Length of AAMC and real MCAT passages

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archimedesxx

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Hi Guys,
I have been trying to get my timing down on the sciences which means spending no more than 8 min per passage/accompanying questions. I have done some Berkeley Review passages and I feel like the length of the passages are too long that it's hard extrapolating and connecting the ideas in the passages. As such, I sometimes miss questions I could have gotten right had the passages been shorter. On the other hand, on say the EK Bio 1001 questions, I find the passages short enough and most of the time I get all the questions right because I am able to refer to the passage and find the relevant portions easily. Besides I am able to connect the dots better when the passages are short.
So for those who have already taken practice tests do you think the AAMC and real MCAT science passages ( excluding the graphs and tables) are like the Berkeley Review or they are shorter. I'd be glad if all of you could give me some input. Thanks.

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Just a note about EK bio 1001. It's good practice, but the questions are pretty easy. When compared to the MCAT I took, the bio was more in-line with the AAMC FLs, but slightly tougher. I'd get down your timing for the BR passages so you can deal with long passages come test day.
 
SN2ed. I have heard that the real MCAT is tougher than the online AAMC.The BR passages are also tougher I have to contend. I don't mind the passages being tougher. My question is that in general are the MCAT Bio passages of roughly equal length to AAMC practice tests or EK or longer? Please let me know
 
SN2ed. I have heard that the real MCAT is tougher than the online AAMC.The BR passages are also tougher I have to contend. I don't mind the passages being tougher. My question is that in general are the MCAT Bio passages of roughly equal length to AAMC practice tests or EK or longer? Please let me know

Sorry to break this to you, but there is no way to know until you take the MCAT. The best estimate would be the AAMC practice tests because they are tests that were previously administered. However, they are past tests so your actual MCAT may have longer passages or shorter passages. You have no way of knowing until you sit for the exam.
 
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SN2ed. I have heard that the real MCAT is tougher than the online AAMC.The BR passages are also tougher I have to contend. I don't mind the passages being tougher. My question is that in general are the MCAT Bio passages of roughly equal length to AAMC practice tests or EK or longer? Please let me know

Don't know about the TBR tests, but I would say the passage length on my real test was similar to the ones on AAMC and EK Bio... and harder.
 
Thanks BlueElmo. Certainly takes the pressure off me. I have realized from doing TBR and the TPR Science workbook is that if I'm able to complete the passages in Bio especially I hardly make mistakes. But because of the length of these passages I have to read way too fast to meet the 8 min time limit I have set for myself without understanding the info in the passage. If the real deal and the AAMC are shorter, then i can only be happy/
 
I had a mix of short and long passages. For the long passages, I treated them more like verbal passages where I gave myself 2 or 3 minutes to read the whole thing, then I answered the questions fast. Usually the questions were easier than the ones with the short passages.
 
how long are the verbal passages? in EK, its usually between 70-75 lines....is it around 80 lines in the real deal?
 
I took the MCAT over the summer and here is what I thought:

PS: Passages were EXACTLY like the AAMC tests. I felt like I was taking AAMC 11 or something.

VR: Passages were DEFINITELY longer-watch out for this one.

BS: Some of the passages were like the AAMC ones, but some of them were LONG passages that reminded me of verbal. They were nothing like the EK Bio 1001 Passages (which seemed so easy when compared to the passages I had).
 
I took the MCAT over the summer and here is what I thought:

PS Passages: EXACTLY like the AAMC tests. I felt like I was taking AAMC 11 or something.

VR: Passages were DEFINITELY longer-watch out for this one.

BS: Some of the passages were like the AAMC ones, but some of them were LONG passages that reminded me of verbal.

Sorry I haven't seen the AAMC's yet, how are the PS and BS passages compared to TBR's ? Also, are VR passages similar to EK 101's ?
 
Sorry I haven't seen the AAMC's yet, how are the PS and BS passages compared to TBR's ? Also, are VR passages similar to EK 101's ?

TBR passages are harder than AAMC passages. The PS passages on my test were, for the most part, easier than TBR passages. IMO, If you use TBR for PS, then you should be more than ready for the real MCAT PS.

I haven't used TBR for BS, so I can't really make that comparison. However, I heard that TBR BS passages are harder than the AAMC passages and the real MCAT. There was a thread that started over the summer about how the passages in TBR Bio book were pretty representative of real MCAT Bio. You may want to search for that thread.

The verbal passages that I got were pretty easy to read/interesting, like the ones in EK 101. I didn't really have any hard to read/complex passages. The questions were ambiguous, like the ones in EK 101. I think EK 101 does a good job of giving you AAMC type passages/problems.
 
I'm using EK for bio, not TBR

TBR passages are harder than AAMC passages. The PS passages on my test were, for the most part, easier than TBR passages. IMO, If you use TBR for PS, then you should be more than ready for the real MCAT PS.

I haven't used TBR for BS, so I can't really make that comparison. However, I heard that TBR BS passages are harder than the AAMC passages and the real MCAT. There was a thread that started over the summer about how the passages in TBR Bio book were pretty representative of real MCAT Bio. You may want to search for that thread.

The verbal passages that I got were pretty easy to read/interesting, like the ones in EK 101. I didn't really have any hard to read/complex passages. The questions were ambiguous, like the ones in EK 101. I think EK 101 does a good job of giving you AAMC type passages/problems.
 
I'm using EK for bio, not TBR

EK Bio is okay, but personally I didn't like it all that much. It does a good job of teaching only things you need to know. I went through the EK Bio book, and then used my TPR Hyperlearning BS manual for a more detailed Bio review.
 
EK Bio is okay, but personally I didn't like it all that much. It does a good job of teaching only things you need to know. I went through the EK Bio book, and then used my TPR Hyperlearning BS manual for a more detailed Bio review.

So I take it you suggest TPR over EK? I was actually just going to ask this question...but I don't have much of a science background, but am taking human physiology this year.
 
So I take it you suggest TPR over EK? I was actually just going to ask this question...but I don't have much of a science background, but am taking human physiology this year.

Yeah, if you don't have much of a science background, then I would suggest the TPR Hyperlearning books. Not to say that EK is bad, but they just trim the fat and tell you what you need to know. People have done really well using EK but I personally don't like EK for science.
 
Yeah, if you don't have much of a science background, then I would suggest the TPR Hyperlearning books. Not to say that EK is bad, but they just trim the fat and tell you what you need to know. People have done really well using EK but I personally don't like EK for science.

I just find TPR too long. I'm understanding everything from the EK book well and going to use EK 1001 bio as a supplement.
 
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