Hey guys... took my MCAT today! Aside from the normal post-exam doubt, I'm thrilled to be done with it!
I figured that I would give you my brief feedback. I'm happy to answer any follow-up questions.
C/P: By far the hardest of the sections today, and 10x harder than any Kaplan/NS/AAMC FL that I had previously taken. The passages were long and convoluted and a handful of the questions were designed to be answered by a PhD in microbiology. It wasn't as physics heavy as I had anticipated though. In the end, this is the one section that I was left scratching my head regarding my possible score.
CARS: This is the section that, for some unknown reason, I have been struggling with the past several weeks. However, I think I easily got a 130+. The passages were all long, but a much better read than the practice exams. Even the philosophy passages were bearable.
B/BC: Easier than C/P, but still tough. A ton of cell signaling, abbreviations, product-before-activator type sentences, and a lot of molecular genetics. That said, I think that I did fairly well. A strong background in biochem will go a long way in your success here.
P/S: Second hardest section. In my prep, I went through every single Kaplan topic, book, and practice questions... along with other resources. Yet, there were ~8 terms/theories that I had NEVER even heard of before. The passages were much longer than any practice test I'd taken and many of the questions asked you to dive really deep on assumptions... given two answers that could both constitute the "best choice." Previously, I'd been scoring high here... I'm at a loss as to how I did today though.
As a final thought, passage length was a huge change for what I was accustomed. I heard several of the 5/13 and 5/18'ers mention exam fatigue and I can second that thought. I had to work to stay focused throughout the P/S section. Also, a comparison of 'bonus time' is worth mentioning:
My normal - vs - (the REAL exam), extra time for review (by section):
C/P: 20-25 min (8 min)
CARS: 10-15 min (9 min)
B/BC: 20-25 min (12 min)
P/S: 20-30 min (10 min)
For reference, I've always been a great test taker and have never fallen victim to anxiety. In my opinion, the above time adjustments reflect difficulty and passage length.
Best of luck to everyone still studying! Feel free to ask any questions you have.
