What to make of a 29 on AAMC #3??

[cocimonster115]

So I have a little more than a month to study before the exam day on June 16. After having gone and read many, MANY posts on this forum I started to get worried that 1 month will not be enough time to do content review and practice (the only content review I did was 3/4 of EK physics which I don't know how much good that did). Since I just finished final exams I decided to take a diagnostic to see where I stand, and there was the free AAMC #3 CBT. So I took that test having done no chem, ochem, or biology review (but I had taken physiology, genetics, cell bio, and o-chem 2 this semester so that was okay) and I scored a 29.

Now I don't know what to make of this score because I expected to score a lot lower. I'm sure that this test is a lot easier than some of the later practice exams, but I'm also confused because I felt like the questions on the exam were not like anything I expected. They definitely could be solved easily by just reading and comprehending the passages they gave, and with some prior understanding of the concepts... nothing like the calculation and conceptually heavy questions I was getting for 1001 EK physics (that was absolutely depressing considering I couldn't solve the problems even by going back to textbooks and online resources). Also I'm confused why everyone is saying why it would take 3 months of intense studying (8-10 hrs a day) to do well. I'm not trying to sound like a conceited know-it-all, far from it. I'm just wondering if anyone can clarify things for me....... it would be much appreciated

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[Mazdave]

That's actually what I got on AAMC3 after minimal review (and my real score two months later was much higher). Your mileage may vary. AAMC3 is significantly easier, however, than later AAMCs as well as the real thing.

If you found that MCAT questions make sense to you, then you've got a good advantage already. There are certain people for whom the style of question makes sense and certain people for whom it doesn't. You may find that just going through EK1001s with content review as needed plus practice tests is all that you need in order to do well. This just makes you really lucky.

The main thing is that you don't take that 29 as an invitation to relax. Five weeks isn't a very long time, but especially since it sounds like you have a good background in the material, you definitely have the potential to do well. Good luck.

Also, there are much better resources for physics than EK (I personally recommend Nova).

 

[vandyam]

I had the same experience with AAMC 3 (scored a little higher than you), mainly because most of the answers could be reasonably inferred from the passages. I thought that maybe I just had better comprehension/reasoning skills than the rest of the country (lol!) and it wouldn't be as hard as I thought, but unfortunately the later AAMCs are not like this. Try taking AAMC 8 or 7 and see where you stand. That will give you a closer idea of how the test has evolved. Most people increase from their AAMC 3 score by adding content review though, so you could still be in great shape.

 

[PolIV]

It's AAMC THREE! That's the first one. You have 7 more to take, which can completely bump your score up! I scored a 28 on AAMC 3 and a 30++ on the real thing. You have time.

 

[apumic]

Depends where you are in your studies.

A 28 on AAMC 3 at the beginning (strongly discouraged before you're half-done w/ content review) -- good place to start
28 on AAMC 3 at the mid-point (the first time you should ever actually take a full-length of any kind)
28 on AAMC 3 after content review is over and <1 mo from test date -- not such a good thing (tends to be the easiest of the AAMCs and least representative; will need a lot of remedial work by test day)

 

[cocimonster115]

Thanks guys for all the replies. So far 3/4 of the way through w/ content review with just under 4 weeks left to test day. Haven't taken another practice exam yet, so we'll see how it goes

 

[MDGirlFromLaPaz]

So I have a little more than a month to study before the exam day on June 16. After having gone and read many, MANY posts on this forum I started to get worried that 1 month will not be enough time to do content review and practice (the only content review I did was 3/4 of EK physics which I don't know how much good that did). Since I just finished final exams I decided to take a diagnostic to see where I stand, and there was the free AAMC #3 CBT. So I took that test having done no chem, ochem, or biology review (but I had taken physiology, genetics, cell bio, and o-chem 2 this semester so that was okay) and I scored a 29.

Now I don't know what to make of this score because I expected to score a lot lower. I'm sure that this test is a lot easier than some of the later practice exams, but I'm also confused because I felt like the questions on the exam were not like anything I expected. They definitely could be solved easily by just reading and comprehending the passages they gave, and with some prior understanding of the concepts... nothing like the calculation and conceptually heavy questions I was getting for 1001 EK physics (that was absolutely depressing considering I couldn't solve the problems even by going back to textbooks and online resources). Also I'm confused why everyone is saying why it would take 3 months of intense studying (8-10 hrs a day) to do well. I'm not trying to sound like a conceited know-it-all, far from it. I'm just wondering if anyone can clarify things for me....... it would be much appreciated

My last month of study was when I made the most gains. Finish content review and then see how you score after.

 

[enTropeeeeeeeee]

My first FL was AAMC #3 and I got a 29. I was definitely very nervous and I'm certain I could have done better had I been calm. With that said, your first FL is definitely not reflective of your potential. Doing BR/AAMCs, I have gotten from 29-35, but averaging around 31-32. Therefore don't be discouraged. Keep pushing!

 

[zoner]

being honest here, you should feel good and confident and etc..

but i got 30 on #3 and still averaging around 30 in all my test.