Advice Needed... Cancel MCAT?

[528528p]

Hi all, I’ve found myself faced with a dilemma and I have no idea where to go from here, feeling pretty terrible. Thoughts from those with experience would be much appreciated!

Kaplan Diagnostic: 496 122/125/124/125

Kaplan full length 1: 499 124/126/124/125

Kaplan full length 2: 500 123/128/124/125

Kaplan full length 3: 503 124/127/125/127

I’m going into my senior year of undergrad and am signed up for the August 19th MCAT, applying 2018 cycle. The plan was to use the Kaplan self paced course and use the 3 months to focus solely on MCAT prep…fast forward a few months and I feel like I haven’t really made any progress. I’m generally a good test taker, but still find myself guessing on most of the Kaplan full length questions from the C/P and B/B sections. Completely my fault, as I think I’ve lacked urgency and just kind of glazed over/spent too much time on going through the Kaplan books.

I realize I've missed out on the perfect opportunity to fully prepare, but I’m just not sure I’ll be able to maximize my score by test day (my cumulative GPA is ~3.5 with a ~3.4 science GPA so I'll need a higher MCAT score to make up for this). I'm hesitant to waste the AAMC FLs until I have a game plan going forward. Would it be advisable to just go ahead and take it, postpone until September 9 when I am back at school (granted a few days will be lost with transit, move in, etc.), or just forfeit my money and cancel with plans to reschedule for a January test in 2018 (assuming there will be one offered)? Thank you!

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[UBLI-EINSTEIN]

Have you used AAMC resources other than FL? I mean question banks, section practice and so on.
They should give you a better view on how MCAT really looks.
I personally used Kaplan and it came out fine to me, although I noticed CP section in Kaplan was very different from that in actual MCAT.
Also, you did low in BB, which seems to be bad.

So firstly, cancel or postpon your test. You should take MCAT only if you feel prepared!

 

[528528p]

I have not used the other AAMC resources yet (I will get on this ASAP), I've been using mostly Kaplan and Khan Academy up to this point. I have been reading through the forums but it's been tough to get a good read on what my best plan of action should be...part of me is definitely trying to reconcile the fact that I might have wasted 300 dollars for nothing!

 

[UBLI-EINSTEIN]

I have not used the other AAMC resources yet (I will get on this ASAP), I've been using mostly Kaplan and Khan Academy up to this point. I have been reading through the forums but it's been tough to get a good read on what my best plan of action should be...part of me is definitely trying to reconcile the fact that I might have wasted 300 dollars for nothing!

You should prepare MCAT step by step.
Firstly knowing all concepts. (Kaplan helps!)
Then starting to deal with small passage-based questions.
Moving on to section banks. (AAMC helps!)
Then working on full-length practice. (both helps!)

This is how I worked it out.
You wouldn't learn anything if you directly started to do a full-length MCAT. Even worse if you did it without reflection.

 

[Coltuna]

I agree with above poster, but if I could do it all over again, I would do the sections banks earlyish in prep (like above poster) and again the week before your exam.

 

[danae39]

You still have time to do well (unless you're aiming 520 plus) my suggestion would be to take the AAMC FL 1, and if you are within 3-4 points of your goal score work on your weaknesses, do the section bank...etc, until the day before your test or so. All is not doomed for you if you maximize your time. If you are further out than a few points from your goal go ahead and postpone.

 

[528528p]

Thanks everyone for the advice. Guess I'll check back in once I've taken my AAMC FL1 in a few days. One thing that's come to my attention is do I run the risk of burnout by pushing it to January and seeing my score drop, or is that just all talk? Also is it safe to assume that there will be a January test available in 2018?

 

[528528p]

Hey everyone, just checking back in since my last post. I took Kaplan FL 4 and scored a 506 (125/128/127/126) and my AAMC FL 1 score was 506 (125/128/125/128). From what I've read on the forums, actual score on the MCAT can be about +/- 4 points or so on the real deal... Leaning a bit towards cancelling with about 1.5 weeks to test date but would definitely love to hear some opinions from you all. Thanks!

 

[UBLI-EINSTEIN]

Hey everyone, just checking back in since my last post. I took Kaplan FL 4 and scored a 506 (125/128/127/126) and my AAMC FL 1 score was 506 (125/128/125/128). From what I've read on the forums, actual score on the MCAT can be about +/- 4 points or so on the real deal... Leaning a bit towards cancelling with about 1.5 weeks to test date but would definitely love to hear some opinions from you all. Thanks!

Have you ever done AAMC question banks and other things? They are really important and I bet you definitely need them for improvement.
Also, reviewing is much more important than just doing practice.
So, don't use AAMC FL2 in a short amount of time. It will be a wasting of material unless you are really close to the test date.
On the other hand, remember to postpone/cancel if you feel necessary.
You said you only have 1.5 weeks to test date? I don't think this will be a good idea to take the test.

 

[Zenabi90]

Thanks everyone for the advice. Guess I'll check back in once I've taken my AAMC FL1 in a few days. One thing that's come to my attention is do I run the risk of burnout by pushing it to January and seeing my score drop, or is that just all talk? Also is it safe to assume that there will be a January test available in 2018?

I hope that you did thorough item analysis on your FLs. If all you did was take them and check your score, then you've completely wasted them. Refer to SN2ed's main thread to understand what post-FL process should look like.

I vote postpone to Sept 9. It will be hard to gain 10-15 points in 1.5 weeks, and even though its possible, your confidence might be shot. You admitted to major flaws in your prep, shifting to Sept 9 will allow you to take a decent month to properly prepare. With a 3.4-3.6 you want to be aiming for a 510-515 for your best chance.

If I were you, I would leave your moving in until after your exam. I've never had an undergrad class where missing the first week killed my grade, as it was usually just syllabus and intro stuff. You can always email professors and explain the situation (Need to take the MCAT, all test centers are full on other test dates, etc) and try to get some sympathy there. Of course, I don't know what university you are attending and what your situation will be like come Sept, but that would be my course of action.

 

[528528p]

Have you ever done AAMC question banks and other things? They are really important and I bet you definitely need them for improvement.
Also, reviewing is much more important than just doing practice.
So, don't use AAMC FL2 in a short amount of time. It will be a wasting of material unless you are really close to the test date.
On the other hand, remember to postpone/cancel if you feel necessary.
You said you only have 1.5 weeks to test date? I don't think this will be a good idea to take the test.

I haven't gotten going on the question banks yet, wanted to save them until I had a plan moving forward based on AAMC FL1 and some guidance (but I do understand that it's an essential part of prep!) I hope it's not coming off like I haven't been doing content review haha, I have been doing content review alongside my practice tests.

 

[528528p]

I hope that you did thorough item analysis on your FLs. If all you did was take them and check your score, then you've completely wasted them. Refer to SN2ed's main thread to understand what post-FL process should look like.

I vote postpone to Sept 9. It will be hard to gain 10-15 points in 1.5 weeks, and even though its possible, your confidence might be shot. You admitted to major flaws in your prep, shifting to Sept 9 will allow you to take a decent month to properly prepare. With a 3.4-3.6 you want to be aiming for a 510-515 for your best chance.

If I were you, I would leave your moving in until after your exam. I've never had an undergrad class where missing the first week killed my grade, as it was usually just syllabus and intro stuff. You can always email professors and explain the situation (Need to take the MCAT, all test centers are full on other test dates, etc) and try to get some sympathy there. Of course, I don't know what university you are attending and what your situation will be like come Sept, but that would be my course of action.

I see. Unfortunately my specific situation won't allow me to postpone until September, so now it becomes a question of making a mad dash for August 19th or cancelling for a January registration...

 

[workaholic181]

I see. Unfortunately my specific situation won't allow me to postpone until September, so now it becomes a question of making a mad dash for August 19th or cancelling for a January registration...

Well if you were dead set on applying this cycle, the Jan date won't work for you. That said it could be a good idea to get all your ducks in a row, kill the MCAT next spring and apply the first day of the app cycle.

 

[UBLI-EINSTEIN]

Well if you were dead set on applying this cycle, the Jan date won't work for you. That said it could be a good idea to get all your ducks in a row, kill the MCAT next spring and apply the first day of the app cycle.

What. If he wants to apply this cycle, Aug/Sep is not a good idea either except for DO schools, because this is quite late. Chances exist but may not be favored.

 

[workaholic181]

What. If he wants to apply this cycle, Aug/Sep is not a good idea either except for DO schools, because this is quite late. Chances exist but may not be favored.

How is what I said contradictory to your point at all?

 

[Zenabi90]

I see. Unfortunately my specific situation won't allow me to postpone until September, so now it becomes a question of making a mad dash for August 19th or cancelling for a January registration...

I'm going to make this simple:

1. If you've submitted apps/secondaries, then just try the MCAT. One week left.
2. If you haven't done anything app-wise, and you're open to DO, take the MCAT, a 505 is fine.
3. If you haven't done anything app-wise, and you're deadset on MD, cancel and do as workaholic advised. Crush it in Jan/Feb/Mar, get your app out on the first day of the cycle, and plan something for your gap-year.

 

[RealityDream]

Hi all, I’ve found myself faced with a dilemma and I have no idea where to go from here, feeling pretty terrible. Thoughts from those with experience would be much appreciated!

Kaplan Diagnostic: 496 122/125/124/125

Kaplan full length 1: 499 124/126/124/125

Kaplan full length 2: 500 123/128/124/125

Kaplan full length 3: 503 124/127/125/127

I’m going into my senior year of undergrad and am signed up for the August 19th MCAT, applying 2018 cycle. The plan was to use the Kaplan self paced course and use the 3 months to focus solely on MCAT prep…fast forward a few months and I feel like I haven’t really made any progress. I’m generally a good test taker, but still find myself guessing on most of the Kaplan full length questions from the C/P and B/B sections. Completely my fault, as I think I’ve lacked urgency and just kind of glazed over/spent too much time on going through the Kaplan books.

I realize I've missed out on the perfect opportunity to fully prepare, but I’m just not sure I’ll be able to maximize my score by test day (my cumulative GPA is ~3.5 with a ~3.4 science GPA so I'll need a higher MCAT score to make up for this). I'm hesitant to waste the AAMC FLs until I have a game plan going forward. Would it be advisable to just go ahead and take it, postpone until September 9 when I am back at school (granted a few days will be lost with transit, move in, etc.), or just forfeit my money and cancel with plans to reschedule for a January test in 2018 (assuming there will be one offered)? Thank you!

What you seriously need to do is to go back to your kaplan practice full length. Review each one in depth and I mean every single question. For every question, keep an excel sheet to document why you got it wrong in the first place. Ask yourself, did you know the question? Did you guess it right? Why did you got it wrong? Work it out in your head or write it out. By doing this, it helps you to know what your weak areas are.

Don't flat out take anymore full lengths or section banks without reviewing your full lengths in detail.
Studying the content helps you know the background information so that when you read the passage, you'll understand what is going on and can answer the discrete questions only. It's not for you to answer the passage based questions. Those passage based questions requires you to apply these background information to what is given in the passage to arrive at your answer.

If you want to score well on the MCAT, you must know and understand the content cold. It's like working on a puzzle. There are missing parts to the puzzle. You have to find the right puzzle pieces to finish it.

Regarding whether to push it back or not, it depends how ready you feel. You would rather push it back to do well the first time, then to let your ego and pride take over, take the exam and score lower than expected, only to have to take it again in January.

Review those Kaplan full lengths first, find out your weak subject areas, review them, do more section banks/Question packs, take another full length. Your score will improve. Trust me.

 

[RealityDream]

Hey everyone, just checking back in since my last post. I took Kaplan FL 4 and scored a 506 (125/128/127/126) and my AAMC FL 1 score was 506 (125/128/125/128). From what I've read on the forums, actual score on the MCAT can be about +/- 4 points or so on the real deal... Leaning a bit towards cancelling with about 1.5 weeks to test date but would definitely love to hear some opinions from you all. Thanks!

I really disagree on this. Your actual mcat score is not really +/- 4. It varies and cannot be judged from your practice exams. I have seen people who score 500's on their practice and on the real exam, scored 518. It's a draw on test date. The purpose of these practice test is to gauge what you do know and do not know. It gauges how prepared you are. Who knows, maybe on test date, you got lucky and end up getting a exam that was easier? Maybe you'll get a harder one? These AAMC exams are the closest you can find on the real test because they're written by the test writers, but by no means, it represents what you'll actually get or close to what you'll get on test day. This is why you have to do a thorough review of your full lengths. It gives you an idea whether you understood the passage and the questions asked or you had no idea.

 

[528528p]

Just decided to go ahead and cancel it. I was considering taking it and voiding it, but decided against it considering all the speculation surrounding voids and whether adcoms can potentially find this information (although now I'm having some "canceler's remorse"!) Admittedly I was probably swayed by not having to take a 7 hour test if I don't have to. Now..time to get another chance at studying--effectively this time!

 

[Zenabi90]

Admittedly I was probably swayed by not having to take a 7 hour test if I don't have to. Now..time to get another chance at studying--effectively this time!

Its one thing to say it, its another to do. Keep yourself honest and get it done right this time around.