7, 13, 12 What am I going to do?

[Premed2003]

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This is so bad. What do I do? I hate this. I am an Ivy Leaguer and worked my butt off to get a 3.8 gpa, amazing everything and this stupid 85 minute section is ruining everything. I don't know what went wrong. Do I have to retake? And then what happens? I submit my app now and med schools look at it, but they don't get new scores until October??? I don't want to take this stupid thing again.

 

[deleted6669]

most people would be very happy with a 32. you will probably not get much sympathy for that great score here. if you have to go to a top 5 school, retake the mcat, otherwise you should get in almost anywhere else with a 3.8 from an ivy league school and a 32. good luck

 

[RT]

Hmm... I could relate to that. I'm sorry to hear the news. Actually those scores are fabulous. I would kill to get a 12 and 13.

Okay. Honest opinion. If getting into just any school is enough for you then I'd go ahead and apply to a lot of schools. But if you want to get to top 20, then that might not be possible although that has been done. Retaking the MCAT after lots of Verbal practice might be the best option in this case.

RT

 

[Premed2003]

I want to get into a top school because I've worked so hard...if I just go to my state school, then all of my work was for nothing...I could have had fun in college instead of studying so much. My goal has been to go to a top school and I was on my way until I saw that 7. I didn't think I would get into every top school, but at least 1 I figured...Do you think this 7 is going to be a huge red flag? Or will some admissions committees think that this 85 minute period doesn't show what he can do? I don't think this 7 represents me since I got 11s on practice tests!!! But I don't want to destroy my summer by studying every day again. I'm so burnt out from April.

Please please help...this is the 2nd worst day of my college years...the 1st worst day being the MCAT itself.

 

[KyGrlDr2B]

I think you should take it again. I'm sorry, but the 7 is just too different than the other two scores. I got a 7, 10, 11 my first time and I was pretty much told to retake it. Just because overall score is good, doesn't mean they are going to overlook the one that looks like it doesn't belong. When I retook, I got a 10 in the verbal that time around and I was soo happy.

Good luck with whatever you decide. But you don't want to get rejected and then say to yourself, "I wish I had retaken the MCAT, now I have to wait another year."

 

[Bikini Princess]

You have no business whining about a good score here. Your maturity level is truly "premed", and I hope it is revealed in your interview.

I got a 32 and I'm ectastic about it. (10/10/12). So why the hell shouldn't you be, "Premed"?

 

[Premed2003]

Bikini,

I'm not worried about my overall score, but I'm worried about the 7. From what I've heard, a 10, 10, 12 is much better than 7, 13, 12. Or, am I wrong? I hope I'm wrong. I hope any way you get a 32 is the same. Please help me...I'm so depressed about this 7.

 

[rdrman]

I'm sharing a very similar plight. I graduated from an Ivy League school with a somewhat lower GPA (3.3), and I just got my MCAT Scores: 8,13,13,S. Like Premed 2003, I'm really upset about my verbal score, and I'm aiming for a top 20 school.

 

[migs54]

why are you getting on premed for being unhappy about his mcat score. maybe for you 32 was acceptable but for premed it was not. he has set his standards very high which i feel is great. If you knew you had the ability to score a 37 and only got a 32 you'd be pissed to. Why do you call him a whinner for wanting to do better?

 

[seaturtle112]

yeah, give dude a break... man, a score like 7, 13, 12 just messes with your head... i mean, numberwise, its NICE, 32! but then again... 7's ain't so pretty... yeesh.. i mean, i would definitely apply; there's so many other completely random parts of this whole application process that are gonna mess with you also.

 

[Laura JC]

I think he/she has a right to be disappointed with the scores, if he/she was hoping to do better. I think the irritation from other posters may be from the way the post was phrased. It seemed as though she(?) was saying her expectation for higher scores came from the fact that she is an Ivy Leaguer, that somehow it translates to her working harder and being more likely to get a great score. I don't think it's necessarily arrogance, but she seems to have gotten a shock about the intelligence and preparation of the multitude of non-Ivy League applicants, compared to herself. :wink:

 

[Premed2003]

Oh shoot. No wonder people are being so mean to me. I just reread my post and see that yesterday the way I wrote it is not the way I intended it to sound.

I said I'm an Ivy Leaguer with a 3.8 to say that I have a 3.8 from an Ivy League school, which is given more weight than a 3.8 from Podunk State. I wanted to say my GPA, great extracurriculars, etc. to ask if this 7 is going to ruin me. Or would the admissions people see this 7 as something that doesn't accurately represent me and just look at everything else without giving much consideration to the 7? That's the only reason that I included that my school is an Ivy League school...just to go along with my GPA! Next time I should reread my posts <img border="0" alt="[Pity]" title="" src="graemlins/pity.gif" />

 

[malpractice lawyer]

When the next edition of Webster's Dictionary is released, under "gunner" the definition should be the first post in this thread.
Dude, get a life. Read some of the other MCAT posts on SDN. Some people would love to have your problem. You sound like an arrogant @ss. But I guess all of us *****s who go to Podunk State would'nt understand your situation. Ivy League....yeah, your attitude is right in synch with that.

 

[PreMedAdAG]

Hey man, again, I can't offer sympathy. No doubt you worked hard, but there are many of us who might have even worked harder, with not nearly the same results as you. If you don't want to put yourself through misery again, then don't. Think of it this way, we'll all be working together someday anyway and your comment about "state schools" is ridiculous. I find it totally ignorant that you would bash any institute that was teaching medicine. Calm down and sit and think about your scores. If you retake it, are you really going to do that much better?? Best of luck

 

[Sweet Tea]

Dude, be careful what you say. I understand that you're upset about a 7... I'd be upset if there was such a difference btw my scores, too. You have undoubtably worked hard and sacrificed to do so well at an Ivy League. I'm not comfortable with what you said about wanting to go to a top-ranked school because you worked so hard (big paraphrase, I realize this). Many of us worked hard at Podunk State because we wanted to be doctors... not because we wanted to brag about where we went to school. Chill. You have a great GPA and a great MCAT score. You're a great Premed.

 

[KyGrlDr2B]

Premed, do not pay attention to what some of these posters are saying. If they are going to be rude, they shouldn't be posting... Here is what you should do: Apply anyway. Some schools don't give much weight to the verbal and will be impressed with the other scores. But seriously consider retaking mcat in August. If you practice enough, you just might bring up that 7 and still have good science scores. Either way, I'm sure you will have luck somewhere. Just apply to a few back-ups. Good luck .

 

[Premed2003]

Thanks.

If I retake in August, can I opt not to release my scores to AMCAS until I see them? Then, in case I get another 7 yikes!, med schools will not see that score?

What if I scored something like 9, 10, 10 in August. And now I have 7, 13, 12. Would med schools choose to see my MCAT as 9, 13, 12, or would they average the scores? Or only look at the lowest?

Other than ruining my summer, would there be any negative to retaking?

Thanks.

 

[wgu]

Wow these are some interesting and polarized posts.

Premed,
My diagnostic MCAT scores are similar- a weak verbal but strong sciences. I do sympathize but at the same time I also understand why others won't. Imagine how a person who is doing worse than you is feeling reading the first post. Being a gunner is okay if that is just who you are, but try to contain your need for emotional support to your good friends. Your words kinda say you demand a pat on the back and a "there there".
Alright hope nobody gets mad at my posting, just trying to be real.

 

[Street Philosopher]

Judging from your post, there is only one thing that will satisfy you. You must take the test again and get a higher verbal score. Since you won't be satisfied with going to "any" medical school, that really is your only option. Now that I've told you what you wanted to hear, you can start studying for the August exam. Good luck.

 

[Bikini Princess]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Premed2003:
•Thanks.

What if I scored something like 9, 10, 10 in August. And now I have 7, 13, 12. Would med schools choose to see my MCAT as 9, 13, 12, or would they average the scores? Or only look at the lowest? •••••Sorry premed, didn't mean to harsh. I'll admit I'm not applying to many top schools.

Some schools take your best score, some take your best sitting, some take an average.
Good luck!

[Sitting=overall test, best score=best results from each section.]

 

[Big_Poppa DDS]

I don't know man, but i thought you needed an 8 in every section to be considered, I know in canada they use 8 as a red flag.

 

[RT]

My thought:

Register for the Aug MCAT, but don't take it unless you know for sure that you'll get a 9 or higher. Getting an 8 or 7 again would just confirm your reading ability. Ad com people wouldn't want to see that.

However, I don't think applying this year is a good idea 'cause taking the MCAT in Aug would delay your application until Oct. Unless you get a 10 on Verbal, you would be at disadvantage because of your delayed file.

Focus on the Verbal entirely for your next preparation. Don't think too much about how schools will interpret your scores. You want to show both improvement on your Verbal and confirmation of your excellent science scores.

If you're a foreigner, personally I think you could even get higher scores on the sciences if your Verbal ability is equivalent to native English speaking people. Unfortunately, med schools don't value that point much.

RT

 

[sng33]

Premed 2003, what prep materials or course did you use to prepare for the MCAT. Were the science materials different than the verbal materials? Did you spend a disproportionate (spelling?) amount of time studying for the sciences?

 

[Premed2003]

Thanks everyone...

I prepared just as much for verbal as the sciences. I took more than 20 full length practice tests over the course of ~4 months. Each of those tests included the full verbal sections. I usually got 10s. I also got 9s, but never 7s. I'm so confused...I think I was nervous and it threw me, but never did I think I was so incoherent on the verbal that I would get a 7. I'm not sure how else I could prepare for verbal..although perhaps an MCAT psychologist. Has anyone tried something like this to conquer one's fears? I definitely was most nervous about verbal b/c it was my worst section on my practices. On practices, I got 13ish on physical and 12ish on bio, but I was scared of getting a 9 on verbal. So that messed me up so much that I got a 7.

I'm sorry to say that I'm a native English speaker. I read, I'm a humanities major, I am so upset about this 7 because I don't think it shows my verbal ability. I would be very happy about any score if that's what I was getting on practices, etc., but 7 is just so low and not comparable to any of my previous verbal practices.

Regarding what I used to prepare, I used everything. Examkrackers (all books, including 1001), Princeton Review (got from ebay), bookstore books, aamc. I have a huge collection that I was so looking forward to selling (or burning!).

Thanks everyone.

I guess what I really want to know is whether 1/3 of the MCAT score matters so much as to negate everything else in an application? Does anyone know?

 

[relatively prime]

You should definitely retake. Even though you're risking loosing those high science scores... with a 7 verbal, you have a 98%+ of not getting in anywhere.

Take Kaplan or Princeton, or whatever you like... but definitely retake.

Good luck

P.S. Nice job on the science sections!!

 

[babyface]

hey premed,

just wanna let you know that i'm in the exact same boat as you, 7-12-12 on the april mcat. and i've already signed up to retake it in august. i mean, what do you have to lose? if going to a good school is what you want, what's 2 more months of preparation? i personally took TPR for april. although they did prepare me very well in the sciences, their verbal prep was a little of a disappointment. but i hear that examkrackers has done wonders in verbal. so let's get our hands on one of those books and begin the preparation for the august test! good luck, my man!