I'm also wondering about the format of CBT between AAMC practice and real thing.. I have free access to AAMC 3, but is it the same as the real thing?(I mean of course there will be no "view answer" options)
I am especially concerned if they show # of passages for each section on the real thing..Could people who already took it provide some information on this? Do we also get several questions to scroll down on the right side of the screen or is it one question/page?
Thank you so much!
BTW, is verbal reasoning ALWAYS 7 passages?
Verbal is always 7 passages these days.
That said, I've attached an email i send to my students with some advice. Some of the things won't make sense if you're not a Kaplan students -- just ignore them:
Okay, now that we have that cleared up, let's go over some important information you'll need for your upcoming full-length exams, as well as setting some ground rules to ensure that the test is as realistic as possible. Please make the commitment now to follow these rules every single time you take a practice CBT MCAT, and Test Day will be a breeze!
1.) Set a time and stick to it! On Test Day, you must check in for your exam 30 minutes prior to the designated testing time, so to make certain you're used to the routine, pick an AM or PM administration time, and stick to it -- no sleeping in because this one "doesn't really count"!!! Remember -- if you do NOT check in on Test Day at least 30 minutes prior to testing time, you will NOT be permitted to take the exam. AAMC is not flexible on this, regardless of weather, ET impacts, crustaceous extinctions, insoluble pellets of modern ideology, or other natural disasters.
2.) Budget about 5 hours for the exam to allow for breaks.
3.) To simulate Test Day security, please arrange to have a housemate/roommate/friend/parent stand guard at the door with a surly expression and Carol Channing wig (provided at your expense), loudly demanding to check your photo ID every time you enter or leave the room, and threatening to report you to AAMC for testing violations if you eat in the testing room, study your flashcards, or use your cell phone during breaks.
4.) Okay, seriously this time, remember that AAMC has prohibited food and drink in the testing room at all times. Additionally, you will not be permitted to study any materials or use your cell phone during the breaks, no exceptions! You should plan your breaks accordingly -- due to the ID checking and signing in/out process, you will only have time to stretch your legs, go to the bathroom, have a quick snack, and focus on the garish fluorescent lighting on the other side of the room to minimize eye strain.
5.) At the very beginning of the MCAT, you will be led to a tutorial program that guides you through the user interface of the exam. This tutorial should take about 10 minutes, if not fewer. If you want to be even more on point about this, please go through the official tutorial at HYPERLINK "http://www.prometric.com/demos/mcat/index.htm"www.prometric.com/demos/mcat/index.htm -- I strongly encourage you to do this even before taking the full-length, because it will allow you to focus more on the questions and passages and less on unfamiliar format and functionality.
6.) You will not be permitted to bring earplugs, headphones, timers, or even watches into the testing room, so don't use them while taking the full-length! The onscreen timer will be the arbiter of affairs temporal during the exam. If you have noise-canceling headphones (the kind you buy from home-depot for cutting grass), you may wish to use them though, since AAMC will allow testing centers to provide these on Test Day. Testing centers have also been inconsistent about providing scratch paper versus dry-erase boards, so if you want to prepare for the possibility that you could have to deal with the latter, you might wish to try at least one full-length accordingly.
7.) Don't grow too comfortable with highlighting passages, both because it could lead to "used textbook syndrome" and because once you leave a passage on the real test, all highlighting will disappear. This is just one of the reasons why mapping is so critical! Remember that answer strikethroughs will also disappear when you leave a passage as well.
8.) Lastly, do NOT re-size the passage windows (by moving the bar between the passage and the questions) on your full-length exams, because you cannot do this on the real exam. Scrolling, on the other hand, is perfectly fine (and necessary!)
Well, that's all for now. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns as you head into the full-length or after you've completed it. Otherwise, good luck, and I look forward to seeing those scores improving!!!
