Just took the Kaplan 2015 mcat diagnositics...

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SuperSlim

SuperSlim

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hi everyone I just took the diagnostic test and would like to start a discussion.

my cumulative score= 489 122 (physical)/123Verbal/124 Bio/120 psych
I have not yet started studying, and pretty much guessed on the psychology portion. the first verbal passage was freaking brutal. also, there really wasn't much physics and chem on the diagnostics exam, felt like it was really short, there were actually biochem questions in that section.

I was planning on using old mcat questions from TBR to study, iam kind of second guessing myself atm.

Thoughts on Kaplan diagnostic test?


diagnostics*
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SuperSlim said:
hi everyone I just took the diagnostic test and would like to start a discussion.

my cumulative score= 489 122 (physical)/123Verbal/124 Bio/120 psych
according to aamc I stand in the 41% percentile. I have not yet started studying, and pretty much guessed on the psychology portion. the first verbal passage was freaking brutal. also, there really wasn't much physics and chem on the diagnostics exam, felt like it was really short, there were actually biochem questions in that section.

I was planning on using old mcat questions from TBR to study, iam kind of second guessing myself atm.

Thoughts on Kaplan diagnostic test?


diagnostics*
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That isn't a bad start. 41% doesn't sound too bad for a Kaplan diagnostic. Would you mind listing how many you answered correctly per section?
 
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Dreamstoo said:
That isn't a bad start. 41% doesn't sound too bad for a Kaplan diagnostic. Would you mind listing how many you answered correctly per section?
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14/32 on physical, 15/27 verbal, 18/30 bio, 11/30 psycho

aamcas says 41% is hypothetical, a little skeptical.
 
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If you want to get a real feel for the exam, go take the official AAMC practice test. You can then compare your % on the AAMC to your % on the Kaplan test to see if the Kaplan test was "too hard" or whatever.

Good luck! :)

b.
 
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SuperSlim said:
hi everyone I just took the diagnostic test and would like to start a discussion.

my cumulative score= 489 122 (physical)/123Verbal/124 Bio/120 psych
according to aamc I stand in the 41% percentile. I have not yet started studying, and pretty much guessed on the psychology portion. the first verbal passage was freaking brutal. also, there really wasn't much physics and chem on the diagnostics exam, felt like it was really short, there were actually biochem questions in that section.

I was planning on using old mcat questions from TBR to study, iam kind of second guessing myself atm.

Thoughts on Kaplan diagnostic test?


diagnostics*
Click to expand...

Where did you access the diagnostic? I took the "free practice test event" and it only gave a % correct, not a score or percentile.
 
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qkhb said:
Where did you access the diagnostic? I took the "free practice test event" and it only gave a % correct, not a score or percentile.
Click to expand...

are you taking the Kaplan? if so there should be a diagnostic exam = 4hours long as well as a science review (no passages) which does give you % correct.
 
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the new mcat is deemphasizing physics/orgo and has a lot of biochem now, so that's normal.
 
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Oh yeah, I'm not taking the Kaplan course itself. I just bought their 7-book set but I guess that isn't enough to access the diagnostic.

SuperSlim said:
are you taking the Kaplan? if so there should be a diagnostic exam = 4hours long as well as a science review (no passages) which does give you % correct.
Click to expand...
 
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I took the Kaplan diagnostic for the current MCAT before I started studying and got a 27 (~60th percentile). Then I took AAMC 3 two days later just to get a feel for the test and I got a 33 (~90th percentile). I wouldn't take any "diagnostic" too seriously. They're intentionally hard to honor the score improvement guarantee. The important thing is that you very carefully review the diagnostic and get a feel for your weak areas (both in content and in test-taking mistakes).
 
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Where did you see that a 489 was the 41st percentile? I thought it was the 9th. I may have read the graphs wrong.
 
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lafillemich said:
Where did you see that a 489 was the 41st percentile? I thought it was the 9th. I may have read the graphs wrong. I scored that, as well.
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you are right! its the 9th percentile which puts us at around 16ish... I looked up 498 instead which equates to 41%. long road ahead of us.
 
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I don't know about 2015 Kaplan tests but I think the Kaplan practice tests in the past have been known for being overly lenient with regard to curving.

I remember scoring like 35 on Kaplan without prep when in reality, I probably would have gotten something like 10 points lower on a AAMC.
 
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justadream said:
I don't know about 2015 Kaplan tests but I think the Kaplan practice tests in the past have been known for being overly lenient with regard to curving.

I remember scoring like 35 on Kaplan without prep when in reality, I probably would have gotten something like 10 points lower on a AAMC.
Click to expand...
well considering its the first mcat kind of test I have taken without any review.. im sure ill be scoring higher once I take the FL
 
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@Next Step Tutor

I wanted to hear what you think of this. So the new MCAT has "a lot of biochem". I'm a biochem major and rocked the course and I see the stuff over and over again with regards to proteins/enzymes/pathways

So would it be crazy to use my biochem textbook to study for that section if I take the new MCAT?
 
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TexasSurgeon said:
I'm a biochem major and rocked the course and I see the stuff over and over again with regards to proteins/enzymes/pathways

So would it be crazy to use my biochem textbook to study for that section if I take the new MCAT?
Click to expand...

If you've studied a ton of it and are already good at it, you may not need much (or any) content review at all, much less a whole textbook's worth. I guess the flip side of it is that if you've already got the text and you're really familiar with it, then using it for quick reference/review should be fine.

I'd say go take the AAMC Official Practice Test and see how you do on the biochem stuff there. If you rock all of it, then just way de-prioritize your biochem review since you're already good at it.
 
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I just took Kaplan Diagnostic too. Yeah it was allot of bio chem and very little math. I also got the impression they are going to expect us to know the amino acids. This is going to be a fun next few months
 
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UCD82 said:
I just took Kaplan Diagnostic too. Yeah it was allot of bio chem and very little math. I also got the impression they are going to expect us to know the amino acids. This is going to be a fun next few months
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HERE I MAED U A CHART! LERN IT!
 

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From the AAMC website regarding the official practice exam:
"While you’ll get information on how you did, an estimated MCAT score cannot be provided since the Sample Test was created before the new MCAT exam has been administered. The questions in this Sample Test were all written by the exam developers. Some questions may be from previous exams and practice tests. "

So you get a percentage of questions right or wrong, but not an official score. Anyway to convert % missed to a "hypothetical" score?
 
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So I took the NS Diagnostic and got 497 (123/124/125/125). I'm not sure about other prep company's diagnostics/exams, but I though NS did a REALLY GREAT job with structuring their exams. Their interface closely resembles the AAMC format. Moreover, I like how the explanations surpass the usual reasoning for why an answer is wrong/right. They actually take the time to include some strategy in their explanations by using the highlighting function to mark integral components in the passage. Thank you @NextStepTutor_1 I actually think I'm gonna purchase the NS strategy practice series + 5 FLs. Hope this feedback helps!
 
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Before any content review I took the Kaplan MCAT2015 diagnostic and got a 502 all 125 with bio/biochem at 127...
I also took the AAMC#3 a few days before that and scored 33 (must be content tested luck) with 10/10/13. And usually I suck at verbal things.

Not sure what to think or expect from this, but hopefully we can improve rapidly after reviewing.
 
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justadream said:
I don't know about 2015 Kaplan tests but I think the Kaplan practice tests in the past have been known for being overly lenient with regard to curving.

I remember scoring like 35 on Kaplan without prep when in reality, I probably would have gotten something like 10 points lower on a AAMC.
Click to expand...
Practice tests, yes. Diagnostic tests? The opposite. I knew someone who made an 18 on her Kaplan diagnostic, studied for 3 months with Kaplan and scored a 34. (With higher Kaplan practice scores like you mentioned)
Two reasons:
1) You haven't prepped yet. MCAT studying is super intense for a reason!
2) Kaplan wants to scare you into prepping with them (My personal theory:eyebrow:)
 
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Anyone take the TPR Demo exam? I feel defeated.. 300 hours + intense studying and did pretty badly. Especially bio somehow
 
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Yes looking around the forums I have gotten the sense that Kaplan's diagnostics tend to err on the hard side.
 
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An old criticism about Kaplan, that may or may not still be accurate, is that their diagnostic is unrealistically difficult and then their full lengths get easier throughout the course. It's been said that the purpose of this is to get people to take the class and then have their scores improve so they don't get the money back guarantee.

AAMC scores rule.
 
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If it makes you feel any better OP, I got a 21 on the first Kaplan diagnostic that I took (after 1 month of studying), and then after 1.5 more months I got a 36 on the real thing. Kaplan tries to sell the need for prep.
 
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SuperSlim said:
hi everyone I just took the diagnostic test and would like to start a discussion.

my cumulative score= 489 122 (physical)/123Verbal/124 Bio/120 psych
according to aamc I stand in the 41% percentile. I have not yet started studying, and pretty much guessed on the psychology portion. the first verbal passage was freaking brutal. also, there really wasn't much physics and chem on the diagnostics exam, felt like it was really short, there were actually biochem questions in that section.

I was planning on using old mcat questions from TBR to study, iam kind of second guessing myself atm.

Thoughts on Kaplan diagnostic test?


diagnostics*
Click to expand...

https://www.aamc.org/students/download/378098/data/mcat2015scorescaleguide.pdf

according to page #13 of that, you're percentile is like in the teens....what percentiles are you looking at?
 
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tea guzzling traveler said:
If it makes you feel any better OP, I got a 21 on the first Kaplan diagnostic that I took (after 1 month of studying), and then after 1.5 more months I got a 36 on the real thing. Kaplan tries to sell the need for prep.
Click to expand...
yes it does! I took it without any studying or no prior knowledge of physics 2. almost done with content review will revisit the diagnostic and then try a practice. or maybe an aamc test.
EasternMer said:
https://www.aamc.org/students/download/378098/data/mcat2015scorescaleguide.pdf

according to page #13 of that, you're percentile is like in the teens....what percentiles are you looking at?
Click to expand...
yes im aware.
 
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500 is average. My state school says shoot for a 508 to be comfortable. Hope that helps!
 
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Took Kaplan full length test number 2, so far midway through the class.
scored: 496
chem physics: 36/59= 61% 124
CARS= 56% 123
Biochem/bio = 67% 126
Soc/psycho = 54% (FML) 123

Goal: 505-510

overall 7 point increase. Finished with chem and phyics, not even close to finishing orgo, or psychology/soc.

This thing is brutally long, got extremely bored during cars and psy sections.
 
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SuperSlim said:
Took Kaplan full length test number 2, so far midway through the class.
scored: 496
chem physics: 36/59= 61% 124
CARS= 56% 123
Biochem/bio = 67% 126
Soc/psycho = 54% (FML) 123

Goal: 505-510

overall 7 point increase. Finished with chem and phyics, not even close to finishing orgo, or psychology/soc.

This thing is brutally long, got extremely bored during cars and psy sections.
Click to expand...

Did you take Kaplan FL1? If so, what did you score on it?
 
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SuperSlim said:
Took Kaplan full length test number 2, so far midway through the class.
scored: 496
chem physics: 36/59= 61% 124
CARS= 56% 123
Biochem/bio = 67% 126
Soc/psycho = 54% (FML) 123

Goal: 505-510

overall 7 point increase. Finished with chem and phyics, not even close to finishing orgo, or psychology/soc.

This thing is brutally long, got extremely bored during cars and psy sections.
Click to expand...
edit* have you done anything above and beyond the kaplan coursework to improve your score over the diagnostic? are you taking the onsite or online course?
 
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velodork said:
edit* have you done anything above and beyond the kaplan coursework to improve your score over the diagnostic? are you taking the onsite or online course?
Click to expand...

hey,
my Kaplan class started in feb. I prepared by reading most of the Kaplan books before class and did corresponding Berkeley review passages. probably have done more than 2/3rds of it. Im just about done with reading all the books. prior to the Kaplan full length I didn't really do other passages other than Berkeley. The problem with Berkeley is that some of the material is not even on the new mcat so I skipped around a lot.
After I completely go through all the books and class is done im planning to go through khan academy and start really memorizing formulas and concepts, (i know a handful atm, but i want to get a better understanding when to use which).
Also i plan on ordering the question packs from aamc.

Taking Kaplan class on site and honestly it was such a waste of money. the ony thing i like about it is the full length exams that's the only reason i took the class. But who knows how the Kaplan exams compare to the actual. I heard that the psy/soc on the actual is much easier than Kaplan because Kaplan's psy/soc portion of the FL is all theories and terms that you honestly just have to memorize. Not too sure tho.

After reviewing my first FL, i made some trivial mistakes probably due to it being the longest thing ever. I literally got so bored during psy/soc. I could have seen myself score a 500 on that. But again idk how much that means because Kaplans grading system has historically ben more lenient even tho their exams are a tad harder.

How you doing so far?
 
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About the Qbank, idk if its even worth it they say ENDLESS PRACTICE, but honestly the a lot of the questions are verbal And some topics dont have corresponding questions.
 
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SuperSlim said:
How you doing so far?
Click to expand...
Just getting started on serious content review. My plan is to go through all of the EK books/questions between now and May 7 when my Kaplan class starts, then switch to only kap review books/FLs. I'm feeling a bit disheartened about your (and other peoples) experience with the Kaplan on site course, though :-/
 
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velodork said:
Just getting started on serious content review. My plan is to go through all of the EK books/questions between now and May 7 when my Kaplan class starts, then switch to only kap review books/FLs. I'm feeling a bit disheartened about your (and other peoples) experience with the Kaplan on site course, though :-/
Click to expand...

when is test day?
if i could go back in time lol, they don't go over content...... they just teach you how to cross out wrong answers.. literally. lol i have a brother whos taking it next year and i already told him not to do it.
 
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SuperSlim said:
when is test day?
if i could go back in time lol, they don't go over content...... they just teach you how to cross out wrong answers.. literally. lol i have a brother whos taking it next year and i already told him not to do it.
Click to expand...
Testing in June. I'm a non trad and Ill be enrolled in pre-reqs during the course. That on top of working/parenthood made me realize the importance of having a class to keep me on track, but if that is all I get out of it (keeping me on track with MCAT studying) I just dont know if it will be worth the money. I did get a pretty nice discount/scholarship on the on-site course, though.
 
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velodork said:
Testing in June. I'm a non trad and Ill be enrolled in pre-reqs during the course. That on top of working/parenthood made me realize the importance of having a class to keep me on track, but if that is all I get out of it (keeping me on track with MCAT studying) I just dont know if it will be worth the money. I did get a pretty nice discount/scholarship on the on-site course, though.
Click to expand...

Then go for it. i was actually warned tht Kaplan course wasn't worth it before i signed up, but i still took it. like i said the only reason im taking this class is because of full length exams and the qbank. They want you to do the content review at home.. and come to class ready to answer question on the material. def pre-read before class starts and focus on content during class cause they ant gonna teach it. also for the CARS readings.. lol waste of time for me, i don't do them.

Im also taking classes, part -time student atm, as well as doing some research.
GOOD luck !
 
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Hello All,

I took the real-Mcat in July and scored a 491. I did tons of practice tests and was scoring about a 500. Any suggestions? I am planning to retake. Does Kaplan work??
 
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How does Kaplan come up with their scores? I scored a "125" in the Phsyc. section and they said it was in the 55th percentile. According to the AAMC, a 125 is THE 50th percentile; Bottom line. Are they comparing our scores to each other or is it something else. Moreover, if they were comparing our scores to each other, my 55th percentile would more than 125. Any thoughts?
 
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was looking thro my old threads,

to update yal, highest Kaplan = 503
real deal = 515

FUARK
 
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I suspect kaplan diagnostics of being significantly harder than the real test because of their guarantee policy. For people who have not yet taken the exam, they guarantee you a higher score, not against an actual score but agains their diagnostic.
 
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SuperSlim said:
was looking thro my old threads,

to update yal, highest Kaplan = 503
real deal = 515

FUARK
Click to expand...

Just starting my Kaplan Course. Did you do anything besides Kaplan for review? Did you find their Biochem review sufficient? Thx.
 
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