08/22/08 MCAT Club

[rayden001]

Am I the only one taking it on this date? If so, that would be sweeeet cos I get to set my curve.

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[DrDre2001]

I see you future docs got your scores. Please contribute to this thread: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=561455 ,
The poll in it asks you to compare your average AAMC practice scores with your real score. This could help others who are taking their practice tests.

Its my favorite thread in SDN. Its just ballin. It allows us to give meaning to our practice scores. If SDN has enough swag to make a swagstore, it is because of that thread.

 

[ashish89]

30 O
8/11/11

Never trust Kaplan tests. I was getting 37's/38's on them the week before I took the mcat.

This might be the single most epic fail of my life.

lol agreed...I got two 38s, a 36, and a 35 on my kaplan practice tests. The rest of them were around 34-35 as well.

Kaplan tests suck...

My score 9-9-12 (ps-vr-bs). It's a 30, but still lower than my average. I'm not sure you "epically failed" jlee. That's still a good score, it's just not as balanced as one would like. You'll make it into a MD school somewhere.

 

[not respect]

sorry if i offended anyone, i didn't mean to. everyone seems like they got some solid scores though, i think it's good to remember than even if you might have to retake and reapply though that there are always extra chances.

 

[prudvi]

Average AAMC:
PS: 11.5
VR: 8.875
BS: 11.75

Predicted:
PS: 12
VR: 9
BS: 11

Actual:
PS: 12
VR: 8
BS: 12

32Q. I'm happy!!!! i never have to think about the mcat again
the only thing that kind of sucks is the 8 in vr. is that going to stand out too much?

i got a 8 in verbal and I have the same question. I do not know if it makes a huge difference but I also have 4.0 GPA so far from a state school.

Here is my break down

Verbal:8
PS:11
BS:12
WS: 0
31O total

 

[Ninjaface]

So I pretty much hit my averages...my goal was 35Q so I'm happy with this re-take...I went from a 28P...PS: 10 VR: 10 BS: 8 ...so the 6 point increase feels awesome...and I'm Canadian so the writing sample helps (and my top choice school adds a bonus pt to your ranking for a writing score of R, S or T)...so I'm happy! Congratulations everyone!

To the person who asked, University of Calgary has this system as well (1 bonus point for P-R, 2 bonus points for S or T, and a 42 already counts as 100%). A 39S is the same things as a 45T as far as U of C is concerned. University of Saskatchewan just marks the MCAT pass/fail. You need a 24 to apply, after that it counts for nothing. By far the most important factor for applying to Canadian schools is residency in the province. Puts you from a pool with about a 5% acceptance rate into one closer to 50. Interview rates for in-province U of S applicants are close to 100%. Lucky for me as a Yukoner I count as a resident of BC, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. Growing up with 9 month winters in the Canadian sub-arctic is finally paying off!



Good luck, congrats and/or condolences to wherever they are required or desired!

 

[futuredoctor10]

So I finally checked my scores...

 

[Ninjaface]

and...?

 

[confusedchild]

i'm one of the 8/22 MCATers...and ya got my score yesterday..and had about 30 something hours to soak it in..i posted here yesterday and got a lot of support from fellow 8/22ers but i'm once again second doubting myself..., i'm not estatic about my score i'm also not too saddened by it either..just confused....11P/11V/11B/S...

my averages on AAMCs were around 13.5P/10V/12.5B/Q(from TPR)...i prepared for about 7 weeks and took the exam...

i know i can do better on physics and bio as my 8/22 score did not reflect my major (elec. engr) and my AAMC scores...

i'm in a dilemma rite now and i'm still tinking if i should retake...i started off at a 80% no retake..and now i'm down to around 50/50...

and if this helps...these are my goals...
top 1-20 schools...i'd be very very happy but not expecting..(ex: harvard, ucsf, upenn)
20-60 schools...i'd be very content and walk around with a (uci, ucdavis, nyu)
60-rest...i'd be a bit disappointed but i'd still go (it's a med school)

my stats...if i continue wut i'm doing..i'd apply next summer with 3.9ish from a UC...wut should i do, retake/no retake? also i'm one of those ppl who are very insecure..like i strive for an A+ so i can ensure to get an A- or A

 

[futuredoctor10]

and...?

I didn't get what I wanted. I am retaking.

 

[Destrod]

I've been studying for the MCAT all summer and have been going to these forums all the time but I never posted. I wrote the aug.22nd mcat and ended up with:

Bio-13
Verbal -10
Physics - 11
W.S. - O

Pretty happy about the mark but I'm a Canadian applicant and was wondering if anyone knew anything about Queen's W.S. requirement and if it's a straight cutoff. I doubt they'd care that much about an O.

 

[Vihsadas]

I've been studying for the MCAT all summer and have been going to these forums all the time but I never posted. I wrote the aug.22nd mcat and ended up with:

Bio-13
Verbal -10
Physics - 11
W.S. - O

Pretty happy about the mark but I'm a Canadian applicant and was wondering if anyone knew anything about Queen's W.S. requirement and if it's a straight cutoff. I doubt they'd care that much about an O.

I do think its a straight cutoff, and from last year's speculations the cutoff was an "R". (PS I think hard cutoffs are dumb.)

 

[MilkmanAl]

I think even considering the WS is dumb.

 

[Ninjaface]

I didn't get what I wanted. I am retaking.

Damn, sorry to hear that man. I was rooting for you.

I still am apparently!

 

[medicant]

I've been studying for the MCAT all summer and have been going to these forums all the time but I never posted. I wrote the aug.22nd mcat and ended up with:

Bio-13
Verbal -10
Physics - 11
W.S. - O

Pretty happy about the mark but I'm a Canadian applicant and was wondering if anyone knew anything about Queen's W.S. requirement and if it's a straight cutoff. I doubt they'd care that much about an O.

queens has had an unofficial cutoff at q for many years, and last year it hit R, i believe. what they do is look at their pool of applicants and find the highest cutoff that they can find while still filling their (small) class. this is my understanding.

 

[w8ting2exhale]

i'm one of the 8/22 MCATers...and ya got my score yesterday..and had about 30 something hours to soak it in..i posted here yesterday and got a lot of support from fellow 8/22ers but i'm once again second doubting myself..., i'm not estatic about my score i'm also not too saddened by it either..just confused....11P/11V/11B/S...

my averages on AAMCs were around 13.5P/10V/12.5B/Q(from TPR)...i prepared for about 7 weeks and took the exam...

i know i can do better on physics and bio as my 8/22 score did not reflect my major (elec. engr) and my AAMC scores...

i'm in a dilemma rite now and i'm still tinking if i should retake...i started off at a 80% no retake..and now i'm down to around 50/50...

and if this helps...these are my goals...
top 1-20 schools...i'd be very very happy but not expecting..(ex: harvard, ucsf, upenn)
20-60 schools...i'd be very content and walk around with a (uci, ucdavis, nyu)
60-rest...i'd be a bit disappointed but i'd still go (it's a med school)

my stats...if i continue wut i'm doing..i'd apply next summer with 3.9ish from a UC...wut should i do, retake/no retake? also i'm one of those ppl who are very insecure..like i strive for an A+ so i can ensure to get an A- or A

why would you retake a perfectly balanced 33?? especially w/ 3.9 gpa. seriously i think you just need to move on and focus on other parts of your app. practice test scores aren't seen by med schools so no one will judge you...for all they know, you could have been averaging in the high 20s and ended up w/ a 33. what matters is that the score is good enough.

 

[allen5055]

i'm one of the 8/22 MCATers...and ya got my score yesterday..and had about 30 something hours to soak it in..i posted here yesterday and got a lot of support from fellow 8/22ers but i'm once again second doubting myself..., i'm not estatic about my score i'm also not too saddened by it either..just confused....11P/11V/11B/S...

my averages on AAMCs were around 13.5P/10V/12.5B/Q(from TPR)...i prepared for about 7 weeks and took the exam...

i know i can do better on physics and bio as my 8/22 score did not reflect my major (elec. engr) and my AAMC scores...

i'm in a dilemma rite now and i'm still tinking if i should retake...i started off at a 80% no retake..and now i'm down to around 50/50...

and if this helps...these are my goals...
top 1-20 schools...i'd be very very happy but not expecting..(ex: harvard, ucsf, upenn)
20-60 schools...i'd be very content and walk around with a (uci, ucdavis, nyu)
60-rest...i'd be a bit disappointed but i'd still go (it's a med school)

my stats...if i continue wut i'm doing..i'd apply next summer with 3.9ish from a UC...wut should i do, retake/no retake? also i'm one of those ppl who are very insecure..like i strive for an A+ so i can ensure to get an A- or A

If you have a whole year before you apply, you might as well take it again. It's true that you have a decent score, but go for the gold dude. If you got a 36 average on your practice tests, there's no reason you can't get it on the real deal. You have another year to take it again. Do the best you can... Go for the gold. A 33 will probably get you into most medical schools, but why not shoot for that little extra bit of peace of mind?

 

[azp]

blah

 

[MilkmanAl]

because some people have lives outside of studying for the mcat...

Somehow I don't think that's a valid excuse for a bad MCAT score. We're not on a video game forum, chief.

 

[KeyzerSoze]

Somehow I don't think that's a valid excuse for a bad MCAT score. We're not on a video game forum, chief.

But it is an excuse for a merely good MCAT score.

 

[confusedchild]

so i was thinking...after posting my scores and asking for retake advice it seems like everyone's been pointing the well balancedness (don't know if that's a word) of my score 11/11/11/S and telling me not to retake cuz it's so balanced...

my question is that i know that if you get below like a 9 on an individual section it reflects poorly even if you have stellar scores on other sections..but like how important is it to have a balanced score? let's say someone got a 13P/9V/11B/O vs a 11P/11V/11B/S...does it really carry a lot of weight being balanced?

 

[murdoc9]

i think having a higher verbal score sets one apart more than a high score in either of the sciences. also, given the same total score, a balanced breakdown is better looking than not balanced.

that being said, confusedchild- i still have lingering doubts too. im gonna meet with my premed advisor(s) and see what they say about this score in no man's land. 33S is just so vanilla flavored, and i feel like so is the rest of my application.

 

[starl3tte]

i think having a higher verbal score sets one apart more than a high score in either of the sciences. also, given the same total score, a balanced breakdown is better looking than not balanced.

that being said, confusedchild- i still have lingering doubts too. im gonna meet with my premed advisor(s) and see what they say about this score in no man's land. 33S is just so vanilla flavored, and i feel like so is the rest of my application.

let us know what your advisor says! i also have a well-balanced "vanilla flavored" score of 32P. i'm thinking about a re-take, but i'm not sure if it will be worth it.

 

[MilkmanAl]

But it is an excuse for a merely good MCAT score.

Ah yes, I missed the context of that one. Whoops! SDN while simultaneously trying to follow med school lectures is a bad plan.

 

[futuredoctor10]

Damn, sorry to hear that man. I was rooting for you.

I still am apparently!

Thank you! I appreciate it.

Interestingly minus a few people, everyone from 8/22 has gotten scores lower than what they were getting on their practice tests (me included). I think only 1 or 2 posts I have read since scores released where people were close to or at their practice test range. Everyone else dropped 2, 3, or 4 points from their practice test average - including me!

 

[NSA MD]

Thank you! I appreciate it.

Interestingly minus a few people, everyone from 8/22 has gotten scores lower than what they were getting on their practice tests (me included). I think only 1 or 2 posts I have read since scores released where people were close to or at their practice test range. Everyone else dropped 2, 3, or 4 points from their practice test average - including me!

I'm a part of that club for sure. Our test was hella weird. I will dispel all superstitions about AAMC material being HARDER, but I will confirm that several passages are presented in an unconventional sense. That's where applied knowledge (and its purpose) comes in.

I scored 3 points lower than my average, which really sucks. I blame PS!!!

 

[Crumbs Smiles]

Hey, I've been lurking since I took the test and since this forum was so helpful to me, I thought i'd give back. So i'll start with my prep. I took a TPR course over the summer and only used their material. I thought it was really good because it refreshed the subjects on the mcat. I'm a junior bio major.

TPR: (I thought these were much harder than AAMC practice tests)
First Diag Ever: B:13 P:5 V:6 WS:M
#s 3+5 AVG: B:10 P:9.5 V: 9 WS: skipped

AAMC avg (3-10): B: 13.5 P: 11.5 V:7.5 WS: skipped

8/22/08: B:12 P:13 V:10 WS:R
Total: 35R!

I was pretty amazed when b/c i thought i was going to pull off a ~31.
Personally, I think it was the TPR class that did it, it kept me paced and really helped focus my attention on major concepts. I thought the actual 8/22 test was much more physiology based than any practice aamc test. Good job to everyone who did well and to everyone else, KEEP AT IT!!

 

[spyderefs]

30 O
8/11/11

Never trust Kaplan tests. I was getting 37's/38's on them the week before I took the mcat.

This might be the single most epic fail of my life.

You know, I have a friend who was averaging 36-38 on his Kaplan tests and got a 28 on the real thing. I wonder if a lot of people experience drops when compared to their Kaplan averages.

 

[Destrod]

I do think its a straight cutoff, and from last year's speculations the cutoff was an "R". (PS I think hard cutoffs are dumb.)

Really? that's pretty lame. Thanks for the info...I think I might just apply anyway and see what happens.

 

[nothing123]

Really? that's pretty lame. Thanks for the info...I think I might just apply anyway and see what happens.

It is a strict cutoff. Imagine a long list of all the applicants on a computer with their MCAT scores alongside; Queen's then sets a bar somewhere along that list to control their "qualified" applicant pool and the number of interviews they can give. However, the cutoff is not predetermined; depending on the stats of the applicants for this year, it is subject to change. Before the R cutoff of last year, it was consistently P as far as I know.

 

[Crumbs Smiles]

30 O
8/11/11

Never trust Kaplan tests. I was getting 37's/38's on them the week before I took the mcat.

This might be the single most epic fail of my life.

When I took TPR, the instructor said that Kaplan tests were comparatively easier than TPR's. He was a guy who took both classes and I didn't sense a bias just because he was teaching for TPR.

 

[DrDre2001]

When I took TPR, the instructor said that Kaplan tests were comparatively easier than TPR's. He was a guy who took both classes and I didn't sense a bias just because he was teaching for TPR.

True. Easier exactly in what way though? The kaplan tests had difficult questions compared to AAMC , but their curves were very very generous. Many people on this board have said that the difficulty of the real MCAT was close to the difficulty of the kaplan tests. I would agree.

Are the princeton reviews test hard because of the difficulty of the questions or because of the curve? Is the difficulty of the questions comparable to the real MCAT?

Just want to know, because i could be looking at a retake and have already done most of the AAMC practice tests and Kaplan practice tests.

 

[BlueElmo]

True. Easier exactly in what way though? The kaplan tests had difficult questions compared to AAMC , but their curves were very very generous. Many people on this board have said that the difficulty of the real MCAT was close to the difficulty of the kaplan tests. I would agree.

Are the princeton reviews test hard because of the difficulty of the questions or because of the curve? Is the difficulty of the questions comparable to the real MCAT?

Just want to know, because i could be looking at a retake and have already done most of the AAMC practice tests and Kaplan practice tests.

The questions are on TPR are harder than AAMCs, but about the difficulty of the real MCAT. It's curved similarly to AAMCs though.

 

[Crumbs Smiles]

True. Easier exactly in what way though? The kaplan tests had difficult questions compared to AAMC , but their curves were very very generous. Many people on this board have said that the difficulty of the real MCAT was close to the difficulty of the kaplan tests. I would agree.

Are the princeton reviews test hard because of the difficulty of the questions or because of the curve? Is the difficulty of the questions comparable to the real MCAT?

Just want to know, because i could be looking at a retake and have already done most of the AAMC practice tests and Kaplan practice tests.

I can't say anything about kaplan because i didn't take their class. As for TPR, their questions involved a lot of synthesis of content as well as attention to detail, which is what aamc does too. At first i wasn't a fan of this, but when you look at the aamc tests, the difference between 8/9's and the 11/12's comes as a result of knowing subtle differences in concepts. As for the curves, i think they were about the same as aamc. I hope this is helpful.

 

[engineeredout]

Guess whos back.....

From my week long hiatus I'm back in style.

Too bad I wasn't able to post my freak outs, but I could still browse the forum and still freaking out about the scores along with the rest of you guys. I didn't sleep for like three days straight.

Anyway, this is how I felt about the mcat:

Waiting for the mcat scores is like having your car stall on the tracks of a train.

I revealed my scores in parts by covering up the screen and slowly removing it.

The first score I saw was VR: 12. That felt like you just got your engine restarted.

The next score was PS: 8. That felt like the train smashed into me before I could get off the tracks.

The final score was BS: 10. That was like surviving the wreck but being crippled for life.

For a grand total of 30P.

I was disappointed in that PS section. Being a chemical engineering major, getting an 8 made no sense to me whatsoever. I knew I did well on VR, and thought I bombed BS, but I didn't feel like I did that poor in PS.

I also think I gave up on writing halfway through so no idea how I got as high as a P.

But yeah there it is. 30P. Didn't know and still don't know whether to be happy or not. No matter. Its over, and nothing I can possibly do. I've sent out the scores to my schools, and this makes my applications complete. Nothing left to do but wait and see. That waiting is gonna be killer.

I didn't feel like the unbalanced 30 was worth johnnie walker, so I opted for captain morgan tattoo to get smashed off of.


Good job everyone, there are some fantastic scores around, and in true SDN style people are disappointed in 39s. Oh well.

 

[Vihsadas]

Guess whos back.....

Good job everyone, there are some fantastic scores around, and in true SDN style people are disappointed in 39s. Oh well.

True that. And glad to have you back.

 

[BlueElmo]

Guess whos back.....

From my week long hiatus I'm back in style.

Too bad I wasn't able to post my freak outs, but I could still browse the forum and still freaking out about the scores along with the rest of you guys. I didn't sleep for like three days straight.

Anyway, this is how I felt about the mcat:

Waiting for the mcat scores is like having your car stall on the tracks of a train.

I revealed my scores in parts by covering up the screen and slowly removing it.

The first score I saw was VR: 12. That felt like you just got your engine restarted.

The next score was PS: 8. That felt like the train smashed into me before I could get off the tracks.

The final score was BS: 10. That was like surviving the wreck but being crippled for life.

For a grand total of 30P.

I was disappointed in that PS section. Being a chemical engineering major, getting an 8 made no sense to me whatsoever. I knew I did well on VR, and thought I bombed BS, but I didn't feel like I did that poor in PS.

I also think I gave up on writing halfway through so no idea how I got as high as a P.

But yeah there it is. 30P. Didn't know and still don't know whether to be happy or not. No matter. Its over, and nothing I can possibly do. I've sent out the scores to my schools, and this makes my applications complete. Nothing left to do but wait and see. That waiting is gonna be killer.

I didn't feel like the unbalanced 30 was worth johnnie walker, so I opted for captain morgan tattoo to get smashed off of.


Good job everyone, there are some fantastic scores around, and in true SDN style people are disappointed in 39s. Oh well.

Good to have you back! You did well, engineerdout, I bet not many can say they got a 30 on the MCAT, despite what you read on SDN. Anyways, I think you should honor your promise and go get yourself a Johnnie Walker.

 

[futuredoctor10]

I agree - get some Johnnie Walker!!! You did awesome engineeredout.

I also don't understand how anyone could be upset with a 37, 39 etc - although I know people exist and have read their posts on SDN. I mean, I know you can always aim for "the best" but when you are in the 98th/99th percentile how much higher can you go!!!!!!

 

[BlueElmo]

I agree - get some Johnnie Walker!!! You did awesome engineeredout.

I also don't understand how anyone could be upset with a 37, 39 etc - although I know people exist and have read their posts on SDN. I mean, I know you can always aim for "the best" but when you are in the 98th/99th percentile how much higher can you go!!!!!!

I would guess if you have really low GPA, then that 40+ looks mighty fine on your application. A 39 and a 40 sound so different from each other, even though it's only one point. Sort of like a 29 and a 30.

 

[futuredoctor10]

Yeah that's true I guess. It's also probably a matter of relativity and what one considers a "good enough" score is not going to be the same for everyone.

 

[starl3tte]

I revealed my scores in parts by covering up the screen and slowly removing it.

Ha! The first time I went to check my score (on Tuesday the 23rd which ended up being a false alarm), I was so anxious that I told my mom to look at the screen for me. I logged in with my user name & password, hit enter, then jumped out of the way, so I wouldn't see the screen. Too bad I typed in the wrong password, so all I heard her read out was "error." Second time, I typed in the wrong password AGAIN. Third time, finally went through, but there was no score for my mom to read out. Talk about anticlimactic! Then, the next morning, I randomly decided to check, but I didn't think scores would really come out until that evening, so you can imagine how surprised I was! Nearly wet myself. And Mom wasn't there to "screen" it for me. Anywho, welcome back.

 

[Crumbs Smiles]

Random Question: How many pre-med hopefuls are on or check sdn at least semi-regularly? (percentage wise)

 

[Vihsadas]

Random Question: How many pre-med hopefuls are on or check sdn at least semi-regularly? (percentage wise)

There was a thread about this once where the staff got together and made an estimate. I think it was somewhere in the 10%-15% range of applicants browse SDN.

 

[m015094]

Well, looks like it's DO school or bust. I guess this is what I get for only having 1 week to study.

9/9/9 Q

Hey, at least it's balanced.

I'd love to think I will just retake and reapply next year, but I turned 30 last week and I just want to start med school already.

 

[BlueElmo]

Well, looks like it's DO school or bust. I guess this is what I get for only having 1 week to study.

9/9/9 Q

Hey, at least it's balanced.

I'd love to think I will just retake and reapply next year, but I turned 30 last week and I just want to start med school already.

only 1 week, and you pulled that off? That's pretty neat, man.

 

[medicant]

it saddens me that this thread is dead

 

[engineeredout]

it saddens me that this thread is dead

Well people can always come back and post when they've gotten into med school based upon scores from this date.

 

[medicant]

true

 

[smk9]

So, I finished my applications (including secondaries/LORs) by end of September. Since then I had not heard a peep. I called all 11 schools I applied to, and they said my application was still under review.

However, the other morning when I awoke... there was an interview invite from the Mayo Medical School! My one long-shot school. My MCAT (9PS, 11VR, 10BS-- 30R) is 3 points less than the average of 33, and my GPA (3.7) is lower than the average of matriculant (3.84). Regardless, I'm incredibly excited. I also find it slightly amusing and ironic that the one school I thought would be impossible was the first and only school to send me an interview invite.

What about you, fellow 8/22ers? Any acceptances/interview invites?

 

[Destrod]

congratulations on the interview smk9. I'm a Canadian applicant so I don't hear back until late Feb/early March.

 

[smk9]

Thanks, Destrod!

I'm pretty humbled, to be honest. I know in the traditional sense (MCAT/GPA) I don't deserve it, as there are many people more qualified than I am.

I wish you only the best, Destrod. What schools did you apply to? McGill? It was my dad's dream that I go there, but they aren't very kind to applying Americans.