Retaking a 519 MCAT?

[baby_doctor]

Hi everyone!

I know the title sounds a little silly but I just got my MCAT score back and it's a 519 (128/132/127/132). The overall score is pretty much on par with my FL average, if a little lower. I am concerned about the breakdown though, especially in the B/B section. I think I just had a bad combination of fatigue + the bio questions hitting my weak points, because this subscore is lower than I got on all of my FLs. I'm especially worried because I got B's in both bio and biochem, and I was really counting on my MCAT score to redeem me in that aspect.

For context, I attend a T20 and will be applying in the 2024-2025 cycle with a 3.78 cGPA and 3.68 sGPA. The grades I've gotten that were not A's have all been in the pre-reqs, which were a mix of different types of B's. Given this weakness in my application, I am planning on applying very broadly within the T100 med school range but as of now, I'm really interested in some competitive specialties, so would like to maximize my chances at attending a T20 to make sure no doors are closed later on.

Given my situation, would it make sense to retake the MCAT to raise my B/B and (hopefully) C/P scores? I'm confident I'll be able to maintain my CARS score and I have continued studying psych to make sure my content for the P/S section stays fresh, so keeping that high shouldn't be an issue either. Thanks for the help!

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[Stoasty]

dude, obviously not

 

[wysdoc]

Hi everyone!

I know the title sounds a little silly but I just got my MCAT score back and it's a 519 (128/132/127/132). The overall score is pretty much on par with my FL average, if a little lower, but it's not really a huge issue. I am concerned about the breakdown though, especially in the B/B section. I think I just had a bad combination of fatigue + the bio section hitting my weak points, because this subscore is lower than I got on all of my FLs. I'm especially worried because I got B's in both bio and biochem, and I was really counting on my MCAT score to redeem me in that aspect.

For context, I attend a T20 private school and will be applying in the 2024-2025 cycle with a 3.78 cGPA and 3.68 sGPA. The grades I've gotten that were not A's have all been in the pre-reqs (orgo, bio, biochem, gen chem), which were a mix of different types of B's. Given this weakness in my application, I am planning on applying very broadly within the T100 med school range but as of now, I'm really interested in some competitive specialties, so would like to maximize my chances at attending a T20 to make sure no doors are closed later on.

Given my situation, would it make sense to retake the MCAT to raise my B/B and (hopefully) C/P scores? I'm confident I'll be able to maintain my CARS score and I have continued studying psych to make sure my content for the P/S section stays fresh, so keeping that high shouldn't be an issue either. Thanks for the help!

Do not retake a 519 MCAT unless it expired for being more than 3 years old!

 

[doctor_tangerine]

Not worth it, if you were to retake it and score 52X, your GPA is still gonna hold you back from T20.

 

[Goro]

Given my situation, would it make sense to retake the MCAT to raise my B/B and (hopefully) C/P scores? I'm confident I'll be able to maintain my CARS score and I have continued studying psych to make sure my content for the P/S section stays fresh, so keeping that high shouldn't be an issue either. Thanks for the help!

No it would be insane.

0/10

 

[gyngyn]

It would make our job a lot easier...

 

[baby_doctor]

Not worth it, if you were to retake it and score 52X, your GPA is still gonna hold you back from T20.

Is this really the case? I'm not under any illusions that I'll be ushered into Hopkins or Penn, but I have maintained a 4.0 while taking 18 credits for three consecutive semesters, so a pretty strong upward trend, and looking at MSAR, although I agree that my GPA is below the median for T20s, it's at least above 25th percentile for some. Not trying to be defensive but I just want to get an accurate picture of where my stats are and what schools it's worth applying to.

 

[wysdoc]

Is this really the case? I'm not under any illusions that I'll be ushered into Hopkins or Penn, but I have maintained a 4.0 while taking 18 credits for three consecutive semesters, so a pretty strong upward trend, and looking at MSAR, although I agree that my GPA is below the median for T20s, it's at least above 25th percentile for some. Not trying to be defensive but I just want to get an accurate picture of where my stats are and what schools it's worth applying to.

I think your GPA is fine for any school you are overthinking this

 

[doctor_tangerine]

Is this really the case? I'm not under any illusions that I'll be ushered into Hopkins or Penn, but I have maintained a 4.0 while taking 18 credits for three consecutive semesters, so a pretty strong upward trend, and looking at MSAR, although I agree that my GPA is below the median for T20s, it's at least above 25th percentile for some. Not trying to be defensive but I just want to get an accurate picture of where my stats are and what schools it's worth applying to.

I mean which schools are you looking at right now? What makes you so sure that your extracurricular profile is strong enough to offset your GPA, given that there are students at your institution that received A grades in the pre-requisites?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Where is your WAMC profile?

 

[baby_doctor]

I mean which schools are you looking at right now? What makes you so sure that your extracurricular profile is strong enough to offset your GPA, given that there are students at your institution that received A grades in the pre-requisites?

Lol I think I clearly stated that I don’t feel entitled to a T20 acceptance but am simply asking whether my stats are enough to get my foot in the door. (edited for privacy)

 

[baby_doctor]

Where is your WAMC profile?

I have not made one yet! But plan on doing so soon.

 

[Xqcowadwo]

N=1 but I have multiple T20 II's with a 519. The score shouldn't hold you back from any T20 school.

 

[karaya]

I'm confident I'll be able to maintain my CARS score and I have continued studying psych to make sure my content for the P/S section stays fresh, so keeping that high shouldn't be an issue either.

When you have a 132, those last 2 points are little more than a rounding error: 3 questions out of 59/53. You could very easily lose 4 points from CARS and PS, completely negating any gain in CP or BB. That's why the MCAT has confidence bands.

 

[atriablack]

Hi everyone!

I know the title sounds a little silly but I just got my MCAT score back and it's a 519 (128/132/127/132). The overall score is pretty much on par with my FL average, if a little lower, but it's not really a huge issue. I am concerned about the breakdown though, especially in the B/B section.

When you have a 132, those last 2 points are little more than a rounding error: 3 questions out of 59/53. You could very easily lose 4 points from CARS and PS, completely negating any gain in CP or BB. That's why the MCAT has confidence bands.

FL averages are just that, averages. Some days you test well in a certain section and worse in another. I had 132 on all my practice FL CARs and dropped 3 points on test day. It is what it is, the other sections compensated. You scored within your averages and that means there isn't a big reason why you should think next time you will get a different composite score. If you retake it and lift up your B/B, but drop in other places, the entire exercise is moot because the composite score is seen first.

Retaking your excellent MCAT would demonstrate poor judgment imo, especially when there is a huge risk that you get the same or lower score. Your 519 will not be closing any doors. Work on the rest of your application and channel your time into those. You'll be fine!

 

[lacrossegirl420]

Going to be an unpopular opinion, but not necessarily a bad idea depending on what you’re aiming for

 

[Goro]

Going to be an unpopular opinion, but not necessarily a bad idea depending on what you’re aiming for

No one is going to get rejected from Wash for having a 519 score.

The MCAT is as much an assessment of common sense as it is of competence.

 

[pablo213]

I also felt like retaking since my FLs were higher and I ended up dropping 3 points on exam day. However that was within the confidence range for better or for worse so I decided not to retake.

FL averages are just that, averages. Some days you test well in a certain section and worse in another. I had 132 on all my practice FL CARs and dropped 3 points on test day. It is what it is, the other sections compensated. You scored within your averages and that means there isn't a big reason why you should think next time you will get a different composite score. If you retake it and lift up your B/B, but drop in other places, the entire exercise is moot because the composite score is seen first.

Retaking your excellent MCAT would demonstrate poor judgment imo, especially when there is a huge risk that you get the same or lower score. Your 519 will not be closing any doors. Work on the rest of your application and channel your time into those. You'll be fine!

You are a literal genius for scoring a 132 on CARS btw

 

[atriablack]

You are a literal genius for scoring a 132 on CARS btw

Except on test day when I apparently left my reading brain on snooze back at home

The MCAT is as much an assessment of common sense as it is of competence.

This. Even if your composite score increases minutely (for which there is a huge risk it won't), going from a 519 to a 520/521 isn't going to reflect a monumental change in your app. Indeed people might question your judgment and why you retook it.

 

[GoSpursGo]

Going to be an unpopular opinion, but not necessarily a bad idea depending on what you’re aiming for

Yes, it is a bad idea. It looks like pathological perfectionism, as highlighted by multiple adcom members here. But even beyond the fact that it looks foolish and opens you up to actually scoring worse, the BIGGEST reason not to retake the MCAT is the opportunity cost. You would spend hundreds of hours gearing up to retake the MCAT. That is time that could certainly be spent fleshing out other parts of your application rather than hoping to increase your score by 5 points—which is what you would need to make it worth the effort.

Of course a higher score would help getting into specific selective schools, but that chance has more or less sailed and it’s time to figure out how to maximize the rest of the app.