Mcat Curve....

MCAT is Hard? Not with BeMo's 515 Score Guarantee.
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AZ2006

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I understand generally: Hard test = better curve and it is based on each test. Before CBT, there were only two tests a year and on average each test pool would have more than 20,000 test takers. Because of this large number, the previous curve probably ignored pool itself...

Now comes to CBT, I heard some dates only have couple of hundred test takers, even worse if they have several foms on the same day. My concern is: if I falls in one of such very few test taker days, and hit with a very smart test takers pool, shall I be still curved against them?

Some ones claim that MCAT August test takers are generally stronger than in April, becuase smart and confident sophomores uaually take test in Augest before junior, and many school statistics show their scores are higher than rest of pools.

Any your thoughts, thanks!
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From what I understand, the test is not truly standardized with the test takers. The score is standardized based on the difficulty of the test and not those who write it. The scoring chart is determined before you take the test. I was surprised to find this out myself, but it has been posted here by several posters.
 
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If you're curious because you want to take the exam on the easier date, then just stop right there. If there was an "easier" MCAT testing date people would be pouncing on it. The bottom line is that you need to take it when you are most prepared. Whatever variation there is between test dates it is minor if it exists at all. There are so many variables involved in deciding when the exam is taken by "smarter students" that any hypothesizing is just that.

The bottom line is that you should take it when you have the most time to study and do well. It's a standardized test, so however it's standardized it's done so to best ensure that people get the grade they deserve regardless of the test they take. I doubt it's flawless, but I'm sure it's a pretty good prediction.
 
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So you suggest that in an extreme case only 80 test takers are on a particular form on a certain day then all of them could score 35 or higher if they do well on the test...

That is quite different with the previous standardized form.
 
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dcohen:

If the curve is predetermined like what Koopa said then the student pool is irrelevant...
 
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The advice you've heard here is correct. The AAMC reuses passages every year, and all of the different test forms are curved from all previous years. So, your curve is set before you even sit down for the exam. After this testing year, the AAMC will absorb the testing data from 2008 and make that part of the curve for 2009.

So don't worry about it. Just aim to do the absolute best that you can!
 
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Vihsadas said:
The advice you've heard here is correct. The AAMC reuses passages every year, and all of the different test forms are curved from all previous years. So, your curve is set before you even sit down for the exam. After this testing year, the AAMC will absorb the testing data from 2008 and make that part of the curve for 2009.

So don't worry about it. Just aim to do the absolute best that you can!
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WHy does it take them a Month to get our scores then??? If it was predetermine then they theoretically could get us our scores as soon as we click not to void, (well except the WS of course, but who really cares?).
 
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amwatts0322 said:
WHy does it take them a Month to get our scores then??? If it was predetermine then they theoretically could get us our scores as soon as we click not to void, (well except the WS of course, but who really cares?).
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It's true, they definitely could do that. I can't really answer that question, but my suspicion is that they wait for the WS scores.
 
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This is just pure speculation, but I suspect that it is a mixture of both basing it on previous test takers and current ones. If there are experimental questions, it's difficult to apply a previous standard to new ones (without the oddity of saying the questions are "similar"). This is especially true of verbal passages I think.

I heard one of the main reasons it takes so long to get scores back was that people are allowed to challenge questions. However, it seems difficult given that you might forget the specifics of questions you'd like to challenge...
 
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According to AAMC released data, the group of age < 21 (20 or under) consistantly scores the highest every year, even more surprised the gap between <21 and 21-22 (the second highest group) is quite larger than any other gaps...

Anyone can explain this.....
 
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AZ2006 said:
According to AAMC released data, the group of age < 21 (20 or under) consistantly scores the highest every year, even more surprised the gap between <21 and 21-22 (the second highest group) is quite larger than any other gaps...

Anyone can explain this.....
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Speculative but I believe probable:

1) Those that score high on the MCAT the first time generally get accepted to medical school right away and probably have a much lower incidence of reapplcation. And, many people start their attempts to get into medical school when they are in 3rd year or 4th year (20 or 21).

2) Reapplicants, by the very fact that they are reapplicants tend to be older.

3) AAMC MCAT data shows that re-takers of the MCAT (this group is probably mostly composed of reapplicants) generally do not score much better on their 2nd and third exams.

So putting these three hypotheses together gives a reasonable explanation for why older students generally have lower MCATs.

Older applicants = higher number of retakers and higher number of reapplicants => lower MCAT scores

Younger applicants = less number of retakers, and less reapplicant (purportedly due in part to their high 1st attempt MCAT scores).

Make sense?
 
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Blade28 said:
There's no magical "easy" test date where you can maximize your score.
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I heard on leap years theres a magical testing date where everybody gets 40+. You have to hack into the AAMC site to register though and you must show up to the testing center (only offered at Vostok Station, Antarctica) in ninja or pirate costume and complete an old style paper mcat in your own blood.

But really, don't worry about the test date. As the others have said, you're tested against all the people who answered your particular set of questions in the past, not just the people who are sitting on the exam today. I think the AAMC foresaw that this might happen and acted accordingly.
 
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RapplixGmed said:
I heard on leap years theres a magical testing date where everybody gets 40+. You have to hack into the AAMC site to register though and you must show up to the testing center (only offered at Vostok Station, Antarctica) in ninja or pirate costume and complete an old style paper mcat in your own blood.
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:laugh: Nice post!

BTW, I took the paper MCAT. Does that make me old? :(
 
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The Paper MCAT was longer and it was harder, you spend nearly 8 hours taking a test. Those of you taking the CBT have it easier, there is a big difference when the exam is three hours shorter, yet the grade distributions for the new test are not much different. Only 20 percent of takers get a 30 or higher on the new test. People I know who took the CBT, said they got a whole desk and cubicle all to themselves and an office chair. I remember when I took the old school MCAT, I sat my butt on a hard stool with a tiny desk and my test book kept falling off. I had to juggle the scantron and pencils around as well as the booklet for my writing sample.
 
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AZ2006 said:
I understand generally: Hard test = better curve and it is based on each test. Before CBT, there were only two tests a year and on average each test pool would have more than 20,000 test takers. Because of this large number, the previous curve probably ignored pool itself...

Now comes to CBT, I heard some dates only have couple of hundred test takers, even worse if they have several foms on the same day. My concern is: if I falls in one of such very few test taker days, and hit with a very smart test takers pool, shall I be still curved against them?

Some ones claim that MCAT August test takers are generally stronger than in April, becuase smart and confident sophomores uaually take test in Augest before junior, and many school statistics show their scores are higher than rest of pools.

Any your thoughts, thanks!
Click to expand...

Oh man... I used to think about this stuff looooong and hard. I always felt like the more "obscure" test dates would have the best curves. Everyone would take it at the end of Aug. and on the last possible test date available in January (Jan 26th) in this case.

There was also a Jan. 25th test date (a Friday)... honestly who would take it on Friday in the morning. The Jan 26th test date was offered on a Saturday.
The people who took it on the 25th said it was ridiculously easy... possibly easier than the AAMCs. When I took it, Jan. 26th, I knew it would be insane.. considering the test the day before was relatively "easy." Yup, it definitely was. You still end up getting the same as your practice tests (assuming you're consistent). On my date 4 wrong on PS = 14. I really doubt that it was that way for the 25th ers though. It works out in the end.
 
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Also, one possibility as to why the younger applicants do better is simply that they have covered the material not that long ago. I am 23, but I haven't had physics 1, biology, or gen chem since 2003. That information decays real quick in your head. Probably only a minor thing, but one nonetheless.
 
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MossPoh said:
Also, one possibility as to why the younger applicants do better is simply that they have covered the material not that long ago. I am 23, but I haven't had physics 1, biology, or gen chem since 2003. That information decays real quick in your head. Probably only a minor thing, but one nonetheless.
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Yeah, that's probably true.

What would be a more meaningful statistic about older vs. younger MCAT takers would be if you eliminated re-takers from consideration. Would older applicants who are first time MCAT examinees still score worse than younger first time examinees? I guess that the results would probably paint a much different picture!

Ah statistics...how easily you can be manipulated. :p
 
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<According to AAMC released data, the group of age < 21 (20 or under) consistantly scores the highest every year, even more surprised the gap between <21 and 21-22 (the second highest group) is quite larger than any other gaps...?

This applys to both cases, first time test take applicants or All applicants.

See Link:http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/examineedata/pubs.htm
and Look at Characteristics of the MCAT Examinees
 
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AZ2006 said:
<According to AAMC released data, the group of age < 21 (20 or under) consistantly scores the highest every year, even more surprised the gap between <21 and 21-22 (the second highest group) is quite larger than any other gaps...?

This applys to both cases, first time test take applicants or All applicants.

See Link:http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/examineedata/pubs.htm
and Look at Characteristics of the MCAT Examinees
Click to expand...


hahaha.. I found that hilarious too
 
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JoeNamaMD said:
The Paper MCAT was longer and it was harder, you spend nearly 8 hours taking a test. Those of you taking the CBT have it easier, there is a big difference when the exam is three hours shorter, yet the grade distributions for the new test are not much different. Only 20 percent of takers get a 30 or higher on the new test. People I know who took the CBT, said they got a whole desk and cubicle all to themselves and an office chair. I remember when I took the old school MCAT, I sat my butt on a hard stool with a tiny desk and my test book kept falling off. I had to juggle the scantron and pencils around as well as the booklet for my writing sample.
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Where did you get the stat that only 20% of test takers get a 30 or higher? :)
 
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AZ2006 said:
dcohen:

If the curve is predetermined like what Koopa said then the student pool is irrelevant...
Click to expand...
it makes sense for the student pool to be irrelevant... just because overall... the test takers are intelligent AAMC cant lower their scores or vice versa...
 
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