AAMC should post cumulative scores earlier

[deleted439911]

As title suggest. Cumulative scores can be scored immediately eg PS 45/52 and VR 35/40 etc.

This should allow people to estimate their scale scores 35/40 should in most cases >11. So that people can better decide whether to retake or not. I understand scaling may takes long but cumulative is either right or wrong.

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[Shinobiz11]

But how would they make more money from all the people signing up for a retake

 

[justadream]

Doing so would also compromise the integrity of the questions. I know you aren't supposed to share the questions with anyone but this will only facilitate leaking of the correct and wrong answers. I know people can leak out questions today (going against AAMC policy) but because we never know for sure how many questions we got right/wrong, it's harder.

 

[John Q]

There's no legitimate reason for why they can't released our scores immediately, especially with today's technology.

 

[justadream]

There's no legitimate reason for why they can't released our scores immediately, especially with today's technology.

The only reason I can think of is maybe that want to have time to review/investigate cheating and/or issues with test questions (errors/typos that could effect the results).

That being said, taking over a month is a bit excessive.

 

[Shinobiz11]

Did

The only reason I can think of is maybe that want to have time to review/investigate cheating and/or issues with test questions (errors/typos that could effect the results).

That being said, taking over a month is a bit excessive.

That's not a legitimate reason at all. They can still give you an ESTIMATED score after your test is over and say expect your real score in a month. The DAT, PCAT and GRE do fine with 10-14 days

 

[texan2414]

What's the purpose of you posting this in here?

Why not send the president of the AAMC a letter explaining your reasons? I don't know what you can possibly get out of posting this here...

 

[deleted439911]

What's the purpose of you posting this in here?

Why not send the president of the AAMC a letter explaining your reasons? I don't know what you can possibly get out of posting this here...

I did write a comment after taking MCAT. I am not going so far as sending a letter, but seeing what others think, agree/disagree is enlightening already.

So the benefit to me is purely philosophical. To engage in an issue that is affecting me and others currently.

Why post here?
Bc this is MCAT discussion. So it's a proper place to post it. I want to hear your opinions and learn from your critiques. if you don't have one it's okay. But let's not get off topic.

Also haven't seen any discussions like this so like to start one.

Do AAMC make money off of retake/cancel fees?

I actually thought they might. But also consider the fact that they contract prometric for proctoring. Would prometric penalize AAMC for cancellations as well? If the penalties is great then AAMC may save money from people not canceling in droves. This is only my guess.

Integrity of test:
I haven't considered this. It is a great argument against posting cumulatives.

Only thing is I feel like the benefits to test takers outweighs the risk so they can move on with their lives. Some people forgo jobs and family to study for the test.

 

[texan2414]

You will accomplish absolutely nothing because nearly everyone wants their MCAT scores back asap without any delays. Also, it would be pretty naiive to think AAMC wouldn't make money from retake/cancellations, as the costs they would pay to prometric centers would probably mostly come from the cost of the exam itself.

I know you are anxious to get your score back but making posts like these exacerbates the wait period. Put sdn on block till your score comes out otherwise this obsession will drive you insane. Carry on with your life and just wait for your score.

 

[QPOC1231]

You will accomplish absolutely nothing because nearly everyone wants their MCAT scores back asap without any delays. Also, it would be pretty naiive to think AAMC wouldn't make money from retake/cancellations, as the costs they would pay to prometric centers would probably mostly come from the cost of the exam itself.

I know you are anxious to get your score back but making posts like these exacerbates the wait period. Put sdn on block till your score comes out otherwise this obsession will drive you insane. Carry on with your life and just wait for your score.

I think it's important not to generalize how people experience things and pathologize their behavior. People are different. Maybe billy2908 finds it comforting to have this discussion while they wait for their score. Maybe it is detrimental. Whatever it is it's not really your place to pass judgement. If this kind of discussion will "exacerbate the wait period" for you (if you're also waiting for your score) don't look at this thread.

Also, what ever happened to having a discussion just to have a discussion? The OP even commented that this was "purely philosophical" therefore judging the topic of this thread based on how much can be "accomplished" does not make sense.

 

[texan2414]

@QPOC1231

One of the great advantages of living in this country is the freedom of speech. I can say whatever I feel like saying, irrespective of how "judgmental" it might seem. The assertion that universally all MCAT takers would want their scores immediately is not pathologic, but rather my implication was the opposite of it - that its normal to feel this way.

 

[deleted439911]

Hi Texan thank you for your reply. I really agree with your last paragraph. I can reassure you that really it's a thought experiment.

Of course I am nervous (who's not?) about getting scores back but not as worried as trying to get a job at the moment. And I was very nervous when Giants loss game 6 11-0......but game 7 we ate the White Castle team for a great win. GG to Kansas City it was a great World Series.

As you suggested I haven't checked SDN for days, which is great advice for people who are currently studying. Consistently checking and asking advice may thwart you from a preset study plan and may hurt your studying more than not. In fact, only today I have read the responses and back and forths.

I do appreciate that you are trying to alleviate whatever stress I may have on MCAT score and I really do agree that people need to move on from score once testing is over. Also to the other repliers in support of me, while Texan criticized my approach he also offered his personal insight into the issue, eg whether AAMC makes money from reschedule/cancellation or not. But the further responses criticizing his criticism of my motives, served further to derail the topic instead of furthering a theoretical discussion as I intended.

As this thread has turned into another subject, I will talk a bit about my life post test:
I have not picked up a practice test or research any problems I think I might have messed up on since the day of my test. Also have not signed up for retake. I am considering either wait till scores out to sign up or take the 2015 version. This is something I will deal with later. My motto while practicing the test is this: "MCAT doesn't make a good doctor" because MCAT is just a short part of a medical career.

Sometimes I check THx out of a blind hope they might post scores, doesn't take longer than a few seconds a day for that.

Currently I am doing more reading, history related. Practicing some programming language such as R and SQL, learning to write algorithms via C++. Waiting for news on Fallout 4, meeting up with high school friends, looking for jobs. Waiting for Black Friday/cyber Monday to get a new laptop. So just enjoying life.

If anyone is wondering, I write lengthy responses because I want to express my entire thought process. It also helps me organize and reflect on my thoughts as I edit the response.

But since this thread has diverged, perhaps for the better. I would be happy to see if anyone post their NON-MCAT related experiences post test

 

[ymartino]

I completely agree. There is not enough legitimate reasons not to get your score immediately. Investigate cheating issues? They already scan your fingerprint and have proctors ensuring you're not cheating. Why are GMAT scores released immediately after the exams and MCAT scores not? This is an issue because I have to wait an entire month to re-register in which case seats could completely fill up.

 

[deleted439911]

I completely agree. There is not enough legitimate reasons not to get your score immediately. Investigate cheating issues? They already scan your fingerprint and have proctors ensuring you're not cheating. Why are GMAT scores released immediately after the exams and MCAT scores not? This is an issue because I have to wait an entire month to re-register in which case seats could completely fill up.

I am not sure if you understood my question. I am merely pointing out to suggest release of cumulative scores eg 45/52 on PS not scaled scores.

As many people stated above already there are some reasons why the scaled scores eg 13 in PS takes so long to release.

I would be delighted if you can offer new insight on the cumulative score point, critique on a previous post regarding whether it is a good or bad idea. Examples of how if may work etc.

Additionally I wouldn't mind people talking about their experiences in their lives while awaiting scores released eg vacation, learning new things, etc non-MCAT related. As one replier pointed out and from my browsing of several test date group threads every poster keeps digging a negativity ditch right after their test date. This traps their mind in MCAT limbo for the month until score release, they can't move on. I would like to see a contrast: what is life outside of MCAT during score release?

 

[ymartino]

I am not sure if you understood my question. I am merely pointing out to suggest release of cumulative scores eg 45/52 on PS not scaled scores.

As many people stated above already there are some reasons why the scaled scores eg 13 in PS takes so long to release.

I would be delighted if you can offer new insight on the cumulative score point, critique on a previous post regarding whether it is a good or bad idea. Examples of how if may work etc.

Additionally I wouldn't mind people talking about their experiences in their lives while awaiting scores released eg vacation, learning new things, etc non-MCAT related. As one replier pointed out and from my browsing of several test date group threads every poster keeps digging a negativity ditch right after their test date. This traps their mind in MCAT limbo for the month until score release, they can't move on. I would like to see a contrast: what is life outside of MCAT during score release?

I actually was referring to cumulative scores. There should definitely be a way to gauge how well we did immediately after the exam, and I don't see the pressing issues preventing one from knowing the cumulative scores. Maybe the cumulative and scaled scores vary so widely that they wouldn't want to give people false impressions of their score (but if that is so, maybe there's something wrong with the system). Regarding cumulative scores, it's quite easy -- do whatever they do when you take the GMAT (they give you a cumulative immediately after you've finished your test, but not an "official" score for a while). I don't see how the GMAT should be treated differently from the MCAT regarding the procedures of administering standardized test scores (I don't know about the LSAT, but perhaps they also release cumulative scores immediately).

I wouldn't be in "MCAT limbo" per say; I believe there would be no reason to waste time worrying when that exact worrying will do nothing to change ones score. Obviously I would be halted from rescheduling for the exam by a month (which can obviously interfere with future plans), and I would be nervous as is everyone else waiting for their score. But life outside of the MCAT would mean I would finally have a moment of ease; I won't HAVE to study or HAVE to do a million other things. I can finally just relax, breathe and spend time with some people I love. I will have classes and other exams to study for, but none of that is as burdening as the MCAT was for me. So I am looking forward to that moment so I can finally stop caring about nearly everything even for just one month.

 

[mehc012]

I think AAMC is missing the real money-maker: charge like $100 (or more, let's be real) to see your preliminary scores right away after the exam, with full disclaimer that they may differ from the values 4wks later. I bet a large number of people would pay (I would have, and I'm typically short on cash). Changes nothing for them, nets them income without making the testing center signups into the nightmare they currently are.

 

[texan2414]

I think AAMC is missing the real money-maker: charge like $100 (or more, let's be real) to see your preliminary scores right away after the exam, with full disclaimer that they may differ from the values 4wks later. I bet a large number of people would pay (I would have, and I'm typically short on cash). Changes nothing for them, nets them income without making the testing center signups into the nightmare they currently are.

This is actually a rather good idea lol.

 

[Gauss44]

OP, I disagree.

I believe that AAMC takes as long as they do to release scores because they offer people the option of reporting ambiguous questions for 5 days after their test date. AAMC likely investigates those replies and changes scores as a result. This is one of the few times that I applaud AAMC for that extra effort to ensure that we get the scores that we deserve.

 

[mehc012]

OP, I disagree.

I believe that AAMC takes as long as they do to release scores because they offer people the option of reporting ambiguous questions for 5 days after their test date. AAMC likely investigates those replies and changes scores as a result. This is one of the few times that I applaud AAMC for that extra effort to ensure that we get the scores that we deserve.

The beauty of preliminary scores is that they are allowed to change.
I also do not share your faith that they change jack based on reports.