Something for the summer

I hear that some people when they don't do that well on the MCAT the first time take the Kaplan course. That sounds great. From what I hear, the results are fantastic. An increase of 5 points on the MCAT score is the difference between getting in or not. If I had 5 points added to my last score, I'd be ecstatic.

If I were a sane person, I'd take the Kaplan course before I took the test again. I'm not sane. Instead I decided to spend the money on going to Peru to help out at an orpahage and afterschool program for kids. I'm going to push myself to learn Spanish. As for the second MCAT test? I brought some MCAT material and I'm going to study for 2-3 hours a day.

I'm blogging from a hostel in Lima as we speak and I'll be headed to Arequipa tomorrow. Will keep you updated.

MCAT: Debrief

I've been writing this post since Friday after the test, but I haven't been feeling it since. My brain has been off since Friday and I haven't been able to concentrate for long periods of time. Any tests, important dates, and homework that has been scheduled after the test date has been filed in the "irrelevant" box. I now need to dig in that box to find out what I need. I think I have a test this week and homework due tomorrow.

Immediate Thoughts
I didn't the urge to immediately go out and sign up for another test as soon as I was done to make up for the crappy performance so I guess that's a good sign. I understood what they were asking for each questions. Whether I got it right is another story. I felt the same feeling like when I took my first couple practice tests. I certainly couldn't recall some of the facts that I should have but I made my educated guesses. From my past performance, it sounds I'll get around 50 percentile.
I'll probably end up taking the test again.


Mental Preparation
Know what's up: Tips that will help you prepare mentally if you're going to take the test. Take at least 3 of the AAMC practice tests. They are exactly like the real thing and it will help you prepare for it. Since I took mostly all of them, taking the real test was just like going through the motions. I knew which screens were coming up and in turn I could concentrate on the facts. Get comfortable with the format so it won't catch you off guard.

Stamina: The practice test will help with stamina. Be prepared to be in there 5 hours. Know when breaks are coming up and use the breaks. I took a low sugar cranberry drink with me and took a couple sips every break. I also brought some almonds and crunched on some half way through. The brain uses a lot of energy when it's being used. Feed it.

Knowledge Preparation
After taking the test, I highly suggest knowing the following if you want to do well.
Chemistry:
Rates, how to calculate
pH (logs man, logs!)
Trends on the periodic table (electronegativity, atomic size, how orbitals are filled s, p, d, f)
Balance Equations

physics:
The formulas. Yes, there are a lot.

Organic Chemistry:
Identify functional groups
Know the NMR(doublets, triplets, etc), IR spectra(ranges of functional groups)
Reactions. Carboxylic acid and NaAlH4 makes what?

Verbal Reasoning:
Read like hell. It's mostly about timed reading. Read fast and understand what you're reading.

Biology:
Prokaryote vs eukaryote
Heart and kidney (I'm going to repeat this. Know the heart and kidney inside out)
Genetics
Vocab terms

You Are What You Eat

This may sound hokey, but I'm doing it anyway. I have 11 days til the MCAT and I'm going to try to modify my diet to include foods that will help me think better. Did some searching and decided to include these into my daily diet:
1. Eggs
2. Blueberries
3. Oatmeal
4. Avocados
5. Almonds

Also, thanks Mollie for the suggestion about the PB&J and gatorade for the hydration during the test. Will try it the next time I take a practice test.

If anyone else has any suggestions I'd love to hear them.

The Game Plan

Every endeavor has a game plan. Whether it be a small get together involving wine and cheese or a huge software project, we'll need some kind of organization. Here's mine.

background: Association of American Medical Colleges offers practice MCAT tests (#3 is free if you would like to know how well you would do and have a couple hours Click Here).
All the forums and sites I've been to have told me that nothing will prep better than to actually take practice exams. This will help gauge which subject areas are lacking and will build stamina for the actual test. The test itself is 4.5 hours and with breaks thrown in between, the sit down time is 5.5 hours.

Days until MCAT: 52
Weeks: 8

Week1:
Thursday: AAMC test #3

Week2: (my spring break)
Finish Kaplan prep book
Take practice exam on Kaplan prep book

Week3:
Really finish Kaplan prep if not already done
Start ExamKracker books (should be in by then)
AAMC test#4

Week4:
AAMC test #5

Week5:
AAMC test #6

Week6:
Finish Exam Kracker books
AAMC test #7

Week7:
AAMC test #8
AAMC test #9

Week8:
AAMC test#10
MCAT


Hopefully by then, I will have taken all 8 practice exams and do some of the practice tests that came included with my prep books.

Edit: Following one of my friends suggestions, the Game plan will now be referred to as the "Victory Agenda"