AAMC Practice Test Difficulty vs Real deal?

[UpQuark]

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How does the 2010/11 MCAT compare to the AAMC practice tests. Are they reflective in terms of difficulty and accurate in gauging what you receive when you take the real thing?

Also, what AAMC Practice MCAT sequence should I use? So far I've taken:
AAMC 3 - 11PS 9VR 13BS
AAMC 10 - 10PS 7VR 12BS

 

[Nabongo Mumia]

I took the test on the 28th (Jan) & the passages were longer (in all sections not just VR) than the practice tests. This may or may not be the case when you take yours since each test is different. In terms of difficulty, I think AAMC 11 was not 100% reflective but it came closer to the real deal than any AAMC test I took (I took them all). Hope this helps 🙂

 

[CrazzyJazzy]

Hey nabongo,

How math intensive was the physical science section of the mcat you wrote in Jan? More or less than the AAMCs?

Thanks.

 

[Wintergirl05]

I took the test on the 28th (Jan) & the passages were longer (in all sections not just VR) than the practice tests. This may or may not be the case when you take yours since each test is different. In terms of difficulty, I think AAMC 11 was not 100% reflective but it came closer to the real deal than any AAMC test I took (I took them all). Hope this helps 🙂

Hey Nabongo,

Did you do any other practice tests besides the AAMC ones? Do you feel that just doing the AAMC tests was sufficient practice to finish the exam on time?

 

[MilkIsGood]

Hey Nabongo,

Did you do any other practice tests besides the AAMC ones? Do you feel that just doing the AAMC tests was sufficient practice to finish the exam on time?

you need to be finishing the practice aamcs with like 5-10 min left over. on my bio section, i would usually have 30 min left over, but on the real deal, i worked all the way to the end, and thats with completely not reading one passage due to lack of time

 

[BuffNerd]

How does the 2010/11 MCAT compare to the AAMC practice tests. Are they reflective in terms of difficulty and accurate in gauging what you receive when you take the real thing?

I took the 1/28 MCAT as well and I felt like the science sections were significantly more difficult than the AAMC practice tests (which I took all of). The verbal felt easier to me (than the practice tests), but I was very focused on test day.
From reading other forums, it seems that often the real test feels much harder than the practice tests, but that your score will often be somewhere in the middle of your range of practice tests. I'm sure this varies depending on the person though.

 

[BuffNerd]

Hey nabongo,

How math intensive was the physical science section of the mcat you wrote in Jan? More or less than the AAMCs?

Thanks.

I know this wasn't directed at me, but I'll provide my answer.

The PS section seemed calculation heavy, definitely more than the practice tests. Also, the calculations were not as simple as the practice test questions (ie- some required multiple steps/equations to solve as opposed to the usual quick and easy plug and chug problems often found in the practice tests).

 

[Nabongo Mumia]

Hey nabongo,

How math intensive was the physical science section of the mcat you wrote in Jan? More or less than the AAMCs?

Thanks.

I remember there were a bunch of stoichiometry problems (more than usual in my opinion) that required some time to tackle. The physics passages were actually more conceptual since I remember having written down a bunch of physics equations that I didn't use. However, I do agree with BuffNerd, some of the physics questions did need multiple steps to solve so that took time too...

 

[Nabongo Mumia]

you need to be finishing the practice aamcs with like 5-10 min left over. on my bio section, i would usually have 30 min left over, but on the real deal, i worked all the way to the end, and thats with completely not reading one passage due to lack of time

Timing had never been an issue for me when I took my practice tests but when it came to the real deal, since the passages were longer than I expected, timing became an issue. I tried not to mark anything since I knew I wouldn't have time to go over it again. Like MilkIsGood, I worked all the way to the end.

 

[fullset]

I took it last year, and the passages were way longer than the practice ones. Higher numbered practice tests are better prep for the real thing. Didn't take # 11. Passages were definitely longer on VR.