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It's been a while since I did the MCAT, but just out of curiosity, is the TPR MCAT practice tests representative of the real MCAT? Back in the days of old MCAT the most representative practice book was examkrackers, and I've heard others either under or overestimate the difficulty. I have no idea what's best for the new MCAT unfortunately.

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2 minutes ago, shikimate said:

It's been a while since I did the MCAT, but just out of curiosity, is the TPR MCAT practice tests representative of the real MCAT? Back in the days of old MCAT the most representative practice book was examkrackers, and I've heard others either under or overestimate the difficulty. I have no idea what's best for the new MCAT unfortunately.

well they say they try to mimic the real mcat as best as possible, but idk how well they really do

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I had similar scores to you on those tests when I was practicing and my score on the real test was 128/129/130/128 - which was worthy of a Western interview invite this year (they have the highest cut-offs in Ontario so it's a score I'm satisfied with :)).

The funny thing is, among my friends, we all scored poorly on those stupid TPR tests and some of us did amazing on the real thing where as others didn't do as well.

So those scores you got aren't really predictive of anything, just keep practicing and grinding it out! MCAT summer isn't easy :(

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I find the most representative are Next Step! They are a bit harder than the real mcat, but the scores I had with them were very representative of the score I ended having during my real Mcat. So I really, really, really, recommend NS. They are great! Then, I think EK is the second best. I honestly find no prep companies have good CARS section. Best is to take the CARS question that the AAMC offers to practice them and trying to find the VR section of old AAMC's full length tests.

Also, don't be discouraged. The thing with the Mcat is that within a few months, you'll relearn how to take an exam (because the Mcat isn't like any other exam you ever had, it requires you learning new ways to tackle it than your standard science exams). I remember one of the prep class teacher I had explain, practicing the mcat is like practicing baseball. At first you may score some points but you'll have a bad technique while holding the bat. Then, while learning the correct position and how to wield the bat more efficiently, at first it will feel foreign and uncomfortable, so you'll end up scoring less than before, because you're learning a new technique. Finally, after many practice you'll end up "owning" those new methods and you'll be more efficient and score many more points than ever. Mcat is like practicing baseball, you'll learn new strategies, new ways to analyze texts rapidly, to chose the right answers, avoid traps, see the hints where they are. Those new strategies can feel overwhelming at first and  may end up in your scoring less, but by the end of the summer with enough practice (1-2 full length tests/week) you'll be above 127. 

Don't lose hope. The best way to keep yourself motivated is to structure your schedule well, to pin point your weaknesses and work on them and to allow yourself some time off. Also, keep it as social as possible! Spend as much time with family& friends while you are not studying, and be sure to have a good support system so you can vent the frustration (:

Good luck!

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I agree that Next Step is pretty representative (not to mention affordable too!).

I took them and my score was +/- 2 points overall from the real test.

 

Since your score is so low, it's best to ask yourself what is wrong. Did you really not understand the material? Were you having trouble finishing the test on time? If so, focus on the problems.

 

 

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I found the question style/passage difficulty of TPR tests to be fairly representative of the actual MCAT, but their scoring was much harder. I never got above a 505 on a TPR test but managed to shoot up to a 519 on the real thing. 

I think doing TPR tests is good practice for getting used to the length and style of the MCAT, but don't take the scores at face value. Instead, use the assessment tools they provide to target the areas where you are weakest and go from there. 

And like others have said, mixing TPR up with full lengths from Next Step, ExamKrackers, or Kaplan will expose you to the slight differences between prep companies and hopefully give you a better comprehensive view on what the real thing might be like.

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What's your study strategy, are you following a course, and how many FLs do you have left? It's quite normal for your scores to fluctuate on your first practice tests, especially ones from prep companies, as you may end up overthinking questions a bit as you start to apply test-taking strategies. I studied with Kaplan and started with a score similar to yours, and never got any section score higher than a 127 (the last one I took was 125-127), but got a 519 on the actual MCAT. I wouldn't worry too much about your score on prep FLs for now, but instead focus on what you can do to improve, whether it's familiarizing yourself with the material, or understanding the wordings of questions and how to approach answering them.

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TPR for me was much harder than the real thing. It's not representative of the exam. I did 3 of their FLs but if I had to do it again, I would just do one and I would probably spend more time on Exam Krackers prep (I would still spend the most time using the AAMC materials though). Like others here have mentioned, TPR is good for getting a thorough understanding of content, but your time might be better spent using Exam Krackers for more representative practice questions. I used the 30 minute exams and section tests in their MCAT 2015 set and found them very helpful, especially in pinpointing my weak areas. I believe they also sell practice exams on their website! I didn't have enough time to do those so I never bought them, but judging from the quality of questions in their books I think they're likely good as well. Good luck!

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From my experience, the TPR tests are harder than the real MCAT. What I recommend is that rather than focusing on your score, you look at why you got questions wrong and work on that. So for science, if you blanked on periodic trends or a physics formula, go back and study those. Same goes for CARS. I think by doing this, you will definitely see big jumps in your scores that will hopefully translate to the real MCAT.

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