#mcatstudy

the key, for me at least, for studying for a big exam like the mcat consistently for several weeks, is to switch things up. rigid and strict routines make me not want to do them, especially if they are not enjoyable in nature.

this week has been all about finishing up content review. i'm doing 4 chapters a day from a different subject. for example, today i'm studying chapter 6 of chemistry, chapter 5 of biology, chapter 10 of physics, and chapter 3 of organic chemistry. i'm using the review books from the princeton review because they have practice questions and practice passages after each chapter. sometimes it does tend to get into the weeds, but content is content.

i start at 8 am and do one hour of the milesdown anki deck. this gets my brain prepped for the day. i have a nintendo switch remote that i use to flip through the anki cards which immediately makes it more fun and less taxing.

then, i break for breakfast. my breakfasts are either half a bagel with cream cheese, oatmeal with fruits and granola, or a breakfast sandwich. i also have a cup of coffee or an energy drink (depending on my energy levels), a hydroflask full of water, and a fairlife protein shake.

from there, i study in one hour intervals until lunch. i read through the chapters and make flashcards for unfamiliar terms and concepts. each chapter normally takes me an hour to an hour and a half, meaning i get about two chapters done in the morning and two chapters done in the afternoon.

after i finish my chapter reviews, i do 3 practice cars passages from the aamc review deck. i'm a little rusty on cars, so doing daily practice is necessary to keep both my reading stamina up and to work on my "aamc logic."

this past week has been really busy with having things to do in the evenings, so post mcat study if i'm free, i will eat dinner and then watch some tv or read or game. it's whatever i feel like, which is a great feeling.

i've been averaging about 5 hours of studying a day, but that will ramp up as i finish up content review and go into practice problem and practice section sets.

this is the routine that works for me right now! i'm sure this will change as time goes on and i continue to study for this pretty grueling exam.

for those of y'all out there studying for this thing, we've got this. for those of y'all that aren't, you lucky bastards.

9 November 2018. 19:49.

Day 2 of MCAT Take IV.

Started studying at around 14:00 today. Late start, I know. With no real reason as to why, except that I cleaned my room.

It wasn’t messy. And could’ve been done later.

Anyway, accomplished most of what I needed to today. Realized that I don’t know as much as I thought. Which makes sense why I haven’t done as well as I should on my previous MCAT attempts. It’s discouraging having to review things that I should know and getting stuck on them while half of the people I know are either in medical school or have gotten accepted into some sort of professional school and are waiting to start.

Can’t let myself down. This one is for me this time. I can do this.

-Z

See full flashcard & demo tutorials @ drawittoknowit.com

First drawing

Single circular chromosome with inner and outer strands. — In reality, bacterial DNA is arranged in loops. Recall that there is no distinct nucleus, as in eukaryotic cells; instead, DNA lies in the nucleoid region.

Origin of replication is marked by oriC; this is where the replication initiator proteins bind.

Terminus is located opposite oriC; this is the region where DNA replication terminates.

Second drawing After DNA replication begins:

Outer and inner parental strands begin to separate in bidirectional replication.

Replication "bubble," is the space between the strands.

Two y-shaped replication forks, one on each side of the bubble.

DNA helicases separate the parental DNA strands in short segments, thus creating the replication forks; if the two strands separated all at once, excessive DNA damage could occur.

Developing daughter strands: each one begins at the origin of its parental strand and grows towards its terminal end. — These complementary daughter strands are synthesized by the replisome,which comprises DNA polymerase III and other components.

Third drawing

The parental and growing daughter strands are further along in the replication process. — The parental strands have further separated from each other as the daughter strands grow towards the terminal region.

Fourth drawing

Finally, the chromosomes separate after the daughter strands are complete.