Practice Test predictions

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I posted this over in the MCAT section but it seems like pre allo gets a lot more traffic, and possible more of you have taken the MCAT. For those who have already taken the MCAT, how well did your practice test scores correlate to your actual MCAT come test day. I have been getting fairly good practice scores but I am afraid that the one that matters wont be as good. Any input to ease my fear?

 

[pnasty]

my score went down a couple points from my kaplan score. I am a pretty good test taker, but I just didn't know some of the discretes on this particular test form. As you probably know, the higher up the score ladder you get the less questions it takes drop a point.

 

[67192]

Well, Kaplan said that most students fall within a couple of points of their range for practice test scores, so I wouldn't be too worried if I were you. I was in the range of my practice tests, but I scored at the low end of this range. And I scored several points lower than how I was scoring in the practice tests I took in the month before the test.

But, like the above post says: when you are higher up in score, the difference between points can be just a few questions.

My advice: STAY AWAY FROM SDN FROM NOW UNTIL THE TEST! SDNers freaking out in the days before the test does not help the nerves...

 

[relentless11]

Fear is probably your worst enemy on the MCAT. For any living/breathing person who is in good standing at their university, they should be able to score between a 18-24 on the MCAT... depending on your background and how fresh your knowledge is. Study and practicing for the MCAT helps you get higher. Flipping about this or that is the quickest way to make dumb mistakes.

For me, I was within 1 point of my practice exam score. Hope that helps. Good luck!

 

[JustBreathe]

I didn't take any full-length practices 😳 But my individual practice section scores were pretty similar to what I ended up getting; PS was a little low because I couldn't sleep the night before and still felt like I was waking up.

 

[pnasty]

damn and you got a 38....i wonder how you would have done if you had taken full lengths!

 

[DarkFark]

I took 8 practice tests before the real thing. The average of the last 4 practices was a 34, with a high score of 36. I beat my highest practice score by 1 point on test day.

 

[azanna]

I took a few practice tests before the real one (from the princeton review) and was getting 32-34 and then got a 33 on the real one... so fairly accurate for me anyway.

 

[omgwtfbbq?]

I scored v=13 b=12 p=9 on my second to last full length and
v=14 b=13 p=8 on my last full length

on the actual test, though I ended up with

v=10, b=10 and p=8 so while my physics score was pretty much accurate, and expected (for some reason i couldn't get the score higher, and i tutored physics! who knows!) but my v and b scores were so upsetting!!!!! So i didn't think the practice tests were a great predictor

BUT my disclaimer is that i was really really sick the day of the mcats with a stomach bug. so i was really distracted, maybe that was the deal.

either way I got into med school! Just do your best!!!

--------

University of Arizona class of 2010!!! (2011 if i do the md/mph) 🙂

 

[rup47]

My scores had been going consistantly up every practice test(decent amount of studying between practice tests). I think I went 28 29 31 34 on the last 4. On the real thing I got a 31. So not what I was hoping for, but pretty consistant with my practice scores. (I was hoping for my score to follow the trend set by my practice tests and score a 35 or 36 on the real thing)

 

[MN81]

My real MCAT compared to the average of my last 4 Kaplan practice exams...

VR same as practice tests...
PS down one from practice tests (weird passages)
BS same as practice tests...

Overall: About the same as my average. (2 points below my Kaplan high score)

EXCEPT the Writing section. I was averaging about 'R' as graded by Kaplan, got to the test day, thought I did what I needed to, and turned out with 'M'

I don't think the adcoms really cared, I just had to make sure that my other writing (AMCAS essay, secondary essays, etc) were as flawless as they could be.

 

[MN81]

Funny story about the MCAT...

The girl I tutored (really tutored) for Physics scored higher than me on the MCAT in that section.

What does that even mean?

 

[ND2005]

I scored 4 points higher on the real thing than I ever did on a practice test.

 

[ND2005]

Funny story about the MCAT...

The girl I tutored (really tutored) for Physics scored higher than me on the MCAT.

What does that even mean?

That she's really good at chemistry, biology, orgo, and/or verbal?

 

[Wahina]

There have been lengthy threads about this in the MCAT forum in the past in which people compared all of their practice tests to their real score. I dont know how to find it though.

 

[thatslife]

I used to teach at Kaplan so I have seen many students and thier scores. I would say that the Kaplan's test are well scaled. Some ridiculous precentage of students who take the MCATs take Kaplan (>50% if I remember correctly). The scales are pretty accurate. Some of the above posters hit the nail on the head, about keeping your head in the game. There are always a handful of students who get overcome with fear and anxiety and then cannot function on the test. The line of thought, "well if the practice test are harder then I can assume 2 points extra on my test, so I don't really have to stay this physics" is very very dangerous. The test is soon, keep working as hard as you can. Push through to the exam and you'll do fine.

 

[MediMama23]

There have been lengthy threads about this in the MCAT forum in the past in which people compared all of their practice tests to their real score. I dont know how to find it though.

Do an advanced search where you can limit your search options to the MCAT forum.

 

[lilnoelle]

My actual score was lower than my practice scores. I was disapointed because I felt I had done really well test day. My practice scores were 26 (sick) 30, 32, 34. I ended up with a 28. I blame the paper test for the physical science portion. I'm not very good at Physics and so I usually ran out of time at the end of the practice test. Well, this was exaggerated with the paper test because it takes more time to fill in the circles than it does to click on the cursor. It seems silly to say something so small makes a difference, but I think it did for me. This years computerized testing would probably help me. Anyway, it doesn't matter cuz I got in.

 

[ferreed]

Keep one thing in mind going into the test-- the real MCAT may not look anything at all like your practice tests in places. Don't let this throw you off balance. I took it twice, and both times I had large sections in PS and BS that were absolutely nothing like the AAMC practice tests. Be prepared to see some weird stuff, manage yor time well, and not get stressed when things don't look like they 'should'.

So far as diagnostic scores go, I scored three points lower than my diagnostic test on my first MCAT, then exactly the same as my AAMC practice test average on the real thing after some more studying.

Good luck! 🙂

 

[chandelantern]

Some imput from a princeton review mcat-er. My practice test scores went consistantly up, which was good motivation for me! TPR tests were more difficult than the AAMC exams, and my last 3 practice tests were AAMC exams and my scores jumped up like 4-5 points. I think my practice exams were like 29, 30, 31 and I got a 30 on the real thing, so I thought they were a good predictor for me.

 

[nikibean]

My practice tests were anywhere from a 27-36?
My last Kaplan test was a 10-12-11 and I ended up with a 10-11-10 on the real thing. I changed 6 questions on the Bio from right to wrong at the last second, and kicked myself for weeks afterwards. Grr.
Relax. Take a ton of practice tests this week, then do very little the week before the test, and seriously, RELAX.

 

[isobel]

at kaplan, i had kind of plateaued by the 3rd, 4th, and 5th tests. i might even have gone down a point at the end. but on the real test, i scored 6 points higher.

i still think i got a really easy (for me) test and that i was freaking lucky. the physics section had very little of the stuff i was shaky on and i know i could have easily gotten a test with harder questions.

 

[Keg]

I took TPR, and I scored 8 points higher on the real thing than on any of the full-length tests.

 

[Law2Doc]

I posted this over in the MCAT section but it seems like pre allo gets a lot more traffic, and possible more of you have taken the MCAT. For those who have already taken the MCAT, how well did your practice test scores correlate to your actual MCAT come test day. I have been getting fairly good practice scores but I am afraid that the one that matters wont be as good. Any input to ease my fear?

Folks tend to be within 3 points above or below the average of their last few practice exams. So if your average on practice tests was a 30, you can expect to score in the 27 - 33 range. This doesn't equate to a real small range, but it does seem to encompass 90+% of the folks I know who took it. But don't get cocky -- there will be outliers in both directions. Sometimes people perform atypically better or worse under the stress of the real thing. Good luck.

 

[MN81]

That she's really good at chemistry, biology, orgo, and/or verbal?

Clarification: Higher than me on Physics.

 

[wendywellesley]

Fear is probably your worst enemy on the MCAT. .......Flipping about this or that is the quickest way to make dumb mistakes.

For me, I was within 1 point of my practice exam score. Hope that helps. Good luck!

yeah, that was pretty much it for me. it took the exam and kaplan twice and both times i was within a point away from my average on the practice exams (i took all of them plus some AAMC exams).

good luck and try to RELAX as much as possible during the exam and don't freak out!! (easier said then done!)