Baseline MCAT?

MCAT Discussion
1

Hi all. Just for fun (fun???), I went to the MCAT web site and did their full-length (minus writing) practice test. I wanted to get a baseline score, to be encouraged when I improve. Did anyone else do this at the start, just to see where they were?


I was pretty happy with my score (for now…) since I don’t start the prerequisites until this fall. I had Physics I & II and also Chemistry I about 20 years ago. The only biology I had was back when I was 14 and never any organic chem.


I had a BS of 5, a PS of 6, and a V of 10. I was especially happy with the verbal score, because I think it’s least likely to go up. The others should go up drastically once I start taking classes again. This fall I’ll take Chem I & Bio I. Physics will have to wait until next year.


Angela



2

I didn’t take a whole test but I did do some passages. Initially I read science sections and thought, “Oh man I am screwed.” But like you, I did well on the verbal section and discovered that careful reading of science passages could help me with the questions even if I didn’t have the necessary understanding of the underlying science.


I think you’re starting out in good shape. Now go into those classes determined to kick a$$ and you’ll be good to go!


Mary

3
  • Mary Renard Said:
I didn't take a whole test but I did do some passages. Initially I read science sections and thought, "Oh man I am screwed." But like you, I did well on the verbal section and discovered that careful reading of science passages could help me with the questions even if I didn't have the necessary understanding of the underlying science.

I think you're starting out in good shape. Now go into those classes determined to kick a$$ and you'll be good to go!

Mary



This was my exact expression when I looked at the EK 101 verbal passages. But I figure that between now and Jan 2009 when I plan on taking my MCAT, I'll have plenty of time to get more comfortable with the passages.

AKN,that was actually a good idea. Which test did you take?

Kris
4

There’s a free, old, actual MCAT test at AAMC – http://www.e-mcat.com/ You can buy others for $35 each, which I plan to do as I get closer. It can even be taken online, which I hope is how the actual one is set up. There is a timer at the top of the screen. If we can click Guesses during the actual test, it makes it easier to return (if we have time). They also give us the periodic chart, which I didn’t realize.


Angela



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Thanks, Angela. Appreciate it! Hey I see that your location is Florida…whereabout? I’m currently living in Bradenton.


Kris



6

The old (pre-2007) free MCAT test on the AMCAS website was considered a bit on the easy side, especially the verbal, and not representative of the newer tests. I wouldn’t use that as a baseline. The package of exams which used to be $80 has some newer ones which are more realistic. Kaplan/Princeton have their own practice tests which are more or less comparable; I’ve heard varying reports as to whether they are harder or not. My own experience was that I scored a point or two higher on Kaplan than in real life, for whatever that’s worth.


I would recommend taking lots of practice tests from various sources, under realistic timed conditions–don’t “cheat”–and then knock a couple of points off just for nervousness and bad luck on test day, and you’ll probably have a pretty good idea of what you’re going to get. But you really won’t know until you take the darn thing and get your official score–that dreaded piece of mail! And of course, not directed at you AKN but this point often comes up–never take the real MCAT as a “practice”–you should go in totally prepared, having methodically zapped all your weak areas, planning to tackle this beast once and then move on to the applications.


Best of luck,

7

There are so many variables at play, so what you want is to take lots and lots of practice tests. (AFTER your prerequisite courses.) And then look for a GRADUAL upgrade in your performance. Superhigh and superlow outliers are probably going to be just that-- outliers.


Luck has so much to do with it. I got a 12 on physical sciences on the real thing, which I never was able to do in my Princeton Review class. My guess? The physical sciences section on the test I took (August 2005) was so off-the-charts hard, that people with a lot of physical science knowledge who should have done better got abnormally low scores, allowing me to get statistically normed into a score that (maybe) my knowledge base didn’t deserve.

8

ttraub,


Thanks for letting me know that practice one is on the easy side. I plan to do all the others on their site when I’m closer to MCAT-time.


Kris,


I’m in the Destin area.

9

Also, just to let you know, I did many of the AAMC CBT practice tests, and the real MCAT I had was NOTHING like the practice ones.


So not only take practice tests (you should) but do lots of practice problems.

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  • megboo Said:
Also, just to let you know, I did many of the AAMC CBT practice tests, and the real MCAT I had was NOTHING like the practice ones.

So not only take practice tests (you should) but do lots of practice problems.



What was the biggest difference you saw, meg?