30+ Retake?

[socal78]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Has anyone who scored a 30 or above retook the mcat? If you have how many points did you go up or down? What did you do different? How long did you prepare? I have a really low gpa(3.2) so im thinking of taking the mcat again to to make up for my grades. I received a 31O(self study) 11v10ps10bs on the aug test. I'm shooting for a 34 or better.

 

[hp540]

Has anyone who scored a 30 or above retook the mcat? If you have how many points did you go up or down? What did you do different? How long did you prepare? I have a really low gpa(3.2) so im thinking of taking the mcat again to to make up for my grades. I received a 31O(self study) 11v10ps10bs on the aug test. I'm shooting for a 34 or better.

I don't think that's a good idea (AT ALL). Work on other areas of your application instead.

 

[smuwillobrien]

I don't think that's a good idea (AT ALL). Work on other areas of your application instead.

I agree with this completely - 11/10/10 is good. =]

 

[UMP]

Has anyone who scored a 30 or above retook the mcat? If you have how many points did you go up or down? What did you do different? How long did you prepare? I have a really low gpa(3.2) so im thinking of taking the mcat again to to make up for my grades. I received a 31O(self study) 11v10ps10bs on the aug test. I'm shooting for a 34 or better.

i retook after i got a 9p11v10b in april 04... I didn't really study the first time around. I hit the books pretty hard the second time around and went up to 13p13v12b, so it worked out well. My GPA was pretty low so that's why I did it. If you can really do something different and think you can definitely do better there's no reason not to go for it

 

[MadHopsMD]

Has anyone who scored a 30 or above retook the mcat? If you have how many points did you go up or down? What did you do different? How long did you prepare? I have a really low gpa(3.2) so im thinking of taking the mcat again to to make up for my grades. I received a 31O(self study) 11v10ps10bs on the aug test. I'm shooting for a 34 or better.

there are stories out there ppl getting 310 and ending with a really high MCAT (40+). but this is really rare...and i wont suggest it...do a post bacc instead...

if you do go this route and if you not getting consistently 35-36+ on the practice ones...it wont be worth it

 

[MDPursuit]

Socal, I have 30, but if I don' get any acceptance, I plan on retaking the test. It is risky, but I feel like I need to do that.

 

[MEG@COOL]

I got a 32R, but will probably retake if I dont get in this year. It depends on if you are sure you can do better or not. You can figure this out by your practice test scores as others have said above.

 

[Eric Lindros]

Has anyone who scored a 30 or above retook the mcat? If you have how many points did you go up or down? What did you do different? How long did you prepare? I have a really low gpa(3.2) so im thinking of taking the mcat again to to make up for my grades. I received a 31O(self study) 11v10ps10bs on the aug test. I'm shooting for a 34 or better.

Retake with that score if you have any of the following characteristics:

-You are a tool
-Your GPA blows big time
-You really love the MCAT

 

[EMH]

It depends on how you think you would do. I was averaging 32-34 on practice tests and then scored 36 on the real thing. I would never dream of retaking it. 30+ is great and if you don't get in, that's not the reason why.

 

[Wrigleyville]

Did you take any mock exams before the real thing? If your actual score was much lower than you expected or if your study plan was obviously deficient, go ahead and retake. If your actual score was about the same as your predicted, your odds of getting a higher score are low.

Regression to the mean is a tough force to overcome.

 

[wisguy]

I got a 33P (PS=8 VR=13 BS=12) and I'm retaking in Jan. I'm thinking about MD/PhD, though, so the averages are a bit different. I hope to see some improvement or at least even out those subscores. Am I completely crazy?

 

[gujuDoc]

Has anyone who scored a 30 or above retook the mcat? If you have how many points did you go up or down? What did you do different? How long did you prepare? I have a really low gpa(3.2) so im thinking of taking the mcat again to to make up for my grades. I received a 31O(self study) 11v10ps10bs on the aug test. I'm shooting for a 34 or better.

With your GPA and MCAT I think itis wiser for you to do a special masters program taking firt year med school courses to improve yur application and chances.

 

[gujuDoc]

I got a 33P (PS=8 VR=13 BS=12) and I'm retaking in Jan. I'm thinking about MD/PhD, though, so the averages are a bit different. I hope to see some improvement or at least even out those subscores. Am I completely crazy?

Yes!! If you got a 28 or 29 I could see your reason for a retake but a 33 got some friends of mine into HMS, Hopkins, UMich, WashU, Vandy, Baylor, UPenn etc.

So I wouldn't retake it.

 

[realmadridstorm]

I took the mcat in 08/05 the first time got a 31M (the writing score😱 is the primary reason for me to retake, just kidding). Anyway I retook in 08/06 and got a 39N (damn it, stupid writing😡 ). The real reason I retook is that I felt that I could do better because I had a busy summer in 05 and didn't practice enough. So if you feel that you could do better with more practice, then go for it.

 

[supafield]

I can't speak for American admissions.... but from what I read they're a lot less technical than certain school in Canada....

For what I'm considering they have strict cutoffs for each section last year if you had one seciton under 10 or Q and didn't attend high-school in London you didn't get an interview....

You could have owned 25 hospitals, served at as a president for an African Nation had a 4.0 solid, and Scored 15,15,15, P on the MCAT and you would not have gotten an interview because of that P.... crazy I know (haha and maybe in that instance you could pull some strings)... but certain schools have certain set ups that need to be met... I know for a fact unless the interview standards dropped from last year that my 11,11,9 R will not be good enough for either of the 2 med school I really want to attend... and for that reason I'm rewriting... I was thrilled with my score as a non-science student but that was the bittersweet nature of the whole thing...

The point of this long winded story..... research the schools you're looking to apply to, talk to admissions officers.... if they say you can make up for your low GPA with an exceptional MCAT score and you believe you can do it... go out and do it... but there may be better ways to improve your application that are less time consuming/more certain.... pick the brains of the people that make the decisions and I think you'll get a good idea of what to do....

Then again maybe it is a different story South of the border....

Hope that helps and good luck

 

[RAD11]

If it was me I wouldn't retake, but for some reason you thought your score was a fluke and can do better then go for it.

 

[DesignEngineer]

I have a 33 and have to retake because it is expired.

I studied really hard this time for about half a year now. I have been consistently getting 36+ on the AAMC test, so, I think I am in good shape for the January test.

 

[angelstar0614]

I took the 8/06 MCAT and got a 32Q (VR 8 PS 12 BS 12) but I think I got ripped off on my verbal (there was a distraction during the exam). So I'm going for another shot, especially since I really want to get into MSTP/MDPhD. I figure I could do much better if I actually concentrate fully on studying this time. Am I crazy?

 

[QofQuimica]

Has anyone who scored a 30 or above retook the mcat? If you have how many points did you go up or down? What did you do different? How long did you prepare? I have a really low gpa(3.2) so im thinking of taking the mcat again to to make up for my grades. I received a 31O(self study) 11v10ps10bs on the aug test. I'm shooting for a 34 or better.

How have you been doing on your practice tests? Unless they're significantly better than that 31, I wouldn't suggest retaking. Statistically, you're not likely to change your score by more than a point or two, and you're just as likely to go down as you are to go up. Go to the AAMC page and you'll see that the stats for more than a two point jump are pretty grim. You've already gotten a nicely balanced score over 30, and your Achilles heel is your GPA, not your MCAT score. I'd focus on doing something about that GPA if I were you.

The poster who has to retake b/c his scores expired is different. That was my problem too; I first took the MCAT in 1996, so naturally I had to retake it. But I had a 34 the first time, and I sure as h*** wouldn't have retaken if I didn't have to. Luckily for me things worked out well, but there was certainly no guarantee of that....

 

[Anastasis]

Q: I saw you posted in here and thought maybe you were thinking of retaking... I'm sure you could improve by 2 points

 

[QofQuimica]

Q: I saw you posted in here and thought maybe you were thinking of retaking... I'm sure you could improve by 2 points

Dude, I'm already in med school. I've officially retired from ever taking the MCAT again. Although part of me would like to try the new CBT just to see what it's like....

I told you one of my committee members asked me if I'd retake to try to ace it, didn't I??? I'm like, s***, that guy always was a little wacko. And sure enough, he was the same committee member who was making my life difficult the day before the defense. 🙄

 

[Anastasis]

Dude, I'm already in med school. I've officially retired from ever taking the MCAT again. Although part of me would like to try the new CBT just to see what it's like....
I told you one of my committee members asked me if I'd retake to try to ace it, didn't I??? I'm like, s***, that guy always was a little wacko. And sure enough, he was the same committee member who was making my life difficult the day before the defense. 🙄

You're sick. Just sick.




But you're still my hero anyway... 😀

 

[NashvilleWill14]

This data shows how likely you are to improve your subsection scores. In short, the odds are not in your favor with your already high scores.

 

[NashvilleWill14]

.

 

[Beau Geste]

You're sick. Just sick.




But you're still my hero anyway... 😀

That would be a total waste of money that could be used on, say, ice cream! 🙂

 

[MDstudent79]

I would not recommend taking it again unless you're able to consistently get 35+ on old MCATs (real ones...not Kaplan or some other test prep packets). And I mean damn near EVERY time getting a 35+. Because you can certainly get in with a 30 to many good schools--I did with no problem. And as others are saying, if you don't get in with a 30, it's probably not the MCAT.

Don't take it again if you even once or twice get a 31/32 range on a real MCAT from the old books. It will be a waste of your time and money that could have been spent elsewhere improving your resume.

 

[ladoo007]

I got the same score you got in august (31o) and I am retaking it in less than three weeks! However, my score distribution wasn't as even as yours (12 p, 8 v, and 11 b) and I had a really bad day on verbal with some timing problems (left 2 1/2 passages with 'c' because i ran out of time) and so I am re-taking because i know i can get a 10 or 11 on verbal with practice and probably hit 12s on both sciences because i almost got that before and now have studied even more so...

So i guess basically what everyone is saying here is true and is what i have heard as well... don't take it again unless you are pretty sure you can do significantly better... i am taking it again because i had an uneven score dist and know i can do much better on verbal and so overall hopefully do much better

 

[SirTony76]

I am retaking and I got a 30, but I got a 6 in VR...lol

 

[nikorette]

I had almost the exact same score as you did. I got a 31O (PS:11; V:11; BS:9) and didn't have a stellar GPA (3.45 AAMC). I also didn't have any volunteer hours so I decided to retake. The first time I did self-study. I had not taken Physics in about five years so I was not only reviewing; I was re-teaching myself. I took TPR the second time around and improved to a 38M (PS: 14; V:11; BS: 13). Not really sure what happened with my writing 🙁
My advice is to retake only if you are going to drastically change your study habits (e.g. take a review course). Good luck!

 

[mdm2fly]

I had almost the exact same score as you did. I got a 31O (PS:11; V:11; BS:9) and didn't have a stellar GPA (3.45 AAMC). I also didn't have any volunteer hours so I decided to retake. The first time I did self-study. I had not taken Physics in about five years so I was not only reviewing; I was re-teaching myself. I took TPR the second time around and improved to a 38M (PS: 14; V:11; BS: 13). Not really sure what happened with my writing 🙁
My advice is to retake only if you are going to drastically change your study habits (e.g. take a review course). Good luck!

What do you mean by 3.45 AAMC?

 

[gujuDoc]

What do you mean by 3.45 AAMC?

The AAMC calculates GPA differently then your transcript.

1. If you've retaken a class and done grade forgiveness on your transcript, the AAMC will not care and will still average in the old grade so that can lower your GPA.

2. Instead of using exact .67 and .33 increments for -/+ grades, they use .7 and .3 increments. For instance an A- is counted as 3.7 pts per credit hour vs. 3.67 pts, but a B+ is counted as 3.3 instead of 3.33

Hence the AAMC gpa can actually be slightly lower or higher then your actual GPA.

Additionally, the AAMC calculated GPA on AMCAS is different then the GPA calculated by the DO applications because DO applications only take the highest grade in a given class if you've repeated classes whereas the AAMC again averages everything in.

 

[kerplunk112]

i would be worried if the schools i was applying to avg mcats.

 

[akinf]

I am retaking with a 31S. However, the first time I got 13PS 6VR 12BS. The VR was in stark disagreement with my practice scores, so I think that will make a substantial improvement. Also, I've been consistently hitting 13s in the PS practices I am doing now and around 12 on BS. So, I hopefully I should be fine.

 

[j1974]

I scored 40 (not counting WS - P) 12 years ago, and I never got into medical school (my GPA was not great but OK). Long story there, anyways...

I'm 32 now, in another career but I don't like it and I've decided I would have always been happier and made a better use of my life as a physician. My old score no longer counts but it is now a mental hurdle because it's a pretty high bar I've set and there's simply no way I can get anything close to that (I haven't looked back, thought about, or used basic science knowledge after college 10 years ago, new computerized format, which I hate compared to paper). I'm nervous that even 10's may not cut it given my college GPA. My science GPA is pretty high but I never did well in the other classes. Yeah, I am a natural asian science dork but never wanted to be one. Which is why I want to be a doctor. It's allopathic medicine for crying out loud. I'm too experienced and cynical in my middle age to act all idealistic like one usually reads about, but I know I'm a good fit for medicine, its culture and realities because all my pre-med buddies are satisfied as doctors today.

I just went back to my parents' house and dug up my old orgo and bio textbooks. They're old!!! Has science changed since? Couldn't find anything physics-related but I found an old calc book, which would be good since I've somewhat forgotten how to derive or integrate now.

For all purposes, I'm starting from scratch and giving myself just 6 months to prepare before I further cement my alternate career path in business school. Maybe all that old knowledge is in my head somewhere and I can find my former gunner self. Kaplan would be a good start. Has anyone else gone through the same thing I am?

 

[gujuDoc]

I scored 40 (not counting WS - P) 12 years ago, and I never got into medical school (my GPA was not great but OK). Long story there, anyways...

I'm 32 now, in another career but I don't like it and I've decided I would have always been happier and made a better use of my life as a physician. My old score no longer counts but it is now a mental hurdle because it's a pretty high bar I've set and there's simply no way I can get anything close to that (I haven't looked back, thought about, or used basic science knowledge after college 10 years ago, new computerized format, which I hate compared to paper). I'm nervous that even 10's may not cut it given my college GPA. My science GPA is pretty high but I never did well in the other classes. Yeah, I am a natural asian science dork but never wanted to be one. Which is why I want to be a doctor. It's allopathic medicine for crying out loud. I'm too experienced and cynical in my middle age to act all idealistic like one usually reads about, but I know I'm a good fit for medicine, its culture and realities because all my pre-med buddies are satisfied as doctors today.

I just went back to my parents' house and dug up my old orgo and bio textbooks. They're old!!! Has science changed since? Couldn't find anything physics-related but I found an old calc book, which would be good since I've somewhat forgotten how to derive or integrate now.

For all purposes, I'm starting from scratch and giving myself just 6 months to prepare before I further cement my alternate career path in business school. Maybe all that old knowledge is in my head somewhere and I can find my former gunner self. Kaplan would be a good start. Has anyone else gone through the same thing I am?

If you are a nontrad returning, I'd advise you to retake the prereqs because its been 10 years and some schools don't accept prereqs that are that old, plus it will refresh your memory and teach you what you need for the mcat. I'd also consider doing it through a formal postbac program though that isn't necessary by a long stretch. However, formal postbac programs sometimes have linkages to different med schools so it might be worth considering. I'd also consider doing some clinical volunteering of some sort to show your interest in medicine. Good luck.


P.S. It can be done even though you haven't had the prereqs in so long, but its not recommended unless you truly believe you can learn the necessary information.

Calculus is not required for the MCAT and in fact most premeds don't take the calc based physics. Only algebra/trig based physics is needed. However, calc based physics sure does explain a lot of the reasoning and rational of several different formulas in terms of mathematical terms. But its not important for the MCAT by any stretch of the imagination.

Bio has changed quite a bit in 10 years because of several different discoveries in the molecular biology fields such as cell bio and genetics and biochemistry. So it might be worth buying a current bio text book. Physics, ochem, and gchem I will venture to guess haven't changed that much in 10 years in terms of what is in a textbook though it has probably changed at a more advanced level and integrated level of research.

10 years is a huge difference in science when everything is rapidly changing.

 

[gujuDoc]

I scored 40 (not counting WS - P) 12 years ago, and I never got into medical school (my GPA was not great but OK). Long story there, anyways...

I'm 32 now, in another career but I don't like it and I've decided I would have always been happier and made a better use of my life as a physician. My old score no longer counts but it is now a mental hurdle because it's a pretty high bar I've set and there's simply no way I can get anything close to that (I haven't looked back, thought about, or used basic science knowledge after college 10 years ago, new computerized format, which I hate compared to paper). I'm nervous that even 10's may not cut it given my college GPA. My science GPA is pretty high but I never did well in the other classes. Yeah, I am a natural asian science dork but never wanted to be one. Which is why I want to be a doctor. It's allopathic medicine for crying out loud. I'm too experienced and cynical in my middle age to act all idealistic like one usually reads about, but I know I'm a good fit for medicine, its culture and realities because all my pre-med buddies are satisfied as doctors today.

I just went back to my parents' house and dug up my old orgo and bio textbooks. They're old!!! Has science changed since? Couldn't find anything physics-related but I found an old calc book, which would be good since I've somewhat forgotten how to derive or integrate now.

For all purposes, I'm starting from scratch and giving myself just 6 months to prepare before I further cement my alternate career path in business school. Maybe all that old knowledge is in my head somewhere and I can find my former gunner self. Kaplan would be a good start. Has anyone else gone through the same thing I am?

Perhaps this isn't the proper place to discuss this, but I'll post it here anyways....

A lot has changed in terms of med school admissions in the last several years. Things are no longer as cut and dry as they were before. Now a days, there is more room for a second chance if your college GPA was screwed up. You have the opportunity to do formal or informal postbac programs, special masters programs or other such programs that show your potential to suceed in medical school.

If you can replicate a good score like that again, even if it is 33+ and not necessarily 40, and you get a good postbac GPA and have a decent extracurricular profile you still have a shot at some schools. I'd talk to an advisor or better yet talk to admissions directors at your state med schools and see what they advise is the best to do in your particular situation.


Good luck and remember to check out the nontrad and postbac forums because they will be of great help.

 

[BigRedPremed]

Has anyone who scored a 30 or above retook the mcat? If you have how many points did you go up or down? What did you do different? How long did you prepare? I have a really low gpa(3.2) so im thinking of taking the mcat again to to make up for my grades. I received a 31O(self study) 11v10ps10bs on the aug test. I'm shooting for a 34 or better.

Retake only if you were doing much better on the practice tests.