How is the MCAT curved/scored?

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missdoctor

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I know there are a ton of threads like this, but I couldn't find one that answered what I was looking for. Is the same MCAT given to everyone on a given test day? And the curve is based on how every one did on that particular test on that particular day? If that is the case, then wouldn't it be possible for the curve be harder at a time like August assuming most August test takers have used the entire summer to study, whereas an April MCAT curve may be more forgiving because there may be more test takers who weren't as prepared?
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Everyone who takes the MCAT on a given administration are given the same exam, minus a passage or two, which may be experimental.

From what I understand, the curve is determined BEFORE the exam is graded to reflect the difficulty of the exam, rather than to reflect how everyone did. By this, I mean the curve is set before one person sits down to take the test, and this curve is supposed to put April test takers on the same level as those August test takers, even though the difficulty level may be different.
 
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Captain Jack said:
Everyone who takes the MCAT on a given administration are given the same exam, minus a passage or two, which may be experimental.

From what I understand, the curve is determined BEFORE the exam is graded to reflect the difficulty of the exam, rather than to reflect how everyone did. By this, I mean the curve is set before one person sits down to take the test, and this curve is supposed to put April test takers on the same level as those August test takers, even though the difficulty level may be different.
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Oh really? I thought that the curve is solely based on how everyone else who took that test did?
 
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missdoctor said:
Oh really? I thought that the curve is solely based on how everyone else who took that test did?
Click to expand...

Nope, and this answers your initial question exactly:

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).

Source: http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/preparing/understandingscores.htm
 
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How are the points awarded? For example, is there a certain number of questions right that would give you a 10 on BS and then a certain number of questions right that would give you a 12 on BS?
 
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Captain Jack said:
Nope, and this answers your initial question exactly:

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).

Source: http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/preparing/understandingscores.htm
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ohhh okay I see now. that's a relief lol thanks so much!
 
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psharma02 said:
How are the points awarded? For example, is there a certain number of questions right that would give you a 10 on BS and then a certain number of questions right that would give you a 12 on BS?
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I believe so- at least that's what taking the practice AAMC exams has indicated. There's a section that says 'How is that MCAT scored' and you look to find your test number, and there's a scale for many points a certain number of correct answers will get you.

e.g.
 

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missdoctor said:
I believe so- at least that's what taking the practice AAMC exams has indicated. There's a section that says 'How is that MCAT scored' and you look to find your test number, and there's a scale for many points a certain number of correct answers will get you.

e.g.
Click to expand...

Wow! That is a tight range. I could've swore that I had read somewhere that it was possible to miss a couple of questions and still end up with a 15. I guess not according to that. Wow it seems like a 13 is almost even going to be out of question for me according to that.
 
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nabeel76 said:
Wow! That is a tight range. I could've swore that I had read somewhere that it was possible to miss a couple of questions and still end up with a 15. I guess not according to that. Wow it seems like a 13 is almost even going to be out of question for me according to that.
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There is no curve for the MCAT, rather there is a pre-set scale. So it is kind of like the AAMC tests that you took and scored. Think of the raw score. I think it is really just the number of questions one can answer correctly. So if you were planning on getting a 15 on a section, just make sure that you are only unsure of say 2-3 questions. For example, if I wanted a 15 on PS, I would only be allowed to get 2-3 questions wrong, meaning I would have to get a minimum of 48-49 out of 52 questions correct. Yikes!!!
 
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With respect to people having studied all summer for August exams and scoring higher, that probably does help some test takers, but keep in mind lots of August test takers are also those that bombed exams earlier in the year and may bomb this one as well.
 
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