Is it worth retaking the MCAT?

[slay23]

Hey Guys!

I am new to this forum and just wanted some advice on how to wrap things up before applying to med school this upcoming cycle. My main concern is my 507 (129/124/128/126) MCAT score. This was my second time taking it and I voided the first time. I am a California resident and will be applying with a 3.9 overall GPA. Just wondering if I should bother retaking the MCAT towards the end of april by focusing my attention mainly on CARS. It will take a lot out of me to do this since I will be juggling school, work, research, and an internship in the meantime. I understand I'm not in a terrible situation but I don't want a test score holding me back from getting into med school after I've worked my a** off these past 4 years. Thanks for the input!

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[kneeshoe]

A 507 MCAT is not going to be competitive at any of the mid-upper tier UC medical schools (aside from maybe Riverside). The MCAT is not something you can easily balance with so many other things and should be your main priority/focus - at this point, I don't think you are willing to sacrifice enough time to study and get a solid score >512. Your score would then be averaged with your 507.

Either put in a lot of effort towards your MCAT studies and if you are confident you can do much better, than go for it. Otherwise, don't bother and make sure you apply broadly to several DO and MD schools! Personally, I would focus more on writing an excellent application and securing solid LOR's.

 

[premedvideos1]

Adding on to that, some schools might have cut-offs. So, a 124 might be an automatic rejection at some school. I think a 125 should be the minimum that you should be striving for.