Official Kaplan Aug 2004 Thread

[willthatsall]

Just so Kaplan people have a place to discuss their practice tests and progress. How's everyone doing?

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[DieselPetrolGrl]

i finally raised myself to ur verbal again
u need to smack the sciences by using the rev book - and know the formulas - not just when u should apply them but how to manipulate them..its hard i know but i started out with hardly touching a 7 in PS and went to a 9 just on formula power basically

 

[silkworm]

+7 on FL1 over the Diag
+6 on FL6
+11 on FL2

But then I just took the TPR Test A, and got +2 from Diag. Man, that was a hard test.

actually can you just tell me how much you've improved by from the diag up till now?

 

[Ypo.]

Everything on the computer is also at the center on paper. Or you can print it out from your computer. Kaplan will make sure you know all the things that could be on the test, but you still have to do the work. You are already in a pretty good score range, so depending on how hard you studied last time, a course could probably help you get a couple more points.

I did study very hard the first time- but when it comes to physics and inorganic chem- I thought that having someone to ask questions of would have helped me- plus all the practice tests. Did you feel that Kaplan gave you good test-taking strategy as well?
Thanks

 

[willthatsall]

I did study very hard the first time- but when it comes to physics and inorganic chem- I thought that having someone to ask questions of would have helped me- plus all the practice tests. Did you feel that Kaplan gave you good test-taking strategy as well?
Thanks

I like Kaplan, but I feel like the materials are better than the teaching. If you think you need someone to be able to ask questions to, I'm not sure how happy you will be with it. The materials are awesome though I think.

 

[Ypo.]

Who were your teachers? Were they underqualified? I got 9s in BIO and Phys- so I just want to up my score at least two points.

 

[willthatsall]

Who were your teachers? Were they underqualified? I got 9s in BIO and Phys- so I just want to up my score at least two points.

Well, I only had one teacher. Some places have different teachers for each subject, but I think one seems to be the norm at Kaplan. I don't think she was underqualified, (she was a biochem major at Harvard) but she just didn't seem to know much about a lot of topics. She wasn't a great teacher at physics especially. And I think Kaplan is too lax with their requirements, they basically give a sheet to the teacher before each lesson and the teacher just reads off the sheet. Anything not covered in the sheet, there is a good chance the teacher won't know it. Considering most teachers are at least a year removed from taking the MCAT, and probably more, it isn't surprising that the have forgotten a lot of material. That is why I don't think the teaching is the strong point.

 

[Ypo.]

Thanks for the info. So do you think if i study as hard as i did last time that Kaplan can help me up my score by at least 2 pts from a 28 to a 30? Or am I better off not risking getting a lower score?

 

[willthatsall]

I think that Kaplan can make a 2 point difference. What was your breakdown last time? I think sciences are easier to bring up than verbal. I wouldn't worry about doing worse if you are planning on working hard at it. You have to make that decision for yourself though, if you think you might get worse then you need to take that into account.

 

[silkworm]

A question, I noticed on the master check-list that full-length 10 and 11 have a "R" after them. It seems they are the revised versions. Does that mean all other tests are unrevised?

Just done #7, I concurr the PS section was way tough. I had to guess on two whole passages and barely finished bio section in time.

 

[willthatsall]

A question, I noticed on the master check-list that full-length 10 and 11 have a "R" after them. It seems they are the revised versions. Does that mean all other tests are unrevised?

Just done #7, I concurr the PS section was way tough. I had to guess on two whole passages and barely finished bio section in time.

I noticed that as well. I'm not sure what it means. They must have been revised somewhere along the way or they wouldn't have the correct number of questions, so I have no idea why they aren't called revised.

 

[DieselPetrolGrl]

I wrote a poem for part 2 FL#2 WS portion
I cant wait to see what I got on it
I will fight Kaplan because my poem was in 5 stanzas and addressed all 3 tasks with examples..i expect a 5/6
If I cant rock the numerical curve I will rock the letter one! YEAAAA!

 

[Ypo.]

I think that Kaplan can make a 2 point difference. What was your breakdown last time? I think sciences are easier to bring up than verbal. I wouldn't worry about doing worse if you are planning on working hard at it. You have to make that decision for yourself though, if you think you might get worse then you need to take that into account.

My breakdown was 9 each for the sciences and a 10 in verbal reasoning. No, at the worst I think I might do about the same- because I consistently scored 9 and 10s on my practice test but only broke to 11 once on VR. I hope i don't have to take that thing again-what a nightmare.

 

[raom_dtpi]

Can some one expalin this? I am stumped because this is a salt of strong acid and strong base.....

What happens to the Solubility of Na2So4, if the basicity of Na2So4 solution is increased?

Thanks!

 

[ComicBookHero20]

how did everyone do on FL3, i hated it, i think i bombed it

 

[bonez318ti]

how did everyone do on FL3, i hated it, i think i bombed it

I just took it today and did better than I expected.

I didn't think there were any killer sections on this, but thought that there weren't really many 'easy' passages.. so i guess it all balances out. I plan on taking an AAMC practice test this week to see how close the kaplans are to the AAMCs...

FYI, Here are my trends.. I'd be curious to see other people's trends as well.
Diag: PS: 9, V: 7, BS: 8 = 24
FL1: 9, 11, 10 = 30
FL2: 9, 9, 10 = 28
FL6: 11, 10, 7 = 28 (omitted 28 problems on BS b/c the center I was at was closing for the day, and I went alittle over time on the PS, 9 or 10 is probably more accurate)
FL3: 12, 10, 11 = 33 (hope its not a fluke!)

 

[DieselPetrolGrl]

Yikes I have full length 3 tomorrow ? I didn?t take 6r today I am having major sleep issues and if it wasn?t for Kaplan I wouldnt wake up at 7 am ..ever!

So far Diag: 27
FL#1: 24
FL#2:28
FL#6:29
3r: ?,12,10
?= BECAUSE I fell asleep during physical ..I am scared I feel so narcoleptic till about noon

 

[silkworm]

So what did people think of the verbal on FL #3? It seems the hardest so far on the Kaplan FLs. I had hurry the last two passages to finish on time.

Once again I had to wild guess a whole passage on the PS.

 

[willthatsall]

FL 3 verbal was the hardest IMO too, but the scale is easier compaired to 1 and 2.

 

[SleepPsych72]

Number 38 on full length 3 is wrong I think. I thought hydrogen only had 1 proton and 1 electron. How then can it have 2 bonding pairs ( a total of 4 electrons around it in this stupid polywater problem. I would have had a 10 in physical sciences. Verbal was a nightmare I completely bombed it, I'm not kidding either I'm looking at my score a 30 was a 7 scaled!

 

[willthatsall]

Number 38 on full length 3 is wrong I think. I thought hydrogen only had 1 proton and 1 electron. How then can it have 2 bonding pairs ( a total of 4 electrons around it in this stupid polywater problem. I would have had a 10 in physical sciences. Verbal was a nightmare I completely bombed it, I'm not kidding either I'm looking at my score a 30 was a 7 scaled!

Was 38 the formal charge problem?

 

[SleepPsych72]

Yes with a bunch of water dimers and then it asks you to calculate the fc of a hydrogen atom

 

[willthatsall]

Yes with a bunch of water dimers and then it asks you to calculate the fc of a hydrogen atom

Just use the formula. (Valence - 1/2 bonding e's - nonbonding e's = fc)
(1 - 2 - 0 = -1)

I'm taking FL 4 tomorrow. Anyone else taken it yet? If so, what'd you think?

 

[ethanolabsolute]

I went down by one point on FL #3. PS: 10, VR: 11, Bio: 10. For people who have been improving alot, what was it exactly that u think made the difference? I personally have spent a boat load of time learning all of the content and it has really paid off, but now I seem to be at a plateau. I just wanna be at a 30 or above on the real thing, but I want to hit mid 30s on practice, that way, I can easily reach my goal on the real thing.

 

[silkworm]

just do a lot practice problems and look at the questions you missed.

 

[ComicBookHero20]

has anyone taken FL7 yet?

 

[silkworm]

Yep, took FL7. Not all that different from the rest: PS very hard, etc. Lenient scale.

 

[ComicBookHero20]

i went down by 2 (From my highest) on that test, then on FL3, went down by 3 (from my highest of 29)

has this happened to anyone else, should i worry?

 

[dukejen04]

had to take FL4 cuz they ran out of FL3- and well, it didn't work out too well for me- i went down a ton. i think it was cuz i didn't sleep well the night before and i just couldn't think at all. i also think it was harder since the grading scale was easier.

i bombed it- and i'm quite depressed at the moment. i guess it taught me the value of good rest.

i'm having problems sleeping cuz all i think about are formulas and ****- can't relax enough to get good sleep. if i take a tylenol pm, i'm brain dead in the morning.

boo.

 

[DaveinDallas]

Finished up FL3 this weekend and went up 3 points from FL2 (26 - 8PS,12VR,6BS). This week I'm doing topicals for all the unit 1 and 2 lectures and listening to the lectures online again. Memorizing physics and gchem formulas also. We'll see how much that helps.

 

[bonez318ti]

Strange..

Ive been taking the Kaplan proctered tests each saturday.. and then taking a FL on my own in the middle of the week.. and there seems to be no real consistency with my grades.. but the saturday ones tend to be higher (by about 2 or 3 points just on PS and Verbal.. I've skipped the Bio both times on the weekday ones due to various reasons)

I hope this trend (doing well on saturdays) holds up

 

[willthatsall]

Strange..

Ive been taking the Kaplan proctered tests each saturday.. and then taking a FL on my own in the middle of the week.. and there seems to be no real consistency with my grades.. but the saturday ones tend to be higher (by about 2 or 3 points just on PS and Verbal.. I've skipped the Bio both times on the weekday ones due to various reasons)

I hope this trend (doing well on saturdays) holds up

Me too, I have a hard time focusing during the weekdays.

 

[premedgeek]

Anyone have taken FL#8, 9, 10, or 11? What did you guys think of them?

 

[ethanolabsolute]

My scores have been really consistent lately: FL 1: 29, FL 2: 32, FL 3: 31, and AAMC 3R: 31. Anyone else at a plateau? Also, I have a question, does the Kaplan test center have the AAMC revised tests? the same ones that AAMC's website sells?

 

[ethanolabsolute]

Willthatsall, I just read a post from u on another thread saying that u already took the real mcat and got 36. How come u are preparing for it again?

 

[DaveinDallas]

This question has already been asked, but I've slept since then, so...

How close are the Kaplan full lengths to the real thing. I seem to recall a thread where everyone scored a little higher on the real thing vs. Kaplan. A buddy of mine who whacked the MCAT with a 35 told me the questions feel a little different. Anyone?

 

[DieselPetrolGrl]

My scores have been really consistent lately: FL 1: 29, FL 2: 32, FL 3: 31, and AAMC 3R: 31. Anyone else at a plateau? Also, I have a question, does the Kaplan test center have the AAMC revised tests? the same ones that AAMC's website sells?

aamc Q ....i dont think they have 7r..i guess they should have the rest i will repost when i find out for sure

 

[DieselPetrolGrl]

This question has already been asked, but I've slept since then, so...

How close are the Kaplan full lengths to the real thing. I seem to recall a thread where everyone scored a little higher on the real thing vs. Kaplan. A buddy of mine who whacked the MCAT with a 35 told me the questions feel a little different. Anyone?

i was getting 28s and dropped to a LOW LOW of 21 (lower than my kap diag of 27) on the 5r so i am scared
let me know if u find a answer on ur Q

 

[silkworm]

I think they have 5R and 6R, no 7 at all, the rest of AAMC they have are not revised.

 

[chimppp]

Anyone have taken FL#8, 9, 10, or 11? What did you guys think of them?

I took 8 and found it to be a good bit harder (went down 6 points) than any 1-3... but then again, it might just be that middle of the week thing.

 

[ethanolabsolute]

They have aamc tests that are not revised? does that mean that those tests don't have the updated content on them. Because if that is the case, those tests are prolly pretty useless, except for verbal reasoning.

 

[ethanolabsolute]

I just thought of anothe question, I have heard that the scaled score conversions for kaplan's full length 10 and 11 are really screwy. Are all the other full lengths good as far scaled score charts go? or are there others that are irregular?

 

[premedgeek]

I just thought of anothe question, I have heard that the scaled score conversions for kaplan's full length 10 and 11 are really screwy. Are all the other full lengths good as far scaled score charts go? or are there others that are irregular?

PS for FL#7-9 are screwy. You can get more quite a lot wrong and still get 10. VR scale is also bit more lenient.

BTW, do you happen to have scale for 10 and 11, however screwy they might be?

 

[bonez318ti]

The question reads:
A 3kg block slides with a constant velocity of 3 m/s on a surface that has a coefficient of kinetic friction of .5. When the block reaches point A, an additional constant force is applied. If the block reaches point B which is 44m from point A in 4 seconds, what was the magnitude of the original force?

I solved it and got 6N, which isnt an option.. where is the fault with my logic:

ok.. since you covered 44m in 4 seconds, Vf is 11m/s, and since acceleration is change in velocity over change in time, you went from 3m/s to 11m/s = 8m/s / 4 sec which makes acceleration 2.
F = ma so 3kg * 2 = 6N

Why is this wrong?
thnx..

 

[jon0013]

hey i was wondering what you guys think about the different sectional tests yall get with the course..my friend was telling me kaplan gives 10 verbal full lenghts..how are the tests in general? helpful?

 

[DieselPetrolGrl]

they suck i got much more wrong on them than i do on the full lengths
i dont think the passages are well written ( although i have only tried #5 and #1 in the textbook)

 

[ethanolabsolute]

Aw man, I hope those don't suck, I was planning on doin all of those! Ill still give em a try anyway. I think that when it comes to verbal, as long as your reading something and trying to work on mcat type questions associated with it, ur prolly gettin good practice. Premedgeek, I don't have those conversion at the moment, I do not know to access them without actually taking the test.

 

[murphomatic]

The question reads:
A 3kg block slides with a constant velocity of 3 m/s on a surface that has a coefficient of kinetic friction of .5. When the block reaches point A, an additional constant force is applied. If the block reaches point B which is 44m from point A in 4 seconds, what was the magnitude of the original force?

I solved it and got 6N, which isnt an option.. where is the fault with my logic:

ok.. since you covered 44m in 4 seconds, Vf is 11m/s, and since acceleration is change in velocity over change in time, you went from 3m/s to 11m/s = 8m/s / 4 sec which makes acceleration 2.
F = ma so 3kg * 2 = 6N

Why is this wrong?
thnx..

b/c it's a trick question. It asks for the original force
((3kg*10 m/s^2= Normal force) * (.5 coeff of kinetic)= 15N of frictional force
and since v=constant in the first part the answer is 15N

 

[ComicBookHero20]

no that's what i thought too but that's not it

he miswrote the question, its not original force, its applied force, the applied force when you reach point A

 

[jon0013]

what do yall think about practice tests like Verbal Test 1 and Bio Test 1, etc...i took them today and thought they were easier than the ones i've been using...wondering if all the tests (13 verbals, 7 bio 7 physical) were about the same level or which ones are tougher..thanks...

 

[silkworm]

verbal 7 - 10 is noticeably tougher.