MCAT experimental passage

[listener23]

Do you guys think the MCAT would make a whole passage on a section an experimental?

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[LChristmas]

I doubt it. Individual questions, yes, but not an entire passage. Just my 2 cents though.

 

[NoDakDok]

Disagree with @LChristmas here.

Do you guys think the MCAT would make a whole passage on a section an experimental?

How else would they create new sections? Not necessarily true because they said it but I was also told by MCAT Prep instructors that they do experimental passages, not just questions. It makes sense.

I wouldn't be surprised. On the MCAT I took there was a 7 question passage that was just absolutely absurd. Unlike anything I had seen before. I ended up (foolishly) spending far too much time on it, and I'm almost certain it was experimental in retrospect. This is one of many reasons it's so important you don't get hung up on a passage and keep on moving, even if it means you leave a couple questions as mere educated guesses.

 

[Zelda840]

I think it's possible. Either that, or I got extremely lucky on my BS section. There was an entire passage where I had no idea what it was about or what they were asking.

 

[taina]

wait they have experimental questions on the real MCAT??? i had no idea. how many?

 

[DoctorSynthesis]

wait they have experimental questions on the real MCAT??? i had no idea. how many?

Its not clear. It just questions not passages. That's why on the MCAT you don't stay stuck on a question and move on.

 

[Ismet]

If it's a passage that's never been used before, then yes. But there can certainly be discretes within that set that are not experimental.

 

[NoDakDok]

Oh, premeds...

Its not clear. It just questions not passages. That's why on the MCAT you don't stay stuck on a question and move on.

Maybe I'm in a bad mood because it's getting closer to exams, but it says you're accepted to a medical school. Word of advice: If you're going to be a doctor, watch what you say. You can't spew bull feces when someone's life is in your hands. If you're going to make a claim, either back it up or if you're not sure, you best not state it as fact.

Now, let's actually think for a second.

Logically, it doesn't make sense to only have individual experimental questions, and not passages. Doing so would make it impossible to create de novo passages for the MCAT. You literally can't create a new passage without creating a completely new set of questions. Throwing in a new passage without any field testing can't be done, because the scoring rubric for each examination is predetermined.

Now, since we're going into a science-based practice, let's actually look at what we know instead of nonsense/unsourced claims.

From the AAMC themselves:

Discussion of the MCAT Exam
The AAMC developed a set of guidelines to help you understand the terms under which you sit for the
MCAT exam, the prohibition on disclosure of exam content, and how to appropriately share your exam
experience.
 What IS permitted:
 Commenting on your general exam experience, such as test center conditions, or how you
felt about a particular test section
 What is NOT permitted:
 Discussing or posting the text (full or partial) of a test question and/or answer
 Reconstructing an exam question (in whole or in part), list of topics, or exam question
arrangement tested in a particular section
 Mentioning a specific topic that was tested on an exam
 Outlining the steps or process to answer a question
 Speculating about which passages are field-test or experimental items

Source: MCAT Essentials, Page 30

And again:

I think that the fifth passage of the biological sciences passage was a 'field test' section. Can I ask if anyone else had the same suspicion?
No, you may not speculate about which passages are field test or experimental items.

Source: Discussion of the MCAT FAQ

Field test/experimental items are not graded. This says, in words, that both passages and items are field test/experimental.

These are directly from the AAMC. My expectation is that the AAMC would not indicate passages if entire passages weren't experimental. It simply wouldn't make sense to address them directly if they weren't.

TL;DR: There are both experimental questions and experimental passages on the MCAT.

 

[DoctorSynthesis]

Oh, premeds...



Maybe I'm in a bad mood because it's getting closer to exams, but it says you're accepted to a medical school. Word of advice: If you're going to be a doctor, watch what you say. You can't spew bull feces when someone's life is in your hands. If you're going to make a claim, either back it up or if you're not sure, you best not state it as fact.

Now, let's actually think for a second.

Logically, it doesn't make sense to only have individual experimental questions, and not passages. Doing so would make it impossible to create de novo passages for the MCAT. You literally can't create a new passage without creating a completely new set of questions. Throwing in a new passage without any field testing can't be done, because the scoring rubric for each examination is predetermined.

Now, since we're going into a science-based practice, let's actually look at what we know instead of nonsense/unsourced claims.

From the AAMC themselves:



Source: MCAT Essentials, Page 30

And again:



Source: Discussion of the MCAT FAQ

Field test/experimental items are not graded. This says, in words, that both passages and items are field test/experimental.

These are directly from the AAMC. My expectation is that the AAMC would not indicate passages if entire passages weren't experimental. It simply wouldn't make sense to address them directly if they weren't.

TL;DR: There are both experimental questions and experimental passages on the MCAT.

Its to many questions to have entire passages be experimental. I would figure as ismet pointed out that if its an experimental passage then there would be discrets in there that counted. Either way I was repeating what my MCAT course told me. When the AAMC is talking experimental passages it refers to the experinental section.

Also there is a distinct difference discussing whether a question is experimental or not and giving medical advice if you're unsure. I think you need to calm down Jesus.

 

[Goro]

COMLEX does this. They don't count for your score..

wait they have experimental questions on the real MCAT??? i had no idea. how many?

 

[Doug Underhill]

I don't understand why the AAMC has that policy. It is impossible to verify whether a given passage/question is experimental or not, or even if you got it right (unless the answer is something that can be looked up afterwards)

I did encounter some strange questions when I took the exam on 25 Oct. I am almost certain one of them had four incorrect answers. Unfortunately, we can't discuss anything else about it.