The Princeton Review Practice MCATs

[RisingSun]

I picked this up the other day in Borders. It has two full length tests in it. Do you guys know if these are two are the same tests that TPR uses on its students, or are they tests that can't be gotten ahold of anywhere else.

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[ih8mcat]

do the tests have any numbers associated with them...4911, 4921...? The tests that they offer their students are usually designed to be much more difficult than the actual MCAT so people can't complain about their garauntee once they've taken the actual MCAT, because almost everyone will see a score improvement.

 

[BXP]

They are different tests, confirmed by the Los Angeles branch of TPR. And they are supposed to be very good exams from what they told me. I bought em a couple months back too, gonna do em in a week or two.

 

[photoelectric]

I think I have the same TPR book, and I couldn 't find any numbers on the exams either. I've been using them as sectional full lengths - heres my take:

verbal - difficulty level seems about right, but i still prefer EK
physical - i thought they were way out of line here, passages were quite a bit harder and a lot longer than AAMC that I have seen.
bio - about to do it right now

I've actually only seen AAMC up to 5r, so maybe these TPR are closer to the newer MCAT, anyone know?

 

[BXP]

AAMC MCATs are more and more getting geared towards new information passages in the science sections. To me it seems unfair. But what do I know

 

[RisingSun]

I did the first of the two tests and thought that it was pretty tricky (the PS and BS, that is) but excellent practice. The explanations are real good, I think, but you have to know your stuff to do well on these PS and BS sections, and pay real close attention to the passage. Good habit to get into anyways. The verbal seemed fair, a little easier than AAMC and much easier than EK.

I'm going to take the second test soon. I'll post what I get and compare that to my AAMC scores.

RisingSun

I think I have the same TPR book, and I couldn 't find any numbers on the exams either. I've been using them as sectional full lengths - heres my take:

verbal - difficulty level seems about right, but i still prefer EK
physical - i thought they were way out of line here, passages were quite a bit harder and a lot longer than AAMC that I have seen.
bio - about to do it right now

I've actually only seen AAMC up to 5r, so maybe these TPR are closer to the newer MCAT, anyone know?

 

[metastasis]

do the tests have any numbers associated with them...4911, 4921...? The tests that they offer their students are usually designed to be much more difficult than the actual MCAT so people can't complain about their garauntee once they've taken the actual MCAT, because almost everyone will see a score improvement.

They should have numbers with them. Also, they have practice test A-D, which is a mother of the MCAT. Don't waste your time doing it nor your money buying it.

 

[Omyss]

whats wrong with practice test a-d.. i have this book. So you think i shouldn't do them??

 

[photoelectric]

I think I have the same TPR book, and I couldn 't find any numbers on the exams either. I've been using them as sectional full lengths - heres my take:

verbal - difficulty level seems about right, but i still prefer EK
physical - i thought they were way out of line here, passages were quite a bit harder and a lot longer than AAMC that I have seen.
bio - about to do it right now

I've actually only seen AAMC up to 5r, so maybe these TPR are closer to the newer MCAT, anyone know?

heres a post-bio section update:

I don't know if this helps, but AAMC 3r, 4r, 5r I can swing 5 or fewer wrong - test1 of this TPR book served me up a steaming pile of 19 WRONG . Overall they seemed to be asking much more detail oriented questions (e.g. predicting stereochemistry of a highly substituted Diels Alder Rx, knowing whether ejaculate is alkaline or acidic) and I find their passages seem much more technical and abstruse (though this is less apparent in bio than in physics).

 

[metastasis]

whats wrong with practice test a-d.. i have this book. So you think i shouldn't do them??

Its mad hard. It will make it seems as if all your efforts went to vain. Its not really representative of the MCAT. So why waste time on something which is ridiculously hard. Try one, and you will see.

If you had four months or watever amount of time you have to study and you were only required to only know the different parts of a plane, would you spend your time trying to take practice that will teach you how to build a plane? Obviously not. thats the same analogy with A-D. But its your call!

 

[chaeymaey]

even my priceton review teachers tell me not to use it.

 

[Darlaa]

even my priceton review teachers tell me not to use it.

Our instructor recommended using it as if it were an ICC-just go over the A-D like passages with classmates. A & B are supposed to be difficult but do-able, but C&D are apparently ridiculous.