practise tests.....rankings?

[sv3]

Hi there,

 

I just wanted to know which tests are the best to try. It seems that there are only 10 available on the AAMC website and from what I've read, those tests are the only ones with "real" questions.

 

Am I right in assuming one has no choice but to try Kaplan, Princeton, etc tests for more practise? (I'm specifically interested in verbal reasoning practice)

 

thanks

 

Sv

[silvermen85]

Hi there,

 

I just wanted to know which tests are the best to try. It seems that there are only 10 available on the AAMC website and from what I've read, those tests are the only ones with "real" questions.

 

Am I right in assuming one has no choice but to try Kaplan, Princeton, etc tests for more practise? (I'm specifically interested in verbal reasoning practice)

 

thanks

 

Sv

 

Those 10 tests are actually much easier than the ones you will get. I think those 10 tests were truncated version of old paper tests. For the computer tests, they reduced the number of questions/passages, but scaled up the difficulty.

[sv3]

So if the AAMC tests are easier, can you recommend anything else? thanks for the heads up...nothing worse than false confidence.

 

sv

[silvermen85]

So if the AAMC tests are easier, can you recommend anything else? thanks for the heads up...nothing worse than false confidence.

 

sv

 

Actually VR section of the AAMC tests are still good for practice, but PS/BS are no longer sufficient. For additional practice, I suggest you try Kaplan tests. People say Kaplan tests have more difficult passages but easier question so overall you are pretty much looking at the same level with real test. I also find that the Exam Cracker VR passages to be too easy to read, but they could be good practice when you finished up everything else and considering you are starting to study now, most likely you would. Princeton I generally heard are too easy, although I never really tried myself.

[sv3]

thanks

 

i'll go for AAMC, then kaplan, and then the rest

 

thanks

[DOC_Ma]

I did the princeton ones, they are harder than the actual test b/c I consistantly scored much lower on them than the real ones

[Alastriss]

Those 10 tests are actually much easier than the ones you will get. I think those 10 tests were truncated version of old paper tests. For the computer tests, they reduced the number of questions/passages, but scaled up the difficulty.

 

Those 10 tests are pretty representative of what you will get on the mcat, since...they ARE previous mcats.

 

OP, you should practice those 10 tests. My scores were +/- 1 from what the tests predicted. Some sections on my administration were easier (phys) some were harder (bio) and some were the same (verbal/writing sample). Just make sure.

 

The difficulty didn't change in content. It changed in the fact that there were more passages to read/minute.

 

In any case, the difficulty of the question doesn't really matter, what does matter is how you do relative to everyone else. If you score 60% right and that happens to be the highest mark, then you have a 15. likewise, getting 70% right may put you at an 8 or 9 if a lot of people scored more than 70% correct.

[rmorelan]

So if the AAMC tests are easier, can you recommend anything else? thanks for the heads up...nothing worse than false confidence.

 

sv

 

Just to follow up your score on those tests is not "false confidence". They are actual real tests and not modified versions. Granted you should practice harder things as well to improve but I don't think any test is more useful than the actual ones from AAMC.

[RandomGuy]

I found the AAMC tests to be reflective of my actual MCAT, on average. I wonder if people who found them significantly easier just had the added pressure of nerves on test day, and therefore found it more difficult.

[youngdad]

I found the Kaplan tests to have tougher passages and questions but an easier curve. I scored lower than my average going from the Kaplan tests to the real thing. The AAMC ones seem easier while writing them, but are tougher to score well on. Good plan is to do some of each if you can. Just what I have found.

[w8kg6]

Hey, OP, it seems as though a lot of these people are neglecting that the MCAT is a standardized test, so it doesn't really matter how easy or hard the problems are. Since you're being compared against your peers, and are graded based on what percentage of them you beat, the AAMC's tests will best represent your actual ability. The reason for this is that you're graded against a pool of actual students who wrote the real MCAT before is real conditions, and not a group of students commisioned by Kaplan or the Princeton Review.

 

Are the AAMC tests easier? I don't know, maybe, why not? But it doesn't make a difference, since it's a standardized test. The AAMC tests will be the best practice for you.

[rmorelan]

Hey, OP, it seems as though a lot of these people are neglecting that the MCAT is a standardized test, so it doesn't really matter how easy or hard the problems are. Since you're being compared against your peers, and are graded based on what percentage of them you beat, the AAMC's tests will best represent your actual ability. The reason for this is that you're graded against a pool of actual students who wrote the real MCAT before is real conditions, and not a group of students commisioned by Kaplan or the Princeton Review.

 

Are the AAMC tests easier? I don't know, maybe, why not? But it doesn't make a difference, since it's a standardized test. The AAMC tests will be the best practice for you.

 

Right! the only reason I was bringing up doing harder tests to improve your abilities - not to actually see what score you would get on a real test. I guess improving and knowing how well you would do are actually somewhat different things

[StreetballKing]

I did a ton of practice tests. As for the usefulness, I'd say AAMC > Kaplan > others. My score was really close to what I got for AAMC 3-10.