Hi Syd, this series is so well done. Thank you so much for all of the effort you are sharing with us. As the first person attempting to become a doctor in my immediate family with immigrant parents, this whole process is so overwhelming so thank you for making it a little easier. You are so transparent which I love. :)
I started with a 510 (practice exam) before taking the course, so I didn't feel like it helped with what I was looking for. But! Some of my friends did enjoy it, so it really boils down to seeing what you need/if it's worth the investment.
Color Codes Green: active test day Orange: 1 week out from actual test yellow: test date Scheduling 1 day to planning, what resources do I have, max opportunities fro practice problems, chunking, take things out of routines, heavy content chapters then followed by easier, fill in knowledge days, set days: access weaknesses, strict with timing,
YESSS! It can get a little kooky talking to a camera for that long 😅 and I just checked your channel out - ahh congrats on working towards pursuing your dream of becoming a physician!! So glad your classes haven't been affected, and I can't wait to see all the STEM, health, and fashion your videos have in store 😋
I love you!!! Going through a breakup right now and thought, what the hell, let's go to med school! What kind of calendar did you use to stay organized?
I'm sorry you're going through that right now :/, but YES GIRL!!!! You GOT this 🤗 No better love, than for yourself and your future ❤️ I wrote my study schedule on google sheets! I divided all the material I wanted to get through evenly leading up to test day. It's not perfect, but here's my sample schedule - bit.ly/2OKe40K!
Thank you very much for the video. Question: I am using Kaplan books to study and they have discrete practice questions at the end of each chapter. However, they don't have passage-based questions. What resources other than the AAMC did you use to obtain passage-based problems similar to the actual exam? Thank you!
Of course, Edwar! I used Examkrackers 101 passages as well as The Princeton Review's In-Class Compendium for extra passage-based practice. However, I'd say a bulk of my passages practice came from practice exams!
@@sydneyvdong Thank you so much for the reply. In terms of CARS, have you tried NextStep 108 passages? And have you personally tried Jack Westin and Uworld passages? Thank you again!
@@edwardommar I did not try NextStep 108 packages, Jack Westin or UWorld for my MCAT prep. For CARS, a majority of that practice was practice exams (AAMC and NextStep), AAMC CARS questions packs, and TPR workbook.
Hey Sydney, Thank you so much for these tips! I was wondering if I could get some clarification, on your video at 5:54, you wrote that the unscored diagnostic test is given for free. Just making sure that this is for October of 2020?
Hi Antonio, of course! Yes, starting October 2020, the Official MCAT Sample Test (unscored diagnostic) will be free according to the AAMC - store.aamc.org/official-mcat-sample-test-online.html here!
Hello, As a senior who has pretty much wrapped up high school, do you think this would be the perfect time to begin introducing themselves to the MCAT and studying foundational sciences that will be tested? Would it be too early to start using Khan Academy MCAT prep resources? Thank you!
Hi Sandra, wow! I think that's awesome how proactive you are. Congrats on graduating high school! I'd say it's never too early to become familiar with the subjects - any preparation is helpful. A lot of people study for the MCAT by refreshing the topics they learned in college. Now may be a good time to see if you're interested in the sciences by looking into human anatomy/physiology or chemistry textbooks/online lectures. The MCAT exam format may change around the time you'd take it (~2-4 years from now), so I'd wait on the prep course. Some people even self-study and do well without courses. MCAT studying can be tough without the background, but if you're determined to give it a look, I say go for it! Lots of people start studying 3-6 months out, so you're definitely ahead of the game!
Hi Sydney! Would you mind sharing how you got clinical/ research experience for med school or how you were able to shadow doctors? love your blog btw :)
Aw, thank you so much Ania! You actually read my mind haha I have those two topics coming up in the list of vids I want to make :-) They'll be coming very soon, but until then - please ask me any specific questions you have. I'd love to incorporate them into the vid!
@@sydneyvdong Thank you for your videos!! I've been wanting to shadow doctors in the LA area and I haven't found any yet. It'd be great if you could incorporate your experience with that in your future vids :)
Hey Destiny! Here's info on FAP 's expiration date -students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/faq/fap-faq/ Regardless of when you apply and are approved for FAP, your FAP benefits will expire on Dec 31st of the next year. So if you were to apply anytime this year, your FAP benefits would run out Dec 31, 2021. Once your FAP application is approved, you'll receive an email that'll link you to a site to activate your MCAT benefits (only valid 1 time). I think your MCAT practice test products are valid for 1 year from this activation, so I'd plan when it's best to activate based on your study timeline. For your AMCAS FAP waivers, they'll automatically be applied to your primary and secondary apps since they're linked to your AAMC account!
@@sydneyvdong Hi Sydney! Thank you very much! I was worried about when I no longer have FAP resources if I applied to early. It is clear now, thank you!
HEY! hope all is well! Congratulations on everything. I saw your MCAT video and saw that you were going through a break up while studying. I am also going through heartbreak and a breakup while studying for this test. I really couldn't focus for weeks because every time I would study physics and chemistry, then my mind would shift into thinking about him and wondering if he will reach out to me or the new chicks he is talking to lol. How were you able to keep yourself focus while also focusing on healing and recovering your mental health?
Hey girl hey! Thank you so much for sharing with me ❤️ Breakups are never easy, especially when they come at a time that requires intense focus. I'm sorry you're going through that now :( To be honest, I didn't really handle both well. I gave myself 3 months of dedicated time to study, but 3 weeks of it was spent scattered, sad, and very distracted. What helped me was the fact that I found comfort in my family and different outlets, such as writing, to let whatever I was feeling out. The relationship was very back and forth (it officially ended after my exam), but in hindsight, it caused me a lot more pain to be in limbo while studying. I've tried the idea of immediately trying to be friends w someone after a breakup, but it usually doesn't end well. Things feel too fresh, and thoughts wander. It's hard, but momentarily removing connection w that person, like archiving old pics/posts or having a friend hold that contact while you heal, can help. It may feel difficult to spend time finding the things that make you happy, especially when it feels like you should dedicate all of your time to the MCAT, but I'd say incorporating things that you look forward to everyday with balance is key! Setting routines, reconnecting with loved ones, nurturing your health, and trying hobbies you've always wanted to. The process of healing isn't always linear, but just remember that what you're doing now is big! You're investing in your future and are one step closer to chasing your dream of becoming a doctor - and that makes you pretty damn awesome.
Heyyyy, you probably wont see this since it's been a while since you posted this, but can you go over how you reviewed practice questions / FLs since you did not use anki??
One question on your schedule. I know you weren't satisfied with your TBR course, however I was wondering how they planned hour scheduling. I have TBR books and they provide a schedule for you to follow. I was wondering if that's the same schedule you all were given. Do you think reading a subject and then tackling problems the rest of the day would be a good method?
As I was watching the vid back, I didn't realize how negatively I was portraying prep courses. I think it was honestly moreso a projection on my part since I wasn't in a good mindstate to take in the course/was looking for a different kind of help. That being said, I have friends who LOVE TBR and did really well using the books and/or taking the course :-) Sifting through the class handouts, I can't find the exact schedule, but I'm pretty sure it's the same as the one given in the books! I do remember the structure of the class and study days (summer 2017) was as such - - 3 2 hour lectures in the morning Mon-Wed + 2 5 hour lectures Sat-Sun. An instructor gave a handout of lecture objectives, wrote lecture content notes on the board, had us do and then review discrete practice problems directly relating to the topic - assigned reading from the content book (outside of class) - assigned practice questions recommended from the book (outside of class) - questions from past lectures that were also assigned in the plan in 'phases' (1 week later, 2 weeks later, etc.) to ensure we didn't forget past lecture topics (outside of class) - practice full-lengths were unlocked for us to use ~2 months into the course, and we took these exams on our own time I think that's a WONDERFUL way to study! I know a lot of people, myself included, who regret dragging out content/taking notes for too long since it's passive learning. Doing practice problems is the best way to solidify concepts and identify weaknesses.
I definitely wasn't the most efficient haha, but I tried studying at least 5 days/week for 5-8 hours/day. I'm not sure how accurate those hours were in terms of productivity ..but my focus definitely ramped up towards the end!
Hi Marie! A summary of the resources I mentioned, along with the ones I highly recommend, are in a doc in the description 🙂 I no longer have physical content books, but I included my study schedule as a sample and the links to the Khan Academy psych/soc notes too. Hope that helps!
🥳🥳🥳I finally passed my exam thanks to Mr Clark who helped me with tutoring.He has good tips and questions for everyone willing to join his group.I was recommended to him by a friend even though it took me time to trust in him but at the end I am happy for the good work.I want to take this opportunity to tell you all to join him and trust in him despite the process.
thank you so much for all these resources, being first gen it's so daunting to navigate this process. i really really appreciate it!
Of course, Shiela! That's amazing - your family must be so proud!! 💙
Hi Syd, this series is so well done. Thank you so much for all of the effort you are sharing with us. As the first person attempting to become a doctor in my immediate family with immigrant parents, this whole process is so overwhelming so thank you for making it a little easier. You are so transparent which I love. :)
You started off with a 510? That course DID help you, man. You’re blessed, dawg.
I started with a 510 (practice exam) before taking the course, so I didn't feel like it helped with what I was looking for. But! Some of my friends did enjoy it, so it really boils down to seeing what you need/if it's worth the investment.
Did you like practice the same fl's (AAMC) for your second attempts?
Color Codes
Green: active test day
Orange: 1 week out from actual test
yellow: test date
Scheduling
1 day to planning, what resources do I have, max opportunities fro practice problems, chunking, take things out of routines, heavy content chapters then followed by easier, fill in knowledge days, set days: access weaknesses, strict with timing,
thank you for compiling :-) I also included these tips and list of resources in the description (bit.ly/2OM5E9f)!
lol your intro is so me !! that's how i am when I am filming at home ahah
YESSS! It can get a little kooky talking to a camera for that long 😅
and I just checked your channel out - ahh congrats on working towards pursuing your dream of becoming a physician!! So glad your classes haven't been affected, and I can't wait to see all the STEM, health, and fashion your videos have in store 😋
Thank you so much for being real and sharing your resources and thoughts!
Of course! and thank you for stopping by, Juan :-)
I love you!!! Going through a breakup right now and thought, what the hell, let's go to med school! What kind of calendar did you use to stay organized?
I'm sorry you're going through that right now :/, but YES GIRL!!!! You GOT this 🤗 No better love, than for yourself and your future ❤️
I wrote my study schedule on google sheets! I divided all the material I wanted to get through evenly leading up to test day. It's not perfect, but here's my sample schedule - bit.ly/2OKe40K!
it's really really useful!!! thanks for your sharing!
Aw yay! I'm happy it was helpful :-) Thank you for watching, Jenn!!
This is so helpful, thank you!!
Of course, Rebecca! I'm happy it's helpful :-)
Great, helpful and very insightful video! Thank you so much for your help & effort into making this video ;) I really appreciate it
Aw thank you so much for your sweet words! Of course :-)
thank you it was very helpful, and I like your energy
Thank you, Aziz! Good luck if you're studying for your MCAT!
Congrats!
thank you!
Thank you very much for the video. Question: I am using Kaplan books to study and they have discrete practice questions at the end of each chapter. However, they don't have passage-based questions. What resources other than the AAMC did you use to obtain passage-based problems similar to the actual exam? Thank you!
Of course, Edwar! I used Examkrackers 101 passages as well as The Princeton Review's In-Class Compendium for extra passage-based practice. However, I'd say a bulk of my passages practice came from practice exams!
@@sydneyvdong Thank you so much for the reply. In terms of CARS, have you tried NextStep 108 passages? And have you personally tried Jack Westin and Uworld passages? Thank you again!
@@edwardommar I did not try NextStep 108 packages, Jack Westin or UWorld for my MCAT prep.
For CARS, a majority of that practice was practice exams (AAMC and NextStep), AAMC CARS questions packs, and TPR workbook.
@@sydneyvdong Alright, thank you so much again for the help!
@@edwardommar Of course!
This is the most informative and the funniest video I’ve ever seen 😂😂😂
hahaha thanks, Diyar! :P
Hey Sydney,
Thank you so much for these tips! I was wondering if I could get some clarification, on your video at 5:54, you wrote that the unscored diagnostic test is given for free. Just making sure that this is for October of 2020?
Hi Antonio, of course! Yes, starting October 2020, the Official MCAT Sample Test (unscored diagnostic) will be free according to the AAMC - store.aamc.org/official-mcat-sample-test-online.html here!
@@sydneyvdong Awesome thanks! Also if I may ask, what software did you use to make your study schedule through?
Hello,
As a senior who has pretty much wrapped up high school, do you think this would be the perfect time to begin introducing themselves to the MCAT and studying foundational sciences that will be tested? Would it be too early to start using Khan Academy MCAT prep resources? Thank you!
Hi Sandra, wow! I think that's awesome how proactive you are. Congrats on graduating high school!
I'd say it's never too early to become familiar with the subjects - any preparation is helpful. A lot of people study for the MCAT by refreshing the topics they learned in college. Now may be a good time to see if you're interested in the sciences by looking into human anatomy/physiology or chemistry textbooks/online lectures. The MCAT exam format may change around the time you'd take it (~2-4 years from now), so I'd wait on the prep course. Some people even self-study and do well without courses.
MCAT studying can be tough without the background, but if you're determined to give it a look, I say go for it! Lots of people start studying 3-6 months out, so you're definitely ahead of the game!
@@sydneyvdong a
Why did you retake a 510
I didn't study very seriously my first attempts at the MCAT. I wanted to give it my best try to see if I could improve my score.
You are so helpful !!! I’m just gonna have to subscribe
Aw yay! I'm happy to hear that, thanks Daysie :-)
Hi Sydney! Would you mind sharing how you got clinical/ research experience for med school or how you were able to shadow doctors? love your blog btw :)
Aw, thank you so much Ania! You actually read my mind haha I have those two topics coming up in the list of vids I want to make :-) They'll be coming very soon, but until then - please ask me any specific questions you have. I'd love to incorporate them into the vid!
@@sydneyvdong Thank you for your videos!! I've been wanting to shadow doctors in the LA area and I haven't found any yet. It'd be great if you could incorporate your experience with that in your future vids :)
@@aniabaghoomian913 thank you for your input! I'll definitely keep that in mind :-)
10:50 BEST ADVICE.
Congratsss
Thank you, Amanda 😇
@@sydneyvdong anytime. I have a queation. What did you major in?
How early should I apply to FAP without being too early where I will still need the materials?
Hey Destiny! Here's info on FAP 's expiration date -students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/faq/fap-faq/
Regardless of when you apply and are approved for FAP, your FAP benefits will expire on Dec 31st of the next year. So if you were to apply anytime this year, your FAP benefits would run out Dec 31, 2021.
Once your FAP application is approved, you'll receive an email that'll link you to a site to activate your MCAT benefits (only valid 1 time). I think your MCAT practice test products are valid for 1 year from this activation, so I'd plan when it's best to activate based on your study timeline.
For your AMCAS FAP waivers, they'll automatically be applied to your primary and secondary apps since they're linked to your AAMC account!
@@sydneyvdong Hi Sydney! Thank you very much! I was worried about when I no longer have FAP resources if I applied to early. It is clear now, thank you!
@@destinygomez7356 Of course! I remember having this question too haha - best of luck girl :-)
HEY! hope all is well! Congratulations on everything. I saw your MCAT video and saw that you were going through a break up while studying. I am also going through heartbreak and a breakup while studying for this test. I really couldn't focus for weeks because every time I would study physics and chemistry, then my mind would shift into thinking about him and wondering if he will reach out to me or the new chicks he is talking to lol. How were you able to keep yourself focus while also focusing on healing and recovering your mental health?
Hey girl hey! Thank you so much for sharing with me ❤️ Breakups are never easy, especially when they come at a time that requires intense focus. I'm sorry you're going through that now :(
To be honest, I didn't really handle both well. I gave myself 3 months of dedicated time to study, but 3 weeks of it was spent scattered, sad, and very distracted. What helped me was the fact that I found comfort in my family and different outlets, such as writing, to let whatever I was feeling out. The relationship was very back and forth (it officially ended after my exam), but in hindsight, it caused me a lot more pain to be in limbo while studying.
I've tried the idea of immediately trying to be friends w someone after a breakup, but it usually doesn't end well. Things feel too fresh, and thoughts wander. It's hard, but momentarily removing connection w that person, like archiving old pics/posts or having a friend hold that contact while you heal, can help.
It may feel difficult to spend time finding the things that make you happy, especially when it feels like you should dedicate all of your time to the MCAT, but I'd say incorporating things that you look forward to everyday with balance is key! Setting routines, reconnecting with loved ones, nurturing your health, and trying hobbies you've always wanted to.
The process of healing isn't always linear, but just remember that what you're doing now is big! You're investing in your future and are one step closer to chasing your dream of becoming a doctor - and that makes you pretty damn awesome.
Heyyyy, you probably wont see this since it's been a while since you posted this, but can you go over how you reviewed practice questions / FLs since you did not use anki??
Hi! Yes, I'll add this to my list of upcoming videos :-) Is there anything specific that'd be helpful to include?
Sydney Dong just a step by step of how you reviewed practice exams! Thank you
Where did you find the mega drive of the past AAMC exams?
I no longer have access, but it was a resource a friend shared.
Its probably this one drive.google.com/drive/folders/1IGKMgVBwxhhWdF7QY88PtK5oGkt-hOpE?usp=sharing
Hey thanks for the video -what did you score in each section
129/130/129/129!
Hi! What prep course did you take?
I took the Berkeley Review in Westwood!
One question on your schedule. I know you weren't satisfied with your TBR course, however I was wondering how they planned hour scheduling. I have TBR books and they provide a schedule for you to follow. I was wondering if that's the same schedule you all were given. Do you think reading a subject and then tackling problems the rest of the day would be a good method?
As I was watching the vid back, I didn't realize how negatively I was portraying prep courses. I think it was honestly moreso a projection on my part since I wasn't in a good mindstate to take in the course/was looking for a different kind of help.
That being said, I have friends who LOVE TBR and did really well using the books and/or taking the course :-) Sifting through the class handouts, I can't find the exact schedule, but I'm pretty sure it's the same as the one given in the books!
I do remember the structure of the class and study days (summer 2017) was as such -
- 3 2 hour lectures in the morning Mon-Wed + 2 5 hour lectures Sat-Sun. An instructor gave a handout of lecture objectives, wrote lecture content notes on the board, had us do and then review discrete practice problems directly relating to the topic
- assigned reading from the content book (outside of class)
- assigned practice questions recommended from the book (outside of class)
- questions from past lectures that were also assigned in the plan in 'phases' (1 week later, 2 weeks later, etc.) to ensure we didn't forget past lecture topics (outside of class)
- practice full-lengths were unlocked for us to use ~2 months into the course, and we took these exams on our own time
I think that's a WONDERFUL way to study! I know a lot of people, myself included, who regret dragging out content/taking notes for too long since it's passive learning. Doing practice problems is the best way to solidify concepts and identify weaknesses.
Doing the chapter or watching videos than as many questions is ideal. Can save phase 3 for later if you prefer.
How many hours a day/week would you study??
I definitely wasn't the most efficient haha, but I tried studying at least 5 days/week for 5-8 hours/day. I'm not sure how accurate those hours were in terms of productivity ..but my focus definitely ramped up towards the end!
Oh okay that sounds pretty good !! For how many months did you study.. Also do you have any feedback on the OAT ?
Wondering if you could share your resources
Hi Marie! A summary of the resources I mentioned, along with the ones I highly recommend, are in a doc in the description 🙂 I no longer have physical content books, but I included my study schedule as a sample and the links to the Khan Academy psych/soc notes too. Hope that helps!
What was ur major?
I was a biology major! At my school, it was more ecology focused than human bio/anatomy focused.
🥳🥳🥳I finally passed my exam thanks to Mr Clark who helped me with tutoring.He has good tips and questions for everyone willing to join his group.I was recommended to him by a friend even though it took me time to trust in him but at the end I am happy for the good work.I want to take this opportunity to tell you all to join him and trust in him despite the process.
the softer boo got me
it still gets me 😢💸 hahaha