Real MCAT harder than practice tests?

[AshPreMed]

A friend who just wrote the MCAT told me it was 10x harder than the practice tests. But I've heard from many people that the practice tests (TPR and AAMC) are generally representative of your real test performance.

 

Can anyone verify or answer this?

 

Thanks

[FrenchToast]

A friend who just wrote the MCAT told me it was 10x harder than the practice tests. But I've heard from many people that the practice tests (TPR and AAMC) are generally representative of your real test performance.

 

Can anyone verify or answer this?

 

Thanks

 

I found the real test easier. I haven't gotten my score so maybe I was crazy and I failed, though.

 

But anyways, I'd imagine there is a lot of variation based on the passages you get and what your strengths are.

[Savac]

I've done all of the AAMC practice tests, and most of the TPR practice tests.

 

The hardest AAMC test in my opinion was 11. AAMC 11 didn't even come close to the difficulty of the MCAT that I wrote. The style was similar, but the actual difficulty was harder.

[mvp21]

LOL 10x harder? I've heard many people say that the real one is easier. I scored 4 higher on the real one but I didn't think it was easier. Everyone probably tries harder and are more foused during the real one.

[AshPreMed]

In the worst case (like worst case ever), if anyone gets 25 LOL, would it hold them back if they redo the MCAT and get 32-35? Are old scores always considered? Including American schools.

[Savac]

In the worst case (like worst case ever), if anyone gets 25 LOL, would it hold them back if they redo the MCAT and get 32-35? Are old scores always considered? Including American schools.

 

You've asked this question before.

 

American schools will look at all of your MCAT scores. If you went from a 25 to a 32 without any other intermediate scores in between, they're not going to hold it against you. That is a tremendous level of improvement.

 

On the other hand, if you wrote it several times with limited improvement (ie. 25,26,28,30) then they will start to scratch their heads.

 

PS. 25 is not the worst case ever, that would be a 3

[elarXi]

I found the real one to be much harder; but again, it depends on the test, right? (from a friend, who wrote the test with me and then wrote it again a month later, he said that the 1st test was MILES harder).

 

for AAMC11, I didn't find the science portions to be especially challenging (it was just the verbal that got me), plus the curve was generous (BS I got 15 with 2Qs wrong).

 

On another note, I found that 10 & 11 were closest because they required the most analysis, and a whole lot less raw knowledge... These also had a certain "theme" feeling to bio, although a number of questions felt all-over-the-place. Especially I found the physics interesting, as it really involved some verbal-like thinking in a few places

[MonkeyDLuffy]

I did all of the practice tests and felt that the real one was nothing like any of them. I found the real one to be a lot tougher than the practice ones.