Berkeley review passages

[azntonyking]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Hey guys,

Ive searched but couldn't really find an answer to my question. I'm getting a 55%-70% correctness on the Berkeley review passages every 1/3. Is this alright? I've tried reading the chapters multiple times to grasp the concept and also to just take the time to do the passages but I can't seem to go above this percentage range. Is this normal? Are TBR passages harder than average?

If not, can someone offer tips on how I could improve my %?

 

[SaCkO]

Hey guys,

Ive searched but couldn't really find an answer to my question. I'm getting a 55%-70% correctness on the Berkeley review passages every 1/3. Is this alright? I've tried reading the chapters multiple times to grasp the concept and also to just take the time to do the passages but I can't seem to go above this percentage range. Is this normal? Are TBR passages harder than average?

If not, can someone offer tips on how I could improve my %?

My percentage is from 65-95% that the range the average usually around 78%.. the passages are challenging and their purpose is to enhance our knowledge and deepen the concepts.. Some of the material are just not covered in chapters and covered through passages. BTW the real MCAT does the same thing sometimes and throws new things at us in passages so try to cope with the style.. Iam still struggling too with weird passages however with practice and high self confidence i think we would do better..

 

[azntonyking]

Glad I'm not the only one struggling here. Have you taken aamc #3 yet? If you did, did you take it before TBR or after or during?

 

[SaCkO]

Glad I'm not the only one struggling here. Have you taken aamc #3 yet? If you did, did you take it before TBR or after or during?

No i haven't, i have been doing BR CBT my average is 30 on those till now..

 

[azntonyking]

Are you taking those at periodic times during your content review? Or are you finished with TBR content review?

 

[SaCkO]

Iam actually done with BR content and passages..

 

[Swagster]

Try not to get discouraged. BR passages can be tough, but that is EXACTLY what you need to get ready for the MCAT. No materials will make you think in the right frame of mind as much as BR materials. Try not to worry as much about your scores and focus on their strategies. The MCAT will feel very much like your BR passages, especialIy the PS section. I often felt defeated by the homework, but in the end pulled a sweet score. Learning to think like a test taker is what BR gave me more than anything, and that was worth 10 points to me. Knowing the material would have gotten me a high 20s score. Learning how to think was what I need to reach high 30s.

 

[azntonyking]

Try not to get discouraged. BR passages can be tough, but that is EXACTLY what you need to get ready for the MCAT. No materials will make you think in the right frame of mind as much as BR materials. Try not to worry as much about your scores and focus on their strategies. The MCAT will feel very much like your BR passages, especialIy the PS section. I often felt defeated by the homework, but in the end pulled a sweet score. Learning to think like a test taker is what BR gave me more than anything, and that was worth 10 points to me. Knowing the material would have gotten me a high 20s score. Learning how to think was what I need to reach high 30s.

Agreed. I'm thinking so much more efficiently thanks to TBR, regarding questions.

 

[TexasSurgeon]

Bumping this thread because I, too have been finding BR passages killer. Thoughts from current students studying?

 

[Shewillcreate]

Bumping this thread because I, too have been finding BR passages killer. Thoughts from current students studying?

Feeling the exact same way! I'm trying to learn from them and from my mistakes. That's all we can do really...at least that's what I've been told. Hang in there and keep your head up!

 

[TexasSurgeon]

Feeling the exact same way! I'm trying to learn from them and from my mistakes. That's all we can do really...at least that's what I've been told. Hang in there and keep your head up!

Done with SN2 content review! Reviewing stuff and passages now 🙂

 

[Shewillcreate]

Done with SN2 content review! Reviewing stuff and passages now 🙂

Way to go!! Can I ask what your passage percentages were like? Also, when do you take your exam?
Study hard! 🙂

 

[MrTaco92]

I'm also just finishing up with content review in TBR. I've been scoring, on average, in the 55-75% range for PS and 60-85% range for BS throughout the past 2 months. I'm taking aamc 3 tomorrow so I'll try to remember to update you guys with a score tomorrow as long as if it's not too embarrassing of a score. I'm gonna go into it expecting a terrible score so that I'll be content with whatever I end up with.

I started doing the last 1/3 passages though (I'm on the SN2ed schedule) and I've noticed an improvement in my chapter 1 scores. Hopefully by the end of the month I'll be where I want to be.

 

[TexasSurgeon]

Way to go!! Can I ask what your passage percentages were like? Also, when do you take your exam?
Study hard! 🙂

My exam is on September 10! thanks haha 🙂

I don't have an exact breakdown of my averages, but I would normally miss about 2 per passage. Occasionally I will miss 1 per passage or 3 per passage. Towards the 2nd month, I started making a lot more 100's on passages, but there were also passages where I would miss over half the questions. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

I've got a lot of practice exams to do now- about 13 since I have berkeley's exams. So my plan is to take and exam every 3 days or so and firm up content in the areas i missed

what about you? whens your exam?

 

[TheMightyTexan]

Done with SN2 content review! Reviewing stuff and passages now 🙂

If you had to cut some of the TBR content out of your schedule, what would you select? I already made a revised schedule in which i could get everything i wanted done, but its going to be impossible to stick to after trying it for a day.. right now i'm thinking of cutting about 1/3 of the passages out and doing 2/3 of the 4 subjects. However, i feel like physics and g chem are especially helpful and i definitely want to get it all in.

In other words, what did you find to be the most high yield?

Also, how do you manage with those passages you bomb? Yesterday i was doing a passage in g chem, one i felt should have been easy enough, freaked out when i burned to much time on it and it just ruined my spirits for the day. At least its practice for hitting something like that on test day...but i definitely have a hard time keeping calm when it happens.

 

[TexasSurgeon]

If you had to cut some of the TBR content out of your schedule, what would you select? I already made a revised schedule in which i could get everything i wanted done, but its going to be impossible to stick to after trying it for a day.. right now i'm thinking of cutting about 1/3 of the passages out and doing 2/3 of the 4 subjects. However, i feel like physics and g chem are especially helpful and i definitely want to get it all in.

In other words, what did you find to be the most high yield?

Also, how do you manage with those passages you bomb? Yesterday i was doing a passage in g chem, one i felt should have been easy enough, freaked out when i burned to much time on it and it just ruined my spirits for the day. At least its practice for hitting something like that on test day...but i definitely have a hard time keeping calm when it happens.

I would cut out the 3/3's and spend my free time doing more tests. That way you at least have seen the material twice. I don't know if I would actually cut out any content for sure. However, I did well in biochemistry & genetics so I was able to overlook those parts of the BS review. I think that really did save me time since the material was super fresh in my head.

Definitely keep physics/gchem though. Some content in BS you can supplement with KhanAcademy or something (https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/organ-systems).

Yeah the passages I bomb suck. I thoroughly read the explanations. 80% of the time it's some dumb careless mistake. If I actually don't get it, I'll try and read parts again. Usually the explanations make a lot of sense though so reading them is review enough for me.

I also routinely ask myself this question: "What is the basic science concept behind this?" and it helps me stay calm/get to the right answer.

 

[TheMightyTexan]

Great, thanks for the help!

 

[MrTaco92]

Ok so I scored a 30 on aamc 3 just now, which I'm actually really happy about because I got a 12 in BS and 11 in PS. Verbal I scored a 7 on which is upsetting, but I'm mainly just happy to see that all the BS and PS practice in the past 2 months paid off. My overall impression of aamc 3 is that it was pretty easy compared to most of TBR's passages. PS was surprisingly easier in particular (just my opinion though). I got 83% right in PS overall, and 87% right in bio, as opposed to averaging 55-75% in TBR PS and 60-85% in TBR Bio.