Help: Just took the Kaplan Diagnostic...

[eric23]

...and I bombed it. Any success stories would be much appreciated as I study vigorously!!

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[gdbaby]

...and I bombed it. Any success stories would be much appreciated as I study vigorously!!

I think the diagnostic is geared for people not to do very well (I think I got a 21 when I took it) so that you will take their course, improve your score and therfore not need to take the course again (a $1500 hit for them). Sure many people do well on it, but for others whom this is their first MCAT, the scores aren't that great.

 

[{:(]

out of curiosity, what was your score?

 

[tulane06]

Don't worry, I went up 10 points from my Kaplan diagnostic score!

 

[calvinandhobbes]

...and I bombed it. Any success stories would be much appreciated as I study vigorously!!

nope, it's pretty much representative of what you'll get on the real mcat...sorry sucka!

 

[jbone]

Don't worry about it. I jumped 10 points from my diagnostic. Took it cold though. I don't know why you studied? Good luck. Lots of time left till April.

 

[-Goose-]

I think the diagnostic is geared for people not to do very well (I think I got a 21 when I took it) so that you will take their course, improve your score and therfore not need to take the course again (a $1500 hit for them). Sure many people do well on it, but for others whom this is their first MCAT, the scores aren't that great.

same story here... its meant to get your a$$ in gear!!!


21-->30 (with a little studying around full time hectic class schedule and work)

edit: I was TPR

 

[gluon999]

My score went up 9 points from the diagnostic score. (Also, my real MCAT score was the same as my highest practice test score - AAMC 5).

 

[princessd3]

18 to 31, although I took the TPR course.

 

[beanbean]

21 -> 33

If you did well on the pretest you wouldn't need to take the course and Kaplan wouldn't make any money. Don't worry. You are right on track to do well if you put in the review and practice question time over the next few months

 

[nimotsu]

I don't know anything about Kaplan but the Princeton Review scores were right on target. The diagnostic is a wake-up call that you need to do much prep work for the actual exam, which can be quite idiosyncratic. If you study, your score should improve, but the last few exams you take at the PR were indicative of what you actually got on the real test.

My all-time favorite on the MCAT was inflammable vs. flammable, which mean the same thing but if you're flying through a test and try to eliminate answers too quickly, then they got you... so much for speed reading

 

[pagemmapants]

24 -> 38.

Now I teach it!

 

[greendot]

Went from a 23 on the Kaplan diagnostic to a 36. Just bust your ass, learn all of the content, and take as many practice tests as possible.

 

[eric23]

Thanks to all. I appreciate it.

EDIT: I didn't study for the diagnostic.
EDIT: I have no idea what TPR is.

 

[calvinandhobbes]

Thanks to all. I appreciate it.

EDIT: I didn't study for the diagnostic.
EDIT: I have no idea what TPR is.

toilet paper roll

 

[peace84]

i went up 9 points from my diagnostic, however this is not a success story as i have no interviews yet.

and by the way, tpr is the princeton review

 

[eric23]

thanks again

 

[SeventhSon]

26 diagnostic, studied for only 3 weeks no course (7 days a week, 18 hours a day) ---> 37. Holla!

 

[NismoZ32]

Just my 2 cents. Like everyone above said, don't worry about it. Kaplan is a great program. Invest the time in serious studying and your score will go up. One tip, take as many full length practice tests as you can. The MCAT is above anything an endurance test (8-9 hrs). Practice enough and the real one won't seem as bad. One question; are you in the class now? I thought the April classes didn't start till Jan.

 

[Overeducated]

TPR: 24 on 1st diag --> 31 on real thing

 

[MSc44]

I just got my ass handed to me .>>>>>>>first ever diagnostic test from the TPR did not study or anything, Im talking horriable....ironically i graduated with a 3.8 and a masters in mol cell bio


......so bad i wont even mention

 

[Doctor Bagel]

i got a 23 on my diagnostic and did ten points better on the read thing. one of my kaplan instructors said he made an 18 on the diagnostic and a 36 on the real thing. you've got tons of time to study, so i wouldn't worry about it.

 

[DNM503]

...and I bombed it. Any success stories would be much appreciated as I study vigorously!!

The diagnostic tests are created so everyone does poorly...that way they can say they raise scores an avg of 10 pts...whoo! I took Princeton Review, and it was the worst decision ever. I stopped going halfway through the course. I was actually so upset with the loss of my money/time, I decided to take another of their self-created diagnostic tests about 2 weeks after the MCAT just to see what would happen. The results:
Initial PR Diag: 24
Real MCAT: 33
PR Diag Taken Post-MCAT: 24

Yes, my score on their fake tests didn't improve AT ALL from the time I enrolled in the course to after I took the MCAT. But my real score was 9 points higher. You have nothing to worry about. Kaplan likely runs the same way. The real MCAT is sooo much easier (or at least easier to score higher) than their made-up tests. You will realize that when you start taking past-MCAT's as practice tests. Your real score will likely be much more comparable to those. Good luck!

 

[Risa]

26 diagnostic, studied for only 3 weeks no course (7 days a week, 18 hours a day) ---> 37. Holla!

wow seventhson you rock the party that rocks the party.

 

[pagemmapants]

Kaplan likely runs the same way. The real MCAT is sooo much easier (or at least easier to score higher) than their made-up tests. You will realize that when you start taking past-MCAT's as practice tests. Your real score will likely be much more comparable to those. Good luck!

Not so. Yes, the Kaplan diagnostic appears to be designed that way, (especially if you take it cold like I did) but the full-length exams they administer (and all the other ones they provide at your local center) were, I found, remarkably accurate. I was scoring 33s-36s on the full-lengths that I self-administered, so given that I was amped up on adrenaline and super-concentrating on the actual test day, they were quite predictive. They also provide the AAMC released practice MCATs as well, and there is little difference between the AAMC released practice exams and the Kaplan-released practice exams.

From word of mouth, I did hear that TPR practice exams are MUCH MUCH harder than the Kaplan ones or the actual MCAT, and also that most of their review problems are not in multiple choice format. Seems to me to be a waste of time, but to each their own I suppose.

I'd recommend signing up for Kaplan while they're still having their $100 off deal (because really $1500 is quite a lot) and don't cheap out with the Berkeley review. (one of my friends took it 2x: prepping with Berkeley -> 29. prepping with TPR -> 36.)

Or, if you're ridiculously self motivated (SeventhSon) then by all means just kick ass on your own juice. Me, I needed the regimented schedule.

Oh, and Kaplan has 2 types of MCAT prep courses. The long ones meet 1x/week (until you hit the practice test administrations) and start in mid-Oct thru Dec. The short ones are 2x/week (ditto) and start in Jan, usually. Same $$.

 

[thinknofu3]

I second what everybody is saying, my Kaplan diagnostic score was a 23 and I got a 33 on the real MCAT. Conventional wisdom i've heard is that you go up around 10 points from your diagnostic.

That said, Kaplan is a fantastic program and if you stick with it and do everything you're supposed to you'll have no problem acing the test come April. Don't fret!

 

[Orthodoc40]

...and I bombed it. Any success stories would be much appreciated as I study vigorously!!

Kaplan "guarantees a higher score" - of course you bombed!
They don't want to give anyone their money back!!
It is intentional.

 

[PPatel]

Kaplan "guarantees a higher score" - of course you bombed!
They don't want to give anyone their money back!!
It is intentional.

If you've taken the real MCAT before taking their course, they guarantee that you will go up from that score. If not, they use the diagnostic. So they definitely don't rely on their diagnostic test to stop people from claiming the Higher Score Guarantee.