NextStep Full Length Exams and General Approach

[ioripi]

Hi everyone,

I have taken NS1 and NS2 and got a 511 (first practice exam) and 509. I was wondering what others opinions are on the difficulty of these tests compared to the real deal? Also when were the Nextstep exams updated? Is the scoring on the latest posts to the spreadsheet accurate the the current tests?



Also I am wondering if anyone else who has taken these tests thinks the P/S questions are. I feel like there are a lot of questions (especially freestanding) that ask about obscure theories/vocab I have not seen in any book. Many statistics type questions seem to go beyond any prep book? (I think the obscure questions are good however for increasing your knowledge arsenal).

As far as strategy goes, what are some good techniques for the C/P and B/B passages? I seem to get bogged down in all the details and get lost in the many variables they explain at once in the experiments. I end up wasting a lot of time trying to analyze the passage only to have to go back and re-read and try to understand when I get to the questions. In general are the NextStep passages more difficult than the real MCAT?

Thanks of the help!

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[kiwifriend]

Obviously n=1, but I took all the NS FL tests and the highest I ever got was a 514 (and mostly I got 512), but on my actual test I got a 521. Those tests are definitely wayyyyy harder than the real thing in my book. And the passages are much more dense/difficult to read.

And yeah, the P/S had a ton of obscure stuff so I wouldn't worry too much about it. I actually used the Kaplan books for review and I think those prepared me enough. I thought NS in general was far too specific but it was really helpful to take tests harder than the real thing.

I would take the actual AAMC tests before you worry too much about your score. Those were very representative for me.

 

[ioripi]

Obviously n=1, but I took all the NS FL tests and the highest I ever got was a 514 (and mostly I got 512), but on my actual test I got a 521. Those tests are definitely wayyyyy harder than the real thing in my book. And the passages are much more dense/difficult to read.

And yeah, the P/S had a ton of obscure stuff so I wouldn't worry too much about it. I actually used the Kaplan books for review and I think those prepared me enough. I thought NS in general was far too specific but it was really helpful to take tests harder than the real thing.

I would take the actual AAMC tests before you worry too much about your score. Those were very representative for me.

Were those scores with the new scale? And thanks for your input!

 

[kiwifriend]

Were those scores with the new scale? And thanks for your input!

I don't know about the new scale - I bought the materials in summer 2015. Did they change something?

 

[ioripi]

Yes, I believe they changed the scaling, for example getting 42/59 in C/P gave a 128 on NS 1. But looking at most peoples scores on the recent spreadsheet, the NS tests still seem to underestimate scores.

 

[Gurby]

I was very happy with Next Step. I took FL's 1-4 in April (scored 513, 512, 514, 508), did a large chunk of the Strategy and Practice books for each subject. Ended up with 519 on the real MCAT in May.

In general NS is a little harder than the real thing, but not by a whole lot - which makes them perfect practice (you should also do all available AAMC content, of course).

 

[ioripi]

I was very happy with Next Step. I took FL's 1-4 in April (scored 513, 512, 514, 508), did a large chunk of the Strategy and Practice books for each subject. Ended up with 519 on the real MCAT in May.

In general NS is a little harder than the real thing, but not by a whole lot - which makes them perfect practice (you should also do all available AAMC content, of course).

Thanks for the reply,

Are the AAMC passages as dense as the NS ones? I plan to start doing those as I get closer to my exam, but am just wondering. I seem to have a hard time finishing the C/P section on the tests- do you have any recommendations for speeding up on these? I'm hoping its just that some NS passages are very dense (and calculation heavy) and the AAMC is a bit easier to read/extrapolate data from.

What score on the NS tests do you think I should be shooting for if I'm hoping to score around a 515 on the real deal?

 

[Gurby]

Thanks for the reply,

Are the AAMC passages as dense as the NS ones? I plan to start doing those as I get closer to my exam, but am just wondering. I seem to have a hard time finishing the C/P section on the tests- do you have any recommendations for speeding up on these? I'm hoping its just that some NS passages are very dense (and calculation heavy) and the AAMC is a bit easier to read/extrapolate data from.

What score on the NS tests do you think I should be shooting for if I'm hoping to score around a 515 on the real deal?

There are hard and easy passages. In general, AAMC passages are probably shorter and not quite as dense as the NS ones. For that reason, I feel like it's a good idea to spend your last 1-2 weeks of prep using only AAMC materials, to adjust to their style.

No good advice really, I always felt like C/P was my weakest section. Just don't get flustered, don't waste lots of time on questions you're unlikely to get right.

I would guess if you're averaging around 510 on the NS, you're probably in the ballpark of a 515. Take your AAMC scores into account too.

 

[ioripi]

There are hard and easy passages. In general, AAMC passages are probably shorter and not quite as dense as the NS ones. For that reason, I feel like it's a good idea to spend your last 1-2 weeks of prep using only AAMC materials, to adjust to their style.

No good advice really, I always felt like C/P was my weakest section. Just don't get flustered, don't waste lots of time on questions you're unlikely to get right.

I would guess if you're averaging around 510 on the NS, you're probably in the ballpark of a 515. Take your AAMC scores into account too.

Awesome thanks so much for all the info. Congrats on your score by the way!!

 

[kiwifriend]

I seem to have a hard time finishing the C/P section on the tests- do you have any recommendations for speeding up on these?

I had the same problem - what actually ended up helping me is a fairly easy solution. I wrote a little guide for keeping myself on track (which I replicated on test day in the time before the actual test starts when you are allowed to write notes). I wrote down where I needed to be question-wise in 20 minute intervals. I would periodically glance down to make sure I was staying on track and change my speed accordingly. (Like 20 minutes in - approx at question 13, etc.)

A generally decent rule of thumb is that you have approximately 90 seconds a question (including the time it takes you to read the passage, so in reality you have less time than that to actually come up with an answer)