Questions/passage didn't match!!

[wisguy]

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Hey, did anyone else have problems with the verbal test today? Without being specific and violating the aamc's terms, here is the problem: I had a science passage about a the motility/physiology of one type animal and the questions were about the mating rituals/population genetics of a completely different type of animal. Did anyone else experience this??? Any clue about how the aamc will handle it?

 

[whibbitts]

I run my own business which has been on hold for the past three months while I studied my ass off for the MCAT. I'm broke and need to start working again Monday. I can in no way afford to continue to spend 50-60 hours a week trying to retain ridiculous amounts of scientific information in my head. Re-taking the test is not an option for me. Luckily they screwed up the verbal section which doesn't require the same kind of preparation as the other sections. The mismatched passage cost me so much time trying to make sense of the illogical and dealing with the proctor that I couldn't finish the last passage.

There is no way to appropriately scale, curve, weight etc that section!
The only fair resolution would be to let those of us who got that passage re-take just the verbal section. I intend on fighting this point with the same determination that I put into studying for a test that AAMC bungled.

We need to all fight together for a fair resolution.

 

[killinsound]

I run my own business which has been on hold for the past three months while I studied my ass off for the MCAT. I'm broke and need to start working again Monday. I can in no way afford to continue to spend 50-60 hours a week trying to retain ridiculous amounts of scientific information in my head. Re-taking the test is not an option for me. Luckily they screwed up the verbal section which doesn't require the same kind of preparation as the other sections. The mismatched passage cost me so much time trying to make sense of the illogical and dealing with the proctor that I couldn't finish the last passage.

There is no way to appropriately scale, curve, weight etc that section!
The only fair resolution would be to let those of us who got that passage re-take just the verbal section. I intend on fighting this point with the same determination that I put into studying for a test that AAMC bungled.

We need to all fight together for a fair resolution.

I think that would be a fair solution

Have the people who's forms were messed up take the verbal and scale them accordingly in that group.

However, it does not address the undue stress going in to the writing and bio sections.

It's going to be interesting to see how they deal with this

 

[deleted21595]

Hi all,

Hate to spam the same message to multiple threads, but since there actually are multiple threads, here's what Kaplan just sent out to all of their January students. Feel free to forward the info:

Dear MCAT student,

With many of you still gearing up to take the Computer-Based MCAT on Monday, we wanted to bring to your attention some recent feedback from your peers who took the Saturday, January 27th, 2007 CBT exam. Most urgent is a programming error in some (not all) forms on the MCAT that have caused the Verbal Reasoning section to display mismatched information. Below is a description of the issue and how to best deal with it.

Issue: Some (not all) test forms administered on Saturday January 27th, 2007 contained a programming glitch that displayed Natural Science passage text in the Verbal Reasoning section dealing with one topic (motility and physiology of robotuna) while the questions dealt with another topic (population genetics of birds).

Resolution for students who experienced this issue: Any students who tested this past Saturday and experienced this issue are encouraged to contact the AAMC Section for Examinee Testing at (202) 828-0690 to report their experience. The AAMC will also be dealing directly with students who experienced interruption in their tests because of this issue. Although it is impossible to predict the exact response from the AAMC, a similar issue in the past prompted the AAMC to give students affected the choice between cancelling their scores and retesting, cancelling their scores and getting a refund, or scoring their tests without counting the defective questions. Any students who are given the choice to retest can call 1-800-KAPTEST to extend their Kaplan online access until the new test date.

Resolution for students testing on Monday 1/29/2007: If you are testing tomorrow, there is a chance this passage might show up on your test form. To best prepare for this possibility please follow the guidelines below:

1. Start your Verbal Reasoning section as normal using the Kaplan Triaging approach and reading one or two lines of the passage. If the passage is of the type you perform well on, continue to reading the passage. If you feel you would do poorly on it, skip to the next passage.
2. Use the Kaplan Mapping strategy to take appropriate notes in your scratch paper and highlight the proper keywords in the passage.
3. If the passage topic refers to robotuna motility and physiology, please proceed to the questions carefully.
4. Check the questions to see if they match the passage text. A quick read of the question stems will verify if there is a problem or not. If no problem is detected continue as normal with the questions.
5. If, and only if, you discover a mismatch between the passage and its questions, fill in a random sequence of answers and 'Mark' all questions in the affected passage set.
6. Continue to the next passage(s) until you get to the end of the section.
7. After completing all other passages, return to the affected passage and attempt to take an educated guess for all random guessed questions.
8. After the time runs out and you've checked all your work on other passages, inform the proctor of the test irregularity (during break).
9. Promptly contact the AAMC after completing the exam.

We have also received isolated feedback from students describing other minor issues. These are listed below to keep you informed and prepared:

-Some test centers reported problems scanning passports as forms of ID. If you were planning on using your passport, please bring another photo ID in addition to your passport if at all possible.
-Students reported that some centers gave scratch paper packets and pencils, while others gave white-board style laminated pages and appropriate marker.
-Students reported having to undergo fingerprint verification at check-in/check-out and during breaks. Be prepared to get less than the allotted 10 minutes between sections.
-Students reported some centers that do not have computers with scroll-mice. Remember that you can use the up/down keys for scrolling in the passage text along with clicking on the up/down scroll arrows.

If you have any questions about the test administration, please contact the AAMC directly. If you have any questions about your Kaplan program, please contact 1-800-KAPTEST.

Good luck on your upcoming exam!

The Kaplan MCAT Team

 

[whibbitts]

"scoring their tests without counting the defective questions" how can that possibly be fair considering the lost time (talking to proctors etc) that left many of us without enough time to finish the last passage? Also the fact that some test takers were warned of the problem and others weren't created a very unfair advantage to those warned.

I really think they should offer us the option to re-take the entire verbal section without having to re-take the whole MCAT. There is absolutely no reason; technical, scoring or otherwise that they cannot do that. If they are unwilling to do that then it only seems fair that they should throw out the last two passages, as both were unquestionably effected by the error.

If anyone else is as pissed as I am I think we need to call, write, threaten law suits, whatever it takes, to get a fair resolution. The options they offered the last time this happened does not seem just and at least to me are not acceptable. When dealing with this issue we need to always keep in mind that is was 100% their fault, we should not be penalized for their error. Telling me to put my life on hold again and re-take the entire test is unacceptable, as is throwing out only the faulty passage and not the subsequent one as well. Offering to give me my money back is insulting.

 

[ParvatiP]

wow, this sounds awful! with the registration problems in december and now a glitch on the actual exam...i do not have much confidence in aamc. they really screwed up. i hope they work everything out by april although at least now i'd be prepared for it 👎

 

[jepc]

I had the same passage. Yes, that first question did seem close to the content of the passage, but the subsequent questions were way off, obviously. I believe it took about three minutes off my time on the section as I kept going back to it even after the proctor explained the problem. There answer do the best you can just does not hold water. Another question? How about those test takers that needed this test for current med school applications? People that are on wait-list's. This is our lives they are making computer glitches with and it is totally unacceptable. I say give us our money back, and allow us to take the test again. Allow us to take only the verbal section as soon as possible. MCAT slaves unite!

 

[whibbitts]

I just read the MCAT Essential manual on the AAMC site that we all agreed to in taking the test. Below is the section regarding testing errors. Doesn't sound like there is any chance that we are going to be able to just re-take one section. However, there is considerable ambiguity in the wording "AAMC will correct the error, if possible" and that is the angle I intend on fighting.

Be sure to officially file your complaint NOW.
You must e-mail or postmark regular mail no later than five (5) days following your exam date to: MCAT Operations Manager Attention: MCAT Rescoring Service Association of American Medical Colleges 2450 N Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037-1127 Email: [email protected]


Remedies for Errors AAMC and the MCAT Program Office take great care to ensure that exam registrations are properly processed, and that exams are properly prepared, handled, and scored. In the unlikely event that a mistake occurs in registration processing, or preparing, handling, processing or scoring an exam, or in reporting scores, AAMC will correct the error, if possible, or permit the affected examinee(s) either to retest at no additional fee or to receive a refund of his or her examination fee.

! These remedies are the exclusive remedies available to examinees for errors in preparing, handling or processing registrations; in processing exams and exam answers; or in determining or reporting scores.

If AAMC offers a retest and an examinee selects that option, the examinee must re-take the entire exam in order to produce a valid score.

 

[bob123456]

Just got this email:

Hello,

Thank You for contacting the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) program.

WE are aware that some examinees received a set of questions that did not relate to a passage in the Verbal Reasoning section of the MCAT. These questions will not be included in the final MCAT score; however the MCAT program is still gathering information to determine the options we will present to examinees who received these questions. We will be able to provide a resolution to affected examinees by this Friday, 5pm EST.


Please let us know if you need any additional assistance.

The MCAT Care Team

 

[GT2]

Just got this email:

Hello,

Thank You for contacting the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) program.

WE are aware that some examinees received a set of questions that did not relate to a passage in the Verbal Reasoning section of the MCAT. These questions will not be included in the final MCAT score; however the MCAT program is still gathering information to determine the options we will present to examinees who received these questions. We will be able to provide a resolution to affected examinees by this Friday, 5pm EST.


Please let us know if you need any additional assistance.

The MCAT Care Team

I called and was placed on hold for 12 minutes and they took my info and said someone will contact me by 5 P.M. Friday.

 

[jepc]

That is fine if they decide to let us retest, but what we should fight for is the results of the test we took on Saturday. What if your score goes down when you retest? We should be given our test results as a courtesy, and then given the option. Its a pipe dream, but we should all make the same demand. There are to many variables to consider if you decide to take the retest.

 

[GT2]

That is fine if they decide to let us retest, but what we should fight for is the results of the test we took on Saturday. What if your score goes down when you retest? We should be given our test results as a courtesy, and then given the option. Its a pipe dream, but we should all make the same demand. There are to many variables to consider if you decide to take the retest.

It's pointless. We can make all our demands but we will be wasting our time. They will give us options and then you can make your decision.

actually, I might talk to a friend of mine(law school) and see if it is anything like the SAT debacle.

 

[Four]

I just read the MCAT Essential manual on the AAMC site that we all agreed to in taking the test. Below is the section regarding testing errors. Doesn't sound like there is any chance that we are going to be able to just re-take one section. However, there is considerable ambiguity in the wording "AAMC will correct the error, if possible" and that is the angle I intend on fighting.

Be sure to officially file your complaint NOW.
You must e-mail or postmark regular mail no later than five (5) days following your exam date to: MCAT Operations Manager Attention: MCAT Rescoring Service Association of American Medical Colleges 2450 N Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037-1127 Email: [email protected]


Remedies for Errors AAMC and the MCAT Program Office take great care to ensure that exam registrations are properly processed, and that exams are properly prepared, handled, and scored. In the unlikely event that a mistake occurs in registration processing, or preparing, handling, processing or scoring an exam, or in reporting scores, AAMC will correct the error, if possible, or permit the affected examinee(s) either to retest at no additional fee or to receive a refund of his or her examination fee.

! These remedies are the exclusive remedies available to examinees for errors in preparing, handling or processing registrations; in processing exams and exam answers; or in determining or reporting scores.

If AAMC offers a retest and an examinee selects that option, the examinee must re-take the entire exam in order to produce a valid score.

Yes, everyone needs to send in their complaints, even though we have that email below. However, I still highly doubt a re-test of that portion. How would they organize it?

I'm eager to see what their answer is on Friday, but I guess we can all assume what will happen. It's a shame that people lost a significant amonut of time trying to get it fixed while others refused to salvage the rest of the section. I hope they have a solution for those people.

 

[GT2]

I think the options will be as so:

A. Refund.
B. Option to retake the whole exam at a later date.
C. Keep your score. Assuming, that those questions are thrown out.

 

[collinscs]

That is fine if they decide to let us retest, but what we should fight for is the results of the test we took on Saturday. What if your score goes down when you retest? We should be given our test results as a courtesy, and then given the option. Its a pipe dream, but we should all make the same demand. There are to many variables to consider if you decide to take the retest.

i'm in complete agreement. i think if a majority of us are, we should make sure we bind together. strength in numbers. we think we're at they're mercy, but honestly you all. there's much more of us. and this isn't just an SAT you could take anywhere on most weekends a multiple of times. when they (admissions committees) see 1 bad mcat score you have to explain it to the admissions committee... given that they look past your amcas and invite you to interview. and, from what i know, there's no way you can write in comments like this to explain yourself and a bad mcat score. i know for myself this is already my 2nd time taking the mcat. that puts 2 bad scores on my plate if i decide not to retest. or if i can't retest!! in addition, you can only take the mcat 3 times... so, for all those who decide NOT to retest and who get a bad score - it has even more detrimental effects than meets the eye.

we should definitely be given the option to view our score and decide to retest.

in addition, accomodations should have to be made if they decide to let us retest free of charge. the next test date is april 7th, the day before easter, and i know for a fact i'm going to be on vacation and have already purchased plane tickets because i thought i wouldn't have to worry about the mcat. they better make more than just the 7th available for testing days.

 

[Four]

collinscs, again, I still don't see how they can organize a re-test. We're talking about a tremendous amount of variables here. What about people who ignored the crappy passage and moved on? What about people who stopped to call the proctor?

Somehow, I don't think a re-test can be fair to everyone, especially those who did not get that messed up passage. If AAMC makes this move, they would have to give the option of a re-test to all Jan. MCATers. Think of it: if a re-test is in order, people will have had time to prepare even more. AAMC can't create a double standard from a mistake. Then, the people who didn't get a messed up passage are going to complain.

I think the most important thing right now is to barrage AAMC with complaints by everyone who was affected. I'm pretty sure that most people have already let them know by now, so just wait for their response.

 

[whibbitts]

There is no reason that they couldn't offer us a re-take of just the verbal reasoning section. let's say there were 4 different version of the verbal reasoning section that were administered on Saturday, one of them being the faulty section with the robotuna. All they have to do is randomly administer one of the three other VR sections to us and score/curve that section accordingly while keeping our scores from the other sections. I'm not saying that that should be the only option but it should be one of them. They can do it. Technically it is 100% possible. the only reason they wouldn't consider that option would be do to some austere wielding of authority or a claim stating that it wouldn't be fair for us to be allowed to re-take just one section without the cumulative stress of the entire exam. This reasoning is complete BS due to the fact that fair and balanced testing opportunities went way out the window the minute they gave only 25% of us the stress of trying to complete, a literally impossible, passage and all the frustration and limbo that it has created.

They owe us a resolution that we consider fair. Back in 1998 when they screwed up like this the last time, the internet was in its infancy. Today in 2007 we can organized and fight together.
As some else on this thread said "MCAT slaves unite!"

 

[GT2]

All they have to do is randomly administer one of the three other VR sections to us and score/curve that section accordingly while keeping our scores from the other sections. I'm not saying that that should be the only option but it should be one of them. They can do it. Technically it is 100% possible. the only reason they wouldn't consider that option would be do to some austere wielding of authority or a claim stating that it wouldn't be fair for us to be allowed to re-take just one section without the cumulative stress of the entire exam. This reasoning is complete BS due to the fact that fair and balanced testing opportunities went way out the window the minute they gave only 25% of us the stress of trying to complete, a literally impossible, passage and all the frustration and limbo that it has created.
"

That wouldn't work. I'll say it. It's unfair. I had that passage, no proctor told me about it. You answer what you can in those situations and void if you don't like it. I heard of worse MCAT testing conditions. You mean to tell me half the people taking the MCAT couldn't infer that there might be some error and move on. IMHO

 

[Noeljan]

Hey guys
I just want to say I feel sooo bad for you guys/girls. Although I was not a tester (I took August paper/pencil form) I am here for you guys. This is really really unfair and no you should NOT have to suck it up. It was obviously their fault and should in no way count against you guys. You should start some petition or something. good luck

 

[collinscs]

we're all starting off on a bad foot.
1 - no one knows what aamc is going to do. we don't need to disagree or agree about anything yet.
2 - these people aren't idiots. they're who we all hope to be one day - very successful and professional.

i know what it's all like. i had the bad passage. but it's out of our hands. i know i can't help but play every possible situation over in my head. but what good does it do?

i think it speaks loads about us as people and us as doctors to put the passage behind us. hopefully, many people started this process the second after they saw the passage on test day and were able to complete their writing and bs sections accordingly. but if not able to do this, we ARE able to do this now. imagine if, as a doctor, something comes up (as it inevitably will) that throws us off our course of concentration. are we to yell at our colleagues or be as professional as we can and move foward and do our jobs?

we're not alone. and there's no use being divided over things now.

 

[Gospe1]

I think we all realize that the AAMC does a lot for us premeds. However, there comes a time in everyone's life no matter how professional or well-regarded that an evaluation must be made. Even professors who have tenure still go through evaluations as a way of telling them what they are doing wrong. Athough I am positive that we are going to get the three choices mentioned by other posters, it is still very unfair of them to put us in such a situation. For example, on the SAT if i bubbled the answer to question 2 on the question 3's bubble then I would been counted wrong. Why then, since in effect they did the same thing to us that something isn't done to the AAMC that reminds them that they have a responsibility just as we do to create a fair test. I'm not saying that they should give us all 15s or anything but for an offense there should be a punishment. There was an offense. It doesn't matter if this was the first time and they tried their best and blah blah blah. All people should be held accountable for their actions. In this case, I think they should really set up a new test date as soon as possible so we don't have to study again and we can retake the MCAT.

 

[GT2]

I think we all realize that the AAMC does a lot for us premeds. However, there comes a time in everyone's life no matter how professional or well-regarded that an evaluation must be made. Even professors who have tenure still go through evaluations as a way of telling them what they are doing wrong. Athough I am positive that we are going to get the three choices mentioned by other posters, it is still very unfair of them to put us in such a situation. For example, on the SAT if i bubbled the answer to question 2 on the question 3's bubble then I would been counted wrong. Why then, since in effect they did the same thing to us that something isn't done to the AAMC that reminds them that they have a responsibility just as we do to create a fair test. I'm not saying that they should give us all 15s or anything but for an offense there should be a punishment. There was an offense. It doesn't matter if this was the first time and they tried their best and blah blah blah. All people should be held accountable for their actions. In this case, I think they should really set up a new test date as soon as possible so we don't have to study again and we can retake the MCAT.

What do you propose the "punishment" be?

 

[GT2]

Give a refund and allow a retake

as mentioned in my previous post

I think the options will be as so:

A. Refund.
B. Option to retake the whole exam at a later date.
C. Keep your score. Assuming, that those questions are thrown out.



🙂

 

[FlStudent]

I have been thinking about this for a couple of days, and I think I have a better resolution.

Just score Questions 1-30. Leave 31-35 out, of course, and leave 36-40 due to it being a TIMED test and 31-35 affecting our time. I know some people skip around, but I think this would appease the MOST people.

Doesn't this make sense? The verbal used to be 65 q's, then 60 q's, then 40 and they still call it viable to give us a specific readout of our verbal abilities. So 30 q is not ideal, but it will do the trick!

I would be happy with this solution.

Thanks to the person who posted the email contact info.

 

[GT2]

I have been thinking about this for a couple of days, and I think I have a better resolution.

Just score Questions 1-30. Leave 31-35 out, of course, and leave 36-40 due to it being a TIMED test and 31-35 affecting our time. I know some people skip around, but I think this would appease the MOST people.

Doesn't this make sense? The verbal used to be 65 q's, then 60 q's, then 40 and they still call it viable to give us a specific readout of our verbal abilities. So 30 q is not ideal, but it will do the trick!

I would be happy with this solution.

Thanks to the person who posted the email contact info.

needs to be a solution to all not most.

 

[whibbitts]

That wouldn't work. I'll say it. It's unfair. I had that passage, no proctor told me about it. You answer what you can in those situations and void if you don't like it. I heard of worse MCAT testing conditions. You mean to tell me half the people taking the MCAT couldn't infer that there might be some error and move on. IMHO

why don't you think that this is a viable option (letting us re-take just the VR section)? Just because it's not their presumed option?

During the Kaplan simulations there were several programming errors that lead to me losing many hours of my valuable time. The first thing Kaplan did was to apologize profusely and then offer me money back among other things. AAMC's past response to this problem made absolutely no such concessions, as if they can screw up the delivery of their product without any repercussions.

I agree they should be held accountable and forcing us to re-take an entire test that they screwed up one section of is not fair or acceptable. In 1998 when they last had this same problem the students didn't have the power of the internet to join together and fight a unified battle, now we do. If they don't hand us a fair resolution, I at least fully intend on creating a lot of bad press for them if not litigation.

Is anyone else with me?

 

[collinscs]

something i noticed -
this is a nationwide problem. it affected a student at every test site everywhere. back in '98 it wasn't nationwide...

"Last Saturday's Medical College Admissions Test exams had mistakes in reading-comprehension questions at 32 out of roughly 600 testing sites nationwide. Hundreds of students in Seattle took the exam, but no reports of exam mistakes have been reported."

that could affect things as well... the '98 glitch probably affected far less people than this one did. just something to consider.

 

[moreliator]

Add me to the list of people who had the problem passage.

Here was my thought process while going through the problem passage questions:

I didn't suspect something strange until a specific question regarding information not in the passage. I read the question and was completely taken aback. I started looking ahead on the test to see if the questions were from an upcoming passage, but couldn't find one. In the end, I assumed I missed something in the passage and just put down some answers,

The problem is, when something like that happens, my first thought definitely is NOT that the aamc screwed up. My first thought is that I missed something IN the passage.... that it's MY fault. I mean, what are the chances a national test would have an error of that magnitude? So I didn't say anything to the test proctors.

I--like many other people--ran out of time and barely had time to skim the last passage and make guesses.. but not all of that was due to the bad passage (I thought some of the other passages were tougher than usual too).

I live in Pennsylvania but attend school in Michigan. Our second semester started TODAY, which means I drove 12 hours yesterday to Michigan right after the test. So if retaking were an option, I would hope they would make it possible to transfer test centers.

If I could choose any way to resolve this issue, it would be to let us retake just the verbal section. BUt I don't know if that's possible for them to do.

I called AAMC and they said they would contact me Friday with further info, and that the bad questions would not be scored.

 

[zakp]

I would love to have a verbal only retake offered to those of us who were so unlucky. But this cannot happen because so much of what makes the MCAT challenging is the endurance factor involved with test. I think we should instead push for them to allow us to cancel our scores after we see only our verbal score. This is reasonable because I know we all count on natural science passages to boost our scores and if they simply remove the easiest passage, what is that going to do to our scores overall?

Who knows, if any of us can pull of a good score we will have a good story for admission boards. What is important is to make sure to file a formal complaint to aamc so that you can put this incedent in your application so med schools know why you are retaking.

 

[mc4435]

The more I think about it, the more I think the only way to deal with the problem is to just grade the tests as they are and adjust the curve appropriately.

Allowing retakes, just verbal retakes, only grading some questions, etc all these solutions only benefit some people and actually could hurt other people. But if you just grade all the people who had the problem against each other, then the scores will still be standardized because everyone will have dealt with the exact same problem. They just can't grade people who had the problem against people who didn't have the problem.

 

[deleted21595]

The more I think about it, the more I think the only way to deal with the problem is to just grade the tests as they are and adjust the curve appropriately.

Allowing retakes, just verbal retakes, only grading some questions, etc all these solutions only benefit some people and actually could hurt other people. But if you just grade all the people who had the problem against each other, then the scores will still be standardized because everyone will have dealt with the exact same problem. They just can't grade people who had the problem against people who didn't have the problem.

The problem with this is that the MCAT is a STANDARDIZED and SPEEDED exam.

Standardized means that any testing conditions outside the norm will affect the test's ability to accurately predict whatever it is supposed to correlate with. In this case, the fact that some students responded to the problem by leaving the room and losing time, others rolled through it, and yet others left the test completely. This means that even this group cannot be compared to itself.

Speeded means that if you left the room for even 5 minutes then you have placed yourself at a significant disadvantage. The AAMC often sites speededness in response to their strict ADA accomodations policies, citing that any student that gets extra time will do much better on the MCAT.

The only proper solution to truly maintain the test's integrity is to void the entire test and make people retest, preferably sooner than the next April 7th date.

 

[jepc]

I believe the options will be refund, retake, or accept the score you receive. My only wish is that we get to see our score, and then we are allowed the choice. Obviously, that won't be the case because someone, somewhere will say "it is not fair to the other people who took the test on Saturday." My response is they did not have that passage screw with their minds on Saturday. The AAMC may do alot for pre-med students, but let us not forget they are a service industry. We pay for a service and expect competent service. I am too old, and have been in this game to long to accept anything less then what I paid for out of my own pocket. Do not accept anything from the AAMC other then what you believe in your heart to be fair. You owe yourself, your career, and your future that much. Good luck fellow MCAT slaves.

 

[wisguy]

The problem with this is that the MCAT is a STANDARDIZED and SPEEDED exam.

Standardized means that any testing conditions outside the norm will affect the test's ability to accurately predict whatever it is supposed to correlate with. In this case, the fact that some students responded to the problem by leaving the room and losing time, others rolled through it, and yet others left the test completely. This means that even this group cannot be compared to itself.

Speeded means that if you left the room for even 5 minutes then you have placed yourself at a significant disadvantage. The AAMC often sites speededness in response to their strict ADA accomodations policies, citing that any student that gets extra time will do much better on the MCAT.

The only proper solution to truly maintain the test's integrity is to void the entire test and make people retest, preferably sooner than the next April 7th date.

That is not a proper solution. Not everyone is available on a later date. I have been planning for three months to be in Berlin for this weekend and this weekend only to take the MCAT. I will and can not under any circumstances pay to fly back, stay in a hotel and eat in a Euro zone country, particularly because my weekends are booked with conferences, travel and family obligations through may. Even if the AAMC paid my travel costs I could not retake. No matter what the options end up being, I have to take the scores of this test if they are offered. In spite of the fact that my VR and BS scores will go down from my first MCAT. They screwed up and screwed me and there is nothing I can do about it.

 

[wisguy]

we're all starting off on a bad foot.
1 - no one knows what aamc is going to do. we don't need to disagree or agree about anything yet.
2 - these people aren't idiots. they're who we all hope to be one day - very successful and professional.

i know what it's all like. i had the bad passage. but it's out of our hands. i know i can't help but play every possible situation over in my head. but what good does it do?

i think it speaks loads about us as people and us as doctors to put the passage behind us. hopefully, many people started this process the second after they saw the passage on test day and were able to complete their writing and bs sections accordingly. but if not able to do this, we ARE able to do this now. imagine if, as a doctor, something comes up (as it inevitably will) that throws us off our course of concentration. are we to yell at our colleagues or be as professional as we can and move foward and do our jobs?

we're not alone. and there's no use being divided over things now.

I agree that, ideally, we should have been able to keep our **** together and finish up like nothing happened. It sounds like most people finished, but were adversely affected by the situation. But the point is that this is supposed to be a standardized test across all administrations so that scores can be compared. I don't see how they can be under these circumstances.

 

[GT2]

why don't you think that this is a viable option (letting us re-take just the VR section)? Just because it's not their presumed option?

During the Kaplan simulations there were several programming errors that lead to me losing many hours of my valuable time. The first thing Kaplan did was to apologize profusely and then offer me money back among other things. AAMC's past response to this problem made absolutely no such concessions, as if they can screw up the delivery of their product without any repercussions.

I agree they should be held accountable and forcing us to re-take an entire test that they screwed up one section of is not fair or acceptable. In 1998 when they last had this same problem the students didn't have the power of the internet to join together and fight a unified battle, now we do. If they don't hand us a fair resolution, I at least fully intend on creating a lot of bad press for them if not litigation.

Is anyone else with me?

Part of the MCAT is the endurance and long test hours. Why would it be fair for people to retake only part of it. If you want to retake it, you have to retake it all. (Yes, I understand it sucks)

kaplan is not AAMC. Kaplan needs your business AAMC on the other hand doesn't. Who is competing with AAMC?

With regards to litigation, I might have to agree with you on that depending on what their options are. However, the burden of proof lies on you to show its adverse impact etc.

I'll restate what I believe may be the options:

A. Refund.
B. Option to retake the whole exam at a later date.
C. Keep your score. Assuming, that those questions are thrown out.

I would though like to be able to see my score and make a decision. However that seems very unlikely.

3 more days.

 

[moreliator]

The more I think about it, the more I think the only way to deal with the problem is to just grade the tests as they are and adjust the curve appropriately.

Allowing retakes, just verbal retakes, only grading some questions, etc all these solutions only benefit some people and actually could hurt other people. But if you just grade all the people who had the problem against each other, then the scores will still be standardized because everyone will have dealt with the exact same problem. They just can't grade people who had the problem against people who didn't have the problem.

the only problem with this is that on the west coast people were made aware of the problem...which means if you do this method you should make a separate curve for people on the east coast...


Also, although I agree endurance is an aspect of the test, it's definitely LESS of an endurance test than before.

When it call comes down to it, I don't think there is a solution that is 100% fair... it's just a matter of finding the "most" fair option. what luck =/

 

[mc4435]

Aren't there supposed to be "experimental" questions in each section? Or an experimental passage that isn't counted ? Maybe those questions were it... or they could count it as the experimental anyways. Just another random idea, probably won't happen though.

 

[madchemist]

I'm wondering why the AAMC has made no statement. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. I would have expected--rightfully, I think--some sort of statement about the glitch on the MCAT website. I'm not asking for a resolution yet, just an acknowledgement that something went wrong. Phht.

Well, I wrote to my local newspaper:

"I am a chemistry/premedical undergraduate student at the University of Kentucky. An integral part of being admitted to medical school is taking (and scoring well on) the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT), administered by the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC). On January 27, 2007, this test was--for the first time--nationally administered as an electronic version to replace the traditional paper one.
The reason I am contacting the press is due to an apparently widespread error in this exam. One of the passages in the verbal section had the wrong questions associated with it. Juding from various premedical online forums, this error was not on all tests, but was nevertheless a problem for a large number of test-takers across the nation. Being a timed test, the error most certainly negatively affected those examinees who were faced with it.
Furthermore, the exam proctors (not affiliated with the AAMC or MCAT) were unorganized and betrayed a failure on behalf of the AAMC to properly inform them as to proper testing procedures, particularly in the event of just such an error. I have been informed that many examinees could not even complete the verbal section as a result of waiting twenty or more minutes while proctors attempted to find a solution (while the unstoppable test clock simultaneously ticked away). Unfortunately, I am not at liberty to describe the error in any more detail, due to AAMC regulations.
Normally, I would not have felt that such an error, however egregious, warranted press attention. However, I have not seen news of the problem
anywhere, and the AAMC has neglected to make any official public statement (via Internet or otherwise), leading my intuition to believe that they are intent on keeping their mistake under wraps so as not to besmirch their name. A similar error occurred before on a much smaller scale in 1998 and was widely reported.
The premedical forums which I regularly check (particulary, studentdoctor.net) reflect a furious and befuddled collective of 1/27 MCAT examinees. The exam is notoriously difficult and long, lasting 5 or more hours and usually requiring months of study. It is truly a defining moment for any premedical student. As a result, I feel that the negligence of the AAMC, combined with their failure to make any public acknowledgement of the error, necessitates intervention on behalf of the press. The futures of a great many premedical students may well depend on this error being publicized. It is a shame that the AAMC is apparenly not responsible enough to report it themselves.
I would like to direct you to some references:

1. The Student Doctor Network MCAT forum, the only place I have found evidence that the error occurred at all.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=31

2. An article describing a similar occurence in 1998.

http://archives.thedaily.washington.edu/1998/042498/mact.42498.html

3. The official AAMC MCAT website, on which you will notice no statement concerning the error.

http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/

I appreciate your concern and hope you will investigate further and publicize this wrongdoing. Also, since I was one of the examinees whose fate lies in the hands of the AAMC, I would prefer that I remain anonymous.

Thank you."

I'm thinking maybe I should've given the AAMC a few more days to issue a formal comment...then again, even an online acknowledgement would've been nice. I feel like we're being swept under a rug.

Well, I think whatever happens, this is information that needs to get out, if for no other reason than making sure all the med school admins/faculty/admissions people know what really happened (not to mention future MCATers). I wrote my local paper, and I suggest we all do the same.

 

[Dr-Ho]

I sat in the 1/29 MCAT and encountered the Robotuna passage. I was forewarned by this forum about this passage, so I glanced at the question stems first and noticed that the first 4 questions SEEMED to be unrelated to the passage, but the rest of the questions were. My question is: was this an 'ALL-OR-NONE' occurence where all of the questions didn't match up, or did some of you observe what I did (i.e. the first 4 did not match, the rest did)?

I am asking because I am scared that I may have glanced at those questions too quickly and skipped them by accident.

 

[decisionsx2]

So the error was in the 1/29 exam as well?

 

[jepc]

if there was any mention of birds the questions were the same, and the problem was not fixed.

 

[mc4435]

I sat in the 1/29 MCAT and encountered the Robotuna passage. I was forewarned by this forum about this passage, so I glanced at the question stems first and noticed that the first 4 questions SEEMED to be unrelated to the passage, but the rest of the questions were. My question is: was this an 'ALL-OR-NONE' occurence where all of the questions didn't match up, or did some of you observe what I did (i.e. the first 4 did not match, the rest did)?

I am asking because I am scared that I may have glanced at those questions too quickly and skipped them by accident.

They must have fixed the questions, because you would have known if it was messed up, believe me!

 

[Dr-Ho]

Do you think it's realistic that they fixed it within 24 hours, especially on the weekend? Being an engineer, a re-deployment on this scale is not a small task even if the system is centralized.

I made a note of the questions that I thought didn't match up on my scrap paper and reported it to the proctor during the break. So hopefully I didn't glance over them too quickly.

 

[MedSchoolOrBust]

It would have been in their best interest to fix the problem within twenty four considering the repercussions of their failure.

I also sat for the 1/29 testing and encountered the passage involving robotuna. Although the first 4 questions were not detail oriented, they certainly had basis in the passage. I do not believe there were any errors on the exam on 1/29 so calm your teets and let loose for once. go and take back your life - get drunk!!! ... you just finished the MCAT

 

[whibbitts]

I especially like the part where the AAMC rep says “It will not affect their scores,” he said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/30/education/30medical.html?ref=education

 

[Gospe1]

My premed advisor sent me this. However, its not clear whether they will give us the score an then allow us to void or what...

On Saturday, January 27, a test-publishing error in the Verbal Reasoning section of the MCAT resulted in some examinees seeing a passage that did not relate to the five questions that followed. We have just completed our analyses and have confirmed that we will be able to provide valid scores to these examinees, based on the other items in the test. If the student believes that his or her performance was substantially disrupted, we will offer the opportunity to void the test and obtain a full refund. Approximately four percent of the affected examinees voided their tests at the test center. We will also allow any of these examinees to reverse that decision, based on this new information. We will not count the voided tests for this group against the yearly maximum attempts (currently set at three).
We will begin communicating this policy decision to the affected examinees tomorrow, Tuesday, January 30.
We have not yet determined how the error happened, but are investigating. We learned of the error when it surfaced on Saturday morning. Prometric quickly, through its instant network, informed test center supervisors of the problem so that they could counsel students to continue through the test. We also took the opportunity to recheck Monday's forms, none of which had the problem.
Test publishing errors have occurred before, although infrequently, and are not specific to computer delivery. The computer delivery, in this case, was helpful in identifying and communicating about the problem, and on getting the data to seek a quick resolution. We had our call center open on Saturday and were able to talk to many of the examinees directly. Most of them were concerned mainly that we knew of the problem and that we were not going to count those questions toward their score. We committed to those who called that we would have a resolution by this Friday, but, again, we will communicate that resolution beginning tomorrow.

 

[FlStudent]

Gospe1, thanks for the message post. Nice to be in the loop! Well, at least we aren't REQUIRED to retest or something absurd like that. I wonder what their definition of "valid scores" means.

That NY times article was pretty good. Robert Jones, the vp of aamc, wasn't very impressive in his responses. Everything "affects scores", especially an event like that. That statement is inherently untrue. If it was an untimed test, that statement would be more in line with the truth. I felt really bad for that test-taker who specifically chose the messed up passage first! Wow, that has to be painful. And Robert Jones doesn't think that error affected his score? Almost laughable. Almost.

I wish we could talk directly to Robert Jones and people that make policy over there and give our opinions. I don't think most people were content with just removing those questions, but whatever!

 

[GT2]

looks like I was right

A. Refund.
B. Option to retake the whole exam at a later date. now with your refunded money
C. Keep your score.

lets bet now on colts vs. bears haha🙂.

 

[Nonnahs]

I just read the MCAT Essential manual on the AAMC site that we all agreed to in taking the test. Below is the section regarding testing errors. Doesn't sound like there is any chance that we are going to be able to just re-take one section. However, there is considerable ambiguity in the wording "AAMC will correct the error, if possible" and that is the angle I intend on fighting.

Be sure to officially file your complaint NOW.
You must e-mail or postmark regular mail no later than five (5) days following your exam date to: MCAT Operations Manager Attention: MCAT Rescoring Service Association of American Medical Colleges 2450 N Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037-1127 Email: [email protected]


Remedies for Errors AAMC and the MCAT Program Office take great care to ensure that exam registrations are properly processed, and that exams are properly prepared, handled, and scored. In the unlikely event that a mistake occurs in registration processing, or preparing, handling, processing or scoring an exam, or in reporting scores, AAMC will correct the error, if possible, or permit the affected examinee(s) either to retest at no additional fee or to receive a refund of his or her examination fee.

! These remedies are the exclusive remedies available to examinees for errors in preparing, handling or processing registrations; in processing exams and exam answers; or in determining or reporting scores.

If AAMC offers a retest and an examinee selects that option, the examinee must re-take the entire exam in order to produce a valid score.

Thank you for posting this. It hadn't occured to me to submit an official complaint. I had called yesterday and was given the information everyone else has: I will be notified by Friday with a decision. I have sent an email with my official complaint as of 5 minutes ago. It doesn't hurt to be official, I suppose.

On another note, I agree with much of what has been said. Trying to not feel stressed or worried about this is difficult, though I am relieved to hear that something will be done about it.

To the one who complained about the disadvantage of allowing those who experienced this problem the extra time to study for a later administration date, this isn't like a class midterm. Offered on a continual basis, the amount of time spent studying is up to the examinee. If someone only spent two weeks studying for this due to procrastination and then decided to complain because the people retaking it would get more time to study, it seems to me that there is something wrong with the person complaining out of turn. Otherwise, that person should complain about the people taking the MCAT in August... look how much time THEY have to study for it. 😉

At any rate, I hope that we all did fabulously regardless of this little error and that we are all pleasantly surprised in a month when our scores are posted. 😀

 

[caliboy007]

But heres the million dollar question:

Will they allow us to make this decision AFTER seeing the scores? 🙂

I doubt it, but it cant hurt to hope.

Another problem in the making: even if we decide to void the test, take a look at your closest test centers for the April test dates... almost all of them are FULL

 

[FlStudent]

So, on Friday, are we all going to get the same automated message? Or a real person?

Why don't they just email us if they are going to have an automated message anyways?