For those who struggled with Verbal and succeeded at the end

[mehc012]

hey Marker, I unfortunately do have a learning disability, I was diagnosed with a LD 3 years ago, I only received accommodations for a year basically. I can't really say "unfortunately" its the way it is and I have to deal with it.
My doctor advised me to get accommodations for mcat and I actually looked into it and found out that AAMC puts a red flag beside my score, and I have to deal with the consequences throughout my medical career, because I have to apply for residency with the same id and Im afraid that its going to hurt me more than help me. Im probably misinformed and paranoid but I decided to deal with the situation.
Having said that, I really dont think extra time will help me much, Because I still do have mistakes when I take a test untimmed, so I strongly believe my problem is rooted in my inability to comprehend.
Your strategy looks very smart! are you able to finish all the passages in time by basically skipping one question per passage? Im certain if I get to finish the last passage I can boost my score significantly, so I'll try your strategy for sure! thank you for your tips and wishes! I hope you receive acceptance from your desired medical school!

It's a two-edged sword...yes, it puts a red flag on your AMCAS, though it does not give specifics. However, if you are going to struggle with tests throughout, you will run into problems again come Steps. In that case, you may wish to apply for accomodations for those exams. If you did not have accomodations for the MCAT, it will be harder to get any for later exams.

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[Strudel19]

Just read the passage and answer the questions. In my opinion if you try to get TOO methodical you might overthink it and get hyped up.

 

[kenjixshadow]

x

 

[mehc012]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought both USMLE and COMPLEX don't have verbal. Aren't the majority of the questions are science? I read many posts here in SDN that physicians failed on the MCAT and somehow aced the first and second steps.

That's not the point, though...OP doesn't seem to have a problem with verbal, per se, but with testing, and stated that they have some form of LD which could warrant accomodation on the MCAT, but is afraid of the effects of the flag. I was simply pointing out that there are 2 sides to consider on that front.

 

[G_Marker]

hey Marker, I unfortunately do have a learning disability, I was diagnosed with a LD 3 years ago, I only received accommodations for a year basically. I can't really say "unfortunately" its the way it is and I have to deal with it.
My doctor advised me to get accommodations for mcat and I actually looked into it and found out that AAMC puts a red flag beside my score, and I have to deal with the consequences throughout my medical career, because I have to apply for residency with the same id and Im afraid that its going to hurt me more than help me. Im probably misinformed and paranoid but I decided to deal with the situation.
Having said that, I really dont think extra time will help me much, Because I still do have mistakes when I take a test untimmed, so I strongly believe my problem is rooted in my inability to comprehend.
Your strategy looks very smart! are you able to finish all the passages in time by basically skipping one question per passage? Im certain if I get to finish the last passage I can boost my score significantly, so I'll try your strategy for sure! thank you for your tips and wishes! I hope you receive acceptance from your desired medical school!

Hi DanniD. I'm sorry to hear that you have a learning disability, but I think that this may really be a serious hurtle that's keeping you from preforming at your full potential. I'm serious - try taking a practice test with 1.5 or 2x more time and see how you do. While it's true that your 'special accommodations' will be marked on your test, it won't say what the accommodations were. Further, I'm pretty sure that it is illegal for schools and residencies to discriminate based on LDs, especially if those LDs do not compromise any of the core competencies. I think you should more seriously consider looking into getting accommodations, especially if you find that they make a difference in your score. A 32 with accommodations looks much better than a 29 or below without them.

Just something to think about. I'm glad you found my previous post helpful. Good luck!

 

[Gauss44]

Hi DanniD. I'm sorry to hear that you have a learning disability, but I think that this may really be a serious hurtle that's keeping you from preforming at your full potential. I'm serious - try taking a practice test with 1.5 or 2x more time and see how you do. While it's true that your 'special accommodations' will be marked on your test, it won't say what the accommodations were. Further, I'm pretty sure that it is illegal for schools and residencies to discriminate based on LDs, especially if those LDs do not compromise any of the core competencies. I think you should more seriously consider looking into getting accommodations, especially if you find that they make a difference in your score. A 32 with accommodations looks much better than a 29 or below without them.

Just something to think about. I'm glad you found my previous post helpful. Good luck!

Are you sure it will say, "special accommodations?" I was told that it says, "non-standard conditions," which could refer to accommodations, an earthquake, fire alarm, etc.

There's this thread too, (with related info.) if you have not already read it: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/which-2014-mcat-score-would-serve-my-student-better.1090438/

 

[Gauss44]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought both USMLE and COMPLEX don't have verbal. Aren't the majority of the questions are science? I read many posts here in SDN that physicians failed on the MCAT and somehow aced the first and second steps.

This makes sense to me because the PS and BS sections of the MCAT seem more similar to the USMLE questions I've seen than the verbal reasoning section. Of course, reading is required for the PS and BS sections too!

 

[Gauss44]

That's not the point, though...OP doesn't seem to have a problem with verbal, per se, but with testing, and stated that they have some form of LD which could warrant accomodation on the MCAT, but is afraid of the effects of the flag. I was simply pointing out that there are 2 sides to consider on that front.

I too have been wondering too (because I have students with that question).

-I suspect this varies significantly from school to school as IMO it goes hand in hand with disability rights.

-I've heard some ADCOMs say they care about the "numbers" (GPA and MCAT) of incoming students because the mean of those numbers will appear in the MSAR. I suspect that getting a higher score is more important than NOT having the "non-standard conditions" notation on your record.

(I personally chose my doctor's office/medical center, at least in part, because they had physicians and staff in wheelchairs and with other noticeable disabilities. To me this indicates that patients with disabilities are more likely to be treated with respect there, than at an institution where disabled employees are either invisible or non-existent.)

 

[mehc012]

I too have been wondering too (because I have students with that question).

-I suspect this varies significantly from school to school as IMO it goes hand in hand with disability rights.

-I've heard some ADCOMs say they care about the "numbers" (GPA and MCAT) of incoming students because the mean of those numbers will appear in the MSAR. I suspect that getting a higher score is more important than NOT having the "non-standard conditions" notation on your record.

(I personally chose my doctor's office/medical center, at least in part, because they had physicians and staff in wheelchairs and with other noticeable disabilities. To me this indicates that patients with disabilities are more likely to be treated with respect there, than at an institution where disabled employees are either invisible or non-existent.)

Right..my statement is not about how people react to indications of disability on the app. It was simply pointing out that if you want testing accommodations in the future, they will look to see if you used them for the MCAT.

 

[Gauss44]

Right..my statement is not about how people react to indications of disability on the app. It was simply pointing out that if you want testing accommodations in the future, they will look to see if you used them for the MCAT.

Yep, I've heard a few attorneys and a couple neuropsychologists say exactly that. It's an important consideration.