Need advice: Great all around application, messed up the MCAT

[Heymecalvy]

Hey everyone, hoping I can get some decent advice from friends around here.

Situation is this: graduated from a competitive liberal arts college with a double major in Biology and Spanish, 3.8 GPA, 3.7sGPA. Numerous summer lab jobs before graduating to work at Mass General Hospital for 2 years as an RA. Got great extracurriculars (competitive sports for entire life, started a holistic medicine club in college, shadowing experience, you name it), and very solid LORs.

Time came to take the MCAT and wasn't quite prepared, scored low 20s. Retook it again this year, feeling good going in, practice tests in the high 30s and even 40s, messed it up, and now sitting on a 23. It's now mid-June and application season is upon us.

Do I:
1) Apply now MD and DO, hope for the best
2) Apply now MD and DO, leave the spot marked for planning to take the MCAT, while I retake it later this summer to get the score I know I can get, then finish up the application
3) Not apply, retake it, apply next cycle. Hold off on following my dreams for a year.


Any and all advice welcome!

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[GonePostalMD]

3.

 

[juliuspepperwood]

Don't apply. Retake and try to make sure your practice test conditions are similar to those on the actual test day.

Even if you retake you are going to want to avoid schools that average your scores.

 

[el_duderino]

3.

 

[GFP]

3.

 

[ridethecliche]

No offense, but you're not going to be competitive with that score.

How did you study? If you retook the same practice tests again, that would exaggerate your practice scores as well.

PM me if you're still in the area and want to talk about study strategies etc.

 

[Heymecalvy]

I used Kaplan study materials, and went through basically every Kaplan full length as well as the AAMC ones. I knew all of the material down cold, could answer any discrete off the top of my head in a second. Wasn't retaking previously completed practice tests.

While practice testing conditions were pretty controlled, they weren't as severely silent as Prometric, of course. I could aim to get closer to that atmosphere.

What happened on the exam was it was much much longer than any I had taken previously, and time crunch was way more of an issue than I had experienced, so I ended every section rushed and flustered, guessing on the last few.

 

[el_duderino]

You've messed up the MCAT twice now. This will hurt your app even if you score a 36 later on. So you'd better kill it next time.

 

[ridethecliche]

I used Kaplan study materials, and went through basically every Kaplan full length as well as the AAMC ones. I knew all of the material down cold, could answer any discrete off the top of my head in a second. Wasn't retaking previously completed practice tests.

While practice testing conditions were pretty controlled, they weren't as severely silent as Prometric, of course. I could aim to get closer to that atmosphere.

What happened on the exam was it was much much longer than any I had taken previously, and time crunch was way more of an issue than I had experienced, so I ended every section rushed and flustered, guessing on the last few.

This, in my mind, means that you didn't practice enough.

I took too much time on one BS passage and used 15 damn minutes on it, but still managed to speed through the test because I didn't get flustered and kept my head. That only comes with really strict practice.

If you're going to do this again, I suggest using TBR and the SN2ED schedule.

 

[zzxxzz]

Option 3.

I used Kaplan study materials, and went through basically every Kaplan full length as well as the AAMC ones. I knew all of the material down cold, could answer any discrete off the top of my head in a second. Wasn't retaking previously completed practice tests.

While practice testing conditions were pretty controlled, they weren't as severely silent as Prometric, of course. I could aim to get closer to that atmosphere.

What happened on the exam was it was much much longer than any I had taken previously, and time crunch was way more of an issue than I had experienced, so I ended every section rushed and flustered, guessing on the last few.

1) Bring earplugs. I studied with music I didn't like that much playing the entire time to intentionally distract me. Quiet full lengths were a breeze.

2) Time yourself from now on for literally every single passage you do. You should NOT be taking a full ~10 minutes for every passage. You need to be saving time for the nasty stuff. I normally test fast, but I finished VR and BS with more than half my time left on every practice AAMC + the real thing. Also, avoid overthinking. This is a huge issue which a friend of mine has a big problem with. They know everything so well they constantly second-guess themselves, take forever, and change their answers.

3) I have not heard great things about Kaplan compared to other sources. Every single person I know who used Kaplan scored lower than expected. I found the TBR passages. to be extremely helpful.

I hate to put pressure on you, but you're sitting with two strikes. You seem like a bright, intelligent person with a strong app other than this. But another score below 30 (or really, below 33+) and you'll be looking at the Caribbean.

 

[blueharbor]

But another score below 30 (or really, below 33+) and you'll be looking at the Caribbean.

Not true. A lot of MD programs, and most DOs, won't penalize you for your previous scores so much that you'll need a 33 for any chance at all!

However, it sounds like the OP has the ability to get a 33 or above, and obviously the higher the better.

 

[CW 2010]

Retook it again this year, feeling good going in, practice tests in the high 30s and even 40s, messed it up, and now sitting on a 23.

How did you score a 23 if your practice scores were in the 40s?.. Is this even possible? Just saying...
Obviously, you need to retake it.

 

[OneTwoThreeFour]

I used Kaplan study materials, and went through basically every Kaplan full length as well as the AAMC ones. I knew all of the material down cold, could answer any discrete off the top of my head in a second. Wasn't retaking previously completed practice tests.

While practice testing conditions were pretty controlled, they weren't as severely silent as Prometric, of course. I could aim to get closer to that atmosphere.

What happened on the exam was it was much much longer than any I had taken previously, and time crunch was way more of an issue than I had experienced, so I ended every section rushed and flustered, guessing on the last few.

Do you mean the passages were longer, or you weren't taking the Full Lengths all at the same time?? Because I'm pretty sure the passages have been standardized to be of similar lengths (meaning nerves got to you). If it's the second part, that you weren't taking entire full-lengths, that's a critical error.
I honestly don't see how a 15 point drop could be achieved if these were your only issues. Do you have a history of being a bad test taker?

 

[orangeman25]

Sorry but practice tests scores in high 30s low 40s followed by a 23 performance on the real thing sounds a little ridiculous and unbelievable. Unless you left a section blank or were taking only non AAMC practice tests...

 

[deanthedream17]

Hoping for the best will leave you at the end of the application cycle without an acceptance

 

[khrisskhoras]

3

 

[mrh125]

retake it, but this is high stakes poker and mcats matter aton. make sure you really really know what you're getting into before you take it next time.

 

[Goro]

Applying to MD schools with a 23 MCAT is not as fast as flushing your money down the toilet. For DO schools, it's mostly a waste.

In this process, one doesn't "hope for the best". One has to know what you're getting into and know the process. Invest in MSAR Online and see what schools require in terms on numbers.

And retake the MCAT, but FIX your deficits first. So, option 3 is the realistic recourse.

Also, start working on Plan B. You may have hit your plateau.

Hey everyone, hoping I can get some decent advice from friends around here.

Situation is this: graduated from a competitive liberal arts college with a double major in Biology and Spanish, 3.8 GPA, 3.7sGPA. Numerous summer lab jobs before graduating to work at Mass General Hospital for 2 years as an RA. Got great extracurriculars (competitive sports for entire life, started a holistic medicine club in college, shadowing experience, you name it), and very solid LORs.

Time came to take the MCAT and wasn't quite prepared, scored low 20s. Retook it again this year, feeling good going in, practice tests in the high 30s and even 40s, messed it up, and now sitting on a 23. It's now mid-June and application season is upon us.

Do I:
1) Apply now MD and DO, hope for the best
2) Apply now MD and DO, leave the spot marked for planning to take the MCAT, while I retake it later this summer to get the score I know I can get, then finish up the application
3) Not apply, retake it, apply next cycle. Hold off on following my dreams for a year.


Any and all advice welcome!

 

[Mycoalwin]

Can't give too much helpful advice since I will be taking my MCAT this coming August, but an app called "Coffitivity" helps me study a lot! It replicates the noises of a cafe, providing enough background noise for your to concentrate but not distinguish and get distracted. Hopefully that can be of some assistance!

 

[GypsyHummus]

Applying to MD schools with a 23 MCAT is not as fast as flushing your money down the toilet. For DO schools, it's mostly a waste.

In this process, one doesn't "hope for the best". One has to know what you're getting into and know the process. Invest in MSAR Online and see what schools require in terms on numbers.

And retake the MCAT, but FIX your deficits first. So, option 3 is the realistic recourse.

Also, start working on Plan B. You may have hit your plateau.

The OPs GPAs are on the higher end, would it be possible for him to get into a DO program? Would he even get an interview?

 

[zzxxzz]

The OPs GPAs are on the higher end, would it be possible for him to get into a DO program? Would he even get an interview?

In 2013, ~79% of white DO applicants scored above a 23 (calculated using standard deviation, not reported).

Source: http://www.aacom.org/data/applicantsmatriculants/Documents/2013-app-report.pdf

 

[GypsyHummus]

In 2013, ~79% of white DO applicants scored above a 23 (calculated using standard deviation, not reported).

Source: http://www.aacom.org/data/applicantsmatriculants/Documents/2013-app-report.pdf

Yeah. Time to retake

 

[Plecopotamus]

Hey everyone, hoping I can get some decent advice from friends around here.

Situation is this: graduated from a competitive liberal arts college with a double major in Biology and Spanish, 3.8 GPA, 3.7sGPA. Numerous summer lab jobs before graduating to work at Mass General Hospital for 2 years as an RA. Got great extracurriculars (competitive sports for entire life, started a holistic medicine club in college, shadowing experience, you name it), and very solid LORs.

Time came to take the MCAT and wasn't quite prepared, scored low 20s. Retook it again this year, feeling good going in, practice tests in the high 30s and even 40s, messed it up, and now sitting on a 23. It's now mid-June and application season is upon us.

Do I:
1) Apply now MD and DO, hope for the best
2) Apply now MD and DO, leave the spot marked for planning to take the MCAT, while I retake it later this summer to get the score I know I can get, then finish up the application
3) Not apply, retake it, apply next cycle. Hold off on following my dreams for a year.


Any and all advice welcome!

Option 3.
in the meantime, I would also shadow a DO if you haven't already so you can prepare a strong osteopathic app. I think you'll look better for not having applied previously with your low scores, but even if you get a high score the next time, it will not have the same value as if you got it on your first or even second attempt.

 

[kyamh]

Can you verbalize exactly what went wrong? A 23 (and another, "low 20s" score) are very far off from 30s-40s, you can't say you just had a bad day. Something specific and major went wrong. If you can't figure out what specific thing you need to fix, I don't think you will be able to improve substantially. The only way to move forward is to be real with yourself.

Edit: you may have, actually, skipped a passage. I skipped a passage on my test too, it was the first one and I must have just clicked too many times on the next button. I only noticed that I skipped a section when I had WAY too much time left over and looked at the summary at the end of the section.

 

[candbgirl]

What was the breakdown in scores. Where they balanced or did you have a really high and a really low score?
But you need to retake. It seems you have a good application otherwise. Oh and keep up your ECs while you wait to apply in June 2015