The Official May 22, 2015 MCAT Thread

MCAT is Hard? Not with BeMo's 515 Score Guarantee.
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fenderboi930

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I think many of you will agree that today is a great day to officially prepare for the May 22nd MCAT!!!

I was against the April 2015 MCAT because a typical 3 month schedule doesn't seem to work for
students and/or working test takers. With a little over 4 months of preparation we can go in with confidence!
It's all new and really scary--so let's kick MCAT butt together!!

I was also wondering, wouldn't many professional MCAT test takers and tutors want to take the MCAT 2015 as soon
as possible (April MCAT) so they can better they're material or teaching? Wouldn't that just destroy the curve?
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daehanminguk said:
Hi all. I just received my scores...it seems I didn't perform well...not even adequate enough to apply to low tier medical schools right? :(

123, 124, 123, 123

Total 493
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Yeah, that isn't enough for any MD or DO school. Definitely have to retake. Sorry. But you can do it! Study hard
 
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FutureBenCarson said:
In all seriousness, Do you guys think I could add Harvard to my school list?
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In all seriousness, why even ask this? Lol

But tbh people we all need to remember that the MCAT is just one component of an application. For better or for worse, this score does not dictate whether you will get in or not at a given school. Whether you get through the door definitely, but beyond that it's up to many other factors like GPA, ECs, LORs, research, etc.

So @FutureBenCarson while I think your question is a bit of the "fishing" type (you know it's true), in reality whether you should apply depends on the rest of your app. Plenty of people with ridiculous scores get rejected. Plenty of people with sub-average scores get in. This is why people create WAMC threads!
 
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Congratulations on those who got great scores!

I am here to ask for some advice about retaking. I got 512 (Chem/Physics-130, CARS-125, Bio-129, Psy/Soc-128) on May 22nd exam. I am happy about my score, except CARS. I used Kaplan for reviewing, and didn't use any AAMC materials. Do you think I can study with AAMC materials and retake to improve my CARS? What is the risk of getting a worse score?

PS: English is my second langue. My GPA is 3.96, and I have lots meaningful ECs. Really want to get into some top tiers.

Please help me out and I really appreciate any advice.
 
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Happy Early Bird said:
Congratulations on those who got great scores!

I am here to ask for some advice about retaking. I got 512 (Chem/Physics-130, CARS-125, Bio-129, Psy/Soc-128) on May 22nd exam. I am happy about my score, except CARS. I used Kaplan for reviewing, and didn't use any AAMC materials. Do you think I can study with AAMC materials and retake to improve my CARS? What is the risk of getting a worse score?

PS: English is my second langue. My GPA is 3.96, and I have lots meaningful ECs. Really want to get into some top tiers.

Please help me out and I really appreciate any advice.
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you would be crazy to retake IMO. Your CARs score is in the 8-9 range.
 
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Ugh. Guys. I don't even want to go to med school. I just want to go to Hogwarts and learn how to be a witch.
 
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My birthday is August 31, which is the day before term starts at Hogwarts. So when I turned 11 and didn't get my letter I thought well, maybe they're just waiting till I'm 12 to admit me since my birthday is so late. So I had to undergo the torture of waiting for my letter twice.

EDIT: Maybe I could use this for my "stressful situation" secondaries.
 
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raffalaffi said:
Hey guys, a little advice please.

I got P/S 128, CARS 127, B/B 129, and Psych 125. Overall 509. my scores are really good, except psych which is pulling down my overall score. I got 77-87 prelim and am really blown to be sitting at 80%. Do you guys think 509 is good enough for MD? my resident school is UMD, and im sitting at a 3.3 cGPa, 3.2 sGPA, but a 3.75 post bacc/smp GPA from johns hopkins. with an upward trend from my junior year onward.

I also have really good ECs, but no lab research.

I really feel like I should retake, but idk if it is worth it. Do you guys think I a chance of getting in to maryland?
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Definitely make a WAMC thread. I'm in a somewhat similar situation with the same GPAs, except my upward trend is from starting undergrad from scratch and getting a 3.9 (140 credits) several years after abysmal grades (Ds and Fs) in over 30 credits of all science classes. They helped me make a list of schools that "reward reinvention," which sounds like what you need too. Personally, I wouldn't retake the MCAT if you're applying now, but if you're applying next cycle and think you can do significantly better (minimum 4-5 points better), then you might consider it. I scored 510 and I'm happy enough for this cycle, but will definitely retake if I don't get in and need to reapply. Remember, you're over a 30, and conventional wisdom is that you shouldn't retake a 30+! In the meantime, definitely make a WAMC thread and get a good listed schools that is tailored to your stats and experience. And celebrate a good score! Good luck!
 
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Happy Early Bird said:
Congratulations on those who got great scores!

I am here to ask for some advice about retaking. I got 512 (Chem/Physics-130, CARS-125, Bio-129, Psy/Soc-128) on May 22nd exam. I am happy about my score, except CARS. I used Kaplan for reviewing, and didn't use any AAMC materials. Do you think I can study with AAMC materials and retake to improve my CARS? What is the risk of getting a worse score?

PS: English is my second langue. My GPA is 3.96, and I have lots meaningful ECs. Really want to get into some top tiers.

Please help me out and I really appreciate any advice.
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Your score places you in the top 13% overall. This is a really, really good score. Your CARS score will hurt, especially at the top tier schools (who are all just looking for a reason to say no in the first cut of applications) but the fact that you are ESL may help mitigate that. Your CARS is still slightly above average and the imbalance indicates you can memorize/master science, but CARS is all about testing your critical thinking and analysis ability. I would not wait to apply to schools. If you insist on re-retaking, please get all the AAMC CARS resources (its the hardest part of the exam for ALL prep companies to get right). You will want to evaluate how you approached CARS. Did you do CARS practice or just focus on science during your prep (a common pre-med mistake)? Did you work out a CARS reading and Q strategy when you were prepping? Did you have this big imbalance in your practice exams? Congrats again on the score.

Good luck!
 
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@Lannister I totally just discovered Case was affiliated with the Cleveland Clinic....whoops. But the College Track sounds fantastic! I only have about 500 hours of research though. I am curious what they consider to be "more than a summer of hypothesis based research".
 
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mheard92 said:
@Lannister I totally just discovered Case was affiliated with the Cleveland Clinic....whoops. But the College Track sounds fantastic! I only have about 500 hours of research though. I am curious what they consider to be "more than a summer of hypothesis based research".
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I've met a lot of the CT kids and they have some pretty outstanding experiences, research and otherwise. I have like 400-500 hours of research also and tbh I wouldn't apply with anything less than two or three years of research. =/ but it can't hurt to apply! They automatically consider you for UT if you get rejected from CT.
 
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Maybe I should stop telling everyone how great Case is...I'm only increasing my competition :confused:
 
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Okay so I feel that my CARS,Psych and B.Chem/Bio sections will be in the range I am expecting (127 (CARS)-132(Bio)). What is making me nervous is I stalled on a couple of questions on the Physics/Chem section and ran out of time....I ended up not answering 4 questions and rifling through the last 5 I did answer!! This leaves me with potentially 10 wrong out of 59 and possibly 15. I have been trying to number crunch and see how many answers I could have messed and still maintained at least a 125/126. I have come up with a range around 17-20. Has anyone out there done some wacky math that may comfort me?? I wish I wasn't so neurotic...but I think that may be a common personality trait among us pre-meds:)
Thanks Guys!!
 
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ChippyMD said:
Okay so I feel that my CARS,Psych and B.Chem/Bio sections will be in the range I am expecting (127 (CARS)-132(Bio)). What is making me nervous is I stalled on a couple of questions on the Physics/Chem section and ran out of time....I ended up not answering 4 questions and rifling through the last 5 I did answer!! This leaves me with potentially 10 wrong out of 59 and possibly 15. I have been trying to number crunch and see how many answers I could have messed and still maintained at least a 125/126. I have come up with a range around 17-20. Has anyone out there done some wacky math that may comfort me?? I wish I wasn't so neurotic...but I think that may be a common personality trait among us pre-meds:)
Thanks Guys!!
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Oh goodness. Just wait for your score. Trying to figure out how many you got wrong is just going to cause unnecessary stress.
 
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hey guys,

My committee letter writer e-mailed me today and told me she submitted my letter to VirtualEvals... should it come up as received in my aamcas immediately?
 
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I just have to interrupt the MCAT discussions to bring you this dose of cuteness. My sister got a pic of both of our new kittens together :love:
 

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FutureBenCarson said:
wasn't the first 528 on sdn
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That's ******* awesome yo.

And that was me btw who said you were gonna get a perfect score. But I did have a disclaimer where I said minimum 525 lol so I was still right. That's like 40+ on the old test.

I'm actually happy for you. For the Harvard question, yes is your answer. Stanford, yes. Hopkins, yes. Columbia, yes. Your "safeties" should probably be mid-teirs and of course your in-state schools but I'm sure you won't need more than like 2 lol.
 
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Sir.SavaLottaLife said:
That's ******* awesome yo.

And that was me btw who said you were gonna get a perfect score. But I did have a disclaimer where I said minimum 525 lol so I was still right. That's like 40+ on the old test.

I'm actually happy for you. For the Harvard question, yes is your answer. Stanford, yes. Hopkins, yes. Columbia, yes. Your "safeties" should probably be mid-teirs and of course your in-state schools but I'm sure you won't need more than like 2 lol.
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Flashfan said:
@FutureBenCarson , lots of love. You have a great story and the sky is the limit. Please do an MDApp and write your story. Hoping it is an epic season for you.
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ah you guys are both awesome. Thanks a million

Edit: whats an MDapp?
 
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FutureBenCarson said:
ah you guys are both awesome. Thanks a million

Edit: whats an MDapp?
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You see under my profile picture it says MDapps ID? Click on the number and it will take you to MDapps, where you can make your own profile. You can list your stats and where you applied/got interviews/got accepted.
 
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Lannister said:
You see under my profile picture it says MDapps ID? Click on the number and it will take you to MDapps, where you can make your own profile. You can list your stats and where you applied/got interviews/got accepted.
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ahhh thanks. Did you use virtualevals for your letters lannister?
 
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Quick question: so we add LOR to AMCAS and assign for every school, but then also assign them during secondaries? This part has confused me.
 
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lukester43 said:
Quick question: so we add LOR to AMCAS and assign for every school, but then also assign them during secondaries? This part has confused me.
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I don't know anything about assigning LORs during secondaries. I just know that LORs are only looked at along with the secondary, as they are part of the secondary application.
 
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Lannister said:
I don't know anything about assigning LORs during secondaries. I just know that LORs are only looked at along with the secondary, as they are part of the secondary application.
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Alrighty, but obviously assign the required letters to the AMCAS when adding the school?
 
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*screams*

That chem/phys is still worse than any of my practices. I'm pretty pissed, worst I ever did on a practice was 123 so I was not expecting to dip this low :'(

Chem/Phys - 121 - 12%
CARS - 131 - 99%
Bio/biochem - 127 - 77%
Psych/soc - 129 - 93%
Overall: 508, 77%

I guess I'll just take it in July then and see if I can't pull that up somehow. But at the same time, if I only have access to the same practice exams, how am I supposed to even know if it's better? :boom:
 
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coatiboti said:
*screams*

That chem/phys is still worse than any of my practices. I'm pretty pissed, worst I ever did on a practice was 123 so I was not expecting to dip this low :'(

Chem/Phys - 121 - 12%
CARS - 131 - 99%
Bio/biochem - 127 - 77%
Psych/soc - 129 - 93%
Overall: 508, 77%

I guess I'll just take it in July then and see if I can't pull that up somehow. But at the same time, if I only have access to the same practice exams, how am I supposed to even know if it's better? :boom:
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I'm pretty sure you'd be able to tell whether or not a retake would yield significant improvement after studying intensively for a month. Your chem/phys score coupled with high scores in other sections suggests significant gaps in knowledge of chem/phys content rather than straight up test taking deficiencies. Just hit the chem/phys books hard and I'm sure you'll quickly realize how much content you simply haven't mastered yet.
 
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jd989898 said:
I'm pretty sure you'd be able to tell whether or not a retake would yield significant improvement after studying intensively for a month. Your chem/phys score coupled with high scores in other sections suggests significant gaps in knowledge of chem/phys content rather than straight up test taking deficiencies. Just hit the chem/phys books hard and I'm sure you'll quickly realize how much content you simply haven't mastered yet.
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The July dates are only two weeks away now. I know what the problem is, it's some gaps in physics and I'm pretty sure I know where they are in hindsight. Part of my problem is that I just finished my physics prereqs this year and I was relying partially on those classes to constitute a portion of my physics study time, which was clearly a mistake. My practices for chem/phys were at 128 the week before the real thing though, so I assumed it was working fine.

July scores don't come out until August 18th, and by that point I wonder if this cycle is a write-off. Maybe I should just schedule a later retake, study harder, and assume I'm taking it for next year -___-
 
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