5th time mcat
Started by ORELL
is this a diagnostic score or for real?
have you taken any mcat classes or workbooks?
i think you need to advises from those who had over 30 on mcat and see how they prepared for the test
i would not advise on taking the test untill you get steady, stable 30s practice mcat scores...
have you taken any mcat classes or workbooks?
i think you need to advises from those who had over 30 on mcat and see how they prepared for the test
i would not advise on taking the test untill you get steady, stable 30s practice mcat scores...
Hey Orell,
So, do NOT take the MCAT again until you get specialized Tutoring or something. Unfortunately, the 4 test scores now show either your continual lack of preparedness or your intellectual inability. Frankly, now you have to make DRAMATIC improvements to have a shot.
Additionally, some schools accept the best section scores which may help you a little bit.
So, do NOT take the MCAT again until you get specialized Tutoring or something. Unfortunately, the 4 test scores now show either your continual lack of preparedness or your intellectual inability. Frankly, now you have to make DRAMATIC improvements to have a shot.
Additionally, some schools accept the best section scores which may help you a little bit.
I took it twice and I didn't do well either.
August 7, 2008:
VR 3
PS 9
WS M
BS 11
January 31, 2009:
VR 4 (even after a month of EK 101 Verbal Passages)
PS 7
WS O
BS 11
I would suggest taking an MCAT course, but definitely purchase a verbal book with lots of passages. I'm plan on taking the exam again as well.
August 7, 2008:
VR 3
PS 9
WS M
BS 11
January 31, 2009:
VR 4 (even after a month of EK 101 Verbal Passages)
PS 7
WS O
BS 11
I would suggest taking an MCAT course, but definitely purchase a verbal book with lots of passages. I'm plan on taking the exam again as well.
But tell me something, a 5 time is even worth it. i mean med schools will look at it and like 5 times right. i dont know what to do.
i took TPR, TBR EK, EVERYHTING DONE. VERBAL IS A MESS.
BIO10 IS GOOD, PS8, VERBAL 3 IS DISASTER.
i took TPR, TBR EK, EVERYHTING DONE. VERBAL IS A MESS.
BIO10 IS GOOD, PS8, VERBAL 3 IS DISASTER.
The MCAT verbal is a scary section. You really can't tell how well you did. I walked off the test feeling I did well and then ended up with a poor score.
To your situation, yes, 5 times looks bad but what's worse is taking it again and not improving. Your 4th score is lower than your 3rd. Don't take it again unless you're sure you are improving.
Also try revamping your entire VR strategy. It's obvious something is not working. Find out what it is and toss it into the garbage. I've been honest with myself in assessing my weaknesses and implementing new techniques. You can wed techniques from different companies that play to your strengths and practice those to help you improve.
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Simple answer is yes. Will some schools cringe? Sure. But if you do well, you stand a good chance of getting accepted.
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I would mabye take some time off from taking the MCAT again. Maybe enroll in a master's program which would inprove your science scores. Then practice verbal for the entire two years it takes you to get a masters. Then, strat studing religiously again for the mcat and see where you come out. Because right now, you are not going to improve enough without time to improve your reasoning skills. I feel for you. The mcats sucks, but good luck.
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thanks guys for all ur help. GPA IS 3.65 SCIENCE, OVERALL 3.72
HAVE A MASTERS DEGREE ALREADY IN PUBLIC HEALTH EPIDEMIOLOGY
AM A RESPIRATORY THERAPIST BY PROFESSION
WORKED IN HOSPITAL IN ICU ETC FOR 5 YRS
WAS A CLINICAL INSTRUCTOR MYSELF
HAVE A MASTERS DEGREE ALREADY IN PUBLIC HEALTH EPIDEMIOLOGY
AM A RESPIRATORY THERAPIST BY PROFESSION
WORKED IN HOSPITAL IN ICU ETC FOR 5 YRS
WAS A CLINICAL INSTRUCTOR MYSELF
OP - your English language skills as presented on this forum are poor. While you may be upset, there are still real problems there. Is English your second language? If not, I would consider evaluation for some kind of learning disability. For a native English speaker to get a 3 or a 4 on the verbal after having prepared thoroughly is pretty unusual, I would think.
Weedkiller - I'm really sorry your second try didn't go well either. I don't see your English on the forum being a problem, but I would ask the same questions of you.
If you are diagnosed with a learning disability, you may be able to get medication or counselling to help your techniques. Additionally, you may qualify for special test-taking circumstances which might improve your scores.
*No offense intended here - just trying to be helpful*
Weedkiller - I'm really sorry your second try didn't go well either. I don't see your English on the forum being a problem, but I would ask the same questions of you.
If you are diagnosed with a learning disability, you may be able to get medication or counselling to help your techniques. Additionally, you may qualify for special test-taking circumstances which might improve your scores.
*No offense intended here - just trying to be helpful*
I don't think you have been studying continuously for this thing but if you have then I recommend taking an english class or two and start reading some books. I got a 34 but ended up in the Caribbean and there is no(alright just a little) shame in coming here. If you are not a native English speaker you could always consider medical school in your native language and coming to the US for residency. There are plenty of students here in the caribbean with low 20s.
At this time I think your MCAT history won't reflect well and it would be unlikely that you get in to a US school. However, if a US school is the only one you are willing to consider then I would suggest reading a lot of books--somewhere around 1000 pages per week--and retaking when your scores are >27. I don't think tips and tricks are going to improve your MCAT VR. You might want to consider hiring a private english tutor off of craigslist for $20/hr to help you through the passages.
A good friend of mine reads 2200-2600 pages per week in her PhD program so I don't think 1000 pages a week is an astronomical figure. It comes out to about 3-4 hours per day. I recommend starting with trashy page turners like Dan Brown novels.
At this time I think your MCAT history won't reflect well and it would be unlikely that you get in to a US school. However, if a US school is the only one you are willing to consider then I would suggest reading a lot of books--somewhere around 1000 pages per week--and retaking when your scores are >27. I don't think tips and tricks are going to improve your MCAT VR. You might want to consider hiring a private english tutor off of craigslist for $20/hr to help you through the passages.
A good friend of mine reads 2200-2600 pages per week in her PhD program so I don't think 1000 pages a week is an astronomical figure. It comes out to about 3-4 hours per day. I recommend starting with trashy page turners like Dan Brown novels.
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but to the OP... I am curious... what was the breakdown of your first mcat if you don't mind me asking? I'm just wondering how you could've walked into the test and scored a 12. Were your practice test scores just as low? if so, why would you take the test?
Grow up. Someone seeking advice would appreciate honest replies. I agree with sindadel that ORELL's writing style is lacking and she very well may have undiagnosed dyslexia. A girl in my AP literature class in high school was diagnosed her senior year as reading at a 4th grade level. Through sheer perseverance she made it through honors english classes with reasonably high grades. Things like this can slip under the radar...
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Why sugar coat it? We're all here looking for advice and if the guys first language isnt English then it's an avenue to consider. I didn't see the guy being offensive either.
Somewhere in the EK books they say excuses won't get you into med school 😉.
I am grown up. And as far as I know, we're all PRE-med. we're not doctors. It's not our job to diagnose. And if any of you bothered to look at past posts, you'd see that the OP has gotten P's multiple times on the writing sample. That's probably not possible with such a learning difficulty as you are all suggesting he/she has. And on that note, an 8 & 10 on the sciences (which are both heavily reading comprehension-based) indicate that the OP probably doesn't have a learning disability.
When the average MCAT score is a 25 and you tell someone who gets a 22 that they should be checked for a learning disability, I think that's ridiculous. I'm not the one who needs to grow up.
I have to agree with junkct. Getting 3,4, and 5 on verbal does not mean you have dyslexia or any other disorder. I used to see a chemistry tutor at my school and she told me that she has never gotten higher score than a 4 on verbal, and her average was a 3 (english is her only language). She had just finished taking Kaplan class and her averages on the other two sections were 10-12. Also, a few people have told me that they cannot score more than a 5 or 6 on verbal. The fact that the average mcat is ~25 means that they are as many if not more people who score below 20 as they are people who score 34+.
To the OP, I think you should have someone help you go through the verbal passages and explain you the reasoning. You also can buy a reasoning skill book and work on your logic. Finally, as someone suggested, you should start reading two-three hours every day, and read only phylosophy books or literary journals (e.g. new yorker). Always read actively, meaning think about the author's mood, main idea, etc. at all times while you are reading. Good luck!
To the OP, I think you should have someone help you go through the verbal passages and explain you the reasoning. You also can buy a reasoning skill book and work on your logic. Finally, as someone suggested, you should start reading two-three hours every day, and read only phylosophy books or literary journals (e.g. new yorker). Always read actively, meaning think about the author's mood, main idea, etc. at all times while you are reading. Good luck!
You are right. The OP got a 10 in BS which indicates s/he can read through dense passages and analyze the information properly.
I aced English 1 and 2 and was a writer for my college newspaper but still got a 4 on the MCAT. The MCAT VR requires a different set of skills to do well in.......something not taught in English 101.
Thanks guys for all your comments. No English is my native language. i have a journal article that will be published soon. i have always gotr a P in the writing sample. My problem with the verbal is lack of reasoning skills.
I agree with someone who wrote that its risky for me to pursue med here since all my previous scores do reflect lack of test taking skills.
i certainly plan on going to India for Medicine, and will know by 1st week of april.
My husband is a physician and studied in india. Now dont misunderstand, being an Indian doesnt mean English is not my native language. I dont speak any other indian lanuage rather than English. so hopefully if i get accepted there than i can come and take the boards. Please give me more comments so that i can take ur advice. also does anyone know which schools pick and choose the highest scores. i saw a thread post 18 but was not helpful.
I agree with someone who wrote that its risky for me to pursue med here since all my previous scores do reflect lack of test taking skills.
i certainly plan on going to India for Medicine, and will know by 1st week of april.
My husband is a physician and studied in india. Now dont misunderstand, being an Indian doesnt mean English is not my native language. I dont speak any other indian lanuage rather than English. so hopefully if i get accepted there than i can come and take the boards. Please give me more comments so that i can take ur advice. also does anyone know which schools pick and choose the highest scores. i saw a thread post 18 but was not helpful.
If that is true then I personally think you are underestimating the MCAT. I could not imagine myself taking the MCAT without doing any practice tests. For the average student to score well you really need to put in at least a solid 3 months of hard work. This means solid and active studying for at least 4-6 hours a day for those three months.
If I were you I would not register for a test date, instead I would get my hands on some practice exams. I would also get some MCAT study material (such as kaplan, EK, or TPR). Keep studying the material until you are consistently scoring above 35 on the practice MCAT's (you need a great score to offset your previous scores). After completing each practice exam, review every single question that you got wrong. Analyze why you got that question wrong, and figure out where you went wrong in your studying, relearn that material and adjust your study methods.
Pay particular attention to understanding concepts rather than memorizing them. Once you are getting those consistent +35's then register for a test date. If you do not have any learning problems then I don't see why your score would not improve. At this point I would not even consider registering for an MCAT unless you are getting your desired score consistently on the practice exams. For verbal also take a look at EK101.
Thats just what I would do in your position, good luck with your studying!
If you're willing to dedicate a significant amount of time this summer to assessing your weaknesses/problems, and of course, to taking practice tests, then you should register. Don't be afraid to postpone if you're not ready though. No sense wasting another $225
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I agree. There are some great 1-2 year non-thesis biomedical programs, which mimic the first year of med school. Most of these programs accept MCAT scores instead of GRE as long as they are over 18. The accelerated programs often require over a 24. Barry University, Nova, USF, all have these programs (just to name a few). Good luck!
