Hey everyone, I know it is not recommended to take a practice exam before I have even done content review, but I just wanted to know what it was like, the format, etc. I ended up making a 25 on the free AAMC 3. I am currently in organic 2, physics 2, and cell bio. My question is with this beginning score, if I study for around 4-5 hours a day for 2 months, is it possible to boost my score to 30+ by the time of the mid July MCAT?
25 on first AAMC practice exam with no studying?
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Thanks. Definitely didn't mean to sound arrogant/happy/proud of the practice score, just more along the lines of whether it was representative at all of where I am starting out at. And whether I could use it as a baseline to determine whether 2 months of diligent studying would be sufficient to get above a 30. But thanks for the response!
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First off, congrats, that a great score for just jumping in.
Take it as a good experience but most people agree that #3 is abnormally easy with respect to content.
4-5 hours for 2 months seems like you would only have time to do practice problems for each concept. This may be completely sufficient for some but I didn't feel comfortable with that methodology personally. If you want to review the content by reading and diving in deep a little again, that probably wouldn't be enough time for a thorough read-through, practice and review. Unless you skipped what you felt were your strong points, that could open up a lot of time and make it do-able. I just went through and did an entire thorough review of everything, even the things I knew I was good at. Lastly, I think it would be hard to squeeze a handful of full lengths in as well without burning out.
Take it as a good experience but most people agree that #3 is abnormally easy with respect to content.
4-5 hours for 2 months seems like you would only have time to do practice problems for each concept. This may be completely sufficient for some but I didn't feel comfortable with that methodology personally. If you want to review the content by reading and diving in deep a little again, that probably wouldn't be enough time for a thorough read-through, practice and review. Unless you skipped what you felt were your strong points, that could open up a lot of time and make it do-able. I just went through and did an entire thorough review of everything, even the things I knew I was good at. Lastly, I think it would be hard to squeeze a handful of full lengths in as well without burning out.
Some people will tell you that there's a ceiling for how well you can do on the MCAT. They say it's like the SAT in that studying willhelp your score, but your aptitude and IQ are what it really comes down to.
I personally haven't found this to be true. I started off getting a 27, and now I'm in the upper 30s. I think it all comes down to how you prepare. It's super important to study on your own, outside of whatever class you might be taking. And don't use materials from just one course; diversify so that you'll be ready for anything!
I personally haven't found this to be true. I started off getting a 27, and now I'm in the upper 30s. I think it all comes down to how you prepare. It's super important to study on your own, outside of whatever class you might be taking. And don't use materials from just one course; diversify so that you'll be ready for anything!
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A 25 means something... as much as taking one exam as a baseline diagnostic. A 25 means you have a good basis of knowledge and a strong foundation to build on. 2 Months is certainly enough time if you work hard to get a 30+
Ya, I think you shouldn't have a problem getting in the 30+ range if u study. I got a 24 on the kaplan diagnostic w/o studying and ended up doing well after studying for 3 mos w/ avg of 3.5 hrs of studyding/day. So as long as you put in effort, I think you are capable of doing well (Isn't that true for almost everything...)
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Oh, that's not what I meant. Sorry if I sounded like a dick. I'm just saying that any score without studying is meaningless. I know people who got <15 on the Kaplan diagnostic and went on to get 30+. What score you get on the real thing is dependent on how well you prepare and luck to some extent (if you're in the ~35+ range).
If you really commit yourself to studying, you can certainly get a 30+. Just don't get caught up thinking something like "well, I got a 25 with no work whatsoever, so getting a 30+ will be easy." It won't be. I don't remember the exact scales, but the difference between an 8 on a section and a 10 on a section is probably about 8 questions. In other words, if you are about equal in all sections, you need about 25 more question right to go from a 25 to a 30.
