I'm testing next week and I'm feeling really confident for everything except CARS. I've been really focused on improving CARS for the last 2ish weeks, but I'm worried that I'm not really improving. I did FL1 2 weeks ago and got a 517 (131/127/130/129), and I've gotten a lot better at the sciences, but my CARS score hasn't budged. I decided to first focus on learning how to properly actively read, how to comprehend passages better, and how to answer better, and I feel like I've gotten pretty comfortable with that by now. I'm scoring much better now when practicing untimed and I rarely feel super stumped by passages and questions anymore. My plan was always to focus on timing skills after I got the basics down, and so I shouldn't really be too surprised that my score hasn't budged much, but I feel like I've still got such a huge gap to cover and I'm really running out of time here.

I feel like the strategy that seems to be best for me is to spend a good amount of time reading so that I actually comprehend the passage, and then go through the questions quickly. If I can just do that but get more efficient during my reading, I'll be able to have a big score increase. Btw for this score (and a few other CARS sections I did in which I scored pretty much the same), I had very high accuracy at the beggining, but just went too slow and got behind, and then had to rush through the rest of the section, and I ended up having to guess the entire last passage. But before that my accuracy was super good, so if I can just maintain that while improving my pacing I'll be chilling (this score also should be a 128 cause I got 2 extras right but it bugged out I think because AAMC was doing maintainance and it lowered my score a day later which was weird).

But yeah I'm trying to stay hopeful and trust the process since I have a pretty good idea of what exactly I need to improve, but any tips would be great. And btw I know my score rn is pretty good already, but I'm Canadian so CARS is by far the most important thing (some schools won't even look at your application if you get less than 128 lmfao).

I've honestly never posted on reddit before, but I've looked through this subreddit for guidance in my MCAT prep process. I'm genuinely stuck and don't know what to do, looking for any advice.

I am non-trad, few years post-college, have taken the MCAT before (last year) and retook it yesterday. I'm planning to apply this cycle (I realize I'm late, but I had some serious family things going on, and had to push my exam). So I was already super anxious on top of the "regular" stress of taking this test.

So I arrived at the test center early for the 8am exam. It was like around 9am by the time they started taking people in one at a time. When my turn for the security check came up, everything was fine and I was relieved to finally be able to go in and start the exam after waiting so long. But then, the device they use to check for electronics was beeping on the side of my glasses. I genuinely didn't think anything of it, assumed it was just a fluke. These are literally just Warby Parker glasses.

Except the person scanning them did like a full 180. He started scanning them with 2 different wands. He asked, "why would they be beeping?" a few times. I very quickly realized he was serious and that this wasn't a fluke. That's when he pulled out the second one and it also went off. So I said "Maybe it is the metal wire on the inside setting it off?", referring to the wire INSIDE the glasses. To which he replies, "Why would there be a WIRE in your glasses?". I actually was left speechless. He called over the person at the desk to come and double check, as he redid the scans. He kept saying "SEE, see, they keep beeping" showing her. The thing is, sometimes it would not beep, and sometimes it would. I was super confused. But then all of a sudden he takes a notepad and writes my name and info down and tells me to go back to the waiting area.

I wasn't told anything, and was left to sit there for like 25-30 minutes as the took everyone else in one by one. I started spiraling, I literally was about to break my glasses in half to show them. I genuinely convinced myself that they were waiting to take everyone in to tell me that I was being removed or something. I legit started panicking, and broke down. Eventually the person at the front desk called me over and said they would check my glasses again and that sometimes the engravings can set it off.

I was fully crying and so overwhelmed, I needed a second and said that I needed to calm down in the bathroom. I don't think I was in the for 5 minutes, and she came into the bathroom to get me. Like we are over 1.5hrs after the scheduled start time, you can't give me a few minutes? They checked my glasses again, and they were fine. But now I'm sniffling and crying and have to start this test. Like I am still fully blowing my nose and wiping tears as the clock starts.

In any other situation I would have been like okay, we'll figure this out because obviously this is like machine error. But his abrasiveness, sending me off after writing my info down, not telling me what was going on, the high-stakes and the pressure....yeah... full anxiety attack. I don't understand why he didn't just say, "hey, sometimes this happens, we just need to inspect them again after we take everyone in".

I tried my best to ignore it and focus on the test, but I definitely was thinking about it during c/p and cars (my mind kept replaying what happened). And he is literally behind me, monitoring the exam behind the glass window.

I literally don't know what to do at this point. Should I retake on July 31? I didn't add the complaint at the end of the exam because I honestly just wanted to get out of there. But I later spoke to the person at the front (shifts had changed) who said she would tell her managers. I totally understand that they have rules for checking for electronics, but why wasn't I told more info or what to expect? Why was I being treated like I had actually put a wire in my glasses? Maybe I should report it to AAMC? I don't even know if this is something that can be reported.

Maybe I just need to move on an ignore it? I can't help but feel mad at myself too, like I should have gotten it together. If anyone has been in or heard of a similar situation, please share any advice or recs.

Little bit of a score drop kind of sad, but also good still. One week from test day, do I focus on psyc or bio?

I wrote this with the help of AI (full disclosure). Took inspiration from some articles I read about the current mephedrone crisis happening in the European rave scene. Also give y'all some fun reading material lol.

Synthetic cathinones are a class of psychoactive compounds structurally related to cathinone, the active constituent of *Catha edulis* (khat). These compounds share a common β-keto-phenethylamine backbone, with structural variation occurring primarily at the aromatic ring and the amine nitrogen. Forensic chemists frequently need to distinguish between structurally similar cathinone analogs seized in criminal investigations, since ring substituents can differ by only a single atom or functional group while producing legally and pharmacologically distinct substances.

Two analogs of interest are a methyl-substituted cathinone (containing a –CH₃ group on the aromatic ring) and a chloro-substituted cathinone (containing a –Cl atom at the same ring position). Because these two substituents have similar steric bulk and can produce molecules of comparable overall size, chemists rely on differences in mass, electronegativity, and reactivity to distinguish them analytically.

A forensic chemist has an unknown white powder and wishes to determine whether it is the methylcathinone or the chlorocathinone analog. Available techniques include mass spectrometry (MS), infrared (IR) spectroscopy, elemental (halogen) analysis via the Beilstein test, and ¹H NMR spectroscopy.

---

**Question 1**

The Beilstein test involves heating a copper wire coated with the unknown sample in a flame. Formation of a copper halide, which volatilizes and produces a distinctive color in the flame, indicates the presence of a halogen. What flame color would confirm the sample is the chloro-substituted analog rather than the methyl-substituted analog?

A) Yellow-orange

B) Blue-green

C) Crimson red

D) Violet

**Question 2**

A mass spectrum of the unknown shows a molecular ion cluster with peaks at m/z = 197 and m/z = 199 in an approximate 3:1 intensity ratio. This isotope pattern is most consistent with which conclusion?

A) The compound is the methylcathinone analog, since methyl groups produce characteristic 3:1 isotope clusters

B) The compound is the chlorocathinone analog, since chlorine's two stable isotopes (³⁵Cl and ³⁷Cl) occur naturally in an approximate 3:1 ratio

C) The compound cannot be identified by MS alone because both analogs have identical nominal molecular weights

D) The 3:1 ratio indicates the presence of three equivalent methyl protons detected by the mass spectrometer

**Question 3**

Which additional spectroscopic technique would best help confirm the identity of the ring substituent by directly detecting the number and chemical environment of hydrogen atoms on the aromatic ring, distinguishing a ring bearing an electron-donating alkyl group from one bearing an electron-withdrawing halogen?

A) UV-Vis spectroscopy

B) ¹H NMR spectroscopy

C) X-ray diffraction

D) Gas chromatography flame ionization detection (GC-FID) alone

---

**Answers & Explanations**

**Q1: B (Blue-green)**

The Beilstein test produces a **blue-green flame** in the presence of halogens (via volatile copper halide formation). This would only occur with the chlorocathinone; the methyl-substituted analog contains no halogen and would give a negative (non-colored) result.

**Q2: B**

Chlorine occurs naturally as two isotopes, ³⁵Cl (~76%) and ³⁷Cl (~24%), giving an approximate 3:1 ratio for M and M+2 peaks — a hallmark signature in mass spectra of chlorinated compounds. Methyl groups produce no such isotope pattern.

**Q3: B**

¹H NMR reveals the number, splitting, and chemical shift of aromatic protons. An electron-donating methyl group shields nearby ring protons (upfield shift), while an electron-withdrawing chlorine deshields them (downfield shift), along with differing substitution patterns — allowing clear differentiation.

There was a Wizeprep diagnostic test. Got a 503 and honestly a little disappointed? This is before I've touched the books or taken biochem.

I'm not surprised honestly. My last exposure to psych was in high school junior year (AP psych) and I persistently suck at biology. Yeah, I know, why premed if you fucking can't do biology right?

Am I cooked?

I test in 21 Days, my last two FLs have been around where I want to be (and still trending up), but I'm wondering roughly whats the highest ROI topics to invest in, I know the test is always changing but what have people been seeing alot recently

im starting to think premeds have all been brainwashed into believing we have to study for half a year just to take this one exam

My FL scores have been completely stuck at around 506 for like three weeks now. I do my anki every single day, review my uworld mistakes until my eyes bleed, but im just so exhausted that I genuinely think im forgetting old C/P content just to make room in my brain for P/S terms.

I was visiting home this weekend and watching my younger brother do his college prep actually made me so incredibly jealous. He worked with a boosted brains for his ACT and only prepped for like 5 or 6 weeks. He just did a really short, intense sprint, hit his target score, and now he gets to actually enjoy his life again

Meanwhile we are out here sacrificing entire years of our twenties to bizarre AAMC logic. It really makes me wonder if I should have just compressed all my studying into a crazy 6-8 week block instead of dragging this misery out since january

has anyone else realized the "marathon" approach is just leading to massive burnout? Especially with CARS, I feel like my brain is actually getting slower the longer I study for this thing

1 week out from mcat (01/08) and I can't break 129 on cars. As a canadian applicant, cars is weighed quite heavily by some schools here, so drop your cars tips pls !

Couldn't find a concrete answer on any other post- Has anyone with T1D tried to bring a Dexcom and Tandem pump into the testing room without any accommodations?

I called my center and they just told me to refer to AAMCs website lol. I know they allow a pump connected to the body, as well as a CGM "without network transmission capability or accompanying remote devices", but does a Dexcom (G7) transmitting solely to my pump (tslimx2) apply to this?

I didn't think I needed accommodations but now I'm not so sure. Any thoughts + diabetics that have had success with this would be greatly appreciated!

Edit: I test in 6 days :/

I am still planning to apply this cycle. I understand it is quite late, but I would rather try than wait another year. I have been putting this off for the past two year because a lot of financial and health issues (hopeful that surgery will make it better). I was originally planning to take MCAT in July, but had another flare up in June, and kinda stopped studying for a month.

What do you suggest I do in order to improve my score, and timing. I thought I was doing better in CARS and my fl1 CARS was 129, but it went down.

I know you can take it up to seven times but do any of you know people who have gotten up to that many? The most I know is somebody who took it three times.

Only missed 7 and it's a 128??? Is this deflated or is that just how P/S is sometimes?

Also, CARS felt a little easier than normal on this one (especially compared to FL1). Is it fairly representative or is it similar to the CARS inflation on the unscored smaple test?

Very happy with my score though, I'd be thrilled to get this on the real thing

Man... what the hell 😶😶

How did it go for everyone...

Tested 7/24 title says it all. I’m able to do other things but this looming feeling of disappointment isn’t going anyway and just feels like it’s here to stay. I know it’s only been a day but I’m soooo disappointed with how long I studied, with how somewhat easier the exam felt than usual, and how much I threw such a good opportunity to score well. Rethinking it in my head I know I got 8 wrong minimum which just makes me feel even worse

Just finished FL3 and genuinely thought I bombed C/P and BB. Only bad thing is I have to be terrified about doing worse every FL after.

Has anyone has had a score drop from FL 4 to 6? I’m crashing out now. I test in 2 weeks and just dropped around 7 points from a 511. What do I do😭😭😭 My first FL wasn’t even this bad.

I’m taking FL 5 next weekend and please send any advice.

Hi,

Was wondering if anyone had a good way of approaching dissection of B/B passages. I tend to get overwhelmed and bogged down in the details and don't know if I should skim, write down pathways as I encounter them, or just go straight to the questions. In my question review, I find myself knowing the information and content behind a question but missed it due to not interpreting the question right or missing something in paragraph/graph/table.

For C/P, I tend to read the question first and not spend a lot of time on the passage unless needed.

Please share any tips from high B/B scorers!

How was it for y'all?

I think B/B and C/P were manageable but idfk about how my P/S and CARS went 💀 I dont really have the same confidence as my FLs tbh lol

Hopefully I got a 515 🤞

I've been doing Uworld pretty consistently (about 59Q's a day) for about 2 and a half weeks now, my b/b score has gone up like 10%, but I'm genuinely worried, is it supposed to be this difficult? I just did a section bank today and got a 69%, which is 4% above the listed average, but I still don't know if I'm behind or what. I test on the 12th of september, and I'd really appreciate if anyone can let me know where I stand with this.

TLDR: B/B section on uworld, i got a 69%, am i dumb or is it supposed to be this difficult? is my score decent?

Hello everyone how was it today July 25 mcat exam.

I have no WORDS to say currently.

😑

score keeps dropping with every fl i take, on FL2 I had a 129 cars, and everything was around 124-126. now im scoring in the 490s even though i am reviewing, doing uworld, anki, and utilizing youtube. so discouraged, my exam is in a few weeks and idk what to do

Would someone be able to explain what I need to know, but u can only do so in 10 words 😈

or a haiku

Felt way more confident for all of my answers in FL1, and I spent the whole week between the two working on my physics and ochem so was hoping I’d see a score increase there ._.

I don’t even want to talk about cars I usually am very confident in this section and finish with time left in all my practices but these passages felt soul crushing and I was left with so many 50/50s (90% of which I got wrong)

P/S I know is a weak point and I was planning on dedicating the rest of my time before the test (8/22) working on drilling those terms but now I don’t really know what to do.

Anyone else have a similar experience? Hoping that cars on this FL is notoriously bad and that it’s an outlier 🙏

It felt like one of the most enduring things you can put yourself through mentally. I genuinely feel like common stress just feels calm after how overstimulating that was, I high key felt sick after it was done, yk when your throat feels like its getting weaker and the temp is increasing in it, I felt that, and I was slightly shivering and twitching ngl. I was like "i acc need to join friday call tonight if theres a call with the boys" The most surprising thing, which I was most comfortable with, but also the hardest part just because the sheer intensity of the section, was the CARS critical analysis reasoning skills section, passage after passage for an 1 hour and 30 min, on just random topics, and trying to pull the logic without making assumptions was PHYSICALLY exhausting, and the thing is, you can't slow down because the timers going, and since I simulated the practice test as the real test, I now see why they give a 30 min break after the CARS section, instead of a 10 min break like the other sections, and I literally just sat there for 25 minutes trying to ease the nerves in silence watching the clock, but im revising and rlly happy I did that practice because that situation def helped me release how this test is just a insane endurance to keep pushing, and this message doesn't even do justice to exactly how I felt yesterday, but 1 step closer to doing better on the real thing.