Mcat

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Ben25 said:
Anyone ever heard of someone getting into a DO school with greater than a 3.5 gpa and less than a 20 on the mcat?
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Well some schools do have averages in the low 20's so I'd expect that a few got in with lower than a 20 on the mcat. DO schools tend to look more at the whole applicant rather than just raw stats. However, I'd advise you to retake it as the chances are still not great with that score.
 
Would you even apply to PCOM or LECOM with <20....say a 17M?
 
To be honest.

PCOM - No
LECOM - Go for it if your application is already verified.

A 17 is kind of low for even most DO schools. You will get a much better return for your money if you study hard and retake the MCAT. Improve by 7-10 points if possible and you should be golden next cycle.

Best of luck to you and feel free to let me know if you have any other questions.
 
I wouldn't count on getting accepted into a DO school with a 17M. If you were to get accepted, you would definitely be an urban legend. I think you have a better chance of getting a better score AND an acceptance if you retake the MCAT.
 
Is it possible to do better? I read some things on here that most people do not improve much. I bought the EK 101 VR and it is helping alot and I bought their bs 1001 question book. My problem with the mcat is that I know the material, but I struggle with extracting it from the passage. The questions just based on content (i.e. the ones not based on passage) I never miss. So hopefully practicing in this manner will help some.
 
Ben25 said:
Is it possible to do better? I read some things on here that most people do not improve much. I bought the EK 101 VR and it is helping alot and I bought their bs 1001 question book. My problem with the mcat is that I know the material, but I struggle with extracting it from the passage. The questions just based on content (i.e. the ones not based on passage) I never miss. So hopefully practicing in this manner will help some.
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Of course you can do better IF you put the effort into doing better. How long did you prep before you took the exam??
 
Not much...maybe 2 hours a day for 2-3 weeks with the TV on such. I have a high gpa from the univ. of pitt, so I figured I was set. I actually took it twice with the same score. I didn't change my study techniques between the exams. My aunt died the night before the retake and I wasn't thinking right and should have voided the test. So now I want to take it in Jan of 2010. I'm not sure what to do though because my parents are pushing me towards nursing. It seems dumb though to give up when I just have one bad part of my application.
 
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Ben25 said:
Is it possible to do better? I read some things on here that most people do not improve much. I bought the EK 101 VR and it is helping alot and I bought their bs 1001 question book. My problem with the mcat is that I know the material, but I struggle with extracting it from the passage. The questions just based on content (i.e. the ones not based on passage) I never miss. So hopefully practicing in this manner will help some.
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I'm not trying to be mean, but you HAVE to do better than a 17M. This score represents a huge deficiency in every section and skills not up to par with what you'll need for med school. I think you should take an MCAT course. Don't apply with a 17M. Even if you got in (which is highly unlikely), I'd be concerned about performance in med school. Figure out what's up, I'd suggest taking a course, do much better, apply in May. Good luck.
 
Am I the only one that had to study consistently every day for 3-4 months to get a decent MCAT score? 🙁 Maybe studying a couple hours a day works for some people, but as far as I know, this is a test that many people consider a 3 credit hour class worth of commitment for an entire semester. You should DEFINITELY put a lot more effort into studying for the test if you're that serious about pursuing med school.
 
Ben25 said:
Not much...maybe 2 hours a day for 2-3 weeks with the TV on such. I have a high gpa from the univ. of pitt, so I figured I was set. I actually took it twice with the same score. I didn't change my study techniques between the exams. My aunt died the night before the retake and I wasn't thinking right and should have voided the test. So now I want to take it in Jan of 2010. I'm not sure what to do though because my parents are pushing me towards nursing. It seems dumb though to give up when I just have one bad part of my application.
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First off, don't give up especially if this is what you really want to do. I know its hard to do what you really want when you have family trying to force into something else. Basically, you didn't take this exam as seriously as you should have or you would have prep a whole lot longer than two to three weeks. I'm sure you can do a whole lot better if you actually prepared for the exam. I'll give you an example of how I'm studying for the MCAT:
Oct-Dec..content review of all the subjects;
Jan-Feb..take full length practice tests every week and review questions that I miss or don't understand;
After I'm consistently scoring well on the practice exams and only then will I proceed with taking the real thing.

So you see that's a whole lot longer than two to three weeks. You can also take a MCAT prep class if you don't think you can handle studying on your own.
 
Retake and shoot for 26+.

Goodluck
 
GraceEuphoria said:
Am I the only one that had to study consistently every day for 3-4 months to get a decent MCAT score? 🙁 Maybe studying a couple hours a day works for some people, but as far as I know, this is a test that many people consider a 3 credit hour class worth of commitment for an entire semester. You should DEFINITELY put a lot more effort into studying for the test if you're that serious about pursuing med school.
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Nope. I speculate that Ben wasn't properly informed about this whole medical school process.
 
Dude, adcoms will look at that 17M and immediately say, "This guy does not perform well on tests. There is no way in heck he will ever pass his boards. Reject."

Did you actually do a study program or just practice questions? EK is great, but you should actually have the lesson books and audio cd's if you want to get the most out of it. Do those for a few months and take online practice tests from AAMC (3 was enough for me) and you should do much better.
 
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Baller MD said:
Easy Peasy.
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Yeah, whatever.

Try Lecom, maybe the new school William Carey. William Carey got accredited so it will be on AACOMAS in the next couple of days, you can check out under the school specific discussion.

I know if you apply you get into Ross.

If you have money try, but just in case start to study a little bit every day for January. Some schools take January scores.

good luck and GOD BLESS
 
matrica said:
Yeah, whatever.

Try Lecom, maybe the new school William Carey. William Carey got accredited so it will be on AACOMAS in the next couple of days, you can check out under the school specific discussion.

I know if you apply you get into Ross.

If you have money try, but just in case start to study a little bit every day for January. Some schools take January scores.

good luck and GOD BLESS
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I agree. 17M is waaay to low for acceptance into almost all DO schools. HOWEVER, this year may be an acceptance. William Carey is getting a late start on recruitment and is a brand new program. It's very possible that their average MCAT score for this next incoming class could be as low as 21-22. Naturally, over a few years that MCAT average will go up. So if you refuse to retake, i'd give it a shot.
 
matrica said:
Try Lecom, maybe the new school William Carey. William Carey got accredited so it will be on AACOMAS in the next couple of days, you can check out under the school specific discussion.
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I wouldn't bother with LECOM. For the Erie campus, the DO version of the MSAR says that they seek applicants with a minimum MCAT of 25. I doubt they would seriously consider an application with an MCAT 8 pts below what they are seeking. They'll likely take you secondary money then reject you.
 
Ben25 said:
Is it possible to do better? I read some things on here that most people do not improve much. I bought the EK 101 VR and it is helping alot and I bought their bs 1001 question book. My problem with the mcat is that I know the material, but I struggle with extracting it from the passage. The questions just based on content (i.e. the ones not based on passage) I never miss. So hopefully practicing in this manner will help some.
Click to expand...
I studied for three months after I got my first score of a 20O and brought my score up five points to a 25O. It's more than possible to do considerably better the second time around.
 
Ben25 said:
Would you even apply to PCOM or LECOM with <20....say a 17M?
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Raising your score from a 17 to 25 or above should not be too difficult compared to raising your score from a 27 to a 32. I am sure if you have a 17, there are definitely rooms for improvement.
 
I'll be blunt... you have virtually no shot with a 17M. You obviously barely studied, I'm not genious and I scored higher than that on my diag. Buckle down and study, if you really do have a high gpa from u.pitt you will excel with proper preparation. Good luck!
 
I'm going to retake. I wish I would have known how serious this was in June. I bought some books to study content. I just figured since I did well in undergrad. at a major university I would be fine. I'll prepare for Jan! Thanks for the advice and imput!
 
The first time I took the MCAT I made a 14N. I retook it and made a 20O. I retook it a third time and made a 25M. I took it for the fourth time and made a 38O. Yes, it is possible.
 
DRMRL said:
The first time I took the MCAT I made a 14N. I retook it and made a 20O. I retook it a third time and made a 25M. I took it for the fourth time and made a 38O. Yes, it is possible.
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Going from a 25 to a 38 is unreal. How did you manage this? Also, can't you only take the test 3 times a year???
 
There's a poster here on SDN who got an 18 when she first took the MCAT. She retook it a few months later and got a 26 and is now an MS1. You have to work hard, but you should be able to bring up that 17.

I don't know of any DO school that has an average in the low 20's.
 
Take a class, hire a tutor, whatever you need to bring your score up. Yes DO schools tend to have lower MCAT averages compared to MD schools but the gap is quickly closing. My entering class has a 3.7 gpa 27 MCAT average and it will no doubt keep climbing.

There are far to many qualified applicants out there to not do something completely different in your preparation. If this is what you truly want to be doing grab this test by its short and curlies and succeed.

good luck
 
Even if you could get into a medical school with a 17, I would still tell the person not to go. There's always some newly chartered Caribbean school out there willing to take your money. A 17 is very low, and you will be required to take many standardized exams in the future. It doesn't look promising if you can't do better than a 17.

OP, put in the time and I'm sure you will do much better.

The person who went from a 25 to a 38, if true, is definitely an anomaly. I've never heard of something like that happening. But hey more power to ya...
 
Hi, guys. Yes, I jumped from a 25 to a 38. The 25 that I received was 8-PS 8-VR 9-BIO. Here's the secret. Study the EK books (Exam krackers) five time thoroughly and get the audio osmosis books. Study for four hours per day for five days per week. That is 20 hours total. Do that for 3 months and you'll reach your potential. I retook Aug 14th and received a 14-PS 11-VR 13-BIO. I have come a long way. By the way, I took the MCAT Aug 2008, so, yes-I have taken the MCAT four times, but well worth it when I received an interview offer from Johns Hopkins. The interviewer asked me what happened. I basically told him, I want to practice medicine and to be more competitive...I had to proove it.
 
demayette said:
Yes there are...
http://www.startmedicine.com/app/medstatistics.asp?iDO=Y&iSO=AL&iST=&iCO=&cSU=++Refresh+School+Info++
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Those numbers are outdated. For the class entering this past August, the average MCAT at UNT/TCOM was 29. That says 24. The average MCAT at UNE and KCUMB was 28. That says 24. And I heard this year's average was also 28 at UMDNJ. That says 26.

I think there's a minimum standard and below 20 is just not going to cut it nowadays. It might have five years ago, but the national MCAT averages have gone up and DO schools are filling their lecture halls with people who are at least scoring above a 20.
 
MedStudentWanna said:
Those numbers are outdated. For the class entering this past August, the average MCAT at UNT/TCOM was 29. That says 24. The average MCAT at UNE and KCUMB was 28. That says 24. And I heard this year's average was also 28 at UMDNJ. That says 26.

I think there's a minimum standard and below 20 is just not going to cut it nowadays. It might have five years ago, but the national MCAT averages have gone up and DO schools are filling their lecture halls with people who are at least scoring above a 20.
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The mean MCAT score for matriculants of osteopathic medical schools in 2008 is 26.12 (source: http://www.aacom.org/about/fastfacts/Documents/FastFacts/FF-MeanMCATScores-etc.pdf). That's compared to 30.9 for MD schools (source: http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/2008/2008mcatgpa.htm). The gap is closing, but the two scores represent 50th-55th percentile vs. 75th-80th percentile.
 
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It sounds like you do well in a class format and not so well on your own. If that's the case then consider this your wake up call and sign up for a prep course. Just remember that being in class doesn't force you to learn the material....you still have to put in the effort.

Upping your score will be that much sweeter after putting in the work.
 
Hi, I just received my MCAT score and it was 27q. I got 11 in verbal, 10 in bio, and 6 in physical sciences. My physical sciences score is very poor and I really don't have motivation to study for the test again as I just took it. I was wondering if 27q is good enough for DO schools and if the 6 will prevent me from getting into DO schools?
 
wow she got in with a 18? Did she have an amazing GPA or extracurriculars? I got a 22Q on my first MCAT and then worked myself up too much for the second time (20Q). I am in love with DMU and know I can prove myself if I get an interview.
If I got one point higher in the BS section should I release my score? Or should I just call each school and let them know I am not releasing my score? I heard that some schools take the highest score out of each section. Is a 23 instead of a 22 really going to help if they see how bad I did the second time?
 
Marathon0503 said:
wow she got in with a 18? Did she have an amazing GPA or extracurriculars? I got a 22Q on my first MCAT and then worked myself up too much for the second time (20Q). I am in love with DMU and know I can prove myself if I get an interview.
If I got one point higher in the BS section should I release my score? Or should I just call each school and let them know I am not releasing my score? I heard that some schools take the highest score out of each section. Is a 23 instead of a 22 really going to help if they see how bad I did the second time?
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I think it's required that you report all scores so I don't think you have much of a choice.
 
Ben25 said:
I wish I would have known how serious this was in June.
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This is a much bigger red flag to me than your 18 score. If you didn't research the MCAT before taking it then it makes me wonder if you have researched what the entire application process actually entails. And beyond that, have you really researched what the entire process of medical school, residency and a career in medicine entails? I mean this as some constructive criticism, but it sounds like you just sort of rolled out of bed one morning and decided to be a doctor and figured you could stroll in and take the MCAT and become a doctor.

So the first thing I'd ask is if you really know why you want to go into medicine and have you actually researched everything else it entails outside of the MCAT thoroughly? If not, I would get all that in order first and then deal with the MCAT. Good luck.
 
legoman163 said:
Hi, I just received my MCAT score and it was 27q. I got 11 in verbal, 10 in bio, and 6 in physical sciences. My physical sciences score is very poor and I really don't have motivation to study for the test again as I just took it. I was wondering if 27q is good enough for DO schools and if the 6 will prevent me from getting into DO schools?
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27 is average or above at a lot of schools. Do you have decent grades and ECs? Good grades, ECs and a 27 should be enough to get in at a lot of places, though maybe not your top choice.
 
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