I am beyond devastated with my MCAT score

[rian.linda]

Hello everyone. Thank you for whoever took the time to read this. I am devastated, dumbfounded, so much more. I took the MCAT last year in April and I scored a 15. 2V, 6P, 7B. Last year I will admit I did not review any books. All I did was a few practice questions with each topic. I thought I knew the material well enough. This year I over-studied. I took the MCAT last month in April and I got a 17. 4V, 6P, 7B. I am speechless. Here is what I did for 4 straight months. I studied each day for 6-10 hours. I read all the Berkeley Review books TWICE (with notes) for Chemistry, Orgo, and Physics. I read ExamKrackers Biology TWICE (with notes). I watched the Golden Standard videos for each topic twice- a total of 32 hours (with notes). I did some of the Kaplan premier practice questions and exams. I took 6 out of the 9 AAMC exams and I scored 17, 19, 21, 22, 22, 23. I did not know what I was doing wrong. I went ahead and took the exam because it was too late for me to reschedule. I was hoping to get a 24 and apply to the early decision program. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND FOR THE LIFE OF ME how I got a 17. SOMEBODY please tell me what to do. I have to apply this year. Please. I will do anything. I cannot afford to take a class. I cannot study anymore. I have read the best rated books and even understood what I was reading. I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND HOWWWW. Should I just do the ExamKrackers 1001 questions for each topic along with the Kaplan Qbank???? Basically I have no other choice. Does anyone have any suggestions or comments. I am literally about to have a panic attack. I can't think of what this will look like on my application. Will Med School even accept me if I pass the 3rd time with previous scores of 15 and 17? HOW????? HOW did I get that???

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[cincincyreds]

Hello everyone. Thank you for whoever took the time to read this. I am devastated, dumbfounded, so much more. I took the MCAT last year in April and I scored a 15. 2V, 6P, 7B. Last year I will admit I did not review any books. All I did was a few practice questions with each topic. I thought I knew the material well enough. This year I over-studied. I took the MCAT last month in April and I got a 17. 4V, 6P, 7B. I am speechless. Here is what I did for 4 straight months. I studied each day for 6-10 hours. I read all the Berkeley Review books TWICE (with notes) for Chemistry, Orgo, and Physics. I read ExamKrackers Biology TWICE (with notes). I watched the Golden Standard videos for each topic twice- a total of 32 hours (with notes). I did some of the Kaplan premier practice questions and exams. I took 6 out of the 9 AAMC exams and I scored 17, 19, 21, 22, 22, 23. I did not know what I was doing wrong. I went ahead and took the exam because it was too late for me to reschedule. I was hoping to get a 24 and apply to the early decision program. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND FOR THE LIFE OF ME how I got a 17. SOMEBODY please tell me what to do. I have to apply this year. Please. I will do anything. I cannot afford to take a class. I cannot study anymore. I have read the best rated books and even understood what I was reading. I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND HOWWWW. Should I just do the ExamKrackers 1001 questions for each topic along with the Kaplan Qbank???? Basically I have no other choice. Does anyone have any suggestions or comments. I am literally about to have a panic attack. I can't think of what this will look like on my application. Will Med School even accept me if I pass the 3rd time with previous scores of 15 and 17? HOW????? HOW did I get that???

The MCAT is a very tough exam. Half the people who take it get below a 24. If you are just going to do passive learning and just reading a book and listening to a few lectures, you won't do well.

The MCAT is an exam that tests your ability to apply information you read with basic background knowledge.

You need to learn how to do active learning. You need to find a friend who has access to the kaplan questions and a friend who has access to the princeton review questions. You need to learn the background information first. Then you have to do all the questions and figure out why things are right and why they are wrong. This can't be done in a few weeks.

Just because you dream of medical school doesn't mean it will happen. The mcat is the dividing test and should be treated accordingly.

 

[jared_the_great]

With a 2 and then a 4 in verbal, alongside those other section scores, I'd bet my left kidney that basic reading comprehension is the biggest issue here.

 

[BobGadha]

With a 2 and then a 4 in verbal, alongside those other section scores, I'd bet my left kidney that basic reading comprehension is the biggest issue here.

Yeah, it's almost like OP should work on VR before anything else and the other scores will go up by working on the reading skills.

 

[Person0715]

You need to work on your reading skills first and foremost. If you can improve that, the science scores will fall into place.

What is your strategy for verbal? How much time do you allot per passage? Do you read the whole passage word for word or skim?

 

[Czarcasm]

Don't mind me, just liking random posts.

 

[BobGadha]

That's a good point about Verbal. MCAT questions aren't as straight forward as "What is ___ principal?". You need to think strategically and read with this in mind.

I would look for a tutor from your school, or a local university if you are not in school. I would not even register for the MCAT again until you get your practice verbal up several points.

For studying, as other said, it's not just reading the content. Practice passages and then review them - ones you got right, and ones you got wrong. If you keep doing what you did before though, you will get the same score.

Yeah, you can't do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result. You know what that would make you, right? Kidding. Kidding.

 

[SOOyC52H1Sof]

I got a 19 on my first try. The biggest issue was with verbal and biology. I just didn't have the biology down. But for verbal, it was really about getting comfortable realising what's going on. You NEED to practice verbal every everyday. You have to get used to reading dry and interesting material quickly, and analyze it as you are reading it. It certainly doesn't happen overnight. You should be able to complete passages with their questions in 8.5 min.

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[SpartanWolverine]

The OP is potentially just around chance levels for verbal (if you look at AAMC practice test raw scores, getting 1/4 of questions correct means a 1-4 depending on the test), so there's some serious work that needs to be done there.

As I said before, get some outside help... at this point, you need a real (i.e., someone who sits down with you and doesn't give you advice over the internet) person to give you their objective advice on how to proceed, since it seems like you're struggling to find effective study/test-taking strategies. Med school will be much more difficult than this, so putting some money into learning how to effectively study is an investment that will definitely pay off.

 

[IslandStyle808]

Yes I do need to find a tutor....not sure who to turn to.

Try to see if your school has a learning specialist. Not a tutor for a subject, but a person who will help you study and take tests more effectively. I don't think it is a subject issue (biology, chemistry etc.), instead something more basic (comprehension, memorization, etc.). However, this takes time and it is not something that can be done 1-2 months (4 months bare minimum).

 

[unexpected_medicine]

I am not offended at all....if anything I am happy you are being honest with me. I am a bit insistent on applying this year. My resume is not as bad as it sounds. I have many volunteering experiences and I have 3 jobs. But my GPA is not so high. That is why my target score needs to be high. I believe that if I take in in August perhaps, I still have a chance.

I think 3 jobs might be your problem. You weren't working so many hours while prepping were you? (note this anecdote is for the GREs but it still applies) A friend of mine was in science as a programmer for a LONG time before deciding to pursue graduate school. However, he worked through his GRE prep and was working right up to the exam and just about right after the exam. His scores were not good but he was easily capable of getting a really top score.

You might want to aim higher like 30+ higher. I know this sounds odd since doubling your score is near impossible but aiming around a 20 suggests that you are purposely ignoring some content.

 

[rian.linda]

You need to work on your reading skills first and foremost. If you can improve that, the science scores will fall into place.

What is your strategy for verbal? How much time do you allot per passage? Do you read the whole passage word for word or skim?

What do you recommend I do for verbal? English is my second language but I still speak fluently in it. What should I practice with....how?

 

[DrCharlemagne]

What do you recommend I do for verbal? English is my second language but I still speak fluently in it. What should I practice with....how?

How much do you read, on your own, for fun? When you read, are you reading novels? essays? blogposts? The best way to really kill the verbal section is to have a longstanding habit of reading and critical thinking, which you do not seem to have developed yet. There are no shortcuts, and, based on your dismal first two verbal scores (and some of your syntax in this thread), I think taking a year to discern where your difficulties lie with reading comprehension, and then addressing those weak spots will do you wonders on the MCAT and in medical school.

 

[rian.linda]

How much do you read, on your own, for fun? When you read, are you reading novels? essays? blogposts? The best way to really kill the verbal section is to have a longstanding habit of reading and critical thinking, which you do not seem to have developed yet. There are no shortcuts, and, based on your dismal first two verbal scores (and some of your syntax in this thread), I think taking a year to discern where your difficulties lie with reading comprehension, and then addressing those weak spots will do you wonders on the MCAT and in medical school.

I read lots of novels.....for instance harry potter books, etc. I do not read essays but I do not mind reading them. What do you recommmend I do? EK 101?

 

[rian.linda]

I read lots of novels.....for instance harry potter books, etc. I do not read essays but I do not mind reading them. What do you recommmend I do? EK 101?

By the way....I find it funny that you are judging me on here....lol....this is the internet....I obviously write and speak better than this....we use slang and shortcuts on here. At least I do

 

[Person0715]

What do you recommend I do for verbal? English is my second language but I still speak fluently in it. What should I practice with....how?

Practice with magazines like the Economist. Other periodicals with dry and dense materials will suffice as well. You should work on skimming and being able to grasp the main idea and synthesize the author's argument.

 

[rian.linda]

Practice with magazines like the Economist. Other periodicals with dry and dense materials will suffice as well. You should work on skimming and being able to grasp the main idea and synthesize the author's argument.

I will try that

 

[DrCharlemagne]

I read lots of novels.....for instance harry potter books, etc. I do not read essays but I do not mind reading them. What do you recommmend I do? EK 101?

I've only read the first few Harry Potter books, and while I know many people love them and I understand the texts mature over time, popular fiction is not literature and it does not exercise your mind the same way. You need something that will test your brain and make you think critically, and most contemporary fantasy just doesn't cut that mustard. Think less Rowling and more Dumas.

Start reading editorials in NEJM/JAMA/Nature/etc. Check out The New Yorker or The Atlantic for longer essays as well. Find literature reviews and book chapters in the sciences and the humanities on topics you were always curious about but never got to look at closely. If you have a good library at your school, bring an MCAT verbal passage with you, show it to the research librarians there, and they may be able to help you finding more practice fodder.

Then reflect on your experiences with the various test prep systems for verbal and figure out which one felt the most natural for you (for instance, I preferred EK's approach over Kaplan, but there are many ways to skin this cat). Once you've picked your system, practice dissecting the essays and articles you found according to that system. Read these materials closely, establishing the author's intent, voice and arguments. Think of questions you could write for the MCAT based on these readings, and come up with close but wrong answers as well as correct ones. At first pay no mind to the clock, just focus on learning how to get the information you need out of the passage first. Once you've got a good handle on your method and you're comfortable analyzing difficult articles, then go back to your MCAT verbal prep materials and practice under timed conditions.

These suggestions have worked for other students I tutored, but none of the students I've worked with were pulling 4s in the verbal section to begin with. I really strongly advise you to get in touch with a tutor or a learning specialist to make sure we're not putting the cart before the horse here. Again, these tests are only going to get harder, and your capacity to quickly break down a paper in a field you are unfamiliar with will need to improve drastically if you're going to get survive and thrive in medical school.

 

[MedOldAge]

OP, please look at the following post.....these folks know, believe me

Absolute amazing posts that deserve to print out a copy and save it.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/good-books.1068162/

Get VR up has NO short cut and requires ultimate emotionally zone in.

 

[unexpected_medicine]

What do you recommend I do for verbal? English is my second language but I still speak fluently in it. What should I practice with....how?

The suggestions about reading for fun are good but I would suggest that you read scientific journals. The majority of VR prompts are academic in origin (not necessarily hard science but academic). There is almost no pop lit if I remember correctly. Not only would reading scientific journals be helpful for your VR section. It will also give you the analysis skills that are vital in your bio section. Some of the hardest problems are actually pretty simple if you're used to primary publications. Additionally if u read something like new england journal of medicine it will help you with interviews.

 

[BobGadha]

I struggled tremendously with VR and I am a voracious reader of literature and journals alike. For me, the biggest issue was beating the clock by not reading too in depth. You need to get an idea of what's happening and move on. Don't get caught up on the details or the nitty-gritty concepts. You should play around with different strategies, e.g. just reading the passage through without writing anything, writing one sentence summaries for each paragraph, reading the whole passage and then writing a synopsis, etc. See what works for you. Practice, practice, practice!

For the sciences, are you getting most of the discrete questions correct? If you are mostly getting the discrete questions wrong, that is a good indication that you need to do a more efficient job reviewing content.

 

[unexpected_medicine]

i personally found it helpful to quickly scan the problems for key words so I know what to look for in the passage. that being said VR is all about speed

 

[rian.linda]

I struggled tremendously with VR and I am a voracious reader of literature and journals alike. For me, the biggest issue was beating the clock by not reading too in depth. You need to get an idea of what's happening and move on. Don't get caught up on the details or the nitty-gritty concepts. You should play around with different strategies, e.g. just reading the passage through without writing anything, writing one sentence summaries for each paragraph, reading the whole passage and then writing a synopsis, etc. See what works for you. Practice, practice, practice!

For the sciences, are you getting most of the discrete questions correct? If you are mostly getting the discrete questions wrong, that is a good indication that you need to do a more efficient job reviewing content.

Alright, what strategy worked for you?

 

[BobGadha]

Alright, what strategy worked for you?

During the ten minute break I would write down a time table to help with the pacing. This really helped me to at least feel like I had some control over what I was doing. Then I would tackle the natural science and humanities passages first, because those were generally my strengths. I would save the social science/political science passages for last because they took me the longest and, frankly, I sucked at them. As for how I read the passages, I would kind of make notes as I read, but I would mostly just read the passage and then answer the questions in order. I think pacing is key, which takes a lot of practice. Even though my VR was above my average for the section, I still think I could have done better on it if I had practiced my pacing a bit more.

 

[Jepstein30]

First, take a breather. Calm down. You're still in the game even if things are looking rough.

Here's what you did wrong on your first attempt:

Last year I will admit I did not review any books. All I did was a few practice questions with each topic. I thought I knew the material well enough.

You can't just think you know the material well enough. You need to do TONS of practice questions to figure out if you do have a content weaknesss, then address it with a review book.

Here's what you did wrong on your second attempt:

Here is what I did for 4 straight months. I studied each day for 6-10 hours. I read all the Berkeley Review books TWICE (with notes) for Chemistry, Orgo, and Physics. I read ExamKrackers Biology TWICE (with notes). I watched the Golden Standard videos for each topic twice- a total of 32 hours (with notes). I did some of the Kaplan premier practice questions and exams.

You only did passive studying. You only did "some" practice questions. Content review by itself is literally useless. You don't know any material well enough for the MCAT until you can answer MCAT-level passages about the material. You can't succeed by just reading and watching, no matter how many times you run over the material. Unless the review book covers the EXACT answer to a question, you won't get it right.. and they will almost never do that. The MCAT requires you to critically think about topics.. not just remember a detail you read in a book and select the correct answer.

I took 6 out of the 9 AAMC exams and I scored 17, 19, 21, 22, 22, 23. I did not know what I was doing wrong. I went ahead and took the exam because it was too late for me to reschedule. I was hoping to get a 24 and apply to the early decision program.

Terrible idea to just take a test anyways.. ESPECIALLY on your retake. ESPECIALLY when your practice scores didn't show improvement. You've not shot yourself in the foot.. you basically aimed for the chest. Any MCAT result you get now will be compared to two data points that are fairly similar. Sure, a higher test score will still help but now ADCOMs will always think of you as a high teens MCAT because you did that twice vs. whatever you get next time only once.

I DO NOT UNDERSTAND FOR THE LIFE OF ME how I got a 17. SOMEBODY please tell me what to do.

First step, be honest with yourself and hold yourself accountable. You're assigning blame elsewhere and you need to figure out where you went wrong so you can fix it. Just doing things over again isn't going to change anything.

I have to apply this year. Please. I will do anything. I cannot afford to take a class. I cannot study anymore.

I don't think its a good idea to apply this year. You'll need several months to pull your score up into the mid 20s for a shot at DO at best.. and by doing so, you'll be fairly late to the party. It's not worth rushing into an application cycle.. just like its not worth to rush into a retake. Trying to just do it for the hell of it is going to make your life harder when you end up reapplying.

If you cannot study anymore, just mail it in now. I get that you are discouraged and looking for answers.. but no matter what the solution is.. it's going to require a **** ton of hard work. Figure out if you can handle it or don't bother, not even trying to be mean here.. it's just your efforts are better placed elsewhere for the time being if you are truly burnt out. You can come back to the MCAT later.

I have read the best rated books and even understood what I was reading. I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND HOWWWW. Should I just do the ExamKrackers 1001 questions for each topic along with the Kaplan Qbank???? Basically I have no other choice. Does anyone have any suggestions or comments. I am literally about to have a panic attack. I can't think of what this will look like on my application. Will Med School even accept me if I pass the 3rd time with previous scores of 15 and 17? HOW????? HOW did I get that???

key words: "read"

EK1001: no.
Kaplan QBank: better.. but no.

My recommendation would be to sign up for an MCAT course. IMO, you need structure. You need to be told what to do at this point.. as you're asking exactly for that. I don't think a self-study plan is the way to go.

If you must, though, I would buy The Princeton Review Hyperlearning Series. Stop focusing so much on content review. Your goal is certainly to review the topics sequentially.. but it's all about finding your weaknesses through practice problems (which will simultaneously allow you to develop critical thinking skills you NEED to succeed on the MCAT). You should be spending more time a day on practice problems than reading/watching. The last month+ of your studying should be entirely practice problems/tests where you only pick up a review book when you figure out that you have a weakness somewhere.

As for whether you'll be able to get in somewhere, you're better off posting in the "What are my chances?" forum with more information like your GPA and ECs. You won't be able to get into an MD school with your current scores (or even likely with a 24 unless you are URM.. and even then its rough). DO is still probably a hard sell. My advice would be to slow down. Take a few weeks off. Start studying for the MCAT offered in September. Don't worry about applying until way after then.

 

[Jepstein30]

so what I am trying to ask you all.....is if I did alllll the berkeley questions....will examkrackers 1001 help me or is there another problem????????????????????? Btw there are 75-100 questions in each berkeley chapter. I can't imagine why that wouldn't be enough for me to pass.

Did you really?

Your content is severely lacking then. How did you score on them? Did you review them at all?

You also have to realize it's not like you just do X questions to get Y score. It doesn't work like that. You can do millions of questions and do terribly.. or no questions and do fairly well. Again, active studying vs. passive studying. You can't just do a question and never care about it again.

28......please I'll do anything. I rescheduled for next month on June 15. I will deprive myself of sleep if I have to.

no no no no no no no no

no june 15. no.

seriously no.

I can't say this any more nicely but this is it. You have legitimately one more shot at this. There's no just taking the MCAT again and going from there. You shouldn't sit for a test again until you are 100% sure you are scoring where you need to be. That may be in September.. that may be in January.. it certainly won't be in June.

Yes I do need to find a tutor....not sure who to turn to.

Honestly, any decent tutor will cost more than a prep course for the length of time you'll likely use them.

A tutor may be a good idea because it certainly seems like you really need to be taught the content again (which.. again.. brings me to my point of being honest with yourself since there's no way you should be able to look at every topic tested on the MCAT and feel comfortable based on your score). You'll need someone who has experience with the MCAT vs. just teaching the subject. I'd just honestly take a course.

 

[krogers21]

I'm going to just give my advice without reading through other people's opinions. So, I may have repeated some things. For that, I'm sorry. I highly suggest that you actively read. By this, I mean that you should not just be reading the words and "completing" the books. Think about it this way: If you are an attending physician and receive some labs back and just read through the report without actually applying how that material is affecting the patient, then you're no better off then before you even ordered the tests. What I'm trying to say is that you need to absorb the material. Read a sentence and make sure you understand what it is saying. Otherwise, you're going to miss vital information. I cannot stress how important note-taking is for learning material. Studies show that writing out notes helps note takers memorize/learn material. I should practice what I preach because I'm awful at taking notes, but if you consciously focus on material it will make things a lot easier.

For me, I am absolutely horrible at studying. Why? Because I take two to three times as long to study for an exam as someone else simply because I do not move on until I understand the concept. It has helped me score better in the short term (testing) and long term (standardized testing). Make up mnemonic devices, catch phrases, or whatever works! I know that my immature friends and I studied for hours my freshman year and came up with several devices like "poop logs tonight, baby!" for the pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchioles. It's immature and stupid. But it works seeing as I'm going to be entering my senior year of undergrad.

Good luck!

 

[rian.linda]

During the ten minute break I would write down a time table to help with the pacing. This really helped me to at least feel like I had some control over what I was doing. Then I would tackle the natural science and humanities passages first, because those were generally my strengths. I would save the social science/political science passages for last because they took me the longest and, frankly, I sucked at them. As for how I read the passages, I would kind of make notes as I read, but I would mostly just read the passage and then answer the questions in order. I think pacing is key, which takes a lot of practice. Even though my VR was above my average for the section, I still think I could have done better on it if I had practiced my pacing a bit more.

Thank you.....that actually sounds like something I should have done....I will definitely be doing that.

 

[rian.linda]

I am not disappointed that I failed....I AM DISAPPOINTED THAT I GOT ONLLYYYYY 2 points higher than the year before AFTER MONSTROUS STUDYING. Had I gotten a 23, I would still be a bit happy because that is an 8 point increase, so I would have just planned on practicing more. But I still believe to this day that a 2 point increase with all my studying is still impossible. Something is just not clicking for me....I am actually a smart student. I don't understand. But everyone here has been so kind. Thank you all for your time I will definitely take each advice and work around them with my schedule.

 

[rian.linda]

The suggestions about reading for fun are good but I would suggest that you read scientific journals. The majority of VR prompts are academic in origin (not necessarily hard science but academic). There is almost no pop lit if I remember correctly. Not only would reading scientific journals be helpful for your VR section. It will also give you the analysis skills that are vital in your bio section. Some of the hardest problems are actually pretty simple if you're used to primary publications. Additionally if u read something like new england journal of medicine it will help you with interviews.

Sounds great...I will definitely look into that!!

 

[rian.linda]

First, take a breather. Calm down. You're still in the game even if things are looking rough.

Here's what you did wrong on your first attempt:



You can't just think you know the material well enough. You need to do TONS of practice questions to figure out if you do have a content weaknesss, then address it with a review book.

Here's what you did wrong on your second attempt:



You only did passive studying. You only did "some" practice questions. Content review by itself is literally useless. You don't know any material well enough for the MCAT until you can answer MCAT-level passages about the material. You can't succeed by just reading and watching, no matter how many times you run over the material. Unless the review book covers the EXACT answer to a question, you won't get it right.. and they will almost never do that. The MCAT requires you to critically think about topics.. not just remember a detail you read in a book and select the correct answer.



Terrible idea to just take a test anyways.. ESPECIALLY on your retake. ESPECIALLY when your practice scores didn't show improvement. You've not shot yourself in the foot.. you basically aimed for the chest. Any MCAT result you get now will be compared to two data points that are fairly similar. Sure, a higher test score will still help but now ADCOMs will always think of you as a high teens MCAT because you did that twice vs. whatever you get next time only once.



First step, be honest with yourself and hold yourself accountable. You're assigning blame elsewhere and you need to figure out where you went wrong so you can fix it. Just doing things over again isn't going to change anything.



I don't think its a good idea to apply this year. You'll need several months to pull your score up into the mid 20s for a shot at DO at best.. and by doing so, you'll be fairly late to the party. It's not worth rushing into an application cycle.. just like its not worth to rush into a retake. Trying to just do it for the hell of it is going to make your life harder when you end up reapplying.

If you cannot study anymore, just mail it in now. I get that you are discouraged and looking for answers.. but no matter what the solution is.. it's going to require a **** ton of hard work. Figure out if you can handle it or don't bother, not even trying to be mean here.. it's just your efforts are better placed elsewhere for the time being if you are truly burnt out. You can come back to the MCAT later.



key words: "read"

EK1001: no.
Kaplan QBank: better.. but no.

My recommendation would be to sign up for an MCAT course. IMO, you need structure. You need to be told what to do at this point.. as you're asking exactly for that. I don't think a self-study plan is the way to go.

If you must, though, I would buy The Princeton Review Hyperlearning Series. Stop focusing so much on content review. Your goal is certainly to review the topics sequentially.. but it's all about finding your weaknesses through practice problems (which will simultaneously allow you to develop critical thinking skills you NEED to succeed on the MCAT). You should be spending more time a day on practice problems than reading/watching. The last month+ of your studying should be entirely practice problems/tests where you only pick up a review book when you figure out that you have a weakness somewhere.

As for whether you'll be able to get in somewhere, you're better off posting in the "What are my chances?" forum with more information like your GPA and ECs. You won't be able to get into an MD school with your current scores (or even likely with a 24 unless you are URM.. and even then its rough). DO is still probably a hard sell. My advice would be to slow down. Take a few weeks off. Start studying for the MCAT offered in September. Don't worry about applying until way after then.

Alright, I understand what you mean. I have been feeling better about this. I know I am not the only one who has failed twice. But I am probably the only one who has gotten a second score in the teens. Something is terribly wrong. I spoke to my advisor last night. She told me she might have a solution for me to pass a final and 3rd time. My hopes have been better somewhat. I do have a question for you. Is it really a bad idea to apply this year? I was hoping to submit my application early June and just wait on my MCAT score. BTW I have rescheduled it in early August. This time I am going to do the impossible to raise my score and aim for a 30. Now I am only going to apply to DO schools. My GPA is a 3.16 (I was off to a great start in college, but after so many jobs my GPA plummeted). As for the experiences and volunteering, I have a pretty good amount of that. Also I am disadvantaged (I am an orphan- my father abandoned me at age 10)- that is why I had so many jobs. We struggled a lot financially. I know that med schools tend to be more lenient towards disadvantaged applicants. What do you say? Do I stand a chance for DO IF I put my head in the game and aim for a 30+?

 

[Jepstein30]

Alright, I understand what you mean. I have been feeling better about this. I know I am not the only one who has failed twice. But I am probably the only one who has gotten a second score in the teens. Something is terribly wrong. I spoke to my advisor last night. She told me she might have a solution for me to pass a final and 3rd time. My hopes have been better somewhat. I do have a question for you. Is it really a bad idea to apply this year? I was hoping to submit my application early June and just wait on my MCAT score. BTW I have rescheduled it in early August. This time I am going to do the impossible to raise my score and aim for a 30. Now I am only going to apply to DO schools. My GPA is a 3.16 (I was off to a great start in college, but after so many jobs my GPA plummeted). As for the experiences and volunteering, I have a pretty good amount of that. Also I am disadvantaged (I am an orphan- my father abandoned me at age 10)- that is why I had so many jobs. We struggled a lot financially. I know that med schools tend to be more lenient towards disadvantaged applicants. What do you say? Do I stand a chance for DO IF I put my head in the game and aim for a 30+?

I'm not an admissions expert by any means. You should really post in the "What are my chances?" suborum and talk to your advisor.

My thing is the MCAT and I have a ton of experience with it. What is her magical solution?

You're not the only one who has failed twice in the teens.. trust me. But it's important to recognize the situation you are in. You have one last shot, at best. Don't take it lightly.

So again, my thing is the MCAT. You're in the low teens. You're shooting for a 30. You have at most 3 months until your test day. I think gambling on improving your score over a dozen points in 3 months is a a little crazy. Its certainly possible, especially with where you are on the scale.. but that's not the point. This is it. This is your last try. You shouldn't have a test date until you are 100% certain you are scoring where you need to be. Right now, a scheduled test is the last thing you need. Don't box yourself in as you did last time. You should study without an end date right now. Only take the test when you are ready. That's not likely to be in August but that's not the point.

I think especially considering your GPA, you shouldn't take this lightly. You're way too focused on the end game (i.e. applying and getting in) at the expense of concentrating on the actual obstacle in front of you. I'm not sure you even realize how time-consuming applying is, especially applying broadly. Who cares what medical schools think right now? Because I'll tell you one thing for certain... score again in the teens and they certainly won't care about your application.

MCAT should be the only thing on your mind for the next few months.

 

[Toadesque]

Your extremely poor scores in VR are more telling to me than anything. You have to know how to read and analyze information on the MCAT to do well and that carries over to the BS and PS sections. I remember on the BS section of my MCAT I was able to come up with a lot of answers simply by reading the passages and understanding which answer choices made no sense. Similar to the PS section but to a smaller extent, knowing formulas inside and out will go a lot further for that section.

If you often find yourself reading a passage, going to the questions and feeling like you have no idea the two are related then your problems lies there, rather than being content related. I mean it's also possible that you absorbed almost nothing during your time studying the numerous books but I find that hard to believe.

 

[rian.linda]

I'm not an admissions expert by any means. You should really post in the "What are my chances?" suborum and talk to your advisor.

My thing is the MCAT and I have a ton of experience with it. What is her magical solution?

You're not the only one who has failed twice in the teens.. trust me. But it's important to recognize the situation you are in. You have one last shot, at best. Don't take it lightly.

So again, my thing is the MCAT. You're in the low teens. You're shooting for a 30. You have at most 3 months until your test day. I think gambling on improving your score over a dozen points in 3 months is a a little crazy. Its certainly possible, especially with where you are on the scale.. but that's not the point. This is it. This is your last try. You shouldn't have a test date until you are 100% certain you are scoring where you need to be. Right now, a scheduled test is the last thing you need. Don't box yourself in as you did last time. You should study without an end date right now. Only take the test when you are ready. That's not likely to be in August but that's not the point.

I think especially considering your GPA, you shouldn't take this lightly. You're way too focused on the end game (i.e. applying and getting in) at the expense of concentrating on the actual obstacle in front of you. I'm not sure you even realize how time-consuming applying is, especially applying broadly. Who cares what medical schools think right now? Because I'll tell you one thing for certain... score again in the teens and they certainly won't care about your application.

MCAT should be the only thing on your mind for the next few months.

yes you are right.....i only registered bc i was afraid there would be no spots left....i'll think about whether i should cancel or not

 

[gettheleadout]

I don't think I saw anyone address this, but if your goal score is a 28 you shouldn't have taken the exam in April anyway with FL scores in the low 20's.

 

[BobGadha]

I don't think I saw anyone address this, but if your goal score is a 28 you shouldn't have taken the exam in April anyway with FL scores in the low 20's.

Yeah, OP's average practice test score was about 20, so the 17 shouldn't have been unfathomable.
@rian.linda You should expect to score within a range of a couple points from your average. My actual score was about 3 points below my average as well. I was unhappy but not astonished.

 

[crazy87]

OP, I second the advice and encouragement given here. IMO : do not take the mcat again in a month+ And do not apply this cycle. This is a big deal. Don't rush this. Your approach and study strategy from your last exam needs a complete upheaval. Everyone learns differently and this can mean a different way of studying. Example: I have seen a lot of advice floating around sdn in the past and present about how content review is not nearly as important as practice. For me personally, the opposite was true. I say go back and review every question you got wrong. I saw another poster suggest writing a flash card for every concept you made a mistake on. Definitely agree. Understanding what concepts you don't know/don't comprehend is half the battle. Consider taking the Jan 2015 exam because it gives you the most time to study without having to take the new mcat.

You obviously worked hard, and that is not the problem. But how you are studying and preparing is. If that changes, coupled with your perseverance, you are going to have a much better shot at this. Maybe you are rushing through all these problems/practice exams. Slow down like x4 and scrutinize every wrong answer.

You can do this!!!!

 

[mavric1298]

Based on your posts just in this thread, you need to slow down. If you're getting questions wrong, figure out why. Are you going to fast, do you not know the background material, etc. Just doing loads of problems won't get you anywhere. Sign up for an MCAT course or something structured, or get a tutor.

 

[Jepstein30]

OP, I second the advice and encouragement given here. IMO : do not take the mcat again in a month+ And do not apply this cycle. This is a big deal. Don't rush this. Your approach and study strategy from your last exam needs a complete upheaval. Everyone learns differently and this can mean a different way of studying. Example: I have seen a lot of advice floating around sdn in the past and present about how content review is not nearly as important as practice. For me personally, the opposite was true. I say go back and review every question you got wrong. I saw another poster suggest writing a flash card for every concept you made a mistake on. Definitely agree. Understanding what concepts you don't know/don't comprehend is half the battle. Consider taking the Jan 2015 exam because it gives you the most time to study without having to take the new mcat.

You obviously worked hard, and that is not the problem. But how you are studying and preparing is. If that changes, coupled with your perseverance, you are going to have a much better shot at this. Maybe you are rushing through all these problems/practice exams. Slow down like x4 and scrutinize every wrong answer.

You can do this!!!!

I'm a big proponent on focusing on practice passages vs. content review but maybe I should be more clear in the future what I mean by content review. To me, content review is literally just reading the book over and over. Never putting the content into action or anything of that sort.. just reviewing it.. over and over. It's what a ton of people do because they think if they know everything in a review book, they'll score well. That's just not true.

So by definition, if you have questions to review.. you aren't doing pure content review to me. I think there's definitely use for content review in a study schedule but content review alone is useless IMO. You need it to succeed, sure.. but there is such a thing as too much of it.

I agree though. Understanding what concepts you don't know is absolutely half the battle.. and the harder half because its fairly easy to correct a problem once you've figured out it exists! Practice passages are your friend here though... you will never figure out you have a content weakness by just reading review books.

 

[Jepstein30]

yes you are right.....i only registered bc i was afraid there would be no spots left....i'll think about whether i should cancel or not

don't even bother thinking about it

again, you're focused on three steps from now instead of the next step. i'm not sure if you've ever tried to climb stairs three at a time but its fairly hard and very dangerous okay not that dangerous/hard but you get the point.. hopefully.

one step at a time. no application, no test date IMO.

 

[rian.linda]

OP, I second the advice and encouragement given here. IMO : do not take the mcat again in a month+ And do not apply this cycle. This is a big deal. Don't rush this. Your approach and study strategy from your last exam needs a complete upheaval. Everyone learns differently and this can mean a different way of studying. Example: I have seen a lot of advice floating around sdn in the past and present about how content review is not nearly as important as practice. For me personally, the opposite was true. I say go back and review every question you got wrong. I saw another poster suggest writing a flash card for every concept you made a mistake on. Definitely agree. Understanding what concepts you don't know/don't comprehend is half the battle. Consider taking the Jan 2015 exam because it gives you the most time to study without having to take the new mcat.

You obviously worked hard, and that is not the problem. But how you are studying and preparing is. If that changes, coupled with your perseverance, you are going to have a much better shot at this. Maybe you are rushing through all these problems/practice exams. Slow down like x4 and scrutinize every wrong answer.

You can do this!!!!

Thank you your support means a lot.

 

[rian.linda]

I'm a big proponent on focusing on practice passages vs. content review but maybe I should be more clear in the future what I mean by content review. To me, content review is literally just reading the book over and over. Never putting the content into action or anything of that sort.. just reviewing it.. over and over. It's what a ton of people do because they think if they know everything in a review book, they'll score well. That's just not true.

So by definition, if you have questions to review.. you aren't doing pure content review to me. I think there's definitely use for content review in a study schedule but content review alone is useless IMO. You need it to succeed, sure.. but there is such a thing as too much of it.

I agree though. Understanding what concepts you don't know is absolutely half the battle.. and the harder half because its fairly easy to correct a problem once you've figured out it exists! Practice passages are your friend here though... you will never figure out you have a content weakness by just reading review books.

I agree with you too...but I was also thinking like IMO. All is good. I will keep trying. Thank you two so much for your thoughts.

 

[Jason12]

the fact that you took MCAT first time without reviewing any books and also the fact that regardless of your low scores you still took the exam without canceling or voiding it, it tells me that your logical reasoning and common sense is not working well, so I would suggest you to work on those before you do anything else. I believe if you look at some LSAT material, they teach you logical reasoning well

 

[crazy87]

I'm a big proponent on focusing on practice passages vs. content review but maybe I should be more clear in the future what I mean by content review. To me, content review is literally just reading the book over and over. Never putting the content into action or anything of that sort.. just reviewing it.. over and over. It's what a ton of people do because they think if they know everything in a review book, they'll score well. That's just not true.

So by definition, if you have questions to review.. you aren't doing pure content review to me. I think there's definitely use for content review in a study schedule but content review alone is useless IMO. You need it to succeed, sure.. but there is such a thing as too much of it.

I agree though. Understanding what concepts you don't know is absolutely half the battle.. and the harder half because its fairly easy to correct a problem once you've figured out it exists! Practice passages are your friend here though... you will never figure out you have a content weakness by just reading review books.

Agreed. Also, the way I wrote my post made it sound like reviewing questions was content review, whoops. You're right though, you won't know your weak spots until you do practice questions. There were certain topics that i'd read a couple times, take notes, memorize formulas, and then STILL not be able to do the problems right. Then I had to get creative with content review to make it stick. Watch various videos, draw some diagrams, etc. It's an active process indeed. But everyone is different.

 

[rian.linda]

the fact that you took MCAT first time without reviewing any books and also the fact that regardless of your low scores you still took the exam without canceling or voiding it, it tells me that your logical reasoning and common sense is not working well, so I would suggest you to work on those before you do anything else. I believe if you look at some LSAT material, they teach you logical reasoning well

The fact that you did not read my entire post regarding the tremendous effort I put in the second time retaking the MCAT tells me that your reading capabilities and concluding responses are not working so well. I believe if you look at some social skills books, they teach you how to listen and socialize, and reply as well. By the way, LSAT is for law school, not medical school It's common sense.

 

[DrCharlemagne]

The fact that you did not read my entire post regarding the tremendous effort I put in the second time retaking the MCAT tells me that your reading capabilities and concluding responses are not working so well. I believe if you look at some social skills books, they teach you how to listen and socialize, and reply as well. By the way, LSAT is for law school, not medical school It's common sense.

His point about your reasoning still stands (and this post introduces a question of maturity); you should not have sat for an exam as important as the MCAT without studying, nor should you have done it again hoping to pull a score 7-8 points higher than what you were averaging. Your determination to push forward without addressing these issues is why he made the suggestion that you look into something like LSAT prep. Honestly, your verbal score might improve if you spent some time with LSAT materials if you've already exhausted MCAT prep sources.

 

[Jason12]

His point about your reasoning still stands (and this post introduces a question of maturity); you should not have sat for an exam as important as the MCAT without studying, nor should you have done it again hoping to pull a score 7-8 points higher than what you were averaging. Your determination to push forward without addressing these issues is why he made the suggestion that you look into something like LSAT prep. Honestly, your verbal score might improve if you spent some time with LSAT materials if you've already exhausted MCAT prep sources.

Thank you, I was going to respond back to him but I realized he was acting immature rather than taking my advice with a grain of salt.

 

[rian.linda]

His point about your reasoning still stands (and this post introduces a question of maturity); you should not have sat for an exam as important as the MCAT without studying, nor should you have done it again hoping to pull a score 7-8 points higher than what you were averaging. Your determination to push forward without addressing these issues is why he made the suggestion that you look into something like LSAT prep. Honestly, your verbal score might improve if you spent some time with LSAT materials if you've already exhausted MCAT prep sources.

Once again, I was not hoping to pull a score of 7-8 points higher, I was hoping to get a 24, 1 point higher than what I scored. Please, I am already frustrated as it is....read my posts before you judge what I was pushing for. I appreciate all your responses and thoughtful suggestions, but I feel like Jason12 could have been kinder with his word choice. By the way @Jason12 I am a female...Linda is a female name.

 

[rian.linda]

Thank you, I was going to respond back to him but I realized he was acting immature rather than taking my advice with a grain of salt.

Looool my name is Linda...read my username...I am a girl...once again you need to work on your reading capabilities....nevertheless I do appreciate your thoughtfulness but your word choice needs to be kinder.

 

[DrCharlemagne]

Once again, I was not hoping to pull a score of 7-8 points higher, I was hoping to get a 24, 1 point higher than what I scored. Please, I am already frustrated as it is....read my posts before you judge what I was pushing for. I appreciate all your responses and thoughtful suggestions, but I feel like Jason12 could have been kinder with his word choice. By the way @Jason12 I am a female...Linda is a female name.

There are no girls on the internet, and usernames are a poor indicator of gender (Charlemagne was a dude, I am not a dude).

You've received plenty of hand-holding and kind advice, and Jason's reaction was brusque but not out of line. Rather than taking it in the chin, review the thread for the good ideas you've received and try them out over the next week. Then you can come back with feedback for us and we can see if we can move you forward.

 

[rian.linda]

There are no girls on the internet, and usernames are a poor indicator of gender (Charlemagne was a dude, I am not a dude).

You've received plenty of hand-holding and kind advice, and Jason's reaction was brusque but not out of line. Rather than taking it in the chin, review the thread for the good ideas you've received and try them out over the next week. Then you can come back with feedback for us and we can see if we can move you forward.

Will do