Im bad at Standardized tests...Freaking out about MCAT

[pyro98]

Yeah I got average scores on the SAT and ACT....I am a freshman in college...I really want to optimize my scores for the MCAT. I guessing if I thoroughly comprehend all of the materials in all of my pre reqs I will be fine? Any tips?

Thanks guys

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[UpQuark]

The biggest problem is fear of the test. Granted, the MCAT is pretty the most important test you'll ever take, don't get intimidated by it. Also, you're a freshman, enjoy what time you have left until your junior year, then you can start panicking. Just keep in mind that you should study smart and remember, it is a STANDARDIZED test which means that even an average joe can do well on it.

And yes, keep on top of your pre-reqs. You don't need to know every single detail, but the general ideas, just know how things work and why they work.

 

[phonyreal98]

Granted, the MCAT is pretty the most important test you'll ever take

Really? What about Step I?😛

 

[bucks2010]

You're only a freshman... don't even worry about the MCAT. Just do well in your pre-reqs and you can focus on it later.

 

[omgyou8myrice]

Why do people say "I'm bad at standardized tests" instead of just saying "I'm bad at preparing for tests" or "I'm not that smart". I don't really believe there is such a thing as someone who is smart enough to earn a top score, but "tests badly" and receives a mediocre one in its place.

Mini-rant aside, all you can do is study and do your best. If you haven't even finished your pre-reqs, stop worrying about it. You have some crap-ass classes to suffer through first 🙄

 

[UpQuark]

Really? What about Step I?😛

Yeaaaa, but you got to take the MCAT before the USMLE. Uber crappy MCAT, no med school, no USMLE
😉

 

[mitchlucker]

Why do people say "I'm bad at standardized tests" instead of just saying "I'm bad at preparing for tests" or "I'm not that smart". I don't really believe there is such a thing as someone who is smart enough to earn a top score, but "tests badly" and receives a mediocre one in its place.

Mini-rant aside, all you can do is study and do your best. If you haven't even finished your pre-reqs, stop worrying about it. You have some crap-ass classes to suffer through first 🙄

👍

 

[alwaysaangel]

I'm going to go against the grain here - And complete disagree with others who have responded to this thread. As a good test-taker myself, and an MCAT Princeton Review teacher I am absolutely certain there are people who are good test-takers and bad test-takers.

There are so many of my friends/classmates who are absolutely smarter than me, and know concepts better than me - yet I consistently score better on the steps. Simply because I have good test taking strategies that help me get the answer even if I don't know the answer and help me not be tripped up by distractors.

There are so many ways to go wrong with a standardized test - especially tests like the MCAT and USMLEs.
1. You can overread the question and add a bunch of assumptions to end up with the wrong answer.
2. You can misread questions and select a wrong answer that was intentionally put there because they hoped you would misread it.
3. You can be too slow.
4. You can be bad at noticing extreme words or small subtleties that make an answer wrong

Then there's all the stuff that good test takers do that bad-test takers don't really do wrong but gives the good test takers a huge advantage
1) Thinking like the test writers so you see what they're getting at (a lot of questions are vague or implied)
2) Thinking like the test writers so you are anticipating the questions before you even get there
3) Identifying the distractor answers ahead of time and knowing they are wrong and why the test taker put them there.
4) Always using process of elimination so they can be quite sure of which answers are wrong and which one is correct and why.
5) Knowing how to eliminate wrong answers even when they have no clue what the question is talking about.

These are not all-inclusive lists. There are tons of ways to go right and wrong, these are just some big examples.

Unfortunately, if you are a bad-test taker you have a very hard time ahead of you - MCAT, Step 1, Step 2, Step 3 and boards. You need to identify your deficit NOW and fix it NOW. These exams don't just test knowledge - you could know every fact you need and still do poorly if you do some of the things in the first list. Tests are written to be tricky - these aren't straight forward fact exams anymore, they have to differentiate between the elite students of the US.

Here's where you start fixing the problem:
1) Always use process of elimination. Know exactly why each answer is right or wrong. Do this in practice questions and actual exams. Not only will it help you review material but it will prevent mistakes on exams. Often if you use process of elimination you will come up with 2 right answers - that means YOU made a mistake. Either in the fact or in reading the question or answer - go back and find your mistake.
2) Start looking at the questions you get wrong and look for patters. Are you terrible at questions that have "Not" or "except" because you lose track halfway through? Are you terrible at straight forward definition questions because you miss simple differences in wording? Are you bad at calculation questions because you make a simple math mistake but see your answer as an option and never bother to recheck your work? Did you just not know the answer? - if so, could you have eliminated a few definite wrong ones and made a better guess?
3) Work on your timing. If you do bad at tests then you should NEVER be finishing early. If you are finishing early and getting stuff wrong then you need to slow down, read more carefully, check your answers as you go and at the end. If you are too slow then you need to learn to read more accurately more quickly.

Obviously this is really only possible for multiple choice exams in college and practicing for MCAT, USMLE, etc. But do what you can when you can. You don't want to continue struggling with something like that for the rest of your career.

Good luck - its a tough thing to fix and a lot of the people on here have never struggled with it so they will not be able to appreciate your struggles. I've worked with a lot of friends, classmates, and students on this problem. Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[CoolWhipp]

Why do people say "I'm bad at standardized tests" instead of just saying "I'm bad at preparing for tests" or "I'm not that smart". I don't really believe there is such a thing as someone who is smart enough to earn a top score, but "tests badly" and receives a mediocre one in its place.

Mini-rant aside, all you can do is study and do your best. If you haven't even finished your pre-reqs, stop worrying about it. You have some crap-ass classes to suffer through first 🙄

I'm bad at standardized tests.

 

[Silverfalcon]

I'll have to agree with majority of people here. There is really no such thing as "I'm bad at standardized test." What exists is only the anxiety of taking an important exam.

If you do not do well on multiple-choice test, it's not because you are "bad at standardized test." It's like saying you don't do well on Verbal because you just took science courses. It simply means that you are not capable of reading questions and answer choices carefully to reason the correct answer.

 

[alwaysaangel]

It simply means that you are not capable of reading questions and answer choices carefully to reason the correct answer.

Yeah. That would be someone bad at standardized tests. You just proved yourself wrong. That same person would be comparable to the "good test taker" if given essay or oral exams.

If some people use strategies that have nothing to do with the subject matter to do well and other people lack those strategies - that would be the very definition of good and bad test-taking.

 

[Silverfalcon]

Yeah. That would be someone bad at standardized tests. You just proved yourself wrong. That same person would be comparable to the "good test taker" if given essay or oral exams.

If some people use strategies that have nothing to do with the subject matter to do well and other people lack those strategies - that would be the very definition of good and bad test-taking.

No, you are wrong. No matter what kinds of exams you take, you, as a student, should read the question carefully and answer choices (if applicable) slowly and thoroughly. If what you are saying is correct, then you just argued that there are good "essay test takers" and "bad essay test takers." Seriously? There are people who read carefully to answer what the question's really asking, and this is a comprehension matter, not test-taking skills manner. Reading carefully is a common sense, not something that is so special that only some people have it (some are better than others but that's because they have read more in their life).

The phrase "bad test taker" is a popular excuse to use on reasoning test more than on essay test because you can usually "BS" on essay exam even when you didn't understand/answer the question correctly. In standardized test, if you don't comprehend what the question said, then you won't get it right. It's not some special "test-taking ability" that distinguishes one from another.

There are so many ways to go wrong with a standardized test - especially tests like the MCAT and USMLEs.
1. You can overread the question and add a bunch of assumptions to end up with the wrong answer.
2. You can misread questions and select a wrong answer that was intentionally put there because they hoped you would misread it.
3. You can be too slow.
4. You can be bad at noticing extreme words or small subtleties that make an answer wrong

Then there's all the stuff that good test takers do that bad-test takers don't really do wrong but gives the good test takers a huge advantage
1) Thinking like the test writers so you see what they're getting at (a lot of questions are vague or implied)
2) Thinking like the test writers so you are anticipating the questions before you even get there
3) Identifying the distractor answers ahead of time and knowing they are wrong and why the test taker put them there.
4) Always using process of elimination so they can be quite sure of which answers are wrong and which one is correct and why.
5) Knowing how to eliminate wrong answers even when they have no clue what the question is talking about.

These are not all-inclusive lists. There are tons of ways to go right and wrong, these are just some big examples.

Unfortunately, if you are a bad-test taker you have a very hard time ahead of you - MCAT, Step 1, Step 2, Step 3 and boards. You need to identify your deficit NOW and fix it NOW. These exams don't just test knowledge - you could know every fact you need and still do poorly if you do some of the things in the first list. Tests are written to be tricky - these aren't straight forward fact exams anymore, they have to differentiate between the elite students of the US.

Here's where you start fixing the problem:
1) Always use process of elimination. Know exactly why each answer is right or wrong. Do this in practice questions and actual exams. Not only will it help you review material but it will prevent mistakes on exams. Often if you use process of elimination you will come up with 2 right answers - that means YOU made a mistake. Either in the fact or in reading the question or answer - go back and find your mistake.
2) Start looking at the questions you get wrong and look for patters. Are you terrible at questions that have "Not" or "except" because you lose track halfway through? Are you terrible at straight forward definition questions because you miss simple differences in wording? Are you bad at calculation questions because you make a simple math mistake but see your answer as an option and never bother to recheck your work? Did you just not know the answer? - if so, could you have eliminated a few definite wrong ones and made a better guess?
3) Work on your timing. If you do bad at tests then you should NEVER be finishing early. If you are finishing early and getting stuff wrong then you need to slow down, read more carefully, check your answers as you go and at the end. If you are too slow then you need to learn to read more accurately more quickly.

Everything stated here is about how to prepare for standardized tests. It has NO relevance on deciding whether someone is a "good" or "bad" standardized test-taker. Stuffs like this are said in prep books, so one anyone easily learn them if he/she chooses to (with practices).

Obviously, not everyone is wise (or diligent) enough to take advantages of these tips so that's why some score better than others. It's all about preparation, much less than your innate ability to test-take.

P.S. No more discussion on this matter. It's pretty clear that whatever I say, there will always be people disagree on the other side. It's the same reason why prep companies continue to make thousands of dollars years after years. Telling people, "You are bad at standardized test so pay money to us and we'll teach you" is more lucrative than saying, "You can take standardized tests if you just stop and read things slowly."

 

[Geekchick921]

The biggest problem is fear of the test. Granted, the MCAT is pretty the most important test you'll ever take, don't get intimidated by it.

I absolutely agree with your first statement, but not the second. Do NOT psych yourself out about the test. The MCAT test should be scared of YOU, not the other way around.

Yeaaaa, but you got to take the MCAT before the USMLE. Uber crappy MCAT, no med school, no USMLE
😉

Yeah, but you can take the MCAT again. You only get one shot at the Step 1 and you better not F it up.

*Snip... long quote, look above*

I agree alwaysangel here. They are not just testing your understanding of the material, they include questions and answers that are intended to trip you up. Knowing pitfall questions, identifying answers that are made to seem correct but aren't, making sure you don't miss key words, anticipating the questions that may be asked on a given passage, etc. are all very important tactics in doing well on standardized tests.

I have always considered myself a very good test taker, and my scores have always reflected that. It is mindset and strategy, in addition to comprehensive knowledge of the subject matter, that will set you apart.

 

[Frazier]

Why do people say "I'm bad at standardized tests" instead of just saying "I'm bad at preparing for tests" or "I'm not that smart". I don't really believe there is such a thing as someone who is smart enough to earn a top score, but "tests badly" and receives a mediocre one in its place.

Mini-rant aside, all you can do is study and do your best. If you haven't even finished your pre-reqs, stop worrying about it. You have some crap-ass classes to suffer through first 🙄

I like when people, coincidentally that happen to get a high MCAT score, make this claim as if subtly defending the intrinsic value of their own score as "I am good at preparing for tests; I am that smart. If you did not score as well as me, you either are lazy or less intelligent than I..."

I haven't taken the MCAT yet; however, I certainly see how anxiety can rattle a student into having a terrible first section which can have ramifications (in a chain-reaction-esque manner) for the rest of the exam.

So to be clear, what facet of being overly-anxious carries over to the student "not being that smart"? 😉

 

[Barcu]

This debate about whether a "bad test taker" exists is just pointless. Clearly, you guys arguing have different opinions about what that actually means, so good luck arguing that until you're blue in the face.

To the OP, doing well in your prereqs is NOT enough to do well on the MCAT. You need to be able to employ strategies to take the MCAT because it can be a very tricky test. Yes, reading questions carefully is an excellent start, but it is not everything.

Look into test taking strategies, and most importantly, pay for extra MCAT tests. Taking a bunch of practice tests is the best way to gauge where you are at, recognize commonly tested topics, and perfect your own strategies for tackling the test.

But seriously, don't worry about this for a few more years and just concentrate on grades for now. Most people take a few months (maybe up to 6) to specifically prepare for the MCAT but not much more.

Even if you consider yourself a "bed test taker," you can do well on the MCAT.

 

[omgyou8myrice]

I'm going to go against the grain here - And complete disagree with others who have responded to this thread. As a good test-taker myself, and an MCAT Princeton Review teacher I am absolutely certain there are people who are good test-takers and bad test-takers.

There are so many of my friends/classmates who are absolutely smarter than me, and know concepts better than me - yet I consistently score better on the steps. Simply because I have good test taking strategies that help me get the answer even if I don't know the answer and help me not be tripped up by distractors.

There are so many ways to go wrong with a standardized test - especially tests like the MCAT and USMLEs.
1. You can overread the question and add a bunch of assumptions to end up with the wrong answer.
2. You can misread questions and select a wrong answer that was intentionally put there because they hoped you would misread it.
3. You can be too slow.
4. You can be bad at noticing extreme words or small subtleties that make an answer wrong

Then there's all the stuff that good test takers do that bad-test takers don't really do wrong but gives the good test takers a huge advantage
1) Thinking like the test writers so you see what they're getting at (a lot of questions are vague or implied)
2) Thinking like the test writers so you are anticipating the questions before you even get there
3) Identifying the distractor answers ahead of time and knowing they are wrong and why the test taker put them there.
4) Always using process of elimination so they can be quite sure of which answers are wrong and which one is correct and why.
5) Knowing how to eliminate wrong answers even when they have no clue what the question is talking about.

These are not all-inclusive lists. There are tons of ways to go right and wrong, these are just some big examples.

Unfortunately, if you are a bad-test taker you have a very hard time ahead of you - MCAT, Step 1, Step 2, Step 3 and boards. You need to identify your deficit NOW and fix it NOW. These exams don't just test knowledge - you could know every fact you need and still do poorly if you do some of the things in the first list. Tests are written to be tricky - these aren't straight forward fact exams anymore, they have to differentiate between the elite students of the US.

Here's where you start fixing the problem:
1) Always use process of elimination. Know exactly why each answer is right or wrong. Do this in practice questions and actual exams. Not only will it help you review material but it will prevent mistakes on exams. Often if you use process of elimination you will come up with 2 right answers - that means YOU made a mistake. Either in the fact or in reading the question or answer - go back and find your mistake.
2) Start looking at the questions you get wrong and look for patters. Are you terrible at questions that have "Not" or "except" because you lose track halfway through? Are you terrible at straight forward definition questions because you miss simple differences in wording? Are you bad at calculation questions because you make a simple math mistake but see your answer as an option and never bother to recheck your work? Did you just not know the answer? - if so, could you have eliminated a few definite wrong ones and made a better guess?
3) Work on your timing. If you do bad at tests then you should NEVER be finishing early. If you are finishing early and getting stuff wrong then you need to slow down, read more carefully, check your answers as you go and at the end. If you are too slow then you need to learn to read more accurately more quickly.

Obviously this is really only possible for multiple choice exams in college and practicing for MCAT, USMLE, etc. But do what you can when you can. You don't want to continue struggling with something like that for the rest of your career.

Good luck - its a tough thing to fix and a lot of the people on here have never struggled with it so they will not be able to appreciate your struggles. I've worked with a lot of friends, classmates, and students on this problem. Let me know if you have any other questions.

You just listed entities of what a "bad test taker" would possess. IMO, reading slowly and not being able to read something correctly are implications of poor intelligence, not that you're bad at test taking. Are you trying to tell me someone that's capable of reading quickly and capable of understanding what they're reading is somehow not able to do that when it comes to a test? If so, I just ain't buying what you're selling. Saying "I'm bad a taking a test" just sounds like a subtle way of not saying "I'm just not that smart".. but I digress.

 

[s1lver]

Take it now and fail miserably. At least you will know what to expect, how you need to prepare, how quickly you need to spend time on each question, reduced stress, etc.

 

[startswithb]

I used to think I was "bad at standardized tests," too. First, stop saying that you are bad at them because it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. The "I'm bad" at these tests most likely came from not realizing at all that there were ways to prepare for them. I just thought you showed up and took them (ACT) and you were either good or bad. No. There are such things as prep books and test taking strategies which anyone can employ. So stop with that mentality completely, prepare appropriately, and you'll be fine. Now go study for gen bio.

 

[Barcu]

You just listed entities of what a "bad test taker" would possess. IMO, reading slowly and not being able to read something correctly are implications of poor intelligence, not that you're bad at test taking. Are you trying to tell me someone that's capable of reading quickly and capable of understanding what they're reading is somehow not able to do that when it comes to a test? If so, I just ain't buying what you're selling. Saying "I'm bad a taking a test" just sounds like a subtle way of not saying "I'm just not that smart".. but I digress.

Can you please take your arrogant attitude elsewhere?

Most people could not get a 43 on the MCAT if they spent their entire life preparing. Unless you have a constructive thing to say to the OP, let us plebians down below give out some advice that could help.

Many testing issues stem from levels of confidence, and you sure are not helping.

 

[Frazier]

Can you please take your arrogant attitude elsewhere?

Most people could not get a 43 on the MCAT if they spent their entire life preparing. Unless you have a constructive thing to say to the OP, let us plebians down below give out some advice that could help.

Many testing issues stem from levels of confidence, and you sure are not helping.

Come on, man. Let him have his rice and eat it too.

 

[omgyou8myrice]

Can you please take your arrogant attitude elsewhere?

Most people could not get a 43 on the MCAT if they spent their entire life preparing. Unless you have a constructive thing to say to the OP, let us plebians down below give out some advice that could help.

Many testing issues stem from levels of confidence, and you sure are not helping.

How am I not helping the guy? By rattling off an excuse of "I'm a bad test taker", he's just setting himself up for a mediocre score and a poor excuse to go along with it. Once you ditch the mindset of "I'm a bad test taker, I'm going to do poorly on the MCAT", you will come to terms with the fact that nothing short of studying will get you a good grade.

I spent over 3 brutal months (literally, hours every day in the library, no exceptions) studying. I'm not some insanely smart guy, I just studied my ass off for the test. I'm not implying that I'm somehow above anyone, but apparently I seem to be one of the few that recognizes study habits need to be established if one wants to do well, and nothing short of that. I don't know a single person, personally, that has scored well on the MCAT without extensive studying. Starting off with blaming poor test taking abilities is about the worst thing you can do. As someone else said, it's a self-fulfilling prophecy.

 

[Barcu]

How am I not helping the guy? By rattling off an excuse of "I'm a bad test taker", he's just setting himself up for a mediocre score and a poor excuse to go along with it. Once you ditch the mindset of "I'm a bad test taker, I'm going to do poorly on the MCAT", you will come to terms with the fact that nothing short of studying will get you a good grade.

I spent over 3 brutal months (literally, hours every day in the library, no exceptions) studying. I'm not some insanely smart guy, I just studied my ass off for the test. I'm not implying that I'm somehow above anyone, but apparently I seem to be one of the few that recognizes study habits need to be established if one wants to do well, and nothing short of that. I don't know a single person, personally, that has scored well on the MCAT without extensive studying. Starting off with blaming poor test taking abilities is about the worst thing you can do. As someone else said, it's a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I agree with you. So why didn't you say this instead of arguing that saying you're a "bad test taker" is just a copout?

You just listed entities of what a "bad test taker" would possess. IMO, reading slowly and not being able to read something correctly are implications of poor intelligence, not that you're bad at test taking. Are you trying to tell me someone that's capable of reading quickly and capable of understanding what they're reading is somehow not able to do that when it comes to a test? If so, I just ain't buying what you're selling. Saying "I'm bad a taking a test" just sounds like a subtle way of not saying "I'm just not that smart".. but I digress.

How does that bolded sound to you?

Look, I agree with what you are saying. Being a "bad test taker" is not a good excuse nor is it a helpful thing to think. But many times, that is connected to confidence. So, it would be better just to give the OP some advice about how to approach the test so he could do well on the MCAT.

You did great on the MCAT, and I agree that it takes a lot of hard work. The OP hasn't even taken the MCAT yet. The OP is not coming on to blame being a "bad test taker" as a poor MCAT score. The OP came on to say that they are worried about the MCAT and want some advice. However, you seemed to just latch onto the "bad test taker" part.

Edit: Yes the OP did say they are a bad test taker. But, instead of ripping them apart, you could have just said that wasn't an excuse, and then followed with some helpful tips. You did do that in your first post. But your following posts have just been harsher than necessary on "bad test takers." That's why I called you out. Ultimately, I do agree with you that it is not the best mentality.

 

[CoolWhipp]

...I'm not implying that I'm somehow above anyone, but apparently I seem to be one of the few that recognizes study habits need to be established if one wants to do well...

Please, continue to share your keen insights. 👍

 

[CoolWhipp]

...Saying "I'm bad a taking a test" just sounds like a subtle way of not saying "I'm just not that smart".. but I digress.

Please don't digress, you are entertaining me.

 

[alwaysaangel]

As others have, its really a matter of arguing semantics.

No one said it was a permanent affliction or some sort of excuse.

But everyone on Earth is born with certain abilities that come more naturally than others.
-Lets take something physical – like running. Some people are "good runners" they've done it well since they were children and unlike others required minimal training and guidance. Whereas some people are "bad runners" they have poor form/stride and low tolerance for it. These people can become better by learning better form and breathing techniques. However, it will be something they have to consistently work at and think about.
-Some people have a good sense of direction, while others can't find their way out of a paper bag. Doesn't mean you can't teach the latter person to read a map – but it will be more difficult for them.

Test taking is similar. Some of us are fortunate and the skills for standardized tests came naturally and require almost no thought or focus to use those skills – no one ever taught them to us explicitly, we just got it. For other people, they have to put a lot of time and effort into learning those skills and then have to think about them while taking a test. That's what this thread is about – if you have nothing to contribute to that discussion, then why bother?

Its interesting to me that "intelligence" or being "smarter" was brought up. I've never really understood those terms. Yay – you can do well on the MCAT. Could you do well on the Mechanics section of the ASVAB? Could you pass the Bar exam? I doubt it. Not without learning the material for those things. And its possible that your natural talents wouldn't lend themselves to understanding the carburetor of a car or following the complex logical arguments of law.

I'm always amazed at how people focus on one little thing and conclude that somehow defines intelligence. It is such a nebulous concept that people use to feel better about themselves. But I assure you, last month when my head gasket on my car blew – I felt my mechanic was much more "intelligent" than me when he gave me my car back, good as new.

Having an MD behind your name doesn't make you anymore intelligent than anyone else, neither does getting a 40 on the MCAT. You were successful at one thing, and you should be proud of that accomplishment. However, all it really just means is you pursued a different path in life, and were successful. As are many other people who did not attend college or graduate school.

 

[TACMON]

best advice...read the new yorker and look up every word you don't know. then ask yourself at the end of an article topic, scope, purpose.

focus on the verbal...nothing i did raised it from my practice exam scores

 

[omgyou8myrice]

But I assure you, last month when my head gasket on my car blew – I felt my mechanic was much more “intelligent” than me when he gave me my car back, good as new.

Funny you bring that up.. just helped my friend lower the compression of his K20 motor by replacing his head gasket 😀

 

[Danlee07]

pretty sure the running analogy angel used was not too applicable. If you're bad, then you're bad. Some people just study their butts off and barely pass....in high school.

If the running analogy were to be used, i'd more so relate it to different phases. if it's a sprint, then people either have great top end or great burst. Doing bad in 1 race can be because of a bad start, rough wind conditions, or just pure anxiety that causes you to tighten up. some people just weren't meant to do it at all...

But with standardized tests, you can eliminate most variables except for the anxiety. Esp with college standardized tests and thereon, they attempt to eliminate any possible confusion. all you have to worry about is knowing the material well and being able to translate words into picture.

 

[alwaysaangel]

Esp with college standardized tests and thereon, they attempt to eliminate any possible confusion. all you have to worry about is knowing the material well and being able to translate words into picture.

Haha. Sorry but you haven't taken your MCAT yet have you? Its full of confusion...on purpose.

 

[Danlee07]

Haha. Sorry but you haven't taken your MCAT yet have you? Its full of confusion...on purpose.

I didn't take the MCAT so I didn't say the MCAT. In general though, that's what they say they do -- to keep it straight forward.

 

[alwaysaangel]

I didn't take the MCAT so I didn't say the MCAT. In general though, that's what they say they do -- to keep it straight forward.

I realize that, but you did say "and thereon" I figured implying tests beyond the SAT and ACT such as the MCAT and USMLEs.

But the MCAT is anything but straight forward, every question is looking for a way to trick you into picking the wrong thing. Pretty cruel exam actually.

 

[Danlee07]

Doesn't this just reflect back to what this thread's about though? to every other person, doesn't every person think that his/her test tries to confuse you? people on here say the MCAT's the hardest and the GRE's easiest with the DAT being straight forward but still hard. Those that took the GRE say that it's also critical thinking and is difficult.

 

[apumic]

The biggest problem is fear of the test. Granted, the MCAT is pretty the most important test you'll ever take, don't get intimidated by it. Also, you're a freshman, enjoy what time you have left until your junior year, then you can start panicking. Just keep in mind that you should study smart and remember, it is a STANDARDIZED test which means that even an average joe can do well on it.

And yes, keep on top of your pre-reqs. You don't need to know every single detail, but the general ideas, just know how things work and why they work.

Sorry, but no. Standardization does not mean "an average joe can do well on it." Actually, the average score for an MCAT shows it is highly unlikely an "average joe" would ever attain a decent score on the MCAT. By statistical analysis, one could estimate than average joe would, on average, score approximately an 18 (1 SD below the median score) after preparing. IIRC, that wouldn't even get you into podiatry!

The average MCAT is ~24-25 and the average accepted student is around 31-32 (or an entire SD above the median score). This means that the average matriculating medical student has achieved a score in the 84th percentile or better. Even the average for applicants is ~28. So assuming that you must be at least an average applicant to even be seriously considered, you must be in the 72nd percentile. To put this in more concrete terms:

Of the ~60,000 students who take the MCAT this year, ~50,400 (84%) of them will receive scores that are below average for medical school acceptance and ~43,200 (72%) will score so low as to be virtually disqualified from serious consideration!*

Doesn't this just reflect back to what this thread's about though? to every other person, doesn't every person think that his/her test tries to confuse you? people on here say the MCAT's the hardest and the GRE's easiest with the DAT being straight forward but still hard. Those that took the GRE say that it's also critical thinking and is difficult.

It's the population, not the test, that makes things difficult. The population taking the GRE is similar to (although probably slightly weaker than) that taking the MCAT. As someone who has taken both, I can tell you they are simply different tests. Comparing them is like comparing apples and oranges. Outside verbal, they test generally different things. It is a critical thinking test but outside algebra, there's really no expectation of knowledge going in. It is meant to test general aptitude vs. the MCAT's [general] emphasis on critical thinking & application of science content.



* Just to clarify, some people do get in with scores below the average applicant's MCAT score; however, it seems to drop off quickly as you descend below below that value and generally medical schools seem to take almost only from the upper 50% of applicants unless someone has other extremely desirable qualities, which is, by definition, rare.

 

[hopefuldoc97239]

Why do people say "I'm bad at standardized tests" instead of just saying "I'm bad at preparing for tests" or "I'm not that smart". I don't really believe there is such a thing as someone who is smart enough to earn a top score, but "tests badly" and receives a mediocre one in its place.

Mini-rant aside, all you can do is study and do your best. If you haven't even finished your pre-reqs, stop worrying about it. You have some crap-ass classes to suffer through first 🙄

I agree that people use standardized tests as a scapegoat for their own poor performance, but at the same time that doesn't mean that there isn't any truth at all to the idea that there are bad test takers.

I've spoken with a lot of people who've taken all of the "retired" MCAT tests available from e-mcat.com, and the general trend that I've noticed is this:

• Their MCAT scores get better from one practice test to the next, regardless of whether they've done additional studying
• Their actual MCAT score is lower than the average of their practice tests

If you can get better scores without additional studying, then it seems you can become a better test taker.

If you do worse on test day than on practice tests (ones that are supposed to be retired tests that accurately predict your performance), then it seems that you are affected by the test situation.

In real life explanations for behavior/performance are rarely as simple as one factor explaining everything.

• If someone gets a 25 on their MCAT I wouldn't accept the suggestion that they could have got a 45 if the test was in a slightly different format.
  but...
• I also don't accept the notion that intelligence is the only factor involved in test performance.

omgyou8myrice: Congratulations on your excellent MCAT scores. I'm sure you're very intelligent and that you fully earned these scores. But let me give you something to think about... You got a 13 on verbal, right? The available data from AAMC shows that, among testers who received a verbal score of 13 and then retook the MCAT, 21% had no change upon retesting, and 79% decreased their scores. Almost half of these people decreased their scores by 2 or more points. There seems to be a similar trend for physical sciences and biological sciences. How confident are you that you could do so well on another attempt? Based on the available data, it seems unlikely that you would do so well again. 😉

 

[cheesier]

Sorry, but no. Standardization does not mean "an average joe can do well on it." Actually, the average score for an MCAT shows it is highly unlikely an "average joe" would ever attain a decent score on the MCAT. By statistical analysis, one could estimate than average joe would, on average, score approximately an 18 (1 SD below the median score) after preparing. IIRC, that wouldn't even get you into podiatry!

The average MCAT is ~24-25 and the average accepted student is around 31-32 (or an entire SD above the median score). This means that the average matriculating medical student has achieved a score in the 84th percentile or better. Even the average for applicants is ~28. So assuming that you must be at least an average applicant to even be seriously considered, you must be in the 72nd percentile. To put this in more concrete terms:

Of the ~60,000 students who take the MCAT this year, ~50,400 (84%) of them will receive scores that are below average for medical school acceptance and ~43,200 (72%) will score so low as to be virtually disqualified from serious consideration!*




It's the population, not the test, that makes things difficult. The population taking the GRE is similar to (although probably slightly weaker than) that taking the MCAT. As someone who has taken both, I can tell you they are simply different tests. Comparing them is like comparing apples and oranges. Outside verbal, they test generally different things. It is a critical thinking test but outside algebra, there's really no expectation of knowledge going in. It is meant to test general aptitude vs. the MCAT's [general] emphasis on critical thinking & application of science content.



* Just to clarify, some people do get in with scores below the average applicant's MCAT score; however, it seems to drop off quickly as you descend below below that value and generally medical schools seem to take almost only from the upper 50% of applicants unless someone has other extremely desirable qualities, which is, by definition, rare.

Look, I know that what you're saying is factually accurate, but the OP is 2 years away from taking the MCAT and scared. Why don't you use some of your knowledge to allay those fears instead of posting a wall of statistics that are only going to freak him out? OP, I haven't taken it yet either, and it is by far the most intimidating part of the application to me. Still, I know it's ridiculous to worry about it for a few reasons:

1) It's a year away for me
2) There's NO reason for me to doubt my abilities.
3) Stressing over nothing (because at this point it is nothing) is dumb

Are you doing well in your pre-reqs? Are you a smart person? If you answered yes to these questions, then chill out. When the time comes to take it, you'll study your ass off and work at it until you get a good score. To take a line from To Kill a Mockingbird, "Now isn't the time to worry yet".

EDIT: Apumic, I also think you're incorrect about the MCAT data. I remember hearing that a 30 is ~80th percentile, not 86th.
And this link confirms that you were not correct about the scaling: https://www.aamc.org/students/download/157904/data/combined10.pdf.pdf

OP, also take this as a lesson to not get intimated by your fellow premeds.

 

[eagles22]

\

Of the ~60,000 students who take the MCAT this year, ~50,400 (84%) of them will receive scores that are below average for medical school acceptance and ~43,200 (72%) will score so low as to be virtually disqualified from serious consideration!*

a) Where did you get these stats? It's something like 80k who take the MCAT yearly.

b) Half of all accepted students are going to have scores that are below average because by definition the average is the middle point of all accepted applicants.

 

[Frazier]

a) Where did you get these stats? It's something like 80k who take the MCAT yearly.

b) Half of all accepted students are going to have scores that are below average because by definition the average is the middle point of all accepted applicants.

Well, actually 1/2 are below the median - not necessarily the average.

 

[hopefuldoc97239]

Well, actually 1/2 are below the median - not necessarily the average.

👍 Indeed, the average is not always the same as the median!

Some MCAT data for anyone who cares...

The data for the 2010 MCAT administration show that the mean was 25.0 and the median was between 25 and 26 (people who scored 25 made up the range of the 44.5th - 50.5th percentile, so the median would have to be 25._).

The mode score seems to have been 26.

Also, there was some discussion about how many test takers there are each year. The same data linked above say that there were 82,004 administrations in 2010, but there were probably fewer unique test takers since some people probably took the test two or more times... I didn't see how many unique test takers there were, but I didn't really look that hard 🙂

 

[Maxwell7301]

I also used to think I was terrible at standardized tests. My SAT and ACT scores were very average, but I didn't really prepare at all.

For a critical thinking type exam, you must learn how to take it properly. I studied for 4-5 months for the MCAT, took a prep course, and completed many practice exams. This got me a solid enough score that I am happy with.