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

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[iceman132]

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*

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxJh6slAqXM[/YOUTUBE]

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

Took AAMC #10 today. Got a 34 (12/11/11). Made a bunch of errors changing my correct answers last minute in BS though, which is annoying. Starting to plateau in the mid 30s, which is more than what I initially hoped to score, so even if I lose a point or two due to nerves on test day, I'll still be happy. Good luck to everyone else who is finishing up studying for the Jan. tests. Thankfully, it's almost over.

 

[JiniInBottle]

Was your average 34 when you took each of the tests the first time around or was 34 after taking it second time or so???
I know that for the first time it seems that you're just trying to get the feel so most ppl get their averages in 20s.

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

Was your average 34 when you took each of the tests the first time around or was 34 after taking it second time or so???
I know that for the first time it seems that you're just trying to get the feel so most ppl get their averages in 20s.

I'm not really sure what you are asking. I'm assuming that question was directed at me. If not, carry on. Did I take the AAMCs twice? If that is the question, then no, I only took the AAMCs once since I started studying for my retake. When I took my first MCAT, I only used Kaplan's FLs.

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

What do you guys think about skipping AAMC #11 if I've taken all of the other AAMCs leading up until the test on Friday? I'm feeling pretty confident right now about where my last few scores have been at, so I feel like the only thing that could come out of me taking #11 is getting a lower score and crushing my confidence going into the real deal. You guys think the benefits of taking and reviewing #11 outweigh the potential to lose my frame of mind going into Friday?

 

[Ssina]

I think confidence plays a great role (I am still working on that till nxt week!!!!) so in terms of confidence, if you are where you want to be then don't take it, but personally I would still go over each section untimed/slowly... maybe even one passage at the time (basically not test mode).... but that's just me!

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

I think confidence plays a great role (I am still working on that till nxt week!!!!) so in terms of confidence, if you are where you want to be then don't take it, but personally I would still go over each section untimed/slowly... maybe even one passage at the time (basically not test mode).... but that's just me!

That sounds like a good idea. I think I'll just take 1 section of #11 a day without the timer on, so I don't miss any material.

 

[Maxine450]

11 is the most representative of the aamc tests. I think it would be crazy not to take it.

 

[GOLDenKatie]

I'm taking the test on 1/27...do you think taking 3 full lengths between now and Thursday will be too much? Good luck..almost there!

 

[IH8ColdWeath3r]

I'm taking the test on 1/27...do you think taking 3 full lengths between now and Thursday will be too much? Good luck..almost there!

yes. absolutely. you'll barely have enough time to review each of them adequately.

 

[IH8ColdWeath3r]

also, i've heard from several people that 10 is much harder than 11, especially the verbal. I donno, personally I would take 11 all in one day just to see if you hit within your range and get a better feel for what the most recent test is like. If your avg is a 34 then you have nothing to worry about.

 

[JiniInBottle]

I'm not really sure what you are asking. I'm assuming that question was directed at me. If not, carry on. Did I take the AAMCs twice? If that is the question, then no, I only took the AAMCs once since I started studying for my retake. When I took my first MCAT, I only used Kaplan's FLs.

Thanks! It was just a general questions...many of the people before you also said that they averaged in 34s and I'm just curious if it was taking the tests the 1st time or 2nd or more.

If anyone could answer my question--it's a very hackneyed question, yet here it goes. I'm decent at BS and PS, but when it comes to VB I have no good chance--I've practiced EK, AAMC tests, and it doesn't seem to help...are there any small tips that you could suggest that could improve my VB score and may be some hints as to how to tackle an unfinished passage questions b/c I never get to the last question...I'm not a very fast reader. I'm very worried about this verbal--my average is still 6/7. I'm retaking this test so I don't want to get the same score on the verbal...what do you guys say?

 

[chewy88]

hey, i've noticed with verbal, it's really helped me to try to "actively read" while reading the passages. what i mean is, constantly think to yourself, what is the author saying, why is he saying this, what is he going to say next. it helps keep me from going... oh ****, what did i just read in the last 2 paragraphs. I've noticed if i force myself to constantly ask me those questions, I tend to grasp and pick up on the main idea of the passage better. Also I started reading a lot of articles every night from the economist and tried doing the same thing for some extra practice

 

[Maxine450]

It's probably too late to fix your score but. What helps is never picking an answer that says "never" or "always". Anything on the extremes is most likely wrong. Pick answers that have words like "might" or "probably." Never pick an answer that takes undue liberties from the passage. What does the other think about the subject? What's his mood like in the passage?

 

[JiniInBottle]

It's probably too late to fix your score but. What helps is never picking an answer that says "never" or "always". Anything on the extremes is most likely wrong. Pick answers that have words like "might" or "probably." Never pick an answer that takes undue liberties from the passage. What does the other think about the subject? What's his mood like in the passage?

It's never too late!!! I can do it! I have to do it...or else I'm dead as this is my second time taking the test--I think most medical schools only look at ppl with two test scores max. So I must do great!!!!

Also, I've always thought about that tip, too, but doesn't aamc refrain from using extreme words anyways--like never etc...

 

[iceman132]

It says to login to your mcat registration site 24 hours before to confirm..... Uhmmm, what are they talking about? I don't see a confirm button.

Do we need to do anything else but show up with a license?

What are you guys bringing next week?

 

[Ssina]

It says to login to your mcat registration site 24 hours before to confirm..... Uhmmm, what are they talking about? I don't see a confirm button.

Do we need to do anything else but show up with a license?

What are you guys bringing next week?

yeah I know I read that... it says 24hr before the test soo I'm assuming something will pop up by then!

i'm just gonna take my DL and a gatorade!

I soo want it to be over already, can't get myself to study anymore...... yet I have **** loads of paper on my desk to review still!!

 

[littlemisspiggy]

It's never too late!!! I can do it! I have to do it...or else I'm dead as this is my second time taking the test--I think most medical schools only look at ppl with two test scores max. So I must do great!!!!

Also, I've always thought about that tip, too, but doesn't aamc refrain from using extreme words anyways--like never etc...

people have taken the mcat more than 2 times and got accepted!

 

[iceman132]

yeah I know I read that... it says 24hr before the test soo I'm assuming something will pop up by then!
:

I'm a bit confused because I don't remember the 24 hours thing the last time I took the MCat.

 

[GrabSlamBoot]

How are you guys feeling in this last week? Relative score range predictions?

Ive got a 33,34,36,35,35 on kaplans 1-5 and then ranging from 30-35, average 33 on AAMC's. Heres to hoping for my average! Good luck everyone.

 

[Amba]

How are you guys feeling in this last week? Relative score range predictions?

Ive got a 33,34,36,35,35 on kaplans 1-5 and then ranging from 30-35, average 33 on AAMC's. Heres to hoping for my average! Good luck everyone.

I just finished AAMC 10 and got a 12/10/15 (37). That verbal wasn't bad, the scale was just pretty brutal. I'm averaging ~36 on the AAMCs and have gotten a 38, 36, and 37 on the last three (#8,9,10). So, I'm hoping upper 30s on the real thing

 

[Ssina]

I'm averaging around 34..... 35, 36 for AAMC 8 and 9... 10 is tomorrow and 11 on Wed!
I'm hopin for mid 30s also so we will see!

 

[Hotshy]

I'm averaging around 34..... 35, 36 for AAMC 8 and 9... 10 is tomorrow and 11 on Wed!
I'm hopin for mid 30s also so we will see!

Excellent! In my opinion and I think its the general consensus on SDN, AAMC 11 is the most similar to real deal. Good luck and use #11 as solid indicator of what you will score.

 

[JiniInBottle]

people have taken the mcat more than 2 times and got accepted!

Really, I've never read anywhere on the SDN website that people take the test more than two times. What source are you using to say this? I'm just curious...and not at all being snobby.

 

[littlemisspiggy]

Really, I've never read anywhere on the SDN website that people take the test more than two times. What source are you using to say this? I'm just curious...and not at all being snobby.

oh haha i read from previous sdn posts and i personally know people who have taken the mcat more than two times and got accepted

 

[Tuan]

5 days to go!
Just got 35 on AAMC 11 P11 V10 B14

7:35
8: 39
9: 33
10: 35
11: 35

Looks like this is where I'm going to stay - now only if I can keep up with this on test day.

 

[FSUchess99]

The day after a practice exam, I look back at the problems I got wrong without checking what answer I put. Without looking at the passage again, I can get almost every answer correct.

Basically, I do much better just quickly picking what makes sense after one day of forgetting a passage. I really think I could get only one or two wrong if I trusted my instincts.

So frustrating.

 

[Maxine450]

They say that the only difference between a 30 and a 35 is confidence. I think that's true.

 

[Hotshy]

They say that the only difference between a 30 and a 35 is confidence. I think that's true.

Confidence helps, but I would say there is definitely a big difference in your knowledge of the content being tested, with respect to the physical and biological sciences that is.

 

[JiniInBottle]

What do you guys think of Kaplan full length tests, did any of you do those--I personally found them too tedious and aggravating so I decided to only use the VB on those? What do you think of the VB section on those? Harder, easier, does it help?

 

[Ssina]

What do you guys think of Kaplan full length tests, did any of you do those--I personally found them too tedious and aggravating so I decided to only use the VB on those? What do you think of the VB section on those? Harder, easier, does it help?

Kaplan wasn't that bad I guess, I used them primarily as practice like a month and half ago! My ave was the same on VR for Kaplan and AAMCs.... so pretty much it says I have not improved in the last month and half

 

[Bumbl3b33]

God. I am so scared to death...this is my retake. Messed up verbal last time (7), and don't feel nearly as prepared in sciences this time around. And no way of feeling better/worse about stuff because the only FL I have left is AAMC 10--took all the others before the last go at it-- which I'm saving until Wednesday. Ugh...so nervous.

BTW, my August MCAT..the Bio was super confusing....physics had some really weird q's and I thought the verbal was pretty easy...obviously not...lol best of luck everyone...

 

[IH8ColdWeath3r]

God. I am so scared to death...this is my retake. Messed up verbal last time (7), and don't feel nearly as prepared in sciences this time around. And no way of feeling better/worse about stuff because the only FL I have left is AAMC 10--took all the others before the last go at it-- which I'm saving until Wednesday. Ugh...so nervous.

BTW, my August MCAT..the Bio was super confusing....physics had some really weird q's and I thought the verbal was pretty easy...obviously not...lol best of luck everyone...

god I know how you feel. I made a spreadsheet of all the passages I've done with the scores, time and date on them for each section. I am going to look at that the day before the exam for ressurance, because I have practice and put in the time, especially in verbal.....

you need confidence man. Dont go in there being scared. It's sad but true. If you don't have confidence for this exam, it will seriously affect your score on test day. BTW I am retaking again because of verbal so I am not just saying that.....I can relate. I thought the verbal on my exam was easy too when I took it but i BOMBED.

I am probably not going to highlight this time around because it wastes so much time and honestly doesn't help that much.

 

[JiniInBottle]

god I know how you feel. I made a spreadsheet of all the passages I've done with the scores, time and date on them for each section. I am going to look at that the day before the exam for ressurance, because I have practice and put in the time, especially in verbal.....

you need confidence man. Dont go in there being scared. It's sad but true. If you don't have confidence for this exam, it will seriously affect your score on test day. BTW I am retaking again because of verbal so I am not just saying that.....I can relate. I thought the verbal on my exam was easy too when I took it but i BOMBED.

I am probably not going to highlight this time around because it wastes so much time and honestly doesn't help that much.

I took the Aug exam too. It was horrible, esp. the verbal 8AM. I better be confident about this b/c it is my retake as well. I think I can do it--I hope so, the BS and PS at least....Please god. However, I'm still uncertain about vb. I need a confidence boost myself.

 

[Ssina]

I took the Aug exam too. It was horrible, esp. the verbal 8AM. I better be confident about this b/c it is my retake as well. I think I can do it--I hope so, the BS and PS at least....Please god. However, I'm still uncertain about vb. I need a confidence boost myself.

hahahah I like how we all are pretty much on the same page! I decided to finish all the books and notes and note cards by tonight (no matter if I got to them or NOT!)... have only couple of pages of notes for each subject.... and will review those starting tomorrow.... take AAMC 11 on Wed and taking the last 2 days OFFFF!!!

It helps me to review content I know and at this point idk how much shoving last bits of practice passage and questions will help me, it'll probably make me doubt myself even more!

now, all I have left is to grow some BALLS.... or confidence!

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

God. I am so scared to death...this is my retake. Messed up verbal last time (7), and don't feel nearly as prepared in sciences this time around. And no way of feeling better/worse about stuff because the only FL I have left is AAMC 10--took all the others before the last go at it-- which I'm saving until Wednesday. Ugh...so nervous.

BTW, my August MCAT..the Bio was super confusing....physics had some really weird q's and I thought the verbal was pretty easy...obviously not...lol best of luck everyone...

lol. This is also a retake for me (because of the 7 I got on verbal last year). However, I do feel much more prepared in all sections this time around, especially in verbal. Like a poster above me said, you have to go into the test convinced you will dominate it. I found this to be particularly true regarding verbal. Good luck.

On an unrelated note; I haven't done a single practice writing prompt this time around, and I tend to not right very well.

 

[mcloaf]

Almost there! Just took AAMC 10 today...and was rather put off by the scaling. Raw score was 2 higher than on #5, but my final scaled score was 3 lower? Anybody else notice this?

Oh well, I'm just going to take it as a warning not to get complacent. Some practice essays tomorrow. Drive to find test center/parking on Tues so I know where I am going. #11 on Wednesday. Aggressive prayer Thurs.

Good luck to all.

 

[Amba]

Almost there! Just took AAMC 10 today...and was rather put off by the scaling. Raw score was 2 higher than on #5, but my final scaled score was 3 lower? Anybody else notice this?

Oh well, I'm just going to take it as a warning not to get complacent. Some practice essays tomorrow. Drive to find test center/parking on Tues so I know where I am going. #11 on Wednesday. Aggressive prayer Thurs.

Good luck to all.

Yeah, the scale sucked on 10. I've gotten 47/52 consistently on PS and it's always been a 13. Nope, it's a 12 on #10, which I thought was dumb especially with the stupid particle accelerator passage. Same with verbal. My raw score was an 11 on every other test. At least the bio curve was generous.

Tomorrow I'm probably just gonna do a bunch of verbal passages, idk what else to do since I'm plenty prepared in the sciences. AAMC 11 on Tuesday!

Good luck to everyone, we're almost done.

 

[Maxine450]

Got a 36 on AAMC 10. Finally! Bio seems to be my weakness. I have trouble interpreting the experiments properly.

 

[Ssina]

Got a 36 on AAMC 10. Finally! Bio seems to be my weakness. I have trouble interpreting the experiments properly.

same here, took it yesterday and went over it today! got a 37... i'm still struggling with freaking verbaaaaaaal

 

[raiseyourhearts]

I'm taking my test in April hopefully, but I have a question for you January mcat-ers:

@Ssina and anyone scoring above 30, HOW did you guys remember the material you've learned from a couple of weeks go? I am forgetting the EK bio genetics stuff from 2 weeks ago, even though I understood it well because of the new material (O-chem stuff) I'm learning.. Do you guys review ALL old material at the end of the week to remember?

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

I'm taking my test in April hopefully, but I have a question for you January mcat-ers:

@Ssina and anyone scoring above 30, HOW did you guys remember the material you've learned from a couple of weeks go? I am forgetting the EK bio genetics stuff from 2 weeks ago, even though I understood it well because of the new material (O-chem stuff) I'm learning.. Do you guys review ALL old material at the end of the week to remember?

Yeah, I would typically read everything over again at the end of the week (using SN2's schedule). I've also found that doing the passages associated with each chapter, and subsequently reviewing my answers helps to drill the material into my brain as much, or more, than just reading the material. In addition, I think it tends to get easier to remember older material as you progress through your studies because you start to see how everything fits together (i.e; recalling one piece of info allows you to remember another piece, and so on).

 

[benzonase]

Took aamc 11 over the weekend and scored right above where I wanted to on the real thing hah. AAMC 11 definitely seemed the closest to the real exam I took a few years back, doing well on it makes me all warm and fuzzy on the inside.

Anyone else looking forward to not studying on thursday? Gotta plan some stuff to do to keep me busy after work

 

[Amba]

I'm taking my test in April hopefully, but I have a question for you January mcat-ers:

@Ssina and anyone scoring above 30, HOW did you guys remember the material you've learned from a couple of weeks go? I am forgetting the EK bio genetics stuff from 2 weeks ago, even though I understood it well because of the new material (O-chem stuff) I'm learning.. Do you guys review ALL old material at the end of the week to remember?

Passages were probably the best thing for getting things to stick. For bio, I kinda just read all of EK's book 4 or 5 times until it was familiar.

 

[Maxine450]

It just takes a lot of practice, a lot of re-reading until you fully understand the material. This is my second time studying for the mcat, and I'm doing a lot better than I was before.

 

[Ssina]

Passages were probably the best thing for getting things to stick.

This +
Stuff repeats multiple times (e.g. in the passages, questions, answers for each question), so I didn't try to memorize all that much... After doing many questions, you get the hang of it and will remember the stuff even if u don't want to!!!

So I wouldn't worry about it just yet, couple of weeks before the test go over your notes and you will notice that you know the stuff pretty good and then you can memorize stuff that is not solid... So practice and practice till you can guess the answer without looking at the question!

Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk

 

[HELP1104]

So i've taken about 7 AAMC's and ranging anywhere from 25-28. All sections fluctuating. 3 days ago I took a Kaplan full length and found it to be much easier. I got a 34 (10-11-13). Just took another AAMC and got a 26(10-8-8). Somebody help me decipher these scores. I know kaplan's scale is a little inflated, but an 8 point difference seems crazy. I don't know why I can't get the AAMC down??

 

[mcloaf]

So i've taken about 7 AAMC's and ranging anywhere from 25-28. All sections fluctuating. 3 days ago I took a Kaplan full length and found it to be much easier. I got a 34 (10-11-13). Just took another AAMC and got a 26(10-8-8). Somebody help me decipher these scores. I know kaplan's scale is a little inflated, but an 8 point difference seems crazy. I don't know why I can't get the AAMC down??

Odd, I've performed much better on my AAMC's--but I believe that's because I took the Kaplan ones first, so they were probably my break in.

What is it that's getting you on the AAMC's?

 

[iceman132]

So i've taken about 7 AAMC's and ranging anywhere from 25-28. All sections fluctuating. 3 days ago I took a Kaplan full length and found it to be much easier. I got a 34 (10-11-13). Just took another AAMC and got a 26(10-8-8). Somebody help me decipher these scores. I know kaplan's scale is a little inflated, but an 8 point difference seems crazy. I don't know why I can't get the AAMC down??

From what I have seen around here.... You'll most likely get a 26-27. I wouldn't put much faith in the Kaplan scores.

 

[CaptainAZ]

ugh... I'm not doing as well as I expected. I've been bombing the Kaplans and am averaging around a 29 on the AAMCs. I go over the answers after each one and realize what my mistakes were but it doesn't really help me on the next practice test. I'm having problems deciphering the passages and connecting the concepts I've studied to them.

Anyone have any suggestions for the last few days? I'll prob do one more Kaplan and AAMC and possibly go over Kaplans foundation reviews and some Audio Osmosis.