Okay, after regrouping I am going to start studying for MCAT number 2. I used up all my AAMC practice tests, EK 101 verbal, and TPRH Verbal practice tests. What recommendations do you guys have in regards to more practice tests? Gold Standard?
Practice Tests
- Thread starter JOLA46
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2014
- Messages
- 205
- Reaction score
- 182
No, the GS tests are not very similar to AAMC material: they are more designed to skill-build than they are to actually imitate the real exam, but in building those skills they will raise your ability to confidently tackle and score higher on those topics for the real test.
For instance, I just took my 8th GS test, and in the PS section there were literally seven VSEPR structure theory questions in a row, one after the other. That would never, ever happen on the real test, but having been drilled that hard on VSEPR theory and taken the time to review it as a result, if a question on it DOES come up on the real test I'm going to be able to smash it. Similarly, that same exam had about 14 Mendelian genetics questions in a row based on a single inheritance flow chart in the BS section which, again, would NEVER happen on the real exam, but having had that topic covered so thoroughly, I feel confident that if/when inheritance genetics comes up, I'm going to be very well prepared to deal with it.
At the end of the day it seems (to me, amongst others) that there's simply no close second to the AAMC tests in regards to being similar to the real thing - every other company I've tried has a significantly different feel, though that doesn't mean they won't help improve your score.
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2011
- Messages
- 2,566
- Reaction score
- 788
Agreed, I have heard GS tests aren't similar to the real MCAT but they tend to drill hard on concepts and from what I have heard, the PS sections can be brutally calculation-involved which is great because you never know what type of test you will get on test day.
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2014
- Messages
- 205
- Reaction score
- 182
Well I just finished 1-8 GS tests and started back in on AAMC material with their test #8 today, and based on the results (posted in thread below) you may or may not want to disregard my advice completely. Or whatever.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...-bad-worse-score-should-i-reschedule.1096562/
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2014
- Messages
- 205
- Reaction score
- 182
Granted I seem to be a major outlier here - everyone else I've seen take the GS tests benefited massively from them, but me...well..... it's looking like my scores might be the kind of data point you "forget" on a lab write up to get a prettier graph 
hmmmmm i am curious as to why you didn't score higher.......maybe aamc 8 is a littler harder than the others you took? maybe a bad test day?
your scores are pretty awesome btw. you are obviously highly intelligent.
your scores are pretty awesome btw. you are obviously highly intelligent.
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2014
- Messages
- 205
- Reaction score
- 182
Thanks, that's encouraging!
Yeah I just can't figure it out - like I mentioned in that thread, my GS scores we almost exactly the same as other SDN users who's scores jumped straight up to 38-41 on AAMC-7 and AAMC-8 after working with GS material, so those are the numbers I was hoping for. I've decided to take the next 3 AAMC tests before dooming myself to rescheduling again, so if AAMC-8 was a fluke we'll find out soon enough. It's hard for me to believe an entire month of taking and studying all those GS tests really did nothing, but even if it's true for me, it hasn't been true for anyone else, so don't let my numbers scare you away from GS material. I'm just one random dude somewhere out there on the internet, after all.
Yeah I just can't figure it out - like I mentioned in that thread, my GS scores we almost exactly the same as other SDN users who's scores jumped straight up to 38-41 on AAMC-7 and AAMC-8 after working with GS material, so those are the numbers I was hoping for. I've decided to take the next 3 AAMC tests before dooming myself to rescheduling again, so if AAMC-8 was a fluke we'll find out soon enough. It's hard for me to believe an entire month of taking and studying all those GS tests really did nothing, but even if it's true for me, it hasn't been true for anyone else, so don't let my numbers scare you away from GS material. I'm just one random dude somewhere out there on the internet, after all.
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2014
- Messages
- 8
- Reaction score
- 2
I recommend TPR SW, but it seems hard to come by. When I studied this summer, I used TPR SW and TPRH and my AAMC scores improved as I went along. Any other source of high volume science questions will be good. At the final two weeks, I tried to do the equivalent of one FL per day from those two books. The quality of the material from TPR seems pretty high.
Reusing TPRH is ok, I think, especially if you take it timed.
Reusing TPRH is ok, I think, especially if you take it timed.
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2014
- Messages
- 8
- Reaction score
- 2
TPR SW is structured more or less in order of subjects as they're normally covered in a science class. That means each passage is likely to focus just on the topic at hand (specific concepts). The AAMC exams and the MCAT itself seems to integrate more regions of the subject in the same passage, which is why I think it's harder.
It's harder than TPR SW in the way it's presented, but TPR SW's passages are still very comparable to the real thing. Some of the marked advanced passages are actually quite tough. If you time yourself and strive to improve your percent correct, you will certainly be better off.
