hand of your significant other with the breeze blowing gently on your face; it feels like the cool calm ocean waves passively hitting your toes just before a storm, it feels like the gentle tingling of every nerve ending as your gf or bf massages your now content body while your favorite CD plays softly in the background; it feels like the peacefulness of a hot air balloon as you gently glide over beautiful mountains, waterfalls and gorges; and it feels like all those other things you can barely even remember while studying for the MCAT but you once knew they were part of your life.

Nope, none of those things. Ready is focused and excludes walks in the park unless they're mentioned on a verbal passage. Good luck, I think your attention is on what the MCAT is keeping you from, not on the MCAT.

 

[MoosePilot]

I really don't think there is such a thing as feeling ready for this test.

I felt totally ready. I had realistic expectations and knew I would hit them. I already knew what I was capable of, it was just up to me to do what I'd been doing every weekend in the three weeks leading up to the test.

You scored extremely well. How did you feel going in, VFrank?

 

[Psycho Doctor]

Nope, none of those things. Ready is focused and excludes walks in the park unless they're mentioned on a verbal passage. Good luck, I think your attention is on what the MCAT is keeping you from, not on the MCAT.

it was sort of a joke

and i was talking about "ready" in days or weeks before hand, not while reading a verbal passage. If someone is truly ready they would be able to relax and enjoy life without any stress and without their mind on the MCAT every waking moment and in their nightmares. whereas I realize that it is close to impossible to ever really be ready, i was trying to make light of it especially considering everyone here mistakenly thinks i'm totally freaking out about it.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

And, moosepilot, what did you get on it, feeling totally ready?

To me being totally ready is feeling fairly confident i'd get a 45T...since i know i'll never get that; i'll never feel totally ready.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

Ready feels confident. You feel like the test is a chance to show off vs. something to be survived. You look forward to seeing your grade because you know you did well, you just wonder how well.

that's great!! i would love to feel that way!!!

 

[Kazema]

I really don't think there is such a thing as feeling ready for this test. There is no way even the most prepared person is going to walk into the test thinking "this is going to be a breeze." And if someone really did think that, they probably wouldn't do as well because the adrenaline and the anticipation is good for your concentration.

I both agree and disagree. I agree that it's not good to approach the test with a complacent attitude, but also think that if you've really prepared for the test and know what it's all about, it's impossible to be totally complacent about it. After all, you'll know the importance and the challenging nature of the test. Unless you're a zombie, the adrenaline will be pumping. And I agree with you that the adrenaline and some degree of nervousness/excitement is a good thing.

That said, i still think it's possible to feel ready for it. I don't think feeling ready is the same as feeling like it's going to be a breeze though. Being ready is when on the Friday before the main event you feel your heart pounding in your chest but tell yourself, "Hey, I can do this. I've done everything I can to prepare, and I'm ready. I WANT to do this."

The adrenaline will still be pumping, but you won't be freaking out about it. Instead of thinking, "I wish I had one more week to study," you'll be thinking "I can't wait for tomorrow." That's how I felt anyway.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

The adrenaline will still be pumping, but you won't be freaking out about it. Instead of thinking, "I wish I had one more week to study," you'll be thinking "I can't wait for tomorrow." That's how I felt anyway.

there is always something else to learn, to read, to know...no one can ever know EVERYTHING!!

and yea i'll think "I can't wait for tomorrow." ....for tomorrow to be over, that is....

 

[Kazema]

there is always something else to learn, to read, to know...no one can ever know EVERYTHING!!

Of course that's true, but it's possible to feel confident that your knowledge is solid enough to get you the score that you want.

 

[MoosePilot]

And, moosepilot, what did you get on it, feeling totally ready?

To me being totally ready is feeling fairly confident i'd get a 45T...since i know i'll never get that; i'll never feel totally ready.

36Q. My goal to start was to match my scores I got when I was an undergrad (31&32), but I revised it up when I realized I was doing better. 35 was my ultimate goal, because I didn't think I could realistically aim higher than that.

I didn't need to think I'd get a 45T to be ready. I was ready to hit my goal. So few people get 45T (I don't think anyone's ever gotten it) that setting it as a goal wouldn't just be overreaching, it would be counterproductive. I would never take the test if that was my goal.

 

[VFrank]

I felt totally ready. I had realistic expectations and knew I would hit them. I already knew what I was capable of, it was just up to me to do what I'd been doing every weekend in the three weeks leading up to the test.

You scored extremely well. How did you feel going in, VFrank?

I actually felt not-so-great going into it. I didn't get to bed until about 3am the night before because my sleep schedule was so off from studying late at night. I mean, I went to bed at 11pm, but was awake for the next four hours. It was actually pretty terrible because my boyfriend went to bed at 11 with me and fell right asleep and started snoring, so I had to wake him every hour and tell him to turn over. So then we got into a fight and that was a bad idea. Then the next morning, I went to the test center, but forgot my admission ticket, so I had to super-fast ride my bike back to the sorority house to get it. By the time I got back, I was maybe the 10th-to-last person into the testing center, so they put me next to the super-noisy vent that wouldn't be so bad if they didn't keep turning it on and off throughout the day (it groans for about 20 seconds while its being turned on and off). Then during the first section, this fat kid next to me kept moving around in his seat and making it squeak and kept tap-tap-tapping his pencil. So I spent about seven minutes of test-taking time debating whether or not to tell him to please stop tapping that damn pencil. When I finally asked him to stop, he scowled at me and kept doing it. So that was bad. During the lunch break, I was seriously inches away from canceling my test scores because I thought I had gotten, like, an 8 on the physical science section. But then I decided there was no way in hell I was ever studying for this test again, so I nixed that idea ...
The rest of the test went ok, but I definitely started on some bad feet. My advice to all your test-takers out there:

Be prepared for random things that will happen during the test. There are always things you are not prepared for -- a friend of mine desperately had to pee during the first section (he got a 38), the desks you're working on may be smaller than what you're used to, you may accidently forget to press 'start' on your watch during a section (I did this on verbal). Just remember that EVERYONE taking the test is dealing with these same little annoyances they didn't encounter on the practice tests and EVERYONE thinks it will **** up their scores. Just be calm when things get ugly, be confident that you've prepared as much as possible, and don't let bad performance on one section pysche you out for the other sections. I have a brilliant friend who had been scoring mid-thirties on practice tests, had some trouble with the real MCAT's PS section, and let that dictate how he would do on the rest of the test. He ended up with a 27. So please just always remember to overcome hurdles when they appear and once you've overcome them, leave them behind. You'll do fine.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

During the lunch break, I was seriously inches away from canceling my test scores because I thought I had gotten, like, an 8 on the physical science section. But then I decided there was no way in hell I was ever studying for this test again, so I nixed that idea ....

Whoa!! You really did have a bad start. I'm really concenred about not knowing whether to cancel the score or not. I usually can tell how i did on an exam but this ine matters to much to be wrong... BTW, what did you get?

Be prepared for random things that will happen during the test. There are always things you are not prepared for -- a friend of mine desperately had to pee during the first section (he got a 38), the desks you're working on may be smaller than what you're used to, you may accidently forget to press 'start' on your watch during a section (I did this on verbal). Just remember that EVERYONE taking the test is dealing with these same little annoyances they didn't encounter on the practice tests and EVERYONE thinks it will **** up their scores. Just be calm when things get ugly, be confident that you've prepared as much as possible, and don't let bad performance on one section pysche you out for the other sections. I have a brilliant friend who had been scoring mid-thirties on practice tests, had some trouble with the real MCAT's PS section, and let that dictate how he would do on the rest of the test. He ended up with a 27. So please just always remember to overcome hurdles when they appear and once you've overcome them, leave them behind. You'll do fine.

So we're back to this again? I thought we were allowed to use the bathroom? Did he ask and was told no or did they tell you in the beginning you couldn't?

Don't they have clocks in the room? Why do you need a stop watch?

thanks for all the good advice

 

[VFrank]

So we're back to this again? I thought we were allowed to use the bathroom? Did he ask and was told no or did they tell you in the beginning you couldn't?

Don't they have clocks in the room? Why do you need a stop watch?

thanks for all the good advice

No, I'm pretty sure we're allowed to use the bathroom, but it wastes a lot of time to get up, go tell the proctor/turn your test in, go, get your test back, and continue working. I'm pretty sure he didn't get up to leave because of the time. But, either way, I bet a lot of people aren't preparing to have to use the bathroom -- it's just another unpleasant surprise you need to overcome whether you leave the room or not. I use a stopwatch to time myself on the sections because, for some reason, it takes me a while to read analog watches. I know a lot of people who brought wrist watches with timers -- it's just easier for some people. The only stipulation is that the watches can't beep.

I actually ended up getting a 42P, so I'm really glad I didn't cancel my test. If you have any other questions, PM me (I like giving advice).

 

[Psycho Doctor]

a 42P!!!! ::gasp::: What??!! What??!! What??!! What??!!

Whoa!! That even beats the 40 I heard...wow, awesome!! Congratulations!!!! How coulds you almost have cancelled your scores? How were you doing on the practices? What was your goal (since everyone seems to have one)? What are your tips for doing well?

 

[ifailedmcat]

Yes, VFrank is one of the MCAT gods .

 

[Psycho Doctor]

whoa apparently so...i need to know her secrets

and what's with your name? did you ever take the MCAT before?