For those who got 168 on the real thing, what was your PT average?

lsnnnnn0011

Hi,

I am writing in December and my goal is to get 167/8. For people who got 167/8 on the test day, what was your average score like?

jphorton2

I got a 171 but my average score on my PT's was a 167. I had a good day though so you can't really count on the spread you normally have. I went into the test always predicting I would score three less than my average. I wasn't going to be happy with a 164 but I figured I could squeeze a 165.

Cant Get Right

@jphorton2 said:
I had a good day though so you can't really count on the spread you normally have.

Just to demonstrate the other side of this phenomenon, I scored a 170 with a PT average of 175. It happens. Ideally, you'll be prepared to a level at which you hit your target score on an off day. 170 was my original target score, so even though I was a little disappointed, it's a good thing I prepared to where I did if I was going to underperform on test day.

Wind-Up Bird

Scored a 170 on test day with an average PT score (10 most recent tests or so) of 167. J.Y. usually mentions that you'll score +/-3 of your 5 most recent tests, although I think most people end up on the minus side.

lsnnnnn0011

@jphorton2 @"Wind-Up Bird" That's great!!! I just took my 1st PT in 70s (71) and got 170...I never hit 170 in 60s. I think the generous curve for 71 (-14) probably accounts for but I am sure I should aim for at least -10 for every PT if I want to get 170+ in the real thing. Do you mind if I ask you what your best PT score in 70s before your test day?

Wind-Up Bird

@lsnnnnn0011 I scored a bunch of 169s in the 60s and 70s, but my highest PT score was actually the same as what I got on the real thing (a single 170 on PT77, which I wrote ~a week before my test). My situation (i.e. scoring 3 above my PT average) is definitely abnormal though... I'd probably attribute my success to having written high-stress standardized tests before, like the 8 hour MCAT.

-10 is also a reasonable benchmark for consistently scoring 170s. PT79 (my test) also had a pretty generous curve at -12.

loosekanen

Personally I am focusing on a combined score for the 2 LR sections and another for the LG/RC. For a 168 I would want to be scoring no more than 7 mistakes on each subgroup. I'm aiming 170 and that goal is more along the lines of minus 5 on each subgroup. There is always a possibility of scoring higher. If it's your first attempt I don't think a PT average of 165/166 is insufficient to try. Though, as others have stated, a 170 average will give you a much safer barrier. Just realize that the point scoring at that point depends on 1 or 2 questions so the variance in range is going to be greater than if you were in the high 150s aiming for a 158.