Regrade Writing Sample?

[Legato]

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Anyone had any experience with this? Do scores change much??

I did very well in all of my other sections and ended up with a good score, but my writing sample was terrible (M - 9.8-29.7 percentile). I was kind of surprised because my perfectionist self was actually pleased with my essays, which is very rare. I thought I did very well on them. I'm not a bad writer in general either.

Should I ask for a regrade of writing sample or just say "forget it" and apply with what I have. I don't want to retake the MCAT because I'm afraid my scores will go down.

Oh...and just wondering...how much will this M hurt me? Will I be able to redeem myself in application essays?

 

[richse]

I'm right there with you. Do you know the process to contact AAMC for a regrade? Is this a common thing? I followed the Kaplan system for the essay and I made all the correct points that they say will get at least a 4/6. My only guess about the low score is that I did not write a lot. I tend to be direct and not very "wordy", I really hope content would have been weighed far above length in the scores.

 

[Legato]

I'm right there with you. Do you know the process to contact AAMC for a regrade? Is this a common thing? I followed the Kaplan system for the essay and I made all the correct points that they say will get at least a 4/6. My only guess about the low score is that I did not write a lot. I tend to be direct and not very "wordy", I really hope content would have been weighed far above length in the scores.

Wow...its funny that you are exactly like me. I took Kaplan as well, and followed their system. I wasn't wordy, but I reasoned out everything a lot and wrote in depth because I thought that they would be more pleased by that. My only guesses for a low score are that I accidentally mentioned a controversial topic because I couldn't think of anything else, or the readers took 2 minutes to read my essay and it made no sense.

Or it could be because I was a little vague in my second essay when I was supposed to give a specific example (the controversial topic mentioned before) because I did not want to offend anybody... (this seems more plausible)

 

[VanDiemen]

I got a 15 on the verbal, but ended up with an "M" on the Writing Sample. I'm not sure how this happened. I wrote very clear essays, but I guess they were short. I didn't think length mattered that much.

 

[VanDiemen]

So far, all three of us seem to have the same problem, as does my other friend. We all wrote concise essays and scored terribly on the WS. My friend is a Philosophy major and I'm sure he wrote excellent essays; he also ended up with an "N" on the writing sample. I think the graders were people who were just looking for long essays that sounded good and had some key words or something like that. This is ridiculous. I hope Medical Schools realize that a bad WS score doesn't mean the person is a bad writer.

 

[Legato]

I'm right there with you. Do you know the process to contact AAMC for a regrade? Is this a common thing?

Regrade: look at the MCAT Essentials PDF from AAMC website. It is on page 17.
Cost: $50
Time: up to 4 months

 

[VanDiemen]

50 dollars and 4 months of waiting don't seem worth a regrade.

 

[richse]

Regrade: look at the MCAT Essentials PDF from AAMC website. It is on page 17.
Cost: $50
Time: up to 4 months

I'm assuming they can reduce your grade as well?

 

[VanDiemen]

From what I'm hearing from my friend, the "readers" don't even read the essays. He says his Kaplan instructor told him they spend 40 seconds on each essay. They probably just read the first sentence; then they make their judgment.

 

[Legato]

I think the graders were people who were just looking for long essays that sounded good and had some key words or something like that. This is ridiculous. I hope Medical Schools realize that a bad WS score doesn't mean the person is a bad writer.

👍

 

[chad5871]

If you're in the US, no one really cares about the WS score. Canadian Medical Schools are another story, however.

How are the rest of your scores?

 

[richse]

If you're in the US, no one really cares about the WS score. Canadian Medical Schools are another story, however.

How are the rest of your scores?

My other scores are good (PS-13 VR-11 BS-12)

 

[koopa_troopa]

I don't think length has anything to do with it. I wrote very short essays (about 15-20 sentences long) and scored a Q on both my tests. Did you follow their format (explain statement, provide counterexample, resolve)? As long as you do that, according to Kaplan, you will get a 3 on the essay. If you have depth you will at least get a 4. Even if you wrote a great essay, if it isn't clear you met the three tasks you won't score well.

As someone already posted, I wouldn't worry about it unless you are applying to a Canadian school. Queens and Western have a cutoff of P and Q. A strong VR score is much more important than the essay.

 

[brianmartin]

I thought I wrote 2 really great essays and I got a Q....I was really hoping for higher. But, I think my essays were a little TOO precise...to the point where they lacked feeling, and were a bit too calculated. Or, I'm overestimating the effort they put in to grading them 🙂

 

[VanDiemen]

My essays were only 10 sentences each. Maybe they just looked so short that I got points off. But I'm very sure that i met all 3 tasks well. I feel like I should have at least gotten a P. Whatever, I hope people at American admissions committees think the WS is a useless section.

 

[crx7]

April 31R August 33S here:

1) length is very important, shows you can write
2) following the format isn't enough to get you a good grade, but just enough to get you a mid score.
3) Have you done any writing lately which was graded by someone? Take a Literature or Writing course for fun, you'll get lots of feedback on your writing. I took a Lit course the summer and got an 82 on my first paper and a 99 on my last paper. This is a section you can definitely improve on, it just takes the right approach.
4) Have good, easy to read examples, doesn't need to be anything fancy I ended up writing about my roommate's ebay business. Anything that helps clarify your point, and that too make sure you have a point. Write with conviction and flair if you can. People like that sort of stuff.

 

[durrrr]

I think length might actually be a factor, but my opinion is based on my own experience.

I believe I bombed my first essay, as I blanked out on examples/ideas, and just BSed my way through it. The second essay I wrote was not spectacular, but I felt it could get a solid 5/6.

I ended up getting a T.

I wrote 3 paragraphs, but each paragraph was fairly long..... it seems to me that if you write intelligently sounding, in spite of poor examples, it could still go your way if you get a certain type of marker...

 

[elle23]

I'm assuming they can reduce your grade as well? I would hate to have someone decide I deserved an even lower score.

Good point. Does anyone know if it is possible to get a lower score on the regrade?

 

[Eviden]

from a scale of 1 to 10, when the 10 is excellent. how much is "M"?
and what with the "T" and the "N"?
😛😛😛😛😛😛

 

[FloridaSun]

I would totally agree that length probably matters...The GRE has a similar writing task (out of 6) and I wrote 2 average-decent essays that were quite long.

I got a 6.

Trust me, length matters. It matters far more than any review course will tell you. I seriously doubt that the MCAT has hard-core scientists evaluate the absolute truth of your claims in any case.

 

[drizzt3117]

To the OP. Don't bother regrading the writing sample. It won't change and the WS doesn't matter unless you're applying in Canada anyways.

 

[chad5871]

from a scale of 1 to 10, when the 10 is excellent. how much is "M"?
and what with the "T" and the "N"?
😛😛😛😛😛😛

Well, the numerical scores are actually scaled from 2 to 12, but I guess it'd be easy enough to convert them to a 0 to 10 scale.

J - 0
K - 1
L - 2
M - 3
N - 4
O - 5
P - 6
Q-7
R - 8
S - 9
T - 10

 

[Quix]

I got a "T" but only read the Kaplan guidelines about 15 minutes before the class, relying more on my own experience (as an undergraduate and grad student in philosophy and ethics). I wrote about 4-5 paragraphs for both topics, clearly defined key terms and rephrased the issue in light of those terms. I provided specific examples (mostly from philosophy but some from art history), offered a quick tour through intellectual history on the issue of socioeconomic inequalities (from classical to post-Enlightenment thinkers), and wrapped it up nicely.

I'd advise against a regrade in that your grade could go down as well, subjective perception on the quality of one's essay isn't necessarily a good (objective) standard, and it won't really affect you much in the application process.

 

[Eviden]

So "M" isn't suppose to be so hard, right?

 

[AlternateSome1]

I had an L when I took it. It never came up on interviews. I would not sweat a poor WS score. Most schools will be requesting essays from your on their secondary forms and will be interacting with you during your interviews. These will give them plenty of opportunity to judge your ability to communicate without having to rely on some arbitrary essay about "Who is your hero?" or "What is freedom?"

sample size = 1

 

[greg1184]

It is beyond me how these people grade the essays. According to Kaplan, if you simply do the 3 tasks you have been asked to do, you should get a "4" holistic score, which translates to more or less a P. I followed Kaplan's method (a task a paragraph) and I got the same exact score as last year... an "M". I have given up figuring out how they grade the writing section and came to the conclusion that they are full of crap.

Retaking for the writing score is a waste of time, and rescoring is a waste of money. The writing section is bullcrap. Period. I seriously think they pull a letter out of a hat (or their ass) and place that grade. Theres a reason why it is insignificant towards american schools: It is SUBJECTIVE! IT DEPENDS ON WHO GRADES IT. You may have a guy who loves bull/flowery prose, or you may get someone who likes simple writing.

 

[Eviden]

I had an L when I took it. It never came up on interviews. I would not sweat a poor WS score. Most schools will be requesting essays from your on their secondary forms and will be interacting with you during your interviews. These will give them plenty of opportunity to judge your ability to communicate without having to rely on some arbitrary essay about "Who is your hero?" or "What is freedom?"

sample size = 1

And what without an interview, with "L" mark you got into MD school?????
😎😎

 

[halekulani]

i took kaplan and did their writing format...got an N

took TPR, got a Q
TPR's approach is vastly different from kaplan or maybe that's just my opinion.

 

[AlternateSome1]

And what without an interview, with "L" mark you got into MD school?????
😎😎

I am not sure I follow. It isn't possible to get into a school without an interview, as far as I am aware.

 

[ghostfoot]

And what without an interview, with "L" mark you got into MD school?????
😎😎

Maybe you could try rephrasing that.

 

[MamadP]

I took the MCAT twice and scored an M both times. I did one other practice writing sample for TPR and scored an R, so i thought i was good to go. Both times i thought i wrote decent essays, worth more than an M.


But who really cares about WS anyways?

 

[Captain Fantastic]

I would not sweat a poor WS score. Most schools will be requesting essays from your on their secondary forms and will be interacting with you during your interviews.

+1

The adcom will have samples of your writing (PS and secondary essays). The adcom members will value their own judgement on your writing over the WS score on the MCAT.

Do you best, but don't sweat that section.

 

[Tetrodotoxin28]

richse, I have the very same thoughts and concerns now, as I write this. I followed Kaplan's methods, but I scored an L in writing. I don't think I can make it into a competitive school with an L. How did things turn out for you?

 

[richse]

richse, I have the very same thoughts and concerns now, as I write this. I followed Kaplan's methods, but I scored an L in writing. I don't think I can make it into a competitive school with an L. How did things turn out for you?

Everything worked out really well. I applied to about 20 schools and got 3 acceptances. They didn't care at all about my writing score. The only time someone even asked me about it was when an interviewer asked "what does this M mean next to your mcat score?" I told him and he just shrugged and we moved on. I got into that school too. I'm in my second block of 3rd year right now. All I can say is don't let the WS grade bother you.

 

[Eric01]

Everything worked out really well. I applied to about 20 schools and got 3 acceptances. They didn't care at all about my writing score. The only time someone even asked me about it was when an interviewer asked "what does this M mean next to your mcat score?" I told him and he just shrugged and we moved on. I got into that school too. I'm in my second block of 3rd year right now. All I can say is don't let the WS grade bother you.

LOL. I figure most medical schools don't care, but not know? Dang.