How many practice tests?

[LoneCoyote]

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Hey all,

I will be taking the April MCAT and am getting started on studying. I will be taking the TPR class and know that they will be giving us several full length exams. I have heard that taking many exams will help to improve scores overall. Should I be buying AAMC exams and other old exams to supplement the TPR exams and the ones I have in the Kaplan Comprehensive guide? Should I think about doing a full-length exam every week? Or should I focus on different sections? With the review course how many exams should I try to take to aim for 10+ in all sections? Thanks for the advice.

 

[efex101]

I am aiming for 20 practice exams before the MCAT day. This will include all the TPR material, all AAMC material, some Kaplan, and some other I scrounge up. This is probably excessive but hell I am not retaking this exam. I think that if you can shoot for 10 you should be fine. For sure get the AAMC practice exams, some folks can tell you which ones are more like recent MCATs. I will start doing mock exams after my first TPR exam at the end of January then I am shooting for one per week and some weeks two. Good luck!

 

[Lebesgue]

azpremed,

Aim for ~10. I took 9 and got what I wanted. Take all AAMC, except maybe 1, and get your hands on any others that you can. If you're going to take practice tests, take the whole thing, including the writing sample. Take it "for real" even if other people in your class decide to blow off the writing sample on a Saturday, you should do it, it helps. If you do Kaplan, don't go past test 7 since the PS sections are just too computationally rigorous and will lead you astray... The verbal sections are good though.

Do one test a week, since it will probably take two days to grade it and figure out why you put the wrong answer, and more importantly what kind of questions do they (AAMC) think are important. After that, you should probably do some of the other material they have or study on your own from texts or notes. I waited a long time to start cranking out the practice tests because I had to study up on some physics and o-chem. It doesn't make much sense to take a bunch of tests if you don't know the material, you'll only validate what you don't know.

I took 9 full length practice tests and got 10+ in all sections with a 31. I also saw some people who took close to 20 practice tests, who didn't get what they wanted, and possibly got burnt out attempting too much.

Anyway, good luck! 🙂 🙂 🙂

 

[Camden772]

I would say that everyone should do at least three practice exams, so they can get a feel for the test and get their timing down. Every practice test should be taken under real exam conditions, with the exact time constraints, even down to the breaks and lunch time. The tests should also be high quality practice tests. Preferably AAMC IV-VI (or the equivalent if they wind up changing the practice tests to match the new test format), followed by any of the big prep companies (Kaplan, TPR, EK, Berkeley Review, Columbia Review), and I would avoid many of the bookstore tests (REA, Barrons etc.). Every exam should be thoroughly reviewed after it is taken. Go over every question, especially the ones you got wrong. Figure out what makes a question wrong or right, and if you could have answered the question more quickly or more efficiently.

If you're scoring where you want after 3 exams, it's probably not necessary to take more, but practice never hurts.

My personal opinion is that most people should take between 6 and 8 practice exams. Again all of these should be under exam conditions, and all of the tests should be carefully reviewed afterwards. You should always be looking to improve your test-taking skills.

I think that 20 practice exams would be overkill for most people, but like I said before practice never hurts. Just make sure you don't spend your time taking more tests, rather than effectively reviewing the tests you've already taken or learning the necessary science. Like efex101, I planned on taking about 20 practice tests. I had bought 8 Berkeley Review tests, 7 Columbia Review tests, 2 EK exams, 1 Kaplan exam, and all 6 AAMC exams. Well, I only wound up taking AAMC III-VI and both EK tests, and I scored a 36-38R. I just didn't have time to take more tests, unless it meant giving up time I needed to effectively learn and review the necessary material and effectively review the practice tests I took. I think you are better off taking 6 practice tests and carefully reviewing each question and especially each wrong answer, than you are just taking 20 tests and barely reviewing your wrong answers. If you buy 20 tests, don't feel the need to take every one of them at the expense of careful review.

Don't get me wrong, If you can take 20 quality practice tests after you've reviewed the science, and you have time to carefully review each test, you'll be better off. But I know people who did tons of practice tests and questions, and did not ever improve. I think they did not spend enough time analyzing their answers and tests.

In any event, good luck!!

 

[efex101]

Well see I am going over all material now, and will not start taking mock exams until I am done with all my material review. Then I will start with practice tests, of course I am going to focus as well on seeing what I got wrong and why as well as what I got right and why. Hopefully I will be able to do 20 but if not I am shooting for 10, and use the sections of the other 10 topical exams. Yeah, I do not want to burnout but many people that I do know that scored really well did a ton of exams 10-20. I know that everyone is different so what works for some may not work for others. Good luck all!

 

[LoneCoyote]

Thanks for the advice everyone 🙂

I am definitely going to order some tests. Does anyone know which AAMC tests are given as full-length practices in the Princeton Review class? I don't want to order ones I will already be taking in the class. Thanks!

 

[jennieturkey]

I took TPR also during the summer. I'm down in San Diego, CA and if all TPR's are the same, they should be giving you all the AAMC practice exams. You have to go in and ask them about it, they actually gave me all the AAMC exams as well as another book of TPR practice exams and also some of their exams that they don't administer. Hopefully that'll save you some money because the course is already so expensive! in

 

[DoctorWannaBe]

Do you recommend practicing with separate passages like the Princeton Review workbooks, or is it better just to move on to whole exams after studying the material? Also, has anyone ever done the Princeton Review practice tests A-D, and are they worth the time or are there better practice tests?