Do you believe your MCAT scores accurately represents your potential to succeed in medical school? Why or why not?
If my score is low, how do I answer this?
If my score is low, how do I answer this?
How to answer this question?
- Thread starter escesc
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The only thing I can think of is that you might respond with "my score doesn't adequately reflect my academic performance." But that welcomes the opportunity for the second question of "well, why didn't you retake?"
I really doubt you would ever actually get this question in an interview.
I really doubt you would ever actually get this question in an interview.
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Really? That's an extremely strange question. I don't have any suggestions, unfortunately.
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Why was your score low? Does it represent your best effort after 2-3 months of preparation? If not, then why not?
I think it would be good to say it doesn't reflect your potential, but dont give too many excuses. Explain if the test day didn't go as planned. I would deflect to your academic record. If you have shown good performance in the pre-reqs than say you think your long-term performance is a better predictor of how you would do in a med school setting than a 1 time testing experience...but dont come across catty.
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1) Figure out why you didn't do well on the MCAT, and formulate a decent reason not based upon blaming God or AAMC (is that redundant?). This includes a reasonable explanation why you didn't re-take if you feel it doesn't reflect your abilities.
2) Read the threads all over this site on HighGPA/LowMCAT (assuming that is what you have) and look at how they explained in it interviews.
3) Incorporate the facts of your situation with how others have dealt with this and try to spin it to the best you can.
4) Realize if you are still writing secondaries you late in the cycle so do 1-3 quickly and efficiently.
2) Read the threads all over this site on HighGPA/LowMCAT (assuming that is what you have) and look at how they explained in it interviews.
3) Incorporate the facts of your situation with how others have dealt with this and try to spin it to the best you can.
4) Realize if you are still writing secondaries you late in the cycle so do 1-3 quickly and efficiently.
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At this point in the cycle, I suspect everything else here is irrelevant. When you say your MCAT was "low" how "low" is it really? Even a score in the high 30s submitting secondaries at this point in the cycle is in poor shape. Anecdotally, a friend of mine with a 4.0/38 at a flagship state university who wasn't complete at most schools until mid-November has yet to receive a single interview! And his ECs, LORs, and PS are all above average. Lateness killsyour app. It might honestly be best to cut your losses at this point (i.e., don't waste your hard-earned cash on secondary apps), save the money, and reapply next year after retaking the MCAT. A 3.65/32 in June > 3.8/38 in November as the former will likely get into a mid to upper-mid range MD program as a first pick, while the latter will likely get wait-listed post-interview due to a lack of spots and might, at best, get pulled off a wait-list come summer.
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This is for Arizona-Tuscon, right? The question asks you to talk about your MCAT or your GPA, so if you didn't do well on the MCAT, then I would talk about how your GPA shows your ability to succeed in med school not your MCAT. I think it's best to talk about how one of the two shows your ability to succeed, not how one of them doesn't show your ability to succeed...
