Vihsadass Personal MCAT Strategy

1) Your individual scores and composite score:

PS: 15
BS: 14
VR: 11
WS: S
Composite MCAT: 40S

2) The study method used for each section

As a general note, practice will always be the most important part of your MCAT preparation
for any section. You should make time to do as many practice exams as you possibly can and to
do practice problems as you are doing your content review. For the MCAT, you need to become
comfortable with the testing format, the types of questions, and the manner in which concepts
and information is tested. Being familiar with these aspects of the exam can only come through
long and thorough practice of MCAT material. If you are diligent and really put forth maximal
effort into practicing the material, you will start to gain an intuition about MCAT questions, and
how to approach them. Accordingly, the number one mistake made by MCAT studiers is to only
review the material in great depth, and to neglect actually taking timed, full-length practice
MCAT exams. In fact, you must do both.
PS:
Understanding Concepts and Developing an Intuition The best way to approach this
section is to be extremely curious about the concepts presented. When you are reviewing a
particular concept you should constantly be asking yourself WHY? Doing so will refocus your
thought process from one of memorization to one of understanding. In fact, you must
understand why all of the equations are the way they are, and why they make logical sense.
One way to facilitate this process is to try and work through what you think should happen
without worrying about the numbers at first. Often, students have memorized an equation and
will just settle for plugging values into an equation in order to try and arrive at an answer.
Unfortunately, this process often bogs the student down in number crunching at the expense of
understanding what is actually going on. The latter is extremely important for the MCAT.
Thus, when you are doing physics and chemistry problems, the first thing you should do is think
about the general result you would expect from the situation given. Only when you have
understood what should happen conceptually, should you begin number crunching. For
instance, if you are dealing with an acid base buffer problem and the question asks, What will
the pH be after I add X amount of Y substance?, the first thing you should do is ask yourself,
Would I expect the pH to increase a little or a lot, stay the same, or decrease a little or a lot?
Once you think through the concepts, youll be more confident in your numerical answer as well
as have an understanding of why your numerical answer is correct. After all, the MCAT is a
thinking test. If you do not understand the concepts you simply will not be able to confidently

answer a fair number of problems on the real exam. That being said, even though I have
stressed the importance of concepts, you still must also know all of the relevant equations, and
be comfortable with manipulating those equations. Both concept understanding and skill in
formula manipulation are necessary for success on the MCAT PS.
Additional Note: When we say we are doing "Content Review" in terms of PS, this includes
doing practice problems along with your content review to absorb the material. For physics and
chemistry, an integral part of learning to understand the material is to work through problems to
make the logical process more concrete in your mind. Thus, do sectional tests, practice
problems and practice passage (but not timed, full lengths!) when studying.
Learning to be Highly Proficient with Simple Math This is a point that is grossly overlooked
both by students themselves and test prep companies. In my opinion, the most important factor
that separates the average speed test taker from one who can finish the PS section with 1020mins remaining is the ease at which the latter uses estimation methods, tricks with formula
manipulation, and answer elimination techniques to reduce the amount of scratch work
necessary to complete a problem. On my real exam, I used no more than a single-sided page
for scratch work on the PS. Because I was intensely comfortable with order of magnitude
estimation, decimal estimation, log estimation, dimensional analysis and conceptual knowledge
I could eliminate answer without too much written math. Sure, you could use the formulas to
explicitly solve each problem, but using estimation along with formula manipulation will save you
whole minutes on the real exam. In previous posts I have highlighted one example of this:
Estimation trick for pH and log calculations:
tncekm's math is dead on. And he's mostly correct in saying that you'll never really need to get
the exact number for pH. BUT, the MCAT can test you on pHs down to about ~.5 a pH! So you
need to know how to differentiate whether something is above or below of pH of say 2.5. (or 3.5
or 4.5 etc...)
Let me help you out with a neat little estimation trick.
So we know that:
[H+] of 1x10^-4 = pH 4
and
[H+] of 1x10^-3 = pH 3
But what if the MCAT asks you to differentiate between two answer choices that are something
like:
a) pH of 3.15
b) pH of 3.55
So how do you deal with those 'middle' pHs? Well in the above example, remember that a
multiplier of '3' in front of the x10^-4 in the H+ concentration puts you right in between two
integer values of pH. Example:
Since,

[H+] of 1x10^-4 = pH 4
and,
[H+] of 1x10^-3 = pH 3
Then,
[H+] of 3x10^-4 is ~ pH 3.5
So if the multiplier is above or below '3', you can estimate whether the answer is above or below
pH 3.5.
In your problem you have an [H+] of 7x10^-4, then since 7 is greater than 3, it means that
the pH is LOWER than 3.5 but greater than 3! (Remember that higher H+ means lower
pH.)
See how you could have done that problem in literally 2 seconds if you get comfortable with the
rounding trick? You would never have to break up the log into parts and then do all that hairy
math. 2 seconds is all it takes, and no paper work!
So just remember that:
[H+] of 3x10^-10 will be pH 9.5
[H+] of 3x10^-9 will be pH 8.5
[H+] of 3x10^-8 will be pH 7.5
etc...
And then if you get a weird [H+] like 8.342x10^-7, you know immediately that since 8.342 is
greater than 3, the pH is going to be less than 6.5 but greater than 6...in this case since
8.342x10^-7 is closer to 1x10^-6, the pH is going to be very near to 6. (It's actually 6.078)
This little trick is sufficient for estimating these problems on the MCAT and cut your calculations
down to zero! It'll save you a lot of time on these types of problems.
Did you guys understand that?
In addition, you must be completely comfortable with orders of magnitude estimation. You
should be able to figure out just from estimation what the order of magnitude of the answer
should be. This will aid you in eliminating one or two answers right away. One way to start to get
good at this is to treat every number in scientific notation:
If X = n x 10^-4 and Y = p x 10^8, then Y/X = (p/n)x 10^(8 + 4).
You must be completely fluent in order of magnitude manipulation like this. Definitely practice it.
You should also become familiar with estimating the decimal values of weird looking fractions
and the fractional values of weird looking decimals. For instance, .3145/.6021 might look
difficult, but its approximately = . This kind of estimation is usually sufficient for the MCAT, and
GREATLY simplifies the manipulation of formulas and numerical calculations.
Dimensional Analysis Using the units of physical quantities to your advantage is also often
grossly overlooked by students. One way to check your math is to manipulate the units of the

quantities you are using while you are manipulating the math.
The following post sufficiently explains one very MCAT relevant way of how you should be able
to use dimensional analysis on the PS section of the MCAT:
An example of how dimensional analysis can really save you one the MCAT:
What is dimensional analysis? This is using the units of the variables/quantities you are given
to arrive at the answer. On the MCAT this can be a very poweful technique for a number of the
chemistry and physics problems. Here's an example:
Often you'll get a passage that gives you some new formulas that apply to a specific situation.
Let's say...an electron passing through a curved plate capacitor: You might be given some novel
equations that deal with the velocity, energy, etc. of the electron. Then you'll get a question
which says something like:
"Which of the following expressions describes the force that is applied to the electron?"
The answer choices will all be expressions containing variables and quantities that are in the
passage. Now, there are two ways to attempt these types of problems:
1) Figure out how the formulas that were given in the passage (usually complicated) and the
formulas that you know from your studying fit together and eventually simplify down to one of
the answer choices. This usually requires some tedious algebra, and also understanding of the
equations themselves. This is the slow way.
2) What is funny about the MCAT is that questions like the one above, will often be structured so
that every single answer choice will have different units! Since the question asks for an
expression of force, one of the answer choices must have the units of force (kg*m/s^2). If you
realize this, you can easily exploit dimensional analysis to arrive at the correct answer.
You just take 20 seconds to check the units of each answer choice, and then answer that has
the units of force must be the right answer. Et Voila! Done in under 30 seconds...
On the MCAT board, when I harp about learning to do problems "in the most efficient, quickest
way possible, using the least amount of paperwork and math", this is the kind of thing I'm talking
about.
An additional way dimensional analysis can be helpful is if you forget the formula for something.
Lets say that you forgot that one of the formulas for electric potential (Volts) is Volts = Electric
field * distance. Lets say that you know that Voltage is expressed in Joules/Coulomb and
Electric field is Newtons/Coulomb. Then, you remember that Work (Joules) = Force (Newtons) *
Distance (meters). Therefore, if I multiply Newtons/Coulomb * Distance I get Joules/Coulomb,
which is the correct units for electric potential. Usually, this trick will lead you to the right answer!
A word of warning, however, about this last point: Sometimes there will be an extra constant

factor needed to arrive at the correct answer. Therefore, only use this technique when you really
forget the correct formula and be wary for extra constants! Example:
Lets say that you know the units of energy are [E] ~ kgm^2/s^2. Knowing that, it would be
reasonable to guess that one correct formula for energy would be E = mass*velocity^2. Afterall,
mass*velocity^2 has the correct unitsbut because of how the formula for energy was derived,
energy, as you know, is actually = mass*velocity^2.
So while this particular trick with dimensional analysis can be useful, you must not rely on it.
VR:
See the following post: My Verbal Strategy
Just as a note, I wanted to say that I was scoring 13-15s on the verbal practice exams for AAMC
CBT 7-10. As a word of warning, please heed the part I mention about being able to do the
verbal section with 5-10mins remaining. If you get a monster verbal section like I did on the
MCAT, youll at least be prepared to get through the entire thing. My real verbal was hard. Really
hard. Be prepared!

Vihsadass Verbal Strategy

My verbal strategy...(I bombed on the real thing comparatively to my practices. I avged 12-15 on
practices, scored a 12 on my diagnostic, but an 11 on the real thing. That being said, I'm still
ecstatic!)
1) Practice under harsher timed conditions than you will encounter on the test. You will
have about 8.5 mins for every verbal passage. Get a stop watch and a verbal workbook, and
practice finishing every passage in 6.5 mins. When I started doing this, two things
happened: 1)Even though I was using less time, my scores did not decrease. They stayed the
same. 2) When I became really good at answering the passages quickly, I found that I had time
to refer back to the passage on every question. Now, since I can read the passages much more
effectively (meaning faster) when I see a question that I'm not sure of, I have time to go back
and quickly re-read the 3-4 sentences that pertain to the question. At this point, my scores
started to increase.
2) Attack every single paragraph. Read very quickly, but read very actively. Don't try and go
too slowly to remember every detail, this will kill you. What you should do is Gather the main
idea of every paragraph, and make sure you're always thinking about the POINT of the
passage. Eventually, when you've done enough verbal practice, gathering the idea of a section
or paragraph will come very naturally. As a byproduct, you will start to gain a sense of the types
of details that are important to remember, and you will begin to remember them automatically.
3) When doing the read-through, DO NOT re-read a sentence if you think you weren't
paying attention. Try this on any reading material: Try reading very actively, but force yourself
not to re-read sentences you just read or to go back on the first read through. If you are actively
reading, its amazing how much you retain without having to re-read. Your brain often tricks you

into thinking that you didn't understand something, when in fact you did.
4) You should be categorizing the paragraphs in your head. Remember that the reading
material on the verbal section is always written so that the information is organized in some
logical way. The AAMC specifically picks passages that are not haphazardly organized and
written. "Categorizing" means that you should be thinking about the general subject of each
paragraph so that you know where in the passage to look for information when you need to refer
back as you answer the questions. It does not mean stopping and summarizing every
paragraph in your head as you read. This way you don't waste time re-reading large sections of
the passage (or the whole passage!) to find helpful information when you do need to refer back.
Instead, your categorical map of the paragraphs will give you a general idea of where that
information should be located. This will save you important time when you reach one of those
questions that you don't know right off the bat. Lastly, the categorical map you create as you are
doing your first read through should be in your head. This means you are really just making
mental notes that point you in the right direction, and not summarizing.
5) Answer every question in order, do not skip questions. I think that this particular point
works really well because often the questions themselves are ALOT of reading! If you read a
question, decide that its too hard and skip to the next, you'll then have to come back and reread the question on your second attempt thereby wasting time! Make a mental note of and use
the CBT's "mark" function on the questions that are iffy so that when you do go back and review
all of your answer, you know which questions you should focus more time on.
6) Be aware of the different question types on the verbal section. The princeton review
book has a list of these, and I think the Kaplan one does as well. In addition, when you are
reviewing your practice exams you should make your own list of what you think the
different question types are. As to HOW to answer every question type; This is one of the
major areas where practice comes into it. As you get better, you'll begin to realize the types of
things that look like 'correct' answers, and you get a feel for the types of things that the
examiner is looking for. Check out the "process of elimination" section (number 8 in this post).
7) Do heavy post-game analysis. You must, must, must go back over your verbal questions
and ensure that your thought process was correct for the questions that you got right. Figuring
out what exactly you were thinking when you answered a question incorrectly is
absolutely essential. That way, when you find yourself thinking in a similar way on a future
exam, you might stop and think twice about your answer. Do not ever say, "Oh I totally should
have gotten that question! It's easy!" If you missed a question, you missed it for a reason.
Instead of passing it off as a "stupid mistake" make sure you understand exactly why you made
that mistake, and what you were thinking when you made it. Then, you should try and figure
which types of questions you are most often missing and analyze your thought process to see
what wrong thought caused you to pick a wrong answer. Then, be aware, and fix that thought
process.
8) Learn to use process of elimination (POE). There are a few tricks you can use to POE the

hell out of some verbal questions.

- Extreme sounding answers are almost always wrong. Exception: If the passage itself
sounds extreme. You should still make sure that your answer choice fits with the logic of the
question and the passage itself. For instance, the question could ask, "Which of the following is
NOT representative of the author's stance of issue X". In these types of questions, the extreme
answer might be right.
- In questions that ask you to describe the 'mood' of the author, or any question with 'one word'
answer choices, answers that are similar or say the same thing are almost always both
wrong. Check and see if you picked an answer that sounds very similar to another one, and
make sure you know exactly why you chose that answer. The MCAT will never be cut and dry,
so just make sure your logic about an answer choice is clear.
- Watch out answer choices with identical or similar vocabulary to the passage. A very
common trick is that often words that were used in the passage will be transplanted into an
answer choice with either: 1) a cause and effect relationship reversed so that it is wrong, 2) a
fact from the passage taken out of context, 3) a hypothesis that is mis-stated, 4) a slight twisting
of the author's logic, 5) an incorrect detail has been inserted into the answer choice. Watch out
for these, and when you see an answer choice with alot of identical words to the passage, be
very sure to dissect it so that you understand its meaning. As you practice more and more, you'll
begin to find other curious aspects of answer choices and question stems that stick out at you.
9) PRACTICE!!!
No seriously, practice. Developing an MCAT intuition is like developing a muscle. You can't cram
for it, and you can't practice it "sometimes" while expecting major gains. You have to practice,
consistently, repeatedly, and often.
10) Closing Note
This is my entire strategy. What worked for me may not work for you, but it's worth a shot! If
something different than what I've posted here works for you, then use it! (and more
importantly, come back to The Studentdoctor Network and tell us about it!)
I picked up a princeton review verbal workbook (I think you can only get them from the class)
and I did two passages every 1-2 days starting at about 3 months before my MCAT. Toward the
end of my practice test runs I was consistently getting 13s and 14s in verbal on the AAMCs.
This section is doable guys. Just make sure you are practicing properly and meticulously
reviewing your answers! Just doing passages isn't going to give you exponential gains in
performance. You have to practice and review the right way.
Good luck guys. If I can do it, you guys seriously can too...

BS:
Biology is like a Modified Verbal Section The trick to the BS is treating this section a little
like the verbal section. You should definitely memorize everything that you possibly can in terms
of biology and organic, but, while your are memorizing you MUST think long and hard about the
logic of what you are memorizing. For instance, you can memorize all of the favorable and less

favorable conditions that lead to Sn2 or Sn1 or E1 or E2 reactions in organic, but, do you have a
conceptual understanding of WHY these different conditions favor one type of reaction over the
other. This type of conceptual understanding on the bio section is absolutely necessary for the
MCAT. Then, you will have to be able to understand the logic that is presented in the passage
(because it will be more convoluted than in the PS) and using the logic set down by the
passage, apply what you already know.
Know Intimately what you Expect to be Tested on One type of logic useful for the BS
section is to be familiar with the topics that you would expect to be tested and to use that
knowledge to your advantage. Let me give you an example. Let's say you are given a large
organic macro-molecule diagram with various keto/acetyl-groups labeled "A" "B" "C" "D". You
are then asked "Enzyme X is added to a solution of the macromolecule, which keto/acetyl group
do you expect to be cleaved?"
Now let's say you have absolutely no idea what enzyme X does and you have never even heard
of enzyme X. What would you do? On the MCAT, with the information I've given you, you should
be able to guess what the operative characteristic is that the test-maker is trying to test. I can
guarantee that it has something to do with how strongly that "O" is drawing electrons from that
C=O bond. So without even looking at the answer choices, you should be able to narrow it down
to two possibilities: the highest amount of electron draw, and the lowest amount of electron
draw.
Applying knowledge to novel situations While this is important for the PS section as well,
it's much, much more likley to show up on the BS section. You will be asked to integrate many
different subjects in one passage and use your conceptual knowledge to find an integrated
answer. Sure you know all the oxidation and reduction reactions, but if I gave you a novel
reaction could you logic out whether it should be an oxidation or reduction reaction? Then, could
you use that information to determine whether that reaction would help or hurt the aerobic
capcity of a mammal? Do you understand WHY the oxidation and reduction reactions proceed
the way they do? Can you hypothesize mechanisms for different reactions? Do you understand
WHY electrons move the way that they do? Always, always, always ask why? Then, of course,
you still do have to memorize all of the information as well.
It take all of 1) Memorization, 2) Conceptual understanding, and 3) Problem Practice!
Additional Note: Although more helpful for the PS section, doing practice problems during your
content review including sectional tests and practice passages can also be helpful to drive home
important concepts in the BS section. This is especially true for the organic chemistry section. I
definitely recommend doing some practice problems as you finish various sections in your
content review, but again, timed full length practice during your content review may not be that
helpful. Save those full-lengths for after your content review study months.

3) The practice materials you used

Kaplan Premiere Program Book (2008)
Princeton Review Cracking the CBT (2008)
The Princeton Review Verbal Workbook

Kaplan Sectionals and Topical Exams

Kaplan QBank
Monthly Quizzes and Tests from Kaplan Online (Comes with Premiere Program)
Wikipedia and Google (Seriously, for random things I wanted to know)
I studied the Kaplan Premiere Program and Princeton Review Cracking the CBT book side by
side. Although there is a large amount of overlap between the two books, each book covers the
material from a different angle and there is some information that is not doubled in each section.
I found this tactic to be very helpful in gaining a deeper understanding of the material,
particularly for the organic chemistry section of the exam.

4) Which practice tests did you use?

I made absolutely sure to get my hands on as many practice tests as I possibly could.
Altogether I took 20 practice exams. I had access to:
AAMCCBT 3 10 and the extra passages from 3R 9R (8 exams)
Exams that came with the Princeton review Cracking the CBT (4 exams)
Free Princeton Review Exam (1 Exam)
Kaplan Full Lengths 1- 11 (11 Exams)
Free Kaplan Exam (1 Exam)
Gold Standard CBT Free Exam (1 Exam)
Two Kaplan Exams on CD, Premiere Program, (2 Exams)
A Copy of my testing schedule is attached to this post.

5) What was your undergraduate major

I started off as a B.Mus in Music Theory at the McGill Conservatory of Music and then started all
over again in a joint program in Physics and Physiology in my 3rd year. I finished my
undergraduate degree after 6 years.

6) Any other tips you may have

Post-Game Analysis: The most important thing you can do is post-game analysis of your
practice exams. Keep a log of the types of questions that you are missing, and why you thought
you missed the question. Make sure that you review every single problem, right or wrong on
your practice exams. Even though you may have gotten a problem correct, you need to
ensure that you got it right with the correct thought process and also, in the most efficient
manner possible. Therefore, you need to review every single problem that you do on practice
exams. If you do this you will begin to see a pattern about how the MCAT test makers have
structured the exam questions, and how to develop what I call MCAT intuition about what the
correct and incorrect answers are.
What is the test maker thinking? Accordingly, think about what the test maker is trying to test!
Really try and figure out what concept or thought process or piece of knowledge the test maker
is trying to test with a particular question. If you think about that, you have a better chance of not

over-complicating problems and seeing what you are supposed to do. It is important to try and
think from their perspective.
Critically think about what you are a doing! Although it seems obvious I guarantee that many of
you are not doing this! I know, because when I started studying I wasnt doing this either. Always
ask why? and always question the process you are taking. You must always be critically
thinking about how you are approaching each problem. Make sure that you are completely
aware of exactly what you are doing, and why you are doing it when you are testing.
Practice! The more practice you do, the more familiar you will be with the material in an MCAT
format, and the more familiar you will be with doing the calculations or thinking that will be
required of you on the MCAT. This is extremely important. Practice as much as you can, and
whenever you can.
Ample Content Review: Although practice is definitely more important than studying, in my
opinion the best way to study (if you have the luxury of time) is to do solid content review for 1
1.5 months and then do a very, very arduous string of practice exams for the next 1 1.5
months. I believe that taking full-length, timed practice exams when you lack a cursory
knowledge of the topics and material covered on the MCAT is a waste of time. You cant
improve your MCAT test-taking skills if you dont have the basic MCAT knowledge at hand.
Personally, I did 1 to 1.5 months of solid content review with a diagnostic at the beginning, and
then 1.5 months of practice exams, reviewing the material between exam days. Note, however,
that I did do practice problems in the course of my content review. In fact, practice problems are
very important for gaining a solid understanding of some of the concepts, especially in the PS!
What I am saying is to avoid doing practice tests during your content review, but practice
problems, however, are very important!
In my opinion, the four most important keys to MCAT success are:
1) Practice!
2) Know everything. Really.
3) Understand the Concepts and Logic.
4) Do many, many full length timed practice exams.
In the final days before the exam: In the final 2-3 weeks before you real exam you must
develop a routine to get your body and mind ready for test day. For instance, I planned my
'homestretch' for 2.5 weeks before my exam. At this point content review is long ago done with.
I'm not really even opening up my books anymore unless there's a random/weird fact I
somehow missed. The last 2.5 weeks are for tying up loose ends, final test-taking preparation,
and getting yourself into an MCAT Rhythm. Heres what I did:
1) I took four AAMC CBTs in these final days and I planed 3 day breaks between each of these
last four exams so that my actual MCAT was synchronized with this schedule. It is important to
make these last exams AAMC exams because they are the closest thing you have to the real

MCAT.
2) In addition, I took each of these last four exam at the exact time that I would take my real
MCAT, and woke up and went to sleep at the same time that I would on and before real test day.
3) I also restrained myself from going to my refrigerator during breaks, and brought an MCAT
lunch and snack which was exactly what I would take to the real MCAT to my room on practice
test days.
4) In the days between exams, I reviewed the tests (the same way as I suggest above) and also
did peripheral content review if there was a particular concept or question I was still shaky on.
By simulating real test taking conditions as close as possible and developing a routine, when I
got to my real exam, it was just another day at the office so to speak. My body, my sleep
cycle, and my mind were just continuing the routine I had developed over those last 2.5 weeks.
I took the first of the final four tests on a Wednesday, the next on the following Sunday (3 day
break), the next on the following Thursday (3 day break), and the final one on the following
Monday (3 day break). That way I had a 3 day break until my real exam which was Friday.
I believe that making my last four exam times periodic and treating them like my real exam
really helped. When I sat down to do my real exam it really felt like it was nothing unusual from
my normal routine. I was prepared, and I had done this before... That helped to calm my nerves
and give me extra confidence.

7) How long did you study?

Total time studied: I studied for approximately 3 to 3.5 months for 4-8 hours every day, 7 days a
week.
Guys, you really can do this. Just treat the MCAT like a big game, a competition of sorts that you
are trying to win at. Get excited about studying and doing better on the next practice exam. If
you are able to take that pseudo-masochistic viewpoint, the MCAT almost becomes fun. Put
your mind, body, soulput your entire existence into this MCAT for a few months. Remember,
itll be worth it in the end. If I can do it, you can to. You just have to figure out the best way for
you to gain your own success. Good luck, and kick that MCAT straight in the crotch!