Official April 4, 2013 MCAT Thread

[molarseeker]

This is it! Post here if you have registered and if you wanna share study techniques etc.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[DR MOM]

hey guys one more quick question. so assuming scores come out this Tuesday, would they come out immediately tuesday? Or would it be like 2 oclok on tuesday? If it is tuesday im not above waiting until midnight to check.

It will come out sometime in the afternoon, most likely by 5 pm ET

 

[milski]

hey guys one more quick question. so assuming scores come out this Tuesday, would they come out immediately tuesday? Or would it be like 2 oclok on tuesday? If it is tuesday im not above waiting until midnight to check.

I think the "official" time is supposed to be around 5 pm EDT but they tend to show a couple of hours earlier. I think the 3/23-ers got theirs slightly after 3 pm EDT. Either way, there is no reason to stay awake (if you can fall asleep, of course).

 

[medschoolmyname]

If thats the case ill try to sleep, don't know if it will happen, but will see. My stomach's starting to turn into knots. I think worst case scenario for my scores: 11/7/10. But i think im gonna get something like 13/8/11. I don't know im just so scared right now.

I think the "official" time is supposed to be around 5 pm EDT but they tend to show a couple of hours earlier. I think the 3/23-ers got theirs slightly after 3 pm EDT. Either way, there is no reason to stay awake (if you can fall asleep, of course).

 

[jeffs office]

Dude! Each day, the anxiety builds! "What did I get?! What did I get?! Did I fail VR? Ughhh!" On repeat.

Less than 2 more days, guys. OMG. If you don't hear from me, it means I failed.

 

[milski]

AMCAS opens tomorrow, that should provide at least some amount of distraction to keep you occupied.

Never mind, that has been rescheduled for Wednesday.

 

[edeguas]

hey guys one more quick question. so assuming scores come out this Tuesday, would they come out immediately tuesday? Or would it be like 2 oclok on tuesday? If it is tuesday im not above waiting until midnight to check.

I cannot remember the last time I went to bed before midnight :S.

Anyways, it probably does no good to stay up, I'm guessing if they release before 5PM it will be during business hours as they tweet when they do it. (Then it could all be automated so I might be wrong...)

 

[milski]

Well, if you cannot sleep and got nothing else to do, you can go over the old MCAT threads and collect the times when the scores became available (or at least the time of the first post about them being available). It will be an amusing and useless statistics, completely appropriate for SDN.

 

[OffsetPills]

what time on tuesday will the scores become available approx??
does anyone have an idea?

 

[milski]

I think the "official" time is supposed to be around 5 pm EDT but they tend to show a couple of hours earlier. I think the 3/23-ers got theirs slightly after 3 pm EDT. Either way, there is no reason to stay awake (if you can fall asleep, of course).

what time on tuesday will the scores become available approx??
does anyone have an idea?

.

 

[Shams al Deen]

The January guys got their scores early morning like 8am est. I hope they do this to us as well. I wanna have my score before I have to take my final on tuesday.

 

[jeffs office]

AMCAS opens tomorrow, that should provide at least some amount of distraction to keep you occupied.

Never mind, that has been rescheduled for Wednesday.

Haha yeah, I know. I've been working on my work/activity descriptions today. I wonder why they postponed to Wednesday.

 

[jeffs office]

The January guys got their scores early morning like 8am est. I hope they do this to us as well. I wanna have my score before I have to take my final on tuesday.

Don't even say stuff like that. I'm going to be on pins and needles all day then.

 

[edeguas]

Does anyone know if they will give us a heads-up if they plan to delay the scores?

 

[matt3382]

Does anyone know if they will give us a heads-up if they plan to delay the scores?

They probably won't even start working on our scores until 11pm the night before they're supposed to be ready.

They're probably procrastinating on their own forum right now.

 

[edeguas]

They probably won't even start working on our scores until 11pm the night before they're supposed to be ready.

They're probably procrastinating on their own forum right now.

Cruel, but true. They might say they need weeks to "calibrate" the scores... but that should really not take more than a few seconds on an appropriate computer... plus maybe a week of experts looking at the outliers...

 

[Meredith92]

I wish we got an email alert or something! I'm not gonna enjoy refreshing the page all day in work tomorrow

 

[edeguas]

I wish we got an email alert or something! I'm not gonna enjoy refreshing the page all day in work tomorrow

I think if you subscribe to them on twitter (and activate notifications) they will send out a tweet when scores are out.

 

[jeffs office]

I really don't understand AAMC's logic sometimes. If you go on their twitter, people ask them why they can't release scores earlier than the 30-35 days, AAMC replies back that it's because of steps they have to take, including scaling and equating, and they link you to their website, but their website says that the scale is based on other people's performance who took the test in the previous year, so wouldn't that mean that it has already been equated and scaled? Or are they just creating a new scale for future tests or something? Also, what are these other steps they're not speaking of? Making sure no one cheats? Taking a vacation in St. Tropez? Laughing at all the scared pre-meds on SDN?

MCAT scoring involves several steps including the scaling and equating of each item. Visit http://ow.ly/klG1V for more info.

Is the exam graded on a curve?
Examinees often ask if earning a high score or higher percentile is easier or harder at different times of the testing year. They ask whether they have a better chance of earning a higher score in April or in August, for example. The question is based on an assumption that the exam is scored on a curve, and that a final score is dependent on how an individual performed in comparison to other examinees from the same test day or same time of year.

While there may be small differences in the MCAT exam you took compared to another examinee, the scoring process accounts for these differences so that an 8 earned on physical sciences on one exam means the same thing as an 8 earned on any other exam. The percentile provided on your score report simply indicates what percentage of examinees from the previous testing year scored the same as you did on the MCAT exam.

How you score on the MCAT exam, therefore, is not reflective of the particular exam you took—including the time of day, the test date, or the time of year—since any difference in difficulty level is accounted for when calculating your scale scores (see above for information about scaling).

Okay. One more day. I think I can keep myself busy until then.

 

[medschoolmyname]

Ugghh...I know one more day, but after all this waiting is it right for me to not want tomorrow to come? nervous as hell right now.

 

[abcd0123]

Ugghh...I know one more day, but after all this waiting is it right for me to not want tomorrow to come? nervous as hell right now.

me too. yesterday morning i started dreading the thought of knowing my scores.

 

[Shams al Deen]

Earlier i wrongly said that January people got their scores at 8am est. I checked their thread again and they actually got them at 11am est. So tomorrow we can expect scores to come sometime between 11am and 3:30pm EST.

 

[Member 1235813]

i was reading through this during a history class and started to get the shakes i'm so nervous... it's the last day of class here, so i think i'm going to take my mind off of things by sacrificing my liver.

 

[Like]

I'm not even part of this test day but I'm nervous too.

 

[Aromatic Amine]

i'm really tense. i am so scared for my PS score. i hope i didn't bomb it and get like a 5 cuz that's really how i feel i did on that section. VR i feel like a 9 and i am praying to god i get a 10+ in BS..


oh lord....

FREAKOUTTT

 

[AlgernonMed]

The MCAT humor thread is really good at giving a few laughs and relieving some stress. Haven't laughed that hard in a while.

 

[tigerbadger]

I'm getting nervous!!! Ahhh!!

 

[Shams al Deen]

I really need to study for a final tomorrow but can't stop thinking about this damn mcat score. The mcat has owned me for the last 5 months (this month included). Hopefully we all get our revenge tomorrow!

 

[jeffs office]

Guys, I'm just going to wish you all good luck from tonight!

 

[McDoctor1]

Ahhh, they need to post our scores already

 

[Meredith92]

Good luck to everyone! Be proud of how hard we worked!! We tried our best and thats all that matters!

 

[manchika]

Sooooooooooooo nervous.. I don't think i can sleep tonight

 

[PistolPete123]

Anyone know what time its supposed to come out?

 

[AlgernonMed]

Anyone know what time its supposed to come out?

There are a lot of different opinions about this, but from what I've heard, it's typically between 3 and 5 PM ET. I think the 3/23 scores came out around 3:05 PM ET.

 

[matt3382]

You guys are going to miss this experience when its over. Some people pay big bucks to jump out of an airplane or something to get an adrenaline rush. All we have to do is look at a clock or license plate or jersey or something with a random number between 10 and 45 and say "WHAT IF THAT'S IT!!!" and the epinephrine comes surging. What an awesome time this is to be alive!

But seriously, if you're not an adrenaline junkie, don't do that. Definitely don't go see 42 tonight.

Do enjoy your last night of justifiable procrastination before applications are due. And good everyone!

 

[abcd0123]

they def. weren't set to be released at midnight ET

 

[jeffs office]

You guys are going to miss this experience when its over. Some people pay big bucks to jump out of an airplane or something to get an adrenaline rush. All we have to do is look at a clock or license plate or jersey or something with a random number between 10 and 45 and say "WHAT IF THAT'S IT!!!" and the epinephrine comes surging. What an awesome time this is to be alive!

But seriously, if you're not an adrenaline junkie, don't do that. Definitely don't go see 42 tonight.

Do enjoy your last night of justifiable procrastination before applications are due. And good everyone!

Can I make part of this my signature? This is the funniest most positive outlook on the MCAT I have ever read.

 

[AlgernonMed]

[YOUTUBE]EGLSk3AVcUU[/YOUTUBE]
For all of us who get our scores tomorrow, good or bad, I think this is a very appropriate song. Let's keep chasing our dreams.

 

[Shams al Deen]

You guys are going to miss this experience when its over. Some people pay big bucks to jump out of an airplane or something to get an adrenaline rush. All we have to do is look at a clock or license plate or jersey or something with a random number between 10 and 45 and say "WHAT IF THAT'S IT!!!" and the epinephrine comes surging. What an awesome time this is to be alive!

But seriously, if you're not an adrenaline junkie, don't do that. Definitely don't go see 42 tonight.

Do enjoy your last night of justifiable procrastination before applications are due. And good everyone!

Lol never thought of it like this. Def some truth to it. Like seeing your team in a tight game is scary, not fun in the moment. But after the game you look back at how exciting it was....but only when they win.

 

[McDoctor1]

I've been checking way too often. ahhh

 

[medschoolmyname]

Well the days are now just hours. I will not plan to sleep until 1 am today probably and check everyone once in a while. If i see a flood of messages on this page that will be a good hint that the scores have come out. Best of luck, and I look forward to celebrating and comforting with you all. I wont speak again till scores are out.

 

[matt3382]

Can I make part of this my signature? This is the funniest most positive outlook on the MCAT I have ever read.

Definitely!

I decided to spend the night meditating and paying attention to which thoughts make me so nervous. It's the ones where I imagine myself getting a crazy high score and then telling everyone and running around like a jackass. More specifically, it's when I am thinking competitively, like when I picture myself getting a higher score than the other guy in my program who got a high score. It makes sense that my adrenal glands are responding to thoughts of imminent competition, and not just to thoughts of a number.

So instead of thinking of the score in terms of a comparison to others, which is going to be disappointing to anyone who gets less than perfect anyway, I thought about what I really need in order to have a strong application. For people with great GPAs and experience, they don't need it to be that high. For people like me with okay GPAs and ok experience, higher will help, but it doesn't have to be crazy high. If you could still have a solid application even with a score a few points lower than your practice test average, then you can rest a little easier tonight. If you're really stretching, just recognise that you're stretching and you might have to keep working for it. No big deal.

I think the most important thing is not to be able to gloat with a high score, but to be able to say, "I got the score I needed and I'm happy with it."

Anyway, when I check tomorrow, I'm going to visualize the score I need when I sign in, not the score my ego wants. That'll hopefully keep me from having a heart attack in front of my computer.

 

[medmusiccat]

Definitely!

I decided to spend the night meditating and paying attention to which thoughts make me so nervous. It's the ones where I imagine myself getting a crazy high score and then telling everyone and running around like a jackass. More specifically, it's when I am thinking competitively, like when I picture myself getting a higher score than the other guy in my program who got a high score. It makes sense that my adrenal glands are responding to thoughts of imminent competition, and not just to thoughts of a number.

So instead of thinking of the score in terms of a comparison to others, which is going to be disappointing to anyone who gets less than perfect anyway, I thought about what I really need in order to have a strong application. For people with great GPAs and experience, they don't need it to be that high. For people like me with okay GPAs and ok experience, higher will help, but it doesn't have to be crazy high. If you could still have a solid application even with a score a few points lower than your practice test average, then you can rest a little easier tonight. If you're really stretching, just recognise that you're stretching and you might have to keep working for it. No big deal.

I think the most important thing is not to be able to gloat with a high score, but to be able to say, "I got the score I needed and I'm happy with it."

Anyway, when I check tomorrow, I'm going to visualize the score I need when I sign in, not the score my ego wants. That'll hopefully keep me from having a heart attack in front of my computer.

Today is the day kiddies! So true. No gloating be proud and happy with what you get. If you don't score as well keep working for it. You wanted this so keep at it! Good luck!

 

[Aromatic Amine]

so the countdown begins. how often is everyone gonna be checking? i'm gonna try to do twice an hour lol

i just really hope i don't go lower than my last exam. i felt like that coming out of the test but i dunno. PS will be the bane of my existence.

 

[DoctorForLifeMD]

so the countdown begins. how often is everyone gonna be checking? i'm gonna try to do twice an hour lol

i just really hope i don't go lower than my last exam. i felt like that coming out of the test but i dunno. PS will be the bane of my existence.

Same, PS lowered confidence right out of the bat.....but I hope that I didnt underestimate verbal and get tricked up on Bio...each section felt Moderate to say the least......I hope my logic reasoning was good

 

[jeffs office]

I woke up in the middle of the night because of stress due to this damned exam. I'm about to go back to sleep. I hope that when I wake up I won't have to wait any longer. This is torture. So happy my job hasn't started yet or I'd be freaking out while I was working. Once again, good luck everyone!

 

[immaxf]

4/27 here and i'm anxious/excited/nervous for you all

 

[Durz]

Hi all- just signed up on SDN. Took the April 4 test- getting nervous! Good luck!

 

[SSC2]

Good Luck Everyone,

 

[Aromatic Amine]

i feel like the AAMC is just a giant procrastinating organization. they tell us scores will be released today but they can't do it early in the morning. they make us wait till the middle of the day. how hard is it to do this lol. bunch of garbage.

 

[DR MOM]

I had my first scores dream last night. The scores were available right when I woke up. (except I was really still sleeping) There had been some kind of breach, so they had to throw out most of the exam. We could choose a free retake or take the super weird low score that we received. Mine was a 370/700. I was torn between wasting time with the retake and thinking that med schools might not know why my score was so weird. I also got a 9 on PS (which wouldn't be the end of the world) and a 150 on VR.. no idea what that means.

I'm trying to be calm about the wait. I feel lucky that I am waiting for test scores and not scary lab results or something like that. I am fortunate to be where I am and patience is a long sought after trait.