Guest s sadry Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 hey, i can't find the MCAT forum anymore. i've been in the PR course. i wrote a second diagnostic on saturday, and i didn't improve. hahaha, i dont' know what this was a result of -more material on it that i hadn't covered, or me not giving it my all. needless to say, i'm feeling pretty discouraged, and less hopeful, at this point. i have to be doing something wrong or missing out on something. if you guys have any tips that might be useful to me, and the rest of us, in the next 6 weeks i'd really appreciate some advice. i need to get my scores up to cut-off material and fast. this is one test i don't want to write a second time. specifically, its my physical sciences that needs help. i find this kind of comforting, because i'm sure once i've covered more material i'll improve somewhat. anyone else feeling the time pressure now? thanks for any advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest riffraff Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 I've been using ExamKrackers materials and those books have helped a lot.. I've done well on diagnostics. Flip through one at your University bookstore and see if it would help you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest s sadry Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 ya i dont know-- i have a verbal examkrackers book. plus, i have enough stuff to do from princeton. so i'm not sure if i should stick to that or try other practice materials. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 007 Posted July 12, 2005 Report Share Posted July 12, 2005 Keep in mind that most people see a jump in scores on either the 2nd or 3rd practice test....so don't get too discouraged yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest deuce Posted July 12, 2005 Report Share Posted July 12, 2005 the physical sciences section consists of chemistry and physics. when you get your next test, scan through each passage and mark them 'p' or 'c' for physics or chemistry, respectively. next do all of the passages marked with 'p' (or 'c' depending on what your strength is). this strategy allows you to keep you thoughts trained entirely on physics before switching gears to chemistry. you eliminate the need to 'flip-flop' between subjects. maybe this will be helpful? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest clinicalchief Posted July 12, 2005 Report Share Posted July 12, 2005 Well I'm not feeling that pressure right NOW (2 years ago for me), but I know how you feel. What are you getting on your diagnostics? The purpose of doing practice runs is to improve - don't expect your score to jump after only 2 tests. This is why you are practicing. My advice is to do as many practice tests as possible. Even more than what you do with TPR, get the AAMC exams and do those on your own time as well (even some of the older ones). cc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Snew Posted July 15, 2005 Report Share Posted July 15, 2005 Hey! I am taking the Kaplan course in Vancouver. I totally know how you feel and want to tell you not to worry! I did not improve on my first full length practice as well... my scores in Physical Sciences actually decreased from my diagnostic! I was initally really panicked, becuase I had been studying a lot and keeping up with the class. But the practice tests are just that: PRACTICE. My instructor told me it was completely normal for people to not improve or even get a lower mark on the their first full-length, due to stress, etc. I didn't even finish Physical Sciences, so I am working on time management skills as well. You just need to go through the test and see what sections gave you trouble and work on mastering those. Don't worry! If you are working hard, you will see improvment. Think of your med school dream when things get rough. It certainly helps me! :rollin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WoollySheep Posted July 15, 2005 Report Share Posted July 15, 2005 Check your public library, most have up to date copies of different MCAT books with practice tests. Gives you a wide variety of questions to practice, and saves you lots of $$$ ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gem2005 Posted July 18, 2005 Report Share Posted July 18, 2005 On thing that I did when I saw a poor score in the first full-lenght, is that I stopped doing more full-lenghts, and started cramming and studying the material I did not succeed in on my initial test. Doing more fullL 's wont help because you will make the same mistakes. I suggest, going over the Full L 1 or 2, studying the material you did not excel on, and then do more tests, and "build on it" in this manner. I think that works best! GEM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest keltok Posted July 18, 2005 Report Share Posted July 18, 2005 I"m not sure I agree with the 'don't do any more full lengths' mentality. Being able to write an 8 hour test is a skill, just the same as being able to apply a physics formula to a problem, and it requires practice. I would agree that if you're really worried about your content, and that's what's holding you back, then that's the place to start. But if you're having timing/fatigue/focus issues, really the best way to deal with them is to do more full-length tests. Get your test writing endurance up. That analogy 'would you practice for a marathon by doing sprinting' works here. Anyways, I teach for Kaplan (not PR, but I'm sure it's the same), and I see students ALL the time who are panicky about doing poorly on their first couple of full-length exams. It is (as a previous posted mentioned) ENTIRELY normal. You've just learned a bunch of new skills and new concepts and then you've had an eight hour test thrown at you, you're gonna be a bit shaky the first one or two times you try to put everything together. If you are diligent and if you work hard to find and shore up your weak points, I guarantee you, you'll see some big jumps in scores in later full lengths. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sweetstuff25 Posted July 18, 2005 Report Share Posted July 18, 2005 i don't know what happened to the mcat forum here but you can go to studentdoctor.net and click forums to find a lot of useful resources. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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