Who thought Aug 2006 MCAT was DIFFICULT?

[instigata]

Let's try this again

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[quadmanturbo]

that only EKG graph thingy as a passage? lol..............I learned that in upper mamalian physiology but didn't pay much attention..........wish I did.......

 

[medfool24]

I had form B something. pastoralism. monks. video art.

that sounds familiar. I think I had BQ. PS wasn't bad, BS had a few tough things, VR was killer. ASL wasn't fun either.

 

[Iceageheatwave]

Form BL

i spent way too much time freaking out about that PV plates passage that i never got to the arrhenius passage and had to bubble in B for all of it. Im still kicking myself for having missed an entire passage on what must have been 'first day of chem 1' information.

Verbal was ok except i didnt get to finish it. I bubbled in B for the ASL passage.

Bio had devilish parts to it, high in the genetics, but seemed ok. im sure i choked on the EKG passage and the linked genes passage.

 

[chaeymaey]

I've completely blocked the test out. All I know is that I felt like crap after the first half and felt like a rockstar after the second. Don't know what that means, but I want my score!

 

[karlin009]

I've completely blocked the test out. All I know is that I felt like crap after the first half and felt like a rockstar after the second. Don't know what that means, but I want my score!

I feel the same way..

 

[futdoc71852]

I too had form FK. I thought the bio sucked bad! PS was easier than usual. VR a little more convoluted, but ok.

Overall, I have a bad feeling about it. Maybe it's wrong.

 

[AppleStrudel]

I had form CG...
PS was so much physics and so little chemistry, and i hate physics
Verbal sucked
BS was ok
I just want to get it over with!!

 

[Trismegistus4]

I had form FJ.

Physical science was easy. (Knock on wood... now that I've said that, watch that turn out to be my worst score.)

Verbal wasn't bad; pretty straightforward except for one totally indecipherable passage on irony and literary criticism with totally indecipherable questions. I'm hoping that was an experimental passage.

Bio was the worst. It was almost all material I'd never seen before. The only bio classes I've taken are 101/102 and Cell bio/Introduction to biochem, so I've never seen molecular biology nor advanced genetics, so I don't know whether that's what these topics were. All I know is that they were NOT the big topics from Bio 101/102 nor the material the test prep companies prepare you for (cell structure and function, viruses, DNA replication, organ systems, hormones, etc.) It was all ridiculously complicated graphs and tables, and convoluted explanations of neural signalling pathways and complex relationships between expression of different genes. How I longed for a few questions like "what would happen to a patient's blood pressure if he had a mutation in the gene for ADH" or "which of the following is not found in viruses"--the kinds of questions the practice tests were filled with. There were virtually none.

I know they say most of the information is in the passage, so I guess it's possible that I managed to find most of it and got a 13. I also wouldn't be surprised if I got a 7.

 

[beefbroccoli]

I had form BG

PS: Totally freaked out on the first passage (and it was EASY). I just freaked out and blanked. I think I stared at it for 5 minutes and couldn't do anything. Moved on to the next passage (on chemistry) and calmed down. Went back to 1st passage and finished those ones off. Don't think I had that much difficulty, other than a few tricky ones, such as the solar panel questions and one or two related to the elevator.

VR: Went well until the end. The ASL passage was ridiculous - it didn't make sense to me. Might've also screwed up a few on pastoralism.

BS: Everything was great except for the heart q's. Glad I spent time in a genetics lab, really helped since there were SO MANY genetics problems. Organic chem passages were a joke.

Honestly, I'll be peeing my pants with joy if I get 10/9/10

I had form BG too. I thought PS was ok, but the VR and BS were difficult. ESPECIALLY the VR. The passages on video art and pastoralism threw me off. And the last one, I had to answer like seven questions in two minutes. It was an impossible passage, too. I don't really remember anything about the BS, except that there was a very, very loud concert going on at the same time. This was the last section too and at that point, I was reaaaaaaaally tired and annoyed at the scheduling gaffe. Probably did poorly there too.

hp540 , you sound like you did great, though. Good luck! And good luck to all you August MCAT'ers. I'm sure you did better than you think!

 

[Dr.who]

I had CL.

Physics was really hard.

Verbal was easy.

Bio wasn't bad.

 

[organic37881]

I had the same test. Don't remember the code either. I thought thr VR was harder than practice and it is usually my best, oh well! We'll know in a little while!

 

[Cirrus83]

I had form B something. pastoralism. monks. video art.

That sounds familiar...this form had the ASL one too right? (or was that on all the forms as an experimental)

But yeah I think I had this one...I don't know if all the sections are linked, but if they are then I thought the physics for this form was relatively easy as it pretty much didn't require any memorization of formulas-some of the forms I had seen would actually ask questions that would have required you to remember formulas you might have forgotten...so I was fairly happy that formulas were at a minimum.

Don't remember much about the BS on this test but it seemed ok I guess, not easy but ok.

I somewhat regret not doing the paper version of the test because I realized I had screwed up like 1-2 of the ASL questions (I took some psychology before and so some of the brain stuff was familiar since I went to school in a city with a lot of deaf people-but I hadn't actually read the paragraph due to time contraints when I originally guessed through) but the stupid CBT cut me off...grr...just needed like 8 more seconds. So I'm hoping that it was experimental or I'm gonna be kinda pissed that I cost myself a point.

 

[smuwillobrien]

Wow, I'm surprised so many people had the solar panel and radiator question too. =] What about diving with a big bottle?

 

[OCPreMed]

Did you have for CG? I remember a Radiator (solar panel?) question that was insane!

dude, i had CG... there was a solar panel passage..

 

[Pshizzle]

I'm scaling the difficulty based on the 10 practice tests I took. I had form AL.

PS: More difficult that usual. Solar panels threw me for a loop.
Verbal: Had a couple easy passages, a couple really tough ones. ASL was insane. Overall it was tougher than usual.
BS: While taking it, it felt like the easiest BS section I had ever taken. Scored on it faily average though.

 

[akinf]

Compared to all the AAMC practice tests

I had DJ

I found the PS about the same. I had the solar passage too and didn't think that was too bad. I remember thinking to myself...what a cool way to heat a house.

VR...I found the same as AAMC (which is why I am still shocked by my score)...I thought the 2nd last passage was hard though.

BS...I found much harder than the AAMC stuff. Way less organic than I expected and a lot more human physiology. I have never taken human phys so I only had a couple minutes left at the end.

 

[ms_taken]

I'm scaling the difficulty based on the 10 practice tests I took. I had form AL.

PS: More difficult that usual. Solar panels threw me for a loop.
Verbal: Had a couple easy passages, a couple really tough ones. ASL was insane. Overall it was tougher than usual.
BS: While taking it, it felt like the easiest BS section I had ever taken. Scored on it faily average though.

I don't remember the solar panel passage. Everything was such a blur that day. I thought the PS was very hard. That highway question with the noise barriers through me off. I didn't like the multiple circuits passage. I ran out of time before I could fully analyze it. I was scoring around 10's on PS practice exams and scored a 7 on the actual =T. I agree with you. The BS was ridiculously easier than the practice exams, but they definitely curved it to make it fair. Anyway, I hope you did well.

 

[drizzt3117]

I think I had test form DH:

PS seemed difficult, I had the solar panel one, the one with the weird theory about bread pudding, the "verbal" passage about nebulas, and the diving bottle question. After I finished, I was like "wtf" and finished bubbling two questions I'd eliminated to two answer choices seconds before time was called. I had been testing in the 13-14 range on PS so I was very surprised at the difficulty of the section. I ended up getting a 13, which I was surprised about. Was pissed that I got a really stupid question wrong because I said Iron was a coordinate transition metal ARGH.

Verbal seemed easy, cruised through it, had passage about monks, engineers, and a weird analogy one was the last passage, VR had been my best section in practice, I'd been crushing them for 14+ but got a 13 on the actual test.

Writing sample:
Seemed like there was a trap passage, first one was about "should the rich be responsible for helping the poor" which invited you to comment about the social situation in this country, I tried to be balanced. Second question was about whether art should be censored, and I had a bit to say about that, wrist got tired after writing 6+ pages, ended up with a S which I was fairly happy with.

Bio was manageable, mix of molecular genetics, the EEG passage right off practice tests, easy O chem, and some bicarb/digestive stuff. Only really difficult passage was a development one. Missed two easy questions (one bacteriology, one development) but oh wells. Bio was my weakest section in practice tests, testing at 12-13 normally, got a 13 on the real test.

 

[xylem29]

Form BG

I can't remember but I remember not focusing during VR and getting angry because I could tell that it was an easier than usual situation, but I couldn't focus properly.

I ran out of time on PS and guessed on TWO whole passages - but I got a 12. I found PS to be more difficult than usual.

BS I found to reasonable, I don't recall there being much genetics aside from one passage (or maybe i forgot). WS was also reasonable.

Honestly - I am so grateful for my score to turn out the way that it did, b/c I think everything just came together and I really lucked out on all sections - especially verbal, ps, and I am so lucky that WS asked topics that I knew something about.

 

[drizzt3117]

BTW, did a lot of people see voids in their test rooms? My test room (Long Beach City College) had four people no-show and four people void, including one guy who crumpled up his paper and threw it on the ground cursing during the physical science section (a bit disconcerting)

 

[akinf]

BTW, did a lot of people see voids in their test rooms? My test room (Long Beach City College) had four people no-show and four people void, including one guy who crumpled up his paper and threw it on the ground cursing during the physical science section (a bit disconcerting)

I person voided at my site. However, it was done quite discretely.

 

[smuwillobrien]

No one voided at the writing center I was at (Mount Allison University), but then again, there was only like 20 of us.

 

[smuwillobrien]

that only EKG graph thingy as a passage? lol..............I learned that in upper mamalian physiology but didn't pay much attention..........wish I did.......

I felt the same exact way when I saw that huge diagram. I guessed on most of it, but it must have turned out alright.

 

[akinf]

Yea the EKG freaked me out a little, but I think I worked through it. I think the passages I got murdered on was the zerbra-fish passage and the siRNA/BRAC protein passage.

 

[smuwillobrien]

Yea the EKG freaked me out a little, but I think I worked through it. I think the passages I got murdered on was the zerbra-fish passage and the siRNA/BRAC protein passage.

Is that the one to do with heterozygous lethal?

 

[akinf]

Is that the one to do with heterozygous lethal?

Yea...my mendellian genetics skills are weak

 

[smuwillobrien]

Yea...my mendellian genetics skills are weak

LOL - you must have did good on it with your BS score. =]