Recent MCATs

[BornToLead]

For all the recent MCAT writers (April '14- present), I have two questions for you:
1) Would you guys concede that a good majority of the Physical Science and Biological Science passages were experiment based?
2) Were the AAMC practice tests a good representation of the real thing?
Recently I've heard a few say that actual exam was far from the practice tests, so I just want to see what the majority's take is on this.

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[lNVlNClBLE]

For all the recent MCAT writers (April '14- present), I have two questions for you:
1) Would you guys concede that a good majority of the Physical Science and Biological Science passages were experiment based?
2) Were the AAMC practice tests a good representation of the real thing?
Recently I've heard a few say that actual exam was far from the practice tests, so I just want to see what the majority's take is on this.

July 2nd here.

I don't really remember much of PS, other than that it was much harder than any of the AAMC FLs. BS, there were some experimental passages, but it was overall very easy.

 

[yanks26dmb]

For all the recent MCAT writers (April '14- present), I have two questions for you:
1) Would you guys concede that a good majority of the Physical Science and Biological Science passages were experiment based?
2) Were the AAMC practice tests a good representation of the real thing?
Recently I've heard a few say that actual exam was far from the practice tests, so I just want to see what the majority's take is on this.

First...I'd concede all of my bio except for the two horrendous ochem passages were experimental based.

The test is nothing like practice tests. PS was but overall bs and vr felt very different....In a harder, more convoluted, sort of way.

That said I took the 6/21 exam.with an insane BS. Legit, i guessed on a good 15 questions. I scored a 10. My highest practice bs was a 10. I'm convinced despite the difficulty, the scale is more lenient. I beat my aamc average after walking out feeling completely terrible about my score. Just study hard and you'll likely perform around your aamc fl avg

 

[shh-pthway]

Also a July 2 taker.

Ps: One weird passage but not on an entire different level than AAMCs. I would say little more "weird" (at least 1 passage).

Verbal: Longer, but same question level as AAMCs (some say easier; I am not too sure about this). Overall, considering length and question types, I think difficulty level is on par with AAMCs. In seems like in all recent tests (and a lot of AAMCs), you have to be near perfect for 12+ on this section. You can only get 3-4 wrong max.

Bio: Some say easier (like user above). I thought I did well too-- definitely some interesting (can I say fun?) experimental passages. However, I saw some areas in experimental/discreets in which it may have appeared easier than actual was. I wonder if others caught AAMC's tricks too...

At the end of the day, however, I do not have my score for another two weeks. Therefore, I do not know what the scale is going to be like. On AAMCs, difficulty (for me at least) was not always reflected by scale.

 

[LChristmas]

To me, the test seemed like VR the whole way through, just with a focus on different subjects. The extra work I did on improving my VR skills helped me a ton on the other sections.

I scored similarly to my AAMC practice tests on the real exam, however, the AAMC full lengths are in no way representative of the actual exam. I remember leaving the exam feeling very deflated and defeated because the test was so different from what I was expecting.

 

[Sed8&Intub8]

July 12.

Math heavy PS, very different dense complex convoluted all experiment based BS. Nothing like the AAMCs.

 

[TBRBiosadist]

bump

 

[golfman7]

June 21 st taker. PS: Similar to Aamc difficulty if not easier than Aamc 11. VR: Thought the passages were longer and found a few of them to be convoluted and ended up doing poorly. BS: Absolutely brutal. Ochem was very challenging and most of the bio passages were highly experimental and convoluted. Struggled throughout this section and felt miserable until I got my score back. If you keep your composure and finish each section you will score very close to your aamc average barring a fluke.