Got same score on the MCAT

[soyyos]

Hi,
I took the MCAT last year and got a 31 (12PS, 11V, 8 BS) with a writing score of R
and I got the same exact score again 31 (12 PS , 10 V, 9 BS) with a writing score of S

I have a sGPA and uGPA of 3.95 in Biology.

I do not know how this will affect the admission process --- I am having a hard time raising my Biology score and it doesn't help that my major is Biology.

Should I retake the MCAT if I want to get an interview with a top 20 medical school?

Here is some advice I got from another website:

The AMCAS summary page lists your most recent MCAT score, the second-most recent score, and a reading for the total number of MCATs taken. Taking the test more than once can work in your favor if you improve, but it can be a black mark if you do poorly in a particular subject more than once. If your first test results indicate a weak area, make sure you prepare well before you take the test a second time. Officially, you can take the MCAT only three times per calendar year, but an unlimited number of times overall.

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[Pons Asinorum]

Hi,
I took the MCAT last year and got a 31 (12PS, 11V, 8 BS) with a writing score of R
and I got the same exact score again 31 (12 PS , 10 V, 9 BS) with a writing score of S

Should I retake the MCAT if I want to get an interview with a top 20 medical school?

There is more to getting an interview at a "top 20 medical school" than your MCAT score.

There is more to life and becoming a physician than getting into a "top 20 medical school." But that's for another thread.

If you take the MCAT again, I'll match the wager of your choice that you score within +/- 2 points of 31. Which will still be below the median score for most of the "top 20 medical school(s)."

It will be something other than your MCAT score that gets you an interview. Instead of studying again for 3 months, go work on some other area of your application, specifically volunteering and clinical exposure.

 

[tartrate]

You already took it twice.

At best, you will get a significantly higher score, but possibly have the adcom question your priorities.

At worst, you will score the same or even lower.

Most likely, you will score in the same range, and let the adcom see that you took the test three times even though you had above 30 on your first test.

Right now, you look fine, since it's general knowledge that on average, most people score in the same range upon retaking the test.

If the rest of your application is strong, you should be fine. There are a lot of people with sub 35 scores that have gone into top 20 schools. There are also many people with 35+ scores that did not get into top 20 schools. So consider your application as a whole.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

It will be something other than your MCAT score that gets you an interview. Instead of studying again for 3 months, go work on some other area of your application, specifically volunteering and clinical exposure.

Pons said it all. I want to elaborate that "some other area of your application" could be something as simple as writing an amazing personal statement and post-sec experiences. If you take the time you would spend studying again and invest it into making your app perfect, then your chance of getting a top-20 interview will be about as good as if you retook the MCAT and got a 34 (nothing absolute about the number, just tossing out a reasonable improvement score).

 

[soyyos]

Hello,

Thank you everyone for your replies and comments!

I will definitely work on strengthening other parts of my application to be able to obtain an interview. Retaking the MCAT seemed horrendously daunting anyway..