Does Kaplan inflate their practice exams?

[AznSeal]

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I took several Kaplan practice exams and i've been able to score around 13-13-10 while getting correct approximately 80-85% of the questions right. When I took a practice AAMC test, I got more or less the same number of questions correct but I only scored 10-10-9.

Which one is a more accurate gauge? Because i'm scared of a 29 >_>

 

[nysegop]

I took several Kaplan practice exams and i've been able to score around 13-13-10 while getting correct approximately 80-85% of the questions right. When I took a practice AAMC test, I got more or less the same number of questions correct but I only scored 10-10-9.

Which one is a more accurate gauge? Because i'm scared of a 29 >_>

AAMC is probably more accurate. Unless AAMC makes the practice test harder than the actual on purpose, but I don't know how likely that is.

 

[AznSeal]

AAMC is probably more accurate. Unless AAMC makes the practice test harder than the actual on purpose, but I don't know how likely that is.

Alright thanks! So if I'm able to say get 75-85% of the questions right, I should look towards a 27-30ish? Appreciate it!

Back to studying i guess 🙁

 

[sinombre]

I scored lower on all of the Kaplan practice tests than the actual AAMC practice tests. The AAMC practice tests were definitely accurate for me (though I did end up scoring in the lower end of what I had scored on the practice tests). Still, any practice tests you can take are useful.

 

[sinombre]

AAMC is probably more accurate. Unless AAMC makes the practice test harder than the actual on purpose, but I don't know how likely that is.

Nope, the AAMC practice tests consist of questions that were actually used, which is why they're so accurate.

https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/preparing/85552/preparing_ptfaqs.html

 

[cherahla]

I thought the PS and BS sections were pretty representative.

Kaplan's VR was not at all similar to the MCAT, however. As a result, my VR score fell a few points.

 

[nysegop]

Alright thanks! So if I'm able to say get 75-85% of the questions right, I should look towards a 27-30ish? Appreciate it!

Back to studying i guess 🙁

I don't know what your GPA is, but if it's good a 30 is decent. Obviously the more the merrier though.

Other than Kaplan what are you using?

Sent from my Nokia 3310 using SDN mobile.

 

[484511]

The same thing happened to me when I switched from Kaplan practice tests to AAMC tests. I went from a 36/37 avg kaplan test down to a 30 on my first AAMC. I recommend just taking AAMC tests from here on out. I eventually got up to a 35 average on those after several tests, then got a 35 on the actual test.

 

[nysegop]

Kaplan provides decent study materials, but their tests aren't the best. It's sort of like Princeton Review for the SAT. If you want good tests, go to the source.

 

[imcanadaian]

AAMC is definitely more accurate. My experience with Kaplan tests both as a test-taker and administrator (I've taught MCATs at Kaplan for a few years) is that their tests tend to be a bit tougher than the AAMC stuff. It's subtle but a lot of times they have longer packages, or have more complex, multi-step math in the PS sections, off-topic questions in BS. Definitely practice with the Kaplan tests first and buy the AAMC practice for the last month or so before your test. That way you have the best representation of your performance on the test

 

[fert]

In my experience, Kaplan had a more generous curve. I think my average for the Kaplan tests were ~3 points higher than the AAMC practice tests and my actual test score.

 

[yehhhboiii]

Kaplan's curve was more lenient but the tests were harder. AAMC tests are closer to the actual exam and the scores that they give you seem to correlate with actual performance.

 

[AznSeal]

I don't know what your GPA is, but if it's good a 30 is decent. Obviously the more the merrier though.

Other than Kaplan what are you using?

Sent from my Nokia 3310 using SDN mobile.

I did the Kaplan course but it was unhelpful because the class was full of people that asked the same questions over and over again so it went slowly.

I used the kaplan material and it was good and I borrowed my friend's exam krackers.

My GPA is also a 3.8

 

[MrChance2]

"Kaplan's curve was more lenient but the tests were harder. AAMC tests are closer to the actual exam and the scores that they give you seem to correlate with actual performance."

I would say in general very high IQ but not as consistent people will do better on Kaplan than AAMC and very consistent but not as high IQ people will do better on AAMC.

 

[Viduus]

What worked for me was Kaplan section tests. The full length practice exams ones were just annoying (and anxiety producing), so I never did them. On those section tests, I would be happy with a 75%. That combined with reading most most of the books and the flash cards, I ended up doing well on the actual MCAT. Therefore,I think those section tests are the way to go (they have timers too so you can do that if you want).

 

[eggs13]

I was scoring 35-38 on Kaplan and 31-34 on AAMC is the first time I took the test and got a 28 on the real thing (first time). I stuck with just AAMC my second go around scoring 33-35 and got a 35. Take this for what you will but IMO Kaplan does inflate there scores/has a generous curve

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

I found the Kaplan tests to be much harder than the AAMC tests. Yeah, the curve is very generous on the Kaplan tests, but that's a reflection of the brutality of the tests. The passages are far longer on the Kaplan exams than anything you'll see on AAMC tests, both practice and the real thing. They're also a lot more complicated, and the questions are really, really hard, especially in the PS section. The nice thing about Kaplan is that after you've gotten used to their tests the AAMCs feel really easy.

Something to be aware of with the Kaplan exams though is that while the more generous curve is meant to offset the higher difficulty, it can inflate your score if you're the kind of person who guesses on a lot of problems. The AAMC exams give very little (if any) tolerance for guessing on problems, whereas the Kaplan exams with their large score ranges and low thresholds for getting good scores almost reward guessing.

FWIW my average on the Kaplan tests I took (1-4) was 32 IIRC (too lazy to look up my old posts to find out for sure) and ranged from 28-36. My AAMC average before the Kaplan tests was 33, and my AAMC average after the Kaplan tests (I took the four Kaplans between AAMC3-7 and AAMC8-11) was 37. I ended up with a 39 on the real thing, which also happened to be the same score I got on my last AAMC practice test.