How misleading can practice test scores be?

[Groggs]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I just recently took the AAMC FL1 and scored a 518 and never in any way expected to do this well. I averaged a 510 on three Kaplan tests and a 511 on two next step tests as well. Many people on SDN mention doing better on the real MCAT as opposed to their practice ones. I am somewhat unsure of how much I should look into these scores and don't want to get a false sense of confidence. If someone is scoring this well does that mean they're probably adequately prepared for the MCAT? Are there any other ways to get a better feel of if I am ready for the real deal? Honestly just kind of shocked because I thought I'd be doing well to hit above a 510.

 

[naivePremed]

From what I have read, the AAMC FL is the usually the most accurate score and people tend to be close to that score in the real MCAT. And they also score higher than the Kaplan FLs, those tend to be more difficult. So you're looking great, I hope my FLs look like that when I start taking them!

 

[ScreenName23]

I think you're in a good spot. When I studied I took the AAMC FL four weeks before my test and got a 518. Before that I had only taken TPR and got a high score of 506. I ended up with a 520 on the real thing. So AAMC FL does generally predict +/-2 pts of real score (though not always).

It's especially good if your 518 was balanced and you can work on whatever sections were lacking. For me I had two 129s and two 130s. I focused on those sections so that I had all 130s for the actual test.

 

[andelJ94]

Take any and all practice test scores with a grain of salt, even the AAMC exams (though this grain will be the smallest). I'd focus more on scoring a consistent % correct on non-AAMC tests (EK, NS) since the scales are not really reliable.

 

[Go_Pokes_11]

You are slaying!! Keep it up and good luck on the real thing.

 

[aldol16]

In your case, it shouldn't be very misleading. In some instances it can though. The FL exams do emphasize a specific set of topics that either may or may not come up on test day. You might get a test version that tests on topics you are not as comfortable with. So the best approach is to make sure you're well-rounded at all the topics.