Overall, equating can be summed up simply as “if you take the MCAT on different days but display the exact same ability, you should get the exact same score.” The same is true for the AAMC practice tests if you perform at the same level on all of them, you should, in theory, get the same score, even though the scale of every AAMC FL is different. In fact, this is why this usually takes about 30 to 35 days to receive your MCAT scores back, barring unusual circumstances. This is exactly what happens for the official MCAT, only that equating process happens after the exam, including its many test forms, is administered. ![]() Individual scales are devised for each section to account for this variation.įor instance, if you happen to encounter a brutally difficult CARS section, the AAMC will recognize that test-takers who had that test form didn’t tend to answer as many questions correct for that section as usual, and they’ll assign it a more lenient scale. The test-makers know, from data gathered from thousands of students, that as much as they might have tried to make the exams equal in difficulty, some sections are just going to be harder on certain exams than others. This is because the AAMC practice tests have already been equated. Now, if you get exactly 47 questions correct on, say, the chemistry/physics section for every AAMC full-length practice exam you take, you’ll notice that you won’t always get the same scaled MCAT scores. The AAMC then takes that value and converts it to a scaled score, which falls in that 118 to 132 MCAT score range that I mentioned earlier. So, for example, if you got 47 questions correct out of 59 for a science section, your raw score is 47/59. On a practice test-and on the real thing-the number of questions you answer correctly in each section is termed your raw score. Don’t worry if you haven’t taken those yet we won’t reveal any specifics! (But on that subject, be sure to check out our ' Advice on how to take a full-length MCAT practice test'.) To understand the basics of how this works, let’s consider the AAMC MCAT practice tests as an example. In other words: equating ensures fairness. This is why the MCAT scores are equated: so that everyone’s results reflect the relative difficulty or ease of the exam they took. But we can still gather two main takeaways from the existence of these test forms.įirst, if you’re the type of person who likes to go online after your MCAT test date and commiserate with others about it-within the AAMC’s guidelines, of course-you should be aware that not everyone you’re talking to even took the same test.Īnd second, the AAMC must have some process by which they figure out which test forms were harder or easier than others and account for this in their scoring. Instead, the Association of American Medical Colleges or AAMC (the examiners) creates the MCAT in many different versions, called “test forms.” These forms might be entirely different, or they might differ only slightly we can’t be sure of the specifics, because the AAMC keeps this information very close to the vest. Here’s the kicker: Not everyone on the same test date gets the same exam! In fact, not everyone in the same testing center on the same test date gets the same exam. Let’s get started … Why does the AAMC equate the MCAT score range?Ī given MCAT test date is termed an “administration,” and one exam administration or test date includes test-takers from every location where the MCAT is offered. So, with our powers combined, it’s time to clear up the many score-related misconceptions that float around in the MCAT universe. In fact, Clara routinely thinks way, way too much about the nuances of MCAT scoring. Is every question on the MCAT worth the same amount?Īs the brains behind the world’s smartest flashcard app, and a comprehensive collection of adaptive, digital flashcards for the MCAT, Brainscape and our MCAT expert partner, Clara Gillan (who scored a stratospheric 526 on the exam), are more than just a little familiar with these questions.Should I retake the MCAT to improve my score?.How do average MCAT scores on my test date affect my score?.Why does the AAMC equate the MCAT score range?.Putting the weirdness of these numbers aside, for now, it doesn’t seem like there’s much more to it than that.īut if you stop and think about it, you might start to wonder: Each of the four multiple-choice sections on the MCAT is given a score between 118 and 132, and those scores are added directly to yield a composite score between 472 and 528. ![]() It might be tempting to think that you know essentially all there is to know about how the MCAT is scored.
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