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“Maintained the scores in the other sections and increased CARS to 130”

So...you retook your 517 because you had a 128 in CARS....? Yah, that reflects poor judgement. Good job on the retake, but it will hurt you more than help.
 
1.4MegadaltonWheelofDeath said:
I retook a 517 and got a 519 this time. I'm Canadian and I retook for CARS. I realize retaking a 517 is heresy in these parts, but I have absolutely zero regret. I achieved exactly my goal-- I increased my CARS to a 130 while retaining my scores in the other sections.

That being said, I do plan on applying to US schools next cycle and am wondering how it would reflect on me that I took a 517 and only scored a 2-point increase on a retake? I mean if it results in schools questioning my judgement that would be unfortunate, but so be it. But I had a reason for retaking, and I ended up doing justice to that reason. Anyways, how would schools look at it?
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Good for you that you made the improvement. But soon after the first day of med school, you will realize how pointless the mcat was.
 
I am not sure how this works in Canada, I know in the US the CARS score is the least valued subject. If it is honestly true that you were eliminated at the majority of schools based on a screening process due to your cars score even with a 517 MCAT then I think that could be easily explainable in an essay to the US schools.
 
OP, contrary to what other posters here stated I would not see a problem with it.

Mention to adcoms that interview you that the CARS section is the most important section in Canadian medical school admissions and that is why you retook it.

You did not have bad judgement. I think some of the posters here might not understand how the Canadian system works.
 
Everyone jumping the gun to say retaking was a bad idea doesn't know the hard-line cut-offs and emphasis Canada places on CARS. Unfortunately, I don't know how many US schools will be aware of that. I would definitely include the reason for a retake in your secondaries.
 
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Newyear said:
I am not sure how this works in Canada, I know in the US the CARS score is the least valued subject. If it is honestly true that you were eliminated at the majority of schools based on a screening process due to your cars score even with a 517 MCAT then I think that could be easily explainable in an essay to the US schools.
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Did not know this - in light of CARS being most important in Canadian schools, you should be able to explain it away. Sorry for the ignorance, I agree with @Sunbodi and @Newyear in light of that. You just NEED to make sure it is in every application somewhere
 
1.4MegadaltonWheelofDeath said:
I retook a 517 and got a 519 this time. I'm Canadian and I retook for CARS. I realize retaking a 517 is heresy in these parts, but I have absolutely zero regret. I achieved exactly my goal-- I increased my CARS to a 130 while retaining my scores in the other sections.

That being said, I do plan on applying to US schools next cycle and am wondering how it would reflect on me that I took a 517 and only scored a 2-point increase on a retake? I mean if it results in schools questioning my judgement that would be unfortunate, but so be it. But I had a reason for retaking, and I ended up doing justice to that reason. Anyways, how would schools look at it?

So I should probably also add that I had a 126, which, in my home province of Ontario, essentially disqualifies me from 2 schools, out of 5 total in my province. It's absolutely nothing to do with thinking my score wasn't good enough. It had to do with just meeting thresholds.

Edit: Thank you to the later replies that realized the circumstance of having a 126 CARS living where I live. It could not possilby be poor judgement, given that my improvement from a 126 --> 130 brought me from nearly-impossible odds to very good odds at one school, and pushed me past the cutoffs for another. I asked this question wondering how others would perceive my judgement. Hopefully I'll have a chance to explain myself in my essays.
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Your judgment will be questioned by some schools.
 
You got a higher score and improved the one section you needed for your home province.

I would explain that if there’s an “anything else?” section so they understand the reality of your situation; don’t even lose sleep over this.

Good luck!
 
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1.4MegadaltonWheelofDeath said:
I retook a 126. The other sections were more or less maintained.
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I think your problem is more than that. The schools in the States will wonder why you apply here instead of Canada. If you say you only want to go to the States, it’s obviously false because you retook a 126 in CARS to increase your chance in Ontario. Or if you mention no such thing, then the schools in the States will wonder why you retook a 517.
 
notsobabydoc said:
I think your problem is more than that. The schools in the States will wonder why you apply here instead of Canada. If you say you only want to go to the States, it’s obviously false because you retook a 126 in CARS to increase your chance in Ontario. Or if you mention no such thing, then the schools in the States will wonder why you retook a 517.
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But who cares if he doesn't make Canadian schools his number one choice? He wanted to yield protect his chances of getting into medical school besides applying to just the US schools which heavily favor US citizens over international students, and in order to yield protect he needed to improve his CARS. I think it makes much more sense now and is acceptable.
 
1.4MegadaltonWheelofDeath said:
-I retook a 517 and got a 519 this time. I increased my CARS to a 130 while retaining my scores in the other sections.

- am wondering how it would reflect on me that I took a 517 and only scored a 2-point increase on a retake?
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Sunbodi said:
OP, contrary to what other posters here stated I would not see a problem with it.

Mention to adcoms [if asked] that interview you that the CARS section is the most important section in Canadian medical school admissions and that is why you retook it.

You did not have bad judgement. I think some of the posters here might not understand how the Canadian system works.
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Lucca said:
I wouldnt bring it up at all unless someone asks explicitly and if they do just tell them you're Canadian and 130 CARS is the name of the game for Canadian schools.
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This. Experienced adcomms from schools that accept Canadians have an idea of how the Canadian system works.
 
Newyear said:
I am not sure how this works in Canada, I know in the US the CARS score is the least valued subject. If it is honestly true that you were eliminated at the majority of schools based on a screening process due to your cars score even with a 517 MCAT then I think that could be easily explainable in an essay to the US schools.
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Source? That's not what I have heard.
 
The Canadian system is different. There absolutely isn’t a problem with this. US schools will more than likely be understanding if they have any experience with Canadian applicants.
 
Where is the cut off point when adcoms begin to question retakes? I'm a little surprised that so many put it at the 517 mark.
 
notsobabydoc said:
CARS is the stupidest section ever. Completely a mind-f*ck game.
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Big agree.

To OP: I think some schools may see it and immediately scoff at the idea of retaking a 517 for any reason, but I think you'll probably be fine at the majority of schools, especially given that you have a genuine reason for retaking the exam that goes beyond "I thought I could do better".
 
notsobabydoc said:
anyone scoring 13x is basically getting lucky.
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Or well prepared.

I think you'll probably be fine at the majority of schools, especially given that you have a genuine reason for retaking the exam that goes beyond "I thought I could do better".
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Obviously he could and did do better. Retaking the exam always poses a risk, but an assumption of risk does not mean that it was not well calculated. Only the OP was in a position to know his true ability. It paid off. That shouldn't hurt him should it?
 
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1.4MegadaltonWheelofDeath said:
I retook a 517 and got a 519 this time. I'm Canadian and I retook for CARS. I realize retaking a 517 is heresy in these parts, but I have absolutely zero regret. I achieved exactly my goal-- I increased my CARS to a 130 while retaining my scores in the other sections.

That being said, I do plan on applying to US schools next cycle and am wondering how it would reflect on me that I took a 517 and only scored a 2-point increase on a retake? I mean if it results in schools questioning my judgement that would be unfortunate, but so be it. But I had a reason for retaking, and I ended up doing justice to that reason. Anyways, how would schools look at it?

So I should probably also add that I had a 126, which, in my home province of Ontario, essentially disqualifies me from 2 schools, out of 5 total in my province. It's absolutely nothing to do with thinking my score wasn't good enough. It had to do with just meeting thresholds.

Edit: Thank you to the later replies that realized the circumstance of having a 126 CARS living where I live. It could not possilby be poor judgement, given that my improvement from a 126 --> 130 brought me from nearly-impossible odds to very good odds at one school, and pushed me past the cutoffs for another. I asked this question wondering how others would perceive my judgement. Hopefully I'll have a chance to explain myself in my essays.
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I think you're fine dude. I had a friend who got a 518 but got 124 CARS. She retook and ended up with a lower score of 517 but brought her CARS up to like a 129. This person is applying this cycle and already has 2 T10 and 5 T20 interviews. Non-URM too. So I think you'll be fine.
 
desperatepremed2024 said:
Same 131-132 on all FLs and the real thing.
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Well, for most people it’s very inaccurate. I only did one FL and then the real thing. Got both 130. But if you look at the general population of test takers, the retest reliability is very low. Personally of all the standardized tests I took, LSAT, GRE, GMAT, SAT and MCAT, CARS is the worst reading section. In all reading sections of the standardized tests, I all scored in the 98 to 100 percentile. CARS is really not a reading test but a very strange IQ test.

Edit: for all the tests except MCAT, I knew I aced the reading right after, but for CARS I had no idea how I did. It’s a test of how your bias affects your understanding rather than testing your real comprehension.
 
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At first thought: “WHY DO THAT OP, WHY??”

Then saw was from Canada. Lucky you guys for having CARS cut offs.
 
notsobabydoc said:
Well, for most people it’s very inaccurate. I only did one FL and then the real thing. Got both 130. But if you look at the general population of test takers, the retest reliability is very low. Personally of all the standardized tests I took, LSAT, GRE, GMAT, SAT and MCAT, CARS is the worst reading section. In all reading sections of the standardized tests, I all scored in the 98 to 100 percentile. CARS is really not a reading test but a very strange IQ test.

Edit: for all the tests except MCAT, I knew I aced the reading right after, but for CARS I had no idea how I did. It’s a test of how your bias affects your understanding rather than testing your real comprehension.
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Were you a career Kaplan tutor or just gunning to be one of the elite MD/PhD/JD/MBAs? I'm still trying to wrap my head around why someone would take all of those different exams.
 
notsobabydoc said:
Well, for most people it’s very inaccurate. I only did one FL and then the real thing. Got both 130. But if you look at the general population of test takers, the retest reliability is very low. Personally of all the standardized tests I took, LSAT, GRE, GMAT, SAT and MCAT, CARS is the worst reading section. In all reading sections of the standardized tests, I all scored in the 98 to 100 percentile. CARS is really not a reading test but a very strange IQ test.

Edit: for all the tests except MCAT, I knew I aced the reading right after, but for CARS I had no idea how I did. It’s a test of how your bias affects your understanding rather than testing your real comprehension.
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I think that in order to claim that you are good at CARS, or good at any other section for that matter, you have to consistently be able to do well. So yes there will always be a person who gets lucky and guesses a couple questions right to get a 130>, but someone who is really good at CARS never has to guess and can consistently score well. Personally I usually felt pretty confident after I completed a CARS section, so I don't buy it when people say that CARS is all luck. Same thing with BB and CP, I got 132 for all of my FLs and the real thing.
 
desperatepremed2024 said:
I think that in order to claim that you are good at CARS, or good at any other section for that matter, you have to consistently be able to do well. So yes there will always be a person who gets lucky and guesses a couple questions right to get a 130>, but someone who is really good at CARS never has to guess and can consistently score well. Personally I usually felt pretty confident after I completed a CARS section, so I don't buy it when people say that CARS is all luck. Same thing with BB and CP, I got 132 for all of my FLs and the real thing.
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you are an exception to the rule, so am I. But for most people, the section is quite inaccurate. alright, we got that you scored a 524+ lol.
 
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EmbryonalCarcinoma said:
I don’t think so. I got >130 on all FL practice tests and on the real thing.
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My friend got 130+ on all FLs and then dropped to 127 ;/

Overall I think the woeful Canadian CARS situation is more well-discussed on r/MCAT and maybe not talked about as much on SDN, hence the shock in this thread
 
Goro said:
Your judgment will be questioned by some schools.
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So would you not recommend a Canadian to rewrite a 517 mcat with a 126 cars if their goals are US med schools but are still applying to Canadian schools?
 
Mr Donald Mouse said:
So would you not recommend a Canadian to rewrite a 517 mcat with a 126 cars if their goals are US med schools but are still applying to Canadian schools?
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Canadians will be the only people I'll be OK with retaking a high unexpired score.

Do keep in mind that the people who usually retake an already high score are perfectionists who feel "I know I could do better".

In these cases, perfect is indeed the enemy of good, and these students try to learn everything, but end up learning nothing.

Even worse, they're constantly in our offices badgering us as to why the 96 on their exam should actually be a 97.
 
notsobabydoc said:
anyone scoring 13x is basically getting lucky.
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Eh...There are people that can consistently put up 520+ scores. When you're getting 525+ scores, you've got rock solid content knowledge and reasoning skills - and that is not just luck.
 
notsobabydoc said:
CARS is the stupidest section ever. Completely a mind-f*ck game.
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As an english major I beg to differ, it's pretty logical and not needing to recall and apply some detailed equations and memorized content for an entire section is a relief. For it to be luck you'd have to be pretty damn lucky for 90 min straight...
 
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