Got an Average MCAT score...not what?

[izzybelle]

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Hey Guys...

so I finally got the courage to check my MCAT score, and I ended up getting a 30. 10 BS, 9 VS, and 11 BS. I will admit that I was VERY disappointed. I guess I have very high standards for myself. I have a 3.90 GPA, hundreds of hours of volunteering, even volunteering in Africa, leadership experience, etc. i have no idea what happened on this....I am just really devastated and I guess I didn't study well on the MCAT as I had though. To be honest, I am so incredibly exhausted to study again. I am just wondering if this is even really worth it to retake it? or even take a year off...I don't know. please give me some advice!

 

[Didierdrogba]

Hey Guys...

so I finally got the courage to check my MCAT score, and I ended up getting a 30. 10 BS, 9 VS, and 11 BS. I will admit that I was VERY disappointed. I guess I have very high standards for myself. I have a 3.90 GPA, hundreds of hours of volunteering, even volunteering in Africa, leadership experience, etc. i have no idea what happened on this....I am just really devastated and I guess I didn't study well on the MCAT as I had though. To be honest, I am so incredibly exhausted to study again. I am just wondering if this is even really worth it to retake it? or even take a year off...I don't know. please give me some advice!

Average is not half empty, it's half full. 50% of people who get in have worse scores than yours. you are ok if you just want to aim for state schools. if you are sure you can do better, retake.

 

[DoktorO]

Apply to 2 reach schools maximum. Apply to instate schools and safeties and you'll get in somewhere. A 30 wont get you pre screened out of the pre screening process.

 

[izzybelle]

i know i can do SO much better! i was scoring 13s on PS and BS on my practice tests...verbal was always very difficult for me for some reason. I don't know..this was just such a disappointment. I really have no idea what happened. Do you think I should retake or just have faith in my resume? It was my dream to attend top notch medical schools...i know it sounds so presumptuous given my MCAT score. This was just really unexpected. =( the worst thing is...i got accepted to play violin on this music trip to london/paris this summer. Now, I have to cancel and might have to study for MCAT. Really, what should I do?

 

[Mt Kilimanjaro]

i know i can do SO much better! i was scoring 13s on PS and BS on my practice tests...verbal was always very difficult for me for some reason. I don't know..this was just such a disappointment. I really have no idea what happened. Do you think I should retake or just have faith in my resume? It was my dream to attend top notch medical schools...i know it sounds so presumptuous given my MCAT score. This was just really unexpected. =( the worst thing is...i got accepted to play violin on this music trip to london/paris this summer. Now, I have to cancel and might have to study for MCAT. Really, what should I do?

I think you should drop your fixation on arbitrary rankings, keep the score, and apply to schools where you are competitive.

 

[ericksonj15]

.

 

[DAPI]

Qestions to ask yourself

1) Will I be happy at a mid-low tier school?
2) Will I regret not playing violin in Paris?
3) Will studing over the summer actually result in a better score? If so, will my late application make it a mute point anyways?

Best two options I see are apply this cycle with your current score, go to Paris, and settle (if I can even use that word here) for a non-top tier school. Or don't apply this year, go to Paris this summer, study for a January or March test (depending how much of a break you want to recharge), and apply next year.

 

[Huskies88]

Don't retake a 30! Your score is very balanced and will get you in somewhere. Your GPA is excellent and it sounds like you have interesting ECs. Work on the rest of your application (i.e. clinical experience, strong personal statement, strong LORs) if your shooting for top tier schools.

 

[WillburCobb]

I think you should drop your fixation on arbitrary rankings, keep the score, and apply to schools where you are competitive.

👍👍👍

Also, when did the distribution curve for MCAT scores shift 5 points? I can't believe I missed something like that!

 

[mimelim]

Hey Guys...

so I finally got the courage to check my MCAT score, and I ended up getting a 30. 10 BS, 9 VS, and 11 BS. I will admit that I was VERY disappointed. I guess I have very high standards for myself. I have a 3.90 GPA, hundreds of hours of volunteering, even volunteering in Africa, leadership experience, etc. i have no idea what happened on this....I am just really devastated and I guess I didn't study well on the MCAT as I had though. To be honest, I am so incredibly exhausted to study again. I am just wondering if this is even really worth it to retake it? or even take a year off...I don't know. please give me some advice!

You sound like you don't know why you got a 30 or how you could do better on it. Based on that alone, it would be incredibly unwise to retake it.

Advice: Take a week or two to think about this. Are there some people that can/should retake a 30? Yes. Should most? Absolutely not. There are downsides to taking more time to study, not the least of which is having to dedicate several months to do hardcore studying. Remember that not everyone can score high on the MCAT simply by studying harder/longer. A lot of the problem solving/verbal skills are things that they learned growing up/at an earlier stage than the 3 months prior to taking the exam.

 

[Propylene]

It will be harder to get into the "top" programs with a 30 but I would disagree with the above poster who says to only apply to two schools in the high tier. Your GPA is great and will help you get interviews.

It's a hard choice to make but with a 30 you have a very good chance of being accepted somewhere. Apply broadly just to hedge your bets, though.

Good luck!

 

[notbobtrustme]

get into med school and move on with your life. The only people who care about where you go to med school are your parents.

 

[alpinism]

You sound like you don't know why you got a 30 or how you could do better on it. Based on that alone, it would be incredibly unwise to retake it.

Advice: Take a week or two to think about this. Are there some people that can/should retake a 30? Yes. Should most? Absolutely not. There are downsides to taking more time to study, not the least of which is having to dedicate several months to do hardcore studying. Remember that not everyone can score high on the MCAT simply by studying harder/longer. A lot of the problem solving/verbal skills are things that they learned growing up/at an earlier stage than the 3 months prior to taking the exam.

Solid advice.

OP, unless you were consistently scoring 34+ on the timed aamc practice tests, just take the score and run with it. A 30 is a competitive score (>75th percentile) and is not easy to get. With your GPA and ECs you should have a good shot at some great schools, just prob not those in the top 10.

 

[izzybelle]

well..i guess i don't want to go to a low-tier school...i want to get into a mid-high tier school considering the rest of my application without my MCAT. I have 100+ shadowing hours and 100+ hospital volunteering hours. I will admit...my MCAT scores on AAMCs were not consistent...i was SO nervous of doing bad,but I pulled it together by the end and remained calm for the test. I was hoping that would be enough. I literally put in my entire heart into studying for this test...and it's just really disappointing. I know i sound ridiculous, but i guess i am just venting now. i go to SLU now, and i just want to go to a medical school better than SLU. i definitely don't want to stay here...had a very bad undergrad experience.

 

[ericksonj15]

.

 

[Fakhter]

get into med school and move on with your life. The only people who care about where you go to med school are your parents.

I second this there is no shame in getting a 30. Think about all the med school hopefuls who attained a much lower MCAT score. If I received a 30 i'd be really happy and focus on my application as a whole. Stop crying about getting a 30.

 

[ilikevegetables]

i know i can do SO much better! i was scoring 13s on PS and BS on my practice tests...verbal was always very difficult for me for some reason. I don't know..this was just such a disappointment. I really have no idea what happened. Do you think I should retake or just have faith in my resume? It was my dream to attend top notch medical schools...i know it sounds so presumptuous given my MCAT score. This was just really unexpected. =( the worst thing is...i got accepted to play violin on this music trip to london/paris this summer. Now, I have to cancel and might have to study for MCAT. Really, what should I do?

I was in an eerily similar spot to yours last year. I decided not to retake since I wouldn't be able to retake until late and my score, like yours, was good enough to likely get in somewhere given the rest of my application. It worked out pretty well for me - I definitely hoped for a top tier but wasn't super dead-set on that idea (location was most important to me). More info on my mdapps if you're interested, or you can PM me 🙂.

 

[exquisitemelody]

If you truly were getting 13s consistently, and you think you can get at least the same verbal score, I guess you can go ahead and retake and take the risk of getting lower.

Take a year off, do your music thing this summer, and retake the mcat when possible. Find something productive to do during your gap year, and get the MCAT score you want. If you get lower...well...guess you could always take it a third time. Don't know how that would look for a top tier school, but at least you can say you tried.

 

[chillaxbro]

well..i guess i don't want to go to a low-tier school...i want to get into a mid-high tier school considering the rest of my application without my MCAT. I have 100+ shadowing hours and 100+ hospital volunteering hours. I will admit...my MCAT scores on AAMCs were not consistent...i was SO nervous of doing bad,but I pulled it together by the end and remained calm for the test. I was hoping that would be enough. I literally put in my entire heart into studying for this test...and it's just really disappointing. I know i sound ridiculous, but i guess i am just venting now. i go to SLU now, and i just want to go to a medical school better than SLU. i definitely don't want to stay here...had a very bad undergrad experience.

That's not a spectacular amount of hours. That's like 6 months of volunteering. Many people volunteer for 2+ years. Do you have research? Do you have community service? Am I just being a neurotic SDNer?

 

[Elevencents]

If your EC foundation is 100 hours of volunteering and 100 hours of shadowing, your MCAT score won't be what keeps you out of a top tier school. Although all this tier talk is pretty silly to me.

 

[circulus vitios]

You have a slightly above average application.

You think you're mid to top tier material.

 

[izzybelle]

That's not a spectacular amount of hours. That's like 6 months of volunteering. Many people volunteer for 2+ years. Do you have research? Do you have community service? Am I just being a neurotic SDNer?

yup I have research, i volunteer at a free clinic in my spare time, i tutor disadvantaged youth, and i'm going to honduras in winter to provide medical service. i do believe i have a strong applicaiton. my science GPA is 3.9 too. i have an excellent commitee rating and three additional LORs, and am on eboard for 2 yrs of a club. Keep in mind, I did all of this at the same time over the past 2 years and have a decent number of hours in everything.

i know my normal application is competitive...i just fear med schools with really good programs won't even consider me because of the 30.

Again, i just found out score today so i'm kinda still venting.

 

[music2doc]

well..i guess i don't want to go to a low-tier school...i want to get into a mid-high tier school considering the rest of my application without my MCAT. I have 100+ shadowing hours and 100+ hospital volunteering hours. I will admit...my MCAT scores on AAMCs were not consistent...i was SO nervous of doing bad,but I pulled it together by the end and remained calm for the test. I was hoping that would be enough. I literally put in my entire heart into studying for this test...and it's just really disappointing. I know i sound ridiculous, but i guess i am just venting now. i go to SLU now, and i just want to go to a medical school better than SLU. i definitely don't want to stay here...had a very bad undergrad experience.

Your description of your application is breaking down before our eyes....

You're not a strong candidate for the mid-tier medical schools. You're probably a good candidate for the lower 30-50%. A 30 MCAT is fine and it's balanced. I would stick with what you've got if your AAMCs were inconsistent. Personally, I was scoring high 30s consistently and ended up scoring about 5 points below my average (mean, median, AND mode) and even below my lowest test score. It sucks, but there is a certain amount of randomness involved. I didn't retake because, frankly, your chances of doing worse with a 30+ are pretty high and if it happens, you're SOL as now you get the joy of explaining to every interviewer why you made that poor decision....

As for the rest of your app, it's not mid-tier worthy, either. 100+ hospital volunteering hours? Funny stuff. 100+ hours of shadowing? WTF were you doing that it took you 100+ hrs of following around some poor physician before you figured out what he does?!?

Finally, if your UG was so bad, are your LORs going to reflect that? Did you build outstanding relationships with your professors or are they going to be lukewarm and/or impersonal letters?

Just some thoughts...you may want to humble yourself to getting into any medical school.

 

[Aerus]

yup I have research, i volunteer at a free clinic in my spare time, i tutor disadvantaged youth, and i'm going to honduras in winter to provide medical service. i do believe i have a strong applicaiton. my science GPA is 3.9 too. i have an excellent commitee rating and three additional LORs, and am on eboard for 2 yrs of a club. Keep in mind, I did all of this at the same time over the past 2 years and have a decent number of hours in everything.

i know my normal application is competitive...i just fear med schools with really good programs won't even consider me because of the 30.

Again, i just found out score today so i'm kinda still venting.

Other than your GPA, your application is pretty average. I would just stick with the 30 and apply low tier and mid tier. An MD is an MD. They're all excellent schools.

 

[circulus vitios]

Guys, you don't understand. He took a volunteering vacation to Honduras!

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

yup I have research, i volunteer at a free clinic in my spare time, i tutor disadvantaged youth, and i'm going to honduras in winter to provide medical service. i do believe i have a strong applicaiton. my science GPA is 3.9 too. i have an excellent commitee rating and three additional LORs, and am on eboard for 2 yrs of a club. Keep in mind, I did all of this at the same time over the past 2 years and have a decent number of hours in everything.

i know my normal application is competitive...i just fear med schools with really good programs won't even consider me because of the 30.

Again, i just found out score today so i'm kinda still venting.

None of that is top tier material. Top tiers want to see EC achievements. If you're describing your ECs in terms of how much time you put into them, you don't have what top tier schools want.

Even if you had gotten a 38+ on your MCAT you still wouldn't have been competitive for top tier schools.

 

[bambam92]

Hey Guys...

so I finally got the courage to check my MCAT score, and I ended up getting a 30. 10 BS, 9 VS, and 11 BS. I will admit that I was VERY disappointed. I guess I have very high standards for myself. I have a 3.90 GPA, hundreds of hours of volunteering, even volunteering in Africa, leadership experience, etc. i have no idea what happened on this....I am just really devastated and I guess I didn't study well on the MCAT as I had though. To be honest, I am so incredibly exhausted to study again. I am just wondering if this is even really worth it to retake it? or even take a year off...I don't know. please give me some advice!

Okay if you were pinning 13's on practice tests I would definitely retake! Chances of you scoring lower than 30 are not that high if this is true. If you retake the MCAT and score 35+ you WILL be competitive for top tier schools! And all these people on this forum calling the OP an average applicant with a 3.9 science/overall gpa are kind of douches. I doubt half of them have a 3.9..but anyways🙄 If OP retakes MCAT and scores 35+ coupled with listed extracurriculars and a 3.9 gpa they are a stellar applicant. So there you go OP, study up for another 2 months. Get ahold of some AAMC full lengths again and Kaplan full lengths as well and retake, but only retake if you are consistently hitting 35+ --if not don't bother. Best of luck👍

 

[BABSstudent]

Hey Guys...

so I finally got the courage to check my MCAT score, and I ended up getting a 30. 10 BS, 9 VS, and 11 BS. I will admit that I was VERY disappointed. I guess I have very high standards for myself. I have a 3.90 GPA, hundreds of hours of volunteering, even volunteering in Africa, leadership experience, etc. i have no idea what happened on this....I am just really devastated and I guess I didn't study well on the MCAT as I had though. To be honest, I am so incredibly exhausted to study again. I am just wondering if this is even really worth it to retake it? or even take a year off...I don't know. please give me some advice!

A thirty isn't average. It is above average. Congrats!

 

[bambam92]

None of that is top tier material. Top tiers want to see EC achievements. If you're describing your ECs in terms of how much time you put into them, you don't have what top tier schools want.

Even if you had gotten a 38+ on your MCAT you still wouldn't have been competitive for top tier schools.

You are confused man! Do you realize a 38 on the MCAT is in the 99.1 percentile!?! The OP has a 3.9 science/overall gpa..you still with me?? Your comment makes you look like an uninformed pre-med clown The OP is clearly very involved in extra curricula's, has research so he/she says, and a strong gpa. Check out the AAMC for MCAT percentiles before you go making uninformed comments.https://www.aamc.org/students/download/320554/data/combined12.pdf.pdf
The mean MCAT score for all test takers is a 25 btw man--just to give you some perspective on where a 38 is. A 38 is where the air is rare, wayy up there. I doubt you will ever know what the oxygen is like in that stratosphere with these comments. Anyways the hypothetically if OP scores a 38+ paired with their 3.9 science/overall gpa they certainly will be competitive for top tiers...in fact these stats are the essence of top tier med schools. Know your stuff before making ludicrous comments.

 

[Lucky Louie]

well..i guess i don't want to go to a low-tier school...i want to get into a mid-high tier school considering the rest of my application without my MCAT.

I suggest you drop your fascination with rankings. There really are no "tiers" in med schools! There are better-known schools, but you'll get the same knowledge from any one. Besides, it's how you do in STEP 1 tests and where you go for residency that matters most.

i go to SLU now, and i just want to go to a medical school better than SLU. i definitely don't want to stay here...had a very bad undergrad experience.

Hey, hey, hey hold on there izzybelle! Anything with a Louie in its name is terrific: Louisville, Washington University in St Louis, and of course, Saint Louis University. Sorry you had a bad UG experience though.

 

[The Beyonder]

yup I have research, i volunteer at a free clinic in my spare time, i tutor disadvantaged youth, and i'm going to honduras in winter to provide medical service. i do believe i have a strong applicaiton. my science GPA is 3.9 too. i have an excellent commitee rating and three additional LORs, and am on eboard for 2 yrs of a club. Keep in mind, I did all of this at the same time over the past 2 years and have a decent number of hours in everything.

i know my normal application is competitive...i just fear med schools with really good programs won't even consider me because of the 30.

Again, i just found out score today so i'm kinda still venting.

Just take a few days. Decide what you want to do in two weeks. The disappointment is to fresh to make a decision now.

 

[mimelim]

Okay if you were pinning 13's on practice tests I would definitely retake! Chances of you scoring lower than 30 are not that high if this is true. If you retake the MCAT and score 35+ you WILL be competitive for top tier schools! And all these people on this forum calling the OP an average applicant with a 3.9 science/overall gpa are kind of douches. I doubt half of them have a 3.9..but anyways🙄 If OP retakes MCAT and scores 35+ coupled with listed extracurriculars and a 3.9 gpa they are a stellar applicant. So there you go OP, study up for another 2 months. Get ahold of some AAMC full lengths again and Kaplan full lengths as well and retake, but only retake if you are consistently hitting 35+ --if not don't bother. Best of luck👍

I'm sorry, but this is not true. I've heard of one person going from 30 to 38+ and that was because they were sick enough to be admitted to the hospital the following morning secondary to ehrlichiosis. It is hard to go from 75 percentile to 99+ percentile based on basic preparation, ESPECIALLY, if you don't know why almost immediately after taking the test. If you walked out and said, holy crap, I didn't study half the stuff on the test, that is one thing. If you studied your ass off and did a review course and got a 30, it is hard to imagine doing several months of prep and drastically improving.

Second, 3.9/35+ will get you interest from a lot of schools, if not every school. But, at the top end that interest will dry up VERY quickly if you have zero production outside of academics. There are enough stellar applicants from a numbers perspective to easily fill every seat in the top schools. They look for achievement in ECs and production. If you are counting in hours, you are doing it wrong.

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

You are confused man! Do you realize a 38 on the MCAT is in the 99.1 percentile!?! The OP has a 3.9 science/overall gpa..you still with me?? Your comment makes you look like an uninformed pre-med clown The OP is clearly very involved in extra curricula's, has research so he/she says, and a strong gpa. Check out the AAMC for MCAT percentiles before you go making uninformed comments.https://www.aamc.org/students/download/320554/data/combined12.pdf.pdf
The mean MCAT score for all test takers is a 25 btw man--just to give you some perspective on where a 38 is. A 38 is where the air is rare, wayy up there. I doubt you will ever know what the oxygen is like in that stratosphere with these comments. Anyways the hypothetically if OP scores a 38+ paired with their 3.9 science/overall gpa they certainly will be competitive for top tiers...in fact these stats are the essence of top tier med schools. Know your stuff before making ludicrous comments.

Actually I made a 39 on my MCAT, so yes I do know what it's like to be up in the stratosphere as you put it.

As for your other points, stats aren't everything. As a guy with high stats, I'm well aware of this fact. Top tier schools have no shortage of high stats candidates. At those schools, a high MCAT and high GPA aren't impressive, they're expected. They reject 40 MCAT, 4.0 GPA candidates all the time because they don't have anything else impressive about them. What top tier schools want are people who have excelled both inside and outside academia. It's not enough to have a ton of clinical and non-clinical volunteering hours, shadowing hours, and research hours, you need to have actually done something brag worthy.

 

[supafly0]

Hey OP the time you spend restudying for the MCAT could be better spent buffing up ur resume. Even with the "desired" stats, with no outstanding EC's (unless you do that Europe thinggy even then) "top" school are a crapshoot.

 

[milski]

Actually I made a 39 on my MCAT, so yes I do know what it's like to be up in the stratosphere as you put it.

As for your other points, stats aren't everything. As a guy with high stats, I'm well aware of this fact. Top tier schools have no shortage of high stats candidates. At those schools, a high MCAT and high GPA aren't impressive, they're expected. They reject 40 MCAT, 4.0 GPA candidates all the time because they don't have anything else impressive about them. What top tier schools want are people who have excelled both inside and outside academia. It's not enough to have a ton of clinical and non-clinical volunteering hours, shadowing hours, and research hours, you need to have actually done something brag worthy.

Apologies for hijacking the thread, but what if that excellence is a field completely unrelated to medicine?

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

Apologies for hijacking the thread, but what if that excellence is a field completely unrelated to medicine?

That's ideal. Med schools like to see you have a life outside medicine and science. Being captain of a varsity sports team would be a big deal. Having military honors would be a big deal. Being a successfully published fiction writer would be a big deal. You get the idea.

 

[Noggin]

OP I have the exact same score as you and am very happy with it. You also have a higher GPA than me. My advice would be to absolutely not retake the mcat. There is a good chance that you will get in somewhere. It may not be a top-tier but who cares? If your goal is to be a physician and provide service to others it should not matter where your MD comes form.

 

[MaenadsDance]

Actually I made a 39 on my MCAT, so yes I do know what it's like to be up in the stratosphere as you put it.

As for your other points, stats aren't everything. As a guy with high stats, I'm well aware of this fact. Top tier schools have no shortage of high stats candidates. At those schools, a high MCAT and high GPA aren't impressive, they're expected. They reject 40 MCAT, 4.0 GPA candidates all the time because they don't have anything else impressive about them. What top tier schools want are people who have excelled both inside and outside academia. It's not enough to have a ton of clinical and non-clinical volunteering hours, shadowing hours, and research hours, you need to have actually done something brag worthy.

I actually agree with the substance of your comment, but this stuck out to me. The number of applicants who have both a 4.0 GPA and an MCAT score 39+ is fairly small, and the "all the time" seems like it's missing the point. It's not that there are so many applicants with high stats that the Ivies are rejecting them right and left, it's more that even the top ten schools want to admit something other than the academic whiz kids. Or am I off base here?

Here's where I'm drawing this from: https://www.aamc.org/download/321508/data/2012factstable24.pdf

In a three year period, something like 1400 students with grades >3.8 and an MCAT in the 39-45 range applied, and 1250 were accepted; that's something like four hundred students with exceptional stats per year. Not enough to fill the classes of every top school.

Or am I missing your point?

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

I actually agree with the substance of your comment, but this stuck out to me. The number of applicants who have both a 4.0 GPA and an MCAT score 39+ is fairly small, and the "all the time" seems like it's missing the point. It's not that there are so many applicants with high stats that the Ivies are rejecting them right and left, it's more that even the top ten schools want to admit something other than the academic whiz kids. Or am I off base here?

Here's where I'm drawing this from: https://www.aamc.org/download/321508/data/2012factstable24.pdf

In a three year period, something like 1400 students with grades >3.8 and an MCAT in the 39-45 range applied, and 1250 were accepted; that's something like four hundred students with exceptional stats per year. Not enough to fill the classes of every top school.

Or am I missing your point?

Yes, you're right, it's not that there are so many 4.0/40 applicants that the top schools can't hold them all, it's that after a certain point they put the focus on things other than stats. That was my point.

 

[MaenadsDance]

Lol DERP. Sorry!

 

[Dbate]

If you think you can do better, then retake it!

On my first test, I got a 30 (which was alot lower than the 34 I had been averaging).

On my retake I got a 35, and I am very happy that I retook the test.

It will be a long, hard road, but you can do it!

 

[hanssfj]

Apply to instate schools and safeties and you'll get in somewhere.

 

[MrChance2]

Where do you want to go to school? 3.9/30 has an 83% chance of getting accepted into USMD school. 3.9/35 has an 87% chance.

You should get in with your scores. If you are picky about what school you want to go to then you could retake.

 

[chemsmith]

stock up on sunscreen

 

[Narmerguy]

I think you'd be risking a lot for an unsure chance at acceptance to a top school. Nothing is guaranteed, but in your case I think it would definitely be a challenge to get into the top tier schools from the bit you've shared with us so far. You can make a thread in the WAMC to get more direct advice about your app and what schools may be realistic for you.

I would only retake if you were consistently nailing better in your practice exams, you have a burning, unyielding desire to get into a top school, or you felt that there was something unlucky about your particular test (nerves, unfamiliar material you hadn't studied, bad day in general, etc).

 

[sliceofbread136]

Okay if you were pinning 13's on practice tests I would definitely retake! Chances of you scoring lower than 30 are not that high if this is true. If you retake the MCAT and score 35+ you WILL be competitive for top tier schools! And all these people on this forum calling the OP an average applicant with a 3.9 science/overall gpa are kind of douches. I doubt half of them have a 3.9..but anyways🙄 If OP retakes MCAT and scores 35+ coupled with listed extracurriculars and a 3.9 gpa they are a stellar applicant. So there you go OP, study up for another 2 months. Get ahold of some AAMC full lengths again and Kaplan full lengths as well and retake, but only retake if you are consistently hitting 35+ --if not don't bother. Best of luck👍

This is flat out wrong. I had a 77 LizzyM score with 10 different mundane activities. The only top 20s I got were in Texas. These schools don't rly give a **** about high GPA and MCAT, they care about achievements.

 

[sliceofbread136]

You are confused man! Do you realize a 38 on the MCAT is in the 99.1 percentile!?! The OP has a 3.9 science/overall gpa..you still with me?? Your comment makes you look like an uninformed pre-med clown The OP is clearly very involved in extra curricula's, has research so he/she says, and a strong gpa. Check out the AAMC for MCAT percentiles before you go making uninformed comments.https://www.aamc.org/students/download/320554/data/combined12.pdf.pdf
The mean MCAT score for all test takers is a 25 btw man--just to give you some perspective on where a 38 is. A 38 is where the air is rare, wayy up there. I doubt you will ever know what the oxygen is like in that stratosphere with these comments. Anyways the hypothetically if OP scores a 38+ paired with their 3.9 science/overall gpa they certainly will be competitive for top tiers...in fact these stats are the essence of top tier med schools. Know your stuff before making ludicrous comments.

This post made me laugh. You have no idea what you are talking about...

 

[LizzyM]

This is flat out wrong. I had a 77 LizzyM score with 10 different mundane activities. The only top 20s I got were in Texas. These schools don't rly give a **** about high GPA and MCAT, they care about achievements.

They care about stats and activities and personality and yield. If you are a TX resident who looks to be interested in TX schools, some of the other schools will say, "He's going to stay in TX, let's look at the applicants we have a higher chance of actually attracting here."

 

[alpinism]

This is flat out wrong. I had a 77 LizzyM score with 10 different mundane activities. The only top 20s I got were in Texas. These schools don't rly give a **** about high GPA and MCAT, they care about achievements.

They want applicants w/ all 3 (GPA, MCAT, and achievements).

 

[Dbate]

They care about stats and activities and personality and yield. If you are a TX resident who looks to be interested in TX schools, some of the other schools will say, "He's going to stay in TX, let's look at the applicants we have a higher chance of actually attracting here."

That really doesn't seem fair to penalize someone because of the state they are from.