Encouragement for those retaking MCAT

[immoore]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to let people know my story of taking the new MCAT so those retaking it do not feel discouraged. I took the MCAT on May 22. I studied for about 7 weeks leading up to the exam, and my rough percentiles were
Chem/Phys ~ 40-55%
CARS ~ 82-97%
Bio ~ 49-64%
Psych ~ 17-32%
Overall ~ 44-54%

Needless to say I wanted to retake. I had about a week between when I got the rough percentiles back and when I retook the exam. During that time I just reviewed the basic concepts I felt I was still struggling with (which was clearly a lot). When I got my results back from the second exam they were
Chem/Phys ~ 72-89%
CARS ~ 85-100%
Bio ~ 82-97%
Psych ~ 38-53%
Overall ~74-84%

Clearly my psych/soc left a lot to be desired, but the point is that I improved that much in as little as a week. If you need to retake, just make sure you think through the problems thoroughly (I caught myself from making at least 5 mistakes on the second time I took the exam). It is possible to improve. I don't have the time to study 40 hours a week (I'm a grad student in molecular bio) but I just studied when I could. Good luck, and if you have any questions feel free to send them my way.

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[piii]

I took the MCAT 3 years ago. I got a 26 (55th%) with 8 P 12 B 6 V -> 27th % WTF???

I just got back my 2015 prelims... overall 88-98th% (33-35 on old score, realistically)!! 85-100 in Chem, 85-100 Bio, 70-85 in Psych, and 65-80 in verbal...

It can be done guys.

 

[Chinelo]

Hello Everyone,

My name is Chinelo and I am applying for the Fall 2016 Cycle to 23 MD Programs ONLY- 9 in Texas and 14 outside of Texas. I am a Registered Nurse by profession and a graduate of Texas Woman's University- College of Nursing in Houston, Texas with Bachelor of Science in Nursing in May 2014 ( 3.48 cumulative GPA). I currently work for 2 home health agencies part-time. On top of that, I am attending graduate school full-time at UT School of Public Health in Houston since August 2014. I am getting my Masters in Public Health in Community Health Practice. My Graduate GPA is a 3.68 as of the Spring 2015 semester. During the Spring, I worked 6-7 weeks with the City of Houston Department of Health & Human Services on their STRYVE Project, a CDC National initiative striving to reduce youth violence. This summer I have spent 3 months working with Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine doing Public Health Research about Food Allergies in Schools via an Online Educational Tool. Since August 2014, I have been self-studying for the MCAT on and off. I did not start doing practice tests fully until May 2015. On my practice tests, I was scoring between 122-125 on each section and was aiming to score at least a 500 on the new MCAT. I took the MCAT on July 18th, 2015 and got my scores yesterday only scoring a 491 which was in the 23% percentile compared to those who took the exam in April and May of this year. I have opted not to retake and just continue with my application process. My common applications have been submitted and processed with all my transcripts, scores and letters and now I am completing 20 secondary applications. 5 of the 20 secondary applications I have submitted. What do you guys think of my situation? The last day to retake for the current year is September 23, 2015 and I do not want to delay my application. I don't like my score but I am just crossing my fingers and praying to God that my academic background and experiences help me get admitted into medical school.

My Plan B is that if I do not get in for this application cycle. I will reapply next year for Fall 2017. I will retake the MCAT in April/May or June 2015. What do yall think?

 

[Chinelo]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to let people know my story of taking the new MCAT so those retaking it do not feel discouraged. I took the MCAT on May 22. I studied for about 7 weeks leading up to the exam, and my rough percentiles were
Chem/Phys ~ 40-55%
CARS ~ 82-97%
Bio ~ 49-64%
Psych ~ 17-32%
Overall ~ 44-54%

Needless to say I wanted to retake. I had about a week between when I got the rough percentiles back and when I retook the exam. During that time I just reviewed the basic concepts I felt I was still struggling with (which was clearly a lot). When I got my results back from the second exam they were
Chem/Phys ~ 72-89%
CARS ~ 85-100%
Bio ~ 82-97%
Psych ~ 38-53%
Overall ~74-84%

Clearly my psych/soc left a lot to be desired, but the point is that I improved that much in as little as a week. If you need to retake, just make sure you think through the problems thoroughly (I caught myself from making at least 5 mistakes on the second time I took the exam). It is possible to improve. I don't have the time to study 40 hours a week (I'm a grad student in molecular bio) but I just studied when I could. Good luck, and if you have any questions feel free to send them my way.

When did you take your retake? I am kind of thinking of retaking it in September of this year. I just took mine on July 18th and I scored a 491 which is extremely low for someone who studied on and off for a year. I am in grad school as well, work 2 jobs as an RN, perform extracurricular activities in church and others for my Masters in Public Health Program? Do you think I should retake in September to get in for this application cycle.