If you scored 34 or higher on the MCAT...

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
instigata

instigata

Full Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2006
Messages
1,183
Reaction score
4
Members do not see this ad.
If you scored 34 or higher on the MCAT, what score did you start off with on your practice tests. I am just curious as to how much improvement somebody could have. Thanks!
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
My Kaplan diagnostic was a 21... first full length was a 26... last full length was a 33... 35 on the real deal. Don't let any of your practice tests phase you; you can always improve! :luck:
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I did TPR. First diag, 25. Last diag, 38. Real deal, 38 (but my Verbal went down, which is what I now teach for TPR. Weird).
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
instigata said:
If you scored 34 or higher on the MCAT, what score did you start off with on your practice tests. I am just curious as to how much improvement somebody could have. Thanks!
Click to expand...

First practice I took was 3r: 35

Last one I took was 6 (I think): 37

Actual: 41
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
My first TPR was a 22, just before that a 30 on 3R. Was averaging around 33-34 on the AAMC 7-9, 36 on the real thing (better VR and PS worse BS than usual).
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Haha, sadly, I don't display the improvement of so many people here... but here ya go
31 for first test (3R)
Final, 34
went down in PS by 1 and up in VR by 3, and up bio by 1

my tip on how to avoid that PS drop...
make sure you finish the PS on the real thing! first section of the day and I panicked
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
took the kaplan thats once a week..gets you started early. 21 on the diag then 25, 32, 33,34,32 on kap 1-5 then i got a 37 on the real thing...13B 13PS 11V R.

honestly kaplan makes its tests crazy hard just to scare the **** out of you. so if you cant finish dont worry the real thing is a lot easier. Well the bio and verbal are about the same. just the PS gets a whole lot easier

as far as preparation goes just study like mad (do all the tests, topicals etc kaplan has online i think i finished maybe 70% of the material) I started the end of feb for the april mcat, studied 6 hours a day every day till apr 22. only took a light load in college which helped a lot. if u take a full load start sometime in Dec..but obviously everyone is diff. gl guys! on the aug and the computerized (shudder).
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I had a 27 on the kaplan diagnostic and a 28 on the first kaplan full length. I took all of the kaplan full lengths and averaged between 31-34. I also did AAMC 7-9 and averaged a 34. I did every available piece of kaplan internet material, subject tests, quizzes, etc. I kept a wall calendar of how much I studied and what I studied every day and I tallied the hours at the end of each week. It let me know if I was slacking off and what subjects might have needed more of my attention. On game day I ended up getting a 38. The moral of the story is get a game plan, stick to it, grind it out and you will be successful. Good luck.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
did anyone study ~3 months and get a great score? thanks🙂 j
congrats to everyone,
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I scored a 27 in August 2005. During my study for April 2006 I was practice testing in the high 20's (Kaplan tests), with a few 30, 31's. My actual April 2006 MCAT score was a 33, so I'm very happy (yes, I know I missed the 34 mark for this thread, but I still wanted to contrast practice tests with the real deal).
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
First TPR Diag - 24
Highest Diag - 32
Actual - 36R
Roughly a month total of actual studying, two and a half months of TPR class. Good class.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Noeljan said:
did anyone study ~3 months and get a great score? thanks🙂 j
congrats to everyone,
Click to expand...
Yeah, 2.5 months for me. But once I started studying, it was 6-8 hrs/day, 6 days a week.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
instigata said:
If you scored 34 or higher on the MCAT, what score did you start off with on your practice tests. I am just curious as to how much improvement somebody could have. Thanks!
Click to expand...

I scored 35 in April.

The only practice tests I took were the Kaplan full-lengths 1-5, on which I scored 29, 33, 33, 33, 33.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Kaplan diagnostic was 22, my practice test scores went 30, 34, 32, 35, 35, and I got a 34 on the real thing.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Free Kaplan Diag at our school was a 30 (8VR 10PS 12BS). On the real thing I got a 38 (12VR 13PS 13BS).
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Kaplan diag 27 (7P, 10V, 10B)
April MCAT 35 (11P, 11V, 13B)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
this is my track record:

August '98: 30R (10 VR, 11 PS, 09 BS) [Kaplan]

April '04: 30S (08 VR, 11 PS, 11 BS) [self-study]

April '06: 39S (12 VR, 13 PS, 14 BS) [Princeton Review]

for the latest MCAT, my first diagnostic, in November '05, was a 30 (09 VR, 10 PS, 11 BS). obviously i improved a ton.

click on this username, find my posts, and read them. maybe you'll find it helpful.

if you want more tips, send me a personal message, i'll give you my e-mail addy and we can talk.

-Nirav B. Patel, Esq.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I fit the mold.

I took the TPR diagnostic, got a 26. Dropped the class because teacher was dumb@ss and studied on my own. Got a 40 on the April test.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Lests55 said:
I fit the mold.

I took the TPR diagnostic, got a 26. Dropped the class because teacher was dumb@ss and studied on my own. Got a 40 on the April test.
Click to expand...
Did you get a refund? Were all the teachers dumb@asses?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
some of my teachers were *******es or really really pompess but it didn't matter- good books, listening to people tell u the lecture helps if even if they are clueless.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I took kaplan, got a 26 diag, went up one point on every single practice test i took.
actual test day: 34 (10P, 13V, 11B, R)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
EddieIndy said:
Did you get a refund? Were all the teachers dumb@asses?
Click to expand...

Yeah, I quit after the 2nd day of class. I think TPR gives until the fourth for a full refund (as long as you return all the stuff).
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
instigata said:
If you scored 34 or higher on the MCAT, what score did you start off with on your practice tests. I am just curious as to how much improvement somebody could have. Thanks!
Click to expand...

First TPR practice Test - 16M
AAMC 3R - 32
AAMC 4R - 31
AAMC 5R - 31
AAMC 6R - 32
AAMC 7R - 33
AAMC 8R - 33
AAMC 9r - 34
Real MCAT - 34S

Don't worry if your initial score is low. It will improve a lot if you study!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
First TPR Practice Test: 26
Other TPR and AAMC Tests: (24-30)
Real Thing: 34R

I have reverse test anxiety, I always do better on the real thing than I ever do on practice ones.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Kaplan diag 24, Kaplan fulls 27-33. AAMC 9R 36. Actual 39.

Writing score didn't improve at all. heh.

You know I never really found how people have the tme to take all those tests. damn.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Kaplan Diag: 29 Practice Tests: 29-38 Real Thing: 36
For some reason my V got progressively worse and my PS and BS kept getting better. I think it's cuz Kaplan got me out thinking myself with all their strategies on V.

My advice: Unless you need serious help on V don't use Kaplan's tips I feel like they just screwed me up. Also I think class time is a complete waste since they have the lectures on the internet. All we did in class was sit around and listen to the slow kid in class ask questions that they could have figured out on their own in about 2 seconds if they opened a book and studied. I would just continously pound the PS and BS into your head until you can do it in your sleep.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Noeljan said:
did anyone study ~3 months and get a great score? thanks🙂 j
congrats to everyone,
Click to expand...


Yes. Started end of January for the April test (I guess about 3 months)? Started with a 30 on the diagnostic (VR 13 BS 10 PS 7). Did very well on the real thing. Score improvements on PS and BS are a matter of knowing the material. I spent a lot of time with Kaplan's flashcards for those two.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
gujuDoc said:
One more thing I wanted to say, but wanted to say it in a separate post.....

Something I've noticed with TPR students in my area is that those who typically score within the early to mid 20's on their first diag will see a score of mid 30's if they go hardcore with doing all the homeworks and practice tests and learn how to study MCAT study style.

This generally leads to a 12-14 point increase from the first score.

Most students in TPR average between 14 and 15 on their first diag so will max out at 28-30 if they study hard core whereas those who start with 23-26 will see anywhere between a 6-8 pint increase on the low end with as much as a 12-14 point jump on the high end with studying hardcore.

With minimal studying, you'll see a 3-4 point increase or decrease from first diag after taking TPR.

Generally after taking the real deal if you sit and retake your first diag from TPR you'll score around the same as you did on the real deal.


Almost everyone who I've known to score a 23+ on their first diag has scored 35+ on the real deal after taking TPR, not because they took TPR but because they put a lot of time outside of class hours studying.
Click to expand...

👍 I started with a 19 on my TPR diagnostic. I didn't get 34+, but I ended up with a 33. I think your observations are pretty dead on guju.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
my practices went 24, 26, 29, 33, 37, 38...then only a 34 on the real deal (ephin PS section)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
cwb said:
All we did in class was sit around and listen to the slow kid in class ask questions that they could have figured out on their own in about 2 seconds if they opened a book and studied. I would just continously pound the PS and BS into your head until you can do it in your sleep.
Click to expand...

lol. this is soooo true....haha.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I took TPR, got 27, 28, 28, 30, 33 on diags. 38 on the real thing. I definitely could have studied more. For my class, the lectures were generally very helpful and I got as much out of them as I would have on my own (except verbal, those classes were worthless 😴 ).
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Wow, I want my TPR money back! "Only" 8 point score increase here...😉

AAMC 3R (taken two weeks before TPR class began): 28 (12VR, 8PS, 8BS)
TPR diag: 27 (11VR, 8PS, 8BS)
Actual: 35 (13VR, 12PS, 10BS)
*It took a long time for me to get out of the 28-30 range though and then I stayed in the 32-33 range until my last practice test (36). So, don't lose hope along the way!
*If it's been awhile since you've taken the sciences/you need a structured class and access to an overwhelming amount of material, I think the TPR/Kaplan courses are the way to go. I don't feel like they were much help in VR since that's always been my strong suit (and I just needed lots of practice/more confidence), but the PS and BS score definitely improved in part thanks to my bio and gen chem classes with TPR (Physics was useless for me, but that may have just been my teacher). I still wish I would have busted my bum even harder in bio but that's just the overachieving premed in me. 😳
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
instigata said:
If you scored 34 or higher on the MCAT, what score did you start off with on your practice tests. I am just curious as to how much improvement somebody could have. Thanks!
Click to expand...

First TPR diagnostic: 25
Last TPR diagnostic: 31
Aug '06 MCAT: 36
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Niki21 said:
first TPR diagnostic: 22
April 2006 MCAT: 30R
August 2006 MCAT: 36R
Click to expand...



That's a very impressive retake improvement (it's always said that the April to August [same year] difference is usually not very significant). I assume you put a lot more effort into studying for the August one?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
First TPR diagnostic was a 30. Next two were 31 and 34. Then I took AAMC 3-8 scoring 34-37 on all of them. Real thing: 37.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
April 2005 27m did not get in

Aug. 2006 40p better make it in this time or my friends will kill me!!!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
First TPR test: 31
All of the AAMCs: 35-41
Kaplans: 27-34. I don't know what I did wrong with the Kaplans, but I tried some of the later kaplans (8, 9, 10) i think and bombed them.
Actual: 37 (AAMCs are good indication in my opinion).
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
August 2005 (no practice test) - 30

----took a practice test this June at e-mcat.com and scored 31

August 2006 -37


Probably not too helpful, though, because the online one didn't seem very realistic.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
PR Test 4911: 24
PR Test 4921: 23N
PR Test 4931: 23M (My score's actually dropping as the class progresses)
AAMC 8: 31
Then AAMC tests 5-7. Don't remember the scores
AAMC 9: 36 (Very happy)

August '06: 39P (Stunned 😱)

This has been a long trip. I started studying two months before the April MCAT, took the PR course. I was sick and sleep-deprived on the day of the test, but held on to the end and voided my score at the last minute. My practice scores were unpromising anyway. Spent the rest of the semester not thinking about the MCAT. Spent the first month of summer studying MCAT - until late June, that's what really made the difference for me. I worked on MCAT from wake to sleep with piles of books and paper surrounding my desk, chair, and bed. From late June to test day, I did full time research and had very little time to study. Considering that I didn't get to do any of the Kaplan practice exams, barely studied for a month and a half before the test, and only got one good practice score - which stood out from so many crappy ones, I was pretty damn shocked and ecstatic at how things turned out.

The moral of the story is, where there's a will, there's a way. And if you persevere to the end, a bit of fortuity might just help you through that last mile.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
First diagnostic (half length, ~30). Pretty much low to mid 30s for AAMCs 4-7. 37 on AAMC 8, 35 on AAMC 3.

37Q on 19 Aug 2006.

greatestpastime said:
when should you take your first practice test?
Click to expand...

Excluding your diagnostic, I would take your first practice exam after you've done a reasonable amount of concept studying (e.g., gone through old class notes; a few sections in a review book, etc., for a couple weeks)--that was about T-minus 7 weeks for me; I spent the first 3 weeks going through Kaplan Premier's bio/orgo/chem/physics sections.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

tropi-
Applying ASAP vs Higher MCAT Score
Replies
6
Views
2K
Faha
F
M
Should I retake the MCAT?
Replies
5
Views
2K
Dral
Dral
Anonymouse2100
Advice on MCAT Dilemma
Replies
1
Views
2K
stew_md
S
P
MCAT on june 27th too late
Replies
0
Views
1K
premed2341
P
N
  • Locked
  • Question Question
Advice on MCAT Scheduling/Timing
Replies
5
Views
3K
hommefatale
hommefatale
Top