How to improve your weak areas: GPA, MCAT, ECs, Essays, LORs, and Interviewing skills

1. Highlight your strengths and uncover hidden strengths (teaching, awards, library volunteer +200hrs)
2. Strong teaching background is very positive for med school
3. Use SDN to preview PS & essays
4. Seek pre-med office counseling
5. Show them that you are successful and the potential to continue being successful
6. Post-Barticulate count as BCPM (not MBA)
7. Reach out to NOVA DO admissions, keep them informed about academic progress
8. Stress high MCAT scores prove capable and ready to handle medical school coursework. (a balanced score is 34R (11PS, 11VR, 12BS)
9. Personal Statement should answer why you want to go to med school, and what experiences you've had to back this assertion up.
10. LORs: carefully chose whom you are going to ask for letters. Most schools require three LORs but will permit you to submit up to six. Use www.interfolio.com. This makes both your life and the life of your recommenders MUCH easier. Also, when you ask people to write your letters, impress upon them that these letters must be strong, and they must attest to your abilities to succeed in medical school. The best LORs cite specific examples of things you have done to show that you possess characteristics like responsibility, a good work ethic, honesty, etc. Give the person a copy of your transcript and your CV to use in crafting the letter. Make sure that they will write great / exceptional LOR
11. Send genuine handwritten thank you notes to everyone who writes you a LOR (including secretaries). No one gets into med school solely on their own volition; it's your duty to acknowledge those who've sacrificed their time and energy to help you get ahead.
12. ECs: many medical schools like to see RECENT CLINICAL volunteering (hospital surgery waiting room
13. Interviews: It is essential that you practice expressing the points you made in your PS in a clear, concise, and engaging way. It is also essential that you can articulate why you want to attend each school where you interview. Study extensively for every interview. Read the school's entire website and making notes of interesting features or questions I had about the school. Go through the interview feedback from that school on SDN. Re-read app. Engage in mock interviews. Don't just talk about what great things you've done, but tie it into their specific programs/strengths. Like Q said, "study" the school!
14. Get help with essays and interviewing skills from the english/humanities dept.
15. Use tons of official practice tests on the AAMC site and take under timed settings. Make sure you're scoring higher than where you want to be
16. Demonstrate professionalism, interact with patients, and take leadership roles.
17. Get a health professions committee letter and a clinical letter
18. Shadow DO & secure LOR
19. Know your answers to some standard type questions you are likely to get.
20. Use professional service to write essay?
21. I wore a skirt suit and the most "sensible" looking heels I could find (Get those FOOT PETALS from NORDSTROM and put them in your shoes they will SAVE the DAY.
22. Start writing your personal statement in January and have 5 different people read it.
23. Apply early. You are allowed to start filling out the AAMCAS and AACOMAS in May. Have your transcripts mailed at this time or just before. Confirm with EACH school that you attended that the transcripts were mailed out. After one week, confirm with each application sevice that they were received. Get your LORs into your pre-med office or interfolio ASAP. Once the application season starts in early June, Submit.
24. Keep a file of each school. As soon as you receive the secondary, start working on it. Again, have 5 people look over your essays and then send it in. Give yourself a 1-2 week turnaround per application. Remember, the earlier you apply the better your chances. Mark down the dates on your file of when you received the secondary and when it was sent. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THAT THE SCHOOL RECEIVED EVERYTHING. Have your LORs sent as soon as you get the secondary. One week after sending in the secondary call the school to confirm that your file is complete.
25. Prepare everything you can about current health care trends.
26. Get some one to interview you and video tape it. Then watch the video tape and note your responses, your body language, and your demeanor.
27. If you are applying DO, KNOW ABOUT OSTEOPATHY. Go to the AOA website and find out everything you can about OMM/OMT and not just that it was developed by AT Still.
28. Give the interviewer a firm handshake, show confidence. When answering a question, look EVERYONE in the eye. Move back a forth between interviewers because you are not just talking to one person. Show them that you belong in that school. Remember, YOU ARE ON THE ENTIRE DAY. You are being evaluated from the time you arrive until you leave. NEVER TALK ABOUT ANOTHER SCHOOL at the interview. Even when you are talking to the students. Send a thank you card and know that you did your best.
29. Show maturity.
30. Make frequent, polite and friendly inquiries into your application and its status at the schools you are really interested in. You can even ask the admissions office staff how frequently they feel is appropriate for you to call. Always say thank you.
31. Show what you will add to a medical school class.
32. Have a doctor review PS
33. Research your LOR professor. Know what they wrote- books/articles and speak to them about it. How many LOR he has written for pre-meds? Have lab instructor write LOR
34. Can you write your own LOR and have them sign it?
35. Show leadership- medical schools want future leaders in the profession. We are responsible for working with/directing a team of nurses, techs, residents, students etc. You need to show you will be a good leader and a good team player at the same time.
36. If a club does not exist at your school start it. This is the quickest way to get leadership points. I started an international medical relief team at my post-bac program, which raised medical supplies and donations for hospitals in the third world.
37. Clinical research is generally easier and quicker to get involved in than basic science or lab research. Contact the research directors of the various hospital departments and you will be amazed at the number of projects that are ongoing. Make sure you know what the rules are in advance of committing to a project
38. Get extra LOR since a few will not deliver on time
39. Show variety in EC’s: shadowing, research, clinical, leadership, teaching
40. Volunteer Teaching will alleviate fear in public speaking and present ideas in a clear and concise manner.
41. Get to know some nurse managers @ hosp and work as a nurse's aide on a high acuity inpatient unit.
42. Discuss Hobbies on PS to demonstrate a well-rounded individual.
43. LORs: So I ended up with letters from three PIs, a hospital volunteer supervisor, a nurse manager, and a science professor. While getting a committee letter was time-consuming (a full day of interviews and I had to write about 10 essays), it gave me the opportunity to send 6 letters to schools regardless of their letter requirements.
44. PS details the complexities of patient-caregiver interactions and wasn't a standard "I want to heal people" essay. She also appreciated that I addressed the importance of caregivers when science reaches it's limits.
45. APPLY EARLY: There's a lot of debate about whether being complete in September/October vs. July/August really hurts your chances that much. But here's the best reason for applying early: the chance at an early acceptance in October. Also try to send in your primaries on day one. AMCAS verification times seemed to increase a ton for those who submitted a week or two later vs. those who submitted on day one. The sooner you're verified, the sooner you can concentrate on secondary essays, and the sooner your app will be complete.
46. Apply broadly: I took my pre-med advisors advice and divided the schools I applied to into three categories: Longshot, Hopeful, Competitive (there's no such thing as a safety). I applied to 3 longshots, 5 hopefuls, 7 competitives. I probably should have bought the MSAR, but instead used US N&WR. One thing I should have paid more attention to rather than just avg GPA/MCAT when I chose my schools was total # of applicants. While your scores might be competitive at a school it does matter if you're competing with 4k applicants or 10k applicants. This frequently becomes a problem with private schools with no instate preference. Also make sure you know what percentage each school reserves for IS (instate) applicants. Don't immediately discount a school because it's a public school. Some schools accept almost no OOS, but many do accept significant #'s OOS. OH can't be beat for the carpetbagger. 6 public medical schools (2 are ranked) and lax residency rules.
47. Look into free secondaries
48. Take classes tht would help in the MCAT - Biochem, Genetics, Anatomy & Physiology 2, Cell
49. Practice multiple presentations will help at interviews
50. Spend time thinking about my own pitfalls and how I might change them and make them better. Having the maturity to talk about those things was very helpful.
51. Have pre-health committee at my school that wrote me a committee letter.
52. If you have a professor that you like try taking multiple courses with that professor. That way, he can write about your academic performance over a longer period of time.
53. ER tech in a Level I Trauma Center.
54. Spend a few weeks volunteering in SA hospital
55. Tie job experience into medical aspect
56. Scheduling: I scheduled mine for the September after I completed my prereqs (June), giving me ample time to study while the material is somewhat fresh in my head. I thought this worked well for me. If I missed my target score, I had the remainder of the year to study for a January sitting, and I'd get my score back in plenty of time to make decisions about where to apply based on it.
57. Don't reveal faults or weakness @ interviews, don't make any criticisms of anything. Be positive, outgoing, and eager.
58. PS - WHY MEDICINE?

Medical School Interview

Reflections of a Former Admissions Dean

Dear Prospective Medical School Student,

I offer my perspectives as a former medical school admissions dean, and to offer you some helpful advice as you prepare to apply to medical school. I hope you will find my comments to be informative and encouraging.

Initial Screening

Different medical schools may vary in how they make decisions, but the considerations discussed below are important in one way or another to all schools. After your application is complete (receipt of AMCAS application, MCAT scores, secondary application, and letters of recommendation), it will receive initial screening.

Because of the high volume of applications for a limited number of first year places (e.g. 5,000 applications for 150 places at a given school), regardless of how applications are processed, a great deal of emphasis will initially be placed on your grades and MCAT scores. Some schools may actually use a formula based primarily on academic criteria to initially place applications in interview or rejection categories; however, unless the applicant falls well below competitive academic averages, most schools will review the entire application in making decisions to interview. Academic assessment involves more than merely crunching numbers. For example, an applicant with a 35 MCAT and 4.0 GPA may not automatically considered desirable on the basis of academics unless he / she has a strong load of credits, including a depth in the major and breadth in other disciplines, a progression from lower to higher level courses, and evidence of substantive scholarship. Research (in science or non-science areas) is not required, but it may be a way to express academic creativity, the ability to work independently as well as with others on the research team.

Importance Of Timing

Most schools are only able to interview around 15-25% of their applicant pool. So being selected for an interview is a tremendous advantage, and drastically increases your chances for admission. As it gets closer to medical school deadline dates the time taken for the processing and review of applications will backlog at AMCAS and medical schools. In some cases applications can be backlogged by 2 months or more. The early completion of an application may help you to avoid a long delay in admissions decisions and lower the risk that interview slots will be filled by the time your application is reviewed. Because state schools typically favor in-state residents, I heartily encourage you to apply to your state schools. Based on my experience at both state and private schools, I believe that the caliber of students and preparation are quite similar at all medical schools in the United States. Also, I worked within a university that had a school of osteopathic medicine; I learned about the rigor and quality of this pathway to medicine. Unfortunately, many premedical students are not familiar with osteopathic medicine or think of it as preparation for a different kind of career. You should be aware that osteopathic medicine is also a viable way to become a physician.

Critical Factors That Make A Difference

As your application proceeds from screening to possible decisions to interview and admit, the assessment of letters, essays, experience, motivation, and personal qualities will have increased significance. Here are some considerations that I would give to these areas.

• Experience: Is there evidence of leadership? A long term or short term commitment to extra-curricular activities? What is the degree of involvement: is it limited or extensive? Are the stated applicant’s talents (e.g. music, athletics, art, etc.) demonstrated at a low or high level? I often found that appealing applicants would show some degree of connectivity with their academic work and experiences. For example, a student who does research in oncology to learn about the science of medicine, who also volunteers with oncology patients to learn about the human dimensions of disease. In this case, each area – scholarly pursuits and experience – serves as a basis of interest and motivation for the other.

• Levels of Recognition: indicate the perceived value of your experiences. I would closely consider which of the following (with examples) are the sources of recognition for activities listed on application forms: self reported (playing a musical instrument, intramural sports), peer (election to a position with an established organization), institutional (selection for being a resident assistant, an award, or teaching assistantship), national (publication or fellowship). A greater degree of recognition usually indicates a more impressive accomplishment. Aspire to develop your abilities to the fullest.

• AMCAS Personal Statement and Secondary Essays: The AMCAS essay probably has the greatest range of use – some schools and individual admissions deans and committee members will consider essays to be very important, others less so. I found that most essays were good, but a much smaller percentage were either bad or outstanding. Nonetheless, it may be the best way for schools to become acquainted with you personally, to determine what distinguishes you from many other outstanding applicants, and to learn about the depth of your motivation and experiences. Secondary applications provide an opportunity to share more information about yourself, and by taking the time to carefully answer these essays, it will show your interest in the school.

• Letters of Recommendation: provide an assessment of you and your abilities from mentors and supervisors. If you attend a school that has a premedical advisor or committee, it is imperative that you take advantage of these services, including the writing of a premedical letter of evaluation. Many medical schools require a premedical letter from undergraduate institutions that have premedical advisors or committees. In order for your premedical advisor to help you, it is necessary to follow all directions and meet all deadlines, which may also be viewed as a reflection of your professionalism and ability to assume responsibility. The premedical advisor or committee letter gives admissions committee details about your academic skills, talents, degree of involvement, potential, personal qualities, and motivation. They’re a good frame of reference for what you write in your applications and may serve to confirm what you say you’ve done. In order to have the most helpful information for your premedical advisor or committee letter, you should get letters from individuals who know you well, such as professors, research mentors, employment supervisors. Furthermore, medical schools may want you to have individual letters from one or more science faculty.

• Motivation: must be demonstrated not just espoused. You may want to “help people”, but without sufficient direct exposure to medicine, how do you know you want to become a physician, rather than a teacher, or social worker or other health care provider? The admissions dean and committee will want to know what experiences you’ve had to confirm your interest in medicine.

• Personal Qualities: Do you have strong communication and social skills, the ability to relate to people from diverse backgrounds, the capacity to be serious as well as pleasant? Have you shown evidence of professionalism, humanism, and integrity? Are you a caring, compassionate and tolerant person? These are questions that you should ask yourself before you decide to apply, because these are features that medical schools will want their students to possess. Essays and letters of recommendation are often helpful sources of information about the applicant; however, the interview will be essential to the assessment of these qualities.

The Role/Importance Of The Interview

Unlike the folklore, which portrays medical school interviews as a way to see how an applicant can handle stress, I believe that the vast majority of interviews are intended for admissions committees to become better acquainted with the applicant, find out more about the substance of his/her experiences, and get a sense of the applicant’s humanism, and social and communication skills. As a matter of fact, I considered the interview day as an opportunity for recruiting prospective students. This is why medical schools spend an enormous amount of time and expense on admissions. Even if we didn’t select an applicant, or he / she didn’t select us, there is a good chance we would see the interviewee later as a resident, member of the faculty, or associated with us in some other capacity. Keep in mind that you are sizing up the school as much as they are assessing you. Ultimately, I think of the interview as a way to find reasons for selecting students rather than rejecting them. Students often tend to view the interview in the opposite way, which is disappointing. Perhaps, this is the reason why many applicants think they did poorly on an interview when the reality is they did very well. Be aware, admissions personnel, students and others with whom you meet at the medical schools may have input about you. It’s important to be on your best behavior, but also to be your natural self. (Committees and deans are quite astute in differentiating between the real person and play acting.)

How the interview is conducted will vary from school to school and with each interviewer. You may have multiple interviews at some schools that are given by faculty, students or others; single interviews exist less so, as do panel interviews. In order to understand how the admissions process works, I would note that committees use objective criteria, but in the end the process is also subjective. Otherwise, decisions would be focused almost entirely on MCAT scores and grades, and your experiences, essays, personal qualities, letters, etc. would have little value. Based on my experience, academic records and MCAT’s are usually not an issue during admissions committee meetings, because with few exceptions applicants invited to interview are deemed to have the academic foundation to succeed in medical school. Schools have tried to find objective ways to classify subjective areas, but without much success. What’s important to know is that the medical school admissions process is as thorough and deliberate as any other area of admissions with which I’m familiar. Admissions committees and deans work very hard at meetings to make thoughtful choices and use their best judgment. With a range of perspectives from faculty with diverse backgrounds and specialties, a consensus emerges during committee meetings that is intended to select the best possible class for a given school.

My role was to provide consistent and uniform information and guidance to help the committee make good decisions, although I often wished we had a larger class, because there were so many excellent candidates. Assuming you have a competitive application, you are likely to have some surprises; you may get admitted to some schools that you thought would reject you, and vice versa.

Closing Thoughts

• Even if you have a strong application you may not get admitted, or for that matter, get interviews at most of the schools where you apply. It is difficult to convey the enormous volume of other outstanding applicants to medical school. Don’t be discouraged by the long and arduous time it takes for medical schools to make decisions. In the event you are not admitted, confer with your premedical advisor; there may be some viable ways to strengthen your preparation for a successful application in the future.

• An Admissions Dean’s Pet-Peeves:
• Overly persistent individuals, who frequently email, call or write to the admissions office. Excessiveness indicates a lack of patience and an abundance of self-importance.
• Applicants who hold many acceptances for a long period of time, and especially those who hold multiple acceptances after the deadline date of May 15. This shows a lack of sensitivity to peers, i.e. other applicants, and disrespect to medical schools. If an applicant needlessly held a large number of acceptances in addition to one at my school, I’d want him / her to go elsewhere.
• Applicants who felt they were entitled or showed signs of arrogance – there was no room for these kinds of students at our school.

• An Admissions Deans’ Favorite Things:
• The opportunity to meet so many wonderful and talented applicants. A sense of faith and reassurance about the future knowing that these students will become practicing physicians.
• The chance to meet hard working faculty who spent a tremendous amount of time for unselfish dedication to students and their medical schools.

• Words of Advice and Encouragement: You have chosen one of the most honorable vocations for your life’s work. Congratulations. You will frequently be challenged, but never lose sight of your commitment and compassion for each of your patients.

I wish you great success for your acceptance to medical school and career in medicine.

Sincerely,

David Trabilsy, Ed.M., Ed.S.

Former Assistant Dean of Admissions

Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 1987-2000

How to Read Dense & Abstract Passages to Improve MCAT Verbal

Focus on The MAIN ARGUMENT/IDEA (ie, Thesis), not the DETAILS. Evidence is just there to bolster the author's case

Critical Reasoning Questions to Ask:

• What is the point or central theme of the article?
• Why did the author take the time to sit down and write this?
• What does the author means when she makes some statement?
• How did she strengthen or weaken the argument?
• Would the author agree with some statement based on her position in the passage?
• Does the author takes a side in a debate, and if so, which one and why?
• Is the author positive, negative, or neutral toward his/her subject?
• How do the evidence/details pertain to his argument? Or relate to the central point?
• What is the purpose of this paragraph or sentence? Is it background information? Is it an explanation of an opinion? Is it supporting examples?
• Can you imagine a person disagreeing with the conclusions?

For Example, to figure out the author's point of view, separate the fact and opinion. "What's the main idea?" You need to look past the facts, which contribute to the summary, but are not the point of the passage:

• "Sandra Day O'Connor was a paragon, an example to women everywhere, a perfect choice as the first female justice." Main argument : O'Connor is awesome
• "Condoleezza Rice is a classically trained pianist, a figure skater, and a football fan." Main argument : it's Rice's hobbies.

Helpful Hints

• Pretend to debate with the author and it will you focus on the arguments rather than on the details
• Once you understand a POINT, and you can make sense of it in CONTEXT, forget it and move on
• Ultimately, you should be looking for a thesis and for a structured support of that thesis. the author is not trying to make you remember a concatenation of facts--they want to convince you of the existence and dynamics of a process.
• Anything with numbers is a detail. Don't worry about memorizing or understanding them, just note where they are and what they're about.
• View all authors as attempting not to inform you, but to persuade you
• MENTALLY MAP the passage (topic/sub-topic).Circle keywords. Your map should be an outline of the purpose of each paragraph, not the details (in other words, not just a paraphrase). Also, it is absolutely essential that you write very little
• Predict your answers before you look at the answer choices
• Practice your critical reading and answer prediction skills for a few minutes every day
• Try to avoid going back to the passage and reading paragraphs over again because the time is so precious on this section of the MCAT
• If you have no clue to what the passages is getting at, move onto the next passage for now; you have no time to think on this section.
• Look for the opinion keywords
• Avoid picking extreme choices for the author's viewpoint
• You want to be sure that you find something that applies to every (or almost every) paragraph, rather than applying to only one paragraph. If the selection applies to only one example given, it is not the theme.
• Pause after each paragraph, make sure that you’ve understood the gist, and quickly decide on a couple of key words to circle. This ensures that you haven't read so quickly that nothing was absorbed.
• Try to summarize the point (purpose) of the passage in one sentence/phrase in your head.
• Remember wrong answer options are designed to look like right answers. Wrong answers are often relevant to the passage, but not to the particular question.
• Make sure that you have a (1) good handle on the overall point of the passage, as well as (2) the purpose of each paragraph within that passage, (3) that you understand the specific question, and (4) your answer does not superficially "sound good", but it is actually the right answer to the right question.

Reading to prepare for verbal/writing

Here's a partial list of periodicals I recommend reading for practice with the type of dense writing you'll find on the Verbal Reasoning section.
The Economist
The Atlantic
The New Yorker
Harper's

These will occasionally discuss controversial topics in world news, but they also talk about culture and non-controversial news topics. Getting used to following the arguments (as I discussed in a previous post) is actually more important for MCAT purposes than learning what the news stories of the day are.

That is why my list doesn't include Newsweek or Time. Those may make enjoyable reading, and allow you to keep up with the news, but they don't provide exceptionally good writing or arguments. They're written at below the high school reading level, and the depth and level of argument is not sophisticated either.

MCAT study tips.

QofQuimica is currently a second-year allopathic medical student. After college, she went to graduate school and earned her M.S. in medicinal chemistry. She then worked as a lab tech and in a doctor’s office before returning to school to earn her PhD in pharmaceutical chemistry. In August 2004, Q took the MCAT and scored a 43S. She began giving MCAT advice on SDN when she joined as a member in October 2004. Q joined the SDN staff in June 2005 as an advisor for the MCAT Study Questions subforum and later became MCAT forum moderator. She now oversees all of the SDN premedical forums. Recently, SDN spoke with Q to get her input on preparing for and taking the MCAT.


1. What did you do to prepare for the MCAT?

I was still in graduate school when I started studying for the MCAT, and I was also working for Kaplan as an MCAT instructor. I used Kaplan’s online prep course, mainly because it was available to me as an instructor. I was able to teach for Kaplan while I studied for the MCAT because I had taken the MCAT once before while in college. I received a 34P on my first attempt. I did all of the homework assignments for physics and most of the biology ones too. I didn’t do the chemistry or organic assignments since I was teaching chemistry and organic at my university. I also took the five proctored full length practice tests along with my MCAT class. It was a pretty crazy time; I was still working full time in the lab and teaching 3-4 nights per week. During the week, I was able to get in studying time by waking up early to read for half an hour in the morning, and reading again for half an hour in the evening before I went to bed. I’d spend most of Saturday and Sunday studying, maybe eight hours per day, unless I had to teach. This was my schedule for about ten weeks, and then I started burning out.

2. What were the best and worst parts of your experience with the MCAT?

The best part was walking out of there and finally having it over with. While you’re studying, the MCAT kind of takes over your life, you know? And, of course, the day I got my scores was a great day. The worst part was that my test date actually got delayed for two weeks because of Hurricane Charley hitting Florida on the weekend when the MCAT was scheduled. I was totally burned out and more than ready to get it over with, and here I had to wait another two weeks!

3. Were you surprised by your score, or did you expect to do that well?

I was aiming for a 40. That’s what I got on my Kaplan diagnostic, and my practice full length tests ranged from 37-41. I figured I’d probably get a 38 or so on the real thing, but I would have been happy with anything over a 35. So yes, I was pretty surprised; I expected to do well, but not that well.

4. How did other people react when they heard about your score?

My mom and I were talking on the phone when the scores came out; when I told her what I got, we both just started screaming. When I told my PI, his response was, “Gee, I knew you were smart, but I didn’t know you were THAT smart.” Interestingly, my old PI for my M.S. had almost the same word-for-word response. My Kaplan manager said that she had never heard of anyone getting a score like that. Maybe only my MCAT students weren’t surprised. The funniest response was by one of my Ph.D. committee members, who asked me if I was going to retake the test so that I could try to get a perfect score. No freaking way!

5. Which section of the MCAT do you think is the hardest or easiest, and do your scores reflect that?

In general, VR is definitely the hardest section. It’s the hardest section to study for, and it’s the hardest section to do well on because the curve is so much stricter than on the other sections. You have to get a much higher percentage of questions correct to get a high scaled score on VR than you do on the science sections. Plus, the subject material tends to be things that most premeds don’t read about very often, like philosophy, literary criticism, and economics. In my case, I think I was most worried about PS because it had been so long since I had taken physics. I really studied physics like crazy. So I guess I’d have predicted that BS would be the “easiest” section for me, and in fact BS was the section that I got the 15 on. I’m not sure that you can read so much into my scores though, because I don’t think there is very much difference between a 14 and a 15. We might be talking about a difference of one or two questions.

6. You said that VR is the hardest section; how can a person raise their VR score?

VR is one of those things that you can only improve with practice, and lots of it. You might have to experiment with different techniques until you find one that works well for you. I used the Kaplan VR techniques, and they worked really well for me. I’ve had some students who swore by other techniques that they read about in other books. The important thing is to pick a technique that works well for you and really practice it like crazy. Starting several months before you plan to take the test, try working through two passages a day and reviewing the explanations. The key though is not to just do a zillion passages and questions, but to really pay attention to the types of questions that you tend to miss. Practice doing more questions like that. Also, if certain types of passages give you trouble, start reading more articles in those subjects. A lot of students hate reading philosophy or literary criticism passages; they need to go to their school library and start reading philosophy and literary criticism on a regular basis until they get comfortable with reading them. The other tricky thing about VR is that you have to be pretty fast. A lot of people tend to spend too much time reading the passages and not enough time working on the questions. Again, improving timing is something that comes with practice. There isn’t any shortcut for improving on VR, unfortunately. You have to just put in the time to improve your weak areas.

7. You mentioned working to improve your weak areas—what were your weak areas?

Physics and physiology. I took intro physics and biology in 1993 as a college freshman, so I forgot a lot of stuff by the time I started studying in the summer of 2004. Actually, I never learned physiology in college at all; what little physiology I knew before I started medical school I learned from Kaplan.

8. How well do you think that a person’s MCAT score predicts their medical school performance?

Honestly, I don’t know the answer to this. Logic suggests that there must be some amount of correlation between MCAT scores and medical school performance, but it’s really hard to separate out the influence of hard work versus natural talent. I think that most people who do well in school and on the MCAT work very hard for those accomplishments. The lazy genius who aces the MCAT and is the top student in the class is something of an urban myth, in my experience.

9. Do people score really well on the MCAT more because of natural ability or hard work?

I was asked at one interview whether I thought that anyone could score in the 40s on the MCAT. I hadn’t ever thought about it before that interview, but I have to say that the answer is no, and the main reason doesn’t have anything to do with either natural ability or hard work. The thing is that the MCAT is a curved test, and the system is set up where most people can’t score 40+. It’s very difficult to score in the teens on any one subsection, and in order to get a 40, you have to independently score that high on all three subsections. Very, very few people manage to do it. The AAMC told me by email that for the August 2004 test administration, there were eight 42s, two 43s, and zero 44s or 45s out of nearly 35,000 people who took the test nationwide.

I do think that test-taking is a skill, and like every other skill, some people are naturally better at it than others. However, even people who are “average” at the skill of taking tests can improve to become above average with hard work. So I wouldn’t say that people score really high on the MCAT due to either natural ability OR hard work, but rather because of a combination of natural ability AND hard work. The other thing about people who do well on tests like the MCAT is that they read quickly with comprehension. Remember that the MCAT is a timed test. If you could spend as long as you wanted to take the test, then a lot more people would get significantly higher raw scores because one of the factors limiting most people’s MCAT performance is running out of time. In contrast, people who score really high on the MCAT are people who finish early because they are fast readers, and giving them more time wouldn’t be particularly helpful.

10. How much are admissions committees impressed by seeing MCAT scores over 40?

Not as much as you might think. When I was interviewing, I had several admissions folks practically gloating to me about the high-stat applicants that they had rejected because those applicants were arrogant and acted like they were entitled to a medical school seat based upon their stats. Sorry, but that isn’t how the medical school admissions game works. Stellar stats will only get you so far. I think for the MCAT that once you hit the mid-thirties range, say 35+, then scoring even higher on the MCAT doesn’t really do much to improve the overall strength of your application. A 35 already puts you in the top 5% of all test-takers. If you apply with a 35 MCAT, no adcom is going to doubt your academic ability based on your MCAT score.

11. How much does your MCAT score matter once you’re accepted to medical school?

It really doesn’t matter at all. Once you’re in, you and all of your classmates are more or less on equal footing; the school wouldn’t have admitted you if they didn’t think you were capable of completing the program successfully. I’m getting ready to start my second year this fall, and I can tell you that we’re all thinking a lot more about taking Step 1 next spring than we are about the MCAT!

12. What advice do you have for people who do poorly on the MCAT and need to retake it?

It’s really important to figure out why you didn’t do well so that you can take steps to correct your deficiencies. For example, if your problem is that you run out of time because you spend too long reading the passages, then you need to practice getting through the passages faster. If you weren’t prepared enough, you need to make sure that you prepare properly for your next attempt. And so on.

13. What are some of the most common mistakes that people make when preparing for the MCAT?

One common mistake that people make is taking the test before completing all four pre-req courses and/or without adequately studying. Keep in mind that the MCAT is a curved test, and you’re taking it against a lot of very smart people who have completed all four pre-reqs and taken a test prep course besides. It isn’t a good idea to skimp on the preparation; those classes are called pre-requisites for a reason.

Another mistake people make is not taking enough practice tests. You want to be very familiar with the test format before you ever set foot in that room. Most test-prep courses have students take about five or six practice tests, and I think that’s a good number. You can get practice tests from the AAMC website at www.aamc.org that are very good. These tests are old MCATs that have been released by the AAMC; one of the tests (3R) is offered for free. In addition, some test prep companies like TPR and Kaplan offer one free practice test each on their websites. It’s probably worth your while to take advantage of those resources. Make sure to take the tests under strictly timed conditions, and review all of the answer choice explanations after you’re done.

But the most common mistake I see is that people do not set aside enough time to really study for the MCAT. If you are already working full-time, taking classes full-time, or a combination of both, and now you want to study for the MCAT on top of it all, something has to give. If you’re a full-time student, take a slightly easier load the semester you take the MCAT, and make studying for the MCAT like one of your classes. If you’re working and have outside responsibilities like childcare, cut back on your work some so that you have enough time to study for the MCAT. You can’t do everything, so give yourself the time that you need. You have to actually carve out the time in your schedule; you won’t find that time lying around somewhere waiting for you.

14. Do test prep courses make enough difference to be worth the extra cost versus self-study?

I’ll start this question with the caveat that I’m a long-time instructor for Kaplan. But my most objective opinion is that test prep courses are most helpful for people who need a kick in the derriere to study effectively. In other words, if you’re a highly motivated person who will make a study schedule and stick to it on your own, you probably don’t need a test prep course. But if you’re the kind of person who tends to start out with good intentions and then quickly gets off track, it might be worth the money to take a course because it helps to hold you accountable. One of my jobs as an instructor is to keep pushing my students to complete the assignments and keep up with the study schedule. I also think that there can be some psychological comfort from taking a test prep course, especially for older students who have been out of school for a while and aren’t really sure where to begin. But as to whether you MUST take a test prep course in order to do well, the answer is no.

15. As a nontraditional student, what advice do you have for other nontrads who are preparing for the MCAT?

There are no special preparation methods for nontrads that are different than what the younger students need to do. Nontrads have some disadvantages in that they have often been out of school for a while, and they have to get back into study mode to prepare for the MCAT. But the process is pretty much the same for us as for the trads; first take the four pre-reqs, take 2-3 months to study, take plenty of practice tests, etc. I think that sometimes nontrads tend to want to rush through the process; they feel like they have to make up for lost time since they are older. But I look at it this way: you aren’t going to be 22 as an M1 no matter what you do. It’s better to take an extra year to do things right the first time and not have a poor first MCAT score to overcome along with other potential deficiencies in your academic record. I was 31 when I started medical school, and I’m far from being the oldest medical student on SDN.

16. When do you think is the best time to take the MCAT?

You should take it whenever you’re prepared and feel that you can do well. Ideally, take the MCAT no later than May or June of the year when you plan to apply. If you take a very late MCAT, consider applying the following year instead. For example, I took the MCAT in August 2004, but I didn’t apply until June 2005 for the 2006 entering class. That way, instead of being one of the late 2004 applicants, I was the very earliest 2005 applicant. I had my AMCAS submitted on June 1 and verified by June 15. Now that the test is computerized, there are more choices of test dates, and you’ll get your scores back faster. But, it’s still not ideal to take the test in September of the year you plan to apply, because many schools are already interviewing people by then. By the time you get your scores back in October and are ready to finally begin applying, some of the earliest applicants will already be getting their first acceptances.

17. What advice can you give about the new CBT MCAT?

Some of the test day strategies are a little bit different since the test is on a computer now instead of being done with pencil and paper. But overall, the preparation required is about the same: take the pre-reqs, study for the test, and take several timed practice tests on a computer. It’s also a good idea to go to the AAMC website and take the computer tutorial before you go to take the real test. You don’t want to waste valuable time on test day because you aren’t familiar with the computer interface. These tips and more are available in the MCAT subforum in the General Questions sticky thread.

18. Tell me more about the SDN MCAT Study Questions subforum.

The MCAT subforum is intended for students who are studying for the MCAT and other pre-health tests like the DAT, OAT, and PCAT. There are two series of threads there. The Explanations threads are the ones that are stickied at the top of the subforum. There is a separate Explanations thread for each MCAT subject except biology, which has two of them. There is an additional General Explanations thread. These threads are for didactic posts that explain difficult concepts and offer advice. Regular members should not post in them; these threads are kept locked for this reason.

The second series of threads are the Question threads. Again, there is a separate thread for each subject, two for biology, plus a general question thread. These threads are open for students to ask questions about concepts or study problems they are having. All questions should be asked in the appropriate Question thread; the MCAT mod staff will remove all new threads that are started by users.

[Editor’s note: the MCAT subforum is located at http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=134]

19. Why are you and the other staff so strict about not letting the members post MCAT questions or answers on SDN?

The AAMC is very serious about protecting the integrity of their tests, and they actively monitor SDN. We want to continue having SDN as a free community with as little outside oversight as possible, which means that we need to police ourselves. In addition, we want to protect our users. Users who violate AAMC copyrights could theoretically be prosecuted by the AAMC. Finally, although SDN has a policy of never releasing any user’s personal information, this website is not totally anonymous. It is good advice to never post anything on SDN that you wouldn’t want attributed to you in your offline life.

20. What role do you play on SDN, and what made you decide to join SDN and give MCAT advice?

I'm overseeing the premedical forums now, but I joined the SDN staff two years ago as one of the original two advisors. (Shrike was the other one.) Lee Burnett created the MCAT subforum, and Shrike and I set it up. Last year I became mod of the MCAT forum, and then one day last summer I was promoted to smod. I've continued modding MCAT, and I also advise in the Physician Scientist forum. Another staff member, gridiron, is now taking charge of the MCAT subforum, and a new MCAT mod will be promoted soon.

It’s difficult to explain the attraction and addiction that SDN has been for me. Briefly, I was a pharmaceutical chemist in my former life, and I also taught classes for the university where I was doing my PhD. One of my students told me about SDN, and the night I got my MCAT score back, I decided to join. I basically realized after I called my parents and the manager at Kaplan that I didn't know another soul on this planet who would even understand what my test score meant, let alone care.

What I like so much about SDN is the community we have here, especially for those of us who are older students. You tend to be isolated from other premeds when you're out of college, and it's nice to know that you're not the only crazy "grown-up" going through this process. I have met several friends on SDN, including some of my current medical school classmates and the other SDN staff. I have to say though that I’m glad I didn’t join SDN before I took the MCAT because it’s easy to spend too much time on SDN when I should be studying!

MCAT Topics & Explanations by QofQuimica and Shrike

Study Tips

Originally Posted by SN1 I have just finished my fourth semester and am 1 semester away from finishing all of my prerequisites. I have a pretty good GPA so I think I can give you some advice. 1. Always stay on top of your material 2. School is your #1 priority. Period 3. NEVER EVER cram 4. Always study for quizzes. They are easy hundreds and will make your life much easier when test comes. 5. Do everything you can to get an A (Extra credit, etc). 6. Never come to a class expecting it will be an easy A. NEVER. 7. Study at least 4-5 days before the test. I like to read over every materials that are going to be tested and then about 2-3 days before, I would do some intense studying. 8. When you don't understand something, ASK for help. You do NOT want to be behind. (I was struggling in physics in the beginning. I utilized every single help possible whether it is office hours, friends, internet, etc.) 9. I never really used flashcards but if it works for you then do it. 10. Go to EVERY SINGLE CLASS( I have never been late or missed a SINGLE class in my entire undergraduate career). 10. Good luck and don't buy any of those books. Everybody's studying ability and habits are different. You just have to find one that works for you.

11. Get to know your teacher on a personal basis, as in they know who YOU are, I found it most of the times when I do this, the teacher tends to like my enthusiasm in the course and in objective material[lab reports and papers] I always score higher than most of my peers. 12. Another thing I found useful is that, unless you are a morning person or can take notes, do NOT ever take an 8AM or earlier class. The same can be said about late afternoon/night classes for some people. I realized I wasn't a morning person in my second semester, so ended up sleeping like twice in my bio2 class while the other days I barely paid attention, but I ended up BARELY making an A[as in i got a 89.95 and my teacher curved for me which is pure luck]. 13. Also for a side note, www.half.com is your friend for books, its cheaper than most places and guarantee to be cheaper than your school.

14. Go to class, take notes if it helps you, or there is stuff the teacher lectures on that isnt in the book. 15. Review the material the teacher covered in the book, underline everything you find important, then write it down into a notebook. Compile your class notes as well if there are extras and differences in what your teacher says vs. the book, because its your teacher who will ultimately make the test. 16. Now that all of your notes are in one notebook, go over the notes paragraph by paragraph, page by page. By go over, i mean really try and understand the information, memorize vocabulary words (sometimes you have no choice at first) and really understand what those words mean. My test for myself is after every page to recite and recreate what I've learned in my head, and if i cant, then i didnt learn the page well enough. After 3-5 pages, its extremely important to stop and rewrite everything you learned in those pages in another notebook, this notebook should only have what your sure you absolutely know. When you've completely rewritten all your notes here, from memory alone, then you're ready for the test. 18. Now reviewing for the test is simple, you just review the notes in your 'what you know' notebook. After all, you already wrote it down from memory, so you know it. If you're forgetful then review it more often. I've found focusing on the conceptual side of things, really understanding the material, helps in remembering it for a long time. 19. And of course, if there are additional methods of practice such as practice problems in the book or from your teacher, do those as well.

19. About attending: You should attend class for all the reasons people said above, like getting the professor to know you, but ALSO because for YOU to get to know the professor. Especially in classes in the sciences there are always more topics than can be tested on test day, so if you attend class and know your professor, you tend to pick up on what he or she thinks is important in a topic. Teach other students: Mastering concepts is being able to take an idea, and being able to make new examples/different ways to look at it AND still be absolutely right. It means your critically thinking, and its fun if you get a good one. Sometimes you realize you have know idea what your doing on a topic, and can actually learn it yourself. Your study buddies love you too. 20. Picking a study group: I only did this for a few classes, and it was really more for moral support at odd hours of the night, but if you choose a group of friends to study, make sure they are not leeching off of you. I mean that, some friends are simply lazy, great people! but lazy... Having friends who don't get things as fast as you is not a bad thing, because they actually want to learn and are trying, and some day they might be better at a class than you. They will no doubt return the favor. 21. Plan studying by content per day, and NOT studying time per day. Figure out in advance how much material will be in a class for the next exam. Evenly distribute the material (to best of your knowledge at the time), over the period of time before T-day. Give yourself days where your doing other work, so this can be on the back burner, but get the content fixed on days. Hit your goals for content without looking at TIME! The point of this is that instead of using time as benchmark for how much you've studied, you use content. This forces you to be efficient, because if you spend 5hours on a chapter because you spend 3hours on facebook, that sucks for you, cause you still have 2 more chapters you planned to do that night. You learn your lesson, quickly. You have to look at those 3 hours on facebook as the time you could of spent relaxing, its gone now so say goodbye... By committing yourself to a schedule you gain endurance as a student, and its rewarding to get it done. WARNING: You tend to get over ambitious some days, and set unreachable goals, by experience you gain how much you can really accomplish. Its good for learning about where your abilities are, and tracking your improvement as a student. 22. Time saving: Travel time! The hours of your life moving from place to place. Shrink it, with a commuter bike, packing food in the morning or night before, planning your errands. This is more micromanage, but I was getting close to 2 extra hours a day from just packing meals and eating on the go, and planning errands to shorten walking time. Never got a commuter cause my campus sucks for bike thieves, but I regret that now. 23.Lastly about notes. That is completely based on the class. Some classes require you to draw graphs and pics, not happening for most on the computer. I used multiple ways to study because it makes everyday a little different even if your actually doing the same thing. Making things are good learning, but time consuming. Usually a last resort.

24.I find it easy if I know the book itself rather than just diving in. For example, I will Chapter 1's title, its headings, subheadings, and the first sentence for each subsection, draft a list of questions I hope to have answered and then read..... 25.I read the summary at the end of the chapter first, then I read...

26.For chem I made flash cards and did practice problems. I did 10-20, depending on the section, everyday. Before a test, I would do the practice problems I didn't do from each section. As for the flash cards, I would go through them a few days before the test. This method worked for me as I pulled an A in both semesters of general chemistry- just to offer some perspective, avg final grades were a C+/B- for both semesters As for physics, I am basically doing the same thing with some minor adjustments since I'm taking physics 1 and 2 right now over the summer. 28. I think for science and math courses (even biology, though it is not a math heavy science, to some extent) practice problems are the best form of studying. Also, I don't think it helps to do loads of problems the night before the test. It is much better to do some everyday and then do problems from all sections the day before the test so the material stays relatively fresh.

29.maintain your study habits and don't wait until the last week before a midterm to study, 2 hrs per 1 hr of lec each day (2 hrs per 1 hr lec is the mininmum), on days with no class review and preview new material.

30.I make outlines and re-read many times. You learn so much making it. I never cram, always work. If you want, make your days 10-6s and take the evenings off. College is about learning how to study.

31.Actually study. Don't zone our or check facebook. I turn my cell phone OFF for the day except for lunch time. I'm not that important. No one will die if they can't reach me until my study time is over. The biggest mistake I see people make is that they 'study' for three hours but really if you discount the time they were on the phone, on facebook, checking email, etc, they really only studied for an hour - and not even a good solid hour, just a few minutes at a time punctuated by another break. 32.When you study, leave your laptop at home. Turn off your cell phone and put it in the bag. Study for the full time that you wanted. If you want to take a break, go to the bathroom and stretch for a minute. DON'T turn on your phone or your laptop because that five minute break will invariably be 30 minutes if you do.

33.Before each semester I make a spread sheet of when my classes are and when I should study, eat, etc. My friends and I pass these around and sinc up meals and free times. Not something I strictly follow, but it lets you see exactly how much time you have in your day once your obligations are taken care of. 34.Get a planner. When you get your sylabi, write everything in that one planner, even appointments. 35.Go to class, and take notes 36.Find a space that you can call your own that is quiet. My space changed every semester, and NOT ONCE has it been the library. It gets over run during finnals. 37.Go to that study space a few times a week (Sunday is the day of the week EVERYONE studys, so you won't miss much, simular with mondays, tuesdays and wednsedays at my school) and review by subject. If you had a lecture, reading assignment, and lab on photosynesis, review them at the same time. 38.Make flashcard, and make them PRETTY!!!!! Mine are multicolored and covered in pictures and jokes. Otherwise I would NEVER look at them! 39.Keep your note cards in your pockets/bag at all times. There is a surprising amount of waiting in college. Waiting in line for food, for class to start, for a friend to show up,etc. Whip out the cards for a review. When you master a card put is aside for test time. If you do your cards well, the night before the test you should be able to go through them twice, each time eleminating the cards you know as you pass through, focusing on the cards you have the most trouble with. The jokes help with the redundancy, and are welcome additions to study groups.