Forum Members Official "Should I Retake?" Thread

[QofQuimica]

EDIT 12/21/18: This thread is being retired, as the majority of posts (>80 pages) pertain to the old MCAT that is no longer relevant to current applicants. You can find the current "Should I Retake" thread here: Forum Members - Should I Retake the MCAT?

For those of you who are trying to figure out whether you should re-take, this is the thread for you. Post your dilemma here if you want advice from other SDN folks. Please note that you should take the opinions you get from SDN as one source of advice; you would be wise to also consult your premed advisor before making this decision. Here is my personal advice for those considering whether to re-take:

Definitely DO retake:

-if you scored below a 24. Some allopathic schools will screen out students with scores lower than 24, which is about the mean score for all test-takers.
-if you had some kind of major problem during the test that affected your performance (ex. you started puking or running a 102 degree temperature)
-if you took the test without completing the four pre-reqs (one year each of biology, chemistry, physics, and organic) and/or without studying for it
-if you left large numbers of questions blank​

Definitely do NOT retake:

-if you scored a 30 or better, especially if all of your individual section scores were an 8 or better
-if your section subscores (the numerical ones) are all good, but you didn't perform well on the writing section (the letter score)

​

Gray area-it's not obvious what to do:

-if you scored 30+ but with one section below an 8
-if you had some minor nuisances (ex. a noisy test room) during the test and you're not sure if it affected your performance
-if you studied thoroughly for the test and you scored within the range of your practice exams, but your score is in the middle range (24-29)​

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[Nervous Dad]

OK, as my name suggests, I'm a nervous Dad. My daughter just graduated College last May in the Top 3% of her Class in an Honors Pre-Med program with a 3.86 GPA at a large State School. She studied for about 6 weeks and took the MCAT in June and got a 21. She then moved to SoCal from Colorado with her BF, and studied 8 hours a day all sumer long, took her MCAT in September and Got a 26. She has always done poorly on Standardized tests. In HS she graduated as a Valedictorian with a 4.2 in AP classes and got only a 28 on her ACT. When she got out of her MCAT's the 2nd time she thought she had done poorly; it seems she reads slow and the time element is what throws her. We were all excited for the 26 when we found out about it 3 days ago, but now that excitment has changed to despair after reading through these forums. I don't know exactly what this means, but she aced OChem 1 and 2(98%) as a Junior if that gives any indication of how smart she is. She's also Steet Smart, involved in a lot of organizations, and wants to work with devepopmentally disabled patients(My 13 year old son, her Brother, has Down Syndrome). Should we apply to schools, forget it, or take the MCATs again. I dont know if should could do any better because of how poorly she does on these type tests.

OH and BTW, she's trying to get all the applications in now, with LOR's, transcripts, etc, for the October 15th Deadline; but I'm reading here with such a low MCAT, she should have had this done months ago in order to have a shot...is there any validity to this?

BTW, I'm a 30% disabled vet and this economy has hit us as hard as lot of people. I did not have any money to help her get into one of those study classes(They wanted like $2k!). So all this prep, she did by herself, all summer long. Since they moved to this new state, they didn have any friends for a distraction, so she treated her studying like a job. She got a 10PS, 8 Bio, 8 Verbal, but had to guess on 1 passage in Physical and 2-3 on the others...she always put C as the answer on the ones she guessed at.

 

[Member2426]

In start of 3rd year now:

cGPA: 3.55
sGPA: 3.35
(GPA for school in home province: 3.74)
MCAT: 11/8/10 29

My 1st year GPA was 3.37, second year was 3.74, third year will be even higher.

Volunteer in a hospital, have tutored, volunteered in Africa, volunteer for Alzheimer's society.
Have a lot of work experience. Work 10-15 hrs/week at 2 jobs during school.
Have one very good reference for a LOR and a couple other decent ones.

 

[starlight15]

OK, as my name suggests, I'm a nervous Dad. My daughter just graduated College last May in the Top 3% of her Class in an Honors Pre-Med program with a 3.86 GPA at a large State School. She studied for about 6 weeks and took the MCAT in June and got a 21. She then moved to SoCal from Colorado with her BF, and studied 8 hours a day all sumer long, took her MCAT in September and Got a 26. She has always done poorly on Standardized tests. In HS she graduated as a Valedictorian with a 4.2 in AP classes and got only a 28 on her ACT. When she got out of her MCAT's the 2nd time she thought she had done poorly; it seems she reads slow and the time element is what throws her. We were all excited for the 26 when we found out about it 3 days ago, but now that excitment has changed to despair after reading through these forums. I don't know exactly what this means, but she aced OChem 1 and 2(98%) as a Junior if that gives any indication of how smart she is. She's also Steet Smart, involved in a lot of organizations, and wants to work with devepopmentally disabled patients(My 13 year old son, her Brother, has Down Syndrome). Should we apply to schools, forget it, or take the MCATs again. I dont know if should could do any better because of how poorly she does on these type tests.

OH and BTW, she's trying to get all the applications in now, with LOR's, transcripts, etc, for the October 15th Deadline; but I'm reading here with such a low MCAT, she should have had this done months ago in order to have a shot...is there any validity to this?

BTW, I'm a 30% disabled vet and this economy has hit us as hard as lot of people. I did not have any money to help her get into one of those study classes(They wanted like $2k!). So all this prep, she did by herself, all summer long. Since they moved to this new state, they didn have any friends for a distraction, so she treated her studying like a job. She got a 10PS, 8 Bio, 8 Verbal, but had to guess on 1 passage in Physical and 2-3 on the others...she always put C as the answer on the ones she guessed at.

For your question about whether she should apply this cycle, I would say save your money for next year. Getting apps in EARLY is crucial and I have many friends with good GPA and MCAT scores who struggled last cycle due to late applications. Especially with AMCAS verification times being very slow this year, she will not be verified until late November, and that's before she even starts submitting secondaries. By the time she is done with secondaries, it will be December and half the interview season is over. I would wait until next year and apply as early as possible--especially since she seems to have most of the materials ready, she can apply on the first day, even better! Point is, there's a good chance she may be a reapplicant and that will hurt her chances when she reapplies next year.

As for retaking the MCAT, I don't know much about DO schools, but from my time perusing the "What are my chances?" thread, a 26 on the MCAT + 3.86 GPA should give her a decent shot at the DO schools (provided that her ECs, LORs are all good). But again, it is pretty late in the cycle and she would be taking a risk here. How was your daughter scoring on the practice tests? Another thing to keep in mind is that the MCAT will be the first of many standardized tests that your daughter takes...it seems to me that content isn't the problem here but like you said, it's the timing. Perhaps you can check the other MCAT threads to see if there's good advice out there for improving reading speed.

TL;DR Apply next cycle for DO (sorry, basically no chance at MD with the MCAT) and only retake if she can DEFINITELY score 30+

 

[starlight15]

In start of 3rd year now:

cGPA: 3.55
sGPA: 3.35
(GPA for school in home province: 3.74)
MCAT: 11/8/10 29

My 1st year GPA was 3.37, second year was 3.74, third year will be even higher.

Volunteer in a hospital, have tutored, volunteered in Africa, volunteer for Alzheimer's society.
Have a lot of work experience. Work 10-15 hrs/week at 2 jobs during school.
Have one very good reference for a LOR and a couple other decent ones.

It depends on whether you are aiming for MD or if you will be fine with DO. If you can continue the upward trend in GPA (make sure you know what your cGPA is for all undergrad institutions), your GPA and MCAT is probably okay for DO (not very knowledgeable about DO GPA, but MCAT is fine for it). If you are aiming for MD, you will need to score a lot higher (it can compensate for the GPA a bit, but your sGPA is too low), probably 32+ at least.

Edit: and make sure you have some shadowing experience!

 

[Member2426]

It depends on whether you are aiming for MD or if you will be fine with DO. If you can continue the upward trend in GPA (make sure you know what your cGPA is for all undergrad institutions), your GPA and MCAT is probably okay for DO (not very knowledgeable about DO GPA, but MCAT is fine for it). If you are aiming for MD, you will need to score a lot higher (it can compensate for the GPA a bit, but your sGPA is too low), probably 32+ at least.

Edit: and make sure you have some shadowing experience!

Thanks for the reply! I am a canadian student so DO is out of the picture for me. with my stats I am already guaranteed an interview at the med school in my home province. I had a terrible time with verbal and don't know how I would get my score up.

 

[starlight15]

Thanks for the reply! I am a canadian student so DO is out of the picture for me. with my stats I am already guaranteed an interview at the med school in my home province. I had a terrible time with verbal and don't know how I would get my score up.

In that case, as an international applicant to MD schools, you will need to get the MCAT up, aim for 32+. At least you already have one interview to count on! I've seen threads around here with really good and comprehensive advice for improving verbal- do a quick search and hopefully you'll find it helpful. Good luck!

 

[Selstaar]

I'm a Canadian.

PS10/VR10/BS11
GPA in home province: 3.96
AMCAS GPA: 3.98

The issue is that in my home province there's a huge emphasis on verbal and 11's the magic number. And, most schools have avg GPAs upward of 3.8.

I did 3 AAMCs (9,10,11) and got a 10 all three times in verbal. I feel like with enough practice I can probably do better in verbal. But, I also know I lucked out with the science sections this time around (I didn't take any prereqs).

Is rewriting for a higher verbal a risk worth taking? Am I okay as an international applicant to the US with these stats?

 

[Selstaar]

Thanks for the reply! I am a canadian student so DO is out of the picture for me. with my stats I am already guaranteed an interview at the med school in my home province. I had a terrible time with verbal and don't know how I would get my score up.

What province are you in?

 

[grburst]

-

 

[TylerGLee]

Hey so I originally posted in WAMC but then found there is a thread. Sorry if its long winded. Just figured I would put everything out there.

So in some recent posts I have outright said I will not retake the MCAT. I got a 28 (9,9,10- P/V/B) my first time through. I began studying Jan 2013 until April 2013. I studied roughly 40 hours a week for about 14 weeks. I took TPR prep course, and supplemented any other stuff by looking at the Berkeley review books or talking to professors. I took almost all of the AAMC practice tests and through the first five or so I climbed from an 18 to a 30. Then for the last 5 or so I kept above a 30, averaging a 32. When I took the real thing, I got a 28.

Now this has sort of been a blessing in disguise that I got this score at this time in my life because of a recent marriage, moving etc, this year would have been insane if I added applying to it. But now that I have some more time and am planning on applying next cycle that little voice in my head is saying maybe I should have another go at it. I would for sure not be able to give it the time that I gave it the first time. I could maybe give it 20 hours a week for maybe 3 or 4 months. The only thing that I could see myself doing better this time around is maybe doing more practice problems.

The first time around I mainly just read through all of the review books and then took the practice tests, I did basically NO supplemental practice problems besides the practice tests. So this time around I would plan on doing like the entire book of practice problems.

I realized literally by my first couple of problems on the actual MCAT that the raw knowledge is not as important as just getting random problems and being able to solve them. So maybe by pretty much solely practicing problems I would have a greater shot? Maybe instead of just doing like 50 practice problems (which I did last time) by doing maybe like 1000 I would be more prepared? This is the thought that kept me up last night.

Now for the CONS:
- Seriously, I studied 40hours a week for 14 weeks... sort of this internal feeling that if a 28 is the best I could do with that time, then maybe acceptance is the best thing.
- Again I will NOT be able to give it the attention I gave it the first time, guarantee. I have work, life etc. But this time maybe I will be studying smarter instead of longer?
- I am scared $hitless that I will do worse than I did the first time. I have heard this does not go over very well with admission committees... which would for sure add a crap ton of pressure, in which case I would for sure be more stressed on the test day.
- All things considered, I felt good on test day last time. No jitters, no panic, nothing. I felt very confident that I would do as well as my practice tests. I felt there were no particular holes when I took the test. ** I will add that I am somewhat average with standardized tests. Just naturally not crazy for them.
- The fact that I took all of the practice tests only a few months ago makes me nervous. I have heard it is not good to retake them unless its been like over a year because you can over inflate your practice scores. So this time around I would maybe have less real practice tests to go with...
- Have to re-buy some books

If I had a 27 I would say I would for sure retake. If I had a 29 I would be content. But this 28 which is putting me right in the middle of DO and MD schools is just putting some thoughts (perhaps crazy) in my head. Some times I feel a retake would be the wise thing to do. While some times I feel that I should count my blessings, proceed with what I have, and apply to a carefully chosen set of DO and "low tier" MD schools early next cycle and hopefully I would have a shot. I would prefer MD but am in no way really opposed to DO, figure a mix of both on my application?



Here are my other stats for those curious, from a previous thread (updated):
I have lived in Maryland my whole life but I moved in July 2013 to Wisconsin, where I will be living for the next two years (wife is getting her masters), so I guess technically I will be a Wisconsin resident when I apply?

I will be applying right when the application opens, so I figure an early application will help. I have everything pretty much set already since I was planning on originally applying this year, but changed my mind at the last minute…

Here are my stats:
23 year old white male
First in my family to graduate from college (a lot of uneducated farmers in my family)
Bio major (graduated 2013)
3.4cgpa
3.25sgpa (3.5 DO sgpa)
Took a fair bit of challenging courses, and a few graduate courses, and I absolutely have an upward trend. I took 5 college course while I was in high school, I was immature, did not give a crap about them and failed all of them which is why my GPA was brought so low. I had mostly A’s from sophomore to senior year (ironically in the more challenging science courses? I guess they were more interesting and I had my head on straight).

28 MCAT (10 bio, 9 verbal, 9 phys.)

From a small private college in the middle of nowhere

Roughly 200 hours of volunteer experience, cooking food at a homeless shelter during the summer, and then passing out supplies during a couple winters.

A ton of research stuff:
-3 month summer research project with an organic chemist at my school where I presented my work at the ACS national meeting
-1 year of research with a biochemist at my school
- 6 months of research at the USDA at Fort Detrick, MD
-4 months as a lab technician with the same USDA lab (they hired me as a contractor once I finished my internship).
-Currently work (and will continue to work for the next two years) as a research technologist in the department of biochemistry at the medical college of Wisconsin.

Some other random stuff:
-Worked as a camp counselor two summers ago. This was a pretty awesome experience and I learned a ton of my leadership skills from this time in my life.
-Organic chemistry tutor for a year.
-Have my CNA license and worked as a medical assistant for a podiatrist for 4 months.
-Shadowed roughly 30 hours in the emergency room at my local hospital
-Did a habitat for humanity alternative spring break trip to rebuild houses after Katrina hit a few years back.
-As soon as my CNA license transfers to this state I plan on working and getting some more clinical. I also might shadow another doc or two, maybe surgeons, to get a different feel for different fields of medicine.
-I have extremely strong letters of recommendation, a very nice bonus of having some amazing professors and mentors at a small college.


So it is a pickle... What are some views on this? Count my Blessings or Retake under increased stress... If I knew how to set up a poll I would do that...

 

[stars42]

Deleted.

 

[bpperry]

B.S. Chemistry holder here.
3.6 cGPA
3.5 sGPA
Working as a phlebotomist, also volunteered for a few years in a hospital. Did college band, as well as competitive drumline/other musical ensembles every year of school and during the summer. I currently teach private percussion lessons as well as instructing local high school bands. Also did a year researching with a team from a cognitive psychology lab.

Scored a 13/10/9 on my first and only writing of the MCAT. Is it worth retaking to try and balance up the Bio score? Or should I happy with the score I have? Looking for MD schools but I'm not exactly hell bent on going to a top ranked school.

Thanks for the input.

 

[iceroll]

I want to apply to US medical schools like Stanford, Hopkins, Duke etc. and my score was:

PS: 14
BS: 14
VR: 10

Does the 10 in VR hinder my chances a lot? Should I retake?

Also, I'm Canadian. I'm planning on applying to Canadian schools in Ontario too.

 

[DaenarysDuhh]

I want to apply to US medical schools like Stanford, Hopkins, Duke etc. and my score was:

PS: 14
BS: 14
VR: 10

Does the 10 in VR hinder my chances a lot? Should I retake?

Also, I'm Canadian. I'm planning on applying to Canadian schools in Ontario too.

Omg. No you are completely fine that 10 in VR it is solid schools will not even blink. Your overall score is a 38! If you don't get into those schools it will have nothing to do with your MCAT score

 

[inycepoo]

Newbie SDNer is newbie

No, don't retake a 38. Look in the Official Guide to the MCAT and you'll see the percentage of people who get lower on a retake with a 38 (though the sample size must be tiny).

 

[humza91tahir]

hey guys I dont know if this is the right place to post this sort of question but i need to know
I got a 22 the first time so there's no doubt that I have to retake it....I took kaplan the first time and I think i've exhausted all the AAMC Full length exams....where could i possibly obtain more practice exams and practice material?
I currently have princeton review books for bio, o-chem, physics, and gen chem
please help

Thanks and good luck

 

[daleader]

Try Gold Standard and TBR exams.

I disagree with this ^ Avoid Gold Standard if you can .. I would suggest:

1. Read this http://forums.studentdoctor.net/ind...he-mcat-a-3-month-mcat-study-schedule.623898/
2. Follow SN2ed schedule - modify it to your own life
3. Use TBR For PS Section + Organic, use TPR for Bio
4. Avoid Gold Standard unless there is nothing else that you can study from
5. Call Kaplan, extend your access for another 3 months, use their online resources
6. Re-do ALL AAMC exams, not to predict your score but to identify your weaknesses
7. Get AAMC Self-Assessment Package + Official Book for extra questions
8. Take TPR Full Length Exams + Kaplan Full Length exams ..

etc ...

honestly, if you used Kaplan the first time, there is still A LOT to do for your retake -- some ppl use TBR + TPR + EK + Kaplan + AAMC and STILL score 22 ... don't worry ....... you will be fine

 

[daleader]

Since OP exhausted all AAMC and Kaplan FLs, TBR and Gold Standard seem to be the only options available(in terms of taking practice FLs). Gold Standard and TBR would not require him/her to register for a course to get these, however TPR would. If OP is ready to shell out another 2000$ on a prep course, go ahead with TPR.

I could be wrong but I heard from someone that you can get access to all TPR stuff by getting their tutoring service which is only like 400$ or something .. I could be wrong tho ... Also remember that you can get access to 4 TPR Fls by buying their 'cracking' book which is like 60$ or something

 

[inycepoo]

I could be wrong but I heard from someone that you can get access to all TPR stuff by getting their tutoring service which is only like 400$ or something .. I could be wrong tho ... Also remember that you can get access to 4 TPR Fls by buying their 'cracking' book which is like 60$ or something

It's $600-$700. Except their FLs are crap. I would know. 36 on the real thing, and TPR wasn't remotely close to what the current exam is like.

Go Kaplan online content. Expensive as ****, but it's the best FL practice out there, besides VR. MCAT On Demand is the best deal if you don't want/need the borderline useless class time.

 

[Texasinboston]

new to SDN and this is my first post...

trying to figure out retake.
MCAT: 31
PS:11
BS: 12
VR: 8

other info to consider:
undergrad gpa: 2.98 biochem premed
BCMP undergrad: 2.66
informal postbac classes GPA (7 science classes, 26 credits): 3.9
cGPA: 3.1
current BCMP: 2.9

I'm looking to do a formal SMP, but I'm wondering if I would still need to retake assuming I do well in the SMP.

 

[Spartan2332]

hey guys I dont know if this is the right place to post this sort of question but i need to know
I got a 22 the first time so there's no doubt that I have to retake it....I took kaplan the first time and I think i've exhausted all the AAMC Full length exams....where could i possibly obtain more practice exams and practice material?
I currently have princeton review books for bio, o-chem, physics, and gen chem
please help

Thanks and good luck

I just retook the MCAT on August 22nd and was accepted to medical school this last week! Good news is I had almost exactly the same resources as you for studying again! I went back through the Princeton Review practice questions then I bought the Kaplan MCAT Premiere 2013-2014 book for only about $56 on amazon and used the online practice quizzes and full lengths practice tests on there then scored 30! I would recommend practicing with ear plugs in, by the way-- my room was so noisy!

 

[deleted569829]

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[RC4L]

new to SDN and this is my first post...

trying to figure out retake.
MCAT: 31
PS:11


BS: 12
VR: 8

other info to consider:
undergrad gpa: 2.98 biochem premed
BCMP undergrad: 2.66
informal postbac classes GPA (7 science classes, 26 credits): 3.9
cGPA: 3.1
current BCMP: 2.9

I'm looking to do a formal SMP, but I'm wondering if I would still need to retake assuming I do well in the SMP.

That is a great MCAT score but your GPA creates a complicated scenario. You're almost surely going to have to do a graduate program somewhere and do very well to get an acceptance regardless of the MCAT. I would imagine you could get in with your current mcat and a stellar grad program resume as well as some clinical work/volunteer work. If your MCAT was a few points higher I would say you could probably get in with your GPA but I am from LA and we are infamous for low standards on admissions so that may incorrect in your situation. I would personally just work on making some awesome grades and getting clinic experience. The best thing to do in your situation would be to contact the schools you are interested in and make appointments to discuss your options. Different schools are going to want different things from you. Regardless, congrats on the 31 that is a great score!

 

[kevin2400]

Nevermind!

 

[Spartan2332]

Just finished my secondaries for this past cycle (no II's), and now I'm preparing for the worst for next cycle.
cGPA 3.4/sGPA3.4 MCAT 31.
First attempt: September 2012 - 24 (PS/VR/BS - 10/6/8)
Second attempt: April 2013 - 31 (PS/VR/BS - 11/10/10)
Should I aim for a third attempt for April 2014? Not sure how else I could prepare my application before next cycle...

I wouldn't retake it if I were you. You already raised your score by 7 points. I would take more science classes or aim to shadow more doctors and get more clinical experience if you don't already have a ton. That score should get you in somewhere. You should also meet with advisors from your top pick schools and go to open houses and introduce yourself to members of admissions. The most important thing to do is meet with an advisor. I was told exactly what changes I needed to make then did so and got accepted. Also, at an open house a man I was talking to took down my name (he asked for the exact spelling) then I was accepted two weeks later. At the open house I just wore my work clothes-- My black Ecco shoes, khakis, a black belt and a navy blue sweater. Guys dressed in full suits or girls in high heels actually looked overdressed. People writing down notes during open house presentations also looked overly eager.

I wish you the best and hope an advisor will tell you that you only need to take a class or something simple then you can be accepted! (That is, if you're not accepted this time around, which you could be!)

 

[inycepoo]

Just finished my secondaries for this past cycle (no II's), and now I'm preparing for the worst for next cycle.
cGPA 3.4/sGPA3.4 MCAT 31.
First attempt: September 2012 - 24 (PS/VR/BS - 10/6/8)
Second attempt: April 2013 - 31 (PS/VR/BS - 11/10/10)
Should I aim for a third attempt for April 2014? Not sure how else I could prepare my application before next cycle...

Assuming you mean you just filled out your secondaries, you can start by not applying so late next cycle. You want every bit of help you can get with a GPA of 3.4. Finishing secondaries in late November is disaster for anyone, let alone for the "borderline…"

 

[Rishigautam500]

new to SDN and this is my first post...

trying to figure out retake.
MCAT: 31
PS:11
BS: 12
VR: 8

other info to consider:
undergrad gpa: 2.98 biochem premed
BCMP undergrad: 2.66
informal postbac classes GPA (7 science classes, 26 credits): 3.9
cGPA: 3.1
current BCMP: 2.9

I'm looking to do a formal SMP, but I'm wondering if I would still need to retake assuming I do well in the SMP.

If you are applying to DO schools, you may not have to improve your GPA. I recently interviewed at an osteopathic school and a second year student told me his GPA was 3.2, and his MCAT was 29. Your MCAT is great; retaking it probably isn't in your best interest.

If you're heart is set on MD and you're dying to get in soon, apply to low tier schools. But if you've got a year to burn, you should take a few high science courses. This is what almost any MD school with tell you.

 

[razgriz1211]

I took my MCAT over last summer and my scores came out to be 9 VR, 8 PS, and 10 BS with a 27 total. I'm a bio major who haven't taken any PS classes since like 2 years ago and that is easily reflected on my PS scores. My GPA is 3.29 and 3.27 . I am aiming only for DO school and I was wondering if I should take my time and start studying for MCAT again. Last time I started on the SN2Ed's 3 month schedule but got derailed due to family issues and did only 1 practice exams from aamc and had to rush through the TBR books end which I didn't review much. But I am still a little bit nervous about taking the MCAT again because what if I waste all this time and don't do well especially knowing that my next semester's schedule is going to be hectic and I have to pick up another job possibly.

Also my EC includes over 200 hours of voluntary services in a hospital, 100+ hours in a soup kitchen and local community centers back home and starting a club (officially verified next semester in the uni) for working with local communities around the university to improve it. It will also provide a source for volunteer work for students who are looking for it. Anyway, I'm getting of topic, is my score currently okay enough or should I try to forego trying to get another job and focus on MCAT and school work. Maybe do all the review work properly this time?

 

[manchika]

I am a non-traditional student (or not) who is looking into any kind of books after almost 15 yrs. I prepared for MCAT for 6 months last year and took it in Sep 2013. Under very stressful situations (family related) I took MCAT and bombed it. I got a awful score of 24 with 5 in verbal. I took Princeton review course last year. I exhausted TPR verbal. I do have TBR (all), EK (verbal) material. I am planning to take it on July 24 (when registrations open)What material and plan should I follow?

 

[alex pham]

MCAT: 28 (PS:10 VB:8 BS:10)
Undergraduate cGPA: 3.0
Currently in a SMP: I have a 4.0 in the program so far.
Medical Exposure: Medical scribe, volunteer in ER, Hospital, and AIDS Hospice.

I'm attempting to fix my GPA and i'm aiming for a louisiana medical school.
Should I retake the mcat?

 

[Spartan2332]

MCAT: 28 (PS:10 VB:8 BS:10)
Undergraduate cGPA: 3.0
Currently in a SMP: I have a 4.0 in the program so far.
Medical Exposure: Medical scribe, volunteer in ER, Hospital, and AIDS Hospice.

I'm attempting to fix my GPA and i'm aiming for a louisiana medical school.
Should I retake the mcat?

My friend had a 3.1 GPA undergrad and a 3.6(ish) Masters GPA in Physiology and was accepted to Wayne State in Michigan. He had the exact same MCAT score. Retaking and scoring higher would definitely increase your chances of being accepted, though.

 

[bauer.j]

Word of advise, a lot of my Canadian friends who are contemplating on a re-write with scores >30-31 should look into some American medical schools. An american medical graduate can more or less get back into Canadian system easily (No, it won't be as easy if you did it from Canada, but still a very feasible option).

 

[johnychen80]

Should i take the test for a 3rd time? I applied to roughly 30 schools this year and I have yet to be invited for an interview. I have 4 rejections and 5 schools (GW, Drexel, Arizona, VCU, Quinnipiac) that have put me on hold for an interview. I have done alot of volunteering in hospitals/clinics and a decent amount of community service. I have also done alot of research and I am a co-author on 3 papers.

Stats:
1. Sept. 2011: 29 (10P, 8V, 11B)
2. April 2012: 30 (12P, 9V, 9B)

undergrad gpa: 3.4
masters gpa: 3.9

I didnt really study as much for my 2nd test because I was working full time and felt pretty confident but then I got some tough o-chem that really screwed up my bio score. Anyways I really want to go to an MD school so Im considering giving the MCAT one more shot.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[kylejfischer]

7PS/8VR/9BS
Think i can easily raise the two science sections. Worried that My verbal could decrease though! What ya'll think?

 

[futuredoctor43]

MCAT (May 2013) 7PS/8VS/9BS - 24 total
MCAT (Sept 2013) 10PS/VS/9BS - 27 total **PS up by 3pts; no change in other sections!

Graduating this May

Tons of ECs
Undergrad research for 2 years
Extensive community service/leadership activities
Excellent LORs

Graduating this May. NH resident

Do I retake?!?!

 

[valkener]

You have good chances of matching DO. If you want to go MD, then retake. Apply broadly either way and have some backups (like DO schools). Good luck!

 

[BruinBear13]

Applying for this current cycle. So far: 17 rejections (2 post-interviews), 12 silences, 3 holds, waiting on decision for one interview.
California resident. Applied a little top heavy.
cGPA: 3.64. sGPA: 3.75. AO GPA: 3.33. 33Q (13BS, 12PS, 8VR)
Good ECs. Not born in the USA.

I feel that the combination of low AO GPA, low VR, and not being born in the USA is what did me in this cycle... I am preparing for the worst and planning on registering to retake the MCAT in May-June. What do you guys think?

 

[orangeman25]

Since this is the MCAT retake thread, I wanted to pose a question:

To what extend can a high mcat (34+) offset a low gpa (3.3-3.5)? I am getting my score back soon so I was thinking about this...

 

[skylites]

Hi, I just graduated May 2013 from a pretty good CA school. I've been planning to apply this June, but my stats are making me doubt myself. I was a political science major, but I took the pre-med requirements. Should I re-take the MCAT this April? I wanted to try to compensate for my lower GPA .. I've currently been trying to get into the mode of studying again, and it's kinda driving me crazy so I'm wondering if it's worth it.

MCAT: 32 10/10/12 (P/V/B)
cGPA: 3.49, sGPA: 3.3

 

[brood910]

Hi, I just graduated May 2013 from a pretty good CA school. I've been planning to apply this June, but my stats are making me doubt myself. I was a political science major, but I took the pre-med requirements. Should I re-take the MCAT this April? I wanted to try to compensate for my lower GPA .. I've currently been trying to get into the mode of studying again, and it's kinda driving me crazy so I'm wondering if it's worth it.

MCAT: 32 10/10/12 (P/V/B)
cGPA: 3.49, sGPA: 3.3

No, for DO.
Yes, for MD.

 

[Alfie99]

32R

VR10
BS11
PS11

The reason I am considering re-taking is that my GPA is 3.43, sGPA 3.52. If I scored a 36+, would it make a huge difference? I know I am capable, not sure all the extra studying would be worth it.

 

[mrh125]

I got a 29 on the 1/23 exam and I'm not sure if I stand a chance at getting into a decent US MD school or not:
PS: 9
VR: 11
BS: 9

I just got my results back today and that's what I got. definitely not what i expected. is it worth retaking? i'm signed up for march in hawaii. I thought i bombed the physi section and that I got a 12 in the biosci section. Also, verbal has never been my best (i never got an 11 on a verbal). My avg on aamc practice exams was 28 though. My gpa is a 3.62 and I have good e.c.s:
lots of interning for a non-profit organization that focused on global health, i helped research and provide information to help them provide solar panels to rural hospitals in india, develop food purification techniques to remove aflatoxin from food sources in Uganda, helped polish up grant proposals (never got my name on them), and coded their website. Spent at least 500 hrs on that.
researched and worked on publishing a paper on the new york water supply and what is currently (1 quarter. 75 hrs spent on that, was near publishing. fell through though.)
worked about 100 hrs at cvs on top of classes
worked during weekends (every weekend) for 3 quarters at a winery as a caterer and recommended alcoholic beverages (this was 8 hrs a day every saturday and sunday)
worked with a cosmetic dentist as a receptionist, took notes for her, helped answer questions patients had and misc work (couple hundred hours easily)
shadowed a cardiologist, psychiatrist, and I'm now working as a scribe for a gi doc, help her nurse, interact with patients (volunteering basically) and have worked a total of 40 hours in the past 2 weeks and will have worked over 500 hrs by the time I apply to med school this cycle.
I also tutored in lower div courses for free, did misc non-profit work, and tried to teach myself arabic.

thoughts? do i need to retake or do I have a chance at US md schools? my dream school is uc davis where i went as an undergrad


I'm not sure how much ground I can really cover and if I can do better on the mcat (i'm worried about doing worse). In the past month while waiting for my score i did some light studying and seem to understand the phys sci and bio sci section concepts that I had difficulty with better, but the problem is I've went through pretty much every resource for the mcat. Also, since my score distribution is totally different from what I got on practice AAMCs (high verbal) i'm worried a retake might get me a lower score, especially since verbal was usually the section that kept me under a 30 and I somehow got an 11 o.0. I also should note I studied 7 months for the mcat before I took it.

Also, on the otherhand i do have experience of an official mcat and more knowledge now, so i won't be shocked by the process at all.

 

[tealeaf42]

I got my scores today - what do you guys think?

First time I took it 2011
08PS
09VR
11BS

Took it in Jan 2014
08PS
11VR
11BS

GPA 3.94

Thoughts on retaking?

 

[krogers21]

Please delete post.

 

[Ramzy]

I got a 28 on 1/23 exam...

PS: 8 (left last 3 questions blank)
VR: 11
BS: 9
international applicant (Canadian) and PharmD

GPA 3.85

Part of me tells me to retake it because I was scoring 13-14 on PS and BS on previous AAMC exams, but part of me is telling me to use my time and energy and focus on the application...

Any suggestions would be appreciated. thank you

 

[lwgw]

Hi guys,

Non-trad
English second language

PS/VR/BS

First time - really bad

Second Time - 11/8/10 = 29


Science Major

oGPA - 3.70 (community college) and 3.77

sGPA ~ I think above 3.65 (only a few B’s on all of science courses at both colleges)


EC: Decent, not great.


I was able to get higher verbal score but overall is border line. As for PS/BS, I thought I was able to do and understand the problems much better the second times, but the score is pretty much the same. With that, I’m not sure if I will be able to improve since I get about the same score on both tests.
As for verbal, I thought I did much worse and just hoping for a 7 so that I would not get screened by the computer system easily. During the test, I felt like I guessed on most of the questions. But, I’m able to get just tiny bit higher than what I was hoping for. (Retake TPR VR - about 7 on ~7-8 FL Tests, Retake AAMC VR score - 9 on AAMC 3-9, but 7 for AAMC 10-11)
As for retake, I would not be able to restudy again until late March and early April. So the earliest I can take the test again is on early June or late May.

My question is whether to retake the test or not? But I just want to get some opinions while I still have time.

Just any suggestions

Thanks

 

[calic]

.

 

[Nans]

Test Date: 1/23
Actual Score: V11, P10, B12 (33)
I sat on the toilet afterwards and sulked. Figured out how to do a physics question in my head all of a sudden and realized I guessed it wrong after guessing it right before changing it! I felt like I could have gotten an 11 on physical sciences and I would have been very happy. Verbal blew me out of the damn water after scoring a 7 last time. I had 4 minutes left for the final passage fml.

Should I continue studying and retake? On March 22? I still have Berkeley review and Kaplan practice tests.

Overall GPA: 3.74
Science GPA: 3.91

Phi Beta Kappa
3 different senior awards
Commencement speaker and Outstanding Senior of my department
Developed and TAUGHT (not TA'ed) my own course
Multiple leadership positions
Emergency Room volunteer and free clinic volunteer for 1000+ hours
Stroke research for 2.5 years (no publication, but I put in 15-20 hours a week)
Mentor
etc etc (i.e. I definitely am not lacking in ECs)

 

[brood910]

Test Date: 1/23
Actual Score: V11, P10, B12 (33)
I sat on the toilet afterwards and sulked. Figured out how to do a physics question in my head all of a sudden and realized I guessed it wrong after guessing it right before changing it! I felt like I could have gotten an 11 on physical sciences and I would have been very happy. Verbal blew me out of the damn water after scoring a 7 last time. I had 4 minutes left for the final passage fml.

Should I continue studying and retake? On March 22? I still have Berkeley review and Kaplan practice tests.

Overall GPA: 3.74
Science GPA: 3.91

Phi Beta Kappa
3 different senior awards
Commencement speaker and Outstanding Senior of my department
Developed and TAUGHT (not TA'ed) my own course
Multiple leadership positions
Emergency Room volunteer and free clinic volunteer for 1000+ hours
Stroke research for 2.5 years (no publication, but I put in 15-20 hours a week)
Mentor
etc etc (i.e. I definitely am not lacking in ECs)

Are you trolling or what?

 

[Saxappeal1]

lol brood910 I wish I could like your comment twice.