What went wrong?

[Atlas80]

I studied using Examkrackers. I went through all the books, did all the tests, a nice part of the 1001 Phys and Chem questions (Phys science is my biggest weakness). I also listened to most of AudioOsmosis. After all the studying, my practice scores have increases very little from AAMC 3, which I did with little preparation. I am scoring from a 6-8 on the Physical and a 7-9 on the Bio in the practice tests, I am pretty good on the verbal.

I am scheduled to take the test on Friday, obviously I will void it. The thing is I do not know where to go from here. Any suggestions would very much be appreciated.

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[LikeClockWork]

How many practice tests have you taken total? Repeatedly taking practice tests after covering the material is what helped me (or at least I think it helped me; scores aren't out yet...)

 

[creekfreek24]

are you applying for D.O. or MD schools? sounds like if you do well for how you've been doing you can get a competitive score for some DO schools and if you have a good gpa, EC's and LoR's, and give some good interviews I'd say you have a shot.

 

[Atlas80]

are you applying for D.O. or MD schools? sounds like if you do well for how you've been doing you can get a competitive score for some DO schools and if you have a good gpa, EC's and LoR's, and give some good interviews I'd say you have a shot.

My GPA is 3.4ish so I need a stellar MCAT for a chance at MD. From the way it looks I do not have that capability, a 30 would be a miracle for me and even that would not be good enough. I would need at least a 28 for a DO school to off-set my low GPA and that has become my goal.

 

[RySerr21]

My GPA is 3.4ish so I need a stellar MCAT for a chance at MD. From the way it looks I do not have that capability, a 30 would be a miracle for me and even that would not be good enough. I would need at least a 28 for a DO school to off-set my low GPA and that has become my goal.

your GPA isn't that low for DO schools. its actually pretty average. you woulnd't need that high of an MCAT to get in somewhere. it might not be your top choice in the city you want to be in, but it is still an acceptance.

 

[Cumberland_Doc]

3.4 with a 30 isn't going to eliminate you from as many places as you think. Start working on tons of extracurriculars also.

 

[physics junkie]

Why not just take a look at what you missed and review your thought process to see where you went wrong? It's not like the answers are plucked out of a hat. There are correct answers and incorrect answers like every test. Are you even looking at the score report the aamc cbt's provide to let you know what areas you are missing? C'mon. It's not like there is an infinite amount of information being tested here. The obvious answer to your question of what went wrong is you didn't study as much as you needed to. Others may have to study less. That's just the cards you've been dealt.

 

[Atlas80]

3.4 with a 30 isn't going to eliminate you from as many places as you think. Start working on tons of extracurriculars also.

I assume you are talking about the MD front. Yes, I know I would have had some chance if I got a 30 on this MCAT. But I will not be able to do that and my chance to apply early will be lost which would have been my saving grace. Next year a 3.4 will be even less competitive with the skyrocketing number of apps.

The rest of my app like EC's and letters are quite good.

 

[Kaustikos]

I assume you are talking about the MD front. Yes, I know I would have had some chance if I got a 30 on this MCAT. But I will not be able to do that and my chance to apply early will be lost which would have been my saving grace. Next year a 3.4 will be even less competitive with the skyrocketing number of apps.

The rest of my app like EC's and letters are quite good.

Don't use that attitude. Better to wait and develop an even stronger application than apply now and basically donate money if you don't get in. There's no rush to get into medical school and, honestly, although more people are applying, it doesn't mean more schools aren't opening up to meet the demand (though still not as large of an increase as the number of applicants). You're GPA isn't bad and coupled with a 29-31 MCAT would land you some interviews/waitlists/acceptances. If anything, I would take the time now to focus on how much you actually know the material. This test isn't about memorizing as it is about application of what you know. I would suggest taking the year to develop your extracurriculars while focusing on doing some studying for the MCAT. Having a year will take loads of stress off because you dont' have such a time constraint working against you and the extracurriculars will only help while you study. Win win win.
I'm optomistic that with some looking back and thorough review of what you're missing, you can easily bump up the numbers to 10-11s for bs/ps.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

I studied using Examkrackers. I went through all the books, did all the tests, a nice part of the 1001 Phys and Chem questions (Phys science is my biggest weakness). I also listened to most of AudioOsmosis. After all the studying, my practice scores have increases very little from AAMC 3, which I did with little preparation. I am scoring from a 6-8 on the Physical and a 7-9 on the Bio in the practice tests, I am pretty good on the verbal.

I am scheduled to take the test on Friday, obviously I will void it. The thing is I do not know where to go from here. Any suggestions would very much be appreciated.

You answered your own question. It's not about the studying and the reviewing and the absorption of material; it's about learning how to apply that information.

I think the number one mistake I see people make when preparing for this exam is that they think by studying and reviewing material, they'll be able to sit down and do well on the exam. Just like in courses, the best way to get ready for a midterm or final is to look at old exams and see the testing style. See the material in the context of the exam. Many of my students spend their first month and a half reading page after page and going through the motions doing passages and grading them to get a score. Then after their first practice exam, the panic hits, a light goes on, and they are finally ready to start preparing for the exam.

You have done a bunch of questions on the assumption that repetition and countless hours equals success. You have to stop that processing mentality and shift into a thinking mode. When you do questions, explain to yourself why an incorrect answer choice is wrong, why the best answer is the best, and in some cases why not knowing what the answer choice is saying does not impede your selection of the best answer.

I learned a cool trick from my boss and I swear by it. He tells his students to break the pathway into two parts. First, mark each answer choice as T, F, or ?. Once they are all labeled, make a decision what the best answer is. For questions with answer choices earning a "?", read the answer and decide whether it's poor interpretation, missing information, or a misleading answer choice that lead to your assigning it a "?".

You will learn how to use your information to take the exam. It takes time, but you'll see improvements.

 

[futuredoctor10]

I studied using Examkrackers. I went through all the books, did all the tests, a nice part of the 1001 Phys and Chem questions (Phys science is my biggest weakness). I also listened to most of AudioOsmosis. After all the studying, my practice scores have increases very little from AAMC 3, which I did with little preparation. I am scoring from a 6-8 on the Physical and a 7-9 on the Bio in the practice tests, I am pretty good on the verbal.

As people have noted above, perhaps you know the material but are having difficulty applying to MCAT-type questions.

Could it also be the Examkracker series? I have read posts that EK by themselves are not sufficient / too brief. I am not solely using them as my study materials so it is hard for me to judge, but what are people's thoughts? I might use them to reinforce concepts after reading them in my Kaplan books!

What are people's thoughts on Examkrackers books on their own?

 

[tncekm]

You answered your own question. It's not about the studying and the reviewing and the absorption of material; it's about learning how to apply that information.

Exactly!

I.e. an electrical circuit has a resistor inside of a 1L perfectly insulated tank of water, and the circuit has a 5V battery and is pumping out 1A. What is the temperature change after the circuit has been on for 5 minutes, and what is the resistance of the the unknown resistor?

This is a question that would have baffled me not too long ago b/c in college, these two concepts weren't put together for me. But, the MCAT expects me to be able to integrate. All it comes down it is q=mcΔT and P=IV where V=IR and knowing that q is the transfer of energy from the resistor (i.e. the power x time).

Just sitting down and reading books doesn't do this, you've got to practice it, see it, review it, and understand it.

I think someone in the OP's position could benefit from a good tutor. I think almost anybody could get a 30 is if they're willing to work harder than their peers, but sometimes it requires someone else to point out what that person is missing a few times before it clicks.

 

[Cumberland_Doc]

As people have noted above, perhaps you know the material but are having difficulty applying to MCAT-type questions.

Could it also be the Examkracker series? I have read posts that EK by themselves are not sufficient / too brief. I am not solely using them as my study materials so it is hard for me to judge, but what are people's thoughts? I might use them to reinforce concepts after reading them in my Kaplan books!

What are people's thoughts on Examkrackers books on their own?

This is exactly the approach I take when studying. I'll review with a book that offers much more detail, such as Kaplan or Nova, and then supplement what I just learned with EK to solidify any loose ends. Then I'll take the EK in-class exams that are useful.