AAMC Question Packs

[EAPoetic]

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Quick question about AAMC question packs.

Are these questions taken from the 2 released AAMC FLs (Nov 2015 and Oct 2016)?
In other words, if I do the questions packs will I see the same questions again when I take the FLs? Might be a dumb question but just wanting to clear that up.

Also, when is the best time to start on the Q Packs? I have about two months left until I take my MCAT. Thanks!

 

[aymar]

They are different questions, and there is no overlap.

I would advise starting them now. I waited until the week before my test and regretted it. The earlier you get exposure to AAMC questions, the better.

 

[aldol16]

The QPack questions are taken from pre-2015 MCAT FLs. So they're actually gonna be slight different in formatting from what you'll see on exam day. The AAMC basically took the old questions whose content are relevant to the new MCAT and repackaged them. They're the least useful of the AAMC materials and so I would prioritize other resources. In order of usefulness, the AAMC materials rank as such: Section Bank > FLs ~ official guide >>> QPacks. In fact, I would put Khan Academy practice passages in the B/BC and P/S sections ahead of the QPacks in terms of utility.

 

[EAPoetic]

The QPack questions are taken from pre-2015 MCAT FLs. So they're actually gonna be slight different in formatting from what you'll see on exam day. The AAMC basically took the old questions whose content are relevant to the new MCAT and repackaged them. They're the least useful of the AAMC materials and so I would prioritize other resources. In order of usefulness, the AAMC materials rank as such: Section Bank > FLs ~ official guide >>> QPacks. In fact, I would put Khan Academy practice passages in the B/BC and P/S sections ahead of the QPacks in terms of utility.

Oh okay. So you're saying the Section Bank is better than the FLs? How so? I've heard that the section bank is really easy and not a good prep for actual test day questions.

 

[aldol16]

Oh okay. So you're saying the Section Bank is better than the FLs? How so? I've heard that the section bank is really easy and not a good prep for actual test day questions.

Then either you or the person who told you that is getting the QPacks and Section Bank confused. If you do the Section Bank and think it's very easy (getting >90% of the questions right), then you're on track to get a 520+ on the MCAT. The Section Bank is representative of the hardest questions you will encounter on test day.

 

[AvocadoADay]

@aldol16 Do you think it's better to do the section banks and then move onto the AAMC FLs or is it better to take them in between FL1 and 2?

 

[rabbott1971]

If you think the section bank is easy just keep it to yourself and be happy that you are so smart!! For the little people out here the section bank is pretty brutal. And one way to tell which AAMC product is which, apart from their titles: if it has 120 questions, it is a Qpack. If it has 100 questions, it is section bank.

 

[Lawpy]

Section Bank definitely isn't easy. It's actually pretty brutal with difficult experimental passages. Doing well on them and reviewing them thoroughly will help a lot for all the science sections (and a good chance of getting 130+ on each of the sciences on the real exam).

I'm hoping the AAMC would release a Section Bank for CARS. Would be excellent practice for the real deal.

 

[rabbott1971]

ps The section bank is the only AAMC product for practicing psych/soc -- there is no Qpack for that.

Lawper, they have two volumes of Qpacks for CARS. Surely the CARS wouldn't change dramatically over a couple of years....one would think...

 

[theonlytycrane]

Do the section bank and learn everything that you can from it.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[aldol16]

@aldol16 Do you think it's better to do the section banks and then move onto the AAMC FLs or is it better to take them in between FL1 and 2?

Personally, I just did a passage whenever I had some off time. I liked taking the Section Bank questions in isolation since it allowed me to reflect on my mistakes and learn from them before moving on. I would set it to reveal the answer and explanation after each question and go back and review the explanations after I completed the passage.

 

[rabbott1971]

That sounds smart Aldol. I've been blasting through them, with short breaks at midpoint, simply to get accustomed to sitting and applying brute force concentration for that long of a period of time. I just did my first FL today and was marginally able to stay fixated for the entire thing. Its such a slog!

 

[PNWisBest]

Do the section bank and learn everything that you can from it.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

Best advice. Do that section bank until you understand every reason why you missed a question. Every. single. one.

 

[Lawpy]

ps The section bank is the only AAMC product for practicing psych/soc -- there is no Qpack for that.

Lawper, they have two volumes of Qpacks for CARS. Surely the CARS wouldn't change dramatically over a couple of years....one would think...

Yeah true but those are recycled from old AAMC verbal passages. Having fresh CARS passages for extra practice is better. Also AAMC CARS QPack 2 is a lot easier than the real deal, while CARS QPack 1 ranges from harder than real deal (the first half) to easier (the second half).

 

[rabbott1971]

Maybe so Lawper, but I think its hard to generalize. For instance I got virtually the same score on the two CARS Q-pack volumes (one percent apart) but then got a full 10% higher on CARS section of AAMC FL #1.

As far as that goes, don't they use old MCAT test questions for the section banks and the Q-packs? So why would the verbal be so different? Not quibbling just curious. Personally I didn't really notice the Q-packs being much easier than section bank, and my scores were pretty close across those platforms. I think I'm in the minority on that, and I accept that, but I'm not sure why.

 

[Lawpy]

Maybe so Lawper, but I think its hard to generalize. For instance I got virtually the same score on the two CARS Q-pack volumes (one percent apart) but then got a full 10% higher on CARS section of AAMC FL #1.

As far as that goes, don't they use old MCAT test questions for the section banks and the Q-packs? So why would the verbal be so different? Not quibbling just curious. Personally I didn't really notice the Q-packs being much easier than section bank, and my scores were pretty close across those platforms. I think I'm in the minority on that, and I accept that, but I'm not sure why.

You're right, CARS isn't all that different from old verbal passages, but I think the QPack CARS passages and questions are on the easier side (both readability and question difficulty). The AAMC FL CARS is closest to what's seen on the real exam, so doing well on that is a good thing. But since Section Bank has harder passages than AAMC FL (which represent similar difficulty to real exam), having a Section Bank-type difficulty for CARS will be very helpful. Although for experienced, long-term readers, the CARS would be a breeze.

As far as the sciences are concerned, the QPacks were significantly easier than the Section Bank, but maybe because there are a lot more experimental and research passages on the Section Bank. Doing well on both is a good thing.

 

[rabbott1971]

Its hard to know how you're doing on the Q-packs and section bank, because you get percent correct but no scaled score. I was worried about my sample test score (61%, 83%, 61%, 81%), but I did AAMC FL #1 today and I'm pretty pumped (127, 131, 127, 126). A year and a half ago I started my first science prereqs, so I definitely feel psyched to make it to this point. And from what I see on the infamous Reddit spreadsheet, people seem to do better on this year's test than they did on AAMC FL #1. Is that your impression too?

 

[Lawpy]

Its hard to know how you're doing on the Q-packs and section bank, because you get percent correct but no scaled score. I was worried about my sample test score (61%, 83%, 61%, 81%), but I did AAMC FL #1 today and I'm pretty pumped (127, 131, 127, 126). A year and a half ago I started my first science prereqs, so I definitely feel psyched to make it to this point. And from what I see on the infamous Reddit spreadsheet, people seem to do better on this year's test than they did on AAMC FL #1. Is that your impression too?

I don't like the Reddit or related spreadsheets that try to predict scores from practice scores. I just used practice tests simply for practice and try to see where I went wrong and what I can do to improve. The QPacks (at least for the sciences) are meant to be a quick refresher to see whether there are any gaps in your content. The Section Bank is to see how you fare on experimental/research based passages, which is critical since the real exam and scored AAMC FL are emphasizing strongly on research.

Generally with good focused practice, people tend to do better on the real exam than in practice, usually by +1/2 points. Others score exactly or worse than their practice tests, but that could be due to several reasons (like stress, external factors, confidence crash etc.).

So far you're steadily improving which is good. I'd focus more carefully on a thorough review of the practice exam to pinpoint weaknesses and master them. There are several ways of properly reviewing the exam, but the 7Sage Blind Review is one of the most effective ones (it's for the LSAT but works very well for the MCAT).

 

[rabbott1971]

I don't like tea-leaf reading about the sample test either. I was referring to a spreadsheet where people have put in their practice FL scores, and then their actual MCAT scores. There are quite a few for this year alone, so you can at least look at how people did on FL 1 and 2, and then how they scored on the actual MCAT. And I'm saying the trend is that people scored better on the actual test. Whether that is due to additional concerted effort in preparing between the practice FL and the actual MCAT, or a difference in difficulty, I couldn't say. Probably a combination.



I had planned on reviewing the practice test the same way I did the Qpacks and section bank, i.e. figure out what content problem I had, and try to address it, but I'll look at your link. I need to keep working, especially on psych/soc. Thanks

 

[Lawpy]

I don't like tea-leaf reading about the sample test either. I was referring to a spreadsheet where people have put in their practice FL scores, and then their actual MCAT scores. There are quite a few for this year alone, so you can at least look at how people did on FL 1 and 2, and then how they scored on the actual MCAT. And I'm saying the trend is that people scored better on the actual test. Whether that is due to additional concerted effort in preparing between the practice FL and the actual MCAT, or a difference in difficulty, I couldn't say. Probably a combination.



I had planned on reviewing the practice test the same way I did the Qpacks and section bank, i.e. figure out what content problem I had, and try to address it, but I'll look at your link. I need to keep working, especially on psych/soc. Thanks

Unfortunately, spreadsheets like these suffer from selection bias as people who did well on the MCAT are more likely to report their scores + practice test scores than people who did poorly. But generally, if practice tests are taken in strict, timed and test-like conditions and reviewed thoroughly, gradual progress can be seen and it's definitely possible to do better on test day than practice tests.

I think your strong CARS score shows you have the strong reasoning and analytical abilities needed to do well on the science sections, especially the psych/soc section.

 

[rabbott1971]

Thanks Lawper, and you definitely have a point about bias. I'm just trying to find the rosy scenario and be optimistic. 🙂

 

[EAPoetic]

Thanks to everyone for their input.

UPDATE: I'm dumb and definitely confused the Q packs and Section Bank.

 

[lifeguard2014]

Quick question about AAMC question packs.

Are these questions taken from the 2 released AAMC FLs (Nov 2015 and Oct 2016)?
In other words, if I do the questions packs will I see the same questions again when I take the FLs? Might be a dumb question but just wanting to clear that up.

Also, when is the best time to start on the Q Packs? I have about two months left until I take my MCAT. Thanks!

I took a kaplan class, and finished all of their material approximately a month prior to my test. I dedicated 3.5 weeks to AAMC Q bank questions and other materials, and I found it very helpful. For me 3.5 weeks was enough to take my time and understand, while ensuring the content was fresh in my mind.

 

[Detective SnowBucket]

Sorry to bump a kinda old one but this is the best place for it. I just did my first QBank and I feel like I did really well on it (with the caveat that it is my weakest section) so I'm wondering how well the difficulty of these questions correlates to the real deal. Thanks guys.