How reliable are Kaplan practice scores?

hopefulneuro · Jun 23, 2005

I am wondering how reliable Kaplan scores are?

Just took a test and did extremely well (well enough to call it quits on practicing now), but I am wondering if the test was too easy or an anomaly or what?

Obviously I will take more to verify the score but, until then, should I be pleased or only moderately happy?

aliendroid · Jun 23, 2005

First, I am disapointed with you for taking kaplan, second, yes they are pretty reliable.

Arsenic · Jun 23, 2005

aliendroid said:
First, I am disapointed with you for taking kaplan, second, yes they are pretty reliable.

the kaplan tests arent bad but dont stop preparing for the mcat based on just one practice test. even if you do good on the next one too, you could always get better between now and August.

Scrub MD · Jun 24, 2005

Which Kaplan test form most resembles the actual AAMC exam?

Avalanche21 · Jun 24, 2005

I think they give a good range (minus the diagnostic). My range was 29-35, and I got a 31 on the real one. I think they often focus on too much detail, however. Also, I don't think they're bio topics are broad enough...but nevertheless, most people I know have scored within their range. Hope this helps 👍

TheMightyAngus · Jun 24, 2005

I thought the actual Biological Science section tested a lot more fringe material than Kaplan's in-class tests. The Kaplan's Physical Science passages are pretty spot on.

The best thing about Kaplan is that you get your timing down. I was pretty amazed cause I'd have to fly through the PS sections just to finish during practice, and this really prepared me for the real deal.

Remember, Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, etc. There just REVIEW courses. If you learned the stuff the first time around in school, than they test your knowledge pretty well. But, if you are clueless on a lot of stuff, review courses probably aren't going to help that much.

SpeedRacer · Jun 24, 2005

whatever you do, don't get overconfident. i went from a 32 to a 25 on practice tests during the 2 wks before the mcat because i started to get laid back. stay on your toes.

Bigtime · Jun 24, 2005

hopefulneuro said:
I am wondering how reliable Kaplan scores are?

Just took a test and did extremely well (well enough to call it quits on practicing now), but I am wondering if the test was too easy or an anomaly or what?

Obviously I will take more to verify the score but, until then, should I be pleased or only moderately happy?

My real MCAt was 3 and 4 points LOWER than the Kaplan tests... ouch!!

the Real MCAT just sucks... I felt like I prepared for the wrong stuff.

Good luck

wetlightning · Jun 24, 2005

don't listen to what people say about getting a bump from kaplan tests on the real mcat...

my aamc test scores were 36 and 37, on 7 & 8. i got a 33 on the real thing. my kaplan scores ranged from 31-35...my last kaplan was a 32...as you can see, it predicted the real thing well.

kaplan PS is NOT significantly harder than the real thing...BS is actually slightly easier, as is verbal...the mcat is getting harder, in my uneducated opinion

medicomel · Jun 24, 2005

i think everybody is different. my practice scores ranged from 27-30, and i went several points higher than my highest full-length on the real deal. to the OP, just make sure you take the full-lengths as seriously as possible, go over all the answers, both right and wrong, and use your own judgment about whether or not to go to the last one. I skipped full-length 5 after scoring a measly 27 on #4 and used the last week to boost my confidence on what I was scoring the highest in. it paid off. oh, and make sure you know the flashcards COLD, and that you're doing as many section and topicals as you can. their explanations are great.

Centinel · Jun 24, 2005

How do you do on standardized tests? How did you do on the SAT? If you did well, I imagine that you perform well on standardized tests under pressure. In that case, you'll be fine. Don't call it 'quits', regardless, unless you want to see your score decline.

Also, what do you mean by 'well'? If your score is anything under a 45, you have more room for improvement, right? If you want to maximize your opportunity, you need to put in a strong effort to walk away with the best possible score.

QofQuimica · Jun 25, 2005

I think the practice tests are predictive of your real score for most people. My diagnostic score was 40 and my five full lengths ranged from 37-41. I ended up scoring two points higher on the real MCAT than I ever did on any of my Kaplan practice tests. I found that the Kaplan PS sections were MUCH harder than the real thing, and the other sections seemed about comparable. I had to really work to finish the Kaplan PS sections on time, but on the actual test, I was done almost half an hour early on that section.

Centinel · Jun 25, 2005

My case is similar to QofQuimica's. My Kaplan score range (ignoring the diagnostic) was 33-37. On the real test I scored 3 points higher than on any of the Kaplan practice tests, and 2 points higher than my highest AAMC (7R).

Nonetheless, you are cheating yourself out of points if you don't continue to study.

MochaMD · Jun 25, 2005

I scored in the same range that I was in when I was doing my Kaplan diagnostics on the April MCAT so I would say they are definitely realible and good indicator of how u are going to score on the actual exam (assuming you are taking the diagnostics seriously).

bebella24 · Jun 25, 2005

Hey...i understand that everyone is different, but here ate my two cents..

I took Kaplan and scored significantly LOWER than any of their tests. Just be careful and don't get overconfident.

gluon999 · Jun 25, 2005

My real MCAT score was 4 points higher than the avg. for FL 1-5 and AAMC 2-7.

stratom · Jun 27, 2005

I scored within the range of my kaplan tests. You have to realize that taking any type of prep course does not automatically mean you will get a higher score. If you study religiously, I find it hard to believe that you will do absolutely horrible on the real thing.

blankguy · Jun 27, 2005

How do those Kaplan exams from the bookstores (i.e MCAT 45, etc...) compare to the real thing?

philchemist · Jun 27, 2005

While taking the kaplan practice exams my scores ranged from 31-36. On the real mcat I scored a 30. I think I didn't score as high as I could've because I didn't take the classes the mcat are geared towards (i.e a&p, biochem, etc.) and I retain information from the prereq. classes. So I was pretty much learning everything in the kaplan class as opposed to reviewing things. There were a couple of passages where I was like WTF is this (particularly in the bs section) 😱 . If I had to do it over again I would take the science classes seriously in which case makes studying for the mcat easier. To score high on the mcat you have to know EVERYTHING in those darn review books. Hey, I can only donate so muck of my time to this stuff. Well enough of my rambling... back to work.

SensesFail · Jun 27, 2005

QofQuimica said:
I think the practice tests are predictive of your real score for most people. My diagnostic score was 40 and my five full lengths ranged from 37-41. I ended up scoring two points higher on the real MCAT than I ever did on any of my Kaplan practice tests. I found that the Kaplan PS sections were MUCH harder than the real thing, and the other sections seemed about comparable. I had to really work to finish the Kaplan PS sections on time, but on the actual test, I was done almost half an hour early on that section.

40 on the Kaplan Diagnostic?!? No wonder you got that big fat 43! I got a 29 on the Diagnostic and felt damn proud of myself for scoring highest in the class but a frikkin' 40 on that Diag is incredible.

DieselPetrolGrl · Jun 27, 2005

Bigtime said:
My real MCAt was 3 and 4 points LOWER than the Kaplan tests... ouch!!

the Real MCAT just sucks... I felt like I prepared for the wrong stuff.

Good luck

agreed. this happened to me as well.

ok guys - urgent Q - is there any general scale for kaplan tests - any distinct patterns like...

-2 drops u to 14
-5 to 13
-10 to 12
-15 to 10..blah blah blah

the aamc scale is more stringent
i need a quick and dirty approximator! thanks for any help.

musiclink213 · Jun 28, 2005

I was getting 27-29 on Kaplan, 31-33 on AAMC, and a 23 on the real thing. Just goes to show you never know what's going to happen.

benz240 · Jun 28, 2005

Another case here for higher on the real thing - made 21, 22's, 24 ad a 26 n the FL's, but the real deal was a 30. WTF indeed

SensesFail · Jun 28, 2005

Would anyone recommend doing Full Lenghts 6-11 before completing Full Lenghts 1-5 that we do in class leading up to test. We haven't had FL1 yet, but I'm considering doing FL6 on my own time just for kicks. 🙄

Hook17 · Jun 28, 2005

Just finished a kaplan class and took the april mcat. For my full lengths i got a 24, 24, 31,31, and a 19. I ended up with a 33. I fell asleep during the verbal section on the last full length it was killer. Most people that took the class with me scored 2 points higher on the mcat than on their best practice test. If you go over the explanations for each question you can really improve your score.

How reliable are Kaplan practice scores?

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