Irregularity Report

[BillyRubin]

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Has anyone who filed a complaint letter to the MCAT/ACT heard back? I know the lead proctor at our site filed an irregularity for the entire day, you might think the MCAT office could respond. I'm not sure I want to submit my app, or submit it to one school. My advising team is even at a loss. This was my second take, and I feel as though it was such a waste.

Gotta love how they leave ya hangin' .... They got their $$$; that's all that matters I guess.

Anyone have feedback?

to all of the 07 apps! and to the new school year!

 

[GujuMD]

if you are waiting for your MCAT score to come out...you should submit your AMCAS to one school...that way the AMCAS can start get processed and when the score is out..you can decided what to do after that...add more school or not.

 

[nka623]

heyy, im in the same boat... i had an irregularity.. a major irregularity at that.. and i wrote the letter... i havent heard back from them yet.. but i submitted my apps anyways.. message me if you hear back from them!

 

[Darlaa]

I was actually just wondering about this too. Has anyone heard back from the AAMC?

 

[alwaysaangel]

May I ask what kind of irregularities you guys are talking about? I just can't imagine something that could happen that could affect someones score all that much.

 

[robertschuh]

.

 

[mdthisyear]

you'd be surprised. for example, at SLU, i was in a room that was like right on top of the central air conditioning unit for the whole building. Every 5 minutes it would turn on with a loud whrrrrrrrrrrrr noise and then shut off. Really distracting for some people. But like, thats not even the worst of it. I've heard about people who go to buildings where the power turns off, the proctor F's up the timing etc.

Hope it works out for you folks. As it is, even in the most perfect setting, it is hard to read the passages in the verbal section. I would have given up half way had I been in your situation.

 

[hp540]

the only irregularity I had was that I was writing it in downtown Toronto and during the verbal section, there was a street performer outside playing the sax. Normally, I wouldn't care, but when you're trying to focus, it gets REALLY annoying.

 

[Darlaa]

Mostly I just want to ensure that if I need to rewrite that the *****s who administered my test will be nowhere in sight.

 

[GuzzyRon]

I heard back from the MCAT this past Thursday. (Refer to my previous post.) They claimed they investigated my complaints. And in the course of their investigation, they interviewed only one person - the same proctor (who of course denied everything). And then they reviewed test date documentation (written by the same proctor) and found nothing in it bearing any semblance to my complaints.

After their shabby "investigation", they wrote me a 4-paragraph long BS. In the first paragraph, they simply restated my complaint; they thanked me for contacting them in the second; and they basically refuted my complaints in the third.

Hear their stupid conclusion: "If you feel your scores are not representative of your ability, you may provide a copy of this letter to the institutions that received your August MCAT results. Again, thank you for sharing your concerns with MCAT Test Administration."

I was very disappointed in the MCAT to say the least.

 

[Darlaa]

I heard back from the MCAT this past Thursday. (Refer to my previous post.) They claimed they investigated my complaints. And in the course of their investigation, they interviewed only one person - the same proctor (who of course denied everything). And then they reviewed test date documentation (written by the same proctor) and found nothing in it bearing any semblance to my complaints.

After their shabby "investigation", they wrote me a 4-paragraph long BS. In the first paragraph, they simply restated my complaint; they thanked me for contacting them in the second; and they basically refuted my complaints in the third.

Hear their stupid conclusion: "If you feel your scores are not representative of your ability, you may provide a copy of this letter to the institutions that received your August MCAT results. Again, thank you for sharing your concerns with MCAT Test Administration."

I was very disappointed in the MCAT to say the least.

That is incredibly disappointing. I guess no one else bothered to lodge a complaint. Maybe all this crap will earn us karma points this weekend thought. Right? Maybe?

M'eh.

 

[BigRedPremed]

I heard back from the MCAT this past Thursday. (Refer to my previous post.) They claimed they investigated my complaints. And in the course of their investigation, they interviewed only one person - the same proctor (who of course denied everything). And then they reviewed test date documentation (written by the same proctor) and found nothing in it bearing any semblance to my complaints.

After their shabby "investigation", they wrote me a 4-paragraph long BS. In the first paragraph, they simply restated my complaint; they thanked me for contacting them in the second; and they basically refuted my complaints in the third.

Hear their stupid conclusion: "If you feel your scores are not representative of your ability, you may provide a copy of this letter to the institutions that received your August MCAT results. Again, thank you for sharing your concerns with MCAT Test Administration."

I was very disappointed in the MCAT to say the least.

I would be more than pissed in your situation, esp. if this BS causes you to have to retake the MCAT.

 

[mdthisyear]

Maybe they need to start video taping the entire test-that way the proctors (1) will not make any major mistakes and (2) will not be able to deny if something really happened.

Anyway the whole thing changes with the CBT. Those computer test centres are taped if I remember right.

 

[GuzzyRon]

That is incredibly disappointing. I guess no one else bothered to lodge a complaint. Maybe all this crap will earn us karma points this weekend thought. Right? Maybe?

M'eh.

Well, after the test several people said they were going to complain. I talked to one of them who said him and 3 of his friends from the same testing center also complained. We all got the same letter.

 

[GuzzyRon]

Maybe they need to start video taping the entire test-that way the proctors (1) will not make any major mistakes and (2) will not be able to deny if something really happened.

Anyway the whole thing changes with the CBT. Those computer test centres are taped if I remember right.

Good idea but they don't allow any form of video-taping during the testing. They're afraid of something.

 

[GuzzyRon]

I would be more than pissed in your situation, esp. if this BS causes you to have to retake the MCAT.

I know...especially if I get something like 11, 11, 3 (VR, BS, PS) 😱 I will be really, really pissssssssssssssed 😡 If that happens, I'm gonna have to call my senator or something (as if that will change anything).

 

[mdthisyear]

Hi,
I think this has also got to do with the reliability of the exam. If they did accept a testing error on their part then imagine the consequences. Score reliability gets tossed out. A lot explaining to do-not just to you, but to AAMC and admissions.

And even if they did, how will they go about explaining? Is there a mechanism to compensate for such examinees, or will it be just a plain letter accepting non-standard testing conditions.

I guess this is where your GPA/rec letter play a part.

 

[nka623]

I got my letter from MCAT Program Office about a week ago. During my verbal section there were two alarms that went off for the majority of the section. Meanwhile the proctor frantically ran around the room searching for the alarms, and couldn't find it, because the room echoed.. long story short.. it was a freaking circus in my room during the verbal. I wrote a letter to program office, they wrote back..

in the first paragraph they restated my letter describing how the alarms went off and etc. then in the second paragraph they apologized and thanked me for writing them, in the 3rd paragraph they confirmed my letter and complaint and said that the proctor did in fact note the alarms and that he had trouble disengaging them. and in the fourth paragraph they said i could make a copy of their letter and send it out to the medical schools..

i wasnt sure how to respond to this, i showed the letter to all my friends in med school, and someone who sort of had the same situation when he took the mcat.. and he said my letter was actually pretty good, and thats the best the mcat is going to give u. basically its the best outcome for the worst case scenario. i then showed the letter to my advisor, and hes read hundreds of letters from the mcat program office over the years... and he said this was by far the most positive letter he's ever read... them letting me make a copy of this letter is the best they can do...

so, for those of you who got the letter saying "you can make a copy of this letter and send it to your medical schools...etc"... thats as good as its going to get...my advisor said, they usually just say "too bad, ur **** out of luck"... or offer to let u retake the test for free

either way, depending on my score, ill retake the test... i figure at the end of the day, med schools arent going to care about some ******ed testing irregularity.. its med school... they're going to want to see a good score. period.

so january MCAT... here i come! woo hoo 🙁

anyone else in the same boat or got a similar letter?