Anyone rigorously study for the MCAT and not get a 30+

[deleted74029]

I've seen alot of threads on here here ppl studied really long hours and just about all of them made at least a 30. Anyone on here put in major hours and not make a 30?

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[scarletgirl777]

I've seen alot of threads on here here ppl studied really long hours and just about all of them made at least a 30. Anyone on here put in major hours and not make a 30?

Not me, but I definitely have friends in this situation. It is most definitely possible.

 

[135892]

Listen bro... just study hard, prepare as well as you personally can, and then go kill the test. There's absolutely no point in thinking about such questions. I understand that you're looking for some reassurance, but come on...

 

[RySerr21]

I've seen alot of threads on here here ppl studied really long hours and just about all of them made at least a 30. Anyone on here put in major hours and not make a 30?

despite what you may believe from what you see on the pre allo forum.... not everyone gets above a 35.... and another thing....you dont need a 30+ to get an acceptance.

im sure what you have described happens all the time. i've been studying for quite a while but i dont think ill break 30. i'm perfectly fine w/ that. i know ive studied hard. i'll take what i get and move on w/ my life.

 

[cpants]

Studied a ton. Got a 29.

Didn't take orgo beforehand. In retrospect that was stupid. Oh well, I got into school anyway.

 

[mdgator]

Considering the percentage of test takers and even the number of matriculants who take the test and make below a 30, I'd say this probably happens a lot.

 

[mdgator]

^^SDN is a great resource, but can at times give a skewed view of reality.

 

[bioteach]

^^SDN is a great resource, but can at times give a skewed view of reality.

Isn't the average MCAT (of all test takers) around 26? Someone correct me if this is wrong, but I know it is definately in the 20s. So ALOT ALOT ALOT of people study their butts off and don't break 30. SDN gives a skewed perception, but the vast majority of people that take the test don't break 30.

Also...most people that make, say a 22, aren't going to be bragging about the long hours they put in and still ended up getting their butt kicked...

 

[ChubbyChaser]

Isn't the average MCAT (of all test takers) around 26? Someone correct me if this is wrong, but I know it is definately in the 20s. So ALOT ALOT ALOT of people study their butts off and don't break 30. SDN gives a skewed perception, but the vast majority of people that take the test don't break 30.

Also...most people that make, say a 22, aren't going to be bragging about the long hours they put in and still ended up getting their butt kicked...

25

 

[mdgator]

Isn't the average MCAT (of all test takers) around 26? Someone correct me if this is wrong, but I know it is definately in the 20s. So ALOT ALOT ALOT of people study their butts off and don't break 30. SDN gives a skewed perception, but the vast majority of people that take the test don't break 30.

Also...most people that make, say a 22, aren't going to be bragging about the long hours they put in and still ended up getting their butt kicked...

I think the average for test takers is actually a 24-point-something...average for matriculants is closer to 30 now, but think about all the people making 33, 35, and 40+. For the average to be around 30, the number of matriculants who score below 30 must be substantial.

 

[EssTwoThreeFour]

of course! wait till you start med school... its all about studying ur *** off and never getting the score that you feel like you deserve.

 

[sentrosi]

The amount of time spent studying probably doesn't really correlate to score very well.

Time spent studying is less important than quality of studying. You could do a lesser amount of high yield studying and do better than studying a ridiculous amount.

 

[UVAbme2009]

Ask me in a month. Although I did just get a 32 on my third practice after my excellent scores of 25 and 26

 

[mdgator]

Ask me in a month. Although I did just get a 32 on my third practice after my excellent scores of 25 and 26

Don't worry, sounds like the studying is probably just starting to pay off. On my practice tests, I scored a 25 before I started studying, then I studied for about 3-4 weeks and took 3 tests...scored 27, 29, 29. I then reviewed everything I'd studied and polished off the last few topics for about 10 days and took three more practice tests during the final week before the exam. I averaged a 33 on these tests, which is what I made. My point is that your scores can improve drastically in a relatively short amount of time with high-yield study. If you have a month left and you've already broken the 30 plane, you should be golden.

 

[akzeno]

I seriously studied 18 hours a day for 1 month and a half. No joke. Started getting 32-35's on practice exams of the real previous MCAT's. Unfortunately, I only got a 29 on the real Jan. MCAT. I was very sad.....

Oh well, I don't plan on taking it again and I hope I get into a med school this year. Gees~

 

[cpants]

I seriously studied 18 hours a day for 1 month and a half. No joke. Started getting 32-35's on practice exams of the real previous MCAT's. Unfortunately, I only got a 29 on the real Jan. MCAT. I was very sad.....

Oh well, I don't plan on taking it again and I hope I get into a med school this year. Gees~

Same thing happened to me. Well, the practice test part, not the 18hrs/day part. I got in. 29 is fine, as long as you have a good GPA and extracurriculars.

My experience with standardized testing is almost exclusively limited to the SAT, which I'm well aware is not much like the MCAT at all. However, I think it would be safe to say this: there is a huge difference between simply studying "a lot", and studying HARD. If I had practiced for the SAT by simply repeating tests and not paying any attention to what I got wrong, why I got it wrong, or how I could have improved my technique, amount of studying would have been irrelevant. If you actually study rigorously, I don't personally see how you could not succeed.

You're right about one thing. SAT is nothing like the MCAT. You'll see. You can study rigorously, and not do well on the MCAT. I got a 1550 on my SAT by the way, so don't think that your SAT skills will guarantee you a 35 on your MCAT.

 

[Dr. Josh]

Whereas I did not get my score back yet, i am positive i got below a 30. I studied over a long period and many hours per week. I know lots of people who studied hard and didn't break 30. Also know that sdn does not represent the average med school applicant.

 

[MilkmanAl]

I got a 1550 on my SAT by the way, so don't think that your SAT skills will guarantee you a 35 on your MCAT.

It seemed to work in my case. Those were exactly my scores.

 

[redlight]

Same thing happened to me. Well, the practice test part, not the 18hrs/day part. I got in. 29 is fine, as long as you have a good GPA and extracurriculars.



You're right about one thing. SAT is nothing like the MCAT. You'll see. You can study rigorously, and not do well on the MCAT. I got a 1550 on my SAT by the way, so don't think that your SAT skills will guarantee you a 35 on your MCAT.

yea, for example theres no math section on the MCAT haha.

but seriously, how did you do on the subject tests?

 

[mbe36]

I put in some very solid time and got a 9V 10B 10P.

 

[cpants]

yea, for example theres no math section on the MCAT haha.

but seriously, how did you do on the subject tests?

Can't remember for sure, but I think I got a 750 on writing and a 690 on Spanish and Bio.