Thoughts on Preparing for the MCAT

As many of you know, I have been planning to take the new MCAT. My original plan was to take the MCAT in September, but due to “life”, I thought about rescheduling it for January. Last week, I purchased the AAMC MCAT Section Bank which contains 300 new practice questions (mostly passage based) for every section except the CARS.

After going through several of the passages, I realized that it was a good idea to not take the MCAT in January and that I may want to consider pushing it towards the spring (March or April). Why is this? Well, I learned a couple of things from doing those questions:

• There is a lot of content to learn for the exam. Even though only a small portion of the questions test knowledge directly, you never know which topic will come up on the exam. Also, with the wealth of information on the exam, I realized that concepts reviewed a couple of months ago weren’t recalled as well as evidenced by my performance on the discrete questions. It is not that the material is difficult, it is just that it is a lot of information to store in the mind.

• The questions in the Section Bank are not like the Question Packs (which are basically questions from the old MCAT exams). The passages are heavily focused on research designs and data interpretation which is different from the old MCAT’s. Mastering these will take time.

• With work and a family, I have to be realistic about when I will be prepared to take the exam (goal is a 528). Since I don’t have the ideal 6 – 8 hours a day to study, I will need more time to spread out my studying.

I am writing this because I know that many of you have similar situations. Don’t ignore them and be honest with yourself about your preparation. Trying to rush this process is the worse thing that you can do.

The Book of over 400 Summer Medical Internships

The Summer Medical Internships eBook is the only resource that provides a comprehensive list of 400 summer opportunities in all fifty states and in other countries. With the applications for 2016 summer internships beginning to open up, this book will provide pre meds with the ease to explore opportunities anywhere that they desire. It is available on Amazon. Just follow the link above.

Using the new MCAT in 2016 Admissions

In this video, the AAMC advises medical schools how to use scores from the new MCAT for 2016 admissions.  This video is highly recommended for everyone wishing to understand how medical schools will look at scores from the new MCAT as well as scores from the old one.

2016 MCAT Testing Calendar

Click on the image for a higher magnification.

Are Medical School Admission Committees Influenced by your Undergraduate Institution?

I have often heard people state how medical schools look at the schools that you attend when deciding who to admit to their schools. This is interpreted as meaning that attending certain undergrad institutions provides you with a better chance to get into medical school. I can’t comment on the entire truthfulness of that proposition, but I do believe that no matter where you go, you have a good chance to get into medical school if you are a strong candidate.

 
As a case in point, I will use the institution that I advise for: Lehman College. This institution is a small liberal arts college that is part of the City University of New York (CUNY) that has a smaller number of pre medical students as compared to larger CUNY and/or private schools. Basically, high school students with aspirations of becoming physicians don’t rush to Lehman College. Nonetheless, after being a pre med advisor at Lehman for five years, we have had more admissions with a record number of admissions this year. Below is a list of the schools who accepted students for 2015:

 
Albany Medical College
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
America University of the Americas in Nevis
Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons
George Washington University School of Medicine
Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai
Meharry Medical College
New York Medical College
New York University School of Medicine
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
Ohio State University School of Medicine
Quinnipiac University School of Medicine
Rosalind Franklin University of Medical Science
Saba University School of Medicine
St. George’s University School of Medicine
Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Stony Brook University School of Medicine
SUNY Buffalo School of Medicine
SUNY Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine
SUNY Upstate Medical University College of Medicine
University of Cincinnati School of Medicine
University of Maryland School of Medicine
University of Miami School of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
University of Rochester School of Medicine
University of Vermont College of Medicine
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine

 
As you can see, there is both a quality and diversity of schools that accepted my students. The “big name” schools took students who were very competitive (high GPA’s , high MCAT’s, etc.) To be honest, I was surprised to see that NYU accepted one of my students since they tend to be on the conservative side, but I was pleasantly surprised. And to prove that it was not just a fluke, the school is interviewing another of my students this year.

 
To what do I account for this? It is pretty simple. The students have been more competitive in recent years. Because of that, all types of schools have looking at students from Lehman College (Heck, one of our students was even interviewed by Stanford last cycle). The students’ credentials are outweighing the dismal reputation of Lehman when it comes to supplying medical students.

 
What does this mean? Well, if you have the “total package” for medical schools, then you have the opportunity to go wherever you want, no matter your undergrad institution. The key is to be competitive. That factors in no matter which undergrad institution you attend.

Super Premeds

Below is an excerpt from my upcoming book Super Premeds.  It discusses the ten character traits which I believe all pre meds need in order to be the most competitive for medical school.  This excerpt is from my chapter about humility:

 

Humility is the true key to success. Successful people lose their way at times. They often embrace and overindulge from the fruits of success. Humility halts this arrogance and self-indulging trap. Humble people share the credit and wealth, remaining focused and hungry to continue the journey of success.

– Rick Pitino –

Case 1:

Ann is an incoming freshman who is taking biology in her Fall semester. When she met with her pre health advisor, he told her of the importance of studying daily for biology. Ann told her advisor that she took AP biology in high school and that she liked it a lot and did not think that she would have a problem in college. Her advisor cautioned her how college is different from high school, and that she shouldn’t underestimate biology. Ann decided not to use the advisor’s advice and approached biology in the same way as she did in high school and obtained a D in the course.

It always amazes me how much students think they know. Whenever I see a student who obtained a poor grade on an exam, but states that he/she knows, I ask them to teach me something from that test or just ask them a random question related to the subject. It is comical to see the blank stares that I receive when I pose those requests.

Humility is what separates great people from pretenders. Ann is clearly a pretender. She failed to realize the difficulty in college and made the common mistake of using past success – in high school, nonetheless – as a marker for future success. If she was humble – accepting that there is more to college than to high school, that you actually have to read a lot more – then she would not have had to deal with a low grade and repeat biology again in her sophomore year. Her arrogance doomed her. Hopefully, she will know better.

Case 2:

Jimmy was a solid 3.6 student in college who tutored general chemistry and organic chemistry to students. When it came time to study for the MCAT, he figured that he did not have to pay much attention to chemistry since he “liked it” and “did it all the time.” Since he also liked bio, he figured that he would skim the subject and do some practice questions from his prep book. He studied less than two months for the exam because he wanted to apply early and figured that he had a good shot to get into a medical school in his city because his father, who is a physician, knew someone in the admission office. Jimmy obtained a 21on his MCAT – 7 physical science/6 verbal reasoning/8 biology – but applied anyway. He did not get any interviews to medical school.

I have a saying: students with high MCAT scores mostly have high GPA’s, but a high GPA does not mean that you will automatically score high on the MCAT. Be humble. Even with a high GPA, Jimmy should have approached the MCAT as if he knew nothing which would have pushed him to study smarter. He would have seen that , along with content, one needs to know how to “think beyond the content.” However, feeling that he was smart, and that he had a connection, he did not give the effort that was needed.

I think that the message in this chapter is clear. Always be aware that there is always more to learn. You are pre meds which means that you are students. It is your job to always learn and grow. This requires humility. If you don’t have it, now is the time to seek it out…

My First Practice Full Length MCAT Score

For those who don’t remember, I am going to take the MCAT and have scheduled to take it on September 23rd.  I have been studying – with the limited time that I have – and decided to do a practice exam this Monday.  I used a full length Kaplan exam and took the test under timed conditions.  My score was a 497.  This was not a surprise as I was expecting to receive a score somewhere between 495 and 500.  This score gives me some hope since I have seen students who have done well on the MCAT (510’s – 520’s) score around this on their first practice exam.

Here is a breakdown of each section:

Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems:  Score = 124

I studied the majority of chemistry, but did so over a month ago and have only gone through about one third of the material that I need for physics.  Also, I basically haven’t given any time to biochemistry or organic chemistry.  This section was heavy in physics, but I am not going to make any excuses.  Several questions required reasoning, critical thinking, and research interpretation skills as well, which is what the MCAT is about.  I know that I can do better.  I need to finish up physics and review chemistry again.  I hope to get at least a 130 in this section.

 

Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills:  Score = 125

I haven’t been paying much attention to this section which is not a good thing.  I was pretty good in verbal reasoning for the old MCAT and I need to do more over the next 2 months to bring myself back up.  Reading over the passages, each question, and the responses and explanations showed that I have to shake off the dust and do, at least, a verbal passage a day.  I know that my score can increase.  I hope to get a least a 130 on the actual exam.

 

Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems:  Score = 126

I am planning to go through biology in August and will do biochemistry this month.  A lot of my wrong answers were related to topics that I haven’t reviewed, but, again, I know that I can do better and won’t make excuses.  I hope to get at least a 130 in this section.

 

Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior:  Score = 122

I know almost nothing about psychology and sociology.  I haven’t seen these topics since my college days.  I am going to go over this in August when I am doing biology.  I have a review book that I hope will help.  Doing practice passages is essential as well as I need to be more familiar with psychology and sociology experimental passages.   I hope to get at least 130 on this section.

 

As you can see, I have a lot of areas to improve in, and I know that it is possible.  However, I am not going to underestimate this exam.  For starters, it was not fun to sit down for an exam that is over six hours long and I was exhausted when I was doing the last section.  Going from three to four sections definitely makes this MCAT more challenging.  Also, I can’t get too overconfident.  My next practice test scores may drop if I am not cautious, so I still have to remember how much work I have to put in.

I will continue to provide updates of my studying and practice exams in my posts and through Twitter (#ReelPremeds) and on Facebook.  Study smart and don’t take this exam for granted.

 

 

 

2015 MCAT v. Old MCAT: A Comparison of Percentiles

The table below shows an unoffical comparison between the 2015 MCAT and old MCAT scores.  This was created and posted to student doctor forum (but not by AAMC).  However, from what I see, I have made similar comparisons myself.  Take from it as you desire, for we will see how these new scores play it as medical schools begin admitting students for this cycle.   Below is a link for this unofficial chart found on Student Doctor Network.

2015 MCAT v. Old MCAT (Percentile Comparison)

2015 MCAT Percentile Ranks

As some of you may know, the scores and percentiles for the April and May MCAT administrations have already been posted by AAMC.  Here is a look at the MCAT 2015 percentile table with a link to the official AAMC PDF document:

MCAT Total     Percentile
Score                  Rank
528                    100
527                    100
526                    100
525                    100
524                    100
523                    100
522                      99
521                      99
520                     98
519                      98
518                      97
517                      96
516                      95
515                      93
514                      91
513                      89
512                      87
511                      85
510                      83
509                      80
508                      77
507                      74
506                      71
505                      68
504                      64
503                      61
502                      57
501                      54
500                      51
499                      47
498                      43
497                      40
496                      37
495                      34
494                      31
493                      28
492                      25
491                      22
490                     20
489                      18
488                      15
487                      13
486                      11
485                      10
484                        8
483                        7
482                        6
481                        5
480                        4
479                         3
478                         2
477                         1
476                         1
475                         1
474                         0
473                         0
472                         0

Source:  AAMC

April and May 2015 MCAT Percentile Ranks

 

 

 

 

 

 

Johns Hopkins to pay $190 million after Gynecologist Secretly Photographed Patients

BALTIMORE — Johns Hopkins Hospital has agreed to a $190 million settlement with more than 8,000 patients of a gynecologist who secretly photographed and videotaped women’s bodies in the examining room with a penlike camera he wore around his neck, lawyers said Monday.

The doctor, Nikita Levy, was fired in February 2013, days after an employee alerted hospital authorities, who forced Dr. Levy to turn over his camera. He committed suicide 10 days later. Investigators discovered roughly 1,200 videos and 140 images stored on servers in his home.

“All of these women were brutalized by this,” lead attorney for the women, Jonathan Schochor, said. “Some of these women needed counseling, they were sleepless, they were dysfunctional in the workplace, they were dysfunctional at home, they were dysfunctional with their mates.”

The agreement is one of the largest settlements on record in the United States involving sexual misconduct by a physician.

It all but closes a case that never produced criminal charges but threatened the reputation of Johns Hopkins, one of the world’s leading medical institutions and, according to lawyers. The incidents traumatized thousands of women, even though their faces were not visible in the images and it could not be established with certainty which patients were recorded or how many.

Dr. Nikita Levy was fired in February 2013.

Johns Hopkins declined to comment to The Associated Press.

Baltimore police were called in by Johns Hopkins officials just before Dr. Levy’s firing. They and federal investigators said they found no evidence that he shared the material with others.

A class-action lawsuit on behalf of more than 8,000 of his patients who contacted lawyers was brought against Johns Hopkins last fall, claiming the hospital should have known what he was up to.

The settlement, involving eight law firms, is subject to final approval by a judge. A forensic psychologist and a post-traumatic stress specialist interviewed the plaintiffs and placed each woman into a category based on trauma level. That will determine how much money each one will receive.

The hospital issued a statement in October saying it was working to settle the claims in a way that “helps our patients and colleagues move forward.”

Dr. Levy, 54, graduated from the Weill Cornell Medical College in Manhattan and completed his internship and residency a Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn. He began working at Johns Hopkins in 1988. When the accusations came to light, he was working at East Baltimore Medical Center, a community practice affiliated with Johns Hopkins Hospital. During his 25-year tenure, he saw roughly 12,600 patients.

His suicide frustrated everyone who wanted to know his motive and see him face justice.

Hopkins sent out letters to his entire patient list last year apologizing to the women and urging them to seek care with other Hopkins specialists.

Source:  New York Times   7/21/14