The Official April MCAT 2015 Takers Thread

[emulsifier]

Hey guys,

I've seen some old threads (from 2012, or early 2014) on the MCAT2015.

I am wondering if we can bring resources together here, discussions for those who are planning on taking the new one in or after April.

Has anyone gotten their hands on the new prep material for 2015, and the chance to compare the different companies? I scoured the internet, obviously not much at the moment. But I know someone out there has started, just need to get this info out!

Edit:
Resources mentioned in this thread or elsewhere:

• Free mini-test: AAMC MCAT 2015 12 sample questions and answer (3 x 4 sections)
  • http://offers.aamc.org/mcat2015-mini-test
• Next Step guide here: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...e-mcat-2015-100-days-to-mcat-success.1101251/
• TPR 2015 books: They seem to be the same as their previous books. Their bio book has a chapter on biochem.
• Kaplan 2015 books: removed content that is not tested. Physics section is 400 pages (may be too much for the new MCAT). Very little practice. Whole book on biochem.
• EK 9th edition books: reformatted the whole book. SDNer reviewer has said that even parts with same illustrations have whole new contents. Got rid of topics that won't be tested. May be too condensed though.

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[El-Rami]

These messages make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside Thank you! It's daunting to see that only ~70% of people with my stats are accepted, but I guess if I apply to the right medical school for me, I'll be a accepted. Your kind words are really appreciated!

You just gotta sell yourself. Make sure your personal statement is interesting and well-written and perform well in your interview. As long as you can make yourself stand out in a very positive way, I would not worry too much about AAMC matriculation stats.

 

[linsanity17]

Mine was smack in the middle-ish...I was 90-100% and ended up with a 517, 96%! Here's my breakdown:

Chem/phys: 129
CARS: 130
Bio/Biochem: 128
Psych/Soc: 130

I don't know if I'm happier about how it turned out, or just that we finally know them now!

Congrats on a great score! Mind sharing how you did on the AAMC practice test and other Fls? What resources did you use to study for each section? Thanks!

 

[Akewataru]

Your willing to wait three years until you apply. What year are you?

Just graduated this spring with my Bachelor's. I'll be utilizing those three years in a SMP, in a medical laboratory science program, and hopefully be accepted into UNC-Chapel Hill's MED program. I have want to be able to submit the best application I can, and be in a good spot financially.

 

[jd68]

Hi All

Looking for some advice, my scores are:
Chem: 126 - 67%
Cars: 129 - 93%
Bio: 124 - 44%
Social: 127 - 75%
Total 506 -- 71%

I have great ECs, a year and 1/2 of employment in community health, 3 stellar MD recommendations, ugpa 3.7 and MPH grad gpa 4.0.

Do I have a chance at MD / DO? I am hoping for schools with a strong focus in primary care.

Thanks for your help!

 

[oryoloblast]

did you guys find the bio, physics, and chem packs from AAMC good practice/predictors of the actual test?

 

[Pediateix]

Just graduated this spring with my Bachelor's. I'll be utilizing those three years in a SMP, in a medical laboratory science program, and hopefully be accepted into UNC-Chapel Hill's MED program. I have want to be able to submit the best application I can, and be in a good spot financially.

\me too. just took a gap year and didn't do well in mcat and classes. so trying again this year. with mcat and taking post bacc classes

 

[Glazedonutlove]

nah those were more review of content. look only at sample test for question style.

did you guys find the bio, physics, and chem packs from AAMC good practice/predictors of the actual test?

 

[wonko]

nah those were more review of content. look only at sample test for question style.

that is very true even though many people state otherwise

 

[Glazedonutlove]

that is very true even though many people state otherwise

you're smart for a 5% prissy french or whatever that was on the other thread lmao

 

[cottoncandy500]

did you guys find the bio, physics, and chem packs from AAMC good practice/predictors of the actual test?

Good practice, yes. Good predictor, no. Really it comes down to your skills. Do you need help interpreting complex ideas or knowing the basics? If you just need to memorize, I liked them.

 

[wonko]

Well I guess the 95% other genetic material constituting me made up for the 5% french. That actually fits quite well with my score

 

[ayarella]

post deleted

 

[drabberbadge]

I have a 3.7 gpa and got a 40% on the new mcat , do i have a chance

 

[Glazedonutlove]

Well I guess the 95% other genetic material constituting me made up for the 5% french. That actually fits quite well with my score

damn

 

[Glazedonutlove]

Congrats to all the April MCAT test takers! We are done! Some of you scored very, very high overall! I made what I needed to get in so I am thrilled. It's important to remember this is just an exam- we didn't save any lives here. Congratulate yourself and move on!

Let people be happy. shesh.

 

[Akewataru]

\me too. just took a gap year and didn't do well in mcat and classes. so trying again this year. with mcat and taking post bacc classes

I think my score might get me in with my GPA, resume, and a great personal statement. In retrospect, I believe it was a mistake to take the MCAT while working and going to school full time (not to mention my other responsibilities). There was barely anything left over. I don't regret taking the test though, and at least my grades did not suffer. At least I know what kind of animal this test is...I was totally thrown.

I'm not sure when to retake the test. The SMP program offers an elective Princeton Review MCAT prep course next summer. Should I take the course and then take the MCAT afterwards?

 

[tick_tock_tick_tock]

I also noticed everyone that took the new exam has GREAT CARS score, I was wondering if the section has gotten easier or if it's the same.

Thank you in advance.

I personally thought the CARS was much easier than the old exam- also much easier than the passages in the Next Step Strategy and Practice book, which is what I primarily used for practice (would highly recommend them for this reason).

 

[Sir.SavaLottaLife]

I personally thought the CARS was much easier than the old exam- also much easier than the passages in the Next Step Strategy and Practice book, which is what I primarily used for practice (would highly recommend them for this reason).

Would you find it similar to the AAMC sample test?

 

[Fawna]

Chem/Phys: 85-100% ---> 130 (97%)
CARS: 85-100% --> 131 (99%)
Bio: 84-99% --> 128 (87%)
Psych/Soc: 58-73% --> 126 (66%)

Overall 89 - 99% --> 515 (93%)

Little disappointed with the Psych/Soc but otherwise incredibly happy given I had gotten two 30s (10-10-10 split) previously!

tick_tock_tick_tock,
What do you think was different about you getting 93rd percentile now vs. your 2 30 scores?
Congratulations by the way!

 

[itsallgood92]

Hey guys, just wondering if anyone had an opinion on the "not reading the passage" approach to chem/phys (basically just referencing the text on a case by case basis). Read this worked on the new MCAT for a couple people (@chocoholicsoxfan), so I'm just curious if anyone else thought the same? I feel like this can be definitely done on company FL's since most of their questions are more geared towards content, but do you guys think this could work on the AAMC FL or the real thing? starting to hit a plateau, so I'm definitely open to trying new things.

 

[El-Rami]

I personally thought the CARS was much easier than the old exam- also much easier than the passages in the Next Step Strategy and Practice book, which is what I primarily used for practice (would highly recommend them for this reason).

I bought the Next Step 108 CARS book for a really cheap price on Amazon. Glad to hear their material is possibly harder than the AAMC passages.

 

[tick_tock_tick_tock]

tick_tock_tick_tock,
What do you think was different about you getting 93rd percentile now vs. your 2 30 scores?
Congratulations by the way!

Thanks! I'm so happy.
I took studying much more seriously this time- before I was working and in school full time and thought I would be set just perusing old class notes and doing a few practice questions here and there. This go around I treated studying like a second full time job (I'm sure everyone's heard that before- I just had never taken that seriously before) and really put the hours in learning and practicing the material, and then learning the test (as much as possible given the limited info) via Next Step books and Khan Academy.

Would you find it similar to the AAMC sample test?

Similar in style and content, but more difficult and longer. My scores on practice sections for Next Steps were consistently a few points below what I ended up getting on the real exam, but I think that working through longer passages with more detailed information made me a faster test taker and more aware of what was important to read/highlight.

 

[Chemstudent]

Prelim ranges were 81-91
Actual came in at 77... Do I retake or just go with it?

That's around a 30 for the old exam so I would just go with it.
Would you mind sharing your percentile ranges and section scores? I had a very similar range.

 

[DrHart]

That's around a 30 for the old exam so I would just go with it.
Would you mind sharing your percentile ranges and section scores? I had a very similar range.

Sure thing... Prelim scores looked like this
CP = 84-99
CARS = 67-82
BIO = 75-90
PS/SO = 74-89
Total = 81-91

And actual scores looked like this
CP = 87 --> 128
CARS = 70 --> 126
BIO = 77 --> 127
PS/SO = 75 --> 127
Total = 77 --> 508

 

[HelpMe212]

Just wondering... did everyone who scored a 90-100% in the percentile prediction rankings get a final percentile ranking of 95%+ and the people who got 84-99% 90-95%???

 

[zeppelin1293]

Just wondering... did everyone who scored a 90-100% in the percentile prediction rankings get a final percentile ranking of 95%+ and the people who got 84-99% 90-95%???

I'm just one person, but I got 90-100% and ended up with a 523 (100th percentile)!

 

[belieber500]

Just wondering... did everyone who scored a 90-100% in the percentile prediction rankings get a final percentile ranking of 95%+ and the people who got 84-99% 90-95%???

I think the reason why everyone who got 90-100 overall seems to be getting 95% and up is because, for example, if someone really was 96% then the preliminary range couldn't be 91-101% because they can't assign percentiles that surpass 100. But if someone was 94% then their 10-point range could be 89-99%. Not sure if that completely makes sense the way that I explained it, but just a theory.

 

[HelpMe212]

I think the reason why everyone who got 90-100 overall seems to be getting 95% and up is because, for example, if someone really was 96% then the preliminary range couldn't be 91-101% because they can't assign percentiles that surpass 100. But if someone was 94% then their 10-point range could be 89-99%. Not sure if that completely makes sense the way that I explained it, but just a theory.

That was my logic. I just wanted to see if it held true. The AAMC may be bat**** crazy, but why would they put someone with a 93% overall in the 90-100% and not in the 84-99%?

 

[panda16]

Because these are confidence intervals within which AAMC puts scorers who they think will most likely fall into those ranges.

Someone who has a 96 is more likely to be in the 90-100 than someone who has, say, a 90, just due to chance variance in the sample.

That was my logic. I just wanted to see if it held true. The AAMC may be bat**** crazy, but why would they put someone with a 93% overall in the 90-100% and not in the 84-99%?

 

[DesitnationMD]

For all you April testers (May too). I know the AAMC has said we can now use the tutorial time to mark up our scratch paper and prepare for the 1st section. Did your proctors allow this?

Also, during the lunch period are you permitted to leave the area or building to go get a snack/drink? If so, did you review materials for the next section (i.e. reading a sample passage to warm up for bio/biochem during lunch, review flashcards) to warm your brain up? I have spoken with older physicians who took the exam before it went on computer when they had an hour lunch and they said during lunch people would be walking about, eating, talking to eachother and warming up for the next section. Is that possible now? I am testing on 6/20 and want to know if I should bring anything to review in between sections/during lunch.

 

[carpediem22]

For all you April testers (May too). I know the AAMC has said we can now use the tutorial time to mark up our scratch paper and prepare for the 1st section. Did your proctors allow this?

Also, during the lunch period are you permitted to leave the area or building to go get a snack/drink? If so, did you review materials for the next section (i.e. reading a sample passage to warm up for bio/biochem during lunch, review flashcards) to warm your brain up? I have spoken with older physicians who took the exam before it went on computer when they had an hour lunch and they said during lunch people would be walking about, eating, talking to eachother and warming up for the next section. Is that possible now? I am testing in 5 days and want to know if I should bring anything to review in between sections/during lunch.

1) Yes I was allowed to write on scratch paper during the tutorial. I specifically asked before doing so and they said yes.

2) No. You can get stuff from your locker and eat there. You wouldn't really have time to leave anyway... You are absolutely 100% NOT allowed to access any study materials on any break. You can't even bring study materials into the building. You also are not allowed to access your phone, so leave it in the car.

Regarding talking, your risk. You are being filmed both audio + visual the entire time you are in the building, so I would say discussing the exam would be a major no-no.

 

[panda16]

For all you April testers (May too). I know the AAMC has said we can now use the tutorial time to mark up our scratch paper and prepare for the 1st section. Did your proctors allow this?

Also, during the lunch period are you permitted to leave the area or building to go get a snack/drink? If so, did you review materials for the next section (i.e. reading a sample passage to warm up for bio/biochem during lunch, review flashcards) to warm your brain up? I have spoken with older physicians who took the exam before it went on computer when they had an hour lunch and they said during lunch people would be walking about, eating, talking to eachother and warming up for the next section. Is that possible now? I am testing in 5 days and want to know if I should bring anything to review in between sections/during lunch.

At my testing center (an official Prometric testing site), there were essentially four rooms.

Room one had the entrance and the restroom.
Room two had a TV that was on during breaks and places for you to sit.
Room three was the proctor room, in which there could only be one test taker at a time.
Room four was the testing room, which at my site had only like 14 computers.

So you were only allowed to be in these four rooms during the test, and while they did not restrict us from having other review materials during the exam, no one in my testing center was doing anything but going to the bathroom, resting their eyes, or talking to each other and eating. My experience is colored by the fact that I Took it in the town where my uni was located and actually a lot of my classmates were there so we chatted it up during the breaks, which was a great way to distract yourself from the test.

 

[Alkaidius]

For all you April testers (May too). I know the AAMC has said we can now use the tutorial time to mark up our scratch paper and prepare for the 1st section. Did your proctors allow this?

Also, during the lunch period are you permitted to leave the area or building to go get a snack/drink? If so, did you review materials for the next section (i.e. reading a sample passage to warm up for bio/biochem during lunch, review flashcards) to warm your brain up? I have spoken with older physicians who took the exam before it went on computer when they had an hour lunch and they said during lunch people would be walking about, eating, talking to eachother and warming up for the next section. Is that possible now? I am testing in 5 days and want to know if I should bring anything to review in between sections/during lunch.

Regarding the first, you should double-check with the testing center before actually taking the test. You ARE allowed to write on your scratch paper during the tutorial, but some can be butts and just not allow it.

Regarding the second, No. No notes of any kind. And I doubt you'll be in the mood to talk to anyone during lunch, either lol.

 

[HelpMe212]

For all you April testers (May too). I know the AAMC has said we can now use the tutorial time to mark up our scratch paper and prepare for the 1st section. Did your proctors allow this?

Also, during the lunch period are you permitted to leave the area or building to go get a snack/drink? If so, did you review materials for the next section (i.e. reading a sample passage to warm up for bio/biochem during lunch, review flashcards) to warm your brain up? I have spoken with older physicians who took the exam before it went on computer when they had an hour lunch and they said during lunch people would be walking about, eating, talking to eachother and warming up for the next section. Is that possible now? I am testing in 5 days and want to know if I should bring anything to review in between sections/during lunch.

I had no problem with writing stuff down during the tutorial (don't see what the point of it is honestly). They don't allow reading material and you can't leave the building. Besides it's not worth studying during the break. Just relax and let your mind rest so you will be fresh and dominate the bio section.

 

[Akewataru]

\me too. just took a gap year and didn't do well in mcat and classes. so trying again this year. with mcat and taking post bacc classes

I think my score might get me in with my GPA, resume, and a great personal statement. In retrospect, I believe it was a mistake to take the MCAT while working and going to school full time (not to mention my other responsibilities). I don't regret taking the test though.

However, I'm not sure when to retake the test. My SMP program offers an elective a Princeton Review MCAT prep course next summer. Should I go for it(meaning it's worth my time money cause' isn't a issue) or does it not offer anything one can't do themselves?

 

[lollipop281]

P: 130 (97%)
Cars: 131 (99%)
B: 128 (87%)
Psych: 127 (75%)
Total: 516 (95%)

Accurate, I'm happy. I don't know what my score means, but it sounds good to me.
Prelim: 90-100 % (I posted the breakdown in a previous post)
Nov mcat 9/10/12 (31)

What were your prelim section percentiles? Thanks!

 

[FOCUSandEARNit]

Hey guys it would be really helpful for us who haven't taken it yet to see what you got on the AAMC practice test and what you ended up getting on the real thing. Please

 

[Xenith]

Hey guys it would be really helpful for us who haven't taken it yet to see what you got on the AAMC practice test and what you ended up getting on the real thing. Please

People have posted this all over the place. You should compile this!

 

[Dreamstoo]

Sure thing... Prelim scores looked like this
CP = 84-99
CARS = 67-82
BIO = 75-90
PS/SO = 74-89
Total = 81-91

And actual scores looked like this
CP = 87 --> 128
CARS = 70 --> 126
BIO = 77 --> 127
PS/SO = 75 --> 127
Total = 77 --> 508

Solid score man. Friend had a very similar preliminary range.

 

[chocoholicsoxfan]

Hey guys, just wondering if anyone had an opinion on the "not reading the passage" approach to chem/phys (basically just referencing the text on a case by case basis). Read this worked on the new MCAT for a couple people (@chocoholicsoxfan), so I'm just curious if anyone else thought the same? I feel like this can be definitely done on company FL's since most of their questions are more geared towards content, but do you guys think this could work on the AAMC FL or the real thing? starting to hit a plateau, so I'm definitely open to trying new things.

You have to remember that I was suffering from a mild concussion while taking the test, so reading was not working well for me. All the words were just swimming together. But yeah, I'd say skimming, answering questions, and then reading the passage if necessary is the best approach (for Chem/Phys ONLY. if you don't read it for Bio, you will die)

Edit: Also, take it from me. Don't get drunk the week before your MCAT, decide to double dutch with jump ropes for the first time in a decade on a slippery ass floor with socks on, and then fall and hit your head on a table.

 

[mcatjelly]

People have posted this all over the place. You should compile this!

I will totally do this. What do you think would be the best way? Google Doc?

 

[Xenith]

I will totally do this. What do you think would be the best way? Google Doc?

Great! Would love to help you. Google doc is prolly best

Edit: we should have a place for final breakdown, preliminaries, and aamc fl

 

[FOCUSandEARNit]

People have posted this all over the place. You should compile this!

Because I am just swimming in free time as I study for the new MCAT. Haha, just wondering if people can post them as they post their scores, thats all.

 

[lost_enthusiast]

AAMC Practice (Taken 2 days before real exam)
Chem - 83
CARS - 89
Bio - 78
Psych - 75

April 17th Preliminary Scores:
Chem - 85 - 100
CARS - 85 - 100
Bio - 85 - 100
Psych - 74 - 89
Overall - 90 - 100

MCAT 4/17 Official Scores:
Chem - 129 - 93
CARS - 131 - 99
Bio - 129 - 93
Psych - 127 - 75
Overall - 516 - 95

Study Materials:
Kaplan 7 book set 2015, TPR Cracking the MCAT 2015 (only used for last minute review and practice exams).

Practice Test Scores (in the order they were taken):
Kaplan FL1 - 502
Kaplan FL2 - 498
TPR FL 2 - 510

Study plan: February - April (10 weeks total).
Read each book in the Kaplan set, taking notes along the way. Started taking subsection exams after the ~5th week to get a feel for what would be on the exam. Started with my best subjects and finished with my worst. Studied ~3 hours/day weekdays, 6hr/day weekends for maybe the first 2 weeks, then just aimed for a couple hours a day at least. Took practice tests under the best testing conditions I could manage, and did everything exactly the same each time. Stopped studying after the AAMC test, then just tried to stay calm and take the exam. I was lucky that this condensed schedule worked well for me, but if I could change anything I would have liked to have had more time for psych/soc, as that was definitely my weakest section.

 

[Sam93]

Hi All

Looking for some advice, my scores are:
Chem: 126 - 67%
Cars: 129 - 93%
Bio: 124 - 44%
Social: 127 - 75%
Total 506 -- 71%

I have great ECs, a year and 1/2 of employment in community health, 3 stellar MD recommendations, ugpa 3.7 and MPH grad gpa 4.0.

Do I have a chance at MD / DO? I am hoping for schools with a strong focus in primary care.

Thanks for your help!

You Do have a shot a many DO schools and even maybe a few MD. But since your core science scores are a bit low I would recommend to retake. You will be a much happier medical student with solid science background.

 

[ElectricNoogie]

I think posting them here when you get a second will be enough. There are many of us who would be happy to take this info and compile it for everyone else. Google doc would be ideal.

I will totally do this. What do you think would be the best way? Google Doc?

@mcatjelly if you want to coordinate, PM me.

 

[Sam93]

Chem: 129 - 93%
Cars: 125 - 58%
Bio: 129 - 93%
Social: 124 - 43%

Total 507. -- 74%

I have amazing ECs. With volunteer hours, research, and many leadership positions.
I also have great letters and Personal Statement.

I have already summited my app. Should I retake? I really don't want too

With a solid GPA >3.7, go for it.

 

[oryoloblast]

Great! Would love to help you. Google doc is prolly best

Edit: we should have a place for final breakdown, preliminaries, and aamc fl

Could you guys maybe include your AAMC pack scores too?

 

[mcatjelly]

Could you guys maybe include your AAMC pack scores too?

Lolz. Can't include what we don't have, but I'll add that info, sure.

 

[chocoholicsoxfan]

Copied and pasted from my google doc

What were your scores on the practice tests vs. the real thing?

Kaplan Diagnostic: 498
Kaplan Full-Length 1: 500
Kaplan Full-Length 2: 502
Kaplan Full-Length 3: 505
Kaplan Full-Length 4: 506
AAMC Sample Test
Chem/Phys: 76%
CARS: 92%
Bio/Biochem: 78%
Psych: Soc: 88%
Physics Question Pack: 76%
Biology Question Pack: 76%
Test on 4/18/15

Preliminary ranges:
Chem/Phys: 85-100 percentile
CARS: 85-100 percentile
Bio/Biochem: 85-100 percentile
Psych: 85-100 percentile
Whole thing: 90-100 percentile

Actual Scores:
Chem/Phys: 130 (97)
CARS: 130 (97)
Bio/Biochem: 131 (99)
Psych: 132 (100)
Composite: 523 (100)

Edit: In retrospect, I just realized I boosted my score 25 points from my diagnostic. Woah.

Never give up kids.