Two weeks left -- timing of FLs?

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sunflower18

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Hey guys,

I am signed up for the August 22nd MCAT, so I have exactly 2 weeks left! Nervewracking!! I have taken, so far, AAMC 10 (as diagnostic... bad idea), TPR 1 (month into content review), AAMC 3 (halfway through content), 4, 5, and 7. I've also taken all of the AAMC Self-Assessments, except for verbal. I'm a bit unsure as to how to arrange my schedule from this point on.

I have three AAMC FLs left: 8, 9, and 11. I also have TPR 2-5, TBR 1-7, and a few others (MCAT Review Series, Gold Standard, etc.). I was planning on doing my last three AAMCs in the week or so preceding my test, but I'm not sure what to do until that point. I'm a little bit apprehensive about taking non-official FLs, because I feel like they will be really demoralizing as I've heard they are significantly harder than the real deal, and because I don't think that either TPR or TBR's questions are terribly similar to AAMC material.

I guess I'm just not sure if I should take several of these extra FLs over the next week and then hit the AAMC material again in 6 days, or if I should spend the next 6 days doing practice problems and reviewing my weaknesses. I know that retaking FLs is a bad idea to measure your score, but I could potentially retake AAMC 10 and AAMC 3 just to see if I've learned from my mistakes and continue working with AAMC material. Again, I know that this wouldn't provide me any useful metrics by which to measure my score by, but it might be a good exercise in mastering material and learning from mistakes. I don't know.

If it helps, these have been my scores:
AAMC 10 (again, start of content review): 27 (PS 7, VR 11, BS 9)
TPR 1 (a few weeks later): 22 (PS 5, VR 10, BS 7)
AAMC 3 (a few weeks later): 30 (PS 8, VR 12, BS 10)
AAMC 4 (5 days ago): 32 (PS 9, VR 12, BS 11)
AAMC 5 (3 days ago): 33 (PS 11, VR 11, BS 11)
AAMC 7 (yesterday): 33 (PS 10, VR 13, BS 10)

I'm aiming for a 35 on the real deal, and I feel like I am frustratingly close. At this point, I've been literally 2-3 questions away from a 35 on the past two exams. I just don't want to waste the precious time I have left, and I'm worried that more TPR/TBR tests will crush my spirits and not really give me any useful experiences. But I don't want to leave any stones unturned, so to speak, so I'm conflicted.

Thank you thank you!!

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I didn't realize you had TBR 1-7, you should do those as much as you can and AAMC. TBR will definitely boost your PS/BS scores. I wish I had access to TBR exams hah.
 
I didn't realize you had TBR 1-7, you should do those as much as you can and AAMC. TBR will definitely boost your PS/BS scores. I wish I had access to TBR exams hah.

You think that'd be a valuable use of time? Okay! Then I will use them. I just don't want to mind crushingly horrified if I drop several points... I guess I just have to remind myself that AAMC scores are all that matters, and that the best use of extra practice is just that -- extra practice. Not measuring my scores.
 
I didn't realize you had TBR 1-7, you should do those as much as you can and AAMC. TBR will definitely boost your PS/BS scores. I wish I had access to TBR exams hah.

You think that'd be a valuable use of time? Okay! Then I will use them. I just don't want to mind crushingly horrified if I drop several points... I guess I just have to remind myself that AAMC scores are all that matters, and that the best use of extra practice is just that -- extra practice. Not measuring my scores.

For 2 weeks, if you wish to do BR1-7, you can only selectively pick....as you simply will not have sufficient time to squeeze in 3 AAMC and 7 BR.

The following is the rating of each BR FL which I re-post it multiple times. Hopefully it helps you to choose which BR FL to do without damping your spirit.
***************
The following is from a thread dated 3/2/11 from a SDN member BerkReviewTeach:
He compared the 7 BR FL exams.

BR1 - PS (difficult), VR (easy), BS (medium)
BR2 - PS (medium), VR (hard), BS (medium)
BR3 - PS (difficult), VR (difficult), BS (difficult)
BR4 - PS (medium), VR (medium), BS (hard)
BR5 - PS (hard), VR (medium), BS (hard)
BR6 - PS (semi-easy), VR (medium), BS (medium)
BR7 - PS (hard), VR (medium), BS (hard)

**************
Good luck to you.
 
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For 2 weeks, if you wish to do BR1-7, you can only selectively pick....as you simply will not have sufficient time to squeeze in 3 AAMC and 7 BR.

The following is the rating of each BR FL which I re-post it multiple times. Hopefully it helps you to choose which BR FL to do without damping your spirit.
***************
The following is from a thread dated 3/2/11 from a SDN member BerkReviewTeach:
He compared the 7 BR FL exams.

BR1 - PS (difficult), VR (easy), BS (medium)
BR2 - PS (medium), VR (hard), BS (medium)
BR3 - PS (difficult), VR (difficult), BS (difficult)
BR4 - PS (medium), VR (medium), BS (hard)
BR5 - PS (hard), VR (medium), BS (hard)
BR6 - PS (semi-easy), VR (medium), BS (medium)
BR7 - PS (hard), VR (medium), BS (hard)

**************
Good luck to you.

Yes, I was going to pick three. Looks like 2, 5, and 7 might be the best ones! Thanks a lot, I hadn't seen that list before :)
 
Would retaking AAMC 10 (and/or 3) be beneficial? Again, not to measure my scores since they might be understandably inflated, but to get a sense of what kinds of questions are asked now that I know what is going on in them. I didn't do a very good job of reviewing either of those tests, as I knew that I was so deficient in content that the explanations would be meaningless to me. I literally don't remember anything or any answers, either -- even if something looked familiar, I wouldn't know if the familiar looking answer choice was the one I chose before or the right one.

Thoughts on this? Is it worth it? Or should I spend that time instead taking TBR tests(s)? If I was to retake AAMC 10, I'd do two TBR exams in addition to AAMC 10.
 
Would retaking AAMC 10 (and/or 3) be beneficial? Again, not to measure my scores since they might be understandably inflated, but to get a sense of what kinds of questions are asked now that I know what is going on in them. I didn't do a very good job of reviewing either of those tests, as I knew that I was so deficient in content that the explanations would be meaningless to me. I literally don't remember anything or any answers, either -- even if something looked familiar, I wouldn't know if the familiar looking answer choice was the one I chose before or the right one.

Thoughts on this? Is it worth it? Or should I spend that time instead taking TBR tests(s)? If I was to retake AAMC 10, I'd do two TBR exams in addition to AAMC 10.

For any FL test, the most critical phase is the REVIEW and "LEARN" from it; that let you fill in the deficient content cracks. Without the REVIEW, any FL test "potentially" becomes "almost" "not all" meaningless due to the large pool of questions that can be asked.

At this point of 2 weeks boundary, it is like a 45/55 decision on your question. If you feel you can get more out of re-take and review and learn from 10, then it is worth it. Then take one of the three BR out.

Best Wishes!
 
Whoa. I do not like the TBR tests at all. They are very different from the AAMC tests I've taken. I guess practice is practice, but I think many of the questions and passages were very unreasonable.
 
Whoa. I do not like the TBR tests at all. They are very different from the AAMC tests I've taken. I guess practice is practice, but I think many of the questions and passages were very unreasonable.

I personally didn't see the difference.....but that is my opinion. To me, it was a very good practice.....as it draws the last drop of sweat out of the body...particularly BR 3 and BS of BR4.
 
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