BERKELEY REVIEW scores/discussion

[capn jazz]

Just like the EK Verbal 101 thread, this is a thread to talk about how you're doing with the TBR passages. I don't know how people are generally going through these, but I'm doing Phase I and II after reading the chapter, and saving Phase III for after I finish all content review.

I'm currently working on Gen Chem.

Chapter 1:
Phase I: 27/41 = 66% = 10
Phase II: 10/20 = 50% = 8 (ouch!)

Chapter 2:
Phase I: 29/37 = 78% = 11
Phase II: 28/33 = 85% = 13

So far I LOVE the book. I hated Gen Chem and I'm enjoying reading this and I really feel like it's helping me grasp the topics. Hopefully future chapters will continue this trend...

Now it's up to you guys! Keep this thread alive!

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[ACSheldor]

Haven't posted on here for a while, but I just came across my favorite line while doing an example problem in the BR Chem book... "Holy smokes Batman, it's choice B!"

Just when I was starting to get frustrated with its dense content, BR recovered by throwing in an old school Batman reference. Bravo.

I've read that, it was funny for me too. How have you been, how's studying?

 

[TheMightyBoosh]

I've read that, it was funny for me too. How have you been, how's studying?

Fell behind during content review so I'm going to have to cut out a lot of my break days to fit in the practice exams/review tests I had planned to do for the next month and a half. The last part of content review has been a pain for me to get through... I'm ready to start taking FL's!

 

[ACSheldor]

I feel you, I was 97% done with content review and then I got a huge family emergency. I started back up yesterday after taking almost a month off. I moved my date back and I should start FLs on Monday. I'm just ready to get this over with and start FLs so badly. What FLs are you taking?

 

[Don Draper]

Take all book scores with a grain of salt. I was 13-15 on every single chem chapter (i think) and ended up with a 12 PS on the real thing...

yeah, agreed.

BR teaches you how to do BR. It doesn't teach you how to do AAMC.

AAMC is much better at integrating passage info into their questions. BR usually doesn't do this as well.

 

[Don Draper]

Fell behind during content review so I'm going to have to cut out a lot of my break days to fit in the practice exams/review tests I had planned to do for the next month and a half. The last part of content review has been a pain for me to get through... I'm ready to start taking FL's!

go to mcat-review.org

do their content review. Better to do FL's than to master content. BR's content goes over 2-3 times more than you need to know easily.

 

[megathunder]

go to mcat-review.org

do their content review. Better to do FL's than to master content. BR's content goes over 2-3 times more than you need to know easily.

Agreed.

 

[Don Draper]

Agreed, got a 27 after studying full time for one month AFTER my BR course ended. Took the test again after studying part time using EK and just the AAMC practice tests for a month and got a 31 (including a 12 on PS which was a 9 the first time).

Unfortunately I had to learn the hard way. After reading all the BR stuff, taking notes on it, reviewing those notes.

Then I got to the AAMC FL's and was shocked. It made me realize we don't need 40 or 50 page chapters, we need summaries.

 

[huyem12]

Did anyone seem to have trouble with the Sound passages in Physics??

Most of them were way conceptual for me.

 

[ACSheldor]

I'm still grateful for the practice from TBR though. I like TPR hyperlearning though for content. How did your test go Don? You haven't been on in a while. How did your 15 day extreme practice FL schedule go?

 

[TheMightyBoosh]

Donny boy! How you been man?
I'll check out that website, I definitely need to stop getting caught up in content review.

ACSheldor: That's gotta be rough to deal with. Good for you for bouncing back to the grind.

 

[ACSheldor]

Yea, that's sort of the price for trying to do this with a family already.

What FLs are you taking boosh?

 

[TheMightyBoosh]

Yea, that's sort of the price for trying to do this with a family already.

What FLs are you taking boosh?

Haven't decided on that yet, but it's going to be some combination of aamc's and BR FL's 2-7. Hopefully I can schedule time to get through 12 practice tests while being able to review them thoroughly.

 

[ACSheldor]

Same here. I'm probably going to do AAMC 3-10 and BR FLs 1-7. 15 should be enough.

 

[Parthenon89]

Same here. I'm probably going to do AAMC 3-10 and BR FLs 1-7. 15 should be enough.

same here man, berkeley puts AAMC to same in PS and BS but the verbal is a joke.

 

[phonyreal98]

Just completed Phase 2! I went out with a bang by getting 11/21 on Physics Chapter 10. But that's because I ran out of time...oops. That and the fact that I cannot, for the life of me, focus today. Looks like I need a break.

 

[TheMightyBoosh]

Just completed Phase 2! I went out with a bang by getting 11/21 on Physics Chapter 10. But that's because I ran out of time...oops. That and the fact that I cannot, for the life of me, focus today. Looks like I need a break.

Nice, you made it through! Take a day off, you deserve one. Then tear up those practice exams.

 

[Silverfalcon]

Kinda in short of time, so I didn't go through all the past threads...
But anyways, what do people think of TBR Bio passages in comparison to recent AAMCs? Or even just the practice AAMCs? I tried couple and I know they ask really peculiar things you wouldn't know, but what are your thoughts? Do they help you to reason things out better? I'm not a Bio major so that is a really issue for me (biological thinking, if you can call it).

And I agree with Don completely. TBR has so much stuffs, and it somehow thinks that everything it says is relevant. It's not. It is just good at hammering things to your head (Physics especially), but I feel like lectures are really overrated.

 

[Parthenon89]

hey guys, how you guys been performing on the TBR CBTs?

My Scores so far...

AAMC4 - 27 (PS9 VR9 BS9) - 1 question away from a 10 in ea/ section LoL
CBT7 - 31 (PS10 VR10 BS11) - lots of stupid mistakes
CBT6 - 33 (PS12 VR11 BS10) - WHAT THE HELL BIO?


...does anyone else think the BS is INSANE, the PS is fine, its not too "out there" but the BS section is just too heavy handed.

 

[JSU]

hey guys, how you guys been performing on the TBR CBTs?

My Scores so far...

AAMC4 - 27 (PS9 VR9 BS9) - 1 question away from a 10 in ea/ section LoL
CBT7 - 31 (PS11 VR10 BS10) - lots of stupid mistakes
CBT6 - 33 (PS12 VR11 BS10) - WHAT THE HELL BIO?


...does anyone else think the BS is INSANE, the PS is fine, its not too "out there" but the BS section is just too heavy handed.

True, TBR sciences is harder than AAMC. However as your scores show, the curve makes up for it.

 

[snipermonkey]

TBR CBT 3 was so hard
i was like omg...

 

[snipermonkey]

TBR CBT3: thanks for the curve...
13-15/9/11

 

[JSU]

TBR CBT 3 was so hard
i was like omg...

All of the odds are pretty insane, though the curve makes it ok.

 

[Parthenon89]

people have said that they generally score 2 pts lower in PS and 2 pts lower in BS in TBR CBTs compared to AAMCs. You think this is true even with the curve considered?

 

[phonyreal98]

Just started Phase 3 today physics today, and I noticed a very pronounced improvement on physics, chapter 1:
Phase I- 7
Phase II- 10
Phase III- 14!!!!!!

Now I think I can use one of these smileys:


Just one though, since I haven't officially gotten a killer MCAT score or gotten into med school yet.

 

[Don Draper]

people have said that they generally score 2 pts lower in PS and 2 pts lower in BS in TBR CBTs compared to AAMCs. You think this is true even with the curve considered?

my AAMC tests were lower at first.

"generally" should be replaced by "sometimes" IMO.

 

[JSU]

people have said that they generally score 2 pts lower in PS and 2 pts lower in BS in TBR CBTs compared to AAMCs. You think this is true even with the curve considered?

Not for me. My TBR BS was right on or sometimes a bit higher and my PS was usually a point or so above my AAMC scores. VR is where it fluctuated as I went from a 6-12 depending on the test.

 

[mzblue]

Just out of curiousity; are these scores on a scale of 0-15 or are they the number of questions you got right? i'm thinking it's the former and if it is, how did you convert to the scaled score. the paper sheets i have only shows that you can convert only after you've completed all phases. am i missing something? i'd like to know if it's possible to convert the the scores for each phase into a scaled score. I'm doing phase one of physics and boy am i getting my ass whipped. i feel like their physics isn't like their gen chem or ochem. I don't think i learned anything from the book that nova didn't teach, save for the test tricks. The practice passages however are excellent practice despite the part that i'm flunking them.
thanks.

Just started Phase 3 today physics today, and I noticed a very pronounced improvement on physics, chapter 1:
Phase I- 7
Phase II- 10
Phase III- 14!!!!!!

Now I think I can use one of these smileys:


Just one though, since I haven't officially gotten a killer MCAT score or gotten into med school yet.

 

[Ryan71]

Im only doing BR for orgo.

Section 1 : 9
Section 2 : 11

I'd say about half of the questions I get wrong were things I didn't quite understand fully yet.. and the other half were me simply being an idiot. Hopefully the "WTF WAS I THINKING!!??" moments will be out the window come MCAT time.

About to do section 3 questions...

 

[phonyreal98]

Just out of curiousity; are these scores on a scale of 0-15 or are they the number of questions you got right? i'm thinking it's the former and if it is, how did you convert to the scaled score. the paper sheets i have only shows that you can convert only after you've completed all phases. am i missing something? i'd like to know if it's possible to convert the the scores for each phase into a scaled score. I'm doing phase one of physics and boy am i getting my ass whipped. i feel like their physics isn't like their gen chem or ochem. I don't think i learned anything from the book that nova didn't teach, save for the test tricks. The practice passages however are excellent practice despite the part that i'm flunking them.
thanks.

There are approximated scales at the beginning of each end of chapter test.

 

[Silverfalcon]

Im only doing BR for orgo.

Section 1 : 9
Section 2 : 11

I'd say about half of the questions I get wrong were things I didn't quite understand fully yet.. and the other half were me simply being an idiot. Hopefully the "WTF WAS I THINKING!!??" moments will be out the window come MCAT time.

About to do section 3 questions...

That's interesting. I used BR on and off for all subjects EXCEPT orgo. I did one passage, and I thought it was way off. Which chapters are you planning to do? Everything?

 

[lovedocta07]

hey guys need advice on ordering test..I'm about to order tests today..was. Wondering of tbr1-3 was helpful...since I'm retaking my mcat..I already finished my kaplan 1-6, aamc3-10...I was going to redo 7-10 aamc and get tbr 1-3, or should I get tbr 1-5?,

Is looking over kaplan 1-6, tbr 1-3 and aamc 7-10 enough?

 

[snipermonkey]

i have 5 tbr tests
and they are pretty good
i would say they are as good as the aamc ones because
they are harder and it prepares you well for the real deal!

 

[Ryan71]

That's interesting. I used BR on and off for all subjects EXCEPT orgo. I did one passage, and I thought it was way off. Which chapters are you planning to do? Everything?

I'm going to do all of them. I read in a bunch of threads on here that BR Orgo was the way to go. I studied with Kaplans orgo prep and I thought it was terrible. I feel like BR helps me understand WHY X ----> Y. And not just memorize X ----> Y rxns.

Almost done with Sections 3 Orgo questions now.. just took a break and graded it so far.. 71/84.

 

[phonyreal98]

Ugggghhhh. I just did some passages from Chapters 7 and 8 of TBR biology. Did fine on Chapter 7 material...but got 4/12 questions on chapter 8 material. We don't have to know the pathways as in depth as TBR teaches, do we?

 

[snipermonkey]

i took TBR CBT 4 today
i thought the test was tough
but this time, the curve isnt forgiving...
10/9/10

im nervous
my test is next week

 

[Strawberries]

Noob here: Could someone explain to me what the "phases" are?

 

[JSU]

i took TBR CBT 4 today
i thought the test was tough
but this time, the curve isnt forgiving...
10/9/10

im nervous
my test is next week

Dont worry about the verbal on 4. There is no way that the real thing could involve that much math, old english and convoluted thinking. That being said, the curve was pretty forgiving for VR (I got a 12).

 

[snipermonkey]

hey JSU
how was TBR CBT compared to the real deal?
you took it right?

 

[JSU]

hey JSU
how was TBR CBT compared to the real deal?
you took it right?

I scored half a point below my TBR Avg. However, I took a few tests before content review. VR was from a 6 (test 8) -12 (tests 4,6) so I didn't trust TBR VR at all. However, my PS scores for my last 5 tests (after content review) were 14,12,14,13,14 (lets play guess the mode ). I designates scores as 14 if they were over halfway between the 13-15 range and 13 if they were below the middle of the range. I made the same distinction with 11s and 12s. My bio for those tests were all 12s so i'm glad that I got that on the real thing. My overall AAMC VR avg was 10 and my recent Avg was a bit below 11. Let me know if you want more info.

 

[snipermonkey]

wait
so,
you would say the material would be little bit easier on the real deal,
the score would be around what you get on TBR CBT?
now im worried,
well,
ive been scoring avg of 33 on the practice AAMC

 

[TheMightyBoosh]

Noob here: Could someone explain to me what the "phases" are?

A phase is just a series of passages you do in one sitting. This is how they recommend scheduling phases for BR students:

 

[goark]

I just took my first BR FL (test 1) and after scoring between 6 and 9 on my Princeton review and AAMC tests, I ended up getting an 11. Is it just me or are the BR verbal passages way easier than PR/AAMC/the real thing?

For those who took the BR full lengths, how did your verbal scores compare to your actual MCAT verbal score?

 

[JSU]

I just took my first BR FL (test 1) and after scoring between 6 and 9 on my Princeton review and AAMC tests, I ended up getting an 11. Is it just me or are the BR verbal passages way easier than PR/AAMC/the real thing?

For those who took the BR full lengths, how did your verbal scores compare to your actual MCAT verbal score?

TBR VR ranged from 6-12 with my AVG being around 10. I think I got an 11 on the first test as well. I got a 9 on the real thing.

That first test has a VERY easy curve for BS and VR (PS was rough). The rest are a bit more realistic

 

[JSU]

wait
so,
you would say the material would be little bit easier on the real deal,
the score would be around what you get on TBR CBT?
now im worried,
well,
ive been scoring avg of 33 on the practice AAMC

I think I could score higher on almost any TBR CBT bar the cracky verbal. The questions in TBR are a lot less passage based and more knowledge based while the real thing was very passage based. As there is no way for me to see which questions I missed on the real thing, I cant really tell you how hard it was. Though the PS felt about on par with the TBR stuff while the BS was harder than any of the TBR exams (except maybe one of the earlier ones before I did content review. eg. #3). 33 is a good avg. so you should be fine. Prepare for the worst; hope for the best.

 

[Ryan71]

Quick question.. I'm thinking about buying the BR Physics book just for the practice problems at the end of each section. In the answer sections do they explain how to solve each problem in detail? Do they work out all the math for you??

I'm doing the BR Orgo now and sometimes I wish they had more drawings of what's actually happening in the reactions for these practice problems.

Thanks!

 

[apgar]

Quick question.. I'm thinking about buying the BR Physics book just for the practice problems at the end of each section. In the answer sections do they explain how to solve each problem in detail? Do they work out all the math for you??

I'm doing the BR Orgo now and sometimes I wish they had more drawings of what's actually happening in the reactions for these practice problems.

Thanks!

I have found the BR Physics answer explanations to be very detailed (I am working from a 2009 edition). I know that the Physics books have been recently revised so the answer explanations are even longer if you buy the newest version. Hope it helps!

 

[goark]

TBR VR ranged from 6-12 with my AVG being around 10. I think I got an 11 on the first test as well. I got a 9 on the real thing.

That first test has a VERY easy curve for BS and VR (PS was rough). The rest are a bit more realistic

Thanks. How did your BS and PS TBR scores compare to your actual MCAT score?

 

[goark]

I'm taking TBR FL 2 right now and it's not letting me highlight my passages. Is this a common problem with BR tests?

if anyone has encountered this problem, what did you do to fix it?

 

[Parthenon89]

I'm taking TBR FL 2 right now and it's not letting me highlight my passages. Is this a common problem with BR tests?

if anyone has encountered this problem, what did you do to fix it?

it never lets me highlight


btw, has anyone taken TBR CBT 5?

I feel like i just got a rectal exam from Paul Bunyan.

It was INSANE!

Ps - WTF
Vr - Alright not as hellish as can be
BS- WHAT THE F

 

[JSU]

it never lets me highlight


btw, has anyone taken TBR CBT 5?

I feel like i just got a rectal exam from Paul Bunyan.

It was INSANE!

Ps - WTF
Vr - Alright not as hellish as can be
BS- WHAT THE F

Lol on the rectal exam. 3 and 5 are the start of the big boy tests. Then 7,8,9 continue hurting. Though good job on the VR, I hated the VR on the odd tests. CBT 6 has easier stuff across the board, though I did better with the easier curves/harder exams (14,8?,12 on TBR5).