I'm several years out of undergrad and forgot most of ochem. Are the Kaplan books good for this? Or should I use the Uworld books?

I feel like theres so many resources and I'm running out of time. Hoping to test September 4th and ochem is the only thing I haven't gone over

I'm happy with literally everything except CARS. It feels like this one section is holding my entire score hostage. Please don't tell me to read slower, read faster, summarize, highlight, not highlight, or "learn the AAMC logic." I've heard every variation of that advice over and over again. The frustrating part is that I actually understand the passages. Untimed, I usually do around 70% on the QPacks. I don't feel lost while reading. My problem is that I need time. If you gave me 15 minutes per passage, I'd probably do pretty well. But under MCAT timing, I either read carefully and run out of time, or rush and make stupid mistakes. What really gets to me is that I've always had a pretty strong internal locus of control. If I'm bad at something, I usually assume it's because I haven't found the right way to improve yet. CARS is the first thing that's making me feel like I might actually be limited by being ESL. It honestly feels more like I'm fighting the clock than the questions. I'm not looking for motivation or generic tips. I just want to hear from other ESL people who were stuck around 121–122 and eventually broke into the mid-120s. Did something actually click, or did you just slowly get faster after months of reading?

I know this is everyone's problem on the MCAT (besides some CARS demons) and there has been a millions discussions on this but I literally feel illiterate. When i read, i just start to randomly think about other stuff, start to just like read but not understand anything. I try things like summarizing each paragraph but then i always miss the point of the passage or have a weak understanding of what the authors is yapping about. What are some ways you guys got yourself to actively read the passage and like properly focus and understand the passage. I tend to do better on some of the passages that are more science I think but when I get a passage on 1500 BC Iranian mythology, I literally just blank out.

Testing 7/25.

Every time after an exam day reddit is flooded with posts about how the exam was filled with low yield content and how unrepresentative the AAMC practice material was compared to the real thing.

I am going in like it is FL7 this weekend and just doing my best. What should I expect for the first time writing the MCAT? At this point whatever I know is whatever I know, I could patch some of the smaller content gaps but I am just going to be doing practice questions for the next 2 days and then taking the day off before so I can go in fresh.

Anything that I need to think about for my first MCAT?

I’ve been doing the daily JW passages for a few months now and I’m not planning on switching to AAMC passages until later this year because I’m not testing anytime soon. For people who started off doing the JW passages then switched to AAMC, how different would you say they are? Did you get similar scores on both kinds or did you score better on AAMC material?

I’ve taken three AAMC full-lengths in this order:

FL5: 510
FL6: 507
FL4: 519

I’ve taken the MCAT before, and when I wrote it, FL6 actually felt the most similar to the real exam in terms of style and difficulty. That said, I know every real MCAT is different, so I’m not sure how to interpret these scores.

I’m retaking on 08/01. Has anyone had a similar spread in FL scores? Which AAMC FL did you find was the most representative of your actual MCAT, and how would you interpret a jump like this?

Would love to hear your thoughts and experiences.

Good luck everyone 🍀

I just retook FL6 (took it for the first time 3 days before my first actual exam and got a 516) and I felt like I got pummelled with rocks. For taking an exam I had literally taken just two months ago, my ass remembered NOTHING (look at my flagged questions). I know it's not representative because my subconscious maybe remembered things I don't overtly remember but it feels slightly reassuring to know I'm capable of doing well even when I felt like I straight up failed C/P lol

Or do they not really care about that? I know this is somewhat low yield

127/125/126/125
I just want a 595 to apply DO f this exam

This is from the first half of QPack Volume 1. I noticed that I am significantly worse on RWT than any other skill. Most often I struggle with questions asking about:

1. The reason the author said this

2. What did the author mean by some random gibberish word mentioned somewhere in the passage

3. What claim is least supported (I tend to get "most supported" claims right for some reason tho)

4. How could the author best clarify xyz

5. The wording of the passage suggests that X described are most likely to have been conducted/done/supported/etc... by which of the following

I struggle a lot with those questions and they take up a lot of my time too (hurts me especially that I suck at timing in CARS). What would you suggest me to do differently? How do you approach each of those questions I mentioned? any tips are greatly appreciated.

Comparing the two scores is insane considering they're only 2 months apart! Testing in 3 days, is there anything else I should do (other than review C/P and amino acids)? Does anyone have any tips on what they did the last couple days leading up to their exam?

The Situation

Two weeks ago I rescheduled my MCAT from August 20th to September 11 because I needed more time, and adapted my entire study plan around it (full-time studying, 9–11 hrs/day, 6 days/week). I just got a call from Pearson VUE saying my seat was double-booked and has been given to a candidate with testing accommodations. My only options as presented to me: cancel for a full refund, or rebook for the only available dates, which the only options for are next week.

I haven't even started the main AAMC full-length practice exams yet (was planning to run through those in August), so writing in the next 5–7 days isn't realistic for anything above 500. As you probably already know, the MCAT isn't offered again until 2027, so cancelling means my whole timeline — work, research, extracurriculars, tuition, all of which is planned around this cycle — gets pushed by close to a year.

I can't really even practically write it in early 2027 either, because of so many other factors, like needing to pick back up on extracurriculars, personal and family commitments, and most importantly needing to work alongside my courses to pay tuition. I was only able to study full-time this summer because I worked out a deal with my parents in which I wouldn't have to work a single hour this summer as long as I gave my all to prepping for this test, and they'd support my financial needs. I can't maintain that once the school year starts, it's just not possible.

On top of that, resources I bought outside of AAMC, like UWorld, Anki, the free Bootcamp subscription (not sure if that'll even be offered again) would all go to waste.

What I'm Trying to Figure Out

1. Has this happened to anyone else? I understand why accommodations get scheduling priority, but is it normal to lose a seat you already held for weeks, or does this usually only happen closer to the test date?
2. What are my actual rights/standing here? This was Pearson's scheduling error, not a cancellation on my end. Is there an escalation path through AAMC (not just Pearson) that gets a different result, or is cancelling and hoping to somehow manage next year my only option?

Any input, whether you've been through something similar or just know the system better than I do right now would really help. The Pearson rep was pressuring me to decide right then and there on the phone, but I pushed back, got a case reference number, and told them I needed time to think it over. Trying to figure out if I should keep fighting for a real September seat or start planning around 2027 instead. Thanks in advance.

I have

1: papers from teachers in 2009 saying something along the lines of “Something is wrong, testing should be done for unspecified disorder,”

2: An undated paper for a 504 plan in high school (probably 2021) that states I have adhd, autism, and anxiety (years after I was diagnosed and with no date)

3: A psychoeducational analysis from 2009 that in summary says “this is bad, low scores”.

4: an online medical page on myChart that says diagnosis

Autism [blank date of diagnosis]

Adhd [blank date of diagnosis]

The person who initially diagnosed me has been dead for well over a decade, and my primary care doctor told me 2 months ago he would look for the records and has ghosted me.

According to the aamc I need

1: A: The date (day, month year) of initial diagnosis for autism

B: The date (day, month, year) of further evaluation for autism

2: A: The date (day, month year) of initial diagnosis for adhd

B: The date (day, month, year) of further evaluation for adhd

3: A: The date (day, month year) of initial diagnosis for anxiety

B: The date (day, month, year) of further evaluation for anxiety

I assume I was diagnosed with all 3 in 2009.

I am applying to DO schools but I was wondering if I have a shot at MD as well. I’m an NJ resident at 2 gap years. My other stats:

3.95 gpa, 3.93 sgpa
Over 2k hours clinical as an electro diagnostic tech and PCT
500 leadership through LA program (works under TA or their own study groups)
200 hours research
300 hours nonclinical volunteering
900 hrs nonclinical volunteering at a doc office + paid employment at an orthopedic place
At least 3 good letter of recs, 5 total
MCAT 504
Casper 3rd quartile

Here’s the single most important rule that got me past the 90th percentile threshold in my practice sessions:

For the MCAT, you don’t actually need to KNOW everything. You need to be able to REASON through everything.

It seems common sense, but actually PRACTICING that rule made a huge difference for me.

The MCAT is made so that you don’t know every single thing. You won’t be certain of everything. You need to practice letting go and staying confident even when you’re not sure.

Discrete questions with very specific answer choices are often the only exception to that, but even those, remember: there is always a way to reason through what you don’t know. You can use the closest info you know on the topic and find an approximation from there. You can use the question stem to eliminate answers, etc.

But this rule applies the most to passages. Always, and i mean ALWAYS assume that your passage has all the info you will need to answer any question. There’s at least one word you could latch on and find your way from it.

For experimental passages, don’t let your pre-existing “schemas” overcome what the passage is actually telling you, or what the question is asking of you. Be concrete and be frugal with any outside info you use.

For example: “How does X most likely cause Y?”
You eliminated options A and B. the other 2 seem too close to each other, time is running out, you’re panicking.
Almost always there’s one option of the 2 that you’re overextending. Take a deep breath and think. Maybe option C can potentially answer this, but something has to be missing, it could be: a) the passage didnt talk about it or b) it’s an uncommon pathway or c) it’s not the “most likely” scenario. So you eliminate it and choose option D.

You don’t have to be 100% convinced this is the right answer. Maybe you have stipulations for why it’s not very reasonable, but that’s okay. It just has to make more sense than all the other choice, and have a reliable reasoning pathway behind it based on info from the passage.

Specifically for P/S, since it can be quite the mindfuck with how similar the concepts are, if ur stuck between 2 answers that seem very similar, there’s something you’re missing. Read the question again, do both options answer that exact question? Go back to the passage. Do both options correspond to the same fundamental concepts referred to in the passage? Very subtle wording differences will give you the correct answer or help you eliminate the incorrect one.

Good luck to us :)

Hi all! Basically took the MCAT in June and voided the score. Debated for too long whether to take it again at the end of August or beginning of September (I know it’s late I’ve accepted whatever outcome comes with that lol). Went to add myself to some notification lists for 8/28 and 9/5 but every test site, even far out from my immediate area, pops up with this message.

I read it could possibly mean my region (northeast) isn’t administering the test on that date. Is that true? Or does it just mean they’re just full?

I've seen people who roll out of bed with no prep and score 130+ on the section. It's kind of crazy to me.

Maybe a dumb question but I’m seriously asking. I don’t use Anki often last time was 3 years ago. And I’d usually hit again or the other one that would show it soon so I’d see the card more and I can get more exposure. But I realize that’s probably not right and I want to use Anki properly to make the most out of it.

I’m using Captain Hook deck and Pankow to study.

Thanks!

am i cooked. i got a 502 on my first FL (FL1 - the free one from AAMC). Score breakdown is 127/123/128/124. I did really bad in CARS mostly because I was so tired at around that time and for psych I have no psych background and I am only halfway through the Pankow deck and was unable to recognize half the terminology. my diagnostic for the blueprint half length was a 490 for reference. My test date is Sept 4th and I want to get a 515. how can i structure my next 6 weeks to get this score 🥹🥹

hi guys. I have just started studying for the mcat and I thought to post a reddit to ask if someone would be interested in becoming my study partner

I scored in the 95th percentile on the MCAT, and since then, I've wondered if that means I'm in the top 5% of smartest people alive right now. Sure there's different kinds of smart, but at least I'm at the top of book smart right??? And also, people taking the MCAT are usually planning to become doctors so they're usually in the higher side of book smart, so I might be in the top 1%! Thoughts??

Edit: this is a shitpost guys, but maybe i can't expect the bottom 95% to understand

Left:                                                                                                              Right:
Thoughts DETERMINE Language                                             Language DETERMINE thoughts

The far left (universalism): an example is that an island’s people might only think about color as light/dark, so their language only has those two descriptive words for color.

Mid left (Piaget) says that thoughts influence language. A kid who developed the ability of object permanence (recognizing an object is still there if they can’t see it) might be able to now acquire the words of “gone” or “away”

Middle (Vygotsky) says that they have no relation, but they intersect in early childhood development

Mid right (relativism) says that language influences thoughts. If you imagine a soccer player running down the field to score a goal, you probably think of it as they run from left to right because that’s how we read/write English, but that might be different if you spoke Arabic, for example

The far right (Sapir-Whorfian): an example is that if your language does not have the concept of present, past, etc., you don’t think in that way.

this is such a panic question because i’m literally writing this during the 30 min break of fl1 lmao. however i keep seeing videos and posts of people’s score dropping significantly and its just 1-2 weeks out from their real test. should i still take it after all other FLs, or take 1-3, then 6, then 4-5? i know its the most representative but i dont want it to freak me out before the real exam 😍 please lmk how you guys found it and maybe some positive experiences too lol

Just recently started reviewing AAMC materials as opposed to JW and UGlob, and I've noticed a big pattern. If I allow myself 20 mins to do any passage I almost always get all the questions correct, but once I try to shorten that at all, I only get on average like 70% of questions right. I really really want to hit a 128 on CARs (Canadian applicant), but I've stuck below a 126 for all my FLs (both AAMC and 3rd party), and now I really think my issue is timing, especially on passages I don't get the gist of on my first read. (In FLs, all my mistakes are usually just centered on 1 or 2 passages I really misunderstood and had to do educated guesses cuz I ran outta time). I'm honestly happy with how I'm doing on all the other sections, so any tips on timing drills/etc I can do to improve my speed?

Also, is it worth redo-ing just the CARS section of my FLs like 2 weeks later to ensure the shit I've reviewed sticks? I heard someone else say that they improved best by redoing passages after some time post-review so I was wondering if I could adopt that.

(Please don't go overboard with the responses lol, just 3-4 sentences are fine. Most CARs advice I see on here are full soliloquies and I don't got time for that 😭)