SN2'd first day

[TexasSurgeon]

EDIT: This was supposed to be a thread about the first day of SN2. However as with all intelligent life, things evolve. This thread has now become a support page for people following the SN2 plan. You can think of it as Alcoholics Anonymous for people studying to take the MCAT using the SN2 plan.

EDIT July 1, 2014:
If you are interested in @mehc012's Anki Deck, DO NOT SEND A PM. Here is the link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/7if6wgaif98rkoa/mehc012 SN2edCh4s.apkg
**A NOTE: @mehc012 and several others (myself included) want to tell you guys that studying from another person's deck will probably not be as beneficial to you as creating your own cards. Yes you can take advantage of @mehc012's generosity, but you won't get the same advantage. Study the material. Create cards as you go along. You will find it more helpful to your studying. **

EDIT July 22, 2014:
The following is @TBRBiosadist's official MCAT Verbal Reasoning Strategy:
@TBRBiosadist's strategy that got [him] from a 7 average to scoring 13-15 average..

Spend the bulk of your time reading. Up to 3 minutes per passage.

• Read the first and last paragraph thoroughly to begin with. Understand what the authors main point will be because 90% of questions require nothing more than a general idea.
• After this, read the entire passage slowly enough where you dont feel like you need to reread sentences for understanding.

Next is just answer questions, there is a few tricks here that work about 90% of the time

• Unless the passage is asking you about a specific detail, dont look back. READ EVERY ANSWER THOROUGLY AND THEN Answer what makes sense from the general point of the passage. Its very easy to prove a wrong answer to be somewhat correct if you dig hard enough, dont. Answer what your gut says and move onto the next question, dont contemplate to much. With that being said...
• Answer like you were dropped on the head as a child. Alot of times if Im arguing between two answers, there is the answer that is 100% correct, and one that is 90% correct. Be an idoit and choose the one that seems like it is correct. However.....
• "Always" is a word to avoid. If an answer uses this word, or definites like it, it is something to avoid. I would say 80% of the time the wishy washy answer is more correct then the highly affirmative one. This leads to my final point....
• 100% of the time you are not actually looking for the "right" answer in verbal, this isnt PS or BS where 1+1 almost always equals 2 (unless we are talking about the different sedimentation values for Ribosomes). In verbal you are looking for the answer that isnt wrong. Often times an answer will seem very "right" but one aspect of it is clearly wrong, as compared to an answer that isnt wrong, but doesnt seem as right as that answer, these are meant to fool you. Choose the answer that isnt wrong.

I understand that I few of these tips may be at odds with each other. Ultimately you must adjust slightly for each passage, but it comes down to one thing. Read thoroughly. Read every sentence in the passage. Read every question. Read every answer. Then the correct answer will be fairly obvious. This may seem like it takes longer, but it takes much less time than skimming, and then trying to find the correct information later.

Or to summarize in one sentence

Understand what the hell the author is arguing

EDIT July 26, 2014:
@DoctorInASaree uploaded a guide to Verbal Reasoning. If you're interested, it's worth a look. Here is the link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2byivymmqwlvjms/MCAT VR Primer DRSAREE.pdf

EDIT 2, July 26, 2014: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/sn2d-first-day.1074344/page-52#post-15510851
________________________________________________
Just finished the first day of SN2...man is it long and exhausting.

The first day is BR physics chapter (translational motion) + 1/3 of the passages. I felt like I wasn't able to apply the stuff I read into the stuff I was tested on.

Has anyone felt this way when following the schedule? It just seems like the contents of the chapter didn't really stick in my head when I took the practice passages. Will this improve over time?

EDIT 3, March 4, 2015:

For verbal, if you are feeling lost and confused, I highly highly recommend you to look into the MCAT Strategy Course by @Jack Westin. I've been working with him, and nothing comes close to his course and teaching. It's a strategy course, so it will cover everything, not just the VR/CARS section.

---

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[ramires]

hey Texas, well with BR bio the passages are being a pain in the ass that I couldn't finish them in a day since I have my rotations, I'm doing them on my break day, altered the schedule a bit so that every Sunday is a break, so yesterday while doing the 2nd 1/3 of bio, It got to me that I decided I need to do something with the material, so I took a good 1 hour and came up with a plan to use TPR for bio content instead of EK on first time reading, then I would do the BR passages corresponding to them ( I already linked them ) and then on re-read days I read my notes and the EK chapter (takes me about 1 hr) then instead of solving EK-1001 (SN2 didn't recommend that for bio) I solve passages from the TPRH science workbook and the EK in class exam.

I skipped an entire week of verbal, starting tomorrow hope that i will get a hang of stuff.

Re-reading day was hectic, I couldn't get finish them so I had to do stuff on the following day. (skimming was the key), and i couldn't do any of that EK-1001. (I will move on with the schedule as planned, I can solve them when my rotation ends in the teens of July, then I'll have all day for studying)

So all in all I finished the first week and damn that was insane but let's hope it will pay-off.

Keep it going guys.I can safely say that the more we are into this the easier it gets.

 

[TexasSurgeon]

hey Texas, well with BR bio the passages are being a pain in the ass that I couldn't finish them in a day since I have my rotations, I'm doing them on my break day, altered the schedule a bit so that every Sunday is a break, so yesterday while doing the 2nd 1/3 of bio, It got to me that I decided I need to do something with the material, so I took a good 1 hour and came up with a plan to use TPR for bio content instead of EK on first time reading, then I would do the BR passages corresponding to them ( I already linked them ) and then on re-read days I read my notes and the EK chapter (takes me about 1 hr) then instead of solving EK-1001 (SN2 didn't recommend that for bio) I solve passages from the TPRH science workbook and the EK in class exam.

I skipped an entire week of verbal, starting tomorrow hope that i will get a hang of stuff.

Re-reading day was hectic, I couldn't get finish them so I had to do stuff on the following day. (skimming was the key), and i couldn't do any of that EK-1001. (I will move on with the schedule as planned, I can solve them when my rotation ends in the teens of July, then I'll have all day for studying)

So all in all I finished the first week and damn that was insane but let's hope it will pay-off.

Keep it going guys.I can safely say that the more we are into this the easier it gets.

Today is my rereading day and I already know that I won't be able to finish all of it today if I just read through + the 1001's are crazy. So my plan is to skim through the reading faster and review again the 1/3's that I did and read the part of the chapter I missed the questions on. Hopefully that'll help with time management. Material is crazy long though; I'm sure TPR will be just as good for bio

I skipped an entire week of verbal as well since I decided to read the front part of the BR book first. Right now, I'm in the section of the 5 passages analyzed part.

EK 1001 seems like it'll be a great way to improve on skills. I just need to get the content down from BR first to the point where I feel comfortable with stuff.

This may help you: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/ek-1001-matched-to-tbr-how-to-supplement-ek-bio.1021208/

^ it's matched TBR with EK1001 so basically it'll show you which problems correspond to TBR ch. 1, etc.

 

[rolliespring]

Today is my rereading day and I already know that I won't be able to finish all of it today if I just read through + the 1001's are crazy. So my plan is to skim through the reading faster and review again the 1/3's that I did and read the part of the chapter I missed the questions on. Hopefully that'll help with time management. Material is crazy long though; I'm sure TPR will be just as good for bio

I skipped an entire week of verbal as well since I decided to read the front part of the BR book first. Right now, I'm in the section of the 5 passages analyzed part.

EK 1001 seems like it'll be a great way to improve on skills. I just need to get the content down from BR first to the point where I feel comfortable with stuff.

This may help you: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/ek-1001-matched-to-tbr-how-to-supplement-ek-bio.1021208/

^ it's matched TBR with EK1001 so basically it'll show you which problems correspond to TBR ch. 1, etc.

I think it might be helpful if you highlight the important stuff when you do your first read through so the next time when you re-read you only read the highlighted portion. It saves a lot of time during your re-read days and it helps you retain the essentials (Day 20 in SN2ed btw).

 

[TexasSurgeon]

I think it might be helpful if you highlight the important stuff when you do your first read through so the next time when you re-read you only read the highlighted portion. It saves a lot of time during your re-read days and it helps you retain the essentials (Day 20 in SN2ed btw).

Yeah I've been reading stuff I highlighted from the first day!

Can you tell whether you've improved or not yet compared to your first week? I usually miss 2-3 per passage across all sections, and occasionally there's a passage where I miss 4 or 5 (clearly information gap)

 

[TexasSurgeon]

Just thought I would add that the rereading days are killer. Although I have a much better grasp on stuff. I don't think I'll finish in one day, so this may carry over to my "break" day....

 

[MrTaco92]

Texas, why not switch to a later date, maybe about a week or two later? That way you can spend 2 days re-reading and answering the EK 1001 questions rather than 1 day. And that way you can address your weak points more thoroughly also.

 

[TexasSurgeon]

Texas, why not switch to a later date, maybe about a week or two later? That way you can spend 2 days re-reading and answering the EK 1001 questions rather than 1 day. And that way you can address your weak points more thoroughly also.

A later date for the MCAT right? I want to but I don't wanna get behind in the semester since I take mine a few days after school starts. Plus, I don't want to have to stress with classes and MCAT even if it's just for 2 weeks; I'm just gonna try and stick on schedule. More or less I'm able to follow it, it's just that my whole day gets taken haha

When is your MCAT?

 

[MrTaco92]

A later date for the MCAT right? I want to but I don't wanna get behind in the semester since I take mine a few days after school starts. Plus, I don't want to have to stress with classes and MCAT even if it's just for 2 weeks; I'm just gonna try and stick on schedule. More or less I'm able to follow it, it's just that my whole day gets taken haha

When is your MCAT?

Damn, yeah I guess it would be too much into the semester in your case if you were to reschedule. I'm taking mine on September 6th so I have about 10 buffer days. Luckily I've just graduated a few weeks ago so I don't have to worry about the MCAT interfering with anything for now.

 

[ramires]

A later date for the MCAT right? I want to but I don't wanna get behind in the semester since I take mine a few days after school starts. Plus, I don't want to have to stress with classes and MCAT even if it's just for 2 weeks; I'm just gonna try and stick on schedule. More or less I'm able to follow it, it's just that my whole day gets taken haha

When is your MCAT?

Texas it's fine there is this blog called a medical school odyssey or something he writes about his whole experience with this, Inevitably we are gonna be late with some stuff, but quoting him don't dwell on it, later on you will get the hang of stuff and start patching holes of your schedule.

Started verbal today, took 3 passages from the TPRH missed 4 on the first ever passage and then 2 then just 1 on the last one. How are you guys doing?

 

[MrTaco92]

Texas it's fine there is this blog called a medical school odyssey or something he writes about his whole experience with this, Inevitably we are gonna be late with some stuff, but quoting him don't dwell on it, later on you will get the hang of stuff and start patching holes of your schedule.

Started verbal today, took 3 passages from the TPRH missed 4 on the first ever passage and then 2 then just 1 on the last one. How are you guys doing?

My verbal scores scare the hell out of me. I'm averaging about 50-60% right on each passage and I'm still trying to figure out how to address that problem.

 

[TexasSurgeon]

Texas it's fine there is this blog called a medical school odyssey or something he writes about his whole experience with this, Inevitably we are gonna be late with some stuff, but quoting him don't dwell on it, later on you will get the hang of stuff and start patching holes of your schedule.

Started verbal today, took 3 passages from the TPRH missed 4 on the first ever passage and then 2 then just 1 on the last one. How are you guys doing?

Ah okay; patching holes in the schedule meaning I'll catch up right? Because I hope I will haha.
I need to finish reading all the chapters for the first week today although it's my break day. I need to read orgo, bio, and physics chapter 2 again. Hopefully it'll finish today. But I may not get to do EK1001...

My verbal scores scare the hell out of me. I'm averaging about 50-60% right on each passage and I'm still trying to figure out how to address that problem.

Verbal is shaky still.

 

[rolliespring]

Yeah I've been reading stuff I highlighted from the first day!

Can you tell whether you've improved or not yet compared to your first week? I usually miss 2-3 per passage across all sections, and occasionally there's a passage where I miss 4 or 5 (clearly information gap)

I don't really remember PS/BS but I do remember getting more than half wrong for VR for my first 3 passages...
I don't think improvement will be obvious until you get to your FLs since you're kinda switching topics everyday. What I can say is you will get more used to the schedule and you will be more familiar with subjects that you used to be unfamiliar with. However I did see improvement in VR since that is an everyday process.

 

[TexasSurgeon]

I don't really remember PS/BS but I do remember getting more than half wrong for VR for my first 3 passages...
I don't think improvement will be obvious until you get to your FLs since you're kinda switching topics everyday. What I can say is you will get more used to the schedule and you will be more familiar with subjects that you used to be unfamiliar with. However I did see improvement in VR since that is an everyday process.

How did you do on the days that require full rereading of all chapters? I'm going to fall behind if I don't finish reading all week one by today and I don't even know how I'll get to the EK1001's....and my verbal practice has been negligent because of the time it takes to read a chapter + the 1/3s

 

[swolebrah]

Like this thread, keep's everyone motivated. Also for those saying they are having a hard time finishing bio, try TPR-H Biological Science. It's a little bit more then EK, but not as difficult as detailed as TBR Bio. I have EK Bio and TPR-H and what I do is basically this:

-Read TPR-H and anki important information
-Go back to EK Bio to look at their colorful diagrams and side annotations regarding any important "facts" to memorize that I might have missed

How did you do on the days that require full rereading of all chapters? I'm going to fall behind if I don't finish reading all week one by today and I don't even know how I'll get to the EK1001's....and my verbal practice has been negligent because of the time it takes to read a chapter + the 1/3s

Do your verbal first thing before studying. On the real MCAT, your verbal section is the first section you do!

 

[listener23]

Like this thread, keep's everyone motivated. Also for those saying they are having a hard time finishing bio, try TPR-H Biological Science. It's a little bit more then EK, but not as difficult as detailed as TBR Bio. I have EK Bio and TPR-H and what I do is basically this:

-Read TPR-H and anki important information
-Go back to EK Bio to look at their colorful diagrams and side annotations regarding any important "facts" to memorize that I might have missed



Do your verbal first thing before studying. On the real MCAT, your verbal section is the first section you
do!

No its not, physical science is the first
section then verbal

 

[swolebrah]

No its not, physical science is the first
section then verbal

Oh your right , I was thinking verbal before bio section. Forgot about the physical sciences

 

[TexasSurgeon]

Like this thread, keep's everyone motivated. Also for those saying they are having a hard time finishing bio, try TPR-H Biological Science. It's a little bit more then EK, but not as difficult as detailed as TBR Bio. I have EK Bio and TPR-H and what I do is basically this:

-Read TPR-H and anki important information
-Go back to EK Bio to look at their colorful diagrams and side annotations regarding any important "facts" to memorize that I might have missed



Do your verbal first thing before studying. On the real MCAT, your verbal section is the first section you do!

I think PS is first right?
I'm pretty similar except I anki EK bio and then to TBR passages. My main issue with finishing bio is doing all the 1/3 passages, which are like 12 passages

 

[TexasSurgeon]

My main concern is finishing all the rereadings + EK1001's
Has anyone tried not rereading, but re-reviewing the 1/3 passages they did and then rereading the parts where they missed again? That'll open up time for Ek1001 for sure

 

[rolliespring]

How did you do on the days that require full rereading of all chapters? I'm going to fall behind if I don't finish reading all week one by today and I don't even know how I'll get to the EK1001's....and my verbal practice has been negligent because of the time it takes to read a chapter + the 1/3s

Like I've said you only read the highlighted parts and it goes a lot faster if you remember stuff from your pre-reqs. This is what I do but it might not apply to everyone. I generally spend less time on PS reading than BS reading because PS content review is more about math. All you need to memorize are equations and some general rules. I'm pretty good at physics and orgo already so usually I just skim really quick on my highlighted pages (3-5 sec). My major is helping me going faster in molecular bio but I think I might spend more time on the P&A stuff. The main point is getting a solid content review and getting better on passages. Obviously don't spend too much time on things you already know.
If I really can't finish both the reading and problems on the same day I would do the problems first. But that is my personal
preference. Also, TIME yourself when doing passages. It will save time for you on studying and your actual test.
So if you do 3 verbal passages/day * 7min/passage = 21min + review < 1hr

 

[TexasSurgeon]

Like I've said you only read the highlighted parts and it goes a lot faster if you remember stuff from your pre-reqs. This is what I do but it might not apply to everyone. I generally spend less time on PS reading than BS reading because PS content review is more about math. All you need to memorize are equations and some general rules. I'm pretty good at physics and orgo already so usually I just skim really quick on my highlighted pages (3-5 sec). My major is helping me going faster in molecular bio but I think I might spend more time on the P&A stuff. The main point is getting a solid content review and getting better on passages. Obviously don't spend too much time on things you already know.
If I really can't finish both the reading and problems on the same day I would do the problems first. But that is my personal
preference. Also, TIME yourself when doing passages. It will save time for you on studying and your actual test.
So if you do 3 verbal passages/day * 7min/passage = 21min + review < 1hr

OK sounds good then. I will read only highlighted parts and focus on active reading more on Week 2 so I can highlight more effectively and make rereading days go by easier. I do need a bit more review on content but I think I'm doing fine how I am right now. I bolded the part I found to be most important in your post. Sometimes when I read only the highlighted parts I feel like I'm missing something (in terms of losing content)

Yeah I do time myself on passages. I think I'm just slower in reviewing; plus I need to cover about 5 passages a day and I want to finish BR Verbal first since it's not as good as Princeton HyperVerbal or EK

 

[jebelali]

I am following princeton's guideline for verbal passages: 7.5 min for passage with 5 Q, 9 min for 6 Q and 10.5 min for 7 Q. Do you think that's too lenient? (assuming 40Q/60 min on actual MCAT: 1.5 min/Q).
[QUOTE="Also, TIME yourself when doing passages. It will save time for you on studying and your actual test.
So if you do 3 verbal passages/day * 7min/passage = 21min + review < 1hr [/QUOTE][/QUOTE]

 

[TexasSurgeon]

I am following princeton's guideline for verbal passages: 7.5 min for passage with 5 Q, 9 min for 6 Q and 10.5 min for 7 Q. Do you think that's too lenient? (assuming 40Q/60 min on actual MCAT: 1.5 min/Q).
[QUOTE="Also, TIME yourself when doing passages. It will save time for you on studying and your actual test.
So if you do 3 verbal passages/day * 7min/passage = 21min + review < 1hr

[/QUOTE]
Not sure, but SN2 recommends 6-7 minutes per passage on BR passages and to gradually work towards 6 minutes in all the prep book passages

 

[jebelali]

Not sure, but SN2 recommends 6-7 minutes per passage on BR passages and to gradually work towards 6 minutes in all the prep book passages[/QUOTE]

Wow, okay I've been too lenient then. I will try to go down to 6 - 7 min. I thought that was just for the sciences lol! Thanks!

 

[TexasSurgeon]

Not sure, but SN2 recommends 6-7 minutes per passage on BR passages and to gradually work towards 6 minutes in all the prep book passages

Wow, okay I've been too lenient then. I will try to go down to 6 - 7 min. I thought that was just for the sciences lol! Thanks![/QUOTE]

General rule for SN2 is to get closer to 6 minutes in all passages of all sections! Haha it's tough

 

[TexasSurgeon]

Like I've said you only read the highlighted parts and it goes a lot faster if you remember stuff from your pre-reqs. This is what I do but it might not apply to everyone. I generally spend less time on PS reading than BS reading because PS content review is more about math. All you need to memorize are equations and some general rules. I'm pretty good at physics and orgo already so usually I just skim really quick on my highlighted pages (3-5 sec). My major is helping me going faster in molecular bio but I think I might spend more time on the P&A stuff. The main point is getting a solid content review and getting better on passages. Obviously don't spend too much time on things you already know.
If I really can't finish both the reading and problems on the same day I would do the problems first. But that is my personal
preference. Also, TIME yourself when doing passages. It will save time for you on studying and your actual test.
So if you do 3 verbal passages/day * 7min/passage = 21min + review < 1hr

I just did your approach to Ochem chapter 1 and it was marvelous! Finished the whole chapter in about an hour reading highlights + reviewing the passages for a second time Thank you

 

[listener23]

My main concern is finishing all the rereadings + EK1001's
Has anyone tried not rereading, but re-reviewing the 1/3 passages they did and then rereading the parts where they missed again? That'll open up time for Ek1001 for sure

Try just reading your written notes for that chapter then doing the corresponding EK 1001

 

[TexasSurgeon]

Try just reading your written notes for that chapter then doing the corresponding EK 1001

I changed my approach a bit
On reread days, I'm mostly reading the parts of the chapter that I've highlighted and I quickly skim through any examples I'm unsure of and review the 1/3's again really fast to see if I can pick up on the concept being asked. The written notes I have are related to the passage mistakes which I just write to remember stuff and also read randomly when I'm free

 

[mehc012]

I changed my approach a bit
On reread days, I'm mostly reading the parts of the chapter that I've highlighted and I quickly skim through any examples I'm unsure of and review the 1/3's again really fast to see if I can pick up on the concept being asked. The written notes I have are related to the passage mistakes which I just write to remember stuff and also read randomly when I'm free

I like to read TBR on the first pass and TPRH on the second. Helps to get a different perspective. Rereading the same stuff just doesn't work for me.

 

[listener23]

I like to read TBR on the first pass and TPRH on the second. Helps to get a different perspective. Rereading the same stuff just doesn't work for me.

One thing I can say is, when you read the same stuff again you get through it a lot faster,and since you have so much to read on the re-read days its very helpful

 

[mehc012]

One thing I can say is, when you read the same stuff again you get through it a lot faster,and since you have so much to read on the re-read days its very helpful

Reading takes almost no time...it's the making flashcards that takes forever. On re-read day, you don't have to make any. That's why I read TPRH instead...I can pick up a few extra tidbits and make only a few flashcards. If I were rereading the same thing I wouldn't have any new cards to make and the whole thing would be kind of...pointless. I like rereading fiction, but for review texts it's just redundant.

 

[TexasSurgeon]

One thing I can say is, when you read the same stuff again you get through it a lot faster,and since you have so much to read on the re-read days its very helpful

Yeah this is why I wouldn't be able to do TPRH, since I wouldn't already have the "pattern" of text engrained. It would be hard for me to read TPRH the second time around

Reading takes almost no time...it's the making flashcards that takes forever. On re-read day, you don't have to make any. That's why I read TPRH instead...I can pick up a few extra tidbits and make only a few flashcards. If I were rereading the same thing I wouldn't have any new cards to make and the whole thing would be kind of...pointless. I like rereading fiction, but for review texts it's just redundant.

Dang really? For me, reading takes forever...and making the notecards is much shorter.
However, I will say that even though I make notecards, I have no idea when I will use them. I'm so busy reading and doing questions that the time for a notecard review is barely there

 

[mehc012]

Yeah this is why I wouldn't be able to do TPRH, since I wouldn't already have the "pattern" of text engrained. It would be hard for me to read TPRH the second time around



Dang really? For me, reading takes forever...and making the notecards is much shorter.
However, I will say that even though I make notecards, I have no idea when I will use them. I'm so busy reading and doing questions that the time for a notecard review is barely there

I am a very fast reader...and a very nitpicky flashcard-maker.

 

[TexasSurgeon]

Is anyone getting killed by these BR bio passages? I'm reviewing the first week's and most of them are okay for the first week (miss 1 or 2) but there's a few where I miss over half or more....especially in the enzyme and metabolite part

My solution is to read BR's bio text since it's more in depth and to practice more, but does this happen to you guys?

 

[MrTaco92]

I got frustrated with BR bio passages also so I only ended up doing about 6 or 7 of them. The EK bio passages I did today were significantly easier though and I did the best on those than I've done on any other practice problem set so far.

 

[TexasSurgeon]

I got frustrated with BR bio passages also so I only ended up doing about 6 or 7 of them. The EK bio passages I did today were significantly easier though and I did the best on those than I've done on any other practice problem set so far.

You're talking about the EK 30 minute exam right?

 

[MrTaco92]

You're talking about the EK 30 minute exam right?

Yep. I just finished up my re-read day today.

 

[QueenJames]

So TBR does have good info. I just use it to get background detail and take notes, and then correspond with EK for the list of formulas to remember.

 

[TexasSurgeon]

Yep. I just finished up my re-read day today.

Including EK1001? How long did it take you?

So TBR does have good info. I just use it to get background detail and take notes, and then correspond with EK for the list of formulas to remember.

I still think TBR is the best, despite their stupid grammar mistakes in the books; it's just really detailed, which they show you in their passages for Bio lol

 

[QueenJames]

Including EK1001? How long did it take you?



I still think TBR is the best, despite their stupid grammar mistakes in the books; it's just really detailed, which they show you in their passages for Bio lol

Yeah most def. In my case, I'm weak in physics and chem, O-chem and bio I am not TOO worried about even though I am still taking them as seriously. For physics there are just too many extra formulas to remember so I am going to EK which lists them and just go from there. But I still try to get my background info from TBR.

 

[TexasSurgeon]

Yeah most def. In my case, I'm weak in physics and chem, O-chem and bio I am not TOO worried about even though I am still taking them as seriously. For physics there are just too many extra formulas to remember so I am going to EK which lists them and just go from there. But I still try to get my background info from TBR.

Yeah there really are a ton of formulas for physics -.-
I just want to do as many problems as I can to nail it all down; that's what I realized should be the priority over content review

A few helpful threads for you all:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...ints-in-2-months-—-the-spinach-method.988678/

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/how-i-went-from-a-26-to-a-43.943292/

http://www.premedhq.com/2013/12/mcat-study-tips-from-41-scorer.html

 

[MrTaco92]

I kind of half-assed my reading day so I finished within 6-7 hours which is short for me. I quickly skimmed through the physics chapters and gen chem, did the EK 1001 questions, and then just looked over a few anki notes I took on bio and took the EK bio exam. For o-chem I didn't even re-read because the first chapter is pretty redundant to me coming straight out the class. Just like you guys I'm struggling with physics and gen chem though so that's what I'll try to focus on.

 

[TexasSurgeon]

I kind of half-assed my reading day so I finished within 6-7 hours which is short for me. I quickly skimmed through the physics chapters and gen chem, did the EK 1001 questions, and then just looked over a few anki notes I took on bio and took the EK bio exam. For o-chem I didn't even re-read because the first chapter is pretty redundant to me coming straight out the class. Just like you guys I'm struggling with physics and gen chem though so that's what I'll try to focus on.

That's not bad man. 6-7 hours is good considering you've already read it once. When I get a chance I'm gonna read BR bio chapter 7 and 8 because that's my weak spot right now. Didn't get a chance to do EK1001 so I'll do that during the next reread day this week to catch up. I did the EK bio exam- my only mistakes were careless ones, but I guess that's what happens when you work at 1 AM

 

[TexasSurgeon]

So frustrating...I'm doing week 1's second 1/3 questions today and I miss 2-3 (mostly 2) in each passage. And they're careless mistakes mostly.

Still gotta do EK1001 from week 1 at some point, maybe that'll clean up stuff.

Any ideas on how to eliminate the final mistakes? I thoroughly analyze the answers BR gives and highlight anything in the answer that I find is useful. I write down things in my notebook for Bio but not entirely for physics and genchem since BR phrases it so well and I've found it a waste of time for me to rewrite the answers since it's never helped me improve my scores in the past

 

[MrTaco92]

As long as if you're making progress from last week I think you'll be fine. We're still only a week into the schedule so we'll learn how to study the material more efficiently as we go further into the schedule.

In the meantime, check out these pictures of birds with human arms for some comic relief if you're looking to take a short break from studying:
http://www.eatliver.com/birds-with-human-arms/#5bIb6p2WeqIjeQqQ.01

 

[graden]

6-7 minutes per TBR passage means we're supposed to finish each 1/3 in 2-2.5 mins right?

 

[jebelali]

6-7 minutes per TBR passage means we're supposed to finish each 1/3 in 2-2.5 mins right?

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but it is 6 - 7 min per passage (all Qs and reading included). 2 - 2.5 minutes per passage is overkill but if you can do it, good for you!

 

[mehc012]

6-7 minutes per TBR passage means we're supposed to finish each 1/3 in 2-2.5 mins right?

When you're doing 1/3, you keep each passage as a set. So you're never doing 1/3 of a passage, you are doing 1/3 of the passages.

 

[graden]

When you're doing 1/3, you keep each passage as a set. So you're never doing 1/3 of a passage, you are doing 1/3 of the passages.

Wow, I'm an idiot.

 

[TexasSurgeon]

As long as if you're making progress from last week I think you'll be fine. We're still only a week into the schedule so we'll learn how to study the material more efficiently as we go further into the schedule.

In the meantime, check out these pictures of birds with human arms for some comic relief if you're looking to take a short break from studying:
http://www.eatliver.com/birds-with-human-arms/#5bIb6p2WeqIjeQqQ.01

lmao!
I think my progress is the same. I've got foundational gaps and I need to close them

 

[MrTaco92]

Damn... the "2nd 1/3 passages" day just took me 11 hours to complete. Completely fatigued at the end and bombed the last few passages I did.