7 AAMC MCATS, 10 Kaplan MCATS, 101 EK Passages, 11 EK MCATS and still VR 6!!!!

[elhalish]

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Before I start let me state that I have spent countless hours on this forum and I have researched till my head poped. But I still need some more advice and comments on my specific situation.

I took the April Mcat: VR 6, BS 9, PS 10, WS N
(I missed 2 passages on the VR)

I definitely needed to improve my VR so I retook the Kaplan course, did the 7 practice AAMC mcats, went through both the ExamKrakers verbal books and after 2 months of this preparation...

August MCAT: VR 6 😡 BS 9, PS 10, WS M
(I missed only 2 questions on VR)

I definitely thought I did much better on the VR and was pretty confident for a 28+ MCAT so I applied to schools before my score we released:

Wayne State University
Michigan State
Medical College of Ohio
University of Kansas
Rush Medical College
University of Chicago
Loyola University at Chicago
Ohio State University
Virginia Commonwealth
Temple University
Jefferson Medical College
Tulane University
Georgetown University
University of Vermont
New York Medical College
Eastern Virginia Medical School

After finding out my scores and in a sense of desperation I applied to 7 more:

Albany Medical College
Howard University
Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Scien
University of Minnesota School of Medicine Duluth
Wright State University School of Medicine
Meharry Medical College

I am a MI resident. I have 3 years of research, 1 publication, several abstracts, few community volunteering, some hospital volunteering, shadowed a surgeon a few times, wrote a pretty damn good essay, and will be getting a LOR from Chief of Internal Medicine from the hospital. Was also on the dean's list for 2 semesters with a 4.0. My GPA is between a 3.5-3.6.

That's 23 schools in total and $390 later. Do you think I applied to schools that I have a better chance with or are there schools that I missed and should consider applying to?

I am considering applying to DO schools and going to start searching to start shadowing a DO and learning about the dynamics of being a DO. What are schools I should definitely consider applying to and what are a waste of money?

Really appreciate any and all input and advice, thanks in advance guys!!!

 

[RaistlinMajere]

Don't give up hope, you never know who will pick up your application. However, realistically you probably should apply to DO programs just as a back up. Good luck.

 

[grw0o]

How'd you only get off paying $390? Is this your second time applying?? Its costing me $490 for only 12 schools.

 

[calstudent]

good choice adding more schools. a 6 is a tough score; don't mean to be rude, just honest. you sound like a solid applicant otherwise, but i really think the 6 will hold you back. i would go to the DO forum for DO help. or, try the MCAT again in April; yes, i know how hard it is, but it's a possibility. do a LOT of spare reading, just for the sake of reading, instead of for a score.
good luck to you.

 

[elhalish]

How'd you only get off paying $390? Is this your second time applying?? Its costing me $490 for only 12 schools.

I got the FAP which pays for the first 10 schools, so I basically paid for 13 schools at $30 a school.

I would like some assistance on what DO school I definitely should apply to as a MI resident and with my credentials.

 

[dr.z]

I got the FAP which pays for the first 10 schools, so I basically paid for 13 schools at $30 a school.

I would like some assistance on what DO school I definitely should apply to as a MI resident and with my credentials.

As a MI resident you should apply to Michigan State (MSUCOM). Other schools are up to you for your preference. There are schools that don't require DO shadowing and DO letters. I never did and didn't have the letter, but I'm doing fine there.

 

[sawoobley]

Your problem may lie in your reading skills. Science majors tend to analyze things too much and spend too much time thinking about passages. I went from a 5 to a 10 by doing the following (before any more practice tests!). 1) Took MEGA SPEED READING by Howard Stephen Berg 2) Took MEGA MEMORY by Kevin Trudeau.

I had previously found that although my comprehension skills were high my speed was about half of what it should have been. A speed reading program will train your eyes to keep moving to the next word. The memory program may give you some exercise in remembering. It seemed to help me remember where the answers were in the passage. I read each passage very quickly and then answered the questions. The princeton review courses did not help me. I took it once and the in class practice tests twice.

After scoring a five on the MCAT I ordered every possible resource for verbal reasoning and practiced. As the MCAT got closer I started practicing with the Princeton Review practice tests and Kaplan practice tests. Finally, I took all of the AAMC practice tests.

Good luck - The test is as tough as nails.

Work hard, pray hard, have a back-up plan.

 

[PhotoMD]

My best advice for VR is to go back in time, read a lot of novels as a kid, and understand logic and argument framing.

 

[DrDarwin]

Try reading various newspapers/magazines 1.5 hrs without a break everyday for several weeks before the test. The Economist is very good because it is well written and informative. (You could also try literary criticism magazines and book review periodicals.) In addition to increasing your awareness of current events, it will ensure that you have nice examples to integrate into your WS essays, which will improve that score as well.

 

[tik-tik-clock]

Try reading various newspapers/magazines 1.5 hrs without a break everyday for several weeks before the test. The Economist is very good because it is well written and informative. (You could also try literary criticism magazines and book review periodicals.) In addition to increasing your awareness of current events, it will ensure that you have nice examples to integrate into your WS essays, which will improve that score as well.

Hi,
Are there any "particular" criticism magazines and book review periodicals that you recommend?

 

[PhotoMD]

Hi,
Are there any "particular" criticism magazines and book review periodicals that you recommend?

If you enjoy freeness, I read Slate (slate.msn.com) every day. I highly recommend it.

 

[tik-tik-clock]

If you enjoy freeness, I read Slate (slate.msn.com) every day. I highly recommend it.

Nice. Thanks🙂

 

[Sarikate]

You never know, though - if they see something in your application that grabs them, a 6 might not be such a big deal. I got a 6 on the PS in August after turning in all my applications, and thought I was done for. But I've gotten four interviews so far out of the 18 allopathic schools I applied to, and still have seven more to hear from. How is that, I wondered? You know, I'm done questioning the process!

 

[Stillwater45]

Before I start let me state that I have spent countless hours on this forum and I have researched till my head poped. But I still need some more advice and comments on my specific situation.

I took the April Mcat: VR 6, BS 9, PS 10, WS N
(I missed 2 passages on the VR)

I definitely needed to improve my VR so I retook the Kaplan course, did the 7 practice AAMC mcats, went through both the ExamKrakers verbal books and after 2 months of this preparation...

August MCAT: VR 6 😡 BS 9, PS 10, WS M
(I missed only 2 questions on VR)

I definitely thought I did much better on the VR and was pretty confident for a 28+ MCAT so I applied to schools before my score we released:

Wayne State University
Michigan State
Medical College of Ohio
University of Kansas
Rush Medical College
University of Chicago
Loyola University at Chicago
Ohio State University
Virginia Commonwealth
Temple University
Jefferson Medical College
Tulane University
Georgetown University
University of Vermont
New York Medical College
Eastern Virginia Medical School

After finding out my scores and in a sense of desperation I applied to 7 more:

Albany Medical College
Howard University
Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Scien
University of Minnesota School of Medicine Duluth
Wright State University School of Medicine
Meharry Medical College

I am a MI resident. I have 3 years of research, 1 publication, several abstracts, few community volunteering, some hospital volunteering, shadowed a surgeon a few times, wrote a pretty damn good essay, and will be getting a LOR from Chief of Internal Medicine from the hospital. Was also on the dean's list for 2 semesters with a 4.0. My GPA is between a 3.5-3.6.

That's 23 schools in total and $390 later. Do you think I applied to schools that I have a better chance with or are there schools that I missed and should consider applying to?

I am considering applying to DO schools and going to start searching to start shadowing a DO and learning about the dynamics of being a DO. What are schools I should definitely consider applying to and what are a waste of money?

Really appreciate any and all input and advice, thanks in advance guys!!!

I was in your same situation. I am terrible at verbal...I was making anything from 4s to 6s on my Kaplan practice tests. I made it a point to do 3 passages each night before i went to bed (from kaplan material) and i think it really helped. 3 passages is just enough to practice a good "rythym" and timing with the passages. I attacked the real MCAT in 3 passage chunks and it really took the pressure of 12 passages off my shoulders. I ended up making a 10 on the real MCAT which was actually my best section.. go figure.

 

[MedicineBird]

You never know, though - if they see something in your application that grabs them, a 6 might not be such a big deal. I got a 6 on the PS in August after turning in all my applications, and thought I was done for. But I've gotten four interviews so far out of the 18 allopathic schools I applied to, and still have seven more to hear from. How is that, I wondered? You know, I'm done questioning the process!

Sari -- what were your other 2 scores? that might be the difference

 

[Sarikate]

11 verbal, only 8 on the bio...not stellar by any means! I think the fact that I've done some neat work in my three years after college has helped...I've found the interviewers to be most interested in this stuff rather than anything in college. They like to see that you've really investigated your options!

 

[DrDarwin]

Hi,
Are there any "particular" criticism magazines and book review periodicals that you recommend?

The New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, Harper's, and New York Review of Books are all good. Scientific American and Discover would also be good for science-type passages. The difficulty is finding magazines with articles that resemble VR passages in length, style, and difficulty. If article length proves to be an issue, I would suggest stopping after a set amount of time/paragraphs and moving on to the next 'passage'.

 

[MedicineBird]

11 verbal, only 8 on the bio...not stellar by any means! I think the fact that I've done some neat work in my three years after college has helped...I've found the interviewers to be most interested in this stuff rather than anything in college. They like to see that you've really investigated your options!

WAY TO GO on getting interviews!! You are the type a lot of people draw hope from.

 

[Sarikate]

Thanks! I was floored...but very pleased that some committees took the time to really check out what was behind my scores! It proves it's not just a numbers game.

 

[TripleDegree]

Before I start let me state that I have spent countless hours on this forum and I have researched till my head poped. But I still need some more advice and comments on my specific situation.

I took the April Mcat: VR 6, BS 9, PS 10, WS N
(I missed 2 passages on the VR)

I definitely needed to improve my VR so I retook the Kaplan course, did the 7 practice AAMC mcats, went through both the ExamKrakers verbal books and after 2 months of this preparation...

August MCAT: VR 6 😡 BS 9, PS 10, WS M
(I missed only 2 questions on VR)

I definitely thought I did much better on the VR and was pretty confident for a 28+ MCAT so I applied to schools before my score we released:

Wayne State University
Michigan State
Medical College of Ohio
University of Kansas
Rush Medical College
University of Chicago
Loyola University at Chicago
Ohio State University
Virginia Commonwealth
Temple University
Jefferson Medical College
Tulane University
Georgetown University
University of Vermont
New York Medical College
Eastern Virginia Medical School

After finding out my scores and in a sense of desperation I applied to 7 more:

Albany Medical College
Howard University
Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Scien
University of Minnesota School of Medicine Duluth
Wright State University School of Medicine
Meharry Medical College

I am a MI resident. I have 3 years of research, 1 publication, several abstracts, few community volunteering, some hospital volunteering, shadowed a surgeon a few times, wrote a pretty damn good essay, and will be getting a LOR from Chief of Internal Medicine from the hospital. Was also on the dean's list for 2 semesters with a 4.0. My GPA is between a 3.5-3.6.

That's 23 schools in total and $390 later. Do you think I applied to schools that I have a better chance with or are there schools that I missed and should consider applying to?

I am considering applying to DO schools and going to start searching to start shadowing a DO and learning about the dynamics of being a DO. What are schools I should definitely consider applying to and what are a waste of money?

Really appreciate any and all input and advice, thanks in advance guys!!!

Sorry about the score - but you know, its not the end of the world. I think there's someone on SDN who got a 5 or 6 on VR, and just got accepted into Wright State - I'm pretty sure of this, you might want to research this. Check out the Ohio School thread.

The rest of your app seems rock solid. Don't lose hope. An MD seat may well be in your future.

 

[faradayampere]

don't give up hope ... who knows what will come in the mailbox tomorrow??

 

[XT777]

>>>>August MCAT: VR 6 BS 9, PS 10, WS M<<<<<
>>>>(I missed only 2 questions on VR)<<<<<

Is it true that the difference between a fifteen and a six is two wrong answers????

XT777

 

[MedicineBird]

>>>>August MCAT: VR 6 BS 9, PS 10, WS M<<<<<
>>>>(I missed only 2 questions on VR)<<<<<

Is it true that the difference between a fifteen and a six is two wrong answers????

XT777

no not true

 

[45408]

>>>>August MCAT: VR 6 BS 9, PS 10, WS M<<<<<
>>>>(I missed only 2 questions on VR)<<<<<

Is it true that the difference between a fifteen and a six is two wrong answers????

XT777

that wouldn't really make much sense, now would it?

 

[MoosePilot]

>>>>August MCAT: VR 6 BS 9, PS 10, WS M<<<<<
>>>>(I missed only 2 questions on VR)<<<<<

Is it true that the difference between a fifteen and a six is two wrong answers????

XT777

No, he doesn't know how many questions he marked incorrectly, he says he "missed" two questions in the sense that he did not attempt two questions (if I'm interpreting correctly, which is generally one of my skills and helped me on VR).

 

[Psycho Doctor]

>>>>August MCAT: VR 6 BS 9, PS 10, WS M<<<<<
>>>>(I missed only 2 questions on VR)<<<<<

Is it true that the difference between a fifteen and a six is two wrong answers????

XT777

um no, then how else did people get 7s, 8s, 9s, 10s, 11s, 12s, 13s, and 14s? one wrong answer? 1.5 wrong answers? 1.27452 wrong answers?

 

[45408]

um no, then how else did people get 7s, 8s, 9s, 10s, 11s, 12s, 13s, and 14s? one wrong answer? 1.5 wrong answers? 1.27452 wrong answers?

Well, it depends on how wrong you were on the question.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

Well, it depends on how wrong you were on the question.

👍

 

[DrYo12]

No, he doesn't know how many questions he marked incorrectly, he says he "missed" two questions in the sense that he did not attempt two questions (if I'm interpreting correctly, which is generally one of my skills and helped me on VR).

With a VR of 6, it doesn't sound like he didn't attempt two questions, it sounds like he didn't have time for two passages, which is probably closer to about 15 questions.

 

[MoosePilot]

With a VR of 6, it doesn't sound like he didn't attempt two questions, it sounds like he didn't have time for two passages, which is probably closer to about 15 questions.

Well, because he's talking about the change, I'm assuming that he actually sped through and answered many more of the questions, just answered them incorrectly. Your interpretation is possible, too, definitely.

 

[DrYo12]

Well, it depends on how wrong you were on the question.

😱 oh geez. Partial credit MCAT...