Guest The Cat Posted May 31, 2002 Report Share Posted May 31, 2002 I've heard from many people that the MCAT is based on simple stuff (material you learn in HS). So how come people complain that it is so difficult? It is a matter of time management? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Dog Posted May 31, 2002 Report Share Posted May 31, 2002 This answer is based on my personal experience with the MCAt. True, the concepts are very basic. However, there are major time constraints (you'll feel this especially with the VR section) and the test format is very different from the standard undergrad midterm or final. It took me awhile to get used to whole read-the-paragraphs-and-answer-the-questions format. But I ended up with a 37. So it's doable. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AniyaSG Posted May 31, 2002 Report Share Posted May 31, 2002 an 8hr exam? how could that not be difficult. It's not just that there's a lot of material to cover, it's also the mental and physical stamina it takes to stay sharp that long IMO. It is tougher than what I learned in High School, but not impossible. It's all about how much time you want to devote to preparation... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cheech10 Posted May 31, 2002 Report Share Posted May 31, 2002 Wait till you hit the verbal section: basic material, but the time limit and questioning style make it tough. Also, don't forget that your raw score doesn't matter, only your score relative to all the other writers. So if the test is easy, you still have to do better than everyone else to get a good score. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MCATer Posted May 31, 2002 Report Share Posted May 31, 2002 My opinion is that it was pretty easy. I took it after 2nd year and did really well. I didn't study much for it either. Maybe about 2 weeks before, I did a few of the practice AMCAS tests. I think that was they key. A lot of the material, especially the biology stuff, doesn't really require any specific knowledge. A lot is based on your *deductive reasoning powers*. A lot of the answers are in the passages and questions! I couldn't have told the difference between calcitonin from acetylcholine or a cranial nerve from a sympathetic one when I wrote it, yet I got a 14 in BS. And for the Verbal, this is not as hard as some people make it out. If you're the kind who is well read and has read lots of books and continues reading all the time (it's not a skill you can build up in a mere couple of months), you'll breeze this too. All I can say is that I also took the LSAT (law school admissions test) and that was way tougher than the Verbal section of the MCAT. Makes the MCAT look Kindergarten, if you ask me. Think of it as easy, practice with the AMCAS tests, and make sure you've got a little bit of science background, be a good reader and you'll do just fine. There aren't any tricks to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MCATer Posted May 31, 2002 Report Share Posted May 31, 2002 Forgot to make the point that yes, time management is very important. Practice for this using the AMCAS tests. All the other tests (Barron's, Kaplan, Princeton) are garbage. They don't ask questions in the same way. Gauge your speed with the AMCAS tests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest not rex morgan Posted June 1, 2002 Report Share Posted June 1, 2002 Just to add a different perspective, so those of you who found this tough can feel a little normal... I found that the depth of knowledge was not really there, but the bredth is. You have to memorize alot of physics equations, the biology stuff, etc. I am pretty well read myself. I got A's in university English. I took upper-level English courses for fun and got A's. I cannot read fast enough to pull off fantastic marks in VR. I also had to completely undo my writing style and format it to the MCAT. I think those who found this test a breeze are lucky enough to be fast readers. Those that aren't, just don't do as well. To comment on someone's point about studying for two weeks, and doing well...congratulations. That's an amazing feat. I don't think that's necessarily representative of most people. I knew one guy who studied for two weeks. He was essentially a genious. He failed. I wouldn't recommend putting off studying to the rest of you. Speaking of which. I'm putting off studying and must go study for my finals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Cat Posted June 9, 2002 Report Share Posted June 9, 2002 Thank you for your replies guys. Really helpful. I'm hoping to take the MCAT sometime in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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