i took the last old exam administration of the MCAT, and I can't stop thinking about my score. I came out feeling absolutely terrible because I know I bombed it and I spent 4 months studying for that exam. IM dreading having to take the new exam just because I'll essentially have to start all over with the new material and I'm so anxious. Any advice would be much appreciated on how to combat anxiety. Thanks!
Post MCAT anxiety, help??
- Thread starter Sai111394
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Hey there, I am in the EXACT same position! I was performing really well going into the exam and simply bombed the Orgo. A few things:
1. We really don't know how we did. The more I think about it the worse I think I did, to the point where it's kind of laughable now. My initial post-exam reaction was I'd be lucky to get a 30. By last night I was down to a 25. This morning I was googling "What to do if you don't break 20 on your MCAT." That made me realize how ridiculous I was being and while it doesn't actually make me feel any better about the exam itself, gaining the perspective that my brain right now is my worst enemy in this is helpful.
2. I've been considering the new MCAT as well. We *really* don't have to start over with new material. The vast majority of the material is the same; all we have to do is add a bit of Biochem (a lot of which we already know), and Psych/Soc. The exam is different in that it's longer, but the content is very similar. Verbal is the exact same. PS is the same only easier; they removed some portions. Throw a bit of Biochem into the mix, add Psych/Soc, and we're good. Totally not the same as starting from square 1.
In fact, I think the exam will play more to the strengths of people who are generally well-prepared who might have an off topic. I don't know about you, but for our exam on Friday The Orgo passage was my main problem, but it was a huge one. I just want to tell AAMC Hey, I actually do know my stuff! Ask me more questions, bring it on! And the new exam will do just that. The up side of it being longer is that more questions will increase the n, more accurately reflecting our knowledge and ability.
So the new exam has a few problems, but also some benefits.
Finally, I just want to empathize with you. It's hard putting in so much work, doing well on practice exams, then falling apart on the real deal. It sucks. I'm sorry it happened to you. But we will get through this, and it will work out in the end. Good luck!
1. We really don't know how we did. The more I think about it the worse I think I did, to the point where it's kind of laughable now. My initial post-exam reaction was I'd be lucky to get a 30. By last night I was down to a 25. This morning I was googling "What to do if you don't break 20 on your MCAT." That made me realize how ridiculous I was being and while it doesn't actually make me feel any better about the exam itself, gaining the perspective that my brain right now is my worst enemy in this is helpful.
2. I've been considering the new MCAT as well. We *really* don't have to start over with new material. The vast majority of the material is the same; all we have to do is add a bit of Biochem (a lot of which we already know), and Psych/Soc. The exam is different in that it's longer, but the content is very similar. Verbal is the exact same. PS is the same only easier; they removed some portions. Throw a bit of Biochem into the mix, add Psych/Soc, and we're good. Totally not the same as starting from square 1.
In fact, I think the exam will play more to the strengths of people who are generally well-prepared who might have an off topic. I don't know about you, but for our exam on Friday The Orgo passage was my main problem, but it was a huge one. I just want to tell AAMC Hey, I actually do know my stuff! Ask me more questions, bring it on! And the new exam will do just that. The up side of it being longer is that more questions will increase the n, more accurately reflecting our knowledge and ability.
So the new exam has a few problems, but also some benefits.
Finally, I just want to empathize with you. It's hard putting in so much work, doing well on practice exams, then falling apart on the real deal. It sucks. I'm sorry it happened to you. But we will get through this, and it will work out in the end. Good luck!
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You both just described exactly how I felt after the exam! I walked out of the exam thinking I did alright, by that night I had already accepted a score in the upper 20s. As the weeks went by I scrutinized every question I was unsure on and tried to find the correct answers, only to realize that I probably got it wrong. (I have a really good memory coming out of exams and remembered exact questions/passages-- obviously did not share this information with anyone else though 
)
I stressed about the questions and actually lost sleep over the questions. Over a month later, finally got my score back and broke down crying because I was certain I had gotten a 20 and actually did okay (31).
So my advice to someone in my shoes: obviously it is impossible to completely not think about the test, but really try to put it out of your mind and not have it reel through your thoughts. I know this is easier said than done, but I really don't want you to experience what I did for a month.
Good luck! Now get outside and stop thinking about the test! Being on SDN just makes the anxiety worse post-MCAT.
) I stressed about the questions and actually lost sleep over the questions. Over a month later, finally got my score back and broke down crying because I was certain I had gotten a 20 and actually did okay (31).
So my advice to someone in my shoes: obviously it is impossible to completely not think about the test, but really try to put it out of your mind and not have it reel through your thoughts. I know this is easier said than done, but I really don't want you to experience what I did for a month.
Good luck! Now get outside and stop thinking about the test! Being on SDN just makes the anxiety worse post-MCAT.
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I thought I beasted the verbal section and hit my average. I thought I failed the physical sciences miserably and hit my average. I thought I did average on the biological sciences section, and I hit my average.
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I took the MCAT twice. Both times, I felt I did poorly after the test. Both times, I got the exact same composite score as I did on the last AAMC practice test I took. Don't worry - Your score will most likely be very close to the score you got on your final practice test. Remember that the scoring on the MCAT is "curved" - If you felt the test was hard, everyone else probably felt the same way. Your feelings after the exam correlate pretty badly with how well you actually did.
Congrats on finishing!
Congrats on finishing!
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Yeah I got real nervous too after taking it. I almost voided because I thought I failed. Ended up with a 37. Was still anxious after seeing that because I thought they sent the score report to the wrong person and I was waiting for them to send me an email apologizing for the mistake
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OP, worst case, you'll have to take the new MCAT, which isn't that big of a deal. Or it's possible that you'll be pleased with your score.
I highlighted part of @Chansey's response because some do achieve a high score after thinking they bombed the exam (this is probably a minority, but it does happen). Speaking of "probably," here's a good example:
Sorry to put you on the spot, @ProbablyAPenguin
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OP, worst case, you'll have to take the new MCAT, which isn't that big of a deal. Or it's possible that you'll be pleased with your score.
I highlighted part of @Chansey's response because some do achieve a high score after thinking they bombed the exam (this is probably a minority, but it does happen). Speaking of "probably," here's a good example:
Sorry to put you on the spot, @ProbablyAPenguin
From what I've gathered anecdotally, and from my own >2 MCAT experience, probably the only good indicator of poor performance relative to your.practice exams is timing. If your timing was off (both a section went too fast or too slow), then I'd guess your score will be lower. Again, this is anecdotal, but the point is that you can be reasonably confident that, unless your timing was off, you probably scored at or very close to your practice average.
Also, don't worry about the fact that you knew you got a few wrong.. in one section, I was sure I completely bombed it because I couldn't stop thinking about 2 questions that I knew I got wrong. I ended up with a 14 in that section.
Also, don't worry about the fact that you knew you got a few wrong.. in one section, I was sure I completely bombed it because I couldn't stop thinking about 2 questions that I knew I got wrong. I ended up with a 14 in that section.
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Omg but my timing was soooo far off. I took forever on my first physical sciences passage that I had to completely guess at the last one (Spent about five minutes on it) and I only marginally had time for the passage before that! It was horrible because I almost totally guessed on 1.5 passages!
Result? PS = 14
Although I'm probably just odd.
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Probably more like a (superhero) penguin
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Dude, I thought I bombed it as well. Turns out, I only got 2 points lower than the average of my last four AAMC tests. Of course it sucks to lose two points, but my score was still very good. You'll probably be fine. Find something to distract you for a while. If all else fails, you still have plenty of time available to take it again this summer!
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Yep, me as well. I felt great about verbal, and scored 2.5 points below my average on that section. Felt terrible about PS and BS, but got about 0.5 points above my average on each. You can never predict the MCAT. It's essentially a curved test, so your ability to judge how well you did by how easy it 'felt' is basically nonexistent.
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Think positive. I thought I bombed the BS section on my first try and received a 14. Second time I took it, I thought the BS was harder but I felt more confident because I studied more for it and I felt I was better at making educated guesses. I got a 12 in BS. Go figure.
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I was the same way. I was so anxious during the month before getting my score back and I felt like I didn't do well (I did though, so don't let your post test feelings get to you). I even started checking the THx website weeks before the scores were due to come out. Try to do something time consuming and involved to take your mind off of it, like learning something new. I learned to crochet and made a scarf to stop thinking about it.
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Took the exam a couple years back totally thought I bombed the test. I even reflexively bought a TBR set of books in case I'd have to prepare again (big mistake in hindsight haha). I marked and gave 'complete' guesses (what answer looked best to me haha) for several questions on the physical sciences because I was low on time and had several Biological Sciences questions that if I had just reviewed a little better were gimmes.
Ended up with a score 1 point higher than my best/average practice test score and I never had to retake it. I rushed my prep a little and it showed but I was proud/very surprised at my score
So after this useless anecdote, just don't worry about it until it comes back. And if it's not as good as desired, at least you can take it again whenever you want and feel more prepared so don't stress it too much. I actually liked studying for the MCAT because it gave purpose to some gap year time. I took it in 2012 and I'm going to school in 2015 so thank goodness those scores stay active 2-3 years.
Ended up with a score 1 point higher than my best/average practice test score and I never had to retake it. I rushed my prep a little and it showed but I was proud/very surprised at my score
So after this useless anecdote, just don't worry about it until it comes back. And if it's not as good as desired, at least you can take it again whenever you want and feel more prepared so don't stress it too much. I actually liked studying for the MCAT because it gave purpose to some gap year time. I took it in 2012 and I'm going to school in 2015 so thank goodness those scores stay active 2-3 years.
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Everyone thinks they bombed the MCAT after they took it, but less than 10% really do significantly worse (a 3+ point drop) than their practice exam average. A study posted on SDN of self-reported MCAT scores showed that a majority of people will score within 2 points of their AAMC practice exam average. Some people go up a point, some people go down a point. Personally, I went down a point. The practice exam average is a great predictor, though.
Of course, none of these words I'm typing are going to relieve your anxiety in the least. Waiting for your MCAT score is hellish and you will experience significant discomfort. It goes away once you get the score back, I promise.
Of course, none of these words I'm typing are going to relieve your anxiety in the least. Waiting for your MCAT score is hellish and you will experience significant discomfort. It goes away once you get the score back, I promise.
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OP, I'd agree with this. After taking my exam, I thought I choked big time--however, I made sure to pace myself as I had practiced. I thought PS went better than usual, verbal was normal, and I thought bio/orgo was atrocious (something I really excel at). Freaked myself out for about 3 days after the test, but then there comes a moment in time when you realized that as an aspiring MD, you will be facing high-stakes exams for the rest of your life. I got on with my life; I continued to work (research), workout/basketball, and not let MCAT anxiety ruin only my life, but also my friends' and girlfriend's. I think being able to deal with stress is imperative in medicine, so start learning to deal with it NOW. The day eventually came when I received an email from MCAT THx, checked my score with a cautious optimism and a hint of YOLO attitude, and scored within my AAMC FL average: 37--a 15 on BS which I thought I bombed. I somehow convinced myself I could get anywhere from a 26-34, but at the end of the day, I'm right where I deserved to be.
TL;DR: Chill out, continue to live your life.
