Good with SAs and other sources but bombed two AAMCs

[Jason12]

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I have done two AAMCs for the past two weeks and got AAMC3 10/4/7 and AAMC4 7/4/7

I have done all the SAs and I've got 70% on all sciences and 55% on verbal, I did time myself but not strictly,

Ive also done few topical and sectional tests plus TPR and TBR practice passages for bio and I get 70-90% and I also get 70-80% on TBR for orgo and yet I do awful on the AAMC tests...

I really appreciate if those who were in similar situation as me could give me some advice

 

[Jason12]

anyone?...

 

[lNVlNClBLE]

First off, time yourself. Strictly. Turn your phone off, make sure no one bothers you, etc. To truly get an idea of how you're going to do, you'll want to simulate testing conditions as best as you can.

You seem to be doing pretty well with straight up content. It seems to me that your problem is making connections in AAMC's convoluted passages. It just takes practice to realize that everything they're asking is actually a simple concept that needs to be deciphered from a convoluted passage. Try reading the passages like they're the VR section.

EDIT: Oh, saw your VR scores. I think it's definitely the reading comprehension holding you back.

 

[IslandStyle808]

I agree with above. You would be surprised how many answers can be deduced from the passage alone. Make sure you work on comprehension of them. You don't need to be detail oriented with them, just try to get an overall idea of what is going on. Look back for the detail only when you get a question concerning a specific part of the passage. Also when looking at graphs or tables, get a general idea of what's going on there as well (think of the passages as being based off the graph or table, if they give you one).

 

[Jason12]

First off, time yourself. Strictly. Turn your phone off, make sure no one bothers you, etc. To truly get an idea of how you're going to do, you'll want to simulate testing conditions as best as you can.

You seem to be doing pretty well with straight up content. It seems to me that your problem is making connections in AAMC's convoluted passages. It just takes practice to realize that everything they're asking is actually a simple concept that needs to be deciphered from a convoluted passage. Try reading the passages like they're the VR section.

EDIT: Oh, saw your VR scores. I think it's definitely the reading comprehension holding you back.

Thank you so much for pointing out my weaknesses! I feel like I get so confused when i read the passages and I rely more on my background knowledge in answering questions rather than simplifying the passage and understanding the main idea of the whole passage... so I agree with you that my reading comprehension needs to be improved, but the question is how? :/

 

[lNVlNClBLE]

Thank you so much for pointing out my weaknesses! I feel like I get so confused when i read the passages and I rely more on my background knowledge in answering questions rather than simplifying the passage and understanding the main idea of the whole passage... so I agree with you that my reading comprehension needs to be improved, but the question is how? :/

Unfortunately that's one of the hardest things to improve.

However, I have a feeling your biggest problem (if you're like me) is that you see this huge wall of text and start freaking out going "...uh, what did I just read?"
Like I said though, in that huge wall of text are the basic concepts AAMC expects you to know. Have you tried going back through the two FLs you took to reread the passages, try the questions again, and then thoroughly go through the answers? Understanding why you missed a question, whether it was a lack of content or going over something hidden in the passage, is key.

 

[Jason12]

I agree with above. You would be surprised how many answers can be deduced from the passage alone. Make sure you work on comprehension of them. You don't need to be detail oriented with them, just try to get an overall idea of what is going on. Look back for the detail only when you get a question concerning a specific part of the passage. Also when looking at graphs or tables, get a general idea of what's going on there as well (think of the passages as being based off the graph or table, if they give you one).

any idea how I could possibly improve my comprehension?

 

[Jason12]

Unfortunately that's one of the hardest things to improve.

However, I have a feeling your biggest problem (if you're like me) is that you see this huge wall of text and start freaking out going "...uh, what did I just read?"
Like I said though, in that huge wall of text are the basic concepts AAMC expects you to know. Have you tried going back through the two FLs you took to reread the passages, try the questions again, and then thoroughly go through the answers? Understanding why you missed a question, whether it was a lack of content or going over something hidden in the passage, is key.

I agree with you and I think I sometimes panic when I cant get a gist of the passage and that affects my comprehension even more.
I did go through the AAMC3 and figured out my problems and 80% of my problems were due to not understanding the passage or not being able to apply the main idea in answering the questions

 

[Jason12]

bump

 

[csx]

I did some passages from the Official guide 3rd edition and I did very poorly. I'd score quite well on TPR passages and such but the AAMC would mess me up. I felt like the testing style was completely different. Now, people have said the OG has harder passages that the regular MCAT and since I have not taken a FL, I cannot speak on that. But just from doing some passages from the OG, I can def say I feel the same way as you jason12

 

[Jason12]

I did some passages from the Official guide 3rd edition and I did very poorly. I'd score quite well on TPR passages and such but the AAMC would mess me up. I felt like the testing style was completely different. Now, people have said the OG has harder passages that the regular MCAT and since I have not taken a FL, I cannot speak on that. But just from doing some passages from the OG, I can def say I feel the same way as you jason12

everyone says that the Kaplan sectional tests are the hardest, I get +70% on most of them and yet I can't get above 60% on AAMC FLs
I really thought I'd atleast score in the range of my AAMC SAs that were all 70% except verbal.. so I can't figure out whether its due to my timing issue that makes me feel panicked or my comprehension needs improvement.... but then I realize that if its due to my comprehension then why do I do well on other sources

 

[Jason12]

can anyone relate to my situation and give me a hand? its really stressing me out

one other thing is that I've done 1/3 of all TBR PS and orgo passages and 1/3 of TPR + 1/3 of kaplan sectional tests, plus I did all self assessments and got 70% except verbal.

Im not too sure whether my problem is due to 1) I didn't time myself strictly 2) my comprehension needs improvement due to my low verbal score 3) I need to build stamina in order to focus throughout the test 4) I haven't done enough practice eventhough Ive been doing fine on practice materials

 

[IslandStyle808]

can anyone relate to my situation and give me a hand? its really stressing me out

one other thing is that I've done 1/3 of all TBR PS and orgo passages and 1/3 of TPR + 1/3 of kaplan sectional tests, plus I did all self assessments and got 70% except verbal.

Im not too sure whether my problem is due to 1) I didn't time myself strictly 2) my comprehension needs improvement due to my low verbal score 3) I need to build stamina in order to focus throughout the test 4) I haven't done enough practice eventhough Ive been doing fine on practice materials

Do you go through your AAMC exams? If so, how do you go through them? Do you look at the answers and understand them? Do you note down how you make the mistake (ex. calculation error, read question wrong, read answer choice wrong, mistaken information in passage)? **Sorry if it seems like I am asking some redundant questions, but I want to try and pinpoint where the issues are exactly**

Also, I don't know how much to help in the comprehension area of the passage, but I can tell you what I do.

-When I first read a passage, I look at the reactions, figures, and tables. Then I think to myself, "what is this saying figure saying, I want to know, when I read the passage, I will try to understand."

-When I read the passage, I try to visualize what I am reading. I think to myself, "how does this reaction look like in a container, is there more heat, is the pressure increasing when heat is added."

-Another thing I try to do when I see a complex passage is try to tie it into what I already know. For example, let say I encounter a passage with a diagram showing two pendulums swinging toward each other in the diagram. I could think, "well this deals with pendulums, it may even deal with momentum (two colliding objects), it may deal with centripetal motion (since their is tension on the rod/string)." This prevents the so called "freakout" when looking at new information, because you are trying tying it into something you already know (I got the idea from reading "Moonwalking with Einstein").

-I also try to highlight keywords, so it helps me find a key topic more easily, when asked a question about it.

 

[orangetea]

hmm...

I am just going to point out something I have noticed in my own studying. Maybe you can relate. So when I study content for example let's say I did waves and sound today .. then I go to the passages I do generally pretty well..because I JUST READ about that little fact about how for example if you double intensity you add 3 db. But waiting a few days and going back I don't to AS WELL because I am a bit rusty.

So to alleviate that problem I make flashcards, review them ALL THE TIME. And make sure that I know topics like the back of my hand(although some more than others but whatever, my brain is always fried). Maybe you can revisit your content in addition to the improving your reading comprehension skills.

🙂

 

[Jason12]

Do you go through your AAMC exams? If so, how do you go through them? Do you look at the answers and understand them? Do you note down how you make the mistake (ex. calculation error, read question wrong, read answer choice wrong, mistaken information in passage)? **Sorry if it seems like I am asking some redundant questions, but I want to try and pinpoint where the issues are exactly**

Also, I don't know how much to help in the comprehension area of the passage, but I can tell you what I do.

-When I first read a passage, I look at the reactions, figures, and tables. Then I think to myself, "what is this saying figure saying, I want to know, when I read the passage, I will try to understand."

-When I read the passage, I try to visualize what I am reading. I think to myself, "how does this reaction look like in a container, is there more heat, is the pressure increasing when heat is added."

-Another thing I try to do when I see a complex passage is try to tie it into what I already know. For example, let say I encounter a passage with a diagram showing two pendulums swinging toward each other in the diagram. I could think, "well this deals with pendulums, it may even deal with momentum (two colliding objects), it may deal with centripetal motion (since their is tension on the rod/string)." This prevents the so called "freakout" when looking at new information, because you are trying tying it into something you already know (I got the idea from reading "Moonwalking with Einstein").

-I also try to highlight keywords, so it helps me find a key topic more easily, when asked a question about it.

I really appreciate your inputs, it's really kind of you to spend your time trying to help me out!
I've gone through my first AAMC, and I'll go through my second AAMC tomorrow, I felt really down today so gave myself a break.
when I went through my mistakes for the first AAMC, I never encountered things that I would feel like I have issues with content. rather my mistakes were due to my inability to relate the passage info to answering questions, after I spend a good time reading over the passage I come to realize its actually a simple concept presented in a convoluted way, then answering the questions becomes pretty easy... so I believe my issue is that I panic and I get drowned with tiny details that I prob never will need to know in order to answer questions, so I'm not too sure how to avoid being too peaky when it comes to reading

 

[IslandStyle808]

I really appreciate your inputs, it's really kind of you to spend your time trying to help me out!
I've gone through my first AAMC, and I'll go through my second AAMC tomorrow, I felt really down today so gave myself a break.
when I went through my mistakes for the first AAMC, I never encountered things that I would feel like I have issues with content. rather my mistakes were due to my inability to relate the passage info to answering questions, after I spend a good time reading over the passage I come to realize its actually a simple concept presented in a convoluted way, then answering the questions becomes pretty easy... so I believe my issue is that I panic and I get drowned with tiny details that I prob never will need to know in order to answer questions, so I'm not too sure how to avoid being too peaky when it comes to reading

Okay this helps. Here is another suggestion (something I don't usually do myself, but I definitely would in your situation), on the next day try to redo the passages WITHOUT looking at the answers.

Set it up like this:
1) Do it un-timed and set it up so you can see your problems (no peaking at the answers yet)
2) Try to tackle three passages
3) set up a timer on the side for 9-10 minutes a passage, you need to feel a little pressure but not too much.

After you are finished, look at the answers and see how many you get correct. Now open up the actual practice exam you did the previous day and compare it to the three you did before. If you find you are getting more answers correct than before, this means the problem is a comprehension issue. If you are making the same mistakes, this may mean it is more of a concept issue (could be comprehension also but most likely not). After you are done, note things that helped you analyze the passage. Then try to implement the techniques into your practice passages. After that try it with a practice exam (normal conditions).

 

[Jason12]

Okay this helps. Here is another suggestion (something I don't usually do myself, but I definitely would in your situation), on the next day try to redo the passages WITHOUT looking at the answers.

Set it up like this:
1) Do it un-timed and set it up so you can see your problems (no peaking at the answers yet)
2) Try to tackle three passages
3) set up a timer on the side for 9-10 minutes a passage, you need to feel a little pressure but not too much.

After you are finished, look at the answers and see how many you get correct. Now open up the actual practice exam you did the previous day and compare it to the three you did before. If you find you are getting more answers correct than before, this means the problem is a comprehension issue. If you are making the same mistakes, this may mean it is more of a concept issue (could be comprehension also but most likely not). After you are done, note things that helped you analyze the passage. Then try to implement the techniques into your practice passages. After that try it with a practice exam (normal conditions).

Thank you!! that seems like a good plan! I'll definitely implement the plan you mentioned, and ill let you know about my results!

 

[csx]

Anyone here take passages from the official guide 3rd edition? I do fine with TPR passages/discretes at the end of each chapter and I'd do moderately well on the 15 or so TBR passages I've done (orgo/bio. Bio I did worse)...however I did VERY poorly on the questions in the 3rd edition...untimed too. I found that it was hard to even follow the answer key lol. I did the bio/gchem sections.

 

[Jason12]

Anyone here take passages from the official guide 3rd edition? I do fine with TPR passages/discretes at the end of each chapter and I'd do moderately well on the 15 or so TBR passages I've done (orgo/bio. Bio I did worse)...however I did VERY poorly on the questions in the 3rd edition...untimed too. I found that it was hard to even follow the answer key lol. I did the bio/gchem sections.

Ive heard the passages from the guideline are extremely hard... the sad part is that they were extracted from the REAL previous mcats... having said that, most ppl score similar to their practice AAMC tests... so I think thebell curve does the magic knowing that most of us will most likely do terrible on those hard passages

 

[csx]

Ive heard the passages from the guideline are extremely hard... the sad part is that they were extracted from the REAL previous mcats... having said that, most ppl score similar to their practice AAMC tests... so I think thebell curve does the magic knowing that most of us will most likely do terrible on those hard passages

I've heard this too but only from about n=2. Not a great sample source. I've also heard from N=1 that they weren't that bad. The fact that they were pulled from real MCAT's scare the **** out of me.

 

[Jason12]

I've heard this too but only from about n=2. Not a great sample source. I've also heard from N=1 that they weren't that bad. The fact that they were pulled from real MCAT's scare the **** out of me.

yea man same! I havent seen the OG tho so i cant comment on that. Im ganna finish up with all my practice sources that I currently have and take another aamc after 10 days and see if Ive improved or not, I suggest you to do the same before u take an aamc or itll crush your confidence as it did to me

 

[BigEinstein]

I have done two AAMCs for the past two weeks and got AAMC3 10/4/7 and AAMC4 7/4/7

I have done all the SAs and I've got 70% on all sciences and 55% on verbal, I did time myself but not strictly,

Ive also done few topical and sectional tests plus TPR and TBR practice passages for bio and I get 70-90% and I also get 70-80% on TBR for orgo and yet I do awful on the AAMC tests...

I really appreciate if those who were in similar situation as me could give me some advice

You are just like me. Hell I can tutor all the topics on the MCAT. I know content like crazy but I do passages and **** up big time. Like you my problem is comprehension as english is my second language. This stupid MCAT needs to bow the **** down so I can ****ing get into med school. If MCAT was human, I would **** her up big time. Screw this bull**** , am done! **** MCAT!

 

[Jason12]

You are just like me. Hell I can tutor all the topics on the MCAT. I know content like crazy but I do passages and **** up big time. Like you my problem is comprehension as english is my second language. This stupid MCAT needs to bow the **** down so I can ******* get into med school. If MCAT was human, I would **** her up big time. Screw this bull**** , am done! **** MCAT!

lol I feel you man, I've been studying for more than 8 months and this is the result I get... I think our main problem comes from the fact that we've had minimum amount of practice, like I said Im not ganna take any more FLs until I finish up with whatever practice materials I have for atleast 2 weeks, then if I end up with the same score, I'd know my problem is not due to lack of practice so I can alter my strategy, I'd suggest you to do the same! we can do this man!

 

[BigEinstein]

Me too, been studying for a year almost since I took and voided last year. You not taking FLs anymore? What passages are you referring to?

 

[Jason12]

Me too, been studying for a year almost since I took and voided last year. You not taking FLs anymore? What passages are you referring to?

same man, I voided mine last year too, TBR for PS and orgo and TPR for bio, I have 2/3 of each left. I will take another FL only after I finish all these materials, cuz I feel like Im wasting my FLs

 

[BigEinstein]

Idk when your exam date is but I have 3 weeks left so my only best bet would be taking FLs and working on weakness along the way.

 

[Jason12]

Im going to go with my plan and take another FL after 2 weeks and see where I stand, if I score close to 27/28 I'll schedule it for mid august if not then I honestly not sure what else I could do to improve on this damn thing

 

[BigEinstein]

Yeah, that sounds like a good plan. Good luck and I wish you all the best. I need to stay of sdn because I get sick when I see all these 30+ scores and these are people who I don't think are smarter than me!

 

[IslandStyle808]

Yeah, that sounds like a good plan. Good luck and I wish you all the best. I need to stay of sdn because I get sick when I see all these 30+ scores and these are people who I don't think are smarter than me!

Don't worry about them. Most of these guys only post when they actually get a 30. They don't when their scores are really low. Kind of bugs me at times too, but some of them do admit to taking it multiple times, so I try to interpret it as them trying to give us hope.