AAMC SA or Kaplan FL?

[keikoblue2]

Hi Guys,

My test is on Sept 11, I have about 6 weeks left. I finished all my content review but haven't done much practice passages yet- I still have all the TBR passages left, as well as TPRH science workbook.

I also have some Kaplan FLs (the old ones where the PS/BS sections were 100 questions, each) and was wondering if they can suffice for narrowing in on my content weakness? I did one yesterday and got an 8 on PS/BS and am doing post-test analysis and content weakness review right now. My goal is to get at least 12s on the sciences. I've heard Kaplan's FL were more content-based and involved less critical thinking than the current MCAT, so would this be enough or should I scrap the remaining 4 Kaplan FLs for the AAMC SA? I don't have time to do both since I'm doing 9 AAMCs and the SA is expensive... though I will get it if it will significantly help more than the Kaplan FLs.

One more thing- I haven't reread any content ever since finishing content review and I'm afraid I've forgotten some stuff. I'd like to touch up on each chapter before doing the SA, if I get it (or do people jump into it immediately without doing any practice problems/re-reading?) Would I have enough time and would the SA be worth it (over the Kaplan FLs) if I start it in a week, leaving me with 4 weeks (not 5 since school would take away some time) to hone in on my weak areas? Thank you!

PS- I'm SO sorry for being verbose.

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[ski89]

I dont have any experience with Kaplan, so take that for what its worth. However, IMO the SAs are a MUST. Why? because not only are they actual MCAT questions, but they will give you the best idea of your strengths and weaknesses. You get about 100 questions from each of the sciences and they break down your score by content area. This is a great thing to do after finishing content review because you can plan the rest of your studying accordingly.

This is what I recommend you do. Take all the SAs. Pick out your weakest areas. Do all the BR passages on those areas (reviewing content with BR as you feel necessary). As you start doing AAMC FLs you will see whether those content areas have improved. If they have, focus on other weaknesses, if not, review more.

 

[keikoblue2]

I dont have any experience with Kaplan, so take that for what its worth. However, IMO the SAs are a MUST. Why? because not only are they actual MCAT questions, but they will give you the best idea of your strengths and weaknesses. You get about 100 questions from each of the sciences and they break down your score by content area. This is a great thing to do after finishing content review because you can plan the rest of your studying accordingly.

This is what I recommend you do. Take all the SAs. Pick out your weakest areas. Do all the BR passages on those areas (reviewing content with BR as you feel necessary). As you start doing AAMC FLs you will see whether those content areas have improved. If they have, focus on other weaknesses, if not, review more.

Thank you. So instead of doing all TBR passages, do the SA first and then the corresponding TBR passages for the weak areas (And of course, do them all if I have time) would be a smarter strategy due to my time constraint.

 

[ski89]

Yeah I think so. However, also be aware that you may, by chance, do relatively well on a certain area in which you are actually weak. It will of course be up to you to recognize these areas and plan accordingly.

Good luck