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ttt92

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Hey guys,

Just thought I would start a thread for people taking the MCAT in late August/September and using the SN2ed schedule. I thought it would be a good place to post our progress, issues, rantings about the studying, or questions we had about the schedule?? I myself am not starting until later this week after finals.

GOOD LUCK everyone!
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Sarvish said:
I used to type notes for courses a few years back but I've learned that I learn better by writing. And if I type then I end up typing everything instead of actually filtering anything out.

And I think people are just reading BR as extra, I'm a weak bio student but I think EK teaches enough to do well.
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Thanks Sarvish! I see what you mean, I think I may have to type up notes though as it may take me too long to write stuff out
I will also probably be doing EK content only :)
 
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Sarvish said:
I used to type notes for courses a few years back but I've learned that I learn better by writing. And if I type then I end up typing everything instead of actually filtering anything out.

And I think people are just reading BR as extra, I'm a weak bio student but I think EK teaches enough to do well.
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BR bio is VERY VERY detailed. It is filled with tons of information that you wont be tested. It really is a matter of preference. I use EK but I also refer to BR when I need a good diagram or another explanation. I suggest EK as your primary bio content book.
 
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Thisisthelife said:
BR bio is VERY VERY detailed. It is filled with tons of information that you wont be tested. It really is a matter of preference. I use EK but I also refer to BR when I need a good diagram or another explanation. I suggest EK as your primary bio content book.
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Yep, although TPR has a strong bio book in my opinion as well. It borders on giving too much information, but the extra information is usually helpful to understanding certain important topics. BR can just get off the wall. I would just cross-check whatever you use with another book because I've noticed that even BR leaves out information sometimes.
 
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Does anyone else find that doing post-game analysis for Verbal is essentially useless? I mean once you figure out the types of questions and the common traps, I don't really see the point of analyzing what you've done. Knowing how to get the answers for a particular passage seems kind of pointless since you will never see those questions again. Anyone else feel the same?
 
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Yeah, I sort of feel that way when I go through the explanations as well. It's very repetitive.
 
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cbfc said:
Does anyone else find that doing post-game analysis for Verbal is essentially useless? I mean once you figure out the types of questions and the common traps, I don't really see the point of analyzing what you've done. Knowing how to get the answers for a particular passage seems kind of pointless since you will never see those questions again. Anyone else feel the same?
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Not at all. Sure the explanations are specific to the question but so are the explanations to physics problems with calculations. It's important to take a general concept out of the explanation.

In verbal, that often boils down to logic. Was there any explicit information in the passage that could support that choice? What is the author's tone regarding the subject matter? Do you fully understand the question and follow its direction?
 
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Im doing my first review of the 2/3 of the passages ..going to be a fun next few hours..I realize it will take about 3-4 hours.

I have realized that once you complete first cycle of the schedule, it does GET easier, and realized that I become accustomed to it
 
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ek1001 physics and chemistry look much more appealing after seeing all the post ps panic on the mcat threads
 
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orangeblue said:
Im doing my first review of the 2/3 of the passages ..going to be a fun next few hours..I realize it will take about 3-4 hours.

I have realized that once you complete first cycle of the schedule, it does GET easier, and realized that I become accustomed to it
Click to expand...

this is awesome news haha :) I'm struggling through the first cycle! (as in it's taking me longer than the schedule suggests!)
 
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Does anyone know how closely chads vids mirror BR? Im Planning to use chads videos side by side with BR chaps from SN2ed schedule to decrease my time spent on BR (alot) and increase my understanding of the topics. Ill also post a review of the quality and usefulness of his videos (afer i watch a couple) even with the fact that there are free videos out therr as well
 
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No need to hesitate. Purchase the subscription. Chad covers about all TBR covers.

humangenome said:
Does anyone know how closely chads vids mirror BR? Im Planning to use chads videos side by side with BR chaps from SN2ed schedule to decrease my time spent on BR (alot) and increase my understanding of the topics. Ill also post a review of the quality and usefulness of his videos (afer i watch a couple) even with the fact that there are free videos out therr as well
Click to expand...
 
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t5Nitro said:
No need to hesitate. Purchase the subscription. Chad covers about all TBR covers.
Click to expand...

Awesome, thank you! I did the subscription a week ago but just wanted to know how closely it mirrors BR. I was thinking of watching his vid for the corressponding BR chapter, write down notes for the vid, then skim the BR chap for things he missed and to read examples. Do you think this is good enough? Or do u think the vids are just supplementary so that after watching the vid ii should readthe BR chap and make notes as i usually would without the vids (but perhaps it would speed up the process)?
 
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Alright I have been using EK101 and TPRH for the past month or so. Recently I have been doing "mini tests" where I give myself 24-25 minutes for 3 VR passages. On EK, I am getting between 7-10 (about 62-78% correct). I just did AAMC self assessment VR, 3 passages in 25 mins and got 14/15 :eek:. Is the self assessment known to compare with EK, or is it easier than the actual MCAT? I definitely found that the AAMC answers were much more straightforward? I'm a little shocked about the huge jump (which is good) seeing as I have never scored that high on EK (or ever). I received a 6 in VR on my 1st MCAT. Is AAMC self assessment a fake confidence booster?
 
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DocMC said:
Alright I have been using EK101 and TPRH for the past month or so. Recently I have been doing "mini tests" where I give myself 24-25 minutes for 3 VR passages. On EK, I am getting between 7-10 (about 62-78% correct). I just did AAMC self assessment VR, 3 passages in 25 mins and got 14/15 :eek:. Is the self assessment known to compare with EK, or is it easier than the actual MCAT? I definitely found that the AAMC answers were much more straightforward? I'm a little shocked about the huge jump (which is good) seeing as I have never scored that high on EK (or ever). I received a 6 in VR on my 1st MCAT. Is AAMC self assessment a fake confidence booster?
Click to expand...

I'm not surprised, actually. Some of the EK 101 and TPRH VW questions and/or their answers (moreso EK than TPRH) are crap.

I'd trust your AAMC results.
 
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Anyone else supplementing with Chad's Videos? If so how do you incorporate it into the schedule?

Friend recently gave me his account since he took the MCAT so I have roughly 3 weeks of access
 
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gettheleadout said:
Before FL's, just after content review.
Click to expand...

After taking the self assesments, do you recommend working on the indicated weakness areas with A.) the corresponding final 1/3 of passages (SN2ed schedule) or B.) EK1001 or just complete all the final 1/3 regardless? I have a month until my exam.
 
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You could read TBR and then watch his videos for a second exposure from a different learning angle. I have been doing more than one day's worth of TBR in one. On weekends I tend to watch Chad's videos then for previous content I read in TBR, continuing to take a new set of notes. Both TBR and Chad cover a lot of the same material. Chad may miss a few things that are in TBR here or there, but it's pretty close. His new 2013 video sets are tailored to MCAT prep and follow the AAMC study guides.

I don't know that I would use it as a standalone resource, though he knows his stuff, but you will learn tricks and gather tips from TBR and Chad both that may help you out. I've learned some cool tricks from him that TBR hadn't mentioned.
 
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Thank you so much!! I will try listening to chads videos before the TBR reading at first as I am trying to find a way to make the TBR take me less time to go through (the readings are taking me way too long at this point). If this doesnt work out then ill watch them after my readings
 
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enervate said:
Ugh! That Judicial Realism passage (Test #5, Passage #4) in EK 101 Verbal was TERRIBLE.
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Checked my log, took me 9:46 but I got them all right. EK 101 does have some painful passages.

You want a real doozy? I missed 4 out of 6 on Passage 5.1; I was laughing to myself reading their answer explanations because they didn't make any sense lol.

For comparison I recently took the first actual "test" of 7 passages in the TPRH VW, and I got 36/40. I missed the same number of questions on EK 101 Passage 5.1 as I did in 7 passages from TPRH lol.
danny89 said:
After taking the self assesments, do you recommend working on the indicated weakness areas with A.) the corresponding final 1/3 of passages (SN2ed schedule) or B.) EK1001 or just complete all the final 1/3 regardless? I have a month until my exam.
Click to expand...

In case time becomes an issue, it might be more productive (or at least feel so) to begin the final 1/3's with the areas you need to focus on, but I would aim to complete all of them.
 
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gettheleadout said:
Checked my log, took me 9:46 but I got them all right. EK 101 does have some painful passages.

You want a real doozy? I missed 4 out of 6 on Passage 5.1; I was laughing to myself reading their answer explanations because they didn't make any sense lol.

For comparison I recently took the first actual "test" of 7 passages in the TPRH VW, and I got 36/40. I missed the same number of questions on EK 101 Passage 5.1 as I did in 7 passages from TPRH lol.


In case time becomes an issue, it might be more productive (or at least feel so) to begin the final 1/3's with the areas you need to focus on, but I would aim to complete all of them.
Click to expand...

I actually just did that passage (5.1) this morning and got the same score. Then on 5.2 got 5/5. This is weird. EK can get out of control sometimes lol
 
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What are your guys strategies for dense verbal passages. I usually attempt to read the passage actively in 3-4 minutes and comprehend the main idea then answer all the questions and refer back to the passage if i need to. However when I come across a dense passage that I just don't understand I freak out and can't finish on time. Do you guys have any suggestions.
 
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ss227, practice, practice practice! when you review your answers, you might notice what types of question u do or dont' miss, ...often times i see that even in dense scary passages, i didnt miss any more than regular passages or that i missed more ?s on a regular passage..at times, that shud help with the 'freak' out factor.

does anyone do the kaplan strategy of triage, ie. if a passage is too dense, or don't like ...to skip it and come back to it later? ie. if we are doing 3 passages, so skim and pick the one easiest to do first etc..sometimes this isn't the best way or better to do things, but if you want more control of the test, you can try that too.
 
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gettheleadout said:
You want a real doozy? I missed 4 out of 6 on Passage 5.1; I was laughing to myself reading their answer explanations because they didn't make any sense lol.

For comparison I recently took the first actual "test" of 7 passages in the TPRH VW, and I got 36/40. I missed the same number of questions on EK 101 Passage 5.1 as I did in 7 passages from TPRH lol.
Click to expand...
Aw! I missed two questions on that passage but I really enjoyed it. Even though I don't know what twelve-tone music is, I pretended that the avant-garde music the passage was referring to was some noise or drone. I missed Question #1 because I didn't thoroughly read all the answers so that's easy to address. I missed Question #4 because the answer is poorly written. If A is going to be the answer, it should indicate who the intellectual elitists are. As it reads, the author is showing himself as an intellectual elitist. If the answer read, "to show the composers and/or Mr. Rothstein as intellectual elitists," it would've been perfectly clear.
 
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t5Nitro said:
Can anybody explain to me the physics problem no. 44 from chapter 8?

Thanks in advance.
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F=qvB ... q(charge) is neutral for neutron so there there is no force on the neutron from the magnetic field thus it does no work on the neutron (W=F*displacement).

The book also talks about how the magnetic field never does work on any particle because the force from the magnetic field is perpendicular to both the B field and also perpendicular to the velocity of the particle, thus, the net force changes the direction of the particle's motion(v changes). Due to velocity direction change, there is never a displacement change in the same direction as the force from the magnetic field. Since Work = F* displacement(in same direction as the direction of force), work is always going to be zero because the component of displacement is zero.
 
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I understood that question, but I don't think that is it. It involves deriving the equation for KE for an ion ejected from the cyclotron.
 
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t5Nitro said:
I understood that question, but I don't think that is it. It involves deriving the equation for KE for an ion ejected from the cyclotron.
Click to expand...

That is question 29 for me haha. But anyways...
KE = 1/2 * m*v^2

since the ion is accelerating in a circle, we know that we need to use centripital force/acceleration equation F = m * v^2/r. It said that the particle is gaining the acceleration from an uniform magnetic field so we also will need F=qvB.

Set them equal to each other: m*v^2/r = qvB
Then we just need to solve for v. v = q*B*r/m
Then after we find the velocity, plug it into kinetic energy equation:

KE = 1/2 * m * (qrB/m)^2
= (qrB)^2 / 2m
 
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Alright, that makes complete sense. That's a very easy problem now that I can work it out. I must find difficulty in relating old physics equations with the new sometimes.

Thanks!
 
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Synapsis said:
I actually just did that passage (5.1) this morning and got the same score. Then on 5.2 got 5/5. This is weird. EK can get out of control sometimes lol
Click to expand...

enervate said:
Aw! I missed two questions on that passage but I really enjoyed it. Even though I don't know what twelve-tone music is, I pretended that the avant-garde music the passage was referring to was some noise or drone. I missed Question #1 because I didn't thoroughly read all the answers so that's easy to address. I missed Question #4 because the answer is poorly written. If A is going to be the answer, it should indicate who the intellectual elitists are. As it reads, the author is showing himself as an intellectual elitist. If the answer read, "to show the composers and/or Mr. Rothstein as intellectual elitists," it would've been perfectly clear.
Click to expand...

Case in point, EK 101 Verbal is crap.
 
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I'm literally getting crapped on by BR Biology...Just graduated with a Bio degree too lmao

Physics - 8, 8, 9, 9
Gen Chem - 10, 10, 13, 10
Orgo - 8, 9, 11, 9
Bio - 5, 5, 3, 6
 
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Ok, wondering if this is a typo or if I'm missing something. Section 5 of BR O.Chem where it talks about ketals, hemiketals, acetals, and hemiacetals, the text says ketals and acetals are formed and removed only under acidic conditions, but the figure shows basic conditions for the formation of all these derivatives...
 
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cbfc said:
Does anyone else find that doing post-game analysis for Verbal is essentially useless? I mean once you figure out the types of questions and the common traps, I don't really see the point of analyzing what you've done. Knowing how to get the answers for a particular passage seems kind of pointless since you will never see those questions again. Anyone else feel the same?
Click to expand...

I have always scored really high on verbal so my advice may not be useful for someone who is struggling with it. My approach to verbal was to do heavy post game analysis in the beginning so I could recognize my consistent mistakes. Once I was sure I had figured them out and fixed them, I stopped doing a "heavy" analysis, but I still do review each answer I get correct and incorrect, it doesn't make me much time though.
 
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Davidasaurus said:
I'm literally getting crapped on by BR Biology...Just graduated with a Bio degree too lmao

Physics - 8, 8, 9, 9
Gen Chem - 10, 10, 13, 10
Orgo - 8, 9, 11, 9
Bio - 5, 5, 3, 6
Click to expand...

There is no point in calculating your "score" for BR. It is a waste of time that can be better spent analyzing your mistakes IMPO. It doesn't matter what you score on practice passages it only matters what you score on the real thing.
 
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Thisisthelife said:
There is no point in calculating your "score" for BR. It is a waste of time that can be better spent analyzing your mistakes IMPO. It doesn't matter what you score on practice passages it only matters what you score on the real thing.
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Yep. It's helpful to see X/7. But to calculate a scaled score means absolutely nothing, especially because each passage usually tests only one topic, while AAMC passages can test multiple.
 
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Synapsis said:
Yep. It's helpful to see X/7. But to calculate a scaled score means absolutely nothing, especially because each passage usually tests only one topic, while AAMC passages can test multiple.
Click to expand...

Yeah, as always I guess everyone has their own way of tracking their progress. I personally dont see the point in doing so for the BR practice passages. ESPECIALLY because low numbers would be demoralizing lol
 
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quick question. can SN1 reactions undergo inversion? i feel that they can b/c if there's steric hindrance it would prefer one way of attack over another wouldn't it? it can attack from the top or bottom but wouldn't one of the ways invert the stereochemistry?
 
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nacholover53 said:
quick question. can SN1 reactions undergo inversion? i feel that they can b/c if there's steric hindrance it would prefer one way of attack over another wouldn't it? it can attack from the top or bottom but wouldn't one of the ways invert the stereochemistry?
Click to expand...

SN1 can undergo inversion in any circumstance. There will always be a mixture of molecules that undergo inversion and molecules that retain their stereochemistry. When there is steric hinderance, one of the two products will probably be favored as the major product but there will ALWAYS (when excluding stereoselective enzymes) be a mixture, whether it be in a ratio of 50:50 or a ratio of 99.999 : 0.001. I hope that was helpful and I answered your question :)
 
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balla121 said:
SN1 can undergo inversion in any circumstance. There will always be a mixture of molecules that undergo inversion and molecules that retain their stereochemistry. When there is steric hinderance, one of the two products will probably be favored as the major product but there will ALWAYS (when excluding stereoselective enzymes) be a mixture, whether it be in a ratio of 50:50 or a ratio of 99.999 : 0.001. I hope that was helpful and I answered your question :)
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ah thanks a lot. yea i figured they could, but was confused because one of the solutions in the TBR passages said SN1 can never undergo inversion (don't remember the exact passage, but it was in the first 1/3 and the question was one with a graph showing optical rotation).
yea your explanation definitely helped, thanks again.
 
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