Volunteer Profile: QofQuimica
Posted on July 5, 2007
Filed Under MCAT, Volunteer Profiles
QofQuimica is currently a second-year allopathic medical student. After college, she went to graduate school and earned her M.S. in medicinal chemistry. She then worked as a lab tech and in a doctor’s office before returning to school to earn her PhD in pharmaceutical chemistry.
In August 2004, Q took the MCAT and scored a 43S. She began giving MCAT advice on SDN when she joined as a member in October 2004. Q joined the SDN staff in June 2005 as an advisor for the MCAT Study Questions subforum and later became MCAT forum moderator. She now oversees all of the SDN premedical forums. Recently, SDN spoke with Q to get her input on preparing for and taking the MCAT.
1. What did you do to prepare for the MCAT?
I was still in graduate school when I started studying for the MCAT, and I was also working for Kaplan as an MCAT instructor. I used Kaplan’s online prep course, mainly because it was available to me as an instructor. I was able to teach for Kaplan while I studied for the MCAT because I had taken the MCAT once before while in college. I received a 34P on my first attempt. I did all of the homework assignments for physics and most of the biology ones too. I didn’t do the chemistry or organic assignments since I was teaching chemistry and organic at my university. I also took the five proctored full length practice tests along with my MCAT class.
It was a pretty crazy time; I was still working full time in the lab and teaching 3-4 nights per week. During the week, I was able to get in studying time by waking up early to read for half an hour in the morning, and reading again for half an hour in the evening before I went to bed. I’d spend most of Saturday and Sunday studying, maybe eight hours per day, unless I had to teach. This was my schedule for about ten weeks, and then I started burning out.
2. What were the best and worst parts of your experience with the MCAT?
The best part was walking out of there and finally having it over with. While you’re studying, the MCAT kind of takes over your life, you know? And, of course, the day I got my scores was a great day.
The worst part was that my test date actually got delayed for two weeks because of Hurricane Charley hitting Florida on the weekend when the MCAT was scheduled. I was totally burned out and more than ready to get it over with, and here I had to wait another two weeks!
3. Were you surprised by your score, or did you expect to do that well?
I was aiming for a 40. That’s what I got on my Kaplan diagnostic, and my practice full length tests ranged from 37-41. I figured I’d probably get a 38 or so on the real thing, but I would have been happy with anything over a 35. So yes, I was pretty surprised; I expected to do well, but not that well.
4. How did other people react when they heard about your score?
My mom and I were talking on the phone when the scores came out; when I told her what I got, we both just started screaming. When I told my PI, his response was, “Gee, I knew you were smart, but I didn’t know you were THAT smart.” Interestingly, my old PI for my M.S. had almost the same word-for-word response. My Kaplan manager said that she had never heard of anyone getting a score like that. Maybe only my MCAT students weren’t surprised.
The funniest response was by one of my Ph.D. committee members, who asked me if I was going to retake the test so that I could try to get a perfect score. No freaking way!
5. Which section of the MCAT do you think is the hardest or easiest, and do your scores reflect that?
In general, VR is definitely the hardest section. It’s the hardest section to study for, and it’s the hardest section to do well on because the curve is so much stricter than on the other sections. You have to get a much higher percentage of questions correct to get a high scaled score on VR than you do on the science sections. Plus, the subject material tends to be things that most premeds don’t read about very often, like philosophy, literary criticism, and economics. In my case,
I think I was most worried about PS because it had been so long since I had taken physics. I really studied physics like crazy. So I guess I’d have predicted that BS would be the “easiest” section for me, and in fact BS was the section that I got the 15 on. I’m not sure that you can read so much into my scores though, because I don’t think there is very much difference between a 14 and a 15. We might be talking about a difference of one or two questions.
6. You said that VR is the hardest section; how can a person raise their VR score?
VR is one of those things that you can only improve with practice, and lots of it. You might have to experiment with different techniques until you find one that works well for you. I used the Kaplan VR techniques, and they worked really well for me. I’ve had some students who swore by other techniques that they read about in other books. The important thing is to pick a technique that works well for you and really practice it like crazy.
Starting several months before you plan to take the test, try working through two passages a day and reviewing the explanations. The key though is not to just do a zillion passages and questions, but to really pay attention to the types of questions that you tend to miss. Practice doing more questions like that. Also, if certain types of passages give you trouble, start reading more articles in those subjects. A lot of students hate reading philosophy or literary criticism passages; they need to go to their school library and start reading philosophy and literary criticism on a regular basis until they get comfortable with reading them.
The other tricky thing about VR is that you have to be pretty fast. A lot of people tend to spend too much time reading the passages and not enough time working on the questions. Again, improving timing is something that comes with practice. There isn’t any shortcut for improving on VR, unfortunately. You have to just put in the time to improve your weak areas.
7. You mentioned working to improve your weak areas—what were your weak areas?
Physics and physiology. I took intro physics and biology in 1993 as a college freshman, so I forgot a lot of stuff by the time I started studying in the summer of 2004. Actually, I never learned physiology in college at all; what little physiology I knew before I started medical school I learned from Kaplan.
8. How well do you think that a person’s MCAT score predicts their medical school performance?
Honestly, I don’t know the answer to this. Logic suggests that there must be some amount of correlation between MCAT scores and medical school performance, but it’s really hard to separate out the influence of hard work versus natural talent. I think that most people who do well in school and on the MCAT work very hard for those accomplishments. The lazy genius who aces the MCAT and is the top student in the class is something of an urban myth, in my experience.
9. Do people score really well on the MCAT more because of natural ability or hard work?
I was asked at one interview whether I thought that anyone could score in the 40s on the MCAT. I hadn’t ever thought about it before that interview, but I have to say that the answer is no, and the main reason doesn’t have anything to do with either natural ability or hard work.
The thing is that the MCAT is a curved test, and the system is set up where most people can’t score 40+. It’s very difficult to score in the teens on any one subsection, and in order to get a 40, you have to independently score that high on all three subsections. Very, very few people manage to do it. The AAMC told me by email that for the August 2004 test administration, there were eight 42s, two 43s, and zero 44s or 45s out of nearly 35,000 people who took the test nationwide.
I do think that test-taking is a skill, and like every other skill, some people are naturally better at it than others. However, even people who are “average” at the skill of taking tests can improve to become above average with hard work. So I wouldn’t say that people score really high on the MCAT due to either natural ability OR hard work, but rather because of a combination of natural ability AND hard work.
The other thing about people who do well on tests like the MCAT is that they read quickly with comprehension. Remember that the MCAT is a timed test. If you could spend as long as you wanted to take the test, then a lot more people would get significantly higher raw scores because one of the factors limiting most people’s MCAT performance is running out of time. In contrast, people who score really high on the MCAT are people who finish early because they are fast readers, and giving them more time wouldn’t be particularly helpful.
10. How much are admissions committees impressed by seeing MCAT scores over 40?
Not as much as you might think. When I was interviewing, I had several admissions folks practically gloating to me about the high-stat applicants that they had rejected because those applicants were arrogant and acted like they were entitled to a medical school seat based upon their stats.
Sorry, but that isn’t how the medical school admissions game works. Stellar stats will only get you so far. I think for the MCAT that once you hit the mid-thirties range, say 35+, then scoring even higher on the MCAT doesn’t really do much to improve the overall strength of your application. A 35 already puts you in the top 5% of all test-takers. If you apply with a 35 MCAT, no adcom is going to doubt your academic ability based on your MCAT score.
11. How much does your MCAT score matter once you’re accepted to medical school?
It really doesn’t matter at all. Once you’re in, you and all of your classmates are more or less on equal footing; the school wouldn’t have admitted you if they didn’t think you were capable of completing the program successfully. I’m getting ready to start my second year this fall, and I can tell you that we’re all thinking a lot more about taking Step 1 next spring than we are about the MCAT!
12. What advice do you have for people who do poorly on the MCAT and need to retake it?
It’s really important to figure out why you didn’t do well so that you can take steps to correct your deficiencies. For example, if your problem is that you run out of time because you spend too long reading the passages, then you need to practice getting through the passages faster. If you weren’t prepared enough, you need to make sure that you prepare properly for your next attempt, and so on.
13. What are some of the most common mistakes that people make when preparing for the MCAT?
One common mistake that people make is taking the test before completing all four pre-req courses and/or without adequately studying. Keep in mind that the MCAT is a curved test, and you’re taking it against a lot of very smart people who have completed all four pre-reqs and taken a test prep course besides. It isn’t a good idea to skimp on the preparation; those classes are called pre-requisites for a reason.
Another mistake people make is not taking enough practice tests. You want to be very familiar with the test format before you ever set foot in that room. Most test-prep courses have students take about five or six practice tests, and I think that’s a good number. You can get practice tests from the AAMC website at www.aamc.org that are very good. These tests are old MCATs that have been released by the AAMC; one of the tests (3R) is offered for free. In addition, some test prep companies like TPR and Kaplan offer one free practice test each on their websites. It’s probably worth your while to take advantage of those resources. Make sure to take the tests under strictly timed conditions, and review all of the answer choice explanations after you’re done.
But the most common mistake I see is that people do not set aside enough time to really study for the MCAT. If you are already working full-time, taking classes full-time, or a combination of both, and now you want to study for the MCAT on top of it all, something has to give. If you’re a full-time student, take a slightly easier load the semester you take the MCAT, and make studying for the MCAT like one of your classes. If you’re working and have outside responsibilities like childcare, cut back on your work some so that you have enough time to study for the MCAT.
You can’t do everything, so give yourself the time that you need. You have to actually carve out the time in your schedule; you won’t find that time lying around somewhere waiting for you.
14. Do test prep courses make enough difference to be worth the extra cost versus self-study?
I’ll start this question with the caveat that I’m a long-time instructor for Kaplan. But my most objective opinion is that test prep courses are most helpful for people who need a kick in the derriere to study effectively. In other words, if you’re a highly motivated person who will make a study schedule and stick to it on your own, you probably don’t need a test prep course. But if you’re the kind of person who tends to start out with good intentions and then quickly gets off track, it might be worth the money to take a course because it helps to hold you accountable. One of my jobs as an instructor is to keep pushing my students to complete the assignments and keep up with the study schedule.
I also think that there can be some psychological comfort from taking a test prep course, especially for older students who have been out of school for a while and aren’t really sure where to begin. But as to whether you MUST take a test prep course in order to do well, the answer is no.
15. As a nontraditional student, what advice do you have for other nontrads who are preparing for the MCAT?
There are no special preparation methods for nontrads that are different than what the younger students need to do. Nontrads have some disadvantages in that they have often been out of school for a while, and they have to get back into study mode to prepare for the MCAT. But the process is pretty much the same for us as for the trads; first take the four pre-reqs, take 2-3 months to study, take plenty of practice tests, etc.
I think that sometimes nontrads tend to want to rush through the process; they feel like they have to make up for lost time since they are older. But I look at it this way: you aren’t going to be 22 as an M1 no matter what you do. It’s better to take an extra year to do things right the first time and not have a poor first MCAT score to overcome along with other potential deficiencies in your academic record. I was 31 when I started medical school, and I’m far from being the oldest medical student on SDN.
16. When do you think is the best time to take the MCAT?
You should take it whenever you’re prepared and feel that you can do well. Ideally, take the MCAT no later than May or June of the year when you plan to apply. If you take a very late MCAT, consider applying the following year instead.
For example, I took the MCAT in August 2004, but I didn’t apply until June 2005 for the 2006 entering class. That way, instead of being one of the late 2004 applicants, I was the very earliest 2005 applicant. I had my AMCAS submitted on June 1 and verified by June 15.
Now that the test is computerized, there are more choices of test dates, and you’ll get your scores back faster. But, it’s still not ideal to take the test in September of the year you plan to apply, because many schools are already interviewing people by then. By the time you get your scores back in October and are ready to finally begin applying, some of the earliest applicants will already be getting their first acceptances.
17. What advice can you give about the new CBT MCAT?
Some of the test day strategies are a little bit different since the test is on a computer now instead of being done with pencil and paper. But overall, the preparation required is about the same: take the pre-reqs, study for the test, and take several timed practice tests on a computer.
It’s also a good idea to go to the AAMC website and take the computer tutorial before you go to take the real test. You don’t want to waste valuable time on test day because you aren’t familiar with the computer interface. These tips and more are available in the MCAT subforum in the General Questions sticky thread.
18. Tell me more about the SDN MCAT Study Questions subforum.
The MCAT subforum is intended for students who are studying for the MCAT and other pre-health tests like the DAT, OAT, and PCAT. There are two series of threads there. The Explanations threads are the ones that are stickied at the top of the subforum. There is a separate Explanations thread for each MCAT subject except biology, which has two of them. There is an additional General Explanations thread. These threads are for didactic posts that explain difficult concepts and offer advice. Regular members should not post in them; these threads are kept locked for this reason.
The second series of threads are the Question threads. Again, there is a separate thread for each subject, two for biology, plus a general question thread. These threads are open for students to ask questions about concepts or study problems they are having. All questions should be asked in the appropriate Question thread; the MCAT mod staff will remove all new threads that are started by users.
[Editor’s note: the MCAT subforum is located at http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=134]
19. Why are you and the other staff so strict about not letting the members post MCAT questions or answers on SDN?
The AAMC is very serious about protecting the integrity of their tests, and they actively monitor SDN. We want to continue having SDN as a free community with as little outside oversight as possible, which means that we need to police ourselves. In addition, we want to protect our users. Users who violate AAMC copyrights could theoretically be prosecuted by the AAMC. Finally, although we at SDN enforce our privacy policy as diligently as possible, no public website is totally anonymous. It is good advice to never post anything on SDN that you wouldn’t want attributed to you in your offline life.
20. What role do you play on SDN, and what made you decide to join SDN and give MCAT advice?
I’m overseeing the premedical forums now, but I joined the SDN staff two years ago as one of the original two advisors. (Shrike was the other one.) Lee Burnett created the MCAT subforum, and Shrike and I set it up. Last year I became mod of the MCAT forum, and then one day last summer I was promoted to smod. I’ve continued modding MCAT, and I also advise in the Physician Scientist forum. Another staff member, gridiron, is now taking charge of the MCAT subforum, and a new MCAT mod will be promoted soon.
It’s difficult to explain the attraction and addiction that SDN has been for me. Briefly, I was a pharmaceutical chemist in my former life, and I also taught classes for the university where I was doing my PhD. One of my students told me about SDN, and the night I got my MCAT score back, I decided to join. I basically realized after I called my parents and the manager at Kaplan that I didn’t know another soul on this planet who would even understand what my test score meant, let alone care.
What I like so much about SDN is the community we have here, especially for those of us who are older students. You tend to be isolated from other premeds when you’re out of college, and it’s nice to know that you’re not the only crazy “grown-up” going through this process. I have met several friends on SDN, including some of my current medical school classmates and the other SDN staff. I have to say though that I’m glad I didn’t join SDN before I took the MCAT because it’s easy to spend too much time on SDN when I should be studying!
The discussion thread for this article may be found here: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=5342523
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Hey Q -
I remember asking you a lot of Questions..thanks for helping me in those
Good luck in your future pursuits.
Very informative.
hi Q-
Are you in med school now or residency?
oh duh. i just read that you are a med student. where and which one?
Q has always been my idol…I know I annoyed her a couple of times by announcing where she decided to attend med school (sorry…I was just really happy for you)…but she has been very helpful to me as well.
Best wishes…
Hey Q,
Do you think that the MCAT is fair to everyone involved? Since the test is graded with respect to each and everybody’s performance, how is it fair to have you (and others like you) take a test meant for 3rd year college students?
The test is not meant for college students. It is meant for anyone who wishes to attend a US med school.
holodynamics-you’re welcome, and best of luck to you with your studies.
nykka-I am getting ready to start my second year of medical school. Sorry, but I prefer not to make public which school I attend.
Arsenewenger-interestingly, older students (over age 31) on average score the POOREST on the MCAT, while college-aged students (under age 21) perform the best. The “generation gap” is significant; you can see the age stats for 2005 and earlier years on the AAMC website under Examinee Data (Summary Data Tables). I don’t think that having a PhD really gives one an advantage on the MCAT; if anything, it tends to make people overanalyze the questions and answers. You truly do not need any further coursework beyond sophomore-level organic to prepare for the MCAT.
Hey Q, its funny cuz I was gonna ask u which med school u attend, but then I read this thread and Im like ok, got my answer hehehe…wow, im still very impressed w/ ur score…best of luck to u in med school and all those who’re suffering through the MCAT =)
Wow, Q, you rock! I am going to save this page to my favorites! You are going to do wonderful and spectacular things in the world of medicine! Rock on, Rock on!
Q, might I ask why you are hesitant about annoucing your school? You don’t have to answer as I am just curious. It’s funny as it’s always more intersting to figure out why people are hiding something than to find out what they are actually hiding.
BTW, your MCAT score is impressive. Even more so is your preparation advice for the MCAT.
Wow Q, I didn’t know about your former career! You are officially on my ‘list’ of smart people I go to when I have questions. Questions for Q, makes sense…no?
-t
Hi there!
Thank you for all the information and WOW on your scores! That is phenominal! My question- How long before taking the mcats do you suggest enrolling in the kaplan course?
m.
Matt-just to make you wonder. Look at how well it’s working.
All joking aside, if you honestly can’t think of a good reason why I wouldn’t want to post my whereabouts on a public website, you are extremely lucky. 
Therapist-ok, but only if they’re organic chem questions.
serenity-most people start studying 2-3 months in advance, but some begin as far out as 6 months in advance. How much time you need to study will depend on your school or work schedule and the amount of review you need. The best way to prepare for the MCAT is to do well in all four pre-reqs, and then take the MCAT a few months afterward if possible. I’m a big advocate of taking the four pre-reqs during your first two years of college, studying over the summer, and then taking the MCAT in August or September at the beginning of your junior year. If you were following this plan, you would start your review course in late May or June after you finish your sophomore year.
Sorry, I meant to attribute the previous comment to myself, not to Anonymous.
-Q
Hey Q
Just like everyone else I am amazed by your MCAT score.
Quick question for advice- I am applying for 2008 matriculation but I am registered to take my MCAT in early september, do you think the timing will hurt my application signifcantly?
I assume you’re applying this year to matriculate in 2008, right? If so, it’s not ideal to take the MCAT in September, because it will make you a late applicant. Your file won’t even be complete until October at best, and some of the earliest applicants will already be getting acceptances in October at many schools. But I still think it’s better to be a late applicant with a great MCAT score than an early applicant with a crappy score, so just try to get the rest of your application materials (AMCAS, LORs, secondaries, etc.) turned in as early as you can so that your file will be complete as soon as your MCAT scores are reported. Best of luck to you.
Q, did you ever watch star trek: the next generation?
If so, then you already know what i’m talking about. =P
I hope to send you my essay and work exp for comments before I submit the application on fri.
pls kindly let me know how I can get in touch with you.
Thank you,
Hello Q,
Congratulations on your scores. I am really impressed with your hard work and persistence. You have really proven that there is no limit when it comes to education. I am currently a pre-med and I am struggling through and studying for the MCAT the advice you posted where indeed superb and I am really happy for you and wish you the best of luck in all your endavauers. Please shoot me an e-mail to let me know that you got my reply and I wish to keep in contact with you in the future. All my friends and family members tell me that I am very inspiring and smart…after reading your story, I think that you are smart and more inspiring than I am. Age is nothing but a number and the field of medicine knows no boundaries.
Great work Q and keep it up.
Michael Bosah.
Hello Q,
My e-mail address is ojinnakabosah@yahoo.com
hi, I have a question. I am planning on taking the princeton review course. I just took orgo, physics, advanced cell bio, and physiology. I took gen chem and gen bio in 2001. i know the whole five yr limit thing. but my question is: do you think i should retake bio 101 for the mcat, for review? Or would that time be better spent just studying for the mcat. read up on the material and do hmwk problems before each princeton review lecture? I got As and Bs when i took gen chem and gen bio. A lot of the bio is memorization which you have to do own your own. But i want to make sure i do all i can to do well on the test. a lot of it looks familiar but i would need to learn some again. I tend to learn better from reading than lecture, but I dont know whats best to do. thanks!
Can you please give some tips on how to prepare for the DAT.
Q, that was so informative. did any of the schools require you to retake physics because it was 11 yrs since you took it? mine re 12yrs old and I am wondering if I should retake all of them. what do you think?
Food: Yup, it was pretty popular when I was in HS. Q is one of the best characters on the show for sure.
DT: You’ve probably already applied by now, but if not, there is a list of people willing to read PS essays in the Pre-Allo forum.
Michael: I’m sure you have been an inspiration to others more than you realize. Keep up the good work.
Anonymous: It’s tough to say. Since you’ve taken more recent bio coursework, it’s probably not necessary from the med schools’ standpoint, but you might want to ask just in case.
Asna: There is quite a bit of overlap between the subjects for the DAT and the MCAT, but there are some differences too. I have not ever taken the actual DAT, so I’m not really the best person to advise you. Try the predental forums on SDN for DAT advice.
Gina: No, I was not asked to retake physics. I did take p. chem in graduate school, so maybe that made a difference along with having done well on the PS section of the MCAT. If I were you, I’d contact the schools where you plan to apply and ask them what they want you to do. If you’ve been out of school for 12 years, you may want to retake the pre-reqs just because so much has changed in the last decade, especially in biology and biochem.
Best of luck to you all.
-Q