Just very tired right now. I have been preparing to take the MCAT end of Mars and it has been and still is an uphill battle. I have a near FT job, I am taking calc based physics 2 and have two wonderful kids.
Three weeks ago, I end up with a Schleritis (of course on a friday night). Very painful. On top of it I get nausea and headaches (not due to schleritis, but something else that I caught). On Monday, I go to the doc, gets me some drops. I don’t work for most of that week and can’t really advance my preparation. Two weeks later (last week), I got another schleritis in the other eye (my doc didn’t believe it, it was supposed to be a follow up visit). Not as bad as the first one though. So I feel happy about that.
This week, because it is spring break and because my wife and I teach, I figured that’s a whole week for me to prepare before the MCAT in two weeks (end of march). Obviously, my wife would watch the kids
Nah… Too easy. So yesterday night, my wife comes to me and say she feels pain in the lower right abdomen. Well she had an appendicitis, thank god, safe and out of the block since two hours! She won’t be watching the kids then. So I figure, well I am going to try to reschedule the MCAT for April. The thing is that the deadline was March 12th (two days ago). So the money is gone, I may as well go and void.
Aside from that my driver’s license expired early march, which would render it not receivable for the MCAT and I have to wait 3 to 4 weeks to get the new one (not in time for the test). And I have my second physics test on Thursday 24th, two days before the MCAT.
I have nothing to complain so far because in the end, things could be much worse. But I keep wondering, what else can go wrong? The bright side though:
1- I aced my first physics exam (100). Not bad since I didn’t take any other physics class and petitioned the dean to get admitted to calc based phys II (to try and impress the adcom…). I am sure I can do well on the second test as well. I master this stuff pretty well (capacitors, RC circuits, Resistors)
2- My MCAT prep has gone well and I feel I can hardly improve the sciences. I score 13-14’s on the AAMC test for both PS and BS. I have a good feeling about the sciences and I truly think I can’t do better on the sciences (I get 14 or 13 because I always miss 1 to 3 questions, on either something I just don’t know, or something very stupid, like taking the radius for the diameter). And these AAMC tests have 77 questions! But at this point scoring less than 12 on any science section would be an accident (at least at home).
My verbal though is bad, between 8 and 10 (9 most of the time). So I am at about 34-37 on the 4 first practice tests thus far because I can’t get my VR higher (if anyone has a tip…) The scary part is that, even without a time limit, I can not get over 10! I do OK on most passage missing 1 question per passage till I hit the passage I screw up (like the picasso one on 4R I think, it raped me like crazy). I Think I am starting to get a feel for VR, but I am not there yet and that’s the weakness I wanted to address before the test, but now, I feel totally discouraged and frankly a bit scared. Not about the MCAT, but about what else will happen. I know it sound stupid, but there seem to be this “force” that somehow keeps making things uselessly and painfully harder that they ought to be. So I am thinking, perhaps I should take the MCAT later, or just wait another year.
Well anyway, I just wanted to get this out. I hate to rant, but sometimes life has its way with you. So I am trying to focus on what I control, yet it seems there is little I can control these days.
Sheesh…you have been hit hard lately. Just remember that fatigue does make everything feel even harder than it “really” is. Breathe and take it one step at a time. Hope things let up for you soon!
You are further on the journey than I. So I can’t give you any practical advice. Only thing I can say is something my best friend, an old marine, said to me in hard times: Stand fast, brother. Stand fast.
- jkdamighty Said:
Much better than what our drills used to tell us in Basic, which was "Suck it up and drive on, princess."
Your version is far more supportive!
Lmao! Yeah, I think I got the version reserved for civillians.
I’m sorry you have been going thru such a rough period. It’s my observation that there are clusters of negative events (think the perfect storm) that hit periodically - like the opposition of the universe gets itself coordinated. I don’t take it as a “sign”. I figure it is an obstacle to be overcome because dogged persistance is a positive survival quality for med school and life.
I think you can reschedule your MCAT without sacrificing the money - moving it to the next available date. In fact, at one point, I thought about registering for 2 dates just to get my foot in the door at the next later date (at the cost of what is it,$100 or $150?), if something conspired to make me miss the first date or if I thought I totally blew it.
Regarding MCAT prep, I did best on VR. I’m going to think about it a bit and see if I can come back with some coherent advice. I know it does help to read ONLY the first paragraph (or skim), then skip to the questions, then come back and read the rest of the passage with an eye towards what the questions are asking. Also focused on transition words. “Therefore” - the author is completing a cause and effect statement. “However” - drawing into question a conclusion that was stated previously and presenting another (opposite) way of looking at it, that the author thinks may be MORE likely.
“Perhaps” - may really think the conclusion stated after this is right, but wants the reader to reach it rather than telling them directly that this is what is thought, or may be only stating one of several theories which the author is not deciding between. …that sort of thing.
Kate
Thx all for the kind words (I loved the marine and the princess quotes). I am truly trying to tough it out, but I am so tired and mad right now (and my kids don’t sleep at night… 
). I need to relax a bit and forget about all this.
Kate, thanks for the info. I need all the help I can find. Does the fact that English is not my primary language limit my abilities for VR?
As for rescheduling, at this time, this is not possible anymore. The money is gone (deadline passed). So I can either go and take the exam, or simply cancel and loose the money. Obviously I will go and take it. If anything I will void it and it will have been the best possible training (with no feedback though). We’ll see, but at this point, I have reached the point of no return.
Redo — I am not preparing for MCAT at this point but I have taken verbal tests in many other instances.
English is not your first language and that probably affects your verbal score to some extent. There is only so much you will be able to improve on reading comprehension in a small amount of time.
The best way to increase this score is to have a strategy to attack verbal questions and you will have to come up with your own after practicing.
What works best for me is to:
- Read the first paragraph “very” carefully and make notes (active reading). Make notes in short hand using alphabets, symbols etc — you only need to understand your notes for the next 5 minutes.
- Read all the other paragraphs and write a sentence about them — like a “paragraph” topic sentence.
- Write down the main idea of the entire passage.
THEN - When you look at your question, try to think is it a generic or specific question?
If generic, you can probably answer it without looking at the passage again (maybe you will refer to your notes).
If specific, then you absolutely should look at the required paragraph, and your notes should tell you which paragraph to go to in order to answer this specific question.
Hope this helps, and good luck for your test.
ALSO - as Kate pointed signal words are important to watch for e.g. However, BUT, Therefore, Moreover etc.
Kate has some very good advice for acing the VR. This is exactly what Kaplan tells you not to do, but I found my VR scores went down with Kaplan’s method.
Transition words are very important… so are the word stems and the answer choices. The VR portion of the exam is very touchy feely, and best approached with an attitude of “How are they trying to get me to pick the wrong answer?”
Take some of the practice questions and see if you can pick the wrong answers by just reading the question stem and answer choices.
Remember if there are very strong words in the choice, MUST, NEVER, ALWAYS, those choices are usually wrong.
I had other clues to wrong answers when I took the exam, but they have all faded from my memory.
Thanks guys for all the advice.
I won’t have much time to practice between now and end of march due to my personal circumstances. I will certainly do my best to keep your suggestions in mind.
I do appreciate the support and help. I love this place!
Cheers
>“and best approached with an attitude of “How are they trying to get me to pick the wrong answer?””
This quote above raised my scores considerably. Tests such as RN and EMT-P are designed to fail those who are a danger or don’t really know what they’re doing. Therefore, I pretend each answer was ultimately revealed as the wrong one. Which one would make me feel the most STUPID for “falling for it”?
I concur with everything everyone else is saying. I took the Princeton course and while I did OK on verbal (10 in the actual MCAT), I could never score really well. Just before I wrote the MCAT I browsed through the Exam Crackers verbal book and found it to be a more thought provoking (completely different) way to approach the verbal reasonin section than what was set out in Princeton. I didn’t have time to action it before my test date, but if you have some time (I know that your time is short right now), just take a read through it. It is a very quick read to get the gist of what they are saying. Then you can decide if you want to spend the time learning to work the passages their way.
Just a thought for what it is worth.
Lynda
Bro - You got hit with everything! That really sucks about the MCAT rescheduling. On another note…so on average you’re getting a 36-38 on your practice MCATs?? That’s above average. That’s a great score! I don’t know if I would be so hard on myself. But I don’t know what your goals are…
All
I very much appreciate the help. I haven’t read a passage in five days. So I am out of time to try something new. I will simply do my best.
Matt, I score in the 35-37 range, but that’s in the comfort of my home, without the stress on exam day. I just wanted to give myself some extra room for the various “impeding” factors that you may encounter on a regular exam. I would feel much better if I had the VR down, because this would give me more confidence.
Well at least I have the science pinned down (baring any exotic passage on evolution…). No matter how much one prepares, in the end, there is truly a luck factor as well.
I will hope for the best, and will obviously let you know.
cheers and thank you all.
Re-do-it all
When I was taking my practice tests in the comfort of my own home (but timed and using only what I would have in the actual MCAT) I was scoring 30-32 just prior to the date I wrote it.
Coming out of the MCAT I thought I had bombed it badly, but low and behold, I scored 31 - basically what I was scoring before hand.
Hopefully this will be encouraging to you.
BTW - I took in brand new (sealed package) ear plugs (I tested several brands to get ones that were comfortable for me) rather than using the headphones they provided (I had been told they were uncomfortable). I just had to show them that they were brand new and in a sealed package.
Good luck!!!
Lynda
Hi Lynda
in fact, when I said in the comfort of my home, really it was not that comfortable. I was interrupted repeatedly by my kids (despite the best efforts of my wife). So many times I had to stop in the middle of a passage (with the timer stopped as well). But it is not like I will attribute any mishaps to them. The middle 30’s is really where I am right now and largely due to the VR.
Now for earplugs, believe it or not, I call the AAMC just for this issue and I wanted to know if I could bring some earplugs. I was told that I would be provided with these noise cancelling headset so I assumed it was a no.
But it seems that the policy is center specific rather than MCAT? Is there a way I can find out (perhaps call the center directly?)
Anyway thanks for your encouragements.
I thought it was a global policy. When I took the princeton course, my verbal instructor told us we could do that, so I just did. I have allergies too so I brought an unopened “little” pack of kleenex as well.
Maybe I just lucked out.
Lynda
I checked on the prometric website. It says that ear plugs are OK, but tissue is provided by the center. So it seems you did luck out on the tissues.
Thanks for all the info.
You would truly be a hard core cheater if you could write anything of significance on a tissue.
What do they make someone with hearing aids do? I mean that could easily be a two way communication device…
Yes especially since you are monitored by video at all times. I can’t even think if it is even possible to cheat.