Don't Know Where to Begin

[texastech1989]

I just took the MCAT for a second time and received a 20 (7-7-6). The first time I took it was in 2010 and I got a 21 (7-8-6). I graduated from college in 2011 then got an MBA and MS in health care administration and worked as a Phlebotomist during graduate school for 2 years. I have a 3.6 undergrad GPA and a 3.8 grad school GPA. I don't know what is wrong with how I study. I was stuck in the 17-22 range with my practice exams for a while but got a 23 and 26 before my actual exam. I am 25 years old and am going to re take this exam for the 3rd time in January before they change it. I just wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions on what to do to increase my score. I have materials from Kaplan, ExamKrackers and Princeton Review but have only been using Princeton's materials because they explain everything the best I feel. I have already submitted my TMDSAS application this year for entrance into medical school next fall and also plan on filling out a DO application for various DO schools. I know this is what I want but this was a real dagger to the heart because this was my 2nd time applying. Any advice would be great appreciated. Thank you.

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[deleted480308]

what was your sgpa? a 20-21 usually indicates a lack of knowledge, which will be hard to fix by january.....don't take it again until you fix the problem

 

[DrMidlife]

I am 25 years old and am going to re take this exam for the 3rd time in January before they change it.

Nope. Don't. Seriously. Don't. You have no idea how to get a good score, and you're 10 points from a good score. Don't blow your 3rd take. Seriously. All those MCAT takes make it look like you're trying to use a burrito punch card to get into med school.

this was a real dagger to the heart because this was my 2nd time applying

Put the dagger down and accept that you're not in position to get an acceptance at age 25 or 26. It's going to take a bit longer. Find the nontraditional forum for possible comfort.

Find the MCAT subforum on SDN. Read hard. Read long. Reflect. Hours-long standardized multiple-choice tests covering vast, painful, huge, insurmountable, overwhelming amounts of material happen every week in med school. You have to master the MCAT. Don't go to a med school that will let you in with a sub-25.

(Cue the Low MCAT Rights Movement speeches.)

 

[texastech1989]

what was your sgpa? a 20-21 usually indicates a lack of knowledge, which will be hard to fix by january.....don't take it again until you fix the problem

My sgpa was a 3.4

 

[texastech1989]

I just took the MCAT for a second time and received a 20 (7-7-6). The first time I took it was in 2010 and I got a 21 (7-8-6). I graduated from college in 2011 then got an MBA and MS in health care administration and worked as a Phlebotomist during graduate school for 2 years. I have a 3.6 undergrad GPA, 3.4 science GPA, and a 3.8 grad school GPA. I don't know what is wrong with how I study. I was stuck in the 17-22 range with my practice exams for a while but got a 23 and 26 before my actual exam. I am 25 years old and am going to re take this exam for the 3rd time in January before they change it. I just wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions on what to do to increase my score. I have materials from Kaplan, ExamKrackers and Princeton Review but have only been using Princeton's materials because they explain everything the best I feel. I have already submitted my TMDSAS application this year for entrance into medical school next fall and also plan on filling out a DO application for various DO schools. I know this is what I want but this was a real dagger to the heart because this was my 2nd time applying. Any advice would be great appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Quik]

While I haven't yet taken it, the revolving suggestions I hear are practice exams, practice exams, practice exams.... The most important part(s) of that practice being to develop a strategy that allows you to finish the exam on time, and to thoroughly review concepts that you get wrong. Review each practice exam as thoroughly as you can imagine, not just for wrong answers, but for those you guessed on or weren't sure or thought were a bit tricky. I have a spreadsheet tracking tool for every practice problem I get wrong or guess on, with fields I fill out for why I chose the wrong answer (or why I guessed correctly) with a separate field where I explain in my own words, the concept being tested. Figure out your weaknesses and hone those before test time.

 

[IslandStyle808]

How do you study exactly? because many times when SDN members are scoring below the <24 threshold it is because of either 1) not enough practice 2) not analyzing practice material.

Don't take the exam until your "average practice" scores are at your target scores, not your final score. Your range is around 17-22, 23, 26; and your actual MCAT score is within this range. This should tip you off that you were not ready. Also when you apply, don't send your app to all of your schools just send it to one. There are a couple of large reasons as to why. 1) You will only appear as a second time applicant to that "one and only school" and not the others. So if your MCAT is bad, you don't have to worry about being a 3rd time applicant if you reapply the following cycle (except to that one school). 2) When you get your scores back, you have saved time by verifying you app. You will also save money because you now have your MCAT and can assess which schools you will be competitive for.

Let us know your study techniques you used this exam and we can give you a clear cut answer. Hope this helps.

 

[whatbout2morrow]

Agree with the above, look over your practice exams and why you got questions wrong (and as Quik mentioned, why you had to guess, or why questions were tricky for you). If it is because of gaps in your grasp of the material, go back and master the material and practice questions in that subject matter. If it is because you missed stuff or failed to make connections while you were reading the passages, try to develop strategies to avoid making similar mistakes. And do practice passages. A whole lot of them. Simulate test conditions in regards to the number of passages and time as opposed to practicing one passage at a time and not timing yourself so as to master timing and to learn to combat mental fatigue during the exam.

SN2ed's stickies in the MCAT forum have lots of helpful info. Good luck.

 

[QofQuimica]

With all due respect, you are probably better off taking the new MCAT for at least two reasons: 1) you aren't doing well on the current version of the test, and after two tries, this isn't something you can write off as just a one-time aberration; and 2) it doesn't constrain you to an artificial timeline where you might be forced to take the test a third time before you're ready, resulting in you posting a third subpar score.

As the others have said, you should not apply to med school this year with a 20 MCAT, and all the more so given that your GPA is also below average for matriculants. I suggest that you start over, from the beginning, literally.

First, you should retake all of the required premed classes. For classes where you got a B or lower, retake them for credit at a local university. Along with getting sufficient review of the material to prepare you for the MCAT, you will be able to replace your lower grades on AACOMAS, which will significantly improve your GPA and strengthen your academic preparedness for med school. For any classes that you received an A in, you can either audit them or self-study using a resource like MIT open courseware (which is free and online). But you need to review all of the material thoroughly, and in significantly more depth than what you'll get from a test prep course.

Second, whatever you've been doing to study is just not working, so you need to majorly overhaul your prep strategy. Again, in spite of the Chicken Little posts on SDN, a new version of the test may work out to be a blessing in disguise for you. Seriously, what do you have to lose by taking the new version? It's not like you're going to take the chance of ruining a stellar score on the current version! I suggest that you embrace the new version, and make use of the new prep materials that will be put out for it by the AAMC and all the major test prep companies.

In the meantime, you need to read, my friend, and work on becoming a good analyzer of what you read. Consider taking some classes in literature, philosophy, psychology, or history. Besides making you a better-rounded person in general, it will also allow you to develop better analytical skills that will pay off on the MCAT. It's not a coincidence that, on average, the students who do the best on the MCAT are majors in the humanities, social sciences, and physical sciences, *not* the bio sciences.

 

[road2md]

Whole-heartedly agree with QofQuimica. Yes, it's easy to focus just on the score because without a good one, you can't get into medical schools. But you really want to improve the way you think and analyze data. One of the best ways to do that is to do some research in lab. You will be able to participate in lab discussions, journal club, and really learn to think critically. You will get a fair amount of mindless work that make you feel like another lab drone, so make sure you involve yourself intellectually. Another way to think about this long-term investment is that by improving your ability to think critically, you will become a better doctor for your patients down the line. Maybe you'll be able to connect a few dots that you may otherwise not have seen and who knows if this will literally save a life or two.

I just realized some of the replies above, and perhaps mine too, contain suggestions and recommendations that may not be what you wanted to hear. But I do think everyone wants you to succeed. Keep your head up, and never give up!

 

[QofQuimica]

I wouldn't say that working in a lab would be particularly helpful. If that were the case, then PhDs should perform very well on the MCAT. It's no secret that PhDs know more and more about less and less, and as a group, people with PhDs don't perform better on the MCAT. In fact, the youngest test-takers are the ones who perform best. I would guess it's because grad school teaches you to overthink things.

But regardless, to get back on topic, what the OP needs to do if s/he wants to learn how to think critically MCAT-style, is to practice thinking critically MCAT-style. Working in a lab won't do that for him/her. Whereas, taking courses that require a lot of reading and analysis of dense material could really help.

 

[BestDoctorEver]

@texastech1989 ... Take it a third time and if you don't get 24+, consider podiatry or PA school... If you have not used TBR, you should give it a try...