OMG. what does it take to get a 13 for AAMC PS

[coldviva204]

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I've been getting consistent 12s and 13s for physical sciences section for Kaplan MCAT tests. I can get a 12 by getting up to 14 of the questions wrong in the kaptests.

I did an AAMC test today, I got only 7 wrong, 45/52 and ended up getting a 11????!!!!!!!! Is something wrong with the curve? How many questions am I allowed to get wrong if I want to get around a 12 or 13?

Is a general score converter chart for AAMC tests so I can get an idea of what I have to aim for?

 

[medical doctor]

i think it was simply the particular aamc you took..because i know that for some of those tests, 7 wrong might be a 12, but def. not a 13...so i guess to get the 13 you want, you might just have to avoid the stupid errors

 

[amerz404]

if you sign into e-mcat.com there is a link on the left "how is the MCAT scored" and it has score conversion tables for all the AAMC tests
​

 

[SN2ed]

The two keys to consistent 13s are having no weaknesses in the section and tons of practice.

Vihsadas will probably be able to better help you once he drops by.

 

[engineeredout]

OMG, what does it take to get a 13 for AAMC PS?

 

[DrDre2001]

Ive had similar problems. I can get a 12 or 13 on Kaplans and yet only an 11 on the two AAMC's ive taken. The curves for the two are much different. You can see Kaplans conversion chart on your My Syllabus, and you can see AAMC's on E-MCAT on the left side of the page.

Ive been trying to figure out why i score 12's on Kaplans and 10's on AAMC's. These scores apparently mean that on harder questions (Kaplan) i am in the 85th percentile, yet on easier questions (AAMC) i am in the 75th percentile. So my conclusion was it i made some stupid errors on the easier questions (AAMC's).

Stupid errors such as not remembering to account for a negative sign, or not squaring a number.

You might be in a similar situation.

 

[8mile]

I just took AAMC 5-CBT, I missed 5 on PS and got a 13.

Different tests must have different scores.

My Kaplan scores are all over the place, sometimes I get 13-14, some times I get 10-11s.

 

[unsung]

I've been getting consistent 12s and 13s for physical sciences section for Kaplan MCAT tests. I can get a 12 by getting up to 14 of the questions wrong in the kaptests.

I did an AAMC test today, I got only 7 wrong, 45/52 and ended up getting a 11????!!!!!!!! Is something wrong with the curve? How many questions am I allowed to get wrong if I want to get around a 12 or 13?

Is a general score converter chart for AAMC tests so I can get an idea of what I have to aim for?

That Kaplan scale is messed. The best I've done on AAMC PS is about 5 wrong and that comes to a 13.

 

[athelas314]

1. Know everything they can possibly test
2. Don't make stupid mistakes
3. Pray

 

[chreesteene]

i consider myself pretty weak in ps (at least according to my transcript, i suck at gen chem) so i really put A LOT of effort into studying for this section. i read through a tpr ps review book, did an entire workbook worth of problems, and did several kaplan and aamc practice tests to manage a 13 in this section.

just study your butt off, don't get discouraged, get a good night's sleep before the exam, and try to remain calm and positive. it's also important to take breaks a few days before the exam and to keep your body active so you're not filled with pent-up energy on test day!

good luck!

 

[amakhosidlo]

*Second the leprechaun*


I hit my first 13 on an AAMC practice this weekend, and I'm almost completely positive it was pure, unadulterated dumb luck, because I'm pretty sure I'm an idiot.

Also dumb luck that my BS portion was half o-chem and wound up being my lowest section. Crap.

For the record, Kaplan tends to water down the real deal by ~7%. Subtract 1 from any section to get a fair gauge...
Probably add 1 for TPR..

 

[TheBoondocks]

I've been getting consistent 12s and 13s for physical sciences section for Kaplan MCAT tests. I can get a 12 by getting up to 14 of the questions wrong in the kaptests.

I did an AAMC test today, I got only 7 wrong, 45/52 and ended up getting a 11????!!!!!!!! Is something wrong with the curve? How many questions am I allowed to get wrong if I want to get around a 12 or 13?

Is a general score converter chart for AAMC tests so I can get an idea of what I have to aim for?

It is because Kaplan allows to miss you more because they have more calculations. They know it will be difficult to answer questions correctly in the alloted time. However, AAMC questions are less calculation based and more conceptual. Consequently, the curve is less. Second of all, AAMC tests numerous concepts in one question. You need to be more accurate. Kaplan's difficulty is right on but it's curve is more lenient. Your kaplan scores are inflated. Trust your AAMC score that really tells you where you're at. Work on your weaknesses and accuracy. Kaplan doesn't punish you nearly as much as AAMC does.

 

[futuredoctor10]

Your kaplan scores are inflated. Trust your AAMC score that really tells you where you're at. Work on your weaknesses and accuracy. Kaplan doesn't punish you nearly as much as AAMC does.

Yes! My initial Kaplan scores were so high I got overconfident until I took my first AAMC. Beware of the Kaplan curve- the exams are challenging and great practice but then you get really nice scores in return: overinflated scores!

 

[GoldShadow]

The upper curve for some of the AAMC PS sections is harsh. On one of them (don't remember which), apparently a 51/52 was still a 14.

 

[tmntdonjuan]

Know all the material at least fairly well. Don't have any glaring weaknesses. Also, read the passages and questions carefully. I always do a quick glance through the passage whenever I have a question I can't answer straight up. So in summary: know your stuff and be alert when you do questions.

 

[Vihsadas]

In my opinion, just knowing everything (even the concepts) won't get you to a 14. The most important things after you've mastered the material are speed and comfort.

Of course, you have to know all of the material, and you also have to practice a lot. But, one thing you need to do is become super slick with estimation, easy arithmetic, and scientific notation. This will drastically speed up your test taking time.
Next, you have to be extremely comfortable with doing these techniques, because they are very prone to stupid error if you are not careful.

Try these out, and see if you can stick 13 (assuming you're on that 12 threshhold)

1) Dimensional Analysis to solve problems
2) Estimation to speed up your problem solving
3) Order of magnitude estimation for scientific notation. You should be able to do this in your head.
4) Log/pH estimation in your head.

Lastly, but not leastly (hehe), you must, must, must understand the concepts of PS, and you must be able to take a novel situation and pick out the important concepts. There are always 3-4 curvebreaking questions on the PS section that are raw concepts presented in a very difficult way.

 

[tmntdonjuan]

One more suggestion. Realize that the passages, regardless of content, relate to one or more concepts in the physical sciences, sometimes combining them. Try marking down the related concepts after you've read the passage if it isn't outright obvious. For example: In AAMC 9 there was a passage on "seiches", basically the sloshing motion of liquid. Initially the passage was slightly confusing, but after I realized it was a "periodic motion" passage, it became easier to understand. Hope that helps.

 

[coldviva204]

Thanks guys. I will keep on trying harder, although I am still staying at a 11 for the AAMCs 🙁
I feel like Kaplan is soo much more easier for getting a good score.