MCAT diagnostic score!

[TennisWalk]

I just took a free MCAT practice test from Kaplan and scored a 492 🙁

Chem/Phys: 124
CARS: 123
Bio/Biochem: 122
Psych/Soc: 123

I haven't started studying for the MCAT at all, and i plan to start next week.

This score is horrible and it really scares me, how worried should I be? I want to score 517-520, is that possible? I plan on taking the real test in April or May.

What did you guys score on your diagnostic vs your real test?
THANKS in advance!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[ciestar]

I got a 20 on the Kaplan diagnostic and scored a 31 on the real thing. They design it that way on purpose.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I just took a free MCAT practice test from Kaplan and scored a 492 🙁

Chem/Phys: 124
CARS: 123
Bio/Biochem: 122
Psych/Soc: 123

I haven't started studying for the MCAT at all, and i plan to start next week.

This score is horrible and it really scares me, how worried should I be? I want to score 517-520, is that possible? I plan on taking the real test in April or May.

What did you guys score on your diagnostic vs your real test?
THANKS in advance!

Most people have a horrible diagnostic. You’re fine. I know multiple people who scored <500 on their diagnostics and scored >510 on the real thing.

 

[ChymeofPassion]

I know its not the MCAT but I scored a 1710 on my SAT kaplan diagnostic and 2120 on the real thing. They are a business, they do it that way on purpose.

 

[thatchemguy]

Diagnostic tests are useless.
Why Diagnostic Tests are Worthless

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

I haven't started studying for the MCAT at all, and i plan to start next week.

Then you have literally nothing to worry about

 

[CrunchyPeanutButter]

Deflated score, take course, score high,
Seems as if like Kaplan did a great job, recommend to friend, Kaplan makes more money...

Not saying Kaplan doesn’t help because it helped me. But be cautious of diagnostic test


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[Futuredoc23 23]

Sounds like the diagnostic test is designed to scare you into taking their course.

 

[I'mJustCurious]

AAMC is probably a better indicator. Take some AAMC full lengths when you're done reviewing concepts and that should somewhat give you a good representation to where you're at.

 

[Terry Toma]

AAMC is probably a better indicator. Take some AAMC full lengths when you're done reviewing concepts and that should somewhat give you a good representation to where you're at.

Agreed. I also thought that the Next Steps diagnostic was pretty decent if you want a better idea of where you stand, but aren't ready to do the AAMC exams yet.

 

[Chromium Surfer]

AAMC is probably a better indicator. Take some AAMC full lengths when you're done reviewing concepts and that should somewhat give you a good representation to where you're at.

AAMC FL’s is a better indicator for sure but make sure they are the last exams that you take! It’s the most representative exam you’ll get so you don’t want to waste them when you don’t have a solid understanding of the content and have taken some prior practice exams already. Like Terry Toma said, next step is good!

 

[tekkenman11]

495 on diagnostic and 512 on the real deal. Don’t sweat it

 

[Saifa]

I don't know why everyone says these tests are useless when you can go into them knowing that they're deflated but they also give you a good idea of the test's format and pacing. Plus they're free. I used mine to identify glaring holes in my content base and it worked great.

 

[premeddestiny]

Kaplan is deflated on purpose. I scored a 498 on Kaplan’s diagnostic, 517 on the real deal

 

[•Syzygy•]

remember that asking people what they got here is nearly as useless as diagnostic tests due to response bias. no one who did poorly is going to respond here, so take all of this with a grain of salt

i will say that most exam companies with the exception of aamc itself are deflated. i only took one kaplan exam and got a 501. did much better on the real exam, but kaplan tests are known to be one of the more severely deflated set of exams. they are also not considered representative of the real exam in terms of content tested / style of question

id check out exam krackers and the official aamc practice materials

 

[bl4917]

I got a 490 on the Kaplan diagnostic and ended up with a 515. Don't worry about that score.

 

[Pavlov'sDawg]

472 on my diagnostic, got a 528 on the real deal don't worry you're good

 

[Prometheus123]

Prep company practice exams are not predictive. The two AAMC official full lengths exams are easier than the real MCAT, but they're a reliable predictor of your real score.

From data on the MCAT subreddit, it seems that almost everyone scores +/- 3 points of their average AAMC full length score (there are outliers, but it's much less common). If you perform at the same level on the real MCAT as on the AAMC practice tests, you tend to get 1-3 points higher than your practice score. If you do significantly worse, you tend to get 1-3 points below your average practice exam score. If you do slightly worse, you get the same score.

 

[Isoval]

My first Princeton practice was 493.

My real score was ~510.

Do with that what you will.

I just took a free MCAT practice test from Kaplan and scored a 492 🙁

Chem/Phys: 124
CARS: 123
Bio/Biochem: 122
Psych/Soc: 123

I haven't started studying for the MCAT at all, and i plan to start next week.

This score is horrible and it really scares me, how worried should I be? I want to score 517-520, is that possible? I plan on taking the real test in April or May.

What did you guys score on your diagnostic vs your real test?
THANKS in advance!

 

[bevo00]

It's totally possible to make massive leaps from that score as everyone has said. I got a 497 on the diagnostic and a 517 on the actual test. You can do it!

 

[altblue]

But all this also means that you also have to study a bit to get that jump. It's realistic if you do. 😉

I never took a diagnostic but improved from a 506 AAMC unscored to a 515 actual after a month of studying on-and-off.

 

[Ninefingers]

I wouldn't worry. If you want to do well, I think regular sleep, cardiovascular exercise, and proper nutrition (and abstaining from alcohol/other memory impairing drugs) while studying are even more important than content review.

 

[chemdoctor]

But all this also means that you also have to study a bit to get that jump. It's realistic if you do. 😉

I never took a diagnostic but improved from a 506 AAMC unscored to a 515 actual after a month of studying on-and-off.

Care to share those tips?!

 

[altblue]

Care to share those tips?!

I dunno, just find a plan that works for you and stick with it. Make sure you use good practice exams/materials and don't ignore low-yield material. Make sure you consistently apply the material as you're learning it to all those chapter questions

Stay motivated, avoid burn-out by exercising, making time for friends/family/your SO, and keeping up with your hobbies. I'm alright with my score, but I was burnt out af the month before and with ~200 hours over 3 months I definitely could've studied more

 

[Nathan17182]

I got a 492 on my Kaplan diagnostic and a 510 on the real. As everyone else has said use the AAMC material for an accurate predication of your score.

 

[infectiousdisease101]

I'm taking Altius. They had a new policy this year where if you adhere to their Ten Indicators of Success, you are guaranteed to score in the 90th percentile. The reason I decided on Altius over Kaplan or Princeton is how upfront Altius is with you BEFORE you even enroll. Kaplan and Princeton have a Better Score Guarantee, meaning if you do not score at least 1 point higher, you can get a full refund. But that's only baiting you. Before you study, your score would naturally be bad as you've seen. So as long as you score 493, you can't get your money back. Whereas Altius guarantees you score in the 90th percentile and even offers a 2-week No Question Refund, where you get all your money back, minus the AAMC question set fees because there's no way to get those back as they are included in your purchase.

I thoroughly researched each prep company and the part that I like about Altius is they're not trying to pass the "You can buy a better MCAT score through us." message, but they tell you exactly what's expected of you if you want a good MCAT score before you even enroll through their Ten Indicators of Success. On the link below tells you literally everything you need to know about Altius and their statistics have no deception (that I can tell anyway). On this link, they'll give you a dropbox link that leads to their Ten Indicators. They even have a chart telling you the average MCAT score of each Altius student based on how many Indicators of Success they completed prior to their MCAT.

I do not know how others do it, but Altius has both group sessions and a 1-on-1 tutor assigned to you that keeps track of your progress through a Google Excel sheet. To be a tutor for Altius you must have scored a 95th percentile or other, meaning you're guided by people who took the MCAT and did well on it.

They also don't try to price gouge you either. They have 4 levels, bronze, silver, gold, and premium. You can start at lower levels if you're confident in yourself, but if you feel like you need to upgrade, you can do it and you simply pay the difference. No upgrading fee or anything.

Results | Altius

 

[21Rush12]

Back in my day we didn’t have scored full lengths...we had to walk uphill both ways to take them on paper too


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[STcmOCSD]

I just took a free MCAT practice test from Kaplan and scored a 492 🙁

Chem/Phys: 124
CARS: 123
Bio/Biochem: 122
Psych/Soc: 123

I haven't started studying for the MCAT at all, and i plan to start next week.

This score is horrible and it really scares me, how worried should I be? I want to score 517-520, is that possible? I plan on taking the real test in April or May.

What did you guys score on your diagnostic vs your real test?
THANKS in advance!

487 diagnostic, 513 real deal. The diagnostics are purposefully harder than the real exam to make you feel better about the course taken when your score increases significantly.

 

[Dollo]

497 diagnostic ---> 517 real score. Take the test company's exams with a grain of salt. Kaplan/Princeton exams are much harder but good for building stamina and I would take them as you progress through content review. AAMC are the most representative and I'd save them for the last two weeks prior to your test date

 

[Coltuna]

Honestly, the more I read about Kaplan materials, the more I think they're trash.

Edit: BESIDES quick sheets. They're a must.

 

[altblue]

Honestly, the more I read about Kaplan materials, the more I think they're trash.

Yup the big names like TPR and Kaplan aren't all that good

 

[STcmOCSD]

Honestly, the more I read about Kaplan materials, the more I think they're trash.

Edit: BESIDES quick sheets. They're a must.

I actually enjoyed my Kaplan course immensely. I don’t think I’d ever take an in person class, because lectures just don’t do it for me. But I learned a lot about the MCAT through Kaplan and felt better prepared for it once I got through the course.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I actually enjoyed my Kaplan course immensely. I don’t think I’d ever take an in person class, because lectures just don’t do it for me. But I learned a lot about the MCAT through Kaplan and felt better prepared for it once I got through the course.

I think Kaplan is decent too.

 

[Coltuna]

I actually enjoyed my Kaplan course immensely. I don’t think I’d ever take an in person class, because lectures just don’t do it for me. But I learned a lot about the MCAT through Kaplan and felt better prepared for it once I got through the course.

I think Kaplan is decent too.

Yeah MCAT prep is definitely a personal experience. I largely base my "ratings" on the full length tests offered by prep companies vs AAMC full lengths, and kaplan's full lengths are arguably the worst out there in terms of replicating the actual MCAT passage and question format.

 

[Piglet2020]

I almost slept through the online Kaplan lectures, but mostly b/c they are 2 hrs long. Kaplan wasn’t bad but I mostly did my own readings from their books. Their materials are better than the actual lessons imo. Expect to spend 3+ hrs every day on material outside of class.

 

[STcmOCSD]

I almost slept through the online Kaplan lectures, but mostly b/c they are 2 hrs long. Kaplan wasn’t bad but I mostly did my own readings from their books. Their materials are better than the actual lessons imo. Expect to spend 3+ hrs every day on material outside of class.

I did tend to ignore the videos because I learn better from books anyways. That might be why my impression of Kaplan wasn’t tainted.

 

[alecbak]

495 on diagnostic and 512 on the real deal. Don’t sweat it

Hey I'm curious as to how long you studied and what programs/materials you used?

I also just took Kaplan's diagnostic and got a 493 just like the original poster. Taking my test in exactly 117 days

 

[altblue]

Hey I'm curious as to how long you studied and what programs/materials you used?

I also just took Kaplan's diagnostic and got a 493 just like the original poster. Taking my test in exactly 117 days

Well, I'd check out the subforum for the MCAT for more study plans. A 3rd party 493 three to four months out is nothing to worry about.

Also try to use your real photo on here, lol.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Also try NOT to use your real photo on here, lol.

FTFY.

 

[altblue]

FTFY.

Important omission

 

[PreMedMissteps]

I got a 20 on the Kaplan diagnostic and scored a 31 on the real thing. They design it that way on purpose.

Is that also true for the kaplan full-length practice exams?

 

[tekkenman11]

Hey I'm curious as to how long you studied and what programs/materials you used?

I also just took Kaplan's diagnostic and got a 493 just like the original poster. Taking my test in exactly 117 days

Studied for 10 weeks using Kaplan and Exam Krackers. You’re so far out that your diagnostic means nothing. Pay more attention to your first full length.

 

[TheaterOfTheme]

ignore it--also, kaplan and princeton are nothing like real MCAT--they make it hard in different ways. Real MCAT is a critical thinking test that requires base knowledge! Just use kaplan to get the knowledge--then go ham on exams that are more similar to real MCAT

 

[SARmedic8401]

495 on diagnostic and 512 on the real deal. Don’t sweat it

Do mind me asking how you prepared? I just got a 504 on a FL practice I took today. I still haven’t taken Biochem yet tho and didn’t prepare at all for this practice test. I’m taking 2-3 months this winter/spring to study full time for the test in April. I’m really hoping to get above a 510 to makeup for my below average GPA. I’m just trying to gauge what it takes to bring my score up

 

[STcmOCSD]

Do mind me asking how you prepared? I just got a 504 on a FL practice I took today. I still haven’t taken Biochem yet tho and didn’t prepare at all for this practice test. I’m taking 2-3 months this winter/spring to study full time for the test in April. I’m really hoping to get above a 510 to makeup for my below average GPA. I’m just trying to gauge what it takes to bring my score up

I mostly used Kaplan resources. I did the "self study" option, and chose not to watch all the videos. Assessing how you learn best is key, then finding a good resource for that learning style. I think Kaplan does well with most learning styles, and since I learn best reading/writing I read mostly through the books. Practice tests are also key. Make sure to take more and then go over what you got wrong to see why you got it wrong.

 

[FrenchFriesLoverMedGirl]

472 on my diagnostic, got a 528 on the real deal don't worry you're good

Omg how???

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Omg how???

You quoted a poster who hasn’t been on in a year on a thread that is almost 2 years old. Please don’t necrobump.

And since a 472 and a 528 are at the opposite ends of the score spectrum, it was probably a joke anyway.