Down in the dumps and unsure of what to do

[gogogadget1499]

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Hey all,

I am a premed and currently a gap year student who was planning on applying to MD/PHD this upcoming cycle. I had to take a gap year due to an unfortunate personal situation that I am dealing with. However, I feel like I have jeopardized any chances I have at medical school due to my MCAT situation.

2 years ago I took my first MCAT. For 4 months I studied using Examkrackers, Kaplan, and all of the AAMC material and scored 85% + on EK, 516+ on Kaplan, 90%+ on the section bank, and 524 and 525 on AAMC Fl 1 and 2 respectively. Two weeks before the test I had some unfortunate personal matters that arose which put me a little off of my pace. However, I still went ahead with the test as I felt prepared enough to take it. After the test I felt a little uneasy but scored it as I had learned to "trust your Fl's". I ended up getting a 513, which is a solid score with a breakdown of 128/124/130/131. Even though I got a good score I was fairly disappointed as I scored 10 points+ lower than my practice tests and my CARS score was very borderline.

I waited for about a year and a half and decided to retake it. I asked for advice on whether or not I should retake my score from my college counselor, several medical school friends, and forums such as SDN and the general consensus was that I should retake it. I knew that the typical advice is not to retake it but I was personally advised to due to the unusual discrepancy between all of my FL's and the real score that I received. Also, there was obvious and attainable room for improvement, especially with CARS. It seemed that I simply had choked on test day. Combined with the personal matter that arose before the test, I felt that I could do much better on a retake as well.

Thus, I retook the test in January of this year. I used Next Step and Altius and scored 518+ on around 8 Fl's and got a 525 on FL 3 from AAMC, which was the only AAMC test that I had not done before. I obviously reviewed all AAMC material as well. Well, I took the test this time around and felt better about it. However, my score turned out to be a 513 again with a 128/126/130/129.

I feel as if I have destroyed any chance I had to become a doctor. I really don't even know what happens to me on test day. I am at a point where I just feel like giving up. It was not as if I retook the test because I felt like I could magically do better. I was consistently scoring substantially higher in every single practice test and wanted my MCAT score to objectively reflect my studying. I also know that I needed a high MCAT to offset my average GPA for MD/PHD programs.

I was wondering whether you guys think my chances at becoming an MD are gone due to what happened on my retake? For over the last month I have felt completely dejected and destroyed and am seeking any sort of advice that can be provided.

Thanks ahead of time.

 

[JustaDO]

Yes, your chances are over since your MCAT was only in the 89th percentile.

 

[gogogadget1499]

Yes, your chances are over since your MCAT was only in the 89th percentile.

Thanks for the quick reply. My question wasn't with the MCAT but rather with what happened with my retake.

 

[chemdoctor]

You feel like you destroyed your chances because you got a 513?

 

[JustaDO]

You scored in a range most only dream of, only on SDN would this be a crisis.

 

[gogogadget1499]

You feel like you destroyed your chances because you got a 513?

Not because I got a 513, but because I got a 513 on my retake as well. I thought that retaking a test and getting a score lower or equal to what one got on the first attempt was lethal for MD

 

[lalalallala]

Not because I got a 513, but because I got a 513 on my retake as well. I thought that retaking a test and getting a score lower or equal to what one got on the first attempt was lethal for MD

If you did worse on the second test then that would be concerning. I don't think this is a big deal that you got the same score twice.

 

[lalalallala]

I think you should just try to put it out of your mind and focus on the rest of your application.

"I feel as if I have destroyed any chance I had to become a doctor." - that is not at all true.

 

[cubsrule4e]

Not because I got a 513, but because I got a 513 on my retake as well. I thought that retaking a test and getting a score lower or equal to what one got on the first attempt was lethal for MD

You're fine.

 

[lalalallala]

I do understand your frustration with not feeling like you did as well as you could have though. I scored much lower on the real thing than i was getting on the full length tests, but sometimes that is how it goes and we have to cut ourselves some slack and move on

 

[gogogadget1499]

You're fine.

Thanks for the response!

 

[gogogadget1499]

I do understand your frustration with not feeling like you did as well as you could have though. I scored much lower on the real thing than i was getting on the full length tests, but sometimes that is how it goes and we have to cut ourselves some slack and move on

I know. It was very frustrating for me because I knew I was capable for much more. I have kind of accepted what happened right now and I am moving on as well even though it is harder said than done.

 

[MadMax2018]

I know you're disappointed but you are fine. You've done what you can do given your situation at the time and you scored the same and not worse so it's ok. Now, you need to move on and get your application in order. Good Luck!

 

[Rachapkis]

I understand being disappointed that your MCAT score fell short of your practice tests. However, your score will give you a good chance of getting an MD. At some point, you have to be proud that your tried your absolute best, and let the chips fall where they may.

 

[Tenk]

If you get asked about it just say you wanted to prove you are consistent and reliable.

 

[CyrusHabs7695]

Dude if you are seriously getting upset about a 513 then you're going to have a very difficult time in med school when scoring average is good. Just get into a school and relax

 

[jurisburger]

The only way you will screw yourself over at this point is if you take the MCAT a third time and potentially score the same or worse. Just apply with what you have and go with it. Good luck!

 

[_TheStruggl3_]

I get that it's hella frustrating, especially with the time invested, but that's a really solid score. And there's more to your application than the MCAT, so maybe it's good to just focus on an activity that will pad your resume and really think about if you want to go through it a 3rd time because like everyone said here, that's a good score.

 

[Goro]

Not because I got a 513, but because I got a 513 on my retake as well. I thought that retaking a test and getting a score lower or equal to what one got on the first attempt was lethal for MD

How many times do we have to tell you that you are fine?

Look, you're fine

Now quit fussing

 

[stickgirl390]

If you don’t get into medical school, it will not be due to your MCAT score

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

While I get that complaining about a 513 might seem ridiculous, let’s try not to attack OP for being concerned. There are numerous threads that say not to retake something like a 513 because doing the same or worse would be bad. So while OP will probably be just fine, it’s not crazy that they might be worried given what they’ve probably read on SDN.

 

[LizzyM]

Retaking a 513 confirms that when the chips are down, this applicant consistently scores 513 which is not too shabby.
What will give the adcoms pause is the fact that the applicant was dissatisfied with a 513 and retook the exam. Perfectionist tendencies can be very dangerous in medical school and adcoms may be screening for that personality type.

 

[freedoctor17]

I think it's good that you retook honestly because the 124 cars hurt your first one a bit. Even though you scored the same the cars went up to a 126 so you're much less likely to get screened out of some places. If anyone asks you could always use that as your excuse too. Just say you were performing better on CARS in practice than you feel the exam showed and thought a retake was necessary to show that.

 

[freelancePsychic]

No one is going to screen you out because you consistently test better than 88% of premeds

 

[Med Ed]

I was wondering whether you guys think my chances at becoming an MD are gone due to what happened on my retake? For over the last month I have felt completely dejected and destroyed and am seeking any sort of advice that can be provided.

If I looked at your scores my assumption would be that you retook the MCAT to address your 124 CARS. The fact that the total score was the same isn't concerning.

The bigger issue here is that two MCAT scores that are above the mean for matriculants has left you "completely dejected and destroyed." @LizzyM is right, so-called maladaptive perfectionism is associated with a number of problems.

 

[chemdoctor]

Dude your thread title makes it seem like you have a 2.9 and a 495 MCAT

 

[gogogadget1499]

Hey guys
Thanks for all the replies. I think the point of confusion is not that my score leaves me dejected and destroyed but the fact I got the same score twice.

Before I made this post I read old SDN posts to make sure that I was not reposting anything. While going through those posts I noticed that the general opinions of people on this forum was that retaking an MCAT and getting a score that was the same or lower would be lethal to medical schools. My concern was not my score but the potential repercussion of getting the same score twice.

I have truly appreciated the help.

 

[Goro]

Resilience is a required trait for medical students.

 

[chemdoctor]

Hey guys
Thanks for all the replies. I think the point of confusion is not that my score leaves me dejected and destroyed but the fact I got the same score twice.

Before I made this post I read old SDN posts to make sure that I was not reposting anything. While going through those posts I noticed that the general opinions of people on this forum was that retaking an MCAT and getting a score that was the same or lower would be lethal to medical schools. My concern was not my score but the potential repercussion of getting the same score twice.

I have truly appreciated the help.

It would make sense if you got a 495 twice. You got a damn good score twice, I don't think you need to be as dramatic as your title suggests. Good luck in applying to med school. I'm sure you'll get in somewhere

 

[studentdoctor2040]

I was in a very similar situation last year. I rushed to study for the test in about 6 weeks on my first go-around, was scoring within what I considered a decent and reflective range, but only took about 3 prac exams to confirm this. Took the exam, scored about 6 points lower than my practice scores, and was super bummed. Waited a year, used better materials (AAMC), took more prac exams, and studied a little longer. Was consistently scoring 7+ points higher than the year before, so I really thought I was ready this time. My final score was only slightly higher than the previous year.

This crushed me, especially since the rest of my app is pretty damn strong. I do get test anxiety, but that has never inhibited my abilities for other national exams or in undergrad. I felt stupid that I'd wasted my time, energy, and money for a few measly points, and worried that adcoms would actually look down upon my "lack of judgement". (Personally, I thought my second test was WAY harder than the one I took the year before -- not sure whether the prac exams are indicative of the changes they're making to the tests.)

Long story short, I applied anyway, (very, very late in the cycle I may add), and have had a successful cycle. When my MCAT is brought up in interviews, I explain exactly what happened: I let them know that my first score wasn't good enough for me so I wanted to try again, tell them my impressive practice scores, talk through my thought process to retake and changes in study methods, and mention that I didn't finish two sections. All of my schools have been receptive to this answer.

I do not think two strong 513s will hurt you, particularly if you can explain your reasoning for retake well, and especially if you have a solid app in all other regards. Hope this helps -- you're not the only one! Keep your head up, and best of luck to you!

PS keep in mind a few schools superscore: Tufts, MCW, UW, and GW if I'm remembering correctly. Not sure if a 515 vs 513 gives you any extra edge, but who knows. I took this into account and it also worked out favorably for me.