MCAT 2015 Retake questions

[WindyCityZete]

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Hey guys,


I will be taking the MCAT in a few days. Don't really feel too confident since its the new exam and nobody knows what a good exam score will be. I plan on applying to DO schools when the application will open up in May/June. If I had to retake the exam would my application be on hold until I retake it,or would I be stuck with the first score? The exam results will be finalized in June since this will be the first new MCAT exam administered. Any info and feedback would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[NonTrad16]

Do you not feel confident because you don't know the material and/or did poorly on the AAMC practice test, or you're just generally nervous? General nerves are fine. If you took the AAMC practice recently and bombed it, I would NOT expect that to magically change... I would not take it with any intention of retaking for this application season.

So, depending on your situation: 1) take it and see your preliminary percentile (which they will distribute before you would need to apply), or 2) postpone the exam. If you're applying DO, there's no need to apply day 1; it would be better to take the May or June exam. I'm applying DO/MD and am not taking the MCAT until June. Even in June you can get your app verified and submit to schools with score in hand at the end of July.

 

[WindyCityZete]

Thanks for the reply,

I'm in a prep class and didn't do well on the practice exams that they offered. I am also only applying to DO schools. I guess if I were to retake it, it would be in June or July.

 

[WindyCityZete]

Also don't DO schools accept your best attempt at the MCAT as well? I might just take it and see how it goes and then retake it if necessary

 

[BorntobeDO?]

Also don't DO schools accept your best attempt at the MCAT as well? I might just take it and see how it goes and then retake it if necessary

Depends on the school, most do, but remember DO's don't get the MCAT automatically updated like AMCAS does, you have to send the update.

I agree that with DO it is not necessary to apply the very beginning of the cycle (if your goal is only to just get in a school), but summer is better. AACOMAS takes much longer than AMCAS to verify (took almost a month for mine vs 2 weeks for AMCAS). If you primary is in by Aug I think you are still early for both MD and DO.

The benefit of giving DO's the primary early is that you can interview at a bunch of schools and collect a bunch of acceptances before having to put down a massive deposit (1k to 3k depending on school) by Dec 15 ish. The one exception is LECOM, they do 30 days no matter what, but you have the option to defer your decision till Nov 15, so your deposit would be due like everyone elses. This would be my primary motivation in trying to apply DO early again. I would want to interview at as many schools as possible.

But the good news is, almost all DO schools have a pretty quick turn-around about sending Interview Invites (II's) after secondaries. Most of them invited me within about 2 weeks to a month after receiving my secondaries. I actually got into 2 schools that I sent primaries to in early Dec (2nd wave of primary's for me), and was able to choose between the two because the acceptances were close together. I feel I was rather lucky that I had the option, as many people end up putting down one of the massive deposits and then getting into a 'better' school and having a bunch of angst about it.

So my recommendation is to not take the MCAT till you feel ready (and your practice tests say so too), but to try and get primaries in by Aug to a wide amount of DO schools, so you can have the most options available to you.

 

[samac]

If you retake and don't send in your scores that's withholding information. Bad idea. Don't do that.
If you're scoring poorly I would just take the exam for the experience (since it's too late for a refund now) and choose not to score it. 2 scores one bad and one good is worse than just 1 good.
But if you're set on it and had to retake in late June you'd be fine.

 

[MedNation907]

I will be taking the MCAT in a few days. Don't really feel too confident since its the new exam and nobody knows what a good exam score will be. I plan on applying to DO schools when the application will open up in May/June. If I had to retake the exam would my application be on hold until I retake it,or would I be stuck with the first score? The exam results will be finalized in June since this will be the first new MCAT exam administered. Any info and feedback would be appreciated. Thank you.

There are projections on page 9 of the first link. I would feel safe if I was writing in their [proposed] 68th percentile (504) that would [hypothetically] put me at ~28 which is above reported DO averages for 2014. The uncertainty from the reformatting is unfortunate but if you're really not confident just reschedule, I would assume the rescheduling fee is less than re-registering altogether. You do not want a bad MCAT score, take it when you're testing competently.

Sources:
[New MCAT Percentiles] https://www.aamc.org/students/download/378098/data/mcat2015scorescaleguide.pdf
[Old MCAT Percentiles] https://www.aamc.org/students/download/361080/data/combined13.pdf.pdf

 

[NonTrad16]

Thanks for the reply,

I'm in a prep class and didn't do well on the practice exams that they offered. I am also only applying to DO schools. I guess if I were to retake it, it would be in June or July.

I don't understand your urgency. Your plan entails taking a very important exam without confidence, studying more (because you won't know your score for a month) and potentially retaking within a month or two.

Do you like Vegas? It seems like a risky bet with potential to tarnish your record (some "only take the most recent," but they see them all) and prolong your anxiety (taking the exam, not knowing the score, studying, retaking, and waiting again). Doing that on the off chance you get "good enough" the first go does not make sense to me. This isn't about luck, it's about preparing.

If schools get your app early (like you're gunning for) with your first score (possibly bad), they have no reason I can think of to wait until your retake to reject you.

 

[Goro]

School's don't wait when you ask them "please hold my app until I take the next MCAT"...your app goes into a pile and is ranked upon wherever your stats are.

It's good to apply to one "throwaway" school to get verified and then apply once you have your newer and hopefully better score. Do NOT take a career-deciding, high stakes exam unless you are fully ready for it.



I will be taking the MCAT in a few days. Don't really feel too confident since its the new exam and nobody knows what a good exam score will be. I plan on applying to DO schools when the application will open up in May/June. If I had to retake the exam would my application be on hold until I retake it,or would I be stuck with the first score? The exam results will be finalized in June since this will be the first new MCAT exam administered. Any info and feedback would be appreciated. Thank you.[/QUOTE]

 

[TraumaBlonde]

School's don't wait when you ask them "please hold my app until I take the next MCAT"...your app goes into a pile and is ranked upon wherever your stats are.

It's good to apply to one "throwaway" school to get verified and then apply once you have your newer and hopefully better score. Do NOT take a career-deciding, high stakes exam unless you are fully ready for it.



I will be taking the MCAT in a few days. Don't really feel too confident since its the new exam and nobody knows what a good exam score will be. I plan on applying to DO schools when the application will open up in May/June. If I had to retake the exam would my application be on hold until I retake it,or would I be stuck with the first score? The exam results will be finalized in June since this will be the first new MCAT exam administered. Any info and feedback would be appreciated. Thank you.

[/QUOTE]

What have you done so far to prep?

 

[member000000000]

It's good to apply to one "throwaway" school to get verified.....

Is this something that everyone should do?I'm taking the MCAT May 22. Should I apply to a "throwaway" school until I receive a score?

 

[Goro]

If one is awaiting a hopefully better MCAT, or have yet to take the MCAT by then, yes.

Is this something that everyone should do?I'm taking the MCAT May 22. Should I apply to a "throwaway" school until I receive a score?