MCAT "Hack" Revealed...

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TR4N23MED

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Hi SDNers.

I just wanted to personally reveal something I feel will instantly improve your MCAT score without you even having to do anything different:

TAKE YOUR MCAT IN APRIL/MAY ONLY!

Here's why:
Yes, the MCAT works on a curve, but each individual test taker's scores are compared to the country/region pool of test takers to determine where on the curve you will be (percentile). Notably, most first-timers of the MCAT or individuals seeking just to get a feel for the test will take it in April/May in order to get their apps in time for June and possibly retake in June/July for the upcoming cycle. This means that your MCAT score will be compared against weaker test takers and will thus be much higher than expected. Also, by taking the MCAT from July and onwards, your MCAT score will be compared against retakers, more prepared test takers and competitive Canadians where rolling admin. does not occur for med schools...

Proof: My MCAT scores last April (taken twice) were (13/9/15) and (14/9/13) compared to last September (11/8/11). I'm Canadian, so I had to retake for my verbal to be 10.
I felt like I bombed my first April MCAT and did average on my second April MCAT, but I got 37 and 36 respectively. But, I felt like I did AMAZING in Sept. but only managed a 30.
Further, my brother did his MCAT in May last year and pulled (14/9/12) and twice in August (10/9/11) and (11/8/12).

Therefore, by taking your MCAT past July you will be compared against better competition regardless of how the preset scale was prepared via the AAMC for that test date and your margin for error will be thin for you to get a decent score. On the contrary, by taking your MCAT in Apr/May you will be up against more first-time test takers who have a tendency to panic and receive lower raw scores.

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Hi SDNers.

I just wanted to personally reveal something I feel will instantly improve your MCAT score without you even having to do anything different:

TAKE YOUR MCAT IN APRIL/MAY ONLY!

Here's why:
Yes, the MCAT works on a curve, but each individual test taker's scores are compared to the country/region pool of test takers. Notably, most first-timers of the MCAT or individuals seeking just to get a feel for the test will take it in April/May in order to get their apps in time for June and possibly retake in June/July for the upcoming cycle. This means that your MCAT score will be compared against weaker test takers and will thus be much higher than expected. Also, by taking the MCAT from July and onwards, your MCAT score will be compared against retakers, more prepared test takers and competitive Canadians where rolling admin. does not occur for med schools...

Proof: My MCAT scores last April (taken twice) were (13/9/15) and (14/9/13) compared to last September (11/8/11). I'm Canadian, so I had to retake for my verbal to be 10.
I felt like I bombed my first April MCAT and did average on my second April MCAT, but I got 37 and 36 respectively. But, I felt like I did AMAZING in Sept. but only managed a 30.
Further, my brother did his MCAT in May last year and pulled (14/9/12) and twice in August (10/9/11) and (11/8/12).

Therefore, by taking your MCAT past July you will be compared against better competition regardless of how difficult the scale was for that test date and your margin for error will be thin in order for you to get a decent score. On the contrary, by taking your MCAT in Apr/May you will be up against more first-time test takers who have a tendency to panic and receive lower raw scores.
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The proof is in the pudding bud (at least from my personal experience).
Inexperienced and first-time test takers (have a tendency to do worse and panic) are taking their MCATs usually before June and thus one must take their MCAT before June also to do better on their MCAT.

Sometimes when you get to the core of things, you learn that sometimes the system is what is screwing people over rather then the person's efforts/intentions
 
The proof is in the pudding bud.
Inexperienced and first-time test takers (have a tendency to do worse and panic) are taking their MCATs usually before June and thus one must take their MCAT before June also to do better on their MCAT.
That may be true, but the MCAT is not scored based on regional or date performance, it's based on the performance of years of previous test takers on those passages and questions which were in your own MCAT

Edit: In fact, if you read about it, you'll see that the scoring guide/curve is premade and not affected by performance on the day of, hence there are often no scores above 42-43 for a given test
 
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That may be true, but the MCAT is not scored based on regional or date performance, it's based on the performance of years of previous test takers on those passages and questions which were in your own MCAT

Edit: In fact, if you read about it, you'll see that the scoring guide/curve is premade and not affected by performance on the day of, hence there are often no scores above 42-43 for a given test

What about the new MCAT 2015? I think the guy is right
 
That may be true, but the MCAT is not scored based on regional or date performance, it's based on the performance of years of previous test takers on those passages and questions which were in your own MCAT
Okay, you have a point there in terms of the MCAT curve. However, if you take a test on a date that statistically has worse test-takers you will benefit from the fact that you will on average be on the higher end of the curve (if you prepared adequately of course)
 
This is the secret AAMC does not want anyone to know or else they would lose serious revenue...
Again, if you retake past June your chances of being on the higher end of the curve will be more slim (Still doable but the margins will be thinner). Remember, most Canadians will be taking in Aug with a retake in Sept. before the cycle's app deadline in October. Trust me, Canadians have it tough with most retaking at least once before getting accepted with their ridiculously high GPA (3.90 is min. cutoff) and MCAT (10's on each for cutoff).
 
What about the new MCAT 2015? I think the guy is right

Trial sections given to this year's takers, they were all biochem/psych/socio and clearly for the new MCAT


Okay, you have a point there in terms of the MCAT curve. However, if you take a test on a date that statistically has worse test-takers you will benefit from the fact that you will on average be on the higher end of the curve (if you prepared adequately of course)

You don't understand, there is no curve relative to your peers on test day. The grade breakdown is determined before you take it. It's based on previous years of performance for those passages administered all over the country and throughout the year.
 
Trial sections given to this year's takers, they were all biochem/psych/socio and clearly for the new MCAT




You don't understand, there is no curve relative to your peers on test day. The grade breakdown is determined before you take it. It's based on previous years of performance for those passages administered all over the country and throughout the year.

How much can they really rely on those trial sections? I mean I've taken the MCAT twice last year and I did not put in a good faith effort and just did it for the gift card (and have 4-5 friends who did the samething) and we all got the giftcards. Aren't they going to mostly use the first 2015 takers for the scale?
 
Trial sections given to this year's takers, they were all biochem/psych/socio and clearly for the new MCAT




You don't understand, there is no curve relative to your peers on test day. The grade breakdown is determined before you take it. It's based on previous years of performance for those passages administered all over the country and throughout the year.
I'm agreeing with you. The curve is based on previous years of performance for those passages administered all over the country and throughout the year (Ie. they are preset). But what determines WHERE on the curve you will be (Ie. percentile) is determined indirectly through your peers on test day.
 
How much can they really rely on those trial sections? I mean I've taken the MCAT twice last year and I did not put in a good faith effort and just did it for the gift card (and have 4-5 friends who did the samething) and we all got the giftcards. Aren't they going to mostly use the first 2015 takers for the scale?

They will probably rely on the data from the people in the upper half (or whatever portion) of trial section scores to set up grading for the first round of people who will actually be trying hard. The later tests of the year will probably use data from the first exams, but at no point does AAMC do a pure curve among people on test day, because they want to avoid the exact type of crap OP thinks is real (like certain times of year being more common for last minute or re takers)
 
I'm agreeing with you. The curve is based on previous years of performance for those passages administered all over the country and throughout the year (Ie. they are preset). But what determines WHERE on the curve you will be (Ie. percentile) is determined indirectly through your peers on test day.

No, the percentiles given (eg 41 = 99.9-99.9th percentile) are regarding the previous administrations as well. The percentile awarded to a certain score is not compared to your peers (as in how many people on my day beat my 36) its compared to all the previous takers (as in how many people in the last 10 years who saw my passages answered more correct than I did).

You can see this from the fact that the same scores (eg a 34) are awarded the same percentile at different times in the year (a 34 earned in january is not 2 percentile higher than a 34 earned in august)
 
They will probably rely on the data from the people in the upper half (or whatever portion) of trial section scores to set up grading for the first round of people who will actually be trying hard. The later tests of the year will probably use data from the first exams, but at no point does AAMC do a pure curve among people on test day, because they want to avoid the exact type of crap OP thinks is real (like certain times of year being more common for last minute or re takers)

Wouldn't you agree that for the new MCAT 2015, if one is well prepared, it would be to his/her advantage to take it in April than later in the summer?

I agree with everything you said though
 
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They will probably rely on the data from the people in the upper half (or whatever portion) of trial section scores to set up grading for the first round of people who will actually be trying hard. The later tests of the year will probably use data from the first exams, but at no point does AAMC do a pure curve among people on test day, because they want to avoid the exact type of crap OP thinks is real (like certain times of year being more common for last minute or re takers)
I still don't think you understand what I explained...
The curve is predetermined (like you said).
However, where specifically you will be on the curve is indirectly related to how well your peers do on the MCAT that day! Good test takers that day means that the margins are more thin in being in the top 15th percentile, etc.
 
Wouldn't you agree that for the new MCAT 2015, if one is well prepared, it would be to his/her advantage to take it in April than later in the summer?

I agree with everything you said though
Yes, if one could be well prepared, but people are going to be flying fairly blind with minimal practice exams and prep company books. Top scores will probably go to people with majors or lots of background in the new areas, rather than people best at studying for the MCAT
 
I still don't think you understand what I explained...
The curve is predetermined (like you said).
However, where specifically you will be on the curve is indirectly related to how well your peers do on the MCAT that day! Good test takers that day means that the margins are more thin in being in the top 15th percentile, etc.

You seriously don't get it. That percentile next to your score does not refer to anybody else's numerical score from your test day, it refers to how you rank among past years of takers.

Think of it this way. You could be the only person to take an MCAT administration. You could get a 35. That would be 95.5th percentile still.
 
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No, the percentiles given (eg 41 = 99.9-99.9th percentile) are regarding the previous administrations as well. The percentile awarded to a certain score is not compared to your peers (as in how many people on my day beat my 36) its compared to all the previous takers (as in how many people in the last 10 years who saw my passages answered more correct than I did).

You can see this from the fact that the same scores (eg a 34) are awarded the same percentile at different times in the year (a 34 earned in january is not 2 percentile higher than a 34 earned in august)
Even if the AAMC stated that publicly (which I have not seen yet), if most test takers had a horrible raw score while you had a decent raw score but not compared to previous takers compiled via the AAMC, then I cannot see how you would not be in the upper part of the curve unless either the actual bell curve from the AAMC is not truthful or what you are saying is not true.
 
Lets say you get score X

90% of previous test takers got X or lower

Your percentile is 90% - shown as a score of 33

Lets say everyone around you scored way below X.
They all get scores lower than 33 and percentiles lower than 90%
You get 33 and 90%

Lets say everyone around you scored way above X.
They all get scores higher than 33 and percentiles higher than 90%
You get 33 and 90%

This is how it works. There is ZERO impact on your percentile/score based on those next to you at the test center.
 
Lets say you get score X

90% of previous test takers got X or lower

Your percentile is 90% - shown as a score of 33

Lets say everyone around you scored way below X.
They all get scores lower than 33 and percentiles lower than 90%
You get 33 and 90%

Lets say everyone around you scored way above X.
They all get scores higher than 33 and percentiles higher than 90%
You get 33 and 90%

This is how it works. There is ZERO impact on your percentile/score based on those next to you at the test center.
That is not how a bell curve works....
If everyone (hypothetically speaking) had a high raw score during the MCAT date compared to the scale you are mentioning then a bell curve still must be generated in order to standardize the mean (something that the AAMC generates yearly for the public to see). Yes, that means takers who felt they did well will have lower "corrected" scores in order to take into account the abnormally high scores from peers. There cannot be a disproportionate amount of takers on either end of the curve for a bell curve to hold true.

That is basic math-statistics and there is no getting around it!
 
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To further drive home my point, notice how some test-takers thought they "bombed" the test that day, yet received a surprisingly high corrected score (35+ like my brother and I). This is not a fluke kiddos! Many inexperienced takers will panic and guess without thinking (which is instinctive before you are aware of the situation) especially on an MCAT test with many unexpected-type questions. Ask around or search through the forums and you will be shocked at how many people who took MCATs on Apr/May/ early June who were surprised by receiving 35+ on their MCAT when they thought they struggled (which they may have, but not to the degree of inexperience takers).
 
smh

man, think about this, its absolutely possible for there to still be a bell curve.

Say you're right and the April takers are less prepared, maybe they get an average of 45th percentiles (relative to prior takers). The more prepared people later in the year get average 55th percentiles (relative to prior takers).

Overall, same bell curve with 50th percentile average, but neither group had an easier or harder time getting their score, because they were both competing against prior takers not each other

your experience that people were surprised by their scores tells you nothing, people misjudge how their interviews went all the time as well. I was surprised by my score, wasn't in the easy zone if you want to swap anecdotes
 
smh

man, think about this, its absolutely possible for there to still be a bell curve.

Say you're right and the April takers are less prepared, maybe they get an average of 45th percentiles (relative to prior takers). The more prepared people later in the year get average 55th percentiles (relative to prior takers).

Overall, same bell curve with 50th percentile average, but neither group had an easier or harder time getting their score, because they were both competing against prior takers not each other

your experience that people were surprised by their scores tells you nothing, people misjudge how their interviews went all the time as well. I was surprised by my score, wasn't in the easy zone if you want to swap anecdotes
Well I guess we have to agree to disagree.
My experience tells me otherwise (Ie. Percentile of taker determined via peers) and I am definitely not trusting the AAMC on their claim of having preset scores for percentiles. If test-takers actually knew that their corrected score was dependent on the date of their test the AAMC would be stalling in furthering their $$-venture (why do you think AAMC not too long ago started having MCATs year round).
Like many large multinational companies, the AAMC leaves many details about their scale and only provides generalities that cannot be questioned in order to sustain increase in profit. Besides, creating a predetermined scale is extremely tedious, requires lots of worker involvement and is more likely to be an inaccurate representation based on different test questions.
 
Well I guess we have to agree to disagree.
My experience tells me otherwise (Ie. Percentile of taker determined via peers) and I am definitely not trusting the AAMC on their claim of having preset scores for percentiles. If test-takers actually knew that their corrected score was dependent on the date of their test the AAMC would be stalling in furthering their $$-venture (why do you think AAMC not too long ago started having MCATs year round).
Like many large multinational companies, the AAMC leaves many details about their scale and only provides generalities that cannot be questioned in order to sustain increase in profit. Besides, creating a predetermined scale is extremely tedious, requires lots of worker involvement and is more likely to be an inaccurate representation based on different test questions.
Straight from their website:

"
Is the exam graded on a curve?
Examinees often ask if earning a high score or higher percentile is easier or harder at different times of the testing year. They ask whether they have a better chance of earning a higher score in April or in August, for example. The question is based on an assumption that the exam is scored on a curve, and that a final score is dependent on how an individual performed in comparison to other examinees from the same test day or same time of year.



While there may be small differences in the MCAT exam you took compared to another examinee, the scoring process accounts for these differences so that an 8 earned on physical sciences on one exam means the same thing as an 8 earned on any other exam. The percentile provided on your score report simply indicates what percentage of examinees from the previous testing year scored the same as you did on the MCAT exam.



How you score on the MCAT exam, therefore, is not reflective of the particular exam you took—including the time of day, the test date, or the time of year—since any difference in difficulty level is accounted for when calculating your scale scores (see above for information about scaling)."

But hey if you're going to go all tinfoil hat on me and say they're lying to keep the $ flowing then and misinforming both takers and medical schools then yeah, agree to disagree
 
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The original poster is wrong. The AAMC corrects for changes in the test taker population by reusing certain questions. Of the 144 questions on each MCAT, at least a few have appeared in prior months. By comparing the average score on reused questions, you can determine if the average test taker in July is smarter than the average test taker in April.

This method of comparing different months is mostly immune to the problem of the July test being harder than the April test. It is difficult to make the exam equally hard every single time.

Source: I read a book about the SAT, and standardized testing in general. Literally all of the major tests do this: the MCAT, the GRE, the LSAT, the GMAT, the ACT.

In addition to this time-honored method of reusing a few questions, the AAMC could in theory use other methods (although I have no evidence that they do). When you register for the MCAT, they ask you where you went to college, when you finished or will finish, and what classes you have taken. They also know your score on all prior MCAT exams that you have taken. They can use all of this data to gauge whether the population taking the test in April is less prepared than the population in July.

The OP has 5 or 6 data points from 2 people, and I don't doubt them, but 5 or 6 data points can easily be coincidence. If you actually research how standardized tests are constructed, you will see that this problem is mostly solved.
 
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Welcome to Canada, where a 10 on verbal is required to meet cutoff!
Not sure where you're getting this lol. Only Western requires a VR of 11 to get in. U of T requires 9 in each subject, after that MCAT is not looked at again. Mac looks only VR in the MCAT but your score is mostly decided by Casper. Also you don't need a 3.9 GPA. Average acceptance at McMaster last year was ~3.75. U of T was around 3.9 AFTER dropping your lowest 8 half semester courses. This guy is hyping things up WAY too much. Canadian schools mostly don't give any care about the MCAT. As long as you have a 30+ you should be safe for 90% of schools.
 
If the month in which you took the MCAT actually affected your MCAT score, the test would lose all validity...

The MCAT is a STANDARDIZED test. The whole purpose of the MCAT is to make scores from people taking it at different times comparable to each other in a statistically meaningful way...

According to the OP's logic, if exactly 200 people, each with 40+ ability, took the test on a single date, suddenly some of those people are going to be getting 10/45? No.
 
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Straight from their website:

"
Is the exam graded on a curve?
Examinees often ask if earning a high score or higher percentile is easier or harder at different times of the testing year. They ask whether they have a better chance of earning a higher score in April or in August, for example. The question is based on an assumption that the exam is scored on a curve, and that a final score is dependent on how an individual performed in comparison to other examinees from the same test day or same time of year.



While there may be small differences in the MCAT exam you took compared to another examinee, the scoring process accounts for these differences so that an 8 earned on physical sciences on one exam means the same thing as an 8 earned on any other exam. The percentile provided on your score report simply indicates what percentage of examinees from the previous testing year scored the same as you did on the MCAT exam.



How you score on the MCAT exam, therefore, is not reflective of the particular exam you took—including the time of day, the test date, or the time of year—since any difference in difficulty level is accounted for when calculating your scale scores (see above for information about scaling)."

But hey if you're going to go all tinfoil hat on me and say they're lying to keep the $ flowing then and misinforming both takers and medical schools then yeah, agree to disagree
This guy right here. He's right
 
Man. So much wrong in this thread it's not even funny.

Dude. Man. Bro. You're wrong. That's really all there is to it.

If the MCAT was scored by percentiles on test dates, we'd have some very below average doctors.

I'm sorry you scored lower later in the year than you did earlier, but it's not the test's fault. Good luck during your application process.
 
Not sure where you're getting this lol. Only Western requires a VR of 11 to get in. U of T requires 9 in each subject, after that MCAT is not looked at again. Mac looks only VR in the MCAT but your score is mostly decided by Casper. Also you don't need a 3.9 GPA. Average acceptance at McMaster last year was ~3.75. U of T was around 3.9 AFTER dropping your lowest 8 half semester courses. This guy is hyping things up WAY too much. Canadian schools mostly don't give any care about the MCAT. As long as you have a 30+ you should be safe for 90% of schools.

I'm no expert in this but i'm just curious, isn't that only if you had completed 4 years of undergad with full time course load (40 courses) excluding spring/summer? I don't think they drop everyone's lowest 8 half semester courses. Perhaps OP doesn't meet those conditions.
I agree Mac was the first thing that came to mind when i read OP's stats. I think even Ottawa could work, considering they don't require the MCAT.
 
Hi SDNers.

Proof: My MCAT scores last April (taken twice) were (13/9/15) and (14/9/13) compared to last September (11/8/11). I'm Canadian, so I had to retake for my verbal to be 10.
I felt like I bombed my first April MCAT and did average on my second April MCAT, but I got 37 and 36 respectively. But, I felt like I did AMAZING in Sept. but only managed a 30.
Further, my brother did his MCAT in May last year and pulled (14/9/12) and twice in August (10/9/11) and (11/8/12).

Therefore, by taking your MCAT past July you will be compared against better competition regardless of how the preset scale was prepared via the AAMC for that test date and your margin for error will be thin for you to get a decent score. On the contrary, by taking your MCAT in Apr/May you will be up against more first-time test takers who have a tendency to panic and receive lower raw scores.

n=2.......statistically significant!
 
You're right about Uof T having a 3.6, my bad and yes they only drop those courses if you finish 4 years. However, if you finish 3 years they drop your lowest 6. TBH if you have lower than a 3.6 GPA even after the kind weighting some schools give, unless you have something else that is stellar (like for Mac a 15 VR or a first author publication in Nature), then you're totally wasting your money applying in Canada.
 
AAMC's Guide to the MCAT explains how the MCAT is scored and how scaled scores are made.
 
AAMC's Guide to the MCAT explains how the MCAT is scored and how scaled scores are made.

I agree. I don't see the point of questioning how the curve is made and arguing for or against one specific opinion based on anecdotal experience. If AAMC says the time you take does not matter, then just think about it as it does not matter: the biggest difference is probably like 2 points? Those two points can probably be earned by getting off this debate and getting back to your books.
 
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Something to consider about this "hack" in regards to the new mcat exam.....most prep companies will be sending people to take the new mcat during the early administrations to get a feel for what the test is like. These people are likely to be naturally intelligent if they are working for a company and will likely score their exam and do better than the average person. Considering percentiles will be used, its possible if enough test prep people are taking the new exam as a trial/error way to see the format, etc, that the scores could be artificially inflated, therefore making it harder to achieve a high percentile by the average person. This also could work the other way in that since noone knows what to expect, the high scores will be artificially lower, therefore increasing you probability of scoring around the average. Its impossible to know which way this will work out but its something to consider only b/c this exam is brand new and the early administration scores are only comparable against percentiles of those who took it on that specific day since there is a lack of data on the new scoring system.
 
Something to consider about this "hack" in regards to the new mcat exam.....most prep companies will be sending people to take the new mcat during the early administrations to get a feel for what the test is like. These people are likely to be naturally intelligent if they are working for a company and will likely score their exam and do better than the average person. Considering percentiles will be used, its possible if enough test prep people are taking the new exam as a trial/error way to see the format, etc, that the scores could be artificially inflated, therefore making it harder to achieve a high percentile by the average person. This also could work the other way in that since noone knows what to expect, the high scores will be artificially lower, therefore increasing you probability of scoring around the average. Its impossible to know which way this will work out but its something to consider only b/c this exam is brand new and the early administration scores are only comparable against percentiles of those who took it on that specific day since there is a lack of data on the new scoring system.

Very wrong. Their system really isn't that hard to understand people.

THE CURVES ARE MADE BEFORE TEST DAY BASED ON EXPERIMENTAL/TRIAL PERFORMANCE FROM PAST TEST TAKERS. It has always been this way. They have been gathering data on their new MCAT2015 material for over a year using experimental and trial passages/questions so that they can keep doing it this way. It does not matter if the people testing alongside you are smarter or better prepped than the average test taker, BECAUSE IT F****** ISN'T CURVED BASED ON HOW THOSE AROUND YOU PERFORM. You can have slightly more or less than 5% of test takers at your exam score 95.0-99.9th percentile, because the percentiles are determined using a population of past test takers NOT THE PEOPLE TESTING WITH YOU.

Seriously people, come on. They're aware there could be minor fluctuations in test-taking populations depending on time of year etc, and so they were smart and set it up so your score did not reflect who you tested with. There is no god damn "hack" or benefit to certain times of day, year, location, testing center, or anything else.
 
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Very wrong. Their system really isn't that hard to understand people.

THE CURVES ARE MADE BEFORE TEST DAY BASED ON EXPERIMENTAL/TRIAL PERFORMANCE FROM PAST TEST TAKERS. It has always been this way. They have been gathering data on their new MCAT2015 material for over a year using experimental and trial passages/questions so that they can keep doing it this way. It does not matter if the people testing alongside you are smarter or better prepped than the average test taker, BECAUSE IT F****** ISN'T CURVED BASED ON HOW THOSE AROUND YOU PERFORM. You can have slightly more or less than 5% of test takers at your exam score 95.0-99.9th percentile, because the percentiles are determined using a population of past test takers NOT THE PEOPLE TESTING WITH YOU.

Seriously people, come on. They're aware there could be minor fluctuations in test-taking populations depending on time of year etc, and so they were smart and set it up so your score did not reflect who you tested with. There is no god damn "hack" or benefit to certain times of day, year, location, testing center, or anything else.


whoa, calm down there bud. Like you said, everyone is speculating, noone is saying they are right or wrong, its just simple discussion. On another note, how much time should we devote to studying physics and ochem considering the little amount of questions on it compared to the other subjects?
 
I'm not speculating, as I posted above everything I said is also available on aamc website.

Your answer depends what score you're aiming for - you can basically ignore organic and pull a 30 but to get into top few percentile you need mastery of everything that might appear
 
If I was taking the exam again for 2015 I would study everything in their nice outline. There isn't anything I would really cut, though on my MCAT I used only a small percentage of the things I studied. As @efle said, you can selectively ignore things, but not if you want a top score.

Also I wish whoever bumped this horrible thread was banned.
 
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