does mcat make any of you feel dumb?

[Dr. Wall$treet]

hey not to whine like im fine iwht my score and i have never been a whiner, but honestly, it was my escond time taking it, fresh from april, spent the whole summer.. i honestly couldnt have known teh subjects better, i knew my physio book like the back of y hand, i knew o chem better than my freakin T.As, i knew gen bio.. i knew gen chem very well.. etc etc. I had nothing else ot study at the end. Yet i still cant get even one 12 on any section.I know it is hard but honestly it really is downer. Verbal i just suck at so that is never a shock.. anyway, also congrats and big ups to those who got 12s and ovre, i remebver getting a few on practice tests and its tough.. anyway just my .04

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[lll505]

I just wanted double digits and only got it in Bio. I dont feel dumb though, I just feel like Im not good at standardized tests and that I had a rough day. Take it easy on yourself. A test like the MCAT really is not a good measure of whether or not you will be a competent and compassionate physician.

I know a lot of people who got above a 35 but I dont think they will make good doctors.

Also, there are lots of posts that will make you feel better on MCAT forum.

Try not to let it get you down though, at the end of the day a test really does not measure who you are or your intelligence

 

[kidsmd]

Well, i wouldn't say so much dumb as disappointed in myself. (Well okay, maybe a little dumb.) Okay, well I basically broke down in tears because I was so upset when I got my scores last year. But I did the best that I could at that particular point in time. And in all honesty, it's probably not the best for the medical schools that I'm applying to. But I know that I'm gonna be a great doctor, no question. I may not be the smartest of all the applicants out there, but I know that when it gets down to it, I will treat my patients well. I'm sure there are some people with higher scores than me that can do the same and I'm also sure there are some who can't. But that's life. Oh well. Once I get into medical school (and I am sure that I will, maybe not the greatest one, but that's a whole other deal...) this score will just be a blip in the road that I had to face. Oh, the perspective that comes after a year of getting my scores. haahahah

 

[woolie]

Here is my $0.02 on how much who you are as a person really matters in the long - and short - run. My internist is a lovely, sweetheart of a guy. His office hours are constantly booked and his waiting room is bursting at the seams. People who leave the city come back to NYC to see him.

Ok, his wife is an Ob/Gyn and she's mean as h*ll; unnecessarily high caesarian rate and absolutely no personal skills; the nurses in the local hospital can't stand to work with her - and her office hours are NOT filled and people do not stick with her.

I'm sure they're both very smart, but who is really the better doctor here?



Also, why do nice people marry mean people? Let me know when you that find out.

 

[kidsmd]

haha... or as my bf would say, why do nice girls always date mean guys who treat them like crap? hahaaha.... (I think he is offended because he is a "nice" guy).

 

[Dr. Wall$treet]

ya how sad is it that the old.. GIrls love bad boys.. still is true!! pisses me off. i have seen soo many female frineds get trated like ****, only to come to me for support when they need it.. then go right back to the ****ty guy.. i have even kicked some of the guys asses.. upon their request.. next week they are back! you girls are soemthing

 

[batman123]

I'm a little disappointed with my scores. After studying my a$$ off this summer like everyone else, my total score stayed the same, and I dropped quite a bit on the writing sample. It's frustrating, but i guess I just can't perform too well on standardized tests. Let's just hope that the USMLE is better than this test.

 

[isidella]

I hate what the MCAT has done to me and my best friend. We studied together, took mock practice tests together, and crack AO jokes that noone else understands.

On Friday, me and my best friend went to our respective homes to check our scores. Since then she has avoided my phone calls. Last night, she called me crying, very depressed, asking how could she do so poorly? She asked how I did, and I said "okay." She then started guessing at my score, and getting all upset. I gave in and told her, to calm her down. She just started sobbing saying that she would never go to medical school. She was so embarrased over her score, she didn't share it with me.

We studied exactly the same; I must say I am baffled myself. She even said she feels "stupid."

I just don't know what to say to her. I told her it was a fluke, she can retake, I will support her in anyway I can. I kept telling her that the MCAT does not judge her IQ, her emotions or her potential.

It judged her ability to read and regurgitate info on only one day out of her entire life.

But she is just so sad, and she feels so alone now. When we both bombed April, it was great. Misery loves company. Now she won't even talk to me. I just wish she would see the light. I will keep trying, but she feels really low right now, and she doesn't feel like we have much in common. It really sucks. I miss her. One part of me wishes I would have bombed it too. At least I would have my friend back.

MCAT bites.

 

[randomlogik]

Isidelle, I lost my best friend partially because of the mcat (partially because of other things). I did about 8 points better than he did on the test. While he try to appear happy for me, it eventually contributed to the downfall of our friendship. These things can be so hard, and I definately feel for you. I havent really spoken with my friend since august, but i think eventually in time our friendship will heal. Just let your friend know that you care for her, and give her some time alone. That is basically all that you can do for her. Other than that, basically all that i can say is that this whole process is ****ty. It gives people an inferiority complex that they do not deserve. One stupid test is not an accurate measure of a person's inteligence.

 

[isidella]

I guess losing friends over the MCAT could be a thread of its own. The thing is, she was telling me on Thursday that no matter what we score, it is not a measure of who we are as people. It says nothing of what kind of hearts or minds we have. (I guess that is the rest of the application.)

I was never knocked off of my academic high horse until the MCAT. It shook my world when I did bad in April. I crawled into a hole for a while, doubted myself, and vowed revenge on the test. I am just not used to a test getting the best of me. I know a lot of people here on SDN are not used to it either.

I felt "dumb" for about a week, then I got mad and started to study harder than I ever have. I actually got a book called "501 verbal reasoning questions." I read 100's of simple passages and poetry and answered all 501 questions. I felt like a child, learning to read again. I even read a book called, "How to Read and Understand." I worked through EKs VR book a total of five times, all of the PR, BETZ, ARCO and Kaplan VR practice material, and took all 6AAMC tests. In total, I think I answered 2000+++ verbal questions. It bought me seven more points. I don't feel any smarter now, I feel like I jumped through another hoop.

As for my friend, she did the same amount of prep as me, and (I am guessing) no improvement. What a crap shoot. I wish she would call me. . .

 

[geromine]

Since we're telling MCAT stories here, I'll tell mine.

I took a lot of MCAT practice tests before I took it in April. I took the PR course and studied really hard and everything. I was starting to do really well in the science sections but no matter what I did, my verbal score would not go up. The week before the test I took the AAMC test #6 and I got a 7. Down from the 8 I had gotten the week before. I was about to cry. So I went in on test day took the verbal and immediately started with the hardest passage and I was rushing and sweating and bearly finished 8 passages out of 9. I came out feeling horrible about it. I totally was about to sign up for the august test. THen I got my results: a 10 on the verbal. I was more relieved than happy. This damned test is so unpredictable and it is so nerve wrecking.

So my advice is to take your scores with a grain of salt and dont give up because it doesn't say anything about how good a doctor you will be or even how good you do on standardized tests. At some point it just becomes a function of your luck and how you felt on test day. I'm just glad I never have to deal with anything like this again.

 

[Amy B]

Don't they give us the MCAt to make us feel awful?

I would like to share a bit of advice.

My very dear friend and I have gone to school together, took Kaplan and took the MCAT together twice. We both agreed in the VERY beginning NOT to tell each other our scores. We did not want the scores to affect our friendship like the posters above mentioned. We figured if one of us did poorly and the other did better, it would forever make one of us feel inadaquate and we didn't want that.

We have stuck to that pact, although she did tell me her score after she was accepted to the med school she wanted to go to.

I would strongly suggest for your friendship's sake as well as your sanity to think twice about telling anyone your score.