MCAT Retake/Misery-03/23/13

[tchoudha]

Hello everyone,

So I took my MCAT on 03/23/13. I was averaging above 30's in my practice exams but on my real exam it was nothing close. I have no idea what happened. Anyway, what do you guys recommend? Should I retake by the end of May or early June. I am in a shock atm. I have not touched the books since 03/23/13. I have used BR, EK, PR, Wikipremed, GS and Freelance. I have used BR exams, all AAMC practice exams, GS exams, PR Workbook and various others exams that I could find. I am not sure what to do at this point. PLEASE if someone can help me. I know that I am not a great test taker but honestly I did not expect as low of a score as I received. Thanks in advance.

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[Chalupa Batman]

Same boat, averaging 35s (Hoping for a 34)
Did pretty well in sciences but got a 5 in verbal. Haven't touched an mcat book since because I honestly didnt think I needed to.

Found a spot close by and booked it Signed up for may11th .

Im applying this summer but I'm not gonna go down without a fight. And if I happen to fail again - Caribbean still exist.

Im retaking because I think this verbal score was a fluke. Hopefully your low score was also due to just a bad test
Retake old exams, Study, and practice. The same way you brought your score up to a 30+ you should do to prepare for your test.

 

[tchoudha]

Same boat, averaging 35s (Hoping for a 34)
Did pretty well in sciences but got a 5 in verbal. Haven't touched an mcat book since because I honestly didnt think I needed to.

Found a spot close by and booked it Signed up for may11th .

Im applying this summer but I'm not gonna go down without a fight. And if I happen to fail again - Caribbean still exist.

Im retaking because I think this verbal score was a fluke. Hopefully your low score was also due to just a bad test
Retake old exams, Study, and practice. The same way you brought your score up to a 30+ you should do to prepare for your test.

Thanks! I am just extremely disappointed! I received a score that I had gotten when I took an exam without even touching any books. I just don't know what to do

 

[aerogers]

Hello everyone,

So I took my MCAT on 03/23/13. I was averaging above 30's in my practice exams but on my real exam it was nothing close. I have no idea what happened. Anyway, what do you guys recommend? Should I retake by the end of May or early June. I am in a shock atm. I have not touched the books since 03/23/13. I have used BR, EK, PR, Wikipremed, GS and Freelance. I have used BR exams, all AAMC practice exams, GS exams, PR Workbook and various others exams that I could find. I am not sure what to do at this point. PLEASE if someone can help me. I know that I am not a great test taker but honestly I did not expect as low of a score as I received. Thanks in advance.

I can relate! Scoring around 34 on practice exams, and scored sub-30 on the real deal on 3/23/2013.

I suggest evaluating how far off you are -- I've read plenty of success stories on here of matriculants with MCAT scores of 26-29.

How strong is the rest of your application? I know it's hard when you're bummed about your score, but try to keep in mind that the MCAT is simply ONE component of your application.

There is plenty of time to restudy, retake, and apply fairly early this year. Don't get discouraged! If this is your dream, it's worth putting a little extra time in to make it happen.

3/23/2013 was a BEAST. Maybe the adcoms will be a little gentler on us all....

STAY STRONG!

 

[Chalupa Batman]

Thanks! I am just extremely disappointed! I received a score that I had gotten when I took an exam without even touching any books. I just don't know what to do

I feel ya. I was extremely disappointed in my score.
If you want to apply this summer then sign up for a test date soon and start studying. Its the test day stresses/anxiety that can get you. So try to mimic testing environment as much as possible.
You cant let one test put you down.

 

[GomerPyle]

Geez, you guys are really scaring me for my MCAT this Saturday....what did you guys feel differently about the real MCAT relative to the practice exams? Was it harder? Were you nervous? What happened???

 

[Back 5]

Honestly, based on a lot of the replies from 3/23, these outlier scores must have another component to them. Either nerves, not taking their practice tests under strict testing conditions, inflated scores because they had taken the aamc's before etc.

 

[valkener]

Do not apply to Carribean schools, they're a scam! Instead, study hard and retake. If you are in the mid-20's you should be able to get into a DO school. Just keep working hard but don't go off-shore.

It's hard to tell how you can improve because you're not giving us many specifics. You need to obsess on every question that you get wrong. When you get a question wrong, write it down, learn the technique behind it; know why you got it wrong. Sometimes people think that, just because they understand the answer after reading the explanation, their brain will automatically remember the technique.

Create a stack of flash cards with questions you got wrong and keep going over them. Discard the ones that you know in and out. Ideally you will have a huge stack 1-2 months before the MCAT and then it will go down in size and eventually disappear.

 

[Mehd School]

There were more 3/23 scores that were far away from their AAMC average than I've ever seen before. Something must have been strange with that test.

 

[AlabamaPop]

I'm like the 100th person that scored severely lower than AAMC average on 3/23 exam. Retaking in July.

Using TBR for Chem, Physics, Org and TPRH for Bio. Gonna use TBR for FLs since taking AAMC's are just gonna create inflation.

AAMC means business. Holy ****.

 

[Mehd School]

Without searching through the 3/23 thread, what was up with the test? How did y'all feel after you took it? Tough ps/bs or something?

It's so strange. One person scored 10 points below his aamc average. If that's true then yikes.

 

[Chalupa Batman]

Without searching through the 3/23 thread, what was up with the test? How did y'all feel after you took it? Tough ps/bs or something?

It's so strange. One person scored 10 points below his aamc average. If that's true then yikes.

I thought I destroyed both the physics and bio, though I was gonna get a 14 in each section. but only got 12s.
And I honestly thought I got a 9-10 on verbal - got a 5 -________-

Retaking in July because of verbal obviously

 

[bluedevil61212]

Do you guys recommend continue studying even after the test just in case a retake is necessary? If so, what would you do?

 

[PlasmodiumVivax]

Without searching through the 3/23 thread, what was up with the test? How did y'all feel after you took it? Tough ps/bs or something?

It's so strange. One person scored 10 points below his aamc average. If that's true then yikes.

3/23 test taker here.

AAMC average ~35. I only took two tests AAMC 5 and 9 so it's not a solid average. I scored a 34 12/10/12 on AAMC5 and a 37 14/11/12 on AAMC 9. I also took several BR cbt's, averages 33-34.

The test had an incredibly difficult PS section. I managed to get 12's on PS section on both AAMC and BR, with the latter landing two 13's. I still felt under prepared. However, if it's any consolidation, I almost didn't show up for test day. I had bad abdominal pains that lasted for 2 weeks. However I didn't have any nerves for the test, I felt good. The other two sections I felt alright on, nothing too out of the ordinary.

 

[Back 5]

3/23 test taker here.

AAMC average ~35. I only took two tests AAMC 5 and 9 so it's not a solid average. I scored a 34 12/10/12 on AAMC5 and a 37 14/11/12 on AAMC 9. I also took several BR cbt's, averages 33-34.

The test had an incredibly difficult PS section. I managed to get 12's on PS section on both AAMC and BR, with the latter landing two 13's. I still felt under prepared. However, if it's any consolidation, I almost didn't show up for test day. I had bad abdominal pains that lasted for 2 weeks. However I didn't have any nerves for the test, I felt good. The other two sections I felt alright on, nothing too out of the ordinary.

Maybe aamc#9 could potentially have some sort of indication on how you would have performed, but the PS section of #9 was easy. Why didn't you take #8, #10 or #11?

 

[PlasmodiumVivax]

Maybe aamc#9 could potentially have some sort of indication on how you would have performed, but the PS section of #9 was easy. Why didn't you take #8, #10 or #11?

Because I haven taken those earlier and didn't score well months ago. I reviewed them thoroughly.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

I agree with Back 5, the PS on AAMC 9 is very easy and poor indicative of calculation-heavy PS. FWIW, I scored 12 on AAMC 9, but 10 on AAMC 11.

 

[stargate16]

I think something very strange did happen on that test. I actually thought the verbal and bio was easy, yet I scored so low compared to my averages!

 

[Moxess]

Is it possible that there's a score miscount or something? What would prompt AAMC to even consider such a thing? I bet they probably get calls all the time, and saying, "My score wasn't as good as I thought it would be!" might not carry much weight.

 

[timeturner]

Is it possible that there's a score miscount or something? What would prompt AAMC to even consider such a thing? I bet they probably get calls all the time, and saying, "My score wasn't as good as I thought it would be!" might not carry much weight.

It's hard to tell since they never reveal anything. I think people can individually request a recount though, but I don't know at what cost.

So guys, I got a 32 (9ps, 11v, 12bs), considering a retake in August and gap year, or just gap year.
This low score was kind of a blow to my self-esteem and I really don't know if I can bring it up 4 points in August. Also not sure if I should just concentrate on my EC's this summer or just study for this one stupid test. What do you guys think?

 

[milski]

It's hard to tell since they never reveal anything. I think people can individually request a recount though, but I don't know at what cost.

So guys, I got a 32 (9ps, 11v, 12bs), considering a retake in August and gap year, or just gap year.
This low score was kind of a blow to my self-esteem and I really don't know if I can bring it up 4 points in August. Also not sure if I should just concentrate on my EC's this summer or just study for this one stupid test. What do you guys think?

$60 and you get your re-checked score in about a month. From what I understand, they check if your answers were counted correctly, not whether what they consider a correct answer is really correct. For a computer test, I'll be very, very surprised if they find any discrepancies.

 

[Redpancreas]

Geez, you guys are really scaring me for my MCAT this Saturday....what did you guys feel differently about the real MCAT relative to the practice exams? Was it harder? Were you nervous? What happened???

DO NOT GO IN WONDERING ABOUT THIS. Nothing's different. I've taken it twice and finally got a very good score (IMO). Even when I did poorly the test didnt seem to hard, I just didnt have the verbal. See my posts in 3/23 discussion. I did light review
the week before. On the date, I was relaxed. I went in
with the mentality that the MCAT was on my side. It was there
as a way to prove to medical schools how much I know.
Imagining the MCAT as a something that gets harder during
the real thing is mental. Just give it your all like
your practice exams. You will likely do similarly. If one sections hard forget about it,
Or else you'll lose your chance to cash in on an easier section. During that month
They really think hard about that curve. It won't save you but it won't screw you over.
Just keep the idea in your mind that the MCAT is fair.

 

[rmw0098]

I'm like the 100th person that scored severely lower than AAMC average on 3/23 exam. Retaking in July.

Using TBR for Chem, Physics, Org and TPRH for Bio. Gonna use TBR for FLs since taking AAMC's are just gonna create inflation.

AAMC means business. Holy ****.

Same here. Did within my average in PS, 2 points below in BS, and a full 4 in VS. I relied mainly on AAMC tests because I thought they'd be the most representative of the real thing but I guess not.

Gonna do kaplan and examkrackers.

Good luck!

 

[bluedevil61212]

For those retaking, what's your plan for doing so? Do you think it's worth looking over content again or just do more practice? What would you do differently from the first time?

 

[NuttyEngDude]

any of you guys pick test dates yet for a retake? and are you still applying this cycle?