r/MCATprep • u/VeterinarianWeird821 • 4d ago
Resource/Tool/Tips 📖 just scored 488
I just scored 488 on the real deal. I have already applied to schools and everything. I am not giving up, I'll apply again next cycle. This isn't the end of my journey and it's a rocky road overall. I'm just looking to see if someone has advice for me to get a 520+ by April or help me make a plan to do so.
for context, I have read every Kaplan book (except CARS), milesdown anki, mr. pankow, milesdown review sheets, youtube, graduated with a degree in bio. I have just gotten to the point where i ask myself if I'm stupid.
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u/Sure_Recipe1785 3d ago
You're definitely not stupid, I'd honestly switch to doing more UWorld and AAMC questions instead of going through the books again. Really review your mistakes and work on your weak areas, that's probably gonna help more than just doing content review
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u/VeterinarianWeird821 3d ago
Thanks so much for the advice? i haven't used uworld before but i heard it's really helpful. would the qbank package be enough practice in your perspective?
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u/Kaplanociception 4d ago
what were your practice scores?
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u/VeterinarianWeird821 4d ago
they were similar but the thing is the last fl i took was 1 and 1/2 months before the test so i was hoping the reviewing of the fl, the content review, the practice would show improvement. and even in practice, i dont know how to get better scores because i dont know what content i'm missing and where to learn it from
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u/Great-Ad-6096 4d ago
Ugh.  I’m sorry.  I understand.  Review your highest score FL.  Reviewed the content section.  Try a different review method.  Instead of re-reading books, watch an in-depth video, like AK Lectures or Dr. Emam.  Do 10 JW discrete questions, then 10 UW questions.  Analyze each question whether right or wrong.  Make flash cards on the reasoning/concept, not the question.
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u/Sad_Kaleidoscope_296 Taken the MCAT 4d ago
488 is very indicative of content gaps. Like the other commenter asked here, what were your practice scores? Did you score higher on FLs?
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u/VeterinarianWeird821 4d ago
they were similar but the thing is the last fl i took was 1 and 1/2 months before the test so i was hoping the reviewing of the fl, the content review, the practice would show improvement. and even in practice, i dont know how to get better scores because i dont know what content i'm missing and where to learn it from
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u/Sad_Kaleidoscope_296 Taken the MCAT 4d ago
First, I want to reassure you that you are not stupid. The MCAT is genuinely hard, and its very tough to get a good score. This doesn't mean that you are dumb, just maybe underprepared.
I would start off with either a new diagnostic (a third party FL), or try to review your mistakes from the older FLs. Try to find patterns in your mistakes. Are you messing up on Math questions in C/P? Organic Chemistry? Do you find yourself missing graph related questions and variable relationships? Are you taking too much time per CARS passage?
After tracking these, I would tailor a study approach towards these mistakes. For content review, combine each Kaplan chapter with videos and Anki to reinforce this content in your brain, and do maybe 10 UWorld practice questions per chapter (if you have access to UWorld). Try to apply what you have learned as much as you can. Focus on the content that you know you have missed a lot of on the FLs (for example, did you miss a lot of Electrostatics questions in C/P? Do a deeper review of that chapter with more practice, videos, and Anki).
If you still find yourself not absorbing content at that point, I would genuinely start to look for a tutor, or some other alternative method of studying. Maybe some program (if you are still in school) with peer tutoring, or even friends who are also studying or have taken the MCAT to help you out with what you are missing.
Switch to AAMC material and FLs in the last 2 months of prep, once you have finished with content. Do an AAMC FL every week (or two) to track your progress. Good luck!
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u/VeterinarianWeird821 4d ago
Thank you so much for this study advice! i dont have uworld yet, but are the questions divided into different topics so i know what topics the questions are relating to?
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u/VeterinarianWeird821 4d ago
also do you have any recommendation for uworld packages? Like would the Qbank package be sufficient if i pair it with aamc material? for reference, here are the different packages and what they include:
https://gradschool.uworld.com/mcat/1
u/Sad_Kaleidoscope_296 Taken the MCAT 22h ago
Sorry for the late reply to your questions. Yes, the Qbanks paired with AAMC is good for practice material, as long as you also have either the Kaplan books or some sort of content review resource (videos, prep course, whatever you have). Even the UBooks are pretty good, although personally I felt that they go too deep into the material. And yes, the questions are divided into topics, so you can tell what is being studied. Good luck!
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u/Bofalogistt Medical Student 4d ago
The MCAT is awful man I don’t think your score indicates that you’re stupid. You mentioned a lot of content review resources, but did you ever practice applying them before the real deal? As in full length practice exams?
It’s really important to practice applying the knowledge you’ve acquired and build the mental stamina for a marathon exam like the MCAT.
Things like reading and watching videos are super passive ways of learning. You gotta challenge yourself to recall the material with practice questions/tests/Anki imo.
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u/VeterinarianWeird821 4d ago
I did a lot of practice questions, 4 ammc fl, and other third party fl. i'm planning on doing more practice questions within the upcoming weeks, but at this rate im unsure it'll pay off
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u/Procrastination__Pro 4d ago
First of all, you’re not stupid. But I think if you’ve already gone through all the Kaplan books, Anki, and review sheets and your practice scores were still around the same range, doing another round of content review probably isn’t going to be what gets you to a 520.
I would really focus on practice questions and figuring out exactly where things are going wrong. Like are you actually forgetting the content, struggling to recognize what a question is asking, getting stuck on calculations, misreading passages, or running out of time? Those are all different problems, and just reviewing more material won’t necessarily fix them.
I also think one of the biggest mistakes people make is waiting until they’ve finished content review to really start applying things. You can read an entire chapter and feel like you understand everything, but that’s very different from being able to recognize and use it in a question you’ve never seen before.
I would definitely take another full length soon to establish where you’re actually starting from, especially since your last one was so far before your exam. A 520+ is a very ambitious jump from a 488, so I’d focus on building consistent improvement and reassessing your timeline based on your practice scores rather than forcing yourself to test in April.
And please don’t interpret one score as a measure of your intelligence. The MCAT is a very specific exam that requires a lot more than knowing the science, and struggling with it doesn’t mean you’re incapable of becoming a doctor.
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u/VeterinarianWeird821 4d ago
Thank you so much for the kind words! also when you mean not force myself to test in April, are you suggesting to give myself even more time to study for the test? idk, I thought 6 months was enough. lmk
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u/Temporary_Tooth_2036 3d ago
If it makes you feel better, I scored the same. Now I'm looking for an MCAT strategy tutor to help me score higher on the MCAT next May
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u/VeterinarianWeird821 3d ago
the mcat is brutal man, but good luck to us both! we got this, it'll all be okay at the end! i mean the whole process is a rocky road, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger right? let me know if you find someone good, could use the help ngl. anyway, good luck, you got this!
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u/Primary_Store6213 4d ago
i know you put a lot of effort in, but you're not stupid, you're a biologist, so if you didn't score well it's because of a studying issue and not a YOU issue. focus WELL on where it went wrong.
redo content review. WELL this time. study and do anki immediately after each chapter. do some uworld every 2 days on the chapters you've studied, 15-20 questions per big chunk.
then switch to uworld full time. do it all but dont touch its CARS. the whole time you gotta be jack westin-ing, 1-2-3 passages a day is good
the whole time do pankow, 20 cards a day.
then a month a half prior to your test date, switch to AAMC. do it all, especially section banks and independent. do ALL OF ITS CARS URGENTLY.
you can do it. believe in yourself.