Should I be worried?

[LebLlama]

Finished the online kaplan mcat prep course.


Scheduled for the real MCAT on July 8th

Postpone? Study hardcore and go for it?

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[krnpanda]

I would postpone it if i were you. It seems like you're taking your first FL test a bit late, you need to figure out why you're getting the score you're getting. Is it a lack of knowledge, are the questions tricking you, or do you not have enough time? Unless you think you can bring that score up through repeated FL testing until judgement day, I say postpone.

 

[La Sevillana]

I gather that this is AAMC #3? If so, considering that this is your first full length post content review, I would most likely attribute the performance to lack of familiarity with the AAMC format and the much harsher curve compared to Kaplan FLs (did you take these? What were your scores?). Take another full-length before you leap to any conclusions.

If the next result or couple of results are similar, postponing might be your best option IMHO because there isn't a lot of time left to iron out any deficiencies. You have to be as confident as possible before you confront the MCAT.

Good luck!

 

[LebLlama]

Thanks for the responses. It was a kaplan FL, i thought kaplan's were harder than AAMC's? :/

 

[La Sevillana]

Thanks for the responses. It was a kaplan FL, i thought kaplan's were harder than AAMC's? :/

They tend to be harder on average but the curve more than compensates for the increased difficulty. At this stage in the game, your best bet is to take an AAMC test as that is the closest you can come to replicating the real test day experience.

I personally know plenty of people who were unhappy with their Kaplan performances but who did fairly well on the more straightforward AAMCs. I also know some people who could not adjust to the increased rigor required to score well on the AAMCs and so they ended up doing worse on the "easier" tests. Take an AAMC so you can figure out whether you just don't gel well with the Kaplan FLs or whether it's a more comprehensive issue.

 

[ru4real1666]

Postpone until late august and spend July and August just taking as many FLs (kaplan + AAMC) as possible while reviewing weaknesses.

 

[NYR56]

Definitely take a real AAMC test - the Kaplan exams are garbage and nothing like the real MCAT. If you score similarly, you probably will need to postpone, especially if it is due to a lack of knowledge. If you think you are just getting tricked a lot, try analyzing why you got each question wrong or right, and see if you can fix it on another AAMC.

 

[hanzz]

How far in advance should one have started taking FLs? I'm scheduled to take my first Kaplan FL in about a week, week and a half, and my test is 8/20.

 

[folktale]

I was scheduled for 7/8 too and getting mid 20s on the practice tests as well, so I decided to postpone just today...and I did take the Kaplan Online course about 3 months ago. But I just realized I didn't put that much effort on studying until I read the "3/4-month plan on how to study". I would postpone it...just saying. You want to take that test once, and only once.

 

[NYR56]

How far in advance should one have started taking FLs? I'm scheduled to take my first Kaplan FL in about a week, week and a half, and my test is 8/20.

IMO, I would take one FL AAMC a month or two prior to get a feel for what they are like, but I would save the rest of them for the last 2-3 weeks, once ALL content review is done. You don't have to worry about saving the Kaplan FLs since they aren't that accurate but I wouldn't waste more than one AAMC before you are done studying.

 

[Idia]

I am in a similar situation, and in need of some much needed advice.

I am signed up for Sept 3

Here are my scores so far:

Mid June TPR 1 - 19 (very poor) absolutely no prep whatsoever, and all my intro science courses were 5+ years ago.

last week AAMC 3 - 23 - this is the super easy test.

Thinking of postponing until January, even though I will have to go back to work ( I stopped working this summer to enroll in this course).

The extra time should suffice since I am struggling with content, but I am now concerned about working a full time job and studying at the same time.

Thanks for any input