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Schedule for Taking Practice Tests

Taking full-length practice tests is an important part of your MCAT program. Make the most of each test by following the best practices for taking an MCAT and reviewing your score report below.

At minimum, you should take and review six Practice Tests throughout your course, approximately one test every two weeks.

Your Tests Tab includes AAMC Practice Exams and Question Sets. Some of this AAMC content is used as part of your course and some is available for additional practice before test day. Please check below to see which AAMC Practice Exams are required for your program. After you take any AAMC Practice Exam or Question Set your score report will be found in your account on AAMC's website. Your AAMC account is linked with the licensed AAMC content found in your TPR Dashboard. To view your AAMC scores and reports, click on a relevant AAMC Practice Exam or Question Set in your TPR Dashboard to be redirected to AAMC's website. Once there you can review the results of your recent practice.

For MCAT Pathways students, the order in which you should take the tests is:

AAMC Practice Exam 1 | Take this exam before your course starts.
Course Test 1*
Course Test 2*
AAMC Practice Exam 2*
AAMC Practice Exam 3*
AAMC Practice Exam 4*

*Take one of the starred (*) tests every 1-2 weeks during your course*

Your tests are divided into several sections within the Practice Tests tab. All your required tests are under the main MCAT Pathways Required Tests header.

Taking your MCAT Practice Tests

Do not “save up” your practice tests until you have “learned all the content. Practice tests are designed to get you familiar with the experience of taking a real test, and not necessarily for practicing science content. Your homework drills and practice passages are for practicing content. Practice tests are to help you learn what to do, eat, wear, etc. on test day. They are mock MCATs.

Take the entire test in one sitting. Do not take a section here, a section there. Set aside an entire day and start the practice test at the same time you will be taking your real MCAT. You need to learn how to sit and focus for 7.5+ hours, and the only way you can do that is by actually sitting and focusing for 7.5+ hours.

Try to mimic test-taking conditions as closely as possible.

Take the test at the same time of day as your scheduled MCAT.
Be in an area where there are slight distractions (people will be walking in and out of the testing room on test day).
Take your scheduled breaks and time them carefully. You do not want to be late coming back from a break, because the MCAT will resume after the break is up whether you are there or not!
Use break times to go to the bathroom, have a snack, stretch, etc. Experiment with different snacks to see which ones give you the most energy and focus. Avoid caffeinated beverages and sugary snacks that might make your blood sugar crash and make you drowsy.

The Demo Test is the test anyone can take for free on our website. The Review tests are associated with the MCAT Review series textbooks that you received with your course materials. TPR Tests are associated with our retail book “TPR MCAT”. We have included them in your course materials for your convenience and practice. Note that the AAMC Sample Test is provided along with the other AAMC practice material, but does not provide a score other than percent correct.

After you've taken each test...

Make sure to include review time when scheduling practice tests ; taking practice tests without reviewing the answers is not helpful. It can take 4-6 hours to thoroughly review a full-length practice test. Also make sure to review any questions you are unsure about, or need guidance on, with your instructors.

Note that due to copyright reasons, we are not allowed to reproduce any AAMC content on our website; to review any of your AAMC tests or questions you must view the AAMC score reports.

You might choose to review your tests using the Question Review Worksheet found in the Resources section of your online content (under “Additional Printable Resources”). You can print out this PDF form and fill out a copy for each section of the practice test you are reviewing. More specific instructions can be found in the “Instructions for Question Review Worksheet” PDF, downloadable from the same page. Highlighting the questions you got wrong can help you see patterns and/or areas of weakness.

For CARS, in addition to the Question Review Worksheet, you can use the CARS Self-Evaluation Survey and the Test Assessment Log ( CARS Review Chapter 2.5). Copies of the logs can also be downloaded from the Additional Printable Resources page.