Does taking the MCAT multiple times look bad?

[spinaldoc]

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How many times is not good?

 

[iA-MD2013]

Nobody can give you a definite answer. Taking it 5 times before getting a 30+ is not a good thing! But taking the test 2 times and getting a 5+ point improvement the second time should look good!

 

[bobsagat]

How many times is not good?

This is second hand information from a director of admissions at an osteopathic school, so maybe take it with a grain of NaCl 🙂)) but I was told by him that their office begins to raise their eyebrows if you take the test five times or if your score is five years old.

 

[dynezxice]

I agree with jgberken. Make sure when you take the mcat, make it count!

 

[Caesar]

How many times is not good?

1: Go into the exam expecting to only need to take it once. Why waste the money and time studying and taking it twice? That being said if you have to retake it by all means do.

2: When retaking read the 30+ thread and pick a different strategy than you used last time.

How it looks depends by school. A couple only look at your most recent and may not care how many times you took it. Some look at your highest and they will look more closely I imagine.

Take it as many times as you need to get a good score, but try not to do it more than 2 or 3 times. Less is more.

 

[tmntdonjuan]

It's the same rules as the SAT. Ideally you shouldn't take it more than 2-3 times. If you do end up taking it more than once, make sure there is improvement in your score by at least a few points. You don't want to re-take the test and get the same score again. THAT looks bad.