i had my first class and got a 26 (9 V, 9 P, 8 B)
my goal is 38

is my goal attainable?

(im not making excused but my class is at 6 in the evening and i was really tired by 9 already. also i did not review any course material whatsoever)

lol
You will be fine! haha

thanks ahsan...
anyone else have an opinion? someone who had a similar diag score as me and scored in high 30s? im really freaking out here

What are diagnostic?!
They are tests that you take WITHOUT having to studying?! There should be no point freaking out over this score, unless if you dont plan on studying!!! SN2ed made a thread of why diagnostic are useless. Maybe you should searched that!
However, you can not take everyscore on your full length as a definitive! Learn from your mistakes, practice, study and kill this beast!
And then smile :D

ALSO I HAVE SEEN PEOPLE GONE FROM 11----------> 35!
So, its just then it really just becomes a matter of how bad do you want this?!

Yes, pay no attention to the diagnostic. I got an 18 on the Kaplan diagnostic and have been scoring 33+ on AAMC tests.

The diagnostic serves a couple purposes, one of which is to motivate you to study. They also make it very difficult with an unkind curve to serve as a baseline for their high score guarantee (or whatever it is).

I would say a 26 is very good for a diagnostic. I got, I think, a 22 on my diagnostic and after a lot of studying achieved over 30 on the mcat. But i also did a ton of work outside the class requirements.

thanks
can you please elaborate on what "a ton of work" means?
i am putting in ~15-20 hrs a week outside the class (doing all the HW required and recommended material as well as some review)

thanks
can you please elaborate on what "a ton of work" means?
i am putting in ~15-20 hrs a week outside the class (doing all the HW required and recommended material as well as some review)

I'm going to hedge this by saying the amount of work a person needs to put in to be happy with their score is different for everyone. I probably did about 200-250 hours in total outside of class. I used all their materials, except when looking back in my textbooks for elaboration on a certain topic. What is also necessary is studying efficiently, learning more concepts rather than just the details and putting more time on your areas of weakness. I would emphasize the importance of using the AAMC practice exams as well, not just Kaplan which I thought seemed to be more detail oriented, because AAMC is a better representation of what you will see on test day. Kaplan tests are still really good at preparing you though. Also, try and take practice exams in the public library where there a more distractions, because this is more like test day (with distractions and anxiety) and after a couple times you'll be able to ignore anything.

thanks kate
i would appreciate any other comments from people who have taken the kaplan program and scored well to give me some suggestions!

I took a Kaplan course and scored a 26 on my diagnostic as well, when I took the real mcat on 5/27 i scored a 36. It's all about how much you want it and how much effort you feel like putting in. Improving 10+ points is definitely possible.

could u please elaborate on your preparation outside the class? (i.e. did you do all the assignments etc?)

No I definitely did not do all the assignments. I started studying in january, focusing on content review(reading the books and brushing up on material I was a little rusty with). As test day approached I started doing more and more practice problems(i.e. the subject and topical kaplan tests.) Once finals were done for me may 11th, I spent the next two and a half weeks just drilling practice problems and doing a full length mcat every other day as practice. Honestly, my best advice would be to brush up on the material you are unfamiliar with, but the most important thing is practice practice practice. The real mcat(at least in my experience), had far fewer actual content questions than any of the kaplan tests. The best thing you can do to prepare is do ALL 10 of the aamc practice tests, as it took me 4-5 practice tests before I was consistently scoring above 32-33. Once you start scoring higher you'll realize that is is a very slippery slope at the top and the difference btwn an 11, 12 and 13 on a section can be a mere 1 or 2 questions, so it's all about learning to minimize your mistakes, and learning to not get owned by a particularly tough passage. Hope this helps, let me know if you have any more questions.

is this really true? I did horrible (<19) on my diagnostic and I am kind of struggling with the material in my Kaplan course. I am trying to do all of the required AND strongly recommended course work but it seems near to impossible. I have a good GPA and have done well in these classes, yet I feel extremely overwhelmed by all of it....

thats pretty good! I wouldn't be that worried I got below a 20 on my first diagnostic. Kaplan teaches you a lot on how to improve your score. I am currently taking it my 2nd time with them through the HSG.

Aggie I wouldn't worry about it too much, your Kaplan diagnostic is really nothing like the real mcat because it just tests your basic science knowledge and not so much your critical thinking skills. If you have previously done well in the classes relearning the material should not be too bad, but again the only thing that can really prepare you for what you will see on test day is the aamc practice tests. I always found the kaplan practice tests too difficult, but then they made up for it with a ridiculous curve and inflated my score. The aamc curves are much more accurate.

i had my first class and got a 26 (9 V, 9 P, 8 B)
my goal is 38

is my goal attainable?

(im not making excused but my class is at 6 in the evening and i was really tired by 9 already. also i did not review any course material whatsoever)

In my opinion, the Kaplan score does not correlate in anyway with your score on the MCAT. There is a reason why they call it a diagnostic as someone pointed out.

:laugh:

hey all, i got a 32 (11 V, 11 P, 10 B) on my FL 1
its somewhat an improvement, but still not where i want to be score-wise
are the kaplan tests harder or easier than the AAMCs?

i take the real thing in august end

The Kaplan tests are definitely more difficult IMO. The material they test is harder, the passages are longer, and there are more content questions. They definitely make up for it though with a very generous curve that you will certainly not see on test day so I don't think their scores are very accurate. Your scores on the aamc practice tests will be a better indicator of your performance on the real thing.

hey all, i got a 32 (11 V, 11 P, 10 B) on my FL 1
its somewhat an improvement, but still not where i want to be score-wise
are the kaplan tests harder or easier than the AAMCs?

i take the real thing in august end
great.
a 26 in Kplan diag is very very good.
and 32 withour much preparation at FL is just great.
all the best

@ Penn: in your experience, did your real score correlate at all with the Kaplan FLs? Im going to start taking the AAMC tests 2 weeks prior to test day. Should I expect a huge difference in test type when I make the shift from Kaplan to AAMC? (will my score be very different)?

@Emno: thanks your for your kind words. May I ask on what basis are these scores "great"? They aren't high at all. Are you suggesting that I will still considerably improve from these or will it plateau real quick?

I scored a 26 on the Kaplan diagnostic (9 PS, 8 VR, 10 BS). First FL I did last month I got a 33 and the last FL I did I got a 37. I also did an AAMC and got a 36 in that. Kaplan has harder questions with an easier marking curve, whereas AAMC has easier questions with a harder marking curve. You'll be fine.

I am currently doing a program which is six weeks long with Kaplan. We take a Kaplan full length every week. My diagnostic was a 25.. the next test I took maybe a couple days later I got a 26, the next week I made a 28 the week after that I made a 31. My breakdown is so

Diagnostic- 8,8,9
Kaplan Full Length I- 9,9,8
Kaplan Full Length II- 8,11,9
Kaplan Full Length III-9,10,12

What I am concerned is the big jumps I am having. Especially in verbal and Biology. Is this normal? In addition will I be able to raise 4 more points by August 19th? I have yet to really take advantage of the online material. I am thinking of moving my test back so I can.

is this really true? I did horrible (<19) on my diagnostic and I am kind of struggling with the material in my Kaplan course. I am trying to do all of the required AND strongly recommended course work but it seems near to impossible. I have a good GPA and have done well in these classes, yet I feel extremely overwhelmed by all of it....

Aggie, in my opinion, the full-length practice tests will be the most important tool for studying for the MCAT. I got an 18 on my diagnostic and improved significantly throughout the course. Identify why you are struggling ... do you not understand a particular area of the science? Can you not complete the sections in time? Once you identify your problem you can try to find a reasonable solution.

hey all
another update and i want some advice:

diagnostic: (9P, 9V, 8B) = 26
FL1: (11P, 11V, 10B) = 32
FL2: (13P, 10V, 14B) = 37

So yes I am improving but as you all say, the Kaplan curve is quite easy. So I am not getting too happy about these scores. Can someone please advice me on VR? I went down on FL2 and am quite disappointed about that.

Since the AAMC are harder, do you think I can get somewhere between 37 and 40 on those ande eventually the real thing?

hey all
another update and i want some advice:

diagnostic: (9P, 9V, 8B) = 26
FL1: (11P, 11V, 10B) = 32
FL2: (13P, 10V, 14B) = 37

So yes I am improving but as you all say, the Kaplan curve is quite easy. So I am not getting too happy about these scores. Can someone please advice me on VR? I went down on FL2 and am quite disappointed about that.

Since the AAMC are harder, do you think I can get somewhere between 37 and 40 on those ande eventually the real thing?

wow!
thats really great!
TRY AAMC NOW!
IM SURE U WILL DO GREAT! CAN U HELP ME!? WHAT DID U DO TO MAKE U JUMO THAT HIGH!? im at 25 and 27s

thanks clown
i plan on taking my first AAMC next week...will let you guys know how i do

regarding what i did to get those results....its absolutely pure luck and sort of dedication. i spend about 20 hours a week (including classes which are 9 hrs/week) and really focus
im sure you can get the same results by just working hard

but coming back to my dilemma....can someone please advise me on what should i do next to help my score on VR?
also, can someone give me a heads up as to what i should expect to see on my AAMC?

there has to be someone out there who had a similar trajectory in scores as i have had thus far!

I am currently doing a program which is six weeks long with Kaplan. We take a Kaplan full length every week. My diagnostic was a 25.. the next test I took maybe a couple days later I got a 26, the next week I made a 28 the week after that I made a 31. My breakdown is so

Diagnostic- 8,8,9
Kaplan Full Length I- 9,9,8
Kaplan Full Length II- 8,11,9
Kaplan Full Length III-9,10,12

What I am concerned is the big jumps I am having. Especially in verbal and Biology. Is this normal? In addition will I be able to raise 4 more points by August 19th? I have yet to really take advantage of the online material. I am thinking of moving my test back so I can.

The big jumps are normal, eventually your practice test scores will plateau. The thing is, you aren't going to have a good indication of where you are until you take 2 or 3 AAMC tests. My Kaplan full length scores were very inconsistent, but my AAMC scores were very consistent once they plateaued and my actual MCAT score was pretty close to my AAMC average. Take a few AAMC tests and if you are happy with those scores then go ahead and take the real deal. Do not push back the MCAT unless you absolutely have to.

do people expect to see improvement as they take more full lengths or does it plateau? how soon does it plateau?

I just took FL3 and got a 38 (12V, 12P, 14B)

i am yet to take any AAMCs

do people expect to see improvement as they take more full lengths or does it plateau? how soon does it plateau?

I just took FL3 and got a 38 (12V, 12P, 14B)

i am yet to take any AAMCs



Wow, How did you improve in verbal? What were you scoring on the Sectional Test. I made an 11 on one and a 10 thereafter on verbal. I took each full length one week after each other as per my program.

do people expect to see improvement as they take more full lengths or does it plateau? how soon does it plateau?

I just took FL3 and got a 38 (12V, 12P, 14B)

i am yet to take any AAMCs
I think it depends on a few factors. For example, I took Full length 1 and 2 before going through all the content. Even in the last 2 weeks you still do a little bit of content review in your weak areas, so the score should improve. But if your score is already in the 40s it's tough to improve..

@ Tech: I honestly don't know how I improved in Verbal, although I feel that I deserve a 12 or so. My previous full length was no very representive of my verbal abilities. Thefore, I don't see this as an improvement. My percentages on the sectional tests ranges from 65-85%. Quite a broad range but then again each has varying difficulty.

@ Rado: So I guess what you are saying is that I should still see improvement? My biggest worry right now is actually how I score on the first AAMC I will take in a few days. I have heard horror stories of people scoring much lower on those than on Kaplan. I am hoping I am an exception to that.

I was an exception to that. It was actually refreshing to see easier passages (although AAMC 3 is notably easy), and finishing bio with 25 minutes to go. The thing with AAMC is that you truly have a chance to get every question right, but you also can't make any mistakes.

@ Tech: I honestly don't know how I improved in Verbal, although I feel that I deserve a 12 or so. My previous full length was no very representive of my verbal abilities. Thefore, I don't see this as an improvement. My percentages on the sectional tests ranges from 65-85%. Quite a broad range but then again each has varying difficulty.

@ Rado: So I guess what you are saying is that I should still see improvement? My biggest worry right now is actually how I score on the first AAMC I will take in a few days. I have heard horror stories of people scoring much lower on those than on Kaplan. I am hoping I am an exception to that.



Yeah, thanks for your input. I have scored 83-62%, It seems I do better on the harder ones then the easier ones. I have five more to do, I have been passage mapping, I have seen that now I do not have a great need to go back as much. However, I think my score is sufferring as a result. I have gotten a 11,10,10,10 on my past Kaplan verbal test. I took them all a week apart and have not really practiced verbal till' now. Thanks for your advice... I am taking my first AAMC full length relatively soon as well. I am sure you will do great.

@Tech: one thing you could try is passage mapping but not doing the topic, scope, purpose thing. That does not seem to help me...

@Rabo: What a relief to hear someone say that they didnt decrease in score going from Kap to AAMC. I am also hoping to be an exception like you and hopefully see a score increase.

I will be taking my first AAMC next week. I will let you all know how I do.

i got a 25...
got a 40 on the real thing...
its a diagnostic... they make it hard so u think ur getting better lol

Doodl3, could you please share your scores on the AAMCs and Kaplan FLs? I just want to see if I too could get a 40... :)

.

okay guys, update time...

i took my first AAMC (AAMC #3) and got: 13P, 10V, 13B = 36
I went down from my most recent kaplan FL (number 3): 12P, 12V, 14B = 38

i am most unhappy about my verbal!!!! aaahhh its driving me nutttsss

can someone please help? suggestions? will i see improvement as i take more AAMCs?
im soo stresssedd

36 is fine. You seem to be on your way to solid upper 30s. But it does seem like verbal is your weak area. Are you having trouble finishing in time? What type of questions are you missing? Do you overthink questions?

you know im really hoping for a 38+ (would be sweet if its a 40!)
but ya, verbal is killing me....
i finish on time, im missing a lot of the detail-oriented questions (like ill forget a little detail after reading and misunderstand the point associated and then pick the wrong answer)...some passages i miss none, while some i miss 3+! i dont know why...

i took a 5 day break before this test and could definitely feel trouble in focusing/zoning in. im going to take another one tomorrow....hopefully it goes better

my test is towards the end of the month and until then i am going to take one test everyday

I need some help URGENTLY!!!!

My first 3 AAMCs:

#3: (13P, 10V, 13B) = 36
#4: (13P, 11V, 9B) = 33
#5: (13P, 11V, 11B) = 35

this is ridiculous!! i was scoring 38s on the Kaplans (~13P, ~11V, ~14B)
I thought I will see improvement by taking more tests...

here my score is going DOWNNNNN

can someone PLEASE HELP ME!!!

my test is on 8/20!!!!

Its just that each test has different topics so your gonna do better on some and worse on other topics. Like if an unfamiliar topic came up on a later test, u might do worse but it doesnt mean overall ur getting worse.
For me I got 38 on AAMC 3 (my first test), then 37 on Kaplan FL1, then 34 34 36 34 34 on Kaplan FL2-5. I think my problem is that the PS is too calculation heavy and i am using the old kaplan exams which are way longer than the CBT ones.

i had my first class and got a 26 (9 V, 9 P, 8 B)
my goal is 38

is my goal attainable?

(im not making excused but my class is at 6 in the evening and i was really tired by 9 already. also i did not review any course material whatsoever)

Got a 21 on it.

Hopefully, I will get a 32+ on the real thing.

i just dont know what to do....i mean i was scoring 38s consistently on Kaplan and now on AAMC i am 33-36. I am so worried. Especially bio section. I dont know WTF to do...

has anyone else also experienced this?
:( :( :( :( :( :(

I must admit, my scores today inched down by a couple of points. I blame fatigue more than anything, but who knows..

......and the trend worsens!!! i took a free Princeton Review test and got 12P,11V,10B = 33
this is getting far too ridiculous. i've been taking tests everyday non-stop for the past 6 days now. im going to take a 1 day rest and resume with an AAMC...
my test is next week and im totally freaking out

PR is known for its low scores. One of my friends, for example, average mid 30s on the AAMC tests, but averaged low 30s on PR.

From here on out I would focus on AAMC 7-10 and thoroughly going over what you got right and wrong. The general consensus is that your average on the last 4 AAMCs is the best predictor of how will will do on test day. I am taking the test on the 24th and am hoping for similar scores. I recently saw about a 4 point jump on verbal. I went from getting 10-11 to 13-15 by getting really good at mapping and then working on mapping in my head and using the highlighting tool. By not stopping and writing things down for the map, I am now able to get through the passage much faster, but the interesting thing for me is that the faster that I strain myself to read, the more that I comprehend. I am also finishing with 8-10 left, which gives me some good time to make sure that I didn't make any errors from going through the section too quickly. I am a strong proponent of Kaplan's mapping strategy, though. I am firmly convinced that doing all of the section tests was extremely helpful, and even though I did not see more than a one point increase (I usually scored about 65-80% on the section tests). From doing all of the section tests, I got very good at mapping and and really finding what to read for. The combination of mapping in my head and practicing many passages has helped me to subconsciously anticipate what to focus on when reading. Also, post phrasing is a big help when answering the questions. If you look at all the choices and prove why it is right/wrong then getting a question wrong means you made two mistakes. One, you selected the wrong answer, but two, you have ruled out the right answer. Good luck and hopefully you can find some way to use verbal to your advantage.

i had my first class and got a 26 (9 V, 9 P, 8 B)
my goal is 38

is my goal attainable?

(im not making excused but my class is at 6 in the evening and i was really tired by 9 already. also i did not review any course material whatsoever)

Dude its a diagnostic. its like riding a bike. ur gna f*ck up the first few times and then ull get used to it. i got 19 on my first (i skipped the physics part) and now my highest score was 37. so dont worry.

Anything is possible. Ask your teacher for extra lessons and work hard. A 10+ point jump is never out of the question.

FYI....just got my scores back from the actual test:

9V, 11P, 10B = 30

....don't know what to do now....

Did you ever take AAMC 7-10? Typically, if your MCAT score is significantly lower than your AAMC averages, I think of three possibilities.

First, your practice testing at home might not have been strict test conditions. Maybe your real MCAT was in the morning, but you always took practice tests well into the afternoon.

Second, you might have just freaked out at the real thing. It appears, at least on the boards, that you're a big worrier, so perhaps you were a lot more nervous than the average person at the MCAT.

Third, you might have had some knowledge gaps in specific topics that happened to show up a lot on the exam. You would probably know if this was the case though.

30 isn't bad, but it seems you definitely want/need to go for higher. Re-take the test, and focus especially on your mental strength. You probably already have the basic science review down, so really focus on specific topics, test taking strategies, and managing your nerves. Just my 2¢

Rabolisk makes a good point. A 30 is a good score, but if it's significantly lower than your last practices (I found AAMC 8-10 to be particularly accurate), you should consider retaking it. Try taking it under conditions as close to the actual test as possible. You may be able so simulate that by reducing the time you allow yourself per section (for example, 50 minutes for verbal instead of 60) to drive up the intensity.