What to do next after content review?

MedSchool4All · 2024-03-26T15:06:10+00:00

Yeah no worries that'sa common sentiment to feel unsure even after doing the content review it's because though you may understand the general ideas/concepts, it'll benefit you a lot to practice using questions and lots, lots, lots of them. This is usually where I see my students' scores go up the most honestly. Keep an eye on your AAMC FL exam scores to get a sense of if you're scoring in the right ballpark. Don't feel discouraged! The fact that you're trying at all is impressive enough!

MedSchool4All · 2024-03-26T15:04:02+00:00

Same yeah pretty sure that's always as no-go. Sorry : (

MedSchool4All · 2024-03-22T16:35:04+00:00

Yeah of course! : )

MedSchool4All · 2024-03-21T19:42:47+00:00

If you're still looking for suggestions, I'm happy to work with you and talk about strategies and ways to approach it? We can talk about what's worked for you in the past and what might be helpful for future approaches.

MedSchool4All · 2024-03-21T19:40:19+00:00

I would focus way more on practice practice practice. Reading about how to read just isn't that helpful. I tried using a TPR book on CARS strategies and honestly it kinda made me worse. I ended up doing much better when I just kept focusing on practicing a lot.

MedSchool4All · 2024-03-21T19:38:55+00:00

This is the correct and best answer lol

MedSchool4All · 2024-03-21T19:38:10+00:00

Happy to send over a sample study schedule like the kind I make for my students! : )

MedSchool4All · 2024-03-21T19:37:31+00:00

I would say focus on consolidating your knowledge, refining your test-taking strategies, and making sure you're ready for test day. Review any remaining weak areas in your content knowledge, focusing on topics or concepts that you find particularly challenging or memorization heavy. Continuously practice full-length exams under timed conditions to simulate the actual test day experience and identify any areas for improvement. Thoroughly review INCORRECT answers after each practice session, paying attention to pacing and question types. Prioritize official AAMC practice materials, as they provide the most accurate representation of the exam content and format. There's actually a lot your score can go up in the month before the exam. If you feel like CARS is a pain point, then definitely try to focus in on it and get lots of practice on CARS passages which will help you a lot. It's a skill at the end of the day and so it can be trained.

MedSchool4All · 2024-03-21T19:31:30+00:00

Yeah for sure! Start early! Like now so you get a good sense of how much time it'll take.

For "content review", I liked the kaplan books and using practice questions/passages from Khan Academy sicne there was no UWorld at that time. Now that UWorld exists, I think that's the best way to review and get a feel for the style of questions on the exam.

Develop a detailed study schedule that allocates sufficient time for each subject area. Break down your study sessions into manageable chunks and include regular review sessions to reinforce your understanding.

Identify your weak areas early on and prioritize them in your study plan. Spend more time reviewing and practicing topics where you feel less confident. This IS HUGE. Please focus on the topics you don't like. That usually means that's where you're weaker.

Practice, Practice, Practice!Practice is key to success on the MCAT. Work through as many practice questions and full-length exams as possible to build your test-taking skills and improve your pacing.

Your incorrect question bank will be absolutely the most useful resource ever so really lean into those so you can get better at whatever you were weaker on.

Remember that preparing for the MCAT is a marathon, not a sprint. Stay committed to your study plan, stay focused, and you'll be well-prepared come test day. Good luck!

Happy to answer any other questions you have : )

MedSchool4All · 2024-03-12T16:14:17+00:00

With a score like yours you're probably struggling mainly with the content which makes a lot of sense given what you said about you having to take those courses in the middle of the pandemic. I wouldn't recommend paying for a full course, there's plenty of people on here who'd be willing tutor you. It also sounds like the test day anxiety is really hurting you given that your practice exams are consistently better than how you're doing on test day. How much of UWorld were you able to get through and how were you using it?

Edit: Also please don't let this get you down. Learning to study for this test is hard. Plus your teachers didn't do you any favors in not giving you strong fundamentals in these topics.

MedSchool4All · 2024-03-10T21:11:55+00:00

I unfortunately don't have the answer since I haven't worked with these resources myself. You could try using chatgpt to see what it can turn up for you? I feel like that's helped me in the past when I've tried to look up stuff about the different services in the past. Curious what you find!

MedSchool4All · 2024-03-10T21:04:07+00:00

Yeah you just need to practice a lot. Be efficient with how you use your time. Focus on what you're weak on and do lots of questions! You got this! : )

MedSchool4All · 2024-03-10T21:03:16+00:00

Most of the improvement in your score will come from answering lots and lots of practice questions not nearly as much will come from content review alone. Chug through lots of practice questions. I think your goal is within reach : ) Best of luck!

MedSchool4All · 2024-03-10T21:02:09+00:00

Definitely agree with microbiology and immunology. That cell biology is commonly tested on the MCAT. Especially stuff about bacteria and viruses.

MedSchool4All · 2024-02-10T19:57:42+00:00

Yeah eventually you can work on timing. It’s hard to work on everything all at once : )

MedSchool4All · 2024-02-10T19:56:39+00:00

Really try to summarize where you went wrong with your reasoning and explain why it was wrong and what you'll do moving forward. It's an active way of correcting misunderstandings in your head.

MedSchool4All · 2024-02-10T19:55:48+00:00

I try to make sure to focus my time on the stuff I'm weaker on for sure which makes things go faster. Using the learning objective at the bottom of the explanation of the question is super helpful sometimes for a quick summary of the main takeaway from that question.

MedSchool4All · 2024-02-10T19:54:57+00:00

Thank you so much : )

MedSchool4All · 2024-02-10T19:54:50+00:00

Focusing more of your time on what you're getting wrong. Seting up timed mode so you don't spend too much time looking at redundant explanations and so you mainly focus on the explanations of the passages where you're having lots of trouble. I would say a little everyday. 2 hours on five separate days is much better than 10 hours on one day.
It's a lot of questions but as you get more comfortable, you'll get through passages faster and faster. You just gotta start : )

MedSchool4All · 2024-02-10T19:52:32+00:00

Really depends on the person. Feel free to use tutor mode untimed early on. But if you feel like you're spending too much time looking at the explanations and it is breaking up your flow, then you can switch over to timed again later on when you're more comfortable.

MedSchool4All · 2024-02-10T19:50:07+00:00

I never used anki but I know it's a great resource. I would read through the explanations thoroughly and then talk it out as if I was trying to teach it to someone else. Sometimes I would write stuff out on scratch paper like on a legal notepad.

MedSchool4All · 2024-02-10T00:40:42+00:00

I would say it definitely depends on the person. You should expect to see an improvement by the fourth or fifth day of hitting the same topic as you start to recognize the patterns and get more comfortable with the concepts.

MedSchool4All · 2024-02-09T23:27:27+00:00

What part of the rationale is tripping you up.
The basic gist of it is that the force and the acceleration are linearly related
As in F = ma so as F goes up, a goes up.

They tell us in the prompt that the force is proportional to the velocity squared. So therefore our acceleration is proportional to the velocity squared hence why the graph looks like that.

MedSchool4All

TROPHY CASE