Do I wait till next year? Do I retake next week? Do I settle and apply?

[Nicole Kidd]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Maryland Resident. My mcat score came out and it's very bad : 506 (129 (usually 128)/123 (usually 126)/128/126 (usually 127)), my sGPA is 3.85 and my cGPA is 3.89, do I still get a chance for MD school? I have another test scheduled in a week, 6/1, do you think it's still worth to take it or should I settle with my score? Today is the last day that I can cancel my 6/1 exam.

I really bummed my CARS this time. Should I retake or just reapply?
I have pretty decent EC and multiple research experiences with a publication.

 

[vernhart]

with the CARS that low I would retake, especially if you were scoring higher

 

[ndafife]

Don't retake unless you are confident you will be scoring better. 2 506's is much worse than 1

 

[Nicole Kidd]

Don't retake unless you are confident you will be scoring better. 2 506's is much worse than 1

I am currently working full time, and I am constantly distracted. Do you think it might just be better that wail till next year, quite the job and focus intensively on reviewing for 4 month?

 

[Dagrimsta1]

CARS usually gets a bit of leniency due it is (stupid) nature. I would apply if you can afford it. Don't apply to too many schools on the off chance that you do get rejected and have to re apply next year.
As for the retake, I would retake in January if needed.
N=1

 

[Nicole Kidd]

with the CARS that low I would retake, especially if you were scoring higher

This is literally the lowest CARS I have ever got, I am not very good at focusing when I read, is there anything I can do?

Thanks

 

[Nicole Kidd]

CARS usually gets a bit of leniency due it is (stupid) nature. I would apply if you can afford it. Don't apply to too many schools on the off chance that you do get rejected and have to re apply next year.
As for the retake, I would retake in January if needed.
N=1

I am not quite sure if I will make improvement in such a short time especially for CARS. I am debating if I should just go ahead and apply or register for Jan and apply next year. I feel very discoraged :'I

 

[Nicole Kidd]

A few thoughts
1) dont retake in a week; not enough prep time, and if you do poorly, it will both a bad score and an indication of bad judgement
2) If you are having such CARS issues, it takes time and practice/coaching for the focus and discipline neccessary
3) you could apply this year but your strong background is really weakened by this MCAT
4) I would strongly consider not applying this cycle, spending time to prep and retake early next year

I am thinking the same... I'd like to shoot for top medical schools (now I am just embarrassed to even have this thought), with this low MCAT I'd supposed the adcom would most likely judge me as "stupidly unprepared", since it doesn't really match my other stats.

 

[Dagrimsta1]

I am not quite sure if I will make improvement in such a short time especially for CARS. I am debating if I should just go ahead and apply or register for Jan and apply next year. I feel very discoraged :'I

Just apply, my scores are worse than yours and I got in. (DO school granted) Hopefully you'll realize that you don't need to get into a "top" med school to become a good doctor. If you're looking to get into a top 20, don't apply and shoot for a 512+ MCAT.

 

[Nicole Kidd]

Rule 1: Take A Breath

make the decision and stick to it without looking back
prep on a good discipline schedule while working full time
continue with some regular volunteering, taking a class or other
retake MCAT early next year
get application in early with concise, coherent, and compelling narrative showing your strong pattern of motivation, commitment and achievement
And then be in the strongest position for multiple offers from top schools

Thank you gonnif, I just moved to Maryland from west coast with my new job offer so in the past 3 months I didn't really dedicate most of my energy to prep, guess I deserved it. I am deciding to apply next year, I don't want to settle. Thank you so much for your time and I really appreciate your help!

 

[Nicole Kidd]

Just apply, my scores are worse than yours and I got in. (DO school granted) Hopefully you'll realize that you don't need to get into a "top" med school to become a good doctor. If you're looking to get into a top 20, don't apply and shoot for a 512+ MCAT.

Thank you for your great advice!

 

[RogueBanana]

Thank you for your grate advice!

I usually recommend iron. You're welcome.

 

[Nicole Kidd]

I usually recommend iron. You're welcome.

Thanks for the laugh

 

[Nicole Kidd]

Rule 1: Take A Breath

make the decision and stick to it without looking back
prep on a good discipline schedule while working full time
continue with some regular volunteering, taking a class or other
retake MCAT early next year
get application in early with concise, coherent, and compelling narrative showing your strong pattern of motivation, commitment and achievement
And then be in the strongest position for multiple offers from top schools

Hi @gonnif ! I retook this year and got a 511 (see updated details in link MD - sGPA 3.8 cPGA 3.89 MCAT 506->511 )
Do you think I can get a better shot this time? To be quite honest I really wanna get into a research strong school but I am afraid that my MCAT score is still hindering me from it?

Thanks!