How are Verbal Scores Low?

[CaNEM]

I was under the impression that MCAT scores were assigned by percentile-rank ranges. i.e., 47%-53% = 8 or whatever. If this is true, then how can verbal scores in general be low? How can ANY subtest average be low or high? Shouldn't it always be the same?

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[jot]

thats kinda what i thought, but if you look at the charts over the year, the averages can move up or down by a bit, so it is quite possible that the scores were lower this year. i think.
-jot

 

[relatively prime]

The average verbal score went from a 8.6 last year to a 7.8 this year... that's why they're low.

I believe the MCAT people also use pervious year's results to make up the scales.

 

[mpp]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by relatively prime:
•The average verbal score went from a 8.6 last year to a 7.8 this year... that's why they're low.

I believe the MCAT people also use pervious year's results to make up the scales.•••••The average last year (for the April 2001 test) was 8.0 not 8.6.

 

[rxfudd]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by relatively prime:
•
I believe the MCAT people also use pervious year's results to make up the scales.•••••Why do you think this? It seems to me that this would be a blatant misuse of statistics and the normalization process. You could be right, but I'd be REALLY surprised if they "calibrated" scores each year based on the performance of the previous years' test-takers.

 

[Hendooneh]

like you said MCAT scores are based on rankings, imagine if 100 people take the mcat and everyone who took the mcat got the same verbal score except for 1 person who scored just 1 point higher. This means that 1 person was in the 99% while everyone else was in the 1%. So 1 person would get a 15 and everyone else would get 1. average score probably 1.00000001

At least this is how I think it works.