507: How am I doing?

[obiwankenobi]

Hey guys,

I just completed the first AAMC FL. I got 126/128/127/126. I was wondering if I should focus on discrete questions or keep doing FLs. Is this a good place to be if I want to score 515? My exam is in a month. 

[frenchpress]

22 minutes ago, obiwankenobi said:

Hey guys,

I just completed the first AAMC FL. I got 126/128/127/126. I was wondering if I should focus on discrete questions or keep doing FLs. Is this a good place to be if I want to score 515? My exam is in a month. 

If you only have time for one or the other, then I would recommend continuing to do FLs. The discrete questions can be really helpful practice in learning question styles, etc, but I found what I really needed to work on was managing my time effectively in each section, and you only really get that practice from FLs. So I saw a lot more improvement in my scores after I started doing one FL a week in the month leading up to my exam than I did when I was just reviewing content / doing discrete questions. 

You should also really closely review that FL you wrote and try to figure out why you lost points. You're coming out fairly even on each section. So what you should ask yourself is, did you lose points because you really didn't know certain content areas? (In that case, discrete practice questions on those specific sub topics might be helpful). Or did you generally know a lot of the material, but the issue was figuring out the right answer? (In that case, more FL practice, balanced with reviewing the content you struggle with after each FL, is probably going to be more beneficial). 

Edit - Also, I think you're in OK shape. Just speaking from my experience, I scored a 508 on my first practice FL (next steps) a little more than a month out, and managed a 513 on the AAMC practice exam the week before my test -- which turned out to be very accurate, as I got a 514 on the real thing.