How big is a difference between 30 vs. 31/32 MCAT?

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MelissaThompson

MelissaThompson

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I previously scored a balanced 30 on my MCAT.

I have been studying to retake it -

My new practice exam scores are now averaging 31.5 using FL from TBR.

So - is there really a difference between 30 vs. 31? If not, what about 30 vs. 32??

Thanks everyone. Just trying to decide if I should gamble an retake.
 
I previously scored a balanced 30 on my MCAT.

I have been studying to retake it -

My new practice exam scores are now averaging 31.5 using FL from TBR.

So - is there really a difference between 30 vs. 31 in the admissions process? If not, what about 30 vs. 32??

Thanks everyone. Just trying to decide if I should gamble an retake.
 
It's probably not worth it. You run the risk of scoring lower than a 30.
 
Don't assume that you will hit your average. I wouldn't retake until you are hitting a bit higher on your PTs. An average of 31.5 could relatively easily mean you hit 30 or even lower on your retake.
 
MelissaThompson said:
I previously scored a balanced 30 on my MCAT.

I have been studying to retake it -

My new practice exam scores are now averaging 31.5 using FL from TBR.

So - is there really a difference between 30 vs. 31? If not, what about 30 vs. 32??

Thanks everyone. Just trying to decide if I should gamble an retake.
Click to expand...

I think its relative to your overall application (in terms of how much it will improve chances of admission). So it is difficult to say.
 
1-2 points is probably not worth the risk. With such a small improvement the odds of your score going the wrong direction are much higher than if you were averaging 36+ now.
 
MelissaThompson said:
I previously scored a balanced 30 on my MCAT.

I have been studying to retake it -

My new practice exam scores are now averaging 31.5 using FL from TBR.

So - is there really a difference between 30 vs. 31? If not, what about 30 vs. 32??

Thanks everyone. Just trying to decide if I should gamble an retake.
Click to expand...

Are you planning on reapplying next cycle?
 
I'm terms of chances and school options, it's probably the biggest 2 pt difference there is except maybe 29 to 31 for chances or 32 to 34 for top programs, but I wouldn't assume you'll get a 32+ on the retake without new practice tests consistently giving 34+ over at least 5 trials.
 
With a balanced 30, and your averages only slightly higher, I wouldn't risk a retake. A balanced 30 will get you into med school as long as the rest of your app is up to par.
 
music2doc said:
I'm terms of chances and school options, it's probably the biggest 2 pt difference there is except maybe 29 to 31 for chances or 32 to 34 for top programs, but I wouldn't assume you'll get a 32+ on the retake without new practice tests consistently giving 34+ over at least 5 trials.
Click to expand...

The difference between two different PEOPLE with a 30 or a 32 is a big difference, however if the same person with a 30 takes the MCAT and gets a 32 it will likely not make a big difference at all.

I would agree that its too risky of a retake. You have minimal benefit if you score the 32, but you can hurt your application even if you get the same score and sink it if you score below a 30.
 
MelissaThompson said:
I previously scored a balanced 30 on my MCAT.

I have been studying to retake it -

My new practice exam scores are now averaging 31.5 using FL from TBR.

So - is there really a difference between 30 vs. 31? If not, what about 30 vs. 32??

Thanks everyone. Just trying to decide if I should gamble an retake.
Click to expand...

Not unless you see that average go up to around ~34. When you see that happening then I would suggest retaking. Until then, you probably have a very real chance of doing much lower on your MCAT and that will end up hurting you more than helping. Logically, it doesn't seem like a good choice right now. Why don't you try changing a few things (strategies, test prep material, etc) and see if you can get yourself to score consistently higher?
 
Agreed with the above poster. I wouldn't retake until you are consistently averaging at least a 34.
 
No, its not a huge difference. The MCAT scoring system is a little ambiguous. 32 is within your 68% confidence interval.
 
This is the kind of stuff people think is super important but is pretty irrelevant if your app is otherwise strong. IMO you would be better served by working to improve the other aspects of your app with that time rather than retaking. The only situation I would recommend that you retake is if your score was much lower than you were averaging on your FLs. If it's because you "didn't study hard enough" or if you're going to "take it more seriously this time," then more likely than not you won't see much improvement because, frankly, the likelihood that you're actually going to work harder is pretty low.

(sent from my phone)
 
Didn't you score a 30 on your third try? Taking the test a fourth time is ridiculous IMO...you won't have much (if anything) to gain from it. It can hurt you if you go down, though.
 
Retaking a 30 if your current average is a 31... it'd be a risky move.

Sure you might be like one of those oddballs that score a 35 out of no where on the real thing while averaging a 31, but not likely.

I wouldn't retake unless:

A) My official score was <30
B) I had a section with a score below 9
C) I was averaging >3 pts higher on my practice FL's

In other words, if I were you, I would not retake.
 
MelissaThompson said:
I previously scored a balanced 30 on my MCAT.

I have been studying to retake it -

My new practice exam scores are now averaging 31.5 using FL from TBR.

So - is there really a difference between 30 vs. 31? If not, what about 30 vs. 32??

Thanks everyone. Just trying to decide if I should gamble an retake.
Click to expand...

i'm glad you listened to everyone on your previous thread regarding the mcat.
 
NickNaylor said:
Funny how that happens. My guess is that the same people that ignore advice are the same people that continually do poorly.

(sent from my phone)
Click to expand...

I'm still confused by the fourth attempt.... it defeats the purpose.
 
Retaking the MCAT multiple times and still scoring around 30 is like confirming to adcom that the applicant's test-taking abilities are slightly less than the average med student's. Don't do it, OP.
 
MelissaThompson said:
I previously scored a balanced 30 on my MCAT.

I have been studying to retake it -

My new practice exam scores are now averaging 31.5 using FL from TBR.

So - is there really a difference between 30 vs. 31? If not, what about 30 vs. 32??

Thanks everyone. Just trying to decide if I should gamble an retake.
Click to expand...

In retrospect, about tree fiddy.
 
So I got bored and decided to use the power of stats to see what I could get here.

I assumed that OP got a 29, 29 and a 30 on 3 MCAT attempts, and based off that, calculated Z=4.04 for a score of 32, which means that OP has a P of 0.0027 getting that score*.

So don't take another one, OP!






*No, I don't have better things to do on a Wednesday night.
 
Is a 30 considered that bad that you wanna retake(especially if this is your 4th attempt!)? A 30 is a nice, solid score to get you into a med school. If you don't get in to med school, it's not gonna be because of that extra 1 point. A 32 would be nice...but if you have a solid GPA and tons of ECs...I don't see why you would want to waste your time.
 
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