Any opinions on AAMC vs EK full length practice tests? Examkrackers is certainly cheaper. Are the tests equivalent? Does one sight offer better answer exclamations than the other?
Hi Damon,
I have both but I’ve only taken the AAMC so far. From the looks of it, the exam itself is pretty similar. However the Examkrackers is paper format while the AAMC is online (but you can print the exams out and enter your answers into the computer later). Personally I prefer taking the exam on paper however what I like about the AAMC test is it provides you with a complete diagnostic score report. Not only does it give you your score but it also provides an analysis of each section based on different criteria. This shows you how you did based on difficulty of question, cognitive ability (ie evaluation, reasoning, hypothesis testing, etc), and also shows you how you did on given topics within a subject. For example, out of the Chemistry section it will tell you how many questions you got right that were about acid-bases, kinetics, electrochemistry, bonding, etc. This is great because it shows you your weak points and what you need to focus more on in your studying.
So in my opinion I’d go with AAMC, the pack of 4-exams online was $80 so it comes out to the same price as 4 EK exams but with the added diagnostics. I did get one paper EK exam with my Study Pack of books so I’ll probably save that for my last practice exam since I do plan to take the paper-based MCAT.
Well I hope that helps!
Bea
Most definitely helpful. Thanks!
You need to do a variety of exams from different sources, so you can see different styles. The AAMC exams 5-8 are MUSTS for MCAT prep. Examkrackers will be a bit more conceptually challenging and your scores will be lower, but they are very good practice tests.
I did 10 full-length tests for practice. That’s more than most people, but by the end I was very confident that even on my worst day, I would score in my target range.
If you are going to take a paper MCAT for your real test, then print out the AAMC tests and take them on paper, just like the real thing, properly timed with real-length breaks. Afterwards, you type in your answers and get the grade and analysis. You need to have the experience of practicing in the format that you will use.
Also, I think AAMC 3 is still free online, so use that early. Intersperse EK with AAMC, and use AAMC 7 and 8 as your last practice exams before the real thing.