<p>I have just learned from my child that his diagnostic test score (taken at a KAPLAN center) is 29. How difficult is it to improve from this score to, say, 32-33? (I think this is his targeted score.)</p>
<p>For some unknown reason, his VR score is higher than his PS and BS scores on this diagnostic test, even though he is a science major and has taken more science classes than non-science ones and has done relatively well on most of the pre-reqs.</p>
<p>He also said that there are a lot of "homework" after each class. He likes his instructor (who is an MS1 or MS2 student, I think.)</p>
<p>Thanks for your input. (It is likely that he will not work on MCAT as hard as you did after your sophomore year though It is because he said he could hardly finish the assigned work.)</p>
<p>A rise of 6-8 points is a very typical outcome and your son should be putting in the effort to get to that level.</p>
<p>It’s not strange at all that the VR was higher. Despite common perception, the MCAT is NOT a test of one’s knowledge. In fact, when I taught for Kaplan, I often found that bio majors or chem majors struggled much more on the questions in their major because they knew too much. The science concepts on the MCAT are very basic and bringing in outside information (other than physics formulas), often led to overanalysis and wrong answers. Students end up in a situation where they can say “well under these conditions, A would correct, but B would be right under this circumstance” when the right answer is really B because that’s the basic principle. </p>
<p>He needs to do the homework. One, that’s going to cover his basics. Two, it’s required for his Kaplan score guarantee - if he doesn’t do it, he can’t retake the course. Three, while nothing’s ever one hundred percent, there was a definite correlation when I taught between the amount of practice material covered and score improvement. The assigned homework is the foundation, but getting through the optional stuff pays off.</p>
<p>i started with a 19 on my MCAT diagnostic (i kid you not) and improved 14 points. it really depends on how your son approached the diagnostic. if he (like me) didn’t prepare for the diagnostic at all then he should pretty easily rise a handful of points without really trying too hard (for me i got to a 29 without really studying and just knowing the testing strategies). if he was somewhat prepared for the diagnostic then he will probably have a smaller increase but starting at 29 he should easily come out of the real test with a score in the low to mid thirties and has the potential to get a 35+ (which is an excellent score that will make him competitive at every school).</p>
<p>My D is an excellent standardized test taker but this thing stumped her a bit. Her first ever practice test (timed, test-like conditions etc) was within 2 points of her actual score (she didn’t re-take) . In other words her study plan didn’t pay much in dividends. And she hadn’t had O-Chem or Physics when she took the practice test. </p>
<p>So, I guess I’m agreeing that it is not a knowledge test, or if it is, it’s bad one. For the soon to be test-takers you really need to understand what the pros here are saying. I see countless threads from kids like mine, who try to overpower the test rather than finesse it. </p>
<p>A student, who studied with my kid for the MCAT and shares similar high school and college success just tanked her first MCAT. Not high enough to be very competitive anywhere (allopathic). She re-took it for a 39. When asked how she improved so dramatically without really doing anything differently (no course), she said just what folks are saying here.</p>
<p>My kid took the MCAT test the first time and didn’t do all that great even though she took the Kaplan course and was routinely scoring > 35 on the practise tests. The problem as I understand it was not the knowledge stuff but interpreting passages and getting the answers out of those passages of material that are not typically in courses.</p>
<p>My kid said that he had more problems on the physics section of the diagnostic because he “forgot” a lot about it. Granted, he did not prepare for it (physics, chemistry, orgo and biology) before he took the diagnostic test. But I would think that the introductory physics is a subject that, once you learn it, you likely retain most of it (unlike orgo or biology). Am I wrong here?</p>
<p>Ironically, he made a comment like this not long time ago: Physics is probably the only subject that he does not need to spend much time on it before taking MCAT. I wonder whether it is because he is not allowed to use a calculator on this test and his calculation speed or accuracy is not good enough. For the test at school, the calculator is usually allowed.</p>
<p>I am less surprised that he did somewhat better on VR. This is because, in the past, he rarely had a problem with a standardized reading test (if SAT VR test counts as a verbal reasoning test.)</p>
<p>I am sorry to intrude on your thread mcat2, but lets say you make a 28 on the mcats your first time(real mcat), how much of an improvement should there be if you countinue to work at your score, (this is assuming you studied hard for the mcats your first time)…sorry I didn’t want to start another thread for no reason)…</p>
<p>DocT, it could be that your child may have been nervous his/her first time…its a lot of pressure taking a test your first time(or at least it is for me)…if he/she has been scoring >35, than i assume he/she may do a lot better the second time…</p>
<p>statistics compiled by the AAMC have shown that there is on average little improvement among those who retake the MCAT …might be mostly due to the fact that most people who retake it are in denial about their abilities </p>
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<p>taking it twice is not a big deal (unless you do worse the second time around) …taking it three times i iffy, especially if there isn’t much improvement… taking it more than three times is a BIG problem…basically if u can’t get it right after three tries then you should probably start thinking seriously about DO schools and/or alternate careers</p>
<p>twinmom, I do not know the answer to your question. But when I talked to my child about it, I just said that it would be no problem if you want to take it a second time, even though I know I may give him wrong information and may really screw him up later on. My intention for telling a (likely) white lie is that we do not want to give him additional pressure by saying “you have only one shot.” But we also made it very clear that he has to be as prepared as he can before he takes his first test. Actually, we told him that he could take the test by the end of next April. In response to our remark, he now thinks the best time for him to take his first test is after the winter break, i.e., at the beginning of his spring semester next year. Our family’s style is to do most things slowly and steadily I guess doing things so slowly is not what most people would recommend. (Oops, I just cross-post with Shraf. He has answered your question.)</p>
<p>This is not good advice. Take the MCAT once - a second time will send up a yellow/red flag when your app is reviewed. There are some schools who will cut you some slack on a re-take and place greater weight on the retake. At the other end of the spectrum are schools who basically pretend that your second score doesn’t exist. (BDM’s got a schpeal about MCAT retakes and admissions - I’ll leave it to him to provide the details.) </p>
<p>I intuitively know that he should not take the test more than one times. This is why I say it is a white lie. I would rather not want to give him additional pressure by telling him that he has only one shot. When I was young, I had the similar “one-shot-only” experience (not for MCAT of course). We just do not want him to suffer through the same unpleasant experience. If he learns the truth from other source (e.g. his Kaplan class), it is up to him to choose whatever is right for him. We just do not want to be the persons who “warn” him about this.</p>
<p>TM: I do think it’s frowned upon by medical schools, but the big thing is to remember that all scores count. You can’t erase a 29 by retaking, the way you (supposedly) can with the SATs.</p>
<p>Kaplan advertises a 10 point average increase for their students, I believe. Friends I know went from 25 to 30, 28 to 33, and 29 to 39. I went from 27 to 37, although I made a 28 on a free Kaplan practice exam (they use such exams to entice people to enroll).</p>
<p>The diagnostic is probably designed to be harder than the real exam, just so they can protect their Higher Score Guarantee. I highly recommend your son follows Kaplan’s advise. I say this because I didn’t at all - I hardly read for class, never did any of the homework. I basically showed up for the lessons, and took a few practice exams. I actually didn’t even do enough to qualify for the HSG.</p>
<p>While it ended up working out, my relaxing summer during Kaplan classes turned into a hellish two weeks preceding my test date. I was studying all the time, just generally miserable. If I had followed Kaplan’s testing schedule (they customize their advice based on the initial diagnostic, score goals, time til test date, etc.), I would’ve been more prepared and a hell of a lot more relaxed heading into the exam. While I was able to stay perfectly calm during test day (very key), the nights before I was anything but. If in the last week you’re able to sit down, confident in how much you’ve prepared, I imagine it makes the experience so much less stressful.</p>
It is because he said he could hardly finish the assigned work.)</p>