How should I know to void the MCAT??

[farf]

How do you know when you should void the MCAT?? Would it be stupid to void it if I knew for sure I got some questions wrong on PS or BS?? I've been getting 14-15 on both sections, missing either 0, 1, or 2 questions on AAMC, and usually 3-5 on Kaplan. Hence I KNOW I can get 14-15, but if somehow on the test day it doesn't go that well, is it a good idea to just void and take the test again in 2-3 weeks (whenever the next day is available)?

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[stixx]

How are you going to "know" you got questions wrong during the test? You also have no idea what the curve is going to be like. IMO, unless you start vomiting violently and can't finish half the questions in a section, voiding just seems dumb. Very few people walk out of the MCAT feeling as confident as they did after practice exams.

 

[Deepa100]

How are you going to "know" you got questions wrong during the test? You also have no idea what the curve is going to be like. IMO, unless you start vomiting violently and can't finish half the questions in a section, voiding just seems dumb. Very few people walk out of the MCAT feeling as confident as they did after practice exams.

Yes. I second that.

 

[farf]

How are you going to "know" you got questions wrong during the test? You also have no idea what the curve is going to be like. IMO, unless you start vomiting violently and can't finish half the questions in a section, voiding just seems dumb. Very few people walk out of the MCAT feeling as confident as they did after practice exams.

Sometimes I figure it out during the break, or sometimes if there are two questions that are basically relying on assumption "X" instead of "Y," and I have no idea which is true, I'll answer one as if X is true and one as if Y is true, hedging a little. So I'm guaranteed to get 1 wrong and 1 right. But you think it's not worth voiding? Thanks for the advice.

 

[BeardedRunner]

Please move this thread to the MCAT Discussions.

 

[BarberofSeville]

This is really your call, and I dont think any of us here can give you specific guidelines as to when you should void or not, since you have your own expectations of how you should score, and what constitutes a "good" score for you may mean something completely different to somebody else.

 

[stixx]

Sometimes I figure it out during the break, or sometimes if there are two questions that are basically relying on assumption "X" instead of "Y," and I have no idea which is true, I'll answer one as if X is true and one as if Y is true, hedging a little. So I'm guaranteed to get 1 wrong and 1 right. But you think it's not worth voiding? Thanks for the advice.

Ah I see. When a section's over, it's over. Just completely block it out of your mind and focus on what's next.

I would just forget the void option is there, tbh. If from the first question you're thinking "OMG this is so hard, but whatever, I'll just void it if they're all like this..." you won't be trying hard enough. Treat it like say your final exams. Even if you're wholly underprepared, or you were prepared but the questions were coming out of left field you still fight tooth and nail to get every last mark outta that test since you only have one chance.

 

[Depakote]

Please move this thread to the MCAT Discussions.

that sounds like a good idea

 

[polarizer]

This is such an outburst of pomposity, I turned troll-hair green.
Honestly...I mean...Come the on... You know you will get 14 or 15? Read around this board and see why Real People void...I dare you to find someone voiding because he thought he was not getting a perfect score on an an agonizing and challenging standardized test. Sorry for the flame, but you threw the first spark.

 

[farf]

I didn't mean to throw any sparks or whatnot, but I was just wondering, I guess, if it's worth voiding your score if you know for sure that you got lower than you could do. This kind of "knowing" is usually only possible at the high end because the curve makes a bigger difference the lower you go. But 1-2 wrong will never be a 15. That's all.

 

[Muffinpuff]

i will tell you now that except on rare occasions, your actual test will be significantly harder than your aamc practice. don't void unless you have not finished the sections. i got a 14 on physical sciences on the actual mcat and trust me, i guessed on 20 questions cause it was SO hard. so if u expect a 14-15 as in being sure about 50 questions, you're gonna end up voiding every test.

 

[Jorje286]

i will tell you now that except on rare occasions, your actual test will be significantly harder than your aamc practice. don't void unless you have not finished the sections. i got a 14 on physical sciences on the actual mcat and trust me, i guessed on 20 questions cause it was SO hard. so if u expect a 14-15 as in being sure about 50 questions, you're gonna end up voiding every test.

I voided today, and I don't think I even did that bad. I think I did like 4/5 mistakes or a maximum of 6/7 which I guess would've given me a 12.

I dare you to find someone voiding because he thought he was not getting a perfect score on an an agonizing and challenging standardized test.

I did that today. But only because I'm applying MD/PhD, and I'm already disadvantaged (late in the application process, international), so I can't get below 13s.

 

[J ROD]

I was an advocate for voiding because I thought I could tell when to.

Unless you think you have missed more than half the questions or just have no clue and are overwhelmed, I would not void.

You have to have enough time leftover to go back and review the entire section and calculate things up. Most can't remember well enough as they progress through the test.

I did not have that time for PS and Verbal; therefore, I am not sure exactly how I did. I feel worse but most often times we remember the misses more than the corrects.

The BS section I had enough time to go back and calculate and get a number in my head.

 

[engineeredout]

I voided today, and I don't think I even did that bad. I think I did like 4/5 mistakes or a maximum of 6/7 which I guess would've given me a 12.

Thats probably one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. You think you got a 12 and still voided?

:troll:

 

[Jorje286]

Thats probably one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. You think you got a 12 and still voided?

:troll:

There was a number of reasons why I voided. The "12" hunch was after I got out of the test room. I came aiming very high (because as I mentioned, I really need to score very high for admissions purposes) and not very well prepared on the concepts (spent the day before studying from 6 am to 12 pm), so I was extremely tense and stumbled mentally on the first hurdle (didn't come in with the right attitude and confidence because I wasn't sure about all the concepts, especially mechanics and fluids). After the PS, there was no way I could concentrate on the verbal, cause I had in mind the next exam already. For now, I should concentrate on my test-taking abilities, and learn how to accept not being sure of an answer for a hard question early on, so it doesn't mess up my concentration on everything.

Oh, and I'm not a troll.

 

[engineeredout]

There was a number of reasons why I voided. The "12" hunch was after I got out of the test room. I came aiming very high (because as I mentioned, I really need to score very high for admissions purposes) and not very well prepared on the concepts (spent the day before studying from 6 am to 12 pm), so I was extremely tense and stumbled mentally on the first hurdle (didn't come in with the right attitude and confidence). After the PS, there was no way I could concentrate on the verbal, cause I had in mind the next exam already. For now, I should concentrate on my test-taking abilities, and learn how to accept not being sure of an answer for a hard question early on, so it doesn't mess up my concentration on everything.

Oh, and I'm not a troll.

YEah but you have no idea what you got. Did you stop and think that maybe some of the hardest questions were the ones that are not going to be scored, and that those questions could have been in there for survey/future exams? Not paying attention to verbal because of performance in PS is also not the greatest decision.

 

[Jorje286]

YEah but you have no idea what you got. Did you stop and think that maybe some of the hardest questions were the ones that are not going to be scored, and that those questions could have been in there for survey/future exams? Not paying attention to verbal because of performance in PS is also not the greatest decision.

You're right. I just came with the wrong attitude, and probably I should've stayed home all together. I should never take the test before I know that I'm 10000% ready for it. And that wasn't the case. So I was already having second thoughts about re-taking before even starting.

 

[StayingSteady]

YEah but you have no idea what you got. Did you stop and think that maybe some of the hardest questions were the ones that are not going to be scored, and that those questions could have been in there for survey/future exams? Not paying attention to verbal because of performance in PS is also not the greatest decision.

woah, what's this about survey questions?

 

[ej37]

And one thing you can do, is have the test scored, and still register for the next test regardless, which may be in a couple weeks or so. It may look strange having two mcats in the same month, but then again you can always void the second one unless you think you did better than the first

 

[koogles]

Are those survey questions disguised as real test questions?

Also, a friend told me we have to tell the proctor beforehand if there's a chance we might void. I thought it would be just like the practice AAMC where you click "void" and "grade my test"

 

[engineeredout]

woah, what's this about survey questions?

Isn't the whole reason you're not allowed to talk about exact questions on your exam that questions maybe not scored on your exam are used for real in the future?

 

[futuredoctor10]

Isn't the whole reason you're not allowed to talk about exact questions on your exam that questions maybe not scored on your exam are used for real in the future?

Yep I think that is the reason

 

[serikk85]

OP, I seriously considered voiding my exam because of how badly I struggled with the PS sections. Turns out I got a 14 on the PS and a 40 overall. You're just not going to know.

 

[thame]

Just out of curiosity. If you choose void your exam, is there a pop-up or page that asks "Are you sure you want to void your exam?". Im just afraid I might click the wrong choice when I really do want my exam graded. Thanks.

 

[Revilla]

And one thing you can do, is have the test scored, and still register for the next test regardless, which may be in a couple weeks or so. It may look strange having two mcats in the same month, but then again you can always void the second one unless you think you did better than the first

Be careful. There's a poster on this forum who did that and ended up having both exams scored. It turned out that he got a 31 on the first one and a 25 on the second. It's a bad idea to take another MCAT before your first scores are in.

Are those survey questions disguised as real test questions?

Yes, they're experimental questions and they won't be scored, but you won't know which ones they are.

Also, a friend told me we have to tell the proctor beforehand if there's a chance we might void. I thought it would be just like the practice AAMC where you click "void" and "grade my test"

Your friend is wrong. At the end of the test, a pop-up comes up that asks if you want to have your test voided or scored. It's between you and the monitor at that point.

Just out of curiosity. If you choose void your exam, is there a pop-up or page that asks "Are you sure you want to void your exam?".

Yes.

I think voiding is a mistake unless you're absolutely positive you blew it. In this very thread, a poster said he almost voided a 40. If you find the exam hard, chances are everyone else did too and, therefore, the curve will even things out. Just check out the June 13th thread if you don't believe it.

 

[mcant]

You should void if:

a) you didn't finish a section with 10+ questions remaining
b) you blindly guessed 1/2 the test
c) you were ill during the test
d) you didn't study

Anything else is a waste of your money/time. Just re-take it if you're unhappy.