How do you review your AAMC exams?

[cloverpie]

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Alright everyone, here is my dilemma. My practice scores have fluctuated wildly. I've made everything from 10-13 on Verbal, 6-11 on Physical Sciences and am stuck always scoring 10-11 on Biology. People keep saying to take the AAMC practice exams and I continually review content and take the exams. However, what strategies do you use to "review the exams?" I would just write down the facts/formulas that I didn't know in a notebook and this only seems to have helped me marginally. I just don't know what to do because taking these exams should help me...they're just demoralizing me.

 

[SN2ed]

General Guidelines for Reviewing:

- Go over EVERY question. Both the ones you got right and the ones you got wrong.
- Reviewing should take 2-3 times longer than taking the timed practice problems.
- If your tests are fluctuating, it is due to the different topics on the various tests. In other words, you have some glaring weaknesses that when targeted, nail you, badly. You have to find out what those weaknesses are because they are evident by your scores. Do NOT dismiss any wrong answer as a "stupid mistake." You made that error for a reason. Go over your tests again.
- You might want to consider making a log for all of your post test results where you work through the questions below. Doing so, you'll be able to easily notice trends.

Some things to go over when reviewing:

1. Why did you get the question wrong? Why did you get the question right?
2. What question and passage types get you?
3. How is your mindset when facing a particular passage?
4. Are you stressed for time?
5. Where are your mistakes happening the most? Are they front loaded? Are they at the end? All over?
6. What was your thought process for both the questions you got right and the ones you got wrong?
7. For verbal, what was the author's mindset and main idea?
8. Did you eliminate all of the answer choices you could from first glance?
ex. You know an answer should be a positive number so you cross out all of the negative number answer choices.
9. What content areas are you weak in?
10. How can you improve so you don't make the same mistake again?

 

[cloverpie]

Thank you! This is very helpful. It sounds like the best way to attack the practice test review is to be able to give a rationale for why you picked the right answer or how you would arrive at the right answer if you answered a correction incorrectly. I just went back through AAMC practice test 3 to start. I went back, re-did the section and have now reviewed all that I got wrong. Should I go back and write down how I arrived at each answer question? Sorry to be so anal about this but I want all of these hours of practice tests to mean something.

 

[SN2ed]

It's a not bad idea to start a journal. Writing everything down makes it easier to spot trends.

 

[Ceasar]

It's a not bad idea to start a journal. Writing everything down makes it easier to spot trends.

This is exactly what I was going to say. I have a "journal" with all questions I got wrong and all questions I got right but wasn't sure about. It has been invaluable! Also, for "stupid mistakes," I just write: YOU WILL NOT MISS ANOTHER QUESTION ON THIS TOPIC!!" For some reason, seeing that written out let's myself know I mean business. Then, when I see that topic on the next practice test, I remember the demand I had of myself, and I'm extra careful to get it correct. Keep a journal, and review it in all of your spare time. Worked for me.