The "Official" 6/17/2010 MCAT Club

[Simran1031]

Hello Everyone,
I realize this test date has not been opened yet but I hope to take it for a third time around then! Looking forward to other June test takers. Feels a bit like deja vu having started the 5/1/2009 MCAT Club =)

Hopefully third time is the charm!!

The cycle has been rough for me so I am hoping I have better luck next cycle. If any of you are curious about my last cycle feel free to check out my blog that contains plenty of my rants about my previous cycle. =)

I hope to see a lot of you active on here soon. I plan to start studying very soon! (hopefully next weekend?) until then I am going to create a study plan and course of action!!

I am really excited to meet you future June test takers and I really hope we can all support each other =)

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[moose45]

When you guys say you are doing content review, does that include doing practise questions like from the BR books or EK 1001 questions or is it just reading though the material??

 

[KatieRedBull]

When you guys say you are doing content review, does that include doing practise questions like from the BR books or EK 1001 questions or is it just reading though the material??

For me content review is just reading - the questions I do are only those that come with the chapters I'm studying (I'm using PR so there are actually quite a bit of questions). Once I'm done with that I'm going to start doing EK and practice tests.
Not sure how it is for others, but for me content review is really just getting the content down before I start practicing using it.

 

[PltEnthusiast]

hey mosse,
I am using BR and it is full of practice passages at the end of each chapter. And, I am using SN2ed's 3 month schedule. So, my content review include quite a bit of passage practice that's actually the reason why I am okay with doing a review til a month before the test!

 

[Enoko]

When you guys say you are doing content review, does that include doing practise questions like from the BR books or EK 1001 questions or is it just reading though the material??

Content review is reading and doing some practice problems along the way.
Like for BR I do "Part I" of every end chapter test and log all my mistakes.

This is very different from what I can do once I finish my content review, which is take full length tests, see my estimated score, and double down on my weak areas.

 

[eclarep]

I graduated from college in 2008, did research in infectious diseases for a year and a half and just finished taking adv. biochem.

I'm not too concerned about only having a month to study because last summer when my research job was suddenly cut I had a few months to review things. I finished the EK biology, Organic Chem and Gen Chem books and made my own set of illustrated/graphic novelish notes (I was an art/biology major).

I've taken diagnostic tests and am not at all concerned about Verbal which seems to be unusual but I did very well on the SAT verbal and have always been good with verbal reasoning.

I plan to start my 4 to 8 hour/day studying tomorrow which gives me just over one month.
Many of the posts on this forum are by people who spend 3 to 6 months studying but I would go insane if I did that. I learned the material in my pre-med classes, so this should just be a review.

We shall see how that works out. I've always been relaxed about stressful things. I'm actually more concerned with the actual application process because there doesn't seem to be as much information around regarding that beast.

Good luck studying and don't forget to relax.

 

[Golden Boy]

For me content review is just reading - the questions I do are only those that come with the chapters I'm studying (I'm using PR so there are actually quite a bit of questions). Once I'm done with that I'm going to start doing EK and practice tests.
Not sure how it is for others, but for me content review is really just getting the content down before I start practicing using it.

Hey, I've been practicing with PR and Ek too! PR has a lot of content review, with decent practice questions in the review books, but I find the EK review books and practice questions to be more challenging.

Have you been taking the PR practice tests? If so, how do they compare to the real AAMC practice tests? I've heard people say they do better on their AAMC tests than on the PR tests, but it's the opposite for me.

At this point I'm trying not to pay attention to the scores from practice tests. I'm looking at them as just what they are, practice. I figure I'm still getting used to the test-taking mode.

 

[ready2rumble10]

Good luck studying, guys and girls! I've decided to push my test date back until 7/29 because I'm starting a major project next week that ends on July 23.

 

[Mzeep]

Hey guys!

I rescheduled from 4/10 to 6/17 and am so thankful I did. I was not even close to prepared before

How many practice FL's are you taking before the real deal? Like as many as you can get your hands on? I'm keeping all my AAMCs for the end after the TPR FLs

 

[Mbeas]

I actually have like 19 FL's scheduled (including AAMC tests), 3 of which I have already taken. I'm hoping to bring my average up about 3 or 4 points within the next five or six weeks

 

[isasmommy]

Hey,

I took the test last year and got a low score ! NOt surprinsing since I literally didnt study and had just had a baby! I started studying for the VR in January and other stuff in April. I know my weakness is PS. Question is do you guys think that 1.5 month is enough time to get the PS up? I havent really gone through all my content review yet. I have been taking lots of VR tests and seem to be improving steadly getting close to 11 now.

My plan is to study content/mini Mcats (EK) for the next two weeks, then mix in full lenght (2x per week) plus more content and the final weeks practice test everyother day (I got the Gold Standard 10 tests). DO you guys think this is okay or am I trying to do too much in too little time?

My test materials are :
Physics: NOVA, EK, EK 1001
ORgo and chem: EK and EK 1001
BIO: EK and EK1001
VR: EK

Also, Should I consider getting the BR books? or is it too late to start them?

thanks!

 

[Mbeas]

anyone taken Kaplan FL 4 yet???? it was insane

 

[EnVinoVerdad]

I'm starting to take the AAMC practice tests with the strict timing i.e. breaks. I do have a couple of thoughts I'd like to share.

The AAMC tests (#3 & #4) seem very straight forward compared to Kaplan and GS, which is why i've had a little bit of trouble adjusting. For example, if the answer is obviously found in the passage I've tended to to over-think the problem and waste lots of time trying to find the "trick" and still get the answer wrong. The question always turns out to be an easy difficulty level. So go with your gut and move on.

Also, my brain is fried by the time i'm in passage #3-#4. I've found most of my mistakes come at the end of each section especially BS. I might give a half-hearted attempt on the writing section and take a quick 20 min nap next time cause 5-hr energy drinks & rhodiola supplements don't cut it.

How is everyone else doing?

 

[G1SG2]

Hey,

I took the test last year and got a 23R (9V, 6PS, 8BS) ! NOt surprinsing since I literally didnt study and had just had a baby! I started studying for the VR in January and other stuff in April. I took a diagnostic test and scored a 27 (10V, 6PS, 11BS) so I know my weakness is PS. Question is do you guys think that 1.5 month is enough time to get the PS up? I havent really gone through all my content review yet. I have been taking lots of VR tests and seem to be improving steadly getting close to 11 now.

My plan is to study content/mini Mcats (EK) for the next two weeks, then mix in full lenght (2x per week) plus more content and the final weeks practice test everyother day (I got the Gold Standard 10 tests). DO you guys think this is okay or am I trying to do too much in too little time?

My test materials are :
Physics: NOVA, EK, EK 1001
ORgo and chem: EK and EK 1001
BIO: EK and EK1001
VR: EK

Also, Should I consider getting the BR books? or is it too late to start them?

thanks!

I would get the BR books for Chem and Physics-they will definitely bump up your PS score.

 

[PltEnthusiast]

1 week till I start my FLs. I think anxiety is getting to me ..

 

[Cumberland_Doc]

I'm in the middle of content review studying but it's a lot of work. I'm retaining most of the information but there's certain topics I need to "breakthrough" on. I won't start full lenths until the end of the month.

Do I have enough time or should I postpone?

 

[EnVinoVerdad]

I'm in the middle of content review studying but it's a lot of work. I'm retaining most of the information but there's certain topics I need to "breakthrough" on. I won't start full lenths until the end of the month.

Do I have enough time or should I postpone?

I won't extend content review just because of a couple of topics.
You might get a bit more by taking more full lenghts.

For example, I hate combination lens/mirror problems and tricky microbio passages. I know enough to get easy discretes and I found that I can reason through the passage data to do well, but I truly don't have a strong grasp of those topics. I don't remember seeing a lens passage on one of the AAMCs I took just 1 discrete.

I started full lengths early because i'm working full-time. You should only consider rescheduling after you take a couple of AAMC exams.

I wish I could have 3 wks prior to the test to catch up on sleep and take several practice tests.

 

[KatieRedBull]

Hey, I've been practicing with PR and Ek too! PR has a lot of content review, with decent practice questions in the review books, but I find the EK review books and practice questions to be more challenging.

Have you been taking the PR practice tests? If so, how do they compare to the real AAMC practice tests? I've heard people say they do better on their AAMC tests than on the PR tests, but it's the opposite for me.

At this point I'm trying not to pay attention to the scores from practice tests. I'm looking at them as just what they are, practice. I figure I'm still getting used to the test-taking mode.

In my opinion, the PR practice tests are more difficult than their AAMC counterparts. They're much more in-depth and rigorous than the real thing, which I think is great because it prepares you more for the exam. I've taken all of the AAMC tests last year, as well as the real MCAT, and I never received less than a 34 - I took a PR test a few weeks ago and got a 31! On the one hand, it's disheartening, on the other it's really good preparation. If I can bring up my PR tests to, say, a 35 then my performance on the real thing will likely exceed that.
However, I'm planning to take a couple AAMC's before the actual exam, because although good preparation is important, I'd like to get my confidence up as well

 

[Mbeas]

I just bought TBR Gen. Chem. and Physics to hopefully boost my PS score...Kaplan isn't cutting it. I hope these new books help!!!

 

[ElliottB]

1 week till I start my FLs. I think anxiety is getting to me ..

Same here.

Does anyone know what the policy is for postponing my actual date? I don't want to take it if I'm not doing so well on the practice FL's. How much notice do I have to give them if I need another month to study?

 

[PltEnthusiast]

Same here.

Does anyone know what the policy is for postponing my actual date? I don't want to take it if I'm not doing so well on the practice FL's. How much notice do I have to give them if I need another month to study?

Test Center or Date Changes

Provided that space is available and you make the change prior to the posted regular registration deadline (see 2010 Registration Deadline and Score Release Schedule) associated with your initial test date, you may change your test date and/or test center. Additional registration fees will apply. If you make a change in both test date and center simultaneously, a single charge of just $55 will be levied; however, if you make separate changes, you will be charged individually for each, resulting in total charge of $110.
You will be charged for a change regardless of how quickly it is requested after your initial registration. We regret that we cannot make exceptions to this rule.
Cancellation

If you decide not to sit for the exam after you have registered for it, you will be eligible for a partial refund if you cancel your registration by the posted regular registration deadline (see 2010 Registration Deadline and Score Release Schedule). The maximum refund for the regular registration fee is $115; if you received fee assistance from the AAMC, your refund will be $85. Additional fees paid for late registration or other charges are not refundable.
Make your refund request by canceling your exam online at least 14 days before your test date. In most cases, the refund will be automatic and applied to your original form of payment; however, the funds may not appear on your account for a few days. Please note that the AAMC does not grant deadline extensions or have an appeal process.
If you miss the cancellation deadline, you may still request a cancellation without a refund. This will allow you to register sooner for another test date. If you wish to cancel after the deadline, contact the MCAT Resource Center no later than 2 business days prior to the test date for which you are registered.

 

[moose45]

Same here.

Does anyone know what the policy is for postponing my actual date? I don't want to take it if I'm not doing so well on the practice FL's. How much notice do I have to give them if I need another month to study?

2 Weeks!!

 

[Dr Optimistic]

My progress:
Diagnostic (Kaplan) 24 7/7/ and 10 in verbal
First Kaplan full-length 28 8/8 and a 12 in verbal

I need a lot more science content review. Hope I can make it in the next 30 days! Anyone take Kaplan Full-lengths? Was FL1 easier or harder or the same as the others?

I am looking to get around a 34.

 

[Mbeas]

My progress:
Diagnostic (Kaplan) 24 7/7/ and 10 in verbal
First Kaplan full-length 28 8/8 and a 12 in verbal

I need a lot more science content review. Hope I can make it in the next 30 days! Anyone take Kaplan Full-lengths? Was FL1 easier or harder or the same as the others?

I am looking to get around a 34.

i thought Kaplan FL 1 was of average difficulty, but that's probably because I was halfway through content review...

I'm sure once you finish reviewing the sciences you will be fine. You will probably see a decent increase in your score when you take the second full length if you've been doing an adequate content review

 

[eablackwell]

Joining this group. Wasn't happy with my 4/10 score, so time to study up again.

 

[kthakore]

Ok we got a month now!

So far I have 3 exams down

32 29 29

I seem to be stuck at 29. I do content review but I always get owned in one section. And I find that I am not concentration well how can I change this?

I am doing my next one tomorrow, any tips?

 

[startswithb]

Hey guys! I just did AAMC 7. Anyone else do that one yet?

 

[ElliottB]

I'm postponing my test date. Looking for a date in early august even though I'm still going to be putting in 3-4 hours a day until then. Unfortunately, the MCAT is going to seal my fate for acceptance.

 

[PltEnthusiast]

One month left! OMG.. I am so scared.. I have been delaying my test date to this day and now this is it; I can't delay anymore.

I will be taking my first FL tomorrow!! I'll let you all know how I do..

 

[kthakore]

yay did my FL and got a 32

PS 9, VR 12, BS 11

I lost my concentration in physics and you can see what happened. But I grabbed it in VR and yay!. But I did notice my concentration waning in BS but I tried real hard to stay focused. I removed one of my shoe, pinched myself, and bit my lips. It seemed to work.


I am doing 4 more. Now to figure out what I need to review.

 

[eclarep]

I took number 7 on Saturday.
Total score was 36
PS=9
VR=15
BS=12
It is pretty clear that physical sciences is what I need to concentrate on.

I've been using a really old Columbia MCAT Review book that I got used and EK books. Even though the Columbia Review book is from 1997 and not flashy like EK but it is really helpful.

 

[startswithb]

My AAMC 7 was PS 9 (ran out of time bc didn't pause properly for an emergency to attend to) VR 13 and BS 10. I need to focus on both gen and organic chemistry. I am using the EK books but I'm not sure how I feel about them. Any advice on some good chem material? I may try using my textbooks..

 

[Mbeas]

yay did my FL and got a 32

PS 9, VR 12, BS 11

I lost my concentration in physics and you can see what happened. But I grabbed it in VR and yay!. But I did notice my concentration waning in BS but I tried real hard to stay focused. I removed one of my shoe, pinched myself, and bit my lips. It seemed to work.


I am doing 4 more. Now to figure out what I need to review.

Same here, with regards to the 32! 11 PS 8VR 13BS. I definitely need some more VR and PS practice

 

[kthakore]

Same here, with regards to the 32! 11 PS 8VR 13BS. I definitely need some more VR and PS practice

For VR I noticed that if I do a lot of critical (ask questions see if the author answers them) and active ( think of flaws in the argument) thinking while I am reading. Like I am reading a good novel.

Now can you tell me how you do well in PS and BS like that ?

 

[PltEnthusiast]

Two questions:
Did you remember all the formulas from your review that you started 3 months ago?

Should I start from AAMC 3 FL?

 

[eclarep]

Same here, with regards to the 32! 11 PS 8VR 13BS. I definitely need some more VR and PS practice

I think I might have some advice for improving VR scores-
ONE CAVEAT- I've only taken 2 FL tests but I scored 14 and 15 so I may have useful strategies.
1. When I read the passages, I usually look at the questions first to see what I should concentrate on.
2. I extensively use the highlight option on the CBT practice tests. I try to find the thesis statement an the key examples that support the statement.
3. While I read I ask questions and make comments in my head. Like, "holy crap this author is insane" or "cool idea but what are you really saying?"
I also read lots of newspaper articles and find opinion articles good practice because the authors usually are being persuasive.

Also of note- I read really slowly. I've never been able to read fast so I know speed isn't something I possess but I do and always have asked questions about everything.

So....advice on getting my PS score from a 9 to something like a 12? (I haven't actually begun studying physics much. But it seems like the PS section is harder than the BS. But that might be because I have 3 years of clinical research experience....

 

[eclarep]

Two questions:
Did you remember all the formulas from your review that you started 3 months ago?

Should I start from AAMC 3 FL?

I didn't remember the formulas I reviewed a month or less ago. But I didn't completely fail the PS section.

I started the FL's with my favorite numbers. Why the hell not? Aren't they all basically the same level of difficulty?

 

[Natasha1989]

I did AAMC FL 3 last week and got:

11VR/12BS/9PS

I'm hoping to start AAMC FL 7 by the end of this week.

 

[Natasha1989]

Two questions:
Did you remember all the formulas from your review that you started 3 months ago?

Should I start from AAMC 3 FL?

You should. That is a really good practice, even though FL 3 is the easiest out of them all. I remember all the formulas. I suggest you write them down on a cue card and then test yourself once a week. Having mneumonics is good and makes it easier!

 

[Natasha1989]

I think I might have some advice for improving VR scores-
ONE CAVEAT- I've only taken 2 FL tests but I scored 14 and 15 so I may have useful strategies.
1. When I read the passages, I usually look at the questions first to see what I should concentrate on.
2. I extensively use the highlight option on the CBT practice tests. I try to find the thesis statement an the key examples that support the statement.
3. While I read I ask questions and make comments in my head. Like, "holy crap this author is insane" or "cool idea but what are you really saying?"
I also read lots of newspaper articles and find opinion articles good practice because the authors usually are being persuasive.

Also of note- I read really slowly. I've never been able to read fast so I know speed isn't something I possess but I do and always have asked questions about everything.

So....advice on getting my PS score from a 9 to something like a 12? (I haven't actually begun studying physics much. But it seems like the PS section is harder than the BS. But that might be because I have 3 years of clinical research experience....

Thanks! I'll try this approach. I've been doing EK and am scoring an 11, but my first MCAT VB wasn't soo hot (6).

 

[wolverine1]

I just wasted close to three hours watching basketball (Go Suns!!)...I was going to use that time working on my personal statement. Now I'm sleepy. Booo.

 

[Natasha1989]

I did my AAMC 7 FL today:

PS 9 / VB 9 / BS 12 = 30

I really need to brush up on my gen chem.

 

[Golden Boy]

Congrats to everyone who's been getting scores of 10 and above across all sections. That's really impressive. I have yet to score a 10 on each section. In fact, from my AAMC practice tests and Princeton Review tests, I've fluctuated between an 8 and a 10, many times getting a 9 on each section. At this point, I'm wondering whether I should consider postponing my real MCAT. After two months of taking practice exams, my scores really haven't improved, despite having done almost all of the ExamKrackers books and the Princeton Review materials.

Everyone talks about applying "early," and they usually mean getting the application submitted by the end of July at the latest. So, I'm wondering if taking the MCAT in July (rather than June 17th) would put me at a significant disadvantage.

 

[AliDeLaLouisa]

Goodluck and Goodnight SDN family!

 

[aml04143]

kaplan FL 6 today. 28. 8 PS/11 V/ 9 BS


sighhhh i hate PS

 

[JP2740]

I took the last princeton FL, got a 12/9/10. I hate verbal

 

[Mbeas]

kaplan FL 6 today. 28. 8 PS/11 V/ 9 BS

sighhhh i hate PS

Yea i hated the PS section on that test! it was very calculation heavy. Ive done kaplan 1-6 and I'm getting ready to switch over to the AAMC tests to see how they compare

 

[Golden Boy]

I'm wondering what you guys think regarding the scores for practice tests.

Everyone says how the real MCAT is always harder than any of the 8 AAMC practice tests available. That said, is it logical to assume that the real MCAT score would probably be a few points lower than the scores on practice tests?

Do you see an improvement as you take more and more practice tests? I've taken 3 AAMC practice tests, and 2 Princeton Review tests, and they have fluctuated between an 8 and a 10 among all three sections (my verbal scores have ranged from 8, 9, 10; PS from 8, 9, 10; BS from 8, 9, 10). In my BS scores, I've gotten a 10 on the last two AAMC exams, but my Verbal score actually went down from a 10 to an 8, and so did my PS score. I wasn't expecting this much fluctuation downward.

What are the chances of improving? My ideal score at this point would be a 10 on each section. I'm feeling discouraged because I was expecting a slight improvement by this point. Should I consider postponing to a July test date?

Any insights? Advice? I'd appreciate any good advice you could give me.

 

[DoctorWatson57]

Hey guys! I can't believe it's less than a month away... with that said, I can't seem to get better at quickly reading/skimming the BS passages. Any advice?? I'm about to lock myself up in a room to study for the next 3 weeks...

 

[rayjay]

I know how you feel Golden Boy. I started doing my FL CBTs about 3 weeks ago (one every saturday till test day is what it works out to) and I've been erratic! So far for tests #3, #4, #5, #6 I've gotten 26, 29, 29, 24 (!)

CBT 6 KILLED ME! I bombed verbal...you'd never guess I was a fluent English speaker and Bio had more Orgo passages than I've ever seen. One passage in bio was one question...yes, one question. I won't give any more of it away for those of you who haven't written it yet. But CBT 6 was by far the hardest one I've written so far. I honestly felt like crying when I clicked "end" and looked at my score. I got almost every bio-related question right and got a hell of a lot of the orgo questions wrong.

PS...yeah, not surprised at that one. I suck at Physics/Gen chem and it shows. My physics scores have more or less been consistently at a 9-10. Verbal is my most variable with scores from 6-10 and bio (with the exception of CBT6) has been around 9, 10 or 11.

I'm losing hope. Extending my test date it not an option as I'm in grad school and after my MCAT I really need to start cranking out data and start writing my proposal or my supervisor is going to kill me. I literally don't know what to do at this point, it's almost suffocating. I've been studying about 2-3hrs a day since Feb (again...grad school, I can't study during the day)

Anyone have any tips? Success stories?

 

[rayjay]

oh and also, is anyone using EK to study? I'm getting so pissed with EK stuff. I'm using the whole study set (study books + 1001 PS/BS + 101 VR)

"don't memorize these formulas, just use what is listed at the end of each chapter"

That single sentence from Physics has screwed me several times now. Literally from a 9 to a 10/11 (which is huge)

There are also words/terms/concepts in the AAMC CBT that I have never even come across in the EK books. I feel like its too late in the game now to switch review companies and try and learn everything again...