Guest skiboot Posted July 29, 2004 Report Share Posted July 29, 2004 Hi, I was wondering if anyone could provide some advice. I'm having second thoughts about writing in a couple of weeks, since I have yet to write a practice exam where my score would be at a level that would be competitive. (I'm getting 6's instead of 9, 10 or above) Even though I've reviewed all of the material, I feel that I am lacking the background (based on the practice exam results) to be able to perform well (ie) memory recall is low in some areas, still need to work on memorizing formulas, and I always seem to run out of time, (leaving questions blank at the end of a section). I've always been slow when writing exams - I'm always the last one out of an exam, or one of the last ones, but if I know the material I know that I can do well. Is it possible to pull things together in the next 2 weeks, and if so, does anyone who may be in, or has been in my predicament have any suggestions / strategies for the coming weeks? I'm not working, so I have 24hrs a day to study (less sleep time and exercise time - to keep my sanity) Or am I dreaming if I think I can pull it together in the next 2 weeks? Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest T dawg 2004 Posted July 30, 2004 Report Share Posted July 30, 2004 If you're not sure, your confidence is probably shot - and this can make for a very bad test experience. In my opinion, you COULD try it out and VOID your score on the way out (considering that you have already paid, etc..) Just to get the experience, it is often very good to give it a shot. That being said, if you're feeling insecure with the material, I think that giving yourself more time to absorb and learn the material well is very important. If your recall seems to be slower, then it is probably because of a number of things: 1) lack of familiarity with the material, 2) the need for more practice WITH formulas, so that you really get to know them well, and 3) reading in the way that is most suitable to the testing style that is on the MCAT. If you are finding yourself being rather slow, most likely you need to work on reading, approximating and diagramming to make your test strategy more effective. Also, remember, never EVER leave answers blank. If you guess you at least have a shot. (1/4 chance!!) If you leave it empty, you can't get a point. (0/4 chance) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest avisee Posted July 30, 2004 Report Share Posted July 30, 2004 If at first you don't succeed.. change your method. Try freshening up your studying a bit. If you have access to different study materials (eg, old texts if you are working from a study guide, or study guides at your local/school library if you are working from course notes) try seeing if that helps you. Are you reviewing your practice exams as you write them? One of the best things you can do to boost your scores 1-2 points is to realize what your common mistakes tend to be, and learn some useful test strategies that help you. A lot of MCAT questions tend to be partly trick questions (as in, they are easy to be misled), so if you learn to address each question as an exercise in critical thinking, you might find your scores improve (if this wasn't a strategy you employed previously). Someone may correct me on this one, but I don't believe that writing a bad MCAT is ever a major detriment to your application to Canadian med schools. There may be one or two schools out there that take the average of all of your scores, but I'm pretty sure most schools will only use the most recent (or, rarely, the best) score. So even if you write in August, are not sure how it goes, and end up with 8s across the board, it's still an experience to prepare you if/when you decide to rewrite, and won't come back to haunt you later. I'm not sure what the refund policy at this point would be, but I'd say your best bet is just to go ahead and write it. Just focus these last two weeks on studying smarter, not harder. Maybe take a break from writing prep tests for at least a few days to take the pressure off your back. Don't stress out, just find a studying approach that works better for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest skiboot Posted August 1, 2004 Report Share Posted August 1, 2004 Thanks for the advice. I'll probably work on my study methods and see how things go over the next week. I suppose I have up until the test day to decide, since if I don't show up for the exam, then I'll still get part of the test fee back. Or I guess I could void it if things don't go well on the day of the exam. Thanks again, skiboot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ewon2003 Posted August 2, 2004 Report Share Posted August 2, 2004 Don't forget that if you do decide not to write the exam, there is a partial refund. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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