January 2012 MCAT...Is it too early for this Thread

[Sailor Senshi Dermystify]

Is anyone taking the MCAT in January 2012? I know it's pretty early but I just wanted to know whose down with me .

Hopefully, I will have time to come back to the States during my vacation break to take this exam. I will probably start some light studying in August

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[fas376]

That probably sounds like the best plan. At least you learned what you had to work on now instead of after the actual test (I've had friends who thought they were ready but scored in the mid-20s on the real thing).

i noticed you said you've been scoring in the mid 30s. how early in advance did you start taking your practice tests? that's a ridiculously good score to be scoring consistently on your practice tests. a few of my friends that scored in the 33-36 range on the real test told me they started off in the mid 20s a month before their test, and then worked there way up. crazy how you started off that high...props

 

[Amba]

i noticed you said you've been scoring in the mid 30s. how early in advance did you start taking your practice tests? that's a ridiculously good score to be scoring consistently on your practice tests. a few of my friends that scored in the 33-36 range on the real test told me they started off in the mid 20s a month before their test, and then worked there way up. crazy how you started off that high...props

Thanks. I took AAMC 3 on December 26th but then had a conference from the 28th to the 1st so I didn't get anything done there. Now I'm doing about 2 tests a week until test day.

I reviewed content from early September to mid-November, then did a lot of TBR passages until Christmas. I think TBR helped a lot; it really forced me to understand the material at a deeper level than needed, especially in the physical sciences. When I make a mistake in an AAMC PS section, 95% it's a stupid reading error or missing info that was stated in the passage.

 

[fas376]

Thanks. I took AAMC 3 on December 26th but then had a conference from the 28th to the 1st so I didn't get anything done there. Now I'm doing about 2 tests a week until test day.

I reviewed content from early September to mid-November, then did a lot of TBR passages until Christmas. I think TBR helped a lot; it really forced me to understand the material at a deeper level than needed, especially in the physical sciences. When I make a mistake in an AAMC PS section, 95% it's a stupid reading error or missing info that was stated in the passage.

ohhh i like your idea. yeah those passages really do help - i should have focused more on them. thanks for the advice man!

 

[pr0crastinator]

So I took my first AAMC FL (#8) last night, and scored a 30 :/ (P9/V11/B10)

I would prefer to score at least a 35 (preferably a bit higher) on the actual exam.

I'm still signed up for the Jan 27 exam, but should I postpone? I do feel that I haven't studied as much as I could have, and I should be able to put in a fair amount of hours to study per day for the next couple of weeks... I just don't know how realistic it is to be able to improve my score by 5+ points in the next 12 days or so... Does anyone have any thoughts?

The other issue is, I'm a senior writing a thesis so I don't know if I'll be able to put in the time to study if I postpone the test to April (already have plans that make it impossible to take in March)

 

[Amba]

ohhh i like your idea. yeah those passages really do help - i should have focused more on them. thanks for the advice man!

No problem, good luck with the studying!

So I took my first AAMC FL (#8) last night, and scored a 30 :/ (P9/V11/B10)

I would prefer to score at least a 35 (preferably a bit higher) on the actual exam.

I'm still signed up for the Jan 27 exam, but should I postpone? I do feel that I haven't studied as much as I could have, and I should be able to put in a fair amount of hours to study per day for the next couple of weeks... I just don't know how realistic it is to be able to improve my score by 5+ points in the next 12 days or so... Does anyone have any thoughts?

The other issue is, I'm a senior writing a thesis so I don't know if I'll be able to put in the time to study if I postpone the test to April (already have plans that make it impossible to take in March)

Just some quick tips from my experience. I took AAMC 3 and got a 32 (13/10/9) and I was really disappointed, but then I reviewed my test and took AAMC 4 a couple days later and got a 39 (13/12/14). Since then, I have been around a 34 or 35. So basically, what I'm saying is that it takes a little while to get used to the format and wording of the test. How did your review go? If you made a bunch of small errors and dumb mistakes, I'd say take another AAMC (maybe #7) in a day or two and see how it goes. If you were missing a lot of content, though, postponing might be best.

Also, at least from what I've read, AAMC 8 is on the harder end of the AAMC spectrum. I'll let you know what I think of it after I take it tomorrow morning

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

No problem, good luck with the studying!



Just some quick tips from my experience. I took AAMC 3 and got a 32 (13/10/9) and I was really disappointed, but then I reviewed my test and took AAMC 4 a couple days later and got a 39 (13/12/14). Since then, I have been around a 34 or 35. So basically, what I'm saying is that it takes a little while to get used to the format and wording of the test. How did your review go? If you made a bunch of small errors and dumb mistakes, I'd say take another AAMC (maybe #7) in a day or two and see how it goes. If you were missing a lot of content, though, postponing might be best.

Also, at least from what I've read, AAMC 8 is on the harder end of the AAMC spectrum. I'll let you know what I think of it after I take it tomorrow morning

Just wanted to add that I just took AAMC #8 and I found it to be the hardest test thus far, as well as my lowest score. Like Bauman said, take another one of the more recent AAMCs and if you are still scoring well below where you want to be, or you realize you are weak on content, I would consider postponing. Don't be like me and take the test before you are ready, because you'll just have to take it again. Good luck!

 

[Amba]

AAMC 8 --> 13/12/13 (38)

If only I could do this consistently now...

 

[Maxine450]

When you review your tests, do you go over verbal? It seems to me like a waste of time.

 

[Amba]

When you review your tests, do you go over verbal? It seems to me like a waste of time.

Nah, I mean I kind of go over it and see what I did wrong but I don't feel like it helps that much. I've been consistently in the 11-12 range (with the exception of AAMC 7 --> 9) with no improvement so I've kind of just accepted that. I try to analyze my errors but it hasn't been fruitful.

 

[aidakm]

Nah, I mean I kind of go over it and see what I did wrong but I don't feel like it helps that much. I've been consistently in the 11-12 range (with the exception of AAMC 7 --> 9) with no improvement so I've kind of just accepted that. I try to analyze my errors but it hasn't been fruitful.

so then how do you do so well in the verbal???

 

[aidakm]

Nah, I mean I kind of go over it and see what I did wrong but I don't feel like it helps that much. I've been consistently in the 11-12 range (with the exception of AAMC 7 --> 9) with no improvement so I've kind of just accepted that. I try to analyze my errors but it hasn't been fruitful.

whats yourr method. please help me! i keep scoring mid 20s AAMC 5: 10-7-9

 

[FutureDoc2]

Hey guys, Ive been scoring between 27-31...so I am thinking of postponing.. I want a 35 or better! What do you all think?!

 

[Amba]

whats yourr method. please help me! i keep scoring mid 20s AAMC 5: 10-7-9

I wouldn't say I have an exact methodology. I'll just give you some tips that have worked for me.

1) Don't do the passages in order (I think this was part of "Mike's Verbal Guide" or something like that). If I read through one of the more difficult passages and don't fully understand it, and don't know the first question, I move on and come back to the whole passage later.

2) Fly through the easy passages. Most of the AAMCs have 4 or so passages that would definitely be called easy. There might be one "difficult" question in each, but for the most part you should finish the passages and questions in ~5 minutes. Don't work carelessly, but trust your intuition on the easy passages. This saves you valuable time for the difficult passages.

3) Beware of questions that trick you into bringing in outside knowledge. I think this happens a lot on "the author implies..." questions. It's not what YOU think it should be, it's what the author does. It helps to make a conscious effort to understand what viewpoint the author is coming from.

Those are just a couple practical tips that I've picked up, good luck!

Hey guys, Ive been scoring between 27-31...so I am thinking of postponing.. I want a 35 or better! What do you all think?!

Have you been taking AAMCs? Which ones? What's your trend like?

 

[sprky09]

Hey guys I'm signed up for Jan 27th as well. I think im good to go, all I want is a 30+ and here are my current FL scores, I plan to take 2 more AAMC's between now and then too, what do you guys think?

Kap FL1: 34
Kap FL2: 35
Kap FL3: 34
Kap FL4: 35
Kap FL5: 33
AAMC8: 35

Also which AAMC's do you guys think are the hardest, I'd like to take those ones before real deal, thanks and good luck to everyone!

-M

 

[Amba]

Hey guys I'm signed up for Jan 27th as well. I think im good to go, all I want is a 30+ and here are my current FL scores, I plan to take 2 more AAMC's between now and then too, what do you guys think?

Kap FL1: 34
Kap FL2: 35
Kap FL3: 34
Kap FL4: 35
Kap FL5: 33
AAMC8: 35

Also which AAMC's do you guys think are the hardest, I'd like to take those ones before real deal, thanks and good luck to everyone!

-M

Nice scores From what I've read and heard, AAMC 8 and 10 are probably the hardest. I didn't think 8 was bad, but I do know that the verbal on 7 sucked big time. So I'd say either get 10 and 11 or 10 and 7.

 

[BKN89]

Hey guys, Ive been scoring between 27-31...so I am thinking of postponing.. I want a 35 or better! What do you all think?!

If you've taken several (i.e. more than 2) AAMCs and that's your range and you want to aim for the mid 30s, I'd recommend postponing since you have just under 2 weeks left and that sort of leap in improvement won't come in 2 weeks.

If those aren't AAMC scores, take a couple and see what you get.

 

[aidakm]

If you've taken several (i.e. more than 2) AAMCs and that's your range and you want to aim for the mid 30s, I'd recommend postponing since you have just under 2 weeks left and that sort of leap in improvement won't come in 2 weeks.

If those aren't AAMC scores, take a couple and see what you get.

just to tell u where im coming from. Pretty much got a 26 today. I am not going to reschedule tho. just gonna take more practice problems. and everyday I go up. so i think ill get there!

 

[Maxine450]

Keep getting 33 on every damn test. This is sooo frustrating. I wonder if 12/11/12 is doable. Please, god, PLEASE!

 

[iceman132]

Keep getting 33 on every damn test. This is sooo frustrating. I wonder if 12/11/12 is doable. Please, god, PLEASE!

Don't expect a 35 if you're consistently getting 33's.

 

[fas376]

Don't expect a 35 if you're consistently getting 33's.

We all know plenty of people have scored 27s on their practice exams and ended up with a 30. We also know plenty of people who were scoring in the low 30s the week before their exam and end up with a mid to high 30 score. So what's the point of bringing in such a negative attitude? I don't understand people like you.

 

[kautionwirez]

* nvm mods please delete

 

[Tuan]

Score Plateau is frustrating.

AAMC 10: 35 (2 weeks ago)
AAMC 8: 39
AAMC 9: 33
AAMC 7: 35 (today)

I'm saving 11 for the very last week with 3 TPR and 3,4,5 remaining as well.

 

[Ssina]

Score Plateau is frustrating.

AAMC 10: 35 (2 weeks ago)
AAMC 8: 39
AAMC 9: 33
AAMC 7: 35 (today)

I'm saving 11 for the very last week with 3 TPR and 3,4,5 remaining as well.

right there with ya, stuck inbtwn 34-37, although my wild card is f****g verbal! for whatever reason, I did better on AAMC7 than all other ones, but I left 9-11 for this coming week and the week before the test!
keep it up and gl

 

[Maxine450]

Do you guys like the Kaplan tests? Do they help you? I have some but they're so wordy compared to AAMC. I haven't tried any, I just looked at PS section of a few.

 

[FutureDoc2]

If you've taken several (i.e. more than 2) AAMCs and that's your range and you want to aim for the mid 30s, I'd recommend postponing since you have just under 2 weeks left and that sort of leap in improvement won't come in 2 weeks.

If those aren't AAMC scores, take a couple and see what you get.

Yea, unfortunately they were, aamc 7&8 I think I am going to postpone until March 24th Well, good luck to you all! I know you will do excellent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

Took a two day break and did nothing MCAT related after feeling some burnout. Took AAMC #9 today and got a 35 (12/11/12). It's amazing how much my scores are effected by being in a better mindset. On another note, I still can't seem to let a question that I don't know go. I tend to sit on the question, thinking if I just think a little harder I can figure it out. It's really screwing with my timing.

 

[iceman132]

We all know plenty of people have scored 27s on their practice exams and ended up with a 30. We also know plenty of people who were scoring in the low 30s the week before their exam and end up with a mid to high 30 score. So what's the point of bringing in such a negative attitude? I don't understand people like you.

The number of people who do higher than their practice scores are far fewer than those who get lower or their average.


Stop giving out false hope. He keeps getting a 33. He will most likely get a 33.

 

[Maxine450]

He's a she actually. Yeah, I'm not expecting a miracle or anything. I just need to get one or two questions right more than usual, and I'll get it. The real test is also much harder than these practice ones.

 

[Hotshy]

Thanks, that's good to hear. What did you end up getting on your actual test, may I ask? My average is at 35 right now, which I wouldn't mind getting for a real score.

Sorry for the delayed response. I averaged a 34, and scored a 34. With the exact same breakdown as I had on AAMC #11 .

 

[Hotshy]

Keep getting 33 on every damn test. This is sooo frustrating. I wonder if 12/11/12 is doable. Please, god, PLEASE!

33 is a good score. I mean if you really want a 35 you can push it back and go from there. My AAMC practice average was 34 and well I scored 34 on the real deal. Yeah I really wanted a 35, but I just decided to take my test and didn't want to put any more time into it. Things worked out well from there .

 

[Ssina]

Took a two day break and did nothing MCAT related after feeling some burnout. Took AAMC #9 today and got a 35 (12/11/12). It's amazing how much my scores are effected by being in a better mindset. On another note, I still can't seem to let a question that I don't know go. I tend to sit on the question, thinking if I just think a little harder I can figure it out. It's really screwing with my timing.

Two weeks ago, i did the same thing, was scoring mid/low 30s then took 2 days off... scored 6 points higher than my last 2 AAMCs!!!! blew my mind.... with that said i'm back down again and there is sooo much I have to review that I have left only a day and half of break right before the exam on Sat... we will see soon I guess!

33 is a good score. I mean if you really want a 35 you can push it back and go from there. My AAMC practice average was 34 and well I scored 34 on the real deal. Yeah I really wanted a 35, but I just decided to take my test and didn't want to put any more time into it. Things worked out well from there .

thanks for sharing, but how much of an spread did you have!? I have couple of scores up there, and a couple down and a couple in the middle... ave 34ish... this is making me a bit nervous, since my score is spread out all over the place! I guess it has to do with deficiencies in some topics vs. others ( and i'm trying to address those) but doubt that's the only reason!

 

[Hotshy]

thanks for sharing, but how much of an spread did you have!? I have couple of scores up there, and a couple down and a couple in the middle... ave 34ish... this is making me a bit nervous, since my score is spread out all over the place! I guess it has to do with deficiencies in some topics vs. others ( and i'm trying to address those) but doubt that's the only reason!

My spread was 31-38, but the last 4 practice tests or so were all 34 or 35. If you're averaging 34, you'll probably score close to that, assuming you stay calm and collected on test day of course .

 

[raiseyourhearts]

@ssina, weelceman, hotshy - All great score.. did you guys follow SN2? and what % was content review VS. doing passages? I think im focusing on content too much..

Also, how much should I score ideally in each passage to get the mid 30's range?

 

[Hotshy]

@ssina, weelceman, hotshy - All great score.. did you guys follow SN2? and what % was content review VS. doing passages? I think im focusing on content too much..

Also, how much should I score ideally in each passage to get the mid 30's range?

I did not follow SN2ed's schedule. I studied for 9 weeks and I only used EK for my MCAT prep. If you have any of their books, then you will know what I mean when I say I did one lecture per day, and the associated content review and 30-min practice exams on that content.

Once a week (twice per week leading up to test) I would do an official AAMC full length, usually on a Saturday at 8:00 AM to simulate the real deal. Next day I would go over what I got wrong and target my content review toward that. If you're using EK, they really do give you good MCAT-like passages at the end of each lecture and I thought this really helped the material stick, thus you get the content review and passages side by side. Just continually do content review up until test day, and once you are two-three weeks out from your exam, just target your content review to your weaknesses; what you keep getting wrong on your full lengths.

I also did an EK practice verbal exam out of their 101 passages in VR book once per week. Although I tapered this off toward the end, as I always scored lower on these than on my AAMC full lengths and it was slightly discouraging.

 

[fas376]

The number of people who do higher than their practice scores are far fewer than those who get lower or their average.


Stop giving out false hope. He keeps getting a 33. He will most likely get a 33.

i'm not giving false hope. you don't need to be so negative. please leave

 

[iceman132]

i'm not giving false hope. you don't need to be so negative. please leave

Great argument. However, I will continue staying right where I'm at.

 

[fas376]

Great argument. However, I will continue staying right where I'm at.

excellent! stay a douche bag

 

[iceman132]

excellent! stay a douche bag

So now you want me to stay where I'm at? Those questions that deal with contradictions on the verbal section must be difficult for you.

 

[angelababy]

Hey it's too late to reschedule right now so why don't we just stay positive? It's a long journey and everyone needs confidence to make it through. BTW my score range is everywhere between 31-41 and I'm hoping for a 32-33. Best of luck everyone!

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

@ssina, weelceman, hotshy - All great score.. did you guys follow SN2? and what % was content review VS. doing passages? I think im focusing on content too much..

Also, how much should I score ideally in each passage to get the mid 30's range?

I'm following a somewhat modified version of SN2's schedule. Basically, I'm doing everything except the EK 1001 questions. Regarding content review v. passages; I took the MCAT once previously and focused most of my energy on content review and ended up with a score I was not happy with. I think if you have a relatively solid grasp of the material, you will get the most milage out of doing as many passages as you can. I'm assuming you have TBR since you referenced SN2's schedule, so spending time on doing all of the passages would be the most beneficial, imo.

Regarding the scoring; If you are refering to how many you get wrong in the TBR passages, I would say don't worry about it. Work on understanding each question, whether you got it wrong or right, and the scores will naturally come. I've heard of numerous people who typically get 50%-75% correct on the passages and still managed 12-15 on test day. Good luck.

 

[Amba]

Blah. AAMC 9 --> 13/11/12 (36). I was one question away on verbal from getting identical raw scores on each section as AAMC 8 (47/52 on both the sciences, 34 on verbal this time instead of 35). I wish I would've gotten one more question right on bio and pulled off a 37, especially since I've heard that 9 is on the easy side of the AAMCs.

 

[Ssina]

@ssina, weelceman, hotshy - All great score.. did you guys follow SN2? and what % was content review VS. doing passages? I think im focusing on content too much..

Also, how much should I score ideally in each passage to get the mid 30's range?

I am using TBR and didn't follow SN2... I personally read all of the books in the first couple of weeks then have been doing ONLY questions at the end of each chapter (basically following TBR's Phases 1, 2, 3)... with that said I managed to finish all of phases 1 and 2, and since I don't have that much time till the test, I am doing only phase 3 for chapters I didn't do so hot on (so probably 3 or 4 chapters each subject)! I have the TPR workbook and ExamKracker 1001, but there is not way I can even get to those given that I only have 2 weeks!

Now I am also going over the chapters REALLY fast and kinda reviewing stuff!

So I basically did 80% questions and about 20% reading... surprising enough, I know a lot of stuff as I am going through the topic without even trying!!! I didn't even try to memorize any of the physics equations (I thought it was going to be a pain to mem all that), but through doing practices I just know them.... the beauty of the passages (TBR since that's the only one I know) is that you are reviewing while reading the chapters... so I was hitting 2 birds with one stone!

 

[erudofker]

Do you guys like the Kaplan tests? Do they help you? I have some but they're so wordy compared to AAMC. I haven't tried any, I just looked at PS section of a few.

I didn't mind Kaplan tests at first but now they are driving me nuts. Getting 55% on a section should not be a 10 on any test. Plus, I'm running out of time because of the extreme calculations, which is bringing my average lower. I wish there were like 20 AAMC exams so I could avoid using Kaplan FLs altogether.

Kaplan scores:
21 (diagnostic), 21, 26, 30, 34, 31, 30

AAMC scores:
29, 28, 31, 31 (and two individual sections on AAMC 5). Saving 7, 10, 11 for this week and next.

 

[iceman132]

Hey it's too late to reschedule right now so why don't we just stay positive? It's a long journey and everyone needs confidence to make it through. BTW my score range is everywhere between 31-41 and I'm hoping for a 32-33. Best of luck everyone!

It's too late to reschedule but you can always void. If someone is getting consistent 33s and wants a 35 they may want to consider voiding. (If their hell bent on getting a 35)

I'm sure if you're within 31-41you can easily get a 32-33.

I'm ranging from 28-30 on the AAMCs.... Took a TBR practice test yesterday and did terrible. We'll see how the next two go.

 

[Pisiform]

It's too late to reschedule but you can always void. If someone is getting consistent 33s and wants a 35 they may want to consider voiding. (If their hell bent on getting a 35)

I'm sure if you're within 31-34 you can easily get a 32-33.

I'm ranging from 28-30 on the AAMCs.... Took a TBR practice test yesterday and did terrible. We'll see how the next two go.

TBR test are notorious or so I have heard. I am taking Kaplan and they are pretty bad ass too - (considering I am using AAMC 10 scaling grade to scale Kaplan test b/c their own scaling system is wayy too generous). Gonna hit aamcs from tmrw.

 

[Maxine450]

I've already voided once there's no way I'm doing it again. I can't stand taking another 3 months to study on this thing.

 

[aidakm]

It's too late to reschedule but you can always void. If someone is getting consistent 33s and wants a 35 they may want to consider voiding. (If their hell bent on getting a 35)

I'm sure if you're within 31-34 you can easily get a 32-33.

I'm ranging from 28-30 on the AAMCs.... Took a TBR practice test yesterday and did terrible. We'll see how the next two go.

same here. TBR is terrible. How have you been doing? I am getting low 20s on that ish. except for the first introductory exam on whcih i got a 26.

 

[iceman132]

same here. TBR is terrible. How have you been doing? I am getting low 20s on that ish. except for the first introductory exam on whcih i got a 26.

From what I understand TBR practice tests are great for review .... Just not a great score indicator.

The guy that I talked to over the phone at TBR said the people who get a 27 on the practice tests usually end up in the mid 30's. .... However, people on SDN say the score they get on their TBR practice tests is the same thing as the real one.

Not sure what to believe. However, I'm more inclined to believe the expert on the phone (Who is a TBR instructor)

I got

AAMC 3: 10-11-9 (30)
AAMC 7: 10-8-10 (28) (Strange since verbal is usually my strongest section)

TBR 4: 7-7-7 (21) or 8-7-8 (23) (Depending on the two sets of grading scales I've seen for TBR) One from here (Which is an older sheet) and one from a TBR email I got.

How have you been doing on the AAMCs compared to the TBR?

 

[Maxine450]

I took the BR review course and the TBR tests are extremely hard. He's right. I wouldn't put too much faith in the BR CBTs.

 

[Maxine450]

AAMC 8: 12/9/11

F***ing verbal is killing me. Also Bio. And I'm an English major! Oh, the shame. *rips hairs out*