[MCAT Success Story] — From 501 To 514 In The LAST 2 WEEKS Before The MCAT!

MedLife Mastery Podcast: Show Notes

About Anne Pino

Contemplating on rescheduling, as it had already been rescheduled once before, she decided to push through instead. She worked hard, signed up for tutoring, and changed her mindset towards the exam. 

After just two weeks of this intense study, and with the help of her tutor,  all these paid off by the time of her test date.

She was able to increase her score from that initial 501 to a 514 by her test date.

That is a 13 point increase within 14 days! 

• Is 501 a Good MCAT Score?
• Is 514 a Good MCAT Score?

In this episode, we're going to learn more about how she studied, how she increased her score, how she kept herself motivated, how she scheduled her MCAT prep, and what strategies she used for each section, specifically, and so much more.

Topics Discussed

Memorable Quotes

Anne’s Written Answers

What was your lowest MCAT score on practice or the real MCAT? How long did it take to get to your highest score?

501 on aamc FL 1. To get my real score of 514 it took me 1 month.

Was this your first time writing the MCAT or did you retake? If your retook, tell us a little bit about the first time you wrote - what happened, what did you score, etc.

Yes this was my first time. Like many other premeds, I was supposed to take it earlier but was underprepared and not ready. I cancelled my original exam in august 2020, and scheduled it for January 2021. Because I already rescheduled due to nerves it was a big reason why I chose not to reschedule again, despite my low FL scores.

How long did it take you to go from your lowest score to your highest score? What are your biggest pieces of advice and strategies for helping someone increase their score like you did?

It took 1 week to get from a 501 to a 510, and this was a week before my exam. My biggest advice would be to get outside help, I know not everyone can have a tutor but even a friend or reach out to a premed advisor to ask why am I scoring low even though I know the content. It was eye opening for someone to tell me, your knowledge of content isn't the issue, it is because you need to have a strategy to take the exam. I was taking the MCAT as if it was a college exam and it's not. It requires a strategy and you need to have that "MCAT question maker logic" to do well.

Please share more about your journey to MCAT success! What were some of your struggles and how did you overcome them? What advice do you have for other premeds who would love to achieve a score like yours? What materials did you use and which would your recommend?

Looking back I should have focused more on practice than content. I spent the fall semester passively watching videos from a course I wasted alot of money on, when really I should have dedicated 2-3 weeks max on content review. I did end up spending a week re-freshing my content and it was helpful, but If i could spend a month purely on practice I would. What I did do was spend 3 weeks dedicated to practice, the first week using a program called Uworld, but then the last 2 weeks before my exam doing the AAMC practice materials and re-doing alot of the material if I had time.

Also the biggest piece of advice would be staying mentally on top of your game as well. My mental state is a big reason why I did well in a short amount of time. Once I was told that the MCAT intentionally tries to make test takers panic, and how I felt was normal, I was able to recognize that and attack the question more logically. I always thought having a positive attitude was not a big deal, but when it comes to the MCAT it is one of the most important tools to have to take the exam. I also recommend Jack Westin free passages, youtube for any content, UWorld for practice, NextStep/Blueprint for practice exams and of course all the AAMC material.

Even though I’m a chemistry minor I struggled with C/P because I haven't taken chemistry in a while and I was not strong at physics. Knowing the basic chemistry content really really well and lab methods is what I focused on in my last 2 week stretch. I also did a lot of physics practice problems on UWorld and contrary to what many others did (because I was stretched for time) I focused more on relationships rather than pure memorization of equations.

How did you study for B/B? What advice do you have to students who are struggling the most with that particular section?

This section was really hard for for because I am not familiar with reading scientific journals, high-level biology jargon, and graphs. I recognized that this was a weak area for me and did a lot of my own research on how to best attack graphs and charts on the MCAT. With the help of my tutor, I was able to better understand how to tackle complicated looking graphs, I drew out pathways explained in the passages, and read the question first, tried to answer it on my own if possible, and then chose the answer that best fit. If that wasn't possible I would go back to the specific part of the passage the question was referring to. Practice helped me a lot with this section as well.

How did you study for CARS? What advice do you have to students who are struggling the most with that particular section?

CARS is challenging no matter what major or background. I studied by doing 1 JW passage, then when I was a month away doing 2-3 JW passages, then 3-4 AAMC passages, then 5 2 weeks before my exam. My advice would be to spend time early on trying different strategies then choose 1 and stick with it. CARS is one of those sections that really take time and you won't see results after 1 day or even 1 week. At the end of the passage make sure to know the “main idea” and the answer will always be supported in the passage. Process of elimination is key for this section and being able to know, not guess, why an answer is wrong.

How did you study for P/S? What advice do you have to students who are struggling the most with that particular section?

My biggest advice would be not to dismiss it as the easiest section of the MCAT. That rumor hurt me early on in my studying. I saw my PS score increase as I started to take it just as seriously as CARS or the science sections. I used Anki for this every day and I reviewed the Khan Academy 86 page document you can find online. I also took notes on concepts that sound or look the same but have different meanings. This was helpful because during my exam day, questions like that actually showed up! Knowing terms and taking your time on this section is really important to a high score. Read the entire passage too.

Resources Mentioned

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Anne's Testimonial for MedLife Mastery Strategies!

"With only 2 weeks left before my exam I was extremely anxious and nervous. Rather than postpone or cancel my exam, I decided to invest in private tutoring and it was well worth it! After my first session, my practice exam score increased by 9 points and my actual MCAT score was higher than I scored on any of my practice exams. I am really grateful for [my tutor's] help and strategies!"

Additional Reading -- MCAT Success Stories:

• How Jennifer Increased Her MCAT Score By 10 Points In Less Than 30 Days
• A 17-Point MCAT Score Increase: 496 to 513! (ft. Stephanie Hayes)
• From 490 To 511 On The MCAT: His 21 Point Score Increase
  
• Siraj’s 3-Month 523 MCAT Study Plan As A Full-Time Student
• From 485-495 Plateau + 4 MCAT Attempts To 514 (1.5 Years Later!)
• 41-Year-Old Accountant and Father Dominates The MCAT With a 520!
• Noah’s MCAT Success Story: From 496 To 510 On The MCAT In Less Than 30 Days!
• 19 Point MCAT Score Increase In 6 Weeks While Working Full Time
• From 500 Plateau to 516 in Less than 30 Days (ft. Abbi Shrontz)
  
• How I Went From 500 To 513 on the MCAT In 4 Weeks
• From 501 Plateau To 513 On The MCAT
• From 499 to 512 on the MCAT in 24 Days
  
• Melissa’s MCAT Scores Kept Going Down, But She Didn’t Give Up
• How Tanmay Scored 514 On The MCAT In Just 3 Months!
  
• How Peter Went From 499 To 513 On The MCAT In 8 Weeks
• From 494 (2015) to 502 (2019) to 513 on the MCAT (ft. Jennifer Nagel)
  
• From 498 To 514 WITH A Busy Schedule!
  
• From 499 To 511 In 4 Weeks On MCAT Retake!
  
• From 500 To 512 (Exact Goal Score) In 30 Days!
• From 500 To 514 On The MCAT (2.5 Years Later)
• From 64th Percentile To 98th Percentile On The MCAT In Less Than 30 Days
  
• How Kayla Scored 131 In Psych/Soc on the MCAT
• How He Increased His MCAT Score From 499 To 512 In 3 Weeks
• From 489 To 509: How She Improved Her MCAT Score By 20 Points
• 6 Point Score Increase In the Last Week Before the MCAT
• How Melanie Increased Her MCAT Score By 12 Points (From 505 to 517)
• Interview with a 519 Scorer, Re-Taker, and MS1: Julia Meguro
• MCAT Master Interview With A 100th Percentile Scorer: Priya Swaminathan
• Best MCAT Bio/Biochem Strategies – Top Tips From A 131 Scorer
• From 499 To 515 On The MCAT In 7 Weeks!
• Hope’s MCAT Retake Story: I Went From 500 to 514 In 6 Weeks!
• How Oleksandra Retook The MCAT and Scored 510
• How Suman Scored Over 510 The Second Time
• From 503/505 To 511 In The FINAL 2 Weeks!
• How Sara Scored 522 On The MCAT
• Taylor's Secret To Scoring 131 On CARS and 511 on the MCAT
• Tara’s MCAT Study Advice Based On Her 510 MCAT Score
• Jenny's Motivational MCAT Success Story: From 499 To 511 In 3 Weeks?!
• A Non-Traditional Applicant’s 514 (91st Percentile)
• How Lindsay Scored 513 On The MCAT While Working Two Jobs
• How Morgan Improved Her MCAT Score From 498 To 511 While Working Full Time
• 10-Point MCAT Score Jump in 2 Weeks: From 503 to 513!
• Can You Have A Social Life During MCAT Prep? (ft. two 515+ scorers!)