Lesser of two Evils

[blakel]

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Hi. I wrote the 5/22 exam and got a 29 but was aiming for 30-32. I am already amcas verified. Is it better to
1. apply broadly now with the 29 and update schools that I plan to take the MCAT again July 31 in secondaries (and risk being weeded out)
2. resubmit my amcas and note that I will retake the MCAT (and not have my application reviewed until 9/1 when scores come in)
Thoughts? any past applicants with experience?

 

[urrugby]

I vote that you broadly apply with a 29 and don't retake the MCAT until you get a feel for what schools think of your application. You're just as likely to go up to a 30 or 31 as you are to drop to a 28 or 27 (you may have been scoring 32s on your practice exams, but they aren't always accurate predictors). Some argue for the "30 cut off", but in my opinion, the jump from a 29 to a 30 is no where near as helpful as a drop from a 29 to a 28 is hurtful. You're on the cusp right now for MD programs, and if you have good ECs and GPA, some programs may give you an interview with a 29.

 

[redlight]

Hi. I wrote the 5/22 exam and got a 29 but was aiming for 30-32. I am already amcas verified. Is it better to
1. apply broadly now with the 29 and update schools that I plan to take the MCAT again July 31 in secondaries (and risk being weeded out)
2. resubmit my amcas and note that I will retake the MCAT (and not have my application reviewed until 9/1 when scores come in)
Thoughts? any past applicants with experience?

you left a lot of holes like gpa, ecs, state med schools' mcat avg

 

[Ultimeaciax]

If you "think" you can do better the next time around, then all means...study and finish the MCAT! If you feel like your chance of getting higher than a 29 is kinda out of reach, then just stick to it and try to apply broadly.

 

[Appless]

If you "think" you can do better the next time around, then all means...study and finish the MCAT! If you feel like your chance of getting higher than a 29 is kinda out of reach, then just stick to it and try to apply broadly.

best advice. If your practice average was like 30-32...theres a decent chance you may not improve and may even do worse..i have a friend whos did this same thing. He averaged 31 or so...took the mcat 2 times and got 30 both times...but the 2nd time his verbal dropped to an 8.

If your 29 is balanced (all sections 9+) and you dont think you can really improve (32+) id just apply widely and go with it. If it makes you feel better, if you look at the amcas stats about 4000 people each yr are accepted with a 27-29 mcat in the US. A 29 will only block you out of top programs like columbia, yale, etc. If other parts of your app are good, there is a decent chance you will still be accepted somewhere.

 

[caseofthemndays]

I'm in the same boat. I got a 29, but that was about a year and a half ago, and I didn't study that much. I'm applying now and retaking in a couple weeks and updating the schools when I get the scores.

 

[Blahblahologist]

The replies here are pretty good.

You should also consider if anything else was going on in May (studying for or taking finals?) that might have adversely affected your May MCAT that wouldn't be an issue in July. Of course, I've also forgotten 70% of what I knew about organic chemistry in the past month, so there's that to contend with on the other side.

I'd lean toward going with the score you've got, but you know yourself best.

 

[Druzie]

I wouldn't retake unless I thought I could do *significantly* better. Even if you do improve based on your practice tests, what's the point of going from a 29 to a 30? If the rest of your application is in good shape, just apply.

If you really want to retake, spend more than a month preparing, if that's what it takes to give yourself a greater chance of a substantial score increase.