Is my panicking justified?!

[Doctoblast]

My MCAT date is July 24 (15 days away)

I just finished the aamc biology self assessment and scored a 66%, which is the average for mcat takers. I have the rest of the self assessments and plan on finishing those this week. I checked the sdn forum and saw that most people on here are scoring in the mid 80-90% range on almost all the sections. Is a 66% really that bad?

I took an aamc fl last week and scored a 26, 9 PS 9V 8BS.

I would really like to score a 30 on the real thing, but the minimum is a 27 (A few DO schools are in my top 10)

Basically, after I took the bio SA I am starting to feel panicked and a bit demoralized after seeing all the amazing scores other sdners have been getting on the SAs. Do you guys think my panicking is justified or do I have enough time to improve? Looking for a little advice/tough love/words of encouragement. Any response would be much appreciated

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[lNVlNClBLE]

26 to 27 in 15 days? Absolutely. 26 to 30 in 15 days? Maybe, maybe not. Some people get 4-6 more points than their AAMC FL average, which might be due to adrenaline / proper testing conditions, whatever.

In any case, I feel that SDN harbors some of the most intelligent, driven, and capable students in the premed body. So don't be discouraged by what other people are posting; just work on yourself!

 

[Alucard6]

First of all, never make SDN your basis of an average. The people that post here about scores are top tier and get 35+ on the MCAT, so never use this site as the general consensus.

I would say a 4 point jump will be difficult to do in 15 days. If that is your goal, I suggest scheduling or perhaps taking a year off and taking the exam later and knocking it out the park.

 

[Doctoblast]

26 to 27 in 15 days? Absolutely. 26 to 30 in 15 days? Maybe, maybe not. Some people get 4-6 more points than their AAMC FL average, which might be due to adrenaline / proper testing conditions, whatever.

In any case, I feel that SDN harbors some of the most intelligent, driven, and capable students in the premed body. So don't be discouraged by what other people are posting; just work on yourself!

I looked over both my fl and the self assessment and saw some really dumb mistakes. At least I know what I need to work on. Thanks for the response!

First of all, never make SDN your basis of an average. The people that post here about scores are top tier and get 35+ on the MCAT, so never use this site as the general consensus.

I would say a 4 point jump will be difficult to do in 15 days. If that is your goal, I suggest scheduling or perhaps taking a year off and taking the exam later and knocking it out the park.

It's good to know that most of the people posting on here are amongst the best. That makes me feel better about my score, but I know I need to work hard these next two weeks. This July and a retake if necessary in January are my only options. I don't want to take the new one next year. Hoping I can get at least a 27/28 1st time around! Thanks!

 

[Alucard6]

If you are fine with taking a test in January and taking a year off, then why not JUST do that? You will save money and can focus strictly on doing well for the January exam.

 

[pepocho]

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[Doctoblast]

If you are fine with taking a test in January and taking a year off, then why not JUST do that? You will save money and can focus strictly on doing well for the January exam.

I've already spent most of the summer reviewing the content and I feel like I won't be able to retain it all until January. I want to focus on my gpa/shadowing/volunteering/research during the fall semester and I don't think I'll be able to fit in mcat studying in between. I'm only a few points away from my goal now and I feel like I can get a decent score in July. January is only an option if I bomb it in July (25 or less). Like I said, I'm completely okay with going DO.

Studying during winter break won't be of much use because I'll need at least a couple days to give my mind a break from finals and then I'll be in the same spot I am in now - 2 weeks away but with less content retained.

I've been using EK self study and scoring pretty much all 9s and 10s on their exams. I know that most people on here have said that those exams are harder than the real thing, so I think content isn't my big issue. I think I just need to practice more aamc mcat passages which is what I will do for the next 2 weeks with FLs. I think getting two 9s and a 10 on the real thing is manageable. Thank you for you input!

 

[jared_the_great]

If you'd be happy with a 27, then go ahead and stick with it. Review all the content you were lacking on the self-assessments, then take another AAMC FL. Then another and another. Go over everything you missed or were unsure about.

Assume going into the real thing that you're going to score pretty close to your average from AAMC FL's. If you'd be happy with that score, then go in and do your best. If you wouldn't, though, reschedule. Don't just go in expecting a miracle.