Anybody do awful VR on the 6/16/11 test

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LadyRugger said:
I know this is very late... but I only just found this thread... I took the exam on 4/9 and got a 6 in VR for a 24Q. I'd gotten a 7 on my first AAMC practice test, but then ranged between 9-12. I was shocked and surprised -- I knew it was awful, but I never imagined I could score that low. My pre-med advisor joked that maybe I filled in the wrong bubbles, ha, if only...

I retook the exam on 7/16 -- and got the 10 in VR. I even went up 1 pt in BS and 2 pts in PS. I honestly think the nerves of the first time taking the test have a lot to do with the awful scores. With verbal once you hit one rough spot its so easy to self-destruct. I put wayy too much pressure on myself the first time around. I really did not do any additional "studying" for the second test (only 3 months later, with one month off from studying while I waited for my first score) just reviewed my notes and did some practice problems. I tried to be cool and calm. My apps were already in, so there was nothing less to lose -- I guess it worked because I went up 7pts.

For those of you retaking in September - I recommend just not worrying and thinking about "what if I fail again" or scoring errors, etc. Just be confident -- at this point you know it all. I actually had "fun" taking the MCAT the second time around because I was able to work the problems instead of just guessing. I also stayed at a hotel across from the testing center the night before, so I could just walk over and not worry about driving or parking, that really helped!

Good luck to everyone taking the Sept exams!
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This is great advice. I retook it and while I did do much better on verbal than last time (the main reason for retaking), I noticed that I did freak myself out halfway through verbal, which I think held me back.
 
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btc8 said:
This is great advice. I retook it and while I did do much better on verbal than last time (the main reason for retaking), I noticed that I did freak myself out halfway through verbal, which I think held me back.
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Definitely! One trick I learned from ExamKrackers (I think), which was VERY helpful the second time around: before each passage I literally closed my eyes and took a BIG deep, slow breath (for ~5 seconds) and tried to clear my head and forget the previous passage. It's 30-35 seconds out of your 60minutes, so it really should not make a difference time wise! When I made an effort to do this, I think it REALLY made a difference
 
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Seems fishy.

I'm guessing there probably was something wrong.

But, if they admit it and re-score the tests, that would put into question the validity of the MCAT.

They will not admit it.

But I also don't think they will lie to you and say there was nothing wrong.

Which is why they are leaving you guys hanging.

They don't know what to do.

either 1) admit it and make the MCAT seem like a joke.
or 2) lie, say nothing was wrong, and feel bad having stolen your guys' money.

They are in a dilemma, which is why they are taking so long.


---(or maybe I'm just hyper-analyzing)
 
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Tebow said:
It'll be 6 weeks on Friday. I'm getting slightly perturbed as I was told last week that I would receive it this week.
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What is the approximate time they list in the MCAT Essentials? I'm too lazy to look.
 
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muhali3 said:
Seems fishy.

I'm guessing there probably was something wrong.

But, if they admit it and re-score the tests, that would put into question the validity of the MCAT.

They will not admit it.

But I also don't think they will lie to you and say there was nothing wrong.

Which is why they are leaving you guys hanging.

They don't know what to do.

either 1) admit it and make the MCAT seem like a joke.
or 2) lie, say nothing was wrong, and feel bad having stolen your guys' money.

They are in a dilemma, which is why they are taking so long.


---(or maybe I'm just hyper-analyzing)
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I also think you may be hallucinating in addition to over analyzing. I think this may be SOP for AAMC. If there were a mistake, their obligation would be to report it as you paid money to take an exam whose outcome depends upon AAMC's accuracy. I'm not a lawyer, but if there were a legitimate problem and they knowingly mislead people, that's tantamount to fraud.

I assume they won't do that because AAMC is pretty reputable.

What sucks is that these people will most likely have to wait until next week because since AAMC is somewhat like the government, they will probably close early Friday for the long weekend.
 
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Tebow said:
"about 4 weeks..."
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That's what I recall.

If I could be devil's advocate for a moment: Perhaps the amount of time required is getting their [AAMC] hands on your exam. Even though the exam is computerized, we have no idea how it's processed on their end. Think about it: Is a 'digital' copy (like a .pdf file) transmitted electronically to their headquarters from the testing center, or is a hard copy mailed in from the test center? Or both? We really have no idea.

Though, this may be all BS. 🙂

They may also have other procedures required, but I believe it shouldn't take this long for a hand regrade, which, in all truth, probably is pulled up from some server somewhere while someone manually verifies your answers to a master answer sheet.
 
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How long have previous re-scores taken?

and I totally subscribe to the idea that the AAMC would cover up an error if they knew that no one would ever find out 🙂.
 
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btc8 said:
I assume they won't do that because AAMC is pretty reputable.
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But this would also be a reason why they wouldn't want to admit to an error. But even if they do admit to an error, pre-meds have no other choice but to take the MCAT. So, even if a potential error does make them look bad, it doesn't matter.

hmm...i just negated my own theory.
 
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Hey all, rescore came back today...sorry to be the bearer of bad news but it was exactly the same. 🙁
 
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how did I miss this thread? Like it
1.jpg

2.jpg

3.jpg
 
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S6MD said:
if one rescore came back the same, yours probably will too.

g'luck with the retake.
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either way i prepared the last month and a half, taking it tomorrow, and i feel ultimately more prepared this time around for every section, so hopefully i can pull a 13-10-13 or something
 
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R1MD said:
Hey all, rescore came back today...sorry to be the bearer of bad news but it was exactly the same. 🙁
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I can remember getting a rescore...and opening the envelope....🙁. One month of waiting when I could have just chalked it up as a tough curve and took the test again. The MCAT is a very mysterious exam so it seems; you are left in darkness when something doesn't look right.
 
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I think rescores would have been more applicable to the paper-based MCAT where scoring errors were feasible. With the CBT, there's almost no room for a mistake occurring and even less room for detecting the rare mistake that might occur (but probably not).
 
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paul411 said:
I think rescores would have been more applicable to the paper-based MCAT where scoring errors were feasible. With the CBT, there's almost no room for a mistake occurring and even less room for detecting the rare mistake that might occur (but probably not).
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This is mostly why I lol.

Sorry guys, sucks. 👎
 
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paul411 said:
I think rescores would have been more applicable to the paper-based MCAT where scoring errors were feasible. With the CBT, there's almost no room for a mistake occurring and even less room for detecting the rare mistake that might occur (but probably not).
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Yep...know of someone getting a 4 in VR, having it rescored and ended up with an 11. Skipped a problem and then answered all the rest like she didn't, then with almost no time left she realized it. Wrote the AAMC afterwards and told them of her error and asked them to rescore.

With the CBT I doubt there would ever be an adjusted score in PS/VR/BS ... ever.
 
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paul411 said:
I think rescores would have been more applicable to the paper-based MCAT where scoring errors were feasible. With the CBT, there's almost no room for a mistake occurring and even less room for detecting the rare mistake that might occur (but probably not).
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Maybe.

We don't know how they end up making up the test: it could be a random pool of single questions tied to single answers assigned to each form, or it could be passage based with random questions assigned to the passages in a test type format (form 2, form 2A, etc.).

I agree that with CBT the errors are generally less apparent, but I still think it's possible.
 
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Welp, I got a "form letter" today saying that my rescore was exactly the same as the original score. Now, time to sulk in my own mediocrity -_-
 
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srry you all didn't get a higher score. it really was a harsh curve and we can all improve from it. good luck next time and don't ever lose hope.
 
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Sorry to hear about all the bad VR scores. I took the 6/16 exam as well, but voided it because of the VR. I felt like I would've gotten a 6 on verbal had I not voided. Seeing this thread makes me happy that I did...
 
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So it's officially 6 weeks. The thing is, I got an 11 on verbal. It was my scores for physical sciences and bio that were lower than I expected. Maybe the fact that it's taking so long means they found something *wishful thinking*
 
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No change. It was pretty illogical of me to suspect that there was anything wrong, but at least it put my mind at ease.
 
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I just saw this thread after so many months. I too was averaging 9-10s on my VR with an 11 on AAMC 7 but ended up with a 7 on the real deal 🙁 I think the nerves got the best of me and my changed strategy screwed me over.
 
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