why are people saying that july 18th test is supposed to be mad hard???

[odoylerules]

just because the 8th and the 10th were straightforward???

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[docusa123]

Okay i took the July 8th mcat and it was RIDICULOUSLY HARD! Esp. the Physical sciences section you couldn't have studied even if you tried. Nothing would've prepared you for that. I've done over 2000 bio problems and the bio was even tougher than anything i've seen in EK and Kaplan. My friend who was scoring consistent 30's-34's thinks he got a 23-26 on this past mcat. I heard from a girl that July 10th was pretty difficult also but I'm not sure how that one turned out. I think July 18th will be hard too because its the same month and a lot of people say that june and july are the "bad" months for mcats because they make it harder because they know people retake during that period or push it off until the last minute so they assume people are prepared. Just my opinion but I could be wrong.

 

[Quantum Chem]

Don't listen to them. You should expect it to be difficult after all its an entrance exam into a professional school, but don't let the MCAT beat you before you get a chance to beat it. Besides these "people" aren't the ones who wrote the July 18th test and its just speculation.

 

[DrDre2001]

Arent questions like that irrelevant? If the test is "difficult" its going to be "difficult" for everyone and that will lower the curve and allow for a worse percentage of correct answers to equate to a higher score.

 

[Atlas80]

Arent questions like that irrelevant? If the test is "difficult" its going to be "difficult" for everyone and that will lower the curve and allow for a worse percentage of correct answers to equate to a higher score.

That is my understanding. It is like college some tests the average percent is a 75% other times it is a 40%, either way the final average grade is a C.

 

[J ROD]

You never know what you are going to get!

Just be relaxed as possible so that you can think clearly.

And stay CONFIDENT!!

 

[unsung]

You never know what you are going to get!

Just be relaxed as possible so that you can think clearly.

And stay CONFIDENT!!

Life's a box of chocolates.

 

[J ROD]

Life's a box of chocolates.

Indeed, it is!!!

 

[futuredoctor10]

Arent questions like that irrelevant? If the test is "difficult" its going to be "difficult" for everyone and that will lower the curve and allow for a worse percentage of correct answers to equate to a higher score.

Yep I agree. A difficult test will have a better curve, and I think this kind of stuff works itself out in the end. (Hopefully it does!)

 

[DrDre2001]

That is my understanding. It is like college some tests the average percent is a 75% other times it is a 40%, either way the final average grade is a C.

Agreed. Since your score is all about how you do RELATIVE TO OTHERS, the only things you should worry about is if you hear that the test is changing in ways that HURTS YOU AND HELPS OTHERS.

Like if for some reason you just suck at physics and you hear that the MCAT is becoming more physics based in the PS section, then that would suck.

 

[LikeClockWork]

This all just smacks of that old story grandpa used to tell. "When I was a kid we had to walk to school. Uphill. Both ways!"

Just because it was the one particular test you took doesn't mean it was especially hard.

 

[LaCasta]

Can two different test dates vary in their difficulty? Probably. Is the AAMC going to make the MCAT more difficult in certain months like July, probably not.

The test has to be standardized for everyone who takes it regardless of the date, and I believe the AAMC has states themselves that they try to make sure the date which you take it does not have a huge role in determining your score.

 

[doodlesmcdoodle]

I got my scores back for the July 8th exam, and let me tell you I cried and I'm not a crier. I had previously gotten a 30 with all 10s. I retook and got a 22. 4 in physical sciences, 9's in VR and BS. That is a HUGE difference. How can med schools rate you with other students when that test, from my experience as well as from what I have heard from others was uncharacteristically difficult? Anyone have any insight?

 

[mterp45]

I got my scores back for the July 8th exam, and let me tell you I cried and I'm not a crier. I had previously gotten a 30 with all 10s. I retook and got a 22. 4 in physical sciences, 9's in VR and BS. That is a HUGE difference. How can med schools rate you with other students when that test, from my experience as well as from what I have heard from others was uncharacteristically difficult? Anyone have any insight?

well you have to remember that every test is different and thus consider the relativity which acompanies each one. Your worst nightmare of a test might be someone else's tresor. If I was you I would retake in september. Since you have already gotten a 30, I assume you probably just got unlucky.

 

[doodlesmcdoodle]

it wasn't the score that was upsetting. If it had been even, it wouldn't have been a problem. It was the 4. That's not good no matter who you are. I am retaking on the 15th of Aug (I knew I hadn't done well on that section as soon as I was done with the exam).

I am just asking if anyone else has had similar results. As in, did anyone else do uncharacteristically poorly in the Physical Science section of the July 8th exam?

 

[supafield]

it wasn't the score that was upsetting. If it had been even, it wouldn't have been a problem. It was the 4. That's not good no matter who you are. I am retaking on the 15th of Aug (I knew I hadn't done well on that section as soon as I was done with the exam).

I am just asking if anyone else has had similar results. As in, did anyone else do uncharacteristically poorly in the Physical Science section of the July 8th exam?

Why did you retake the 10,10,10? and how long ago did you score it?
Just wondering if there was a particular reason

 

[doodlesmcdoodle]

I took it in May and i didn't think I had done well on it so I went ahead and registered for the July date just in case. Because I was already registered, I went ahead and retook it. Also, I did very very very poorly on the Writing Sample part of the May exam. Also, my gpa isn't terribly wonderful (3.4) so I would feel a lot more comfortable if I did very well on the MCAT as far as the application process goes.

 

[skinwoman]

i wrote on july 8th. although my PS score wasn't uncharacteristically poor, it was on the lower end of my practice scores. i left the test feeling like PS was the most reasonable section of the day, and that it could have been my best section -- so perhaps i got an easier version with a less generous curve? who knows. my writing score, on the other hand, was abysmal! i was stunned, because i've always been a very strong writer, winning statewide essay contests as a kid, and attending a college based on narrative coursework where i wrote a senior thesis. however, i struggled to find a counter-example for one of the prompts, especially since it meant defending something that i'm strongly against in real life. too much thinking, not enough writing, and most likely let things get personal = lousy score. and yes, i used capital letters for those MCAT essays.

i feel for you, doodlesmcdoodle (thanks for giving me the chance to write that sentence!). dropping from a 10 to a 4 is a major swing in the wrong direction. sometimes you get a killer passage that throws off your game, but just keep moving, because answering all the questions in time is much better than spending 20 minutes wracking your brain over one tricky passage. good luck tomorrow!

 

[IkerUnzalu]

i wrote on july 8th. although my PS score wasn't uncharacteristically poor, it was on the lower end of my practice scores. i left the test feeling like PS was the most reasonable section of the day, and that it could have been my best section -- so perhaps i got an easier version with a less generous curve? who knows. my writing score, on the other hand, was abysmal! i was stunned, because i've always been a very strong writer, winning statewide essay contests as a kid, and attending a college based on narrative coursework where i wrote a senior thesis. however, i struggled to find a counter-example for one of the prompts, especially since it meant defending something that i'm strongly against in real life. too much thinking, not enough writing, and most likely let things get personal = lousy score. and yes, i used capital letters for those MCAT essays.

i feel for you, doodlesmcdoodle (thanks for giving me the chance to write that sentence!). dropping from a 10 to a 4 is a major swing in the wrong direction. sometimes you get a killer passage that throws off your game, but just keep moving, because answering all the questions in time is much better than spending 20 minutes wracking your brain over one tricky passage. good luck tomorrow!

Hey what about the September 12th test. What do you think as far as difficulty, how will it measure up with July. I took it in April and I got an 18 it was sooooo hard but this time I have an arsenal with me. So what's the consensus on Sept?
Thanks

 

[betheltim]

I didn't know that people "knew" what future MCAT exams would be like...

Anyway, my July 8th MCAT gave me a PS score that was significantly less than my practice tests, and definitely less on the percentile rankings.