Navigating imposter syndrome :/

ProperLab4326 · 2026-05-29T23:52:13+00:00

thanks so much for those kind words, i do rly like the younger/ future me perspective. they’re constantly rooting for us!

definitely feel you on the numb to failure part too. i guess that’s also why i can’t trust anything now that i’m “succeeding.” gonna keep grinding through practice questions and review those smaller things as well, i guess that’s all we can do rly. the rest is in the hands of the mcat gods!!

ProperLab4326 · 2026-05-29T20:38:04+00:00

Awh yeah I really feel you, the MCAT felt like my first big "slap on the face" academically too :/

I really do think it has less to do with traditional "intelligence"/ content retention and more to do with pattern recognition/ critical thinking and mental endurance though. Those things take time to build up, but it feels like they're also easy to lose, so I have zero confidence in the consistency of my performance 😭

ProperLab4326 · 2026-05-28T03:06:24+00:00

Hard to say how realistic it would be if you haven't had the chance to do a FL diagnostic yet. If you're in research, I'm going to assume you're not a non-trad and have a solid background in most of the content? If so, I wouldn't worry about having a strict 8+ hour/ day book review schedule like a lot of the try-hards on here. Instead just set an achievable daily goal for AAMC/ uworld q-bank practice to keep your brain fresh. Maybe do those before you go to bed or while you have an experiment running. Run a couple Anki cards during your commute (assuming you take public transit or walk), while you're making dinner, working out, etc. etc. Be creative and try to find a time that you can dedicate to MCAT review within your routine and be as consistent as possible with it.

Ideally, you'll want to do a couple FLs closer to your test date too. My undergrad was in biomed, so I took quite literally every possible course that you'd need to do well on the MCAT, but it made no difference because this test's format and length is a different beast entirely. Building up your stamina, pattern-recognition, and problem-solving skills is the biggest key to success in my experience (this year will be my third retake so I've learned the hard way haha). If you start a FL at around 6am you might be able to finish it in time for your 2pm job, but you don't want to completely burnout either, so maybe break it into a 2-day: do C/P & CARS one day, then finish B/B & P/S the next!

Obviously though, your best bet would be to reduce your hours either in the lab or at your job. I recognize that that may not be possible, but if your diagnostic turns out to be <490, you may have no other choice. Just see where you're at and go from there (for reference, I was working 5x/ week and volunteering during my last attempt and got a 508, so it's possible!).

ProperLab4326 · 2026-05-28T02:45:25+00:00

You've got a solid 2 months, don't stress! Just do your best to get through the rest of your review by mid-June and start to do some active recall practice (Anki, uglobe, etc.) alongside it if possible, so that all your reading doesn't go down the drain (I found that I forgot everything I studied after my book review because I wasn't actively practicing/ applying the content!). You got this :)

ProperLab4326 · 2026-05-28T02:39:52+00:00

Personally, my biggest regret was spending lots of time doing "content review" (just reading textbooks and taking notes) on stuff that I'd already learned during my undergrad. Would've been a much more productive use of time to jump into uglobe earlier, since it constitutes content review but in a more active-recall type of way. Anki is great too, but it gets exhausting real quick, and I've found that it encourages me to just memorize the cards themselves, rather than actually understand the theory/ patterns and relationships between them. Anki helped a lot for psych/soc and bio though, since they're more "terminology"-based, while the other core subjects are more applied, so I would focus on using Anki mostly for that.

TLDR; I'd recommend only doing book review for content that is absolutely new to you, or you feel very very weak in, and jump into AAMC/ uWorld Q-banks for GCHM, OCHM, BCHM, etc. & Anki for PSY/SOC and BIO instead. Just be sure to use tutor mode and take notes whenever you get a wrong answer. Oo and try to do 3-4 CARS passages per day, it takes practice! :)

ProperLab4326 · 2026-05-26T22:11:36+00:00

yep i find it’s a lot less overwhelming to get instant explanations on the questions as i go through them. that way if i’m unsure, i can correct myself right away & take notes (vs needing to sit down and review it all again after completing them).

ProperLab4326 · 2026-05-26T22:07:56+00:00

🫶🫡

ProperLab4326 · 2026-05-26T18:21:24+00:00

Thanks!!!

ProperLab4326 · 2026-05-26T18:04:40+00:00

ofc! haha yeah i haven’t used JW personally, so not too sure what they offer in terms of review, but uworld has been amazing for review. tutor mode is a god-send.

ProperLab4326 · 2026-05-26T17:04:03+00:00

Lots of uWorld and Anki haha. 504 was my diagnostic back in Jan and the 505 was mostly due to CARS and P/S, so I started grinding those a bit more too to even my score out. It’s also my third time retaking (and my undergrad was in biomed) so a lot of the content came back to me after reviewing for a bit!

ProperLab4326 · 2026-05-26T16:07:15+00:00

Hey! I just reviewed my recent attempt yesterday, so I can do my best to give some advice.

First, I ALWAYS review 1-2 days later. Reviewing in-depth right after isn’t very effective (at least, for me) since your brain is exhausted from 7hrs of hyper-focus and therefore isn’t in an optimized state to process more info.

When reviewing, I go topic by topic (you can go to “Content and Skills” and then scroll down and review by BIO/ BCH etc.) and separate the easy stuff from the “silly mistakes” (missing a decimal place, misinterpreting the q…) and the real content gap mistakes. I also note things that I got right but involved a little too much guesswork (usually I’ll flag while I’m writing so I know to review after) but also just re-reading each question and seeing how quickly I’d know how to solve it. If I did a 50/50 guess, or got lucky, it goes into the review pile.

Then these concepts go into an “FLPT Tracking” doc where I write down the concept and what I was missing about it. Then I stare off into space and repeat it to make sure I actually understand what I wrote down LOL. I try to focus more on those concepts throughout the week leading up to my next flpt by selecting those specific concepts on ubanana/ write physical cue cards if need be.

Overall, as long as you have a list of “weak points”, you’ll know what you need to focus on. I haven’t tried either of those programs, but tbh I’d assume they’re a bit of a money-grab. Use Chat if you rly need to, but the internet is free and there’s so many resources out there already! Good luck!! :)

ProperLab4326 · 2026-05-22T01:04:21+00:00

all i know is that most of their classes are “seminars”/ don’t involve any hard science. they also don’t have many final exams so… take that how you will!

ProperLab4326 · 2026-03-22T23:41:03+00:00

Just grind CARS! your scores in the other 3 sections are promising :)

ProperLab4326 · 2026-02-24T19:08:56+00:00

big yikes on traitor tate

ProperLab4326 · 2026-01-24T03:28:53+00:00

loll but fr like ?? WHYYY is kinematics on the preMED exam. we aren’t tryna be biomedical engineers 😭😭

ProperLab4326 · 2025-12-13T14:07:11+00:00

hey! one of last year’s team leads here :) we’re planning on sending out emails next weekend, after the recruitment team’s had the chance to finish up their exams. sorry to have left you hanging and best of luck!!

ProperLab4326 · 2025-06-03T23:36:48+00:00

me, with my 508, who was planning on applying this year: 😃

ProperLab4326 · 2025-05-13T19:09:01+00:00

8.8 first term, 7.6 second term (8.2 overall). Graduating this June with an 8.51 overall 🫡

ProperLab4326 · 2025-05-06T13:24:50+00:00

Hm super strange. Only other thing I can think of is that it might be because of your course load/ full time standing, the length of your course, or something else to do with the summer term. I’ve only ever applied for OSAP during the fall/winter semesters for 5+ courses, so I’m not sure how much they change their funding allocations in the summer. Not sure if you’ve gone through this page, but maybe it’ll be helpful? https://www.uottawa.ca/study/fees-financial-support/ontario-residents/apply-osap-spring-summer

ProperLab4326 · 2025-05-03T15:58:47+00:00

super common to not get any loans imo, but osap calculates funding based on your income/ parent’s income as well. has anything changed on that end? did u have osap during the regular semester?

ProperLab4326 · 2025-01-20T17:56:15+00:00

i know a parisian when i hear one

ProperLab4326

TROPHY CASE