AAMC stopped selling the CARS Question Packs, and every one of their passages now lives in the new AAMC CARS Question Bank. If you've been told to work "Question Pack 1, Passage 14" and couldn't find it, this page is for you!
The passage numbers didn't change, which makes this a lot easier. Question Pack 1 is now Practice Set 2, and Question Pack 2 is now Practice Set 3.
In a couple of minutes you'll know what changed, where every old passage sits now, and how to open any passage in the bank. Each one comes with a short topic, so you can check you've opened the right one 🙂
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What Changed With the AAMC CARS Question Bank
AAMC launched the CARS Question Bank on September 30, 2026, and it replaces three older products, CARS Question Pack Volume 1, Volume 2 and the CARS Diagnostic Tool (AAMC Official Prep updates).
The bank holds 575 questions across 98 passages (AAMC store). That's all 409 questions from the three older products, plus 166 new ones!
That's 575 chances to meet an author with strong feelings about Renaissance architecture lol
In the AAMC CARS Question Bank, those four groups became four practice sets.
The old Diagnostic Tool's 169 questions are Practice Set 1, Question Pack 1 is Practice Set 2, Question Pack 2 is Practice Set 3, and the 166 new questions are Practice Set 4.
Already own a Question Pack? You keep it until your access runs out, so nothing's lost! AAMC doesn't move your answer history into the bank, so jot down which passages you've already done before you switch.
AAMC CARS Question Pack 1 Is Now Practice Set 2
Question Pack 1 had 21 passages and 120 questions. In the AAMC CARS Question Bank they sit in Practice Set 2, in the same order, so your old notes still line up :)
AAMC CARS Question Pack 2 Is Now Practice Set 3
Question Pack 2 had 22 passages and 120 questions. They're Practice Set 3 in the AAMC CARS Question Bank, again in the same order!
Want to see how a top scorer works one of these? Our AAMC CARS passage dissection walks through every paragraph, question and answer choice of one AAMC passage.
How to Open a Passage in the AAMC CARS Question Bank
The AAMC CARS Question Bank has no passage menu, so you open the set and skip forward to the passage you want. It takes a minute the first time!
- Sign in at mcatofficialprep.org and open My Learning.
- On the CARS Question Bank card, click Study.
- Under Question Categories, click the set's name, like Practice Set 2. Click the name itself, since the arrow at the end of the row stays empty until you've answered something in that set.
- Click Practice at the top right. It opens on the first question you haven't answered yet in that set.
- Check the heading above the passage, which reads something like "Passage 14 (5 questions)". Click Skip at the bottom right until it shows your passage number.
- When you're done, click Done Practicing, and your answers show up under Question Review on that set's page.
Still on an old Question Pack? The same passage numbers work there too.
Should You Buy the AAMC CARS Question Bank?
It depends on what you already own and how settled your CARS method is. Here's how we'd decide on the AAMC CARS Question Bank, using AAMC's prices as of October 2026 (AAMC Official Prep updates).
Testing in early 2027, and never had the old CARS products? Buy it. A year costs $70, and you'll want every one of those passages before test day.
Already worked through the old Question Packs? The 166 new questions in Practice Set 4 are what you'd be buying.
If your old access is still running, AAMC offers 3 months for $35 or 6 months for $45, as long as you buy within 60 days of it ending. Testing in the next 3 months? The $35 option covers you.
On the Fee Assistance Program? It's free and should already be in your account! If it isn't, AAMC says to email mcatprep@aamc.org.
Still working out how you read a passage? We'd hold off a few weeks.
Official passages are the closest thing to test day and there are only so many of them, so we'd practice your method on other passages first and save these for when it's set.
How to Use the AAMC CARS Question Bank in Your Prep
AAMC passages are the closest practice you'll get to test day, so make each one count!
After the October 2026 score releases, we saw the same story again and again. CARS was the section that fell on test day, sometimes 5 or 6 points below full lengths.
More passages rarely fix that. A student we worked with did 700+ CARS passages before his first test, and his technique was still off... Working each passage the right way fixes it, and official passages are the best place to practice that.
"For CARS you really want to stick with AAMC as much as possible."
That's Emily, a 519 scorer we interviewed, and it matches what our 130+ CARS mentors tell the students they work with. Here's how we'd use the AAMC CARS Question Bank:
- Start untimed. Work a few passages at your natural pace and note how long each takes. Our guide to MCAT CARS timing shows how to build up from there.
- Review every miss, and the ones you got right. For a miss, find the sentence that held the answer and ask whether you'd flagged it as important. For a right answer, ask whether you picked it for the right reason. Here's how to review CARS step by step.
- Treat Practice Set 4 like test day. Those 166 questions are the newest official CARS you'll see, so work them timed and in one sitting, a few a week rather than all in one weekend.
- Compare your reasoning to a top scorer's. (Optional) Our CARS Mastery Course includes 51 AAMC passage walkthroughs, so after you work a passage you can watch how a 130+ scorer reasoned through it.
AAMC CARS Question Bank FAQ
How many passages are in AAMC CARS Question Pack 1?
21 passages and 120 questions. They're Practice Set 2 in the AAMC CARS Question Bank.
How many passages are in AAMC CARS Question Pack 2?
22 passages and 120 questions, now Practice Set 3 in the AAMC CARS Question Bank.
How many passages are in the AAMC CARS Question Bank?
98 passages and 575 questions, including every question from the old Question Packs and the CARS Diagnostic Tool.
Where are the new questions in the AAMC CARS Question Bank?
The 166 new questions are Practice Set 4. Practice Set 1 holds the old CARS Diagnostic Tool's 169 questions.
Do the new questions feel like the old Question Packs?
The bank launched on September 30, 2026, so as of late October nobody can say yet, us included. Treat your first set as a check on the bank itself. Time it, score it, and compare it with your last official CARS section!
Is the AAMC CARS Question Bank free with Fee Assistance?
Yes! It should already be in your account, and if it isn't, AAMC says to email mcatprep@aamc.org.
Can I still use my CARS Question Pack?
Yes, until your access expires! The passage numbers match the bank, so this map works for both.
Does my answer history move to the AAMC CARS Question Bank?
No. AAMC keeps your history in the old product, so it won't show up in the bank.
Can I pick a specific passage in the bank?
Not from a menu. Open the practice set, click Practice, and click Skip until the heading shows your passage.
Get Help With CARS
Knowing where a passage lives is the easy part! Turning AAMC CARS Question Bank passages into points takes a plan, and working through them without one burns through AAMC's best practice fast.
If your full lengths are steady but CARS still swings, that's a strategy problem, and it's one we fix all the time!
Our 6-Week Live MCAT Accelerator gives you that plan, with live passages in every section and seven 1:1 sessions with a 515+ scorer built in. Every live course student also gets our CARS Mastery Course free.
If the cohort dates don't line up with your test, a few 1:1 tutoring sessions on their own can help you get more out of every passage. We'd love to help :)
Switching products in the middle of your prep is a hassle, and you've got enough on your plate already. With the map above you can pick up right where you left off. You've got this :)
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