Did the number of times you took the MCAT hold you back?

[First&LastNameMD]

This was very helpful!

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[Pantaloooons]

I have multiple MCAT scores and it cost me an acceptance at a school. After going through the whole interview process it isn't until the final evual that the school that they decide to average your MCAT scores and compare it to the average of others that day. At schools that don't average you should be OK.

Just curious... did the Adcom comment on how you can possibly improve your application given their criticism? I suppose in hindsight (after all interviews are done and applicants are evaluated), they came to this realization, but it seems like a mighty waste of time and resources for everyone for not having implemented this simple algorithm in their initial screening process. Sorry to hear about your situation!

 

[Rolling_with_the_punches]

Took it twice and improved 5 points the second time, 7 interviews, 3 acceptances and counting, waiting to hear back from 2 schools. (All MD)
As long as you improve on the subsequent exam, I don't see a huge problem.

 

[whatever5]

Another n=1 chiming in:

I took the MCAT twice, two years apart. I scored a 29 and then a 34.
I've emailed different schools and asked how they view multiple attempts. This is based on the responses I got - It appears taking the MCAT a 3rd time or more is a cause for concern. Granted this may not always be the case - if your first two scores were a old or expired, a third time would be encouraged or expected. Some schools have told me they flat average scores, some do it but weight recent test more heavily (to account for the trend), and one told me that they also look to see if you've addressed a particular deficiency (for example if you're first score is 29 (12/5/12) and second is 34 (11/12/11), that looks really good). I would reach out to schools and do the same, it also never hurts to begin establishing contact and show you're legitimately interested in a program and assessing your competency rather than just throwing apps at every school.

 

[Lawpy]

As the number of MCAT scores increases, so does the opportunity for unpredictable interpretation.
Many applicants with more than one score are acceptable (and accepted). It's just that a single strong score is less likely to lend itself to idiosyncratic interpretation.
The AAMC recommends that we average scores.

There was an excellent paper that showed that averaging the scores is the most accurate method in dealing with multiple scores. And that superscoring is the worst. If only i can find it....

 

[gyngyn]

There was an excellent paper that showed that averaging the scores is the most accurate method in dealing with multiple scores. And that superscoring is the worst. If only i can find it....

I can never find these when I need them!
Here is one, though: http://journals.lww.com/academicmed...validity_of_the_MCAT_for_students_with.2.aspx

 

[Lawpy]

I can never find these when I need them!
Here is one, though: http://journals.lww.com/academicmed...validity_of_the_MCAT_for_students_with.2.aspx

Found it!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20881707

And apparently the AAMC was kind enough to provide a complete bibliography on MCAT research!

https://students-residents.aamc.org/advisors/article/annotated-bibliography-mcat-research/

 

[gyngyn]

Found it!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20881707

And apparently the AAMC was kind enough to provide a complete bibliography on MCAT research!

https://students-residents.aamc.org/advisors/article/annotated-bibliography-mcat-research/

This time I am going to save it!

 

[Silence in ER]

Meh. I took my mcat 3 times and I have 5 interviews. I think yeah, having multiple mcats hurts you at schools in which they do average, but a lot of schools do not average.

Here is a list of school's averaging policies:
Albany Medical College: Looks at all considers most recent score
Albert Einstein: Most recent
Boston University: All scores
SUNY Buffalo: Highest score
Columbia: Highest score
Cooper: Highest score
Dartmouth: All scores, latest given most weight
Drexel: All but "interested in most recent"
Duke: emphasis on highest score
Eastern Virginia: Two most recent scores with a note on the highest score
Frank Netter: High score
Georgetown: Most recent
GWU: Superscore
Harvard: only looks at highest score
Hofstra: Highest score
JHU: Emphasis on most recent
Loyola: All scores, "highest score given most weight"
Medical College of Wisconsin: Super score
Michigan: Highest or all?
New York Medical College: Most recent two sets
Northwestern: Emphasis on highest composite score
NYU: High score
Oakland University: All scores
Ohio State: Highest only
Penn State: All scores
Rosalind Franklin: Most recent
Rush: Emphasis on highest "only"
Saint Louis: "Focus on high score"
TCMC-highest scores
Temple: Most recent
Thomas Jefferson: Average scores
Tufts: " Our policy is to consider the two most recent sets of scores and note the higher MCAT total of the two sets"
Tulane: High score
UCLA: All scores
UCSD: All scores
UCSF:Most recent
University of Cincinnati: Average scores
University of Colorado: High score
University of Illinois: Highest score
University of Miami: All scores most weight given to highest
UNMC: All scores
University of Pennsylvania: Most recent score
University of Pittsburgh: Highest score
University of Wisconsin: Average scores
Upstate: Average
USC: All scores
Utah: Recent only
Vanderbilt: Superscore
Vermont: All scores
VCU: Highest score
Virginia Tech: Looks at all considers highest
Wake Forest: All scores
Western Michigan: Highest score
Yale: Emphasis on recent
Albany Medical College: looks at both, "considers most recent score"
Virginia Tech: looks at both, "considers highest"
Univ. of Miami: highest
Johns Hopkins: emphasis on most recent
Columbia: emphasis on most recent
Yale: emphasis on recent
Rush: emphasis on highest "only"
Ohio state: highest only (also keep in mind they now require anatomy to be taken!!!)
Buffalo state: highest
George Washington: superscore
Utah: recent only
University of Pittsburgh: highest
University of Pennsylvania: looks at both, considers highest (I'm assuming they average in reality. This is my guess based on the tone of voice I heard)
Michigan: one answer said highest, by email they said they consider both. Extrapolate however you please
-Albany: Most recent
-Rosalind Franklin: Most recent
-Drexel: All but "interested in most recent"
-Quinnipiac: Highest score
-Georgetown: Most recent
-Medical College of Wisconsin: Superscore
-NYMC: Last two, importance on most recent (may have been worded differently)
-Temple: Most recent
-Tufts: Last two, note the higher (may have been worded differently)
-GWU: Superscore
-Stritch: Last two, note the higher (may have been worded differently)
-Wake Forest: All, note the highest (may have been worded differently)
-Penn State: All scores considered (didn't say average)
-U of Illinois: Highest score
-Rush: Highest score
-Oakland: Holistic (never e-mailed; from website)
-UNMC: All scores


Take SDN with a grain of salt, they do not know your app the way you do and while sdn can provide useful advice, they tend to cater to the worst possible scenario and that is often not good for anyone. More than that, SDN is often talking for/to people who want to get into ivy top top schools. I don't know about that, but for medical school I just want to got to a school with a good supportive community that will help me grow. I've done the ivy thing, I don't really think there is much to say about it.


Apply broadly, be passionate in your app and interviews and you can probably do well.

 

[Eppur Si Muove]

Just curious... did the Adcom comment on how you can possibly improve your application given their criticism? I suppose in hindsight (after all interviews are done and applicants are evaluated), they came to this realization, but it seems like a mighty waste of time and resources for everyone for not having implemented this simple algorithm in their initial screening process. Sorry to hear about your situation!

not really, the adcoms told me I had a really good application and interview, it's just that my MCAT average was below threshold for that interview day.

 

[familyaerospace]

No, I took 3 times. SN2ED didn't help me but my scores were consistent (low). I ended up at a MD school so I guess no one cared.

 

[mordac21]

2x mcat taker -- hasn't seemed to hurt me this cycle.

 

[KatniP]

.

 

[Doug Underhill]

I took it once and got a great score and still only got one MD II. It's not everything.

 

[12375711]

Post rescinded.

 

[MedicineN'Jazz]

Did you cure Ebola?

Oh come on, stop being petty. I took the MCAT twice already and improved by 9 points. It's not like what OP is saying, is impossible.