AAMC practice tests downward trend

[BeancheBlanco]

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Hey guys. I'm signed up to take the mcat in about 3 weeks. I just took my 3rd aamc practice test and I'm starting to get worried. Here are my scores so far in the order I took them:

aamc 4: 12/11/13 36
aamc 6: 12/11/11 34
aamc 9: 12/9/10 31

The weird thing is, while taking the tests, I've been feeling more and more comfortable with them (for example, aamc 4 I was feeling very uneasy right before I scored it while for aamc 9 I felt like I did very well right before I scored it). I've heard that the later tests get more difficult and are more indicative of the true mcat but is it normal for the scores to be this different? My main worry is about the verbal score on my aamc 9. Are the verbal sections more difficult for the later tests or did I just have a bed test on aamc 9 (or good tests on 4 and 6)? I've been getting mostly 10s with an occasional 9 on the EK 101 passages tests. From what I've seen, verbal scores are usually pretty constant for most people. Is it abnormal for my scores to vary from 9 to 11? This variability is making me very uneasy. How would I go about solidifying an 11 (my goal)?

Thanks for all input!

 

[vayntraubinator]

It's just one test! lol relax, and take some more

 

[muhali3]

The same thing is happening to me.

Every subsequent test I improve my test-taking technique,but it just seems that the questions and passages get harder, so the net effect is that my score is pretty stable.

 

[BeancheBlanco]

The same thing is happening to me.

Every subsequent test I improve my test-taking technique,but it just seems that the questions and passages get harder, so the net effect is that my score is pretty stable.

yeah, but mine isn't haha.

 

[snikkle]

Don't get too caught up with your scores, as you'll need to do more tests before you can really understand what's happening. As for verbal, just keep doing practice passages daily to solidify your test-taking techniques. Also, don't go into a test thinking about scores. That'll put you in a fragile mindset. Seems like you're scoring well overall, so i'm sure you'll do fine. Stay positive!

 

[erure]

I heard the tests get harder as you do the more recent ones (which are more realistic to the actual MCAT), so I wouldn't be surprised if you saw a downward trend going from the early AAMCs to the latest ones. Good luck! 😀

 

[mohad]

q

 

[animosity]

Same here :/

3-9 (excluding 6):

34, 39, 37, 35, 36, 34

back to where I started

 

[BeancheBlanco]

Same here :/

3-9 (excluding 6):

34, 39, 37, 35, 36, 34

back to where I started

I wouldn't be too worried about those scores. I also had an abnormally high score on aamc 4 so I think that test may have just been easier for us. Other than that test, your scores have been pretty consistent so you should have a good idea of where you're at. It's good to know that someone else struggled with aamc 9 though 🙂

It's kind of annoying cause you know you can score better, but it's not working out that way. At least, I feel like I can score better. I better be able to deliver though on the real thing.

I feel the same way but that's just how the mcat is. You have to just try to eliminate those stupid mistakes through more practice.

Your scores have been very consistent though. I wouldn't really call that a downward trend. Just take the rest of the aamc tests and those will give you a good idea of where you're at.

 

[mohad]

q

 

[sweetness34]

It is nothing to much to worry about. The early AAMC practice tests seem more easy than the last AAMC practice tests. I think AAMC 9,10,11 are very good practice, and in general many people's actual scores were close to the range of these practice tests or maybe better.

 

[PhaseShift11]

It also depends on what you're good at.

For example, I got 39 on AAMC 7, 36 on AAMC 5, and 38 on AAMC 8 (written in that order).

What this means, I think, is that rather than seeing fluctuation depending on the date I write it, the later AAMC's are better for me than the earlier ones. I think it's because I'm better with passage analysis than learned facts over the years, so for me I like the later bios more than AAMC 5's bio. However others may like the earlier AAMC bios and therefore do worse as they go along.