horrendously unbalanced 35 - give up?

[aspiring20]

so...i just got my score, and it is:

11/15/9 - PS/VR/BS

first, a lot of mixed emotions

1) 35 is kinda of a high score, so i am happy with this overall sum. my AAMC average is around a 33, and my prediction was a 33 with a 11/11/11 split. so i exceeded my predictions.

2) i have no idea how i managed a 15 on VR. granted, i've always been fairly strong in verbal, but i never scored above a 13 on my practice full-lengths; my most common full-length verbal score is an 11. when i took the MCAT, i felt the verbal was equivalent in difficulty (if not a tad easier) to that of the AAMC.

3) i am happy with my PS performance of 11

4) however, i am disappointed with my 9 in BS, as my biology grades are also the lowest. i was expecting a 10-11 on BS, and that 9 really is an eye sore. because of this 9 and an only modestly high PS score, i feel that my MCAT performance is above average at best.

so the big question is...should i retake the MCAT? or just give up?

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[LizzyM]

you have a link/citation for that? ^

My Dean says that total MCAT is better than any single subsection or combination of subsections of the MCAT and the Dean encourages us to use total score (or average total score if the applicant has taken two or more MCATs).

 

[texan2414]

^^^^ relief!!!!!!!!!

 

[aspiring20]

My Dean says that total MCAT is better than any single subsection or combination of subsections of the MCAT and the Dean encourages us to use total score (or average total score if the applicant has taken two or more MCATs).

your med school wont know anything about voided scores, right? so a voided exam =/= an attempted MCAT and doesnt factor into the average?

 

[soups]

Obvious troll is obvious.

Delicious soup is delicious.

 

[inycepoo]

your med school wont know anything about voided scores, right? so a voided exam =/= an attempted MCAT and doesnt factor into the average?

1) Voided exams never leave the THx system.

2) Even if they did, how would you calculate that into an average (that involves numbers?!?!?!!)

 

[MedOldAge]

your med school wont know anything about voided scores, right? so a voided exam =/= an attempted MCAT and doesnt factor into the average?

1) Voided exams never leave the THx system.

2) Even if they did, how would you calculate that into an average (that involves numbers?!?!?!!)

Hay, roommate, What I like to know is that will the record of void shown/included in the file sending to school(s)...even though it is not calculated......such that the void will be question/asked during the interview?

 

[487806]

Delicious soup is delicious.

 

[aspiring20]

Hay, roommate, What I like to know is that will the record of void shown/included in the file sending to school(s)...even though it is not calculated......such that the void will be question/asked during the interview?

to my knowledge, the AAMC will not report voided scores to any schools, which means that med school will never know that you have voided an exam or exams.

now, if med schools explicitly ask "have you ever voided your MCAT", then you have to come clean. however, i really cant see any med school asking that question. and if med schools only see one MCAT score, they'll automatically assume that you took the exam only once - that's the logical thing to do, imo.

 

[inycepoo]

to my knowledge, the AAMC will not report voided scores to any schools, which means that med school will never know that you have voided an exam or exams.

now, if med schools explicitly ask "have you ever voided your MCAT", then you have to come clean. however, i really cant see any med school asking that question. and if med schools only see one MCAT score, they'll automatically assume that you took the exam only once - that's the logical thing to do, imo.

+1 Why would med schools give two ****s lolol.

 

[chizledfrmstone]

I really really want your VR score.

 

[MedOldAge]

to my knowledge, the AAMC will not report voided scores to any schools, which means that med school will never know that you have voided an exam or exams.

now, if med schools explicitly ask "have you ever voided your MCAT", then you have to come clean. however, i really cant see any med school asking that question. and if med schools only see one MCAT score, they'll automatically assume that you took the exam only once - that's the logical thing to do, imo.

+1 Why would med schools give two ****s lolol.

Thank you to both of you!

 

[inycepoo]

I really really want your VR score.

No ****, who wouldn't? lol

 

[gettheleadout]

^^^^ relief!!!!!!!!!

Assuming you apply to the one school LizzyM is at.

 

[aspiring20]

based on the latest acceptance statistics published by my undergrad alma mater, students who applied with my static (3.3 sGPA and 35 MCAT) have nearly 100% chance of getting into at least one MD.

that's reassuring.

EDIT: is there a rather significant difference between a 35 and a 36? i've heard that adcoms view scores in groups such as 30-31, 32-35, 36-38, and 39+

 

[gettheleadout]

based on the latest acceptance statistics published by my undergrad alma mater, students who applied with my static (3.3 sGPA and 35 MCAT) have nearly 100% chance of getting into at least one MD.

that's reassuring.

EDIT: is there a rather significant difference between a 35 and a 36? i've heard that adcoms view scores in groups such as 30-31, 32-35, 36-38, and 39+

I would be very, very surprised. The difference in percentile rank is literally less than 2%. For most purposes, I would consider 35 and 36 to be equivalent. As far as grouping scores goes, I would imagine it depends on the school (in terms of their mean/median matriculant scores, but also of their goals), and is more useful in grouping applicants in an aggregate manner rather than comparing individuals directly. That is to say I don't believe that, were a 35 to place you into a group below the "36 to whatever" group, it would hurt you when your file would be reviewed closely.

 

[inycepoo]

Assuming you apply to the one school LizzyM is at.

As an "insider" who has worked with the Admissions Office and interacted with many adcom members, there isn't much difference between how the top-tier undergrads review applications. For that reason, I can't really see top medical schools deviating much from this model. Especially for something trivial like breakdown of MCAT scores, it seems unlikely that different schools' attitudes on this may make a difference in the long run. Also view of adcom ≠ view of individual adcom members as an additional complicating factor.

 

[FistLength]

Assuming you apply to the one school LizzyM is at.

It is the AAMC suggestion to use the aggregate score to compare applicants rather than the sub scores, at least until the 2015 exam

From https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/mcat2015/faqs/

"This test is almost two hours longer than the current MCAT exam. Is this the longest version of the test?

Testing time for the 2015 exam will be about six and a half hours. That is actually similar to the length of the MCAT exam in 2006 when the test was given on paper rather than on a computer.

When the MCAT exam was switched to computer administration in 2007, the number of multiple-choice questions was reduced by approximately a third, reducing the test administration time. However, the reduction in test length resulted in a decrease in the accuracy of the scores for the individual test sections. As a result, the AAMC advised admissions committees to add scores for the three multiple-choice sections and to use applicants’ total test scores in admissions decision making. This meant that committees were unable to use section scores to evaluate individual applicants’ strengths and weaknesses, compare scores to applicants’ particular academic experiences, or weigh section scores in ways that speak to institutional goals.

In order to support the evaluation needs of the admissions committees, the MCAT2015 exam will be longer. The longer tests will report more accurate section scores but require more testing time. The scores will allow admissions committees to separately consider applicants’ facility in the natural, as well as the social and behavioral sciences and on tasks that call for critical analysis and reasoning"

 

[whizplusdum]

Wow 15 on VR!!!! You are literally the first that I have seen that has gotten a 15 on that topic!
I am sure the ADCOM will say "WTH I have Never seen a 15!"

Congratz you are on your way in getting to a top tier med school my friend!

 

[inycepoo]

Wow 15 on VR!!!! You are literally the first that I have seen that has gotten a 15 on that topic!
I am sure the ADCOM will say "WTH I have Never seen a 15!"

Congratz you are on your way in getting to a top tier med school my friend!

lol total MCAT still average (at top tiers) doe

 

[mcloaf]

lol total MCAT still average (at top tiers) doe

Iunno dude, he seems like an expert on top tier admissions processes.

 

[inycepoo]

Iunno dude, he seems like an expert on top tier admissions processes.

 

[aspiring20]

lol total MCAT still average (at top tiers) doe

haha you're being a bit too generous, i think.

even ohio state has a 35+ median

plus, i also have a 3.3 sGPA and a very minor IA, so the immediate goal is to get into ANY MD

 

[aspiring20]

which is why i included "give up" in the thread title. i really wanted a high 30s/low 40s MCAT in order to compensate for my 3.3 sGPA and minor IA. but with only a 35...i am not so sure anymore.

 

[inycepoo]

which is why i included "give up" in the thread title. i really wanted a high 30s/low 40s MCAT in order to compensate for my 3.3 sGPA and minor IA. but with only a 35...i am not so sure anymore.

Oh well. If you've already decided you're not going to retake (which is the correct decision), no use in crying over it now. Work on the parts of your app that you still have control over, and you can still go places.

 

[aspiring20]

Oh well. If you've already decided you're not going to retake (which is the correct decision), no use in crying over it now. Work on the parts of your app that you still have control over, and you can still go places.

yeah...the only thing left is to continue my job and do some minor ECs that have nothing to do with medicine.

there's nothing i can do about the IA, so we'll just have to see. though not becoming a physician because of a minor IA that has nothing to do with ethics/drugs/alcohol is very unlikely either.

right now, i am at a somewhat awkward place; there are deficiencies in my application, but they are not major enough to be serious, but also cannot be improved upon either.

 

[Roxas]

yeah...the only thing left is to continue my job and do some minor ECs that have nothing to do with medicine.

there's nothing i can do about the IA, so we'll just have to see. though not becoming a physician because of a minor IA that has nothing to do with ethics/drugs/alcohol is very unlikely either.

right now, i am at a somewhat awkward place; there are deficiencies in my application, but they are not major enough to be serious, but also cannot be improved upon either.

I guess I'm just uninformed, but would an IA really keep you out of school? Because with that MCAT and gpa you're a shoe-in somewhere, if nothing else for DO. Or are you shooting for top schools?

 

[aspiring20]

I guess I'm just uninformed, but would an IA really keep you out of school? Because with that MCAT and gpa you're a shoe-in somewhere, if nothing else for DO. Or are you shooting for top schools?

i wouldn't say a 3.3 sGPA and 3.6 cGPA along with 35 is shoe-in for MD, which is my preferred choice.

and as for my specific IA? most likely it'll have close to zero impact.

after search around SDN, it seems that things like drunk driving, drug violations, and even minor forgery can be forgiven after 1-2 years of "clean record".

and my IA is infinitely less serious than those.

having said that, it is still less than ideal having to check that IA box.

 

[Silent Cool]

so...i just got my score, and it is:

11/15/9 - PS/VR/BS

first, a lot of mixed emotions

1) 35 is kinda of a high score, so i am happy with this overall sum. my AAMC average is around a 33, and my prediction was a 33 with a 11/11/11 split. so i exceeded my predictions.

2) i have no idea how i managed a 15 on VR. granted, i've always been fairly strong in verbal, but i never scored above a 13 on my practice full-lengths; my most common full-length verbal score is an 11. when i took the MCAT, i felt the verbal was equivalent in difficulty (if not a tad easier) to that of the AAMC.

3) i am happy with my PS performance of 11

4) however, i am disappointed with my 9 in BS, as my biology grades are also the lowest. i was expecting a 10-11 on BS, and that 9 really is an eye sore. because of this 9 and an only modestly high PS score, i feel that my MCAT performance is above average at best.

so the big question is...should i retake the MCAT? or just give up?

please tell me you are kidding....

 

[aspiring20]

please tell me you are kidding....

well, not quite.

a 35 is a great overall score, but my distribution is less than ideal. a retake has already been ruled out, however, as i dont have the will anymore to study for this beast.

and 1/3 of the 200+ yearly applicants from my alma mater receive a 36+ ...

 

[Silent Cool]

well, not quite.

a 35 is a great overall score, but my distribution is less than ideal. a retake has already been ruled out, however, as i dont have the will anymore to study for this beast.

and 1/3 of the 200+ yearly applicants from my alma mater receive a 36+ ...

Right, so that means you go to a top school and are clueless about how unbelievably high and competitive your score is. Apply to 40-50 MD schools and go--because you will get in, guaranteed (unless you are a total deuche).

Saying your distribution is 'less than ideal' is ridiculous. How close in score do you expect each section to be, for Christ's sake? You will get in with a 35. If you still don't think so then you are either a troll or an idiot. No one in his or her right mind would say to SDN: "Oh my god, I'm not sure if my (94.4─96.1) percentile score is good enough. Should I give up?"

This thread should be closed (because it is so dumb) and you should have your SDN subscription temporarily suspended (because you are so clueless about reality).

If you don't apply to med school because of your 'woefully' unbalanced silly MCAT score then I will slap you.

Any questions?

sheesh....

 

[aspiring20]

Right, so that means you go to a top school and are clueless about how unbelievably high and competitive your score is. Apply to 40-50 MD schools and go--because you will get in, guaranteed (unless you are a total deuche).

Saying your distribution is 'less than ideal' is ridiculous. How close in score do you expect each section to be, for Christ's sake? You will get in with a 35. If you still don't think so then you are either a troll or an idiot. No one in his or her right mind would say to SDN: "Oh my god, I'm not sure if my (94.4─96.1) percentile score is good enough. Should I give up?"

This thread should be closed (because it is so dumb) and you should have your SDN subscription temporarily suspended (because you are so clueless about reality).

If you don't apply to med school because of your 'woefully' unbalanced silly MCAT score then I will slap you.

Any questions?

sheesh....

i will definitely apply, of course. but i know plenty of people with 3.3/38+ who did not get a single acceptance.

 

[gettheleadout]

Right, so that means you go to a top school and are clueless about how unbelievably high and competitive your score is. Apply to 40-50 MD schools and go--because you will get in, guaranteed (unless you are a total deuche).

Saying your distribution is 'less than ideal' is ridiculous. How close in score do you expect each section to be, for Christ's sake? You will get in with a 35. If you still don't think so then you are either a troll or an idiot. No one in his or her right mind would say to SDN: "Oh my god, I'm not sure if my (94.4─96.1) percentile score is good enough. Should I give up?"

This thread should be closed (because it is so dumb) and you should have your SDN subscription temporarily suspended (because you are so clueless about reality).

If you don't apply to med school because of your 'woefully' unbalanced silly MCAT score then I will slap you.

Any questions?

sheesh....

The tone of your post is ironic considering you're (incorrectly) ascribing near certainty of acceptance to MCAT score alone.

And for the record, a 35 is obviously good (I believe last year the overall mean MCAT for the Top 20 was 34.98 by my own calculation using USNWR data), but you're exaggerating in your description. Over 4,000 people score that high every year.

 

[aspiring20]

The tone of your post is ironic considering you're (incorrectly) ascribing near certainty of acceptance to MCAT score alone.

And for the record, a 35 is obviously good (I believe last year the overall mean MCAT for the Top 20 was 34.98 by my own calculation using USNWR data), but you're exaggerating in your description. Over 4,000 people score that high every year.

gettheleadout, i just saw your MCAT materials, and the amount you used is staggering!

you said you only spent three months studying this? did you study full-time, or did you have other obligations as well?

 

[inycepoo]

Right, so that means you go to a top school and are clueless about how unbelievably high and competitive your score is. Apply to 40-50 MD schools and go--because you will get in, guaranteed (unless you are a total deuche).

Saying your distribution is 'less than ideal' is ridiculous. How close in score do you expect each section to be, for Christ's sake? You will get in with a 35. If you still don't think so then you are either a troll or an idiot. No one in his or her right mind would say to SDN: "Oh my god, I'm not sure if my (94.4─96.1) percentile score is good enough. Should I give up?"

This thread should be closed (because it is so dumb) and you should have your SDN subscription temporarily suspended (because you are so clueless about reality).

If you don't apply to med school because of your 'woefully' unbalanced silly MCAT score then I will slap you.

Any questions?

sheesh....

lololololololo who is this kid is he kidding? 50% of SDN would be banned if this were the criteria (i.e., this is nowhere close to being "dumb" on these forums....)

 

[aspiring20]

lololololololo who is this kid is he kidding? 50% of SDN would be banned if this were the criteria (i.e., this is nowhere close to being "dumb" on these forums....)

haha, thanks for your "compliment"

 

[tmn]

when did i ever infer giving up medicine?

Misuses infer, gets 15 VR.

 

[inycepoo]

Misuses infer, gets 15 VR.

y u mad doe

 

[aspiring20]

i know people with 3.5+ 36+, stellar ECs, EMT full time employment, and master degrees not getting single interviews across multiple cycles.

i will be lucky if i get one acceptance on my first shot. i think everyone should humble themselves in this process, unless your application is beyond spectacular. but even then, acceptance anywhere is not guaranteed.

 

[aesculapian]

i know people with 3.5+ 36+, stellar ECs, EMT full time employment, and master degrees not getting single interviews across multiple cycles.

i will be lucky if i get one acceptance on my first shot. i think everyone should humble themselves in this process, unless your application is beyond spectacular. but even then, acceptance anywhere is not guaranteed.

I agree, but will add that people shouldn't do it to the point where they're pessimistic about nearly everything-- overemphasizing the negative makes for a poor outlook on medicine (and life), IMO.

 

[inycepoo]

i know people with 3.5+ 36+, stellar ECs, EMT full time employment, and master degrees not getting single interviews across multiple cycles.

i will be lucky if i get one acceptance on my first shot. i think everyone should humble themselves in this process, unless your application is beyond spectacular. but even then, acceptance anywhere is not guaranteed.

You know someone with all of those traits who was not accepted anywhere? (That seems unlikely.) If so, you knew multiple (plural) people who had all of those traits? (Even more unlikely.) Or did those individuals only have certain ones?

If the latter, then your argument is not that strong at all. 3.6 from a "regular" school can be considered pretty weak. 36+ can be viewed as overqualified, leading to no II; BU/Georgetown/GWU and IS heavy state schools are notorious for doing this. Master's degrees don't mean anything in the process; this isn't a degree collecting race, and most master's curricula are actually not that intense (I've taken MPH/MBA classes...and lol) contrary to popular belief. Being employed as an EMT doesn't mean they are meant to be doctors, nor is it enough to show adcoms they're able to take on the med school grind and courseload. "Stellar ECs" is very subjective, and what we think is "great" doesn't mean it's what the adcom at that particular school the person was applying to was looking for.

To put it flatly and rudely (as a general thing, not directed towards you at all), being humble ≠ being myopic and uninformed.

 

[aspiring20]

You know someone with all of those traits who was not accepted anywhere? (That seems unlikely.) If so, you knew multiple (plural) people who had all of those traits? (Even more unlikely.) Or did those individuals only have certain ones?

If the latter, then your argument is not that strong at all. 3.6 from a "regular" school can be considered pretty weak. 36+ can be viewed as overqualified, leading to no II; BU/Georgetown/GWU and IS heavy state schools are notorious for doing this. Master's degrees don't mean anything in the process; this isn't a degree collecting race, and most master's curricula are actually not that intense (I've taken MPH/MBA classes...and lol) contrary to popular belief. Being employed as an EMT doesn't mean they are meant to be doctors, nor is it enough to show adcoms they're able to take on the med school grind and courseload. "Stellar ECs" is very subjective, and what we think is "great" doesn't mean it's what the adcom at that particular school the person was applying to was looking for.

To put it flatly and rudely (as a general thing, not directed towards you at all), being humble ≠ being myopic and uninformed.

good points

however, i am concerned about the "overqualified" aspects.

are you suggesting that low/mid tier schools prefer 3.7/31 from "average colleges" to 3.4/36 from "top colleges"? another one of my peers seem to hold similar sentiment.

 

[inycepoo]

good points

however, i am concerned about the "overqualified" aspects.

are you suggesting that low/mid tier schools prefer 3.7/31 from "average colleges" to 3.4/36 from "top colleges"? another one of my peers seem to hold similar sentiment.

That's not known. It's only really widely known that BU, Georgetown, and GWU practice the overqualified rejection model very heavily because they each get 11,000+ applications a year (God knows why...). When they only have time to interview ~900, it's very logical and reasonable that they only give IIs to those who are within their average scores and thus judged to be more likely to come over someone using them as a "safety." Go to BU's application thread and you'll find many, many 3.7-3.8/36s (vs. BU's average 3.65/33) without IIs and absolutely perplexed by the fact. IS-heavy state schools like UMDNJ and UConn are known to do the same, but the extent is not clear as we don't have enough people speaking for it on these forums.

Again, the extent is not known down to the nitty gritty numbers, and anyone who claims to know is either 1) overconfident in their "knowledge," or 2) outright stating their opinion.

 

[capit]

OP, thanks for starting this discussion. My MCAT is sort of similar to yours and I was wondering if I should retake it. I'd assumed biology to be the most important portion. However, the info in this thread has made me reconsider.

Best of luck with your applications this cycle!

 

[inycepoo]

OP, thanks for starting this discussion. My MCAT is sort of similar to yours and I was wondering if I should retake it. I'd assumed biology to be the most important portion. However, the info in this thread has made me reconsider.

Best of luck with your applications this cycle!

Common misconception. Think of it this way: if you got straight As in biology classes in college and flunked chem and physics with Cs, that's not making it any better.

The total score is what matters.

 

[aspiring20]

inycepoo, how long did you study for your MCAT? what materials did you use?

 

[inycepoo]

inycepoo, how long did you study for your MCAT? what materials did you use?

Struggle bus night ahead so I can't give many details right now.

7 weeks

TBR physics, barely touched other TBRs
Did very little to no content review. My content is solid from late HS, early college

TPRH SW, VW, iCC. 75%, 100%, 100% completion, respectively
TPR review books (bio, chem, physics, orgo)

~5 TPR exams. I thought they were crap so I stopped.
Half of Kaplan FLs, minus VR. All section tests and topicals.

AAMC 3-11
AAMC SA for chemistry and physics. Didn't bother with BS or VR.

I definitely had the goods to get 38/39, but luck wasn't on my side. Definitely am not 40+ caliber.

 

[aspiring20]

Struggle bus night ahead so I can't give many details right now.

7 weeks

TBR physics, barely touched other TBRs
Did very little to no content review. My content is solid from late HS, early college

TPRH SW, VW, iCC. 75%, 100%, 100% completion, respectively
TPR review books (bio, chem, physics, orgo)

~5 TPR exams. I thought they were crap so I stopped.
Half of Kaplan FLs, minus VR. All section tests and topicals.

AAMC 3-11
AAMC SA for chemistry and physics. Didn't bother with BS or VR.

I definitely had the goods to get 38/39, but luck wasn't on my side. Definitely am not 40+ caliber.

damn...you studied for less than 2 months and got a 36. that's impressive ****