Need Help: 33 MCAT but below/in 10th percentile for many schools in 2 sections

[MSTPforMe]

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I am freaking out right now. Even though I got a 33 MCAT, which is already low but acceptable for MSTPs, my breakdown is 15 PS, 9 VR, 9 BS. The 9 VR is 10th percentile for many schools, but the 9 BS is even below the 10th percentile for these schools! I am already in the middle of the application season and working on my secondaries, but am I done for? I know my BS score is a fluke because I was averaging 13 on practices, but I started having a bad reaction to the food I ate that morning at the end of VR. The worst part is that I'm a biology major.

 

[PsychPod]

Great 15 PS.

 

[claduva94]

You aren't done for. Its less than ideal but workable.

 

[MSTPforMe]

You aren't done for. Its less than ideal but workable.

My primary concern is that given my MCAT is already near the bottom of the accepted that additional poor performances in 2 sections will screw me over! Do people who have these relatively low MCATs tend to compensate by having a balanced score?

 

[SN12357]

It's not great but 9 is at least high enough you shouldn't be screened out. Nothing you can do except roll with it unless you want to ditch the entire application cycle.

 

[MSTPforMe]

It's not great but 9 is at least high enough you shouldn't be screened out. Nothing you can do except roll with it unless you want to ditch the entire application cycle.

Is a retake out of the question? As in, would it be a good idea to retake it after I complete my secondaries? This would be in September, so I would receive scores in October, which seems to be the kiss of death.

 

[SN12357]

Is a retake out of the question? As in, would it be a good idea to retake it after I complete my secondaries? This would be in September, so I would receive scores in October, which seems to be the kiss of death.

A retake for this year is I think pointless because, indeed, your application would be super late. However, if you're confident of your ability to retake you could abort this cycle, retake at your leisure, and apply next year. Normally a retaking a 33 would be madness but I think you have a decent case for it. You should assume that you're PS score could fall down to 12-13, though, and only retake if you're really certain of your ability to get double digits in the other two sections this time.

 

[Pacna]

Apply this cycle. See how this cycle goes. If it goes badly, call and ask why. If they tell you it's your MCAT, fix that and reapply.

 

[MSTPforMe]

A retake for this year is I think pointless because, indeed, your application would be super late. However, if you're confident of your ability to retake you could abort this cycle, retake at your leisure, and apply next year. Normally a retaking a 33 would be madness but I think you have a decent case for it. You should assume that you're PS score could fall down to 12-13, though, and only retake if you're really certain of your ability to get double digits in the other two sections this time.

Ugh, I'm so pissed. I really don't want to abandon this cycle just because I screwed up on BS due to food. Plus, I already paid the application fees. What about retaking the MCAT after I received interviews? My averages over the AAMC FLs were 14.67 PS, 9 VR, 13 BS.

 

[NYCdude]

A retake would be completely ridiculous. 33 is good enough to apply to any elite school.

 

[Vineyard Vines]

.

 

[SN12357]

Ugh, I'm so pissed. I really don't want to abandon this cycle just because I screwed up on BS due to food. Plus, I already paid the application fees. What about retaking the MCAT after I received interviews? My averages over the AAMC FLs were 14.67 PS, 9 VR, 13 BS.

I don't think there'd be any point in retaking the MCAT while still applying this cycle (and there might be straight up logistical issues with it--just registering for another MCAT could cause schools to put your application on hold, I forget exactly how that works with the AAMC and AMCAS). Also the timeline would be weird at best or pointless at worst; interviews take place from August until March, and schools with rolling admission often evaluate you immediately post-interview. There's no convenient break to drop in a new MCAT score.

Honestly in your position I'd just ride out the cycle. 33 is still a good score.

 

[sat0ri]

Ugh, I'm so pissed. I really don't want to abandon this cycle just because I screwed up on BS due to food. Plus, I already paid the application fees. What about retaking the MCAT after I received interviews? My averages over the AAMC FLs were 14.67 PS, 9 VR, 13 BS.

Due to food? ?

 

[MSTPforMe]

I don't want to be pessimistic, but based on stats alone, it seems it's gg for me. MSTP's seem to have around 10 students a year, so if 10 or 11 on BS is the 10th percentile, doesn't that mean that no one in that program has a 9 or lower?

 

[claduva94]

I don't want to be pessimistic, but based on stats alone, it seems it's gg for me. MSTP's seem to have around 10 students a year, so if 10 or 11 on BS is the 10th percentile, doesn't that mean that no one in that program has a 9 or lower?

Not necessarily. You can definitely make up for it with other factors.

 

[NYCdude]

I don't want to be pessimistic, but based on stats alone, it seems it's gg for me. MSTP's seem to have around 10 students a year, so if 10 or 11 on BS is the 10th percentile, doesn't that mean that no one in that program has a 9 or lower?

Look at it this way. If you were to take it again and get the same score or even worse (which happens the majority of the time), then that's an even worse situation than you're in now.

 

[ricecakeMD]

I don't think there'd be any point in retaking the MCAT while still applying this cycle (and there might be straight up logistical issues with it--just registering for another MCAT could cause schools to put your application on hold, I forget exactly how that works with the AAMC and AMCAS). Also the timeline would be weird at best or pointless at worst; interviews take place from August until March, and schools with rolling admission often evaluate you immediately post-interview. There's no convenient break to drop in a new MCAT score.

Honestly in your position I'd just ride out the cycle. 33 is still a good score.

Is this really true? Schools know when you register for an MCAT? I thought the whole point of no-shows was that if you didn't show up, both your registration and not showing up wouldn't be known to med schools...

 

[SN12357]

Is this really true? Schools know when you register for an MCAT? I thought the whole point of no-shows was that if you didn't show up, both your registration and not showing up wouldn't be known to med schools...

I don't know how it works if you throw in a new MCAT date mid-cycle. But I'm thought I read at some point last year that if you're registered for a future MCAT when you apply schools do know that and will wait to evaluate your app. Schools would never know if you registered and take the MCAT before you apply.

At best I'm recalling year-old information so it's possible I'm remembering wrong but the rules of that would definitely need to be looked up by anyone planning a late-stage retake mid-cycle.

 

[ricecakeMD]

I don't know how it works if you throw in a new MCAT date mid-cycle. But I'm thought I read at some point last year that if you're registered for a future MCAT when you apply schools do know that and will wait to evaluate your app. Schools would never know if you registered and take the MCAT before you apply.

At best I'm recalling year-old information so it's possible I'm remembering wrong but the rules of that would definitely need to be looked up by anyone planning a late-stage retake mid-cycle.

Oh...I did not know this...haha is this why my applications has been under review for forever?? I had registered to retake my mcat on July 24th and ended up taking it. My previous score was a 31 so I didn't update AMCAS about registering for a new date b/c I wasn't sure before if I was going to take it and I didn't want my apps to be delayed at the schools where my score is ok...hm.

 

[SN12357]

Oh...I did not know this...haha is this why my applications has been under review for forever?? I had registered to retake my mcat on July 24th and ended up taking it. My previous score was a 31 so I didn't update AMCAS about registering for a new date b/c I wasn't sure before if I was going to take it and I didn't want my apps to be delayed at the schools where my score is ok...hm.

Maybe. I'm honestly not sure. It's still really early in the cycle so being still under review isn't weird one way or the other.

 

[ricecakeMD]

Maybe. I'm honestly not sure. It's still really early in the cycle so being still under review isn't weird one way or the other.

Okay yeah the process is really confusing and convoluted. Thanks for your input though! 🙂

 

[moisne]

It's fine. I had a 7 for VR... Was fine

 

[Lamel]

That's quite the distribution. Impressive 15.

 

[Ismet]

It's fine. I had a 7 for VR... Was fine

Were you accepted MD/PhD?

 

[Leslie_Knope]

That is an excellent PS score. I know it's habit to focus on the perceived weakness of the lower scores, but you're forgetting that 15. You'll be helping any school's PS stats with that score. I'd continue this application cycle. Good luck!

 

[gettheleadout]

A retake would be completely ridiculous. 33 is good enough to apply to any elite school.

Looking only at the composite, sure. Unfortunately there's more to the story than just a single number. Distribution matters. Obviously a 15/15/3 would not be admitted anywhere. Does a 9 in BS make one unfit to study medicine? Surely not, but it may bar admission to "elite" schools where 90%+ of the students have higher BS scores.

Oh, and we're talking about MSTP admissions here, so it's even worse. I'm not saying OP has no shot, but the situation is more nuanced than you're giving it credit for.

 

[NYCdude]

Looking only at the composite, sure. Unfortunately there's more to the story than just a single number. Distribution matters. Obviously a 15/15/3 would not be admitted anywhere. Does a 9 in BS make one unfit to study medicine? Surely not, but it may bar admission to "elite" schools where 90%+ of the students have higher BS scores.

Oh, and we're talking about MSTP admissions here, so it's even worse. I'm not saying OP has no shot, but the situation is more nuanced than you're giving it credit for.

I missed the MSTP part lol. You're right.

 

[MSTPforMe]

Looking only at the composite, sure. Unfortunately there's more to the story than just a single number. Distribution matters. Obviously a 15/15/3 would not be admitted anywhere. Does a 9 in BS make one unfit to study medicine? Surely not, but it may bar admission to "elite" schools where 90%+ of the students have higher BS scores.

Oh, and we're talking about MSTP admissions here, so it's even worse. I'm not saying OP has no shot, but the situation is more nuanced than you're giving it credit for.

The worst part is that it's 90%+ of the students even at mid-to-low tier MSTPs. Do you really think my coursework in BS can't somewhat suggest that I am capable and that it was a fluke w/o my explicit stating of so? Or would it be worse and the med schools think that somehow my BS grades are not representative of my seemingly below-10th-percentile ability?

 

[gettheleadout]

The worst part is that it's 90%+ of the students even at mid-to-low tier MSTPs. Do you really think my coursework in BS can't somewhat suggest that I am capable and that it was a fluke w/o my explicit stating of so? Or would it be worse and the med schools think that somehow my BS grades are not representative of my seemingly below-10th-percentile ability?

I have no idea, unfortunately. My personal opinion, which may be totally unrepresentative of what any given app reviewer may think, would be that, unless you attend a particularly rigorous (i.e. grade deflationary) undergrad and have top bio grades, it's difficult for me to decide whether your BS score or your grades is/are unrepresentative of your qualifications. If you came from my school (not prestigious or known for rigor), I'd just as soon say "meh, the classes were too easy," and favor the single standardized data point over the many unstandardized. If you're at Princeton with a 4.0 bio GPA, I'd be far more likely to consider your BS score unrepresentative.

 

[MSTPforMe]

I have no idea, unfortunately. My personal opinion, which may be totally unrepresentative of what any given app reviewer may think, would be that, unless you attend a particularly rigorous (i.e. grade deflationary) undergrad and have top bio grades, it's difficult for me to decide whether your BS score or your grades is/are unrepresentative of your qualifications. If you came from my school (not prestigious or known for rigor), I'd just as soon say "meh, the classes were too easy," and favor the single standardized data point over the many unstandardized. If you're at Princeton with a 4.0 bio GPA, I'd be far more likely to consider your BS score unrepresentative.

All right, thanks! I do happen to go to a well-known rigorous school and have grades that are comparable to those of upperclassmen who got into top MSTPs (read: top 3). However, they happened to get like 38+ on their MCATs, which is why I am worried. I am really disappointed at myself for messing up the BS section and scoring 4 points below my AAMC avg 🙁. I did expect to score like an 11 at most, but NEVER would I imagine I'd score a 9

 

[Abstractions]

All right, thanks! I do happen to go to a well-known rigorous school and have grades that are comparable to those of upperclassmen who got into top MSTPs (read: top 3). However, they happened to get like 38+ on their MCATs, which is why I am worried. I am really disappointed at myself for messing up the BS section and scoring 4 points below my AAMC avg 🙁. I did expect to score like an 11 at most, but NEVER would I imagine I'd score a 9

Although I'm not applying MSTP, I've spoken with several members on the admissions board at a top 10 MSTP they recommended a minimum of 3.8+/35+ to be competitive. While I don't think your 33 will destroy your chances, I think it will have a negative impact given how selective and small MSTP programs are.

 

[MSTPforMe]

Although I'm not applying MSTP, I've spoken with several members on the admissions board at a top 10 MSTP they recommended a minimum of 3.8+/35+ to be competitive. While I don't think your 33 will destroy your chances, I think it will have a negative impact given how selective and small MSTP programs are.

Sucks that I can't retake either, otherwise I could bring BS up to 11 at the least, 12-13 most likely. Here's to hoping that they can overlook the averages and are willing to take a hit for me

 

[moisne]

Were you accepted MD/PhD?

One MD/PhD, one rejected from MD/PhD but accepted to their MD, then 3 incomplete apps or so (ran out of money from an ER visit that ran 7k) and 2 interview but rejected/waitlist, and 1 school just rejected me without interview.

 

[Great White Buffalo]

I had 33 MCAT, 12 PS, 12 BS and 9 VR. I did okay, had 6 II, MCAT test was just too painful, would never do it again if I didn't have to.
Start medical school on MONDAY at Universtiy of Michigan. GO BLUE!!

 

[Ismet]

I had 33 MCAT, 12 PS, 12 BS and 9 VR. I did okay, had 6 II, MCAT test was just too painful, would never do it again if I didn't have to.
Start medical school on MONDAY at Universtiy of Michigan. GO BLUE!!

You're missing the point that OP is applying MD/PhD or MSTP. It's not a question of if you can get into a top school with a 33 or a 9 in BS. The standard and expectation for MSTP applicants is considerably higher than just MD, especially for top schools. A 33 would probably not cut it for MSTP at your school.

 

[Great White Buffalo]

You're missing the point that OP is applying MD/PhD or MSTP. It's not a question of if you can get into a top school with a 33 or a 9 in BS. The standard and expectation for MSTP applicants is considerably higher than just MD, especially for top schools. A 33 would probably not cut it for MSTP at your school.

True, missed the MSTP part, confirms why I got a 9 on the VR, ha ha ha.
Yes, probably need to retake if going for MSTP.

 

[shh-pthway]

From my understanding, MSTPs have higher MCAT averages because the programs tend to be self-selecting (as in those passionate in pursuing a career in medical research just tend to have higher stats). If you look at WashU's MSTP Applied/interviewed chart (http://mstp.wustl.edu/admissions/Pages/Statistics.aspx), you can see MCAT score makes a difference but not as big of difference as one may think (and obviously WashU is one of the top MSTPs so other programs may have different stats).

At certain point, demonstration of research (letters of rec, publications, and focused career goal) far outweighs the nuances of MCAT distribution.