Old Kaplan/AMCAS tests

[theunremarkable]

I have these tests in pdf form in the old format before it was reduced by 1/3. Instead of spending more money on tests that are just modified length forms of these, I am just going to take these as practice tests.

Is anyone else doing this? or am I just crazy?

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[woodhorse22]

hey i have the same question man. I have pdf files of the all the AAMC exams. e-mcat.com offers the 3r in CBT format for free, so you could take that. But I dont konw if it is a good idea to take them in teh old format, because time management could be an issue with the real deal, but I could be wrong.
Anyone else with advice?

 

[Phoenix.]

I have them in pdf too, but I'm definitely forking over the money to buy all of the CBTs (3-10) before I take the real thing. I think this is the best resource out there for practicing the new CBT, making sure there aren't any timing issues, and testing where you stand. Also, I really like how they give you a break-down on how you performed in specific topics like solutions or translational motion (when I see that I got 0/3 or 0/4 right for a topic it really sends a red flag), and you can click on those links to see all of those types of problems together, with the solutions (you can also choose to take the exams with the option of pressing the "solution" button to see the answer before you move onto the next question). They also show you on average how many seconds you take to answer VR vs. BS vs. PS. And I'm not paying for a course, so I guess I don't mind so much paying $35/test. And for those paying for Kaplan, I think they have access to the CBTs included.

My suggestion is to take 3R first and see what you think. If those aspects are worth it to you, it'll be clear and you'll be happy to pay the extra money for the CBT versions. If you don't think it really matters to you, then just stick with the pdfs. Good luck.

 

[Fiddlergirl]

I took the January MCAT and couldn't find many (okay, any) old practice tests of the right length to practice, so I took old practice tests and cut them down to get the right length. It worked just fine. The only thing I would say is try and do as many practice tests on the computer as possible because I found it to be much different than paper tests.

 

[wisguy]

Definitely do aamc 8-10. I also used the kaplan and tpr free online diagnostics, which are also in cbt format. You can do all the other aamc tests online, but not in the shortened form, so use those if you need practice taking the computer tests. If you are taking the paper versions you can shorten them or use them as is, but just prorating the score table may not give an accurate scaled score estimate because the passages have different difficulty levels. Also the raw to scaled score conversion is based on the longer version and some test fatigue was probably involved. In spite of these words of caution, do as many of the aamc tests as you can.

 

[Anastasis]

I took the old form but I just wanted to say that I would fork over the money for CB Practice Tests for at least the last few practice tests you take before the real deal. It's all about trying to recreate test day so you're as comfortable as possible with the beast. I know it seems like a ton of money but also remember how much it's going to cost (in time & energy and money) to retake the MCAT if you do poorly.

 

[theunremarkable]

Yeah, I plan to buy 8-10, maybe just 9 and 10. But for practice I was thinking of taking the kaplan 1-11 and the older amcas tests that I have leading up to the test.

 

[oxeye]

I don't think it would hurt anything to take them. I took the majority of my practice tests untimed over the course of several days (had an infant so this was a necessity). My scores were consistent between the timed test and the untimed tests.

So you could still do them since you have them - just don't use them to practice pacing yourself, do it more for content practice.