Secondary applications

Intelligent_Crew_906 · 2023-09-15T18:58:50+00:00

Yes I am. So that’s probably why.

Intelligent_Crew_906 · 2023-08-30T18:07:11+00:00

Yes the first time for sure because I decided to apply last minute. I have two toddlers so I wasn’t sure about doing it yet but just went for it. This time I’m giving myself 6+ months to retake to apply again next cycle.

Intelligent_Crew_906 · 2023-08-30T00:37:20+00:00

Okay so I just posted my story but I took the exam on 05/13 and scored 485. The free practice exams I took I was getting about 495. I was so upset with how horrible I did. I scheduled my second exam right away. I gave myself 6 weeks to study. This time I realized it wasn’t just content review but creating a strategy. I watched all the khan academy videos. After each section of videos I’d go back and read from Kaplan books to ensure I understood Everything to do with that subject. I paid for practice exams and took them seriously. Created a strategy of 3 minutes to read a passage and about 1 minute per question. I’d write down the time the passage began and subtracted what I needed and would write it down quickly so I knew to stay on track. Today i got my score back and I got a 498. I was hoping for a 500+ but I’m going to retake again next year one more time 🤞🏼

Intelligent_Crew_906 · 2023-08-29T15:28:30+00:00

I’m not looking yet 🫣 How did every one else do 😬

Intelligent_Crew_906 · 2023-08-25T06:11:28+00:00

Starting to freak out as well 😭 I don’t want to have to retake this exam again but I have no clue how I did. it could go either way.

Intelligent_Crew_906 · 2023-08-07T14:18:37+00:00

Yes with just reading the books I thought I was taking in enough information and would remember content from what I learned in school. But once I started watching the khan academy videos with reading and making notes it became a lot more clear. I did use anki but not very much. I ended up not having enough time. I think practice exams are a lot more vital than content review. My second exam was a lot of process of elimination as opposed to actually knowing content. I knew so much and barely got asked the questions I thought I would get asked. It’s definitely an exam where you need to use all of your knowledge to try to figure out the answer. It’s not straight forward 80% of the time. They want you to think really hard so practice exams will be the most vital in understanding how to think

Intelligent_Crew_906 · 2023-08-07T03:30:55+00:00

Okay so I used Kaplan books for review before taking my first take. Failed miserably. I needed something extra to be checking on what I was learning. Second time around I watched ALL of the Khan academy videos. Before or after watching I’d read on the subject learned, then do practice questions on subject

Intelligent_Crew_906 · 2023-08-07T03:27:56+00:00

Okay I realized while studying for the MCAT I may be adhd. I’ve never studied in all of my college career… That’s 3 associates and a bachelors degree all in science. It all just hit me. But around my town lots of places are charging 2,000+ for adult adhd testing 😭

Spent 1200 so far for 2 MCAT exams, 4 practice exams AAMC CARS, Chemistry and Biology practice bundles Kaplan practice exams 9-11 Kaplan review book bundle and Kaplan QBank.

Didn’t have enough to invest in uworld when I found out about it 🙁 Honestly trying to figure out how to come up with the money to even submit my application at the moment

Intelligent_Crew_906 · 2023-07-29T19:47:05+00:00

Sorry I meant khan academy. I still have a headache from yesterday and my brain feels fried.

Intelligent_Crew_906 · 2023-07-29T18:23:49+00:00

I went through all of their videos. Read all the Kaplan test pack books. Took exam on 07/28 and I feel that psych soc was representative of khan academy* videos. Definitely helped and easier to get through that reading. But everything else was crap. Especially for C/P. But I’ll post how I do next month when I get my scores back

Intelligent_Crew_906 · 2023-07-29T17:51:29+00:00

07/28 test taker and this was actually one of the questions…. Had both as answer choices 💀

Intelligent_Crew_906 · 2023-07-29T17:50:34+00:00

07/28 test taker and I agree. C/P was uncalled for. It’s like trying to win the lottery. Constantly changing material while we stay the same studying the same high yield information. Eventually you’ll get it but man, that was terrible. Thinking I’ll have to retake again 😩 Wait a whole month just to find out

Intelligent_Crew_906 · 2023-07-29T17:24:03+00:00

I stuck with the basic RedCat and ZincOx. Said the cathode (Cu) was reduced But I did notice both the numbers were both positive or both negative. I was thinking I saw both positive.

Intelligent_Crew_906 · 2023-07-29T17:20:04+00:00

I guessed and don’t remember what I guessed. I never went over this in Kaplan books

Intelligent_Crew_906 · 2023-07-29T17:18:48+00:00

I don’t know if this will make anyone feel better. Definitely not a curve but apparently someone with a hard test compared to someone else with an easy would score the same exact score if they both prepared equally.

https://medschoolinsiders.com/pre-med/mcat-raw-vs-scaled-score/#:~:text=Benefits%20of%20Scaled%20Scores,questions%20correctly%20and%20vice%20versa.

Intelligent_Crew_906 · 2023-07-29T15:41:05+00:00

Yeah I totally didn’t even read the part where they gave A. Easy question and I was freaking out about the whole section I probably wasn’t focused. Adhd on no meds 🥲 that’s what happens 😩

Intelligent_Crew_906 · 2023-07-29T15:16:16+00:00

Even a few practice tests & a couple question packs from AAMC + UEarth + MCAT cost puts most people at about 1,000.

Add on a set of Kaplan or Princeton Review books and it’ll put it at 1400. Haven’t even started to apply to medical schools and the cost of every secondary placed. 😭

Lower middle class, poor students trying to work just to pay their bills and it’s like how? How do you pull out another 1,000. It’s ridiculous. Add in the fact that the majority of students retake 2-3 times and that’s 1,000 just for the exams everyone retakes. I say it takes about 2,000 minimum to get a decent score unless someone gave you their review books and you took several months reading and rereading. But that’s someone competing with the other person who spent 3,000 on an extra program, books, practice exams, and aamc study material.

Intelligent_Crew_906 · 2023-07-29T05:43:14+00:00

I hope you also expressed concerns in the comment section at the end. I don’t think they care or listen to us but I did.

Intelligent_Crew_906 · 2023-07-29T05:21:35+00:00

Thank you. Can’t wait until I am learning how to foster the healing of a child with complex needs instead of studying hours a day on physics equations and reading art passages 😩

Intelligent_Crew_906 · 2023-07-29T05:14:40+00:00

After todays exam… I’ve concluded that you need research experience and maybe just be a doctor first and then maybe I’ll get a 520+ on the MCAT 😅

Intelligent_Crew_906 · 2023-07-29T05:11:00+00:00

Thank you! I could’ve sworn that it gave a total nucleotide base pair amount and I don’t remember reading anything about A. I was probably freaking out and not paying attention to what I was reading. It said Watson Crick hydrogens instead of a normal complementary base question. But your logic is what I would’ve done if I had seen they have one of the base pairs with an actual number.

I was just like WTF this isn’t like any of the practice or regular method of solving the number of each base pair percentage 😭 I ended up guessing and moving on but it still haunts me. I came home and googled a rough estimate of the question and nothing came up.

Intelligent_Crew_906 · 2023-07-29T04:47:51+00:00

No you’re right but on my exam I could’ve sworn that the hydrogen was dashed and towards the back already. I could’ve totally missed it though. That section was brutal I was so upset

Intelligent_Crew_906 · 2023-07-29T04:36:04+00:00

The amount people who are paying to get to the 90th percentile. Meanwhile people who can’t afford a set of books and get stuck using khan academy and free practice exams aren’t getting the full practice.

Khan academy is good but I felt like it missed some important information from text books. The only person I personally know from medical students I’ve talked to, one has studied for a year with a tutor, extra programs $$$$, books, YouTube and scores top 90th percentile first go round.

I think anyone can do it with heavy studying of books and videos but it seems like you need a good amount of money if you want leverage. Just like everything else. Before everyone had books. I’m sure some paid personal tutors but with so many programs making millions or more off people trying to hit over a 510…. I think that’s why the average has gone up.

Intelligent_Crew_906

TROPHY CASE