CBT Practice Options Other Than AAMC

First off, don't buy MCAT Achiever. The only reason why it got votes last time was due to some reps from the company.

Here's last month's thread on the same topic: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=661832

In terms of easily accessible tests (tests that are available to non-class MCAT studiers), BR and Gold Standard are your best bets. BR is generally regarded as better, but they're quite expensive. On the other hand, GS is much cheaper and one's average is usually about -2 due to the tough science sections. Both BR and GS are not known for good verbal.

When considering all four, unlike MCAT prep books, I don't think the agreement on practice test ranking is that strong. Most tend to agree that the later AAMC tests are the best, but beyond that, there isn't much of a consensus. There's even an argument to be made that the AAMCs are only really good for verbal since there are more accurate CBTs in regards to the sciences.

1. AAMC #7-10
2. Kaplan #1-6
3. BR #1-7/GS #1-10
4. AAMC #3-6
5. TPR
6. Kaplan #7-10

The reason why TPR tests are so low is because the opinions are too mixed to gain a good read.

Question for SN2ed:

If the Kaplan are better than and BR are better than those AAMC, then why not include them in your guide instead?

JP2740 said:

Question for SN2ed:

If the Kaplan are better than and BR are better than those AAMC, then why not include them in your guide instead?

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Because they are not easily obtainable. You must take their class to get access to their tests. I don't think the ones offered in their big book are the same. The Kaplan rep our first day of class said the class received different tests. I did consider replacing some AAMCs for GS and/or BR, however, my schedule already has tons of BR passages, so I didn't think it was necessary. Currently, the only change I'm considering to the schedule is replacing EK Bio with BR bio since numerous posters have said its passages are more accurate.

Thanks. The cash grab by these companies annoy me. Like how you can't get the hyperlearning books without taking the class. It seems TBR are the only ones who just throw their stuff out there for everyone.

ive heard firsthand that the BR tests are actually easier than the actual mcat, which makes them pretty useless in some sense

bigballer27 said:

ive heard firsthand that the BR tests are actually easier than the actual mcat, which makes them pretty useless in some sense

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I found TBR to be on par with difficulty of my MCAT in September. The only sense that the TBR CBTs are easier is that they're verbal scale is very forgiving. If I used the AAMC verbal scale though, TBR was spot on with my actual score, otherwise my TBR score was higher due to the forgiving verbal scale (it is also graded the old way with the written test in that after a certain mark the score is 13+, rather than a distinction between 13, 14, or 15).

IMHO, AAMC #3-6 aren't that bad at all. They are a bit more straight forward than the modern MCAT and TBR, but they are still excellent VR practice. Kaplan, meh... everything is very detail oriented, which is not good for VR as VR on the MCAT is more deductive, global, and inferenced based. I found Kaplan PS to be difficult and time consuming only because of the amount of math required, which again is no like the actual MCAT, and because of harping on specifics details of PS knowledge, unlike the MCAT. Kaplan BS is a bit more like the MCAT, but still.. less experimental hypothesis driven and more 'tell me what you know'. If you want a taste of what the modern MCAT is like TBR's BS reflects that. Just my personal take on it.

With that in mind, I would rank them:
1.) AAMC 7-10 (everyone MUST take these!)
2.) TBR or AAMC 3-6
3.) Kaplan 1-5. The rest are either graded too hard or harp on the most minor of details. They're bad for morale, and poor practice as well. And hey, on these boards I usually say that more difficult practice makes you a better game day test taker... Kaplan 6+ is the exception. Waste of time and money.

bigballer27 said:

ive heard firsthand that the BR tests are actually easier than the actual mcat, which makes them pretty useless in some sense

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I beg to differ here. I have to ask "First hand from who?" In about ten years at UCLA (undergrad and grad student), I have heard the same comments year in and year out from hundreds of people: "The BR tests are a little harder than the real test, but very helpful to do." They will beat you up and make you think, which is a perfect balance to the AAMC materials.

Having taken the class and taught for them for a few years, I know a bit about the exams. You are pretty far off the mark if you are expecting the MCAT to be harder than BR exams. The verbal scale may be a bit too generous on the early exams, but other than that there's not too much to complain about. About half to two-thirds of their exams are a good over-prepare (I didn't like all of the exams). The sectional exams are exceptional, but those aren't in a CBT full-length format.

BerkReviewTeach said:

I beg to differ here. I have to ask "First hand from who?" In about ten years at UCLA (undergrad and grad student), I have heard the same comments year in and year out from hundreds of people: "The BR tests are a little harder than the real test, but very helpful to do." They will beat you up and make you think, which is a perfect balance to the AAMC materials.

Having taken the class and taught for them for a few years, I know a bit about the exams. You are pretty far off the mark if you are expecting the MCAT to be harder than BR exams. The verbal scale may be a bit too generous on the early exams, but other than that there's not too much to complain about. About half to two-thirds of their exams are a good over-prepare (I didn't like all of the exams). The sectional exams are exceptional, but those aren't in a CBT full-length format.

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first hand someone close to me who would be accurate ( and got a 40). i think there's some bias because you taught for their class, but either way i think any practice is good, kaplan, br or pr,

the more tests the marrier imo

Gold Standard tests have a few mistakes and a pretty poor verbal section, but they are very good practice and pretty much the cheapest thing you'll find.

InterMilan said:

Only 6 voters with 6 votes. Apparently, everyone has been advocating what he/she thought to be the best CBT material. You can actually have multiple selections. For instance, if you think both TBR and TPR are good, pick two instead of one.

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I voted for two. The early returns are:

The Berkeley Review 6 60.00%
The Princeton Review 0 0%
Kaplan 1 10.00%
Gold Standard 2 20.00%
MCAT Achiever 1 10.00%

bigballer27 said:

ive heard firsthand that the BR tests are actually easier than the actual mcat, which makes them pretty useless in some sense

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I thought the BR tests were a little harder than my actual MCAT. The verbals were on par (except for the first one, which was too easy). The sciences were harder than my real MCAT. The BR exams get harder as you go. The most helpful aspect is that they make you think more than any other practice exams (I took a few from many sources), and that's exactly what I needed for the MCAT.

Interesting poll again. No one seems to be using TPR CBT and recommending it?

I don't mean to bring up something unspeakable, but how can you do the Kaplan/PR tests without paying for entire courses?

gnomeski said:

I don't mean to bring up something unspeakable, but how can you do the Kaplan/PR tests without paying for entire courses?

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Most people refer to the free Kaplan and TPR. Also, if you buy the princeton cbt book they give you access to 4 practice tests. the old kaplan tests are available if you use your imagination.

gnomeski said:

I don't mean to bring up something unspeakable, but how can you do the Kaplan/PR tests without paying for entire courses?

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I bought access to all nine CBTs and all the online practice material for TPR from ebay for $108. Look around, you don't have to buy the $1800 course. GS was $42.

Who says we should only choose one company to take CBTs from? Get them all! They're the best kind of practice and relatively inexpensive (compared to the price of a course, which you only need for review if you didn't do well in the college courses).

VonBeethoven said:

I bought access to all nine CBTs and all the online practice material for TPR from ebay for $108. Look around, you don't have to buy the $1800 course. GS was $42.

Who says we should only choose one company to take CBTs from? Get them all! They're the best kind of practice and relatively inexpensive (compared to the price of a course, which you only need for review if you didn't do well in the college courses).

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Where on eBay are you purchasing these 9 CBT's and online practice material ? I've been searching for months and never seen TPR CBT's and Online Material for sale. If not eBay, where else can we get this stuff?

Often, if a person is selling their TPR hyp books, they have taken the class. They may, if you message them about it, offer to give you the login to the website with the books. Make sure they can guarantee that the login will not expire before your test date.

I didn't need the books, so I browsed the completed listings and messaged sellers about buying their TPR login. I think it also includes the AAMC CBTs, too.

Im taking the MCAT on Jan 28 or whatever the saturday date is.

I was planning on doing all the AAMC practice tests and buying the BR CBTs. Turns out It going to be alot of trouble to get the BR tests (I have to go get a money order, mail it, wait, and then the tests wont even work on my dorm IP if I start them at home)

Would it be a bad thing if I just bought the Gold Standard tests instead?

surftheiop said:

Im taking the MCAT on Jan 28 or whatever the saturday date is.

I was planning on doing all the AAMC practice tests and buying the BR CBTs. Turns out It going to be alot of trouble to get the BR tests (I have to go get a money order, mail it, wait, and then the tests wont even work on my dorm IP if I start them at home)

Would it be a bad thing if I just bought the Gold Standard tests instead?

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For the tests, why not send a CC payment instead of a money order? Also, if you have a problem with the number of IP addresses, just let the BR people know your situation and I'll bet they'll expand the number of usable IPs for you.

surftheiop said:

Im taking the MCAT on Jan 28 or whatever the saturday date is.

I was planning on doing all the AAMC practice tests and buying the BR CBTs. Turns out It going to be alot of trouble to get the BR tests (I have to go get a money order, mail it, wait, and then the tests wont even work on my dorm IP if I start them at home)

Would it be a bad thing if I just bought the Gold Standard tests instead?

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I called them up to ask about their computer policy. Basically you are allowed to take the tests on 2 computers, but if you plan to use a laptop you can connect from any wireless network. It's not based on IP addresses/internet but some computer identifiication thing.

InterMilan said:

Would they not track IPs and deny your access to those CBTs?

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Hasn't happened to me. All I needed was the login info, and I've been able to login from my laptop anywhere to access the TPR exams.

short response:
Be a smart consumer. Use a credit card.

long response:
You need to trust that the seller is honest about the login info, expiration date, etc. and trust that they will refund you before you actually make the purchase.

As soon as you've payed for it, make sure the login info works, check the account that you've been given login info for, and confirm that the exp. date is what the seller said it would be.

If anything seems sketchy or inaccurate about the account (blocked IP, wrong login, etc), communicate with the seller. If they are obstinate, kindly inform them that you have the power to stop payment from your credit card. If that doesn't get them, they are a scam, and you simply exercise your privilege, and tell your credit card company not to pay them.

How can you get a hold of the kaplan CBT tests if you didn't take their MCAT course? Can you?

NinjaWarrior said:

How can you get a hold of the kaplan CBT tests if you didn't take their MCAT course? Can you?

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I think you can do the same thing like VonBeethoven would do on Princeton's CBTs.

SN2ed said:

First off, don't buy MCAT Achiever. The only reason why it got votes last time was due to some reps from the company.

Here's last month's thread on the same topic: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=661832

In terms of easily accessible tests (tests that are available to non-class MCAT studiers), BR and Gold Standard are your best bets. BR is generally regarded as better, but they're quite expensive. On the other hand, GS is much cheaper and one's average is usually about -2 due to the tough science sections. Both BR and GS are not known for good verbal.

When considering all four, unlike MCAT prep books, I don't think the agreement on practice test ranking is that strong. Most tend to agree that the later AAMC tests are the best, but beyond that, there isn't much of a consensus. There's even an argument to be made that the AAMCs are only really good for verbal since there are more accurate CBTs in regards to the sciences.

1. AAMC #7-10
2. Kaplan #1-6
3. BR #1-7/GS #1-10
4. AAMC #3-6
5. TPR
6. Kaplan #7-10

The reason why TPR tests are so low is because the opinions are too mixed to gain a good read.

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Do you think its better to go with BR #1-7 instead of Kaplan #1-6 since 1) its easier to get BR and 2) Kaplan's verbal is not that good ?

eez said:

Do you think its better to go with BR #1-7 instead of Kaplan #1-6 since 1) its easier to get BR and 2) Kaplan's verbal is not that good ?

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I'd also like to know the answer to this. Anyone?

I have taken Kaplan 1-6 , and just started BR 1-7 (I took the first one today). Personally, I find BR to be better and more realistic. But both are pretty lousy for verbal, compared to EK.

ronaldo23 said:

I have taken Kaplan 1-6 , and just started BR 1-7 (I took the first one today). Personally, I find BR to be better and more realistic. But both are pretty lousy for verbal, compared to EK.

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I get my BR exams tomorrow. Do you think BR verbal is better than Kaplan verbal?

yeah kaplan is worse, but the choice is not between good and bad for verbal. It's really between bad and worse....focus on EK/AAMC for verbal for good practice

ronaldo23 said:

I have taken Kaplan 1-6 , and just started BR 1-7 (I took the first one today). Personally, I find BR to be better and more realistic. But both are pretty lousy for verbal, compared to EK.

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I thought the verbal on BR 1 was pretty horrible and not representative at all, but the verbal on BR 2 (and according to other people I know, the rest of the BR exams) was strikingly similar to the AAMC verbal style. I think it's great practice.

I didn’t vote in this poll, but would have voted for BR if I did.

I’ve only taken a few CBTs in their entirety so far, but I’ve been through plenty of exams section by section. I think the poll pretty much says exactly what I thought.

#1 Berkeley Review (most realistic and good in all three sections. Tests are a little more difficult than AAMC and real MCATs in a good way.)
#2 Gold Standard (verbal is not so good, but they are good for PS and BS. You can’t beat the price)
#3 Kaplan (the first six exams are good, but a bit unrealistic. The last exams aren’t worth doing.)
#4 MCAT Achiever (it surprises me this is on the list. No one ever mentions them at SDN but they somehow got a stack of votes at the last second.)
#5 Princeton Review (I’m so done with PR tests forever. They are the same unrealistic and bad exams they’ve been using for years.)

Bigballer, your logic is a bit faulty. If your friend took BR and got a 40, then he is both really smart and the course did great things for him. He probably felt the BR MCATs were easy, because everything felt easy to him. Things seem easier the way they teach things than they do the normal way of looking at it. You are the first person I’ve ever heard say that BR was easier than the actual MCAT. You could be in for a bit of a shock when you take them yourself. I’m sure your firsthand opinion will be different than what you were told. Good luck on them, because they have a few passages that are really going to make you think.

With the gap between replies increasing and the fact that these numbers have been static for a few weeks, maybe it's time to close the voting here and let a new thread on this subject open up again when someone gets the itch in a while. These polls repeat often enough that this information will need updating for 2010 exams.

Keeping this poll going ...

InterMilan said:

These are the only five companies that offer CBT practice materials after doing some searches on the forum. Please vote and post your experience(s) with these sample tests.

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i use kaplan myself, and when compared to barrons and princeton, it's the best. i've heard great things about berkeley review, but i can't find that on amazon or ebay.

i plan on taking the aamcs exams soon.

I recently scored all 10 GS CBTs on ebay for about the price of a single AAMC practice test, and I've seen other auctions go for less. Given the price, these are good tests for purely getting practice in front of a computer.

But they seem to be a lot more difficult, and the predictive power is nowhere near the official tests. Again though, for the right price GS is one of the better and more affordable options out there.

BR CBTs weren't bad. I had a lot of technical issues with it (possibly because I was taking them on a mac) and the CS was non-existent so obviously I'm biased on that front. I think their PS is tricky and good for learning more discrete concepts, but I didn't think it was realistic in the sense that you could answer most of the questions without even reading the passage. Same went for Bio. Their verbal sucked imo and I didn't agree with a lot of their explanations. Either way, it's still good practice. Don't take them too close to your test date because they might freak you out unnecessarily.

Chronicle said:

Interesting poll again. No one seems to be using TPR CBT and recommending it?

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haha ... 2 votes on princeton review, finally.

hi,

for the kaplan practice test, must we register for the course to have access to them? Can they be purchased independently?

Cheers!

sankara said:

hi,

for the kaplan practice test, must we register for the course to have access to them? Can they be purchased independently?

Cheers!

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You get one free practice on their website when you register for an account; probably few more sets from the book you get from Barnes and Nobles. The rest you would have to sign up for the course to qualify. Someone please correct me if I have been wrong. G/L

What about tpr practice tests? Can they be purchased individually too?