Jan MCAT

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rainashley

rainashley

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I understand that the MCAT has not been offered in Months and that the Jan MCAT will be the first MCAT in a while... so what do you guys think the January MCAT will be like? What topics will be most likely tested? Thoughts?
 
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i'm sure it'll be just like every other mcat in that it will be nothing like any other mcat
 
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There are some high-yield stuff and commonly tested topics that you can look over if you're concerned; do a search and see what you get. But aside from that, like bleargh said, everything's fair game.
 
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Physics: Kinematics, circuits, uniform circular motion, fluids, charges I think I've seen very often on practice exams...almost every single one.
Gen Chem: Kind of a toss up, I've seen everything but nothing is really common I feel. Understand the periodic trends, Hess' Law, colligative properties, acids and bases, titrations, redox rxns and electrochemical cells.
O Chem: isomers, sn1/sn2/e1/e2, spectroscopy. Try to know mechanisms, but memorizing every single little equation might not be the best use of your time.
Bio: Everything! I honestly have seen way too many topics, and I'm surprised at times how in depth/detailed it gets, but other times they test really basic concepts. Every major system I feel you should understand well, and know mitosis/meiosis, genetics. Maybe some molecular bio/biochemistry?
 
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It's also no secret that of the 4 exams last September, one was significantly easier. You can usually tell by the amount of bitching on the individual day test threads post-exam. :laugh:
 
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J DUB said:
usually there are two in Jan.....one is hard and one is average/easy.....hope you guessed right!! 😀
Click to expand...

is this true? or is he joking?
so what do you guys think the January MCAT will be like? What topics will be most likely tested? Thoughts?
 
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marble30 said:
You can usually tell by the amount of bitching on the individual day test threads post-exam. :laugh:
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exactly....go back and research the previous yr(s)...

that's how I picked my second MCAT date....👍
 
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rainashley said:
is this true? or is he joking?
so what do you guys think the January MCAT will be like? What topics will be most likely tested? Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I aint joking.....study the different MCAT threads and you can see there are a few MCATs per yr that seem not too bad....and those folks got better scores...comparatively.
 
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J DUB said:
each MCAT has a thread...use the search function....just go back and read over the threads....
Click to expand...

so what date(s) did you take the mcat? was is it easy? any tips for searching? what am i looking for exactly?
thanks
 
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Haha, people, you guys are freaking out the OP so close to test day! Rainashley, just focus on strengthening your understanding and test-taking skills so that you can do well regardless. You should probably aim for consistent practice scores that are satisfactory to you. No one can tell you which dates will be easy/hard. I've seen some people keep track of trends, but again, nothing is for sure because the MCAT is evil like that. The curve serves a purpose. Just because you get a hard test doesn't mean you can't do well, and an easy test might not be a good thing. Please don't waste your time searching for a "good" test day, spend it sleeping instead if not studying.
 
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right, dont worry about which one is easier or harder- when it comes down to it it doesnt matter.

ideally you want to study hard enough to WANT to take the hard one, that way less ppl do as well, and the scale is a lil more lenient, which benefits you.

so just study hard, who cares if its the easy or hard one
 
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ManOnTheMoon115 said:
right, dont worry about which one is easier or harder- when it comes down to it it doesnt matter.

ideally you want to study hard enough to WANT to take the hard one, that way less ppl do as well, and the scale is a lil more lenient, which benefits you.

so just study hard, who cares if its the easy or hard one
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Yup. There is no statistical difference in scores between any two administrations- the 'hard' one will be graded more easily and the 'easy' graded more harshly. Just remember this, and don't panic and lose focus if you start to see a string of tough questions...
 
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ronaldo23 said:
Yup. There is no statistical difference in scores between any two administrations- the 'hard' one will be graded more easily and the 'easy' graded more harshly. Just remember this, and don't panic and lose focus if you start to see a string of tough questions...
Click to expand...

I thought this too before I studied scores and took the MCAT twice....

good standardized testers...probably yes...

bad ones cant reason through the questions and miss more comparatively and do worse..
 
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J DUB said:
I thought this too before I studied scores and took the MCAT twice....

good standardized testers...probably yes...

bad ones cant reason through the questions and miss more comparatively and do worse..
Click to expand...

At best this is silly anecdotal evidence that cannot be verified in any way. You can't just look at threads and, from a sample size of less than .1% of all the mcat takers of january, make conclusions about how people scored on the two administrations. The fact that the average/median/standard deviations are the same between the tests says it all...
 
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ronaldo23 said:
At best this is silly anecdotal evidence that cannot be verified in any way. You can't just look at threads and, from a sample size of less than .1% of all the mcat takers of january, make conclusions about how people scored on the two administrations. The fact that the average/median/standard deviations are the same between the tests says it all...
Click to expand...

I can believe what I experienced along with what I have read on here and from others that have taken the test.

For me and some others, we think that a hard test will hurt a "bad" standardized testtaker more because they are not as good as reasoning through the passages and questions. I know I get nervous and do not think as well and do much worse on the real MCAT. I have a 3.8+ GPA and do well everywhere else...just not on standardized tests. I scored about 5-6 points less..

Hopefully, I can get my act togther on the Steps.....:xf:
 
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ronaldo23 said:
At best this is silly anecdotal evidence that cannot be verified in any way. You can't just look at threads and, from a sample size of less than .1% of all the mcat takers of january, make conclusions about how people scored on the two administrations. The fact that the average/median/standard deviations are the same between the tests says it all...
Click to expand...

No,

J Dub is right. There are over 20 people on this site if you go and read the 2007 threads where people improved by 6 or more points within 4 weeks of testing. This means they took say june 15 2007, and retook 3 weeks later with minimal studying. The reality is that the CBT allows for huge fluctuations. It is not true that every test is the same statistically.

Marjan Islam took 03/28 and went through EVERYTHING and go a 27. She did light review and retook and got a 34. You'll say it's due to being better prepared. No, she got an easier test. She said they were simple and easy to understand unlike the march one. That is over one standard deviation difference.

Now, I'm sure you'll say this is only a small case. However, Why are there so many kids who take HARD ONES and get 29s and retake a couple months later and get 36s. There are over 100 such instances in 08 and 09 alone.

The January is very interesting. The kids who take the "harder" get the higher scores for the most part because of the curve. Last year the harder was the 30th and ksmi, pharoh 88, and a few others got 40+ . There counterparts on the 31st weren't so fortunate. So, for the better prepared/ sharper kids I AGREE with what you. said.

In closing, you are RIGHT in that the curve does adjust. But, to honestly think that it there is no variation is a fallacy. Weaker students would prefer a July 2 test like on Marjahn retake versus a say 03/27 where nearly everyone did WORSE and only a couple 38s and ONE 40 with a bunch of low 30s. Texahn got a 32 in jan 09 and retook in may and got a 39. Obviously they are more prepared but the difference in scores is still significant.

I think there is huge variation in the CBTS because they ''OVERLOAD." There seems to be a trend for 2-3 passages on a topic. So, if you get 3 passages on titrations/ acid like what happened on September 12 09 and you suck, you're screwed and the curve won't save you no matter what. This is why I think there is so much variation.

My 2 cents
 
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well,I'm not saying that as an individual, your score on Jan 30 would equal your score on the 31st. It could vary by even 10 points. While some people will certainly score better on one versus the other (based on their strengths/weaknesses in preparation), and based on curves, the average/deviations are not changing for either test. Some people might be prone to careless errors, but have a firm understanding of the material, and they may do better on the harder test with a lenient curve. But for every one person who is like this, there may be another who understands the basics really well, nails those questions down like clockwork, and therefore benefits from an easy test with a hard curve. So sure, an individual may benefit from one versus another based on strengths/weakenesses/standardized testing ability, but the collective whole is most certainly not at an advantage to having the 'hard' versus 'easy' one.

And also, it's really hard to make a generalization about which category one falls into before sitting in. Since we never will know what the curves are, what questions we are getting right/wrong, which one of those 'hard questions' are actually just experimental, the exact extent of 'hard' vs. 'easy' and the exact pros/cons of taking each exam, we can only speculate as to which type of test we may prefer. My point, I guess, is that someone should not pre-define themselves into a category before test day, and then the second they figure out that this is the 'hard' test, void it...
 
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Which MCATs are usually the easier ones? why?
J DUB, when did you take the MCAT? was it easier?
 
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ronaldo23 said:
well,I'm not saying that as an individual, your score on Jan 30 would equal your score on the 31st. It could vary by even 10 points. While some people will certainly score better on one versus the other (based on their strengths/weaknesses in preparation), and based on curves, the average/deviations are not changing for either test. Some people might be prone to careless errors, but have a firm understanding of the material, and they may do better on the harder test with a lenient curve. But for every one person who is like this, there may be another who understands the basics really well, nails those questions down like clockwork, and therefore benefits from an easy test with a hard curve. So sure, an individual may benefit from one versus another based on strengths/weakenesses/standardized testing ability, but the collective whole is most certainly not at an advantage to having the 'hard' versus 'easy' one.

And also, it's really hard to make a generalization about which category one falls into before sitting in. Since we never will know what the curves are, what questions we are getting right/wrong, the exact extent of 'hard' vs. 'easy' and the exact pros/cons of taking each exam, we can only speculate as to which type of test we may prefer. My point, I guess, is that someone should not pre-define themselves into a category before test day, and then the second they figure out that this is the 'hard' test, void it...
Click to expand...

I used to think that too until I took a "hard" one and waited for a curve that never came......should have voided....I sat there the whole time thinking it over too....but I did well enough the second time but still not as good as practice tests....oh well, onward and upward....😀
 
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rainashley said:
Which MCATs are usually the easier ones? why?
J DUB, when did you take the MCAT? was it easier?
Click to expand...

answered your PM...it really depends...but there are some trends over the last couple of yrs....

study the threads....the answer lies within...😉
 
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