How to destroy the MCAT with minimal study time (Part 2- Writing Sample)

The Writing Sample

Update (7/18/2014): Commenting has been disabled- it's been more than 4 years since I wrote the MCAT & I don't think I should continue giving out random advice & the new MCAT will render a good chunk of my MCAT-related writing obsolete. Good luck to everyone, regardless.

If you have done any prior studying for the Writing Sample, you would be familiar with the general format of the essay:

1. Thesis- explain the prompt/statement

• Explain what the prompt is talking about, how it applies in a situation.
• You can start the thesis in a couple of ways:
• The statement that "prompt" is true in the sense that... (follow-up with explanation of prompt using examples) OR
• Restate prompt in your own words, summarizing what you thought the prompt means and why (with an example).
• I generally went with the second method, but that depends on the prompt and whether you're comfortable with rephrasing.

2. Antithesis- opposing view of the thesis.

• Explain how the opposing view of the prompt may apply in certain situations.

3. Synthesis- resolve the conflict between opposing views.

• Create a "rule" and explain it clearly, when the rule should apply, and when it doesn't. Basically, how to decide when to do one and when to do the other?
• Conclusion, but not taking a side (leave it ambiguous)

That's about as short as I can describe the general format of the essays you should be writing on the MCAT.  There are a lot of online resources describing in detail on how each section should be presented, but that's really unnecessary- you know the format, you know how to think and write, it should be fine as long as you prepare properly.

Preparing for the Writing Sample

1. Before you start anything, read this PDF thoroughly:

Scoring the Writing Sample- AAMC

It's surprising how so many people preparing for the MCAT don't know about this document, which basically provides a very detailed guideline to the marking scheme as well as many examples of marked essays (with detailed explanations behind the marking) with a variety of scores (1-6). Reading through the marked essays and descriptions will give you a very good idea of what is expected, and how you should be writing to get the score you want. You will even be able to mark your own essays by making comparisons to the samples in the PDF, which is obviously very useful. 

2. Always practice writing under timed conditions.

This is pretty self-explanatory- it's pointless getting good at writing the essay in an hour+, when you should be aiming to finish one essay in ~25 minutes. Practice under strict timed conditions for maximum efficiency, and you will be ready for the real thing.

3. Be self-critical: judge your own work harshly.

If you have read the PDF above, you should know where you currently stand in terms of your writing level, how prepared you are for the writing sample, etc. You may be at a 2, 3, or a 6. Don't BS yourself- if you know you need a lot of work, then do so. Continue practising with prompts from AAMC, until you are at a score range of your desire.

4. Use real-life examples to support your arguments.

This is also something a lot of people don't know about, unless they did prior research elsewhere. In using examples to support your arguments:

Real-life examples >>> Theoretical examples >>>>> No example at all

Using any real life, specific examples to support your arguments makes your essay a lot stronger. The writing sample asks you to only explain the prompt but doesn't ask for an example to support it. However, you should provide examples for both your thesis and antithesis (examples for when the statement applies and when it doesn't), preferably real-life examples. Remember that your essay is marked by a computer as well as a human marker- this is why using real life examples usually results in a better score.

Some things you should know:

• You can twist real-life examples to fit your needs- you can write the examples with some bias so that it can support your argument better.
• In fact, the examples I used were real-life examples about things I knew very little about, some things I heard in passing- it was almost lying, but I was able to use the little bit of information I had regarding the subjects to twist it into a good examples to support my arguments.
• I used examples that the marker couldn't possibly know about, just in case (i.e. corporate espionage in Samsung's DRAM technology, recent actions by the president of South Korea, etc). I knew very, very little on the subject but I knew enough to vaguely cite the example and make it into good examples for my essays.
• You can use theoretical examples ("For example, if a fireman walks into a burning building while knowing..."- possibly for a "heroism" prompt), but they are less effective than real-life examples.
• Use any example you can think of, even those you know barely anything about- maybe something your friend mentioned the other day, a news article you skimmed through. However, make sure to word it in a way that supports your argument.

That's pretty much it- you know what you're expected to write, you should know the level of writing you should be at to get the score you want. It's just a matter of (strictly timed) practice until you can get to the level you want. Keep these in mind as you write:

• Good transition, flow, and structure in your overall writing (look at the scored essays in the PDF, especially the ones marked 6 for an idea of what you should be aiming for)
• Strong, clearly stated arguments- both thesis and antithesis- backed by relevant (real-life), specific examples.
• Clear, concise writing that's easy to understand- especially your synthesis. Don't use unnecessarily long and difficult words you're not familiar with, stick to short, effective sentences.
• Good vocabulary (wide range), grammar, spelling- remember your essay is marked by a computer as well, and minor mistakes in spelling and grammar will cost you marks.
• Practice until you feel comfortable under timed conditions and are writing essays that are in a score range you're aiming for.

Part 2- End for now. Part 3 will discuss test day tips, as well as general advice for the MCAT.

Matt

Queen's Life Sciences- Why It's Not So Terrible

http://www.healblog.net

Before I chose Life Sciences as a concentration entering second year, I had a lot of doubts  considering its reputation as a GPA killing, dream crushing program designed to end all pursuits for medicine. This was one of the most memorable testimonials regarding the program that really made me rethink my decisions:

"Be prepared to get butt rapped to the max. All you dreams and aspirations will be thrown out the window once you enter this program. The program could be comparable to quicksand. First year, you think its easy; so you end up going into second year, and from the very first day of classes you get overwhelmed, by the amount of work. This feeling will last during the summers and even after you graduate- you become a zombie waking up at 3 in the morning and thinking about how Seroude f'ed up your life. Even after graduation you randomly start *****ing at anyone that remotely looks like any of the professors who have taught you (one of life science’s withdrawal symptoms). Also, you become more prone to alcoholism and being a crack head, so you could try to forget about how miserably you performed on the exam. Marks you never have achieved in your life, will be achieved in this program (and I mean 50's and 60's). This program is a complete disaster from the very beginning. You literally have no life and are ostracized by the rest of Queens and Kingston at large. I remember taking the taxi cab from residence to the train station, and the cab driver said he had a better chance of getting into medical school; I had come to the conclusion he probably did too. But I must say, from this semi-retarded, no social life program you become mentally stronger. But, you might be asking yourself why does that matter if you dont have a career you could apply it to- and I would completely agree, as I am currently unemployed and living with my parents.

If you do consider Queens Life Science, even with this information at hand, which I expect you to do, if your a typical self-centered premed who thinks you can be the exception... be aware I too was like you, who thought if I work my hardest I could do very well. Unfortuanely, no matter how hard you work the program is designed for the students at most to be average (ie. B/75%= 3.0 OMSAS GPA). May God be with you if you enter this program."

...and this was my supposed courseload for second year (1st year of Life Sci)

Mendelian and Molecular Genetics
Basic Microbiology
Organic Chemistry- "orgo"
Mammalian Physiology
Principles of Human Morphology I+II
Gene Structure and Function (Molecular Biology)- "mbio"

The Life Sciences program gets a bad rep from courses that were deemed as "GPA-killers", and these are (for the most part) genetics, orgo and mbio. The rest of the courses were, and are generally quite well tolerated.

Let me make a few important points here:

1. Genetics, Organic Chemistry, Molecular Biology

Probably the three most "complained about" courses. However, these courses weren't ridiculously difficult to begin with. They were challenging, but nowhere near impossible to get a good grade. With the proper approach + ample, effective studying, anyone (theoretically) should be able to get at least 80+. What's more is that they are actually a lot easier now (to varying degrees) due to changing professors, or courses themselves being changed.

www.healblog.net

A note regarding Genetics: this course was the toughest course (ever) in second year (general opinion), and was taken by both Life Sci and Biology students. The reason it was so hard was because it was taught by Dr. Seroude (mentioned in the quote above). In all fairness, he was an excellent professor- he communicated very well, made concepts clear and easy to understand, effective in teaching advanced concepts. However, his exams were difficult and required heavy application- why is why a lot of people that did not prepare properly were burned. However, Dr. Seroude is no longer teaching the course and the course is significantly less challenging now... which is unfortunate, because his teaching prepared me (and others) very well for the Biological Sciences section of the MCAT.

-A special mention: Please note that Dr. Seroude has personally confirmed that the previously posted story of a female student yelling profanity at Dr. Seroude is nothing but a rumour. Furthermore, Dr. Seroude has also noted that Genetics or Molecular Biology students always had a better average on his section of the exam and he has never failed a student. 

2. They recently re-structured the courses, and now they're easier- no longer GPA killers.

It's true- probably due to the increasing amount of on-campus tragedies, many departments sought to lessen the workload (thus reducing stress... and bad thoughts) on the students. Life Sciences was one of them, and the courses were re-organized (weightings of exams, quizzes, assignments re-distributed to better favor the students, changed profs, etc).

3. After second year, either everything seems easy by comparison or the courseload just becomes that much easier in third and fourth year.

I'm pretty sure it was more the latter in this case- after second year, most of the "core" courses are over and done with and you're left with a lot more freedom (more electives!) to choose your courses... and third year courses are actually easier somehow (with a few exceptions). It gets even better in fourth year.

Conclusion: the person in the main quote was wrong. Many people have come away from the Life Sciences program very successful because they studied efficiently and managed their time well. It is a very fair, but challenging program which will prepare you well for medical school (according to current medical students). In fact, a lot of them managed to get into med school after third, fourth year, or found success in research.

If you are considering, or interested in Life Sciences, you should take the time to look into the program yourself to see if you would enjoy studying in the program.

Matt

How to destroy the MCAT with minimal study time (Part 1- Study Material and Strategies)

Update (7/18/2014): Commenting has been disabled- it's been more than 4 years since I wrote the MCAT & I don't think I should continue giving out random advice & the new MCAT will render a good chunk of my MCAT-related writing obsolete. Good luck to everyone, regardless.

Prior to writing the MCAT after my second year (summer, 2010), I had been researching on the MCAT and its “secrets” for over a year. It was almost as if I knew I would have very little time to study for it—which was fortunate, because I really did have very little time to study due to previously unforeseen circumstances. All the prep I did prior to actual studying helped minimize the amount of time needed to do well on the MCAT, which is why I always stress the importance of research.

“So it is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you can win a hundred battles without a single loss.”

Best Study Material

Using the most effective study material is probably the most important factor in studying for the MCAT (other than actually studying). There are significant differences between major test prep companies and their materials, with some obviously being better than the others. After thorough, thorough research across premed forums (SDN, premed101), I was able to determine optimal material for each section of the MCAT as well as corresponding study strategies.

***Important to note: You will not succeed on the MCAT by memorizing all the facts, formulas, minute detail in prep books. Understanding the concepts outlined and correctly applying them on the test material is the only approach you should be taking—to do that well, you need ample practice with the best material.

But wait, why should you listen to me?

Good point. Short answer is- I studied for exactly 18 days before my MCAT. My scores were in the top ~2% percentile. I will elaborate on my story in a later post- it is a thrilling tale; I wish to do it justice.

Learning the Material

This really depends on your background—if you have an extensive background in the sciences, use Kaplan to review concepts you’ve learnt before as the Kaplan prep books are not overtly detailed and provide a good general overview of the concepts. If your background is not in sciences, I would recommend Princeton Review (Or even Berkeley Review, but those are hard to come by) for their detailed outline of the material. As long as you understand the concepts, you should be fine.

Practice for Physical Sciences (PS), Biological Sciences (BS)

For the two science sections, Kaplan practice tests are the way to go. In terms of difficulty (on average):

Kaplan PS, BS > Actual MCAT >>> AAMC practice tests

Other test prep companies fall somewhere below the actual MCAT. Kaplan is consistently cited as having the most difficult practice tests—by the time you get to write the actual beast, the PS and BS sections will seem so much easier because you’ve spent all your time tackling passages and questions that were significantly harder.

Study Strategy

• Work through as many practice test as you possibly can.
• After a few practice tests, you should do all your practice under strict timed conditions.
• For every question you answer incorrectly, read the solutions manual and completely understand the concept behind the question before doing any more practice.

In my case, I worked my way through about 10 practice tests each for PS and BS. On the actual MCAT, I had a decent run through PS, breezed through BS. After endless hours of ripping through countless practice tests, I found that I understood the concepts much more clearly and could easily see through the passages and questions to find the answer.

Verbal Reasoning (VR)

Practice. Only practice, and learning from your mistakes & adjusting your strategy accordingly will help you here. However, the gold standard for VR practice is the Examkrackers 101 Passages, as well as their VR strategies book (Verbal Reasoning and Mathematical Techniques). Every other test prep companies fall way below EK with regards to difficulty, accurate representation of the actual MCAT and quality practice questions.

Strategy

This is the EK strategy for approaching VR:

(adapted from premed101)

1. Read the passage critically (attack it like you are a professor reading a student's work)

2. Take a 5 second break before each passage, including the first one. This helps you to maintain focus on the passage.

3. Read every word.

4. Try not to go back to the passage so much (they recommend doing a few passage questions without reading the passage at all, to show that you can gain a lot of info from the question stems and answers themselves)

5. Do the passages from start to finish. You have to read every single passage and attempt to answer them.

6. Don't get caught up on the hard questions - if you aren't finishing on time, then you have to learn to give up and move on.

The above strategies are excellent (and has worked very well for many people), but eventually you will find your own personalized method of tackling VR passages. In terms of studying:

• Do not use more than one practice test in a day—there are only ~14 (golden) EK practice tests available, you want to maximize their use by spreading them out.
• After each practice test, look to see what questions you answered incorrectly, assess what you’re doing wrong and make adjustments to your strategy to improve. Continue making adjustments until you’re scoring at a consistent range (10-11).
• Learn to have the framework of the entire passage in your head before answering the questions.

Part 1- End. My score breakdown: 12/11/14/R (PS/VR/BS/WS)

Part 2 will discuss the Writing Sample (WS) as well as general advice.

Matt