Is the mcat really that difficult?

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
81

<p>To BRM: </p>

<p>My Kaplan instructor totally “fought” me–I can totally see him writing what you wrote. Took a while, but I did eventually give in. He was so right–and so not a jerk about “I told you so!” when I (and the rest of my class realized it)–that looking back, I wish I’d just really truthfully adopted his methods earlier on in the prep process. Hindsight’s 20/20. I think the major value of the in-person class is just what Curm suggests–that there’s an instructor there fighting you and teaching you and making sure you’re preparing correctly–not all of us are as good at taking tests as Curm’s D is!</p>

82

<p>I do not know how much DS would “give in” and not “fight” against his MCAT instructor. But he would definitely fight me if he senses I may want to make any suggestion on study habits or testing strategies. This is a result of having been trying to teach him too much about math and physics while he was in secondary school, or a child just does not want to learn from his parent and a parent wronly believes he has too much to teach his child. He still makes joke of me today that I told him he needed to master trignometry in his algebra I or even in pre-algebra class.)</p>

<p>My guess is that he would likely not fight with his MCAT instructor (he said the instructor is fine.) He only fights when parents want to “offer any unsolicited helps.”</p>

<p>At one time, after he had taken the Kaplan prep class, I handed him the examcracker verbal book (some at SDN claims it is good) and some Princeton Review physical science practice/source book (NCG once posted he had more practices using that book.) Results: examcracker verbal? “The problems are not designed as well as the real tests so why should I bother looking at these problems?” The Princeton Review physical science source book? “I really do not have time for this.” (Which I admit it was true in that year.) My $ spent on these two brand new books were wasted just like that.</p>

<p>I think the content review may have helped him a lot though. This is because he really forgot most of the materials when he started to take the MCAT class. After all, he took most prereqs (e.g., physics and orgo) early in his college career, but did not take the test after senior year. After he started to review the material, his practice score jumped from low 30’s to high 30’s/40’s very fast. (likely, the first two tests around 31-32, and then once he studied the Kaplan’s materials, a big jump to 39-43 for the last 3 practice tests. – I may have forgotten the details though.)</p>

83

<p>I’m going to chime in to agree with what others have wrote - I had to “give in” and try the Kaplan techniques. In the beginning it was hard because it wasn’t my way, the way that had gotten me great grades in high school, great grades on the SAT and ACT, and great grades in college. After all’s been said and done, do I think Kaplan’s techniques work for the MCAT? Yes, I do.</p>

<p>I also wanted to note that I experienced a significant jump in scores on test day. My highest practice test score was a 34. My real score was significantly higher than that.</p>

84

<p>* I had to “give in” and try the Kaplan techniques. In the beginning it was hard because it wasn’t my way, the way that had gotten me great grades in high school, great grades on the SAT and ACT, and great grades in college. After all’s been said and done, do I think Kaplan’s techniques work for the MCAT? Yes, I do.</p>

<p>*</p>

<p>I’m very intrigued about what these unusual techniques are that seem contrary to what has seemed normal to you all up to this point.</p>

85

<p>Basically, Kaplan has this system wherein you write short summaries of each paragraph and of the passage as a whole, and then use that “map” to help you answer questions. The idea is that if you take the time to stop and summarize, then you’re making yourself stop to ensure you understand the topic, scope, and purpose of the paragraph and of the passage. That way, you know where you need to go to find the answer to the question–after all, the answers to each of the questions will be in the passage (not directly though), and if you mapped it correctly, you should know basically where to find it.</p>

<p>Slowing down, not relying on your memory, and creating a passage map are usually totally new concepts to kids who have, for their whole lives, been great test takers. It seems cumbersome and worthless at first, but after lots of practice it becomes second nature and scores start improving. Essentially, smart college kids are stubborn, skeptical, and reluctant to try something new when it comes to test taking–especially when their current methods have proven successful in the past, and especially when they assume stakes are SO HIGH with the MCAT. (Which I still think is debatable, but that’s a whole different thread.) “Why gamble with a new technique when my current way worked great for the ACT, SAT, and all other classes I’ve ever taken?” Answer: the MCAT is a phenomenon unlike any other, requiring a new approach for the majority of test takers.</p>

<p>That’s the strategy for the verbal section. The strategies for physical sciences (no calculator allowed, many complex calculations required), biological sciences (complicated passages about sometimes foreign topics), and writing (specific prompts about obscure topics) are all different too–so it’s lots of new strategies to learn. But then again, that’s the whole entire point of taking a prep class!</p>

86

<p>*The idea is that if you take the time to stop and summarize, then you’re making yourself stop to ensure you understand the topic, scope, and purpose of the paragraph and of the passage. That way, you know where you need to go to find the answer to the question–after all, the answers to each of the questions will be in the passage (not directly though), and if you mapped it correctly, you should know basically where to find it.</p>

<p>*</p>

<p>Ahh…I see… Thanks :)</p>

<p>When is it best to take this class?</p>

87

<p>2-3 months before you take MCAT.</p>

88

<p>Aren’t there different/multiple schedules for the classes? I think some have more abbreviated schedules than others. My guess is you would want your classroom instruction to end a couple of weeks before the test date.</p>

89

<p>I did a ten-week course, started twelve weeks before test day. Those “in-between” two weeks included only a full-length practice, which I think was perfect timing. I would say that I probably peaked a little earlier than that, though – maybe eight plus two would have worked best for me.</p>

90

<p>D1 is scheduled for a Kaplan course that runs almost 8 weeks this summer and was planning to take the MCAT sitting 5 days after it finishes. Is there an advantage to her pushing it back a week more for review or practice tests? At this point she doesn’t have anything else going on during the prep time, the most would likely be a part time job.</p>

91

<p>I did a course that ran Jan 20 to Apr 27 for my MCAT which was May 27. I wanted to give myself time to stop thinking about MCAT and to be able to focus on finals for a few weeks, then have another few weeks to focus on MCAT. Worked well for me I think, as I ended up with a score that I’m fine with and fell right in my ranges (25 on diag, 34 or 35 was my peak, ended up with a 30). I agree with Mike that I peaked before my class ended–I think I had scores of 34, 34, and 35 all within a week of each other–so I wonder what my score would have been had I taken the test before my class ended.</p>

<p>At the same time though, anxiety about this test and my preparation for it got the better of me about a week before I tested (unfortunately), and probably played a role in posting my worst score since the diag–a lowly 26!!–like, 5 days before my test. Huge test-taking breakdown ensues. I ended up getting it under control (took some section tests to get my confidence back up) in time for test day though.</p>

<p>On the actual test day, I hit a speedbump with timing in the verbal section–usually a section I knock out of the park, ended up with one of my so-so scores.</p>

<p>So if I could do it all over again: 1) perhaps schedule the test about a week before class ended (no idea if that would be a good idea or not), 2) figure out how to control the “this is the biggest test of my life coming up and I have to do great on it or else…!” freak out that happened right before, and 3) have my timing down so well I could do it in my sleep.</p>

<p>Besides the MCAT, have I ever had a shred of test anxiety? Nope. Has timing ever been a problem? Nope. Have I scored 95%ile or better? Yep, every single time. Did a Kaplan class prevent me from being subject of more anxiety or more timing troubles? I’d sure like to think so. </p>

<p>Maybe I had a bad day, maybe it’s a tough test, maybe it’s both.</p>

<p>Regardless of any of that, boy am I glad it’s OVER.</p>

92

<p>entomom, Kaplan will prepare her just fine. By the end of her class, she’ll have taken at least 6 or 7 full-length practice tests and will have likely posted a range of scores. What I did between the end of my class and my actual test date consisted mostly of easy content review (think flash cards) and some section tests to bring my confidence back up (see above) per the recommendations of my Kaplan tutors–that is to say, nothing major and nothing that probably gave me a significant advantage.</p>

<p>Will she be applying during the next cycle? If so, I’d definitely stick with the earlier date because pushing it back could put her at a disadvantage. If she’s going to be applying for the entering class of 2013, and she’s taking the test early, she’d have a lot more leeway with postponing. She’ll have a better idea of when to test after she’s prepared for awhile. It’s a great thing to talk over with Kaplan tutors, so I’d keep an eye out on when registration dates crop up and talk about scheduling the test with tutors then.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

93

<p>Thanks for relating your experience kristin! Interesting that people find themselves peaking before the end of the course. Since D1s class is so compacted, her thought was that she should complete it before testing.</p>

<p>x-posted</p>

<p>She won’t be applying until the following cycle, entering class of 2013. I was just about to ask about when to register, thanks for the input, I’ll tell her to hang loose for a while and talk to her instructors.</p>

94

<p>kristin5792, I agree that you probably took the test too long after finishing the course. I finished a week (I think) before test day, and it worked perfectly for me - I felt very sharp and highly focused on test day.</p>

95

<p>Yep, shades, you could be right. Going into it, I didn’t know much about the test or the schedule (or even the prep class, for that matter) so I chose a date that would give me some time to finish the class, finish regular classes, and finish finals–I originally figured, why add MCAT test to a week of finals? In hindsight, that may have been a good idea.</p>

<p>No idea how timing impacted all of this. Between prep class ending, regular classes ending, some really intense exams, and lots of random family drama, on top of just totally falling apart shortly before my test–it was a LONG month. Would I have done better had I scheduled my MCAT for the same week as finals? Who knows. Should I have taken the prep class earlier? That would have meant encroaching on an even more difficult semester (fall junior year), which didn’t seem smart at the time (plus, I planned to take it with 2 good premed buddies, knowing that the friend factor would help for the prep class–and I think it did, they kept me “honest”). What if I’d scheduled it right after finals? Was worried I’d just be exhausted. </p>

<p>The beauty of the situation is that I’ll never know, and never need to know!</p>

<p>But to those of you who have yet to test: realize that there are LOTS of variables out there affecting test days. You might try to game the system and pick the day that seems the best…or you could just throw darts at the AAMC MCAT calendar and go with that date. When scheduling a test a few months in advance, it’s hard to know what day to pick because it’s impossible to know what events might happen then.</p>

<p>Hopefully, the worst of your test-taking worries will be about choosing the day–if that’s the case, you’re pretty well off!</p>

<p>And entomom: If she wants to be really on her game, she could call the Kaplan center where she’s taking the class and tell them about her registration concerns. If that Kaplan works anything like mine, the tutors have already been determined for her course, her tutors are eager to help her do well, and would likely sit down with her and help her schedule it even before her class starts.</p>

<p>EDIT: One last thing worth mentioning. Despite all the drama I just described–to the extent that at the time, I felt like everything that could go wrong did go wrong–I’m still going to medical school. Which I think should be one piece of anecdotal evidence that the stupid MCAT is not in fact the end all, be all of med school admissions–and that if you don’t have the best testing day in the universe, it’s not the end of the world.</p>

96

<p>DS’s original MCAT test date was some time in April. A month before that test date, we sensed that he likely did not have any time for test preparation, so we suggested him to postpone it and he agreed. – For some reason, he was well too busy with his senior project that year. It appears the research lab for the senior project essentially suck up almost all of his time that semester, and he also had another two labs. (It is a long story why he still had two labs to take right before graduation.) Some said the senior year tends to be an easier year, but somehow it was not so for DS. The senior year is his busiest year among 4 years for some reason. </p>

<p>The new test date was May 27 (the same as kristin’s test date.) The intention is for him to have some time between his final and the MCAT test to prepare for the test. He did study intensely during those days, but the commencement and several farewell parties distracted him from his study. He crammed it literally to the last minute. (It is funny that he was likely the only test taker in the waiting room who was still furiously reviewing his notes one minute before entering the test room.)</p>

<p>As regard to the timing of the prep course in relation to the date of the test, his timing is not right by any standard: there were 10 months in-between. Very bad timing – It scared the crap out of me because I had learned so much from CC that I knew by heart what would be an optimal timing. (I did a good job here: I did not tell him it’s bad so he probably did not know that, as his mind had rarely been on this.)</p>

97

<p>How long does it take to gets one’s scores after the test?</p>

<p>Dumb question…The test is 3 sections, so is each section about an hour long? Or is the test further divided like the SAT is? </p>

<p>(I can see the need to wear a watch.)</p>

98

<p>It takes about a month to get scores. Official dates are on the aamc mcat calendar. </p>

<p>I think the verbal section is shorter than the the other two which are the same amount of time. If i remember correctly verbal is an hour and biological sciences and physical sciences are 1 hour and 10 mins and the essay is 1 hour. But its quite possible I just made those numbers up or I am remembering some other test.</p>

<p>There is no need to wear a watch since there is a timer on the exam screen. If you want a peek at the test yourself, you could look at one of kaplan or princeton reviews free exams.</p>

99

<p>There is no need to wear a watch since there is a timer on the exam screen.</p>

<p>Ahh…didn’t realize the exam is given online like the GRE. Thought it was a paper exam like the GRE subjects. If the test is online, why does it take so long to get scores? GRE online exams gives results the same day. edited to add…I guess because of the curve.</p>

<p>So, if the exam is online, does that mean that you can’t “go back” to a previous question or “skip” a question and go back to it later (in the same section, of course) like the GRE? </p>

<p>Do most people only take the MCAT one time?</p>

100

<p>Nobody should be counting on a re-take going in. One and done is the goal.</p>