How accurately do AAMC practice tests predict MCAT scores?

[quest]

Especially if you took the two within a short span of time, say a couple of weeks.

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[quideam]

I think that a lot of people will tell you different things, but here's my experience:

I had a 26 on my diagnostic (no studying, so not too shabby...).

On my Kaplan practice tests, I had: 27, 28, 30, 32, 29 (I got that freaking 29 two weeks before the exam!! ugh)

Then my AAMC tests were 30, 30, 32, 31 - I kept getting 12s on the verbal, 10/11 on the bio, but then 8s and 9s on ps!!! Argh...

Actual score: 33 S 10P 12V 11B

So, for me, the verbal and bio were basically right on the mark, but luckily I did pretty well on physical sciences. That may have also been partially due to luck, because although I thought the physical sciences was tough, it had a section on Young's Modulus, which would have been fairly difficult except that I reviewed it on a Kaplan exam I took just a week before.

I think that scores do tend to fluctuate, but's it's also pretty rare to be scoring 35s and end up with a 28, as well as if you're scoring 28s to end up with a 35. Dont' stress over a point or two though - just practice, practice, practice!!!

- Quid

 

[soonerpillow]

It also depends on which AAMC tests you take. AAMC 1 & 2 are not really good diagnostic tests, they are generally considered "too easy" and give you a higher score than you'll actually make. I got a 40 on AAMC 2.
AAMC 3r-6r are pretty good, I think. I scored within a point or two of my actual score, once I was through studying.

 

[AlternateSome1]

I think the practice tests were more difficult than the real thing. I was taking each section individually online and I scored:
AAMC3 11V 10P 9B
AAMC4 11V 11P 10B
AAMC5 10V 10P 10B
AAMC6 11V 10P 10B

On the actual test I got 11V 12P 11B. I think that there is an enormous difference taking a test "for fun" and sitting down in a testing environment and chugging through it. The practice tests are still useful for getting a feel for the test and determining any weaknesses.

~AS1~

 

[tcerm16]

I found the AAMC practice tests to be very good predictors of the actual MCAT. I beleive these are actual old MCAT tests? I did take Kaplan however and found the tests were much harder but the scores I recieved on them:30,31,30,30,32 were on par with my actual score: 30.

 

[Damian234]

AAMC practice tests are pretty good predictors in my opinion... much better than Princeton Review's tests. I never broke 30 on a Princeton test, but scored 33 and 35 on AAMC tests V and VI. On the actual MCAT I got a 36.

One thing though... taking the real MCAT, although I ended up with a better score, I thought the questions were much harder than those on AAMC practice tests.

So, in my case, these tests were good predictors scorewise, but on the day of the MCAT I felt nothing like I did taking them.

 

[....]

I second the notion of aamc being a good predictor. I scored 29 on my first kaplan and 32 on my second..then i took aamc 3 and 4.....scored a 36 and a 33 respectivly....got a 35 on the real deal...

 

[indigoblue]

wow, you guys had really accurate predictors. see my thread:
http://www.studentdoctor.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=73553
this was from this april's test

 

[dmitrinyr]

I thought that the AAMC test were easier than the real thing. I think that the closest one to the real deal was AAMC 6.

My stats suck but here they are:

In both bio and physical I scored consistently 9's and a few ten's. On verbal I would vary from 7,8,9.

AAMC 6: 9,9,9 I was always I question right from getting a ten in at least 1 section.

I week before the test I scored a 24 on AAMC 3-R

v,p,b
8,7,9

Real test: April 2003

24: v,p,b:
8,7,9

I am so upset because I was in that 26-27 range and a couple of questions from 28-29. When I finished the test I thought that I did well, or at least as well as I thought that I could do. I thought that I got probably 27-29 and no worst that a 26. Boy was I wrong. Now, I am left with wondering "what happened?"

Well, I hope the rest of you have better luck.

dmitri

 

[Axe]

Its about as accurate a predictor as you can get if you take it under timed conditions (only talking about tests IV-VI). Within +1/-2 is the concensus among my friends who took the April Mcat unless you choke.

 

[loomis]

i was within +/- 2 points (total score) for test 5R and 6R......taken two weeks apart. I actually scored 2 points higher on the actual exam....which surprised me since i really thought i bit it on the PS section.

 

[zinjanthropus]

AAMC 5 12V, 9P, 9B
AAMC 6 12V, 8P, 10B

April MCAT 2003 12V, 9P, 9B

While the distribution of my score has varied by a point or so, my overall score did not change at all beginning with the AAMC 5 practice test