How bad is it taking the Mcat twice?

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Claritynow

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I am in a little bit of a sitation. Im an older studen(29) and was a little bit hesittant until I finally decided to pursure the medical path. (i previously studied computer science). I am not scheduled to take the MCATS on May 21, 2011. I feel like I am not amply prepared. My parents and family are pressuring me to do it with the idea that even if I do well i can always go to a carribean school or just do it over.

If i received a poor score and do it again and do well does the first score hurt me?

I feel really bad about it and havent been able to prepare the way i wished to(due to other circumstances). I have pushed it back once already. What would you guys reccomend for me? Any help would be very helpful.

I think its too late for me to reschedule so I would have to either cancel or do it. What do you guys think? thank you again

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If you're not prepared and can still cancel then do so. Don't think of the Caribbean as a back up (because it's a worse choice than reapplying even if you have to retake the MCAT,) and taking the MCAT more than once is in general not bad, as long as you only take it when you feel ready and are certain you'll improve when you retake. That said, try to get the best score you can the first time, as it'll save a lot of time and stress.
 
1. If you don't feel prepared, don't take it May 21st.
2. Taking the exam twice will not be a detriment...prepare well and hope for an improvement, if needed.
 
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I am in a little bit of a sitation. Im an older studen(29) and was a little bit hesittant until I finally decided to pursure the medical path. (i previously studied computer science). I am not scheduled to take the MCATS on May 21, 2011. I feel like I am not amply prepared. My parents and family are pressuring me to do it with the idea that even if I do well i can always go to a carribean school or just do it over.

If i received a poor score and do it again and do well does the first score hurt me?

I feel really bad about it and havent been able to prepare the way i wished to(due to other circumstances). I have pushed it back once already. What would you guys reccomend for me? Any help would be very helpful.

I think its too late for me to reschedule so I would have to either cancel or do it. What do you guys think? thank you again

What the other posters said.

You're 29.
 
My suggestion from what I've learned thus far through my own pre-medical investigation is that you should absolutely not take the MCAT if you are not feeling prepared. While taking it again isn't the end of the world, I'd say thats more the case if you scored something reasonable and wanted to make it even better (i.e. scored a 29 or 30 but wanted to try and go for at least a 34 or 35). I'm not sure exactly how bad you think you may do, but overall I'd say it's better to postpone if you don't feel prepared. Have you taken any practice tests? If so, how have you done? Did you take them in a realistic and timed environment?

Also, I wouldn't listen to your family if they're pressuring you to hurry up because "even if you do bad you can at least go to the caribbean". This is horrible advice to say the least. To me, caribbean schools would be a last resort after you had tried your hardest and applied many other places. Don't start out limiting yourself to 'probably wouldn't get in anywhere but the caribbean', you need to make yourself as competitive as possible. Also. . . what's your undergrad major and GPA? Prereq GPA? Have you volunteered, gotten clinical experience, or shadowed? Caribbean schools may be 'easier' to get into. . . but they're still medical schools, not community colleges.

Hope this helps.
 
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