Why does it take AAMC so long to release MCAT grades?!!!

[Irish Football]

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Frustrated from all this waiting....

Sry if this has been discussed before, but I was wondering what you guys think the real reason is for it taking 35 days to get our scores?

Is it just the grading of the essays that takes so long? If so, then after the writing section is removed from the test, scores should come back much faster right?

Can you guys think of any other reasons a computerized test takes so long to grade?

 

[BABSstudent]

They also standardize the scores, so each test has about the same distribution. Probably a pain in the butt to do.

 

[TheShaker]

They like to troll around the MCAT forums and watch us pull our hair out. 🙄

But seriously, it's probably standardization or it's a way for them to generate extra revenue from scheduled retakes.

 

[chillaxbro]

It takes a long time to grade the multiple choice!!!

 

[Irish Football]

I thought that all the standardization is done beforehand, base on how hard they think the test is. That just what I've heard.

 

[BigBlueBear]

I thought that all the standardization is done beforehand, base on how hard they think the test is. That just what I've heard.

Nah it's based on how everyone does on it. That way it's very objective, vs. a system where AAMC is like "well...I think this test was harder than the last test. All in favor? 15-14? Okay, this one is curved harder"

That would be lolzy 😀

 

[Irish Football]

Nah it's based on how everyone does on it. That way it's very objective, vs. a system where AAMC is like "well...I think this test was harder than the last test. All in favor? 15-14? Okay, this one is curved harder"

That would be lolzy 😀

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not. I would like to know the actual answer to this, bc I was told they decide the curve beforehand.

 

[BigBlueBear]

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not. I would like to know the actual answer to this, bc I was told they decide the curve beforehand.

No I was being serious...I've always understood that they gather all the score data and then normalize it. I don't possibly see how they could predict that before any scores came in.

 

[09ine]

Its been predicted that some questions have more weight than others and that's how they set up the curve. Someone here sent them an email and they said they couldn't reveal anymore info. It sucks if it's true, but its their test and their rules.

 

[TheShaker]

I thought they have a rough rating system of which questions are "easy" and "hard" and the scale will depend on how many easy and hard questions there are on a given test. I think they do look at the scores and then analyze them to see if adjustment is necessary though.

Then again, the process probably only takes a week to complete but with a test being administered every week, they can get backed up.

 

[MT Headed]

No I was being serious...I've always understood that they gather all the score data and then normalize it. I don't possibly see how they could predict that before any scores came in.

Because all of the passages and questions have been presented as ungraded practice questions on previous MCAT tests. They know how difficult a question is by the time they get around to scoring it.

There is no MCAT curve for a given sitting. If there was, then people would game the system by trying to figure out when all the stupid students take the MCAT.

I have no idea why the test takes so long to grade. It will be interesting to see if in 2013 the test gets graded quickly.

 

[kpcrew]

what's the hurry?

 

[TheShaker]

what's the hurry?

Oh nothin, just chillin and waiting for the number that will determine my future career.

 

[Irish Football]

Oh nothin, just chillin and waiting for the number that will determine my future career.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[Dave89]

Oh nothin, just chillin and waiting for the number that will determine my future career.

LOL you wish. The MCAT is peanuts compared to Step 1 in that regard. So, no pressure now.

Remember: go to med school based on where you'll be happy for 4 years. You can rock the Boards from any school.

 

[TheMightySmiter]

Oh boy, MCAT waiting was nothing compared to waiting to hear some sort of news from fourteen med schools for a year. I imagine it only gets worse.

 

[kpcrew]

Oh nothin, just chillin and waiting for the number that will determine my future career.

Spoken like a true premed.

 

[TheShaker]

Spoken like a true premed.

Well, I'm glad I ended up in the right forum this time. 🙄

 

[La Presse]

I kinda wondered the same thing. A papre test might be a good excuse to wait that long--but a CBT. Haiiilll naw.

 

[Ironmandoc]

I thought that all the standardization is done beforehand, base on how hard they think the test is. That just what I've heard.

The MCAT isn't curved...and it certainly can't be standardized before hand...that's what we call MAGIC

 

[carramrod06]

I think they have a set amount of time set aside that is way more time than they actually need (30-35 days) just in case something goes wrong with the test (i.e. maybe they need to throw out a question, address testing center irregularities, and maybe possible cheating allegations). Also grading the writing section. I'm sure there are least a few instances when the human grader and the computer grader have >1 pt difference and they have to call in a 2nd human grader, which takes time.

 

[09ine]

It does say on their site that there is no curve.

 

[Dave89]

The MCAT isn't curved...and it certainly can't be standardized before hand...that's what we call MAGIC

Each question is scaled for difficulty.

 

[Luvahgilahsa]

They like to troll around the MCAT forums and watch us pull our hair out. 🙄

But seriously, it's probably standardization or it's a way for them to generate extra revenue from scheduled retakes.

tell me about it...

 

[deleted127837]

.

 

[Tots]

The MCAT isn't curved...and it certainly can't be standardized before hand...that's what we call MAGIC

Each question is scaled for difficulty.

Lot of MCAT misconception going on here. Each question is not scaled for difficulty but the entire set of questions for PS/BS/VR is scaled for difficulty. Ie. on one exam a raw score of 42 might be an 11 and on another a 10 or a 12. Difficult questions are not worth more. Information on this can be found here MCAT Essentials and here Understanding Your Scores.

While I could not find a source for this: the current belief is that each exam is scored beforehand since every question has been used before. There is apparently a lot of statistics that goes into which questions appear on which test and it is believed they have a good idea of where the scale is going to be. Some of this came up when people were caught cheating on the MCAT a year or so ago(with video cameras being relayed back to other people) when the AAMC claimed it cost them around $200,000 since they now had to retire every question on that exam.

The MCAT isn't curved in the traditional sense - I guess you could probably say that each question is curved based on past performance of other students. Those "experimental passages" everyone prays to Zeus about are on every exam, and consist of questions that they don't have enough data on to place as easy/intermediate/hard. That's why they're there - it's not some diabolical plot to make students do 7 passages on electromagnetic organic rocket surgery.

When you actually get the MCAT, all the questions on it have been tested to a (presumably) statistically significant degree, and so they can scale your performance. If they give out 4-6 different MCATs on a particular day, they can get a substantial amount of experimental data - a full MCAT - on each test date (one of the advantages administrative-side of having so many test dates). They probably test certain experimental sections multiple times to ensure statistical significance. The lag period is probably most due to grading the writing section of the thousands of tests taken on a specific day.

It doesn't make any sense as to why it would take 30 days to scale tests up or down - it wouldn't take that much work to develop a computer program to churn through all the scores past and current, rank them based on AAMC idealized percentiles, and then spit out scores. Hell, the probably do that already, but it definitely doesn't take the computers 30 days to do so.

A lot of win here - pretty sure this is dead on. What I hear around here(I am in MCAT instructor) is that the reason the scoring takes forever is because of the essays.

 

[Dr MoJo]

So do you guys think the wait will change in 2013 when they take out the writing section?

 

[kasho11]

I have spoken with AAMC representatives twice now. There is no curve, questions have their difficulty level determined beforehand and questions ARE scaled - difficult questions are worth more than easier questions.

Step 1 takes 4 weeks to release scores also and isn't that test entirely multiple choice on computers?

The person I spoke with simply said it's just "the system" that takes so long to grade everything. Brick wall at that point with my questions.

 

[unnamedlord]

Even if it were curved after the exams, it would take at most 2 days for them to get scores from exams worldwide and then a day to run a computer algorithm that curves it -_-

 

[xXIDaShizIXx]

So do you guys think the wait will change in 2013 when they take out the writing section?

Yeah do you guys think it will be faster after the writing section is taken off?

 

[Verum]

Yeah do you guys think it will be faster after the writing section is taken off?

Yes.

 

[GNE24]

I have spoken with AAMC representatives twice now. There is no curve, questions have their difficulty level determined beforehand and questions ARE scaled - difficult questions are worth more than easier questions.
\

This is exactly correct as I also was told this a number of times. Question is, why cant the MCAT score reporting system be more like the GRE and report raw scores right after the test is over? Since dificulty is determined before hand, and since there is no curve, why not report raw point scores soon after the examination ( even including the experimental section)? Both use Prometric, both are taken at the same time, both have the same security measures. Reporting raw scores at the end would not reveal any specific answer ( A,B,C, or D), especially since the whole MCAT experience itself is a complete blur. I honestly feel the MCAT could be less secretive considering the amount of money students pay, but then again the system is the system.

 

[GNE24]

Even if it were curved after the exams, it would take at most 2 days for them to get scores from exams worldwide and then a day to run a computer algorithm that curves it -_-

lol. In one of my arguments concerning the MCAT process I mentioned this same exact thing. Like I said though, its clearly because scoring involves more than we think. There is no feasible reason to hide raw scores otherwise.

 

[UrshumMurshum]

I have spoken with AAMC representatives twice now. There is no curve, questions have their difficulty level determined beforehand and questions ARE scaled - difficult questions are worth more than easier questions.

Step 1 takes 4 weeks to release scores also and isn't that test entirely multiple choice on computers?

The person I spoke with simply said it's just "the system" that takes so long to grade everything. Brick wall at that point with my questions.

I've never heard this before, none of the practice exams reflect this. I'm pretty sure all questions are worth the same.

 

[xxhopefulxx]

I am also very curious if the time will be shortened in 2013... I really hope so