MCAT Retake disaster, not sure where to go from here

[Soccerkid7md]

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I just received my MCAT score back and I scored the same as I did previously. I had taken the test 3 times previously (498,504,507) and scored a 507 again. My previous breakdown was 126,127,127,127. My most recent exam came back 127,127,128,125. My P/S score was abnormally low, a score I have never gotten. Even on my 498 score I scored a 127 in P/S so I am extremely confused as to what went wrong on test day. I worry that school will eliminate me because of the plateau. Will they see I improved across multiple sections and this P/S is an anomaly and consider my score an overall improvement? Or, will they look upon it negatively and eliminate me from consideration? Do I retake my exam or is a 5th attempt even more of a red flag? So many questions and not many answers..... Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Faha]

You are unlikely to score higher on a 5th attempt and many schools average scores. When are you planning to apply? Where is your state of residence? What are your cGPA and sGPA? What are your ECs and hours?

 

[Soccerkid7md]

You are unlikely to score higher on a 5th attempt and many schools average scores. When are you planning to apply? Where is your state of residence? What are your cGPA and sGPA? What are your ECs and hours?

Im a VA resident, cGPA is 3.81, sGPA is 3.77, have 3000 hours of research completed (NIH Postbac) with an additional 2000 planned (with multiple papers), 2000 hours of clinical and multiple volunteer activities

 

[wysdoc]

You have reached a plateau, so don't take it any more times.
You can find a hearty list of MD and DO schools which will consider you!
With all your research Virginia Tech should love you

 

[Faha]

I suggest these schools with your stats:
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
Virginia Tech
West Virginia
George Washington
Drexel
Temple
Penn State
Albany
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Methodist (when it opens)
NOVA MD
Belmont
Alice Walton
Roseman
TCU
Creighton
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Ponce (St. Louis)
For DO schools I suggest these:
VCOM
WVSOM
CUSOM
PCOM
DMU-COM
KCU-COM
ATSU-KCOM
AZCOM
NYITCOM
Touro NY
MU-COM

 

[obito]

I just received my MCAT score back and I scored the same as I did previously. I had taken the test 3 times previously (498,504,507) and scored a 507 again. My previous breakdown was 126,127,127,127. My most recent exam came back 127,127,128,125. My P/S score was abnormally low, a score I have never gotten. Even on my 498 score I scored a 127 in P/S so I am extremely confused as to what went wrong on test day. I worry that school will eliminate me because of the plateau. Will they see I improved across multiple sections and this P/S is an anomaly and consider my score an overall improvement? Or, will they look upon it negatively and eliminate me from consideration? Do I retake my exam or is a 5th attempt even more of a red flag? So many questions and not many answers..... Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Anyone saying you pleateaud is a doomer - pleateaus only exist for CARS and the lazy

A low PS score is indicative of mixing up terms and incorrectly applying them. Happens to the best of us. Happened to me back in 2020, where I scored 5 points lower on that section than my FL avg.

Get a UW subscription. Do all the problems (minus CARS). PS is the most gameable section. Run through Pankow Anki + 86 pg doc + UW PS + AAMC SBs and get your 130. Boom. 510+.


Quote Reply

 

[Mr.Smile12]

A retake of an MCAT normally results in a change of 3 points (up or down). That said, many schools might begin to filter you out after 3 or more attempts if there is no improvement. I'm intrigued why you haven't been successful with any Virginia schools. You only got an interview at Wake Forest??? VCOM and other DO schools should be interested in you.

 

[eigen]

Anyone saying you pleateaud is a doomer - pleateaus only exist for CARS and the lazy

A low PS score is indicative of mixing up terms and incorrectly applying them. Happens to the best of us. Happened to me back in 2020, where I scored 5 points lower on that section than my FL avg.

Get a UW subscription. Do all the problems (minus CARS). PS is the most gameable section. Run through Pankow Anki + 86 pg doc + UW PS + AAMC SBs and get your 130. Boom. 510+.


Quote Reply

Getting a 510 will not measurably change how schools view the OP. The OP should likely have stopped at the last 507, and should definitely stop now. Taking it again will start to indicate issues with judgement to people reading their application.

 

[Soccerkid7md]

A retake of an MCAT normally results in a change of 3 points (up or down). That said, many schools might begin to filter you out after 3 or more attempts if there is no improvement. I'm intrigued why you haven't been successful with any Virginia schools. You only got an interview at Wake Forest??? VCOM and other DO schools should be interested in you.

Yea I applied to all VA schools and got nothing. Wake was my only interview this past cycle

 

[candbgirl]

In your previous application cycle, did you receive any interviews?if so, where and what was the outcome(A,R,WL).

 

[obito]

Getting a 510 will not measurably change how schools view the OP. The OP should likely have stopped at the last 507, and should definitely stop now. Taking it again will start to indicate issues with judgement to people reading their application.

@OP Don't listen to doomer advice.

People on SDN will always discourage you. I recommend a re-take, if and only if you're scoring 510+ on practice tests (a 507 and 509 are viewed the same since they're within the same confidence band). My pre-med advisor at UMiami would have said the same

 

[Goro]

I just received my MCAT score back and I scored the same as I did previously. I had taken the test 3 times previously (498,504,507) and scored a 507 again. My previous breakdown was 126,127,127,127. My most recent exam came back 127,127,128,125. My P/S score was abnormally low, a score I have never gotten. Even on my 498 score I scored a 127 in P/S so I am extremely confused as to what went wrong on test day. I worry that school will eliminate me because of the plateau. Will they see I improved across multiple sections and this P/S is an anomaly and consider my score an overall improvement? Or, will they look upon it negatively and eliminate me from consideration? Do I retake my exam or is a 5th attempt even more of a red flag? So many questions and not many answers..... Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Quoting the wise Homeskool: Taking the MCAT is like getting married: ideally you only do it once, and the more times you do it the worse you start looking to suitors with good judgment.

Rising trends are good for GPAs, but not for MCATs. AMCAS advises schools to average scores. With literally thousands of applicants, schools can afford to avoid the luxury of deep analysis of you MCAT history.

You've plateaued, so I can't recommend any more retakes.

Apply strategically to MD schools, and DO schools.

 

[eigen]

People on SDN will always discourage you. I recommend a re-take, if and only if you're scoring 510+ on practice tests (a 507 and 509 are viewed the same since they're within the same confidence band). My pre-med advisor at UMiami would have said the same

The only one discouraging people here is you.

Everyone else is saying the MCAT is fine, move on with life and focus on other parts of the application.

Obsessive focus on MCAT scores isn't a good thing in an applicant.

 

[PickaGodnPray]

@OP Don't listen to doomer advice.

People on SDN will always discourage you. I recommend a re-take, if and only if you're scoring 510+ on practice tests (a 507 and 509 are viewed the same since they're within the same confidence band). My pre-med advisor at UMiami would have said the same

I don't see how this is doomer advice, it fully depends on how this user studied and to what ability they have to actual increase in their score. I went from a 510+->515+ after learning how to actually study for the exam (which you are right just hit UWorld questions and review what you miss in depth), but I also recognize the first time I took the exam I didn't really apply myself. However, OP may have already utilized UWorld and applied themselves to the best of their ability, which only they know. If they genuinely believe they can score higher while continuing to balance their ECs to apply then sure, but otherwise just build their app experiences and hours while applying MD and DO when the time comes.

 

[LunaOri]

@OP Don't listen to doomer advice.

People on SDN will always discourage you. I recommend a re-take, if and only if you're scoring 510+ on practice tests (a 507 and 509 are viewed the same since they're within the same confidence band). My pre-med advisor at UMiami would have said the same

You do realize that the folks here who are giving that advice are professional advisors, adcom members, and med school faculty?

 

[wysdoc]

@OP Don't listen to doomer advice.

People on SDN will always discourage you. I recommend a re-take, if and only if you're scoring 510+ on practice tests (a 507 and 509 are viewed the same since they're within the same confidence band). My pre-med advisor at UMiami would have said the same

I might be a Boomer, but not a doomer 😉

 

[Lakers$]

507 is a great score. Apply my friend. You should keep in mine that many people get in with 505 plus

 

[obito]

You do realize that the folks here who are giving that advice are professional advisors, adcom members, and med school faculty?

Yes, and while I can respect their opinion, I also don't mind disagreeing with it - especially if it tends toward dooming / negativity as opposed to objectivity. The MCAT is an exam that anyone can improve on if they put enough time and effort into it. Whether that's worth it is another matter - stats show most don't improve because they don't study efficiently (UW, Anki, BP, AAMC SBs, etc.)

This site gets its rep from certain adcoms (idiots like Goro) and users for sure, and with all advice, should be taken with a grain of salt

 

[eigen]

I also don't mind disagreeing with it

I would really hope someone applying to (?) or in medical school would have disagreement couched in something more real than "feelings" or "reputation". But maybe I'm just jaded by how much absolutely horrible advice gets bandied about by med school applicants based on fear and rumors and little else.

There is often a reason that there are differences in how the process is perceived when someone has a small n experience with admissions (their application, some friends applications) vs a medium n (see dozens to hundreds of applicants a year) vs a large n (thousands of applicants each year). Larger n makes it easier to start seeing trends and advising off of those rather than anecdotes.

 

[Soccerkid7md]

In your previous application cycle, did you receive any interviews?if so, where and what was the outcome(A,R,WL).

One interview at Wake which resulted in a WL

 

[Goro]

I just received my MCAT score back and I scored the same as I did previously. I had taken the test 3 times previously (498,504,507) and scored a 507 again. My previous breakdown was 126,127,127,127. My most recent exam came back 127,127,128,125. My P/S score was abnormally low, a score I have never gotten. Even on my 498 score I scored a 127 in P/S so I am extremely confused as to what went wrong on test day. I worry that school will eliminate me because of the plateau. Will they see I improved across multiple sections and this P/S is an anomaly and consider my score an overall improvement? Or, will they look upon it negatively and eliminate me from consideration? Do I retake my exam or is a 5th attempt even more of a red flag? So many questions and not many answers..... Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

There are a number of schools that take the highest score (such as mine). So looking at a 507 score alone, there are 20+ MD schools (and all DO) for which you'd be competitive.

If a school averages scores, your 503 is still viable for:
MCW
NEOMED
Rosy Franklin
Tulane
Your state school(s)

Any DO program, except the Touros, AZCOM and CCOM, for whom your MCAT is too low. Include UNECOM if you’re from the NE, OSUCOM if you’re from the Plains states and PacNW if you’re from that region. I can't recommend LMU, SOMA, RVU, BCOM, ICOM and LUCOM, for different reasons. Avoid those new schools that haven't graduated a class yet, if at all possible.

 

[polymerization]

Yes, and while I can respect their opinion, I also don't mind disagreeing with it - especially if it tends toward dooming / negativity as opposed to objectivity. The MCAT is an exam that anyone can improve on if they put enough time and effort into it. Whether that's worth it is another matter - stats show most don't improve because they don't study efficiently (UW, Anki, BP, AAMC SBs, etc.)

This site gets its rep from certain adcoms (idiots like Goro) and users for sure, and with all advice, should be taken with a grain of salt

Yikes. Stop making us look bad down here, you're only adding to the perception that we're a bunch of Cuban coffee-addled nutcases. Not every school is the U, where you can't walk down Cox without catching an HHMI fellowship. Not every school is ultra-geared toward making sure you have all the accolades you need for your next step in academia. Completely different experience from what I saw at a public school.

Yeah, you can study for another MCAT retake, but after 4 tries, getting a 520 is not as impressive. OP could score in the same confidence band again or even slightly higher and I doubt it would improve their chances at that point. It's probable they have already gone through the official content and UW, so limited efficacy in trying to review the same questions all over again.

Sometimes everything goes to ish and you just have to make the next right decision. What I'm seeing isn't doomer behavior, it's just a frank assessment of a glaring trend. It is hard to be optimistic while breaking hard news because it inspires confusion; for example, would you be that guy that says "but think of all the money you'll save on shoes" to a double-amputee?

Sometimes to be kind is meaner than being honest.

 

[Dr.Freedman MedEdits]

Im a VA resident, cGPA is 3.81, sGPA is 3.77, have 3000 hours of research completed (NIH Postbac) with an additional 2000 planned (with multiple papers), 2000 hours of clinical and multiple volunteer activities

Your experiences sounds exceptional and my bet is you have letters to match. With a carefully crafted written application and holistic review working in your favor, you could be competitive for an allopathic medical school. You would most definitely be competitive for osteopathic medical schools. We would not recommend a retake. Generally, we only advise taking the MCAT a max of three times for the reasons mentioned by others in this thread.