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Started by mariposas905
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Yes. And there are others who get their better matriculants this way.
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Some schools have the luxury of limiting interviews to applicants who get 515 on the first try.
Others do not.
Referring to schools that reward reinvention and such.
Went from a 504 to a 512. Went from 0 interviews to 8 interviews the next cycle. I'm sure some schools may filter you out but just apply broadly and you're fine. 515 is a solid score
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What did you do to prepare the second time? I have a 505 right now and I think I'm going to retake in July.
I see, thank you. Are there any schools that are known to reward reinvention? And do you know if any top schools do this?
Used Berkeley Review and Exam Krackers instead of Kaplan. Also used next step FLs. Go to reddit.com/r/MCAT they're really helpful there!
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People do get into top 10 schools with a high second MCAT despite a low first attempt. I know someone who got into 3/4 top 10 schools they applied to who was in that situation (the second score was more 518+)
There are schools who are allowed to be choosy. If a certain applicant is very appealing to that school, they could be willing to overlook a less than stellar first MCAT. Schools aren't just recruiting strong MCAT scores; they're recruiting future physicians, so review is a lot more holistic than SDN would have you believe.
Wait, I bought the Kaplan books, are they not effective?
I thought they had harder practice tests than the real thing...
MCAT scores are never "forgiven." They are data points considered in the context of the overall application.
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I used Kaplan and EK for my MCAT. Kaplan was good for content review, but to say the Kaplan practice tests are harder is an understatement, and in my opinion not a positive quality. I was scoring in the 480s on the Kaplan tests, and thinking I had serious gaps in my understanding. Switched over to EK and the AAMC tests, and I immediatley started scoring around 506 each time. I ended up getting 505 on the actual MCAT.
Knowing where you stand on practice exams is detrimental to your preparation, both for the exam and your overall application. I don't think taking the Kaplan practice tests gives you a good idea of where you stand.
D:This came to mind (below) either that or the line "Go Ahead Applicant, Make My Day"
Why are earlier bad grades more likely to be forgiven ( like a weak freshman year that myself and many users had) , but one weak MCAT is not?
Typo, or is knowing where you stand on practice tests bad for your App in some way?
It is sad to see some schools average both of your MCAT , especially when your first one was below competitive.
Is there a list of schools that are more leinent toward this policy? Or should we contact each school to find out? This "averaging" scores are not encouraging.
The AAMC (the folks to develop the test) advise us to average the scores.
Policies aside, applicants must realize that there is no way to force examiners to "unsee" scores. Thus, there is no way to predict how they will be interpreted. That is why we emphasize the importance of a single strong score. It avoids the problem of idiosyncratic interpretation.
Welp, that does make me feel better about having an UW trend be important in my app ( and not feeling like bad freshman year grades will destroy me).
On the other hand....I better take a lot of practice tests before taking that MCAT , because you only get one shot D:
knowing where you stand isn't good or bad, it's just important to have an accurate idea of how much work you need to put in/if you should postpone your test date.
What I meant to say is it's a bad thing to use tests that are intentionally much more difficult than the real thing, because you won't get a good idea of how you're doing. I could have phrased that better 😉
How long did you study for the retake?
They see a 510.
It's a seller's market, and schools can afford to ignore many otherwise qualified applicants.
To follow up on one of gyngyn's comments, many of us take a dim view of people who do not prepare for a high-stakes career deciding exam, or take it when they are not at their best (like being sick, or suffering a recent life event.) We're allergic to people who make bad choices.
