528 Scorer Analyzes an MCAT Bio/Biochem Practice Passage

[@quentinpham8883]

mate you're a legend! I got content down but was having trouble breaking down passages and ended up getting stuck on unnecessary info, this video really helped me understand how to break it down! Had no clue how to even approach mcat passages (self study + non trad) thanks for your help :)

[@Shemmassian]

Made our day! So happy to hear :)

[@lock8030]

Dude this helped so much. I got all the content review done in the past 2 months but these science passages on the practice tests I've been taking have been giving me rough time and I'm a month away from my MCAT. The science passage analysis videos really help clarify how to answer questions and to pinpoint necessary and unnecessary info in the passages and questions.

[@i123456987654]

That’s actually a really great quote and actually right...practice doesn’t make perfect...perfect practice makes perfect

[@rlbnll123]

I zoned out so hard listening to you read that

[@SimlishFox]

This was so helpful! My eyes usually glaze over reading passages, but this will help me attack them differently so that I can feel more confident answering the questions.

[@Shemmassian]

So glad to hear it!

[@malakismail4432]

I’m so happy I found your channel!!! Keep it up this was amazing

[@Shemmassian]

We're glad you're here Malak!

[@Jadonk01]

This helped so much. After following along with your passage and figure analysis, I attempted all the questions first and ended up getting them all right. Thank you!

[@dabed32]

also the answer to number 5 has the most double bonds (3), and we know the difference between a saturated and unsaturated fat is that unsaturated has double bonds while saturated doesn't. NICE VIDEO! thank you

[@sarahaghani7663]

That was really helpful, thanks a bunch! Just wish the video was clearer or that we had access to the passage and questions.

[@lunaenlea]

Seriously, your strategy is so digestable. excited to put this into play

[@kylieeeeep]

Not me getting overly confident because I've literally read that first article before in a neuroscience class, and then not knowing literally anything else in the rest of the video...

[@Shemmassian]

You got this!

[@cob7839]

The video is not clear. I can barely read the passage

[@Shemmassian]

Our apologies, Chisom! We'll be extra mindful about that moving forward.

[@naitjj1]

hi! the video is not clear, I was having a hard time reading the passage/questions

[@medstudent639]

I wish I knew about this TAIDP method of figure analysis in undergrad. Anyway, thank you much!

[@Shemmassian]

It's never too late to use it!

[@PlatinumCRV]

This was a pretty good method of approaching the passage, thanks! However, I can barely read the passages, they're very blurry.

[@Shemmassian]

Thank you for the feedback and kind words. Our newer passage walkthrough videos have a higher recording quality, so be sure to check those out!

[@brandoutmusic]

This was really helpful in seeing your thought process throughout the passage and questions, thank you!!! I really like this style of video and I think many could benefit from this and perhaps other videos on the diff. sections like C/P, CARS! Keep it up :)

[@Shemmassian]

So happy to hear-thank you for your kind words! We have more on the way :)

[@ghalia2486]

Thank you so much for all the help!

[@Shemmassian]

You got it, Ghalia!

[@lifewithakunna]

Wish it was just this easy. Great video!

[@smilegirl101]

Very helpful and high yield strategies!! Helped to simplify the jargon, which is intimidating when I read the science passages

[@Shemmassian]

Glad to hear it was helpful! The jargon can definitely throw you off--don't let it! :)

[@esthernwozo5264]

this is awesome. thank you!

[@dananguyen2388]

this was so helpful. thank you!

[@rockyd8203]

Do you always recommend working through the figures when you first go through the passage? Or coming back to them when referenced in a question? Great video, thanks!

[@Shemmassian]

Great question! It really depends on how fast you can analyze the figures. When you take untimed practice like what I walked through here, you should take your time working through the figures. Just like any other skill, the more time you spend deeply understanding figures, the quicker you'll be able to pull out patterns. With that being said, on the actual exam or when you take timed practice, try to spend a maximum of 20 seconds on a figure to get the main idea. Then, if a question references the figure, you'll come back and spend some more time on it. Happy to hear you enjoyed the video :)

[@pianogan]

Thank you! This is really helpful! :)

[@Shemmassian]

More on the way! Thanks for watching, Rachel :)

[@SL-yn2gw]

thank you so much for uploading this, can u do CP as well?

[@Shemmassian]

We're on it!

[@rachelxie1479]

Thanks for this video! When you took the test, did you always read the passage before looking at the questions? Like you said in the video, not all the questions are based on the passage...

[@Shemmassian]

I did read the passage before looking at questions, but that doesn't mean you have to! Try each method out and see what works best for you. As a rule of thumb, though, during your first read of a passage, try not spend more than 20 seconds analyzing any given figure as there's a chance the questions won't even ask you about it. Thanks for watching!

[@WeamAhmed95]

Really helpful!! What’s that acronym you used?

[@Shemmassian]

Thanks, Weam! TAID P - Title, Axis, Independent Variable, Dependent Variable, and Patterns

[@WeamAhmed95]

Shemmassian Academic Consulting thank youuu Vikram!

[@fionatran3540]

can you please upload the other webinars?

[@Shemmassian]

We have some more passage walk throughs coming soon :)

[@KBdotHAQ]

So you DO have to have alot of outside knowledge about random things. They make it sound as if everything you need to answer correctly is going to be right there on the exam itself. 😐

[@gotlove4la]

Outside knowledge really helps doing questions faster so that you have time to work and think longer on the harder questions that require more analysis.

[@Shemmassian]

You do need outside knowledge about topics from your undergrad classes! However, having that outside knowledge itself is not enough. You need to be able to combine that outside knowledge with critical reasoning skills to perform well on this exam. Hope this helps clarify! :)

[@CS-vh5lr]

so helpful!!! Thanks

[@Shemmassian]

Thanks for watching! :)

[@brittanyhofferber920]

I have trouble with timing and being able to write notes for every passage- do you suggest note-taking? If so, what do you take notes on and how do you cut your time down?

[@Shemmassian]

Of course! Note-taking is a HUGELY helpful strategy to many people. It's often the most helpful to take notes on big pictures from each paragraph, and you'll find that understanding the passage will inherently decrease the amount of time you'll spend on a passage. The one pitfall when it comes to note-taking is make sure you don't spend too much time writing your notes! This is a balancing act, so try a couple things out and tweak it to make it work best for you :)

[@ash.toronto31]

Awesome!

[@reenanwa]

its so easy when I do it here but hard when i do it myself :[

[@oksanasvyryd3462]

Where I can find this question? Can you please post link

[@Shemmassian]

This is a passage that we've produced in-house! You can find more practice resources on our site, though :)

[@tiredpremed6842]

Where is this passage from? I don’t wanna spoil any of the aamc material for myself so I thought I’d ask. Thanks!

[@Shemmassian]

It's a passage that we created, so don't worry :)

[@ankitpatel144]

Quick question about figures: What's the general rule of thumb for deciding whether a change post-treatment is considered significant? In figure 2, there looks to be a slight increase between the WT and the PMKO, but how would you determine whether or not it's significant?

[@michaelz8661]

If they include an asterisk on the graph or specifically give out a p value < 0.05

[@billlarsen1163]

Great video and very helpful! I keep struggling with SIRS Skill 2: Scientific Reasoning and Problem-Solving Questions in both this section as well as Psych/Soc. With that said, is there a method or approach that would help me tackle these problems more efficiently? Or does it come down to repetition and practice? Thank you!

[@Shemmassian]

Spending time understanding the research question, hypothesis, independent and dependent variables, controls, and how to read figures will help you on these problems. At first, it'll be slow going, but over time, you'll gain skill and confidence. Doing practice alone is often not the most effective method. Instead, you'll really need to be conscious about how you are spending your time. You are much better off taking 2 passages in an hour but really learning from each passage instead of taking 6 passages in an hour and barely reviewing them. Hope this helps!

[@billlarsen1163]

@@Shemmassian Thank you for the advice! I will give that a try!

[@pavk883]

Hey Vikram, when you studied and reviewed the material, how detailed did you learn Beta Oxidation for applying it to question 1? I feel I am studying way too depth and not being able to apply the knowledge to practice questions. ty.

[@Shemmassian]

Hey Sam S, here's a couple of questions to guide your studying: 1. What is the 30,000-foot view of beta oxidation? In other words, why does our body need it? 2. What are the starting products for beta oxidation? 3. What is produced at the end? 4. Under what conditions does our body carry out beta oxidation? Understanding the answers to these questions should help with this concept and others you encounter!

[@NightmereXLover]

wow vikrum smart and hot 😍😍

[@Shemmassian]

The whole package

[@nunitchagucci3047]

❤️

[@i123456987654]

So many questions that rely on outside knowledge

[@sum6198]

can you please make a video on completing pre reqs in three years..? I am graduating college in three yrs (incoming freshman) and i am really lost as to how to fit the pre reqs and mcat in those three yrs!

[@Shemmassian]

On it!