If general consensus is the real MCAT is harder than AAMC practice tests...

[yanks26dmb]

Wouldn't it follow that the scales are more lenient?

This is NOT a discussion about when scales are set. Regardless, if the test is harder for test takers it doesn't matter when the scales are set. I'm making the assumption that a test perceived to be harder actually is harder and examinees are netting less correct answer based on the increased difficulty.

So what do you all think? Seems to me, the standard 39 = 10 in bio would actually be a bit lower if the material is more difficult...

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[Rhino1000]

This seems plausible unless better test prep companies/strategies are making MCATees more prepared for the MCAT in general.

 

[lNVlNClBLE]

The scale is going to be entirely dependent on how students have historically done on questions in the past. I don't think that test anxiety causes as many screwups as people here would like to believe. You may get a really hard test where a 35 manages to be a 10, and an easy one where the cutoff for 11 is 45. I think there's a reason like 90% of people score +/- 2 points from the AAMC FL

 

[yanks26dmb]

Praying my scores tomorrow are +/- 2..

 

[shh-pthway]

I don't think the July 2 test was any more difficult than the latter AAMCs...

 

[Sed8&Intub8]

I don't think the July 2 test was any more difficult than the latter AAMCs...

July 12th on the other hand...

 

[lNVlNClBLE]

July 12th on the other hand...

Only time will tell, gents.

 

[yanks26dmb]

This seems plausible unless better test prep companies/strategies are making MCATees more prepared for the MCAT in general.

Maybe I'm not following, but wouldn't MCATees who are better prepared find the real test less difficult when they are at the end of their studying/practice tests...not more?

 

[Rhino1000]

Maybe I'm not following, but wouldn't MCATees who are better prepared find the real test less difficult when they are at the end of their studying/practice tests...not more?

I'm just saying that it's POSSIBLE that over the years students in general are attaining unto a larger mastery of their biology/organic chemistry/chemistry/physics, such that on the real exam (of present day), which has questions that have been curved based on relatively recent (and therefore having better MCAT competence) MCATees' answers, it might be more difficult to reach a high percentile on more recent exams than on exams of the past. So it would be tougher to reach a high percentile if it is true that over the years, students are coming to the MCAT better equipped. This means that the AAMC practice exams are normed based of students' answers that are WORSE equipped than students of today (if the condition that the recent MCATees are generally more prepared than students of yore). Therefore in conclusion, even though the exam may be tougher these days (asking tougher questions), it is possible that the curve is just as harsh if it is true that students are more competent than the students who were responsible for the norming of the AAMC practice exams.

 

[shh-pthway]

... who knows lol

 

[IslandStyle808]

It depends on the test day. Some tests have a hard PS, some have a hard VR, or have a hard BS. I will definitely admit there will be those killer passages (none of the AAMC practice exams have these), but the real deal (for the most part) is actually more different than harder.

 

[yanks26dmb]

It depends on the test day. Some tests have a hard PS, some have a hard VR, or have a hard BS. I will definitely admit there will be those killer passages (none of the AAMC practice exams have these), but the real deal (for the most part) is actually more different than harder.

I think the "different-ness" is what makes it harder. No prep company or AAMC test prepared me for the bio stuff I got on 6/21...

I think most would agree the real deal is harder than any practice. maybe its because it's just different..maybe because it's got tougher questions/passages..who knows. end of the day, if everyone perceives it to be harder, you've got to think raw scores are lower than on tests perceived to be easier... just my thought process though.

 

[IslandStyle808]

I think the "different-ness" is what makes it harder. No prep company or AAMC test prepared me for the bio stuff I got on 6/21...

I think most would agree the real deal is harder than any practice. maybe its because it's just different..maybe because it's got tougher questions/passages..who knows. end of the day, if everyone perceives it to be harder, you've got to think raw scores are lower than on tests perceived to be easier... just my thought process though.

It is difficult to say when those questions on the AAMC practice exams were given. It could have been 10 years ago for all we know. Back in those days who knows if the prep companies actually did a good job on covering all the topics. Those people might have faced the same dilemma as us today. So they may have faced the same uncertainties we did. However, maybe our test is harder because it is becoming more difficult to make unique questions. There is proof of what you are saying with how the scale on AAMC 11 looks and the types of questions asked. I noticed the amount correct to get the same score is actually lower. It is difficult to say something concrete about the level of these recent exams.

I think the worst thing I have to agree happening is here is that the prep companies have not modified their approach to the exam, throughout the years. They are so hard pressed in their ways that they don't want to make any major modifications in the learning material. Maybe they are worried that they would look face in front of their customers, because their customers may wonder if the prep company knows what it is doing. It is kind of sad to see these companies only really willing to change their material, when there is only a major change in the format of the test (I am making reference to the 2015 exam).

 

[shh-pthway]

AAMC will recycle the passages but change questions up sometimes (I am pretty sure of this because there is AAMC material on back of my physics book that is identical passage to one in the self assessment. however, almost all the questions are different). Who knows, maybe AAMC didn't use same % of easy medium and hard questions on practice material just to keep element of surprise for the actual exam. Some of the self assessment passages are 5 easy questions in a row. Perhaps there are difficult questions that have been written for those passages but AAMC does not want to release them all.

Either way, there is reason AAMC practice scales use the word "estimate". Although AAMC does provide a good "estimate" that usually holds up, the scoring and [perhaps] the percentage of difficult questions may be different on real exam.

 

[AmishExpressWay]

I don't think the MCAT is harder than AAMC practice tests. When taking the MCAT, you are particularly sensitive to mistakes you know you've made, since there is more punishment than for a practice test. If you can avoid letting it get to your head you'll do fine.

 

[shh-pthway]

I don't think the MCAT is harder than AAMC practice tests. When taking the MCAT, you are particularly sensitive to mistakes you know you've made, since there is more punishment than for a practice test. If you can avoid letting it get to your head you'll do fine.

I think that is a valid point

 

[sharkbyte]

I don't think the MCAT is harder than AAMC practice tests.

I think the proof of this is that the majority of people end up scoring at or around their AAMC average. All of my friends who took the MCAT told me that they were flustered not because of the difficulty but just how different it felt. They all came out of the exam thinking they got wrecked and yet still hit (or surpassed) their averages, which leads me to believe that if you calm down and use the same approach, you will be fine, barring any catastrophes.

 

[shh-pthway]

well I am actually one that thinks the actually test was indeed not significantly more difficult than the practice AAMCs (I was just having fun speculating about AAMC practices above). However, to be nitpicky about your point: just because students score avg dosnt mean the test was easier/more challenging... because it dosn't preclude the possibility that the scale was much different.

But, at the end of the day--- and although I am guilty of indulging as well-- this convo thread is meaningless lol