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Arts Grad With A 520 Mcat Ama


kbinners

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Hey Wasteman,

 

Yup, two masters, you heard right my friend. Why DID he do that? Just interested in two very different fields, really (sociolinguistics and geophysics). But it's not a path I'd heartily recommend to anyone, having watched him go through it. Especially do not allow them to overlap.

 

I am hoping to become a doctor because honestly I think it will be the best platform from which to chip away at inequality. I believe in improving access to health care for communities that currently have discontinuous or poor service. That's one thing. But I also think that many physicians are in an almost uniquely good position from which to address systemic problems. They have a comparatively high level of control over how they run their practice and allocate their time (allowing options for research, pilot projects, advocacy); they have a comparatively high level of authority in Canadian society, meaning that their opinion is likely to carry more weight in the community or the media than that of many other professionals, especially if a group of physicians work together; and they are even sometimes able to get an initiative off the ground by using their own money, because they make enough to do that (I know several examples of individual physicians who do that, and recently learned that it's fairly common practice for a group of physicians to pool private earnings to put back into improving services). It's hard enough to make system changes on the level of mobilizing a palliative care team or implementing a computer program that tracks which patients with chronic disease are receiving prescribed care; it's another thing to advocate for affordable housing, universal income or food security. I believe that changes on both levels are critical, and that few people are in a better position to observe the need for them and work towards them than physicians. Before you call me crazy, take a glance at this document from the Canadian Medical Association: https://www.cma.ca/assets/assets-library/document/fr/advocacy/what-makes-us-sick_en.pdf

 

I hope you have a blast at York!

 

Kathryn

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  • 1 month later...
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Hi Kathryn!

 

Wow, amazing score first of all and you've taken quite the interesting journey. I really wish you well and hope that you succeed!

 

It's been a few months so I am not sure if you still check this thing but if you do I was wondering if you could provide me with some advice?

 

I am looking to write the August 25 MCAT this year. I started studying a few months ago, but I work full time and it hasn't gone as well as I have hoped. I wrote my first practice exam last month and it went terribly! I am wondering if you think it is realistic for me to achieve a competitive score by the Aug MCAT if I buckle down and study for a few hours every weeknight after work and more on the weekends?

 

Would love to hear any advice you could provide. 

 

Thanks so much!

 

- Sarah

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Hi Sarah,

 

I've got it set up to send me an email when someone posts here, since it wouldn't be a very effective AMA otherwise :)

 

That sounds like a tough goal you've set yourself -- but people do amazing things all the time! I am sure I have read of other applicants working FT while they prepped for the MCAT. Which company's practice exam did you write? (Kaplan, TPR, AAMC...?) Also, what do you consider 'terrible'? People's scores have generally jumped significantly between practice and real exams scores.

 

Were you able to take any of the science courses relevant to the exam? Did you feel equally weak in all sections, or are you confident in some and weak in others...?

 

Sorry, more questions than answers so far!

 

Kathryn

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  • 1 month later...

Hi Kathryn, 

 

Congratulations on your amazing score! I also have a liberal arts background so you're a huge inspiration to me. 

 

I am in the same boat as Sarah, hoping to write the August 25 MCAT but working full time at the same time. I have taken a few practice exams with TPR and am really not sure what to think about my scores - 

 

MCAT Course Test 1 - 504 

MCAT Course Test 2 - 504 

MCAT Demo Test - 504 

MCAT Complete Test 1 - 507 

 

Will it be realistic with these practice test scores to aim for a 510-512 on test day? 

 

I have about 11 weeks left but will only be done with content review end of June. Hoping to spend the rest of the time till August doing practice exams and passages, but with work commitments it's been hard to realistically devote more than ~2 hours to studying per night. I feel like I am constantly in need of more time and have had to come to terms with not being able to complete all the practice passages that I would have liked to. How much practice did you get in terms of FLs and passages? 

 

Thanks so much for doing this, hope you're enjoying the summer!

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Hi Chestnut,

 

Are these full-length tests? I only know about the TPR FLs that I took. Are these similar, or different format?

 

If the tests are similar to the TPR FL style, based on the numbers that other students contributed to the MCAT scores spreadsheet last year I would say you have a good chance of getting at least a 510-12. (It looks like the person who established that spreadsheet is in the process of taking it own, but you might still be able to get it here.)

 

Looking at my notes, I think I wrote my first practice exam on July 13th -- so you are ahead of me in terms of content review. I only wrote 4 FLs, all TPR, and scored 505, 509, 510, and 505. Other than that, I used all the questions in the EK books to practice, and I also did the AAMC question packs for physics and chem.

 

It sounds like you are in pretty good shape so far, and you still have time!

 

Wishing you lots of luck!

 

Kathryn

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Hi Kathryn,

 
Yes, they were full-length tests and exactly the same computer-based, 4-section/7.5 hour format. If you took any computer-based TPR FLs, I think those might have been equivalent to the MCAT Complete Tests 1-3.
 
Really appreciate the encouragement. I took a look at the spreadsheet and it is somewhat reassuring. I will keep on working hard from now till August and hopefully when August comes around things will be better.
 
All the best to you as well in your journey. Have a wonderful time at McMaster!
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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Presh,

 

Mine came with the Princeton Review MCAT Complete 2015 book. I used the EK books to study with, but the price of the TPR book was worth it for the 4 online exams (especially since I requested my relatives send it to me as a birthday present).

 

Kathryn

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Hi Presh,

 

Mine came with the Princeton Review MCAT Complete 2015 book. I used the EK books to study with, but the price of the TPR book was worth it for the 4 online exams (especially since I requested my relatives send it to me as a birthday present).

 

Kathryn

 

Thanks, Kathryn! 

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Hi Kathryn,

 

Congrats on McMaster!  Your story was quite the inspiration!

I only applied to Mac this cycle and was waitlisted but no offer - I had only written the CARS section of the MCAT last year and got a 128. I'm debating studying for the entire MCAT - and taking it possibly end of August / early September. Of the typical prereqs, I have only taken Chemistry (1st year) and Psychology.  I have taken Bio and Physics many years back in high school and did very well.  Do you think it might be a stretch to study it all in 8 weeks (part time study... while working during the day), for example, using the EK books/other books? 

I note that you got a great MCAT score, but didn't get an interview at UT (I assume you have great life experiences to go with it too!). I'm concerned that even if I take the whole MCAT with limited study, I won't be able to get an optimally high score to be good enough for any of the Ontario schools. It might be passable for Queens / or UofT's cutoffs...(assuming I take some of the courses).   Any thoughts based on your experience?     Did you consider only taking the verbal portion of the MCAT? 

 

Thanks!



 

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Hi christon,

 

Getting waitlisted is pretty great though-- congrats on that! It's definitely worth applying to Mac again.

 

I can't say for you, but personally I wouldn't want to try to study for the whole thing in 8 weeks, even if I wasn't working, especially without the prereqs. If you're going to take the MCAT again anyway to try to bump your CARS score, I guess you might as well take a stab at the whole thing and see how you do. But if your goal is a solid MCAT all-round, I'd suggest taking it at a later date that gives you enough time to prepare, and applying the following year.
 

As for the Ontario schools, it's really hard to say. MCAT is of course only part of it. How's your GPA (I think that's a main reason I didn't get an interview at U of T, plus no research experience)?

 

You know, I didn't really consider only writing the CARS section. Sometimes I wish I had done it that way. Partly, I felt I needed to prove to myself that I could handle science content. I didn't even have grade 12 bio or chem when I started this plan, so it really had been a long time and I didn't have a lot of confidence in that area. I wanted to be able to go into interviews with the confidence that this is material I am comfortable with. The other reason was that I didn't want to lay down the money for the exam and the application for a shot at just one school... but given the amount I ultimately spent on courses etc that was a dumb reason. Ah well, live and learn.

 

Good luck!!

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Hi Kathryn,

 

Congratulations on your amazing MCAT scores, as well as your acceptance!!  My plan has always been to apply to UOttawa and NOSM, but recently, I've been considering writing the MCAT with the hope that I will be able to apply to other schools as well.  I know I'm really late to the game for this (I'm applying for the 2016-2017 cycle), and I'm trying to get as much information as I can so that I can make an informed (and fast!) decision.  I have taken general chemistry, organic 1 and 2, anatomy, physiology, organic & biochem for the health sciences, calculus 1 and 2, stats, and multiple psych and gerontology courses.  I have never taken physics, and will be taking biochem this upcoming year (organic is a pre-req for biochem at my school).

 

So, looking at a test date of either August 25th or September 1st (preferably August 25th so I have my score before the deadline), do you think it's feasible to study effectively for the whole test in this time frame?  I'd be looking at doing about 20-30 hours/week of studying.  I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed with the decision because I want to give it my best shot, but am also concerned that I'm giving myself less than 2 months to prepare, and would have to pay for the test as well as the trip to write it.  So, I don't know if it's worth it, and I know I have to decide ASAP.  

 

I know that studying timeframes and techniques widely vary from student to student, but I would really appreciate your insight, as we seem to have taken similar science courses.  Thank you! 

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Hi Happy and Hopeful,

 

Are you going to be working at the same time? Is that why you're aiming for 20 hours/week? If you're working (or in school), it definitely sounds like a tough schedule -- not saying its not do-able, since you're the best judge of that, but I wouldn't want to cover the whole thing in two months while working.

 

I noticed that you didn't list a bio class. Did you just forget it, or will the bio material be new to you? I wouldn't say it's the most challenging of the material (for me anyway) but there is a lot to memorize, and that will be a bigger challenge if it's new to you.

 

Some people take the MCAT just for the CARS section and apply to McMaster (and get accepted :) ), so that's something to keep in mind too! You can write the whole thing and hope for a good score across the board, but even if you don't get the score of your dreams in the sciences and have a strong CARS score you can add one more school to the list you're applying to. (Just to note: you really do need a killer GPA at Ottawa U, and you really do have to be from rural, ideally Northern Canada, to get an interview at NOSM. You probably know these things, but just in case -- !)

 

Someone reminded me recently that some schools have policies about considering scores from each time you take the MCAT. I don't know the details about this, but you might want to look up the policies for schools you are interested in before writing this year. In a lot of ways, it sounds like you're in a good position to write this summer if you concentrate and prepare over the next two months, but if you think a lower score could hurt you if you end up rewriting, it might not be worth the gamble. Just check out what happens in the scenario where this year doesn't go as well as you hope.

 

In summary, I'd say go ahead and give it a shot, unless it turns out that if you get a low score this year it's going to hurt you even if you rewrite and do better next year. Look that up quickly, and if it's not going to hurt you after a rewrite, get to studying right away :)

 

Good luck!!!

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Thank you so much for taking the time to reply; I really appreciate it!  The only bio classes I've taken at the university level are anatomy and physiology.  I took grade 12 AP bio and also wrote the AP biology exam 3 years ago (obviously a lot of time has passed since this, though).  I am working about 30 hours/week until the end of July, so I'd be able to commit to more studying in August.  I've also considered writing just for the CARS section for McMaster, but I also thought it might be worth it to try the whole test in case I do well on other sections as well.  As a follow-up question, if someone did only write the MCAT for the CARS section, do you still have to write the rest of the test?  Or do you just write the CARS section and leave?  I haven't been able to find an answer to this on the AAMC website.  Thanks again!  

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Hi Happy and Hopeful,

 

As you say, if you are going to write the MCAT, even if your focus is CARS, you might as well do the other sections as well. Even if you are writing for the CARS score, they will score all the sections anyway so you might as well aim for real scores!

 

When I wrote the MCAT, there was one person with no science background just writing for CARS. She just read through all the science sections, getting a sense of them so she could prepare better for the following year if she didn't get accepted to McMaster. I think she actually used the whole time. I was thinking just now that you would have to wait until everyone else gets to the CARS section to write it, but that must be wrong because people start writing at different times, and some people finish sections early and/or skip the breaks, so actually maybe they would allow you to 'finish' other sections first and just write CARS and leave. If you're going to write for CARS though, I think you're absolutely correct that you might as well prepare for the whole thing as best you can! Everyone needs different amounts of time to prep for this thing; it's absolutely possibly you'll kill it even with the prep time crunch.

 

I would expect AP bio to cover all bio material you would need for the MCAT. I'd recommend not getting too caught up in content review, but make sure to do a few practice tests (to time) before you write the exam.

 

By the way, which deadline are you trying to meet that requires you to write by Aug 25? I wrote my MCAT on September 3rd last year and that was fine for all the Ontario schools. (Just in case you can squeeze an extra week out of that!)

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Hi thanks for doing this. I have a voucher for a tpr prep course and it says it comes with 13 FL tests plus diagnostic exams. You said you thought that your Princeton set was invaluable to you. Since this course comes with 13 do you think that is even better or do you think it's overkill?

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Hi folks!

 

I have a BA in drama and scored 520 on the MCAT in September, so I thought I'd start a thread to encourage all you arts grads out there!!

 

My final score was 128 in Bio, 128 in Chem/Physics, 132 in Psych/Soc, and 132 in CARS.

 

To prepare for the med school applications I went back to school to take a few pre-req courses. I took:

  • 1 FCE biology
  • 1 FCE chemistry
  • 0.5 FCE organic chemistry
  • 0.5 FCE biochemistry
  • 0.5 FCE kinesiology
  • No physics, no psychology, and I did not take the second half of ochem
  • I also took high school bio and chem 12, because I didn't have those (it took me 10 days each FT to do them online)

After these classes I started studying for the MCAT itself. I started studying at the beginning of May and wrote the exam September 3rd. While I studied, my life looked like this:

  • I worked 3 days a week on an urban farm in Vancouver (to keep myself moving!)
  • I took several trips back to Ontario to help my mom, who has a terminal illness (during which I did not study)
  • I did a 4-day course on being a doula
  • At first my aim was to study at least 8 hours each of the 4 days I wasn't working, but by the last month I recognized that I was more efficient if I took one day completely off each week. I would spend it hiking or sitting on the beach. Especially with the stress and sadness related to my mom's illness, it was worth taking the time to re-engergize.

I used these things to study:

  • Exam Krackers 2015 complete study package -- I used this for content review and for practice questions
  • Princeton Review 2015 complete -- for the 4 practice exams INVALUABLE
  • AAMC chemistry and physics question packs

Things I did that I think were a good idea:

  • I set a time limit for practice questions from the very beginning. I tend to like to work slowly and carefully, so I was sure timing would be a big problem. Actually, I never failed to finish a section, either on practice exams or test day. I think this is because right from the start, when I was doing content review with EK, I would set an 8-minute time limit on the 8 practice questions interspersed throughout the chapter and stuck to the 30-minute time limits on the EK practice tests. I always went back and reviewed correct and incorrect answers, but the time limit helped me learn to keep the pace up and not get stuck on questions that were hard. 
  • I alternated content review and practice questions from the very beginning. I read and took notes on an EK chapter, then I did the 3 sets of 8 practice questions within that chapter, then I reviewed material I was weak on, then I did the 30 minute test and reviewed that. Next chapter.
  • I did 4 full-length practice exams with the correct timing and break schedule. This helped with stamina, focus and confidence, but it also helped me get my priorities in order. I found the Princeton Review exams were similar to the real exam in that they were less about testing minutia and more about your ability to read an unfamiliar passage, not panic about all the new terminology, and trust that between your knowledge and the info in the passage you will find the answer. Learning not to panic was definitely a skill worth practicing. By the way, I scored between 505 and 510 on the practice exams, but in general it seems that people scored about 10 points higher on the real exams than on the Princeton Review practice exams, so keep that in mind!
  • I accepted that there were a few subjects I just wouldn't know. This was a hard one. I started out wanting to learn every possible fact and formula they could possibly include. But especially with the time and energy I felt I needed to process what was happing to my mom, I started to triage. I used the AAMC info on the exam content to prioritize what to drill, and what to leave. I knew the both ochem and physics, my weakest subjects, were comparatively small portions of the exam. I did study the physics, but after gaining a basic level I stopped beating myself up for not being a superstar on those passages. I rocked the first half of ochem, but after reading through the content for the second half I basically accepted that learning that material would take more time than it was worth on the exam. 

How I got 132s: 

  • CARS: unfortunately I really don't have much advice here. I didn't really study for it. I didn't really take any of the advice from the prep books. I always read every passage and answered every question. On the real exam I actually went through the entire section a second time. I do not consider myself a fast reader. In middle school I had a teacher who mocked me for being the slowest person in the class. Dunno, guys. I do read a lot. I read fiction, I read non-fiction. My BA is in drama with a minor in English. Text analysis is just a thing I do. Honestly, I think the best piece of advice I read in a prep book on this section was to actually be interested in the passage -- or find a way to be interested (pretend a guy you like recommended this essay and wants to talk about it later, for example).
  • Psych/Soc: so much of this section is just a vocabulary test. This is one part where I did use multiple companies for content review. I learned the EK terminology really thoroughly, and then I skimmed the Princeton Review material for unfamiliar words and concepts, and I also used some Kaplan flashcards (Christmas present) but in general I found them way too detailed and a waste of time. I kept a list of terms I forgot or mixed-up and review it, and added terms that appeared on practice tests. There were quite a few terms I did not know on the real exam. Just had to put my best guess.

So that's a start! Feel free to ask me stuff!

 

Kathryn

Also another question. For the bolded part in your point about psyc/soc, are you referring to the Kaplan flashcards being a waste of time, or are you referring to all of the material you used like the EK and the Princeton Review stuff being a waste of time as well?

 

Also just to make sure, were those 3 things all of the materials you used for psyc and soc? Just EK, princeton, and the Kaplan flashcards?

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Hi Kathryn,

 

Thanks for the AMA.  I am also using TPR to prep and have been doing practice tests throughout and my scores are steadily rising.  I was wondering, did you find the Psych/soc sections in the TPR tests/passages very representative of the actual test? What about the science sections? 

 

Thanks!

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Hi Canucks,

 

Hi thanks for doing this. I have a voucher for a tpr prep course and it says it comes with 13 FL tests plus diagnostic exams. You said you thought that your Princeton set was invaluable to you. Since this course comes with 13 do you think that is even better or do you think it's overkill?

 

I don't think I could have completed even close to 13 FLs myself, but everyone's different. I also didn't have the money for a course. I am sure they include lots of help in addition to the tests themselves. It probably doesn't make sense to get the whole course just for the practice tests, but there are probably a number of reasons to sign up for one. They're not really my style though and I din't have the funds :)

 

Also another question. For the bolded part in your point about psyc/soc, are you referring to the Kaplan flashcards being a waste of time, or are you referring to all of the material you used like the EK and the Princeton Review stuff being a waste of time as well?

Also just to make sure, were those 3 things all of the materials you used for psyc and soc? Just EK, princeton, and the Kaplan flashcards?

 

I meant that I found the Kaplan materials too detailed and inefficient. I really liked the EK books, and the TPR tests, as you note, were invaluable. I didn't use the TPR study materials much (just a little for psych/soc vocabulary review) so I can't speak to them.

 

You are right: those are all the materials I used to prep for psych and soc. I didn't really use the Kaplan ones though, for the reasons noted above.

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Hi Click,

 

Hi Kathryn,

 

Thanks for the AMA.  I am also using TPR to prep and have been doing practice tests throughout and my scores are steadily rising.  I was wondering, did you find the Psych/soc sections in the TPR tests/passages very representative of the actual test? What about the science sections? 

 

Thanks!

 

Glad to hear that your scores are going up :)

 

In general I did find the TPR FLs similar in style to the real test. I found the CARS section on the real test to be easier than the TPR sections. I might say that the psych/soc section felt more like a vocabulary test in the real test (seemed to involve less application, more definitions, and more terms I didn't know) than I was used to with TPR. I found the science sections quite similar to the TPR sections. Content always varies, of course, but I think TPR and the real test have the same approach (in all sections): both tend to emphasize reading and application more than straight memorization. Last year, people's scores tended to higher on the real test than on TPR tests (I'd say about an average of 10 points higher in total, based on data people shared on the forums).

 

Good luck!

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Hi Click,

 

 

Glad to hear that your scores are going up :)

 

In general I did find the TPR FLs similar in style to the real test. I found the CARS section on the real test to be easier than the TPR sections. I might say that the psych/soc section felt more like a vocabulary test in the real test (seemed to involve less application, more definitions, and more terms I didn't know) than I was used to with TPR. I found the science sections quite similar to the TPR sections. Content always varies, of course, but I think TPR and the real test have the same approach (in all sections): both tend to emphasize reading and application more than straight memorization. Last year, people's scores tended to higher on the real test than on TPR tests (I'd say about an average of 10 points higher in total, based on data people shared on the forums).

 

Good luck!

 

Great, thanks for the feedback.  I have been struggling some in the physical sciences section compared to the other sections.  In terms of physics, would you say you had an even representation? As well, for the biology section, would you say there were a lot of "difficult" experimental passages (i.e. convoluted)?

 

To be more clear, I find that some of TPR's passages have pretty difficult experimental passages where I am not really sure what is going on...

 

Thanks!

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Hi Click,

 

Great, thanks for the feedback.  I have been struggling some in the physical sciences section compared to the other sections.  In terms of physics, would you say you had an even representation? As well, for the biology section, would you say there were a lot of "difficult" experimental passages (i.e. convoluted)?

 

To be more clear, I find that some of TPR's passages have pretty difficult experimental passages where I am not really sure what is going on...

 

Thanks!

 

Personally, I'd say the biology passages on the real test are really challenging. I assume that they know the majority of applicants are strong in biology, and so they make that section really difficult in order to see meaningful variation between students. I found the real exam more challenging than the TPR practice tests in terms of biology. And yes, I think I would say that the difficulty comes from complex passages and questions that expect a fairly high level of application and insight. (But maybe that's my perspective because I have limited biology training...? Perhaps those with more bio experience feel differently.) If you are finding TPR's passages challenging, keep working on them :)

 

I found there was not a whole lot of physics on the test I wrote. There was some -- and I can't claim to have felt confident about my answers in that passage -- but not much, and not covering very many of the physics topics. My guess is it's kind of a crap-shoot, physics-wise: you're only going to get a small number of questions, so they can't cover all the possible topics, but you can't predict what will be included. This isn't a secret: you can see on the AAMC website what percentage each subject takes up of the test, and the physics percentage is low.

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Hi Click,

 

 

Personally, I'd say the biology passages on the real test are really challenging. I assume that they know the majority of applicants are strong in biology, and so they make that section really difficult in order to see meaningful variation between students. I found the real exam more challenging than the TPR practice tests in terms of biology. And yes, I think I would say that the difficulty comes from complex passages and questions that expect a fairly high level of application and insight. (But maybe that's my perspective because I have limited biology training...? Perhaps those with more bio experience feel differently.) If you are finding TPR's passages challenging, keep working on them :)

 

I found there was not a whole lot of physics on the test I wrote. There was some -- and I can't claim to have felt confident about my answers in that passage -- but not much, and not covering very many of the physics topics. My guess is it's kind of a crap-shoot, physics-wise: you're only going to get a small number of questions, so they can't cover all the possible topics, but you can't predict what will be included. This isn't a secret: you can see on the AAMC website what percentage each subject takes up of the test, and the physics percentage is low.

 

Thanks! Did you score similarly on the biology sections for the practice test as you did on the real thing?

 

Ok. Good to know about physics.  Don't have much time to commit to it, so I will have to make do.  

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Hmm, I think my bio scores were similar on the practice and real tests, but I can't double-check because my notes are in a box in a truck moving across the country :) If I remember correctly, my practice bio scores ranged between about 126-130, and I scored a 128.

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