Question about scoring and consistency of Altius FLs

[Dr. Snow]

Is the scoring on altius deflated in anyway?
Do people usually get consistent scores or are they all over the place?

I took altius 3 a couple weeks ago and got a 505 125/126/128/126

This week I took altius 6 and got a 511
126/127/130/128

I just want to make sure I’m actually improving and my last one wasnt a fluke.
I find it weird that 51/59 on BB is 130 but 52/59 on PS is 128

Anyone have a lot of experience with altius?
@Altius Premier Tutor

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[mountainmed]

Is the scoring on altius deflated in anyway?
Do people usually get consistent scores or are they all over the place?

I took altius 3 a couple weeks ago and got a 505 125/126/128/126

This week I took altius 6 and got a 511
126/127/130/128

I just want to make sure I’m actually improving and my last one wasnt a fluke.
I find it weird that 51/59 on BB is 130 but 52/59 on PS is 128

Anyone have a lot of experience with altius?
@Altius Premier Tutor

That 511 is awesome! I've taken the first four Altius exams and I've gained 3-4 points each time. Were these the first two practice tests you've taken? If so, then I think that big bump may be from being more used to the test. I had a couple of buddies tutor for Altius and I think one of them said that test 3 was one of the ones students struggled with the most. I think as long as you keep seeing that positive delta is your score, you're on the right path!
Also, I love tests and I think they are very good for C/P AND B/B, but I had a 3 point jump for CAR on AAMC FL1, so I think if you keep getting high scores on Altius, you're going to be happy when you take the AAMC practice tests. Good luck!

 

[Dr. Snow]

That 511 is awesome! I've taken the first four Altius exams and I've gained 3-4 points each time. Were these the first two practice tests you've taken? If so, then I think that big bump may be from being more used to the test. I had a couple of buddies tutor for Altius and I think one of them said that test 3 was one of the ones students struggled with the most. I think as long as you keep seeing that positive delta is your score, you're on the right path!
Also, I love tests and I think they are very good for C/P AND B/B, but I had a 3 point jump for CAR on AAMC FL1, so I think if you keep getting high scores on Altius, you're going to be happy when you take the AAMC practice tests. Good luck!

Good to hear and thanks for the reasurance! Yea so far I scored 504 on FL2 and 505 on FL3 about 3 weeks ago, then I finished BB and PS content before I took FL6 when I got the 511. I still haven't finished CP content so I've been getting 125/126 on Altius. Chem and physics are my least favorite classes so I definitely struggle on that section during the FLs. I'm basically dedicating my next 2 months to the CP section.

 

[Altius Premier Tutor]

That 511 is a solid score and a reasonable improvement. I am a tutor for Altius and I don't see any strong/consistent trends in one exam being much more difficult than another, other than maybe FLE3 and FLE10 being the two hardest. If you look at how students do across all three AAMC exams you will sometimes see consistency, and sometimes a surprising degree of variance. I chalk this up to the fact that each exam is its own beast, has its own unique set of challenges, etc. The score can move pretty quickly up and down depending on how that mix of challenges hits you personally. I always tell my students to focus on the average of their last 3 exams--that's the best idea of where they are at. Right now, my students who take all 10 altius exams usually go up by 2-5 points on the real thing (composite score). But, variance is still there, so once in a great while someone jumps 10 points or even does the same or slightly worse--those are just far less common. You're on a good trajectory. All of my students have said their real exam looked almost exactly like their Altius exams, maybe a tad easier, but definitely more Altius/section-bank like than the AAMC exams. So doing well on the Altius tests should make you feel comfortable and low-stress when you see the real thing.

Regarding the raw score to scaled score conversion, that definitely does (and should) vary between sections and between exams. That is because each section and exam is standardized independently.

 

[OchemOficionado]

That 511 is a solid score and a reasonable improvement. I am a tutor for Altius and I don't see any strong/consistent trends in one exam being much more difficult than another, other than maybe FLE3 and FLE10 being the two hardest. If you look at how students do across all three AAMC exams you will sometimes see consistency, and sometimes a surprising degree of variance. I chalk this up to the fact that each exam is its own beast, has its own unique set of challenges, etc. The score can move pretty quickly up and down depending on how that mix of challenges hits you personally. I always tell my students to focus on the average of their last 3 exams--that's the best idea of where they are at. Right now, my students who take all 10 altius exams usually go up by 2-5 points on the real thing (composite score). But, variance is still there, so once in a great while someone jumps 10 points or even does the same or slightly worse--those are just far less common. You're on a good trajectory. All of my students have said their real exam looked almost exactly like their Altius exams, maybe a tad easier, but definitely more Altius/section-bank like than the AAMC exams. So doing well on the Altius tests should make you feel comfortable and low-stress when you see the real thing.

Regarding the raw score to scaled score conversion, that definitely does (and should) vary between sections and between exams. That is because each section and exam is standardized independently.

** EDIT ** they are there, just out of order.

Off topic, but is Altius aware that solutions are missing for some questions on FL #10 beginning with number 37 in B/B? Are you aware of this issue with any of the other FLs?