LOW MCAT diagnostic NextStep

[kpizzle]

Hi everyone.

I'm extremely concerned about the MCAT. My test date is in May and I just took the NextStep half length diagnostic exam. My score was a so low, my stomach dropped and I about passed out. It was 482. My goal is a 511 at least on the actual exam.

Is there any hope? Should I just give up now that I've seen just how grave the future looks for my MCAT? I bought the 7 book Kaplan review and am wondering if it's even worth it for me to study for the next couple months? I'm so shocked about my score, what are the chances I can raise it 30-ish points in about 4 months?? Do you have any ideas for a study schedule? My weaknesses were FOR SURE Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems. Those were my toughest courses too.

I'm extremely worried I'm not going to get a 511. Any help??

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[bluemamba7]

Honestly I would really consider rescheduling the date of your MCAT. I also think it’s relatively premature for you to question your career choices at the moment given only 1 practice test. I personally got a 506 on the first/second fl tests and am starting to get pretty nervous myself

 

[theonlytycrane]

Unless you can study hardcore (40+ hours/week) from now until May you need to reschedule and build a foundation from the ground up.

 

[NextStepTutor_1]

Hi @kpizzle ,

That does sounds like quite a shock! Before you make any plans, though, I would suggest going back through the diagnostic exam and trying to figure out exactly what happened. How many questions did you miss because of a pure knowledge gap, versus how many questions did you miss because of misinterpreting/not using passage information? Work through the solutions for each problem and "practice" doing what you would have to do to get to the correct answer -- then you can better identify the discrepancy between the correct solution vs. how you solved it. This will take a while to do, but a thorough analysis will help you make an informed set of decisions about what you need to improve on and how to go about it.

You may also want to consider doing the science diagnostic, which is part of our free bundle. The science diagnostic is a long set of discrete science questions that can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses in terms of just content, which will also help you assess how much of your score was due to content deficiencies versus issues in applying your knowledge/test strategy. Scores in the 480s do generally indicate a need for serious improvement in both content and test-taking/strategy, but the more thorough of a sense you have of what happened on the diag, the more precisely you will be able to build plans to move forward.

Hope this is helpful, & best of luck studying!!

 

[bluemamba7]

Cool, thanks! Also, I’ve seen of posts regarding anki notes, this is probably very ignorant but what are they and how do I find them?

 

[Thekinginthenorth30]

Hi everyone.

I'm extremely concerned about the MCAT. My test date is in May and I just took the NextStep half length diagnostic exam. My score was a so low, my stomach dropped and I about passed out. It was 482. My goal is a 511 at least on the actual exam.

Is there any hope? Should I just give up now that I've seen just how grave the future looks for my MCAT? I bought the 7 book Kaplan review and am wondering if it's even worth it for me to study for the next couple months? I'm so shocked about my score, what are the chances I can raise it 30-ish points in about 4 months?? Do you have any ideas for a study schedule? My weaknesses were FOR SURE Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems. Those were my toughest courses too.

I'm extremely worried I'm not going to get a 511. Any help??

You can bring that score up...you just may have to work a little harder than the normal test taker. I would hit content hard for a month and take another exam. You should see some progress...also make sure to do a lot of practice problems before your next practice test. It also would be beneficial to read some of the strategies of the 509+ scorers. Good luck!!