So I've been reading the threads for the past few administered MCAT's and it seems like many of the sections on the real thing are harder than anything the test-takers ever encountered. But I thought AAMC was a failry accurate predictor, no? If it's not, maybe taking harder practice tests and passages is actually a better way to prepare for the real thing. What are some of the most challenging practice materials out there? I heard Berkeley Review was fairly difficult, maybe Princeton and Kaplan diagnostics in respective sections?
I dunno...
You read my mind! Everyone comments how hard the real test is as if it's a surprise. Two things to consider.
(1) As Vihsadas pointed out, AAMC predicts your score quite accurately, but it does not intend to simulate difficulty. I also tend to think that AAMC practice exams are more difficult that people let on, but because you get to see the answers after the fact, the exam seems easier upon review.
(2) The exam has been
VERY predictable since the CBT came into effect. There will be moreorless five reasonable and two
WTF passages in each section. Most of the passages have been recycled, so the exam cannot be any harder than it has been in the past. And more than anything, it has calculations!
So here comes my rant. I'm not sure why so many prep companies explicitly state that there aren't many calculations, because it is misleading. I agree that only a few of the questions involve calculations, but those calculations eat up time and throw people for a loop. If you are slow on the calculation questions, then you are at risk for running out of time on the rest of the exam. I think that is the major reason why people freak out on the exam.
{{
warning: self-congratulatory comment on the way}} This is where we (BR) have made a conscious effort to change our course since the CBT came in. We added a
math on the MCAT in-class component that entails three two-hour skills lectures. And low and behold, after reading how hard each PS exam is on SDN, I hear differently from our students. Very rarely does anyone say it's difficult and no one runs out of time. I believe the
only difference is that our students walk in mentally expecting that calculations could be stumbling blocks and that they are equipped with a bunch of math tricks and approaches to the usual suspects.
So to answer your question as to our exams being
difficult, I guess that's the way people see them. It's the way people see the MCAT too. So, what I tell our students is that AAMC exams are great for getting your score. For getting familiar with the style, they should focus on our exams, but not worry so much about the score. Although the score is actually good predictor, we suggest they do our tests first, so the scores they get don't indicate where they
will be come test time.
So to answer your question, and please realize that I'm in a weird mood at the moment. I am a bit upset that so many people are being bamboozled by the MCAT test prep industry on the whole. There is
NO REASON why a student who spends $2K to $8K for a commercial preparation course should walk out of the MCAT feeling like they weren't prepared. Every session we inherit a few students who are taking us after taking one of the corporate programs and it never ceases to amaze me how unaware of the exam nuances they are.
The MCAT is a test that measures your ability to take a test.
Now that venting felt good... please forgive my scatter plot of a post.
