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Experimental passage on BS
Started by tmandudeguy
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Yes
No
No
No
To add on to the last "no", the experimental questions/passages are intended to be used as real questions on future exams. AAMC isn't really even testing them out, they're just building up data on them so they know how to weigh them when calculating the scales for the tests they get used in. As a result, there's no way to discern between an experimental question and a real one.
No
No
No
To add on to the last "no", the experimental questions/passages are intended to be used as real questions on future exams. AAMC isn't really even testing them out, they're just building up data on them so they know how to weigh them when calculating the scales for the tests they get used in. As a result, there's no way to discern between an experimental question and a real one.
Something I'm confused about, the number of questions are the same as in the regular Aamc tests right? like 52 questions in bio/phys and 40 in verbal?
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How can that be? Either the passage is experimental, including all of its questions, or it isn't. Why would they allow some questions to count but not others? How would they decide which are worthy if the entire passage is experimental? Please share your rationale.
thx!
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The 7/6 MCAT test takers had a brutal verbal section and it was theorized that one whole passage could have been experimental making all those answers not count. So the other passage answers counted for more which explained the large variance and swing in VR scores from what people scored in practice.
No one knows which were experimental, it is just a theory though for that specific test.
I was under the impression that when a passage or questions were removed, the total just decreases, not that other questions count for more. So if 7 questions were removed from verbal the total would be 33. If the total was still 40 then they would have to implement some bizarre, mysterious way of weighing other questions more. Man, this idea of experimental questions just keeps getting worse. Wish there was even a shred of transparency in the process.
Well this is just complete speculation and has no bearing on anything, but say the AAMC wanted to get data on more biochem questions. In addition to administering a biochem passage that gets thrown out, they could replace a couple of questions on an older passage with more biochem oriented questions.
They can always decide to make up new questions for an old passage. It's more than possible to do this. Just look at test prep companies and the VR section. Some companies (TPR) use some of the same passages from AAMC exams but with completely different questions.
Yes, the total decreases. That means the denominator when calculating %correct also decreases, which means differences in the numerator matter more. For example:
1/40 = 2.5%
1/33 = 3.0%
I get that, since obviously there are fewer questions. But each question is weighted the same as the others, i.e. they are all 3.0%. And the scale would reflect that. What the person above said was that this contributed to a larger variance in scores. I don't see how that would happen unless the AAMC said, for instance, questions 12-22 are worth more, questions 23-33 are worth the same as questions 1-11, etc. If all the questions are worth the same then the test would still be fair. It's the idea that they're using some messed up, secret methodology to create our scores that concerns me.
Yeah... no one is suggesting any secret methodologies but if you have fewer questions, you have a greater chance for a bigger swing in scores. If you usually miss 5 questions on a section no matter what that will hurt you more if you have fewer questions. I see what you're saying though, that they can just shift their scale to account accordingly. Of course, we are splitting hairs over something completely theoretical since no one knows how it was scored or what was experimental.
😱 so there ARE secret methodologies!!!
That info is troubling and means so much of it is out of our hands. Also reduces the validity of the AAMC practice exams since there's no way to take question weight into account when you're given a generic scale to use. In fact, it kinda gives you a false sense of confidence.
I'm going to lose sleep over this stuff.
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Dude don't lose any sleep over it! As long as you don't adopt any harmful strategies like saving all the tough questions for the end to guess on (thinking that each question is worth the same) you should be fine. Just work hard and I'm sure you're going to do great 🙂
I remember that thread. IIRC it was proven false, or at least shown to be very unlikely.
