The Official October 21, 2014 MCAT Thread

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DoctorInASaree

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Hi!

As of today, we are less than three months away from writing one of the most important exams in our lives.

What are your studying strategies? How are you feeling about the MCAT?

We're all in this together, so let's get this discussion started!

And remember, October 21st, save the date!
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I'm actually getting so incredibly nervous. I don't know if I have it in me to take the ridiculously long 2015 MCAT. I am really hoping for a decent score but you never know until it comes out and it's slowly killing me! Gah!

I bet AAMC already knows our scores and is just like forget all these MCATers, let's just go on vacation until it's time to release the score.
 
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lumberjack89 said:
Anyone else try to get a seat today? I got the text from AAMC that the final extra seats had just been released and was logging into the site within about 10 seconds, no exaggeration, and by the time I had finished logging in, probably 15 total seconds from the time the text went out, I got this screen: "our servers are currently overloaded with users, you are 438th in line to access the registration site..." which means in about 10 or less seconds enough people to completely overload their servers had already logged in, and hundreds more were in line ahead of me after those that had already managed to log into the site. Needless to say, by the time I was "allowed" in, there were no seats left, and when I checked back a little bit later to see if anything had changed, I was put in line behind *thousands* of people trying to access the registration site...

So here's hoping our scores are really good and I don't need to retake, because if I do, I'm EFFED. #2015MCATlooming
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Yeah I did! I was online within seconds. Literally seconds... because I have no life lol. I was on the server but they were all taken instantly. And i mean instantly. I kept clicking around for 30 minutes while on the server because it wasn't saying they were all filled Just the one I was holding wasn't available. So maybe they didn't release them all at once? Anyway I finally got lucky and sent to the check out screen for Jan 8. I Submitted my credit card info and aggred to the extra fee but nothing went through. I don't know why. My guess is that the server was so jammed that it got screwy. So yeahhh that's my sad story of the day :( Any idea how many seats they did release?? It couldn't have been more than a couple hundred. I guess all i can do now is study for Dec 6 like its the real thing. But that's only 3 weeks away ... and its hard when I don't even know if i need to retake! The fact that we have to wait 35 days is BS. Praying on a 29 or better and an 8 in PS
 
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HCHopeful said:
This week is going to be agonizing. Next Tuesday is either going to be amazing or completely awful. Nothing I can do about it now, though. :shrug:
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After all the ups and downs, both in intellectually analyzing/predicting the possibilities and weighing the emotional outcome of either good or bad possibilities, I've come to realize there's literally no score between 25 and 35 that would surprise me. MCAT scores are a total mystery to me. Anything lower than 25 and I would have bet $10,000 against it, anything higher than 35 and I would do the same, but anything in that 10-point range is starting to sound reasonable, and I haven't the slightest clue as to what it will actually be.

Cheers to another week of nail-biting fun!
 
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I have a feeling that we may be pleasantly surprised. Maybe I am being optimistic. But I think the scale is going to be much more generous than anything on the AAMC practice exams. We obviously had a much harder PS section in particular than any practice exam and it wasn't just test day nerves. I am starting to feel a little more optimistic after hearing everyone's thoughts about the exam. Hopefully we all scored 30+ !!! .. Do any of you think they will release the scores any earlier than the 25th? .... It's kind of funny how they choose the release date to be the day after you can cancel the Dec 6th seat for a partial refund. Sneaky sneaky AAMC ...
 
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Liegh5 said:
I have a feeling that we may be pleasantly surprised. Maybe I am being optimistic. But I think the scale is going to be much more generous than anything on the AAMC practice exams. We obviously had a much harder PS section in particular than any practice exam and it wasn't just test day nerves. I am starting to feel a little more optimistic after hearing everyone's thoughts about the exam. Hopefully we all scored 30+ !!! .. Do any of you think they will release the scores any earlier than the 25th? .... It's kind of funny how they choose the release date to be the day after you can cancel the Dec 6th seat for a partial refund. Sneaky sneaky AAMC ...
Click to expand...

I really love your optimism...it makes me optimistic :)
 
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Kayce said:
How does the curve work for when AAMC scores the exams? Thanks.
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This is what I mean when I say MCAT scores are a mystery - as far as I can tell no one actually knows how this works. I've heard numerous people explain how this works, claiming they are 100% positive they *know* this is how it happens, only to be flatly contradicted by other people who claim to be just as sure that they're right and the other person is wrong.

I've heard it's based on national performance that day, or that it's already filled with questions that were once "test questions" on previously administered exams and so they're pre-ranked and not curved at all. I've heard that they're graded based on difficulty not only as individual questions but also as entire exams, such that each question is worth a different amount AND the overall test has its own specific curve as compared to tests administered on other days.

I've also heard it has to do with whether the alignment of the planets on that particular day resembles the number seven and whether or not Bill Clinton watched a M*A*S*H re-run before 4pm (scores up 2pts if he did, up 3 if he drank Southern Comfort while watching) which is starting to sound just as reasonable compared to all the other stories I've been told...
 
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Ditto what @lumberjack89 said. And their website...https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/faq/313916/mcatscore.html
No real information there. Their response to any real detailed questions is just that the privacy policy doesn't let them release more information or something like it would ruin the integrity of the exam. I just don't understand why they can't be straightforward and give solid answers.
 
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JMMTB said:
Ditto what @lumberjack89 said. And their website...https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/faq/313916/mcatscore.html
No real information there. Their response to any real detailed questions is just that the privacy policy doesn't let them release more information or something like it would ruin the integrity of the exam. I just don't understand why they can't be straightforward and give solid answers.
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What if someone just called and asked why they couldn't be more straightforward? Just because I don't see what all of this mystery is accomplishing...

Also, just to throw in my mystery option, I thought the test was pre-curved?
 
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Eh.
Well, I thought there were a few gimme questions in PS but overall there was a whole lot of WTF questions or not enough info to answer, at least it seemed that way.
Verbal is always my best section, and I thought there was only that one ridiculous passage that took me way too long that I had to rush on the last one.
BS was wicked experimental. I work in a lab so I'm pretty good following the flow but felt rushed and had to read some stuff twice to get it.

This was a retake for me so I'm hoping for better than last time but I somehow unplugged my monitor and lost 10-15 minutes in the beginning before we figured out the problem. Ridiculous.
 
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I'm pretty sure I bombed this on 10/21 and to make matters worse, I wasn't able to sign up for a spot when they released more seats on 11/11. So if any of you were lucky enough to reserve a Jan. seat and are pleased/pleasantly surprised with your score, please please please PM me to see if we can make some arrangement!!!
Alternatively, I wouldn't really mind retaking with the new version. But would the science/verbal prep that I did for this one be enough in addition to a biochem course (I would review all TBR books before and read the psych and soc. sections over winter break)?
 
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4 more days to results!! I get this sinking feeling before i go to bed every time whenever I start to imagine my results:drowning: . and more so the day our mcat results come out is also the day of my first exams for year 4 HAHA WOW. not sure if i can resist looking at our results before my paper!! all the best to all!:soexcited: omg this emoticons
 
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Yeah. The only reason this week hasn't dragged on is because I have been studying for my last Organic exam before Thanksgiving break. But this weekend is going to be bru. tal. Maybe not, because I have to attend three Thanksgivings with my girlfriend. Hopefully that means I won't start thinking about it until Monday. When that day rolls around... WE GON' HAVE SOME BUTTERFLIES.

I just wish they released them a month after no matter what! We'd be getting them back today. Gah.

I'm all out of inspirational stuff for myself. Basically I'm just accepting that I scored anywhere from a 25-32. Anything in between there would not be any sort of surprise. Let's just hope it's 29+, or I'm taking this beast again on January 8th :(
 
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Does anyone know if this is something that is released right around midnight or do we have to sleep and then keep checking our accounts constantly throughout the day on Tuesday?
 
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Do whatever you need to do this weekend to keep your minds off of Tuesday... Eat good food, shoot some tequila, get laid annnnnnnd REPEAT!
Eeek! We are almost there!!
 
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Dear SDN peeps,

Judgement day is nigh!
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I know this might be a little weird to say but I was really anxious about my score coming out for the longest time because it was a retake and then I watched all of Avatar, not the lame real people movie. It really helped me calm down and even figure out some things about myself! I know it sounds a little crazy but I think for the first time since studying for the MCAT I feel completely at peace with what may or may not happen and am ready to face it.

I'm not Buddhist or anything but I found some comfort in an episode about chakras, so I thought i'd just post the image/link here. :] Thanks for letting me post everything and being the most supportive people i've ever seen. I hope everyone gets the score they want because that test was ri-dic-u-lous!

http://9gag.com/gag/avZ6BEW (It's an image of what I read).
 
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Sammy1024 said:
I know this might be a little weird to say but I was really anxious about my score coming out for the longest time because it was a retake and then I watched all of Avatar, not the lame real people movie. It really helped me calm down and even figure out some things about myself! I know it sounds a little crazy but I think for the first time since studying for the MCAT I feel completely at peace with what may or may not happen and am ready to face it.

I'm not Buddhist or anything but I found some comfort in an episode about chakras, so I thought i'd just post the image/link here. :] Thanks for letting me post everything and being the most supportive people i've ever seen. I hope everyone gets the score they want because that test was ri-dic-u-lous!

http://9gag.com/gag/avZ6BEW (It's an image of what I read).
Click to expand...


What you wrote cracked me up...because this is what I Just posted in the Oct 25th thread.

"Does anyone else feel at peace with whatever happens tomorrow? It's weird, I've been freaking out all week/past month, but now I'm just like "whatever."
 
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Chickenmaster said:
What you wrote cracked me up...because this is what I Just posted in the Oct 25th thread.

"Does anyone else feel at peace with whatever happens tomorrow? It's weird, I've been freaking out all week/past month, but now I'm just like "whatever."
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I think I feel pretty at peace. I think the main thing that I focused on was the fact that there's not much I can do about it. When I took the MCAT the first time, back in May, there were sooo many spots open, so I knew that if I didn't do well there was something I could still do about it, but now it's like i get back my score but there's nothing I can do about it (except take the new test). I don't have a spot for the old test, and i don't think I could really sit through an extended test.

So why should I degrade my health, constantly being so anxious about my score? It's like watching a volcano erupting, wishing you could do something about it.

Good luck everyone! And I really mean it. MCAT has been an incredibly rough journey and I really hope, for the sake of everyone, that they get the scores they want. :]
 
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Probably a little bit early, but here it is...

Test Date:
Time:
FL AAMC Average:
10 & 11 AAMC Average:
Immediate Post-Test Expected Score:
Day-Of Score Release expected Score:
Actual Score (PS/V/BS):


I added the bolded parts above, because I think it would be interesting to see if there was a change.

For instance, my immediate expected score was a 28 [9/9/10]. Tomorrow before I open, I'm going to make another prediction.

Good luck with this last day of wait everybody! I know it's absolutely killing me. I'm going to spend it playing Xbox One and having a nice supper with my girlfriend.

I hope this all ends well for every one of us.
 
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I've been obsessing over this exam since I took it last month. I also have a thesis committee meeting tomorrow, and I find it difficult to concentrate on it!
 
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I'm predicting it will be about 21 hours +/- 20 minutes to when the scores get released. Good luck everyone!!!
 
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For anyone repeatedly checking, here's what I saw on their twitter response: "Scores are released by 5 PM ET. An announcement will be made on Twitter once scores are posted."
 
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Ugh, I had a dream where their twitter feed said that scores would not be released today. No explanation. It was horrible. Hope that's not true and 6 hours from now we will all be the recipients of a nice curve!
 
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JMMTB said:
Ugh, I had a dream where their twitter feed said that scores would not be released today. No explanation. It was horrible. Hope that's not true and 6 hours from now we will all be the recipients of a nice curve!
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Bite your tongue! :)
 
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Isisnra said:
Why is the AAMC still keeping us in suspense!!? WHAT HAVE WE EVER DONE TO YOU!??
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No joke! To ease your mind a bit, the scores will probably be released around 2:15 pm CT. The past three releases have been 2:13, 2:13, and 2:17, so they seem to be pretty consistent.

One last good luck to all of you! The wait is nearly over.
 
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HCHopeful said:
No joke! To ease your mind a bit, the scores will probably be released around 2:15 pm CT. The past three releases have been 2:13, 2:13, and 2:17, so they seem to be pretty consistent.

One last good luck to all of you! The wait is nearly over.
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soooo.... one hour...

brace for impact people.
 
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HCHopeful said:
No joke! To ease your mind a bit, the scores will probably be released around 2:15 pm CT. The past three releases have been 2:13, 2:13, and 2:17, so they seem to be pretty consistent.

One last good luck to all of you! The wait is nearly over.
Click to expand...


Don't get your hopes up. There was a consistency exactly like this during the summer, and they didn't end up posting our scores until 5pm MST. I know thats not going to stop you from compulsively refreshing the twitter page...(because I totally am too..) but just keep it in mind. The AAMC and their stupid games..
 
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Today is the day!!! Yikes..here goes...all but EVERYTHING.
GOOD LUCK MY MCAT FAMILY!!!! I HOPE WE ALL ROCK THIS. :soexcited::beat::soexcited:
 
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