If you are not breaking 30 by now....

[richmond604]

If you are not breaking a 30 by now.....ie on the low side of 20's (with AAMC and TPR exams) ....is it too late to have a chance to get a 30+ on the real thing???

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[bball32ns]

I am really hoping for a 30 on the test and I have not yet got in the thirties on a practice test. So i am with you. We can do it. Don't let people say you can't. Have confidence. We still have a month left and if you are in the low 20s a week from the test then i would be worried. Yyyyyaaaaaaaayyyyyy for getting in the 30's. wow sorry for that.

 

[BXP]

If you are not breaking a 30 by now.....ie on the low side of 20's (with AAMC and TPR exams) ....is it too late to have a chance to get a 30+ on the real thing???

Nope. Last summer, I was around a 26 at this time cause I just didn't bother to study. But then I realized I had like 4-5 weeks left and really started to hard core it. I took 3 practice exams the week of the real thing, and got 30/31 ish. I got a 32 on the real thing (12/10/10).

I'm studying for the August one again at the moment. Good luck! You can do it no problem.

 

[tik-tik-clock]

wOOt!!


Thanks for this thread buddy !

We can totally do this....

JUSTTT LETS KEEP WORKINGGGGGGGGGGGGGG



BXP why ya retaking with a 32 man?!

 

[BXP]

BXP why ya retaking with a 32 man?!

The reason anyone would retake it with a score 30+... to make up for my GPA

I have a 3.5, with my science GPA lower than that. Had a fantastically fun sophomore year that wasn't very kind to my grades.

 

[RAD11]

The reason anyone would retake it with a score 30+... to make up for my GPA

I have a 3.5, with my science GPA lower than that. Had a fantastically fun sophomore year that wasn't very kind to my grades.

Wow, i thought that 32, 3.5 is good enough for admission Do you want to get into very competitive schools?

Anyways, I just need that 30 baby!!! (hmmm is it 31 now based on the new avg from MSAR)

 

[Orthodoc40]

Yah - please. Tons of people get in with sold scores like that but lower GPAs. It's the poor folks like me that have the great GPAs and lower MCAT that have the challenge!! I'd take a 32 any day!

 

[RAD11]

Yah - please. Tons of people get in with sold scores like that but lower GPAs. It's the poor folks like me that have the great GPAs and lower MCAT that have the challenge!! I'd take a 32 any day!

Yeah I've always wondered ppl with 30+ wanting to re-take. I've seen so many threads saying, I have a 30 or 31 or 33, etc and want to re-take. Once I hit that 30 I will never want to take this dreadful test again.

 

[BXP]

Yeah I've always wondered ppl with 30+ wanting to re-take. I've seen so many threads saying, I have a 30 or 31 or 33, etc and want to re-take. Once I hit that 30 I will never want to take this dreadful test again.

I guess I am crazy cause this is certainly a dreadful test! I'm sure you will get your 30 though Just practice practice practice with those practice exams (and always take the time to correct them too, no matter how long it takes. Can't improve if you don't know what you did wrong!)

 

[BXP]

Wow, i thought that 32, 3.5 is good enough for admission Do you want to get into very competitive schools?

Anyways, I just need that 30 baby!!! (hmmm is it 31 now based on the new avg from MSAR)

And to answer your question, yea, I guess the schools I want to go to are more competitive. I want to stay either in California (UCLA / UCSD) or go back to Minnesota for the U of M(home!)

And unfortunately, the schools in both these general areas have really strict standards.

 

[beepbeep]

hi all...
if you're not breaking 30 by now, there's still time! i took the april mcat and was getting 29/30s for a while and then decided to take a week and a half off work to really go hard core. i reviewed material and learned any new stuff for 10-12 hours a day for ~6 days and then did an AAMC practice test and got a 38. it was amazing how much of a difference it made to step back and fill in all the gaps in my knowledge. after that, i always scored 35-38 and got a 36R on the real thing (VR-10 PS-12 BS-14). don't give up!!! if you're not getting the score you want, identify your problem areas and really learn the material (conceptual, NOT memorization). good luck!

 

[UofT_475]

I did aamc 8R:

PS 8
VR 10
BS 10

iN PS I still haven't studied 3 chapters in physics or chem each, so that what hurt me...the stuff I studied, I seem to have done ok on

VR...that was painful, i expected better, wasted too much time on some questions

BS...again, havent studied a lot of the physio so it hurt me; I also generaly found BS tough

I think 30+ is going to happen, the material I have studied long and slow I know very well; what I haven't studied is what caught me pants down

no worries, just study.

 

[defrunner]

Took TPR, and on the first 3 diagnostics, I got a 26, 22, 24 and then on the last two diagnostics (from AAMC) I got a 26 and a 31 -- got a 33 on the real MCAT. So, don't worry about your scores right now and just keep studying/practicing. Big jumps can happen and at the oddest times. Before I got that 31 on the last practice exam, I was panicking and wondering why I wasn't improving, even with the studying I was putting in. After the 31 (a week before the MCAT), I just kind of took it easy and just tried to do a little practice and mainly remembering all the formulas and stuff so that I wouldn't stress out too much over it.

You all still have time but if you're not studying every day at this point, then hopefully you're just that smart, that natural of a test-taker or have retained the information well enough to succeed on the MCAT.

Good luck!

By the way, even though I have a low undergrad GPA, I'm not retaking the MCAT because I wanted to submit my application in as soon as possible. I can understand why people would want to retake it, but I hear that anything above a 30 is excellent and a 28-29 is considered acceptable if you have a stronger GPA. With a 30+ and retaking it, you're taking the chance that you will improve and if you go down in your score, that will hurt you more than if you hadn't retaken it. It's risk/reward, but the greater chance in a decrease in your score outweighs any potential benefits to be derived from an increase. After all, it is easier to go from 25 to 30 than it is from 30 to 35.

 

[AWhitehair]

Yeah I've always wondered ppl with 30+ wanting to re-take. I've seen so many threads saying, I have a 30 or 31 or 33, etc and want to re-take. Once I hit that 30 I will never want to take this dreadful test again.

Exactly!

 

[BXP]

I honestly don't think there is risk in getting a lower score. The second time around you know what to expect, you can start studying earlier remembering that you crammed it in last time, the material is review of review of review.

 

[Kuba]

I honestly don't think there is risk in getting a lower score. The second time around you know what to expect, you can start studying earlier remembering that you crammed it in last time, the material is review of review of review.

I agree, if I don't get in I'm gonna retake my 32, along with tons of classes this year to bring up the atrocious gpa.

 

[estairella]

It's risk/reward, but the greater chance in a decrease in your score outweighs any potential benefits to be derived from an increase. After all, it is easier to go from 25 to 30 than it is from 30 to 35.

I disagree with that sentiment. If your first real MCAT was 25, and your second real MCAT was 30, then I would say yes, it's risky to try for a 35. But I think it's not THAT much harder for someone who scored 30 to achieve 35 the second time around. Statistically speaking, luck doesn't play too much of a factor yet (unless your 35 goal is actually broken down into 15/15/5 ).

I would agree if it was 35->40 (and god forbid, 40->45), but 35 is definitely an achievable goal.

(Caveat: I'm not a retaker, not even a taker yet!)

 

[HunterGatherer]

I did not break 30 until about the week of my exam. Scored 29 and 31 on my final practice AAMC's. If you feel like you are improving/learning and are working on your weaknesses then stay the course. My final 2 weaks I stopped studying BS and concentrated on my weak topics in physics/chemistry. 10p 10v 12b on real deal.

Eliminate your weakneses!

 

[leahmaria]

I'd say you can do it, my highest score on my practice tests was four points lower than my score on the real thing...i studied kaplan flashcards in between, but it all worked out.

 

[gridiron]

I'd say you can do it, my highest score on my practice tests was four points lower than my score on the real thing...i studied kaplan flashcards in between, but it all worked out.

Ditto...

 

[TomWestmanRules]

I got a 23 on a TPR MCAT practice exam THREE DAYS before the test. On test day, I got a 32.

Appearances can be deceiving. Anything can happen. Hang in there.

 

[Gatsby14777]

I'm with you guys....I just got my 2nd Kaplan practice exam back and am in the low 20's also.
Apparently my study methods aren't working bc I spent all last week reviewing physics, hoping to improve my physical sciences section....and I actually went down in that, but went up in biological sciences which had been my weakest subject, and I hadn't reviewed at all!
Ahhhhhhhhh!

 

[richmond604]

it's encouraging that I'm not the only one

 

[Gatsby14777]

We need a game plan

 

[superwillis]

yea, I have a 3.1 GPA...hoping to have a 3.3 by application time. Which is why I need a 37 .

Seems like alot of people did better on their actual MCAT than their practice scores...is that just coincedence or is it because the test is different?

 

[holycow]

I got a 23 on a TPR MCAT practice exam THREE DAYS before the test. On test day, I got a 32.

Appearances can be deceiving. Anything can happen. Hang in there.

may i ask how your other exam scores were? because if you were averaging close to a 30, then that 23 might just have been a fluke. Just wonderinf if there is still hope for those of us who haven't been able to go past 24/25...

 

[TomWestmanRules]

may i ask how your other exam scores were? because if you were averaging close to a 30, then that 23 might just have been a fluke. Just wonderinf if there is still hope for those of us who haven't been able to go past 24/25...

I was at 23. Then, 2 weeks before the test, I brought that up to a 27 or 28. Then I got a 27 or 28 again. Can't remember. It's a moot point.

3 days before the exam, I dropped back down to a 23 on TPR. I practically went back on AAMC website to sign up for August MCAT.

Then the 32 arrived in June, which is fitting because I felt great on test day. To make a long story short, anything can happen. Eyes on the prize. Start fighting for it. You have time!!

 

[holycow]

I was at 23. Then, 2 weeks before the test, I brought that up to a 27 or 28. Then I got a 27 or 28 again. Can't remember. It's a moot point.

3 days before the exam, I dropped back down to a 23 on TPR. I practically went back on AAMC website to sign up for August MCAT.

Then the 32 arrived in June, which is fitting because I felt great on test day. To make a long story short, anything can happen. Eyes on the prize. Start fighting for it. You have time!!

You give me hope!! i was getting 8 and 9s on kaplan verbal, and started Ek but have been getting 6s and 7s..my question is should i stick with kaplan or should i just start doign all the EK passages? how did you manage to go from a 23 to a 27/28? what did you do different? and i am consistenlty getting 7s in bio Thanks for all your help!

 

[TomWestmanRules]

You give me hope!! i was getting 8 and 9s on kaplan verbal, and started Ek but have been getting 6s and 7s..my question is should i stick with kaplan or should i just start doign all the EK passages? how did you manage to go from a 23 to a 27/28? what did you do different? and i am consistenlty getting 7s in bio Thanks for all your help!

Not sure if there was a magic recipe for my improvement. I'd say take a look at which topic areas you keep messing up on during the test. It's also important to mark which questions you are truly guessing on during the practice exams. A great way to learn how to take control of the test and use it to your advantage. Review the topics you continually find yourself fully guessing on, whether or not you got the question right.

Other than that, it's all about mindset, baby! Focus focus focus. It's just a bunch of pieces of paper. Don't let it scare you.

 

[MedChic]

I was at 23. Then, 2 weeks before the test, I brought that up to a 27 or 28. Then I got a 27 or 28 again. Can't remember. It's a moot point.

3 days before the exam, I dropped back down to a 23 on TPR. I practically went back on AAMC website to sign up for August MCAT.

Then the 32 arrived in June, which is fitting because I felt great on test day. To make a long story short, anything can happen. Eyes on the prize. Start fighting for it. You have time!!

wowwww........marry me?

haha congrats!!

 

[sentrosi]

Yeah I've always wondered ppl with 30+ wanting to re-take. I've seen so many threads saying, I have a 30 or 31 or 33, etc and want to re-take. Once I hit that 30 I will never want to take this dreadful test again.

If you know you can do better, then why not? Everything helps your apps.

I mean: if you don't have any confidence that you'll do better, then you shouldn't.

 

[BXP]

If you know you can do better, then why not? Everything helps your apps.

I mean: if you don't have any confidence that you'll do better, then you shouldn't.

100% agree

 

[defrunner]

I disagree with that sentiment. If your first real MCAT was 25, and your second real MCAT was 30, then I would say yes, it's risky to try for a 35. But I think it's not THAT much harder for someone who scored 30 to achieve 35 the second time around. Statistically speaking, luck doesn't play too much of a factor yet (unless your 35 goal is actually broken down into 15/15/5 ).

I would agree if it was 35->40 (and god forbid, 40->45), but 35 is definitely an achievable goal.

(Caveat: I'm not a retaker, not even a taker yet!)

I've taken it twice. The first time I got a 25, and then just this past April, I got a 33. 35 is not "definitely" an acheivable goal, because that would put you in about the 93rd percentile of all the people who took the test (the vast majority presumably intelligent and well-studied people). If a 35 is an attainable goal for you, then great; you are going to medical school unless you completely screw up somewhere else on your application (i.e. plagiarize your personal statement, tell the interviewer off, etc).

The national average of the MCAT is about a 24-25; the national average for everyone who applies to allopathic schools is a 27-28; the national average of matriculants for allopathic programs is about a 30-31; while the averages for the top-ranked allopathic schools is about a 33-36 (with Washington University having the notably insane outlier of a 38 average MCAT). Simply put, a 35 MCAT, no matter how you slice it and dice it, is an EXCELLENT score -- don't let the posters on SDN make you think that is an average score. The people who post on SDN are usually the more successful applicants.

Since you haven't taken it before, let alone once, your thoughts on what I was saying being erroneous is wrong. It is MUCH harder to go from 30 to 35 than it is from 25 to 30, and 25 to 30 is hard in itself. The types of people who score 35 or above are the types of people who enroll in the top schools, in the MSTP programs, or both, and off the top of my head, they make up about 10-15 percent of all acceptances, let alone applicants.

No matter what type of applicant you are, just keep in mind that while the MCAT is definitely a conquerable test, it is even more so a humbling test. Try not to take it lightly, because all it can take is one careless mistake per section to drop you a point on each section and that's 3 points less right there.

That's my best advice, unsolicited as it may be. Good luck on the test and don't psych yourself out.