Section Banks

[EAPoetic]

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What the best method for completing the AAMC Section banks?
MCAT in about 3 weeks. Should I take a 100 question section bank all in one sitting? Or finish a passage and questions then review the 5 or 6 questions to see what I'm doing wrong?
Any advice is appreciated!

 

[Coltuna]

What the best method for completing the AAMC Section banks?
MCAT in about 3 weeks. Should I take a 100 question section bank all in one sitting? Or finish a passage and questions then review the 5 or 6 questions to see what I'm doing wrong?
Any advice is appreciated!

You'll get a host of different answers for this. I did 2-3 passages at a time and thoroughly reviewed them before coninuing on. I also kept a running track of percent correct. I found it was very encouraging to see my % correct rising as I completed and reviewed more and more of the questions.

 

[hubbsbubbs]

I personally did each section bank in one sitting, spent about 8 years each. I went very slowly and took notes on each question to try to identify patterns in both the questions and my own decision-making. You can check the link in my signature for more info

 

[blackroses]

I personally did each section bank in one sitting, spent about 8 years each. I went very slowly and took notes on each question to try to identify patterns in both the questions and my own decision-making. You can check the link in my signature for more info

I certainly hope not! 😛

 

[hubbsbubbs]

I certainly hope not! 😛

hah it sure felt like it!
but no, that was my mistake. I meant 8 hours

 

[UBLI-EINSTEIN]

I finished and reviewed each of section individually. Just doing section probably takes me about ~2 hours each.
PS was really hard and covers material I had never learned. I really didn't think PS section bank mimics the real MCAT BTW.
Overall, practicing and reviewing are equally important.

 

[EAPoetic]

Any insight on the unscaled AAMC exam? I want to take it, but I'm not sure how to interpret the percentages. I like that the Kaplan FLs give you a score, but the exams are pretty difficult and obviously the AAMC material is more representative.

 

[blackroses]

Any insight on the unscaled AAMC exam? I want to take it, but I'm not sure how to interpret the percentages. I like that the Kaplan FLs give you a score, but the exams are pretty difficult and obviously the AAMC material is more representative.

There's really no way to interpret your percentages for the unscaled. I would recommend taking FL 1 before the unscaled and saving FL 2 for your last AAMC exam.

 

[EAPoetic]

There's really no way to interpret your percentages for the unscaled. I would recommend taking FL 1 before the unscaled and saving FL 2 for your last AAMC exam.

So I took FL1 about 7 months ago. I'm afraid that I'll vaguely remember the questions and passages so my score won't really be useful. Logical or no?

 

[EAPoetic]

Also, how long should I save FL2? I was thinking I'd take FL2 a week before the real deal. Or maybe 3-4 days before.

 

[blackroses]

So I took FL1 about 7 months ago. I'm afraid that I'll vaguely remember the questions and passages so my score won't really be useful. Logical or no?

If you remember enough from 7 months ago to give you more than a tiny advantage (like 2 points, max), I'd eat my socks 😛

 

[workaholic181]

What the best method for completing the AAMC Section banks?
MCAT in about 3 weeks. Should I take a 100 question section bank all in one sitting? Or finish a passage and questions then review the 5 or 6 questions to see what I'm doing wrong?
Any advice is appreciated!

I tried simulating test conditions. So like 59 questions in 95 mins or whatever it was.

 

[Coltuna]

Also, how long should I save FL2? I was thinking I'd take FL2 a week before the real deal. Or maybe 3-4 days before.

4-5 days is enough if that's your last thing to do. Take it (however many days you need to review exams + 1 day) days before your actual MCAT. Relax that last day and maybe lightly review quick sheets or something.

 

[aldol16]

Use the Section Bank passages as learning tools. Stop and review after each passage. You have to get into the mindset of the MCAT writers and the Section Bank is the best way to do that. If you do it all in one setting without looking at answers, then it becomes a practice test. You want it to become a learning tool, where you can learn from early mistakes and apply the information learned from that error to future problems.

 

[EAPoetic]

If you remember enough from 7 months ago to give you more than a tiny advantage (like 2 points, max), I'd eat my socks 😛

So I took FL1 again. About seven months ago I got a 502. This time I got a 506. Comparable scores?

 

[blackroses]

So I took FL1 again. About seven months ago I got a 502. This time I got a 506. Comparable scores?

I would feel pretty comfortable that the 506 was representative.

 

[Gilakend]

4-5 days is enough if that's your last thing to do. Take it (however many days you need to review exams + 1 day) days before your actual MCAT. Relax that last day and maybe lightly review quick sheets or something.

This is what I keep telling myself but I feel like I'm going to find it so hard to not study the day before just out of "what if" scenarios.

 

[Gilakend]

Use the Section Bank passages as learning tools. Stop and review after each passage. You have to get into the mindset of the MCAT writers and the Section Bank is the best way to do that. If you do it all in one setting without looking at answers, then it becomes a practice test. You want it to become a learning tool, where you can learn from early mistakes and apply the information learned from that error to future problems.

Honestly I agree with every word of this. In my section banks I started out getting like 3/6 and 2/6 even sometimes. By the end I was getting 5/6 or 6/6. Not because I learned more content but you learn why they are asking you things, what sorts of things to pay attention to when you're reading a passage etc. I wouldn't have improved at all if I just did them all in one sitting (which someone recommended to me).

 

[Afp0731]

What the best method for completing the AAMC Section banks?
MCAT in about 3 weeks. Should I take a 100 question section bank all in one sitting? Or finish a passage and questions then review the 5 or 6 questions to see what I'm doing wrong?
Any advice is appreciated!

My take on SBs: do them however you like but do those mfckers over and over until you can get almost everything correct in each. They will desensitize you to tough passages and you will become very familiar with aamc's go to graph forms. They also contain tons of useful content review. Use them and abuse them. Some of the best prep aamc has ever offered by far. Also, do the official guide. It will haze you pretty good.

 

[Seikuken]

aldol's advice is spot-on. Do them however you wish - the important thing is learning where your reasoning went wrong or why your reasoning was correct.

Beware of repeat test scores. I always believe you will implicitly remember some parts from the first time around. I'd do the AAMC FL 2 1-2 weeks out to figure out your weaknesses and patch them up. Good luck!