Note to SDN: It's not the form's fault.

[_ian]

Seriously.

If it really makes you feel better, you can believe otherwise, though. I wouldn't make too much of a scene about it.

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[dave613]

Seriously.

If it really makes you feel better, you can believe otherwise, though. I wouldn't make too much of a scene about it.

so then how can you explain our scores? It can't be that the curve was so ridiculous.

 

[MoosePilot]

so then how can you explain our scores? It can't be that the curve was so ridiculous.

You missed problems? That's generally what they use to arrive at a score.

 

[dave613]

You missed problems? That's generally what they use to arrive at a score.

huh?

 

[MoosePilot]

huh?

Ah, here we find the source of your confusion.

The MCAT is graded based on the total number missed in each section. Did nobody tell you?

 

[dave613]

Ah, here we find the source of your confusion.

The MCAT is graded based on the total number missed in each section. Did nobody tell you?

oh lol. I don't think i missed so many problems. We will see what happens though. I'm ending this discussion for now, until the regrade is done.
Thanks moose

 

[Anastasis]

You missed problems? That's generally what they use to arrive at a score.

Are you serious!?!? And here I thought they pulled scores out of the sorting hat. Or maybe that was that dream I had after staying up too late reading Harry Potter.

 

[MoosePilot]

oh lol. I don't think i missed so many problems. We will see what happens though. I'm ending this discussion for now, until the regrade is done.
Thanks moose

All right. Good luck!

 

[thesmartazz]

Seriously.

If it really makes you feel better, you can believe otherwise, though. I wouldn't make too much of a scene about it.

It's true that each student is supposed to be responsible for everything on the MCAT syllabus, but there's something unsettling about the forms' having content ratios that are very different. If you look at the "Form XX" posts on this forum, there were some versions of the test that had a lot of orgo whereas mine had none; if the impressions shared on this forum are even vaguely correct, then different forms of the test don't even test the same subjects to the same degree, which I find disturbing. I think the AAMC could at least throw in the same amount of organic chemistry into each test; mine only had 2 orgo passages.

While I agree with you that you can't blame the form of the test that you took directly, I think it *is* very reasonable to assume that you were better suited for one form of the test over another and that your score could have varied to some degree - I'm thinking 1 to 4 points - based on which form of the test you took. But in the end, this is more of an issue of chance than of skill; what the AAMC chooses to test each year may or may not match what you study.

 

[Sicilian]

So exactly how much variation is there from one form to another?

 

[DD214_DOC]

A) I thought you were graded on how many anweres were correct, not wrong

B) I'm pretty sure you're only scored against people with the same form. Otherwise, it doesn't seem to be very standardized.

C) You're expected to know everything, but that isn't really possible. A little luck comes into play to get a really high score, such as receiving a form that is composed mostly of stuff you know well and are pretty good at. But, ultimately it is up to YOU to study what needs to be studied.

My lowest section is PS. I can bring it up. I know physics very well now, it's my highest GPA. (3.68 for physics and genchem). However, I made two mistakes. The first time I took the MCAT, I had not had Physics II. I didn't really put much study time into optics and E&M and learning all the formulae. My form was mostly E&M.

The second time, after having physics II, I reviewed and pimped myself on E&M and knew it inside out. I spent about two straight weeks on nothing but physics. I neglected gen chem, which by that time was a class I took 3 years ago. My form was mostly genchem with some E&M stuff thrown in, and naturally I couldn't remember **** from genchem. My score went up, but not as much as it should have.

I now know that anything is fair game because of the variation of forms and administrations. If, for some reason, I decide to retake the MCAT, I'm spending weeks on PS alone.

The only plus side is that I'm flying through astrophysics and astronomy because I know physics so well. At least something came out of it.

 

[mcatsucks]

I still do not understand why they just dont have the same problems on all the forms maybe in different order if they are worried about cheating. That would be ultimately the most fair way of doing this ridiculous test.

There would then be no doubt about the scale or scoring...Comments on why they dont do this.............

 

[SearsTower]

Forms with immunology/molecular bio had much more to read and analyze versus an organic-filled form. On the time issue, it ain't fair.

 

[DD214_DOC]

Forms with immunology/molecular bio had much more to read and analyze versus an organic-filled form. On the time issue, it ain't fair.

It is for those who are strong in VR.

 

[SearsTower]

On those Bio topics, experiments vary and you must extract stufff from the passage. On an Organic passage, sometimes you can basically skip the reading and jump into the questions.

 

[HunterGatherer]

actually you can go straight to the questions on the BS and PS sections for orgo,gen chem, physics, and bio. Many people do that to score well on the exam. I got this idea from the MCAT forum as advice on how to improve my score. It works very well.

On those Bio topics, experiments vary and you must extract stufff from the passage. On an Organic passage, sometimes you can basically skip the reading and jump into the questions.

 

[Kimka83]

My question is, are you graded only against those who took your same form? Then how are the different forms compared? I just have never gotten a clear answer on this.

 

[SearsTower]

I'm not really sure how to explain it, but I think you are graded against the whole testing population. Look on e-mcat.com for information on how they score the MCAT.

check out their forum while you're at it.

 

[Saluki]

What I was told is that you are only scored against the people who took your same test to ensure fairness across the board. There are so many people taking each version that the curves for each test should even out...

 

[jebus]

check out aamc.org/mcat - somewhere on there on one of the PDFS in there it explains that you are only graded against the people who used the same form.

 

[MoosePilot]

A) I thought you were graded on how many anweres were correct, not wrong

What does that mean? There are only two choices: right and wrong. So if a question isn't right, it's wrong. If it isn't wrong, it's right. So grading based on the number right is the same as grading based on the number wrong.

Unless you're assuming there is a third category, which is unanswered. There isn't and hasn't been since the SAT or whatever crap test had that option to discourage guessing.

 

[Sicilian]

What does that mean? There are only two choices: right and wrong. So if a question isn't right, it's wrong. If it isn't wrong, it's right. So grading based on the number right is the same as grading based on the number wrong.

Unless you're assuming there is a third category, which is unanswered. There isn't and hasn't been since the SAT or whatever crap test had that option to discourage guessing.

I think he's referring to being penalized for wrong answers.

 

[SearsTower]

i hate desiredusername for some reason.

 

[DD214_DOC]

I think he's referring to being penalized for wrong answers.

Yep, you're only credited for answers you get correct. You are not penalized for answers that are wrong. You build your score up from nothing by answering questions correctly, but wrong answers won't hurt your score. A wrong answer just isn't counted.

It's nitpicky I know. I had it all figured out once.

 

[jebus]

i hate desiredusername for some reason.

your mother. i don't know what else. it just seemed appropriate.
oh, and probably because you have a small penis. I kid, I kid. How long until they pull this post?

 

[SearsTower]

i like desiredusername now.

 

[MoosePilot]

Yep, you're only credited for answers you get correct. You are not penalized for answers that are wrong. You build your score up from nothing by answering questions correctly, but wrong answers won't hurt your score. A wrong answer just isn't counted.

It's nitpicky I know. I had it all figured out once.

That's my whole point. That distinction matters if you have a three option scoring system in which you have correct answers which increase your score, unanswered questions which don't affect your score, and wrong answers which subtract points. But in this case it's a binary system. You get a question right or you get a question wrong. You can think of it like you start at zero and get a point for every right answer or you can think of it as you start with the same number of points as the number of questions and lose one for every one you answer wrong (through either leaving it blank or answering the wrong letter). It doesn't make any difference.

 

[DrMom]

Please refrain from personal attacks.

 

[SearsTower]

who's personally attacking who?

 

[DrMom]

appeared to be a 2-way street

 

[jebus]

appeared to be a 2-way street

Dr. Mom, you are right. I apologize. I think (and hope) we were doing it in jest, and this is not the appropriate avenue for that.

 

[suckermc]

i hate desiredusername for some reason.

your posts never fail to crack me up. so random.

 

[suckermc]

your posts never fail to crack me up. so random.

dr mom i thought he/she was kidding. not that desiredusername was, well whatever. sorry its late ...mad love.

 

[little_late_MD]

Dr. Mom, you are right. I apologize. I think (and hope) we were doing it in jest, and this is not the appropriate avenue for that.

I just got a vision in my head of me saying something very similar to my high school principal.

 

[SearsTower]

drmom, are u a mom and a doctor?