The Countdown...
So this is my update on the MCAT prep.
It is Tuesday, August 15. The TEST is this Saturday, 8am-5pm. As many of you know, I have been through many highs and lows throughout the arduous preparation process.
I ask that as this week comes to an end and test day approaches, as you are thinking of me and praying for me, know that I am prepared. I am confident; however, I do have three basic worries/concerns:
A) The Stress Factor - Given the nature of these next few days, I am afraid that I will become increasingly stressed-out over things which are out of my control.
I realize that although a certain level of nervousness/anxiety is a good thing. Too much of this, is most definitely detrimental. In my head I know that there is absolutely no use in fretting over that which I have no control. I pray that I can keep this aspect of my stress in check.
B) The Focus Factor - One thing that I can control: my own level of focus on exam day. By the time I am sitting in the desk, the lessons have been learned. I have been praying that I will be able to focus on each section to the best of my ability. I pray that I will bring “my A-game” to each and every section. If I do (in every sense of the word) compete to the very best of my ability on each part, I know that “11s” are more than mere likelihood.
C) The Total Package Factor - Assimilation is huge. Putting all these weeks of work into one final product is a large part of what is tested on the MCAT. How I take the test is AS important as just the pure details that I know. I pray that I will be able to think clearly as well as critically. The majority of my incorrect answers throughout my practices are contributed by a lack of careful reading (or by incorrect addition); not due to a gap in my knowledge. This is good and bad. This should be correctable; however, there is also no clear method for eliminating this problem.
Additionally...
As I was telling some of you, I feel as prepared as I (personally) can feel. I have done all the studying and practicing that I could possibly handle. In many ways, this is good. I don't feel as if I could be more prepared had I another month to review things. This is it. "Bring it on!"
That being said; I do not mean to imply that I am anxiety-free. My practice tests, designed to give me an approximation for how I will do on the real thing, have been somewhat troubling.
Let me clarify this. I am aiming/ I would like/ I would be pleased - if I could reach a score of "11" on each of the three sections of the test. My practice tests indicate that this is definitely within the realm of possibility. (Realm of possibility meaning not some fancy MCAT-alchemy in which I turn 4s into 12s.)
Thus, my basic apprehension stems from how compressed this whole system of scoring is and how uncertain I still am because of all of this. For example, on one practice exam, I got 94% of the verbal reasoning questions correct. On a 15 point scale, 94% should translate into a 14 (or due to lack of decimal-point scores possibly a 13). In fact my "scaled score" was a mere "10."
This is simply an anomaly of the testing/scoring process. In other words, completely out of my control and something I accept. However, this does not do much to contribute to my confidence.
I know I have gone on about this for long enough, and I apologize for most likely making a mountain out of a mole hill. However, this is not something that I have been working towards for a few months; rather a journey that began when I entered Georgia Tech as a young chemistry major 8 years ago.
Thank you in advance for all of your kind words and understanding through all of this, and most importantly your many prayers offered up on my behalf.
posted by Melanie H. @ 10:00 AM
2 comments
