NextStep FL Drop... Advice?

[thehab1193]

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Hey, I'm a little concerned about how I just did on my NextStep 4 exam. For context, I took the first 3 exams and here are my scores:
NS1: (129/127/129/128)= 513 (took this over a month ago)
NS2: (129/127/129/129)= 514 (took a few weeks ago)
NS3: Didn't do CARS- (129/__/129/129) = ~513/514 assuming my CARS was similar to previous 2 NS tests
NS4: (128/126/128/128) = 510 (today)
I was just concerned about this 3-4 point drop because I'm aiming for 520+. The test itself actually felt easier than NS1-3. Does anyone have any advice or similar experience? How did you do on the real thing? I test on June 1st, so regardless of what happens I'm about to bang out AAMC stuff

 

[Amyloid_Beemer]

What is your target score? NS scores are usually lower than what your actual score comes out as (I did 6 points better than my NS average, I wouldn’t worry too much about the drop and just focus on the types of questions you’re getting wrong, with NS scores that high you should be easily looking at 90+ percentile on the exam by June

 

[thehab1193]

What is your target score? NS scores are usually lower than what your actual score comes out as (I did 6 points better than my NS average, I wouldn’t worry too much about the drop and just focus on the types of questions you’re getting wrong, with NS scores that high you should be easily looking at 90+ percentile on the exam by June

Sounds good, and I'm aiming for 520+. That's why I was a little concerned at the drop. It's good to hear you did a lot better than your NS average though

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Just FYI, a 513 and a 510 have overlapping ranges and are therefore not statistically significant in difference. The range for 513 is 511-515 and the range for 510 is 508-512. So I’d say it’s unlikely that you really had a score drop but rather are just scoring in different areas of your range based on what topics the individual tests are hitting.

I will say that I found NS to be very deflated. I scored 8 points higher on my real exam than on my NS (got the same score on NS 1-3).

 

[tulsajoe94]

I found NS4 to be particularly rough as well. I’d say don’t worry about it, just review and see what content section got you tripped up.

 

[Dream of the Endless]

The exams all basically test different material. So it is not crazy for your score not to see any improvement or drop. It gives you an idea of what you need to brush up on. My scores all hovered in the same area as well and had similar concerns. I just finished the section bank and then did the sample test, and AAMC FL 1 with significantly higher scores than NS (522, 519.) Just take it in stride, man. Learn from your mistakes.

 

[Blueprint MCAT Tutor]

Hey @thehab1193! I hope you're well. I know it can get discouraging to see a drop in full length scores, but from my experience in tutoring, it's very rare to see someone linearly progress upwards throughout their entire study period. Almost everyone hits bumps here and there, so I want you to do your best to not get discouraged!!

You have scored amazingly on several other exams and even your 510 is a great score, even if it's not your goal score! What that tells me is that it's most likely not that your test taking skills have somehow deteriorated, but it's that NS FL4 may have tested some content you weren't as comfortable with. When you get your score back in this type of scenario, it's obviously frustrating that it comes back lower. However, remembering that our end goal is to score well on the actual exam, this scenario is actually extremely helpful. By running into these difficult concepts or problem types before the actual exam, you can spend time reviewing them and making sure you get them correct in the future, especially if they show up on the real thing.

So, what I want you to take away from this is that this score may just be a blessing in disguise! While reviewing this exam, you'll be able to improve upon some of your weaknesses. The best thing that can happen is to run across these weaknesses on practice exams, so that we can fix them before potentially seeing them on the actual exam. So, keep reviewing and working on the things you are missing and it will definitely pay off on the real MCAT.

Good luck with everything and please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions!