Questions that actually count toward your score

[mdthisyear]

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AAMC has a series of publications at this site
where people have done research on the validity of the MCAT and so on...

In more than one "monograph", when they compare performance of examinees between various test forms, they have the following question count that they have used for research purposes:

VR: 55 Questions
PS: 63 Questions
BS: 63 Questions

These were for test forms administered in 1994 and 1996.

Question: If the PS and BS sections had 77 questions during the 1994 and 96 test administrations, then why use only 63 out of 77 questions when equating the two test forms? Were the remaining experimental questions, then?

 

[spicedmanna]

AAMC has a series of publications at this site
where people have done research on the validity of the MCAT and so on...

In more than one "mongraph", when they compare performance of examinees between various test forms, the have the following question count that they have used for research purposes:

VR: 55 Questions
PS: 63 Questions
BS: 63 Questions

These were for test forms administered in 1994 and 1996.

Question: If the PS and BS sections had 77 questions during the 1994 and 96 test administrations, then why use only 63 out of 77 questions when equating the two test forms?

Probably because the rest of the questions were "experimental". There are usually some questions in each section that AAMC tries to test for future test administration. They don't count them in the actual scoring and these questions probably differ significantly across forms, although I can't be sure of that. That's my thinking anyway, and I didn't read the study you mentioned.

 

[mdthisyear]

14 experimental questions per section (PS and BS section)! Wonder how the score scales look like for those compared to the 77 question ones that we are familiar with!

 

[deleted106503]

14 experimental questions per section (PS and BS section)! Wonder how the score scales look like for those compared to the 77 question ones that we are familiar with!

I wonder if my score would go up or down if they left the experimentals in. I would want them to leave it in if my score would be higher. I hope they have a system like this: Give you a score with and without experimental and they will give you the higher one.

 

[spicedmanna]

I wonder if my score would go up or down if they left the experimentals in. I would want them to leave it in if my score would be higher. I hope they have a system like this: Give you a score with and without experimental and they will give you the higher one.

That would be nice.

 

[mdthisyear]

There must be some system to reward us for attempting unusually difficult questions which, in some cases, make us perform poorly on the "real" ones.

 

[DrCurious]

On a side note, I believe the Verbal had 65 questions then, not sure tho. So it would mean 10/65 were experimental.