Interesting MCAT Scores... Help?

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HCHopeful

I took a Kaplan FL around two weeks ago and scored a 29 (12/9/8) and I decided to take an AAMC to see where I stood. I rescheduled for October 21st, but I'm a little weirded out by my scores. Just a little insight would be nice:

(In order of taking them)
AAMC #7: 28 (10/10/8)
AAMC #4: 34 (13/12/9)
AAMC #9: 29 (10/10/9)

I overachieved a bit on AAMC #4, as my TBR PS scores were averaging at an 11. My verbal scored range from 10-11 as well, so that 12 was a stretch. And I don't have any Organic, so my BS is going to be a bit lower.

Is it odd to see such a drastic difference in one test compared to the other? Obviously content would be a problem, but the questions missed in #7 and #9 were from categories I rocked in #4. It's a little odd.

I admit going into #9 I was pretty nervous because of all of the things I've heard about 9, 10, and 11 being way harder than the earlier ones. Maybe confidence could help a bit, as I was very relaxed and confident going into #4.

Does anyone have any advice on how to be more consistent? Thanks!

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I'd use #9 as your current state as not only is it the most recent, but the nervousness will appear to some extent on test day.
 
I'd take #10 and #11 and use those, together with 9, to assess where you're at. Everything before 9-11 should really be treated as warm up / general practice. It's only 9-11 that will give you a "just like the real thing" experience especially if you strictly time and proctor to yourself.

Also: Yes fluctuation in scores is normal. I took all of the AAMC full lengths and would often go up or down 2-3 points on a subsection between them. When you are scoring higher (13) it gets especially iffy because the curve becomes less forgiving.
 
Unfortunately I have to decide today whether I will take it on the 21st of this month or wait until January. My goal has always been a 30, and I think I'm right around there. I have always heard of the +/- 2 compared to the AAMC average, so I realize my score could fluctuate one way or the other. Do you think it would be best to wait until January? Or, since my goal's a 30, are my scores okay?
 
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Look at it this way. If you take it in January you have winter break to get fully prepped and lots more practice exam time. If you take it now and get a 28 or 29 would you be able to live with that? I know personally I'd be kicking myself for the rest of the app process for taking such a risk and falling short of my best because of it.
 
Take it in October then retake it if you don't like your score. Don't be fooled by the current t seat availability. Seats are constantly opening up as people decide to cancel.

I faced a similar dilemma. I wasn't sure whether I should postpone til January...In the end I decided it would be best to give it my best shot on October 25th then sign up for a January retake ASAP just in case I don't like my score.

The way I see it...it's better to give yourself at least the OPPORTUNITY of retaking the current format versus putting all your eggs in one basket and taking one of the last dates...If you postpone and then do poorly, that's it...you're gonna have to take MCAT2015...yikes
 
The way I'm looking at it is this:

I know I'm better than a 10 in PS. The 10's were a result of test-taking errors rather than content. I am a 9-11 Verbal scorer. That 12 is the first time I've ever scored above an 11, so it was a stretch. I haven't even taken half a semester of Organic or Anatomy and Physiology.

Having said that, scoring a 34 is very encouraging, but I think it's more of a ceiling at the moment than my "normal" score would be. I've received two 29's and a 28 otherwise, so I think it's safe to say I'm in that range.

I know my potential is above a 30. What I need to decide is if I want to reach my potential or just score well enough to get into UNMC (home state school). With a 3.89 GPA, I'd probably be fine with a 29 for there. Anything below and it gets iffy, which is why I'm so on the fence.

I really hate this format change.
 
With a 3.89 GPA, I'd probably be fine with a 29 for there. Anything below and it gets iffy, which is why I'm so on the fence.

Well, if it makes you feel any better, there are others of us who are in a decidedly more precarious equilibrium...I graduated college with a 3.21 GPA, and I am now enrolled in a post-bacc which, if I get only A's for several semesters, will bring my GPA up to a meager 3.40-3.50. Luckily, I seem to be doing pretty well on my MCAT practice exams, averaging 34-35 overall, which a strong upward trend (my last 2 exams were 39 and 37).

With a potential cGPA of only 3.4-3.5, I figure scoring a 33+ is pretty much a must for me...Here's hoping! :xf:
 
You report all scores not what you want to report. Adcoms aren't thrilled to see multiple attempts, its much better to take it once at full readiness.
 
I don't know if this is some encouragement but I took all of the AAMC practice tests within two weeks before my MCAT; my average was a 25-26: 10 for PS and, 9 Bio and 6-7 for Verbal. However, I got a 30 on the actual thing in August (10/10/10). I studied only Physio and started my practices early August. Don't give up; there's still hope for you; finish the remaining tests and you're gonna be fine!

P.S. also my AAMC 4,7,9 were 28, 25, and 24, respectively.
 
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You report all scores not what you want to report. Adcoms aren't thrilled to see multiple attempts, its much better to take it once at full readiness.

I realize this, but I have multiple friends with retakes who were accepted. Thanks, though!

I don't know if this is some encouragement but I took all of the AAMC practice tests within two weeks before my MCAT; my average was a 25-26: 10 for PS and, 9 Bio and 6-7 for Verbal. However, I got a 30 on the actual thing in August (10/10/10). I studied only Physio and started my practices early August. Don't give up; there's still hope for you; finish the remaining tests and you're gonna be fine!

P.S. also my AAMC 4,7,9 were 28, 25, and 24, respectively.

P.S.S. AAMC 9 and 10 are the toughest and usually the lowest for everyone

Holy crap! That is impressive! I'm glad you improved so drastically on the real thing, but I'm not sure that would happen for me.
 
I realize this, but I have multiple friends with retakes who were accepted. Thanks, though!



Holy crap! That is impressive! I'm glad you improved so drastically on the real thing, but I'm not sure that would happen for me.

Thanks for the kind words... Don't give up
 
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