Berkeley Review CBT Scores

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TheBoneDoctah

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Haven't seen any posts for everyone to post BR CBT scores so here it is. I will start:

BR CBT 1: 31 (10/9/12) UGH VERBAL!


Feel free to add your scores!

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Okay good to hear we are on the same page!

Since I don't have consistent scores for verbal using either TPR FL or TBR CBT's , I'm not sure what to expect on the real exam ( I'm scoring on the lower end-for TBR CBT and TPR; I can't finish the verbal for some reason).

I do have higher verbal scores on AAMC; but took the exam last year in April. Although I don't remember anything about the passages, I'm afraid my verbal scores are not reflective.

:help:
What have you been scoring on AAMC vs. BR?
 
Anyone care to comment how difficult these are compared to AAMCs? I've done #1 and #5 (only PS sections) and got 9 and 8 on it - these tests are very hard for me

Its been mixed. Ive had some difficult ones but There are easier ones as well. IMO the bio is a little more difficult. Overall I think they are great practice. I will be taking AAMC 10 and 11 next week and I'll get back to you when I get my scores and see how much they have been helping
 
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I'm getting a 7-8 on BR ( Not finishing 1 or 2 passages ) and 9-10 on AAMC. :( I don't know how else I can improve. I've done everything!!

shoot so they are pretty close to the real deal. I've done 4 Kaplan FLs and I have to admit the PS on BR 5 ( didn't do the other sections ) was definitely brutal for me.
 
Honestly there is no point to wonder about "how accurate" they are. Take them for what they're worth: practice. study your ass off and do the best you can. we will all find out soon enough how the real test is! the more you stress about it the more you are likely to psych yourself out
 
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Honestly there is no point to wonder about "how accurate" they are. Take them for what they're worth: practice. study your ass off and do the best you can. we will all find out soon enough how the real test is! the more you stress about it the more you are likely to psych yourself out
Indeed, thanks man
 
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i just took TBR CBT 1...overall I'm not sure how useful they are as a learning tool (10 on PS and 11-12 on BS).. the BS section is not comparable to AAMC at all (heavy on the orgo). Are the rest of the BS sections like that? I feel they did not really have a good representation of experiment passages. There was also a passage in the BS that seemed like it belonged in the PS section. and the PS is decent practice, but has some really odd questions. Anyone have similar feelings?

I may not end up doing them as I originally planned. I got 13s on PS/BS on AAMC 8, but got wrecked by TBR CBT 1, so not sure if I should keep doing them. Any thoughts?
 
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i just took TBR CBT 1...overall I'm not sure how useful they are as a learning tool (10 on PS and 11-12 on BS).. the BS section is not comparable to AAMC at all (heavy on the orgo). Are the rest of the BS sections like that? I feel they did not really have a good representation of experiment passages. There was also a passage in the BS that seemed like it belonged in the PS section. and the PS is decent practice, but has some really odd questions. Anyone have similar feelings?

I may not end up doing them as I originally planned. I got 13s on PS/BS on AAMC 8, but got wrecked by TBR CBT 1, so not sure if I should keep doing them. Any thoughts?
2 and 3 aren't as orgo heavy.
 
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i just took TBR CBT 1...overall I'm not sure how useful they are as a learning tool (10 on PS and 11-12 on BS).. the BS section is not comparable to AAMC at all (heavy on the orgo). Are the rest of the BS sections like that? I feel they did not really have a good representation of experiment passages. There was also a passage in the BS that seemed like it belonged in the PS section. and the PS is decent practice, but has some really odd questions. Anyone have similar feelings?

I may not end up doing them as I originally planned. I got 13s on PS/BS on AAMC 8, but got wrecked by TBR CBT 1, so not sure if I should keep doing them. Any thoughts?


I haven't done any AAMCs so far so what I'm saying here might be incorrect but I have to agree with you, I also did TBR #1 (PS and BS) - PS was definitely good practice but there are some questions that are just way out there but again good practice but when it comes to BS, I didn't find it that helpful either - there were some questions that was just impossible for me to get and some easy ones.

I have done Kaplan so far and I have to say the Bio on Kaplan is much better and for that reason I will not continue with TBR BS and only do the PS Sections if I have time..
 
I haven't done any AAMCs so far so what I'm saying here might be incorrect but I have to agree with you, I also did TBR #1 (PS and BS) - PS was definitely good practice but there are some questions that are just way out there but again good practice but when it comes to BS, I didn't find it that helpful either - there were some questions that was just impossible for me to get and some easy ones.

I have done Kaplan so far and I have to say the Bio on Kaplan is much better and for that reason I will not continue with TBR BS and only do the PS Sections if I have time..

The kaplan BS full lengths or section tests?
 
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Just finished CBT #5: 7/10/9 The Bio on this one felt more like AAMC IMHO.

My thoughts: What makes it difficult is timing. I ran out of time on PS, I had about 21min to do 3 passages and 2 sets of discretes.
Honestly, had I decided to bail on one of the earlier passages and just kept going I think I could have managed a high 8 to low 9 on PS.

As a result of running out of time, I did the last discrets before tackling passage 7. Then, when I went back to passage 7 I mostly skimmed the passage and applied the necessary concepts. Only missed one question. So much for reading passages lol. :cool:

VR, I also ran out of time. I had 5min to read the last passage and answer the questions. Luckily it was a science topic I am familiar with which made guessing the last few questions easier.

BS, I finished with about 10min to spare. I used the time to make a couple changes here and there. Too early to tell if that was a poor decision or not. lol

Those who haven't taken it yet, should be able to score "OK" if you can manage time well and approach it with a positive mindset. I oddly feel happy about getting a 25 on this "beast" that's been so hyped up.

Glad to be done with the TBR CBTs. I don't know what to make of them though as none of them seemed consistent due to the varying difficulty of each section from exam to exam. I plan to do one final review of all of the exams and glean as much knowledge as possible.
 
Which TBR bios specifically? I felt 1 was not representative at all.

All MCATs are different, just as all CBTs are different. They are representative due to the complexity; I'm not referring specifically to the bio-orgo breakdown. Be prepared to see anything on test day, including the "too much orgo" you encountered. My April 5th exam had a decent amount of orgo in BS.

You're getting good practice with all CBTs, equally.
 
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All MCATs are different, just as all CBTs are different. They are representative due to the complexity; I'm not referring specifically to the bio-orgo breakdown. Be prepared to see anything on test day, including the "too much orgo" you encountered. My April 5th exam had a decent amount of orgo in BS.

You're getting good practice with all CBTs, equally.

I agree! My exam last year had 2 ochem passages ( really easy) ; however, very difficult experimental passages.
 
All MCATs are different, just as all CBTs are different. They are representative due to the complexity; I'm not referring specifically to the bio-orgo breakdown. Be prepared to see anything on test day, including the "too much orgo" you encountered. My April 5th exam had a decent amount of orgo in BS.

You're getting good practice with all CBTs, equally.
Do you think the scoring is accurate?
 
Just finished CBT #5: 7/10/9 The Bio on this one felt more like AAMC IMHO.

My thoughts: What makes it difficult is timing. I ran out of time on PS, I had about 21min to do 3 passages and 2 sets of discretes.
Honestly, had I decided to bail on one of the earlier passages and just kept going I think I could have managed a high 8 to low 9 on PS.

As a result of running out of time, I did the last discrets before tackling passage 7. Then, when I went back to passage 7 I mostly skimmed the passage and applied the necessary concepts. Only missed one question. So much for reading passages lol. :cool:

VR, I also ran out of time. I had 5min to read the last passage and answer the questions. Luckily it was a science topic I am familiar with which made guessing the last few questions easier.

BS, I finished with about 10min to spare. I used the time to make a couple changes here and there. Too early to tell if that was a poor decision or not. lol

Those who haven't taken it yet, should be able to score "OK" if you can manage time well and approach it with a positive mindset. I oddly feel happy about getting a 25 on this "beast" that's been so hyped up.

Glad to be done with the TBR CBTs. I don't know what to make of them though as none of them seemed consistent due to the varying difficulty of each section from exam to exam. I plan to do one final review of all of the exams and glean as much knowledge as possible.
How did you do on CBT 4
 
How did you do on CBT 4

CBT 4 was my worst one actually, I misunderstood an entire passage in PS 9/9/7.

I conceptually knew how to approach the passage but I misread something in the passage and ran with it causing me to answer all the questions incorrectly.

I wouldn't worry too much about any of the TBR CBTs, after doing them all I seemed to have been consistent up to test 4. Scored: 28, 28, 28, 25, 26 respectively.

I was trending upwards in PS until the mix-up on test 4.
 
[Q UOTE="Karasu, post: 15127665, member: 454697"]CBT 4 was my worst one actually, I misunderstood an entire passage in PS 9/9/7.

I conceptually knew how to approach the passage but I misread something in the passage and ran with it causing me to answer all the questions incorrectly.

I wouldn't worry too much about any of the TBR CBTs, after doing them all I seemed to have been consistent up to test 4. Scored: 28, 28, 28, 25, 26 respectively.

I was trending upwards in PS until the mix-up on test 4.[/QUOTE]
What are you scoring on the AAMC tests?
 
CBT 4 was my worst one actually, I misunderstood an entire passage in PS 9/9/7.

I conceptually knew how to approach the passage but I misread something in the passage and ran with it causing me to answer all the questions incorrectly.

I wouldn't worry too much about any of the TBR CBTs, after doing them all I seemed to have been consistent up to test 4. Scored: 28, 28, 28, 25, 26 respectively.

I was trending upwards in PS until the mix-up on test 4.


What are you scoring on the AAMC tests?
 
CBT #4 (9/9/9)

Used TPRH verbal book to take the verbal exam.

I'm getting really discouraged.

Don't be discouraged. Like I said, each test fluctuates in difficulty and the areas of knowledge they tackle. They're meant to be a learning tool. Sure other's manage to score in the low to mind 30's but I'm hoping there's truth to these being more difficult than the real MCAT, so that we'll all see a nice score bump on test day.
 
What are you scoring on the AAMC tests?


Those don't really count for me since I took them a 1.5yrs ago almost to the day. I retook 3 and 4 before I started TBR CBTs so far 31 and 30 respectively. 9-11 come over the next few days and I decided to throw in some old Kaplan PS/BS sections.
 
Those don't really count for me since I took them a 1.5yrs ago almost to the day. I retook 3 and 4 before I started TBR CBTs so far 31 and 30 respectively. 9-11 come over the next few days and I decided to throw in some old Kaplan PS/BS sections.
Cool. When are you taking 10 and 11?
 
@SynapticDoctah I felt like crap after I realized I bombed an entire passage on CBT 4. It messed me up for the entire day. Just try and keep pushing forward, if it's too much take a few hours off.
 
One of my weakest topics in bio is PI and amino acids stuff. Lol

I felt TBR did a really good job of explaining that. However, one mistake that I kept making over and over was that I wouldn't take into account the charge on the N-terminus, C-terminus, and side chain one at a time.

I'd rush in and average the Pka's to see what the overall charge was, but that's the wrong approach apparently.
 
I felt TBR did a really good job of explaining that. However, one mistake that I kept making over and over was that I wouldn't take into account the charge on the N-terminus, C-terminus, and side chain one at a time.

I'd rush in and average the Pka's to see what the overall charge was, but that's the wrong approach apparently.


So how Do you determine the PI when you have all different charges? I average them as well...
 
So I just completed my post game analysis on CBT #4. After looking at the answers, there were 3 problems in PS and 3 problems in BS that I read wrong. I am trying to go too fast because I feel rushed! The ones I got wrong I couldn't believe it because they were so easy too.

If I would have gotten those six problems correct, I would have ended up with a 11/9/10 on CBT #4.
Also, I didn't take the BR verbal. I used TPRH verbal workbook and completed test 1 and scored 27/40, which according to EK is scored around a 9.

Now off to doing practice passages. I am going to be doing CBT #5 on Thursday morning.
 
So how Do you determine the PI when you have all different charges? I average them as well...

You do just take the averages. For example the regular AAs you'd average Pka1 and Pka2 and for the basic one's only you'd average Pka2 and Pka3.

The problem I was having was with questions that showed the molecule with +/- at each of the sites that have a protic hydrogen. If I said to myself amino acid X should be basic (negative) at Ph 8 I'd focus only on the choice that had the hydroxy end deprotonated or something like without taking into account the other locations on the AA.

It's hard for me to explain, sorry. If someone else can explain what I'm getting at I'd like that, because I don't want to cause any confusion. It's just difficult trying to explain something that might be idiosyncratic to the way I approach questions about PI of AAs.
 
Since we're on the subject, anyone care to help elucidate why this is the right answer? There explanation makes perfect sense. Right until the last sentence. Im not sure why they are taking the average of those pkas.

I think what they are saying is this:
You need to get it to a net 0 charge. Your start below pH 8 and work your way up. First you cross into the pka 8 - 10 range. What comes off? Your N-terminus hydrogen (because as your pH goes up, you have less H+ in solution, so you replace them by dissociating the H). Now the total charge is only +1 (located on the "guandino group"). Next you cross into the 10-12 range. What comes off? Your hydroxyl hydrogen. Now you have the +1 from the Guandino and a new -1 from the hydroxyl. Net Zero! What range were you in? 10-12. What 2 pKas border that range? 10 and 12. What's their average? Choice C.

Thanks for posting that! I didn't know how to do those problems until I worked through this one.
 
Since we're on the subject, anyone care to help elucidate why this is the right answer? There explanation makes perfect sense. Right until the last sentence. Im not sure why they are taking the average of those pkas.
On this problem I only found 8 peptide bonds and they said there is 10
 
I think what they are saying is this:
You need to get it to a net 0 charge. Your start below pH 8 and work your way up. First you cross into the pka 8 - 10 range. What comes off? Your N-terminus hydrogen (because as your pH goes up, you have less H+ in solution, so you replace them by dissociating the H). Now the total charge is only +1 (located on the "guandino group"). Next you cross into the 10-12 range. What comes off? Your hydroxyl hydrogen. Now you have the +1 from the Guandino and a new -1 from the hydroxyl. Net Zero! What range were you in? 10-12. What 2 pKas border that range? 10 and 12. What's their average? Choice C.

Thanks for posting that! I didn't know how to do those problems until I worked through this one.

Awesome. You are right. that makes sense
 
On this problem I only found 8 peptide bonds and they said there is 10

Be careful with that question. If you go back and review, there are some peptide bonds in weird locations. I was thinking just count up the peptides and add one, but technically a peptide bond is an amide bond and there were some amide bonds that were not involved in peptide link aging
 
Be careful with that question. If you go back and review, there are some peptide bonds in weird locations. I was thinking just count up the peptides and add one, but technically a peptide bond is an amide bond and there were some amide bonds that were not involved in peptide link aging
So it doesn't have to link to amino acids together?
 
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