Are the berkeley review book questions harder than actual mcat questions?

[mrh125]

A lot of them seem absolutely crazy complicated. The highest score I've gotten in a physics one was like an 11. I'm really wondering how the berkeley review book questions compare to the real thing because i'm trying for at least a 30 and if the real questions are this hard I need to buckle down =/.

I've also used the princeton review and examcrackers are books and those questions are way way way way easier than anything in the berkeley review that i've done. I'm not sure what to think about that =/.

Oh god if the physics is the same I'm not sure what I'm going to do on the MCAT. =/ I feel like I have a very good understanding of the material until I do berkeleyreview problems.

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[Temperature101]

A lot of them seem absolutely crazy complicated. The highest score I've gotten in a physics one was like an 11. I'm really wondering how the berkeley review book questions compare to the real thing because i'm trying for at least a 30 and if the real questions are this hard I need to buckle down =/.

I've also used the princeton review and examcrackers are books and those questions are way way way way easier than anything in the berkeley review that i've done. I'm not sure what to think about that =/.

Yes, except Ochem...

 

[Roxas]

Biology: harder

G-Chem: the same

Physics: the same, maybe slightly easier

O-Chem: easier

 

[daleader]

That was what I was assuming too ..

If BR Physics is in the same difficulty as the real MCAT, what would EK / PR be?

 

[Roxas]

That was what I was assuming too ..

If BR Physics is in the same difficulty as the real MCAT, what would EK / PR be?

I didn't do enough EK to say, but for TPR:
Physics: The same/slightly easier

G-Chem: The same, maybe slightly harder

Bio: The same

O-Chem: Slightly easier

This is just my opinion, and I'm aware someone else may disagree with me.

 

[Zod]

I didn't do enough EK to say, but for TPR:
Physics: The same/slightly easier

G-Chem: The same, maybe slightly harder

Bio: The same

O-Chem: Slightly easier

This is just my opinion, and I'm aware someone else may disagree with me.

What would be the best practice for O-chem if both TBR and TPR are easier?

 

[TriagePreMed]

That was what I was assuming too ..

If BR Physics is in the same difficulty as the real MCAT, what would EK / PR be?

Ek is worthless for the current mcat. Trph sucks for chemistry and physics, but the biology and ochem are golden.

 

[Roxas]

Ek is worthless for the current mcat. Trph sucks for chemistry and physics, but the biology and ochem are golden.

I agree TPR G-chem for content sucks, but their physics book is actually pretty good (I thought). For practice I felt like TPRH G-chem passages were really tough (in a good way) and physics was decent.

 

[Roxas]

What would be the best practice for O-chem if both TBR and TPR are easier?

Either one works. If you are already buying the science workbook for bio just use TPRH, or if you are already ordering TBR get the O-chem books. Once again, this is my preference, but I felt like TPR O-chem was harder than TBR, so probably a better practice source. TBR has wayyyy more passages though so that is a plus. I believe TPRH only has ~40 or so O-chem passages, whereas TBR has >100 I think.

 

[Gauss44]

A lot of them seem absolutely crazy complicated. The highest score I've gotten in a physics one was like an 11. I'm really wondering how the berkeley review book questions compare to the real thing because i'm trying for at least a 30 and if the real questions are this hard I need to buckle down =/.

I've also used the princeton review and examcrackers are books and those questions are way way way way easier than anything in the berkeley review that i've done. I'm not sure what to think about that =/.

Oh god if the physics is the same I'm not sure what I'm going to do on the MCAT. =/ I feel like I have a very good understanding of the material until I do berkeleyreview problems.

Remember that MCAT includes 3 levels of questions (easy, medium, and hard). And there are levels within levels; for example, "hard" can mean anything from 50% got the question correct to less than 15% answered correctly. AAMC's Official Guide to the MCAT discusses this.

Overall, TBR has more "hard" questions than the actual MCAT and practice MCATs. I think they even say so themselves. The real MCAT varies about as much, and in the same ways, that AAMC practice tests differ from one another. So if you want to compare, take a AAMC practice test.

 

[Columbia09]

Remember that MCAT includes 3 levels of questions (easy, medium, and hard). And there are levels within levels; for example, "hard" can mean anything from 50% got the question correct to less than 15% answered correctly. AAMC's Official Guide to the MCAT discusses this.

Overall, TBR has more "hard" questions than the actual MCAT and practice MCATs. I think they even say so themselves. The real MCAT varies about as much, and in the same ways, that AAMC practice tests differ from one another. So if you want to compare, take a AAMC practice test.

I heard those aren't even good anymore and I see ppl saying that the actual mcat was harder than those tests. I to have TBR for the sciences (I actually have all the books that were suggested on the 3 month plan). The way I'm going to do it is link TBR books with the EK 1000 question ones. So for example when I review kinematics in physics, I'll read TBR, do those passages, then do a couple in EK. I'll do this for all the subjects with the exception of VR were I'll do 2 passages from TPHL book and then 2 or so from EK everyday. If I need more info I either watch the youtube videos or I'll ask on here. Are 4 passages enough to do each day you think? I think my biggest problem is going to be time. If it wasn't timed then I probably would get the majority of the questions right but of course it is. 😡

 

[Burla]

BR Biology was just ridiculous for me. I scored around 50% in BR and got an 11 on the real deal. Much more verbal like

BR GC and Orgo: felt like it was pretty on par...can definitely get too in depth though
Didn't use physics (but should have)

I wouldn't worry about what you get on the BR...worry about what you get on the AAMC practices. MCAT is probably closest to tests 10 and 11 like people say on here...

 

[Person0715]

IMO TBR passages have a different feel than the real AAMC passages. Just took the MCAT today, and I can tell you that the TBR passages were harder than the passages on my MCAT. However, I don't know if that's because I was fed up with TBR passages towards the end of my prep or because they actually are more difficult.

 

[MedOldAge]

IMO TBR passages have a different feel than the real AAMC passages. Just took the MCAT today, and I can tell you that the TBR passages were harder than the passages on my MCAT. However, I don't know if that's because I was fed up with TBR passages towards the end of my prep or because they actually are more difficult.

I like to add a comment on the comparison using the term harder or easier. Based on my experience yesterday and also by observing on the sideline the many tests since I joined SDN early 2012, I feel that the nature/structure/presentation of questions had been gradually changed one test at a time (so subdue with so large pool of questions) that all pre companies due to limitation of financial and human resources are behind on the study material. Like the test from yesterday, it was not "hard" but a couple of passages were not so called "totally" representative of either BR or AAMC. It was a passage at PS that was asked in a very weird way (wasted my time to figure out and it turned out very simple) and it was totally "different" from either BR way or AAMC FL way of asking. It was the very first question on PS and I said "wtf" is this.

I will feel very sorry for the folks taking test from Jan 2014 on till Jan 2015. No doubt about it the test is shifting quicker toward post 2015 format/structure blowing up on many "causual test takers' faces" until all pre companies find a way to catch up.

Well, that is the nature of any standardize test. Test maker and test pre companies are always in line to see who get the upper hand. As soon as the pre companies and students get used to the test.......the test maker change the test again.....how ironic 😱

Edit: As Person0715 said, I like to say AAMC also is very smart on human psycology on the placement of those out of the blue "wft" questions and passages. There is another thread on SDN now people commenting how to motivate yourself at the BS section of test. Well, as BS is the last leg up after PS and VR, mental fatigue and lost of concentration and distraction by out of ordinary passages/questions a lot of times "influence" your performance.

Edit #2: If you ask the person who are in average of high 20s and low 30s, the answer most likely will be the same. Since the weird questions are only a very small segment per each test, and "the question incorrect" for the test taker will probably in the range of his "wrong pool" anyway. However, for those who are supposed in high 30 and low 40, he/she will say NO; as that ONE or TWO question(s) will absolutely change the out come of his/her composite score as we all know the curve at 13 to 15 range is very flat with very tiny +/-.

 

[Gauss44]

I heard those aren't even good anymore and I see ppl saying that the actual mcat was harder than those tests. I to have TBR for the sciences (I actually have all the books that were suggested on the 3 month plan). The way I'm going to do it is link TBR books with the EK 1000 question ones. So for example when I review kinematics in physics, I'll read TBR, do those passages, then do a couple in EK. I'll do this for all the subjects with the exception of VR were I'll do 2 passages from TPHL book and then 2 or so from EK everyday. If I need more info I either watch the youtube videos or I'll ask on here. Are 4 passages enough to do each day you think? I think my biggest problem is going to be time. If it wasn't timed then I probably would get the majority of the questions right but of course it is. 😡

AAMC practice tests are still good. Skip them at your own risk! And you should have seen people saying the opposite as well.

 

[shoehornlettuce]

The more "out there" TBR passages are pretty in line with the current MCAT. TBR Ochem is pretty basic but Gen Chem and Physics are close to real MCAT in difficulty. I'd even say TBR bio is probably your best bet for the current MCAT bio.

 

[Hemorrage]

Took the MCAT yesterday. BR Physics is a little easier than the real deal, AAMC FLs are even easier (IMO). BR Orgo will prepare you well for the current Orgo passages in BS, and for bio you're better off just honing your critical thinking skills because I didn't feel like the bio passages were anything like I saw in the prep books. (Mostly critical thinking, inference, extrapolation from graphs is what the test seemed to mostly focus on)

 

[Columbia09]

Took the MCAT yesterday. BR Physics is a little easier than the real deal, AAMC FLs are even easier (IMO). BR Orgo will prepare you well for the current Orgo passages in BS, and for bio you're better off just honing your critical thinking skills because I didn't feel like the bio passages were anything like I saw in the prep books. (Mostly critical thinking, inference, extrapolation from graphs is what the test seemed to mostly focus on)

Can you even improve those ?

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

I'm just using all TBR for the sections but since Bio is so dense, I'm gonna supplement it a bit with EK bio, then using tprh science workbook for practice along with the 1001 series.

 

[Person0715]

I'm just using all TBR for the sections but since Bio is so dense, I'm gonna supplement it a bit with EK bio, then using tprh science workbook for practice along with the 1001 series.

Personally, I didn't really like the 1001 series. I stuck through with them until I finished content review per the SN2 schedule, but I stopped as soon as I started doing FLs. I think I would have been better off incorporating TPRH Science workbook discretes during content review somehow.

 

[FeinMS]

I'm just using all TBR for the sections but since Bio is so dense, I'm gonna supplement it a bit with EK bio, then using tprh science workbook for practice along with the 1001 series.

I found EK Bio to be a little incomplete in information. I would suggest TPR Bio..

 

[gettheleadout]

I heard those aren't even good anymore and I see ppl saying that the actual mcat was harder than those tests.

I want to address this point in particular. You will hear very vocal whining from many people about how they didn't feel their testing experience was similar enough, by whatever standard, to the AAMC FL's, but this does not yield any sort of conclusion about their predictive value.

1) To my knowledge there is not and has never been any available data on the predictive value of the AAMC FL's, so we can't compare previous predictivity to current, so we can't make any actual conclusion on whether they're "outdated" or anything of the sort. Further, most complaining I've seen done about this is done after the exam but prior to score release; I would not be surprised if people scored near their AAMC FL scores on the real thing regardless of their perceptions.

2) My MCAT felt extremely similar to the AAMC FL's; my PS was most similar to the early # FL's (3-5), and my BS was most similar to the later ones (10-11). Am I using this as proof of similarity in all cases? Of course not, but the point is that MCAT forms vary in style and difficulty (the latter of which is adjusted for by the scoring scale), so people will have different MCAT experiences; this makes sense considering they take different MCAT forms.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

Took the MCAT yesterday. BR Physics is a little easier than the real deal, AAMC FLs are even easier (IMO). BR Orgo will prepare you well for the current Orgo passages in BS, and for bio you're better off just honing your critical thinking skills because I didn't feel like the bio passages were anything like I saw in the prep books. (Mostly critical thinking, inference, extrapolation from graphs is what the test seemed to mostly focus on)

I hope your test went well. Based on your matter-of-fact way of describing your experience, I'll bet it went quite well. Good luck!

 

[Hemorrage]

AAMC practice tests are still good. Skip them at your own risk! And you should have seen people saying the opposite as well.

I advise skipping the AAMC FL's. I took 0 AAMC Fl's before my first MCAT and got a 12/12/6 (6 in VR because i was stubborn about studying for it). I used TBR exclusively for the sciences and it worked out well although when i came out of the exam i felt otherwise.

Can you even improve those ?

I'm not sure. I think what really helped me was learning to "relax". I felt super comfortable with BS because while i was taking the test i took it more along the lines of "I'll just pick the best answer" rather than "OMG if i pick the wrong answer i wont get into medical school". That being said, i also did the TBR passages timed during my prep. I would do 2-3 TBR passages per day (did this for around 60 days) and this really helped me hone my concentration.

I hope your test went well. Based on your matter-of-fact way of describing your experience, I'll bet it went quite well. Good luck!

Thanks 🙂

 

[IlyaR]

Ek is worthless for the current mcat. Trph sucks for chemistry and physics, but the biology and ochem are golden.

Why do you think so?

 

[Hemorrage]

Why do you think so?

Studying for bio itself is simply becoming useless. Pretty much all of the passages are more critical thinking, inference, extrapolation oriented now

 

[FeinMS]

Studying for bio itself is simply becoming useless. Pretty much all of the passages are more critical thinking, inference, extrapolation oriented now

Not if you're aiming for 13+. Some discretes can be very specific and can be worth a point at that range..

 

[NeverBackDown]

BR might be hard or easier depending on who you talk to and what about...

I think everyone can agree though, they are not an accurate gauge of the actual MCAT... the only thing that comes even close are the AAMC tests.

 

[IlyaR]

Studying for bio itself is simply becoming useless. Pretty much all of the passages are more critical thinking, inference, extrapolation oriented now

Ah, I thought he meant EK as a whole was worthless for the current MCAT

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

BR might be hard or easier depending on who you talk to and what about...

I think everyone can agree though, they are not an accurate gauge of the actual MCAT... the only thing that comes even close are the AAMC tests.

To be fair, your first thought and second thought need to be combined, because it's hard to have a general statement ("depending on who you talk to...") lead into an absolute statement ("everyone can agree..."). I think a more accurate thought is "BR may or may not be an accurate gauge of the actual MCAT depending on who you talk to and what about..." I've read plenty of comments at SND (hundreds) saying how close the BR passages are to the real thing as well as plenty of comments saying it was different. The test varies from date to date.

 

[mcloaf]

Studying for bio itself is simply becoming useless. Pretty much all of the passages are more critical thinking, inference, extrapolation oriented now

I look forward to hearing about the high scores people achieve by not studying bio at all.

 

[gettheleadout]

I look forward to hearing about the high scores people achieve by not studying bio at all.

Seriously.

 

[Hemorrage]

I look forward to hearing about the high scores people achieve by not studying bio at all.

Obviously you should "review", what I'm trying to say is the time you sit there memorizing the pkas of each amino acid could be better spent reviewing for the other parts like Orgo

 

[gettheleadout]

Obviously you should "review", what I'm trying to say is the time you sit there memorizing the pkas of each amino acid could be better spent reviewing for the other parts like Orgo

Who memorizes amino acid pKa's? 😕

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

Switched to TPR Bio w/ passages from the TPRH SWB. Wow, anybody finding these passages pretty tough? I did a couple from EK and they were a joke compared to TPRH. Did a couple from TBR too.

I would rank them: TBR Bio > TPRH Bio > EK 1001 Bio >>> EK Bio (in-class Passages)

 

[mariabxe]

when I review kinematics in physics, I'll read TBR, do those passages, then do a couple in EK. I'll do this for all the subjects with the exception of VR were I'll do 2 passages from TPHL book and then 2 or so from EK everyday.

 

[Roxas]

Who memorizes amino acid pKa's? 😕

You're telling me you didn't? 😀

 

[RC4L]

In my opinion, Berkeley is not very much like aamc or the real deal but it is not intended to be. The value of Berkeley is in getting a deep and rounded understanding of mcat topics and it does a great job of doing so, especially for trouble areas or if you have no background in particular subjects. If your primary concern is finding realistic practice materials, most prep companies will fall rather short. I would personally only use Berkeley if serious conceptual help is needed in the sciences. In my case, I was much stronger in verbal and bio but my physical sciences knowledge was awful when I started studying. Berkeley helped me substantially with the topics that gave me the most trouble(electricity/magnetism, acids/bases, solutions) and really boosted my PS scores. Their questions were quite difficult but they help to drive the point home.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

This thread is filled with a bunch of wisdom-nuggets from people who have taken the MCAT and have the insight of looking at it through their rearview mirror.

Remember that MCAT includes 3 levels of questions (easy, medium, and hard). And there are levels within levels; for example, "hard" can mean anything from 50% got the question correct to less than 15% answered correctly. AAMC's Official Guide to the MCAT discusses this.

Based on my experience yesterday...
Like the test from yesterday, it was not "hard" but a couple of passages were not so called "totally" representative of either BR or AAMC. It was a passage at PS that was asked in a very weird way (wasted my time to figure out and it turned out very simple) and it was totally "different" from either BR way or AAMC FL way of asking. It was the very first question on PS and I said "wtf" is this.

I will feel very sorry for the folks taking test from Jan 2014 on till Jan 2015. No doubt about it the test is shifting quicker toward post 2015 format/structure blowing up on many "causual test takers' faces" until all prep companies find a way to catch up.

Took the MCAT yesterday. BR Physics is a little easier than the real deal, AAMC FLs are even easier (IMO). BR Orgo will prepare you well for the current Orgo passages in BS, and for bio you're better off just honing your critical thinking skills because I didn't feel like the bio passages were anything like I saw in the prep books. (Mostly critical thinking, inference, extrapolation from graphs is what the test seemed to mostly focus on)

There are some other great points too, emphasizing that distinguishing between hard and easy in terms of questions is neither an accurate science nor a good use of time. It's all about learning to think and realizing that the MCAT is going to mess with you on a few of their passages and questions. Part of your preparation needs to be learning how to deal with that experience so that you don't waste time or let anxieties undermine your MCAT score.

 

[optopia]

TBR passages are definitely harder than AAMC's. I got a 14 on the PS section (and I have *never* taken any college-level physics before the MCAT), studying only from TBR, supplemented by some Googling when I was confused (the Hyperphysics website is great).

I averaged getting maybe 2/3 of the physics questions in TBR correct. That varied a lot though. Sometimes it was as low as 20-40%, sometimes I'd get the whole passage correct. I'd say if you're getting at least 50-60% correct on the physics passages overall, you're in decent shape. Make sure you understand every question afterwards, and why you got it wrong, so that if you saw a similar question in the future, you'd nail it.

 

[RC4L]

This is a highly variable question. I found that the TBR requires a very in depth understanding of the material to do well on their exams and are more information based than strategic. The aamc exams and the real thing always seemed to test more simple concepts of the material but in a manner that requires a more strategic approach. For someone who knows all the material like the back of their hand, TBR may seem easier at times but for someone who relies on their strategy as much as their content knowledge the TBR tests may seem insane. I personally found the TBR tests useful only for drilling in difficult concepts and almost useless for reflecting the real thing. The scores I made on TBR tests were not even in the same ballpark as my aamc scores. The TPR and EK tests were more similar to the real deal in terms of difficulty but no company successfully imitates the MCAT. The MCAT is always going to test your critical thinking skills just as much if not more than your ability to recall information. That is the purpose of the mcat and that is how it is designed. If you don't do well on the TBR tests don't worry too much.

 

[orangeman25]

This is a highly variable question. I found that the TBR requires a very in depth understanding of the material to do well on their exams and are more information based than strategic. The aamc exams and the real thing always seemed to test more simple concepts of the material but in a manner that requires a more strategic approach. For someone who knows all the material like the back of their hand, TBR may seem easier at times but for someone who relies on their strategy as much as their content knowledge the TBR tests may seem insane. I personally found the TBR tests useful only for drilling in difficult concepts and almost useless for reflecting the real thing. The scores I made on TBR tests were not even in the same ballpark as my aamc scores. The TPR and EK tests were more similar to the real deal in terms of difficulty but no company successfully imitates the MCAT. The MCAT is always going to test your critical thinking skills just as much if not more than your ability to recall information. That is the purpose of the mcat and that is how it is designed. If you don't do well on the TBR tests don't worry too much.

Were you scoring higher on TPR tests than aamc tests (or actual mcat if you have taken already)? Or lower? If so, by how much on average?

 

[RC4L]

I never did a full TPR practice exam just lots of individual PS, VR, BS tests and passages so I don't have many numbers on my TPR work. Just in comparison I thought TPR was more difficult than aamc and I almost always missed quite a few more questions in TPR PS and BS. I used the aamc scales to gauge my TPR verbal and was scoring around between 11-13 which was the same in aamc. My aamc exams ranged from 27 to 38 with a random 40. They increased gradually throughout my studying and especially after a lot of practice with TPR. My last mcat was 38-12-14-12. My 38 reflected the upper end of my aamc's and none of my TPR tests would have added up to a 38 much less the TBR. I thought aamc exams were the easiest of all in fact and the real thing was harder but most similar to the aamcs.

 

[jmpatt29]

Has anyone found errors in the BR gen chem book? I have found two conceptual errors in TBR books that have the concepts actually opposite.... maybe because I have the 2010 versions?