Need Help w/ Next Step

[ilovepwds]

Hi everyone,

I am an ORM Ivy grad with a 3.83 GPA, 10 pubs (not including posters & presentations), former D1 athlete, thousands of hours of research/clinical experience/volunteer at various institutions, and a Marshall/Rhodes/Churchill/Goldwater level fellowship (being ambiguous to keep anonymity) and therefore will be getting my masters before med school. I have a strong thesis for why I want to go into medicine and strong LORs to support this.

I took my MCAT yesterday after the practice test progression of 506/508/509/516/516/517, and it went *terribly.* Ran out of time on C/P and CARS such that I literally had to guess on some qs. I realize that a lot of people think their MCAT was hard and that they bombed and ended up doing fine, but I don't think a lot of people guess. Truly a nightmare for me.

I got hung up on some math for a particular type of problem on C/P that was heavily tested, and this really messed up my timing (I feel like this is fixable, as it was just one type of question). CARS was just terrible for everyone. B/B and P/S went decently, but it's hard to know if they will be enough to pull my score up considerably to account for the C/P and CARS issues.

I submitted my primary app and have been processed, but no secondaries yet as I wanted to wait on actually sitting for the MCAT and having some degree of confidence that I scored within my range. My original plan was to have secondaries submitted by the date of my MCAT score release (mid-August) but I am concerned that this score is going to fall below my goal score of 515 and ruin an otherwise competitive application for some of my target schools which have average scores in the 515+ range.

So...two qs: should I retake in two weeks (07/26) and try to fix my math mistakes/roll the dice on a better CARS section and void if I am not confident that I performed better than my first exam (worried about the stigma of retaking and getting a lower score, or only improving by 1-2 points)? Out of the 6 practice exams (+ a previous exam I took for practice because I thought I wasn't ready and voided) I've taken, yesterday was by far the worst one for me as I have never run out of time. Or should I wait on the MCAT and potentially apply this cycle with a sub-515? I know that this would now make my app completed (with MCAT score) by 08/27 instead of 08/13, but is this really that late and will it matter for me?

I know, relatively, I am in a good spot. But, it feels like my next move is super high stakes. I really don't want to apply next cycle as I am confident and feel extremely ready to go to medical school. I've also already done so much work and have gotten all my letters and such. I realize the MCAT score isn't everything but I can't expect a school to take me if I am completely out of their range. Would be so grateful for any advice!

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[karaya]

General rule of thumb: your actual MCAT is the median of all your FLs. A sub-515 would not surprise me. Don't let this deter you; the rest of your app is competitive. With your practice scores, I would not expect a significant upswing. Many people retake in a panic and fail to surpass their original confidence interval. Realize that a retake within two weeks is essentially a gamble against the C.I. (and your nerves).

I say wait it out and apply as normal. Adjust your school list when the time comes. 8/27 is suboptimal.

 

[ilovepwds]

General rule of thumb: your actual MCAT is the median of all your FLs. A sub-515 would not surprise me. Don't let this deter you; the rest of your app is competitive. With your practice scores, I would not expect a significant upswing. Many people retake in a panic and fail to surpass their original confidence interval. Realize that a retake within two weeks is essentially a gamble against the C.I. (and your nerves).

I say wait it out and apply as normal. Adjust your school list when the time comes. 8/27 is suboptimal.

And what if I am committed to giving my best shot at a T10? Apply next year?

 

[Present-Row-4056]

And what if I am committed to giving my best shot at a T10? Apply next year?

Yes, and while you do have a very strong profile, you should aim for a MCAT score closer to the median of the T10s, if thats your goal. The higher the better. I'd personally wait to see what your MCAT is and adjust your school list accordingly. Even with a 510-515, you can still get into some very good schools and will still become a doctor. It's up to you if you want to delay a year of attending salary to shoot for T10s, which is no guarantee.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

And what if I am committed to giving my best shot at a T10? Apply next year?

Even if your score turned out to be 515, you will have done better than 90% of all test-takers. That still means you are one of about 28K test-takers applying for 55K seats. Can you wait until you see how you scored on the MCAT before pressing the panic button?

Now you know how to mentally prepare yourself for some of the toughest of challenges, especially as an athlete. I'm sure pride prevented you from doing the obvious thing (voiding your exam because you KNEW you ran out of time in one section) so you can stay on your own track to apply and get into medical school. At this point, that's a lost opportunity and any application you push forward will report that result. You might still be able to get a decent score if you prepared well enough, but if not, I would not rush back to take the test too quickly unless you knew how to prepare yourself better the next time.

Seeing your description of accomplishments, I'm sure telling you "don't do it!" isn't going to be effective. You have an ambition and believe you can do better. If you know you made some stupid strategic errors the last time, bet on yourself and take the MCAT in a few days. (That said, I wonder why you are allowed to take the MCAT so soon; on exams like the DAT, you cannot schedule a new exam for 90 days. Insert cynical comment of AAMC being greedy taking advantage of anxious premeds here.)

Just realize medical schools will often average multiple attempts for screening. If you scored significantly higher (+10) on your more recent test, schools may push your application for review with that score, but there are no guarantees. You already will have a low score we presume. If you post a similar score or a lower one... well, who knows.

I also am a firm believer of holistic review. If you stay above the 510 mark, some schools are going to see your other accomplishments and weigh them appropriately in your file review. It may not be another Ivy school (would you really be disappointed at Emory or UChicago, for examples), but I'm sure if you see the school as a partner to your success, you will find your way to being a doctor.

 

[ilovepwds]

Even if your score turned out to be 515, you will have done better than 90% of all test-takers. That still means you are one of about 28K test-takers applying for 55K seats. Can you wait until you see how you scored on the MCAT before pressing the panic button?

Now you know how to mentally prepare yourself for some of the toughest of challenges, especially as an athlete. I'm sure pride prevented you from doing the obvious thing (voiding your exam because you KNEW you ran out of time in one section) so you can stay on your own track to apply and get into medical school. At this point, that's a lost opportunity and any application you push forward will report that result. You might still be able to get a decent score if you prepared well enough, but if not, I would not rush back to take the test too quickly unless you knew how to prepare yourself better the next time.

Seeing your description of accomplishments, I'm sure telling you "don't do it!" isn't going to be effective. You have an ambition and believe you can do better. If you know you made some stupid strategic errors the last time, bet on yourself and take the MCAT in a few days. (That said, I wonder why you are allowed to take the MCAT so soon; on exams like the DAT, you cannot schedule a new exam for 90 days. Insert cynical comment of AAMC being greedy taking advantage of anxious premeds here.)

Just realize medical schools will often average multiple attempts for screening. If you scored significantly higher (+10) on your more recent test, schools may push your application for review with that score, but there are no guarantees. You already will have a low score we presume. If you post a similar score or a lower one... well, who knows.

I also am a firm believer of holistic review. If you stay above the 510 mark, some schools are going to see your other accomplishments and weigh them appropriately in your file review. It may not be another Ivy school (would you really be disappointed at Emory or UChicago, for examples), but I'm sure if you see the school as a partner to your success, you will find your way to being a doctor.

This is great advice -- thank you so much! I think what I've settled on is not re-taking it until I get the score back but applying anyways to just a few of my top choice schools, even if I am sub-515. If I get in, that will be great. If I don't, then I will re-take and reapply next cycle but to a broader range of schools (although, I will be a reapplicant to those top schools).

Would you be surprised if a T-10 took me this year, even if I score somewhere between 510 and 515?

 

[Goro]

This is great advice -- thank you so much! I think what I've settled on is not re-taking it until I get the score back but applying anyways to just a few of my top choice schools, even if I am sub-515. If I get in, that will be great. If I don't, then I will re-take and reapply next cycle but to a broader range of schools (although, I will be a reapplicant to those top schools).

Would you be surprised if a T-10 took me this year, even if I score somewhere between 510 and 515?

Your job is to get into a medical school, not just a t10, which has at least 20 schools in the list.

I don't recommend retaking a career deciding high-stakes exam until you are 100% ready for it. You were not ready for the first time.