Explaining a Bad MCAT section on secondary

[amg_la]

The day before my mcat I had an accident and spent the better part of the previous night 4-10:30pm in urgent care/ER waiting to see a physician to get stitches on my face. i ended up leaving before ever seeing a physician because I had to drive 45 minutes to my air b&b next to the testing center. I was psychologically rattled and losing my mind. I took the test and managed a 513 with great section scores but a very very low CARS. 513:129/124/130/130

would it be helpful to try to explain this in a secondary question such as this:

Is there any further information that you would like the Committee on Admissions to be aware of when reviewing your file that you were not able to notate in another section of this or the AMCAS Application?

what would be the best way to explain this rather than making excuses for a poor test performance?

any help would be appreciated, thanks.

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[AttemptingScholar]

That question is often the "here is your chance to explain any weak parts of your app question" but I would wait for more experienced people than me to confirm before you submit. My vote is that it's okay, though.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

NO. Your overall score is competitive, despite a 124, which isn't a death sentence. CARS (check the MSAR) tends to have the lowest 10th%ile, and you'll be fine. Do not draw attention to "negatives" on secondaries (or medical school interviews) unless specifically asked. I.e., if there were a secondary prompt stating "If you scored <125 on any section of your MCAT, please describe why."

Additionally, your explanation will only make you look bad. I'm sorry you had to go through something the day before your MCAT, but adcoms will not see it as an explanation for a 124, rather, they will see you as an applicant with poor judgement who simply took the MCAT then, even though that isn't true.

 

[Goro]

The day before my mcat I had an accident and spent the better part of the previous night 4-10:30pm in urgent care/ER waiting to see a physician to get stitches on my face. i ended up leaving before ever seeing a physician because I had to drive 45 minutes to my air b&b next to the testing center. I was psychologically rattled and losing my mind. I took the test and managed a 513 with great section scores but a very very low CARS. 513:129/124/130/130

would it be helpful to try to explain this in a secondary question such as this:

Is there any further information that you would like the Committee on Admissions to be aware of when reviewing your file that you were not able to notate in another section of this or the AMCAS Application?

what would be the best way to explain this rather than making excuses for a poor test performance?

any help would be appreciated, thanks.

Why draw attention to a negative?

Why do so many SDNers feel the need to explain anything that is not perfect?

An interviewer may ask you "Why did you take a career-deciding, high stakes exam when you weren't at your best?"