Writing Sample Question

[hraklis1]

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Hi everybody,

I just finished my prep course (I took TRP), and have a little under a month to go before writing my MCAT. I'm having a bit of trouble concerning how to approach the writing section.

As far as examples are concerned, should I just have a short list of examples that I know really well, and try to apply those to whatever prompt I get?(I know some people who are coming up with examples for EVERY prompt listed on the AAMC site - which seems tedious, and somewhat counterproductive). It seems that under timed conditions, it takes me too long to come up with proper examples that work well for a good synthesis at the end.

Also, are the markers able to tell when you've made up and example? I know that in general, it's good to have a concrete, real example, but when that's not possible, do hypothetical/made up examples work just as well?

Finally, is it good to come up with pre-made sentences that sound good, where you can just insert the topic of interest? I'm wondering whether thats a waste of time, and if I should rather just expect to come up with a great flowing essay while writing it.

Anyways, thanks for your help. If you have any tips that helped with your writing technique, it would be greatly appreciated!

 

[shishicd]

i think it is very useful to have a short list of multipurpose examples to draw from. a good way to practise using them and make sure your list is complete is to go through some of the aamc sample prompts and think about how to apply your premade examples to each instead of coming up with completely new examples.
in a pinch, hypothetical examples will do, but concrete examples are probably better. remember that you can fake it - make up an obscure factoid and the scorers will have to give you the benefit of doubt!
the scorers only have ~1min to grade your essay, so it really just needs to be superficially good. write with confidence! i am also a fan of the idea of having nice sounding sentences to insert in any essay. and make sure your conclusion leaves a good last impression - i don't think my essays had much real substance, but i stuck in a sophisticated-sounding concluding sentence and ended up with a great score.