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u/AccurateLeg855

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▲ 4 r/MCATStudyTips+1 crossposts

an ADHDer’s guide(?) on how to score 524

Hi everyone, just wanted to share my experience studying for and taking the MCAT as someone with ADHD. I'll cover my prep, the test itself, and after. The whole process was about 4 months in total.

I didn't use a content review textbook. I find it really hard to learn/retain things from just reading. The most essential content review for me was anki!! I used miledown, and watched khan academy videos for topics I felt like I needed more detail on. This was basically the bulk of my first month, which honestly wasn't super effective. Some days I would do my anki reviews and nothing else it's important to not feel guilty about taking breaks, they help reset and let you study more effectively without burning out.

I started UWorld around a month into my studying I only got around 100 questions done which I regret. These questions are great for both content review and general test taking. I recommend integrating UWorld into content review about 50/50. I also took 2 blueprint exams (510, 511) which are good for test stamina and not much else. It was around this point when I decided it would be beneficial to take stimulants during my practice tests. I wanted to simulate my real test taking environment as well as possible.

During the last month I used exclusively AAMC material. Question packs are severely underrated!! They helped me patch up so many content gaps particularly in bio. Do them! Around halfway through these materials I started experiencing some serious burnout and lack of focus. My qpack and section bank scores started taking dips and I felt myself not wanting to study at all. I fell extremely behind on my study schedule and was not able to finish it. However, it is very important to not let this affect you during FLs. These are valuable and are the best materials we have by a long shot. I woke up early, popped an addy, had a coffee, and ate a small breakfast just like I would on test day. It was the real thing every time for me. My FLs were as follows: 520, 521, 523, 522.

Test Tips
C/P: don't get caught in the passage! There's usually only a couple sentences or numbers that are relevant to each question.
CARS: I struggled with focus a LOT in this section. One tip I saw on here was to just stop reading and look at a wall for 10 seconds when its difficult to sustain comprehension. Surprisingly effective.
B/B: My worst section. Not too many tips but content is big here.
P/S: Anki. MrPankow is great but I didn't have time to make much progress on it.
Don't let this shit destroy your mental health!!! I was in a bad place after my test. I would keep remembering qs I got wrong and having dreams about my potential score. Live your life and trust your FLs.
TLDR:
Start doing practice questions wayyy earlier than you want to. Anki is a must.
Take break days, avoid burnout, keep doing things you enjoy.
Practice FLs should be as similar as possible to real test conditions.
Don't worry, you will make it. Don't be so hard on yourself.
I ended up scoring 2 points higher than my FL average (524) after being completely certain I did worse fellow adhders good luck

u/AccurateLeg855 — 1 month ago
▲ 91 r/WeirdSideProjects+1 crossposts

I made a tiny side business that gets paid to identify “mystery smells” in houses

I accidentally discovered that people will pay you to tell them why their house smells weird.
Not plumbers. Not pest control. Just… me, with a spreadsheet, a flashlight, and an embarrassingly good nose.

It started when a friend asked me to figure out why her spare bedroom smelled like “wet cardboard and old cereal.”

I spent about 30 minutes checking the room and eventually found a slightly leaking AC drain line behind a cabinet. She joked that I should start charging people for this.

So I did.

I made a ridiculously simple Facebook page called “What Is That Smell?”

People send me:

A description of the smell

Photos/videos of the room

When they notice it

Whether it gets worse with rain, heat, AC, etc.

I give them a list of the most likely causes and what they should check first.

If they can't figure it out, I offer a $25–$40 video consultation.

The weird part is that I don't actually need to visit most of the houses.

I've diagnosed things like:

“Fishy smell near the kitchen” → electrical outlet overheating
“Sweet smell in the garage” → spilled coolant
“Wet towel smell in one corner” → hidden moisture behind drywall
“Dead animal smell that disappears” → apparently a dead mouse somewhere in the wall
“Burnt popcorn smell every evening” → neighbor's exhaust drifting through an open window

I also made a little database of smells and their common causes, which has become the most useful part of the project.

After about 4 months:
147 inquiries
63 paid consultations
$1,920 total revenue
~2–3 hours/week

The funniest part is that people don't seem embarrassed about paying for it.

They'll happily say:

“I have no idea what this smell is and it's driving me insane.”

And honestly, that's a pretty good business problem to solve.

I'm now experimenting with charging $5 for a “smell diagnosis” PDF where people upload photos and answer a questionnaire.

I never expected “professional smell detective” to become an actual side hustle.

Edit: For everyone asking, no, I don't literally sniff people's houses professionally 😂. The majority of the diagnosis is based on location, timing, ventilation, nearby appliances, and what the smell resembles. And I always recommend a qualified professional when there's a possibility of gas, electrical problems, mold, or other safety issues.

reddit.com
u/AccurateLeg855 — 1 month ago
▲ 8 r/WeirdThingsToLearn+2 crossposts

What would you do if your entire office building suddenly started moving while you were still working inside?

Sounds like something from a cartoon, right?

But this actually happened in 1930 in Indianapolis, when the Indiana Bell Telephone Company decided to move its entire 8-story building.

And when I say move, I don't mean they moved everyone out and built it somewhere else.

They literally picked up the roughly 11,000-ton building and rotated it by 90 degrees.

And the craziest part?

Around 600 employees were still working inside while it was being moved.

The building was moved extremely slowly, around 15 inches per hour, using jacks and rollers. They also had to make the pipes and cables flexible enough so that the water, electricity, gas, and telephone services could keep running.

Apparently, the workers inside didn't even feel the building move.

Imagine sitting at your desk, answering a phone call, while your entire office slowly rotates beneath you and you don't even notice.

u/AccurateLeg855 — 1 month ago
▲ 55 r/WeirdStudyTips+1 crossposts

I study better at gym than in the library.

I don't know why I study better at the gym than at local libraries. I have been grinding and studying at the gym for the past 2 semesters. I do cardio while reading my notes and do active recall afterwards. I do light work on the treadmill while reading my notes and do active recall during rests. Honestly, doing something physical keeps me more naturally awake, instead reading in a quiet library for hours doesn't help me focus on studying.

u/AccurateLeg855 — 2 months ago