Ranking full-length practice exams

[Morgaine]

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Hi everyone!
I was wondering which exams would you take other than the AAMC's and how would you rank them from most helpful to least?
Kaplan? Berkeley? Princeton? EK? Gold Standard? Anything else?

 

[SN2ed]

1. AAMC
2. Kaplan 1-6
3. BR
4. GS

Anything not listed, don't bother. Make sure you take ALL of the AAMC FLs before going to the others.

 

[Morgaine]

1. AAMC
2. Kaplan 1-6
3. BR
4. GS

Anything not listed, don't bother. Make sure you take ALL of the AAMC FLs before going to the others.

What about the other Kaplan tests? Is there a reason why they're not good?

 

[SN2ed]

What about the other Kaplan tests? Is there a reason why they're not good?

They start to reuse passages and the new passages resemble the MCAT less and less.

 

[TXKnight]

They start to reuse passages and the new passages resemble the MCAT less and less.

Hi SN2ed, why do you suggest to take the AAMC fls before any other and not after as your MCAT date approaches?

 

[SN2ed]

Hi SN2ed, why do you suggest to take the AAMC fls before any other and not after as your MCAT date approaches?

I don't mean you should use up the AAMC FLs first if you have multiple FL sources. What I'm getting at is that you want to buy the AAMC FLs before you start buying the others.

 

[Scotty knows]

So I agree on Kaplan 1-6 but I really think PR tests are on par with them. I would do it Kaplan 1-6 = Princeton 3-7.

 

[Morgaine]

Yeah that was going to be my next question- what about PR exams? I've heard they're pretty hard but I'd like to hear SN2ed's opinion!

 

[Swagster]

1. AAMC
2. Kaplan 1-6
3. BR
4. GS

Anything not listed, don't bother. Make sure you take ALL of the AAMC FLs before going to the others.

Considering you can only get Kaplan tests with the course, it sounds like it's pretty much just AAMC, BR, and GS exams.

There 11 AAMC exams if I'm not mistaken. How many BR exams are there? I've read different numbers. If I wanted to take 15 exams, would it be smart to do 8 AAMC and 7 BR exams, alternating them every other test? That sounds like it would be the best plan.

 

[Viable]

Just out of curiosity- have you actually taken all of these exams? or how do you know which are good if not?

Thanks!!

EDIT: directed at SN2ed mostly, but also anyone else who expressed an opinion

 

[CodeBlu]

I've taken all of the exams, and in my opinion in terms of difficulty....

Real MCAT> Princeton Review Tests > BR Tests > AAMC Tests > Kaplan

Kaplan has some plug and chug stuff and lots of math that is good if you get a math based MCAT, but generally you won't.

In terms of what the actual test was like when I wrote...

Physics: A combo of the TPR tests and the AAMC tests, some really really easy questions, and then some WTFs.

Verbal: AAMC all the way. TPR has some seriously messed passages. I suggest EK1001 for extra verbal practice

Writing: Be able to formulate a Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis and write "good". (For those that didn't catch the foreigner joke, it should say write well, I can say this cuz I am as foreign as they come, without the accent)

Bio: My best advice, pay attention in Orgo I, and learn the aldol condensation through and through. Know carbonyl chemistry cold. Also, the usual SN1 and SN2 stuff. Also, if you've taken a course in physiology, you're pretty much set for the second half of the TPR bio review. The bio on the actual exam had some difficult questions, but nothing IMPOSSIBLE. Don't underestimate the power of evolution. I had a passage on birds or something in Hawaii... Finished the other 6 passages in 40 minutes. Took me almost 15 minutes to decipher what the heck was going on. Orgo is generally a little gift on the bio section. (Thanks MCAT writers for asking me about hybridization!) But then again, there are apparently killer hard orgo passages out there. I had one of them. I straight up used "chemistry intuition" So don't get fooled into thinking you don't need to study reactions, because you do. But understand what it means when that little funky arrow points in a certain direction.

I would highly suggest remembering things that aren't so intuitive if you're not great at orgo like... the epoxidation of something... and then it's hydrolysis yields a trans-glycol.... MCAT Orgo LOVES LOVES LOVES LOVES.... did I mention LOVES?... stereochemistry. Pay attention to that stuff when you're studying. Don't just go through memorizing products and reactants. Know why things are pointing the way they are.

Good luck!

 

[gunj122]

Thanks a lot CodeBlu. Your post is really helpful.
Another thing, what was your opinion on the Gen Chem? Was it similar to TPR?

I've taken all of the exams, and in my opinion in terms of difficulty....

Real MCAT> Princeton Review Tests > BR Tests > AAMC Tests > Kaplan

Kaplan has some plug and chug stuff and lots of math that is good if you get a math based MCAT, but generally you won't.

In terms of what the actual test was like when I wrote...

Physics: A combo of the TPR tests and the AAMC tests, some really really easy questions, and then some WTFs.

Verbal: AAMC all the way. TPR has some seriously messed passages. I suggest EK1001 for extra verbal practice

Writing: Be able to formulate a Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis and write "good". (For those that didn't catch the foreigner joke, it should say write well, I can say this cuz I am as foreign as they come, without the accent)

Bio: My best advice, pay attention in Orgo I, and learn the aldol condensation through and through. Know carbonyl chemistry cold. Also, the usual SN1 and SN2 stuff. Also, if you've taken a course in physiology, you're pretty much set for the second half of the TPR bio review. The bio on the actual exam had some difficult questions, but nothing IMPOSSIBLE. Don't underestimate the power of evolution. I had a passage on birds or something in Hawaii... Finished the other 6 passages in 40 minutes. Took me almost 15 minutes to decipher what the heck was going on. Orgo is generally a little gift on the bio section. (Thanks MCAT writers for asking me about hybridization!) But then again, there are apparently killer hard orgo passages out there. I had one of them. I straight up used "chemistry intuition" So don't get fooled into thinking you don't need to study reactions, because you do. But understand what it means when that little funky arrow points in a certain direction.

I would highly suggest remembering things that aren't so intuitive if you're not great at orgo like... the epoxidation of something... and then it's hydrolysis yields a trans-glycol.... MCAT Orgo LOVES LOVES LOVES LOVES.... did I mention LOVES?... stereochemistry. Pay attention to that stuff when you're studying. Don't just go through memorizing products and reactants. Know why things are pointing the way they are.

Good luck!