3rd Party Score Accuracy?

[kisabella99]

Hi everyone, I'm wondering about the accuracy of 3rd party exams compared to the actual exam. (And I know AAMC is the closest representation, but I'm still 2 months out so I'm saving those until next month).
I took a Next Step Diagnostic on 5/8 and got a 492: 121/125/123/123.
After a month of content review I took Kaplan exam 7 on 6/11 and got 501:123/126/126/126.

After reviewing my exam and going over weak topics I took Altius (COVID) 1 on 6/18 and got 506: 126/124/126/130.

I feel 501-506 in a week is a drastic change, so I'm wondering if one company is more accurate or if I should look at certain sections instead. (A little concerned about my dip in CARS, but hoping Altius is comparable in P/S).

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

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[GreenDuck12]

I wouldn’t place much emphasis on the scores for 3rd party exams - they are too different from the real mcat to be of predictive value. Instead, focus on identifying content gaps, practicing strategies, and improving with timing. Look for trends in your scores instead of the number themselves. When you’re 6 weeks out take an AAMC exam to see where you are.

 

[JimKimSlim]

I took all 10 Altius FL's. I found their C/P and B/B sections very similar to AAMC FL's, but their CARS and P/S sections felt different from AAMC materials and were not predictive of my actual performance. For instance, I averaged 125 and 127 on Altius CARS and P/S, respectively. On AAMC FL's and the actual test, I got 128 and 131 on those two sections. For reference, I also received 506 on my first Altius FL1, but learned from my mistakes and improved all the way up to 515. I ended up getting 520 on the actual MCAT, so I believe Altius indeed deflated my performance (N = 1).

What's more important is how you utilize your AAMC materials, which should be a separate post. I wish you the best of luck on your preparation!

 

[readmypostsMD]

i got around 511 on my NS exams, and around 515 on the real thing and on official practice exams