Maximum Number of Retakes

[chemiosmosis11]

Hi,

I was just reading the new policy on the number of retakes, and let's say that I have written the old MCAT twice (august 2014 and january 2015) and the new MCAT once (June). Does this mean I have used up 3 attempts according to the new policy, or does the new MCAT only count, making that 1 attempt?

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[Dreamstoo]

I think the old policy was 3 attempts of a MCAT can be done in a single year. That was how the old policy was. I'm not sure what the new one is, I couldn't find it.

 

[chemiosmosis11]

Basically, the new policy is that you can do a max of 4 times in 2 years, but I was just wondering if the old MCAT attempts counted as it says "starting in April 2015".

 

[mcatjelly]

The website says that exams taken prior to April 2015 don't count.

 

[Dreamstoo]

The website says that exams taken prior to April 2015 don't count.

Thank god, that scared me for a second.

 

[efle]

Honestly you're in a really really really bad spot if you take the MCAT 4 or more times. You need to get it right this time, and should have the two times before

 

[Dreamstoo]

Honestly you're in a really really really bad spot if you take the MCAT 4 or more times. You need to get it right this time, and should have the two times before

Then you haven't met some people I know who are current MD students or residents...

 

[efle]

Then you haven't met some people I know who are current MD students or residents...

I'm sure I haven't, but perhaps we can ask @gyngyn @Goro

Is it really bad to take the mcat 4+ times?

 

[Goro]

It's a minus for my school, as we average scores. However, it's not always lethal. I think the all-time record for anyone I ever interviewed was six or seven. It was an ESL kid who just couldn't get the VR above 5-6, until the very last one.

gyngyn's school will average and so it's a definite minus for his school.

I'm sure I haven't, but perhaps we can ask @gyngyn @Goro

Is it really bad to take the mcat 4+ times?

 

[gyngyn]

Multiple scores are never better than a single strong score.

 

[gyngyn]

It's a minus for my school, as we average scores. However, it's not always lethal. I think the all-time record for anyone I ever interviewed was six or seven.

I've seen seventeen.

 

[Goro]

You're making that up!!!

I've seen seventeen.

 

[gyngyn]

You're making that up!!!

It was so sad...
It was a graduate of the University of Chicago.
I remember the whole application to this day.

 

[Goro]

Once again you top anything a Hollywood screenwriter can come up with!

was this person at the floor and never went up, or went up ever so incrementally?

It was so sad...
It was a graduate of the University of Chicago...

 

[gyngyn]

Once again you top anything a Hollywood screenwriter can come up with!

was this person at the floor and never went up, or went up ever so incrementally?

It appears that she may have suffered some sort of brain injury that resulted in multiple low scores after an initially acceptable one. Her perseveration might have been a result of the brain injury.

 

[efle]

I've seen seventeen.

aren't you limited to three a year? This person nonstop tested for six years?

 

[gyngyn]

aren't you limited to three a year? This person nonstop tested for six years?

It was more years than that. Maybe once or twice every year.

 

[lantx]

It was so sad...
It was a graduate of the University of Chicago.
I remember the whole application to this day.

Well did she end up getting in? If not at your school, somewhere else?

 

[Goro]

I doubt it.

Well did she end up getting in? If not at your school, somewhere else?

 

[gyngyn]

Well did she end up getting in? If not at your school, somewhere else?

They were mostly single digit total scores.

 

[ZedsDed]

They were mostly single digit total scores.

People actually apply to UCs with single digit scores?!

 

[efle]

People actually apply to UCs with single digit scores?!

Apparently they were a U Chicago student that suffered brain damage...probably an exception

 

[ZedsDed]

Apparently they were a U Chicago student that suffered brain damage...probably an exception

I missed that. Well now I feel like an ass. That's awful, hope they figured it out...

 

[sparksfly21]

I'm wondering how the old mcat scores and the new mcat scores will be "averaged" since there is a different scale for the both of them

 

[mcatjelly]

I'm wondering how the old mcat scores and the new mcat scores will be "averaged" since there is a different scale for the both of them

Percentiles.

 

[efle]

Percentiles.

Which is interesting as averaging percentiles is very different from the old average raw scores method