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I have a 30, want to increase it to 40. Is that a realistic goal and how do I go about making it happen? Thanks
Going from 30 to a 40 on the MCAT, is it realistic?
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Um, I'd say it depends on if you've studied for it yet. I got a 30 on my first diag before I started studying, and got a 40 on the test. So that's definitely possible. However, if you've already done all your studying, I'd say you are setting yourself up for failure if you want to jump more than a few points.
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+1 on all counts
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I also agree with the statements above. I received a 27 on my Kaplan diagnostic and a 37 on the actual test. I took the Kaplan class twice, did all of the ExamKrackers books, and listened to Audio Osmosis twice. Total study time: ~1.5 years. Good luck!!
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It's definitely possible but whether or not it's probable is highly dependent on the test taker himself, the quality of available study materials, and his level of preparedness when he took the first exam. Statistically, only a very, very, very few number of people will raise their score from a 30 to a 40 upon a retake. It does happen but it is very rare. Therefore, I would focus on just aiming at doing the best you absolutely can. I'm a firm believer that most people can hit 35 with enough preparation and practice.
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When you say first diag, do you mean the Kaplan diag?
What does "doing all my studying" mean? What does that entail? Could you offer me some tips on how you studied?
I see you majored in Math, and you scored high on both BS and PS. I have an 11 and 9 on those, respectively. How do I improve both to a 14? Thanks.
ksmi is just very smart. Simple as that
To score a 30 without even studying is indicative of how much knowledge she has retained from her pre-req classes as well as her ability to problem solve.There are lots of study guides on here, I'd recommend you find a good one and stick with it. Jumping to a 40 is incredibly unrealistic, but it's certainly possible.
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By doing all your studying, I mean, if you got a 30 on the actual MCAT feeling prepared. If you haven't gone over all the material yet, it's quite possible to raise your score a lot because you jsut need to refresh the subjects. If you can't understand the material or its the questions that are tripping you up, it'll be a bit harder. If you want to know how I prepped, PM me, and I'll send you my advice.
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By "all", do you mean you bought literally ALL the EK books? I thought Kaplan took care of the science content pretty well, was the EK books able to offer you something Kaplan didn't?
Do you still have any of your EK books and Osmosis CD's for sale, what year/editions were they?
Thanks for replying! 🙂
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I might be alone in this reasoning so other people let me know if Im way off base.
It seems there is a huge difference between making a 30 or 31 and making 38+.
To make a 30 it seems you only need either
I) A good undergrad understanding of subject material
II) Really good test taking skills, great under pressure, etc. and a highschool level understanding of subject material.
You can get by with only one of those and still make a 30. Also you can be really bad at one subject and still make a 30.
To make a 38+ you definately need to know all the material really well and also have some ability to "figure out what to do when you have no idea what to do". Plus you need good test taking endurance and ability to perform well under stress.
QofQuimica
Seriously, dude, I think you're overreacting....
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I agree with this.
OP, if you've already spent 2-3 months studying for the MCAT, you are unlikely to raise your score by 10 points. In contrast, if you didn't study enough (or properly) the first time, and you do study the second time, it would be more likely that you could raise your score that much. When I took the MCAT in college, I got a 34 with minimal studying. When I took it again during grad school, I got a 43 after intense studying.
On a somewhat broader note, why do you want to raise your score to a 40 so badly anyway? Unless your score is grossly unbalanced, you could probably make better use of your time strengthening your app in other ways, like ECs. Keep in mind that 30-31 is the national average for matriculated allo students, and it's comfortably above the average for matriculated osteo students. To emphasize this point: 30-31 is the average for *matriculated* students who are already in med school; the average MCAT for allo *applicants* is more around a 27 or so. Unless you're applying MD/PhD, a well-balanced 30 should be reasonably competitive, assuming the rest of your app is good. Even then, a 30 might keep you out of the top MSTPs, but you'd probably still have a reasonable chance at some of the non-MSTP MD/PhD programs. If it's just an ego thing, definitely don't waste your time and money. I've had three years of experience serving as a student adcom at my med school, and I can tell you that a 40+ MCAT score doesn't impress the adcom nearly as much as a lot of premeds think it does.
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You raised your 34 to a 43, why did YOU do it?
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I think he/she hinted why when he said "I got a 34 with minimal studying." The point is you should always aim higher when the 1st time you didn't try your very best. If you did, then be happy with a 30 or 31 which is a good score (for matriculating).
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You really hit it on the nail, I didn't do my best. Maybe that's why I can't settle with a 30. I bookmarked the guide you put together. Thanks for replying!
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You're confusing me...
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Quick save. Thanks for editing.
When I started studying for the MCAT back when, I didn't believe this. I felt that for myself, I wasn't smart enough to do much better than 30. I am willing to work hard, and have a decent GPA because of that, but I always had to work harder than my friends to get the same grade. After my first half-hearted attempt to study, I further bought into that notion.
But you are so right about studying the right materials. I'd like to add to that by saying you must study the right materials FOR YOU! Not everyone can use the same materials. I started with EK/PR like so many people do. But that wasn't motivating me and I ended up postponing my exam by four months. I switched to a mixture of books anchored by BR chemistry and physics along taking an MCAT course, and their style matched what I needed perfectly. I put in the time, and low and behold managed to get a 38 (15-10-13). Perhaps I was lucky to get a test that fit my preferences, but I was shocked that I could break 30 let alone 35. It's doable with the right materials and course.
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I'm assuming the MCAT from undergrad would no longer be valid and they had to retake once they were in grad school, if they were planning on applying to medical school afterwards.
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+1. I started out doing Kaplan and its course. I didn't do as well as I hoped in my first MCAT. Recently, I decided to start over and started using only EKs/BRs and I feel sooooo much better/more confident in the materials.
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Realistic? No
Is it doable? Yes.
Never assume that you're going to get X or Y score. Hope for the best, expect the worst.
But all you need to know is that performance on the MCAT is INCREDIBLY subjective.
There are some who can study their ass off and only get a 30.
There are some who can study for a week and get a 40 (and SDN selects for the dorks who are so obsessed about getting into medical school that MCAT scores are probably a bit more inflated here than elsewhere in the country).
The point is, asking these questions, though they give you hope and a sense that you CAN surmount that hill, you will NEVER know unless you put your heart and soul into it.
In my opinion, at the end of the day, it's just another subjective test where you'll dump 90% of the knowledge after you've taken the test (ORGOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!), and remember the core concepts.
I don't think anyone who is normal thinks it's an IQ test more than a knowledge test (if you want a real test that tests your IQ take one of the ones from Mensa, they're quite fun).
All tests are "crackable," it just depends on how deep down the well your desire goes for crushing it.
Of course, if you have a 4.0 GPA, then I'll say that you're a nimrod.
But if you're trying to compensate for a lower GPA, it will certainly help.
Is it doable? Yes.
Never assume that you're going to get X or Y score. Hope for the best, expect the worst.
But all you need to know is that performance on the MCAT is INCREDIBLY subjective.
There are some who can study their ass off and only get a 30.
There are some who can study for a week and get a 40 (and SDN selects for the dorks who are so obsessed about getting into medical school that MCAT scores are probably a bit more inflated here than elsewhere in the country).
The point is, asking these questions, though they give you hope and a sense that you CAN surmount that hill, you will NEVER know unless you put your heart and soul into it.
In my opinion, at the end of the day, it's just another subjective test where you'll dump 90% of the knowledge after you've taken the test (ORGOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!), and remember the core concepts.
I don't think anyone who is normal thinks it's an IQ test more than a knowledge test (if you want a real test that tests your IQ take one of the ones from Mensa, they're quite fun).
All tests are "crackable," it just depends on how deep down the well your desire goes for crushing it.
Of course, if you have a 4.0 GPA, then I'll say that you're a nimrod.
But if you're trying to compensate for a lower GPA, it will certainly help.
QofQuimica
Seriously, dude, I think you're overreacting....
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Because I was required to re-take the test.
No way, dude(tte); I'm not that much of a masochist! I would have applied with the 34 in a heart beat if I could have.
Oh, and I'm a she. 🙂
Yup, this is why. I'm a nontrad and was over age 30 when I started medical school. Since I took the first test in 1996, no medical school would accept those scores when I went to apply in 2005. Interestingly, the decade-old scores still showed up on my AMCAS even though they were useless for application purposes. For those of you who wonder what will happen to your old scores once they expire, yes, the adcoms will still see them anyway.
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How many application cycles will an MCAT score on AVERAGE last for? I am not sure what is mean by 2 or 3 years for most schools.
Does it mean that say if I took the May 2010 MCAT, that it would last for the:
Summer 2010 application cycle
Summer 2011 application cycle
and Summer 2012 application cycle?
Or just SUmmer 2010 and 2011.
QofQuimica
Seriously, dude, I think you're overreacting....
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Check with the individual schools to be sure, but my understanding is that the count starts on the year after you take the test. In other words, if the school accepts scores up to two years old, and you take the test in May 2010, it should be good through the 2012-2013 app cycle.
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lol for a warning for my above post.
I don't know about everyone else, but I think it is very relevant for everyone to know the score of the advice giver, and also that the person is not a fellow but a premed. People who casually read this thread don't want to be deceived.
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