I ended up taking AAMC Fl2 and my score dropped 4 points to a 504. 126/124/128/126. Feeling extremely frustrated and not sure where to go from here. My score in B/B went up 2 points but everything else went down. I don't understand how I go from a 130 in P/S to a 126 and my CARS score still s*cks.
Really do not know where to go from here. I read that a lot of peoples score drops on FL 2 but I am not sure if I should take FL 3 before thinking about pushing my exam back. Any thoughts?
To me it sounds a bit like you are needlessly torturing yourself. Scores will fluctuate from exam to exam, depending on precisely which questions are asked and whether or not you happen to know the answers. This is why score reports have confidence bands.
You seem to be laboring under the assumption that the primary difference between a 505, 510, 515 and 520 is how badly someone wants a particular score. This is simply not true. Arbitrarily saying you want a 510+ and then moving test dates around is not a recipe for success.
A part of your score will be determined by the level and efficiency of your preparation, but part will be determined by your natural ability honed over the past 15+ years of schooling. The key here is to do everything within your power to prepare to the best of your ability, and deal with whatever score you get, as opposed to just taking practice tests until you hit an arbitrary score.
JMHO, but a 510 is 80%-ile, and the vast majority of the 56,000 or so test takers who score below that every year are not just a bunch of folks who were too impatient to push back a test. It's a very difficult test, strategically designed to achieve a defined distribution of scores among a pretty highly talented group of test takers. By definition, no more than 20% of this group will be in the top 20%, no matter how much the other 80% wishes otherwise.
You very well might hit 510+ right now, or you might only score a 506, and there is no shame in that if that reflects your best effort. Beyond just taking more FLs, have you identified a knowledge gap and a plan to address it? If so, get to work and push the test back. If not, stop beating yourself up over maybe not being able to hit an arbitrary target.
