NEW AAMC Section Bank

[ATM92]

Has anyone tried doing any passages on the AAMC section bank that was recently released? If so, how hard do you feel the passages are?

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[dontstopbelievinggg]

I feel they are very good in that it resembles the real MCAT. Some passages require more of you dissecting and understanding the passage more than memorization. The Psych section has experimental passages and are great practice.

 

[ghiblijiang]

I heard they're harder than the new mcat, I tried some passages and I feel like they're more difficult than the EK and NS fl. Has anyone done the scored fl that just came out? how does it compare to the section bank?

 

[dixie92]

When you say section bank, are you referring to the AAMC official guide questions? The half length exam they released?

 

[ghiblijiang]

No. It's exactly called MCAT Section Bank. You'll find it on google.

 

[GrapesofRath]

They are clearly harder than the current MCAT(from my experience). The section bank appears to be what the MCAT long term is trending towards. However, it will take a while for this to happen; you cant suddenly ramp up the difficulty of the MCAT significantly over night. You have to figure out how you want to do it, get enough data points to generate a valid curve etc. The FL released last month is much more representative of what you'll see on test day and is frankly alot easier. Just to make a further point, that FL released last month recycled several old passages from old AAMC FL's. The MCAT itself hasnt changed nearly as much as people think; the majority of passages on old AAMC FL's are still valid for this current test. All in all, it'll be a very gradual change for the MCAT and honestly the MCAT now really isnt much different than the old MCAT. Yes, some material is different, but the skills tested and the way they are tested are identical.

 

[yeezuswest]

They are clearly harder than the current MCAT(from my experience). The section bank appears to be what the MCAT long term is trending towards. However, it will take a while for this to happen; you cant suddenly ramp up the difficulty of the MCAT significantly over night. You have to figure out how you want to do it, get enough data points to generate a valid curve etc. The FL released last month is much more representative of what you'll see on test day and is frankly alot easier. Just to make a further point, that FL released last month recycled several old passages from old AAMC FL's. The MCAT itself hasnt changed nearly as much as people think; the majority of passages on old AAMC FL's are still valid for this current test. All in all, it'll be a very gradual change for the MCAT and honestly the MCAT now really isnt much different than the old MCAT. Yes, some material is different, but the skills tested and the way they are tested are identical.

So, right now I have from the AAMC:

- Practice Test 1 (from earlier this year)
- Graded Practice Exam 2 (the new FL)
- Qpacks
- Section bank

The first three seem pretty straightforward, but the section bank is where I get a little lost. Should I just treat the section bank like the question packs?

 

[GrapesofRath]

So, right now I have from the AAMC:

- Practice Test 1 (from earlier this year)
- Graded Practice Exam 2 (the new FL)
- Qpacks
- Section bank

The first three seem pretty straightforward, but the section bank is where I get a little lost. Should I just treat the section bank like the question packs?

I mean how else can you really treat it, there's no real scoring scale or time limit?

It's more a learning tool than anything else. My guess is you might get a passage or two or three of that difficulty on the real thing but in my experience by and large those two FL's are by far your best predictive sources of what you'll see on the real deal. The section bank harps on small factoids and details of experimental techniques etc that are by and large going to be above the scope of what is tested on the real deal.

 

[GCSDOC]

I have only done about 5% of the section bank....but having taken this exam before, the section bank seems very on par so far with the types of questions on the actual test. I see the closest similarities in the experimental analysis skill based questions but definitely agree that there seems to be some very tiny details it is testing which are not as coorelated with the actual exam based on my previous experience.

 

[GrapesofRath]

I have only done about 5% of the section bank....but having taken this exam before, the section bank seems very on par so far with the types of questions on the actual test. I see the closest similarities in the experimental analysis skill based questions but definitely agree that there seems to be some very tiny details it is testing which are not as coorelated with the actual exam based on my previous experience.

I would still say from my experience the new released FL(which is clearly easier than the section bank) is much more like the actual MCAT but yes the Section Bank tests skills(data interpretation and such) that the real MCAT intends to; its just the section bank tests these skills at a greater level of difficulty. Having said that, I still think on the real deal you could see a couple passages like the section bank. a) the section bank seems to be what the MCAT ultimately wants to trend towards(its a process though you cant jack up the difficulty of the MCAT 2-3X fold over night) b) there often are a few passages out of left field on the real deal you couldnt anticipate in practice

 

[AsianPersuasion]

I already took the MCAT, but a friend of mine is curious about what people think of the Question Pack. I know we're talking about section bank, but I didn't want to start a whole new thread. Psych and soc was definitely the hardest for me and that section required a lot of analysis of data and experiment. I didn't use the section bank so I have no idea.

 

[GrapesofRath]

I already took the MCAT, but a friend of mine is curious about what people think of the Question Pack. I know we're talking about section bank, but I didn't want to start a whole new thread. Psych and soc was definitely the hardest for me and that section required a lot of analysis of data and experiment. I didn't use the section bank so I have no idea.

The question packs are just recycled old AAMC material from old AAMC exams. They are definitely relevant and helpful but they arent new in any way.

 

[AsianPersuasion]

The question packs are just recycled old AAMC material from old AAMC exams. They are definitely relevant and helpful but they arent new in any way.

Hmmm I see. I barely remembered anything when I took it. I wonder if giving him my old TBR would suffice instead of spending more money on the pack. TBR helped me, but then again I literally guessed on majority of them 😵

 

[Jack Westin]

The section bank for the Psych/Soc section is probably the most important practice questions you can do to prepare for that section. Familiarize yourself with that specific style and make sure you completely understand the concepts they test.

 

[FAJ210]

I just finished the whole section bank , and it is TREMENDOUSLY difficult. I thought the Psych/Soc was not as hard as the other science sections. Those biochem based graphical/statistical passages were the most difficult thing I have ever faced. Has anyone else felt this way. I am taking the MCAT on April 1st and it seems like I need to work on interpreting those graphs.

 

[KinS]

I agree the section bank is very difficult. I' taking mine on April 1st and I am freaking out. I only completed the C/P section so far and it felt like it was mostly biochem, interpretation of scientific data and reasoning about the design of research. I only got 52%. What did you get FAJ210?

 

[aldol16]

I just finished the whole section bank , and it is TREMENDOUSLY difficult. I thought the Psych/Soc was not as hard as the other science sections. Those biochem based graphical/statistical were the most difficult thing I have ever faced. Has anyone else felt this way. I am taking the MCAT on April 1st and it seems like I need to work on interpreting those graphs.

I agree the section bank is very difficult. I' taking mine on April 1st and I am freaking out. I only completed the C/P section so far and it felt like it was mostly biochem, interpretation of scientific data and reasoning about the design of research. I only got 52%. What did you get FAJ210?

You should really start to get comfortable with interpreting data.

 

[KinS]

You should really start to get comfortable with interpreting data.

How is the B/B section like? When are you taking the mcat?

 

[RockMcat520]

You guys did the section bank all at once? Did you time yourself?

 

[aldol16]

How is the B/B section like? When are you taking the mcat?

You mean how it's like on the Section Bank or on the MCAT? On the Section Bank, it's a lot of data-based questions - basically testing if you can interpret scientific data. If you're done meaningful work in a lab, the data interpretation shouldn't be too hard but if you don't work in lab/don't keep up with the literature, it can be challenging.

 

[BeMD13]

I am in the middle of the biochem section now and they are the most intense questions I've done so far. They seem totally different than what is on Kaplan FLs. I did not think there was as much emphasis on calculations and memorizing equations based on what I was doing with Kaplan questions.

 

[FAJ210]

I am in the middle of the biochem section now and they are the most intense questions I've done so far. They seem totally different than what is on Kaplan FLs. I did not think there was as much emphasis on calculations and memorizing equations based on what I was doing with Kaplan questions.

I am currently doing the physical/chemical/bio section on the section bank. I just feel the there is not enough time to dissect them and give the best answer. Yup I feel the same way about the memorization part. i hope the real one is not as crazy as the section bank.

 

[theonlytycrane]

@BeMD13 which types of equations are you referring to for biochem?

 

[BeMD13]

@BeMD13 which types of equations are you referring to for biochem?

The first part was all physics. They had the lens equation in there and then asked the kinetic energy of a photoelectron. That's all I remember off the top of my head. It seemed way more C/P than biochem. I only did the first 30-40 questions and towards the end it was more amino acid and other biochem stuff but still more detailed than anything I've done with Kaplan.

 

[aldol16]

The first part was all physics. They had the lens equation in there and then asked the kinetic energy of a photoelectron. That's all I remember off the top of my head. It seemed way more C/P than biochem. I only did the first 30-40 questions and towards the end it was more amino acid and other biochem stuff but still more detailed than anything I've done with Kaplan.

From what I remember, the Section Bank questions that you refer to are more about understanding concepts and reasoning through them than knowing random equations. The lens equation is just one that you should know because it's just begging to show up on the MCAT since your eye works using a lens. The KE one I remember being more reasoning as well. You'll need to understand the simple equations, e.g. E = hf, c = lambda*f, F = ma, KE = 1/2mv^2, etc. but hopefully these are some you've used so many times in your classes and life that you don't need to "memorize" them actively per se.

 

[ambitiousMED]

I was wondering how similar the real MCAT is to the section bank questions? I also find them tremendously difficult that requires detail knowledge of Biochemical Principles. I see a few of you taking it tomorrow. Good luck! @KinS and @FAJ210 . Let us know how it went and if the sections were similar to the Section Banks!

 

[FAJ210]

I was wondering how similar the real MCAT is to the section bank questions? I also find them tremendously difficult that requires detail knowledge of Biochemical Principles. I see a few of you taking it tomorrow. Good luck! @KinS and @FAJ210 . Let us know how it went and if the sections were similar to the Section Banks!

So i just got out andi thought it was NOT that intense. one thing i am going STRESS is do the SECTION BANK with all your heart , attention and dedication cause in my opinion thats what prepared me to the maxxxxx. If it wasnt for the section bank i wouldve been a deer in the light but thanks to it I felt confident about the pattern and question styles. Ultimately the difficulty of the section bank made the whole science section manageable and a bit easier. I felt the CARS section was just too long and time consuming. My weakness was not the material but the TIME. GOOD LUCK

 

[theonlytycrane]

@FAJ210 glad to hear it felt solid and you're done! A few questions whenever you're free:

1. how would you compare the difficulty in relation to the section banks?

2. how did psych / soc feel?

3. was the CARS difficulty as expected?

 

[FAJ210]

@FAJ210 glad to hear it felt solid and you're done! A few questions whenever you're free:

1. how would you compare the difficulty in relation to the section banks?

2. how did psych / soc feel?

3. was the CARS difficulty as expected?

I would say the sections bank was waaaayyyyyyyy harder then the real test BUT the question type were synonymous which made it time manageable. The familiarity of the question type with related graphs and data tables from the section bank is what came through in the clutch for me. All I am going to say SECTION BANK SECTION BANK SECTION BANK.

Psych and Socia was honestly not that bad either. In my opinion the detail explanation from KHAN ACADEMY Psych/Soci tutorial video breakdown was the real MVP. Yea they were couple of unfamiliar terms here and there but the reality is we cant know every single definition of psych terms considering the other science formulas we have to memorize. At the end of the day read the question carefully, eliminate the most absurd option(trust me you see ALOT), apply common sense and try to apply the unfamiliar term to yourself and you should be fine.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST ....YES CARS was hard, lengthy and time consuming. May be because I kind of overlooked (YES STUPID ON MY PART). But definitely practice, practice, practice long passages with proper timing. If anything that would be my downpoint. but i have an idea of how to approach the next exam with better time management if I dont get my target score.

well good luck to you and let me know if you had any other questions. I was going crazy couple of months ago asking people about these exact particular questions.

 

[ambitiousMED]

I would say the sections bank was waaaayyyyyyyy harder then the real test BUT the question type were synonymous which made it time manageable. The familiarity of the question type with related graphs and data tables from the section bank is what came through in the clutch for me. All I am going to say SECTION BANK SECTION BANK SECTION BANK.

Psych and Socia was honestly not that bad either. In my opinion the detail explanation from KHAN ACADEMY Psych/Soci tutorial video breakdown was the real MVP. Yea they were couple of unfamiliar terms here and there but the reality is we cant know every single definition of psych terms considering the other science formulas we have to memorize. At the end of the day read the question carefully, eliminate the most absurd option(trust me you see ALOT), apply common sense and try to apply the unfamiliar term to yourself and you should be fine.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST ....YES CARS was hard, lengthy and time consuming. May be because I kind of overlooked (YES STUPID ON MY PART). But definitely practice, practice, practice long passages with proper timing. If anything that would be my downpoint. but i have an idea of how to approach the next exam with better time management if I dont get my target score.

well good luck to you and let me know if you had any other questions. I was going crazy couple of months ago asking people about these exact particular questions.

Thank you! So you would say that the real exam was more similar to the Section Banks than the Kaplan FL? Or is it closer to the AAMC Sample? Were all the Bio/BIOC questions lab based questions like the Section Bank? Was the CARS similar to the CARS Packs 1 and 2 at all? I am sorry for all the questions. I am sort of panicking, my exam date is approaching!

 

[Ot1d]

That C/P bank was horrible, 58%. I might as well strip for a living

 

[FAJ210]

Thank you! So you would say that the real exam was more similar to the Section Banks than the Kaplan FL? Or is it closer to the AAMC Sample? Were all the Bio/BIOC questions lab based questions like the Section Bank? Was the CARS similar to the CARS Packs 1 and 2 at all? I am sorry for all the questions. I am sort of panicking, my exam date is approaching!

I would say mixture of AAMC Sample & the SECTION BANK. I dont know how Kaplan FL are. I only prepared with TPR books, AK Lectures/Khan Academy/Leah4sci tutorial videos and every AAMC question pack. If you do the SECTION BANK & AAMC question you should be fine. Honestly the real CARS was wayyyyyyy harder then those. Just practice practice practice and you should be fine. Good luck

 

[ambitiousMED]

I would say mixture of AAMC Sample & the SECTION BANK. I dont know how Kaplan FL are. I only prepared with TPR books, AK Lectures/Khan Academy/Leah4sci tutorial videos and every AAMC question pack. If you do the SECTION BANK & AAMC question you should be fine. Honestly the real CARS was wayyyyyyy harder then those. Just practice practice practice and you should be fine. Good luck

Thank you for the pointers!

 

[QueenBanana]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if I could get your opinion/advice.

I've been using Kaplan's Self-paced program to prepare for the exam (first time using a prep company, 2nd time studying for the new MCAT) and I am a bit confused. I've take 9 FL exams so far and have been scoring in the 497-500 percentile, which is a bit discouraging (I received a 499 the first time I took the new MCAT). However, I just completed the AAMC section bank and my percentage is significantly higher than my FL scores. Across the board, I've scored 77-83% in the AAMC section bank. My plan was to take the exam May 6th but I haven't signed up since my FL scores aren't great. Are you guys experiencing something similar? Or have any advice? I'm taking an AAMC FL this Saturday so that might give me a better idea. I'm just not sure which set of scores I should believe. Sorry if this isn't the right thread- not sure where else to post this.

Thanks again!

 

[FAJ210]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if I could get your opinion/advice.

I've been using Kaplan's Self-paced program to prepare for the exam (first time using a prep company, 2nd time studying for the new MCAT) and I am a bit confused. I've take 9 FL exams so far and have been scoring in the 497-500 percentile, which is a bit discouraging (I received a 499 the first time I took the new MCAT). However, I just completed the AAMC section bank and my percentage is significantly higher than my FL scores. Across the board, I've scored 77-83% in the AAMC section bank. My plan was to take the exam May 6th but I haven't signed up since my FL scores aren't great. Are you guys experiencing something similar? Or have any advice? I'm taking an AAMC FL this Saturday so that might give me a better idea. I'm just not sure which set of scores I should believe. Sorry if this isn't the right thread- not sure where else to post this.

Thanks again!

I bought TPR books which came with 3 FL and honestly I didn't even touch those FL. All i did was AAMC question packs, section bank and FL. In my opinion the AAMC material is the most relevant to the real exam. If you are doing good on the AAMC material specially on the SECTION BANK then you should be prepared for the real thing. As for score range and comparison, if you take the AAMC FL SCORED 1 that should give you a better representation of where you stand and where you need to improve. Focus on which section and question types you are struggling on. After notating your weaknesses , go back and thoroughly review those. And last but not least know your AMINO ACIDS inside and out (EVERYTHING ABOUT THEM). Familiarity with AAMC question pattern(graph analysis,tables,lab techniques etc) is whats going to help you get to the right answer within a timely manner.

GOOD LUCK TO YOU 🙂

 

[QueenBanana]

I bought TPR books which came with 3 FL and honestly I didn't even touch those FL. All i did was AAMC question packs, section bank and FL. In my opinion the AAMC material is the most relevant to the real exam. If you are doing good on the AAMC material specially on the SECTION BANK then you should be prepared for the real thing. As for score range and comparison, if you take the AAMC FL SCORED 1 that should give you a better representation of where you stand and where you need to improve. Focus on which section and question types you are struggling on. After notating your weaknesses , go back and thoroughly review those. And last but not least know your AMINO ACIDS inside and out (EVERYTHING ABOUT THEM). Familiarity with AAMC question pattern(graph analysis,tables,lab techniques etc) is whats going to help you get to the right answer within a timely manner.

GOOD LUCK TO YOU 🙂

Thank you!! This month my plan was to focus on AAMC material and to redo the section bank. Thanks again for your feedback. I appreciate it

 

[Albino Ape]

Currently doing the Psych/Soc Questions and there are a ton of terms that are not covered whatsoever in the TPR book or course. This has been my highest scoring sections on the TPR Full Lengths but I am struggling with these questions.

 

[FAJ210]

Currently doing the Psych/Soc Questions and there are a ton of terms that are not covered whatsoever in the TPR book or course. This has been my highest scoring sections on the TPR Full Lengths but I am struggling with these questions.

I have attached the Khan academy Psych/Soc notes that I got from one of the SDN users. These are detailed word to word notes from the all the Psych/Soc videos posted by KA. If you have time watch the videos, and go over these KA notes. It did wonders for me on the exam. I used the TPR book throughout my prep but i can attest that these KA notes are far superior specially with explanation through the video.

I hope this helps. GOOD LUCK.

 

[popopopop]

I have attached the Khan academy Psych/Soc notes that I got from one of the SDN users. These are detailed word to word notes from the all the Psych/Soc videos posted by KA. If you have time watch the videos, and go over these KA notes. It did wonders for me on the exam. I used the TPR book throughout my prep but i can attest that these KA notes are far superior specially with explanation through the video.

I hope this helps. GOOD LUCK.

https://redd.it/4b2h3u

Updated version is found here. It's in the first page of the google drive, not in the "Other Notes KA."

 

[pr0digals0n]

you said the real cars was harder than the pack 1 and 2? fukkkkkkkkk....what would MOST represent the difficulty? the sample test? the scored test?

 

[aldol16]

you said the real cars was harder than the pack 1 and 2? fukkkkkkkkk....what would MOST represent the difficulty? the sample test? the scored test?

Real CARS was between the first half of QPack 1 and the second half of QPack 1 and all of QPack 2.

 

[DesitnationMD]

you said the real cars was harder than the pack 1 and 2? fukkkkkkkkk....what would MOST represent the difficulty? the sample test? the scored test?

my real section was pretty dang similar to the Q packs and old AAMC exams. Really the cars stuff was to me what had changed the least as far as looking at the pre 2015 and post 2015 aamc materials. most of the passages in CARs, and even many from the science Q packs ( i have not seen the section bank, but i bet any amount of $ it true there too) are just repurposed Qs and passages from the AAMC old released exams 3-11 and old "Self-assessmet" package they used to sell.

only the biochem and psych stuff was new (which is why there was no psych, biochem or sociology in the q packs)

 

[averroesiaw]

Hi all,
Any chance you guys are also finding mistakes in the AAMC question and section banks?
For example, Section Bank Bio Passage 3 question 22 is regarding molecular weight of an inactive tetramer. Apparently we are just supposed to know that the average MW for an AA is 110dk, okay... somewhat fair... BUT the solution reports ¨... as indicated by figure 1...¨ the issue is... THERE IS NO FIGURE IN THE PASSAGE. I asked others to view the same passage in Safari, chrome and IE and noone had figures shows in the passage. whats up with that?
this isnt the first time im finding typos and mistakes in aamc solutions and passages....

 

[hannahwants2badoctor]

Anyone know of any online practice that is similar to section banks? Went through them and did much worse than other AAMC practice materials, so I'm searching for more practice before May 7 test date.

 

[hannahwants2badoctor]

What would be considered like a good section bank percentage for CP/BB?

 

[ambitiousMED]

I bought TPR books which came with 3 FL and honestly I didn't even touch those FL. All i did was AAMC question packs, section bank and FL. In my opinion the AAMC material is the most relevant to the real exam. If you are doing good on the AAMC material specially on the SECTION BANK then you should be prepared for the real thing. As for score range and comparison, if you take the AAMC FL SCORED 1 that should give you a better representation of where you stand and where you need to improve. Focus on which section and question types you are struggling on. After notating your weaknesses , go back and thoroughly review those. And last but not least know your AMINO ACIDS inside and out (EVERYTHING ABOUT THEM). Familiarity with AAMC question pattern(graph analysis,tables,lab techniques etc) is whats going to help you get to the right answer within a timely manner.

GOOD LUCK TO YOU 🙂

Did you get your scores back? How did you do compared to the AAMC Scored?

 

[jahcat]

So i just got out andi thought it was NOT that intense. one thing i am going STRESS is do the SECTION BANK with all your heart , attention and dedication cause in my opinion thats what prepared me to the maxxxxx. If it wasnt for the section bank i wouldve been a deer in the light but thanks to it I felt confident about the pattern and question styles. Ultimately the difficulty of the section bank made the whole science section manageable and a bit easier. I felt the CARS section was just too long and time consuming. My weakness was not the material but the TIME. GOOD LUCK

Thanks for the advice! I was freaking out about how difficult everyone thought the section bank is but I'm glad it helped you!

 

[aldol16]

my real section was pretty dang similar to the Q packs and old AAMC exams. Really the cars stuff was to me what had changed the least as far as looking at the pre 2015 and post 2015 aamc materials. most of the passages in CARs, and even many from the science Q packs ( i have not seen the section bank, but i bet any amount of $ it true there too) are just repurposed Qs and passages from the AAMC old released exams 3-11 and old "Self-assessmet" package they used to sell.

Section Bank passages were in fact new and were not repurposed. They are the best resource for MCAT preparation - in my opinion, better than the AAMC FLs, which were too easy as compared to the real thing on all sections except maybe CARS.

 

[dalamon]

These are not easy

77% on ChemSci, 75% Psych/Soc, and 74% on BioSci-- and I'm honestly floored that I scored as high as I did on those 3. I didn't do them timed, but I did do them all in one go.

for context: I wrote the new MCAT last year-- got 131/126/130/129 and I'm redoing it on the 20th to try and bump my CARS mark.

 

[medbunny56]

I got a 55% on CP and 51% on B/B....I'm testing on the 20th and I really don't know what to make of these scores :/