MCAT Freak Out

[Hoping2makeit]

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The MCAT is freaking me out. What is the absolute minimum that I need to get in?

3.88 cGPA
3.95 sGPA
Lots of healthcare experience, shadowing, research, etc.

I am going to shoot for a 30, but I want to know what I NEED to get by.

 

[KSUCPM2015]

I think anything in the 20's is good. Schools may publish a minimum of 22ish but then you see that the average for accepted students is like a 23 so obviously exceptions are made, many times. I remember your complete resume from another thread and you're good. Seriously, just concentrate on the actual test taking and review the material. You want to just jog the memory and reviewing the test taking strategies will make the day much less stressful. Your sGPA is the best I've ever seen on this forum and I've been on here a lot longer than my profile would suggest so clearly you know a lot about the subjects being tested.

 

[benoit75]

Assuming you have +3.0 sgpa and cgpa, I would say a 21 MCAT is the minimum score I would apply with and feel confident about matriculating.

Once you get into 24+ territory, you should get accepted everywhere you interview at.

If you get a 30, you will max out scholarships at every school

 

[rushrhees]

Given your GPA a 21 or 22 should be enough, which a 22 is not hard at all to pull off, even a 30 is not hard if you put in the time. Stop worrying, you will get something

 

[Toadesque]

How can you freak out about the MCAT with a GPA like that? You should know your stuff pretty well to get grades like that...

On the other hand I would be alarmed if you only got a 21-22 despite getting nearly all A's in your classes. That would say something to admissions about the ease of the classes you were taking or perhaps even cheating your way through undergrad (not saying you did, just that it's possible)

 

[Hoping2makeit]

So if I score low, admissions will either think I went to MMU (Mickey Mouse University) or think I cheated my way through. Great, you really know how to make me feel better. 👍

 

[rushrhees]

So if I score low, admissions will either think I went to MMU (Mickey Mouse University) or think I cheated my way through. Great, you really know how to make me feel better. 👍

Assuming you did all the right things, and your school is not known for grade inflation you will do fine on the MCAT. I will say though given my low GPA and high MCAT this did come up in the Scholl interview. The prof said when we see a mismatch they do suspect grade inflation with high GPA and low MCAT or laziness if you have high mcat/low GPA.
Getting high 20's on the MCAT is not hard at all. Just put your time in, keep track of your progress with practice tests, and keep track of what areas you are doing well on in the test. Keep track of the areas you are not doing so well on and improve on those. If you know you have issues with test anxiety or if english is not your primary language (i know some really smart people get ravaged as they had a hard time with passages) be sure to start addressing them now. There is an MCAT clinic forum on this site, and I there are plenty on this site that will help where they can.

 

[heybrother]

Stop freaking out. Don't spend a bunch of money. Looking into getting some old copies of exams with thorough explanations of the answers. This is your opportunity to rack up scholarship money. Remember that the verbal section isn't like anything you've seen before. Its not reading comprehension - it is verbal reasoning and you won't be good at it until you've worked through a bunch of sets. It is draining. I did a few a day - day after day. Your goal is to have looked at a lot of MCAT style questions in all sections so that there won't be any surprises. Along with preparing yourself to answer questions you'll need to prepare yourself mentally, physically, and be ready for their rules/timing/setting. Give yourself time - if you have a solid academic background (and you aren't thinking of applying MD) then 2 months of casual review is more than enough. Be prepared to walk into a room and answer every problem focusing on the one's you know and skipping the one's you don't. Literally - you see a problem you don't like - skip. You find a problem you like. Give it your best. Go back through with time and fill in the blanks. No fretting. No freaking out. Rock what you know. Try what you can. Fill in what you don't. Know the amount of time you'll have. The test is timed - that's the way of it. The first time I did an MCAT section I felt really good - then I realized I had spent 3 times the allotment. Practice with a clock. Practice doing it quickly. Even if you only do .. 3 sets of verbal in a night - time them out and see how you did. This test is just -1- test out of a ton of tests you'll have to take. It is not the last time you'll give an extended period of your life away studying for a month or 2 to be ready. Prepping for this test before you sign up for it can give you an opportunity to book it when you are ready for it.

Last word - mental preparation seems like a crock of ****, but it counts for more than you'd expect. My first MCAT I saw 2 brilliant friends breaking down and cracking up. This was back in the day, but 1 guy answered all the questions in the physics section and didn't manage to fill in his scantron. Another friend of mine just broke down crying and had a ridiculous panic attack that severely impacted her score.