General AMCAS advice/MCAT glitch

[bk529]

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I just joined SDN, so hello everyone! 🙂I am a FGLI student with no family in medicine, so I'm hoping to get some advice from fellow med school applicants/students on this platform!

I am waiting on secondaries right now, and I wanted to ask for people's thoughts/advice on explaining my MCAT score. I got a 515 on 4/13/24, which was when there was a nationwide glitch during B/B that seriously impacted my performance. Although I know a 515 is a good score, it was a lot lower than I had anticipated after averaging around 519 on my practice exams. I went to a T5 undergrad, and my advisor had suggested that I use some secondary prompts (i.e. "anything you'd like to add") to address the glitch just to provide some context for my application to T20 schools. My concern is that I know a lot of schools don't necessarily have "additional info" prompts; I was just wondering how you all would approach this situation?

Also, I'm feeling a little discouraged and isolated by this process and wanted some advice from you all. I'm applying to 30 schools, about half of which are T20. I feel confident in my application (3.9 GPA) in all regards other than the MCAT, as I've also gotten my MPH and am a non-trad pre-med. Are my dreams for a T20 futile? Thank you all for your kindness in advance ❤️

P.S. as I've just learned about these: WARS 105; LM 73.5

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Welcome to the forums.

For what it's worth, 515 is a solid score. I presume with your WARS/LM scores, your GPA is solid.

Was the glitch ever reported and investigated? Schools are going to presume that the score you have is your true result, and blaming a score on a "glitch" sounds like sour grapes, and that's not a good look. The testmakers have ways to adjust your B/B score to minimize or eliminate the effect of the nationwide glitch.

Usually, if a glitch is investigated, the MCAT team will publish its findings and either allow you to retake (if it's serious) or notify admissions offices about the irregularity. That said, in my experience, any testing anomaly has never crossed my mailbox. It just sounds like the MCAT scorers made adjustments (according to protocols), and you actually finished with the score you earned. (Many people wind up with scores lower than their FL trends.)

I don't have your application to make any suggestions about what you should do. It sounds like you have already submitted your application and intend to apply to the T20 schools anyway. Any school list should be properly balanced with target and reach schools, and I think having half of your 30 schools be reach schools... well, that's your preference.

 

[CBass2288]

sorry that the glitch happened. i heard about it, no fun. no one can really say how much it impacted scores.

Was the glitch ever reported and investigated? Schools are going to presume that the score you have is your true result, and blaming a score on a "glitch" sounds like sour grapes, and that's not a good look. The testmakers have ways to adjust your B/B score to minimize or eliminate the effect of the nationwide glitch.

i do agree with this statement in how you should proceed.

Are my dreams for a T20 futile?

you've got good enough stats for a T20. i would definitely say more so in the 10-20 range, a 515 is gonna be a stretch for all T5 and most T10. i wouldn't say your chances are futile with your situation, you never know! but i wouldn't say they're amazing.

regardless of whether you had a 515 or 519, T20 chances are never guaranteed. with 15/30 schools being T20, and all of those are reaches for you, you need to add more schools. gotta be balanced. add at least 10 target/baseline schools that your MCAT and GPA are at average or above, and most should be above. give yourself as much of a guarantee as possible. realistically, with a 30 school list, you should have started with 5-10 reaches, 10-15 targets, and 5-10 baselines.

 

[bk529]

Welcome to the forums.

For what it's worth, 515 is a solid score. I presume with your WARS/LM scores, your GPA is solid.

Was the glitch ever reported and investigated? Schools are going to presume that the score you have is your true result, and blaming a score on a "glitch" sounds like sour grapes, and that's not a good look. The testmakers have ways to adjust your B/B score to minimize or eliminate the effect of the nationwide glitch.

Usually, if a glitch is investigated, the MCAT team will publish its findings and either allow you to retake (if it's serious) or notify admissions offices about the irregularity. That said, in my experience, any testing anomaly has never crossed my mailbox. It just sounds like the MCAT scorers made adjustments (according to protocols), and you actually finished with the score you earned. (Many people wind up with scores lower than their FL trends.)

I don't have your application to make any suggestions about what you should do. It sounds like you have already submitted your application and intend to apply to the T20 schools anyway. Any school list should be properly balanced with target and reach schools, and I think having half of your 30 schools be reach schools... well, that's your preference.

I appreciate your reply! Yes, the glitch was reported and investigated; retakes were offered, AMCAS released a statement about it, and admissions committees were notified. My undergrad pre-health advisor was the one who specifically instructed me to contextualize the score if I had the option to, as the exam date was a cycle ago and adcoms might have forgotten about it. In regards to my school list, about 11 are T20 schools. I still have the ability to add more targets!

 

[bk529]

sorry that the glitch happened. i heard about it, no fun. no one can really say how much it impacted scores.

i do agree with this statement in how you should proceed.


you've got good enough stats for a T20. i would definitely say more so in the 10-20 range, a 515 is gonna be a stretch for all T5 and most T10. i wouldn't say your chances are futile with your situation, you never know! but i wouldn't say they're amazing.

regardless of whether you had a 515 or 519, T20 chances are never guaranteed. with 15/30 schools being T20, and all of those are reaches for you, you need to add more schools. gotta be balanced. add at least 10 target/baseline schools that your MCAT and GPA are at average or above, and most should be above. give yourself as much of a guarantee as possible. realistically, with a 30 school list, you should have started with 5-10 reaches, 10-15 targets, and 5-10 baselines.

Definitely! I know T20 are reach schools for mostly everyone - this process is very unpredictable. I exaggerated a bit when I said about half were T20 schools, I do have a mix of targets and in-state schools. I'm going to go over my list with some undergrad advisors and see what they think! In regards to the MCAT, I clarified in my reply to Mr.Smile12.