So I just got my TPR diagnostic score (for the 4911 exam) back last night. Now what? I got equal scores on the BS and PS sections, but neither of those scores will get me into medical school. Any insight of what to do next in order to tackle the huge chunk of material needed for the MCAT?

Do all the homework and make every effort not to be behind in your homework. Just keep studying, and you'll do fine.

Does anyone have the TPR syllabus for all of the material? I have all of the books but no way to track progress with a syllabus.

hmm i do have the syllabus but it's in paper form, and kind of messed up. should I instant mess u the details

Stiffany, the consensus in my TPR class is that the non-AMCAS tests are significantly more difficult than the actual test. Don't be too discouraged. The first test is intentionally harder so they don't have to post refunds to the subscribers. Getting 10 points higher than on your diagnostic is very reasonable as long as you study the materials and keep up on the homework.

I jumped 11 points from teh diag. Basically just go to all the lectures, pay attention and do the homework. I didn't do the A-D prac tests, instead i did AAMC tests. The verbal 'techniques' help some and hinder others. Ifelt that it slowed me down without really increasing my accuracy so i stopped. Just try and see what works for you. Dont bog yourself down reading the material, just do problems after lectures and see what you dont know

just keep studying

Do not worry. The first diag is not a test to be laughed it, it was a hard test. The TPR tests are comparable in difficulty to a difficult level MCAT. Work hard. Study hard. Ive seen grades go up 20 points, mine personally went up significantly.

I took this diag. as well. I got a 20 4B/6P/10V. I havent started my orgo sequence yet so I'm not too worried yet, but hopefully i can also imporve significantly

Thanks guys. Did you take practice tests outside of what was offered from TPR? I have access to 3R through 8 right now and I think the class takes 7 and 8 towards the end. I've already taken 3R. Should I just go chronologically from 4-6 and then get the 9th? Since I was a nonscience major in college (and also since I took intro bio and gen chem 5 years ago), I'm not sure if I should focus extra time on reading the books or just doing practice problems/tests.

Thanks!

I'm in the Early Start TPR, which started May 6, so its been sometime since i took the diagnostic and i basically got the same as Noway. After that I started reviewing the chapters, and doing the homework after each chapter. Write now i'm on Chapter 5 for each subject, and there's 10chapters in each (bio, phy, chem, orgo) so i think I'm doing okay. My goal is to read them atleast twice, well, before the exam. I feel more confident now and my second exam is this weekend, so I'll see how i've improved.

Stiffany, if you don't feel comfortable with the material, I'd review it by reading the chapters. It just helps to go over and spark your memory, and you can break up your studying with practice tests every once in a while. That works for some people who've had a gap in their classes or just don't know stuff well (like me in general chem and physics!! so i'm focusing on them a lot).

Yea pretty worried here, for the TPR diag got:

9 BS
5 PS
7 VR

The VR struck me by surprise, I guess I need to get studying!

I'm in the Early Start TPR, which started May 6, so its been sometime since i took the diagnostic and i basically got the same as Noway. After that I started reviewing the chapters, and doing the homework after each chapter. Write now i'm on Chapter 5 for each subject, and there's 10chapters in each (bio, phy, chem, orgo) so i think I'm doing okay. My goal is to read them atleast twice, well, before the exam. I feel more confident now and my second exam is this weekend, so I'll see how i've improved.

Stiffany, if you don't feel comfortable with the material, I'd review it by reading the chapters. It just helps to go over and spark your memory, and you can break up your studying with practice tests every once in a while. That works for some people who've had a gap in their classes or just don't know stuff well (like me in general chem and physics!! so i'm focusing on them a lot).

good luck, let us know how much you improve

Yea pretty worried here, for the TPR diag got:

9 BS
5 PS
7 VR

The VR struck me by surprise, I guess I need to get studying!

I don't think you guys have anything to worry about. I probably had the worst TPR diagnostic score ever in the history of life:
PS - 5
VR - 4
BS - 6

Yeah a 15. Anyways I wish I had studied more before I took the April MCAT but I feel confident about my score. I've heard people say that MCAT takers always do better on the real thing than they do on their last practice exam. I hope that's the case with me since I got high 20's n my last one. Please everyone cross your fingers for me!!!!!!

Yea pretty worried here, for the TPR diag got:

9 BS
5 PS
7 VR

The VR struck me by surprise, I guess I need to get studying!

you'll be fine

Yea I just spoke to a friend who got 21 as well, verbal was a 9

Yea I just spoke to a friend who got 21 as well, verbal was a 9


I started with a 20 B-8 VR-6 PS-6 and ended scored 30, 33 and 33 on my last three practice tests, AAMC 7,8,9....so put the time in and your score will come around. If you are starting with above an 8 in verbal don't sweat that part either, just practive EK 101 and the scores will come up to 10+.

Hoping for something similar on the real deal...fingers crossed.


'Rambler

good luck, let us know how much you improve
hey guys just got my scores from TPR 4921, and i went up in bio by two points :) YAY! im pumped about that even if its a not a big deal because that means if i study harder i can bring my score up for everything. 4921 is supposed to be much harder than the first one, and your verbal score is supposed to drop if you're trying to use the TPR techniques. Mine was the same, but i haven't focused much on VR recently. PS was same, so i need to get on it and study study study. This was my second practice test ever. I'm thinking now i'll go over all my PS material because thats my weakest area and then start taking more practices tests.

forgot to put my numbers in...i got 8BS/9VR/4PS (yeah, i know PS is reallllly bad :( ) I'm not too worried about VR though, because i'm sure that'll go up with practice, i had a headache on saturday to top it all!

forgot to put my numbers in...i got 8BS/9VR/4PS (yeah, i know PS is reallllly bad :( ) I'm not too worried about VR though, because i'm sure that'll go up with practice, i had a headache on saturday to top it all!


Sounds good as for what to do. Complete the workbook they give you if you can. I finished about 80% of it and my PS came up by 5 points, raw scores started in the low 30's and ended in the low to mid 60's. Studying for me was a balancing act between learning and being burnt out, as there is so much freaking material, and an almost infinite number of ways to have it presented to you. The classroom part was pretty worthless but the experiences vary depending on the instructor. I had solid Bio and Physics instruction but the rest I usually skipped, unfortunate for me because I needed the most help in G Chem.

Set a lot of goals as far as material completion and competency levels and you will be fine. Also, there is nowhere near the math on the real MCAT as there is in the TPR workbook, so don't sweat some of the more complex trig calculations they have you do, I did and I ended up wasting time and being frustrated for no reason.

G'luck.
Oh yeah, EK 101 can't be stressed enough. Starting at a 9 you might be a contender for the teens. I started at a 6 and ranged up to a 12 (one time). Focus, focus, focus.

'Rambler

Wait a minute, you will be competing against me in Texas. Scratch all that other stuff I said and play golf, watch TV and follow TPR's advice on verbal every chance you get. ;)

Wait a minute, you will be competing against me in Texas. Scratch all that other stuff I said and play golf, watch TV and follow TPR's advice on verbal every chance you get. ;)
:D yessir, i'll arrange to ignore all advice to the contrary...
thanks a lot for the above advice though, that makes me feel a lot better.

Hi justmoi. Just curious how your TPR progress is going since the last diag. I think my class is a couple of weeks or more behind yours (we just took 4921 this Saturday). While my bio score went up two points, I think thanks to doing more practice passages and reading through the entire bio section of the TPR review book, my VR went down a point and my physical science section went down another point as well (10BS, 10VR, 7 :scared: PS). Have you found that reading through the physics/chem book has helped at all? I got through the chem review book but I'm a little scared to open the physics reading section since my physics II class is just starting today! I think for now I'm going to jump hardcore into the TPR workbook for the PS. Anyone else have any ideas/experiencing the same score flip flips with TPR?

I took TPR, and experienced the same stuff (In chronologial order, includes PS/VR/BS scores):
TPR 4911 - 20 (6/8/6)
TPR 4921 - 23 (8/6/9)
TPR 4931 - 23 (9/7/7)
AAMC 8 - 27 (10/9/8)
AAMC 7 - 32 (11/9/12)
AAMC 9 - 31 (11/10/10)
April MCAT - 29 (11/9/9)

Hi justmoi. Just curious how your TPR progress is going since the last diag. I think my class is a couple of weeks or more behind yours (we just took 4921 this Saturday). While my bio score went up two points, I think thanks to doing more practice passages and reading through the entire bio section of the TPR review book, my VR went down a point and my physical science section went down another point as well (10BS, 10VR, 7 :scared: PS). Have you found that reading through the physics/chem book has helped at all? I got through the chem review book but I'm a little scared to open the physics reading section since my physics II class is just starting today! I think for now I'm going to jump hardcore into the TPR workbook for the PS. Anyone else have any ideas/experiencing the same score flip flips with TPR?
Hi Stiffany. my next diag is in July, and I'll update on that when it happens. I think going down on verbal is normal, as Eddie Indy also did, because you're trying to get the techniques down. Today I finished review of all my subjects PS and BS and feel more confident. Now i'm going to start on lots and lots of practice--the Homeworks and practice exams. I'd say you should do the physical review as soon as you can, if thats your weak area. Its good that you're taking a physics II class, but I'd read it (like a book) once and review physics I. I'd also do some questions and figure out my weak area (i'm doing that with physics, I see what question type I miss the most, apparently its applying kinematic questions!). Also, everyone in my TPR class went down in VR, so the score flips are normal. Good job on the BS, don't worry about the rest, i'm sure you'll see a good rise as time passes if you continue to work hard.

Just did TPR diag #2, went back and marked it myself

VR ...I did worse, may have been the lack of sleep; I went back and did VR questions from the book, and started to get perfect, I think its technique

BS - should really be a boost, easy double digits

PS - as i said in another post, this worries me, i struggle just getting this mark anywhere near ten, i had 5 on my first one; I can't seem to think the questions through well


I hope the TPR in class passages for physical are harder than the real MCAT, because I can't grasp them in the time provided.

*edit* PS may also have been lack of sleep, I didn't really "Feel fresH" until 12 :|

Just did TPR diag #2, went back and marked it myself

VR ...I did worse, may have been the lack of sleep; I went back and did VR questions from the book, and started to get perfect, I think its technique

BS - should really be a boost, easy double digits

PS - as i said in another post, this worries me, i struggle just getting this mark anywhere near ten, i had 5 on my first one; I can't seem to think the questions through well


I hope the TPR in class passages for physical are harder than the real MCAT, because I can't grasp them in the time provided.

*edit* PS may also have been lack of sleep, I didn't really "Feel fresH" until 12 :|
Btw, if you want to know your exact grades, use the scale in the end of each A-D exam. It's exactly the same scale TPR uses (which explains the low diag scores).

Btw, if you want to know your exact grades, use the scale in the end of each A-D exam. It's exactly the same scale TPR uses (which explains the low diag scores).


What he said.