Is this a proper excuse for low VR section?

[shinbeats]

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So I did pretty poorly on the VR section compared to how I did last year. I was wondering if during my interview, I am asked why I did so poorly on the VR section can I just honestly tell them that I ran out of time?
I got so absorbed into the passages because they were extremely interesting that I honestly lost track of time. When I looked at the clock I had 5 minutes left to answer the second last passage, read the last passage and answer the last passage. Do you think this is a valid excuse or will ADCOM be like oh w/e dude.....?


EDIT:- English is my first language and I honestly did pretty poorly on the VR this year. However, I don't feel comfortable disclosing the section score. Let's just say it was > / = 7 but < 9

I was NOT born in the US but actually born in Africa, I am URM and I speak multiple languages. It's just that my parents spoke to me in multiple languages in the house. I've always been a slow English reader even though technically I would say it's a language I've always spoken and for some weird reason since I spoke it just as much as the other languages I consider it my primary language?

By the way I'm not a slow thinker or stupid, I scored > 12s on both Sciences.

 

[aSagacious]

That's definitely not a valid excuse. "Oh hey, I know I'm supposed to be taking the most important test of my college career right now but I thought I'd stop for some leisure reading."

Also, the exam is supposed to measure:
- Retention of basic science principles
- Logic and critical reasoning
- Ability to think quickly

...the fact that you ran out of time punches a hole in the third one.

 

[NKChemEng]

I don't mean to burst your bubble, but that sounds like a pretty crappy excuse to me on two fronts. First, I assume you're not trolling, but an ADCOM might think that you're just playing up your bad VR score as if you were "interested" too much to finish.

Second, that's definitely not a good reason not to finish the section. I guess it's pretty unique, but still...

 

[LifeTake2]

So I did pretty poorly on the VR section compared to how I did last year. I was wondering if during my interview, I am asked why I did so poorly on the VR section can I just honestly tell them that I ran out of time?
I got so absorbed into the passages because they were extremely interesting that I honestly lost track of time. When I looked at the clock I had 5 minutes left to answer the second last passage, read the last passage and answer the last passage. Do you think this is a valid excuse or will ADCOM be like oh w/e dude.....?


EDIT:- English is my first language and I honestly did pretty poorly on the VR this year. However, I don't feel comfortable disclosing the section score. Let's just say it was > / = 7 but < 9

This screams BS. And that is exactly what is going to sound like to an Adcom.

Frankly, if you are native speaker you need a better excuse or a clear plan to retake.

 

[shinbeats]

Guys it's not that I'm ******ed and that I can't think quickly lol I scored >12 on both the Science sections. It's just that I seriously ran out of time on the VR. If I couldn't think quick enough or critically how the hell was I doing so good on the Sciences? lol

 

[NKChemEng]

How were your other sections? If overall it was a good score, then I shouldn't worry. Isn't 8 the national average? Unless you're horribly unbalanced with your other scores, I wouldn't be concerned with getting asked why you did poorly on that section (although I would be concerned with my overall score).

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

I think you got a good score.... you probably won't have to explain anything...

 

[shinbeats]

I was NOT born in the US but actually born in Africa, I am URM and I speak multiple languages. It's just that my parents spoke to me in multiple languages in the house. I've always been a slow English reader even though technically I would say it's a language I've always spoken?

 

[shinbeats]

How were your other sections? If overall it was a good score, then I shouldn't worry. Isn't 8 the national average? Unless you're horribly unbalanced with your other scores, I wouldn't be concerned with getting asked why you did poorly on that section (although I would be concerned with my overall score).

I scored > 12 on BOTH Sciences.

 

[NKChemEng]

Then you have a 30+. I wouldn't worry. Don't use that excuse. You'll be fine.

 

[kpcrew]

Hey man, this is question has been on my mind for a while but how'd you do on the sciences?

 

[shinbeats]

Hey man, this is question has been on my mind for a while but how'd you do on the sciences?

As the original post indicated I did very well on the Sciences.

 

[shinbeats]

Then you have a 30+. I wouldn't worry. Don't use that excuse. You'll be fine.

haha what excuse do I use for a crappy VR score compared to my Sciences then? I genuinely lost track of time on the VR and couldn't finish it on time. I started pulling wild answers on the last passage lol so what exactly do I use as an excuse...... I am sure that most of my interviewers will be like okay sciences pretty good WOAH!!!! what happened to the VR? haha

 

[aSagacious]

As the original post indicated I did very well on the Sciences.

I think you need to change the batteries in your sarcasm detector.

 

[paul411]

I got so absorbed into the passages because they were extremely interesting that I honestly lost track of time. When I looked at the clock I had 5 minutes left to answer the second last passage, read the last passage and answer the last passage. Do you think this is a valid excuse or will ADCOM be like oh w/e dude.....?

Definitely "oh w/e dude"

 

[KLycos]

Why is it so hard to tell us what you actually got? Cause you are a troll.

 

[aSagacious]

Why is it so hard to tell us what you actually got? Cause you are a troll.

He said he got a 7/8 on VR in the original post.

 

[ppfizenm]

Me like to read so me got low score on verbal MCAT.

Your best bet is to hope it's not brought up. If it's a 7 you'll get screened out at a bunch of schools anyway. An 8 isn't great but some kids get accepted with it.

 

[kpcrew]

He said he got a 7/8 on VR in the original post.

To be fair, he wrote it in a way that makes it really hard to understand.

 

[shinbeats]

Me like to read so me got low score on verbal MCAT.

Your best bet is to hope it's not brought up. If it's a 7 you'll get screened out at a bunch of schools anyway. An 8 isn't great but some kids get accepted with it.

I have been screened from a bunch of secondaries but by the grace of God I have already received 3 interviews. I am blessed and honored to have the opportunity to interview. However, I'm really just trying to figure out how I can explain why I scored way below my practice AAMC exams and my VR score last year (which was a 10). I genuinely ran out of time on this previous MCAT exam. Compared to the first MCAT exam and all the AAMC exams the MCAT for this year had significantly longer, complex and more interesting passages.

 

[ppfizenm]

I have been screened from a bunch of secondaries but by the grace of God I have already received 3 interviews. I am blessed and honored to have the opportunity to interview. However, I'm really just trying to figure out how I can explain why I scored way below my practice AAMC exams and my VR score last year (which was a 10).

If it was a ten last year there is your excuse. "I don't know what happened this sitting but I know it is not evidence of my abilities as I've scored higher on a previous examination. "

Don't bring up practices.

 

[shinbeats]

If it was a ten last year there is your excuse. "I don't know what happened this sitting but I know it is not evidence of my abilities as I've scored higher on a previous examination. "

Don't bring up practices.

Thanks may I ask why I should not bring up the practice exams? I was scoring 9-10s on all the practice AAMC exams.

 

[kpcrew]

Because no one cares about practice exams. You can have material open and do it without a time limit. You could have scored a 45 on every single practice exam but the only one that people would care about is the one you paid $235 for, completed under test conditions.

 

[NKChemEng]

Because no one cares about practice exams. You can have material open and do it without a time limit. You could have scored a 45 on every single practice exam but the only one that people would care about is the one you paid $235 for, completed under test conditions.

Exactly this. And if you scored 10 on real thing and 9-10 on practice, why not just bring up past exam?

Also, I'm in 😍 with your avatar kpcrew.

 

[shinbeats]

Exactly this. And if you scored 10 on real thing and 9-10 on practice, why not just bring up past exam?

Also, I'm in 😍 with your avatar kpcrew.

Well I want to bring up both- past exam and practice exams to show that even on the past exam the 10 wasn't a fluke and that I consistently scored that way in practice exams. The real fluke was the 7 🙁

 

[aSagacious]

Well I want to bring up both- past exam and practice exams to show that even on the past exam the 10 wasn't a fluke and that I consistently scored that way in practice exams. The real fluke was the 7 🙁

I think you're putting too much thought into this. If the AdComs cared that much about your 7 they wouldn't have given you an interview in the first place. I agree with the others, though, that you should neither mention your practice scores nor use the humorously unsatisfactory excuse described in your original post.

 

[El Dooderino]

So I did pretty poorly on the VR section compared to how I did last year. I was wondering if during my interview, I am asked why I did so poorly on the VR section can I just honestly tell them that I ran out of time?
I got so absorbed into the passages because they were extremely interesting that I honestly lost track of time. When I looked at the clock I had 5 minutes left to answer the second last passage, read the last passage and answer the last passage. Do you think this is a valid excuse or will ADCOM be like oh w/e dude.....?


EDIT:- English is my first language and I honestly did pretty poorly on the VR this year. However, I don't feel comfortable disclosing the section score. Let's just say it was > / = 7 but < 9

I was NOT born in the US but actually born in Africa, I am URM and I speak multiple languages. It's just that my parents spoke to me in multiple languages in the house. I've always been a slow English reader even though technically I would say it's a language I've always spoken and for some weird reason since I spoke it just as much as the other languages I consider it my primary language?

By the way I'm not a slow thinker or stupid, I scored > 12s on both Sciences.

now this is next-level trolling, everyone else pay attention

 

[flodhi1]

I think you're putting too much thought into this. If the AdComs cared that much about your 7 they wouldn't have given you an interview in the first place. I agree with the others, though, that you should neither mention your practice scores nor use the humorously unsatisfactory excuse described in your original post.

I scored a 7 on VR too and also was offered multiple interviews. In one of the interviews, the interviewer specifically asked me about my low VR score. I don't think the OP can just simply mention nothing. He has to come up with a valid answer because most likely they will confront him about it especially since his MCAT score is unbalanced.

 

[ppfizenm]

I scored a 7 on VR too and also was offered multiple interviews. In one of the interviews, the interviewer specifically asked me about my low VR score. I don't think the OP can just simply mention nothing. He has to come up with a valid answer because most likely they will confront him about it especially since his MCAT score is unbalanced.

He has one. Got a 10 on a previous testing. It's more than one SD away so they will realize the 7 is just a fluke.

PS. How did you get interviews with those stats? <3.5 and a 29 with a 7 on V. Who do you know? What EC's do you have that you didn't share?

 

[flodhi1]

The key here is to explain why you truly have a weakness. It's okay to be honest with them as long as you can tell them what you are doing to improve that weakness. Also trust me even if you have interviews, You will definitely be asked about your unbalanced score and low VR subscore. Good luck champ! 👍

 

[aSagacious]

I scored a 7 on VR too and also was offered multiple interviews. In one of the interviews, the interviewer specifically asked me about my low VR score. I don't think the OP can just simply mention nothing. He has to come up with a valid answer because most likely they will confront him about it especially since his MCAT score is unbalanced.

I agree, but what he listed above is not a valid answer. The correct answer, based on what he described above should be, "I employed a poor strategy and did not prioritize correctly." Concocting some excuse that makes him seem like a victim will not get him anywhere.

This reminds me of the applicant who can't think of anything genuine to say in his personal statement addressing 'why medicine' so he embellishes some story about a family member who was hospitalized for one reason or another and the incident inspired him to pursue his calling in medicine. If you don't have anything sincere to say BSing your way out of the question is not the solution.

 

[flodhi1]

He has one. Got a 10 on a previous testing. It's more than one SD away so they will realize the 7 is just a fluke.

PS. How did you get interviews with those stats? <3.5 and a 29 with a 7 on V. Who do you know? What EC's do you have that you didn't share?

I really don't want to focus on myself, this thread and post is about shinbeats and his VR score.

 

[kpcrew]

Exactly this. And if you scored 10 on real thing and 9-10 on practice, why not just bring up past exam?

Also, I'm in 😍 with your avatar kpcrew.

That's IU, a korean singer. She's the cutest.

 

[Morsetlis]

I don't like cute girls and am offended by your avatar. 😡

Also: OP is a troll.

 

[ksn]

what about a retake for your Verbal?

 

[KLycos]

He said he got a 7/8 on VR in the original post.

What is a 7/8? Why not just say, I got a 7 or I got an 8? I don't want to have to guess what some insecure person is trying to tell me when I read a thread on sdn...tell me your composite and the breakdown of your MCAT. I don't need to read. WELL, I got between a 5 and a 9 and my score is like 26-34 what are my chances...it's just not good etiquette.