MCAT score?

[TaiMi]

Hi.
I am trying to decide whether or not I should take the MCAT again. I got a 28 when I took it in August 2003. Some of my advisors have suggested that i should take it again.
They have said that the average scores for the entrance class last year and this year have gone up.

please help. Any suggestions/opinions are welcome.
Thank you

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[Blue Scrub]

Tough call....how's the rest of your app? And were your individual scores relatively normal, no weird 5 11 12 or something?

 

[TaiMi]

Tough call....how's the rest of your app? And were your individual scores relatively normal, no weird 5 11 12 or something?

8 VR, 9PS, 11BS. Currently, I am doing a post-bac program, which then I will have my master degree by june of 2006.

Thank you for the quick reply. I really really appreciate any suggestions/opinions.

 

[Tigger27]

Hi.
I am trying to decide whether or not I should take the MCAT again. I got a 28 when I took it in August 2003. Some of my advisors have suggested that i should take it again.
They have said that the average scores for the entrance class last year and this year have gone up.

please help. Any suggestions/opinions are welcome.
Thank you

I would suggest you retake it only if you can devote SERIOUS study time and practice time in preparation. You need to drastically change how you prepare this time around, otherwise your score will likely stay near where it is. A 28 has definitely gotten many people into med school, but it has probably also been to the detriment of many others...it depends on what else you have going for you (and on the stage of the moon and luck of the draw! ). But if you really think you can do better, don't let anyone convince you not to. I scored less than I wanted to the first time I took it and had an advisor tell me that people's scores rarely go up significantly when they retake it. I studied my butt off, though, and my score went up several points. It all depends on how much you are willing to put into it. Just my two cents. Good luck, whatever you decide

 

[Blue Scrub]

Hmmm....how are you doing so far in your post-bacc? If you're doing fairly well in your program, then it may not be necessary to retake the MCAT, considering you have good ECs and LORs.......however, if you feel you can DEFINITELY improve upon your MCAT score like the previous poster said, then you should maybe consider retaking....if you can devote some good preparation time, maybe take a good prep class i.e. NOT KAPLAN, but instead ExamKracers or PR.....if you're not doing as well as you'd like in your post-bacc, I'd say retake the MCAT....A 28 is a good score, enough to get you in, but even a 1-2 pt improvement on that puts you in a whole new competitive level as far as your app goes

 

[45408]

maybe take a good prep class i.e. NOT KAPLAN, but instead ExamKracers or PR

Let the OP decide for themself by reading through different people's experiences. Kaplan helped me get a score higher than I'd dared to dream.

 

[dr.z]

If you can raise your score, I would go for it. 28 isn't bad, but higher the better.

 

[coharahawk]

It seems that your VR section of the exam is your weak point and the other two scores really are pretty average for those accepted to med school. I have heard that VR is the hardest part of the MCAT to raise your score on. So I would say you should probably work on other parts of your application and not retake the MCAT because a 28 should get you in somewhere.

 

[OrGoMan]

Just wondering, did DO ever cross your mind?

 

[Psycho Doctor]

If you can devote serious study and prep time, then go for it. know your strengths and weaknesses and work on the weaknesses until you know it will SIGNIFICANTLY raise your score. I know people (rarely) have improved 10 points but it can be done. If you can really concentrate on this prep and can raise your score 5 points I'd say go for it. If not, then I'd concentrate on the rest of your app. A 28 is still a competitive score but a lot depends on your whole app. Apply to schools where you are competitive based on your MCAT score and everything else.

 

[TaiMi]

Thank you all for the great suggestions/thoughts .

I have thought of DO schools, and will also apply for them. I do have concerns for DO schools in regards of practicing oversea.

MCAT VR is deifinitely my weakness. Any suggestions on books that I can read in the meantime to improve my reading skills?

Thanks

 

[Psycho Doctor]

Thank you all for the great suggestions/thoughts .

I have thought of DO schools, and will also apply for them. I do have concerns for DO schools in regards of practicing oversea.

MCAT VR is deifinitely my weakness. Any suggestions on books that I can read in the meantime to improve my reading skills?

Thanks

check this out: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=39366&highlight=mcat+verbal+advice I thought it was excellent

 

[scrappysurfer]

I had a weakeness in physics and the silly writing so I went to princeton review for help. I spent $500 for materials and 5hours tutoring. Result: physics went from 9 to 12, writing went from M to R.

This was with just 5 hours of focused tutoring about testing strategy. I suspect that by taking the full princeton review course i would have had a much much higher score. If time/money are not a huge issue (i.e. I had none of either), you can make a huge improvement.

 

[Blue Scrub]

Let the OP decide for themself by reading through different people's experiences. Kaplan helped me get a score higher than I'd dared to dream.

haha you're right, I personally just dont like Kaplan b/c it didnt help me, but it def has helped others...go for Kaplan or any company if you feel it will improve you score, that's what matters....as far as improving your VR, a lot of people I asked suggested reading some magazines like the New Yorker, or the Economist, or reading the editorial sections of newspapers....I also used the ExamKrackers Verbal 101 Passages, which I thought was a really great verbal practice material, better than other ones I've seen, but that's just my opinion, check everything out for yourself and decide......good luck with everything!