<p>I'm currently a sophomore at Loyola University Chicago. I am pre-med: Biophysics Major, Psychology Minor.</p>
<p>I recently took a free practice MCAT administered by Kaplan staff this weekend. It was a test with 45 questions in each of the 3 sections, and they had it graded later in the day for us.
I went into the test completely blind: no studying, no preparation, not even sure how many sections there were going to be.</p>
<p>It was definitely tough and I was surprised by the difficulty of the Biological Sciences in particular. I ended up with: </p>
<p>Total: 26
10 PS
9 VR
7 BS</p>
<p>None of my friends were taking it, so I really have no idea if this is a good or bad thing for a blind practice test. I hope to shoot for a 32/33 on the actual MCAT, and I plan to take it in August or so to get it out of the way early because I'm studying abroad next fall.</p>
<p>So a few questions:
1) Should I take a Kaplan class this summer? (they obviously recommend it...)
2) What sort of improvement should I expect with a few months of study?
3) Is a 33 feasible?
4) Lastly, is my 26 an okay score for my first time/Is it an accurate predictor of how I would have done on the real MCAT?</p>
<p>I really appreciate you all reading this even though it doesn't concern most of you; I just knew this would be a good place to come ask for help. Thanks!</p>
<p>I think you could definitely score 32-33. I have heard that the practice exams are hard so that kids will feel compelled to sign up for a review class. I vaguely recall DS complaining that parts of his practice exam were hard but he scored a 33 on the actual exam later. He self-studied, but if you have the money and need the structure then a review course couldn’t hurt.</p>
<p>My first was a 25, I took a Kaplan class and toward the end of it consistently scored 33-34, ended up with 30, applied broadly, picked up some interviews, and am absolutely loving my choice for medical school.</p>
<p>Camaraterie,
You did very well. Congrats! D’s first was 25, she ended up with 35. Another similarity is D’s first VR was also 9. If you want to estimate, many are saying that real average MCAT score is within 2 points of your ACT and 2 points below your BEST practice score. It was exactly the case for my D.
She took Kaplan (the longest class). She said that it has helped a lot. She had very busy schedule as she was doing all EC’s during school year, including job, so she had to take the slower pace for MCAT prep. Most others are taking shorter class. She took MCAT in 2 weeks after her spring finals, while material was still fresh. Do not spend too much time trying to improve VR, D. could not do it. She ultimately got 11, but it was staying 9 - 11 right from the beginning, while other scores continue climbing with more preparation. She has read Economist and tried something else, but she is a bit slower reader with very high comprehension and this has worked for her academics (still OK at Med. School) and she could not change the way she reads. Best wishes, doing very well so far!</p>
<p>I’ve always been a strong student, and before the thought of the MCAT, I rarely studied more than 2 or 3 days in advance for a test (and often just 1 or 2). The MCAT is such a behemoth that it takes considerable prep beforehand.</p>
<p>I needed the Kaplan class to keep me on track and to give my studying some structure. I liked that they had a variety of resources–books, flashcards, classes, tutors, extensive online resources, etc–and seemed to really know what they were talking about. The program worked for me and I saw big improvements on each subject. </p>
<p>I hear a lot of people balk about the price of Kaplan (appx $1500 I think). The thing is, applying to med school is freaking EXPENSIVE. It’s sick to think that at the end of the day $1,500 is just chump change, but for the most part…it is. Just to give you some idea, you’ll be spending $250 on the test, $160 for your first AMCAS application and $35 for each additional one, and $500+ per interview (travel, accommodations, food, etc). Not to mention tuition ($27000/year at my state school)! </p>
<p>Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is that if you think a prep class would be a good idea but are hesitating because of the price, don’t! It will almost certainly be a good investment, in that by scoring higher on the test, you’ll have more options for applications and hopefully acceptances. Good luck!</p>
<p>Kristin, ultimately I was starting to feel the same way. Thanks all for your input.
Miami, I also appreciate all the useful info!</p>
<p>I’ll talk to my parents, but I think taking a class sounds like a good idea. Has anyone heard anything about the online course? That seems more my style.</p>
<p>want to emphasize kristin’s point, the MCAT is important and the cost is minimal in the long run. The only reason not to is because you don’t like classroom learning or can’t fit it into your schedule.</p>
<p>The test center director at the place I studied and then worked had a theory that your real score will be almost equal to your diagnostic score+((45-diagnostic)/2). It was pretty damn close for me (Diagnostic 30, actual 36, predicted 37.5), and so applying it to you would mean diagnostic 26, predicted 35.5, so a 32/33 is definitely doable from there.</p>
<p>Make sure if you do kaplan to take the AAMC tests, not just kaplan and I don’t know if they’ve changed it, but they used to recommend starting to scale back your studying in the final week which I regret. I personally think you should go full blast until the day before where you do nothing.</p>
<p>After I took the Kaplan diagnostic last summer, the adviser told each of us what she thought we should score on the actual MCAT. NOW I know where she got the number. I’m taking the PR diagnostic this weekend, does anyone have a formula for that? :)</p>
<p>LOL, well I suppose they both could have come up with it independently. But your formula matched perfectly the number I was given. (down to the .5) :)</p>