When should I freak out about the MCAT?

[mspeedwagon]

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Alright, I realize this is subjective, but I've had a lot of personal issues on my way to taking the MCAT (brother's divorce, ill parent, sibling suffering from major depression and I'm currently sick and can't seem to shake off a cold... entering my third wk sick and about to head to Portland for work tomorrow). That said, I don't want to make any more excuses (although, I realize that's what I just did). I know I can do a lot better than below.

I took the Kaplan Diagnostic and scored: 10 V, 9 PS, 4 BS
Took Kaplan Full-Length 1 and scored 9 V, 7 PS, 4 BS

I'm scheduled for June 20th. Honestly, with all my issues, I haven't studied very hard in the last few weeks (was expecting test 1 and diagnostic not to be that far apart as such). I reviewed My Full-Length 1 and the mistakes I made in PS were silly (probably could have scored a 9). In bio, I second guessed myself on several answers (thought the obvious answer was too simple and was looking for a trick to the questions, but apparently there wasn't one). I think I did that on about 10 or so questions in BS (likely could bring my score up to an 8 pretty quickly). I've been finishing the BS section with 10 mins to spare, which tells me I'm going too quickly and using recall rather than passages.

I am off from work Memorial Day to June 20 (roughly 30 days I can study day and night). I'm going to take an AAMC test this upcoming week (I was told by many to take test 5 since it's a good gauge of content). I think I can score 10s in PS and VR realistically, but am worried about bio. I'm aiming for 11/11/11. I'll be happy with a 30. Is it possible?

Again, I have roughly 30 days with no other commitment but the MCAT (and primary application). At what point should I give up on this cycle and push out my app (obviously, I'm not eager to do this, but would rather get all my ducks in a row and apply once).

Any words of advice / suggestions appreciated.

 

[Helixkam]

Hey man you're not super far from your goal and you gotta remember that 30 days is a lot of time if of have full time to study. Just stay calm and don't freak out at all if you can help it. My test is soon on May 18th and I realized that you never feel totally ready for this test no matter how much you prepare.

 

[ReadyToRumble]

Judging from your numbers it seems that you have some content gaps. Instead of jumping into more FLs I'd suggest making a list of the topics you know you're weak on but can understand with some effort and tackle those for a couple of days (don't dwell on this step though, you do want to move on to FLs). Or if you're not sure what your content trouble spots are do the SAP. Once you understand concepts and memorize equations you'll see a score jump. A 30 is definitely possible since you'll have the time to do it soon. Don't jump ship just yet--do the content review, take a test to see if there's improvement, then decide.

 

[wjs010]

I like ready 2 rumbles advice here

 

[mspeedwagon]

Thanks for the suggestions. I like your suggestion R2R (I do think genetics and physio are weak points of mine). I won't freak out yet. I'll plan to spend a week reading through EK and the Kaplan Bio book and I'll spend Fri/Sat doing BR practice passages and then take a FL on Sunday (aim for at least an 8). Many have told me I should get one AAMC test in soon (as Kaplan scores may not be that accurate).

My college should revoke my bio degree (granted, my focus was in neuroscience which isn't really tested much on the MCAT).

Helix, good luck on May 18. You'll rock it! Honestly, I agree that you can never feel totally prepared for the MCAT (feel I could study for this test for a year if I really wanted to).

 

[Temperature101]

Thanks for the suggestions. I like your suggestion R2R (I do think genetics and physio are weak points of mine). I won't freak out yet. I'll plan to spend a week reading through EK and the Kaplan Bio book and I'll spend Fri/Sat doing BR practice passages and then take a FL on Sunday (aim for at least an 8). Many have told me I should get one AAMC test in soon (as Kaplan scores may not be that accurate).

My college should revoke my bio degree (granted, my focus was in neuroscience which isn't really tested much on the MCAT).

Helix, good luck on May 18. You'll rock it! Honestly, I agree that you can never feel totally prepared for the MCAT (feel I could study for this test for a year if I really wanted to).

If these are your weak points, you can safely say that bio in general is your problem. Lol.... Genetics is one of my weak points as well and I am getting better at it after watching some online interactive biology videos... You can also try some of these online videos to see if they help.

 

[aspiring20]

If these are your weak points, you can safely say that bio in general is your problem. Lol.... Genetics is one of my weak points as well and I am getting better at it after watching some online interactive biology videos... You can also try some of these online videos to see if they help.

genetics is definitely a tough topic, but i think physiology can be mastered via a brute force method. just read through the relevant chapters multiple times and memorize the essential hormones and mechanisms. then, build connections between the different organ systems and determine how multiple systems react in response to changes in physiological conditions.

 

[mspeedwagon]

If it weren't for the BS section, I probably wouldn't have made this post. I'm pretty confident that I can bring VR and PS up to 10s (at the very least) pretty quickly. I'm normally very good at verbal and g-chem was a stronger subject of mine (I'm ok at physics).

I've gotten a few different pieces of advice. I'm working to read through the full EK Bio book this week (currently on Ch 3. Microbio). I'll take the 30 minute exams this weekend for all chapters and then I'll watch Kahn Academy bio lectures. Full length on Sunday and then BR bio passages next week (sound like an ok plan?). After a work trip to Seattle next week, I don't have too much more in the way of work.

I took Biochem and molecular bio as part of my post-bac, but took general bio in 2002. Now, I'm really wishing I'd incorporated physio + genetics (and possibly cell bio) into my post-bac.

I figure if people can step for Step 1 in 4-8 wks, I really should be able to study for the MCAT in 30 days with no other commitments (other than primaries).

If these are your weak points, you can safely say that bio in general is your problem. Lol.... Genetics is one of my weak points as well and I am getting better at it after watching some online interactive biology videos... You can also try some of these online videos to see if they help.