I'm really stressed out and frankly sick and tired of this damn test. I'm taking in less than one week and my test scores are horrible, I haven't gotten a thirty on a single test:
AAMC 7: (7,8,10: 25)
AAMC 6: (9,9,10: 28)
TPR 7: (9,6,10: 25)
AAMC 5: (7,9,9: 25)
AAMC 9: (8,7,8: 23)
I think I've postponed like three times already. I study and my scores still don't go up, I'm starting to think I'm just too stupid to do well on this test. Its ruining my life. I go over each test, and am trying to focus on problem areas, but it apparently isn't helping. Am I missing something/doing something wrong?
It all starts with being pragmatic about the entire experience (preparation, practice, and the
real thing).
You have a range of five points from worse to best. That's just the way this exam works. We find that most of our students have a 6-point range. This means that your
real score carries with it a significant luck factor. If you sit for the right test using the right computer at the right time, you could get a 30. If you sit for the wrong test using a bad computer at the wrong time, you could get a 24. In that sense, you are gambling and there's not much you can do besides either (a) play the hand as best you can or (b) fold until you get the hand you want. I personally recommend the second approach, and want to reiterate
Roadrunner's great advice to make sure you void any exam you don't like so it doesn't end up on your record. This is crucial.
As for the exam itself, it's as much about knowing the material as it is about knowing how to take
their test. It really doesn't have much to do with being smart or stupid; it has to do with being in tune our out of tune with their questions. I subscribe to the aforementioned suggestion of doing more practice problems. However, what is mean by the word "
do" is to first take the passage under timed conditions, score it quickly, and then redo the questions very slowly, writing down every thought you have for both questions you got right and ones you got wrong.
For questions you got right, you might find it's pattern recognition, recall, math, or successful POE (process of elimination), or whatever. The purpose is to recognize what works for you and then consciously employ that method on quetsions you find to be difficult. For me, I discovered that when I take the time write any key words and note what the question is asking for (a final velocity, a stronger acid, the correct hormone, or whatever), I did very well. I developed the habit of doing that everytime I felt stressed by a question. It helped more than I ever would have imagined.
For questions you get wrong, see if it's a careless error, a misread question, an incorrect application of a concept, a missing definition, etc... Depending on the type of error, you need to fill in the gap in your test-taking arsenal. Make yourself into a test-taking machine. Many of the questions will become a reflex in time. If you get good at this approach, you'll find that understanding the material falls into place.
Too many people try to read and absorb more text when their scores aren't where they want them, mistakenly thinking that the problem is information related. To a point, you need a large information base. But many of their passages and questions provide you everything you need, and it's a matter of thinking about it correctly.
Lastly, there have been hundreds and hundreds of people in your same shoes over the years, and they persevered. There is no reason you won't too. The path has many anxious and frustrating moments, but there are some great ones too. Get through this moment, because things will get better.
