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[tulsajoe94]

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[PapaGuava]

Do you think you lacked mainly in content review or was it lack of practice? The Kaplan books you have give overkill for content review but if youre weak in a specific area it may be good to review there quick before jumping into straight practice.

 

[tulsajoe94]

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[PapaGuava]

@tulsajoe94
I personally found Kaplan to be great for the psych/soc but I've heard a lot of the time to check out TPR. So if you have both then you could use a mix and be just fine!

Acid/base, Acid/base! Yes, you definitely want to hammer those concepts in because they will play a part in a lot of Ochem questions. I would suggest reviewing the basics of General Chemistry first in order to help you smooth out some things early before for the Ochem review.

Hey, you know yourself the best and just keep pushing forward! A traumatic situation would throw anyone off, but you're stronger now and you'll do great!

 

[Deleted member 953708]

Honestly, all the content review you need is on Khan Academy MCAT. Psych/Soc is all about learning the terms that will be tested on the exam, and the videos on Khan Academy are definitely sufficient for learning the concepts that will be tested. If you want to be sure that you don't miss anything, you can always check the concepts list on the AAMC's website. Just look up "AAMC What's on the MCAT Exam?" and scroll to the Psych/Soc section PDF.

Personally, though, I think taking practice exams is the best way to prepare yourself for the test. Nothing can substitute practicing the questions that are associated with passages. Also, working on timing and mimicking the testing conditions are super-valuable. Altius has 10 practice exams you can buy, and I think they have some you can get for free, too. They're maybe a little more difficult than the real exam, but it's better to have the real thing be easier than your practice, in my opinion. And you can always buy the practice exams available through the AAMC--that's the closest you can get to the real test!

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[PlsLetMeIn21]

Areas of weakness: Ochem, Psych Social.
Areas of strength: CARS

Seeking:
-ANY Free study materials
-ANY Free practice tests
-Paid practice tests (never took one, so any/all would work for me!)
-Paid practice question books
-Paid supplemental material for Psych/Social (if needed bc no comprehensive free resources)
-Maybe some flashcards? Is there a recommended Anki deck? Never used Anki but its a great day to start according to reddit.
-Advice on whether or not I should cough up the $ for a study program? I did one while in undergrad 3 years ago but...didn't actually do any of the homework :x. I know. I know. I wasn't really dedicated to becoming a physician then, but I've grown a lot in 3 years and have built a much better work ethic.

Before you do anything, thank God that you are good at CARS. It's the hardest one to improve.

For psych/social, I used TPR and liked it. The 100 page doc is a must. KA is really good too, probably their best material. Anki is super helpful for this section.

For organic, you must get TBR. It is so far and away the best material out there that you won't need anything else. That will take care of content and practice passages in one book.

As far as free stuff goes, the UWorld trial is the best free stuff you'll find.

Spend money on AAMC materials and if you can afford it also get the TBR science books. For commercial exams, I used a hybrid of EK, TBR, and Altius. Looking back on it I would not have done Altius. EK and TBR are fine. I definitely felt doing FLs from multiple sources helped me on test day.

 

[Hi_I'mPaul]

Hi!

I may or may not be retaking my MCAT in the Spring (wish me luck on this cycle lol). If I do need to reapply, I'm thinking the MCAT is the place I can make the most progress with my application in under a year. I'd be open to other suggestions from reapplicants. Of course, I'm gathering information as well and can update as I go along. My main issue is I try to over-study one area and never even get to the next subject. I'm hoping for suggestions that will make sure I cover everything I need to succeed with as little $ spent as possible.

I currently have:
Princeton Review 2015
Kaplan 2015 (haven't studied from previously)
K/A 100 page P/S from Reddit

Areas of weakness: Ochem, Psych Social.
Areas of strength: CARS

Seeking:
-ANY Free study materials
-ANY Free practice tests
-Paid practice tests (never took one, so any/all would work for me!)
-Paid practice question books
-Paid supplemental material for Psych/Social (if needed bc no comprehensive free resources)
-Maybe some flashcards? Is there a recommended Anki deck? Never used Anki but its a great day to start according to reddit.
-Advice on whether or not I should cough up the $ for a study program? I did one while in undergrad 3 years ago but...didn't actually do any of the homework :x. I know. I know. I wasn't really dedicated to becoming a physician then, but I've grown a lot in 3 years and have built a much better work ethic.

I'll make it easy for ya. Kaplan books + flashcard app, All of Khan Academy's MCAT videos, AAMC material, Next Step exams 1-6.

 

[tulsajoe94]

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[Hi_I'mPaul]

Thank you, I love this response and it was exactly what I was looking for.



Is this an app Kaplan puts out or any old flashcard app? I'll add Next Step and Kahn Academy to my study list.

Right now, I'm thinking:
100 page P/S - FREE
Kahn Academy MCAT videos - FREE
AAMC practices - $?
EK and TBR practices - $?
Next Step practices 1-6 - $?
UWorld trial - FREE
Kaplan Books and TPR books (maybe use Kaplan for sciences, TPR for P/S, and then relearn any weak material in the opposite book?)
And see if I can't check out a copy of TBR Ochem from some library source!

Any flashcard MCAT app will do, but Kaplan does have a flashcard deck that is pretty good.
AAMC materials= $240
6 Next Step exams = $150 ( I do not think you need EK/TBR Practice tbh...)

I'd recommend using 2 sources, as you mentioned (Kaplan and TPR), and do your approach. I'd personally use Kaplan as primary tho.

Words of wisdom: It's good to have all of these resources, but it can also be a hindrance with all of the tyranny of choice. Just do what you're comfortable with, stay consistent and confident. At the end of the day, any of your resources above will teach you the correct info, but it's on you to truly internalize it. Don't overthink the prep.

 

[Hi_I'mPaul]

The above comment has been edited by myself. At SDN we do not allow file sharing and we also do not allow comments that encourage piracy.

I didn't encourage it, just left it as an option--especially when the original poster is looking to spend as little $ as possible. We could debate the morality surrounding the issue all day, but I understand and will be cognizant of it for the future.