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How I got a 35 on the MCAT

Discussion in 'MCAT' started by MedPal, Jun 10, 2015.

  1. MedPal

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    Here's a brief blurb about how I scored a 35 on the MCAT

    Timeline:
    I was fortunate enough to finish my undergrad classes in the Winter, leaving me the opportunity for full-time studying in the spring. To get started, I did a bunch of research and decided to go with Princeton Review for a study course and baseline books, and add any other books necessary. Looking back, I might have chosen Berkeley Review, but anyways...The class is over a few months, so make sure you have time aside if you plan on a review course.

    After the course ended, I decided I still needed some time to study on my own and take a few practice tests, so I left another month or so after the course ended before taking my test.

    The review course:
    I thought PR was average, at best. I did not like their strategy to VR (see more below), and they kept pushing onto us at every class. Physics and the PS section was definitely their strength. Worth it? I can't completely advocate for it. But, when you're stressed out and you need someone to guide you and give you some resources, it's a decent place to start. Highly teacher dependent, just like any course. If you can, talk to others in your area to get an idea of the people that will be teaching you their techniques.

    Section-specific details:
    PS
    : I truly believe this is the EASIEST section to rapidly improve your score. Understand a few basic principles (Newton's laws, gen-chem experimental rules, etc) and memorize the equations, and you have zero excuse not to score at least a 9.
    I only used the PR books for this, but really paid attention to the details of the practice exams. I thought these were gold here. They really allowed me to understand the principles that were repeatedly tested, and I forced myself to understand them. They ask the SAME GEN CHEM stuff over and over again on every test. I would also add that you have a 40-50% chance of a Newton passage of some sort or at least some free-standing Newton-related questions.

    I started out scoring a 6 here, and ended up with a 14

    VR: Ok, I hated this section from the beginning, and I could never figure it out. I always hated reading, and I always sucked at it, so I knew this would be tough. I tried the PR method, which slowed me down, so I looked elsewhere. I did the entire examcrackers 101 passages, and I felt it was a great help. Repetition did help me, and I tried paying attention to the explanations. Honestly, at the end of the day, I think rapidly reading the Qs and then the passage will help you if you are a fast reader. You must get to all the passages, in my opinion.
    Once, you can get your timing down, focus on the foundation of what they keep asking and how they want you to interpret the passages. A few of the questions are absurdly hard and you'll have to just accept that

    Started out scoring a 4, and ended up with an 8. I should've gotten a 9-11 based on my practice tests, but oh well. I hated this section and glad I didn't get a 5.

    BS: This is a variable section, with biology passages in a VR format. You're reading comp will really affect your score here, but you can boost it a bit by having a strong biology background. Why? Because you'll understand the passages, so the questions seem a little more reasonable. Very few (if any) calculations here. I felt PR was fine for this, along with a few random books I came across (McGraw Hills, BR, etc). This section felt a bit more 'clinical.'

    Started out with a 9, ended up with a 13.


    Let me know if you have any questions, and I'll do my best to answer them.
     
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  2. mcatmax

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    Great post. I second that VR sucks! But because it sucks, you need to dedicate that much more time. If the OP had been able to get his/her score to a 10-13, that would have effectively provided a score of 37-39, a score that places you in the running for ivy league medical schools, in my opinion.

    I didn't find any single VR resource that I liked, ExamKrackers has some good options. But really, just need to get a feel for the types of questions they ask, and figure out the best way you can get through the passages effectively.
     
  3. mcatmax

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    Sorry, didn't mean to say you couldn't get into an Ivy or that your score wasn't already awesome. Just felt your post may have been form the previous version of the exam as the format has changed slightly.

    You inspired me to post something about my experience/tips too. Stay tuned!
     

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