AAMC Question pack vs Section banks?

[nawrp11]

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I'm perusing the various AAMC resources that are available, and I'm keeping track of what people on the forum are recommending. It seem's like most people are saying that using the CARS question pack is good, but all other topics should be studied using the section banks. Could someone explain any major differences between the question packs and section banks, in terms of quality of prep material for the various MCAT subjects?

 

[NextStepTutor_3]

Sure, good question! First, it's important to note that all AAMC materials are incredibly useful, since all of them show the unique way in which the AAMC asks questions, and the importance of paying careful attention to wording.

But I tend to agree with what you've heard (that the section banks are better for the sciences) for a few reasons:

- The Qpacks are largely taken from old AAMC tests. People who have taken the "old MCAT" will immediately notice that many Qpack passages come either from AAMC full-lengths (if you remember, they used to offer tests 3, 4, 5, and 7-11) or the AAMC Self-Assessments. If you've used these resources before, the passages are going to seem awfully familiar. If you haven't, they're perfectly good practice, but the idea that they were taken from the "old test" - with all of its differences from the new exam - can make some students feel like they aren't that representative.

- The section banks are really graph-heavy. I was actually surprised at the number of complex figure-reading and reasoning questions in the first half of the bio/biochem section bank. These are the exact type of question that you should be practicing. Now, not all section bank Qs are like this - a number of the biochem ones are kind of specific and knowledge-based - but the "feel" of the passages is still more "new MCAT" than the Qpacks.

- The section banks have psych/sociology. Arguably, this is the section that benefits most from AAMC practice. In any case, it contributes to the same theme as the above two points - that the Qpacks are good for getting a general feel for the AAMC, but the section banks are more applicable to the new exam.

Hope this helps! Good luck 🙂

 

[Necr0sis713]

Hate to piggy back on the thread, but since we have the same concern: Should Q packs be done during content review for daily practice, or closer to the test date?

 

[Spitphire]

Hate to piggy back on the thread, but since we have the same concern: Should Q packs be done during content review for daily practice, or closer to the test date?

I would also like to hear someone's opinion on this. I'm probably going to do the qpack for a subject as soon as I finish each book.

 

[zhonghang]

I would also like to hear someone's opinion on this. I'm probably going to do the qpack for a subject as soon as I finish each book.

Hate to piggy back on the thread, but since we have the same concern: Should Q packs be done during content review for daily practice, or closer to the test date?

Yeah same here. I'd also like to hear any suggestions with regard to this.

 

[PassEdge]

Depends on your practice schedule. Most people tend to space the real AAMC tests out, if they plan to do tons of practice. I saved mine for the very last.

 

[nawrp11]

Sure, good question! First, it's important to note that all AAMC materials are incredibly useful, since all of them show the unique way in which the AAMC asks questions, and the importance of paying careful attention to wording.

But I tend to agree with what you've heard (that the section banks are better for the sciences) for a few reasons:

- The Qpacks are largely taken from old AAMC tests. People who have taken the "old MCAT" will immediately notice that many Qpack passages come either from AAMC full-lengths (if you remember, they used to offer tests 3, 4, 5, and 7-11) or the AAMC Self-Assessments. If you've used these resources before, the passages are going to seem awfully familiar. If you haven't, they're perfectly good practice, but the idea that they were taken from the "old test" - with all of its differences from the new exam - can make some students feel like they aren't that representative.

- The section banks are really graph-heavy. I was actually surprised at the number of complex figure-reading and reasoning questions in the first half of the bio/biochem section bank. These are the exact type of question that you should be practicing. Now, not all section bank Qs are like this - a number of the biochem ones are kind of specific and knowledge-based - but the "feel" of the passages is still more "new MCAT" than the Qpacks.

- The section banks have psych/sociology. Arguably, this is the section that benefits most from AAMC practice. In any case, it contributes to the same theme as the above two points - that the Qpacks are good for getting a general feel for the AAMC, but the section banks are more applicable to the new exam.

Hope this helps! Good luck 🙂

Ok awesome, thanks for the information!! So, does that mean that there is no CARS practice in the section banks? If there are, wouldn't it make sense to study the section banks for CARS more than from the question packs, since the section banks do a better job representing the "new MCAT"?
Again, thanks for the reply!

 

[NextStepTutor_3]

@nawrp11 That's right, the section banks don't include CARS (only chem/phys, bio/biochem, and psych/sociology). It's not a big deal though, because CARS isn't nearly as different from the "old MCAT" as the sciences are. Apart from the timing changes (like getting 90 min for 9 passages instead of 60 min for 7), all AAMC CARS is good practice.

As far as when to use AAMC materials, I'm personally a fan of spreading them out. It can be jarring to practice with non-AAMC resources for an extended period of time, then switch to AAMC passages. The only problem is that the Qpacks and section banks aren't sorted in terms of subject, so it's hard to (for example) sit down and do three acid-base passages after covering acids and bases. My advice is to start incorporating AAMC passages, in small chunks, as soon as you've at least covered most of the science content.

 

[Necr0sis713]

@nawrp11 That's right, the section banks don't include CARS (only chem/phys, bio/biochem, and psych/sociology). It's not a big deal though, because CARS isn't nearly as different from the "old MCAT" as the sciences are. Apart from the timing changes (like getting 90 min for 9 passages instead of 60 min for 7), all AAMC CARS is good practice.

As far as when to use AAMC materials, I'm personally a fan of spreading them out. It can be jarring to practice with non-AAMC resources for an extended period of time, then switch to AAMC passages. The only problem is that the Qpacks and section banks aren't sorted in terms of subject, so it's hard to (for example) sit down and do three acid-base passages after covering acids and bases. My advice is to start incorporating AAMC passages, in small chunks, as soon as you've at least covered most of the science content.

I noticed that the Q packs can't be separated by subject like you said, so I plan on doing them when my review is almost done. Also, are the q pack cars passages ALL from the old AAMC exams, or just most/some?

 

[NextStepTutor_3]

I'd say most, but not all, are from some form of old AAMC resource. But those include the previous AAMC full-lengths (3, 4, 5, and 7-11) as well as the AAMC self-assessments. That's why I tend to recommend the CARS Qpack even to students who took the old MCAT - not a lot of people ever did the self-assessments, and the students who did them definitely don't remember them perfectly (or at all).

Now, I'm also curious to get other input on this, because my memory is starting to fade on the old SAs! So there's a chance that even more of the Qpack passages come from that particular resource. In any case, it's still worth doing 🙂

 

[Altius Premier Tutor]

I noticed that the Q packs can't be separated by subject like you said, so I plan on doing them when my review is almost done. Also, are the q pack cars passages ALL from the old AAMC exams, or just most/some?

All, as in 100%, of the Question Pack content is sourced from old AAMC materials from the OLD exam form (i.e., NOT MCAT-2015). This includes some passages students may not recognize though, because the AAMC decreased the number of passages per section when they went from paper form to CBT form around 2006(?) To make the CBT practice tests have the right number of passages they had to take a few passages out of each section and those "removed" passages have been in their pocket but not officially-released ever since. Some of the "removed passages" from that shortening process popped up in the q-packs and as crazy as it sounds, some were even used on the brand new MCAT-2015 materials the AAMC released before the first new exam. You read correctly. They took not only old, but some of the oldest stuff...and put it into their first-released MCAT-2015 sample questions and as part of the first MCAT-2015 Full-Length Sample Test (the unscored one). I think they assumed these had been out of circulation for so long no one would know they weren't new. It wasn't a lot, only a passage here and there, both some old VR passages in the new CAR and a few science passages. The AAMC seemed almost tight for materials early on in this transition. For example, if you recognize the passage about heating a wire, it was old. To "update" it to MCAT-2015 they added a few words in the first sentence to say it was "now" a heated wire NEXT TO the skin--voila BIOLOGICALLY-RELATED MCAT-2015 Passage!! 😉

 

[NextStepTutor_3]

Thanks! I completely agree about the paper-to-CBT transition. That's where the AAMC tests marked "R" (where each science section contains 10 passages) came from. It makes perfect sense that many of the Qpack passages were sourced from those (although most of the "R" passages that didn't make it onto the AAMC full-lengths did end up in the self-assessments anyway).

In any case, none of this is too important. To me, it just emphasizes the same point: the AAMC is repetitive, and learning their idiosyncrasies is enormously helpful on the real test. If you've never seen "old MCAT" AAMC resources, the Qpacks are worth looking at. If you've seen every resource the AAMC has ever produced, the Qpacks are still interesting, in that these are the passages the test-makers chose as representative of the new MCAT.

 

[GrapesofRath]

Also on a related note as an fyi The Scored AAMC FL that came out in November about 30% of the passages were reused from AAMC 10 and 11 as well.

Long story short this says two things a) The AAMC loves reusing material and honestly they probably reuse material on the real exams alot more than we think. I doubt the "bank" of questions they use on the real exam is as big as we like to think and why the rules are so strict about not letting disclosing any details about the test. b) The differences between the two tests by and large are overblown. The vast majority of passages from old AAMC exams are still fair game for this new test. Now there are new types of passages not seen on the old exam that will be on this one for sure, but they all test very similar skills. This whole "research emphasis" and "data analysis focus" we see alot of people hyping up for this new MCAT is largely just what the old MCAT was. I still maintain that arguably the hardest most research heavy passage youll find in any AAMC material isnt from the new material released, rather it's that Ebola passage from AAMC 11.

 

[NextStepTutor_3]

I completely agree on the Ebola passage - it's one of my all-time favorites! Great graph-reading practice. In fact, students taking the current MCAT should DEFINITELY use the "old AAMC" passages for practice as well as the "new" ones. I think people only shy away from "reused" passages (from AAMCs 9, 10, 11, etc) for two reasons - either they've taken the old test before and remember them (which still isn't a good reason not to work through them again), or they find the new passages to be more biochem-heavy and intimidating.

On that point, the section bank definitely has more of a "biochem feel" to it than the average old AAMC or Qpack passage. So if you're the type of person who sees a biochemical pathway or a passage with 10 different enzymes and panics, it's a good resource. If you just want to get used to the way the AAMC likes to ask questions, any of their materials will help.

 

[zhonghang]

I already have the AAMC Q-packs and Section Bank but I wanna save those for my last month of studying. I need some practice passages that will last me 2 months before I start the AAMC stuff. Any suggestions?

I've been wondering if I should buy some full lengths (e.g. EK tests 1-4 or NS tests 1-6) and use those as practice passages (like as in not take them all at once as a full length). I have enough full lengths to do those as a 7.5 hour test day experience, but I'm just looking for practice passages to do on the daily. Is it better to buy some full lengths, split up the sections, and complete the passages each day throughout a week or so per test? Or are science workbooks better for passage practice (e.g. TPR science workbook or TBR passages from their content books)?

 

[NextStepTutor_3]

Personally, I love splitting up FLs (as long as you have enough to also do as full practice exams, like you said). I think it provides a great balance while also letting you do more "test-like" practice for everything you do (just the fact that the FLs you mentioned are computer-based is a plus over more traditional prep books). You also have the advantage of the diagnostic data once you've finished a test - even if you break a section into very small chunks, you'll still be done with the equivalent of an FL after perhaps a week or so, and with the results they give you, it can be easier to analyze than stand-alone passages.

The only disadvantage of splitting up full-lengths is that you can't pick passages by subject area (for example, of course you can't sit down and just do 5 passages on acids and bases). But that's a pretty minor thing if you're far enough along in your prep where you have a pretty solid knowledge of the content.

 

[TXhopeful]

I already have the AAMC Q-packs and Section Bank but I wanna save those for my last month of studying. I need some practice passages that will last me 2 months before I start the AAMC stuff. Any suggestions?

I've been wondering if I should buy some full lengths (e.g. EK tests 1-4 or NS tests 1-6) and use those as practice passages (like as in not take them all at once as a full length). I have enough full lengths to do those as a 7.5 hour test day experience, but I'm just looking for practice passages to do on the daily. Is it better to buy some full lengths, split up the sections, and complete the passages each day throughout a week or so per test? Or are science workbooks better for passage practice (e.g. TPR science workbook or TBR passages from their content books)?

I've been trying to decide how to best use the Q-packs and Section Bank, and I want to save them for the end as well. Are you planning on doing all these and reviewing them at the very end of content review? I'm leaning toward incorporating them into my content review (using them after I finish reading the EK prep books, doing the AAMC questions and then reviewing all), but that would mean studying one section at a time and I don't know if that's the best plan. Any thoughts? @NextStepTutor

 

[NextStepTutor_3]

Hi @TXhopeful ! That's a really good question - one that a lot of students have about the AAMC resources. I personally don't advise studying an entire section at a time, just because it's MUCH easier to burn out if you're not switching things up fairly regularly. Of course, the problem is that AAMC materials aren't divided up by topic area in any way. Here's what I would advise if you plan to use both the Qpacks and the Section Bank:

- Review all of the content as you normally would until you're approximately 75% through the material.

- At this point, start using the Qpacks, since they're from "old" AAMC tests and not "as" important to save until the end. Start going through these from the beginning. You'll certainly stumble across some questions and passages that you haven't covered yet, but that's ok - it's the same as taking a full-length before you've covered 100% of the content, which is certainly a good idea. In fact, as long as you're comfortable with it, it can be beneficial to see the occasional question from topics you haven't reviewed. For example, say you haven't covered fluids, and you see a fluid passage in the Qpack. See if you can answer any questions with the knowledge that you do have (since it's the AAMC, I guarantee that you can).

- Once you are through the content for the first time, start incorporating the Section Bank (on the days that you aren't taking full-lengths).

- Of course, go back to the content whenever you have trouble with any "knowledge-based" questions from the AAMC material.

I hope this helps! It would be ideal if the AAMC did have some sort of resource that was split up by topic, but for now, this is the best approach that I've found.

 

[nawrp11]

In terms of the CARS question packs, is it the case that literally ALL of it comes from the AAMC self assessments and practice FL's? Or are there some new passages that haven't been featured in any AAMC practice material? If there are some, what percentage are new passages? I'm trying to make a decision wether or not I will purchase the CARS question packs or if I should just stick with doing the actual AAMC practice fl's (Which I am in possession of.)

 

[NextStepTutor_3]

As far as I know, it's actually 100% of the question packs that come from old passages. Many are from the old full-length tests, some are from the SAs, and some are from the old "R" versions of the practice tests (the longer ones from before the MCAT became computer-based - but most of those made it into the SAs anyway). Even if I'm wrong and a new one was slipped in here or there, the vast majority are repeats. Of course, the Qpacks are like $15 apiece, so it's hard to complain.

If you have the old AAMC practice tests, I believe it makes more sense to do those. The only exception would be if you want more computer-based "MCAT environment-like" practice. If you don't care one way or the other, you can totally stick with what you have.

 

[nawrp11]

As far as I know, it's actually 100% of the question packs that come from old passages. Many are from the old full-length tests, some are from the SAs, and some are from the old "R" versions of the practice tests (the longer ones from before the MCAT became computer-based - but most of those made it into the SAs anyway). Even if I'm wrong and a new one was slipped in here or there, the vast majority are repeats. Of course, the Qpacks are like $15 apiece, so it's hard to complain.

If you have the old AAMC practice tests, I believe it makes more sense to do those. The only exception would be if you want more computer-based "MCAT environment-like" practice. If you don't care one way or the other, you can totally stick with what you have.

Ok sounds good, thanks!

 

[nawrp11]

So it seems like people are saying the question packs for CARS contain almost exclusively old passages that the AAMC has used in old exams, practice tests etc. Does that mean they are the same length (in terms of passage) that they were before, or have they been adjusted to be longer like the passages in the CARS section of the new MCAT?

 

[aldol16]

I bought both - the question pack passages are shorter than the new MCAT passages. They just chose the material that's relevant, not necessarily the length.