487 on nextstep diagnostic

[hopingigetin]

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what does this mean!?!? i want a 519 because thats my dream school averages!!

should i be worried???!

 

[Blueprint MCAT Tutor]

Hey, thanks for your question! Nothing to be worried about! I had a student that scored a 486 on the diagnostic and ended up with a 516 on the real exam. The diagnostic is not meant to tell you where you will end up, but just where you are starting. Most people take it having done no mcat studying and as a result score lower than their expectations. I would just see it as a starting point to measure progress against as you study. The diagnostic has no bearing on what your final score could be as long as you study hard and follow a schedule to complete content review and do ample practice.

I hope that helps and if you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to reach out!

 

[Calizboosted76]

Hey, thanks for your question! Nothing to be worried about! I had a student that scored a 486 on the diagnostic and ended up with a 516 on the real exam. The diagnostic is not meant to tell you where you will end up, but just where you are starting. Most people take it having done no mcat studying and as a result score lower than their expectations. I would just see it as a starting point to measure progress against as you study. The diagnostic has no bearing on what your final score could be as long as you study hard and follow a schedule to complete content review and do ample practice.

I hope that helps and if you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to reach out!

I know you probably will be biased, but I heard your exams are inflated below the 500 mark and accurate from like 500-506 and inflated for any score above that? How true is that? I took the diag as well and got a 499 and then studied for a month 6 days a week 10 hours a day and then took an EK exam and used the conversion table and it said I got a 503. SO just trying to feel things out.

 

[Blueprint MCAT Tutor]

@Calizboosted76 So, as far as I know, we have done statistical analysis on our practice exams and students tend to score +/- 2 points on the MCAT relative to their Next Step average scores. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that will hold be how it works for you or any individual student, but our data shows that our exams tend to do a good job of representing how students might perform on the actual exam. I think every company has their merits and I can't comment on score discrepancies between companies, but I think our exams do a fairly good job according to our internal data.

I would say for you, review your exams and see what kinds it mistakes you're making. If it's content related, then make sure you go back and thoroughly review those topics in addition to reading the answer explanations. If it's more passage analysis based, make sure you thoroughly understand the thought process behind reaching the right answer choice and how they found the information in the passage. You will notice trends in the type of stuff that is important in questions and then you can start formulating a strategy over what to look for when reading. The passage analysis skills come from doing more practice, so the more problems and exams you do and then thoroughly review, the better you'll get at it! I hope that helps and please reach out with any other questions!

 

[I'mJustCurious]

You're going to need to put in a lot of work to reach 519 from that score.

 

[Cornfed101]

I know you probably will be biased, but I heard your exams are inflated below the 500 mark and accurate from like 500-506 and inflated for any score above that? How true is that? I took the diag as well and got a 499 and then studied for a month 6 days a week 10 hours a day and then took an EK exam and used the conversion table and it said I got a 503. SO just trying to feel things out.

From my experience the inflation pattern you mentioned is true, although Next Step FLs are typically the least inflated of any 3rd party. What was your score break down?

 

[Calizboosted76]

From my experience the inflation pattern you mentioned is true, although Next Step FLs are typically the least inflated of any 3rd party. What was your score break down?

C/P: 125 CARS: 123 (Lowest I have scored on this section normally I am around a 127, even on the AAMC FL I have done.) B/BC: 126 P/S: 125 (Also my lowest score in this section normally I am around a 127-129)

 

[Cornfed101]

C/P: 125 CARS: 123 (Lowest I have scored on this section normally I am around a 127, even on the AAMC FL I have done.) B/BC: 126 P/S: 125 (Also my lowest score in this section normally I am around a 127-129)

Yeah I wouldn’t put much stock in the CARS score. Next Step CARS is not the best. Otherwise I think you are on track to do well. Just review super thoroughly and continue making improvements

 

[Calizboosted76]

Yeah I wouldn’t put much stock in the CARS score. Next Step CARS is not the best. Otherwise I think you are on track to do well. Just review super thoroughly and continue making improvements

Im shooting for a 505-510 so hopefully I start seeing more improvements. Sorry for derailing your thread OP.

 

[Seihai]

what does this mean!?!? i want a 519 because thats my dream school averages!!

should i be worried???!

When is your exam?

Next Step, from only observational knowledge (not statistically tested), seems to be inflated at scores below 505 and deflated at scores above 510/515.

If you're getting a <500 on Next Step less than a few weeks out, I'd be concerned. You will probably not be getting a 519 after just 2-3 weeks of studying from a 487 NS diagnostic.

Anything sub-125 in any section either indicates severe content gaps or severe lack of test-taking skills. Step back and review what you missed and why. Be brutally honest or you won't gain anything from it.

 

[Premed2295]

OP, how far out is your test? This is a diagnostic. It is nothing to worry about if you are far from test date. Just shows you the areas where you have to grow. .

 

[OrthopedicNeurosurgeon99]

That's gonna be a STEEP climb you have in front of you. Not impossible, but really gonna have to put in the time if you want to eventually get into the 515-520 range.