AAMC Scientific Information Sources?

[Gibbs]

Does anyone know what source AAMC uses/or refers to for creating their standard in which they call correct for the science sections?
I'm assuming they use original articles pertaining to the concepts they test but to study every article (e.g. Newton's Philosophy Naturalis Principia Mathematica translated is 600 pages alone) although my concern is focused on Biology since I see the most inconsistencies along various authors in different subjects. Especially in MCAT review books, if anyone has read the same sections from Kaplan to TPR to EK to TBR (I'll even add Barron's Review but I consider it a joke) I think you would agree with my concern.

Missing a MCAT question like how many chromosomes are in a sperm either in Aanaphase II or Telophase II because you rationalized that recombination caused the sister chromatids to be different and technically not sisters anymore thus separate Chromosomes and the chromosome # would be 46 instead of 23, would be very annoying.
Also, arguments about the energy produced by the mitochondria... or even general elemental periodic trends, etc...

I'm happy with logically manipulating problems and coming to unique conclusions or trends, but I want to be sure my list of "knowns" matches AAMC's.

I'm probably going to end up contacting them anyways but I came here to ask if anyone had the same frustration as me and maybe even already went through the process of contacting them? Or any random suggestions?


Sent using SDN Mobile

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[ouroboros39]

I agree with you mor ethan you can imagine. I know the question your talking about lol, number 142 from exam 9 right? I put the same answer, and am pretty sure that Haploid is still correct. I was going to email them to (I think the content support people are who we should email). And theres so much controversial Chem/O-chem, which annoys me because I love and really know a lot of chem.

On this question though, I know that after meiosis 1, it is certainly haploid - my Bio teacher here at Berkeley gave us these kinds of questions refering to diploid vs haploid with different numbers of chromosomes all the time (regardless of the crossing over - after Meiosis I, normal sperm are considered haploid despite having 2 "non" identical sister chromatids. What a poor question for them to ask).

And the other two that really annoyed me were 100 and 101 from Test 7.

100: The answer is correct, but the reasoning is completely wrong, so I chose the wrong answer because the "logic" was better. I didnt go through the trouble if finding he dipole moments of the two substances, but using the anologues of Acetone and 2-propanol its clear that acetone is more polar (the double bond further increases the polarity of the ketone but not the alcohol - which supports my argument too).

101: Methyl chloride would form by an SN2 reaction much faster than almost any sn1 reaction. Protenation followed by SN2 attack by chloride - the fact that they said concentrated also means there is plenty chloride ion too.

Theres probably more, but thats all I care to look up and rant about right now. I know exactly how you feel too, I've read so many different things from different books which also vary when it comes to MCAT. I'm honestly really scared about this kind of bull**** being on the exam this saturday - and it almost always is.

 

[Gibbs]

I agree with you mor ethan you can imagine. I know the question your talking about lol, number 142 from exam 9 right? I put the same answer, and am pretty sure that Haploid is still correct. I was going to email them to (I think the content support people are who we should email). And theres so much controversial Chem/O-chem, which annoys me because I love and really know a lot of chem.

On this question though, I know that after meiosis 1, it is certainly haploid - my Bio teacher here at Berkeley gave us these kinds of questions refering to diploid vs haploid with different numbers of chromosomes all the time (regardless of the crossing over - after Meiosis I, normal sperm are considered haploid despite having 2 "non" identical sister chromatids. What a poor question for them to ask).

And the other two that really annoyed me were 100 and 101 from Test 7.

100: The answer is correct, but the reasoning is completely wrong, so I chose the wrong answer because the "logic" was better. I didnt go through the trouble if finding he dipole moments of the two substances, but using the anologues of Acetone and 2-propanol its clear that acetone is more polar (the double bond further increases the polarity of the ketone but not the alcohol - which supports my argument too).

101: Methyl chloride would form by an SN2 reaction much faster than almost any sn1 reaction. Protenation followed by SN2 attack by chloride - the fact that they said concentrated also means there is plenty chloride ion too.

Theres probably more, but thats all I care to look up and rant about right now. I know exactly how you feel too, I've read so many different things from different books which also vary when it comes to MCAT. I'm honestly really scared about this kind of bull**** being on the exam this saturday - and it almost always is.

I actually haven't completed any of the AAMC's other than 4 & 5.. I've been taking way too long preping because I'm way too anal about having to understand every topic from including the different aspects of history at the time. But spending so much time on content review showed me many inconsistencies without having to do any problems (but it takes significantly longer and requires many sources).

Ya and there's a lot more, I tried the actual MCAT twice last summer but voided because I felt I could do better on the verbal and both times I got a handful of controversal questions both times in the science sections but I can't talk about them or else I'll get in trouble.

Do you know if the official guide to the MCAT covers any content review? Or cites any solid sources?

Sent using SDN Mobile

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

If you consider the budget and size of staff for the MCAT division of AAMC, then it would be hard to fathom that they would be searching original articles to verify their passages and answers. The reality is that they churn out passages at such a fast pace that it wouldn't work to go back to original documentation. So they have to write a passage as best they can, specify in the wording of their questions to base your answer on that passage, and to have a team of proof readers on par with the team of writers in terms of expertise.

But if you are looking for the great big book of everything for science answers, that only exists in the Stanley cartoon.