Need some advice!

[gerotype]

Hey Guys...I just checked my scores for the January test and have mixed feelings:

VR: 8
BS: 12
PS: 11

Overall, a 31 O

I'm extremely frustrated because I have taken like 123912 practice tests (all kaplan and aamc test) to prepare with an average of 33-34 on the tests. Although verbal has always been a challenge for me, I almost rarely got under 10 on the practice exams. This is my second time taking the MCAT (got 28 first time, due to panic attack during verbal)...Do you think this is a competitive score to apply outside of my state (Florida)? I really really really really need to got out of here. I'm looking towards a fairly decent school in the NE? I plan on applying early, like June 1st to maximize my chances. Also decent gpa-3.72...

I just HATE being average...I HATE IT...especially when you KNOW (because you've done it before) that you can easily be above average...anyone know what I'm talking about?

Also...I HATE practice exams...they give such a false sense of hope and confidence. In fact, as I was taking them, I kept telling myself not to get my hopes up when I got a good score. But, I figured, having taken sooooo many practice tests and consistently doing well, towards the end, I started actually believing that I could do it...but of course, why would it acutally work out in the end for me...

SHOULD I TAKE IT A THIRD TIME?

Any words of advice? Comments? Moral support? lol

Thanks!

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[old_boy]

Although verbal has always been a challenge for me, I almost rarely got under 10 on the practice exams.

When I first started taking verbal practice tests I was ketting 9s and 10s, but I slowly improved and ended up getting a 13 on the MCAT. Probably did 100 practice passages in the months before the MCAT. Yes, it sucks big time, but practice is the only way to improve I think. What helped me improve was to stop thinking about it so much. Sounds basic, but when I did the Kaplan mapping method (think of key topic of each passage) I totally lost my flow on the passages, and ended up taking way to long and missing silly things since my concentration was shot. For me, what worked best was just reading the whole passage straight through, trying to get into it as much as possible, as if I was reading a magazine article that I really liked or something. Then I went onto the questions, and usually had retained enough to answer most questions w/out having to refer back to the text. It worked for me - scores slowly improved and I was obviously happy with how it ended up on the MCAT. But ol' Stanley Kaplan's method may be better for some.

Good luck - if you can focus and improve to a 10 or better it'll definitly help you, but a 31O is very solid and you certainly have a chance OOS with your GPA, assuming you have some good volunteering or other experience.

 

[sirus_virus]

Hey Guys...I just checked my scores for the January test and have mixed feelings:

VR: 8
BS: 12
PS: 11

Overall, a 31 O

I'm extremely frustrated because I have taken like 123912 practice tests (all kaplan and aamc test) to prepare with an average of 33-34 on the tests. Although verbal has always been a challenge for me, I almost rarely got under 10 on the practice exams. This is my second time taking the MCAT (got 28 first time, due to panic attack during verbal)...Do you think this is a competitive score to apply outside of my state (Florida)? I really really really really need to got out of here. I'm looking towards a fairly decent school in the NE? I plan on applying early, like June 1st to maximize my chances. Also decent gpa-3.72...

I just HATE being average...I HATE IT...especially when you KNOW (because you've done it before) that you can easily be above average...anyone know what I'm talking about?

Also...I HATE practice exams...they give such a false sense of hope and confidence. In fact, as I was taking them, I kept telling myself not to get my hopes up when I got a good score. But, I figured, having taken sooooo many practice tests and consistently doing well, towards the end, I started actually believing that I could do it...but of course, why would it acutally work out in the end for me...

SHOULD I TAKE IT A THIRD TIME?

Any words of advice? Comments? Moral support? lol

Thanks!

Calm down and apply outside Florida, you will get in somewhere.

 

[WCGee]

Calm down and apply outside Florida, you will get in somewhere.

 

[notdeadyet]

I just HATE being average...I HATE IT...especially when you KNOW (because you've done it before) that you can easily be above average...anyone know what I'm talking about?

Yes. I think most of us felt we could have done better on the MCAT. Many of us had practice tests to prove it.

SHOULD I TAKE IT A THIRD TIME?

Do you have any reason to think you'll do better? I personally think that if you're adequately prepared, the verbal can be the toughest to improve upon.

As an aside, it seems that med schools can be most forgiving with a low score on verbal, as opposed to the science sections.

 

[gsmithers68]

VR: 8
BS: 12
PS: 11

Overall, a 31 O

Also decent gpa-3.72...

I just HATE being average...I HATE IT...especially when you KNOW (because you've done it before) that you can easily be above average...anyone know what I'm talking about?

I would say that a 31O with a 3.7 GPA is not average. That is a good competitive applicant. I would go forward with applying as long as you have good ECs including some research and clinical experiences you should be fine. You might just have to change the schools you apply to vs. what you thought you would be applying to.

I wouldn't take it again. That is tortuous. It isn't worth it unless you care A LOT about the prestige a med school has to offer rather than whether you are going to enjoy the experience.

 

[EBI831]

i bet you do worse in verbal b/c you tell yourself you are not good at it. at the risk of sounding like dr. phil, i'm gonna have to admit that if you think you suck at something u get too nervous about it and you screw it up. like me and labs, frosh year i had one bad chem lab and decided i sucked at labs and now whenever i walk into a lab, i get butterflies in my stomach. i mean i've worked in research labs and done perfectly fine but for some reason i still get jittery. so moral of the story, if you think you can get better than an 8 in verbal (and i'm being honest, you have to honestly think you can) then retake it; otherwise roll with it and get that AMCAS in early b/c the 8 will be a hindrance.