How many questions did you miss to still score at least 10 on a science section?

[dm24980]

If you scored between 10 and 15 on a science section of a real MCAT, how many questions did you miss and what was your score on that section?

I'm just trying to get an idea of how big a curve can be. For example, the largest curves I have seen are -5=13 and -10=11.

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[MCAT4life]

I'm pretty sure there are tests where there are better curves on the actual AAMC. Plus there are experimental passages and or questions that they throw away so the curves on those are different as well..

 

[SN2ed]

No one can answer that because the AAMC only provides your scaled score. They do not tell you how many you got wrong or what the curve was for your test. Lastly, it's pointless to be concerned about whether the curve will be large or not. Getting a 10-15 isn't any easier if the curve is large or if it's small. Each test's difficulty is accounted for during the calculation process. Focus on your prep and rock the test. That's all you can do.

For the official response:

Is the exam graded on a curve?

Examinees often ask if earning a high score or higher percentile is easier or harder at different times of the testing year. They ask whether they have a better chance of earning a higher score in April or in August, for example. The question is based on an assumption that the exam is scored on a curve, and that a final score is dependent on how an individual performed in comparison to other examinees from the same test day or same time of year.

While there may be small differences in the MCAT exam you took compared to another examinee, the scoring process accounts for these differences so that an 8 earned on physical sciences on one exam means the same thing as an 8 earned on any other exam. The percentile provided on your score report simply indicates what percentage of examinees from the previous testing year scored the same as you did on the MCAT exam.

How you score on the MCAT exam, therefore, is not reflective of the particular exam you took—including the time of day, the test date, or the time of year—since any difference in difficulty level is accounted for when calculating your scale scores (see above for information about scaling).

 

[dm24980]

If the practice AAMC exams are real MCATs from the past, do they contain passages or questions that were experimental?

I took the MCAT yesterday in the morning. I'm asking all of these questions because I want to get an idea of how many questions I can miss and still get certain scores.

Thanks SN2ed for clearing up all of this! I also never knew that you don't get to see how many questions you missed. What does the score report contain? How can you even guarantee that they didn't just assign you a score? You don't get to see the test questions again and you don't get to see how many you missed.

So how do they come up with the scaling for each exam if it is not based on the performances of people taking the exams on your test date?

 

[DrDre2001]

If the practice AAMC exams are real MCATs from the past, do they contain passages or questions that were experimental?

I took the MCAT yesterday in the morning. I'm asking all of these questions because I want to get an idea of how many questions I can miss and still get certain scores.

Thanks SN2ed for clearing up all of this! I also never knew that you don't get to see how many questions you missed. 1. What does the score report contain? 2. How can you even guarantee that they didn't just assign you a score? You don't get to see the test questions again and you don't get to see how many you missed.

3. So how do they come up with the scaling for each exam if it is not based on the performances of people taking the exams on your test date?

1. Your scaled scores (1-15) for each section and the corresponding percentiles

2. LOL, I guess you can't. I think you can evoke a some sort of "challenge" though, where they will rescore your test.

3. The curve is based on past student performances on those same passages/questions when those passages/questions were the experimental passages/questions on past real MCATs.

Oh, and I was like you too right after I took the exam. The best thing for me to calm my nerves was to talk about how hard i thought the test (vaguely though, because you aren't allowed to get detailed) was with other people who took the same test as me in the " xxx month yy date MCAT Club!" thread. In that thread, I remember seeing people freaking out more than me. That made me feel better, LOL.

 

[dm24980]

Thanks DrDre. Yea, reading that thread definitely made me feel better. If you had to guess, what would you say missing 10 would get you on a real MCAT science section on average (since I know it differs from exam to exam)? What about missing 15?

 

[Northwesterly]

I'm just guessing here, but based on my sense of how many questions I got wrong on the real thing, -10 will leave you with a significantly better score in BS than PS. (maybe 11-12 in BS, probably 9-10 in PS)

 

[dm24980]

Thank you for your input Northwesterly. Your predictions are in complete agreement with the curves for the practice AAMCs. I missed 10 on one physics section and scored 10 and missed 11 on one bio section and scored 11.

 

[DrDre2001]

Thanks DrDre. Yea, reading that thread definitely made me feel better. If you had to guess, what would you say missing 10 would get you on a real MCAT science section on average (since I know it differs from exam to exam)? What about missing 15?

I can't remember, but it my real MCAT (like most others) was more difficult than any practice AAMC. So, I'm sure the curve was more lenient.

I remember some people on here coming to a consensus that the curve is in between the practice AAMC's and the practice Kaplan tests.

 

[Don Draper]

I found it strange that this thread is still around yet no one has answered the question really...

You should be able to see a trend and develop a feel by looking at the practice AAMC scales (of course there is no exact answer here):

AAMC 9 Estimated Scaled Score
p v b
15 51-52 40-40 52-52
14 49-50 39-39 50-51
13 47-48 37-38 48-49
12 44-46 36-36 45-47
11 41-43 32-35 43-44
10 38-40 30-31 39-42
9 35-37 26-29 35-38
8 31-34 24-25 31-34
7 27-30 21-23 27-30
6 23-26 18-20 23-26
5 20-22 17-17 20-22
4 16-19 15-16 18-19
3 13-15 13-14 14-17
2 11-12 9-12 9-13
1 0-10 0-8 0-8

MCAT Practice Test 8-CBT
Estimated Scaled Score Physical Science Raw Scores Verbal Reasoning Raw Scores Biological Science Raw Scores
15 52-52 39-40 51-52
14 49-51 38-38 49-50
13 47-48 36-37 47-48
12 44-46 35-35 45-46
11 43-43 33-34 41-44
10 39-42 30-32 38-40
9 36-38 28-29 33-37
8 33-35 26-27 29-32
7 30-32 23-25 26-28
6 26-29 20-22 23-25
5 22-25 18-19 20-22
4 17-21 15-17 18-19
3 12-16 12-14 15-17
2 8-11 9-11 11-14
1 0-7 0-8 0-10

MCAT Practice Test 7-CBT
Estimated Scaled Score Physical Science Raw Scores Verbal Reasoning Raw Scores Biological Science Raw Scores
15 51-52 39-40 51-52
14 50-50 38-38 49-50
13 47-49 37-37 47-48
12 46-46 36-36 44-46
11 44-45 33-35 42-43
10 40-43 31-32 37-41
9 37-39 29-30 34-36
8 34-36 26-28 30-33
7 29-33 24-25 27-29
6 25-28 20-23 24-26
5 19-24 18-19 22-23
4 15-18 15-17 18-21
3 10-14 13-14 15-17
2 7-9 8-12 11-14
1 0-6 0-7 0-10

MCAT Practice Test 6-CBT
Estimated Scaled Score Physical Sciences Raw Scores Verbal Reasoning Raw Scores Biological Sciences Raw Scores
15 50-52 40-40 51-52
14 49-49 39-39 49-50
13 46-48 37-38 46-48
12 45-45 36-36 43-45
11 42-44 32-35 41-42
10 39-41 30-31 37-40
9 36-38 28-29 33-36
8 33-35 26-27 30-32
7 29-32 23-25 28-29
6 25-28 20-22 25-27
5 21-24 18-19 23-24
4 17-20 15-17 20-22
3 12-16 13-14 18-19
2 8-11 9-12 14-17
2 0-7 0-8 0-13

MCAT Practice Test 5-CBT
Estimated Scaled Score Physical Sciences Raw Scores Verbal Reasoning Raw Scores Biological Sciences Raw Scores
15 52-52 49-40 50-52
14 50-51 38-38 49-49
13 47-49 37-37 46-48
12 45-46 35-36 44-45
11 43-44 32-34 41-43
10 39-42 30-31 38-40
9 37-38 28-29 35-37
8 32-36 25-27 32-34
7 28-31 23-24 29-31
6 23-27 20-22 26-28
5 20-22 18-19 23-25
4 17-19 16-17 20-22
3 11-16 13-15 16-19
2 4-10 9-12 12-15
1 0-3 0-8 0-11

AAMC 10

15
52-52
40-40
51-52
14
50-51
39-39
50-50
13
49-49
38-38
47-49
12
46-48
37-37
46-46
11
44-45
34-36
43-45
10
41-43
31-33
39-42

 

[Ahsan]

i found it strange that this thread is still around yet no one has answered the question really...

You should be able to see a trend and develop a feel by looking at the practice aamc scales (of course there is no exact answer here):

Aamc 9 estimated scaled score
p v b
15 51-52 40-40 52-52
14 49-50 39-39 50-51
13 47-48 37-38 48-49
12 44-46 36-36 45-47
11 41-43 32-35 43-44
10 38-40 30-31 39-42
9 35-37 26-29 35-38
8 31-34 24-25 31-34
7 27-30 21-23 27-30
6 23-26 18-20 23-26
5 20-22 17-17 20-22
4 16-19 15-16 18-19
3 13-15 13-14 14-17
2 11-12 9-12 9-13
1 0-10 0-8 0-8

mcat practice test 8-cbt
estimated scaled score physical science raw scores verbal reasoning raw scores biological science raw scores
15 52-52 39-40 51-52
14 49-51 38-38 49-50
13 47-48 36-37 47-48
12 44-46 35-35 45-46
11 43-43 33-34 41-44
10 39-42 30-32 38-40
9 36-38 28-29 33-37
8 33-35 26-27 29-32
7 30-32 23-25 26-28
6 26-29 20-22 23-25
5 22-25 18-19 20-22
4 17-21 15-17 18-19
3 12-16 12-14 15-17
2 8-11 9-11 11-14
1 0-7 0-8 0-10

mcat practice test 7-cbt
estimated scaled score physical science raw scores verbal reasoning raw scores biological science raw scores
15 51-52 39-40 51-52
14 50-50 38-38 49-50
13 47-49 37-37 47-48
12 46-46 36-36 44-46
11 44-45 33-35 42-43
10 40-43 31-32 37-41
9 37-39 29-30 34-36
8 34-36 26-28 30-33
7 29-33 24-25 27-29
6 25-28 20-23 24-26
5 19-24 18-19 22-23
4 15-18 15-17 18-21
3 10-14 13-14 15-17
2 7-9 8-12 11-14
1 0-6 0-7 0-10

mcat practice test 6-cbt
estimated scaled score physical sciences raw scores verbal reasoning raw scores biological sciences raw scores
15 50-52 40-40 51-52
14 49-49 39-39 49-50
13 46-48 37-38 46-48
12 45-45 36-36 43-45
11 42-44 32-35 41-42
10 39-41 30-31 37-40
9 36-38 28-29 33-36
8 33-35 26-27 30-32
7 29-32 23-25 28-29
6 25-28 20-22 25-27
5 21-24 18-19 23-24
4 17-20 15-17 20-22
3 12-16 13-14 18-19
2 8-11 9-12 14-17
2 0-7 0-8 0-13

mcat practice test 5-cbt
estimated scaled score physical sciences raw scores verbal reasoning raw scores biological sciences raw scores
15 52-52 49-40 50-52
14 50-51 38-38 49-49
13 47-49 37-37 46-48
12 45-46 35-36 44-45
11 43-44 32-34 41-43
10 39-42 30-31 38-40
9 37-38 28-29 35-37
8 32-36 25-27 32-34
7 28-31 23-24 29-31
6 23-27 20-22 26-28
5 20-22 18-19 23-25
4 17-19 16-17 20-22
3 11-16 13-15 16-19
2 4-10 9-12 12-15
1 0-3 0-8 0-11

aamc 10

15
52-52
40-40
51-52
14
50-51
39-39
50-50
13
49-49
38-38
47-49
12
46-48
37-37
46-46
11
44-45
34-36
43-45
10
41-43
31-33
39-42

thank you don! You're the man!

 

[dm24980]

Thank you all very much! That definitely helps!