Should I even apply?

[daysinnnc]

I just took a practice MCAT and made 19 on it.
My GPA is 3.8 with research experience but no volunteer experience. Should i even bother applying to med school??

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[armybound]

well, that was only a practice. you need to study for it, work at improving your score, take the real one and see how you do.

if you really want to be a doctor, why would you just give up because one practice test wasn't good?

 

[brsboarder]

I think my first blind test was a 23 or 24 and ended w/ a 36 after studying for 2 months. I think you'll be fine

 

[Charles English]

ditto. that was practice. now you have an idea of where you need go to succeed. my first practice was a 22, i thought the verbal section would be easy...that was before i knew better. point is, one practice test should only tell you what you need to do, do not make that one attempt a 'make or break' situation.

 

[surfstarj]

I think if you study you will improve. I studied and improved 7 points from my first test and I even started with a 28; since you're starting lower, you have more room to move up.

I would get on the clinical experience though. It seems to be really important in admissions. Not having any might be what kills you.

 

[Concordia]

Don't freak out, it's just a practice test.
I know that Princeton/Kaplan say that they can improve your practice score by about 10 points or something like that, in case you are really worried.

 

[Perrotfish]

Also when you say practice test, do you mean the first test given by a major review course? Those things are rigged, a 19 on one of those translates into the high 30s on a real test. Even if it was a real test you have plenty of times to study to get your score up.

 

[135892]

I just took a practice MCAT and made 19 on it.
My GPA is 3.8 with research experience but no volunteer experience. Should i even bother applying to med school??

If you get a 19 on the real thing, then yeah, don't bother applying. 19 on a practice, who cares... just improve by about 10 points

 

[mbe36]

I just took a practice MCAT and made 19 on it.
My GPA is 3.8 with research experience but no volunteer experience. Should i even bother applying to med school??

You are going to be fine. I got a 17 on my first Kaplan practice (that shortened version they give you the first day). Use this as motivation and track your progress. Good luck!!

 

[The Doctor]

Also when you say practice test, do you mean the first test given by a major review course? Those things are rigged, a 19 on one of those translates into the high 30s on a real test. Even if it was a real test you have plenty of times to study to get your score up.

This is very true -- I ended up getting a very similar score on the Princeton review first practice test and ended up doubling it on the real thing without really studying between them. I think they are indeed rigged. Then again... I did have one scary friend who got a 41 on that same practice exam.

 

[bozz]

The average mcat for test-takers after preparation is a 24... you'll be fine. People normally improve 10-15 pts from their starting score. That means it is very possible for you to score from: 29 - 34. Ofcourse, you can even score higher than that if you set your mind to it.

 

[redlight]

I just took a practice MCAT and made 19 on it.
My GPA is 3.8 with research experience but no volunteer experience. Should i even bother applying to med school??

with mcat practice and a year to get some clinical experience you could have a very competitive application.
good luck

 

[hung]

Do you mean apply for this cycle?

 

[DayDune]

It might be a little late to try to bring up a 19 in just a couple months...supposedly it can be done, but for me it took a lot more work! If you're talking about applying next year, then you don't have much to worry about, just study and practice, and get some clinical experience. I was able to bring up my score 12 points from the Kaplan diagnostic in about 8 months.

 

[LizzyM]

I just took a practice MCAT and made 19 on it.
My GPA is 3.8 with research experience but no volunteer experience. Should i even bother applying to med school??

You should plan to apply in Summer 2009 (or later). To apply sooner than that would be foolhardy. Go over to the MCAT board and get some tips on preparing for that test. Get some clinical experience. A year may seem like a long time to wait but it will fly by and you'll be in a better place a year from now in terms of a relatively stress-free cycle (it is stressful to go through a cycle with no interviews or with a couple of late interviews and all waitlists, etc)

 

[the donkey]

I made either a 16 or 18 on my kaplan diagnostic test...can't remember. That skeered me pretty good, though, and made me wonder if it was even possible to bring my score up into a competitive range. I ended up making a 29 on the real test after ~3 months of hard studying...i know that's not stellar, but hey, big improvement from my 16 or 18 on the diagnostic. Don't worry...the kaplan instructors straight up told our class that the diagnostic is meant to scare you into studying your *** off.

 

[cgbg]

i know someone who went from 17 on diagnostic to 35. he ended up at one of his first choices and has interviews in the ivy league. i would do a lotta practice, and only take the mcat when u dont think ur score will go up anymore. always wait if u can get a better score later

 

[kami333]

Like the others said, don't freak out, it's just a practice test. If there was no room to improve from a practice test, Kaplan and all the others wouldn't be making so much money.

What's your timeline for applying? I'd say it's too late for applying in 08 but 09 should be a perfect time. Spend the summer/fall studying, take the MCAT in Jan and reassess once you get the real scores back, you will still have time to study for the spring MCAT if necessary.