***Official AAMC Practice Exams Discussion Thread***

[Fp02c]

I took the free practice test and I had a few questions. How does it compare to the other tests available? I didnt think it was too bad particularly with verbal and p.s. I ended up with a 10 on verbal and 11 on p.s. Most of my verbal mistakes were downright stupid and I took the p.s without any studying really just to get a feel for it. Somebody told me though that this was the easiest test and I should have gotten at the very least above a 12 on both of those sections to even consider getting above a 10 on the real thing. I am taking the actual mcat may 27th. I changed it from mid april so that I can study more. My biggest strength is P.S. I just finished engineering so im very confortable with those types of questions. My biggest weakness is the biological sciences. I have only taken biology 1 and 2 and by the time the mcat rolls around I would have finished o chem 1 and barely started o chem 2. My strategy for the biology is mainly to use EK with some other sources on any subjects that give me a harder time. Is this a wise idea? I took the biology courses AGES ago and to be honest I dont remember any of the stuff with respect to physiology and body parts. What do you guys recommend with respect to how I should approach studying for this test.

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[TexasPrincess]

Hey Y'all!
Everyone keeps saying 10 is the hardest. I did the BS and PS sections today on it. I am looking at my score results right now. It gives a breakdown of number of questions missed in different categories including easy, medium, and hard questions.

In BS, there were ZERO "hard" questions in orgo, 2 "hard" questions in biology out of 52.

2 "hard" questions in chem and 2 hard questions in physics out of 52.

I didn't think either of the sections were hard to do. I when I missed things it was usually because I didn't read the close enough something or was unsure.

I also kept hoping to do better than 11 on both sections, which is what I got. I missed 7 questions on each section. I guess I have more review to do.

 

[FlowRate]

Hopefully posting in this thread will get a reply =)

I just noticed that the AAMC website gives scaled scores for "Practice test 3" and "practice test 3 full length". I haven't seen any option to choose between "Practice test" and "Full length practice test" Am I missing something?

 

[islanders11040]

Hey i was just wondering if the other practice tests have such a strict curve. I just took AAMC #3 and got a 42/52 or 81% on both PS and BS for a score of 10 on both. I know that people say that this is the easiest one and was wondering of they made the test's curve stricter to reflect that. THanks.

Also i thought #3 had a particularly difficult VR section. I only got a 6 with a 20/40. Hopfully i will adjust to using the computer instead of pencil and paper. I thought it was actually slower to read on computer than paper.

Found this thread in a google search and seemed like a thread that should be brought back to concentrate discussions of the AAMC practice tests.

 

[rs27]

I don't necessarily agree that it's the easiest. The verbal most definitely wasn't the easiest...and 32/40 for verbal was only a 10 which I thought was kind of harsh. And the confucious passage was a fricken nightmare from hell.

The scales are on e-mcat under how is the MCAT scored...42/52 seems a little high for a 10, but that happens sometimes.

Flowrate, you can only do the MCAT 3 CBT on the e-mcat site, but there are copies of the full length version of the exam floating around. The full length version has more questions and reflects what the exam was like before they moved it to the current computer based format. To make the CBT exams, they basically took the full length exams and cut questions until they got what we have now.

 

[WhiteCoatSyndrome]

Anyone wanna talk about AAMC #7s Bio:

1) The question about why antibodies are ineffective against h.pylori?
The passage says that the pathogen has developed effective ways to elude host defenses.

I put down h.pylori infection might suppress the activity of the immune system. This is the only way I can see the pathogen actively "eluding" the immune system. The answer was.. antibody proteins may be denatured in the stomach... seems very farfetched to me. I really didn't feel like it was the best answer.

2) The question about why the immune system doesn't attack it's own cells?
I said that a specific intracellular process recognizes only foreign antigens.
The answer was that the immune system suppresses cells specific to the body's antigens.... how are we supposed to know this? gahhh.. I hate BS

Well, for number one if you think about it, in order for the infection to "suppress" the immune system, it would have to have eluded the antibodies to begin with, making your answer wrong. I dont know the other answers, but the correct one was obviously the best choice

Number two has to do with cell membranes and proteins and the fact that antibodies are specific to antigens. Intracellular processes aren't involved in cell recognition for the most part, typically just membrane proteins.

I love BS lol

 

[WhiteCoatSyndrome]

Anyone wanna talk about AAMC #7s Bio:

1) The question about why antibodies are ineffective against h.pylori?
The passage says that the pathogen has developed effective ways to elude host defenses.

I put down h.pylori infection might suppress the activity of the immune system. This is the only way I can see the pathogen actively "eluding" the immune system. The answer was.. antibody proteins may be denatured in the stomach... seems very farfetched to me. I really didn't feel like it was the best answer.

2) The question about why the immune system doesn't attack it's own cells?
I said that a specific intracellular process recognizes only foreign antigens.
The answer was that the immune system suppresses cells specific to the body's antigens.... how are we supposed to know this? gahhh.. I hate BS

Well, for number one if you think about it, in order for the infection to "suppress" the immune system, it would have to have eluded the antibodies to begin with, making your answer wrong. I dont know the other answers, but the correct one was obviously the best choice

Number two has to do with cell membranes and proteins and the fact that antibodies are specific to antigens. Intracellular processes aren't involved in cell recognition for the most part, typically just membrane proteins.

I love BS lol

 

[orion333]

.

 

[twocentnews]

I took four of them before the actual, in the following order:

AAMC 03 --> 09PS 10VR 09BS = 28
AAMC 10 --> 09PS 10VR 10BS = 29
AAMC 08 --> 10PS 10VR 09BS = 29
AAMC 09 --> 10PS 10VR 10BS = 30

And the actual? A whopping 25. I freaked out during the PS...retaking again though.

 

[IamSuperDoctor]

so far

aamc 3 - 12/9/12 - 33
aamc 4 - 12/8/11 - 31
aamc 5 - 13/9/11 - 33
aamc 6 - 14/10/11 - 35 (i could have done way better on this had I paid attention to timing on verbal and bio)
aamc 7 - tommorow, planning on destroying it, but we shall see.

 

[startoverat40]

PS section of AAMC 9 was ridiculously easy, i got a 15 with only 1 missed question.

my AAMC scores so far:

#8 : PS 14 VR 10 BS 12
#11 : PS 14 VR 11 BS 13
#10 : PS 13 VR 11 BS 15
#9 : PS 15 VR 11 BS 13

I took Kaplan #10 yesterday and got PS 11 VR 7 BS 11. I think that was more like a real MCAT in terms of difficulty. But if the AAMC scores are better predictors, hopefully i'll get a score somewhere in between Kaplan 10 and AAMC practices. a 13, 11, 13 would be nice.

 

[NRGStar]

AAMC 3: 39
AAMC 4: 43
AAMC 5: 37 (bio seemed really difficult on this one)

I've noticed that the AAMC bio rewards reading comprehension above all else. Sometimes, though, like with that damn protozoa passage on AAMC #5, they are just a chore to get through.

 

[dougkaye]

I took the free practice test and I had a few questions. How does it compare to the other tests available? I didnt think it was too bad particularly with verbal and p.s. I ended up with a 10 on verbal and 11 on p.s. Most of my verbal mistakes were downright stupid and I took the p.s without any studying really just to get a feel for it. Somebody told me though that this was the easiest test and I should have gotten at the very least above a 12 on both of those sections to even consider getting above a 10 on the real thing. I am taking the actual mcat may 27th. I changed it from mid april so that I can study more. My biggest strength is P.S. I just finished engineering so im very confortable with those types of questions. My biggest weakness is the biological sciences. I have only taken biology 1 and 2 and by the time the mcat rolls around I would have finished o chem 1 and barely started o chem 2. My strategy for the biology is mainly to use EK with some other sources on any subjects that give me a harder time. Is this a wise idea? I took the biology courses AGES ago and to be honest I dont remember any of the stuff with respect to physiology and body parts. What do you guys recommend with respect to how I should approach studying for this test.

FYI I did better on AAMC 9 (32) and AAMC 10 (34) than AAMC 3 (29) so obviously a lot depends on what you know, how that day's sitting went, and a lot of other factors. I also noticed that i did better on "hard" questions in AAMC 9 and 10 versus "easy" so obviously a lot of this has to be taken with a grain of salt. Keep studying!

 

[SmokeyJunior]

FYI I did better on AAMC 9 (32) and AAMC 10 (34) than AAMC 3 (29) so obviously a lot depends on what you know, how that day's sitting went, and a lot of other factors. I also noticed that i did better on "hard" questions in AAMC 9 and 10 versus "easy" so obviously a lot of this has to be taken with a grain of salt. Keep studying!

Hopefully he/she is already in med school by now (3+ yrs ago)

 

[SavBJJ]

So ive been studying content for about 3 weeks and am maybe 1/3 of the way through the material (using SN2ed plan and TBR). Im taking the MCAT June 16th, and ordered all of the AAMC MCATs and will be ordering the TBR CBTS as well.

I just took AAMC 3 (first practice test) and scored a 30 (PS/V/BS 8/13/9) so definitely unbalanced and in serious need of some PS/BS improvement but it seems most of what i missed was because i havent reviewed it yet (The ochem stuff, the electrochemistry and some acid/base). I know its supposed to be one of the easier AAMCs so im not sure how reassured I should feel that i hit 30. Hoping to get to 35 on the real thing, and i have 65 days left to prepare.


Anybody been in a similar situation? How much can one reasonably expect to improve in two months of dedicated (3-5 hrs a day) studying? Just looking for some insight i guess. Thanks!

 

[ridethecliche]

Bru,

you're between a rock and a great place. The VR scores are typically the ones that count the most and the ones that are most stubborn in terms of upward movement. If you can keep that score +/- 1, you're in great shape. Still practice verbal using ek 101 or such just to keep things at that level.

As far as BS/PS go, you will see upward mobility with content review, but only if you're doing passages while you're doing that so you can get into the 'mcat mindset'.

You're in a good place now for a June test. Keep working hard and you'll get there. Set up a good study schedule for yourself and use the TBR exams before the AAMCs so you go to your exam with the AAMC style fresh in your head.

Good luck!

 

[HappyMe]

The VR scores are typically the ones that count the most and the ones that are most stubborn in terms of upward movement.

I've never heard that any one section counted for more than another. Where have you heard that from? VR is my strong suit, so I'm thrilled if that is true.

 

[mchoudha]

Hey Everyone!

I posted it in the other post but didn't know if I will get a reply back...

I have a few questions on AAMC 11 bio section. For passage 3, can someone explain me how to interpret the table 1? I only got 1 question wrong and that's because none of the questions really were on the table but I wanted to know how look at it in case something similar appears in the real one.

Also for the Passage 6, Can someone please tell me how to interpret the graph!? I only got 2 questions right on that passage I was so lost about it!

Thank you so much!

 

[zoner]

I just took aamc and didn't do so great. 10/10/10

I thought this was suppose to be the easiest one, but found it MUCH MUCH harder than any TBR test. I got less wrong on this test than in any other test, but still only got 30.

My test is coming up in two weeks. Should I push back?

PS. its weird! I've been going over the test and I didn't get ANYTHING wrong because i didn't know the concept. They are all because of things I didn't catch such as multiplying by 2 when I meant to divide by 2 and not thinking deep enough. I can't go any slower because I only finish with maybe 2 minutes to spare.

 

[schwabejr]

Any thoughts on AAMC 7 and 8?
I have enough time to take one more practice test before my test date and I want to get a good feel for what a really hard test would feel like.
Im not so much concerned with the scores, just that Ill be given something challenging leading up to the real thing. Ive already taken 11,3,9 and 10

 

[ModernAlchemist]

Any thoughts on AAMC 7 and 8?
I have enough time to take one more practice test before my test date and I want to get a good feel for what a really hard test would feel like.
Im not so much concerned with the scores, just that Ill be given something challenging leading up to the real thing. Ive already taken 11,3,9 and 10

If I recall correctly, 8 was pretty challenging, especially in the PS and VR sections.

 

[xlcooplx]

If I recall correctly, 8 was pretty challenging, especially in the PS and VR sections.

I just took AAMC7 and found it to be fairly difficult. I've also read where it was quite difficult for others.

 

[Ismet]

I've never heard that any one section counted for more than another. Where have you heard that from? VR is my strong suit, so I'm thrilled if that is true.

I was talking to an adcom and she said that VR is usually the best predictor of your success as a medical student. It tests critical thinking. You have to take a large amount of data and draw conclusions, which is exactly what you'll be doing as a doctor.

 

[ridethecliche]

VR>BS>PS

Not all scores are created equal.

 

[apumic]

I was talking to an adcom and she said that VR is usually the best predictor of your success as a medical student. It tests critical thinking. You have to take a large amount of data and draw conclusions, which is exactly what you'll be doing as a doctor.

Views vary. VR is resistant to change, which makes it valuable, but studies really only support the need to get at least a 7-8 (i.e., <7 may indicate profound weaknesses in communication and English proficiency that could make a career in medicine untenable). Of course, that doesn't mean a 7-8 will be admitted (or even a 9 in many cases) but it does show that low VR needn't be a death knell to your app.

VR>BS>PS

Not all scores are created equal.

Per the AAMC survey, the "actual" order is BS>VR>PS and cGPA>sGPA.

 

[ridethecliche]

Really now?

Interesting...

 

[apumic]

Really now?

Interesting...

Yep....per the AAMC's "Holistic Review" survey (2009). The VR info came from an admissions officer as to why her school (a top 20 school) would not necessarily deny a student with a 7 (assuming she had underlying reasons for the low VR and an awesome rest of her app).

 

[GoBlue2012]

I have been taking the AAMC exams lately, and here's what I've been getting:

#7 - 10PS, 9VR, 12BS
#8 - 14PS, 10VR, 10BS
#9 - 13PS, 9VR, 12BS

VR is still a weak spot... And I have less than a week now... But other than that, even on the Kaplan Full-Lengths I'm getting 33-36.

I definitely thought that AAMC 7 was difficult.

 

[zoner]

I was talking to an adcom and she said that VR is usually the best predictor of your success as a medical student. It tests critical thinking. You have to take a large amount of data and draw conclusions, which is exactly what you'll be doing as a doctor.

thats kinda bs,,, when does a doctor ever have to do a critical thinking by reading a passage under 8 minutes to answer some fked up questions?

That stupidity also implies that DOs with verbal score 7 won't make a good doctor which clearly isn't case according to some of DO surgeons that my brother works with. I think the whole MD app system is so messed up that MD school is really turning me off

 

[schwabejr]

If I recall correctly, 8 was pretty challenging, especially in the PS and VR sections.

HOO RAH! 11/13/12!

Lets hope my actual score is in that neighborhood! Silly month long waiting period

 

[WhiteSaille]

I'm starting to worry about the AAMC practice tests... are they really representative of the MCAT, or are they deliberately easier? I know they're supposed to be actual exams from previous years, but has the test maybe gotten harder?

I ask this because I took the free test (#3) about ten days ago and felt it was sooo much easier than the practice tests I'd been using (ExamKrackers and Kaplan) that there must be something wrong.... got 11PS/14VR/12BS on that one. I chalked it up to test #3 being old, and that it must have gotten tougher since then... or alternately, that it was just a run of good topics for me in the sciences sections.

On this thread, several people mentioned that #10 was the hardest, so I bought it this afternoon. So far I've taken the VR and BS sections, and still have that uneasy feeling that these tests can't possibly be accurate. (14VR/12BS again, and finished both sections with 15+ minutes left on the clock.) Am I missing something? Are the practice tests really representative of the actual MCAT, and if so, to what degree?

 

[sohmer1]

I printed out the exams to take and my access expired--but I don't have the answers! :S Can anyone help me out??? I just need the letters, honestly . . .

 

[ak21]

I printed out the exams to take and my access expired--but I don't have the answers! :S Can anyone help me out??? I just need the letters, honestly . . .

PM ur email address

 

[parachb6]

Hey guys,

So I just did my first aamc practice test yesterday and here is my score:

AAMC 3: 13/8/13 = 34

I have taken the MCAT once before, last year, but can't remember as to whether this verbal was one of the harder verbal sections? I want to get my verbal up to a 10+ consistently, since verbal has been my biggest struggle on the MCAT. Did most people find it to be easier/harder?

 

[gongshow89]

Has anybody ever re-taken the AAMC practise exams after writing the MCAT the year before and found they still hold some predictive power of your real score?

I took the MCAT last year, did all the practise exams and now am re-writing in September. I don't remember any of the answers and my AAMC scores have been in line with my Kaplan FLs. However, recently I had a big jump in my last two AAMCs..(am I actually improving?) So I'm wondering if this carries any weight for how I will do on the actual one or do I subconsiously remember the answers a year later?

 

[vnicolas]

I want to know is it worth buying all of AAMCs since some of them are very old( I am worried that the older ones aren't a good representative of what i might see on test day).
Option 1--buy Princeton mock MCAT and 8-11.
Option 2--Just stick to AAMC

 

[jadedenvy]

Not gonna lie, feeling super stressed out right now and feeling pretty dumb honestly. Can't seem to break an 8 on the PS part of the practice MCAT and I'm taking it Thursday. Gotten 10-11 on the verbal (I read a lot), and 10 on the bio (physiology major) but can't seem to get above an 8 on the PS of the practice tests. Have done 3 - 9, though only the PS part on 7 and 9 because I know that's the one I need to focus on. My scores have been going up a little bit, I was on the edge for a 9 on PT9. All of my tests have been the old paper ones with 77 questions on the PS and BS. I took one PT from Kaplan, though it was a free one that was through the school to get us to sign up for their classes and ended up getting a 30 (PS 10/V 12/BS 8). Kinda freaking out because I've heard that the practice test AAMC questions are easier than the real MCAT. Not sure what else to do, I analyze all of the questions I missed and while my scores are improving by a little, I only have one PT and two days left and I've probably read over the sections I miss the most about three times now. On top of that I'm focusing so much on my PS that I have not even glanced at the writing section and haven't been taking the bio or studying ochem as much.

Anyways, sorry for breaking in, just felt the need to vent.

 

[wolfie77]

I haven't taken any diagnostic test yet. What would be the best AAMC test to take as my diagnostic (I have access to all of the released tests through my Kaplan course)?

Thanks a lot!

 

[Temperature101]

I haven't taken any diagnostic test yet. What would be the best AAMC test to take as my diagnostic (I have access to all of the released tests through my Kaplan course)?

Thanks a lot!

Most people take AAMC 3...

 

[datanator]

Anyone wanna talk about AAMC #7s Bio:

1) The question about why antibodies are ineffective against h.pylori?
The passage says that the pathogen has developed effective ways to elude host defenses.

I put down h.pylori infection might suppress the activity of the immune system. This is the only way I can see the pathogen actively "eluding" the immune system. The answer was.. antibody proteins may be denatured in the stomach... seems very farfetched to me. I really didn't feel like it was the best answer.

2) The question about why the immune system doesn't attack it's own cells?
I said that a specific intracellular process recognizes only foreign antigens.
The answer was that the immune system suppresses cells specific to the body's antigens.... how are we supposed to know this? gahhh.. I hate BS

For #1- Antibodies are proteins, making them sensitive to pH. Also, H.Pylori doesn't suppress the activity of the immune system because the bacteria causes inflammation, which is a hallmark sign of the immune system. It recruits immune cells (macrophages, granulocytes, etc) which release pyrogens (Il-1) to cause inflammation.

For #2- There is actually a process in the immune system for the suppression of T/B cells known as tolerance. This is where a type of T cells, called regulatory T cells, inhibit T/B cells who become activated after ligation with a self-antigen. This mechanism serves as a protective barrier against autoimmune diseases.

The only reason why I know this is because immunology is my major haha. This is definitely a tricky passage. Hope that helped.

 

[mushuwu158]

So my TPR course made me take AAMC 10/11 first before tackling from the beginning. Kinda sucks. Oh well, I finished them all anyways, with only a week to go before test day.

AAMC 10: 8/10/11 (29)
AAMC 11: 9/10/11 (30)
AAMC 3: 10/7/10 (27)
AAMC 4: 10/9/13 (32)
AAMC 5: 10/9/12 (31)
AAMC 7: 10/10/12 (32)
AAMC 8: 12/10/11 (33)
AAMC 9 12/11/13 (36) Awyeah.jpg

Considering how it's been several long months since I took AAMC 11, I might retake it this week just to prime myself before September 1st.

 

[humza91tahir]

hey guys I dont know if this is the right place to post this sort of question but i need to know
I plan on taking the re-taking the MCAT because i got a very bad score the first time....I took kaplan the first time and I think i've exhausted all the AAMC Full length exams....where could i possibly obtain more practice exams and practice material?
I currently have princeton review books for bio, o-chem, physics, and gen chem
please help

Thanks and good luck on yalls studying!

 

[ice2013]

... I think i've exhausted all the AAMC Full length exams....where could i possibly obtain more practice exams and practice material? ...

Check this thread http://forums.studentdoctor.net/index.php?threads/mcat-full-length-practice-tests.804738/
It's two years old, but I don't think the TBR and the EK materials have changed much, if at all, since then.

 

[jkasdfjkljsakdj]

I am in my 2nd year of undergrad. Real deal in just 3 days! I have not done very many practice tests, but these were the scores so far:

AAMC #3 PS 10 VR 11 BS 11
(I took this to see where I was before I began studying - people seem to agree that this is a relatively easy test!)
AAMC #8 PS 10 VR 12 BS 11

I usually have ~10 minutes left over per section. What do you think I could get in the real deal? Also which practice test should I take next?

 

[xm00nx]

Hi! I am going to be taking the New MCAT where I KNOW they have changed the MCATs I still would like the old AAMC sample exams if anyone has them from previous purchases. I am willing to purchase them since AAMC has removed the selling of the old sample examinations, I would like to obtain as many as possible for practice, any help please? thanks!