- Joined
- Mar 3, 2017
- Messages
- 49
- Reaction score
- 67
Hello! Currently, I am a rising junior who has completed all the required pre-requisites for the MCAT except for physics I and II as well as psychology. So far, I have taken this summer to review content for the MCAT and was planning on taking my exam on September 9th of this year, in order to have the year to research, volunteer, and shadow before I apply next spring.
Here is my current timeline:
- My classes begin August 30th. I have to take two full days to move from my apartment into my new home, but other than that, I will have a majority of the time to continue studying. This leaves approximately 7 weeks left for studying.
-I am using the Kaplan 7 book series to do content review: I have covered all of the books except for three chapters in general chemistry and biochemistry as well as their entire organic chemistry book. (I have a semi-strong background in organic chemistry and feel as if all I will need to do is refresh quickly.)
- I see that my weak areas are physics, chemistry, and general psychology.
Practice tests:
- As of now, I have only taken one Kaplan Full length exam and scored a 499: 123/125/127/124
- A majority of the errors for the C/P section came from not knowing formulas or mathematical areas. I figured improvement could simply be memorizing equations/more practice.
- My understanding of physics is limited to the Kaplan books and Khan academy. I have not had much practice in this area other than Khan's questions and Kaplan's discrete questions.
- My CARS sections in EK101 and Kaplan is hit or miss. Some passages I manage to get all the questions correct while others I barely manage 2/5 or 3/7 questions correct.
Current resources:
- EK101 CARS
-NS Psych/Soc Practice
- Kaplan FL 1/2/3
- All AAMC Materials
- Khan's Passages
- Two old TPR FL's
The questions I'd like your advice on:
1. Should I reschedule my MCAT to January and continue review throughout the semester with more resources? - My concern with this is that I have not shadowed much, nor do I have much clinical volunteering Also, I have not done any this summer as I have been studying for this test. I feel as if rescheduling my MCAT will show medical schools I was inactive during the summer and was not responsible. (My plan was to take the MCAT and continue on with my research, volunteering, and shadowing in the fall).
2. Should I chose to sit for the September 9th exam, how can I improve my chemistry and physics sections with the resources I have? - Currently I simply read and take notes over the Kaplan chapters, do their problems, and watch Khan videos if further explanation is needed.
3. My CARS sections seem to be all over the place, and my analysis has not yielded any major trends in why I am getting the questions wrong. Does anyone have any ways to better review missed questions other than simply reading the explanation and thinking about why you got it wrong?
4.Psychology and sociology seem to be brute memorization. I have the terms memorized, yet am having trouble applying them to the passages or understanding the experimental analysis. Should this get better with more practice as I develop the critical thinking skills necessary?
5. Lastly, how can I better use the resources I have now? I am antsy to move onto practicing, but I feel as if I can barely remember the multitude of equations for the C/P section as well as a bulk of the details of the psych and bio sections. I attributed some of this to be because Kaplan's books are incredibly detail oriented.
Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this and respond. Your advice is truly appreciated!
Here is my current timeline:
- My classes begin August 30th. I have to take two full days to move from my apartment into my new home, but other than that, I will have a majority of the time to continue studying. This leaves approximately 7 weeks left for studying.
-I am using the Kaplan 7 book series to do content review: I have covered all of the books except for three chapters in general chemistry and biochemistry as well as their entire organic chemistry book. (I have a semi-strong background in organic chemistry and feel as if all I will need to do is refresh quickly.)
- I see that my weak areas are physics, chemistry, and general psychology.
Practice tests:
- As of now, I have only taken one Kaplan Full length exam and scored a 499: 123/125/127/124
- A majority of the errors for the C/P section came from not knowing formulas or mathematical areas. I figured improvement could simply be memorizing equations/more practice.
- My understanding of physics is limited to the Kaplan books and Khan academy. I have not had much practice in this area other than Khan's questions and Kaplan's discrete questions.
- My CARS sections in EK101 and Kaplan is hit or miss. Some passages I manage to get all the questions correct while others I barely manage 2/5 or 3/7 questions correct.
Current resources:
- EK101 CARS
-NS Psych/Soc Practice
- Kaplan FL 1/2/3
- All AAMC Materials
- Khan's Passages
- Two old TPR FL's
The questions I'd like your advice on:
1. Should I reschedule my MCAT to January and continue review throughout the semester with more resources? - My concern with this is that I have not shadowed much, nor do I have much clinical volunteering Also, I have not done any this summer as I have been studying for this test. I feel as if rescheduling my MCAT will show medical schools I was inactive during the summer and was not responsible. (My plan was to take the MCAT and continue on with my research, volunteering, and shadowing in the fall).
2. Should I chose to sit for the September 9th exam, how can I improve my chemistry and physics sections with the resources I have? - Currently I simply read and take notes over the Kaplan chapters, do their problems, and watch Khan videos if further explanation is needed.
3. My CARS sections seem to be all over the place, and my analysis has not yielded any major trends in why I am getting the questions wrong. Does anyone have any ways to better review missed questions other than simply reading the explanation and thinking about why you got it wrong?
4.Psychology and sociology seem to be brute memorization. I have the terms memorized, yet am having trouble applying them to the passages or understanding the experimental analysis. Should this get better with more practice as I develop the critical thinking skills necessary?
5. Lastly, how can I better use the resources I have now? I am antsy to move onto practicing, but I feel as if I can barely remember the multitude of equations for the C/P section as well as a bulk of the details of the psych and bio sections. I attributed some of this to be because Kaplan's books are incredibly detail oriented.
Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this and respond. Your advice is truly appreciated!