Talk:Medical College Admission Test

There

There has never been 45 perfect score. Is this true?

Perfect scores

There are occasionally perfect scores of 45 on the MCAT; a 45T is quite uncommon. The percentile-rank tables show 0.0% for scores of 45, but only because the number rounds to 0%. --Ellen 23:21, 11 February 2006 (UTC)

Also, the verbal section until a few years ago had a maximum of 13-15, so the top score was 43-45. --Christopherlin 18:26, 11 February 2006 (UTC)

RuveneCo/MCAT-prep.com

RuveneCo/MCAT-prep.com was just created today, less than an hour after linking from MCAT. These are the sole contributions from 70.80.55.223 and Poplowski. I've left a note on user's talk page with a reference to WP:CORP, WP:NOT, and here. --Christopherlin 19:00, 28 February 2006 (UTC)

Yes thats true

Essay scores

Essays are actually read by two graders, so the score scale is 4-24, not 2-12; more importantly, the AAMC has said that a score of 4 represents "competency," for lack of a better word, but nowhere do they state what percentage of essays receive scores of 4 or higher. Stismail 02:59, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

Referring to this sentence: "Each essay is graded from 1 to 6 points by each of two readers, yielding a total score of 4-24; this score is then converted to a letter scale (4 = J, 24 = T)." How do we know this? What's the attribution? XKL 13:47, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

I'm rather sure I also read that in a Kaplan review book once upon a time. Unfortunately, I don't have the text around me to cite. Exigence 04:00, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Copyedit Tag

This article has an inconsistent style and tone.

• "Interestingly, there is no penalty for wrong multiple choice answers, and thus even random guessing is preferable to leaving an answer choice blank (unlike, for example, the SAT)." in the Overview: Why is this interesting?

I got a minor in statistics and can answer this. Say two testers have identical knowledge and preparation for the exam and have identical brains. Lets say they both are totally unsure of 12 questions and there are 4 answers to chose from in a multiple choice. Ideally, they would score 3 correct guesses out of the 12. Both the test-taker and the medical colleges reviewing an applicants score would like to eliminate the variance which could result from one of the twin's using a better "guessing method" like christmas-treeing vs using the clock method (1-15 seconds mark A, 16-30 seconds mark B, 31-45 seconds mark C, 46-60 seconds mark D). Since the MCAT score depends heavily on marginal scoring, the variance is a source of MCAT error. Ideally the test-takers and the reviewing party would rather plead no-contest on the 12-questions and just "bargain" to have 3 of the 12 scored correct, and 9 of the 12 scored incorrect. Rather than take the chance of getting 10, 11, or all 12 guesses wrong when each guess is at most a 75% chance of getting wrong.

• "Scores for the writing section range from J to T" in the Overview: What do J and T stand for? Which one is the high end and which the low?

This is the same reason that the LSAT ranges from 120-180, why not 0-100? Arbitrary ranges are less hurtful. T is the high end.

• "Surprisingly, it is the VR score which most directly correlates to success on the USMLE Step I exam." in the Overview: Why is this surprising?

Source?

• "Each essay is graded from 1 to 6 points by each of two readers, yielding a total score of 4-24" in Exam Administration: This sentence is just plain confusing.

The score of 1-6 includes half-increments, like a 3.5, so you have to double the score at either this step, or the final step, to get rid of the possibility of half-increments. e.g. if one grader gives a 3.5 and the other one a 4.0, then the 7.5 score can get rid of the .5 by doubling to 15.

• The Preparation subdivision mentions a table in the third paragraph but none is present. Was it mistakenly deleted by someone? I cannot find it in the recent history edits.

Karma Thief 05:55, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Source?

Test Takers

As someone not from the U.S., this might seem like a trivial question, but who takes the MCAT?? High-school students?? Undergrad's?? Maybe someone who knows should add this to the article! Lima Golf 07:05, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

• The article states that it's taken by prospective medical students. It's usually taken in the Junior Year of college and repeated if needed. I suppose we could add that it's "often taken by College Juniors" but I'm not sure where it should go. Any ideas or suggestions as to if it's actually needed? --Robert Stone, Jr. 09:49, 1 January 2007 (UTC)

Verbal reasoning

If you want to claim that verbal reasoning correlates most with USMLE Step I scores please provide a peer reviewed reference that supports your claim. If you cannot provide such a source then do not make any claims to the contrary. As of now two references cited support the fact that BS scores correlate the most with USMLE Step 1.

History section?

This is an encyclopedia entry, right? Currently it's basically a basic "what do you need to know about the MCAT if you're applying to medical school" page. Shouldn't we add at least a history section? I'd be happy to take a crack at that, but only if there is some support for the idea. Comments? XKL 13:52, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

I'd like to see it: go for it. SarahLawrence Scott 12:33, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

i'm all for it as well; it'd be nice to get a historical context of the MCAT, especially how the test format has changed over the years i.e. the new CBT versus the old paper exam. There have been oversights on the exams as well, such as the January 27th verbal reasoning glitch that mismatched a passage and a set of questions. If you know MCAT history, then go fo it!

Vantage addition

An anonymous contributor whose IP address is associated with Vantage added this: "The first reader is Intellimetric, a proprietary computer program developed by Vantage Learning, which analyses creative writing and syntax. The second and third readers are humans, who generally look at the overall impact rather than spelling and grammar." Should this be included without attribution? The comments include this link: [1] but 1) that isn't available as part of the article and 2) doesn't include the specifics mentioned (about 2 human readers and what they'll be judging). Should it be removed until supporting information is available (from MCAT, Prometric or Vantage, presumably)? XKL 02:04, 26 March 2007 (UTC)

Current Price

It'd be nice if the current and even past prices for the exam are included.--205.133.240.254 20:10, 24 April 2007 (UTC)