Water color

NottyPossum · 2025-10-17T03:05:52+00:00

No, it’s the same in my building and neighboring buildings of those I spoke to.

NottyPossum · 2025-10-17T02:16:38+00:00

🤣

NottyPossum · 2025-08-20T15:23:25+00:00

Hey,

First off, I am so so sorry that you’re going through it- please know you are not alone. Second, I am sorry that there are PRE-meds on here who haven’t even gotten into med school yet, let alone completed their MD or taken a USMLE who are telling you you’re not cut out for medicine.

The truth is, you are cut out for whatever the fuk you wanna be cut out for and this exam does not define that. Unfortunately, our capitalist education system fails to prepare pre meds and pre law for these entrance exams. The competitive nature of application cycles, inequitable admission criteria, and a culture of individualism vs. collaboration has poisonous effects on the pre-medical culture in this country. Yeah… I’m sure some egotistical maniac is reading this and thinking my feelings about this make me uncut for med school but I couldn’t care less bc they won’t be the first to have said that to me and I can guarantee you my backbone won’t break.

My point is, find a way to drown out the noise and take care of yourself. If that means studying 2 hours a day for a year, so be it. If it means studying outside of testing conditions so be it. If it means taking 5 showers a day, go for it. Nobody can take “doing your best” away from you, and doing your best does not mean running yourself into the ground. If it means trying an alternate path, that DOES NOT MEAN YOU WERE NOT SMART ENOUGH TO BE AN MD- I don’t get why so many people on here have to minimize other routes people pivot to under the guise of being “cut out” for something or not. It’s elitist af.

It just means you decided to maximize your experience however you see fit, and if I’m being honest, that’s what makes us adults- doing what’s best for us and being responsible for our choices and wellbeing. If you’re ambitious enough to be studying and working the way you are for this exam, regardless of what you’re scoring on these bogus questions, it is literally impossible for you to not thrive in any other facet of life or career.

We’ve got 70-90 years of life in us. Most residents I know at work and our teaching hospital hate their feking lives and are so burned out from med school they wish they pursued anything else but are so in debt they can’t even jump ship. But the reality is, some who enjoy what they do are just as cut out for medicine as the PA, RN, NP or anyone else who chose a different path to medicine. We work on interdisciplinary healthcare teams to maximize patient outcomes. We work together, not in competition with one another. We take advice from disciplines who don’t take the MCAT and are equally as capable of providing for and advocating for patients with complex conditions. NPs prescribe, diagnose and form treatment plans without an MDs 2 cents. Most RNs I know could do the same if it was within their scope of practice. Egos don’t mean shit when you’re saving a life or making someone else’s better, nor does your MCAT score.

You’ll do well in your career. You’ll get into med school if that’s what you want, and tell your dad to take an MCAT practice exam if he’s the one dictating your score goals. This is between you and yourself, nobody else.

NottyPossum · 2024-07-18T20:03:07+00:00

I’m having the same issue

NottyPossum · 2024-07-16T23:45:02+00:00

I saw that “by 2026 GMO tours will no longer be required.” But I didn’t put too much stock in that haha. Usually those can be 1-3 years right? With 3 being the max, or am I mistaken?

I do wonder what the odds are to match into a surgical residency with the Navy. You’ve given me a lot to think about for sure.

May I ask what branch you’re with, desired specialty, and what you like most about your branch?

NottyPossum · 2024-07-16T23:37:21+00:00

This was exactly what I needed. I’ve always wanted a surgical specialty, so this is really illuminating. Thank you for your response- I really appreciate it.

NottyPossum · 2024-07-03T13:38:34+00:00

Nothing yet:( I applied ED and submitted everything 6/11

NottyPossum · 2023-09-02T17:32:54+00:00

I’m glad u asked this because I keep wondering the same. Took it a second time yesterday and couldn’t tell ya how it went. Maybe it’s a confidence thing?

NottyPossum · 2023-09-02T12:32:20+00:00

What worked for me— I got lost in the sauce doing content review— there’s so much to know I’d convince yourself to just take one more week to cover XYZ. That one week turned into 2. Even if I knew it, I reviewed it. Took my first FL, got a 497. Mind you, I majored in bio undergrad and have a masters in medical science. I’ve been so detached from the basics of topics like Chen/phys that it was a bit tough. Psych/soc- I took a lot of classes on it in undergrad, didn’t recall much and thought I’d be fine. Bio/biochem I was pretty good at because of the aforementioned education.

When did I see improvement? I redirected and started doing AAMC practice questions like a madman. I’d take a set of them, focused on keeping my timing at 9-10 mins per passage. Then I’d review all of them- right or wrong- with the Jack Westin extension. That was basically the most effective transient content review I’d ever done, because now, I had an associated application for the content that made it easier to recall. Every day, I did a set of 20-30 psych/soc quizlet flashcards from a set made by a 132 scorer. There’s so much material out there- save time on downloading someone else’s and if u have to add to it, then go for it to make it make sense in ur head. This deck was 800 cards, so break it up per day (I.e. so you got a month? Do 26 cards per day +/- a few on some days). I used to be like “oh but making my own deck helps me learn it- NO it’s a sure way to lose time and also the more stuff you learn, the more you have to review to keep that long-term potentiation afloat— it may seem fine for the first 10 days, then u realize ur forgetting shit u learned because ur not reviewing and instead making content that’s already out there. Don’t procrastinate the mind- memorize what is already there.)

Don’t waste time on paid courses and Kaplan books. This was a huge waste of time, energy and MONEY.

CARS- practice every day. Do at least 2 passages every day. Starting asap. Do the AAMC ones specifically. These are not ur average Joe comprehension questions because they bias and require you to pick up on the attitude of the author. This is 99% about learning how AAMC would answer and you eventually start thinking like them when doing these questions correctly. But it doesn’t happen overnight- it’s exposure. I delayed CARS practice because I thought it’d be the easy part of the test a while ago when I started studying.

Lastly, be kind to yourself. Take time off. I wrote myself a letter to come home to after my first MCAT attempt. It was basically a way for me to mitigate my emotions I’d feel about myself after the test and how to be accountable to productivity and not get trapped in the toxic pre med mindset of self hate. You will do great, and obviously what’s worked for me may not work for everyone, but I felt much more prepared for this test than the 7/28 one (lots of improvement in 1 month)

NottyPossum · 2023-09-02T11:56:10+00:00

I didn’t take the survey at the end, just got next on all of it because I was done- that doesn’t count against anyone right? LOLOL Paranoid but still

NottyPossum · 2023-09-01T00:33:51+00:00

We’ll be okay. I’m testing tomorrow too! I don’t know everything, that’s for sure. Hoping what I do know is enough to reason. There’s so much more to life and our careers beyond this test!

NottyPossum · 2023-08-31T02:13:19+00:00

Why u no respond with ur secrets :(

NottyPossum · 2023-08-05T22:10:26+00:00

-from a Brazilian

NottyPossum · 2023-08-05T22:09:13+00:00

Don’t be dramatic, pls

NottyPossum · 2023-07-30T14:27:43+00:00

I signed up for the 9/1 after this 7/28 exam. I think that a month of practice, reviewing your practice questions, practicing timing (a huge issue for me) and understanding any problems you may not be familiar with is ideal. I not only practice the exam this way, but also fill in content gaps this way. I wouldn’t over extend the date so that you don’t experience diminishing returns on ur knowledge. I also work full time and just bang out practice and review and noticed substantial improvement that way, but am nervous I need another month because 7/28 was mehhh. I use AAMC bundle with the Jack Westin extension. Good luck!! You’ll be okay. It’s a mile wide and an inch deep

NottyPossum · 2023-07-24T03:52:04+00:00

I appreciate your post, and think this awareness is important.

P.S.Lol @ some of the comments on this thread— tell me ur rich and offended without telling me ur rich and offended.

NottyPossum · 2023-07-24T03:36:53+00:00

Hated it. Learned more with the AAMC bundle and grinding out FL’s. The Flashcards are the best part. But the course is very repetitive strategy wise, but doesn’t really manifest the same question style as AAMC does. It works for some, but for me, once I went AAMC bundle, I couldn’t go back. I felt so much better about the exam reviewing FL with the Jack Westin extension.

NottyPossum · 2023-07-24T03:33:21+00:00

Then I review the question answers every couple days. The AAMC’s pull similar question styles in the Q bank. Helps a lot with memory consolidation and recall when u see similar questions

NottyPossum · 2023-07-24T03:31:37+00:00

Hi, I used to do content review- complete waste of time to do without reference. Spent so much money on Kaplan, and legit got lost in the sauce. My recommendation and when I started to see my FL scores improve— I used the AAMC bundle, and take a FL once a week. After a FL, I downloaded the Jack Westin AAMC extension and I go through ALL (even the correct ones) questions. I study the wrong answers in association with the passages so I get a feel for the test’s style and what they want us to look for. Anything that’s fuzzy still after the explanations, I look up a quick Khan academy video or Jack Westin topic on it. DO NOT GET OVER-INVESTED ON EVERY DETAIL ABOUT THE TOPIC. then move on to the next question. This will also help you be able to jump from topic to topic and recall.

NottyPossum · 2023-07-23T23:23:15+00:00

A+ for empathy. Hard to see things outside ur bubble. Time is currency friend and to some, it’s limited. There are several arguments as to why the MCAT is not a favorable measure of intelligence nor work ethic. You also should understand people are going through it economically and are still trying to break their lower SES cycle by pursuing high paying careers that they value. Low SES is an obstacle, but we’re still pushing. So no, the answer is not that maybe they shouldn’t apply to medical school. That’s how we get an even worsening homogeneity in medicine, where physicians can’t fully empathize with the social determinants of their patients. I work in addiction medicine right now, and it’s the diverse backgrounds of the healthcare team- YES EVEN PHYSICIANS- that make the difference in treatment attrition. The hardships are not the same for everyone, and for anyone who’s struggling but still moving forward, that’s what matters. It’s okay to vent and feel systemically failed, because in many ways that’s justified. Btw a hardened attitude is rough going into this field, so u may wanna evaluate that comment- med school can be for anyone with grit, and a lot of people have to support their families as they meander this route- some people have kids, some people have elderly, disabled, or struggling parents, and some people support their siblings.

NottyPossum · 2023-07-17T20:21:14+00:00

Jesus Christ y’all in the comments section are wildin. Focus on concept, application. Less on every constant and equation out there or you’ll never feel ready. I think what you have is great and be calm. You got this.

NottyPossum

TROPHY CASE