DO Do I have any shots at DO as a Canadian?

[AmbitiousCanadian]

Hello,

I have a 3.88gpa and 496(125,123,124,124) Equal to a 23 on the old scale. ECs are average and I would only be able to apply to Nova this year. Question is do I have any chance at it? Or should I retake (would retake anyway next summer if I dont matriculate). Also I cant apply anywhere else this year.

I really only put work into verbal for the last 3 weeks and not that much, yes I underestimated it, anyone have suggestions on how to go about from there?

Thanks!

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[Mad Jack]

Why are you only able to apply to Nova? If you're only applying to Nova, you will not get in. They are VERY MCAT dependent.

 

[AmbitiousCanadian]

Why are you only able to apply to Nova? If you're only applying to Nova, you will not get in. They are VERY MCAT dependent.

Because I'd finish prereqs during spring and summer semesters in Canada (between May and the first week of August) If I get accepted. Once I rewrite next year and apply I'd be able to apply more broadly while I complete my prerequisites during the regular academic sessions.

 

[Mad Jack]

Because I'd finish prereqs during spring and summer semesters in Canada (between May and the first week of August) If I get accepted. Once I rewrite next year and apply I'd be able to apply more broadly while I complete my prerequisites during the regular academic sessions.

Well, I'll just lay it on the table then- don't apply this year, you don't stand a chance at Nova. I'd give you a 5% shot. Next year, if you apply broadly, you might get a couple interviews. I'd strongly recommend a retake though, 23 is a rough score for even most US grads.

 

[AmbitiousCanadian]

Well, I'll just lay it on the table then- don't apply this year, you don't stand a chance at Nova. I'd give you a 5% shot. Next year, if you apply broadly, you might get a couple interviews. I'd strongly recommend a retake though, 23 is a rough score for even most US grads.

Thank you for your honest opinion. Quick question, do you think it's possible to improve from a 6 on verbal to an 11 or 12 considering I didnt put much into it? I'd also begin 2-3 months prior to the test and would increase my reading immediately.

 

[Mad Jack]

Thank you for your honest opinion. Quick question, do you think it's possible to improve from a 6 on verbal to an 11 or 12 considering I didnt put much into it? I'd also begin 2-3 months prior to the test and would increase my reading immediately.

Verbal is the hardest skill to increase by far. You might be able to get it to a 9 or a 10 with a lot of hard work, but an 11 or a 12 might be stretching it. Verbal reasoning is a lifelong skill, unfortunately, and something that takes years to develop. You might be able to drag yourself out of the gutter and into the middle of the bell curve in 2-3 months, but you certainly won't be able to excel in the section. I've never known anyone to move from a 6 to a 12 in all of the threads I've ever seen and people I've ever talked to, it's probably exceedingly rare.

 

[GrapesofRath]

Verbal is the hardest skill to increase by far. You might be able to get it to a 9 or a 10 with a lot of hard work, but an 11 or a 12 might be stretching it. Verbal reasoning is a lifelong skill, unfortunately, and something that takes years to develop. You might be able to drag yourself out of the gutter and into the middle of the bell curve in 2-3 months, but you certainly won't be able to excel in the section. I've never known anyone to move from a 6 to a 12 in all of the threads I've ever seen and people I've ever talked to, it's probably exceedingly rare.

https://www.aamc.org/students/download/271686/data/retestervrscorechange.pdf

Here are the exact statistics for MCAT retakes.

with a 6 the first time 47% of people were able to improve at least 2 points. 36% of people on the retake were able to get an 8 or a 9. Those are realistic goals. Gunning for a 12 though is just living in a dream world.

A 123 btw is closer to a 7 than a 6 from what I understand. You can get into a DO school with the 123 in verbal. The bigger thing that I would worry about if I were you was not being able to break past 125 on the sciences. Retake and improve 3 points on the sciences(which is definitely a more realistic goal than looking for big gains in verbal) and maybe improve a point on verbal and you will be close to a 505 which will put you in much better shape for DO admission. Even psych/soc has a lot of learnable aspects to it(heavy emphasis on terminology); improving 2-3 points there is not an unrealistic goal either at all.

I obviously second the recommendation to retake.

 

[AmbitiousCanadian]

https://www.aamc.org/students/download/271686/data/retestervrscorechange.pdf

Here are the exact statistics for MCAT retakes.

with a 6 the first time 47% of people were able to improve at least 2 points. 36% of people on the retake were able to get an 8 or a 9. Those are realistic goals. Gunning for a 12 though is just living in a dream world.

A 123 btw is closer to a 7 than a 6 from what I understand. You can get into a DO school with the 123 in verbal. The bigger thing that I would worry about if I were you was not being able to break past 125 on the sciences. Retake and improve 3 points on the sciences(which is definitely a more realistic goal than looking for big gains in verbal) and maybe improve a point on verbal and you will be close to a 505 which will put you in much better shape for DO admission. Even psych/soc has a lot of learnable aspects to it(heavy emphasis on terminology); improving 2-3 points there is not an unrealistic goal either at all.

I obviously second the recommendation to retake.

Well stats don't lie, but I'm still gunnin' for a 12 considering 2 things:
1) I didn't put as much effort into verbal as everyone usually does and I underestimated it. I'm taking A LOT more time next time.
2) My BIGGEST issues is time, because I am a VERY slow reader. (I guess 1-2 passages)

So I hope that upon addressing those 2 mistakes I made that I'll be able to score much higher. I may sound crazy, but read my username.

 

[JibsGuy52]

Your GPA is decent for Canadian MD and since there's no penalty for redoing the MCAT unlike the US MD schools. Just rewrite the MCAT and apply in Canada... unless you are so hellbent on going to the US.

Woah... There is a penalty for re-doing the MCAT for US MD schools? I did not know this. What is it?

 

[AmbitiousCanadian]

you only demonstrated poor decision making by admitting you didn't study hard enough.

You can simply state your opinion on whether my goals are realistic or not. BUT, you do not know me, DO NOT judge me or my decision making. That my friend, is rude. I suggest you refrain from such comments in the future.

 

[AmbitiousCanadian]

Okay, please let me know about

I call it like I see it... barring significant personal issues (including but not limited to: family passing away, personal illness getting in the way, had to work >60 hrs/wk to get by), there is no excuse for not studying well. I certainly won't be apologizing for that unless it did involve something out of your control. At the end of the day this is your life and your choice. Don't expect people to not have an initial impression of you for poor choices.

To address your first sentence, aiming for a +2 increase is reasonable, going from ~6 to 11-12 is not.

I call it like I see it... barring significant personal issues (including but not limited to: family passing away, personal illness getting in the way, had to work >60 hrs/wk to get by), there is no excuse for not studying well. I certainly won't be apologizing for that unless it did involve something out of your control. At the end of the day this is your life and your choice. Don't expect people to not have an initial impression of you for poor choices.

To address your first sentence, aiming for a +2 increase is reasonable, going from ~6 to 11-12 is not.

Okay, please let me know about a mistake you've made in your life so that I may be able to judge you critically based on that one mistake.

 

[Doug Underhill]

A retake is your best bet. I'm not going to say you have ZERO CHANCES, but a retake would help a lot.