Should I postpone my test date?

[BioPsychotic]

Hi everyone,

I’m currently registered to take the MCAT on March 13. I've taken 3 Kaplan full-length exams these past 3 weekends. Based on the scores, I'm wondering if I should postpone my test date.

Here are my score trends:

Kaplan FL1: 504 (125/126/126/127)
Kaplan FL2: 508 (126/127/127/128)
Kaplan FL3: 506 (127/128/124/127)

I think fatigue played a small part in my decreased score today. This was my first week with classes in full swing, and I'm realizing that it takes a good amount of discipline to balance a full-time course load with MCAT studying.

I'm aiming for a 515+.

I'm currently taking 12 credit hours & am planning to apply in the upcoming application cycle. I'm wondering if I should reschedule to April or May in order to give myself ample time to get to my target score. Registration opens on Feb. 17 for April/May/June, so I have 1 more weekend (i.e. 1 more full-length) before I need to decide.

I'd also welcome any general advice on balancing classes & studying, Kaplan full-length scores, etc.

Thank you in advance!

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[Blueprint Med School]

Aiming for a 515 I would consider pushing it back. Typically you don't want to take the exam until you have a few data points in your goal zone. Now you will get a little love just by doing more studying this month, but 7 points in a month while trying to balance a full course load may be tough sledding.

David D, MD - USMLE and MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

 

[BioPsychotic]

Aiming for a 515 I would consider pushing it back. Typically you don't want to take the exam until you have a few data points in your goal zone. Now you will get a little love just by doing more studying this month, but 7 points in a month while trying to balance a full course load may be tough sledding.

David D, MD - USMLE and MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

Thank you for the advice! I'm probably going to push back to either April or (at the latest) May.

 

[SunMouse]

Have you taken any AAMC practice exams yet? One thing to consider is that the Kaplan ones may not really reflect your scoring potential, it seems generally accepted that only the AAMC FLs are good predictors (and it was certainly true for me). I never managed to score above 508 on Kaplan exams, and actually scared myself by getting a ~506 on a third-party FL a week before my exam, while consistently scoring in the 515+ range on AAMC FLs.

Of course don’t take the exam until you’re ready and scoring in the range you want, but taking an AAMC practice exam at this point might help you better gauge your readiness.

 

[JimKimSlim]

Yeah, take at least two AAMC FL’s and then see where you’re at. If you were taking Altius FL’s and scoring around 505, I would’ve still advised you to postpone tho (I scored around 515 on Altius and got 520 on AAMC FL’s so 5-point difference).

 

[LaughingGas10]

take at least 1 AAMC full length test and see where you are at. that will give you a rough idea of whether to take the test. Dont take too many of the AAMC tests , if you are not sure, you may need these for later since they appear to be the best barometer for test performance.

 

[neuronerd.777]

I was scoring around 508-512 on Kaplan then within the same week got a 525 on an AAMC mock. I averaged 523-525 on my AAMC mocks and got a 518 on my actual MCAT. Before rescheduling definitely take at least 2 AAMC mocks! Kaplan has huge deflation.