How I Reviewed MCAT Practice Exams (+ My Review Excel!)

[@mannybelal1773]

Thanks for this video, just finished my first practice exam and was wanting to know how to review it properly. What does KSCP DSBR and SRPS stand for in the skill section?

[@chiefwakanda2889]

^^

[@lauryn0141]

Love it! Thanks Sydney

[@sydneyvdong]

Of course, Lauryn :-)

[@nnennayaokorie2586]

I am studying for the GRE because sadly, I had given up applying to med school, but this video is still super helpful! Maybe I'll be back if I change careers cause this video is so good!

[@sydneyvdong]

I'm sure you'll do amazing things whatever you decide to pursue! but yes, these videos will always be here for you :)

[@meredithelyse8147]

Just took my first FL yesterday and got a 501 😅 hoping to raise it to about 510 before I test at the end of May

[@sydneyvdong]

You got this, Meredith!!! :')

[@samhitanair4072]

Everyone else in the comments said what i wanted to say ... but Im just gonna say that I love you. This was a great video.

[@sydneyvdong]

Awww you're so sweet, Samhita! I'm happy you found value it this video :-)

[@Amber-nb2rn]

Thanks for the helpful videos! Would you say that the biggest reason why you got the score that you did the first time was due to not reviewing the questions in depth? Like what would you say was the biggest thing you did differently that made your score increase that drastically?

[@sydneyvdong]

Hi Amber! YES - you hit it right on the dot. I honestly 'went through the motions' while reviewing practice exams for my initial attempts at the MCAT. I wasn't going in-depth or checking if I understood my mistakes before moving on. That led to making the same mistakes over and over again and no improvement from my first practice test. I'd say my score increased when I implemented more practice passages into my study routine. I cut content to just 1 month and caught myself when I was starting to do passive studying (just note-taking). Having someone help/talk with me through section bank and difficult questions also helped. For the sections that really stumped me, I asked high scorers how they approached questions to chip away at how they thought/strategized in order to see if that approach would also work for me!

[@Karinafing]

Such a helpful video, thank you!!! I am working on reviewing my first one, taking exam in Sep 🙈 Did you review all the questions, even if you got it correct and did not guess ?

[@monicology]

your content is SO amazing and i've been following your journey for quite some time now. keep it up!!! so excited for more

[@sydneyvdong]

Aw thank you so so much for sticking around! 😋

[@esterchow7140]

I have 2.5 weeks before my MCAT and I’m feeling so anxious 😔 I’ve been doing free FL and two AAMC FL and so far am good w PS and CARS but very fluctuate with CP and BB. I plan to do another AAMC FL one per week but don’t know what to do between beside review in order to pull up my score. (And idk how/when to relax/grind anymore!!) do you have any tips 🤧🤧

[@sydneyvdong]

Hi Ester! Thanks for reaching out :-) I know how you feel. The couple of weeks leading up felt so close yet so far. You're almost there! I took my last practice full-length a week before my exam date to not overexert myself/get spooked. That week was spent doing light review of content notes and practice passages from workbooks. The day before the exam, I think I did a practice CARS test (my weakness haha), lightly reviewed concepts/formulas, and drove to the testing center at the exact time to avoid any mishaps on test day. That's awesome that your PS and CARS are solid!! To fill in the non-full length days, I recommend doing practice passages from workbooks or redoing the AAMC section bank (if it's not fresh in your memory) for more timed practice. Any way to simulate real testing conditions during practice would be nice! I'm absolutely rooting for you, Ester! Taking the MCAT during unprecedented times is tough, but with your preparation, you'll do great!!

[@caitlynjohnson2885]

What did you do about questions that you didn't get to? I have a timing issue at the moment and on my first practice full length, i didn't get to a lot of questions

[@Rach.nooksbooks]

How long does reviewing take i don't understand how people do these entire review sheets and go over concepts in one day

[@sydneyvdong]

I and some people I knew would dedicate a day to content review since it's a pretty long test! It depends on how many mistakes there are (starting Syd suffered haha), but people want to go pretty in depth with learning the foundation/main idea of the type of questions they miss to not make that mistake again

[@massielcastillo5423]

How long did you take reviewing the full length exams? Especially in the beginning? Did you go question by question and review the concepts right then and there and then moved to the next question?

[@theedanna21]

right because im not sure if 6-8 hours is enough time for me

[@brittanyogboghodo8955]

Hi Sydney, what kind of content books did you use for bio/biochem for information you were using?

[@Yuna-pr2cu]

What do DBSR, SRPS, and KSCP stand for?

[@a.littlelost]

It’s probably the 4 MCAT Scientific Inquiry & Reasoning Skills tested for each question she did, which AAMC has labeled on their solutions to questions. So DBSR probably stands for Skill 4: Data-Based Statistical Reasoning, SRPS stands for Skill 2: Scientific Reasoning and Problem Solving, KSCP stands for Skill 1: Knowledge of Scientific Concepts and Principles. (And the 3rd skill is Reasoning about the Design and Execution of Research, if you were wondering lol)

[@sydneyvdong]

Yes, exactly! Hehe @A Little Lost beat me to it, but the acronyms stand for the Scientific Inquiry + Reasoning Skills the MCAT tests us on for C/P, B/BC, + P/S. The Critical Analysis + Reasoning Skills skills are Foundations of Comprehension, Reasoning Within the Text + Reasoning Beyond the Text. More info on each is here! (students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/article/whats-mcat-exam/)

[@sydneyvdong]

Yesss, thank you!

[@a.littlelost]

@@sydneyvdong hahaha no worries! I've been looking at them every single say, so I was like, "I know this!!!" Thanks for all your great videos :)

[@sydneyvdong]

@@a.littlelost ahhh best of luck to you if you're taking the MCAT soon 💗

[@biancacarrasco20]

Loved your video!!! It truly helped me review my exams. How would I be able to see what concepts I need to work on if I am using Kaplan to take my practice exams? They don't include the concept or the skill only subjects like fluids or enzyme kinetics.

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video not too good.... jk hahaha I like it

[@sydneyvdong]

hahaha thanks! I think