How hard is a 496

[BTR1208]

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I've been on path for dental and recently took the DAT. Scored well but I'm not 100% sure I want to be looking into a mouth all day. I am leaning towards podiatry and I have great GPA's so could get by with a 496. How hard is that and can it be done studying for 6 weeks seeing as I'm fresh in the sciences from the DAT.

Thanks guys!

 

[Wolfpack93]

Haven't taken it but seeing as it's ~37 percentile I can't imagine it's too difficult.

 

[BTR1208]

Haven't taken it but seeing as it's ~37 percentile I can't imagine it's too difficult.

True. Anyone else?

 

[Doctor Dream]

Totally depends on how well you know the material, and how well you can think critically in a pressure situation. Take a couple practice exams and you'll have a better idea where you stand.

Its easy to think "its only 37%ile, how hard could that be" but don't take the MCAT lightly. I think your best bet is to take a couple practice exams, see where your scores are and go from there.

 

[BTR1208]

Totally depends on how well you know the material, and how well you can think critically in a pressure situation. Take a couple practice exams and you'll have a better idea where you stand.

Its easy to think "its only 37%ile, how hard could that be" but don't take the MCAT lightly. I think your best bet is to take a couple practice exams, see where your scores are and go from there.

Will do tomorrow. Which practice exams you recommend for a good diagnostic?

 

[Doctor Dream]

You can't go wrong with NextStep, TPR, EK or Kaplan. All of them have their own strengths and weaknesses. EK is probably the most similar to the actual MCAT in terms of difficulty and structure, but they're a little expensive and don't give an actual score (only % correct). Next best as a diagnostic in my opinion is Next step. Kaplan and TPR I felt were more difficult than the actual thing, but NextStep was pretty comparable.

 

[BTR1208]

You can't go wrong with NextStep, TPR, EK or Kaplan. All of them have their own strengths and weaknesses. EK is probably the most similar to the actual MCAT in terms of difficulty and structure, but they're a little expensive and don't give an actual score (only % correct). Next best as a diagnostic in my opinion is Next step. Kaplan and TPR I felt were more difficult than the actual thing, but NextStep was pretty comparable.

Thank you!
Say I take EK as a diagnostic, what % should I be scoring to say I'll safely get ~495.

What about NS?

 

[Doctor Dream]

I'm only guessing on these because there isnt much data on SDN from test takers with MCAT scores <500. With EK, I know that for pre-med folks scoring 70%+ meant you were in good shape. I guess maybe if you score somewhere in the 50-60% range youre probably okay? That's a total guess, I have no data to back that up.

NS (and almost all the other prep company FL's) are known for giving deflated scores, at least for people who scored like 508+ on the real thing. Assuming that's true for scores below 500, I'd guess that anything above like 490 is good for a pod school applicant. Totally guessing on all these though, so don't take them too seriously

Also note that your first exam is probably going to be lower a lot lower than what you may actually end up with later. My first MCAT experience was a half length NS diagnostic that I got a 495 on. A couple weeks later though I scored 504 on an NS FL

 

[BTR1208]

I'm only guessing on these because there isnt much data on SDN from test takers with MCAT scores <500. With EK, I know that for pre-med folks scoring 70%+ meant you were in good shape. I guess maybe if you score somewhere in the 50-60% range youre probably okay? That's a total guess, I have no data to back that up.

NS (and almost all the other prep company FL's) are known for giving deflated scores, at least for people who scored like 508+ on the real thing. Assuming that's true for scores below 500, I'd guess that anything above like 490 is good for a pod school applicant. Totally guessing on all these though, so don't take them too seriously

Also note that your first exam is probably going to be lower a lot lower than what you may actually end up with later. My first MCAT experience was a half length NS diagnostic that I got a 495 on. A couple weeks later though I scored 504 on an NS FL

Thank you so much!

So would you suggest doing a half length or full length first then start hammering away at practice passages, go over physics, etc.

Or do some practice for a couple weeks then take a practice exam?

You're the best! Really appreciate the help!

 

[Doctor Dream]

If I were you (since you've got 6 weeks) I'd take a practice exam as soon as you can. Hands down the best practice you can get is taking practice exams. I think you'd be okay with a full length or a half length to start. Make sure you take time to review it really well too. Look at every question, make sure you understand why you got every answer right or wrong. The ones you got wrong, make sure you go back and review content or whatever and try to fix whatever happened so you don't make the same mistake on your next FL. In addition to that, it might be a good idea to start looking over topics you feel weak in. Whether that's physics or physiology stuff or whatever. Make biochemistry your best friend these next few weeks too. Biochem is ALL OVER the new exam.

Happy to help! I remember how it feels to be really lost and confused with all this stuff . I know I just threw a lot of info at you haha.

 

[torontopharm]

If you only have 6 weeks, a lot of it will depend on your CARS skills.
You can beast through the sciences in a few weeks, but can't do the same for CARS.
Make sure to spend a LOT of time doing practice passages/tests. MCAT is completely different from the DAT so you need to get used to the format. MCAT is more about applying the sciences/comprehension skills than knowing the sciences.

 

[BTR1208]

If you only have 6 weeks, a lot of it will depend on your CARS skills.
You can beast through the sciences in a few weeks, but can't do the same for CARS.
Make sure to spend a LOT of time doing practice passages/tests. MCAT is completely different from the DAT so you need to get used to the format. MCAT is more about applying the sciences/comprehension skills than knowing the sciences.

Saw a 30 day CARS plan today I think here in the MCAT section. Will look through that and start busting through EK/ practice passages and tests.

 

[Abraxas305]

Regardless of GPA, I don't think you would be competitive anywhere with a 496.

 

[Doctor Dream]

Regardless of GPA, I don't think you would be competitive anywhere with a 496.

OP is looking at pod schools. 496 is a fine score for a pod applicant.

 

[GypsyHummus]

I've been on path for dental and recently took the DAT. Scored well but I'm not 100% sure I want to be looking into a mouth all day. I am leaning towards podiatry and I have great GPA's so could get by with a 496. How hard is that and can it be done studying for 6 weeks seeing as I'm fresh in the sciences from the DAT.

Thanks guys!

How long did you study for the DAT?

 

[Abraxas305]

OP is looking at pod schools. 496 is a fine score for a pod applicant.

Whoops sorry I just read the title and posted. In any case, OP should always try to aim as high as possible.

 

[BTR1208]

How long did you study for the DAT?

Around 8 weeks

 

[BTR1208]

Whoops sorry I just read the title and posted. In any case, OP should always try to aim as high as possible.

Yes true... my issue is I have class Tuesday/Thursday and work full time as well. I could commit maybe 3-4 hours a day until first week of may then last 10 weeks could commit as much time as needed.

 

[EverStriving]

Honestly I would suggest you take the MCAT seriously regardless of whether 37th percentile is 'easy' to achieve. Not giving respect to such a difficult test could land you even lower than that mark.

If you are taking it seriously already, then good and don't mind me. 👍