MCAT scoring stats on the real exam versus practice exams.

[TrillyBassily]

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I'm interested in hearing about what percentage of MCAT test takers generally end up doing better on the actual exam than on all of their practice exams, what percent gets about the same, and what percent does worse?

I know this is a bit of a vague question to answer, and I'm sure there are no actual reliable stats on the issue, but I just hear a lot of talk from people that for the most part if you've studied well enough you usually do better on the real exam than on all of your practice exams and I just want to know if there's any truth to that statement. I write mine in 5 days and so I am understandably freaking out a bit.

 

[IL Pre Med]

I just hear a lot of talk from people that for the most part if you've studied well enough you usually do better on the real exam than on all of your practice exams

Uhhh what? False.

 

[gettheleadout]

I have never seen the sort of data you're looking for, I wouldn't get your hopes up for finding it.

If you take all (or most) of the AAMC FL's, you should expect to score your average ± 1-2.

 

[erure]

I agree with gettheleadout. Most people score within 1-2 points deviation of their AAMC averages, and imo it tends to lean towards getting your average or a wee bit lower. The first time I took it, I got pretty much my average AAMC score.

 

[Person0715]

I have never seen the sort of data you're looking for, I wouldn't get your hopes up for finding it.

If you take all (or most) of the AAMC FL's, you should expect to score your average ± 1-2.

+1

If you look at the other MCAT date threads, people tend to score within 2 points their avg, so don't expect such a huge jump on the real thing.

 

[Zod]

Yes, you usually score +/- 1-2 of your average, but if you're not conditioned as a test taker, there are many students who might do worse due to the real test anxiety, which you may not experience during practice exams. To get the most accurate approximation is why it is recommended to simulate testing conditions, including nerves. On the other hand, I'm sure there are several students who do better than their average, due to more focus on the real exam and much more meticulous choosing of answers, in order to avoid careless mistakes. You honestly would have to gauge the person individually to understand if they may improve, worsen, or maintain their avg score on the real thing.

 

[sakabato93]

Yes, you usually score +/- 1-2 of your average, but if you're not conditioned as a test taker, there are many students who might do worse due to the real test anxiety, which you may not experience during practice exams. To get the most accurate approximation is why it is recommended to simulate testing conditions, including nerves. On the other hand, I'm sure there are several students who do better than their average, due to more focus on the real exam and much more meticulous choosing of answers, in order to avoid careless mistakes. You honestly would have to gauge the person individually to understand if they may improve, worsen, or maintain their avg score on the real thing.

^^^^Best post right here. Depends on the person. Usually within 1 or 2 points of your average, that that's assuming a student's test-taking environment and mindset are essentially identical between practice tests and the real exam.

 

[Synapsis]

I've seen people with 34 averages score ~38-39 and I've seen a few people with 40 averages score ~35-36. The AAMC average speaks a lot to where you may likely land, but recognize that it's not the end all, be all. Remember, first, there are experimental questions that aren't counted (part of the reason you can get one, maybe even two wrong, and still get a 15 in a section on the real deal). Also know that it's possible to get tested heavily on what you're strong (or weak!) in, which is likely to deeply affect your score. There are so many other factors at play. A lot of people on this forum say you'll get at about your average, but that's just one of the things commonly said here that I've come to ignore completely. The pressure or focus that comes with the real test is such a sizable part of what your score ultimately may be. If your AAMC average is slightly lower than what you want, don't let comments here discourage you, because what really counts is how you do on test day, not what all your practice exams are. Just do your absolute best and don't allow anyone to tell you what you will or will not score at. As much as we'd like to predict people's scores and their test taking experiences, the sad and painful truth is that we just can't. At all.

 

[gettheleadout]

I've seen people with 34 averages score ~38-39 and I've seen a few people with 40 averages score ~35-36. The AAMC average speaks a lot to where you may likely land, but recognize that it's not the end all, be all. Remember, first, there are experimental questions that aren't counted (part of the reason you can get one, maybe even two wrong, and still get a 15 in a section on the real deal). Also know that it's possible to get tested heavily on what you're strong (or weak!) in, which is likely to deeply affect your score. There are so many other factors at play. A lot of people on this forum say you'll get at about your average, but that's just one of the things commonly said here that I've come to ignore completely. The pressure or focus that comes with the real test is such a sizable part of what your score ultimately may be. If your AAMC average is slightly lower than what you want, don't let comments here discourage you, because what really counts is how you do on test day, not what all your practice exams are. Just do your absolute best and don't allow anyone to tell you what you will or will not score at. As much as we'd like to predict people's scores and their test taking experiences, the sad and painful truth is that we just can't. At all.

This is a really good post, but in response I'd like to qualify my previous post by saying that when I say one should expect to score around their average, that's what I literally mean. One shouldn't ignore the possibility of a significant score jump or drop, but I wouldn't recommend that anyone expect it.

 

[sakabato93]

This is a really good post, but in response I'd like to qualify my previous post by saying that when I say one should expect to score around their average, that's what I literally mean. One shouldn't ignore the possibility of a significant score jump or drop, but I wouldn't recommend that anyone expect it.

Agreed with GTLO and Synapsis.

 

[Gauss44]

The best you're likely to find is the sticky: Study Habits of 30+ (something like that). Here: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=503250

A lot of people list their practice test scores and actual scores there. It would be great if someone would take the time to put all of that data into a spreadsheet.

 

[Heday]

The best you're likely to find is the sticky: Study Habits of 30+ (something like that). Here: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=503250

A lot of people list their practice test scores and actual scores there. It would be great if someone would take the time to put all of that data into a spreadsheet.

What if we made a google form? People could enter their practice scores (either individual sections or composites) along with their actual score. It would be easier than sifting through an ungodly amount of posts.

We could also collect other data such as cGPA, sGPA, major, etc. Maybe start a new thread, get some ideas thrown out as to what data everyone thinks is relevant, and I can whip something up?

edit: It would be cool if we could make a tool like this: http://gmatclub.com/gmat-score-calculator/?fl=menu
it would be an easy way to help students predict scores as well as gather more data to refine our predictions

 

[gettheleadout]

What if we made a google form? People could enter their practice scores (either individual sections or composites) along with their actual score. It would be easier than sifting through an ungodly amount of posts.

We could also collect other data such as cGPA, sGPA, major, etc. Maybe start a new thread, get some ideas thrown out as to what data everyone thinks is relevant, and I can whip something up?

edit: It would be cool if we could make a tool like this: http://gmatclub.com/gmat-score-calculator/?fl=menu
it would be an easy way to help students predict scores as well as gather more data to refine our predictions

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=753499