Some MCAT Questions Aren't Scored

[Excelsius]

I just across this website: http://www.prep101.com/mcat/about_the_mcat.html#1b

They have some interesting info there:

Are there any questions that are not scored?
Yes. Every MCAT includes a few questions used to calibrate the exam or are later deemed too ambiguous or too difficult to be counted. So if you encounter a confusing or impossible question, don't panic as it could turn out to be one of the discarded questions.

Is it easier to score higher in the winter when "weaker" students supposedly write the MCAT?
This is a myth. The AAMC goes to great lengths to ensure that the date when you take the MCAT will have no effect on your final scores. Performances on each test date are compared with performances on other test dates using classical equating theory from the field of psychometrics.

It also seems that the curve is distributed throughout all MCAT test dates, and not just on the particular test date. This includes the paper MCAT tests in the past.

Another surprising statement is that most schools will look at your MCAT up to 5 years old.

Others:

• You can void your MCAT but then un-void it once you find out the scores. The schools will know about this.
• After 2007, it should take just 14 days for the MCAT scores to be released.

They claim that the content of the CBT is the same as the paper version, but many people in this forum claim that the Org Chem has significantly decreased on the CBT.

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[Revilla]

Others:

• You can void your MCAT but then un-void it once you find out the scores. The schools will know about this.

What? Maybe my brain is fried from studying all day, but you're saying that we can void the MCAT score, then find out what we would have made on it and decide whether or not we want it counted?

 

[hansen44]

Please explain the voiding thing, because my understanding is that once you void the MCAT your exam will not be scored. So I dont understand how you can void and see your scores much less "unvoid it"

 

[justapremed]

Yeah - Pg. 14 of 2008 MCAT Essentials from AAMC strictly says:

"Voiding your scores on test day means that you will not receive scores. Scores cannot be 'unvoided' at a later date."

 

[RySerr21]

I just across this website: http://www.prep101.com/mcat/about_the_mcat.html#1b

They have some interesting into there:



It also seems that the curve is distributed throughout all MCAT test dates, and not just on the particular test date. This includes the paper MCAT tests in the past.

Another surprising statement is that most schools will look at your MCAT up to 5 years old.

Others:

• You can void your MCAT but then un-void it once you find out the scores. The schools will know about this.
• After 2007, it should take just 14 days for the MCAT scores to be released.

They claim that the content of the CBT is the same as the paper version, but many people in this forum claim that the Org Chem has significantly decreased on the CBT.

thats total crap. if you void your test, its not even scored.

regardingochem, i had onnly 2 passages and 10 questions of ochem on my exam. none were stand alone. other recent dates have had only one passage of ochem.

 

[What up doc]

3 hard orgo passages on may 10 with many difficult discretes...know ur orgo..u dont wanna be that guy/gal who gets a date, like mine, but doesnt kno their org...it will make all ur studying feel like a waste!

 

[Excelsius]

Maybe some info on that website is incorrect? After all, they do say that the scores must be available within 14 days, but AAMC says that it still takes 30 days. If you have found info on AAMC that says voided tests are not even scored, then it must be a more reliable info. I was surprised by the info as well.

 

[Excelsius]

3 hard orgo passages on may 10 with many difficult discretes...know ur orgo..u dont wanna be that guy/gal who gets a date, like mine, but doesnt kno their org...it will make all ur studying feel like a waste!

I was wondering what are these "discretes" that people talk about orgo all the time. At first I thought they were referring to discrete orbitals, sp1, etc, but now I think that you're talking about stand-alone questions (no passages). I am going to go with TBR Chem and Ochem. Isn't that sufficient to know all the Orgo one needs to know?

 

[What up doc]

I was wondering what are these "discretes" that people talk about orgo all the time. At first I thought they were referring to discrete orbitals, sp1, etc, but now I think that you're talking about stand-alone questions (no passages). I am going to go with TBR Chem and Ochem. Isn't that sufficient to know all the Orgo one needs to know?

yes, discretes refers to stand alones...if you dont know that then you must be very early in your mcat prep...get on that...

yes, knowing everything tpr teaches will be sufficient, for the most part, for content...but that doesnt mean you will be able to sufficiently reason through tough orgo passages and tricky discretes...im an orgo TA, not that that makes me an expert, but i felt, very..no...VERY VERY confident about any and evertyhing orgo prior to my mcat and...lol...lets just say such was not the case during the actual exam...

 

[What up doc]

yes, discretes refers to stand alones...if you dont know that then you must be very early in your mcat prep...get on that...

yes, knowing everything tpr teaches will be sufficient, for the most part, for content...but that doesnt mean you will be able to sufficiently reason through tough orgo passages and tricky discretes...im an orgo TA, not that that makes me an expert, but i felt, very..no...VERY VERY confident about any and evertyhing orgo prior to my mcat and...lol...lets just say such was not the case during the actual exam...

oh and just to give you an example...i believe one of the more recent exams had a question about lactones...now i know what a lactone is...but i am postive that it was not covered in any of the kaplan material...as expected, ppl freaked out abou this question...now, i didnt take this exam, but i betcha that the other 3 molecules could be elimnited even if you didnt know what a lactone was...this is a very simplistic and easier example of the type of reasoning required to do well on this forsaken exam

 

[requeim]

isnt that the way the curve is established?

they put passages that aren't scored and see how people do on them and then come up with some number and compile the numbers for all the diff passages that would be in an mcat and base the curve off of that?

 

[Excelsius]

yes, discretes refers to stand alones...if you dont know that then you must be very early in your mcat prep...get on that...

yes, knowing everything tpr teaches will be sufficient, for the most part, for content...but that doesnt mean you will be able to sufficiently reason through tough orgo passages and tricky discretes...im an orgo TA, not that that makes me an expert, but i felt, very..no...VERY VERY confident about any and evertyhing orgo prior to my mcat and...lol...lets just say such was not the case during the actual exam...

You're right. I am very early. I haven't even looked at a single MCAT test or prep book, but then again I have at least a year or two before I take the MCAT.

Since you're a TA, do you think that I'll be ok if I get the older TBR science prep books (2003)? I have the option to buy all 10 TBR books for $50 and I am not sure whether 2003 is too old or not. I also have Wade's Org Chem 5th edition. I sucked at the class and it was a long time ago. I don't know whether I should study from the book or TBR will be sufficient (besides cross-referencing).

 

[LikeClockWork]

Others:

• You can void your MCAT but then un-void it once you find out the scores. The schools will know about this.

Maybe this site was created by some gunner trying to cut down on the applicant pool a little bit.

isnt that the way the curve is established?

they put passages that aren't scored and see how people do on them and then come up with some number and compile the numbers for all the diff passages that would be in an mcat and base the curve off of that?

I don't think it's whole passages, just a question about the passage or a discrete question.

 

[Revilla]

[/LIST]
Maybe this site was created by some gunner trying to cut down on the applicant pool a little bit.

I'd think a gunner wouldn't want anyone to void. It brings down the curve when only the best and the brightest have their exams scored. LOL

 

[copperfrog09]

oh and just to give you an example...i believe one of the more recent exams had a question about lactones...now i know what a lactone is...but i am postive that it was not covered in any of the kaplan material...as expected, ppl freaked out abou this question...now, i didnt take this exam, but i betcha that the other 3 molecules could be elimnited even if you didnt know what a lactone was...this is a very simplistic and easier example of the type of reasoning required to do well on this forsaken exam

No, they could not have been. You needed to know what a lactone was without a doubt to answer the question.

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[jazzdude87]

Hey guys, I just wanted to second the above. I took the exam with the lactone question and you had to know absolutely what a lactone was in order to answer the question. There was no chance of process of elimination.

 

[Vihsadas]

Hey guys, let's keep this on topic, so that someone doesn't accidentally post too much about the exam...

Speaking of which, the following thread might be peripherally relevant to this one:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=530370

 

[What up doc]

You're right. I am very early. I haven't even looked at a single MCAT test or prep book, but then again I have at least a year or two before I take the MCAT.

Since you're a TA, do you think that I'll be ok if I get the older TBR science prep books (2003)? I have the option to buy all 10 TBR books for $50 and I am not sure whether 2003 is too old or not. I also have Wade's Org Chem 5th edition. I sucked at the class and it was a long time ago. I don't know whether I should study from the book or TBR will be sufficient (besides cross-referencing).

im not familar with TBR material but i hear it is very good and it should be sufficient...the orgo tested on the mcat is not very complex and, as mentioned before, is decreasing in amount (exception being the may 10 admin)