What is up with the verbal scores!!??

[Toejam]

I have to bring this topic up again.

I'm reading several posts where people are bemoaning their verbal scores (and often point out their high essay scores) and can't help but wonder if there is the slightest possibility that they were scored wrong. It just seems odd that so many people are reporting such low scores with otherwise respectable P, BS and essay numbers. I could understand it if the scores were not calculated in relation to everyone else who took the exam, but they aren't.

I'm one of them (if you haven't guessed yet). My verbal was a 6 and my essay was an "S". I last took the MCAT in 1993 and got a 10 on the verbal.

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[JennieLeigh]

I agree with you. I got at lowsy 4 on verbal. honestly, I think thats a bunch of bullsh*t.

 

[relatively prime]

Yes, but, there are a respectable number of people who got 12s and 13s on verbal... also, as someone pointed out... the average verbal score this April was a 7.8 while last year it was a 8.6... I believe the AAMC people try to use past years' scores in the curve... to make things more accurate. For instance, suppose august MCATers are mostly retakers... so the scores might be inflated (since a lot of the people have already taken the test once and have a slight advantage)... that wouldn't be fair to the ones taking it for the first time in August. So AAMC uses data from the April MCAT to make sure scores aren't inflated or deflated for one particular test date... get it? Same goes for different years... I guess verbal was just a weakness for a large number of the April MCATers. Who knows what happened?

 

[RT]

according to aamc's web site:

2000 - Avg Verbal: 7.9
2001 - Avg Verbal: 8.0

If it's 7.8 for this year, then it's practically the same.

 

[Wahoo07]

Yeah, I felt that this past MCAT was on par with the practice tests...maybe a bit harder. After taking 3 practice tests I felt that I was doing ok on verbal. When the real thing came around I still felt that I did ok, even though I ran out of time on the last passage and had to guess. I ended up with the score that I thought I was going to get, a 10. I dunno.

 

[relatively prime]

Look here... <a href="http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/famg62001a.htm" target="_blank">http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/famg62001a.htm</a> to see this...

1999-8.7
2000-8.7
2001-8.6

...and on the online score report for April it says...

2002-7.8

There... now no more argueing over what the averages were for the different years

 

[Tweetie_bird]

hhmmm interesting.
It seems as though the SCIENCES went down too. Previously it was in the 9's. This time it was 8's. Check it out.

I hope we're all looking at Applicants and NOT matriculants.

 

[VC15]

The 8.6 is actually for people who applied to medical school in 2001. The actual average MCAT verbal score in 2001 (April, August combined) for everyone, including those who didn't apply, is 7.9. The average PS score was 8.2 and the average BS score was 8.4. In 2000 the averages were 7.8, 8.2, and 8.3.

<a href="http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/examineedata/sum2001.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/examineedata/sum2001.pdf</a>

<a href="http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/examineedata/sum2000.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/examineedata/sum2000.pdf</a>

 

[relatively prime]

Why the hell is AAMC always giving us conflicting information?! Look at the link I gave... then look at the link VC15 gave... now tell me something isn't wrong here!! What's up with these people?!

 

[VC15]

I don't think it's necessarily conflicting... One would expect the average of all MCAT takers to be lower than that of those who apply, because people with a very low score in verbal (or any other section) will often choose to retake the MCAT and not apply in the current application cycle.

 

[relatively prime]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by VC15:
•I don't think it's necessarily conflicting... One would expect the average of all MCAT takers to be lower than that of those who apply, because people with a very low score in verbal (or any other section) will often choose to retake the MCAT and not apply for the current application cycle.•••••Oh... yeah, I guess you're right. Oops

 

[H0mersimps0n]

Yeah so according to the last MCAT I'm a completely illiterate science-type guy who's better than average at problem solving in the sciences...

3 verbal
9 phy
9 bio

Can I protest or request a regrade or investigation just for my verbal scores? I must have mis-keyed the test.

I also thought that verbal section had the longest questions I'd ever seen on any single MCAT or practice MCAT...

 

[VC15]

I'm not sure, but I think it is possible to ask them to check your test again (for a fee). You should definitely go ahead and do it... good luck

 

[PlayaHata]

This years Verbal was by far the hardest of any of the aamc practice tests. I got 9's and 10's on them, and only got an 8 this april. The verbal average of those who sat for the exam is 7.8 but in the eights for those who applied.

 

[H0mersimps0n]

thanks guys, I e-mailed them to request a regrade... a 3 is just unreal and doesn't correspond to the rest of the test at all, its not consistent and says very little for the MCAT as a whole.

 

[Bikini Princess]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by H0mersimps0n:
[QB]
3 verbal
9 phy
9 bio

Can I protest or request a regrade or investigation just for my verbal scores? I must have mis-keyed the test.
QB]••••If you mis-gridded the test, which is really likely based on your score, there isn't any way to get your test regraded. Regrading by hand only corrects eraser marks, etc.

Don't give up hope though. I think the medical schools will recognize this error, and when you retake it and get a 9, they will know this was a fluke.

 

[smid]

I had the opposite experience (sort of). I hd been scoring barely double digit, and as low as an 8 on the AAMC tests (3-6), but got an 11 in april. I think it can really go either way. Sometimes the biggest difference (for me) was just FINISHING the exam.
A 3 does seem pretty low for an English speaking person. Maybe you mis bubbled, everyone's nightmare. I'm so sorry to hear that there has been a mistake. It is so awful to work so hard and then feel like it was for nothing. Congratualtions on the science scores though!

 

[H0mersimps0n]

Yeah it probably was a mis-bubble. Unfortunately it was my second attempt at the MCAT and I do not have it in me to put myself through that hell again.

I called for a regrade and the guy was pretty rude and said it has to be in writing and the fee is $50. &lt;sigh&gt;

I don't know what to do but I absolutely am NOT wasting my life on that rediculous test again. (yeah I'm bitter, can you tell?)

 

[Mudd]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by H0mersimps0n:
I called for a regrade and the guy was pretty rude and said it has to be in writing and the fee is $50.••••WHAT!?!?!? The AAMC people are rude?

Seriously, I just don't understand the people at AAMC. It's not like their job is that challenging. A couple months out of the year they get a few phone calls from people who's entire future is in their hands. How hard would it be for them to be a bit understanding and try to be nice for a couple months? After the nice period, they can go back into hybernation or screwing up their website, or whatever they do.

 

[jot]

'tis true

 

[VC15]

Is the MCAT actually getting harder and harder every year? After each administration there's always people saying "this is the hardest MCAT I've ever seen!!!" etc., but if so many of these passages and accompanying questions have been used for a few years already, how can that be?