Could YOU get a 3 on the MCAT if you tried?

[Dr Trek 1]

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I think it takes a lot of skill on the MCAT to get the lowest possible score, 3. This is because in many cases you would have a good idea of what the correct answer is in order to select the incorrect answer. Since there is only one correct answer per question, however, your chances of selecting the incorrect answer are much higher due to simple probabilities. But still you would need a better strategy than simply randomly selecting answers.

However let's say you were hired to get a 3 on the MCAT in order to destroy the MCAT curve (along with your thousands of other hired partners). Do you think you could succeed without leaving the answer sheet blank? What would be your strategy?

 

[Monette]

I think it takes a lot of skill on the MCAT to get the lowest possible score, 3. This is because in many cases you would have a good idea of what the correct answer is in order to select the incorrect answer. Since there is only one correct answer per question, however, your chances of selecting the incorrect answer are much higher due to simple probabilities. But still you would need a better strategy than simply randomly selecting answers.

However let's say you were hired to get a 3 on the MCAT in order to destroy the MCAT curve (along with your thousands of other hired partners). Do you think you could succeed? What would be your strategy?

Uhm, leave the answer sheet blank

Monette

 

[Dr Trek 1]

Uhm, leave the answer sheet blank

Monette

I heard somewhere that proctors have to report people who turn in blank answer sheets, but I don't know how true it is. Regardless, asume you couldn't do that for the sake of discussion.

 

[seadizzle]

I think it takes a lot of skill on the MCAT to get the lowest possible score, 3. This is because in many cases you would have a good idea of what the correct answer is in order to select the incorrect answer. Since there is only one correct answer per question, however, your chances of selecting the incorrect answer are much higher due to simple probabilities. But still you would need a better strategy than simply randomly selecting answers.

However let's say you were hired to get a 3 on the MCAT in order to destroy the MCAT curve (along with your thousands of other hired partners). Do you think you could succeed without leaving the answer sheet blank? What would be your strategy?

Even if you couldn't leave it blank I think I could a 3. My strategy would be to take it like a real test, find the correct answer, choose a wrong one.

On the ones I was unsure about when I really took the test I could usually narrow down to two answer choices, so I'm pretty sure I'd be able to select at least one wrong answer.

I scored well when I was trying to get a high a score as possible 🙂 So I bet I would rock at scoring as low as possible too 😎

 

[Kristiyana]

Even if you couldn't leave it blank I think I could a 3. My strategy would be to take it like a real test, find the correct answer, choose a wrong one.

That's exactly what I was going to suggest. 👍

 

[Will Ferrell]

Some of the few people getting <10 total may have just misbubbled somewhere. <1% of test-takers get single digit scores. The probability of misbubbling (especially under such stress) should be in that ball park.

Does anyone have a story about such an incident?

 

[Creightonite]

I've gotten 2 or 3 on VR the first time I took practice test 🙂. No it is like 8-9

 

[Anastasis]

Some of the few people getting <10 total may have just misbubbled somewhere. <1% of test-takers get single digit scores. The probability of misbubbling (especially under such stress) should be in that ball park.

Does anyone have a story about such an incident?

There was JustR - her (I think it was a her) verbal score was 4 I think. But I could be wrong.

 

[Nomemory]

Misbubbling ain't cool. 😱

 

[shantster]

There was JustR - her (I think it was a her) verbal score was 4 I think. But I could be wrong.

I thought it was a 2. I stopping paying attention to all her posts after the MCAT scores were released, so it could very well have been a 4.

 

[shantster]

Misbubbling ain't cool. 😱

No it's not. I'm so anal about how I fill in the bubbles.

 

[RayhanS1282]

If you can't leave the answer sheet blank, then bubble it half-way. Or bubble in two choices for all questions. 😀

 

[Lilah]

I think it takes a lot of skill on the MCAT to get the lowest possible score, 3. This is because in many cases you would have a good idea of what the correct answer is in order to select the incorrect answer. Since there is only one correct answer per question, however, your chances of selecting the incorrect answer are much higher due to simple probabilities. But still you would need a better strategy than simply randomly selecting answers.

However let's say you were hired to get a 3 on the MCAT in order to destroy the MCAT curve (along with your thousands of other hired partners). Do you think you could succeed without leaving the answer sheet blank? What would be your strategy?

Why hasn't anyone thought of this already.
Sounds cool. 😛

 

[solitude]

in my AP European history class many moons ago, the teacher offered the following on all exams:

If you get from 1 to 100%, this is your grade on the exam.
If you get 0% (i.e. purposely answer each question wrong), you receive 100% on the exam.

I was too weenie to ever try it. In fact, I only know one girl who ever took the challenge. On a 47 question exam, she missed all but one question. Lost her 4.0 because of it.

 

[EddieIndy]

in my AP European history class many moons ago, the teacher offered the following on all exams:

If you get from 1 to 100%, this is your grade on the exam.
If you get 0% (i.e. purposely answer each question wrong), you receive 100% on the exam.

I was too weenie to ever try it. In fact, I only know one girl who ever took the challenge. On a 47 question exam, she missed all but one question. Lost her 4.0 because of it.

WOW... Now that's something... 😀

 

[QofQuimica]

Why hasn't anyone thought of this already.
Sounds cool. 😛

Who would be paying all of these people???

solitude, I would have been a weenie too. Your teacher's challenge is like playing hearts. When I play versus the computer, I have never been successful at shooting the moon, not even once. 🙁 The computer can figure out what I'm up to and stops me every time.

 

[rsrm782]

Ummmmm.....possibly answer in forward and subsequent reverse sequence...or answer every 20 questions??!!! That's a brain teaser 🙂

I think it takes a lot of skill on the MCAT to get the lowest possible score, 3. This is because in many cases you would have a good idea of what the correct answer is in order to select the incorrect answer. Since there is only one correct answer per question, however, your chances of selecting the incorrect answer are much higher due to simple probabilities. But still you would need a better strategy than simply randomly selecting answers.

However let's say you were hired to get a 3 on the MCAT in order to destroy the MCAT curve (along with your thousands of other hired partners). Do you think you could succeed without leaving the answer sheet blank? What would be your strategy?

 

[Lilah]

Who would be paying all of these people???

That is a problem…
When I was stressing about the MCAT my brother thought it was hilarious.
He’d say that he wants to take it just for fun and try to get the lowest score in history. Once I took the test and told him about the various security measures, he said he wanted to register and then run off with the test…actually he had all sorts of crazy ideas, I wanted to smack him for belittling the importance of the MCAT for me, but there’s probably plenty of people like him (I know lots more).

Of course none of this is serious, but the idea of a massive underground effort to mess up the MCAT curve makes me smile. 😀

 

[deleted50541]

in my AP European history class many moons ago, the teacher offered the following on all exams:

If you get from 1 to 100%, this is your grade on the exam.
If you get 0% (i.e. purposely answer each question wrong), you receive 100% on the exam.

I was too weenie to ever try it. In fact, I only know one girl who ever took the challenge. On a 47 question exam, she missed all but one question. Lost her 4.0 because of it.

My AP Stats teacher jokingly posed a similar challenge. Homework was worth 10% of your grade while exams covered the remaining 90%. He didn't curve so he dared anyone to try earning an A without turning in their homework.

One girl managed to pull it off.

 

[Dr Trek 1]

My AP Stats teacher jokingly posed a similar challenge. Homework was worth 10% of your grade while exams covered the remaining 90%. He didn't curve so he dared anyone to try earning an A without turning in their homework.

One girl managed to pull it off.

At your school a 90% is an A and not an A-??

 

[deleted50541]

At your school a 90% is an A and not an A-??

This happened almost 7 years ago, but I think the deal was that he would give the A rather than the A- to anyone who actually did it.

Edit: That girl went to Harvard the following year. My high school was full of gunners just like her. There were a handful of kids who had actually started studying for the MCAT. I **** you not.

 

[QofQuimica]

That is a problem…
When I was stressing about the MCAT my brother thought it was hilarious.
He’d say that he wants to take it just for fun and try to get the lowest score in history. Once I took the test and told him about the various security measures, he said he wanted to register and then run off with the test…actually he had all sorts of crazy ideas, I wanted to smack him for belittling the importance of the MCAT for me, but there’s probably plenty of people like him (I know lots more).

Of course none of this is serious, but the idea of a massive underground effort to mess up the MCAT curve makes me smile. 😀

Considering that he'd have to pay $200 to sit for the test, and he'd almost certainly not be willing to do that, I'm not too worried about your brother messing the curve up. 😉

 

[Pharmwannab]

Considering that he'd have to pay $200 to sit for the test, and he'd almost certainly not be willing to do that, I'm not too worried about your brother messing the curve up. 😉

Should be pretty easy to get a 3 for anyone, assuming you must fill in an answer for every question. Pretty much all the questions have 1 answer that's just ridiculous and/or nonsensical that you can choose.