bad mcat score

[spidermonkey11]

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I have a question. I took the mcat last august and got a 25 which is somewhere near the national average. The scary thing is that I thought I did way better than a 25, and it's now less than amonth until the april test and i dont feel nearly as prepared as i did for the last mcat. So is it better to just apply with a 25 or to retake it and do barely better or even get a lower score? At this point I'm only aiming at my state schools anyway. Should I risk it and take the test in April or just go in with that really crappy score?

 

[nbharara]

I guess this could depend on your state of residence. If you are from California, its going to be very hard to get into from what I hear. 25 is lower than most schools MCAT average from what I have seen. I think most schools have an average MCAT of greater than 29.

Have you thought about retaking it in August?

 

[Literati]

I wish I could provide some sort of remedy for your situation...but that would be somewhat ironic considering I am in the same position. So, I guess all I can do is offer you support to let you know that there are other people on the same boat as you.

This is also my 2nd attempt at taking the MCAT after getting measly results the 1st time. I came out of the exam feeling like I scored at least a 30...but of course, that didn't happen. And yeah, I feel less prepared taking it in April mostly because a) school and work took up waaaay too much of my time, b) my dad's cancer came back and has basically been given less than a year to live, c) I met an awesome guy=major distraction. So, I'm in this weird struggle of balancing the importance of personal relationships and the amount of time to study.

As for your application concerns, I would be very hesitant to apply with a 25 MCAT. Of course, it all depends how you stack up overall (GPA, LOR, ECs). If you feel that your other qualifications can back you up and you don't mind getting questionable glances from top tier schools, then yeah, apply this coming June. Otherwise, I would suggest taking the MCAT in August when you (hopefully) will have more time. One suggestion though--never give up.

 

[Wrigleyville]

Go ahead and take the test in April, you can always choose to void the test at the end if you think you bombed it.

Wrigley