<p>For those of you who have been through this MCAT testing process successfully, how did your first salvo at an actual full length timed practice MCAT go? (not Kaplan, Barron's , etc but from the real site) and when did you take it? How did your scores change over time? </p>
<p>It seems to be commonly understood on this board that students don't need Phd. or even upperclass level understanding of Bio, Physics, and Chem to do "well" on the test. Well, my D wanted to get a baseline after her freshman year so that as she studies along hoping to take the MCAT in the summer between Soph and Jr years - she had some way to chart her progress. She spent about 30 hours over 2 weeks (at the very most) reviewing Physics (she only had high school honors), chem (she just finished freshman chem, no orgo), bio (just finished freshman bio). She had no other courses taken in college or high school that would apply directly to the MCAT (other than AP Bio and Honors Chem. Few AP's at her school.). Yet, she did (what I think is remarkably) well both in scaled score and percentiles when she took Practice Test #3 today online.</p>
<p>What gives? She's stunned. </p>
<p>I know she couldn't be the only one who has done this, and done much higher than expected, and I'll admit she is a successful standardized test taker (35 ACT also came as a bit of a shocker), and an excellent student at her college . I'd like to hear some of your stories so I can relate them to her when she gets home. If her head will fit through the door.</p>
<p>haha Congrats. I have heard of a lot of people doing well on the practice test that's posted on e-mcat.com. I personally didn't find 3R to be any easier or more difficult than the others but a lot of people say that it is easier than the typical MCAT.</p>
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what did your daughter score curmudgeon?
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I'd like to stay out of that area, if possible. If it becomes relevant I'll put it out there. If not, it just seems like bragging when that was not my purpose. I will go as far as saying she was hoping for something in the mid 20's and did a good bit better than that. And BTW, she has come by 3 times asking about responses. I think she's going to make a post herself on that student doctor forum and ask the same thing. She may post her score over there.</p>
<p>It is a revised version of a previously administered test but it is not as similar to current tests as some of the newer practice tests (7, 8, and 9). AAMC 3R is the oldest and most outdated of all of the PT's that the AAMC has released.</p>
<p>AAMC 3R is the oldest and most outdated of all of the PT's that the AAMC has released.</p>
<p>That must be why it was the freebie. LOL. I suspected as much. That's the reason for the thread. To hear other's experiences , hopefully so her score can be put in context where we have none (or little).</p>
<p>No need to fret though. Like I said, I didn't score any different on 3R than I did on 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8. In fact, all of my PT scores were within 3 points of each other.</p>
<p>bruinboy, I would think that would be the case in physical science when she hasn't had physics, and maybe a little in bio since she hasn't had orgo but the VR? That seems to be one that you get or don't get and if you get let's say 51 out of 60 from what I've seen that's probably about where you'll end up I'd guess. But it is only a guess. I spent some time on the student doctor site with her today and it seems she did pretty well.</p>
<p>Provided that the tests are all scaled equivalently, conventional wisdom is that preparation can usually buy you 10 points or so. Obviously there is a diminishing return -- you can't score a 36 and expect to improve by ten points, for example -- but the point remains.</p>
<p>I started off pretty high already and improved by nine points. Calibrate my starting score -- which sounds like it was in your daughter's range -- to be a 0. Six weeks later, I scored a 4. Practice tests followed each week after that: 6, 11, 7, 6. The actual test came back as a 9.</p>
<p>Provided that she did not receive extensive reading comprehension preparation while preparing for the SAT, even excellent test-takers can benefit from coaching on the Verbal Reasoning portion of the MCAT. This is especially important because VR is the section which is most vulnerable to test-day drops -- as many as four points for some of my friends on this section alone.</p>
<p>I am also very good with bubbles (99.5th percentile on the SAT was the worst I've ever done on a standardized test) and my VR score improved by three points with Kaplan coaching.</p>
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This is especially important because VR is the section which is most vulnerable to test-day drops -- as many as four points for some of my friends on this section alone.
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:eek: and here I was thinking that part would be the constant. Jeez.</p>
<p>So if you improved VR by 3, and you improved total by 9, then you improved Bio and PS by 6 cumulatively. Very nice. </p>
<p>She intends to do a course prior to taking the "real" thing.</p>
<p>1.) Well, all standardized tests are pretty related, regardless of how closely related the subject matter is.</p>
<p>2.) VR is vulnerable to drops for two reasons. The first is an actual performance drop and is a reason I'm not particularly confident about. Verbal is not a concrete right-or-wrong subject the same way other subjects tend to be -- there is a "best answer", but it might be more vulnerable to test-day jitters.</p>
<p>The second reason I have more confidence in. I think the curves on VR have been changing the fastest, and so even a constant performance will result in a score drop on test day if old tests are used to predict performance.</p>
<p>BDM: so are you saying many of your friends who took the MCAT scored say in the 13-14 region on practice tests and then 9-10 on the real deal? That's depressing...</p>