How much impact will an MCAT score have?

[PotentiallyMDPHD]

Hello all,

During my senior year of university around mid-January, I excitedly registered to take the MCAT in June, hoping that I would be ready for it. After graduating with a 3.50 GPA, June comes around and it turns out, finals and other personal ordeals had taken more time than I thought they would. I wasn't really ready as I hoped I'd be, but thought "What the heck; I'll take it and do my best". If worst comes to worst, in my mind, I don't do well and I can retake it for a better score next year after I've studied more. However, I've come across many threads and comments here that say that a low or 'bad' MCAT score will ruin future MCAT scores on applications since schools either a) take both scores into consideration or b) average them out. I've come to the realization that I may have just shot my self in the foot here and am left wondering how I can remedy this situation, if at all. I don't know my actual score yet, but I am expecting anywhere around 505 or below. Any suggestions or comments are welcomed, please.

Thanks

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[Blanky]

For MD/Phd? It sounds like your GPA and MCAT score is going to be an issue. There is nothing you can do now but wait and see what comes...
What makes you confident you might hit a 505?

 

[PotentiallyMDPHD]

For MD/Phd? It sounds like your GPA and MCAT score is going to be an issue. There is nothing you can do now but wait and see what comes...
What makes you confident you might hit a 505?

I think I'm only going to apply for MD programs. Sorry for the username confusion! Just a name I thought was cool.

The 505 score is based off of practice tests I've taken. I usually got around the 503-505 range.

 

[Blanky]

What was AAMC FL 1 and 2? Timed?

 

[Blanky]

With the 3.5 then you are just slightly above average for GPA and so a strong MCAT can get you back into the game.

 

[PotentiallyMDPHD]

With the 3.5 then you are just slightly above average for GPA and so a strong MCAT can get you back into the game.

One of them was 1.5x time (505) and the other regular time (503). And I was wondering if getting a 504 or something on this test and then a much higher score on my next test day (next year) would have a significant impact on my application, should I have to reapply next year. Do you know?

 

[Blanky]

You are going to be competitive for DO this cycle. MD if you are URM. Otherwise you can retake and get accepted dont worry about having two MCAT scores you are at that point already.

 

[Goro]

Hello all,

During my senior year of university around mid-January, I excitedly registered to take the MCAT in June, hoping that I would be ready for it. After graduating with a 3.50 GPA, June comes around and it turns out, finals and other personal ordeals had taken more time than I thought they would. I wasn't really ready as I hoped I'd be, but thought "What the heck; I'll take it and do my best". If worst comes to worst, in my mind, I don't do well and I can retake it for a better score next year after I've studied more. However, I've come across many threads and comments here that say that a low or 'bad' MCAT score will ruin future MCAT scores on applications since schools either a) take both scores into consideration or b) average them out. I've come to the realization that I may have just shot my self in the foot here and am left wondering how I can remedy this situation, if at all. I don't know my actual score yet, but I am expecting anywhere around 505 or below. Any suggestions or comments are welcomed, please.

Thanks

MCAT will make or break your app. A 505 is low, but not lethal, if you have a stellar app. Chances will be best with your state MD school, or any DO school.

Quoting the wise Homeskool: Taking the MCAT is like getting married: ideally you only do it once, and the more times you do it the worse you start looking to suitors with good judgment.

 

[efle]

You are unlikely to be competitive for many of the private medical schools with a 3.5/505+retake unless that retake is a huge jump (e.g. to 515). The biggest determinate of your chances is now the state you are from, since some state schools relax their numbers in order to fill their seats with instate applicants (for example U of New Mexico has matriculant medians at 3.6/505). So where are you from ?

 

[ADSigMel]

Hello all,

During my senior year of university around mid-January, I excitedly registered to take the MCAT in June, hoping that I would be ready for it. After graduating with a 3.50 GPA, June comes around and it turns out, finals and other personal ordeals had taken more time than I thought they would. I wasn't really ready as I hoped I'd be, but thought "What the heck; I'll take it and do my best". If worst comes to worst, in my mind, I don't do well and I can retake it for a better score next year after I've studied more. However, I've come across many threads and comments here that say that a low or 'bad' MCAT score will ruin future MCAT scores on applications since schools either a) take both scores into consideration or b) average them out. I've come to the realization that I may have just shot my self in the foot here and am left wondering how I can remedy this situation, if at all. I don't know my actual score yet, but I am expecting anywhere around 505 or below. Any suggestions or comments are welcomed, please.

Thanks

I wouldn’t worry about it until you get your score back. I scored 6 points higher on the actual exam than I did on my highest AAMC practice test. And that was after I thought I had completely bombed the real thing.

 

[candbgirl]

With the 3.5 then you are just slightly above average for GPA and so a strong MCAT can get you back into the game.

Where did you get the idea a 3.5 is slightly above average for GPA? Or are you talking about DO?

 

[PotentiallyMDPHD]

You are unlikely to be competitive for many of the private medical schools with a 3.5/505+retake unless that retake is a huge jump (e.g. to 515). The biggest determinate of your chances is now the state you are from, since some state schools relax their numbers in order to fill their seats with instate applicants (for example U of New Mexico has matriculant medians at 3.6/505). So where are you from ?

I hope to retake next year and get that huge jump you mentioned. Hoping to get 8-10 points higher. To do this, I am going to look for MCAT prep courses since self-studying obviously didn't work this time around. I'm from Washington state.

 

[Goro]

Where did you get the idea a 3.5 is slightly above average for GPA?

Indeed. The median acceptee at M.D. schools has A 3.7+ GPA.

 

[efle]

I hope to retake next year and get that huge jump you mentioned. Hoping to get 8-10 points higher. To do this, I am going to look for MCAT prep courses since self-studying obviously didn't work this time around. I'm from Washington state.

Awesome! They just opened up a new MD program at Washington State, their stats are currently listed as 3.47/506. That is by far your most likely offer. If you do improve some on retake and/or have great ECs, the main U of Washington school also has reasonable medians (3.65/510) and is very, very dedicated to residents of Washington and a few neighboring states that lack their own medical schools.

 

[Blanky]

Indeed. The median acceptee at M.D. schools has A 3.7+ GPA.

This and DO is supposedly around 3.4. OP has a 505 untuned and a 503 timed. If we are to guess a 504-503 is likely and a 3.5 would put him in state MD and DO range.

 

[Goro]

This and DO is supposedly around 3.4. OP has a 505 untuned and a 503 timed. If we are to guess a 504-503 is likely and a 3.5 would put him in state MD and DO range.

Hopefully a lucky state.