ExamKracker VERBAL 101 SCORES

[Futuredoctr]

I was curious if there was anyone else using these? I took the first one last night at a busy starbucks (to begin to aclimate myself to the "be prepared for anything" test climate) and I got rocked. I scored a 5!! . Its okay though because I knew verbal was going to be the hardest. I was curious if anyone else using these tests could post their scores and or advice (I know there was a thread a while back, but that was for the April exam and I'm in need of encouragment and advice from the august takers. Thanks

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[Qester]

Double post, iPhone :/

 

[Temperature101]

How much time are you finishing with?

I always have to rush thru the last passage...I usually have 5-7 minutes left to do the last passage.

 

[azngujuonfire]

Does anybody find EK 101 much harder and much more "detail" oriented than the actual aamc full lengths or even the actual MCAT (for those of you who have taken it)?

In their first book, they go on and on about how the AAMC tests your comprehension of the passage, the author's main idea, tone, point of view, opinions, etc. They also advise against going back to the passage in order to search for answers.

Well I read all of their advise, and I agree with it, but then when i got to the EK 101 passages, I find that they themselves are hypocritical in that a very large majority of the questions that they asked are detail recollection questions, requiring you to go back to search for the context and to answer the question.

Since then I have switched to TPRH Verbal and I'm averaging around 82% on the passages. I do 3 passages per day, allotting myself 27 minutes to complete all 3 passages. I find that the TPRH verbal workbook is much more similar to the AAMC VR section than EK 101. The questions are much more "MCAT-like" and also the passages are much more MCAT-like in length and content.

I got a 7 on the VR section of the first aamc that I took, which was AAMC #10 (kind of a bad choice since this is supposedly one of the closest practice tests to the real deal). I took aamc #3 yesterday (supposedly one of the easiest ones), and I got a 10. Pretty big jump, not letting it get to my head. Just hope I can keep improving.

Does anybody else share my views regarding TPRH vs. EK 101 and which is more similar to the AAMC?

 

[Blown Away]

^ EK is a joke. I have taken 13 of the EK verbal exams and my scores ranged from a 6-15. What they teach you is to doubt yourself. Get the AAMC assessments for some real verbal passages.

 

[Patassa]

^ EK is a joke. I have taken 13 of the EK verbal exams and my scores ranged from a 6-15. What they teach you is to doubt yourself. Get the AAMC assessments for some real verbal passages.

I'm starting to agree. My AAMC scores have been 11, 10, 11. With EK I'm all over the place, 9-12 and honestly some of the answers they chose make zero sense to me. The AAMC explanations always make sense. I've gotten to the point where when I used the EK passages I just laugh when I get something wrong and don't even bother reading their reasoning. I could come up with the same useless convoluted reasoning for my answers that they do, but neither will help for the actual MCAT. I just see it as reading comprehension practice either way, I'm still being forced to read and analyze so it's better than nothing.

 

[Patassa]

.

Does anybody else share my views regarding TPRH vs. EK 101 and which is more similar to the AAMC?

I agree, TPR is much closer to MCAT passages. I wanted to like EK after I took my first one and got a 12 but it's been nothing but frustration since then. Using their technique on their own passages does not work very well for me.

 

[Iceandmedicine]

Just finished test 1, it was my first full, timed verbal section and I scored a 10 so Im feeling pretty okay.

I also finished with 8 minutes to spare so Im going to work on going through passages a bit slower in the future because a lot of my mistakes were hasty!! :\

 

[Temperature101]

Test 1 : 29/40 = 9
Test 2 : 27/40 = 8
Test 3 : 22/40 = 6
Test 4 : 27/40 = 8
Test 5 : 29/40 = 9
Test 6 : 21/40 = 6
Test 7 : 29/40 = 9

 

[postbacpremed87]

I'm starting to agree. My AAMC scores have been 11, 10, 11. With EK I'm all over the place, 9-12 and honestly some of the answers they chose make zero sense to me. The AAMC explanations always make sense. I've gotten to the point where when I used the EK passages I just laugh when I get something wrong and don't even bother reading their reasoning. I could come up with the same useless convoluted reasoning for my answers that they do, but neither will help for the actual MCAT. I just see it as reading comprehension practice either way, I'm still being forced to read and analyze so it's better than nothing.

I actually think there is a huge difference in reading in the EK 101 book vs. AAMC CBT. I read more quickly online than in a book. My EK 101 scores were all over the place. I started at a 5 and worked up to a 10, but went down to 6's and 7's occasionally. I showed consistent progress on AAMC online and scored my max score on the CBT.

 

[khrisskhoras]

^ EK is a joke. I have taken 13 of the EK verbal exams and my scores ranged from a 6-15. What they teach you is to doubt yourself. Get the AAMC assessments for some real verbal passages.

I agree, just buy the AAMC self assesments for verbal practice. Also, if you need more, use some of the older AAMC FL verbal sections (tests 3,4 and 5) untimed as practice material. Save the other 5 tests for timed practice.

Plus the scaling on EKs scores doesn't make sense for the more difficult tests. There's no way 13 wrong on test 12 equals an 8, especially when its that hard.

 

[letsgoblue2015]

Does anyone else trip up on passages on artsy/music bull**** topics? Test 5 Passage 1 killed me..i had half of an understanding of it on a first read. I do fine on normal topics, but this abstract theoretical crap gives me instant add or something hah

So far on my tests I have a 8,8,11, 10

 

[Iceandmedicine]

Test 1- 10
Test 2- 10
Test 3- 12
Test 4- 12

 

[Temperature101]

Test 1 : 29/40 = 9
Test 2 : 27/40 = 8
Test 3 : 22/40 = 6
Test 4 : 27/40 = 8
Test 5 : 29/40 = 9
Test 6 : 21/40 = 6
Test 7 : 29/40 = 9
Test 8 : 25/40 = 7 ..... I thought that I got at least a 10 on that test...

 

[DocMC]

Is anyone else doing better on EK and BOMBING TPR? I am getting 1-2 wrong max/passage in EK, and when I switch over to TPR I do terrible. I find that TPR is way too passage/detail oriented whereas EK is more big picture. Yet I hear TPR resembles MCAT the best. WTH

 

[EmergDoc2B]

Dont forget time per passage is about as impotant as your scores. Are you getting low scores because your moving too quickly or are you getting low scores because your having to rush and guess at answers.

 

[Ironman322]

Test 1- 43/60... 9.

 

[Ironman322]

Test 2- 45/60 = 10. My mistakes are mostly at the start. Only missed 3 in the last three passages.

 

[Sterling Archer]

Is anyone else doing better on EK and BOMBING TPR? I am getting 1-2 wrong max/passage in EK, and when I switch over to TPR I do terrible. I find that TPR is way too passage/detail oriented whereas EK is more big picture. Yet I hear TPR resembles MCAT the best. WTH

Yeah...same here...

EK 1: 9
EK 2: 10
EK 3: 10
EK 4: 11

I feel like EK is super straightforward and reflects the AAMC practice tests I've taken so far (CBT 3: VR10; CBT 4, VR11. TPR, on the other hand is absolutely kicking my ass on both the practice exams and the hyperlearning book (~50% wrong in TPRH passages)

TPR CBT 1 VR: 5
TPR CBT 2 VR: 6
TPR CBT 3 VR: 7
TPR CBT 4 VR: 6

 

[Temperature101]

Test 1 : 29/40 = 9
Test 2 : 27/40 = 8
Test 3 : 22/40 = 6
Test 4 : 27/40 = 8
Test 5 : 29/40 = 9
Test 6 : 21/40 = 6
Test 7 : 29/40 = 9
Test 8 : 25/40 = 7
Test 9 : 26/40 = 8

 

[DocMC]

Yeah...same here...

EK 1: 9
EK 2: 10
EK 3: 10
EK 4: 11

I feel like EK is super straightforward and reflects the AAMC practice tests I've taken so far (CBT 3: VR10; CBT 4, VR11. TPR, on the other hand is absolutely kicking my ass on both the practice exams and the hyperlearning book (~50% wrong in TPRH passages)

TPR CBT 1 VR: 5
TPR CBT 2 VR: 6
TPR CBT 3 VR: 7
TPR CBT 4 VR: 6

Great I'm glad i'm not alone lol

 

[Temperature101]

Test 1 : 29/40 = 9
Test 2 : 27/40 = 8
Test 3 : 22/40 = 6
Test 4 : 27/40 = 8
Test 5 : 29/40 = 9
Test 6 : 21/40 = 6
Test 7 : 29/40 = 9
Test 8 : 25/40 = 7
Test 9 : 26/40 = 8
Test 10: 30/40 = 10
Test 11: 20/40 = 6 (Ouch)

 

[Temperature101]

.........

 

[DocMC]

delete

 

[Zonagirl]

EK test 2: 26/40 8
EK test 3: 30/40 10
EK test 4: 29/40 9

I personally feel like the EK exams do a good job of representing the real passages and questions as well. I've taken a few AAMC FL's as well as the actual MCAT last year.

I realllllllllly want to stop making 3-4 dumb mistakes each test, my scores would increase greatly. >:I

 

[oxelhs]

Got the older version:

Test 1: 38/60 = 8
Test 2: 43/60 = 9

Still can't manage to consistently get 75%+ correct answers which usually translates into a 10 :/

 

[brood910]

EK test 2: 26/40 8
EK test 3: 30/40 10
EK test 4: 29/40 9

I personally feel like the EK exams do a good job of representing the real passages and questions as well. I've taken a few AAMC FL's as well as the actual MCAT last year.

I realllllllllly want to stop making 3-4 dumb mistakes each test, my scores would increase greatly. >:I

Not at all.
EK passages are way straightforward to read + understand.
Also, they are really interesting unlike the real stuff.

 

[Zonagirl]

Not at all.
EK passages are way straightforward to read + understand.
Also, they are really interesting unlike the real stuff.

Agree to disagree. I've taken just as many of the AAMC's as EK's.

 

[Heplayer92]

What's the consensus? Do EK accurately represent the actual verbal passages?

Also I've heard some rumos that passages are longer because they had to take out the essay portion, is that true?

Thanks!

 

[Mehd School]

What's the consensus? Do EK accurately represent the actual verbal passages?

Not at all, IMO. Took all the aamc's, sat for the 5/30 test and almost finished ek101. Their methods actually held me back from a couple points until I caught on. Pr is a much better resource, but pricey. I recommend EK 101 to no one.

 

[Heplayer92]

What do you mean by their methods? I've just been using their 101 verbal passages for practice =P

 

[Stirbar]

Thought I would contribute to this thread since I was wondering about the correlation between EK scores and the MCAT when I was studying. Here are my scores:

EK 4: 11 (33/40)
EK 5: 11 (34/40)
EK 6: 11 (34/40)
EK 7: 10 (32/40)
EK 8: 11 (33/40)
EK 9: 11 (34/40)
EK 10: 11 (33/40)
EK 11: 11 (34/40)
EK 12: 11 (34/40)
EK 13: 12 (36/40)
EK 14: 13 (37/40)

AAMC verbal scores:

AAMC 3: 10 (31/40)
AAMC 4: 10 (31/40)
AAMC 5: 11 (33/40)
AAMC 7: 10 (31/40)
AAMC 8: 13 (37/40)
AAMC 9: 11 (35/40)
AAMC 10: 11 (35/40)
AAMC 11: 11 (35/40)

EK avg: 11.18
AAMC avg: 10.88
Real thing (5/18/13): 12

IMO EK was very useful in forcing me to think deeply about the content of the passages. The EK questions were harder than those on the real thing, but the passages were shorter and usually easier to read. The AAMC verbal sections were more representational of the real thing.

The passages on the real thing felt longer, but I thought the questions were straightforward. All in all, I'd say that EK 101 is a good resource for verbal preparation.

Good luck

 

[Kurosaki Ichigo]

EK 1 = 7
EK 2 = 6
EK 3 = 11
EK 4 = 11
EK 6 = 9

AAMC 3 = 10
AAMC 4 = 9
AAMC 5 = 8
AAMC 8 = 9
AAMC 9 = 9
AAMC 10 = 9
AAMC 11 = 11

REAL THING = 10

As you can see, my EK scores scared the hell out of me at first, but I got much closer to my actual test score near the end. You can also see that I did more AAMC's than EK's, but that doesn't mean EK was lacking. In fact, I'd say theyre like 90% as good as the AAMC ones.

My biggest problem with EK was that it was on paper and the actual test is on the computer. This makes a huge difference. My earlier exams (EK were done earlier than AAMC) used the EK method pretty strictly, where I summarized the thing, answered the questions, etc.. However, as time went on I started changing it a little bit and incorporated selective highlighting into my reading. This is a skill that requires a bit of practice...knowing what to highlight and what not to highlight. Obviously, you can do this much easier on a computer-based test so it made my scores much more consistent.

I won't lie though, I was stressing about breaking that 9 barrier and on test day, I was blessed enough for it to actually happen.

 

[Flash Forward]

AAMC 4: 6 (Diagnostic)

I have the old version with 9 passages each.

EK 2: 7 (34/60)
EK 3: 8 (37/60)
EK 4: 8 (38/60)
EK 5: 8 (38/60)
EK 6: 8 (37/60) (I'm stuck at 37 - 38, I need to get a 10. I'm taking my mcat on 8/9/13)

 

[oxelhs]

Just finished up EK test #3. So far:

Test 1: 38/60 = 8
Test 2: 43/60 = 9
Test 3: 46/60 = 10

Hopefully I can stay in the 10+ range. Don't wanna write a third time

 

[Simmie]

Test Date Taken Score
AAMC 10 2/2/13 10
AAMC 11 4/6/13 13
EK 101 Test 1 4/26/13 8
EK 101 Test 2 4/29/13 8
AAMC 3 5/8/13 12
EK 101 Test 3 5/10/13 11
AAMC 4 5/13/13 12
EK 101 Test 4 5/14/13 12
EK 101 Test 5 5/15/13 12
AAMC 5 5/16/13 10
AAMC 9 5/21/13 11
EK 101 Test 6 5/22/13 11
EK 101 Test 7 5/23/13 11
AAMC 8 5/24/13 10
EK 101 Test 8 5/26/13 13
EK 101 Test 9 5/28/13 12
MCAT 5/30/13 13

EK Avg.-10.88
AAMC Avg.- 11.14
Real Score-13

While I think the AAMC verbal sections are more representational of the real exam, EK can help you on the 1-2 VR passages that are convoluted/more difficult for you. EK helped me to improve my timing (paper and pencil took longer for me) and made me think more about why nuanced answers were actually very different. I think AAMC is obviously the best resource but EK can make the difference between a solid score and a really good one. Hope that's in some way useful, happy hunting!

 

[oxelhs]

Test 4: 44/60

Was on course for an 11, even 12 and then I messed up last few passages (18/29....).

Can't seem to break the 10+ barrier consistently...

 

[jigga5]

Test 4: 44/60

Was on course for an 11, even 12 and then I messed up last few passages (18/29....).

Can't seem to break the 10+ barrier consistently...

Lol same thing here on test 4, I rocked the first 5 passages and then finished 15/29 on the last 4 passages (41/60 overall). The last passages were much harder in my opinion.

 

[oxelhs]

I ended up getting 3/7 on the last one about gender roles throughout human evolution. Might be choosing the answer too quickly but if I stay too long I run out of time. It's a never-ending losing battle :/

 

[Heplayer92]

Yeah I've been averaging about 9, and I've done 11 EK 101 tests so far. Hovering between mostly 9's and 10's, with a few 8's. Can't seem to break 10 though =/

Any quick tips would be appreciated =D
Exam in T-1 week

 

[jjunior]

hi~
when reading the passages, what should you highlight or scribble down on a piece of paper? any suggestions?

 

[Temperature101]

Test 1 : 29/40 = 9
Test 2 : 27/40 = 8
Test 3 : 22/40 = 6
Test 4 : 27/40 = 8
Test 5 : 29/40 = 9
Test 6 : 21/40 = 6
Test 7 : 29/40 = 9
Test 8 : 25/40 = 7
Test 9 : 26/40 = 8
Test 10:30/40 =10
Test 11:20/40 = 6 (Ouch)
Test 12 :18/40 = 5 ( I found this test to be as hard as hell)
Test 13 : 23/40 =7

 

[Zonagirl]

EK 2 28/40 9
EK 3 30/40 10
EK 4 29/40 9
EK 5 24/40 7 (took this test after working 10 hours!! Guess it does have an affect.. hopefully!!)
EK 6 28/40 9
EK 7 32/40 10 (one more question right and I would have had an 11.. >:-I )

Any one getting close to test date?! Mine is in less than 2 weeks! GL friends!

 

[Gigantron]

Test 1 : 23/40 = 7
Test 2 : 30/40 = 10
Test 3 : 31/40 = 10
Test 4 : 29/40 = 9
Test 5 : 30/40 = 10
Test 6 : 29/40 = 9
Test 7 : 28/40 = 9
Test 8 : 27/40 = 8
Test 9: 29/40 = 9
Test 10: 28/40 = 9
Test 11: 32/40 = 10
Test 12: 28/40 = 9

Test 8 kind of worried me since this is the first time I've went below a 9 since test 1 >_>

 

[summergirl]

Test #1: 7 (did it 2 passage at a time to get a feel of the book)
Test #2: 10
Test #3: 10

~10 Kaplan verbal tests later ....

Test #4: 11
Test #5: 8 (???) Reviewed this test. Some crazy logics in my opinion...
AAMC5:11 Made some REALLY stupid mistakes...SO close to a 12
Test #6: 9 I. HATE. EK.
Test #7: 11 I forgot to choose an answer for one question...
AAMC4: 11
Test # 8: 10 Hmmmm

 

[Nissan GTR]

test 2: 6
test 3: 5
test 4: 8
test 5: 6
test 6: 8
test 7: 7
test 8: 9
test 9:: 9
test 10: 6
test 11: 7
test 12: 5
test 13: 7
test 14: 6

all over the freakin place

 

[IL Pre Med]

So far on EK 101

Test 1: 7
Test 2: 8
Test 3: 8
Test 4: 11

 

[KobeshouldbeaMD]

Anyone else find that sometimes EK's logic in solving some of these questions is flawed?!

 

[KobeshouldbeaMD]

Ek 1: 23/40 -- 7
Ek 2: 22/40 -- 7
Ek 3: 32/40 -- 10 one question away from 11

Finally understood what they want

 

[texan2414]

EK 1- 26/40 - 8
EK 2- 28/40 - 9
EK 3- 31/40 - 10
EK 4- 34/40 - 11
EK 5- 35/40 - 12
EK 6- 30/40 - 10
EK 7- 21/40 - 6 <----------- What the bloody hell lol....

 

[fudGez14]

im sure this has been repeated quite a bit, but does anybody feel that EK101 is a lot easier than AAMC? the passages are a lot easier and the questions are a bit vague, but overall, seems like a better time than AAMC/TPR.

maybe its because the passages are on more interesting topics and are more interesting to read than all of those philosophical/evolution passages in TPR/AAMC. averaging 12-13's on EK, 9-10's on TPR, and 10-11 on AAMC's. can anybody seem to explain why this is the case, and how someone that is doing well on EK101 can transfer their success to AAMC tests?