varying MCAT test difficulty according to month??

[roadtosuccess]

---

Members do not see this ad.

so i'm considering to take my MCAT in january 2011, but my friends have told me that the january test is known to be more difficult compared to the tests given out in other months. they then suggested that i should take the test in march, which is known to be easier. does anyone know anything about this?? ANY help will be appreciated. thanks! =)

 

[mtbtx]

They're all the same 😉

 

[HotFudge]

They're all the same 😉

Nope they tend to be harder during the summer and easiest in the winter. Plus you'll get a higher score since people taking it in the summer tend to be the people who are retaking it or people who have a lot of time to study

 

[Rabolisk]

People have had this debate so many times, yet no one can come to a conclusion without extensive data from AAMC. Everything people say is just a theory. I say take it whenever you feel most confident.

 

[JSU]

February, October, November and December are the best months for sure. 😛

 

[apumic]

February, October, November and December are the best months for sure. 😛

Absolutely! Pretty much no 45s occur outside those 4 mos. Even 43s and 44s are impossibly rare if you don't take it during Feb, Oct, Nov or Dec.

...Unfortunately, I hear it's just about impossible to get a seat in Feb (the best of the 4 options).

 

[roadtosuccess]

February, October, November and December are the best months for sure. 😛

i didn't know there were tests offered during these months. i thought the MCAT was only offered in jan and mar thru sept. i'll look out for these test dates this coming fall/winter. thank you so much for the reply =)

 

[bullsfan1986]

I took in February and got a 46U. I had to sign up for that date 3 years in advance.

 

[apumic]

I took in February and got a 46U. I had to sign up for that date 3 years in advance.

My cousin got a 48X -- it opened up a bonus section when he got a perfect score (45T) on the first 3 sections and writing section. Unfortunately, the bonus section was in Chinese and he only got 3 right (the writing was in Spanish, though, and he's fluent)....

 

[NickNaylor]

I can't believe people think this actually matters.

 

[CoasterForce]

Naturally there will be differences in difficulty among tests, though there is of course no pattern to this. The differences in difficulty are accounted for in each test's curve, though, to minimize any variation in score. The best strategy is to be prepared for anything on test day. Of course, you will have certain strengths and weaknesses and the likelihood of particular topics receiving emphasis on test day is due to chance.

 

[KickedOut]

Absolutely! Pretty much no 45s occur outside those 4 mos. Even 43s and 44s are impossibly rare if you don't take it during Feb, Oct, Nov or Dec.

...Unfortunately, I hear it's just about impossible to get a seat in Feb (the best of the 4 options).

Haha, what's sad is that people are going to actually believe you

Take the test when you feel most prepared...it's not any easier at any time of the year (but that's just what AAMC says 🙂)

 

[apumic]

Haha, what's sad is that people are going to actually believe you

Take the test when you feel most prepared...it's not any easier at any time of the year (but that's just what AAMC says 🙂)

You got that right. I swear -- February is THE BEST month. Seriously guys. Seriously.

 

[elyswim]

i can't believe people think this actually matters.

+1

 

[ModernAlchemist]

I know someone who works for the AAMC they also said that February is the best month to take it. They also told me that if you write all A's for the verbal section, it is a code that triggers the machine to read your test as a 15 for that section, but ONLY works for verbal. (The more convoluted=more believable for MCAT folklore)

 

[apumic]

I know someone who works for the AAMC they also said that February is the best month to take it. They also told me that if you write all A's for the verbal section, it is a code that triggers the machine to read your test as a 15 for that section, but ONLY works for verbal. (The more convoluted=more believable for MCAT folklore)

Yeah, the director of admissions at our state school was telling our premed club leadership about that. She also told us about an even rarer secret -- every MCAT science section has a top secret password. If you know it and spell it out with the dots on the right section you get an automatic 15 on that section!

 

[wolverinepwns]

the test are all the same (sometimes you just get lucky with some easy passages and sometime you get shafted with hard one cuz that topic isn't your strength). WHAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE, between summer and spring and winter and fall, is that in summer people tend to have more time to study thus leading to a harsher curve! whereas in spring people are taking the mcat while in school so the curve is a little nicer!