Medical Already applied - What should I do about poor MCAT result?

[tantacles]

Hello,

I got back my MCAT results today, and I got a 501. My last practice MCAT scores (Princeton Review/AAMC) were all between 508 and 512, so getting this 501 was a huge shock to me. COVID had a huge impact on my test scheduling, ability to study, and my grandma got sick so I've had to care for her. I don't know what to do, as I am already in the middle of submitting secondaries. Should I retake it for September 4 and try to land a better score? Or should I just go on taking advantage of rolling admissions and hope that schools will consider me holistically? I have applied to 47 MD schools. I have a very strong application aside from this and don't know how important MCAT scores are to admissions boards during this cycle. Please let me know, and thank you in advance.

MCAT scores are very important for admissions. I don't know the rest of your application, so it's hard to advise, but in order to do your best this cycle, you would have to retake and do significantly better. If you don't do better, you will have to reapply.

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[tantacles]

Thank you for the advice. Should I email the Admissions Office for each of my schools and let them know my circumstances and that I am retaking my MCAT (which I just booked for early Sept)?

Maybe. I'm honestly not sure whether that will make a difference. What will probably be more fruitful, though, is e-mailing them after you get your score back. Alternatively, you might delay submitting secondaries until you have your score. Actually, probably the latter. Even though your application will be late, at least schools are unlikely to reject you without a secondary, and if your MCAT comes back bad again, you haven't wasted $4700 filling it out.

Either way, I'm sorry that you're in this position. There's no great answer for what you should do as your only choice, really, is to either retake the MCAT or hope for a hail mary acceptance from your state school.

 

[Goro]

Hello,

I got back my MCAT results today, and I got a 501. My last practice MCAT scores (Princeton Review/AAMC) were all between 508 and 512, so getting this 501 was a huge shock to me. COVID had a huge impact on my test scheduling, ability to study, and my grandma got sick so I've had to care for her. I don't know what to do, as I am already in the middle of submitting secondaries. Should I retake it for September 4 and try to land a better score? Or should I just go on taking advantage of rolling admissions and hope that schools will consider me holistically? I have applied to 47 MD schools. I have a very strong application aside from this and don't know how important MCAT scores are to admissions boards during this cycle. Please let me know, and thank you in advance.

Unfortunately, you will be screened out based upon your current MCAT score. Schools are under no obligation to wait for a brand-new score. I strongly recommend retaking the exam, but only when you are at your best and at 100% ready for it.

Holistic review does not mean that schools will ignore important indicators of Student Success.

You're fine for do schools