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Dude you’re fine. It isn’t ideal by any means but you have two decent MCAT scores for them to look at. I got a 123 in CARS and a lower overall score and got 12 MD IIs.

All these people telling you to retake it a third time are crazy and have no idea what they are taking about
 
Frogger27 said:
Dude you’re fine. It isn’t ideal by any means but you have two decent MCAT scores for them to look at. I got a 123 in CARS and a lower overall score and got 12 MD IIs.

All these people telling you to retake it a third time are crazy and have no idea what they are taking about
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I mean, many of us know what we're talking about. Med Ed brings up a good point regarding the fact that the two scores have the same confidence level, so adcoms might just average the scores.

That doesn't change the fact that I would still advise a retake. Even if they have the same confidence band, your overall score is going down to a 509, which is below the matriculant average, and that makes it challenging to get interviews and acceptances in an increasingly competitive admissions process year by year. I am sure that adcoms will pause regarding this decrease even if it was justifiable to retake the first MCAT.

Also, people have vastly different experiences. I had a 514 overall and 124 CARS and received 4 MD IIs. Most people with a sub-section score less than 125 do struggle receiving interviews. Congrats on your success, but you're N=1 and not the norm. It's best to advise applicants such that they are aware of the challenges with unbalanced MCATs.
 
minimato said:
I mean, many of us know what we're talking about. Med Ed brings up a good point regarding the fact that the two scores have the same confidence level, so adcoms might just average the scores.

That doesn't change the fact that I would still advise a retake. Even if they have the same confidence band, your overall score is going down to a 509, which is below the matriculant average, and that makes it challenging to get interviews and acceptances in an increasingly competitive admissions process year by year. I am sure that adcoms will pause regarding this decrease even if it was justifiable to retake the first MCAT.

Also, people have vastly different experiences. I had a 514 overall and 124 CARS and received 4 MD IIs. Most people with a sub-section score less than 125 do struggle receiving interviews. Congrats on your success, but you're N=1 and not the norm. It's best to advise applicants such that they are aware of the challenges with unbalanced MCATs.
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He got a balanced 509 and a 512 with a poor CARS score. The totality of his MCAT scores show that he can succeed in medical school. As long as the rest of his app is competitive, his MCAT score will not be what holds him back. You had a 124 in CARS and got 4 II's so far.. you are supporting my point. That is not "struggling to get II's"; it is above the national average and you will get accepted with that number

It would be more risky for him to take the MCAT again and show lack of judgement and receiving poor advice IMO.
 
Okay, so what I'm getting here is that it's probably not wise to retake the exam given there's a chance I can get a similar score and that going forward I should:
1) Apply smartly and make sure I include plenty of DO schools
2) Make sure I put a lot of extra effort into essays and the rest of my application to highlight my strengths
3) Realize I will be fighting an uphill battle with my MCAT scores
 
Zen Arcade said:
Okay, so what I'm getting here is that it's probably not wise to retake the exam given there's a chance I can get a similar score and that going forward I should:
1) Apply smartly and make sure I include plenty of DO schools
2) Make sure I put a lot of extra effort into essays and the rest of my application to highlight my strengths
3) Realize I will be fighting an uphill battle with my MCAT scores
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This is exactly correct. Do not retake a third time! You're still in a position where you can get some acceptances, just make sure to apply broadly and add DO schools as others have said.
 
Zen Arcade said:
Okay, so what I'm getting here is that it's probably not wise to retake the exam given there's a chance I can get a similar score and that going forward I should:
1) Apply smartly and make sure I include plenty of DO schools
2) Make sure I put a lot of extra effort into essays and the rest of my application to highlight my strengths
3) Realize I will be fighting an uphill battle with my MCAT scores
Click to expand...

exactly.. you will be okay! worry about what you can control and i'm guessing you'll be pleasantly surprised
 
Frogger27 said:
exactly.. you will be okay! worry about what you can control and i'm guessing you'll be pleasantly surprised
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Yes. I would also like to add that you’ve shown in both tests that you possess the capability to excel in medical school given your impressive subsection scores. You have just been unlucky to have a test date with content that allows you to have a very high overall MCAT score. Don’t be bogged down by some of the negative, pessimistic comments here. Give the application a shot and ensure that you reflect your story in your essays. You’re already in a great position if you just want to get into a medical school.
 
Zen Arcade said:
For future applicants who find themselves in my situation, I just want to update on the outcome. Applied with 512 (122 CARS) -> balanced 509. I did have a high GPA, but was expecting the drop in MCAT score to sink me at a lot of schools. Ended up getting 7 MD II, attended 4 interviews, and was accepted at all of them. I will be attending a top 30, and my top choice, in the fall. There are many parts to an application - and honestly I found the most important parts to be the ones that tell who you are as a person. If you effectively demonstrate that you care for others, have moral character, and a passion for service then people tend to ignore the minor slip ups. Spend A LOT of time on your essays and interview responses. Be humble throughout the process and be realistic with the schools you apply to. You got this, don't second guess yourself!
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:hardy: :hardy: :hardy: 👍 👍 👍 :=|:-): :=|:-): :=|:-): :biglove: :biglove: :biglove: :claps: :claps: :claps: :clap: :clap: :clap: 😍 😍 😍 :banana: :banana: :banana: :woot: :woot: :woot:

Now read this:

Getting 7 IIs is really good. What do you think your hook was?
 
Goro said:
What do you think your hook was?
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Crafting a narrative based on service - having plenty of specific examples of how I helped others in the community and focusing on how that influenced my interest in medicine. Because I applied to many service based schools, I tried to highlight the parts of my app that fit their mission.
 
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