Serious Question Regarding MCAT Scoring Errors

[rsa130]

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Hello all,

I was wondering if any of you out there received very uncharacterisitc scores on this past August 2006 MCAT? I do not mean scores you didn't like, I am talking about people who have taken numerous practice AAMC exams as well as even having taken the MCAT before and received scores on the multiple choice section that are just not at all consistent with other scores.

I had form BS (series 32) and I know another that had BC and we received scores that were very uncharacterisitc of our past performance. Are there others of this series or form that received scores that were 3-4 pts (or more) from the usual? I am thinking about getting a rescore by hand but don't want to waste $50. Thank you.

 

[akinf]

how do u go about it.

You need to contact the MCAT Program Office. It is outlined in MCAT Essentials August 2006.

 

[azzurri]

does getting a rescore put a hold on your application? i sent in my AMCAS 2 days ago and they are waiting for my transcripts. will they have to wait for my rescore to continue processing? can you request a rescore just for 1 section or do they do all 3?

Thanks

 

[bb4eva]

What is the probability of scoring the exact same on every section of the test? I also think I had some type of scoring error b/c I was positive I had improved by at least a couple points overall and I got the August scores back and they were identical to last august when I took it. What do you all think?

 

[DrBowtie]

What is the probability of scoring the exact same on every section of the test? I also think I had some type of scoring error b/c I was positive I had improved by at least a couple points overall and I got the August scores back and they were identical to last august when I took it. What do you all think?

Well that is fairly likely. Check the retesters data.

 

[Blank00]

Hi again all,

I want to avoid this thread subject becoming a "I didnt do as well as I hoped on the MCAT". What I am wondering here is that if there are other that have a B.. form that noticed scores that were atypical. That meaning BOTH higher and lower than what was expected. Everyone thinks they could have done better....do you have scores that look like they came from someone else??

I had BK and my score was about 3-4 points lower (total) than my average practice test scores, but verbal was the same.

It seemed like after the test everyone with B_ forms was complaining at my test center.

Does anyone know what "special condition N" means? When I look on my AACOMAS application, which has my scores listed now, it says that on the side.

 

[Zelda5000]

I find this discussion very interesting. After getting a private tutor to help get ready for this test, I did much lower then I thought and not anywhere near my practice exams. I finally just chalked it up to the fact that since this was the last paper and pencil test they just made the test much harder. I am starting to wonder slightly more at this point, but I just don't know how it might have been messed up. It will be interesting to see if they change any scores.

 

[BigRedPremed]

I've also wondered about the possibility of errors, but dismissed it as highly unlikely. Here's my story: Last six AAMC tests, 4-9, in order: 37, 38, 41, 44, 42, 44. My lowest score ever on PS was a 12. My lowest score on VR was also a 12, but I had been scoring 14s and 15s consistently on AAMC, Kaplan and EC Verbal tests for months. My August scores were 10s on VR and PS, and a 13 on BS (33S). Since I've always done very well on standardized tests, and felt quite good on test day, a 10+ point drop is kind of hard to swallow.

Any realistic ideas on why my real score would be so insanely different? (Besides the same old "you got nervous", "the real thing is harder") Are the AAMC tests that inaccurate of a predictor?

In your case, errors would be highly unlike since you still got a 33. Most likely, you just choked or something. The difference b/w a 10 and a 12 is only approx. an extra 4-5 questions wrong so it is not inconceivable that you simply didn't do so well as you normally do.

 

[DrBowtie]

I find this discussion very interesting. After getting a private tutor to help get ready for this test, I did much lower then I thought and not anywhere near my practice exams. I finally just chalked it up to the fact that since this was the last paper and pencil test they just made the test much harder. I am starting to wonder slightly more at this point, but I just don't know how it might have been messed up. It will be interesting to see if they change any scores.

I don't think harder. I think probably the curve is closer to a normal distribution due to lots of testers wanting to take the last paper test. It is purely speculative at this point since the summary data isn't up.

 

[Zelda5000]

I don't think harder. I think probably the curve is closer to a normal distribution due to lots of testers wanting to take the last paper test. It is purely speculative at this point since the summary data isn't up.

Anything is possible.

 

[StrikeFreedom]

Does anyone know how long the re-grade takes? I didn't see that on AAMC's site. 😕

For people that dont feel like googling it up or searching:

The results of rescoring multiple-choice answers will be reported to you about three weeks after we receive and begin to process your request. Due to the time involved in imaging the essays and the nature of the essay scoring process, essay rescoring will require additional time to accomplish (up to 4 months after the request is received). However, you will be notified of the outcome as soon as possible.

Originally Posted by kaybam20
how do u go about it.

If you wish to use this service, you must write to the MCAT Program Office, P.O. Box 4056, Iowa City, IA 52243, noting on the envelope "Attention: MCAT Rescoring Service." In your letter, identify yourself by your full name, Social Security number (SSN/SIN) or the ID number assigned to you by the Program Office, mailing address, and telephone number. Specify the date of the test and the sections of the test you wish rescored, either the three multiple-choice sections, the essay section, or both. Also, explain why you feel rescoring is necessary. Enclose a check, money order, or credit card information (MasterCard or VISA, 16-digit card number, expiration date, amount, and signature of card-holder) for the full fee: $50 to rescore the multiple-choice answer documents, $50 to reevaluate the essays, or $100 to rescore both the multiple-choice sections and the essays. Requests for rescoring must be received at the MCAT Program Office within four months after the test date.


All this rescoring talk makes me want to do it too. tsk tsk.. so easily influenced. Although, this line is a bit scary.

If rescoring results in scores that are higher or lower, revised score reports will be sent to you and AMCAS, but you are responsible for sending the new scores to other score recipients via the MCAT THx System.

 

[mam3456]

I completely agree with the possibility of scoring errors. However, we both received Biological Science scores that were both much higher. We both typically score around 10-11 (with neither ever breaking 11) and I am saying this based on around 15 practice exams and 2 MCAT scores. This MCAT I recieved a 12 and she received a 14 on BS which shocked us both. Both of our verbal scores were much lower by 3-4 points than normal. I just want to know if there are others. I am aware that mistakes are unlikely etc.

There's a file available on AAMC's website about MCAT score interpretation that you might want to check out. It says the scores have +/- 1 scale point as 68% CI, +/- 2 as 95% CI, so the 12 might not be that strange.

About the mistakes, I'd doubt that your score would change because such a small number do, but if you've got the extra $50...

Also, I know that they adjust for the difficulty of the questions to equalize the point value per question.

Good luck.

 

[akinf]

There's a file available on AAMC's website about MCAT score interpretation that you might want to check out. It says the scores have +/- 1 scale point as 68% CI, +/- 2 as 95% CI, so the 12 might not be that strange.

About the mistakes, I'd doubt that your score would change because such a small number do, but if you've got the extra $50...

Also, I know that they adjust for the difficulty of the questions to equalize the point value per question.

Good luck.

But have you ever heard of MC changes?

 

[medskoolorbust]

I don't think you understand. I am not freaking out because I got a 6, I am confused as to why I thought I did well but got a 6. I am just trying to make sure I wasn't given a score that didn't represent my abilities. I am more so worried because a 6 is extremely damaging to my medical school admission process this year, it completely eliminates me from a lot of schools, including my home province. If I had gotten a 7 or an 8, I wouldn't be eliminated, but I would still send a request. I am not cocky or think I am immune from failure, but I know my skills and abilities when it comes to verbal reasoning, and a 6 does not reflect that. Mind you, many say it is luck, if so, then how are some people good at verbal reasoning. Are they consistently lucky? If so, then it cannot be luck, because luck lacks all pattern and consistency. Therefore, verbal reasoning like the other sections is a skill that must be practised and honed. I spent 3 and half months doing that to get to a 10/11.

This is exactly how I feel. I also got a 6 on VR which I just do not think is a measure of my true ability. I had form BG....I understand that scoring errors are extremely rare, but my score just does not make sense. After crying about this score and puzzling over how I could have done so badly on this section, the only thing I can come up with is that I must have misbubbled on Test Day. This is also quite uncharacteristic of me, but due to the extreme stress and anxiety experienced on Test Day, this is the only explanation I can think of for getting a 6 on VR.

 

[akinf]

This is exactly how I feel. I also got a 6 on VR which I just do not think is a measure of my true ability. I had form BG....I understand that scoring errors are extremely rare, but my score just does not make sense. After crying about this score and puzzling over how I could have done so badly on this section, the only thing I can come up with is that I must have misbubbled on Test Day. This is also quite uncharacteristic of me, but due to the extreme stress and anxiety experienced on Test Day, this is the only explanation I can think of for getting a 6 on VR.

I hear ya. I am still shocked by my score. However, should my rescore come back unchanged, I am pretty certain I misbubbled and thus will be rewriting in January.

 

[DocAlleyCat]

It helps to be optimistic, a good dr. will need that personality trait as it is...

I to experienced the wrath of the verbal section. I got a 4!!! a drop from a 9-10 range! I was really pissed and didn't know how I could have done so poorly. It could have been several factors: I'm ADD, I drank a red bull before the test haha, and nerves from finally taking the real MCAT. What I would like to believe however, instead of being verbally ignorant, is an error in bubbling or in the grading...? Regardless, I will never know, but I didn't let that experience ruin my confidence in my abilities. If you truly want to be a Dr. you will get there someday!

 

[medskoolorbust]

I hear ya. I am still shocked by my score. However, should my rescore come back unchanged, I am pretty certain I misbubbled and thus will be rewriting in January.

Oh ok. Yeah, I decided to take the princeton review and re-write in april. I'm going to apply to SGU in the Caribbean though, and maybe try for a transfer later on if I were to get in there.

 

[Ice]

I had the exact same form: BG. I went down from 8 (on practice) to 2!😱 I think I misbubbled though😡 🙁

This is exactly how I feel. I also got a 6 on VR which I just do not think is a measure of my true ability. I had form BG....I understand that scoring errors are extremely rare, but my score just does not make sense. After crying about this score and puzzling over how I could have done so badly on this section, the only thing I can come up with is that I must have misbubbled on Test Day. This is also quite uncharacteristic of me, but due to the extreme stress and anxiety experienced on Test Day, this is the only explanation I can think of for getting a 6 on VR.

 

[akinf]

I had the exact same form: BG. I went down from 8 (on practice) to 2!😱 I think I misbubbled though😡 🙁

Whoa...that's probably a mis-bubbling.

 

[MadHopsMD]

I hear ya. I am still shocked by my score. However, should my rescore come back unchanged, I am pretty certain I misbubbled and thus will be rewriting in January.

you dont have to re-take the exam. you will get in US somewhere with the high gpa and high mcat score (other than verbal)....canada is great..but the good old US of A has more oppurtunities...

 

[akinf]

you dont have to re-take the exam. you will get in US somewhere with the high gpa and high mcat score (other than verbal)....canada is great..but the good old US of A has more oppurtunities...

No thanks...and no offense...I'd rather wait a year to go to a Canadian medical school than a non top-10 US school.

 

[medskoolorbust]

No thanks...and no offense...I'd rather wait a year to go to a Canadian medical school than a non top-10 US school.

Did you apply to all the schools in ontario? I did (except McMaster...cause I hate Hamilton) I think the only one I may have a shot at now with my miserable verbal score is U. Ottawa 'cause they don't consider the MCAT.

 

[akinf]

Did you apply to all the schools in ontario? I did (except McMaster...cause I hate Hamilton) I think the only one I may have a shot at now with my miserable verbal score is U. Ottawa 'cause they don't consider the MCAT.

I applied to Queen's, UofT, and Ottawa. I thought I was going to get a 10/11...maybe a 8/9 at the worst. My only shot now is Ottawa...maybe Toronto (but I doubt it) since the rest of my application is relatively solid, except for the fact that I am a 3rd year OOP. I think that will likely be my biggest obstacle, since I have heard that Ottawa doesn't take too kind to us folks. Also, Ottawa rejects some extremely competitive applicants every year...I don't really know how they decide to accept people. Anyways, I am expecting my rescore request results in about two weeks. If those are unchanged, I will be re-writing in January, will probably have to apply next year, and will reapply to Ottawa since it is a great school.

 

[medskoolorbust]

I applied to Queen's, UofT, and Ottawa. I thought I was going to get a 10/11...maybe a 8/9 at the worst. My only shot now is Ottawa...maybe Toronto (but I doubt it) since the rest of my application is relatively solid, except for the fact that I am a 3rd year OOP. I think that will likely be my biggest obstacle, since I have heard that Ottawa doesn't take too kind to us folks. Also, Ottawa rejects some extremely competitive applicants every year...I don't really know how they decide to accept people. Anyways, I am expecting my rescore request results in about two weeks. If those are unchanged, I will be re-writing in January, will probably have to apply next year, and will reapply to Ottawa since it is a great school.

what's OOP? I'm expecting my rescore soon as well. I don't expect it would change though...that would just be unbelievable that they would have made such a huge mistake. I've already signed up with TPR and I'm re-writing the exam in April.

 

[mdthisyear]

what's OOP? I'm expecting my rescore soon as well. I don't expect it would change though...that would just be unbelievable that they would have made such a huge mistake. I've already signed up with TPR and I'm re-writing the exam in April.

OOP = Out of Province

 

[akinf]

OOP = Out of Province

My MCAT rescore request came back. I haven't checked it yet though, I'll let you know tomorrow. My family has to bring it to me.

 

[drizzt3117]

I've also wondered about the possibility of errors, but dismissed it as highly unlikely. Here's my story: Last six AAMC tests, 4-9, in order: 37, 38, 41, 44, 42, 44. My lowest score ever on PS was a 12. My lowest score on VR was also a 12, but I had been scoring 14s and 15s consistently on AAMC, Kaplan and EC Verbal tests for months. My August scores were 10s on VR and PS, and a 13 on BS (33S). Since I've always done very well on standardized tests, and felt quite good on test day, a 10+ point drop is kind of hard to swallow.

Any realistic ideas on why my real score would be so insanely different? (Besides the same old "you got nervous", "the real thing is harder") Are the AAMC tests that inaccurate of a predictor?

First of all, I wouldn't say it was a 10 point drop. The highest score in the country on the August MCAT was 42. As far as your score goes, it's probably the curve, as the real test uses a significantly different curve than the static scoring that you'll get from the practice tests, and while I'm somewhat surprised at the 10 PS if you felt good about it, because IMO the curve seemed a bit generous for PS, certainly you could have picked the wrong choice on some questions that you eliminated down to two answer choices and it doesn't take that many wrong answers to make a 13 into a 10 or 11...

 

[drslc134]

n/a

 

[akinf]

1) What section(s) did you have rescored?
2) When did you submit your request for a rescore?
3) When was the letter they sent back to you dated?
4) Isn't the updated score online as well?

1. I requested for verbal to be rescored, but it looks as if they rescored everything except for the writing sample.

2. I submitte the letter on October 14, and the mailed it back to me on October 25, and I received the letter on October 31.

3. I don't know if the updated score is online.

My verbal score was not changed. I think I may have mis-bubbled because the verbal did not seem any harder or easier than the practice. It was the exact same for me. I actually felt the most confident about verbal after PS that day. Oh well, I will be re-writing in January and if I don't get in this year, I will reapply next year.

 

[jesed_s]

1. I requested for verbal to be rescored, but it looks as if they rescored everything except for the writing sample.

2. I submitte the letter on October 14, and the mailed it back to me on October 25, and I received the letter on October 31.

3. I don't know if the updated score is online.

My verbal score was not changed. I think I may have mis-bubbled because the verbal did not seem any harder or easier than the practice. It was the exact same for me. I actually felt the most confident about verbal after PS that day. Oh well, I will be re-writing in January and if I don't get in this year, I will reapply next year.

Hey Akinf,

You said they rescored everything?? Did any of your other sections change?? Thanks!

J.

 

[akinf]

None of my sections changed.

 

[estairella]

The highest score in the country on the August MCAT was 42.

? Where did you get that statistic? It says 0.0% on the distribution... but 0.04% (which would round to 0.0%) is 160 people.

Most notably, someone in the score thread said they got 43 for the August MCAT. lol

 

[medskoolorbust]

1. I requested for verbal to be rescored, but it looks as if they rescored everything except for the writing sample.

2. I submitte the letter on October 14, and the mailed it back to me on October 25, and I received the letter on October 31.

3. I don't know if the updated score is online.

My verbal score was not changed. I think I may have mis-bubbled because the verbal did not seem any harder or easier than the practice. It was the exact same for me. I actually felt the most confident about verbal after PS that day. Oh well, I will be re-writing in January and if I don't get in this year, I will reapply next year.

Same here. Nothing changed on my rescore. So I'm gonna re-write in April after taking TPR

 

[drizzt3117]

? Where did you get that statistic? It says 0.0% on the distribution... but 0.04% (which would round to 0.0%) is 160 people.

Most notably, someone in the score thread said they got 43 for the August MCAT. lol

0.04% would be 16 people, actually, but I was under the impression that they didn't round down to 0%, I could be mistaken, though, I suppose I'm just skeptical in general 🙂