Estimated scaled score or raw score?

[mcgst9]

Which score should I be looking at for the practice exams?

I don't really understand the whole idea behind "estimated scaled scores."

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[QrtrLifeCrisis]

Which score should I be looking at for the practice exams?

I don't really understand the whole idea behind "estimated scaled scores."

You should look at the scaled score. The raw score does not take into account the preset curve for the exam. Personally, I had the same raw score for two different AAMC practice exams, but my scaled scores differed by one or two points from my recollection.

 

[mcgst9]

You should look at the scaled score. The raw score does not take into account the preset curve for the exam. Personally, I had the same raw score for two different AAMC practice exams, but my scaled scores differed by one or two points from my recollection.

So basically, if everyone tends to score higher on the exam and my score is lower than my raw score, then I did worse than most people?

Is the actual MCAT graded like that?

 

[QrtrLifeCrisis]

I assumed that you were referring to the AAMC practice exams when you said "practice exams". There is a preset curve based on the level of the difficulty of the individual exam. That's what they mean by "scaled".

I'm not sure what you are referring to when you say "my score is lower than my raw score". The raw score is the number of problems you got right out of the total number of problems in the section. Let's say you get 48/52 right on the PS section...that would be your raw score. Your scaled score is going to be around a 13 or 14, depending on the actual scale of that particular exam. Whether you receive a 13 or a 14 depends on how difficult that section was. A more difficult section will result in higher score...ie, the 14. From what I understand, this is how the real MCAT works as well.

 

[mcgst9]

I assumed that you were referring to the AAMC practice exams when you said "practice exams". There is a preset curve based on the level of the difficulty of the individual exam. That's what they mean by "scaled".

I'm not sure what you are referring to when you say "my score is lower than my raw score". The raw score is the number of problems you got right out of the total number of problems in the section. Let's say you get 48/52 right on the PS section...that would be your raw score. Your scaled score is going to be around a 13 or 14, depending on the actual scale of that particular exam. Whether you receive a 13 or a 14 depends on how difficult that section was. A more difficult section will result in higher score...ie, the 14. From what I understand, this is how the real MCAT works as well.

Well, for the "my score is lower than my raw score," I meant that if I had just done percentages, my score would have been higher than what it was actually graded as.

I just wasn't sure how they accounted for the differences in the raw score and the scaled score.

 

[mcloaf]

Well, for the "my score is lower than my raw score," I meant that if I had just done percentages, my score would have been higher than what it was actually graded as.

I just wasn't sure how they accounted for the differences in the raw score and the scaled score.

Percentages are meaningless, focus on your scaled scores. MCAT scores are graded on a curve determined ahead of time based on the difficulty of the particular exam/questions.