Is this weird?

BU Medical Sciences
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
def1

def1

Full Member
10+ Year Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2012
Messages
603
Reaction score
39
Ok guys, I've already been accepted into medical school, but I still was never satisfied with my MCAT score. It was <30. Obviously I'm not going to retake it since I already have my acceptance, but I was thinking of doing some more practice tests just to prove to myself I can break a high 30 score.

Obviously most people would never want to see the MCAT again if they didn't need to, but I just can't let that score out of my mind. On my previous practice tests I was consistently getting 30's or slightly higher, and even then I wasn't satisfied with those results.

Do you think its really weird for me to want to take a few more practice exams to prove I am capable of a really high MCAT score?
Members don't see this ad.
 
Last edited:
def1 said:
Ok guys, I've already been accepted into medical school, but I still was never satisfied with my MCAT score. It was >30. Obviously I'm not going to retake it since I already have my acceptance, but I was thinking of doing some more practice tests just to prove to myself I can break a high 30 score.

Obviously most people would never want to see the MCAT again if they didn't need to, but I just can't let that score out of my mind. On my previous practice tests I was consistently getting 30's or slightly higher, and even then I wasn't satisfied with those results.

Do you think its really weird for me to want to take a few more practice exams to prove I am capable of a really high MCAT score?
Click to expand...

Yes, you've been accepted. Your MCAT will never matter again.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
3cd8a33a.png
 
I actually feel pity for you.
 
def1 said:
Ok guys, I've already been accepted into medical school, but I still was never satisfied with my MCAT score. It was >30. Obviously I'm not going to retake it since I already have my acceptance, but I was thinking of doing some more practice tests just to prove to myself I can break a high 30 score.

Obviously most people would never want to see the MCAT again if they didn't need to, but I just can't let that score out of my mind. On my previous practice tests I was consistently getting 30's or slightly higher, and even then I wasn't satisfied with those results.

Do you think its really weird for me to want to take a few more practice exams to prove I am capable of a really high MCAT score?
Click to expand...

Yes. There are more useful things to do with your time. If you're going obsess this much about all your tests in medical school you will find yourself extremely stressed out and frazzled in a couple months of school.

I never found the practice tests too accurate anyways. I was scoring low to mid 20's on the one's I took. It was discouraging me so I stopped taking them. On the actual test I got a 34.
 
Lol op

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile
 
def1 said:
Ok guys, I've already been accepted into medical school, but I still was never satisfied with my MCAT score. It was >30. Obviously I'm not going to retake it since I already have my acceptance, but I was thinking of doing some more practice tests just to prove to myself I can break a high 30 score.

Obviously most people would never want to see the MCAT again if they didn't need to, but I just can't let that score out of my mind. On my previous practice tests I was consistently getting 30's or slightly higher, and even then I wasn't satisfied with those results.

Do you think its really weird for me to want to take a few more practice exams to prove I am capable of a really high MCAT score?
Click to expand...

My kindergarten teacher didn't write "AMAZING" on my fingerpainting. Instead, the teacher only wrote "Good"

Jokes aside, I wouldn't really worry about that anymore. The MCAT isn't like an all around intelligence test that can tell me that life is going to go amazingly well for you and that you are going to become richer than Bill Gates if you get a 40 over a 30 on it.
 
Go take a practice USMLE step 1 test, instead. It's a humbling experience.
 
Jokes aside, I almost did something similar.:oops: I was really bored recently and considered taking the verbal section of my last remaining practice MCAT. I bombed the real deal after doing a ton of prep and wanted to see if I could randomly beat my score with no studying. I came to my senses though.
 
Zelia said:
Aw, OP. It's okay. I know what you mean, but don't retake MCAT practice tests. If you really need to prove something to yourself regarding standardized tests, do it for Step 1. (And if you scored over 30, you were at the 83rd+ percentile anyway - not too shabby! 2012 MCAT percentiles from AAMC: http://bit.ly/YSnQzF :) )

ps That means you did as well as or better than over 74,000 other premeds last year.
Click to expand...

Lol I meant to put a less than sign. I edited it now in the OP.

And yea guys I realize it is ridiculous. Its not so much that I care about the MCAT score itself, but I guess I just wanted to know the best I was capable of. I realize now that Im accepted, the MCAT is irrelevant. I guess part of it is that I've become a bit neurotic in thinking that the MCAT score will define my future performance even though I know this isn't true.

But yea I think I'm going to side with you guys and just get this silly idea out of my head lol.
 
I understand you, but is very weird...
 
Members don't see this ad :)
kinda in the same boat as the OP in a way. I got accepted to a school but not super happy with it. (OOS tuition + high CoL)

In a way kinda wish I woulda retook my 30 and studied for a super high score and get scholarships!
 
rteZP.gif
 
wow you are lucky to have that kind of time on your hands. buy some of your med school books early and start studying that instead. there really is no reason to take practice mcats at the stage you're at... huge waste of time. if you really feel like 'proving something to yourself' just retake the real thing :)
 
Lol, I get this, I was super disappointed with my score too b/c I had scored much higher on pretty much all my practice tests. Maybe I shoulda retaken, but at this point I would never consider retaking. Congrats on the acceptance - I'd use your time somehow else if I were you. :oops:
 
Hey guys, I have a similar question to OP. I took the MCAT last year and got a 39 on it. It's been slowly killing me ever since that I didn't get at least 40. I mean, I was so close, and if I had hit 40 my percentile would have been 99.9th instead of 99.6th. Is it crazy for me to do tests again just to prove to myself that I really am capable of breaking 40? And unlike OP, I haven't even applied yet, so maybe I should even retake before summer is over?
















I'm kidding.
 
OCDOCDOCD said:
Hey guys, I have a similar question to OP. I took the MCAT last year and got a 39 on it. It's been slowly killing me ever since that I didn't get at least 40. I mean, I was so close, and if I had hit 40 my percentile would have been 99.9th instead of 99.6th. Is it crazy for me to do tests again just to prove to myself that I really am capable of breaking 40? And unlike OP, I haven't even applied yet, so maybe I should even retake before summer is over?
















I'm kidding.
Click to expand...

I think a re-take is warranted. There are more than 350 people that scored higher than you in the year you took it, and by the transitive property, more than 350 people who will make better doctors and be more successful.
 
TheWeeIceMan said:
Jokes aside, I almost did something similar.:oops: I was really bored recently and considered taking the verbal section of my last remaining practice MCAT. I bombed the real deal after doing a ton of prep and wanted to see if I could randomly beat my score with no studying. I came to my senses though.
Click to expand...

Are you accepted anywhere?
 
sinombre said:
I think a re-take is warranted. There are more than 350 people that scored higher than you in the year you took it, and by the transitive property, more than 350 people who will make better doctors and be more successful.
Click to expand...

I realize this is meant to be facetious, but to invoke the transitive property, you need to first prove that higher scorers make better doctors. A tall order.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
 
When I got my MCAT score back I wanted to retake it anyways for fun to prove I could get what I was getting on practice tests (37+). I also thought I would get an acceptance this cycle so the MCAT would have no bearing. Now, I don't want to retake or reapply.!
 
def1 said:
Do you think its really weird for me to want to take a few more practice exams to prove I am capable of a really high MCAT score?
Click to expand...

How 'bout you apply for a job and prove to your parents that you are capable of something more than academics and playing Warhammer?
 
113 said:
I realize this is meant to be facetious, but to invoke the transitive property, you need to first prove that higher scorers make better doctors. A tall order.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...

Indeed. Although the type of person making this claim would presumably believe this to be an axiom.
 
honestly even if i were in your shoes and cared enough to put in the effort to do so, i would never feel like i actually did it unless i took the test legitimately. i'm sure you know people score differently on their practice tests than on the real thing all the time, whether it be higher or lower. sooo unless you retake (DON'T, pointless), i highly doubt you'd get the satisfaction of proving anything to yourself.

i wouldn't waste my time if i were you.
 
ErrantWhatever said:
How 'bout you apply for a job and prove to your parents that you are capable of something more than academics and playing Warhammer?
Click to expand...

Ive worked for the past two years while being a student full time, I'm in no rush to go back.
 
def1 said:
Ok guys, I've already been accepted into medical school, but I still was never satisfied with my MCAT score. It was <30. Obviously I'm not going to retake it since I already have my acceptance, but I was thinking of doing some more practice tests just to prove to myself I can break a high 30 score.

Obviously most people would never want to see the MCAT again if they didn't need to, but I just can't let that score out of my mind. On my previous practice tests I was consistently getting 30's or slightly higher, and even then I wasn't satisfied with those results.

Do you think its really weird for me to want to take a few more practice exams to prove I am capable of a really high MCAT score?
Click to expand...

You need to get the mentality out of your head that MCAT scores are a measure of "something" that a future doctor needs. There are people who got destroyed on their MCAT and yet have matriculated to medical school. Instead of feeling like s***, they focused their attention on the USMLE/COMLEX step 1 and killed it instead (I have seen their beastly numbers on SDN).

These tests have no barring as to how good of a doctor you will be. They are nothing more than assessment tools used by adcoms and residency directors to measure an applicant's potential to succeed (they need something).

Don't worry about it and instead let that uncertainty drive you to do well on the USMLE step 1. Good luck and congrats to you on making it in!
 
Almost threw my computer off the table, and definitely uttered at least one curse word (not angry, just confused, haha).

Please, relax man. It's done, it's over, you've made it. You never have to hear or say those 4 letters "MCAT," ever again in your life, because no one cares.

Congrats on the acceptance.
 
Yeah sure. I mean if its important to you why not. Like a good science quiz. Only thing is it costs 250 to take the test. I would do. We would be friends irl!
 
You're the kind of person that needs to tell people you're better than them, huh?
 
Please don't retake the USMLE again if you're not satisfied the first time.... ahahah. jk
 
I don't see why people are reacting so strongly. If it's something you feel like doing, go ahead and do it. There are worse ways to spend your time, and at least this way you'll be practicing some science and verbal reasoning. Maybe you'll even learn something about your general test-taking style that could use some improvement, which will be plenty useful later on.
 
Once you're in, no one cares about what you did before medical school. You'll all be pounded into the same mold by the end of M1 anyway.
 
MichaelGScott said:
I don't see why people are reacting so strongly. If it's something you feel like doing, go ahead and do it. There are worse ways to spend your time, and at least this way you'll be practicing some science and verbal reasoning. Maybe you'll even learn something about your general test-taking style that could use some improvement, which will be plenty useful later on.
Click to expand...

Yea I dont get why people are flipping out lol. I can understand why some think its a waste of time, I can't figure out why people are actually getting annoyed or angry about it tho lol.

I think maybe some of them think I will actually be retaking the actual exam, but thats not the case. I was just planning on doing some more practice tests. I have a bunch of free ones from Kaplan and I was just thinking of putting them to use.

But after thinking it over, I think I could spend my time more wisely.

I just like keeping my mind busy and thats why I was just considering reviewing the material again, but now I just plan on reading through some scientific literature that interests me but that I can learn from as well.
 
I just don't get what doing well on a practice exam will accomplish for you. If you're worried about the academic rigors of med school, take credence to the fact that an adcom believes in you enough to accept you.
 
red doctober said:
I just don't get what doing well on a practice exam will accomplish for you. If you're worried about the academic rigors of med school, take credence to the fact that an adcom believes in you enough to accept you.
Click to expand...

Strangely enough, I'm not worried about medical school curriculum at all. I just kind of fell into this neurotic idea that doing not so great on the MCAT might mean I wouldn't do so great on Step 1. I realize its kind of silly, and I'm sure how hard I study and prepare for step 1 will be a much greater indicator of my eventual score than redoing a practice exam, but like I said it just an idea that I kept getting more neurotic about. I'm over it now though and I'm ready to move on ahead.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

D
Is this weird to mention in essays?
Replies
5
Views
631
LindaAccepted
LindaAccepted
W
Weird
Replies
11
Views
2K
chessknt
chessknt
D
  • Question
Is this schedule too weird for Fall 2022?
Replies
3
Views
634
threepwood
threepwood
BowlOfAppleJacks
Does a transcript with only some Spring grades in look weird?
Replies
7
Views
600
Mad Jack
Mad Jack
B
I am in this weird situation and could use some insight
Replies
9
Views
1K
chilly_md
chilly_md
Top