How Do Kaplan FLs compare to the real AAMC Exam?

[Armadylgodsword]

Hey, so I've been preparing for my MCAT by taking Kaplan Full Length exams, and I was wondering how representative they are to the real thing. So far, I've taken 3 exams, and here are my scores:

Exam 1: 503 (125 Chem/Phys, 126 CARS, 126 Bio/Biochem, 126 Psych/Soc)
Exam 2: 506 (126 Chem/Phys, 127 CARS, 127 Bio/Biochem, 126 Psych/Soc)
Exam 3: 507 (126 Chem/Phys, 126 CARS, 128 Bio/Biochem, 127 Psych/Soc)

Overall, how did people who practiced with Kaplan FLs do on the actual test day, and how did their actual scores correlate to their scores on the Kaplan exams? Of course, closer to test day, I'll begin prepping with official AAMC materials and tests.

Thanks!

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[Ad2b]

Ignore all scoring except for AAMC.

 

[Chromium Surfer]

As the above poster stated AAMC is the most representative. But after that Next Step is commonly cited as the next representative company. I would rexxomend taking a few of their practice tests!

 

[Nikj]

Hey, so I've been preparing for my MCAT by taking Kaplan Full Length exams, and I was wondering how representative they are to the real thing. So far, I've taken 3 exams, and here are my scores:

Exam 1: 503 (125 Chem/Phys, 126 CARS, 126 Bio/Biochem, 126 Psych/Soc)
Exam 2: 506 (126 Chem/Phys, 127 CARS, 127 Bio/Biochem, 126 Psych/Soc)
Exam 3: 507 (126 Chem/Phys, 126 CARS, 128 Bio/Biochem, 127 Psych/Soc)

Overall, how did people who practiced with Kaplan FLs do on the actual test day, and how did their actual scores correlate to their scores on the Kaplan exams? Of course, closer to test day, I'll begin prepping with official AAMC materials and tests.

Thanks!

AAMC exams will be the best gauge, but Kaplan is very very good, and comes pretty close to the actual thing.

I remember reading somewhere that a majority of students score 3-5 points better on the actual MCAT compared to the Kaplan exams. I scored 5 points higher on the actual MCAT than my highest Kaplan full-length.

 

[Ad2b]

Kaplan is very very good, and comes pretty close to the actual thing.

Kaplan is good for prep but their exams, unless extensively revised from last Sept, are NOTHING like the real deal. Zero.

Use Kaplan tests for content review (take the FL and then review content lapses).

Use AAMC to gauge how well you're doing and where you're at (and do same thing for AAMC FL review).

 

[Carmiche]

Not very much so.

Kaplan tends to require much more specific knowledge; the type where you are trying to remember "that one little thing." However, AAMC is much less general knowledge and logical reasoning, with a FEW specific knowledge questions here and there.

 

[Nikj]

Kaplan is good for prep but their exams, unless extensively revised from last Sept, are NOTHING like the real deal. Zero.

Use Kaplan tests for content review (take the FL and then review content lapses).

Use AAMC to gauge how well you're doing and where you're at (and do same thing for AAMC FL review).

I took my exam at the end of August 2016. Are you saying that the exam has changed that drastically in the last 4 months? I really doubt that....

Edit: I took a Kaplan course at the beginning of June 2016, and the Kaplan practice exams were nearly identical in question type. That is my opinion at least.

Now how well they actually prepare you for the exam with their other material is a different matter

 

[Ad2b]

Kaplan is nothing like the real deal. So detailed into the minutiae of things and ways that the AAMC will never test on.

I took the exam on 8/5 and was blown away by how "easy" the real thing was especially compared to Kaplan.

You are the first person on here and on reddit that thought the real thing was = to Kaplan. It's just unheard of as Kaplan is so hard and the real thing, not so much.

Edited to add:

I stopped taking Kaplan FLs in May of 2016 because they were so over-the-top hard and nothing like any material I'd seen from the AAMC. That comment was echoed throughout SDN and reddit. I doubt Kaplan changed their FLs that much in 3 months to mirror the AAMC but they could have, in which case, I'd be wrong.

 

[Nikj]

Kaplan is nothing like the real deal. So detailed into the minutiae of things and ways that the AAMC will never test on.

I took the exam on 8/5 and was blown away by how "easy" the real thing was especially compared to Kaplan.

You are the first person on here and on reddit that thought the real thing was = to Kaplan. It's just unheard of as Kaplan is so hard and the real thing, not so much.

Edited to add:

I stopped taking Kaplan FLs in May of 2016 because they were so over-the-top hard and nothing like any material I'd seen from the AAMC. That comment was echoed throughout SDN and reddit. I doubt Kaplan changed their FLs that much in 3 months to mirror the AAMC but they could have, in which case, I'd be wrong.

I said the question types were identical. Kaplan is definitely more difficult, but that is why it is better, and that is why actual scores tend to be higher than the Kaplan scores.

To the OP @Armadylgodsword, Kaplan scores are very good at establishing what your base score probably is, and like I said in my first post you will probably do 3-5 points higher on the actual MCAT.

 

[Armadylgodsword]

Thank you all for your replies! But there is still one thing that I am unclear about, and I was hoping you guys could tell me what you think:

After taking an FL, what is the best way to analyze the results and move forward? For the content-based parts of the test, one could review material that he/she did poorly on, but how would you improve CARS? Isn't the point of CARS to simply read the passage and answer questions while thinking critically? I don't really see how you can radically change your approach on the CARS section between practice exams.

 

[Nikj]

Thank you all for your replies! But there is still one thing that I am unclear about, and I was hoping you guys could tell me what you think:

After taking an FL, what is the best way to analyze the results and move forward? For the content-based parts of the test, one could review material that he/she did poorly on, but how would you improve CARS? Isn't the point of CARS to simply read the passage and answer questions while thinking critically? I don't really see how you can radically change your approach on the CARS section between practice exams.

Answer 1: Go question by question, correct or incorrect, and understand WHY the correct answer is the correct answer. Half the reason for doing exams is so that you can understand the question and the material being examined.

Answer 2: CARS: Do passages everyday. This is purely practice and having a good base strategy. I recommend ExamKrakcers strategy for this part. You don't radically change what you do, you just get better over time at be

 

[surfsuncali]

I know this thread was awhile ago, but I thought I'd chime in. I thought the actual MCAT was way harder than the Kaplan tests as well as their practice questions. I just took it today, and pretty sure I completely bombed the real thing. I don't think that Kaplan tests are at all comparative. If anything, they are easier. But it sounds like that is the exact opposite of what most other people are saying haha. Maybe because this was while ago, the tests have changed, dunno.

 

[surfsuncali]

Hey, I know this was awhile ago, but would you mind sharing how you did? Currently doing Kaplan and I feel that I'm better at reasoning than I am at content...

Hadn't been on SDN for a while, sorry if you've already taken the MCAT at this point. I got a 511, which surprised me. My Kaplan practice tests had an average of 505.