what the heck happened!?!

[eggs13]

So i just got my MCAT scores yesterday and boy was I shocked/disappointed. (28Q..PS-10 VR-6 BS-12)

I began studying in january for my may 21 test day and in the last month leading up to the test i was scoring consistently between 32-36, never getting less than a 10 on any one section. I get my scores today and I am completely dumbfounded to see that i got a 6 on VR!!

I am planning on retaking the test in August because based on my past practice test scores I am confident I can score 30+ and i know that applying with a 6 on VR would be a major red flag, especially at the schools I'm trying to go to.

Do I just write this off as a fluke and hit the books for the next two months or what?! I am really so confused how I could go from consistently 10+ to a 6!---has this happened to anyone else??! HELP!

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[flodhi1]

So i just got my MCAT scores yesterday and boy was I shocked/disappointed. (28Q..PS-10 VR-6 BS-12)

I began studying in january for my may 21 test day and in the last month leading up to the test i was scoring consistently between 32-36, never getting less than a 10 on any one section. I get my scores today and I am completely dumbfounded to see that i got a 6 on VR!!

I am planning on retaking the test in August because based on my past practice test scores I am confident I can score 30+ and i know that applying with a 6 on VR would be a major red flag, especially at the schools I'm trying to go to.

Do I just write this off as a fluke and hit the books for the next two months or what?! I am really so confused how I could go from consistently 10+ to a 6!---has this happened to anyone else??! HELP!

I'm in the same exact boat I pretty much had the same score as your range (7 VR, 12 PS, 10 BS) and to be honest I was a little disappointed because I didn't think my VR was that hard. I think the main reason why you and I probably got 6-7 on the VR was because the passage lengths were longer on the actual exam compared to the AAMC exams. On my actual exam I had 5 minutes to answer the last 2 passages and pretty much started clickings random answers which most definitely dragged me down to a 7. I'm however not retaking because I hit my averages on the Sciences and was about 1-2 points below on the VR. Now I don't think it's worth retaking in my case for a point or two. However, if you truly believe you can score >32 (maintaining the science scores and bringing the VR up to a 9? (by increasing your reading speed possibly....) I would retake! However be careful that when retaking your application will probably end up being towards the late end of the pool. So reevaluate all the conditions and make sure you can score the same if not better on the Sciences. Good luck champ you can do this

 

[SeminoleVesicle]

Do I just write this off as a fluke and hit the books for the next two months or what?! I am really so confused how I could go from consistently 10+ to a 6!---has this happened to anyone else??! HELP!

Either test anxiety or you didn't practice the VR section enough.

 

[NickNaylor]

I'll second the test anxiety. Either that or your practice exams weren't taken under simulated testing conditions.

 

[eggs13]

hey guys thanks for the responses

I tried my best to simulate test conditions as best I could in my home. I would take the test the same time in the morning I would take it on test day, use only the allotted time for breaks, not talk to anyone during breaks, etc.

I def could see test anxiety having some part in it, but i dont get how that wouldnt affect my other 2 scores in the same dramatic fashion.

I do agree that the passages on the actual exam did seem to be longer and I guess this second time around studying I will have to try finishing verbal practices is considerably less time.

but man, still quite the bummer!

 

[MDminded]

Sounds to me like overall you definitely had test anxiety (especially if your PS and BS scores were not optimal). But you were hit worst at the verbal section for the following reasons I'm guessing:

- Longer passages
- Passages that were a little more difficult or denser than what you are used to.

I used EK my first go at the MCAT, and I've seen that for me, EK was great for practicing strategy. If you decide to try again, give TPRH's verbal a shot. I think those are definitely better in testing your endurance. In my opinion, the real deal had a lot more of those boring, claw-my-eyes-out type of passages than the AAMCs provided as practice. So try to find more "boring" things to read, and practice adjusting to that type of rhetoric and language style. Hopefully that'll help you out. Sounds like your strategy should have been fine otherwise, if on your practices you were doing well on average.

Good luck!

 

[KindofBlue]

If you decide to try again, give TPRH's verbal a shot. I think those are definitely better in testing your endurance. In my opinion, the real deal had a lot more of those boring, claw-my-eyes-out type of passages than the AAMCs provided as practice. So try to find more "boring" things to read, and practice adjusting to that type of rhetoric and language style. Hopefully that'll help you out. Sounds like your strategy should have been fine otherwise, if on your practices you were doing well on average.

Good luck!

I just started with my MCAT prep using TPRH verbal also, and I completely agree that they are clawing my eyes out.
Hopefully in a week or so I'd get used to it...