Standardized tests (our beloved MCAT)

[dankev]

OK, I know I'm going to get flamed for this, but my intent isn't to upset or insult anyone. I just want to hear what people have to say.

Many people claim to be bad standardized test takers, yet have excellent grades. If a person has good grades, especially science, it would seem to follow that he is a good test taker. The only alternative I can think of is that this person studies like mad for, say, an ochem test and does well, but doesn't process the new information as well or as quickly on a test like the MCAT. Isn't that exactly what the MCAT is supposed to measure? (anyone feeling bold may feel free to launch into how accurate the MCAT is as an intelligence test)

Is there something else about a standardized test that is more difficult that a regular test? What does it mean to say, "I am not good at standardized tests"? I feel like I'm missing something.

I look forward to hearing what you all have to say.

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[kiahs]

I don't know either but I have to agree with you on the part that you think a person who does well in the class does well all together. Personally, I can do really well in school but there is just something that rubs me wrong when I take a standardized test. I think it's because it requires you to process a lot of pretty difficult information I mean even if you have like two or three tests on the same day in school you still have about five to six chapters max to study in each and you can kind of get an idea of what their going to ask you about,,,that may be alot but it seems much harder when it's just open and you don't really know what to study for such a big test as the mcat. Also in school you don't just have multiple choice questions there is essay and stuff too that lets people balance out their score, on the mcat none of the science based stuff is essay. I also hear a lot of people say that " they didn't even understand what the question was asking" granted I dunno if they are just slow but maybe that could be a factor too not being able to decipher the question. Well that's it for my opinion i look forward to reading others answers.

 

[Nutmeg]

I know I'm good at standardized tests, but not at regular tests necessarily. I got a 40T on my MCAT in April and a 99 (out of 99) on the ASVAB, but I can't break a B- on my neuroanatomy exams. To me, it suggests that the two tests must measure something fundamentally different. The MCAT was something that I barely even studied for, because it's mostly problem solving, logic problems, and analysis. The MCAT requires convergent thinking with limited options. Most of my other tests require memorization and divergent thinking.

 

[R_C_Hutchinson]

i honestly think the main difference is pressure. I know that when put under stressful circumstances, i almost always perform better than when im not stressed, and this is both a blessing (43S) and a curse (3.7GPA). I think the difference is that it is damn near impossible to not be stressed over the MCAT, i mean you KNOW you'll be asked questions on concepts you've never seen before. If you're adequately prepared for a normal test (some people actually study habitually ), then you can go in fairly confident and stress free. these people (habitual studiers with great GPA's) are the ones who generally dont do well (by their standards of course) on the MCAT.
but hey, what do i know

 

[Alexander99]

I agree with Hutch that stress may play a role for many test-takers (although there are the occasional mutants like myself that never get stressed for tests of any kind.) Perhaps more important than that though is the importance of speed in taking the MCAT.

With the MCAT, even if you know how to do every single problem, you won't do very well if you are slow and run out of time. To contrast, with most college exams (the ones I've taken anyway), time isn't an issue. You normally have more than enough time to finish and how much you know is the determining factor.

 

[lealf-ye]

Also, MCAT is a fairly simply test. No really difficult question in it. Many of questions in my O chem coure is much harder than the MCAT counterpart. So doing well on MCAT does not necessarily mean you can do well on much harder tests.

 

[Nutmeg]

Originally posted by Alexander99
With the MCAT, even if you know how to do every single problem, you won't do very well if you are slow and run out of time. To contrast, with most college exams (the ones I've taken anyway), time isn't an issue. You normally have more than enough time to finish and how much you know is the determining factor.

I think that's a really good and important point. Psychometricians say that performance on stadardized tests correlates strongly with response time (in terms of "hit the button when the light turns on" type testing). My main advantage is speed. Speed seems to make a bigger difference in ChemE exams (where you have open books and/or cheet sheets) than it does in MCB tests (where there's plenty of time, ye had best've memorized a great deal).

 

[Ranger47]

I think timing is a huge issue as well. I am usually the first one to finish but that doesn't always coorelate with doing well. That is to my advantage in standardized tests, whereas if we had unlimited time I would do worse compared to those that take a while.

 

[PhillyEaglesFan]

* Tricks: Standardized tests use some little tricks i.e. confusing language, similar sounding words, burying answers; college tests, while no less difficult, are usually pretty straightforward. So if people have not had to be discriminating in their undergrad courses, it can be pretty tough.

* Pressure: This is a huge thing; I don't know how many people I saw studying from cards and stuff the morning of the MCAT. That's the kiss of death! It's one thing to be nervous; another thing to stress. Some kids just don't handle it well, although I think handling pressure is something that comes with time (and taking more and more tests).

So, if you have had undergrad courses of decent difficulty, and have taken a good amount of decently difficult tests in undergrad, you should be fine.

 

[Ranger47]

Originally posted by PhillyEaglesFan
* Pressure: This is a huge thing; I don't know how many people I saw studying from cards and stuff the morning of the MCAT. That's the kiss of death!

I disagree. I was studying the morning of and got a 35, I think that is fine. Everyone has their own thing, but that worked for me. It didn't necessarily give me an answer to a specific question but it got my brain going.

 

[rugirlie]

hello.. is the difference not obvious to anyone here? in regular testing, you know the material... there will be no surprises on the exam.... if ur capable of memorizing all 8 chapters, lets say, that are going to be on the exam, u will get an A on the test... on the MCATs, they don't ask you questions on materail you've necessarily seen before.... (except for the free standing questions which make up a small percentage of the test).... u are given passages in which u have to take the info from the passage, outside knowledge and logical thinking skills to come up with an answer.... in my opinion, if you don't work hard to ensure you know all of the material for your regular tests than you're not going to do well... on the case of the MCATs, not knowing everything won't necessarily hinder you because you can use the passage info and logical thinking skills if you have them.... and the opposite is true... if ur good at memorizing and knowing large amounts of material, you'll have a good GPA but won't necessarily do well on the MCATs because this is not just what you need to score well.... anyhow this is just my opinion...

 

[Alexander99]

rugirlie has a point here. I'm sure you can pull pretty high grades (3.7+) just by having the ability to memorize a whole bunch of facts for your classes. The MCAT requires you memorize a good deal of information but then you need the ability use that information to solve seemingly unique problems.

In a way, the MCAT then is a way better indicator of how well you'll do in med school and beyond than grades. As a physician, you can't just memorize a whole bunch of facts. You have to know many facts and be able to apply that knowledge to solve your patients' health problems. No wonder many schools weigh the MCAT more heavily than GPA.

 

[Nutmeg]

rugirlie makes a damn good point here.

But I'd also say that one of the big differences is that GPA does not just depend on tests. Tests can be only a very minor thing, depending on the course you take. I've even had classes where the tests were weighed heavily, and I did well on those tests, but because of my penchant for turning in incomplete homework--or not turning in homework at all--my grades are certainly going to suffer. Other classes weigh heavily on research papers and theses, while the WS is a small and generally ignored part of the MCAT--and one with little advantage to "good standardized test takers."

 

[Machination]

Assuming Rugirlie is correct, the MCAT is testing your thinking skills, people should stop memorizing review book after review book and hone these fundamental thinking skills which appear to be the focus of the MCAT.

My next question is, how should I do that?

 

[Alexander99]

The MCAT heavily tests your thinking skills but you still need to know how to solve basic problems (e.g. memorize some formulas/facts.) For example, you might have the best thinking skills in the world but if you haven't memorized some simple physics equations, you probably won't do so well on the physical sciences section.

Also, it helps a lot to practice answering questions in the format of the MCAT. You have to become comfortable with the logic that's used in deriving the answers. The logic you use may not necessarily be the one that is useful for the test.

To respond to your comment then, no, it doesn't make sense to just memorize review book after review book. It helps to use them for a while to learn the formulas and types of problems but after that, it's all about the practice tests.

 

[billyg]

It's most definately the pressure and the timing that overcomes the knowledge base when taking the test. Some test-takers have great personal barriers to overcome with the MCAT and becoming a PHYSICIAN, that taking the test becomes a lifetime achievment and perhaps and HOPEFULLY after experiencing the exam the first time , nervousness and pressure will move to the side and let the brain function properly. Assuming the best study aid to reprepairing for the MCAT are the practice tests, and if one has already taken all the AAMC and EK and KAPLAN tests. Then what better choices does one have when taking practice tests the second time around and or do we repeat those again under more MCAT like conditions?

 

[indo]

There are people who have studied for the mcat for about a week and then did phenomenally on it. RUgirlie's post best explains how that happens. They're extremely good critical thinkers and readers.

So, assuming that everyone studies for whatever period of time but only memorizes the material rather than increases their critical thinking skills, does this mean that mcat ability is mostly natural or previously learned?

 

[Nutmeg]

Originally posted by Machination
Assuming Rugirlie is correct, the MCAT is testing your thinking skills, people should stop memorizing review book after review book and hone these fundamental thinking skills which appear to be the focus of the MCAT.

My next question is, how should I do that?

READ READ READ READ READ...And maybe pick up some books and read them. Reading is central to everything. The necessary memorization shouldn't take more than a week if you did well in all the prerequisite courses. My own advice is to get books that argue opposite sides of a single issue. That way, reading is an act of critical thinking, not just memorization.