4 weeks until my exam, how should I prepare? No FL so far.... finished content

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Hopefulpremed123

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Hey guys, @MedSchoolTutors

I finished all of my content and my test is coming up in a little over 4 weeks. I have access to all Q packs/ Section Banks and AAMC FLs.

Can someone please guide me on how to split these up to get the most out of them and give myself time for thorough review? Also there are 4 FL’s.

Even though I finished my content, I feel a bit iffy on a few physics/ gen chem topics and just need to review them. My plan was to review in the next two days and take the unscored aamc day after tomorrow, 27 days away from my exam.

Thanks

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I would normally suggest start with 3rd party FL’s to build endurance (6 weeks) and then start using AAMC FL’s (5 weeks). Since you’re pressing for time, I would say just do half of each period: 2 weeks on 3rd party FL’s & 2 weeks on all AAMC FL’s. If you have time, use AAMC SB.
 
This is gonna be one of the rare times I disagree with Jim here. Having only 4 weeks and still not having done any FL exam, Question Pack (much more useful than it gets credit for), or the Section Bank can often spell doom. You don't have time for 3rd party FL at this point. You need to do the Bio and Chem Question Packs first to get used to the style of being able to extract info from a science passage to answer questions. These are on the easier side of things but they are awesome for learning how to extract info and reasoning when you are first starting out. Next up is the Section Bank and CARS Qpacks. These are MUSTS and skipping them will be your downfall. You'll also need to review the Section Bank thoroughly, as it is quite notoriously challenging. Lastly, but most importantly, is the AAMC FL 1-4 exams. These are the most accurate predictors of how exam day will turn out for you. You'll need time to review each exam thoroughly and review the content you missed on the exam. I do not know if 28 days is enough for all of this.
 
I do not know if 28 days is enough for all of this.
I agree that 28-day period may not be enough. One of the common mistakes I and other pre-meds made is not giving enough time to do practice problems and FL’s. IMO, you need to spend as much time to doing practice problems as content review. However, assuming you are applying this cycle, I don’t think you have the luxury to spend 2-3 months on practice problems. Regardless, you should do at least one practice AAMC FL and gauge where you’re at. If you’re not at your desired score, just delay it.
 
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Concur with the general consensus here that questions are key and FL exams are king. I would make sure you do at least two AAMC scores in order to get a basic trend. The first one will tell you how to direct effort towards your weaknesses and you can use targeted questions here to bridge to FL2. If after two FL exams you are not within a few points of your goal score zone, you should probably delay.

Not a ton of time here, so a lot of it will be determined by your ability to endure and accept risk. Must you go to Harvard? Better have multiple FLs comfortably in your goal zone. P=MD (or DO) then make sure the rest of your app is solid and you are within 'shooting distance' of that goal zone.

David D, MD - USMLE and MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors
 
Hey guys, @MedSchoolTutors

I finished all of my content and my test is coming up in a little over 4 weeks. I have access to all Q packs/ Section Banks and AAMC FLs.

Can someone please guide me on how to split these up to get the most out of them and give myself time for thorough review? Also there are 4 FL’s.

Even though I finished my content, I feel a bit iffy on a few physics/ gen chem topics and just need to review them. My plan was to review in the next two days and take the unscored aamc day after tomorrow, 27 days away from my exam.

Thanks
Definitely practice practice CARS. The passages are longer than the qpacks in my opinion by like 2-3 paragraphs so timing is definitely challenging. I took the test yesterday and got blasted by CARS simply due to timing. Just my advice!
 
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Definitely practice practice CARS. The passages are longer than the qpacks in my opinion by like 2-3 paragraphs so timing is definitely challenging. I took the test yesterday and got blasted by CARS simply due to timing. Just my advice!
Factually speaking this is incorrect. All AAMC CARS passages (with the exception of very few) are 500-600 words whether the passage is from a Qpack or FL or on the real thing.
 
Factually speaking this is incorrect. All AAMC CARS passages (with the exception of very few) are 500-600 words whether the passage is from a Qpack or FL or on the real thing.
I guess I should’ve worded it better and say that some passages were longer but I agree that most were similar
 
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