Riddle Me This...

[BlueMoon22]

Before taking my first AAMC FL, I assumed for some reason that the biological sciences questions would be mainly recall. I guess I assumed so because people were doing 2-3 months of pure content review. My thoughts after taking my first AAMC FL test is that the content you know doesn't really actually help you, except for maybe for a few discretes. It seems as though the knowledge you know is mainly just background knowledge while reading passages so that you won't panic when you read the word "lymphocyte," for example. I feel that the biological sciences section is just another version of the verbal section, and you have to just develop the logic/intuition/strategy of grasping answers from the passage. Do you guys agree?

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[MSU2009]

Before taking my first AAMC FL, I assumed for some reason that the biological sciences questions would be mainly recall. I guess I assumed so because people were doing 2-3 months of pure content review. My thoughts after taking my first AAMC FL test is that the content you know doesn't really actually help you, except for maybe for a few discretes. It seems as though the knowledge you know is mainly just background knowledge while reading passages so that you won't panic when you read the word "lymphocyte," for example. I feel that the biological sciences section is just another version of the verbal section, and you have to just develop the logic/intuition/strategy of grasping answers from the passage. Do you guys agree?

Completely.

But don't underestimate the necessity of the bolded.

 

[ridethecliche]

Before taking my first AAMC FL, I assumed for some reason that the biological sciences questions would be mainly recall. I guess I assumed so because people were doing 2-3 months of pure content review. My thoughts after taking my first AAMC FL test is that the content you know doesn't really actually help you, except for maybe for a few discretes. It seems as though the knowledge you know is mainly just background knowledge while reading passages so that you won't panic when you read the word "lymphocyte," for example. I feel that the biological sciences section is just another version of the verbal section, and you have to just develop the logic/intuition/strategy of grasping answers from the passage. Do you guys agree?

Only fools are doing 2-3 months of pure content review. Most are doing practice passages while reviewing.

 

[altitude]

Completely.

But don't underestimate the necessity of the bolded.

Only fools are doing 2-3 months of pure content review. Most are doing practice passages while reviewing.

Have you seen any post on the 30+ study strategies thread that did not include doing content review?

 

[ridethecliche]

Have you seen any post on the 30+ study strategies thread that did not include doing content review?

Pure content review= only reading and taking notes.

Most of those people were doing practice passages etc as they went along. That's not *just* content review. That's practice.

Unless you're including practice passages in that review, in which case this is just semantics.

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

From what people have been saying the BS section is mostly passages ripped from journal articles with several figures and question stems commonly as long as paragraphs. So, yes, it's more about critical thinking informed by background knowledge, but if what people are saying is true and not exaggeration then the real test is still nothing like the practice AAMCs or any practice material for that matter.

 

[startingover84]

I agree, but the difference between a 10 and 11 or an 11 and 12 could be that one discrete that you get correct due to knowing the content, know what I mean? You have to go in with all your guns out!

 

[MedicalAuthor]

From what people have been saying the BS section is mostly passages ripped from journal articles with several figures and question stems commonly as long as paragraphs. So, yes, it's more about critical thinking informed by background knowledge, but if what people are saying is true and not exaggeration then the real test is still nothing like the practice AAMCs or any practice material for that matter.

Are people saying it's harder or just different?

 

[EnginrTheFuture]

From what people have been saying the BS section is mostly passages ripped from journal articles with several figures and question stems commonly as long as paragraphs. So, yes, it's more about critical thinking informed by background knowledge, but if what people are saying is true and not exaggeration then the real test is still nothing like the practice AAMCs or any practice material for that matter.

Most people are not saying this, but something similar. The hardest passages (1 or 2) have become more "journal article" like but the other passages are still somewhat similar to the AAMCs. The main thing that gets people is that the AAMC-like passages are strange manipulations of commonly tested information. The topics are presented in unfamiliar and often peculiar ways but not like journal articles. That, or they focus more on the minute details than the AAMCs.

Also, discretes have been MUCH harder than AAMCs s of late. I don't think I missed more than 1 in 15 discretes on PS and BS, I can attest to their increased difficulty on the real deal.

 

[catzzz88]

Before taking my first AAMC FL, I assumed for some reason that the biological sciences questions would be mainly recall. I guess I assumed so because people were doing 2-3 months of pure content review. My thoughts after taking my first AAMC FL test is that the content you know doesn't really actually help you, except for maybe for a few discretes. It seems as though the knowledge you know is mainly just background knowledge while reading passages so that you won't panic when you read the word "lymphocyte," for example. I feel that the biological sciences section is just another version of the verbal section, and you have to just develop the logic/intuition/strategy of grasping answers from the passage. Do you guys agree?

EXCEPT FOR MAYBE A FEW DISCRETES?!?

If you are shooting for the upper grades (12-15), those "few discretes" literally mean the difference of one or two points. I studied for the discretes because the experimentals either make sense to you or they don't.

Like others have said, don't underestimate the power of the discretes. Do yourself a favor and study your tushie off for bio and you might be graced with a high score!

Good luck!!

Best,
C

 

[catzzz88]

Most people are not saying this, but something similar. The hardest passages (1 or 2) have become more "journal article" like but the other passages are still somewhat similar to the AAMCs. The main thing that gets people is that the AAMC-like passages are strange manipulations of commonly tested information. The topics are presented in unfamiliar and often peculiar ways but not like journal articles. That, or they focus more on the minute details than the AAMCs.

Also, discretes have been MUCH harder than AAMCs s of late. I don't think I missed more than 1 in 15 discretes on PS and BS, I can attest to their increased difficulty on the real deal.

Y yo.... tambien!

The real deal had discretes that were way out of left field. There was one that was about a paragraph long that literally made no sense to me at all. I tried to break it up sentence by sentence and found that I couldn't understand a SINGLE sentence (out of 3 or 4). That's when I just clicked B and moved on. What if I had studied a little bit more? I don't think it would have helped. The problem was the wording. Incomprehensible if you ask me!!