*Official May 19th 2017 MCAT Thread*

[Fortyniner85]

Haven't seen a thread for this date created yet. So let the fun begin!

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[fldoctorgirl]

Currently on the 5th stage of grief: acceptance, wbu?

EDIT: oops i'm actually May 13th, this is awk. This is why my CARS score are always so low

I'm taking it the 18th, but there were no threads for it so I joined this one

 

[finat]

In a similar boat as you...scored 72.5% on the unscored FL...reddit converters put it at a predicted 509. But, then I took the scored FL 1 and got a 505, which was 72.25%-- admittedly, when reviewing, I made a lot of really stupid mistake (there were a few questions where I literally had the right answer highlighted in the passage but still picked the wrong answer...). I took it after a late night out and I could feel myself losing focus so I'm hoping it was a fluke.

I'm the opposite of you though. I tend to do really well with the reasoning questions, averaging around 1-2 questions wrong per passage but I get a lot of the free standing questions wrong, which are based mostly in content knowledge.

I am still planning on taking the test. There's still around 2 weeks of study time left and each time I go over my mistakes I feel like I am getting better at answering these types of questions. I think you should take it, submit your application to a throwaway school so it gets verified in time, and then if you're happy with your score you can submit to more schools. If not, you can retake. But, depending on your state, a 503 with good stats otherwise should be able to get you into a DO program, so that is worth looking into as well.

Yeah I used to have an issue with the free-standing questions because it is straight content. I went through all of my Kaplan review books ( every single page) and wrote down everything I didn't know on flash cards with fill in the blanks. Ever since I did that, I maybe miss 1 or 2 free standing questions each section. It took me about 4 days to get through all the material so it wasn't too time consuming.
My critical thinking and problem solving skills are lacking so I ended up rescheduling to June 16th. I've always been a slower learner and I'm really struggling with timing in the chem/phys section on top of my problem solving issue. What did you find to be most helpful in improving your reasoning and critical thinking? Should I just do a lot of practice passages?

 

[fldoctorgirl]

Yeah I used to have an issue with the free-standing questions because it is straight content. I went through all of my Kaplan review books ( every single page) and wrote down everything I didn't know on flash cards with fill in the blanks. Ever since I did that, I maybe miss 1 or 2 free standing questions each section. It took me about 4 days to get through all the material so it wasn't too time consuming.
My critical thinking and problem solving skills are lacking so I ended up rescheduling to June 16th. I've always been a slower learner and I'm really struggling with timing in the chem/phys section on top of my problem solving issue. What did you find to be most helpful in improving your reasoning and critical thinking? Should I just do a lot of practice passages?

Reasoning has always been a strong point for me. I scored 92% (130) on the unscored CARS and 87% (129) on FL 1 without any studying for that section, so to me the rest of the test isn't much different when it comes to reasoning-- it's just science instead of history or philosophy or whatever the CARS passage may be. But if you're struggling with that, I definitely think practice is the only thing that can help. With timing, I would recommend paying attention to the clock. If 1.5 minutes have gone by on a question and you haven't answered it yet, pick a letter choice (and make it the same one every time you do this), mark it, and move on. This way you maximize your chances of getting the ones you do know correct instead of missing them because you ran out of time + missing the ones you spent so much time on. Then, if you have extra time at the end, you can go back to those marked questions.

 

[Grinding_on_MCAT]

Starting to get nervous....Took AAMC FL 1 a week ago and got a 510 with scores of 127/130/127/126. Also just got a 510 on NS-2 and have gotten a 506 on 2 diff TPR tests. I'm counting the AAMC test as a 508 thought because I've heard CARS on FL1 is notoriously deceiving with passage length. Recommendations? I'm planning on hitting psych hard these next couple weeks with khan videos, but what about bio and chem phys sections?

I've been using princeton books and am going to look through kaplan biochem but I feel like biochem is not my issue. I have taken about 10 practice tests so far... Do you guys think I should focus on content review or just do a ton of practice tests?


Shooting for a 514...

 

[fldoctorgirl]

Starting to get nervous....Took AAMC FL 1 a week ago and got a 510 with scores of 127/130/127/126. Also just got a 510 on NS-2 and have gotten a 506 on 2 diff TPR tests. I'm counting the AAMC test as a 508 thought because I've heard CARS on FL1 is notoriously deceiving with passage length. Recommendations? I'm planning on hitting psych hard these next couple weeks with khan videos, but what about bio and chem phys sections?

I've been using princeton books and am going to look through kaplan biochem but I feel like biochem is not my issue. I have taken about 10 practice tests so far... Do you guys think I should focus on content review or just do a ton of practice tests?


Shooting for a 514...

Your scores are pretty solid, especially considering TPR is super deflated and even NS is. I'd say you'll probably definitely score over 510, and higher if you can bump up that psych score. Your bio & chem sections are pretty solid...all you could do for those is continue with practice and maybe review any content in areas you are weak on.

 

[Grinding_on_MCAT]

Thanks!

 

[Grinding_on_MCAT]

Your scores are pretty solid, especially considering TPR is super deflated and even NS is. I'd say you'll probably definitely score over 510, and higher if you can bump up that psych score. Your bio & chem sections are pretty solid...all you could do for those is continue with practice and maybe review any content in areas you are weak on.

Thanks so much for the advice/encouragement! If you don't mind me asking, how are you preparing for psych? I am a biochem major at school, so my background is kind of weak but is slowly getting better...

 

[fldoctorgirl]

Thanks so much for the advice/encouragement! If you don't mind me asking, how are you preparing for psych? I am a biochem major at school, so my background is kind of weak but is slowly getting better...

I have the TPR box set and just went through it all. I haven't done any prep outside of that + practice tests, but my chem & bio sections are more of a concern for me.

 

[Grinding_on_MCAT]

Hey there,
I'm taking the MCAT on May 13th and am getting pretty stressed... Here are my stats: TPR Demo 495 (124, 123, 123, 125), TPR 1 500 (123, 127, 125, 125), AAMC FL 1 500 (128, 125, 123, 124), AAMC FL 2 (126, 124, 127, 125), BB Section 60%, CP Section 63%, and today TPR 2 498 (124, 125, 123, 126) All in all, my best day would be a 508 (128, 127, 127, 126) but I haven't got near that!
I'm in the middle of final exams now, so maybe TPR is a fluke? I'll take the AAMC Demo on Sunday, then hit the questions banks hard all week. Any recommendations for how to proceed?

That is a decent plan. It seems like your AAMC scores are a bit of a fluke because you should be scoring 4-6 points better on AAMC than TPR. I've taken a lot of TPR tests and I think that while they are a good challenge, they focus too much on what you know rather than seeing if you will be able to reason like the AAMC does (especially on Chem/phys like where they ask a bunch of straight up formula questions). I think you should focus on reviewing the content that you miss as you are doing the section bank/q packs. I would also recommend Khan academy videos for psych/soc because I have read in multiple places it is the easiest section to boost your score (because it's so content driven). Hope this helps! You should do fine if you buckle down and review content hardcore!

 

[CJhooper123]

That is a decent plan. It seems like your AAMC scores are a bit of a fluke because you should be scoring 4-6 points better on AAMC than PR. I've taken a lot of PR tests and I think that while they are a good challenge, they focus too much on what you know rather than seeing if you will be able to reason like the AAMC does (especially on Chem/phys like where they ask a bunch of straight up formula questions). I think you should focus on reviewing the content that you miss as you are doing the section bank/q packs. I would also recommend Khan academy videos for psych/soc because I have read in multiple places it is the easiest section to boost your score (because it's so content driven). Hope this helps! You should do fine if you buckle down and review content hardcore!

TPR tests are poor score predictors. Testers typically score within 2-3 points of their AAMC FL's (most of the time being 2-3 points higher). While it's not impossible to beat your AAMC FL score by 5+ points, it is simply unlikely given the data collected from students on SDN and reddit.

 

[pms_testosterone]

@WhyNotUs memorize psych vocab (P/S is the easiest section to increase your score in), amino acids, and physics equations.

 

[ChopinLiszt]

So guys.. we're taking the mcat NEXT WEEK. How's everyone feeling? Anyone feel ready? I feel like I know a good 40-50% of what I should know for this thing..

 

[ProMom]

I am horrified. I hope to have the stamina and mental focus through the entire test. Knowing that there are 45 passages through the whole test is freaking me out. After about the 10th or so passage, my brain feels suffocated and I need to go to my happy place for a couple of minutes. Ugh...scary!

 

[fldoctorgirl]

Mehhhh...sometimes I feel good, sometimes I feel terrible haha. At least these long days of studying are almost over.

 

[xochitl]

How much time are people putting into physics at this point? Im probably going to study just physics and bio these last few days with a little chem. How is everyone else approaching these last few days? have you guys finished the Q packs? also did anyone else think AAMC FL 1 was very content heavy? like you either know or you dont

 

[fldoctorgirl]

How much time are people putting into physics at this point? Im probably going to study just physics and bio these last few days with a little chem. How is everyone else approaching these last few days? have you guys finished the Q packs? also did anyone else think AAMC FL 1 was very content heavy? like you either know or you dont

Honestly? I pretty much ignored physics except for high yield topics (optics, work/power, etc). I suck at physics and it would require a lot of effort on my part to feel totally comfortable with it, and I am not expecting it to be a major part of the exam. Of course, I don't necessarily recommend this, and it could totally bite me in the butt and end up being a huge part of my test. I just personally feel that my time is better invested in other areas.

I did both q-packs for bio and the one for chem. Ignored the CARS ones as I am scoring high enough on those already. My last few days of studying are focused mainly on FLs and filling in gaps in my content when it comes to C/P and B/B, which are my weakest sections.

 

[ChopinLiszt]

Honestly? I pretty much ignored physics except for high yield topics (optics, work/power, etc). I suck at physics and it would require a lot of effort on my part to feel totally comfortable with it, and I am not expecting it to be a major part of the exam.

This is exactly how I'm approaching it. I briefly went over major equations and concepts, and I hit the units pretty hard, but other than that I'm seriously just planning on trying to narrow down choices using reasoning from the passage and then just guess if there are any hard physics questions on mine. I haven't had physics in 17 years. So.. that's a while. I'm just hoping and praying that my CP section has more biochem. Bring on Michaelis-menten!

These last few days I'm going to review all my AAMC tests and just go over the section banks a ton. Oh, and take my biochem final on Friday.
Then if I have any time or brain power I'm going to review psych terms and vague sociology concepts until I puke.

 

[ChopinLiszt]

I am horrified. I hope to have the stamina and mental focus through the entire test. Knowing that there are 45 passages through the whole test is freaking me out. After about the 10th or so passage, my brain feels suffocated and I need to go to my happy place for a couple of minutes. Ugh...scary!

I feel ya. Some days I try to read passages and I have to re-read the same sentence 5 times to process anything. Really hoping my brain decides to show up next week!

 

[harkas]

Taking it on May 19th also! So nervous hoping i can make it through the test without throwing in the towel

 

[WhyNotUs]

Can anyone help explain what correlation value would be necessary to conclude these various answer choices:

1. the two tests measure different things, which do not include a common factor.
2. both of the tests are excellent measures of the common variable.
3. the common variable is a statistical artifact with no real-world validity.

​

 

[ChopinLiszt]

Can anyone help explain what correlation value would be necessary to conclude these various answer choices:

1. the two tests measure different things, which do not include a common factor.
2. both of the tests are excellent measures of the common variable.
3. the common variable is a statistical artifact with no real-world validity.

​

I'm pretty sure we don't need to know exact correlation values for those kinds of things. A positive correlation value would mean a direct relation between variables (they both increase or decrease together), and a negative correlation would mean one increases when the other decreases. Generally they would just want you to interpret graphs or tables of data. It's also good to know that p values indicate statistical significance, and p<0.5 means a statistically significant result.

 

[WhyNotUs]

MCAT tomorrow for the May 13'rs! Definitely recommend watching this video to get amped up! Don't be afraid to take a test -- be the best you can be.

 

[625858]

All the best to those taking the exam this week!! Stay confident, eat really well, sleep well and exercise Applications are next!!!

 

[ProMom]

T-3 days!! Breathe deeply everyone. May 13th test takers, how are you feeling about your exam?

 

[Spr1ngrolls]

T-3 days!! Breathe deeply everyone. May 13th test takers, how are you feeling about your exam?

I took the 5/13 test and voided it (I was set on doing it before I even took it). I posted my thoughts and am starting a discussion on the MCAT after going through the test. If you're taking the test in 3 days I wouldn't look at the thread below cause I feel like it'll put y'all in panic, but I just wanted to give a fair warning. It might be worth the read....

Warning to MCAT Takers: MCAT Readjusting Again? (5/13 taker)

 

[ProMom]

Does voiding the score mean that the test will be scored, just not sent to any schools? Or does voiding it does not even give you a score?

 

[harkas]

Does voiding the score mean that the test will be scored, just not sent to any schools? Or does voiding it does not even give you a score?

Voiding = no test score, it will not ever be scored, and schools will never see it

 

[Fortyniner85]

I took the 5/13 test and voided it (I was set on doing it before I even took it). I posted my thoughts and am starting a discussion on the MCAT after going through the test. If you're taking the test in 3 days I wouldn't look at the thread below cause I feel like it'll put y'all in panic, but I just wanted to give a fair warning. It might be worth the read....

Warning to MCAT Takers: MCAT Readjusting Again? (5/13 taker)

At first when I read your post I was like "ah shoot". But if this really is the case, I still don't think there's that much to worry about. Sure, everyone will probably get a lower RAW score, but the point is that (almost) everyone will, so the scaled score should still even out based on the AAMC FL's.

At least that's what I'm telling myself! Don't tell me any differently! *runs away with ears plugged singing "la la la"*

 

[ProMom]

I took the 5/13 test and voided it (I was set on doing it before I even took it). I posted my thoughts and am starting a discussion on the MCAT after going through the test. If you're taking the test in 3 days I wouldn't look at the thread below cause I feel like it'll put y'all in panic, but I just wanted to give a fair warning. It might be worth the read....

Warning to MCAT Takers: MCAT Readjusting Again? (5/13 taker)

I am glad to see that there is more Physics. Chem is something that just mentally exhausts me so much more
Was the B/B mostly cell trafficking?? Or just for that foundational concept? Did they have anything on the body systems, populational genetics, etc?
CARS is ok for me, as long as the first couple of passages are not excruciatingly boring, I can keep my momentum and energy going.
P/S- Your experience scares me!!

 

[ProMom]

Oh Dear, the May 13th reddit thread is panic inducing material. ****.

 

[ProMom]

 

[harkas]

I think the main thing to remember when you're in a panicked state of mind is that a lot of the MCAT has to do with your ability to deduce information from the material that is given to you. Just remember: this information is somewhere in the passage. This has been helpful for me, at least.

 

[Spr1ngrolls]

Sure, everyone will probably get a lower RAW score, but the point is that (almost) everyone will, so the scaled score should still even out based on the AAMC FL's.

At least that's what I'm telling myself! Don't tell me any differently! *runs away with ears plugged singing "la la la"*

This is what everyone is hoping on! Plus on our exam I personally felt like the C/P played to my personal strengths so I wasn't complaining (orgo in particular) and flew through that part. CARS was actually a delight to read (I know im not supposed to be learning during CARS, but hey, it makes in bearable!). It was really just B/B that slaughtered all of us.

 

[ChopinLiszt]

I think the main thing to remember when you're in a panicked state of mind is that a lot of the MCAT has to do with your ability to deduce information from the material that is given to you. Just remember: this information is somewhere in the passage. This has been helpful for me, at least.

Yes! A good percentage of questions have the answers right in front of you in the passage, or at least strong hints. Then there are some where you just have to know which equation to use, etc. then there are some where EVERY OPTION LOOKS THE SAME (I'm looking at you, cars and psych). Good times.

 

[ChopinLiszt]

You know what's really fun 3 days before your MCAT? Doing worse on an AAMC FL than you did six weeks ago after way more practice and content review. Really good for the confidence and morale going into the test.

ETA: And what's up with the scaling? I only missed ONE more problem on the whole exam of AAMC FL2 than I missed on FL1, and my scaled score was two points lower. I guess it doesn't really matter, right? Just would have been nice to not see the score go down right before the test..

 

[xochitl]

You know what's really fun 3 days before your MCAT? Doing worse on an AAMC FL than you did six weeks ago after way more practice and content review. Really good for the confidence and morale going into the test.

ETA: And what's up with the scaling? I only missed ONE more problem on the whole exam of AAMC FL2 than I missed on FL1, and my scaled score was two points lower. I guess it doesn't really matter, right? Just would have been nice to not see the score go down right before the test..

how different were your scores? i remember you doing pretty well the first time around. was it fl1 or fl2?

 

[fldoctorgirl]

You know what's really fun 3 days before your MCAT? Doing worse on an AAMC FL than you did six weeks ago after way more practice and content review. Really good for the confidence and morale going into the test.

ETA: And what's up with the scaling? I only missed ONE more problem on the whole exam of AAMC FL2 than I missed on FL1, and my scaled score was two points lower. I guess it doesn't really matter, right? Just would have been nice to not see the score go down right before the test..

I posted about this yesterday! Ah, so glad not to be alone. I scored only 1 point higher than I did on FL1 after weeks of studying. I feel like the curve was brutal...I was 95th percentile in CARS and it was only a 129. Only missed 6 questions in P/S and it was also only a 129....

I'm trying to ignore it: who knows what kind of scale our exams will have.

 

[ChopinLiszt]

I only missed 3 on P/S and it was a 130. And I only missed 3 on CARS and it was a 131. so.. ??
CP on the other hand.. it's just not my strong suit. It could really kill me on the real exam. Six weeks ago I got a 127 on the C/P of FL1. Six weeks of studying that stuff and I still got a 127. I'm really hoping my actual CP section has more biochem and less physics!

 

[fldoctorgirl]

I only missed 3 on P/S and it was a 130. And I only missed 3 on CARS and it was a 131. so.. ??
CP on the other hand.. it's just not my strong suit. It could really kill me on the real exam. Six weeks ago I got a 127 on the C/P of FL1. Six weeks of studying that stuff and I still got a 127. I'm really hoping my actual CP section has more biochem and less physics!

Totally with you on that one! C/P has the potential to destroy me haha

 

[ChopinLiszt]

how different were your scores? i remember you doing pretty well the first time around. was it fl1 or fl2?

It was FL2 today. My score was good, so I know I shouldn't complain. It only bothered me that it went down 2 points after a lot more work. The test is sneaking up so fast! @fldoctorgirl - you're even sooner - Thursday, right? I hope you have something fun planned for tomorrow!

 

[fldoctorgirl]

It was FL2 today. My score was good, so I know I shouldn't complain. It only bothered me that it went down 2 points after a lot more work. The test is sneaking up so fast! @fldoctorgirl - you're even sooner - Thursday, right? I hope you have something fun planned for tomorrow!

Yep, Thursday! I will keep you all posted after it's over.

I am planning on going to the beach and doing some kayaking. I will also be stuffing my face with ice cream!

 

[ChopinLiszt]

Sounds like a plan! Good luck tomorrow!

 

[neuroresearchguy23]

Best of luck to everyone taking it tomorrow!! And for anyone else taking it Friday, I hope we all have a very relaxing, stress-free day!

 

[Spr1ngrolls]

Good luck to everyone taking it in a few hours and tomorrow. You've all done amazing and given it all you can. Be proud of the work you've done!

 

[CJhooper123]

Good luck to everyone taking it in a few hours and tomorrow. You've all done amazing and given it all you can. Be proud of the work you've done!

Lets get it 05/19'ers. Pain=temporary, MCAT=forever.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

Hey guys! So I'm done, thank god!!! As promised, here are my general thoughts.

I found C/P to be quite difficult, but to be fair this is always my hardest section. It involved a lot of just straight-out either knowing or not knowing facts, less passage interpretation, which I found weird for the MCAT.

CARS was about the same as the practice FLs.

B/B was actually pretty good in my opinion. Lots of data interpretation, signaling pathways, what happens if we inhibit this, etc. I felt confident.

P/S was slightly harder than the practice FLs, but still overall not too bad.

Good luck to everyone tomorrow! It feels so good to be done

 

[BurntFlower]

Hey guys! So I'm done, thank god!!! As promised, here are my general thoughts.

I found C/P to be quite difficult, but to be fair this is always my hardest section. It involved a lot of just straight-out either knowing or not knowing facts, less passage interpretation, which I found weird for the MCAT.

Was your exam physics-heavy? And congrats on being done!

 

[fldoctorgirl]

Was your exam physics-heavy? And congrats on being done!

No, it wasn't. But I think there were different versions though because some people are complaining that their exam was super physics heavy.

The reddit thread does a better job at explaining than I do-- it seems that everyone thinks C/P was super hard, so hopefully the curve will be generous. Check it out if you want: Thursday May 18, 2017 Exam Day Reaction Thread • r/Mcat

Thank you

 

[fldoctorgirl]

Good luck to all of you tomorrow! Try not to stress too much. It'll be over soon!

 

[ChopinLiszt]

Thanks! I keep telling myself to just chill.. and then I keep freaking out at random times. I'm expecting it to be harder than I expect, so that should help.