MCAT Retake?

[eryaman]

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Hi everyone,

I recently took the MCAT and scored a 35R (12 PS, 12 BS, 11 VR).

I believe that if I retake it, chances are very good that I will score up to a few points higher - during the actual test, there was an issue that led me to lose several minutes on the PS section, forcing me to rush through it and guess on the last question. The last 4 practice tests I took before the actual MCAT ranged from 37-39.

My question is, would a strong likelihood of scoring a few points higher (38 possibly) significantly improve my chances of admission? Or is a 35 high enough that a few points would not be very significant.

Of course, this is referring to some of the upper tier (Top 20) schools for MSTPs. (I realize 35 is a great score for MD-only admissions.)

Edit: By the way, I will be graduating in December so I would need to retake is ASAP if I am to be able to submit my updated scores reasonably soon after the application opening date.

Thanks!

 

[URHere]

There is no logical reason to retake a 35. That number is high enough that schools won't reject you on the basis of your MCAT score. Retaking and improving your score would give you little to no advantage.

Also, if you retake and your score goes down for some unpredictable reason, you are not in a good situation. I wouldn't risk it.

 

[Tesseract]

Don't retake your MCAT. I applied with a 9 in the VR section, and have been doing just fine. A 35 is high enough to secure you interviews.

 

[phatlineman]

Don't retake your MCAT. I applied with a 9 in the VR section, and have been doing just fine. A 35 is high enough to secure you interviews.

I also got a 9 in the VR section and got interviews at these "upper tier (Top 20) schools for MSTPs" that you speak of....

 

[fastrandstrongr]

I also got a 9 in the VR section and got interviews at these "upper tier (Top 20) schools for MSTPs" that you speak of....

samesies. dont retake.

 

[CattleBruiser]

Yea don't retake. You're bound to do a little better on practice exams. 35 is a very good score and your score is very balanced across the board.

 

[mercaptovizadeh]

Hi everyone,

I recently took the MCAT and scored a 35R (12 PS, 12 BS, 11 VR).

I believe that if I retake it, chances are very good that I will score up to a few points higher - during the actual test, there was an issue that led me to lose several minutes on the PS section, forcing me to rush through it and guess on the last question. The last 4 practice tests I took before the actual MCAT ranged from 37-39.

My question is, would a strong likelihood of scoring a few points higher (38 possibly) significantly improve my chances of admission? Or is a 35 high enough that a few points would not be very significant.

Of course, this is referring to some of the upper tier (Top 20) schools for MSTPs. (I realize 35 is a great score for MD-only admissions.)

Edit: By the way, I will be graduating in December so I would need to retake is ASAP if I am to be able to submit my updated scores reasonably soon after the application opening date.

Thanks!

Most people will say no. I would say so too, in general, if it were not my experience that I went from a 34R to a 40T on the second attempt. However, I don't necessarily attribute that to hard work or better understanding of the material, so I can't say that my case would transfer over to you.

Weigh your options carefully. If you get a lower score, it can hurt you. Even if you get the same or a point or two more it can be neutral and possible even negative. Only by boosting it 4+ pts. would this be worthwhile. So unless you are scoring 43+ on your practice tests, I probably would not go ahead and retake.

 

[bd4727]

There is no logical reason to retake a 35. That number is high enough that schools won't reject you on the basis of your MCAT score. Retaking and improving your score would give you little to no advantage.

Also, if you retake and your score goes down for some unpredictable reason, you are not in a good situation. I wouldn't risk it.

This is correct advice.