MCAT retakers

[csgirl]

If you improved your MCAT scores the second time around... how did you do it?! Did you study more/less... take it in August/April? I know this post has been up before... but I'm too tired to try and find it.
Thanks

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[jude979]

i bumped up my verbal from a 7 to a 10...i attribute my improvement to the reading i did over the summer...i read a non-fiction book that required me to read carefully with much comprehension...

i also worked through many verbal practice tests in order to properly gauge my time during the passages...i had difficulties in april with timing...i.e. not finishing verbal w/o filling in random bubbles...i found it easiest to finish every passage's questions before moving on to the next passage...this cut down on the time used by flipping back and forth searching for the questions you passed over the first time...

 

[THE instiGATOR]

I learned a speed reading hand trick (took about a week and a half to get comfortable doing) that helped me bump my verbal from a 7 to a 9.

Aside from this, I did passages...lots of them. Last time I just read material and did a few passages. Total improvement: 4 points.

I remember reading that you have greater than a 30. Why the concern?

 

[csgirl]

swampman: I want to retake because I want to go to medical school in a specific geographical area. While I have good enough scores to get me into medical school... I don't have good enough scores to be very picky about location. (my scores are also not balanced nicely )

To both of you: ~Nice~ verbal increases!! congrats!! ... very impressive... I heard it's really hard to even raise verbal 1 point!

I'd like to raise my bio and my verbal. My bf bought me a subscription to the Economist... maybe that will help

But I REALLY SUCK at organic chemistry.

 

[Mage]

Originally posted by csgirl:
•I'd like to raise my bio and my verbal. My bf bought me a subscription to the Economist... maybe that will help

But I REALLY SUCK at organic chemistry.
•

If you were like me, maybe you were so deliriously tired you couldn't concentrate as much on the bio? I ended up with a 9, but I was getting consistent 12s on 5 practice tests I took each day before the actual MCAT. When I started that last bio section, though, it felt as if I had gone 48+ hrs without sleep. Couldn't focus. Kind of funny and disappointing, because my scores dropped 1 point with each passing section (11 V, 10 P, 9 B). Guess my stamina ran out.

Regardless, I thought there were a bunch of esoteric Biochem, skeletal anatomy, etc questions that were kind of cheap. The organic questions concentrated on stereochemistry too much, imo, where 2 sets of answers would only be different in terms of a hydrogen pointing in or out. It was easy to eliminate the wrong 2 answers, but I couldn't figure out the basis for any stereochemical preference most of the time, and had to guess.

Then again, maybe I got those right and missed a bunch of biology questions...like the leptin/obese mice, recombinant vaccines, etc passages...didn't like those very much.

I bet the next test will hardly focus on stereochem at all, though. They always change the nature of the questions it seems (based on MCAT practice tests I-IV)

 

[HardlyDavidson]

Yeah I got 2 33's and a 34 on 3 out of the five practice tests (10/12/11, 10/12/11, 11/12/11) and ended up with a 30 on the actual test (9/11/10). Your opinion, should I retake the test?

 

[Original]

Originally posted by OlympicGold:
•Yeah I got 2 33's and a 34 on 3 out of the five practice tests (10/12/11, 10/12/11, 11/12/11) and ended up with a 30 on the actual test (9/11/10). Your opinion, should I retake the test?•

Let it slide. With your collegiate sports record you're good to go.

 

[HardlyDavidson]

OK Original, but I'm gonna hold you to that if I don't get in anywhere- haha. Thanks for the ego booster.

OK Guys I've had my fun on this site but for the 3 days I've been on, I'm getting addicted. So farewell, good friends. It's been nice knowing you. Forever gone, OLYMPUS.

 

[csgirl]

Mage: I feel your pain... the same thing happened to me. I was so burned out by the time biology came... I just didn't care enough. I just wanted it to be over! I got a 31 , but a 9 in biology!!

 

[jordews]

I think i'm one of the rare few that boosted their score by a good amount. I went from a 29 (7, 11, 11) to a 35 (9, 13, 13) so I raised 2 points in each section. The main thing that helped me was taking a Kaplan class the second time. I guess the first time I took it I didn't realize what i was getting into and I didnt study as much as I should have. I knew all the science and stuff, but the practice material is definately key. I don't think there is a limit to how much practice you should do. Just do as much as you possibly can. Also, I think you should definately realistically evaluate what you are capable of. I knew that if I put a whole lot of time into it I could do a whole better than that 29. the last thing you want todo is spend all the time studying and stuff and then drop or not raise it at all. So just evaluate yoruself. If you spent a whole lot of time and did all kinds of practice and got a certain score, I would do some serious thinking about whether youre capable of upping your score. Just my two cents. Also consider sections. If you did real well in 2 of 3 sections, you could probably take it again, not study as much for the two you did well in, concentrate on the one section you did worse in and raise that.

 

[Ditwee]

I'd like to see some replies from people who raised their science scores...that's my area of weakness on the evil ol' MCAT. Trying to bring up some cruel 7's...not sure why I'm doing so poorly but I do realize that I need a lot more drilling this time. Any suggestions or words of encouragement?

 

[csgirl]

Ditwee: I hear the sciences are a lot easier to improve than the verbal... if that's any encouragement As for myself, I'm struggling in bio.

 

[DesperatelySeekingMD]

For anyone who is rethinking about taking the MCAT my advice would be to definitely give it a try. I raised my MCAT 7 points from the first time that I took. Sometimes you just have a really bad day or you just didn't prepare enought. So, take it again. But, remember there is no magic to doing better. I did so much better because I comitted my life to studying for the MCAT. I know that we can't all have that luxury, but remember you will only do better if you put a lot of hard work in. You can definitely learn how to take the test, which is half of the battle. Good Luck!