MD Should i retake my mcat or not? 9/11/9 (29) + 3.62gpa. Do I have a chance at any US md schools?

[mrh125]

edited

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[katniss09]

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[mrh125]

bump.

 

[Utenation]

Hey guys, I was in the same boat as you about this time last year. I have a similar GPA ~3.6 and got a 28 (10/8/10) on the MCAT my first time. I was heartbroken when I got that score. I talked with friends who had been accepted to try and get some ideas. They said a 28 isn't bad for applying to in-state schools, but if you want a chance at OOS and private schools a 30+ what you need (speaking generally of course).

After looking closely at the details, it is important to note the big jump in acceptance rates from a 28/29 MCAT to a 30. According to this table for white guys:
https://www.aamc.org/download/321518/data/2012factstable25-4.pdf
going from 27-29 MCAT score to a 30-33 MCAT score you go from a 50% chance to get in all the way to a 72.7% chance. That is the largest difference in acceptance percentages for two adjacent MCAT ranges in the 3.6-3.79 GPA range.

There is a possibility of retaking and doing worse the 2nd time. That would be detrimental to your application. I reaaaaaaally wanted to do better so I studied hard for a month, retook and got a 31 (10/9/12). I'm glad I did because I sitting on an OOS acceptance with some time left in the cycle. Retaking is a lot of work and it's scary, but do it right and good things happen. Good luck guys. Tough choice to make and I'm sure you'll do whatever is best for your future.

 

[hev]

Be careful with retakes though! I went from a balanced 26 (8/10/8) to an unbalanced 30 (6/13/11) and though it is improvement, shot myself in the foot for any MD school with that 6.

 

[mrh125]

Hey guys, I was in the same boat as you about this time last year. I have a similar GPA ~3.6 and got a 28 (10/8/10) on the MCAT my first time. I was heartbroken when I got that score. I talked with friends who had been accepted to try and get some ideas. They said a 28 isn't bad for applying to in-state schools, but if you want a chance at OOS and private schools a 30+ what you need (speaking generally of course).

After looking closely at the details, it is important to note the big jump in acceptance rates from a 28/29 MCAT to a 30. According to this table for white guys:
https://www.aamc.org/download/321518/data/2012factstable25-4.pdf
going from 27-29 MCAT score to a 30-33 MCAT score you go from a 50% chance to get in all the way to a 72.7% chance. That is the largest difference in acceptance percentages for two adjacent MCAT ranges in the 3.6-3.79 GPA range.

There is a possibility of retaking and doing worse the 2nd time. That would be detrimental to your application. I reaaaaaaally wanted to do better so I studied hard for a month, retook and got a 31 (10/9/12). I'm glad I did because I sitting on an OOS acceptance with some time left in the cycle. Retaking is a lot of work and it's scary, but do it right and good things happen. Good luck guys. Tough choice to make and I'm sure you'll do whatever is best for your future.

thanks, how any months did you wait between retakes? im wondering if doing it at the end of march is advisable. btw i actually feel like i got more out of the last month of study time than any of the 6 previous months tho verbal bites like seriously.

 

[Utenation]

thanks, how any months did you wait between retakes? im wondering if doing it at the end of march is advisable. btw i actually feel like i got more out of the last month of study time than any of the 6 previous months tho verbal bites like seriously.

Oh I hear ya. VR is disgusting haha. I had two months in between both attempts. I think anywhere from one to four months for retakes would be effective, but then again I only got a 31. If you get a 30 or higher you're golden if you can apply early.