Apparently, I suck in verbal.🙁 I focused too much on sciences, and did not practice verbal. Do you think I should retake the MCAT? Is 5 an automatic reject?
Bs11, ps11, vr - omg 5! Should i retake?
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Yes, you should. Any one section score below a 7 will usually screen you out of any school. Were you doing better on practice tests? Was it a fluke or are you just not strong in VR?
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Well, it still seems like a fluke to me. I really had no strategy for VR, but you might wanna check out the MCAT forum. There are some good threads about VR strategies there.
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Sounds like it's not about your Verbal ability, since your practice scores were decent. What happened during the test? Ran out of time, blanked out, panicked? Agree with above, definitely retake.
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Which practice tests were you taking?
I found that the quality of practice tests (and their predictability) varied wildly, especially for verbal.
I highly recommend taking the verbal sections from the AAMC practice tests. In my opinion, they are by far the closest thing to what you'll actually see on test day. The AAMC science sections, however, are a whole different conversation.
I took 4 verbal sections from AAMC, and I got the same verbal score on every one of them that I got on the real test.
Hope that helps. Good luck!
I found that the quality of practice tests (and their predictability) varied wildly, especially for verbal.
I highly recommend taking the verbal sections from the AAMC practice tests. In my opinion, they are by far the closest thing to what you'll actually see on test day. The AAMC science sections, however, are a whole different conversation.
I took 4 verbal sections from AAMC, and I got the same verbal score on every one of them that I got on the real test.
Hope that helps. Good luck!
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My advice for the verbal...practice, practice, practice.
Highlight in passage if it works for you. Read the questions before the passage so you know what to look out for. As long as you can comprehend English at, say, a high school level...the rest is technique. You should be able to accurately finish 6 passages, and have a little more than 5 minutes for the last passage. Even if you completely guess as you're running out of time, 6 precisely completed passages gives you a 10+ easily.
As guyski79 said, VR changes little from year to year. So, do every AAMC practice Verbal section you can get your hands on.
If you don't get in this year (you won't with your current MCAT), consider doing a formal classroom prep course next spring. I did TPR, and found their verbal prep to be phenomenal. But, any of the big name prep courses should suffice. Good luck next time around.
Highlight in passage if it works for you. Read the questions before the passage so you know what to look out for. As long as you can comprehend English at, say, a high school level...the rest is technique. You should be able to accurately finish 6 passages, and have a little more than 5 minutes for the last passage. Even if you completely guess as you're running out of time, 6 precisely completed passages gives you a 10+ easily.
As guyski79 said, VR changes little from year to year. So, do every AAMC practice Verbal section you can get your hands on.
If you don't get in this year (you won't with your current MCAT), consider doing a formal classroom prep course next spring. I did TPR, and found their verbal prep to be phenomenal. But, any of the big name prep courses should suffice. Good luck next time around.
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reeeeeeeeetake!
Thanks everyone for tips.
yeah, I will retake. The thing is that i had submitted my AMCAS before MCAT scores came in. I didn't expect that fluke on my verbal. Sucks.... Well, since I have already applied, it will be interesting to see what schools have to say, but I don't have much hope. I can't retake it this summer due to some family stuff. Will shoot for Jan next year. Do you think I should bother filling out secondaries that I've received so far?
yeah, I will retake. The thing is that i had submitted my AMCAS before MCAT scores came in. I didn't expect that fluke on my verbal. Sucks.... Well, since I have already applied, it will be interesting to see what schools have to say, but I don't have much hope. I can't retake it this summer due to some family stuff. Will shoot for Jan next year. Do you think I should bother filling out secondaries that I've received so far?
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You have zero hope with a 5 in verbal. If you aren't going to retake by August, there is no point in sending in expensive secondaries just to enrich their coffers. If you honestly think the score was a fluke, then just retake it soon. If it accurately represented your practice scores, then you have a lot of work to put in before it will be worth retaking.
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Just to add to the choir: Retake
Even a well rounded 27 would be below average. A 27 with a 5 on it would probably be a non-starter. I think it would be very hard to get a 5 again unless you randomly guessed on every passage.
I tried EK 101 passages, but didn't think they emulated the real thing very well. I took all the available official tests (3-10) and spent much more time going over each question than actually taking exam. Deconstruct verbal questions and get in right mind frame. When I ran out of practice materials, I just did the old ones again and again, hehe. I think everyone learns things differently, though. If you spend enough time, I'm sure you can get at least within the median on VR, which would make for competitive all around score.
Even a well rounded 27 would be below average. A 27 with a 5 on it would probably be a non-starter. I think it would be very hard to get a 5 again unless you randomly guessed on every passage.
I tried EK 101 passages, but didn't think they emulated the real thing very well. I took all the available official tests (3-10) and spent much more time going over each question than actually taking exam. Deconstruct verbal questions and get in right mind frame. When I ran out of practice materials, I just did the old ones again and again, hehe. I think everyone learns things differently, though. If you spend enough time, I'm sure you can get at least within the median on VR, which would make for competitive all around score.
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i feel bad laughing, but...
I wanna cry when I look at this 5 though. Extremely embarrassing!
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are you a native speaker? a 5 is a head-scratcher.
i think you really need to get in the head of the test maker. go over the aamc tests and answers and try to really nail the types of answers they want you to get.. try to get a better idea of what makes x answer "the best" out of the available options by nailing their reasoning.
also, for prep, i hear tbr's logic based reasoning is ok.
i think you really need to get in the head of the test maker. go over the aamc tests and answers and try to really nail the types of answers they want you to get.. try to get a better idea of what makes x answer "the best" out of the available options by nailing their reasoning.
also, for prep, i hear tbr's logic based reasoning is ok.
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Yeah, but you did well on the sciences. I think a 5 might be very difficult to rectify if it were on BS, for example. But a good verbal score can be had with practice, as everyone is saying. The AAMC practice tests give explanations for the answers...pay attention to why your answer was incorrect. However, I did find that the AAMC's explanations weren't always that good. Again, I found TPR verbal to be excellent (no I don't work for them!).
If you have the funds, consider a course in the spring prior to your retake. You might even boost your science scores (12+ on both would knock you up to another level if you manage a 10+ VR)! I used some of Exam Krackers stuff, mainly to bolster my physics knowledge...I felt that this and o-chem were the weaknesses in my particular prep course.
As somebody else said, I wouldn't waste your money on secondaries...save it for future use. Good luck!! 👍
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i'll add this to canjosh's post: make sure you know exactly why your answers where correct as well. make sure your explanation coincides with theirs. lucky guesses on practice tests could easily = fail on the real thing. also, if you were in between answers, nail aamc's reasoning why x is a superior answer choice (...as crappy as theirs answers/explanations may be, please realize that they are always right! get in their heads!)
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lol its ok, ull be fine the next time around!
yeah, i'm not a native speaker, which i'm sure has a lot to do with my horrible score. My problem is time. I do extremely well on practice tests if i don't time myself. But when I do, I panick and get a lot wrong....
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Just don't do a passage. That way you have more time for the other 6 passages. And quite frankly, if you do even reasonably well on 6 passages, you can still easily score in the 8-9 range.
As the commentators of the Ultimate Fighting Championship are fond of saying, "It's not what happens to the man, but what he does after it happens to him."
Let the emotion of embarrassment turn to anger and use it as your motivation to crush it next time!
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Hey guys,
I recently graduated from a ivy league school with a biochemistry degree (3.7GPA). I've taken the MCAT three times (25,25,and 27P). I have extraordinary letters of recommendation, several research projects, various shadowing experiences, and a pending publication. I also played varsity football for the first two years of college.
I have taken the MCAT three times as I mentioned above, and my final mcat breakdown was as follows:
PS - 11, BS - 10, V - 6 WS - P
I am also a Texas resident so some of the medical schools are a bit more lax about criteria. I figure the low verbal score can be made up with my semi-high GPA and good science scores.
What are my chances of getting an interview? I am also a re-applicant.
Can you guys provide some feedback. Much appreciated!!
I recently graduated from a ivy league school with a biochemistry degree (3.7GPA). I've taken the MCAT three times (25,25,and 27P). I have extraordinary letters of recommendation, several research projects, various shadowing experiences, and a pending publication. I also played varsity football for the first two years of college.
I have taken the MCAT three times as I mentioned above, and my final mcat breakdown was as follows:
PS - 11, BS - 10, V - 6 WS - P
I am also a Texas resident so some of the medical schools are a bit more lax about criteria. I figure the low verbal score can be made up with my semi-high GPA and good science scores.
What are my chances of getting an interview? I am also a re-applicant.
Can you guys provide some feedback. Much appreciated!!
Duplicate post. See responses at http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=649737
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