Impact of writing score on the MCAT

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I was able to raise a 31Q to a 34M.

But the writing score concerns me. I have no idea what happened, I am usually an excellent exam writer.


.......Should I retake the exam and try to achieve a higher writing score?

Originally Posted by hellocubed

I was able to raise a 31Q to a 34M.

But the writing score concerns me. I have no idea what happened, I am usually an excellent exam writer.


.......Should I retake the exam and try to achieve a higher writing score?

No, definitely no, absolutely no. No one cares about your writing score.

Quote:
Originally Posted by hellocubed
I was able to raise a 31Q to a 34M.

But the writing score concerns me. I have no idea what happened, I am usually an excellent exam writer.


.......Should I retake the exam and try to achieve a higher writing score?
No, definitely no, absolutely no. No one cares about your writing score.

Thanks dude~

I hope so.
I do come from a tier 1 university, and I heard that should "absolve me" from a bad score?

Otherwise, I hope redemption shines through in my personal statement.

Originally Posted by hellocubed

I was able to raise a 31Q to a 34M.

But the writing score concerns me. I have no idea what happened, I am usually an excellent exam writer.


.......Should I retake the exam and try to achieve a higher writing score?

I also went from a Q to an M, and it wasn't an issue at all. When interviewers complemented me on my score increase, it wasn't followed by a "but I see your writing score dropped a bit, what happened?" Nah, they don't care.

Originally Posted by hellocubed

Thanks dude~

I hope so.
I do come from a tier 1 university, and I heard that should "absolve me" from a bad score?

Otherwise, I hope redemption shines through in my personal statement.

The writing score matters so little that they're removing it all together. No one cares.

The second part of your statement is weird. There is no absolution for being from a tier 1. The MCAT is standardized for just that reason.

Originally Posted by hellocubed

I was able to raise a 31Q to a 34M.

But the writing score concerns me. I have no idea what happened, I am usually an excellent exam writer.


.......Should I retake the exam and try to achieve a higher writing score?

Everyone above me is correct. The writing score is pretty much completely useless. That is why beginning January 2013, even though the new MCAT won't be administered yet, the writing section is being removed and replaced with a voluntary trial section.

Originally Posted by JRWPREMED;

That is why beginning January 2013, even though the new MCAT won't be administered yet, the writing section is being removed and replaced with a voluntary trial section.

Any idea what the trial portion will consist of or is it same format?

Originally Posted by DavetheMD

Any idea what the trial portion will consist of or is it same format?

I got this from the AAMC website.

https://www.aamc.org/students/applyi...erentexam.html

"What will be different about the MCAT exam in 2013 and 2014?
If you plan to take the MCAT exam in 2013 or 2014, please note that the Writing Sample section will no longer be part of the exam. In its place, a voluntary, unscored trial section will be added to the MCAT exam starting in January 2013. These unscored questions within the trial section will test content added to the MCAT in 2015, including psychology, sociology, and biochemistry. The trial section will consist of 32 questions and will be administered in a 45-minute time period after all three operational sections (Physical Sciences, Verbal Reasoning, and Biological Sciences) have been administered. Including the trial section, the 2013 and 2014 total testing time will not change.

Examinees who volunteer to participate in the trial section, and put forth a good faith effort, will be compensated. The trial section will be administered under standard conditions for all examinees who volunteer to participate and scores will not be reported for this section. Please note that admissions officers will continue to receive Writing Sample scores from exams taken in 2012 and prior."

No, no one cares. And no, being from a tier one will not absolve anything MCAT-related. The MCAT is there to equalize because of the very difference in schools that you allude to, but in reference to GPA.

All of this really makes me wish I'd retaken. Congrats on the 3 point gain.

Originally Posted by hellocubed

I was able to raise a 31Q to a 34M.

But the writing score concerns me. I have no idea what happened, I am usually an excellent exam writer.


.......Should I retake the exam and try to achieve a higher writing score?

No.

The writing section will no longer exist in 2015.

Never once was my N on the WS ever mentioned by my advisers or interviewers. No one cares at all.

Don't worry. The writing section is virtually useless at this point.

1. Nobody really ever gave a rats rear end.
2. It's being phased out in 2015 so no one cares AT ALL now.

Originally Posted by JRWPREMED

Examinees who volunteer to participate in the trial section, and put forth a good faith effort, will be compensated. "

This... How will the examinee be compensated?!

This is just my speculation, but when I took my exam there was someone who finished while I was taking my break before the final section. I was the first person to get seated at the testing center, and I'm pretty sure it was the MCAT he was taking and not another standardized test. I could only arrive at two likely conclusions. Either he just gave up and voided the entire test or he skipped his entire writing section, knowing how meaningless it was for him.