How do DO schools view multiple mcats and declining mcat trends?

[Kemosabe]

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Like say someone scored a 30 on the mcat and retook and got a 27 would that be a death sentence at a DO school? At MD schools that's a nail in the coffin, but how do DO schools view this and what would you recommend a person in such a situation do to be a competitive DO applicant? What about low verbal scores? (6 or 7 in verbal on most recent test)

 

[IslandStyle808]

I have seen several cases of people wanting to retake a 30+ MCAT score, and I rarely see a compelling enough case to warrant a retake. Having a 27 would be okay, but the decline would still be an issue. The only reason that 27, I believe, would not be a "nail in the coffin" for DO schools is because it is average for most schools. If this were a 27 that became a 23, then it would be a nail in the coffin for DO schools.

However, saying your chances are zero are not exactly correct in both cases. It would mean you need to retake that lower score and apply again. It would still drag your application down none the less.

 

[AlteredScale]

Like say someone scored a 30 on the mcat and retook and got a 27 would that be a death sentence at a DO school? At MD schools that's a nail in the coffin, but how do DO schools view this and what would you recommend a person in such a situation do to be a competitive DO applicant? What about low verbal scores? (6 or 7 in verbal on most recent test)

I don't think a 2-3 point drop is is a death sentence at a DO school. They'll probably ask question about your intentions for taking it again, whether you truly took studying for the retake as seriously as possible. Importantly, dropping points shows that perhaps you didn't properly learn from your mistakes...which is never a good thing. A drop off of 30 to say...25 or 24 would be much more of a death sentence.

A low verbal score is forgivable on account that everything else is in tip top shape and you show that you can articulate answers in well-mannered form during the interview and through your secondaries.

 

[justpedsthings]

I took the MCAT twice and went down a point (had mostly even scores throughout the sections though) and I was asked in interviews my thoughts on that. Honestly, if you can just be honest and say that it happened, you learned from it, and moved on, you'll be just fine. I was accepted on both occasions that this happened and my interviewers were very understanding. It's a huge test and one day that can differ on so many levels depending when you took it, how you were feeling that day, how you studied, etc. Hope that helps!

 

[fkt24]

The advice i get from everyone/reading these forums..only retake the mcat if youre 100% confident you will score significantly higher..ie. From a 30 to a 33-34. I think my friend told me an adcom told him that they view the scores as a range. so say you got a 30, they will view it that your score on that exam couldve been anywhere from 28-32

 

[deleted480308]

both a 30 and a 27 are good scores for DO applications, relax

 

[Promethean]

Also, two data points do not make a trend. Take it again and then you can talk about a trend. Otherwise, you have two fairly decent scores that will complement the rest of a well-rounded application, but do little to improve a mediocre one. 3 points up or down is about a standard deviation of difference, but it is like finding that your weight varied 3 pounds from one day to the next. Too many variables for that to be terribly meaningful, in the grand scheme.

 

[Haxx]

Like say someone scored a 30 on the mcat and retook and got a 27 would that be a death sentence at a DO school? At MD schools that's a nail in the coffin, but how do DO schools view this and what would you recommend a person in such a situation do to be a competitive DO applicant? What about low verbal scores? (6 or 7 in verbal on most recent test)

n=1, but I got a 29 on the first one and a 26 on the second. No idea why, but it happened. I'm 3/4 of the way through my first year at RVUCOM. It isn't a death sentence. 🙂

 

[Goro]

At my school it would be. First off, unless the 30 was expiring, why would you retake an excellent score? I have plenty of DO colleagues who would say "because he wanted to go to a MD school" and add a 2nd nail in the coffin right there. Declining trends or knowledge decay are never good.


Like say someone scored a 30 on the mcat and retook and got a 27 would that be a death sentence at a DO school? At MD schools that's a nail in the coffin, but how do DO schools view this



Apply broadly. Low VR will be cut the most slack.
and what would you recommend a person in such a situation do to be a competitive DO applicant? What about low verbal scores? (6 or 7 in verbal on most recent test)[/QUOTE]