Will the MCAT get even harder next year?

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serendipity2018

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I read somewhere on an SDN-thread that the MCAT is going to change again next year in terms of its complexity and difficulty level. Someone suggested to take the MCAT in January instead of waiting until the spring since it would be worse to wait, and scores might come out lower with the new changes. I was originally thinking of taking my test in Jan. but feel that March is when I will be better prepared. But that thread kinda scared me...is there any truth to it and do you guys think the MCAT will be harder in March compared to January?

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I doubt it. It won't make a big enough difference to hurt someone who has properly and thoroughly prepared for the test. I worried about a similar thing when I took the new MCAT its first year - people were saying it was going to be "significantly harder" than the old test. It was different for sure but if you do your research and are diligent in studying it should be fine. Taking it in January unprepared vs. taking it in March very prepared, however, would be a bigger difference.
 
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Take it when you are ready. The MCAT is always scaled so it doesn't matter.
 
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You know your score is determined relative to the other test-takers right? The only way for it to get harder is if you become stupider while everyone else gets smarter.
 
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Thank you for your post.What exactly does it mean to be scaled?


How are the multiple choice sections of the MCAT exam scored?
Each score that you achieve on the four scored multiple-choice sections is based on the number of questions you answer correctly. This raw score is a reflection of your correct answers only. This means that a wrong answer will be scored exactly the same as an unanswered question. There is no additional penalty for wrong answers, so even if you are unsure of the correct answer to a question, you should make your best guess. The scores from each of these four sections will be converted to a scaled score ranging from 118 (lowest) to 132 (highest). For example, if your raw score on one of the sections is between 35 and 37, your converted score might be 123. Scores ranging from 46 to 48 might have a converted score of 128, and so forth.



Why are raw scores converted to scaled scores?
The conversion of raw scores to scaled scores compensates for small variations in difficulty between sets of questions. The exact conversion of raw to scaled scores is not constant because different sets of questions are used on different exams. The 15-point scale tends to provide a more stable and accurate assessment of a student's abilities. Two students of equal ability would be expected to get the same scaled score, even though there might be a slight difference between the raw scores each student obtained on the test.



Is the exam graded on a curve?
Test takers often ask if earning a high score is easier or harder at different times of the testing year. The question is based on an assumption that the exam is scored on a curve, and that a final score is dependent on how an individual performed in comparison to other test takers from the same test day or same time of year.

While there may be small differences in the MCAT exam you took compared to another examinee, the scoring process accounts for these differences. For example, a 124 earned on, the Critical Analysis and Reasoning section of one exam means the same thing as a 124 earned on that section on any other exam. How you score on the MCAT exam is not reflective of the particular exam you took—including the time of day, the test date, or the time of year—since any difference in difficulty level is accounted for when calculating your scaled scores (see above for information about scaling).


Understanding percentile ranks

The percentile ranks provided on your score report show the percentages of test takers who received the same scores or lower scores on the exam than you did. They show how your scores compare to the scores of other examinees.

Every year on May 1, the percentile ranks are updated using data from one or more testing years. These annual updates will ensure that the percentile ranks reflect current and stable information about your scores. This means that changes in percentile ranks from one year to another reflect meaningful changes in the scores of examinees, rather than year-to-year fluctuations. Updating percentile ranks is consistent with industry practice. Please note that these percentile ranks are very similar to the percentile ranks in use from April 2015 through April 2016. You can view the percentile ranks here. For more information, see the FAQ How do I understand my percentile ranks?

If you look at your scores in the Score Reporting System after May 1, you will see these percentile ranks. Please note that percentile ranks will not change much from one year to the next.
 
I doubt it. It won't make a big enough difference to hurt someone who has properly and thoroughly prepared for the test. I worried about a similar thing when I took the new MCAT its first year - people were saying it was going to be "significantly harder" than the old test. It was different for sure but if you do your research and are diligent in studying it should be fine. Taking it in January unprepared vs. taking it in March very prepared, however, would be a bigger difference.

Yes, that's what I thought too. I don't want to go in less prepared than I can be. I want to prepare to my full potential and then take it. Okay, I hope it doesn't change too much...the thread I was referring too said if the test changes, it would be in april after the AAMC had a years worth of data, so that was worrying for me. The new one is already difficult as it is compared to the old test, why must AAMC make it even harder? :confused:
 
Yes, that's what I thought too. I don't want to go in less prepared than I can be. I want to prepare to my full potential and then take it. Okay, I hope it doesn't change too much...the thread I was referring too said if the test changes, it would be in april after the AAMC had a years worth of data, so that was worrying for me. The new one is already difficult as it is compared to the old test, why must AAMC make it even harder? :confused:

It doesn't matter if it changes. If it changes for you, it changes for everyone else. Scores will stay the same because of the scale.
 
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You know your score is determined relative to the other test-takers right? The only way for it to get harder is if you become stupider while everyone else gets smarter.

Hmm...I thought it didn't matter how others did on the MCAT that day because our scores wouldn't be compared to the other test takers? Sorry, I might be mistaken, I'm still trying to understand the whole deal about MCAT scoring
 
Hmm...I thought it didn't matter how others did on the MCAT that day because our scores wouldn't be compared to the other test takers? Sorry, I might be mistaken, I'm still trying to understand the whole deal about MCAT scoring

If I understand the process, the AAMC gathers data about each individual question, uses that to determine the individual difficulty of that test question, and then changes its weight in your final score to reflect the difficulty of the questions you received on your particular test version. This is done globally, not based on who took the test with you on a certain day, week, month or year, so it is broad and is more reflective of your own ability.
 
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I'd say it's the same but it also depends on the person's personality. Some people, believe it or not, score better on harder exams than easier exams. Harder exams require critical problem solving skills, which they have. Easier exams require book-keeping skills and speed. So these people do well on harder exams because they can critically solve the problems and get points that most people don't (hence going up the curve). But they have trouble avoiding careless mistakes and are slower on exams that have many easy problems that you need to do quickly and accurately.
 
From stalking the MCAT forum, it seems that the Spring 2015 test takers had more "old-style" passages (the ones with less analysis, more regurgitation) than those who took it in 2016. I think if there had been a transition period, the test should be very close to its final form by now.
 
Only skimmed so it may have already been said:

The MCAT is scored by placing you on a curve against prior years' test takers that faced those questions (no two MCAT administrations are identical but questions do get recycled). So it doesn't matter how people next to you do on test day, and it doesn't matter if yours felt easier/harder than your friend says theirs felt last week!
 
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No. Why should it? Unless you're thinking of the exam that's currently given?

I read somewhere on an SDN-thread that the MCAT is going to change again next year in terms of its complexity and difficulty level. Someone suggested to take the MCAT in January instead of waiting until the spring since it would be worse to wait, and scores might come out lower with the new changes. I was originally thinking of taking my test in Jan. but feel that March is when I will be better prepared. But that thread kinda scared me...is there any truth to it and do you guys think the MCAT will be harder in March compared to January?
 
It will probably become more and more like the section banks, and less like the old tests, which I think is harder.


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The exam I took (July 2016) was substantially more difficult than the practice tests from AAMC. Having said that, I walked out of my exam knowing I got 7-8 wrong in Chem/phys and got a 131 in that section.
 
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Responding to OP, the MCAT seems to transitioning from older style passages to more Section Bank-like styles. Yes, the Section Bank questions are harder, but the test is curved, or normalized, to account for difficulty. So if you do get difficult passages, your responses will be normalized based on how previous years' test-takers who had that passage scored. It's not an absolute scale conversion so a 47/54 on one exam does not equate the same score on a different exam.
 
God I'm glad I took this thing in 2015
 
Yes it is going be at least 350 times harder
 
Lean the material, do practice exams and you will be fine. The most important thing a lot of people neglect is doing practice exams. They identify weaknesses in your logic or content gaps. So do atleast 5 prior to test day, preferrably once a week with 2-3 days going over mistakes.
 
Actually I remember someone mentioning that takers were scoring in the upper percentiles at a greater rate than on the old test. I personally know two people with what would be the equivalent to a 40 on the old test. Before, someone having a 40 was an extremely rare thing. (Still rare, just seems to be not quite as "blue moonish")
 
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Actually I remember someone mentioning that takers were scoring in the upper percentiles at a greater rate than on the old test. I personally know two people with what would be the equivalent to a 40 on the old test. Before, someone having a 40 was an extremely rare thing. (Still rare, just seems to be not quite as "blue moonish")
my closest friends and i all scored around the same (7 of us, same undergrad) with the lowest being me at a 519 which i think is a 37 or so. i dont know about before but getting a 520+ these days doesn't seem that rare to me. but im obviously heavily biased and this is completely anecdotal
 
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In my opinion, the test would not get harder. What I have found through the application process is that there are some schools still figuring out how to compare old versus new scores and percentiles. This might be a benefit for 2015-2016 MCAT test takers. For example: a 505 is considered a 27 on the old scales but might have a higher percentile rank compared to old score percentile. The more MCAT scores are released as time progresses the more data schools have to accurately determine what their "ideal scores" are for admission.
 
my closest friends and i all scored around the same (7 of us, same undergrad) with the lowest being me at a 519 which i think is a 37 or so. i dont know about before but getting a 520+ these days doesn't seem that rare to me. but im obviously heavily biased and this is completely anecdotal
As someone who got a 29 on the old MCAT and a 516 (95th percentile) on the new MCAT, I'm inclined to agree more with this than with the people saying that the new mcat is harder. I personally found the new MCAT to be significantly easier than the old one (including the AAMC practice tests old v new.)
 
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As someone who got a 29 on the old MCAT and a 516 (95th percentile) on the new MCAT, I'm inclined to agree more with this than with the people saying that the new mcat is harder. I personally found the new MCAT to be significantly easier than the old one (including the AAMC practice tests old v new.)
Or you became a better test taker.Or you prepped better.
 
Or you became a better test taker.Or you prepped better.
Which you would think but here's the thing, I studied much less for the new one than I did for the old one. For the old one I took an entire summer and basically studied full time, for the new one I was working full time for most of my study period. After I took a practice test and had an already high score, I took a pretty relaxed approach to exam prep. So I really don't think I prepped "better."

I was thinking the "maybe I just got smarter these past 2 years" but I find that not very likely, although who knows.

For WHATEVER reason, the new version of the exams seemed more straightforward to me. They had less calculating and much less figuring things out compared to the old exam IMO.

Obviously this is anecdotal, I'm not trying to claim I know for sure that the new exam is easier, but in my experience it certainly felt that way.
 
Which you would think but here's the thing, I studied much less for the new one than I did for the old one. For the old one I took an entire summer and basically studied full time, for the new one I was working full time for most of my study period. After I took a practice test and had an already high score, I took a pretty relaxed approach to exam prep. So I really don't think I prepped "better."

I was thinking the "maybe I just got smarter these past 2 years" but I find that not very likely, although who knows.

For WHATEVER reason, the new version of the exams seemed more straightforward to me. They had less calculating and much less figuring things out compared to the old exam IMO.

Obviously this is anecdotal, I'm not trying to claim I know for sure that the new exam is easier, but in my experience it certainly felt that way.
To add to this, another difference that really stuck out to me was how draining the practice tests were. I remember feeling exhausted and absolutely shot after taking any practice test for the old exam, while, although a lot longer, I didn't feel nearly as exhausted from the new exam's practice tests. This was an overall representation to me that I wasn't busy toiling over answers and figuring things out on the new exam as much as I had to do previously. It truly just seemed simpler to me.
 
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