Is it a bad idea to take the MCAT if you are not ready?

[pharm1234]

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I don't feel ready for the Aug 20 MCAT. Should I still take it or just wait till April at which time I will be more prepared and feel more ready?

Does it look bad if you don't do too well? Generally speaking how do schools handle multiple MCAT scores?

Are there any good reasons to take it?

What are the chances of getting accepted into med school the following year when you take the Aug MCAT, granted you get a decent score?

 

[NilamPatel]

I don't feel ready for the Aug 20 MCAT. Should I still take it or just wait till April? Does it look bad if I don't do too well? Are there any good reasons for me not to take it?

its a waste of 8 hrs and your saturday. just take it in april if you feel you are unprepared.

 

[medstu2006]

I don't feel ready for the Aug 20 MCAT. Should I still take it or just wait till April? Does it look bad if I don't do too well? Are there any good reasons for me not to take it?

I think since you have already paid for it and everything, you should go ahead and take it and VOID your score. So the next time you take it, you will exactly know what to expect on test day. You will probably be less nervous the second time around.

 

[totalcommand]

I think since you have already paid for it and everything, you should go ahead and take it and VOID your score. So the next time you take it, you will exactly know what to expect on test day. You will probably be less nervous the second time around.

This is a great idea...I was gonna say don't bother, but if you can use this as one of your practice tests you'll know what exactly to expect.

You might wanna make sure that med schools don't see that you voided the test...I'm not sure if they do or not.

 

[Samus Aran]

This is a great idea...I was gonna say don't bother, but if you can use this as one of your practice tests you'll know what exactly to expect.

You might wanna make sure that med schools don't see that you voided the test...I'm not sure if they do or not.

they don't, and i think it's a great idea to void if you feel unprepared.

 

[freesolo]

I dont think anyone completely feels their ready for this test, except ppl on these forums of course lol.

 

[stoleyerscrubz]

I was preparing the April 2005 MCAT and scored 23-25 on EK 1G, AAMC 3R and AAMC 5R. I freaked out when I got a 7/9/7 on AAMC 5R and did not take the April MCAT and got a refund of $100. I did have 4 more weeks to prepare but was not sure if I could pull it off so I decided to concentrate on school and take the August MCAT. I feel much more prepared now and I'm very happy I did not take the test.

Taking an exam that you know you will void is not acutally taking the MCAT under realistic test conditions. Have some fun and start studying early for the April MCAT. Now that you know your weak points, concentrate on those first.

 

[medstu2006]

Taking an exam that you know you will void is not acutally taking the MCAT under realistic test conditions. Have some fun and start studying early for the April MCAT. Now that you know your weak points, concentrate on those first.

It is more realistic than taking an AAMC exam at home. It actually depends from person to person as to how seriously and with what mindset does he or she want to take each test. I feel that taking the test and VOIDING it will be a good experience for the OP, especially since he will be taking it again. It doesn't hurt as the adcoms won't know about it.

 

[jintonic5]

This is a totally HORRIBLE IDEA. You can always get at least half of it refunded to get 100 dollars back. That 100 dollars back is better then getting none of the money back, and wasting one of only 3 chances that you have prior to having to ask for special permission. So granted, most will only need to take it once or twice, I wouldn't waste one of your chances.

If you are not ready for it, don't take it. Simple matter. Your practice scores should give a clear range of how ready or not you are for the test. If they are in the teens or lower end of the 20's, you'd be wasting your time. If they are at least in the mid to high 20's or 30+ then you are good to go as long as your mental mind frame is good. In other words, what is the point of taking the test if you can't focus, concentrate, or aren't really in an overall mental mindset of the MCAT???

i COMPLETELY DISAGREE--i don't think it's a horrible idea at all. no matter how often you attend kaplan or TPR's simulated practice tests, they are NOT the same thing as taking the real thing. the real thing they are MUCH stricter, everyone is MORE nervous and overall there's nothing like the real thing. also, kaplan simulations don't use aamc material-- taking the mcat exposes you to the real thing and gives you a much better idea of what to expect in terms of difficulty and question style.

if you aren't hard up for the cash, i'd go and take it just for the experience and then void it-- it'll give you a better perspective on what to expect when you are truly ready. plus, asking for special permission is not a big deal. if you apply to med schools before you need to take it a fourth time, all you have to do is send them a copy of a rejection letter you received to show them you are a real applicant and are not taking the exam for a test-prep company.

 

[adiddas125]

i COMPLETELY DISAGREE--i don't think it's a horrible idea at all. no matter how often you attend kaplan or TPR's simulated practice tests, they are NOT the same thing as taking the real thing. the real thing they are MUCH stricter, everyone is MORE nervous and overall there's nothing like the real thing. also, kaplan simulations don't use aamc material-- taking the mcat exposes you to the real thing and gives you a much better idea of what to expect in terms of difficulty and question style.

if you aren't hard up for the cash, i'd go and take it just for the experience and then void it-- it'll give you a better perspective on what to expect when you are truly ready. plus, asking for special permission is not a big deal. if you apply to med schools before you need to take it a fourth time, all you have to do is send them a copy of a rejection letter you received to show them you are a real applicant and are not taking the exam for a test-prep company.

I agree with Jintonic, Take the exam, void it, and use it as a learning experience. $100 will be pocket change later in life. Think of it as an investment in your future. Turn lemons into lemonade my friend. 🙂

 

[NilamPatel]

I agree with Jintonic, Take the exam, void it, and use it as a learning experience. $100 will be pocket change later in life. Think of it as an investment in your future. Turn lemons into lemonade my friend. 🙂

when its time for med school interviews and they see you voided your exam, what are you going to tell them? oh i wasn't prepared, i knew i wasn't prepared so i took the test anyway and voided just so i could "practice

im sorry i think that a voided test is worse than not taking it...ateast you will be the only knowing you weren't prepared, if you void all the med schools know too, plus who WANTS to take 8 hours out of their day and take a test when they can sleep, watch tv, study for april's test...honestly you don't have anything you would rather do than take an MCAT..you're gonna waste $200 as opposed to $100

 

[adiddas125]

when its time for med school interviews and they see you voided your exam, what are you going to tell them? oh i wasn't prepared, i knew i wasn't prepared so i took the test anyway and voided just so i could "practice

im sorry i think that a voided test is worse than not taking it...ateast you will be the only knowing you weren't prepared, if you void all the med schools know too, plus who WANTS to take 8 hours out of their day and take a test when they can sleep, watch tv, study for april's test...honestly you don't have anything you would rather do than take an MCAT..you're gonna waste $200 as opposed to $100

It is to my knowledge that if you void an exam, that it doesnt show up on your record...

 

[NilamPatel]

It is to my knowledge that if you void an exam, that it doesnt show up on your record...

i've always thought that voided tests show up on your record, i dunno..i coulda sworn someone told me that

 

[jintonic5]

i've always thought that voided tests show up on your record, i dunno..i coulda sworn someone told me that

voiding exams doesn't show up-- what does show up is if you have taken the exam, did not void it, but then chose to NOT release the scores to med schools. in this case, they will see that you completed and received a score, but that you don't want them to see what you got.

 

[jintonic5]

"If you void your answer documents, your participation in
this administration of the MCAT will not be reported to
AMCAS or to non-AMCAS schools. However, even if
you void, you are regarded as having attended the test
and, therefore, not eligible for a refund. Also, if you wish
to register after having attended three or more MCATs
(whether you voided your scores or not), you must
request and obtain permission each time you wish to
retest."

That's straight from the MCAT essentials publication on the aamc website.

 

[DrYo12]

Paying $200 for a practice exam is just a little more than I'm willing to pay.

 

[MoosePilot]

Paying $200 for a practice exam is just a little more than I'm willing to pay.

Yes and 1 time toward the maximum.

Be sure to judge by how you did on your last practice. I always felt like I bombed the tests... until I got the score. 👍

 

[NilamPatel]

okay, i still think its a bad idea to take the exam if you don't feel prepared, waste of time and money

 

[medstu2006]

Where did the OP disappear?

 

[HopeFaith]

I'm in a similar bind.
I've also taken kaplan and my scores have ranged from 21-27.
I peaked at 27, except I was I got fed up by test 5 and ended up getting a 23.
For some a 25-27 would be okay, but my gpa sucks so I don't think it will get me anywhere at all.
I was thinking of getting a refund or trying to take it later.
Voiding just seems like a silly option, If I go into the test knowing I'm voiding the score, I'll just be completely apathetic about it.
And the idea of wasting an mcat score when I'm not sure how many times I'll take the exam doesn't sit right with me.

 

[~CDN Pre-med~]

Even for all the TPR proctered tests that I went to last year (5 exams), I still did not expect the actual MCAT to take that long. A proctered test was usually from 9-3:30, but for the actual test last year I was there from 7:30 am to 6:30 pm....11 hours!

I think if you go and void it's definitely worthwhile. $200 is not a lot considering I spent $450 on three Ontario schools of which I had no interview because my scores did not make the cutoffs. For us, Ontario application deadlines are set before the MCAT scores are released (so they can make an extra money!). If I had voided I might have wasted $200 but I would not have ended up wasting another $450.

But, you have to decide how prepared you are really...

 

[pharm1234]

So basically it is not a bad idea to at least take the test and void it. No med school will ever know it. All it does is use up one out of the 3 attempts at the MCAT???
I am thinking two real attempts at the MCAT should be good? Hopefully the first real attempt should be good. Otherwise you are spending a year and a half just taking the MCAT. Plus isn't that saying something taking the MCAT three times and not getting a good score???

 

[HopeFaith]

11 hours.
Knowing myself I would probably start guessing on the last section just to get out of there.
That seems like wasted engery for a "practice test" and many would agree that practice test scores are spot on with how you would score on the real exam.

 

[Doc.Holliday]

i'm in a similar boat. i surely don't feel entirely prepared. I took 3r a week ago and got a 32, thats all i have to make any predictions (besides kaplans diagnostic, a 32 also). But i can usually tell how i did on a test, for 3r i felt ok, so if i feel the same or better this saturday i'll let it be scored, but its quite possible i'll void it instead. you can look at it as a waste of 100 bucks, but its also a great chance to get a real feel for how the whole test day goes, and what if amcas decides to put passages that happen to all be something you know well? i wouldnt want to miss that.

 

[Pontifex Maximus]

The premise of this thread is nuts. If you are really not ready, don't take it. It is that simple. Don't waste your time, stress, or money.