Goldstandard CBT vs. Real Thing

[BeardedRunner]

Initially I started out taking old Kaplan and Princeton fl's but I did pretty bad on them (7-9 range) because I would get lost in the long passages and wasn't good at using/memorizing the extensive equations.

I took the Gold Standard 2 (PS-9, V-10, BS-11) and 3 (10,10,10) this week.
I also took AAMC 4R and got PS-10 V-10 BS-11 (all this past week).

I've read mixed things about these tests on this forum.
Some say that the GS CBTs are a little harder, others say that they're much easier because the passages are shorter.

I'm good at concepts and picking right answers and I feel that this has helped on the GS tests.

So my plan is to take GS fl's Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday, then take the remaining AAMCs on Saturdays. My test date is the 19th.

What do you guys think? Are the Gold Standard tests reliable?

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[tncekm]

I can't say whether or not I find them to be reliable because I haven't used them yet, but generally most people find them to be a bit harder. In addition, your AAMC 4R score says that GS is probably reliable.

How did you feel the GS exams compared in wording, difficulty, question types, etc to the AAMC exam?

 

[iA-MD2013]

I can't say whether or not I find them to be reliable because I haven't used them yet, but generally most people find them to be a bit harder. In addition, your AAMC 4R score says that GS is probably reliable.

How did you feel the GS exams compared in wording, difficulty, question types, etc to the AAMC exam?

Well, AAMC 4 is supposed to be one of the harder ones, right? I've always heard GS was harder...maybe it's as hard as the hardest AAMC. That was a horribly confusing sentence.

 

[BeardedRunner]

The GS passages are shorter but the questions are very comparable to the AAMC tests.

Anyone with more experience with these GS tests?

 

[tncekm]

The VR passages, or all of the passages in general?

Thx.

 

[BeardedRunner]

The VR passages, or all of the passages in general?

Thx.

The VR passages might be the same length, but as someone else quoted on here earlier - they are crap.

I found them to be very simple, I got owned on the AAMC VR sections, but on my past 2 GS tests I got 35/40 and 34/40. So I think I might substitute those passages with some other ones - I don't know which though.

 

[tncekm]

Well, it looks like the curve accurately reflects the differences though, eh?

AAMC curves would give your GS scores about a 12, rather than the 10. But, thanks for letting me know! I'll definitely not let my guard down when I get to taking GS verbal, now.

 

[IronMan2009]

Honestly I think the GS test are pretty good so far. 10 test for 150$ is pretty cheap at 15$ a test compared to AMCAS. I am a re-taker so I took all my AMCAS before the first one. I would suggest if you are re-taking the test I would use different material such as GS rather than taking the AMCAS over again. My scores on the GS test's are reflective of what I got on the actual MCAT but I have only took 3 so far, so hopefully with 7 left I can bring them up about 2 points.

As far as content. I think that the questions are of comparable difficultly, no doubt the passages are shorter than what I saw on the MCAT but the questions are no easier. The VR section, the passage reading difficultly is the same as the actual MCAT for sure, the questions might be a little easier but the curve is 2 points back.

One criticism, I do not think that the Orgo passages on the GS tests are hard enough, it seems that they dumb the questions and the passages down on these tests.

 

[tourniquet1963]

GS is hard

 

[deleted192690]

I took GS 1 to 6, and verbal for all GS 1 to 10. My scores on GS were lower than my real MCAT score, and thought the questions on GS's PS and BS sections were around the same difficulty as the real MCAT. Shorter passages, but lots of calculations, and it covers wide variety of topics so it will help in review of concepts. Also thought the verbal section was helpful for the real thing. The passages are shorter and the questions are asked much more simply, but found that the real test questions were in essence similar to GS verbal questions but cloaked in verbose and convoluted style. So really, using GS can only help you in my opinion since its extra practice.

PS. GS 6 to 10 are much harder than AAMC in my opinion. Dont' know how others feel, but it was hard to finish PS particularly...

 

[olemissbabydoc]

I took GS 1 to 6, and verbal for all GS 1 to 10. My scores on GS were lower than my real MCAT score, and thought the questions on GS's PS and BS sections were around the same difficulty as the real MCAT. Shorter passages, but lots of calculations, and it covers wide variety of topics so it will help in review of concepts. Also thought the verbal section was helpful for the real thing. The passages are shorter and the questions are asked much more simply, but found that the real test questions were in essence similar to GS verbal questions but cloaked in verbose and convoluted style. So really, using GS can only help you in my opinion since its extra practice.

PS. GS 6 to 10 are much harder than AAMC in my opinion. Dont' know how others feel, but it was hard to finish PS particularly...

How much different were your GS and AAMC scores? Just wondering.

 

[phospho]

I took GS 1 to 6, and verbal for all GS 1 to 10. My scores on GS were lower than my real MCAT score, and thought the questions on GS's PS and BS sections were around the same difficulty as the real MCAT. Shorter passages, but lots of calculations, and it covers wide variety of topics so it will help in review of concepts. Also thought the verbal section was helpful for the real thing. The passages are shorter and the questions are asked much more simply, but found that the real test questions were in essence similar to GS verbal questions but cloaked in verbose and convoluted style. So really, using GS can only help you in my opinion since its extra practice.

PS. GS 6 to 10 are much harder than AAMC in my opinion. Dont' know how others feel, but it was hard to finish PS particularly...

How much different were your GS and AAMC scores? Just wondering.

i'm also wondering, if you don't mind

 

[ChubbyChaser]

GS questions arent harder, there curve is ridiculous though. THe curve is what brought my GS scores down about 4 or 5 pts below my AAMC test average, but right on with my real MCAT..

There Verbal, IMO, sucks. I wouldnt even spend time on GS' verbal

 

[olemissbabydoc]

so your gs avg was your actual test score? *eek*

 

[mterp45]

GS Tests are able to Keep me humble, am averaging around to 35's on their tests and score about 3 points higher on the AAMCs on average. The GS tests curves are simply less lenient than a lot of other companies out there but the difficulty level is not bad.

 

[phospho]

score about 3 points higher on the AAMCs on average.

even on verbal?

 

[mterp45]

even on verbal?

well, 3 points higher overall. on average, about 2 points higher on AAMC PS a 1 point higher on AAMC BS, and verbal tends to fluctuate up and down a bit between 11-12 which is right on with the AAMC scores.

 

[tncekm]

So, you find the verbal comparable then, or just the scale?

 

[mterp45]

So, you find the verbal comparable then, or just the scale?

The GS verbal passages themselves are comparable in terms of lentgh and difficulty level but the GS verbal questions are simply not on the same level as AAMC. It's as if a third grade teacher wrote the GS verbal questions, as opposed to Charles Freaking Dickens for the AAMCs (no pun intended to you third grade teachers). The GS verbal is simply not testing for the same reasoning patterns, I don't even think they have a specific structural format, and it seems as if they use a completely different pattern analysis technique than what's found on the AAMCs. Goldstandard just makes up for the poorly written verbal questions with a very tough scale. However, I still think it's great practice, and a great way to improve reading comprehension.

 

[tncekm]

Thanks for the reply.

Speaking of "difficult" I just finished TPR Diagnostic 4's PS section, and there was one passage that just killed me I don't even want to see my score.