MCAT, 4th retake?

I'm taking the MCAT for the fourth time this August. I don't think it hurts you. I think it can only help. This will be my third time applying to med school. I have great extracurriculars and graduated summa cum laude, but got a 7 in verbal, which has been keeping me out of the "interview scene" for the most part. I've been wait listed the past two years but haven't been offered a spot in the entering classes. I'm hoping that the MCAT can only help me at this point. If it doesn't enhance my application, it'll just keep it the same, you know what I mean?

 

i admire both of you for trying so hard. with that much ddication, there is no doubt that you will get in sooner or later.

 

I have heard from several people...premedical advisors, "Getting into medical school" books, and admissions counselors alike that taking the MCAT many times looks very bad.

Twice is OK...3 times is pushing it...4 times is bad. Especially if you don't greatly improve each time...and especially if you still cannot break a 30.

I would stick with the scores you have now. A fourth time doesn't look so hot.

Ask around, I think people will agree.

 

I agree....

 

Let me just digress and say that I really, really admire you guys working so hard to get in.

This is my first application experience and it can be daunting in terms of time, money, uncertainty, stress, etc.

the fact that you guys were willing to run the gauntlet multiple times and never say die is really cool in my opinion.

I really hope both of you (and all those like you) get in. You remind me of another poster, FourthTime (name is self-explanatory).

Good luck guys, your day will come and if your personality is representative of your determination you will make fine doctors.

 

Hey Guys-


One day I will open a hospital and a medschool . If you have not gotten in anywhere , you still want to be a doctor, and are willing to work at the hospital for communal pay for a few years while we develop a free project then I will admit you. Promised!.


Sincerely

Dr.Perez

 

TO those of you who say "taking the MCAT that many times looks bad," stop listening to the people at Kaplan and get a clue. They say it can BE bad because odds are, if you're taking it that many times, your score can DECREASE as well as increase. It doesn't LOOK bad at all...it looks like you're trying to get into medical school. And by the way, I've been advised by several medical schools to retake the exam to improve my application. My GPA and extracurriculars are great already.

DoctorSAIB,

Good luck to you; I wish you all the best!

DoctorPerez,

I'm not sure if I'm taking this the right way or not, but that comment of yours was VERY presumptuous. You're applying this year, too; what makes you think you won't be in MY boat, let alone be able to OFFER ME A JOB?! Wow, some of your premeds out there are pretty arrogant.

Numbers only tell half of the story. I have 3 pages of hospital volunteering and employment along with editorial experience, life as a waiter, gymnastics coach, and published novelist. I also got a 3.82 in undergraduate. I'm not sitting here trying to boast...I'm showing you that just because you have good #s doesn't mean you're going ANYWHERE. You may have to try more than once just like DOCTORSAIB and I. So don't come in here telling us that taking the MCAT several times looks bad. Let me ask you, have you applied more than once? If not, let me tell you something: when you get rejected by all the schools you apply to, you feel completely helpless. You gave the MCAT your all and you did well in school. Now what?! WEll, you take the test again...if you don't, and just apply again, you won't get anywhere. The schools will think you're not trying. And a grad program? Well, that's usually for people with bad grades, NOT bad MCATs.

Sorry for the rant, but I think some people needed to hear it...

 

Oh, one more thing I forgot to tell you: I took Kaplan before my first round of applications and I did REALLY well on the practice exams. You actually might have seen my biography on some of the Kaplan solicitations. I scored a 42 and 43 on the last two exams respectively and they offered me a job as a teacher, which I accepted. But When I took the MCAT, I freaked out on verbal and got a 7. So, that goes to show you that sometimes the MCAT underrepresents one's potential and you need to take it several times to show it. I stated that I was an MCAT teacher on my application and had my boss send a letter of recommendation, but I was still advised to take the test again (rightfully so). See the moral here?

 

personally i thought drperez's was pretty innocent...

i have also heard that taking the MCAT that many times doesn't look good, for all the reasons listed above. if you've taken it three times and couldn't make a big improvement, what are the chances that it will suddenly happen the fourth time? have you drastically revamped your approach to preparing for the verbal section? i was told by my premed advisor that taking the test that many times shows extreme desperation, *not* persistence, and the fact of the matter is, the MCAT isn't going to be what gets you in or keeps you out of med school. your score is of course important, and a lower score may diminish your chances at the best schools, but if you're simply interested in getting into any med school, your grades ultimately matter more. you yourself even state in a previous post that numbers don't mean everything and only tell 'half the story'--so why keep putting yourself through the MCAT? the rest of your app, from what you've shared with us, is great.

but you don't state what your science scores on the MCAT are. you say that you were told to retake the MCAT...but did the adcoms who told you this actually have your file in front of them and know how many times you had taken it already, or did they simply ask what your scores were and you gave them the most recent? did they give you any other advice? if you were specifically told that the MCAT was your *only* weak spot on your app, then you have no choice but to retake it. but if adcoms told you that there were other things to improve, then i feel you're barking up the wrong tree, so to speak.

gmendese, we're only trying to help you out and share our own experiences, not cut you down. your extreme defensiveness may be preventing you from realizing this. remember that everyone on this board is trying to get into medical school.

 

Hi gmendese -

On text things can get pretty mixed up. I am with you not against you. I did not mean to sound better than you. On the contrary I meant to say I thought you guys would make awesome doctors. That I wish I could have a med school to admit you right away and perhaps have you work with me at the hospital I wish to open as colleagues. I do not know why you perceived me as arrogant...if anything I meant to recognize your greatness. I apologize for whatsoever caused you to reply to me in that manner.


Sincerely


Dr.Perez

 

Dr. Perez, I'm sorry for acting so harshly. I TOTALLY got you wrong apparently, and I apologize. This process is just SO frustrating, that I guess I'm just on edge.

And Sandflea,

My verbal reasoning score on the MCAT came up on all of my interviews and this was clearly my biggest weakness. They don't understand why I'm good at writing, but can't get it together on the MCAT. I'm sorry that I have to take it again; believe me...I wish I didn't have to. But I've been recommended to do so and yes, the ad coms know how many times I've taken it. And as far as it looking like an act of desperation, I don't see it that way at all and apparently neither do the schools. I haven't done THAT bad on the MCAT...My other scores were right on track (double digits). As I've said before, I've been wait listed the past two years, but haven't been pulled off those lists. I'm taking the MCAT again to hopefully bring my verbal score up so if I'm in the same "wait list situation" again, hopefully I'll be pulled off this time (although hopefully I'll get outright acceptances.) Well, best of luck to everyone. This whole process isn't too much fun, but make the most of it...

 

If you want to listen to some of the more inexperienced people and take the MCAT again, that is your choice.

I wish you luck in your pursuit of medical school.

 

Impalpable,

Just out of curiousity, who are you speaking of when you say, "the more inexperienced people?" Are you talking about my advisor who has been doing this for 30 years, or are you talking about the medical school admissions committess who have advised me to retake the test? I'm just curious...who is MORE experienced than these people? You?

 

From the AAMC Announcement and instruction booklet for the MCAT:

"EXAMINEES WHO HAVE ATTENDED THREE OR MORE MCATs

If you have attended THREE OR MORE MCATS, you must apply for special permission to take the MCAT again. "Attended" is defined as "breaking the seal of the first test book." Therefore, even if you did not complete all four sections or if you voided the answer documents, you have "attended" for test administration purposes.

If you have attended three or more times, your request for special permission to take the MCAT again must include evidence if intent to apply to a health professions school by providing ANY ONE of the following: (1) a copy of your completed medical school application; (2) a letter of rejection from a medical school to which you have applied; (3) a letter on school stationery from an undergraduate advisor or professor who knows you well enough to document your intention of applying to medical school; or (4) a copy on school stationery from a medical school admission officer, an advisor, or a professor, advising you to retest.

THIS DOCUMENTATION IS REQUIRED EACH TIME YOU WISH TO RETEST AND MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH YOUR REGISTRATION MATERIALS. Each request will be reviewed and you will receive a response prior to the test date."

OTHER SPECIAL PERMISSION SITUATIONS

You must also apply for special permission to take the MCAT if you (1) wish to take the test for any reason other than applying to a health professions school or (2) are a currently enrolled medical student. To apply for special permission, send a written request with your registration materials stating your reason(s) for wanting to take the MCAT. Such requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. You will receive a response prior to the test date."

[NOTE: taking the MCAT for practice and voiding it or not sending it to the medical schools counts as taking it. When you apply, medical schools are told how many times prior (if any) you took it, even though earlier test scores are not released].]

 

I want to wish anyone taking the exam again the VERY BEST OF LUCK! WOW I really admire your dedication guys/gals....

if you have worked this hard, then every medical school in the country should accept you guys!!! you have shown how much hard ur willing to work to go into medicine, and you deserve to go there!!!

 

gmendese, my two cents worth...I know that AMCAS only forwards scores from the last two times you took the MCAT to med schools, so I don't think med schools will know that you are taking it for a fourth time. In other words, I think it can only help. One other thing, I took the MCAT two years ago and bombed it (21) and then I studied my but off and improved my score to a 33. Point is, I think that like the whol admission process, one's scores on the MCAT has included along with it a certain element of luck. You could improve your score five points, in which case it would definitely be worth. I say go for it. Good luck.

 

I forgot to add that because I did so poorly on my first MCAT I called the schools I applied to to see how that performance would be interpreted. Every response I got was that the school would ONLY consider either the most recent score or the best score. Therofore, if you do well you are fine. However, if you do poorly, make sure you call the schools you are intersted in before you apply to make sure they take into account only your best score, not your most recent. Hope that helps.

 

That's quite an improvement there Georgey. Mind if I ask how you managed to go from a 21 to a 33? Did you take more classes or did you just study that much harder? Either way, I'm sure med schools will be impressed by your dedication to bringing your score up so much.

 

md2, My situation is rather unique. The first time I took the MCAT I did everything wrong. First, I should say that I was not a science major in college. At the time of the first test, I had only taken 1/2 of the first semester of Ochem, and my only Bio classes were Intro 1 and 2 (not to mention I had C+s in both). I had been told that the MCAT was similar to the SATs in that it was a "thinking" test more than a test that targeted one's ability to memorize scientific facts. So, like and idiot, I didn't study, and went in on test day thinking that I could make up for my lack of knowledge with my intellect. Well, you can see where my intellect got me on that day (21). In the two years since, I finished Ochem, took Genetics and Neurobiology (got As in these classes to make up for the C+s in Intro Bio 1 and 2), read every test prep book I could get my hands on, and took about fifteen practice tests. With all that, and a little luck, I got a 33T. Go figure.