A little advice please

[alexandra.5094]

Here's my issue and I'd really appreciate some advice.

I have taken the mcat once before and scored 25.
I have now been studying to take the May 27 mcat and need at least a 30 on it. I actually would be ok with a 30.

I have retaken AAMC 5 and 6 and scored 31 and 30 about a month ago. Today, I took AAMC 10 for the first time and bombed it with a 25 (P9, V7, B9). On the GS exams I've been scoring around 27. On EK verbal reasoning tests I've gotten 9-12 on the last couple of tests.

I have a week and a half where I will be working part time, and then will have off 2 solid weeks before the test on the 27th. Should I push the test date back again now that I got 25 on AAMC 10 or do you think I should still take it?

Thanks!

[admin]

You are certainly within reach of the goal that you set for yourself within the specified time frame. This conclusion is suggested by your performance on AAMC tests 5 and 6 as well as the GS exams (likely you have seen the threads showing that most students perform significantly better on the real MCAT as compared to their GS performance).

However, the key point is what you do between today and May 27th. You should read the advice in this forum about developing and studying from your personal 'Gold Notes.' Why is it so important?

Most students find that among all the AAMC tests, tests 8, 9 and 10 are most similar to the real thing. The fact that you scored 25 one month before your expected time to do the real thing is not as important as the reasons behind the performance. Have you poured over test 10 to look at all the questions/answers/explanations? Have you taken concise notes on issues that were previously unclear to ensure that you would not repeat those errors? Will you be able to dedicate sufficient time between now and exam time to practice exam taking, developing your gold notes and regular efficient study?

Your answers and your actions will determine if you get what you want on May 27th.

[alexandra.5094]

Hi there. Back with a quick update. I just got destroyed by GS 9 and 10. See below...

So, took AAMC 10 on 4/27 and scored P9, V7, B9 which was very discouraging because it was the only AAMC test I hadn't taken in the past (past being 1.5 years ago).

The following weeks:

AAMC 7 (5/11): 30 [P10, V8, B12]
GS 3 (5/12):27 [P8, V8, B 11]
GS 4 (5/13):31 [P11, V11, B9]
AAMC 8 (5/16): 31 [P10, V10, B11]
AAMC 9 5/18: 31 [P12, V9, B10]
GS 9 Yesterday: 24 [P6, V8, B10]
GS 10 today, Physics only- 8


Do you think I'm in ok shape for taking the real thing in 4 days? I was a little concerned with the GS physics scores on 9 and 10 because I felt I was doing ok. I don't know whether to do any more tests, or just review flashcards and practice verbal (my weakest area).

Thanks for your help!

[admin]

At this stage, you must relax and have confidence in the hard work that you have done. Look over the thread comparing GS scores to real MCAT test scores to boost your confidence about tests 9 and 10.

You are still within your target range. Don't worry about focusing on more tests, after all, you have completed all the most important practice CBTs that you can do. Focus on the Gold Notes that you created. You can also follow the links to the Physics Equation Lists and Organic Chem Mechanisms that we put online (they are relatively quick, easy reviews); but your Gold Notes are really the most important thing you can do for the next few days: going over all questions/concepts from previous tests that have given you challenges.

If you are using GS flashcards then you should use them to review. Most other flashcards emphasize too much minutia which is not frequently tested so focus on your high density notes.

When you get your results, come visit and let us know how it went. Good luck.