I have a 23Q MCAT: 10VR, 7BS, 6PS. I hadn't taken any organic chemistry before I took the MCAT, so that affected my BS score and one of the schools even commented that the 7 was good for not having had it. I was also horribly, miserably sick for the two years preceding and during it. The 6 didn't really give me any trouble, but I withdrew from the majority of the schools including PCOM, UNECOM, and WVSOM. I don't know what would have happened there. I interviewed at DCOM, PCSOM, and NYCOM (in-state), was accepted at the first two and withdrew post-interview at NYCOM. My MCAT was on the low side, even for DO schools, but the schools that I was most interested in were actually PCSOM and DCOM (and UNECOM who never sent my secondary.) I have a lot of things to balance that out though. The schools seem to love that I am a mother of four children, had great clinical experience, etc. I guess it really matters on the individual circumstances. The is no formula that you can plug your numbers into and know that you will automatically get an acceptance at a certain school. It is way more complex than that. I think a lower than average MCAT is not necessarily a deal breaker, but there is definitely a point where it is too low. If you are just below the school's averages and the rest of your application is strong, I say go for it. You never know what will happen and you may be pleasantly suprised with the outcome.