Holy Hell....22 on first Diag

[BUmiken12]

Just got back my TPR results (diagnostic 481) and, well crap, I got a 8, 6, 8. I know it isn't as low as it could have been, but it's still defnitely down there...any tips to improve? Obviously I need to brush up on my physics and g.chem, but any secrets to reveal? Thanks in advance...

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[praying mantis]

First of all, your scores are not low. I teach for TPR and the tests are harder than the real thing. For your first diagnostic, this is not a bad score at all. Just keep studying and you will find the numbers increasing in a few weeks!

 

[pre-hawkdoc]

not to toot my own horn, but i went from 19(8b/7p/4v)--->33(12b/10p/11v). just study and follow the TPR schedule and you'll do fine.

 

[WonderBoy]

Damn I feel bad now, I only got a 17 (6V, 6B, 5p) on my 481 test. Oh well hopefully improvement will show.

 

[BlackPuma]

ok for all you pple who you think did bad

I got a 19 on my first diag...towards the end, worked hard, and ended up with a 32 on the real thing....believe me u improve, and the first tests are difficult to make u work hard....BUT catch up with the material, and dont fall behind and most of all believe in urself and believe that everyone else is doing as bad if not worst than u!!! that boosts the confidence!!

 

[TwoSteveSquared]

<img src="graemlins/pity.gif" border="0" alt="[Pity]" /> Here's the world's smallest violin playing just for you. Cheer up, nobody scores high the first time unless they are supernatural.

 

[kutastha]

The former head of TPR here in LA said you should add 2 points to each section to get a rough idea of how you'd do if you took the MCAT today. The first diag is extremely skewed downward. It's very discouraging. I got a 6, 8, 8 on that one and did much better on the real thing.

Andrew

 

[English Chick]

Same story here. That first TPR diagnostic is kind of a b!tch. I got a 21 (6V, 9B, 6P) on it, but brought my score on the real MCAT up to a 38. My verbal score more than doubled. Don't sweat it!

 

[ssd]

i took tpr a couple of years ago and walked away with a 16 on the first diag. i don't think i ever got higher than a 23 or 24 on any of their diags. fortunately, i came away with a 32 on the real thing. long story short, just use tpr tests as a way to study things that will never appear on the real test.

 

[Elysium]

Not to worry, I got a 9V, 4PS, and 6BS on the 481 diag. I know what I need to study (like all of physics and G. Chem!) and I feel confident that if we study it's going to turn out fine!

 

[Dr.G]

Just to add to what you have been hearing I scored a 22 on my first TPR diag also and never above a 31 on the rest of the diag. tests- then got a 36 on the real one. Do the best you can on those tests- but don't get discouraged

 

[otter]

You guys may think I'm joking, but I'm not. When I took that first diag back in my PR days, I got a 4 (1V-2P-1B)!!! Granted I didn't know that I shouldn't have left any answers blank, but a 4 is still pretty bad. But, after that course, I went on to get a 27 on the real one. Then, I signed up for the PR course again but studied mostly on my own and got a 30 on the second real test.

What I'm trying to say is that even a ******* who scores a 4 on the first diag has gone on to get a respectable score (27) just ten weeks later. I will say that I worked my butt off to do that. I worked on my reading skills and read the Science Review inside out. So, please do not panic after a low first diag score. Just work hard, do the Science Workbook diligently, read the Science Review thoroughly (except maybe the last chapter in OChem), and you will be fine.

Also, I never scored higher than a 24 on any of the PR diags. Somehow, I was confident that I wouldn't be screwed for the real test and that things would work out, because I just knew that I would have a completely different psyche going into the real test. I didn't know that prior to the first real MCAT, but I was sure about it before my second MCAT (on which I got 30). For the PR diags, I didn't wake up 2 hours before the test like I was supposed to, wasn't able to have the same sense of urgency, and the laidback, informal testing atmosphere wasn't conducive to focusing. I'm not saying that you should be complacent with low diag scores. But, I think there is significant difference between taking diags and taking the real test, so your diag performaces may not be the pinpoint correlations to the real test.

 

[fishtolive]

went from 17 on first diag to a 32 real thing (and i had a really crap day-sick as a dog)...don't sweat diags, they're engineered so you see improvement-it's really a scam...you'll be fine!

 

[TAP]

The best advice that you can get from any of us about MCAT prep is PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. Those practice tests are useful and will force you to study topics that you are a bit rusty in, but beware that they are NOTHING like the real test. Everyone does badly on those tests because TPR wants you to stick with it. It's a scare tactic. If you got a 45 on the first diag, you would quit the class and ask for your money back. Remember, above everything, prep courses are running a business. When you are taking diags, you should be looking at how many you get right each time and keep increasing that number. The scaled scores aren't going to tell you anything. I think the overall best prep as far as getting ready for what the real test is like is the AAMC practice tests. Especially practice test III and IV. Although I and II read like the real test, the verbal is easier. My score on III and IV was EXACTLY what I got on the real test. Save those until the 3 weeks before the exam and take them under real conditions. If you do that, you will know exactly what to expect on test day. Good luck.

 

[none]

Why in the world are you even taking that test first!?!?!?! Start out with a later AAMC test (III, IV or V). Those TPR tests are WAAAAAAAAAAY too hard! How else could they show some outrageous improvement in scores from their class?

 

[applicant2002]

I made a 21 on my diag and scored 30+ on the real thing. the main difference was knowledge of basic sciencs. just learn your material and you'll be fine (esp. with TPR biology (that's really hard material. . .and that's an understatement )) even if you don't understand it, read it through, it makes the real thing make more sense.

Good luck on your MCAT