Experimental Questions

[backsideatk]

So I see a lot of posts about experimental questions on the MCAT, the search tool hasn't really answered my question but I'm assuming that these questions count towards the final score like any other right?

In another thread someone said that his score in a certain section would be better if he had gotten more non-experimental questions correct and less experimental questions correct, which confused me a little.

Probably something I should know going into 1/29 test day .

Thanks for your help!

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[CodeBlu]

Here's the deal from what I understand, if someone has something else to add, go on ahead...

On your MCAT test day you will get 52 questions of PS for example. What most people don't realize is that the AAMC has a question bank of like 40 questions per passage. They mix and match accordingly. The "experimental" items are not counted towards your overall score because they don't have enough previous test taker data to scale the score properly.

Also, there have been differences in passages on test days. When I wrote in July, I had a passage different from my friend who wrote in California. Don't go in there thinking about the experimental and trying to figure out which one it is... you'll waste time.

Just do each passage like it all counts. That passage that you think is hard will be the passage that is counted, and if you do a half ass job, there goes your 12 or 13.

Good luck!

 

[phltz]

The scaling between raw scores and scaled scores is calculated when an MCAT is prepared, before anyone takes it. They use questions that have been on previous MCATs, so they know roughly how hard each question is. Maybe 80% of test takers got this question right, so it's easy, whereas only 10% of test takers got another question right, so it's hard. They use these statistics to figure out the scaling. The first time they use a given question, though, they don't have any data. So they introduce new questions in an experimental passage, which does not count towards your score. After you and the rest of your cohort have answered the new questions, they know how hard they are and can use them in future exams. So yes, some of the questions on your exam will not count towards your score. It is best, however, not to think about that when you're taking the exam. Treat every question as though it was real. There's too much on the line to blow of a passage as experimental - you might easily blow off the wrong passage and totally shoot yourself in the foot.

 

[mdfirst]

So basically the questions i actually finished could have been experimental and the ones i couldnt get to could be counted? Not fair!