Next Step MCAT FL #2

[sbspftw]

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For anyone who has taken this one....I started it, and was like crushed by PS/Chem. People also say Bio is just as hard. I heard they changed some things from 2015, so I was looking for some responses from 2016 takers. Anyone think that NS FL#2 sections were pretty hard and AAMC was easier?

 

[starspells]

One time when I was taking a NS full length that I shut off my laptop midway cause I was so upset.

Yes, they are much harder than AAMC. People typically do 5-10 points better on the actual MCAT.

 

[Gurby]

I took 4 of the NS FL's, and there were several times when I paused mid-test, thought "maybe this whole doctor thing just isn't for me" and almost closed the test right there... #2 and #4 were particularly brutal. I ended up scoring ~8 points over my NS average on the real MCAT.

I think they're great practice, both academically and emotionally. If you can push through a really difficult practice test without getting flustered, it'll be easier for you to stay focused when you get hit with tough passages on the real thing.

 

[Marcion]

One time when I was taking a NS full length that I shut off my laptop midway cause I was so upset.

Yes, they are much harder than AAMC. People typically do 5-10 points better on the actual MCAT.

I'm a tutor for NSTP and have also written some of their Psych/Soc passages. I've found that lately my students have been doing 3-4 points better on the Next Step exams than the scored AAMC test. Not sure what's been up with that.

OTOH the actual MCAT scores themselves tend to be higher than their FL average, so maybe the scored AAMC test is also a bit out of whack?

 

[rukid95]

My scores on the NS exams were between 506-508 and I got a 514 on the actual MCAT. Good practice and the CARS passages are a good length to train yourself on.

 

[LIC2015]

I'm a tutor for NSTP and have also written some of their Psych/Soc passages. I've found that lately my students have been doing 3-4 points better on the Next Step exams than the scored AAMC test. Not sure what's been up with that.

OTOH the actual MCAT scores themselves tend to be higher than their FL average, so maybe the scored AAMC test is also a bit out of whack?

The current MCAT tests seem to be slightly less difficult than the AAMC FL scored. Would make sense that most people score higher on the real exam than the scored FL practice test.

 

[Gurby]

The current MCAT tests seem to be slightly less difficult than the AAMC FL scored. Would make sense that most people score higher on the real exam than the scored FL practice test.

I found the real MCAT to be much much more difficult than the AAMC practice FL's, and I think most people agree, though I'm sure it varies test to test.

Difficulty of the test has little bearing on what someone's score will be, since it's based on percentiles.

 

[LIC2015]

I found the real MCAT to be much much more difficult than the AAMC practice FL's, and I think most people agree, though I'm sure it varies test to test.

Difficulty of the test has little bearing on what someone's score will be, since it's based on percentiles.

You found the real exam to be more difficult than the recent scored FL? That's interesting. The real exam must be getting progressively more difficult.

 

[sbspftw]

okay whew. I like started the biology section and I just couldn't handle how unrealistic it was. Thanks for the reply!

 

[Gurby]

okay whew. I like started the biology section and I just couldn't handle how unrealistic it was. Thanks for the reply!

Ehhh....I don't think "unrealistic" is the right term. My MCAT was probably more similar to Next Step and the Section Bank than it was to the official AAMC FL's. Don't develop the attitude that it will be easy.

 

[sbspftw]

Thanks for the tips. I will try my best. On the other hand, I had a migraine today, so just stopped with the chemisty/PS and CARS, and managed a 127 on PS and 128 on CARS for Next Step FL #2. I don't know how this is, but hopefully scores will get better.

 

[Gurby]

Thanks for the tips. I will try my best. On the other hand, I had a migraine today, so just stopped with the chemisty/PS and CARS, and managed a 127 on PS and 128 on CARS for Next Step FL #2. I don't know how this is, but hopefully scores will get better.

You can see a compilation of scores here:

Look at the column for Next Step, and compare what scores people got there to their real test scores. 128 is pretty darn good. There are numerous examples of people averaging around 128 per section on NS, and scoring 520+ on the real thing. This is a pretty unscientific analysis, but it sounds like you're on the right track.

 

[Dr. McPanda]

Would anyone like to share some of their NS full lengths? I exhausted a lot of my practice tests for April exam, got a 502 on real, retaking in July! PM me!

 

[lpath77]

I'm so glad I found this post. I just took the NS #2 and I was really dejected because I felt like I didn't know ANYTHING. I got 127s across the board in all areas. I was really down but now I feel better knowing I'm not alone, and finding out that #2 is especially hard. I have a little over a month left before my exam and will pick my head back up and push on forward! 😀

 

[sbspftw]

I'm so glad I found this post. I just took the NS #2 and I was really dejected because I felt like I didn't know ANYTHING. I got 127s across the board in all areas. I was really down but now I feel better knowing I'm not alone, and finding out that #2 is especially hard. I have a little over a month left before my exam and will pick my head back up and push on forward! 😀

Averaged around the 127 score for each section on the NS, and got a 519 in the end. You're doing great 🙂

 

[nontradmedman]

Averaged around the 127 score for each section on the NS, and got a 519 in the end. You're doing great 🙂

@sbspftw

What did you do between NS tests and test day? I'd love any tips that you could offer. NS 2 CP definitely seemed harder than NS 1.

 

[slowthai]

Averaged around the 127 score for each section on the NS, and got a 519 in the end. You're doing great 🙂

Hmm, I got the exact same score on the subsections for FL 2. I really hope that I do around the same on the real thing. Scores are out in two weeks.