CARS and Applications

[NYNYTown]

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Hi all. Hope everyone is well and moving nicely down the path. Applying this upcoming cycle (May 2026). Or at least I thought I was. Looking for advice/thoughts. I am ORM in NY. 4.0 GPA/4.0 Science GPA. Graduated from an excellent public university. Some published research (and working on more) and great upper level writing grades. Assume also excellent ECs and recommendations (including a really good one from upper level writing professor). Working full time in research. 515 MCAT. My problem -- 124 CARS is part of that score. Could probably do a point or two better on a good day. Just not a speed reader and having a hard time getting past years of deliberate reading and overthinking. Is 124 CARS insurmountable for many med schools? I've tried to research this issue on the forums and have gotten a mixed bag of advice. Not looking for top 15 schools, but the goal is an MD school. Many many schools seem to have a CARS subsection band of accepted students at 125 as the bottom of the bottom ten percent band. The romantic in me likes to think this means the 125 number is an average of the lower band (meaning some 124s are part of it), but the neurotic in mean reads it as a hard screen. Any recommendations or experiences with otherwise good scores tainted by the dreaded weaker CARS score?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Welcome to the forums.

Read

MCAT Score Averaging for Repeat Test-Takers | SDN

Explore how medical schools view MCAT score repeat test-takers and their impact on applicant competitiveness.

www.studentdoctor.net

 

[NYNYTown]

A 124 CARS is definitely not a dealbreaker when you’re carrying a 4.0 and a 515, especially as a NY resident with strong state options like the SUNYs. Most schools don't use hard screens at that level; they use percentile bands, and your research publications plus top writing grades effectively "override" a speed-reading hiccup by proving you can handle complex analysis in the real world.

Thanks for replying. I appreciate the sane balanced advice.

 

[Goro]

Hi all. Hope everyone is well and moving nicely down the path. Applying this upcoming cycle (May 2026). Or at least I thought I was. Looking for advice/thoughts. I am ORM in NY. 4.0 GPA/4.0 Science GPA. Graduated from an excellent public university. Some published research (and working on more) and great upper level writing grades. Assume also excellent ECs and recommendations (including a really good one from upper level writing professor). Working full time in research. 515 MCAT. My problem -- 124 CARS is part of that score. Could probably do a point or two better on a good day. Just not a speed reader and having a hard time getting past years of deliberate reading and overthinking. Is 124 CARS insurmountable for many med schools? I've tried to research this issue on the forums and have gotten a mixed bag of advice. Not looking for top 15 schools, but the goal is an MD school. Many many schools seem to have a CARS subsection band of accepted students at 125 as the bottom of the bottom ten percent band. The romantic in me likes to think this means the 125 number is an average of the lower band (meaning some 124s are part of it), but the neurotic in mean reads it as a hard screen. Any recommendations or experiences with otherwise good scores tainted by the dreaded weaker CARS score?

If you get rejected, it won't be due to the CARS score.
So stop overthinking

 

[NYNYTown]

If you get rejected, it won't be due to the CARS score.
So stop overthinking

Thank you. Great advice. Overthinking is why I am not proficient on CARS!

 

[StylishFormula0525]

hey, just wanted to say that i, too, have struggled IMMENSELY with overthinking my CARS score — i got a 516 (130/124/130/132) on the february test this year. you're not the only one grappling with this concern! i definitely need to work on my mental health rn, since i'm a perfectionist (and chronic overthinker in general) and seeing this blemish on an otherwise-excellent score has me questioning my reading comprehension lmao. i plan to submit my primary next week and prewrite secondaries throughout june-july.

 

[VasuRulez]

You're probably going to be fine because your overall score is really good. I wouldn't worry too much

 

[NYNYTown]

hey, just wanted to say that i, too, have struggled IMMENSELY with overthinking my CARS score — i got a 516 (130/124/130/132) on the february test this year. you're not the only one grappling with this concern! i definitely need to work on my mental health rn, since i'm a perfectionist (and chronic overthinker in general) and seeing this blemish on an otherwise-excellent score has me questioning my reading comprehension lmao. i plan to submit my primary next week and prewrite secondaries throughout june-july.

Thanks for sharing this. Best of luck with your own application. Let's go!

 

[StylishFormula0525]

CARS

Thanks for sharing this. Best of luck with your own application. Let's go!

likewise, we got this!