I was curious about others here that used Kaplan. I just took my first practice MCAT and scored a 23. I was a bit disappointed, although I have four more to go before Aug 20. Literally, everything else on my resume is perfect (3.85 gpa, 200+ hours annual volunteer time, 400+ hours of shadowing time with 4 different physicians - 2 of which are on med school faculties, great LORs, already have both undergrad and graduate degrees, etc). Most of the schools I am looking at probably want a 27 to 30. Does it sound like I can do it? If I come in short, like a 25, will the other things possibly overshadow it. The practice test are Kaplan’s and I have been told I will do better on the real thing. Just curious what some of you veterans think.
~Craig
I remember scoring in the mid-20’s, starting in the low-mid 20’s and then slowly creeping up to the high mid-20’s. Then I did much better on the real test. In the end I think the best advantage of those practice tests are to get you accustomed to taking an 8-hour exam and thinking like a pro-standardized test taker.
Good luck,
Tara
I have heard others say that they think Kaplan’s tests are harder than the real thing so that when you take the real thing you end up with a higher score than on your diagnostic. Of course, I have also heard other people say that their Kaplan diagnostics were right on with what they ended up scoring.
A better indicator of how you will do might be seen by taking an actual MCAT practice test (these are previously given MCAT’s), available on their website. They usually offer access to one for free, and you can purchase unlimited access to a number of others for a year. Many have indicated that these tests were very helpful in their preparation.