Is there a point of diminishing returns with practice tests?

[Deleted member 1077394]

I am primarily working on content review right now, but will start practice tests soon. I was going to spring for the Altius practice test pack (10) in addition to the 4 AAMC full-lengths. So, that would be 14 total.

When my brother took the LSAT, he took about 20 practice tests and feels that was what helped him score in the 99th percentile.

With the MCAT, do you think I reach the point of diminishing returns after 14? Before 14? Is it better to take even more? If it is, could you suggest more resources for realistic practice tests? I haven't bought the 10 yet and could go down to a lower pack to save money.

What do you think?

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[FrameshiftAndrew]

Yes, you eventually reach a point of diminishing returns. As always, the details depend on each person's individual timeline, study plan, and so forth, but a rough rule of thumb for me is that once someone has >10 FLs scheduled (including the AAMC ones), I'd be a little concerned, and at the least would want to make sure that they're allocating enough time to review the FLs properly and that the FLs aren't coming at the cost of something else.

Re: third-party FLs, it might help to switch it up a little bit, with multiple smaller packs from a few different companies, because none of them will ever be perfectly representative of the AAMC, and rotating among companies might help to smooth out any individual quirks.

The main two things I'd suggest are: (1) block out time in your study plan to review your practice FLs carefully and extract all possible information/lessons from them (in all seriousness, it can take just as much time to do this well as it does to take the FL itself) and (2) don't get caught up with third-party exams at the cost of not completing other AAMC materials—things like the Official Guide, Section Bank, CARS QPacks, and the new CARS Diagnostic are extremely valuable resources even if they aren't technically FLs.

 

[Deleted member 1077394]

Yes, you eventually reach a point of diminishing returns. As always, the details depend on each person's individual timeline, study plan, and so forth, but a rough rule of thumb for me is that once someone has >10 FLs scheduled (including the AAMC ones), I'd be a little concerned, and at the least would want to make sure that they're allocating enough time to review the FLs properly and that the FLs aren't coming at the cost of something else.

Re: third-party FLs, it might help to switch it up a little bit, with multiple smaller packs from a few different companies, because none of them will ever be perfectly representative of the AAMC, and rotating among companies might help to smooth out any individual quirks.

The main two things I'd suggest are: (1) block out time in your study plan to review your practice FLs carefully and extract all possible information/lessons from them (in all seriousness, it can take just as much time to do this well as it does to take the FL itself) and (2) don't get caught up with third-party exams at the cost of not completing other AAMC materials—things like the Official Guide, Section Bank, CARS QPacks, and the new CARS Diagnostic are extremely valuable resources even if they aren't technically FLs.

That makes sense. Thanks, Andrew!

 

[FrameshiftAndrew]

Of course, happy to help! Also, just for context, your brother's experience with the LSAT might have been different for a couple of reasons. First off, the LSAC (the people who make the exam) release actual real exams to practice with. The test has been basically the same for a long time now, so if I remember right, something like 100 actual LSATs are floating around out there. Plus, the test is shorter and it doesn't really involve any content outside of the exam itself. So the task of preparing for the LSAT really boils down to "learning how the LSAT works" to a much greater extent than is the case for the MCAT, and I could imagine doing like 20 practice tests making sense in that context. Alas, for the MCAT, you have to know things...

 

[jhmmd]

I am primarily working on content review right now, but will start practice tests soon. I was going to spring for the Altius practice test pack (10) in addition to the 4 AAMC full-lengths. So, that would be 14 total.

When my brother took the LSAT, he took about 20 practice tests and feels that was what helped him score in the 99th percentile.

With the MCAT, do you think I reach the point of diminishing returns after 14? Before 14? Is it better to take even more? If it is, could you suggest more resources for realistic practice tests? I haven't bought the 10 yet and could go down to a lower pack to save money.

What do you think?

Do every single AAMC test, in the order that they were released
This is a trick question or you may be overanalyzing
Practice makes perfect.

 

[PlsLetMeIn21]

YES!!!!!!! There is definitely a point of diminishing returns, although it really depends on your schedule. You need time to take, review, relearn, and recover from your FLs. I'd say 10 was my breaking point.

 

[Deleted member 1077394]

YES!!!!!!! There is definitely a point of diminishing returns, although it really depends on your schedule. You need time to take, review, relearn, and recover from your FLs. I'd say 10 was my breaking point.

Thank you so much for your response/help. Have you taken your exam or are you still working on studying?

 

[PlsLetMeIn21]

I've taken it twice. First time I did way better in three sections than I ever thought I could, but I completely faceplanted CARS (122). The second time CARS went up enough for me (and adcoms) to be happy and two of the other three stayed the same, with B/B dropping to 130.