multiple mcat scores

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Doogie Howser

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when it comes to your application to medical school, how do the mcat scores show up? I know when applying to dental school, only your most recent score shows on your application. Is this the same for med school applications, or do the adcoms see all of your scores, or your highest score, or some other combination? thanks

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Elastase

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Doogie Howser said:
when it comes to your application to medical school, how do the mcat scores show up? I know when applying to dental school, only your most recent score shows on your application. Is this the same for med school applications, or do the adcoms see all of your scores, or your highest score, or some other combination? thanks

They see all your scores. Before you had to release them yourself, but now they are automatically released by aamc. Some schools only consider your latest score, others give you the highest score combination. I still think they look at all your scores when considering you. Good luck!!!
 

big_smiles

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They see them all, but most schools will only take the highest or most recent, depending on their policy.

I kept getting asked about my low MCAT scores, and thought that they were talking about the retake, a 31. But apparently a school I interviewed at a week ago got my first score, when I practically went in blind with no preparation :scared: So if you retake, check to make sure each of your schools received it.
 
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Law2Doc

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big_smiles said:
They see them all, but most schools will only take the highest or most recent, depending on their policy.

I kept getting asked about my low MCAT scores, and thought that they were talking about the retake, a 31. But apparently a school I interviewed at a week ago got my first score, when I practically went in blind with no preparation :scared: So if you retake, check to make sure each of your schools received it.

Also bear in mind that while they may generally use the more recent score, if they are looking to differentiate two applicants who both ended up with the same score, I suspect that the applicant who took it just once and did well looks better. Thus it's always best to not take the MCAT until you are prepared, and take it once, and do well. Doesn't always work out that way, but that's what you should strive for. Folks who tell you to take it before you are ready, "for practice", are giving bad advice.
 

dsherida

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I know if you search the topic, people have put together lists in the past as to how each school looks at multiple MCATS(ie. most recent, highest overall, highest section...)
 

theunderdog

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your scores ALL appear, with your most recent one on the bottom. the first one is the latest one. i know because i took that piece 3 times.

most schools only consider the most recent one, but they do look at all scores for improvement among the sections. jefferson averages your scores... so if you get a 20 and then a 30 mcat, your true mcat score is a 25. tufts takes the highest subject scores from each testing date, which should give you the highest score.
 

dbhvt

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big_smiles said:
They see them all, but most schools will only take the highest or most recent, depending on their policy.

As I understand it, they consider the whole package. If you hadn't taken the relevant science classes before your first try, they may consider only the more recent score, but in any case will average your verbal score over multiple tries. Ie, you took all the premed courses except physics, and got a 7P, 11 B, 9V the first time around. THen you took physics and got a 12P, 9B, 11V. Schools then think of you as a 12P, 10B, 10V. I would be very suprised if a school thought of you as a 12P, 11B, 11V. That just doesn't seem to be a good interpretation of your performance. Though, if dog has inside information, than I'd defer to him.
 

Law2Doc

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dbhvt said:
As I understand it, they consider the whole package. If you hadn't taken the relevant science classes before your first try, they may consider only the more recent score, but in any case will average your verbal score over multiple tries. Ie, you took all the premed courses except physics, and got a 7P, 11 B, 9V the first time around. THen you took physics and got a 12P, 9B, 11V. Schools then think of you as a 12P, 10B, 10V. I would be very suprised if a school thought of you as a 12P, 11B, 11V. That just doesn't seem to be a good interpretation of your performance. Though, if dog has inside information, than I'd defer to him.

I think they consider your score to be that when they report to MSAR, but perhaps not for admissions. :laugh:
 

dbhvt

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Law2Doc said:
I think they consider your score to be that when they report to MSAR, but perhaps not for admissions. :laugh:

clever of them
 

QofQuimica

Seriously, dude, I think you're overreacting....
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Just FYI, those scores stay on your AAMC record for a very long time, if they ever go away at all. I still have my old score from when I first took the MCAT in 1996. And the med schools do see it even though I re-took in 2004 and my first score is ten years old.
 
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