60 Days For MCAT Scores?

[SyrianHero]

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I heard that it will take around 60 days for the new MCAT (2015) scores to come out. Is that true? I saw this on the "gold standard" website.

 

[Osteoth]

Was true for the old MCAT, took almost exactly the amount of time that they said.

The AAMC will post about when the score will actually come out on their site, so check the "X MCAT date" thread in MCAT discussions.

 

[Blue Blood]

Yes.

https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/mcat2015/administration/

 

[baxt1412]

lol such a crock of ****


can anyone think of any logical reason besides hoping to push students into a lower refund date range or into a no refund date range for any future retakes? that is the ONLY reason I can think of is more $$$ for the AAMC

 

[ciruji]

It will be 2015 and we will have to wait 60 days for the scores of a computer-based standardized examination...

 

[LChristmas]

lol such a crock of ****


can anyone think of any logical reason besides hoping to push students into a lower refund date range or into a no refund date range for any future retakes? that is the ONLY reason I can think of is more $$$ for the AAMC

"How long will it take for scores to be reported?

For examinees taking the MCAT2015 exam in April and May, scores will take longer than the typical 30 to 35 days to be reported. For examinees taking the MCAT2015 exam in June and later, score reporting will return to the 30- to 35-day time frame.

In 2015, it will take longer to report scores for April and May examinees. The increased time to report these scores is caused by the extra analyses that are needed to establish the new scales and new norms for the MCAT2015 exam. The MCAT2015 exam will be in place for a long time – at least 15 years – so it is vital that the new scores be calibrated accurately and appropriately to support the fair evaluation of applicants taking different forms of the new exam, both within and across testing years. The AAMC must ensure that the scores of early examinees will mean the same thing as scores of examinees taking the test later in the year and that all of these scores will have the same meaning for the next 15 years. The foundation is so important that we have to get it right – and getting it right takes time.

That said, MCAT scores from the April and May 2015 administrations will be reported to examinees prior to the date when AMCAS first sends applications to medical schools for the 2016 application cycle. This will eliminate any disadvantage that these early examinees might face relative to applicants who took the MCAT exam prior to April 2015. Additionally, the AAMC will be providing these early examinees with preliminary estimates of their percentile ranks two to three weeks after they test. These preliminary estimates will inform examinees of the likely range of percentile ranks in which their scores are likely to fall and help them decide whether to re-take the exam and where they might want to apply."

https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/mcat2015/faqs/

 

[baxt1412]

"How long will it take for scores to be reported?

For examinees taking the MCAT2015 exam in April and May, scores will take longer than the typical 30 to 35 days to be reported. For examinees taking the MCAT2015 exam in June and later, score reporting will return to the 30- to 35-day time frame.

In 2015, it will take longer to report scores for April and May examinees. The increased time to report these scores is caused by the extra analyses that are needed to establish the new scales and new norms for the MCAT2015 exam. The MCAT2015 exam will be in place for a long time – at least 15 years – so it is vital that the new scores be calibrated accurately and appropriately to support the fair evaluation of applicants taking different forms of the new exam, both within and across testing years. The AAMC must ensure that the scores of early examinees will mean the same thing as scores of examinees taking the test later in the year and that all of these scores will have the same meaning for the next 15 years. The foundation is so important that we have to get it right – and getting it right takes time.

That said, MCAT scores from the April and May 2015 administrations will be reported to examinees prior to the date when AMCAS first sends applications to medical schools for the 2016 application cycle. This will eliminate any disadvantage that these early examinees might face relative to applicants who took the MCAT exam prior to April 2015. Additionally, the AAMC will be providing these early examinees with preliminary estimates of their percentile ranks two to three weeks after they test. These preliminary estimates will inform examinees of the likely range of percentile ranks in which their scores are likely to fall and help them decide whether to re-take the exam and where they might want to apply."

https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/mcat2015/faqs/

I was thinking they were making it 60 days permanently. My fault.

I still don't understand the current 30 days, and by extension the 30 days for the 2015 version once it is established.

 

[Blue Blood]

I was thinking they were making it 60 days permanently. My fault.

I still don't understand the current 30 days, and by extension the 30 days for the 2015 version once it is established.

I'm not sure what aamc article I read, but if I remember correctly the goal was to get score reporting down to ~15 days within a year.

They mystify the whole process. I could understand a week with everything computerized, but 30 days is silly for a computerized test.

 

[baxt1412]

I'm not sure what aamc article I read, but if I remember correctly the goal was to get score reporting down to ~15 days within a year.

They mystify the whole process. I could understand a week with everything computerized, but 30 days is silly for a computerized test.

completely digital, completely multiple choice... they know our scores before we leave the room. it's silly... utterly silly.

 

[LChristmas]

The raw score is known immediately. They probably need time to make sure it is scaled correctly, give us time to dispute questions, etc. Just trying to play devil's advocate... I could see 2 weeks being more appropriate

 

[Aloft085]

Want to know why it takes so long to get MCAT scores back? Because they're a monopoly, and have zero incentive to improve. So they might as well take their time, right?

 

[Dr.Zoidberg]

I totally understand needing a real baseline for the new MCAT. The experimental section can hardly be taken as good data at all. People haven't been studying that material, and they don't care nearly as much. What I can't understand is why they can't send a tentative score to you about a week after. The scale is predetermined before you take the test. My impression is that it's very rare that they actually change scores post-analysis, so why not just send people a tentative score or at least a range with a "caution" label.

There'd be a few cases where people are taken by surprise I'm sure, but for the vast majority it would help to plan out their post-MCAT time. It would also eliminate the problem of people booking slots as "insurance policies," but of course they make more money off of that, so why would they change it?

 

[deleted158872]

wth? The old MCAT took 30 days, and i thought that was incredibly long already

 

[baxt1412]

The raw score is known immediately. They probably need time to make sure it is scaled correctly, give us time to dispute questions, etc. Just trying to play devil's advocate... I could see 2 weeks being more appropriate

no, read zoidberg's post.

I totally understand needing a real baseline for the new MCAT. The experimental section can hardly be taken as good data at all. People haven't been studying that material, and they don't care nearly as much. What I can't understand is why they can't send a tentative score to you about a week after. The scale is predetermined before you take the test. My impression is that it's very rare that they actually change scores post-analysis, so why not just send people a tentative score or at least a range with a "caution" label.

There'd be a few cases where people are taken by surprise I'm sure, but for the vast majority it would help to plan out their post-MCAT time. It would also eliminate the problem of people booking slots as "insurance policies," but of course they make more money off of that, so why would they change it?

italics is exactly why they do it. I'm convinced of that... and the fact that, like aloft said, they have no competition so why change?

 

[Visible Ghost]

Is it fair to say the first set of test takers will set the scale for all other testers?

 

[amad01]

The raw score is known immediately. They probably need time to make sure it is scaled correctly, give us time to dispute questions, etc. Just trying to play devil's advocate... I could see 2 weeks being more appropriate

scaled long before you take the test. They know the millisecond you click submit what your score is. I like the $ theory..

 

[Dr.Zoidberg]

scaled long before you take the test. They know the millisecond you click submit what your score is. I like the $ theory..

Alright, sweet. We're all on board so it's time to let my cynical side out (puts on designated rant face). 😡

AAMC is extremely hypocritical. Their sole purpose is to make as much money as possible (which I have no problem with, it's just frickin' capitalism man), yet they claim to "help the disadvantaged" and all that fluffy stuff. Meanwhile, medical schools completely endorse their behavior and provide them with a monopoly. They provide very little material from their exams, and instead sell material to test prep companies (AAMC 6 anyone?) thus fueling the massive colon widening experience that is the test prep industry. I mean, it costs you $60 for a video game that takes the effort of hundreds of people over several years, and then you pay $35 for an exam they were going to throw out anyway, and even more ridiculous, $30+ for unofficial exams that don't even resemble the real thing. GS had a PS passage about Batman. Batman for God's sake! They don't even have the same number of passages as real exams (is it that hard to count?), and they include weird half-passages that you'd never find on the real exam. Higher education, and everything that goes along with it, is just becoming the biggest unofficial price-fixing bubble of the 21st century.


Eh, I think that's all I had to complain about. I'm gonna go take a nap.

 

[LChristmas]

This is their reasoning. I'm starting to wonder who these 'vendors' are and what they contribute.

"MCAT Scores
Q: Now that the Writing Section has been eliminated, why does it still take 30 days to receive a score report?
A: The raw scores are scaled and equated. In addition, we conduct statistical analysis to make sure all the items on the test performed as we expected them to. That takes interaction between AAMC and our vendors, so that is the reason for the 30 – 35 day window in which students can expect scores after they have taken the exam."

https://www.aamc.org/students/download/359130/data/advisorwebinarqa.pdf

Edit: formatting

 

[baxt1412]

This is their reasoning. I'm starting to wonder who these 'vendors' are and what they contribute.

"MCAT Scores
Q: Now that the Writing Section has been eliminated, why does it still take 30 days to receive a score report?
A: The raw scores are scaled and equated. In addition, we conduct statistical analysis to make sure all the items on the test performed as we expected them to. That takes interaction between AAMC and our vendors, so that is the reason for the 30 – 35 day window in which students can expect scores after they have taken the exam."

https://www.aamc.org/students/download/359130/data/advisorwebinarqa.pdf

Edit: formatting

Why not release them and put a disclaimer that stats will be ran and the score may not be final? I just don't really buy it... What do you mean make sure they performed like they expected? Cheating? Its silly.

 

[neurotroph]

Wow. Adding insult to injury.

 

[pithy84]

The DAT gives you an estimate score immediately, and the official score later. The estimate is extremely good.

The MCAT could do this if they wanted to.

 

[amad01]

Alright, sweet. We're all on board so it's time to let my cynical side out (puts on designated rant face). 😡

AAMC is extremely hypocritical. Their sole purpose is to make as much money as possible (which I have no problem with, it's just frickin' capitalism man), yet they claim to "help the disadvantaged" and all that fluffy stuff. Meanwhile, medical schools completely endorse their behavior and provide them with a monopoly. They provide very little material from their exams, and instead sell material to test prep companies (AAMC 6 anyone?) thus fueling the massive colon widening experience that is the test prep industry. I mean, it costs you $60 for a video game that takes the effort of hundreds of people over several years, and then you pay $35 for an exam they were going to throw out anyway, and even more ridiculous, $30+ for unofficial exams that don't even resemble the real thing. GS had a PS passage about Batman. Batman for God's sake! They don't even have the same number of passages as real exams (is it that hard to count?), and they include weird half-passages that you'd never find on the real exam. Higher education, and everything that goes along with it, is just becoming the biggest unofficial price-fixing bubble of the 21st century.


Eh, I think that's all I had to complain about. I'm gonna go take a nap.

I agree... that's why you beat the system and not pay for it...

 

[Mad Jack]

I was thinking they were making it 60 days permanently. My fault.

I still don't understand the current 30 days, and by extension the 30 days for the 2015 version once it is established.

They need to thoroughly analyze each test to ensure there were no anomalies. This takes a good deal of time to do properly, and is a service to the test takers, as it ensures their test was graded fairly in comparison to previous examinations.

 

[user12]

Alright, sweet. We're all on board so it's time to let my cynical side out (puts on designated rant face). 😡

AAMC is extremely hypocritical. Their sole purpose is to make as much money as possible (which I have no problem with, it's just frickin' capitalism man), yet they claim to "help the disadvantaged" and all that fluffy stuff. Meanwhile, medical schools completely endorse their behavior and provide them with a monopoly. They provide very little material from their exams, and instead sell material to test prep companies (AAMC 6 anyone?) thus fueling the massive colon widening experience that is the test prep industry. I mean, it costs you $60 for a video game that takes the effort of hundreds of people over several years, and then you pay $35 for an exam they were going to throw out anyway, and even more ridiculous, $30+ for unofficial exams that don't even resemble the real thing. GS had a PS passage about Batman. Batman for God's sake! They don't even have the same number of passages as real exams (is it that hard to count?), and they include weird half-passages that you'd never find on the real exam. Higher education, and everything that goes along with it, is just becoming the biggest unofficial price-fixing bubble of the 21st century.


Eh, I think that's all I had to complain about. I'm gonna go take a nap.

This is why I think it takes so long to grade the exams.

1. I swear I think they curve it and so they take the time to see how badly kids screwed up and how much leeway they're gonna give them in terms of how many questions it will take to get like an 11 or 12 on a section or whatever (of course that number will be converted with the new exam)

2. They take a long time to grade so that stupid people (like myself) will obsess over the test and get nervous and doubt their performance and immediately sign up to take a new one before they even see their score.

3. I've said it before and I'll say it again just because you brought it up. "Gold" Standard sucks. I know they don't have anything to do with the time it takes aamc to grade, but Ill take advantage of an opportunity to bash them a little bit. I remember the batman passage. so dumb.

 

[optimistic3]

This is why I think it takes so long to grade the exams.

1. I swear I think they curve it and so they take the time to see how badly kids screwed up and how much leeway they're gonna give them in terms of how many questions it will take to get like an 11 or 12 on a section or whatever (of course that number will be converted with the new exam)

2. They take a long time to grade so that stupid people (like myself) will obsess over the test and get nervous and doubt their performance and immediately sign up to take a new one before they even see their score.

3. I've said it before and I'll say it again just because you brought it up. "Gold" Standard sucks. I know they don't have anything to do with the time it takes aamc to grade, but Ill take advantage of an opportunity to bash them a little bit. I remember the batman passage. so dumb.

It is pre-scaled before the test is taken so #1 is not quite true. I used to think that as well but SDN'ers have taught me otherwise lol

I am by no means an authority on this but I think the answer is your #2. It only makes sense that they'd make a lot more money off of us waiting longer to get our scores and signing up for another test. They have no reason to change since there's nothing we can do about it.

 

[baxt1412]

This is why I think it takes so long to grade the exams.

1. I swear I think they curve it and so they take the time to see how badly kids screwed up and how much leeway they're gonna give them in terms of how many questions it will take to get like an 11 or 12 on a section or whatever (of course that number will be converted with the new exam)

2. They take a long time to grade so that stupid people (like myself) will obsess over the test and get nervous and doubt their performance and immediately sign up to take a new one before they even see their score.

3. I've said it before and I'll say it again just because you brought it up. "Gold" Standard sucks. I know they don't have anything to do with the time it takes aamc to grade, but Ill take advantage of an opportunity to bash them a little bit. I remember the batman passage. so dumb.

the test isn't curved no matter if you think it is or not lol 😛. it's standardized before it is released, to have different, but functionally equivalent, raw scores (between two respective tests) equate to the same scaled score.

the raw to scaled score conversion is already known before the test is released... but apparently they still have to make sure not everyone got a 5 on PS or something... idk. I'm just not buying it lol. I don't believe that they really do 30 days of work after each test.

https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/preparing/85436/preparing_understandingscores.html

 

[Dr.Zoidberg]

the test isn't curved no matter if you think it is or not lol 😛. it's standardized before it is released, to have different, but functionally equivalent, raw scores (between two respective tests) equate to the same scaled score.

the raw to scaled score conversion is already known before the test is released... but apparently they still have to make sure not everyone got a 5 on PS or something... idk. I'm just not buying it lol. I don't believe that they really do 30 days of work after each test.

https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/preparing/85436/preparing_understandingscores.html

Probably, it's ready in about 1 week, but they use 30 days as a "worst case scenario" so they are never late. On the other hand, it's clear that the 30 day lag makes them more money, so why do away with it? Exploitation at it's finest.

 

[reticence]

It appears that 60 days will be the time for the April scores to come in but every test date onward will take about 30 days.

On this image from AAMC site:

April 17/18 -> June 16 but the May 22 test date will have scores released on June 30.

I know that ideally you'd like to send/verify the application soon after June 1, but will those people receiving their scores on Jun 16/30 be at a significant disadvantage compared to people sending in at the start of June?

 

[LChristmas]

It appears that 60 days will be the time for the April scores to come in but every test date onward will take about 30 days.

On this image from AAMC site:

April 17/18 -> June 16 but the May 22 test date will have scores released on June 30.

I know that ideally you'd like to send/verify the application soon after June 1, but will those people receiving their scores on Jun 16/30 be at a significant disadvantage compared to people sending in at the start of June?

I would say that any disadvantage would be minimal since there will be so many people waiting for their scores to be released. Also, in early June, adcoms are probably focussing more on filling the entering class than evaluating new applications.