<p>Hey just curious, after taking practice MCAT sections i was trying to use the grading scale and saw that the scale made by Kaplan was much different than the average scale by AMCAS. According to the official website if you score a 44-46 on a given section that is comprable to about a 12 but on the kaplan scale a score of 45-47 is an 8. I took a practice MCAT section online not from kaplan or AMCAS. how do i know which scale to use for my score. or should i do some kind of average?</p>
<p>The AAMC practice tests (3-8R) are the best reflection of the actual test since they are previously administered tests. I assume you're talking about the verbal section (60 questions). The curves for each of the AAMC practice tests are available for free at <a href="http://www.e-mcat.com%5B/url%5D">www.e-mcat.com</a>. I don't know where you got that a 44-46 equates to a 12 but from the various curves I've seen a 50 is around a 10-11 (much harsher than your suggested scale). </p>
<p>Because tests from various sources vary by a lot (Kaplan and Princeton Review tests tend to be harder than the actual test), you can't just apply a random scale from any source to your test. My suggestion is to take a test from a legit source like Kaplan, Princeton Review, or, better yet, AAMC.</p>
<p>ok thanx, im just trying to get a head start on the mcat becasue i would really like to go to columbia med school and i heard that of all the sections the verbal is the one that can be improved the most just with practice and without prior knowledge of the sciences becasue i have yet to take Intro Bio II, Organic Chem, and Physics. Im a biochemistry major so i also have to take molec cell biology and genetics, i am also in the honors chem program so, is it safe to assume that i will do fairly well on the biology and physical sciences part of the test?</p>
<p>Yea, the verbal section is the only section that doesn't require outside knowledge but it is also the toughest section. I think I missed around 20 on my first verbal section. It was by far my least favorite section to practice for.</p>
<p>As for the science sections, advanced science courses aren't necessary and probably won't help you too much. I've taken biochem, evol. bio, genetics, etc. and only around 5% of the material taught in those classes are found on the MCAT.</p>
<p>Oh verbal was also the section in which I improved the least. I scored an 8 on my diagnostic test and only a 10 on the actual test.</p>
<p>yea fortunately i am fairly good at critical reading since on my SAT grade sheet i only got 3 wrong on critical reading and the rest correct which is like twenty something. im hoping that with a little practice for a long time ie 1.5-2 yrs ill be able to get the critical reading to about a 11-12. a 10 still isnt bad though</p>
<p>o yea i also dont expect the upper level sciences to help that much, i thought maybe genetics would and that is it. on practice physical science tests i do very well becasue i have a great chem backround and a fairly good physics backround even though i havent taken physics in college yet. i figure after that class i should be very prepared for the physical sciences...im kind of nervous for the biology and organic chem section becasue i have very little experience with either and do not know how well my college courses will prepare me for them...well just have to wait and see</p>
<p>j/w whered u goto school and watr u stats? did u wind up gettin into med school?</p>
<p>I go to Cornell University and will be applying next semester for med school.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, you're talking to someone who scored 790 on SAT verbal. I find very little similarity between the verbal section of the SAT vs. that of the MCAT. No more Amy Tan passages. I scored around 10-11 (topping out at 12) on my verbal sections, consistently 2-3 points behind my scores on my science sections. </p>
<p>I generally got very fatigued going through the entire verbal section, reading the dense passages. Time was also an issue. I usually had to use almost all of the time given and on the real MCAT actually ran out of time (had to guess on an entire 10-question passage).</p>
<p>norcalguy, take a look at MDAPPLICANTS.COM</p>
<p>I generally try to avoid looking at profiles on that site. Too depressing hehe</p>