April MCAT easier than August?

[gabbers22]

I have been told by several people that the April MCAT is easier than the August MCAT. Does this have any validity? Any suggestions would be appreciated...also if anyone has taken both the April and August MCAT...did one seem easier than the other?
THANKS!!!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[yigit]

I'm not saying that I know the answer to this, but here's what I think.

1. The MCAT is graded on a curve. How well you do depends on how well everyone else does.

2. A vast majority of people who take the MCAT have more time to study in June/July than they do in February/March.

3. Regardless of which test you take, you are scored relative to other students who are taking the test on the same day. You might have studied more for the August test, but so did everyone else, so I figure it evens out.

4. I bet the April MCAT is easier than the August MCAT. At the same time I think that getting a higher score on the April MCAT is NOT easier than on the August test.

Taking the MCAT is so much fun that I suggest trying both and deciding for yourself!

 

[yigit]

Don't mean to change the subject, but how's Omaha? I'm coming to an interview there soon.

 

[mpp]

As far as I know...

MCAT scores depend on how well you did against others taking the same test and the raw scores are grouped so that slight differences from test environment to test environment are (supposedly) taken into account. That is to say a range of raw scores all equal the same scaled score.

By scoring the test in this way, it doesn't really matter whether the test is easy or hard but rather how other people taking the same test perform against you. If everyone that takes the April MCAT has a raw score on the Physical Sciences section above 60 (out of 77), there will still be some people that receive a scaled score of 1 and some that receive a score of 15. But of course, they make the test difficult enough so that the range of raw scores is much broader and each scaled score has a range of raw scores.

 

[alshepard]

I took the August MCAT in 1999 and the April 2000 MCAT. Since the April test was my second attempt it should have been "easier" due to practice effect (at the very least knowing what to expect.) So if your theory that the April test is easier is true, it should have been especially evident to me. I did not find this to be the case. For me personally, the VR was the same, the PS was harder and the BS was slightly easier. I think that portions being "easier" or "harder" had more to do with my familiarity with certain concepts that were present on one test and not one the other.

 

[gabbers22]

Hey thanks everyone for responding..it is good to hear others opionions on this topic. I took the MCAT in 1999 and 2000, didn't do the greatest...but was hopeful for this year's admissions. Anyway, I started studying a little for the April MCAT, and I am worried that maybe I don't have enough time now left to study...

Hey alshepard....can I ask did you improve your score on the April test after you had taken it in August? If so....what did you do differently to prepare?

Yigit...right now Omaha is very COLD....this is the worst winter we have had in years....lots of snowstorms....we're supposed to have another one this weekend...are you coming in to interview at Creighton? I am still waiting to hear about an interview...I'm sure that it is getting so late now, that I won;t be getting one...but oh well..there's always next year!
Thanks everyone!

 

[alshepard]

I went up a bit in VR entirely through better time management during the test. I stayed the same in PS which was disappointing to me since that was my lowest score and I spent significantly more time reviewing physics and chem before the second test. (I was relieved that I didn't do worse because test day I thought I bombed the PS section.) I went up one digit in the BS and I don't know what I did differently studying for that section the second time around.

 

[yigit]

Yes I am coming to Creighton. What do you think?

I've taken the MCAT three times and my scores have gone up a lot each time (24, 30, 34). I'm quite sure that one can improve his/her score by learning the test. They ask certain types of questions and look for certain answers, but that's a different can of worms all together.

 

[dfleis]

.

 

[gabbers22]

Hey yigit...
COngratulations on your MCAT scores...that is phenomenal!
I love Creighton!!! They have a great student/faculty relationship...and their campus is beautiful! The only down side is that Creighton is very expensive....Also, some people are not thrilled with the city of Omaha as compared to other big cities....I really like Omaha--it is easy to get around to places, and it does not take very long to go to most places.
Can I ask you the same thing that I asked alshepard? What did you do differently when studying for the different times you took the MCAT? How long did you study every day....and did you take Kaplan or PR?
I'm sure that you will like Creighton....most people do!

Thanks also to everyone else who has replied!

 

[gabbers22]

Also a thought....if anyone would want to comment on taking the April MCAT...for those who were taking classes as well, how long did everyone spend per day studying for the MCAT?

 

[rxfudd]

I'm taking the MCAT in April - I spend 2-4 hours a day studying for the test and began on January 17. It still doesn't feel like enough...

 

[mpp]

I usually spend about one day a week (usually Sunday) studying. I take a practice test and review and go over areas where I found difficulty. I check every answer on a practice test, even the ones I got right, to be sure I understand why I got it right. Seems to work. I'm scoring 12+ on AAMC practice tests and I'm looking forward to April 21.

 

[KidA]

The August MCAT is a breeze compared to the April one. I scored a 12 on the April test and then I rocked the August one with a 13! Spending time on SDN is much more effective than studying.

 

[MAAT]

Actually, if you did take the August exam you would realize just how helpful SDN really is. One of the bio passages asked about Hpylori and Gerd...how could one help but think of SDN banner adds. Pretty funny really...

SEEK TRUTH -- MAAT

 

[hatcher]

i have to agree with yigit in that the exam gets easier after you have taken it once. i first took it in april and then took it again in august. i scored much higher in august than in april. this is independent of studying because i did not study for it either time (i figure it is like the sat in that there is no way to really study for it). i was just more relaxed the second time, and i think that helped.

 

[richierich]

There is no intentional difference in the difficulty of the test or it would eliminate the normalization effect. I will agree with previous posters about the different pools that you are competing against. The August pool tends to be smaller of usually more prepared test takers, if you think about it the majority of the 'slackers' who are taking the test take it in April to see if they need to take it again in August. Having a smaller more prepared pool will not allow for you to have as many discrepencies.

Also, someone pointed out the application advantages. No one that I know that took the August test received an acceptance. For example at my school, the class was nearly half full by December and those who had taken the August MCAT were just getting interviews. Odds are a lot more against you when you are competing for 1/45 instead of 1/96.


If you are ready take the April.

Richard