!!!! Sept-3-MCAT Club !!!!

[RealDream]

I figured it would be more organized to see how people are doing that are taking this exam the same day as I am (by making this thread).

we have about a week left until our exam, and i should be taking exam 10 (aamc) pretty soon. Feel free to write down how you are feeling and where u stand as of today (on content review or practice exams, etccc).

goodluck everyone.

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[moonsovermyhamy]

Accepted!

 

[mauve]

RealDream, moonsovermyhamy, how did you guys study? prep course or self study? what were your resources? was it more calculation based on passage based wrt sciences?

 

[silverlion]

Here's how i think i did...

I started off pretty bad...Basically because of bad time management...The PS section wasnt as hard as it was time consuming as I didnt practice much and ended up spending way too long on calculations....So I guess I'd be luck y if I get a 10 ....

Verbal....started off really bad too....spent 12 minutes on the first passage and had a 10 second panic attack right in the middle of the exam...Somehow I bounced back....The other passages were easier....apart from one that was the weirdest ever but the questions were straightforward....so that went by smoothly too...In the end I finished with an easy 15 seconds to spare

Writing....Very easy prompts....I actually think I had seen them somewhere before...anyway....The stupidest thing happened after 12 minutes on the first essay....I hit the esc key and the whole thing went poof**

I was like WTF!!!!!!!

But I regrouped and wrote a pretty decent essay in the next 18 minutes...

Finally the BS to me was very easy....Maybe its just me...I had the uncanny advantage of not having given a single aamc test....so I dont know if the MCAT was harder or easier than what the convention seems to be...I enjoyed the BS section because I pretty much broke every rule of the book while going through it...I started off with only the stand alone questions....maybe around 10 of them scattered throughout the test....It was a spur of the moment kind of decision to go about it that way....but I was done with them in 10 minutes....I did the organic passage next and got it over with....then I moved to the first passage...i was jumping around as much as possible but seemed to have been ahead as far as time was concerned...I might be totally delusional right now and maybe I have actually bombed the BS section but from what i can gauge it was relatively easy...

having said that I guess it should be noted that people here have different strong points...I like to think that Biology is what i am good at...So I didnt have that much trouble...

Anyway....Lets all wait and see how it turns out...30 days of painful waiting...I still dont see why the aamc takes 30 days to send scores of a computer based exam....5 people have asked me this question since today morning and I'm beginning to see their point...Its a bit stupid and inefficient esp. when they charge 210 bucks for it...Its not like they dont have the resources...They could at least give the BS, Verbal and PS scores within a day or two...and send the writing section scores later....

 

[silverlion]

It was ok. I wouldn't dare to say I did good until I see a score though. I see way too many people overestimating and feel discouraged when they get a 28, which isn't that bad.

yeah...I think youre absolutely right...I was feeling pretty good after the last section but I think anything is possible at the moment....anyway...hope all of us have done good....lets just wait it out now...

What is everyone planning to do over the next 30 days?

 

[mhofmann]

Assessment time, before I begin enjoying the beers I just picked up.

PS: PS has been my weak point this whole time (along with ochem, but PS moreso). I spent a lot of time the past week trying to fill in the gaps where I continually made mistakes (circuits, optics), and I think it paid off. Surprisingly, I felt a bit better coming out of this section than I had for past AAMC PS's. That's not to say it was easier, just that I think I was better prepared today than I was for my last practice test, which was on Sunday. The timing of this section somehow worked out perfectly, I had 9 minutes left to go over marked questions.

V: Verbal has traditionally be my strongest section. Today, I felt a lot more... uncertain afterwards. I can't emphasize how much I feel that EK's no-nonsense strategy towards verbal is the best way of going about this section. When I found myself a bit less certain about answers than on the AAMC practice tests, I fell right back on narrowing down choices and doing a best-guess type of thing. In the end, I'm not sure but I think it went alright. Timing was good, a few minutes left to go read over stuff.

Writing: The first prompt was a no brainer and one that I chatted about with a friend, almost verbatim, when preparing this weekend. She had taken the test a year ago, and I don't think she was pulling it from then. It was basically a very common and usual prompt. The second prompt was much more philosophical and a bit more challenging. This section is a nice break.

BS: Less ochem than I had expected, which was really nice (see the first set of parentheses in PS). I had a surprising amount of time to go back and reread passages in order to answer some of the more difficult questions for this one. I almost walked out early, but I forced myself to stick around.

As it's been stated in other threads, there seems to be a trend towards more passage based questions. Critical reading and critical thinking are invaluable throughout the test. I'd also repeat the usual "read the question carefully" because, as I found on a couple of occasions, you can usually glean the answer from somewhere else in the section (I found a couple of answers by paging back to various questions/passages). OH! Another thing: use the strikeout function! It's fun and I think it helps you out a bit more than just mentally canceling the least plausible answer choices.

How I prepared: Pretty much all EK books + audio osmosis when sleeping/driving/walking + supplementing anything I was confused about with text books. I'd say hardcore studying the past two months.

YAYYYYYYYYYYY. K, time to relax. For the next 30 days I plan to live it up (aka doing some work, enjoying the bit of summer that remains for us UC kids, and getting ready for a hectic senior year).

I'll see you all in a month. Best of luck to any of those who aren't done yet, and congrats to those of you who are! We made it! (oh god how many times we'll all be saying that for the next 4-8 years )

 

[BigBadBusa]

Well, what I think...
PS: Was my first MCAT so took like 2 mins for my very first question, which was pretty easy actually compared to most of the others, then picked up the pace a bit and got through it okay. Didn't find it too tricky, guessed a few and probably made some errors now and then but hoping for something decent.

VS: Ugh, first passage took me 12 mins too, so I was scared about not finishing it on time and guessed on 4 of them at least so probably can't get over a 10 but things picked up from there, the other 6 passages seemed doable.

Writing: Lucked out on getting two prompts I practiced, so woot? This is my weakest section so was relieved.

BS: A good solid portion was based off things in my major so I sorta did breeze through the section. There were a few memorization questions I guessed at but it should be pretty decent? Still, just a hope.

LOL, I was just thinking exactly that earlier about the AAMC posting our grades for the multiple choice section earlier, it seems relatively simple to consolidate all the information in a week or so instead of releasing it all marks together after 30 agonizing days. Not saying it is easier, don't know their process, just thought it would help out a lot of people decide if they want to rewrite again quickly or put their mind at ease.

I didn't find any part more difficult than on a mock, the last 3 mocks I did had especially hard phy sections in my opinion so this one seemed better by comparison. Hoping to break the mid 30's so I never have to take this again but as mentioned earlier, don't wanna get too cocky and overestimate a mark since I've been burnt before like that.

 

[jdla]

Here's how i think i did...

I started off pretty bad...Basically because of bad time management...The PS section wasnt as hard as it was time consuming as I didnt practice much and ended up spending way too long on calculations....So I guess I'd be luck y if I get a 10 ....

Verbal....started off really bad too....spent 12 minutes on the first passage and had a 10 second panic attack right in the middle of the exam...Somehow I bounced back....The other passages were easier....apart from one that was the weirdest ever but the questions were straightforward....so that went by smoothly too...In the end I finished with an easy 15 seconds to spare

Writing....Very easy prompts....I actually think I had seen them somewhere before...anyway....The stupidest thing happened after 12 minutes on the first essay....I hit the esc key and the whole thing went poof**

I was like WTF!!!!!!!

But I regrouped and wrote a pretty decent essay in the next 18 minutes...

Finally the BS to me was very easy....Maybe its just me...I had the uncanny advantage of not having given a single aamc test....so I dont know if the MCAT was harder or easier than what the convention seems to be...I enjoyed the BS section because I pretty much broke every rule of the book while going through it...I started off with only the stand alone questions....maybe around 10 of them scattered throughout the test....It was a spur of the moment kind of decision to go about it that way....but I was done with them in 10 minutes....I did the organic passage next and got it over with....then I moved to the first passage...i was jumping around as much as possible but seemed to have been ahead as far as time was concerned...I might be totally delusional right now and maybe I have actually bombed the BS section but from what i can gauge it was relatively easy...

having said that I guess it should be noted that people here have different strong points...I like to think that Biology is what i am good at...So I didnt have that much trouble...

Anyway....Lets all wait and see how it turns out...30 days of painful waiting...I still dont see why the aamc takes 30 days to send scores of a computer based exam....5 people have asked me this question since today morning and I'm beginning to see their point...Its a bit stupid and inefficient esp. when they charge 210 bucks for it...Its not like they dont have the resources...They could at least give the BS, Verbal and PS scores within a day or two...and send the writing section scores later....

Hi,

I felt exactly the same as you.

PS was the hardest.
VR was hard initially
WS and BS were the easiest.

 

[moonsovermyhamy]

Accepted!

 

[moonsovermyhamy]

Accepted!

 

[silverlion]

I am not really sure how the scores are scaled so I am guessing 90% will give you around 11 or 12?? It's pretty easy to go way below 90% because for BS that only affords you 5 wrong answers. I hope they go easy on Sept. 3rders in any case.



I plan on gradually driving my self crazy over the next 30 days, you?

Yeah....I agree...the curve will have its say in it but I'll be really disappointed if its lower than 12 on BS. I messed up the physcial sciences so I'm counting on the BS to save me

I'm not sure how the next one month will go...Have all this time to sit at home and worry about the score that I think I'll be doing the exact same thing as you " driving myself crazy" ...

 

[RealDream]

Yeah....I agree...the curve will have its say in it but I'll be really disappointed if its lower than 12 on BS. I messed up the physcial sciences so I'm counting on the BS to save me

I'm not sure how the next one month will go...Have all this time to sit at home and worry about the score that I think I'll be doing the exact same thing as you " driving myself crazy" ...

Hey silverlion, i m in the same situation , im depending on bio to save me, and maybe verbal (but i dont count on that bec i struggled with verbal before.... im worried about the physical science section, hopefully it went well. Im usually strong in physics and general chemistry, but i guess i was suprised by that section difficulty, realy hoping for a pleasent curve in physical science. I hope we did well buddy.

How i studied for the test ? well, i read both the kaplan and princeton books, did the aamc exams, and did the exam kracker verbal book. i didnt take a class.

 

[moonsovermyhamy]

Accepted!

 

[futuredoctor10]

Yeah it's interesting from all the summer threads I have read, this date was the only one where the majority of posters feel BS was the easiest!

Of course it depends date to date but the latest trend I have noticed is that BS is usually hardest or equally hard with PS.

 

[silverlion]

Hey silverlion, i m in the same situation , im depending on bio to save me, and maybe verbal (but i dont count on that bec i struggled with verbal before.... im worried about the physical science section, hopefully it went well. Im usually strong in physics and general chemistry, but i guess i was suprised by that section difficulty, realy hoping for a pleasent curve in physical science. I hope we did well buddy.

How i studied for the test ? well, i read both the kaplan and princeton books, did the aamc exams, and did the exam kracker verbal book. i didnt take a class.

Yeah...I hope so too...the curve can save us all

I didnt have the Princeton book. I used EK and Kaplan....Gave only one TPR test (the one that is free on their website) and did not practice on any of the aamc's.

Its nice to see people here who are in the same situation like me...I didnt think i was the only one who'd be relying on BS to save the over all score but it is amazing how many of us are in an almost exact conundrum...

I just had a "talk" with my parents about the MCAT...

They wanted to know how I really did and what my plans are....
I think this should go in the other thread about parents...anyway....I told them how i'll try again (and that would be the my last attempt) to get a good score in January or April...If I dont get a decent score at the second attempt then I'll give up the dream of medicine and probably go for a masters (in arts)

I'm sick of the sciences if its sick of me...

 

[silverlion]

Yeah it's interesting from all the summer threads I have read, this date was the only one where the majority of posters feel BS was the easiest!

Of course it depends date to date but the latest trend I have noticed is that BS is usually hardest or equally hard with PS.

So its true...most people did find the BS easy....I wish there was some way that at least we could discuss the questions in BS...I think I'd remember most of em provided I get some help...Its pretty lame for the aamc to impose its authority on us in this fashion...

 

[Ariadne]

Well it took me a few days to get it out, but here's my summary of the exam:

PS: Yuck. It hurt. A lot. From what I remember, physics was okay, but the gen chem killed me. There was one passage in particular involving Ag, O, and an unknown called 'Compound Z' which gave me a mammoth headache. This section has always been my weakest, but I had been steadily improving in my last few practice exams. So while I wasn't expecting a walk in the park, this hit a lot harder than I thought it would. I remember spending a lot of time calculating concentrations and some weird questions that asked for the names of constants, etc. Overall, really not what I expected. I spent my break after this section in the bathroom having a panic attack and intending on voiding.

VR: Very comparable to the AAMC practices, if not easier. I thought the passage topics were really interesting, which made it easier to pay attention. Similar to others, the first passage gave me the toughest time. I spent about 9 minutes on it the first time around, and then came back and spent another couple reviewing my answers at the end. There was also a passage on the industrial revolution/worker control that was rather convoluted. I think this may end up being my best section and was definitely the reason I didn't void.

WS: Meh. Who cares? The first was really easy; it's actually a graded response on the practice exam website, so I knew what they were looking for. The hardest part was not reproducing the graded example I'd just read over last week. The second prompt was a bit trickier. I ended up using New Orleans’s response to Hurricane Gustav as an example and I think it worked out rather well.

BS: Amazingly straightforward, a good mix of physiology and molecular/genetics topics. I remember a cardiac passage, HIV, molecular genetics/mice, and optics. The optic passage really annoyed me, as some of the questions seemed much more PS suited (focal lengths, etc.). There was one o-chem passage and handful of discretes. I was surprised at the level of detail covered in the discretes (i.e. function of specialized cells, organelles, etc.), overall I thought there were more nit-picky content-based questions than I expected as opposed to the AAMC practice exams.

Mostly, I think my issues came down to nerves. I was really tense and freaked-out the whole time. I felt pretty prepared going in, but I've always been a bad test-taker, and this was no exception. Here's hoping I stayed above 30, but in my gut I feel a re-take is my future! Speaking of scores, is anyone else finding the wait excruciating? I'm having a b*tch of a time concentrating on anything other than worrying about my score and it's only been 4 days!

 

[silverlion]

Nerves killed the first section for me too....I'm really really hoping that it didn't go as bad as I think. I'm having a tough time thinking that I might have to take this exam again only because of the first section...

 

[Ariadne]

Yeah, me too.

Frelling PS.

 

[RealDream]

Well it took me a few days to get it out, but here's my summary of the exam:

PS: Yuck. It hurt. A lot. From what I remember, physics was okay, but the gen chem killed me. There was one passage in particular involving Ag, O, and an unknown called 'Compound Z' which gave me a mammoth headache. This section has always been my weakest, but I had been steadily improving in my last few practice exams. So while I wasn't expecting a walk in the park, this hit a lot harder than I thought it would. I remember spending a lot of time calculating concentrations and some weird questions that asked for the names of constants, etc. Overall, really not what I expected. I spent my break after this section in the bathroom having a panic attack and intending on voiding.

VR: Very comparable to the AAMC practices, if not easier. I thought the passage topics were really interesting, which made it easier to pay attention. Similar to others, the first passage gave me the toughest time. I spent about 9 minutes on it the first time around, and then came back and spent another couple reviewing my answers at the end. There was also a passage on the industrial revolution/worker control that was rather convoluted. I think this may end up being my best section and was definitely the reason I didn't void.

WS: Meh. Who cares? The first was really easy; it's actually a graded response on the practice exam website, so I knew what they were looking for. The hardest part was not reproducing the graded example I'd just read over last week. The second prompt was a bit trickier. I ended up using New Orleans’s response to Hurricane Gustav as an example and I think it worked out rather well.

BS: Amazingly straightforward, a good mix of physiology and molecular/genetics topics. I remember a cardiac passage, HIV, molecular genetics/mice, and optics. The optic passage really annoyed me, as some of the questions seemed much more PS suited (focal lengths, etc.). There was one o-chem passage and handful of discretes. I was surprised at the level of detail covered in the discretes (i.e. function of specialized cells, organelles, etc.), overall I thought there were more nit-picky content-based questions than I expected as opposed to the AAMC practice exams.

Mostly, I think my issues came down to nerves. I was really tense and freaked-out the whole time. I felt pretty prepared going in, but I've always been a bad test-taker, and this was no exception. Here's hoping I stayed above 30, but in my gut I feel a re-take is my future! Speaking of scores, is anyone else finding the wait excruciating? I'm having a b*tch of a time concentrating on anything other than worrying about my score and it's only been 4 days!

HEY ariadne, i had the same exact version of the exam as u did. That passage about the compund Z is the passag e that killeddddd me. I spent so much time on it. argggghh.. and yes i felt the same way as u did, after each section..

It seems, like most of us felt the same way about how each section went. I hope we all did well, we studied so hard for this test. Lets just hope for the best.

 

[RealDream]

Nerves killed the first section for me too....I'm really really hoping that it didn't go as bad as I think. I'm having a tough time thinking that I might have to take this exam again only because of the first section...

Again i feel the same way, if it wasnt for the first section (physical science section), i would be dancing right now.. I really hope aamc knows this, and gives us a pleasent and generous curve.

 

[moonsovermyhamy]

Accepted!

 

[Ariadne]

Don't worry. Scaling should make up for a hard PS or VR section. It's all about how did compared to your peers. If you found it hard I'm sure a lot of other people did too.

It is a double edged sword though because if everybody found BS easy I would think that scaling will make up for that.

Yeah, this has me really worried.

HEY ariadne, i had the same exact version of the exam as u did. That passage about the compund Z is the passag e that killeddddd me. I spent so much time on it. argggghh.. and yes i felt the same way as u did, after each section..

I say a nightly prayer that that passage was experimental...

I am not sure I found BS to be as straight forward as everyone else either. I remember a couple of discretes and pseudo-discretes hidden in the passages but maybe that is just hindsight playing with my mind. I'm usually very hesistant to say I did well on any test, but it seemed to suit me well for pre-med classes, so who knows.

I thought there were a lot of discretes too. I was just thankful that the passages didn't seem to be that extremely convoluted experimental type people have been bemoaning on other recent test dates.

 

[RealDream]

The Biology section had alot discretes and very close answers, and it involved some critical thinking, so we should be careful, and not say it was straightforwed. Lets just say it was tricky. We have to wait and see..We are almost at the one week mark, , i hope we can skip thro time alreadyyy..

 

[Ariadne]

The Biology section had alot discretes and very close answers, and it involved some critical thinking, so we should be careful, and not say it was straightforwed. Lets just say it was tricky. We have to wait and see..We are almost at the one week mark, , i hope we can skip thro time alreadyyy..

I actually disagree with this. I think the BS portion was straightforward, however, there is a difference between straightforward and easy. I agree that there were a lot of discretes that tested detailed knowledge, but I thought the passages themselves were clear and easy to read. There was one experimental passage which I found a little confusing, I'm remembering a figure of about 4 graphs and a million bars...

Overall, I walked out of the test feeling that a vast majority of BS questions were of the type where I either knew it or I didn't. Of course, I may be completely deluded and completely missed things, because hey, it's the MCAT...

And again, saying this doesn't mean I feel like I banged out a 15! I just didn't feel like I spent the majority of my time in the section "logicing" things out...

Now, if you want to discuss PS, I will definitely hop on the 'tricky' wagon. I usually don't use much scrap paper, but after that section my pages were completely covered with math scribbles, lewis diagrams, etc... I was completely like "WTF?!?" on a majority of the gen chem questions.

(Just a note: I'm posting my dissenting opinion not to be mean or cause a fight, but because discussion and debating is what internet forums are for. Besides, what else am I supposed to do while waiting for scores? )

 

[RealDream]

I actually disagree with this. I think the BS portion was straightforward, however, there is a difference between straightforward and easy. I agree that there were a lot of discretes that tested detailed knowledge, but I thought the passages themselves were clear and easy to read. There was one experimental passage which I found a little confusing, I'm remembering a figure of about 4 graphs and a million bars...

Overall, I walked out of the test feeling that a vast majority of BS questions were of the type where I either knew it or I didn't. Of course, I may be completely deluded and completely missed things, because hey, it's the MCAT...

And again, saying this doesn't mean I feel like I banged out a 15! I just didn't feel like I spent the majority of my time in the section "logicing" things out...

Now, if you want to discuss PS, I will definitely hop on the 'tricky' wagon. I usually don't use much scrap paper, but after that section my pages were completely covered with math scribbles, lewis diagrams, etc... I was completely like "WTF?!?" on a majority of the gen chem questions.

(Just a note: I'm posting my dissenting opinion not to be mean or cause a fight, but because discussion and debating is what internet forums are for. Besides, what else am I supposed to do while waiting for scores? )

I could not disagree more .. I would not jump on the tricky wagon for the physical science section, but more on the WTF?? WAGOn...

All im saying is that i wont say for sure that the BS section was not tricky yettt , because after all like you said its the MCAT.Just like everyone else, I thought the BS section was straightforward (and perhaps easy), however, im hesistant to say that because i dont know what i got yet..

 

[RealDream]

I feel time is going by soo slowww. Why is aamc giving us our scores on october 7, when we took the beast on sept 3 ( didnt they say a month), that would be an extra 4 days of misery..arggghhhh...R u guys taking classes this semester?? because im going full time, and i havent even studied for them yet. This is torture ..I think they have our scores already, but they r just waiting on the writing portion to be graded..For those that are applying this year, r u guys planning on submitting ur secondaries before or after u recieve the MCAT scores? Itssss been close to a week since we took the test, and we still have to wait about a month because of those extra 4 days........oh well, i guess its part of the game...

 

[Ariadne]

I feel time is going by soo slowww. Why is aamc giving us our scores on october 7, when we took the beast on sept 3 ( didnt they say a month), that would be an extra 4 days of misery..arggghhhh...R u guys taking classes this semester?? because im going full time, and i havent even studied for them yet. This is torture ..I think they have our scores already, but they r just waiting on the writing portion to be graded..For those that are applying this year, r u guys planning on submitting ur secondaries before or after u recieve the MCAT scores? Itssss been close to a week since we took the test, and we still have to wait about a month because of those extra 4 days........oh well, i guess its part of the game...

Yeah, it sucks that we have to wait longer because they're releasing scores from the 3rd, 5th, and 6th all at the same time. Stupid AAMC.

 

[Ariadne]

Less than three weeks now... How's everyone doing? Feeling the butterflies yet?



Me --> <-- AAMC score-keeper

 

[RealDream]

Less than three weeks now... How's everyone doing? Feeling the butterflies yet?



Me --> <-- AAMC score-keeper

I'm always thinking about this exam, not a day goes by when i dont think of this beast. i cant wait untill i get my score. I hope time would just fly by already. Everyone will start feeling the butterflies comes october. I know i would. .

 

[RealDream]

I just spoke to an MCAT specialist and she told me that our scores are going to come out ON oct 7 for sure. I asked her why our scores are being released 3 to 4 days more then some of the other test dates, and she told me that--- on average it takes 30 to 35 days to release scores ---and that--- just depends on the day one takes the test.

I also asked her if it was true that the MCAT scores are released on your AMCAS application prior to them being released through the "MCAT THx" system , and she replied that this was just a rumor, and its false.

 

[Ariadne]

I just spoke to an MCAT specialist and she told me that our scores are going to come out ON oct 7 for sure. I asked her why our scores are being released 3 to 4 days more then some of the other test dates, and she told me that--- on average it takes 30 to 35 days to release scores ---and that--- just depends on the day one takes the test.

I also asked her if it was true that the MCAT scores are released on your AMCAS application prior to them being released through the "MCAT THx" system , and she replied that this was just a rumor, and its false.

Thanks for checking on that ahead of time, it's nice to know not to expect them early...

So, less than two weeks now... I'm starting to get really impatient!

 

[Jericho1057]

I'm biting my fingernails off waiting for this score... Does anyone know of any way to verify that our test was received and scored. I am kinda nervous that something went wrong and the score won't go through? (I know this sounds crazy)

 

[sealsk2]

Joking, I wish they were posted

 

[Ariadne]

Joking, I wish they were posted

NOT funny.

 

[RealDream]

Joking, I wish they were posted

I did NOT think that was funny either.

 

[sealsk2]

You guys need to chill out, especially considering that I was kind enough to say that it was a joke because I did not want everyone freaking out/making phone calls to the AAMC.

Further, a number of friends and I got a nice little chuckle.

 

[Vihsadas]

As your score release day comes closer I just wanted to remind everyone that as per the stickied thread in the main MCAT forum, posting false "scores are up" posts is considered the same as trolling. The stress of waiting for scores is intense enough where posting such false information serves only the purpose of adding to the unneeded and unwelcome anxiety of your peers.

In short, it's not a nice thing to do so please don't do it.

 

[sealsk22]

a

 

[Ariadne]

Man, you think you have come up with this clever, funny thing to do, and it turns out you are engaging in some common form of trolling.

Great. Just GREAT.

It's not funny. You're not clever. Go away, you petty little child, and bother some other forum with your immaturity.

 

[Vihsadas]

Okay, keep the thread on topic please. If either of you want to discuss this with me, feel free to PM me. Otherwise, keep it out of the main forums.

 

[sealsk22]

d

 

[RealDream]

look at the next message.

 

[RealDream]

This Friday marks our 30 day anniversary from the time we took the beast. So we might actually get our results as soon as Friday. Even if our release test date is listed as October 7. AAMC also says that you should expect scores between 30 to 35 days. SO hey, I wont be surprised if they post them THIS WEEKKKKKK.

 

[Ariadne]

This Friday marks our 30 day anniversary from the time we took the beast. So we might actually get our results as soon as Friday. Even if our release test date is listed as October 7. AAMC also says that you should expect scores between 30 to 35 days. SO hey, I wont be surprised if they post them THIS WEEKKKKKK.

That would be nice, but I doubt it. I don't think I've ever heard of scores being released on a Friday when they were scheduled for a Tuesday.

Scores coming out early for the 8/26ers has given me hope for Monday, but I doubt it. I've noticed that when scores are released in groupings (i.e. the August 5th and 7th group or the July 8th and 10th group) they were released on the posted date as opposed to one day early as has been the trend.

Plus, with the AAMC busy with registration for the 2009 dates opening and the rescheduling issues due to weather, etc. it doesn't seem probable that they'll be running ahead of time. I'm just praying they're not late like the 8/22 scores. That would give me a nervous breakdown.

And honestly, I'm starting to get to the point where I'd almost rather not know my score. I mean, not knowing any score is better than a knowing a bad score, right?

 

[gujuDoc]

Yeah, it sucks that we have to wait longer because they're releasing scores from the 3rd, 5th, and 6th all at the same time. Stupid AAMC.

I believe they do that because if they didn't u would have a much smaller sample size to base the standardization and curving on. I'd rather have a larger sample size to compare against and wait a few days because that might make the curve more generous.

 

[Ariadne]

I believe they do that because if they didn't u would have a much smaller sample size to base the standardization and curving on. I'd rather have a larger sample size to compare against and wait a few days because that might make the curve more generous.

Based on the posts in 9/5 and 9/6 threads, the exams on all three days were different, so I don't think we'll be curved together.

My understanding from my own research and information posted here is that scores are primarily curved against testing data from past groups for the re-used questions, and secondarily against testers from the current testing data for some of the experimentals. So you end up only being curved against testers who had the same questions as you, one large group for the recycled passages and a smaller group from the same test date who also had the new/experimental questions.

Perhaps I'm wrong though. I would be interested to hear if anyone has evidence/information to the contrary.

 

[gujuDoc]

Based on the posts in 9/5 and 9/6 threads, the exams on all three days were different, so I don't think we'll be curved together.

My understanding from my own research and information posted here is that scores are primarily curved against testing data from past groups for the re-used questions, and secondarily against testers from the current testing data for some of the experimentals. So you end up only being curved against testers who had the same questions as you, one large group for the recycled passages and a smaller group from the same test date who also had the new/experimental questions.

Perhaps I'm wrong though. I would be interested to hear if anyone has evidence/information to the contrary.

When I initially took the MCAT it was a paper exam. Don't assume it was the same exam every one got. within a given test center there were at least 2-4 different forms. There multiple multiple multiple test forms that were administered at any one given time across the nation on a single day. All members of the sample size of that test day, regardless of form were scaled against each other and not just those that had their form to generate the score curve.

So don't assume that to be the case. They will score u against all 3 administrations regardless of differences in forms. That is how it has worked for, for as long as I can remember. Not only they will score u against that but also against previous test takers. That is the basis of a standardized exam. I've taken the MCAT before so trust me I know what I'm talking about.

 

[Ariadne]

When I initially took the MCAT it was a paper exam. Don't assume it was the same exam every one got. within a given test center there were at least 2-4 different forms. There multiple multiple multiple test forms that were administered at any one given time across the nation on a single day. All members of the sample size of that test day, regardless of form were scaled against each other and not just those that had their form to generate the score curve.

So don't assume that to be the case. They will score u against all 3 administrations regardless of differences in forms. That is how it has worked for, for as long as I can remember. Not only they will score u against that but also against previous test takers. That is the basis of a standardized exam. I've taken the MCAT before so trust me I know what I'm talking about.

I'm sorry, but I think you're confused.

The purpose of a standardized test with scaled scores it to (1) produce a standardized measure of tester ability by (2) taking into account discrepancies in the level of difficulty between multiple forms of an exam. If you grouped together raw scores from different test forms (i.e. different questions) and then curved them together to produced scaled scores, this would be the exact opposite. This would disregard the differences in difficulty between exam forms.

Check out:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=517966&highlight=Curve

It has some really good information about how the scaled scores are produced. Specifically, Vihsadas' last post (second from the end) does a nice job of explaining and summing up everything said previously.

 

[gujuDoc]

I'm sorry, but I think you're confused.

The purpose of a standardized test with scaled scores it to (1) produce a standardized measure of tester ability by (2) taking into account discrepancies in the level of difficulty between multiple forms of an exam. If you grouped together raw scores from different test forms (i.e. different questions) and then curved them together to produced scaled scores, this would be the exact opposite. This would disregard the differences in difficulty between exam forms.

Check out:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=517966&highlight=Curve

It has some really good information about how the scaled scores are produced. Specifically, Vihsadas' last post (second from the end) does a nice job of explaining and summing up everything said previously.

wel all i know is tht in the years of the paper tests ppl were not scored just against thoe with the same form but against everyone who took it that day regardlessof form, which is evidenced by the statistical data and curve.

Therefore, there is no reason to believe they would change that now just because they have multiple test dates. Otherwise I believe they'd have your scores up now rather then with 9/5 and 9/6 people's scores.

 

[gujuDoc]

I've emailed the AAMC to ask them about this. Let's see if the MCAT people respond to my question.