MCAT Experience! I apologize for the lateness of the message, I took my exam on 6-16, but immediately after, I checked my cell phone and unfortunately was notified someone very important to me was hospitalized, so I've been busy as heck since Friday.
Before I give my thorough review about the exam, I invite you all to DM me or ask me questions - however, please keep in mind the ToS, and if you break them, I won't hesitate in reporting you. Its not fair to other testtakers to ask someone who took the exam "If x topic was on there??"
I will be writing a lengthy review that's detailed in the ways I prefer to read about MCAT critiques. I personally don't find comments like "yooo the physics was mad tough" to be insightful or helpful by any means. Instead, I will try to dive in to what I found difficult, fair, and easy about the different sections. Keep in mind every test is different! Maybe I had a ton of one topic, but that doesn't mean you will!
Phys/Chem:
The Phys/chem section was very difficult. On my test, the passages were different than what we're used to. They weren't difficult like the section bank - by that, I mean, if you read the passages thoroughly, you still couldn't answer all of the questions, because the passages left out salient details. Usually, in the section bank, for those odd/random/super difficult questions, you can fish for the answer in the passage. That wasn't the case. The passages weren't super difficult to read or understand, but the questions were extremely challenging. My exam was more physics than general chemistry as well. As far as the calculations go, there were a lot of them. But, they were not easy. They weren't simple "plug-n-chug" type. To solve the calculations asked, you needed to incorporate 2 to 4 different formulas, interchanging the variables that are the same between them so you can input the data you were given. These calculation type questions are NOT represented in the section bank. I'm hoping for a very generous curve on this section haha.
To compare it to other materials, this section was certainly harder than the section bank and way WAY more difficult than AAMC FL 2 physics.
Difficulty: 10/10
CARS:
Unfortunately, I have no idea how the heck to rate this section. Nonetheless, I will try! The passages weren't too "boring." One was a extremely sleep inducing though lol. Aside from one passage that was extremely difficult, I found the other passages to range between tolerable to even enjoyable. The best advice I have for this section is to keep track of the time. Its very easy to get slammed by a difficult passage and then, before you know it, you've been 10 minutes reading it alone.
To compare it to other materials, I'd say this section was similar to AAMC FL 2. The passages were roughly the same length, and the questions were generally the same style.
Difficulty: 7.5/10
Bio/Biochem:
Ah, my favorite section. The passages were extremely long. Be prepared for at least 2 to 3 figures each alongside 2 to 3 diagrams. You CANNOT get intimidated by that. That was a huge issue I had when studying, slowly but surely, I got over it. My advice for you is to very carefully read the caption and legend on every single item presented. You'd be shocked how much important information is in there. Also, this section requires very careful reading. Read the passage text very carefully. I almost missed a HUGE detail in the passage. And actually, I did miss it - when I referred to the figure, something caught my eye, I re-read the passage, and realized what was going on. Overall, I'd say this section wasn't
terrible but you had to know ALL your details and be prepared to work with tons of scientific data (like the section bank) to answer questions. My test was a nice mixture of biochemistry, cell biology, cell signalling, with a tiny bit of physiology here and there. Very little organic
[my personal forte].
To compare it to other materials, this section was harder than AAMC FL 2. I'd say half of the passages were section bank style, the other half was a notch below section bank style.
Difficulty: 7.5/10
Psy/Soc:
Ah, the weird section. I tend to complete this section very quickly and spend all my time reviewing it. The passages were not too terrible at all, which was relieving. The passages were a nice blend of a variety of psy/soc topics. The passages were very dense and long though; be prepared to read a lot. KNOW ALL OF YOUR DEFINITIONS. You can't be doubting yourself during the test - review all your vocab during your study sessions! Something interesting I noticed from the practice exams to my real MCAT was this. On the official guide to the MCAT (120 questions) as well as sample test, the psy/soc section was essentially all vocabulary questions and interpreting the results of a study you're given. On AAMC FL 1 its similar to that as well. But AAMC FL 2 Psy/Soc is more like CARS - the passages have next to no accompanying figures, and you aren't being blasted with vocab in every question. As far as terminology goes, you really needed to know the basic stuff. Nothing too crazy. Some of the psy/soc passages were interesting to read, some were not lol. Overall though, I did enjoy the section. The section was more psychology than sociology.
To compare it to other materials, the section was identical to AAMC FL 2. The passage length, style, questions were identical!
Difficulty: 7/10.
If you guys have any questions, please ask away =).
