TBR CBT vs AAMC CBT

I think they are more or less the same. The AAMC tends to get you on minute details for bio and physical whereas TBR is much more thoughtprovoking since u cant look for the answers in the passages. However, I dont know how the verbal stacks up. I tend to do better on TBR but i think its more b/c of the curve, it seems way to generous what do you think?

I found the verbal on TBR to be really easy, however, I used the old written tests and not the TBR CBT's, so I don't know if they have changed much. Thought the other sections were up to par, however, they had a different feel to them then my actual MCAT.

If you do choose to use TBR, then it would probably be a good idea to use them first and then supplement them by using the AAMC tests right before your test date because the AAMC's were pretty close the real thing.

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bump..any experiences???

unDRdog said:

bump..any experiences???

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I did all 9 of the BR exams and most of the AAMC exams and found both useful for different reasons.

For the AAMC, I felt the timing was close to my real MCAT, but that the passages and questions on my real test were harder. I thought my verbal passages on my actual MCAT were longer than AAMC and had more inference questions (my nemesis). The PS passages were good, but I thought the questions on the practice exams were easier than my real exam. I always finished my practice exams fifteen minutes early, and that wasn't the case on the real thing.

The BS sections were generally good. What I liked is that they were so random in terms of what they focused on. It made me realize that the MCAT could cover pretty much anything they wanted. I'm definitely glad I did AAMC exams to get an idea of the timing and writing style. I did about four points lower on my AAMC exams (average score) than my real MCAT.

For the BR exams, I agree with the previous posters about the VR scale. It was too generous. I was getting 11 and 12s on BR and got a 10 on the real thing. I liked that the passages were long and boring, because my actual MCAT had all long, boring passages. But I didn't really like their questions all that much. I don't remember much about my real exam or BR exams in terms of VR, but I do recall thinking that the actual MCAT was a bit easier to use the passages for answering questions.

BR PS was perfect in its weirdness, difficulty, and doability (not sure that's a word 🙂 ). I felt that BR prepared me better for what to expect on my actual MCAT PS than any other source, including AAMC. They had calculations, experiments, and bizarre stuff just like the real test. I was getting 12+ on BR exams (much to my surprise at the time) and ended up with a 15 on the real deal. I can't say enough about how well BR did with PS.

The BR BS sections on the exams are really good, better than the books I thought. They are hard, but so was my MCAT. I liked that some passages were straight forward and you could answer questions by applying the passage information directly. I also liked that some passages were crazy weird and made me stop and reread, because I had a couple of those on my actual MCAT.

All-in-all, I felt the BR CBTs prepared me quite well. I also think everyone should take AAMC exams. It shouldn't a one or the other choice. Do both!

BR is better for the sciences, but nothing beats AAMCs for verbal....EK verbal 101 is close...

bump

Ive taken about 4 of each now and the PS on BR is MUCH harder than AAMC (puts it to shame). My last 2 PS scores on AAMC tests 7 and 9 were 15 and 13 respectively. For BR tests 3 and 4, they were 13 (just made it) and mid way through the 11-12 scale. The PS makes you think which is a very good thing. The BS is pretty good, however it requires you to make some connections which you may not have learned .Without giving away specifics, as I dont want to ruin anyones test, a certain hormone is inhibited by Alcohol AND Coffee. This is normally considered random information. That being said my scores have been 13,9,9,12. Whereas my AAMC was normally 11 (the mode). I think that the score variance in BR is probably due to A. The first test containing a lot of Ochem (which I know) and B. I got the 9's before learning a lot of the material as I haven't had the second semester of Bio. I crammed a lot of Bio in before the 12 so im interested in seeing what will happen on the AAMC exams. BR also seems to take some points and really test them. This may be where the score variation comes in as sometimes you either know it or you dont.

I cant really sum up verbal. The first test felt pretty easy, however the AAMC 3 was easy as well. I find EK to be harder than most of the AAMC (weird eh?). Test 4 TBR VR felt like a test from hell. Honestly, I spaced through most of it and let my subconcious kind of feel things out... To my surprise, I got a 12. My AAMC VR ranges from 7-11 so that is still within range but I didn't feel like I deserved it at all. I wish I knew what happened so I could replicate it. Unfortunately, my VR is very inconsistent so I cant really give any advice there.

I dont know what shows up on the real thing. However the AAMCs are probably well supplemented by BR tests as they really make you think.