scubagirl Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 Okay so, this might sound stupid but, how much can we rely on the AAMC practice exams to reflect how well we will do on the actual MCAT? What I mean is, I've been doing quite well (13's and 14's) on the practice exams I have done so far (3R and 4R). Way better than I feel like I should be doing anyways. I am timing myself too. Are these exams legitimate questions taken from old exams? It just seems easier than I was expecting. I'm worried I'm going to go into the exam and be completely caught off guard. Do they increase in difficulty as you move from 3R and up? Or...? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lekarza Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 Okay so, this might sound stupid but, how much can we rely on the AAMC practice exams to reflect how well we will do on the actual MCAT? What I mean is, I've been doing quite well (13's and 14's) on the practice exams I have done so far (3R and 4R). Way better than I feel like I should be doing anyways. I am timing myself too. Are these exams legitimate questions taken from old exams? It just seems easier than I was expecting. I'm worried I'm going to go into the exam and be completely caught off guard. Do they increase in difficulty as you move from 3R and up? Or...? Thanks! The AAMC tests are retired MCAT tests so they are the best reflection of what the actual test will be like. and no they don't get harder as you go from 3R on. They are all real tests so if you're getting 13's and 14's you're doing really well! Don't worry you won't be caught off guard at all. If you do all of the aamc practice tests than you will know exactly what to expect on test day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gametime24 Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 That's great news! I haven't been doing SUPER well, but they definitely went okay! 3R (12,10,12) and 4R (12,11,12). Those were both timed as well, but I had to do each section individually (like PS after work, have supper, do VR, tutor, do BS) so hopefully stamina doesn't affect me too much when I start doing them with all the sections back to back to back like on the actual mcat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iicii Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 my actual scores were always about 1 or 2 pts below the highest set of scores I got on the practice test...so I would say pretty accurate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obi Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 I scored higher on my actual mcat than on the AAMC practise so you're good to go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubagirl Posted June 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 Okay, thanks alot guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehumanmacbook Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 Guys....3R and 4R are the easiest ones. Try 11 or 8. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubagirl Posted June 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 Guys....3R and 4R are the easiest ones. Try 11 or 8. Okay, thanks, I will do those ones next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
preppy038 Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 Try 9 an 10 too. They helped a lot. I suggest you do them at once and not spread out (just to eliminate variablility ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubagirl Posted June 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 Try 9 an 10 too. They helped a lot. I suggest you do them at once and not spread out (just to eliminate variablility ) So they do get harder as the number increases? Or at least that's the way it's beginning to seem...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehumanmacbook Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 So they do get harder as the number increases? Or at least that's the way it's beginning to seem...? Yes and no. There is variability, but you should just do all of them and graph out your results. Then take some sort of average between the scores and that should be pretty indicative of your performance on test day assuming that it is going to be of average difficulty. Who knows? Maybe it'll be as easy as 3 or tough as 11. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obi Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 your scores will slowly trend upwards as you do a test, review it, and work on your problem areas. I scored higher on these supposed "harder" tests than i did on the first couple... I would say do them progressively leading up to your test. In all honestly i didn't study at all the last week and a half before my test, i just couldnt bring myself to do it.. other than verbal of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pagan Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 Slightly off topic but... did you guys buy all your AAMCs? I mean 1 or 2 isn't bad but at $35 a pop that's hella expensive... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehumanmacbook Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 Slightly off topic but... did you guys buy all your AAMCs?I mean 1 or 2 isn't bad but at $35 a pop that's hella expensive... It is well worth the money my friend...seriously, the most valuable asset to your MCAT prep will be these babies. Can always split it with a friend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AP_gooner Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 I don't think they get harder as the numbers go up- ie AAMC 8 is not necessarily harder than AAMC 6. I think it really comes down to what you know, how you apply it and the passages you get for that particular exam. 3 right answers can make your score go from 9 to 11 in one section, so every question, every GUESS counts! Overall, I think your average range (ie 30-34, 26-32, whatever it may be) on the AAMC practice exams will give you a good idea of how you will do on test day. Unless something crazy happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EoE Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 1) Totally worth it to buy those guys! 2) Also, my final score both times I wrote the MCAT was higher than my practice avg by a few points. You may be pleasantly surprised. PS Don't neglect any sections and you won't have to write twice! 3) A tip that really helped me was to do the AAMC exams a couple times. On the days I had scheduled myself to do a full length and I really wasn't feeling it, I did an exam I had done before. I did two of the exams a third time. This can help with identifying the areas you still don't understand and it can also help with confidence... That 43 I got on one of my triplicate exams felt awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EoE Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 PPS This is an aside - I disagree philosophically with the title of this thread! There are no dumb questions. When the poor students that have me as a TA say 'This may be a dumb question, but...' they are subjected to a full-length lecture about how there are no dumb questions. Asking questions is the least dumb thing you can do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pagan Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 Would anyone like to split with me? I would be forever grateful and consider offering you my firstborn child. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limoncello Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 PPS This is an aside - I disagree philosophically with the title of this thread! There are no dumb questions. When the poor students that have me as a TA say 'This may be a dumb question, but...' they are subjected to a full-length lecture about how there are no dumb questions. Asking questions is the least dumb thing you can do. Totally agree! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehumanmacbook Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 Would anyone like to split with me? I would be forever grateful and consider offering you my firstborn child. Ask Rumplestiltskin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubagirl Posted June 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 PPS This is an aside - I disagree philosophically with the title of this thread! There are no dumb questions. When the poor students that have me as a TA say 'This may be a dumb question, but...' they are subjected to a full-length lecture about how there are no dumb questions. Asking questions is the least dumb thing you can do. True, true. I like this forum, everybody is so helpful. Thanks for your feedback about the AAMC exams, too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubagirl Posted June 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 While on the topic... Why are the AAMC practice exams out of 77 for PS and BS, and 60 for VR? On the MCAT its 52 for PS and BS and 40 for VR right? Did they just recently change the length of the exam and that's why there's been none of the shorter version released? Because holy I can barely stay awake the whole time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gametime24 Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 While on the topic... Why are the AAMC practice exams out of 77 for PS and BS, and 60 for VR? On the MCAT its 52 for PS and BS and 40 for VR right? Did they just recently change the length of the exam and that's why there's been none of the shorter version released? Because holy I can barely stay awake the whole time. Yeah, they have shortened the length, the newer practice tests are 52-40-52 I believe (I think the 11R I got was that length) my 3R-10R are all the long version though.. and yeah, they take quite some time and endurance haha, haven't done a whole one the entire way through without taking nice breaks yet lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubagirl Posted June 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 Yeah, they have shortened the length, the newer practice tests are 52-40-52 I believe (I think the 11R I got was that length) my 3R-10R are all the long version though.. and yeah, they take quite some time and endurance haha, haven't done a whole one the entire way through without taking nice breaks yet lol Oh weird, I just looked at the copy of 10R that I have, it's the shorter one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gametime24 Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 Probably will depend on when the copies were purchased. Ie all of the ones purchased before a certain date would be in the long format and all of the ones purchased after that would be in the shorter format. Just my guess! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.