Can ADCOMs see the percentile of mcats? I'm a bit concerned bc my VR percentile on a mcat is so low

[mrh125]

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[Ismet]

Yes, we see percentiles. And yes, your VR score and percentile will put a dent in your chance of admission. Whether it's a major or minor dent depends on the school and the strength of the rest of your application.

 

[mrh125]

Yes, we see percentiles. And yes, your VR score and percentile will put a dent in your chance of admission. Whether it's a major or minor dent depends on the school and the strength of the rest of your application.

thanks. fair enough, how would my second score be put into context with my first score or one way it could be interpreted?

 

[Beargryllz]

The raw scores, percentiles, and your name/DOB/gender are pretty much exactly what they see when you generate a report.

Schools can interpret those however they want to. Some probably average them, look at the highest score, or look at the most recent MCAT. Actually, I bet they all do all of the above.

 

[Ismet]

thanks. fair enough, how would my second score be put into context with my first score or one way it could be interpreted?

That depends on the school too. Some only take into account the most recent score, some average the two scores together, some consider both scores separately, some take the sum of the 3 best section scores. But honestly a 4 point drop in VR is not looked upon favorably.

 

[mrh125]

That depends on the school too. Some only take into account the most recent score, some average the two scores together, some consider both scores separately, some take the sum of the 3 best scores. But honestly a 4 point drop in VR is not looked upon favorably.

So is there anything I could do to improve the way my application is viewed, either by taking the mcat again (extremely hesitant to because that could easily be used against me no matter what I score) or something else? I've worked on every other aspect of my application, already submitted and before I did I made sure my personal statement was excellent and same for secondaries which are prewritten. I also made sure ECs I did throughout college and gpa are all good (3.73 scigpa, 3.64 scigpa) to the best of my ability.

 

[Ismet]

So is there anything I could do to improve the way my application is viewed, either by taking the mcat again (extremely hesitant to because that could easily be used against me no matter what I score) or something else? I've worked on every other aspect of my application, already submitted and before I did I made sure my personal statement was excellent and same for secondaries which are prewritten. I also made sure ECs I did throughout college and gpa are all good (3.73 scigpa, 3.64 scigpa) to the best of my ability.

Just work on everything else to the best of your ability. I don't think the 7 or the 11-->7 drop is an app killer, but you have to admit that it works against you. I don't think you should take the MCAT again this cycle, just see how the next few months go. Worst case scenario (if you don't get any or get very few interviews by mid-fall) would be to consider retaking the MCAT in January, but that's not a decision you have to make right now.

 

[Goro]

It's the score that counts, not the percentile. We can look up percentiles if we want. A VR7 is well below the 10th %ile at medical schools. Downward trends aren't good either.

Do mcats see percentiles you scored in on the mcat? like here's my first and second VR percentiles:
January:
Verbal Reasoning (VR):11Percentile Range: 83.4 - 95.1
March:
Verbal Reasoning (VR):07Percentile Range: 26.2 - 36.4

Do adcoms see those percentiles? If so will that low percentile (not asking about my score) put a major dent in my chance of admissions?

 

[mrh125]

It's the score that counts, not the percentile. We can look up percentiles if we want. A VR7 is well below the 10th %ile at medical schools. Downward trends aren't good either.

Could you give me an interpretation of how my downward trend might be viewed? It's pretty awkward to go from an 11 in VR to a 7, especially with that huge percentile drop. Is there any way that this could be viewed less negatively?

 

[Abstractions]

My 2 cents: Don't focus on what is already done and out of your control. Instead, focus on what you can control (Secondaries, Interviews) and make them perfect. Don't worry about trying to explain why the 7 occurred/was a fluke, prove to them that it was a fluke. Write eloquent secondaries and nail the interview. Don't tell them the 11 is reflective of your true potential, show them by being articulate and professional.

 

[Goro]

Poor test taking skills, for one.
Poor coping skills (if something bad happened)
Why did OP re-take the exam. if because of a poor performance in another section, this shows an inability to master all of the material on the MCAT. You have to keep all the balls in the air, not 2/3. If OP is NOT an ESL, doesn't bode well.

Could you give me an interpretation of how my downward trend might be viewed? It's pretty awkward to go from an 11 in VR to a 7, especially with that huge percentile drop. Is there any way that this could be viewed less negatively?

 

[mrh125]

My 2 cents: Don't focus on what is already done and out of your control. Instead, focus on what you can control (Secondaries, Interviews) and make them perfect. Don't worry about trying to explain why the 7 occurred/was a fluke, prove to them that it was a fluke. Write eloquent secondaries and nail the interview. Don't tell them the 11 is reflective of your true potential, show them by being articulate and professional.

Thanks for you response I appreciate it and will follow your advice. I've gone through my personal statement around 60 times with edits to make sure it was well-articulated and made sense. I added all the context I could about who I am as individual in ECs, secondaries, disadvantaged section (I'm SES E01 disadvantaged), and I applied as broadly as humanly possible to MD schools and DOs. I'm just super concerned that this will be such a strong detriment that I won't even get any chance to interview because of this score. What are your thoughts on this?

Poor test taking skills, for one.
Poor coping skills (if something bad happened)
Why did OP re-take the exam. if because of a poor performance in another section, this shows an inability to master all of the material on the MCAT. You have to keep all the balls in the air, not 2/3. If OP is NOT an ESL, doesn't bode well.

I'm not ESL. I retook because I thought there was enough of a chance for me to improve my score to a mid 30s score by tightening the gaps in my science knowledge, since I already scored well in verbal (I was actually surprised by my score the first time around but things really clicked well for me on that test). I also didn't want to go through the stress that those in mid-high 20s go through when applying. My other two section scores went up by 1 pt and 2 points respectively after studying very intensively from the moment I finished my last mcat till the day before I took the second one, but verbal backfired. I had to rush through 2 passages and 15 questions in the last 15 minutes. I knew my score in verbal would be lower but I was expecting more like a 9. The easiest explanation for me is that I had an off day on that test, but I highly doubt that'll hold up. There are a lot of things that went on and I will be the first to admit that verbal was my weakest section for a variety of a reasons. If I did end up retaking and eventually doing better (like 33), would that do anything to my application?

 

[Goro]

33 with balanced scores will go a long way that you're not at risk for uneven performance.


There are a lot of things that went on and I will be the first to admit that verbal was my weakest section for a variety of a reasons. If I did end up retaking and eventually doing better (like 33), would that do anything to my application?[/QUOTE]

 

[mrh125]

33 with balanced scores will go a long way that you're not at risk for uneven performance.


There are a lot of things that went on and I will be the first to admit that verbal was my weakest section for a variety of a reasons. If I did end up retaking and eventually doing better (like 33), would that do anything to my application?

[/QUOTE]

So something like 11/11/11? or 11/10/12? I will definitely consider a retake if I don't get any interviews this year but I really need to strengthen everything in every regard to be able to pull 12s in each section, which isnt something i've done before. I've also gone through all the mcat practice material available in march so im hoping i forget it all by then.

 

[Lamel]

I love how wide the percentile range is.

 

[mrh125]

I love how wide the percentile range is.

yea, it's giant. it's basically like saying you can be anywhere from terrible to just bad.