NonTraditional MCAT Breakdown

[7starmantis]

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So I've been thinking about the MCAT breakdown a lot. I was curious with all the non-traditional chatter out there about life experience and maturity, blah blah blah🙂 I wonder if this translate in any way to MCAT scores. Specifically VR section scores. I keep hearing that VR is normally the lowest for students and was curious if that held through to non-trads as well. Also curious about the writing portion. I wonder if all our vast life experiences 😛 help at all on either of these sections. Just curious.

Anyone who is willing, I would love to know how you did on the VR portion, or at least in comparison to the other sections. Also, how you did on the writing portion. I'll go first since I asked...

I had a 28Q but got a 12 in VR. (yes, that means I sucked it up on the others). I think to some degree having worked full time for many years, been through college (twice) and all might have helped me with that portion. Not sure about the writing, don't think a Q is all that great, so maybe not there?

 

[DitchDoc73]

A 28Q is still a very competitive score for DO. I personally scored a 26P (B10, V10, P6) and I have gotten several interviews and acceptances. It seems that non trads do fairly well in VR (for the most part). As far as the writing section, I belive a P is on the higher side of the average score (I believe the avg MCAT scores in the O/P range). You say that you got a V12, but what was the rest of the split? If it is 8 on each section you should be fine. I got a 6 in PS and I made it.

But yes I believe that maturity plays a large role in higher VR scores in the non trad applicants. Best of luck!

 

[7starmantis]

A 28Q is still a very competitive score for DO. I personally scored a 26P (B10, V10, P6) and I have gotten several interviews and acceptances. It seems that non trads do fairly well in VR (for the most part). As far as the writing section, I belive a P is on the higher side of the average score (I believe the avg MCAT scores in the O/P range). You say that you got a V12, but what was the rest of the split? If it is 8 on each section you should be fine. I got a 6 in PS and I made it.

But yes I believe that maturity plays a large role in higher VR scores in the non trad applicants. Best of luck!

Haha, was trying to avoid that part of my score! I got a 12VR, 9BS, 7PS 😱

Probably should have taken it again, but with 3 MD acceptances I'm done. 😛
Sorry, didn't explain my situation very well. I'm a non-trad, re applicant but have 3 MD acceptances so far this year. As my sig says, I'm UTMB bound 😉

 

[samuraiR]

Haha, was trying to avoid that part of my score! I got a 12VR, 9BS, 7PS 😱

Probably should have taken it again, but with 3 MD acceptances I'm done. 😛
Sorry, didn't explain my situation very well. I'm a non-trad, re applicant but have 3 MD acceptances so far this year. As my sig says, I'm UTMB bound 😉

thats awesome 🙂 congrats!

 

[Mister T]

I think that undergrad, if you're a science major, tends to ****** your reading comprehension skills simply because you don't read as much as you did beforehand.

I know it happened to me,but since I haven't been school, I have more time to read magazines, news, books, etc. which all help me read more closely and improve my comprehension/vocabulary.

So much for college b.s.

 

[7starmantis]

I think that undergrad, if you're a science major, tends to ****** your reading comprehension skills simply because you don't read as much as you did beforehand.

I know it happened to me,but since I haven't been school, I have more time to read magazines, news, books, etc. which all help me read more closely and improve my comprehension/vocabulary.

So much for college b.s.

Haha, I actually agree with this, sadly.

thats awesome 🙂 congrats!

Thank you, I guess the second time was the charm.

 

[sassilysweet]

My previous set of scores was 11V 9B 9P (29Q back around 2005ish) and my current set is a 32S (10V 12B 10P)

I never understood how people got 6's in verbal unless they were ESL'ers.

 

[7starmantis]

My previous set of scores was 11V 9B 9P (29Q back around 2005ish) and my current set is a 32S (10V 12B 10P)

I never understood how people got 6's in verbal unless they were ESL'ers.

Wow, nice improvement, congrats. Congratulations on the acceptance(s) as well.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

verbal was my lowest but i'm not too far out from college

 

[riverjib]

A Q is great, but the 28 is not, especially since it wasn't evenly distributed. It sounds like you have verbal and written down, but you really need to improve the physical and biological science scores.

You're doing well, but you have to prove that your ability in the sciences trumps and 8/8(?). You might get in, and if so, I applaud you. But realistically, you need to study hard.

So I've been thinking about the MCAT breakdown a lot. I was curious with all the non-traditional chatter out there about life experience and maturity, blah blah blah🙂 I wonder if this translate in any way to MCAT scores. Specifically VR section scores. I keep hearing that VR is normally the lowest for students and was curious if that held through to non-trads as well. Also curious about the writing portion. I wonder if all our vast life experiences 😛 help at all on either of these sections. Just curious.

Anyone who is willing, I would love to know how you did on the VR portion, or at least in comparison to the other sections. Also, how you did on the writing portion. I'll go first since I asked...

I had a 28Q but got a 12 in VR. (yes, that means I sucked it up on the others). I think to some degree having worked full time for many years, been through college (twice) and all might have helped me with that portion. Not sure about the writing, don't think a Q is all that great, so maybe not there?

 

[wholeheartedly]

A Q is great, but the 28 is not, especially since it wasn't evenly distributed. It sounds like you have verbal and written down, but you really need to improve the physical and biological science scores.

You're doing well, but you have to prove that your ability in the sciences trumps and 8/8(?). You might get in, and if so, I applaud you. But realistically, you need to study hard.

riverjib, 7 starmantis has already been accepted. i think it was more of a curiosity question than anything, whether or not being a nontrad helps more in the VR section.

op, I do think being out of school for awhile could help somewhat in that area. Maybe it depends on what you're doing while you're out, aside from natural ability. I don't have any scores to back that up though, so that's purely speculation on my part. I am enjoying having much more time to read now though and I don't see that hurting me at all ;-)

 

[canjosh]

Interesting question mantis. My breakdown was 11/11/12 (34P). The 12 was VR. I hated the writing samples!! I'm a non-science major.

 

[7starmantis]

riverjib, 7 starmantis has already been accepted. i think it was more of a curiosity question than anything, whether or not being a nontrad helps more in the VR section.

Yeah, its just one of those things I've been thinking about. I do agree I should have done better on the MCAT and in all reality should have retaken it. I just hated it so much I decided not to 🙂 I've always been a risk taker though. Just goes to prove there is more to the whole process than just MCAT score. I had only 4 interviews (only applied instate) but 3 pre-match acceptances, including my first choice. I wouldn't suggest my course of action for everyone, but it was my own road and it worked with my unique application. If I could get that idea through these young pre-meds I would feel like I accomplished something. 😛

op, I do think being out of school for awhile could help somewhat in that area. Maybe it depends on what you're doing while you're out, aside from natural ability. I don't have any scores to back that up though, so that's purely speculation on my part. I am enjoying having much more time to read now though and I don't see that hurting me at all ;-)

Yeah, good point. Not sure how much "natural ability" plays into it. Obviously it does to some degree, but I think even just having the "extra time" (some of us more than others 🙄) to develop those kinds of skills might help to some degree as well.

Interesting question mantis. My breakdown was 11/11/12 (34P). The 12 was VR. I hated the writing samples!! I'm a non-science major.

Wow, nice MCAT score and distribution, congrats. I hated the writing as well. I thought of all the sections it was probably the most poorly done section. I think it measures its intended ability less honestly than the other sections, but thats just my personal bias I guess. I love to write (as you can tell from my long winded response) but didn't like the way it was structured.

 

[QofQuimica]

So I've been thinking about the MCAT breakdown a lot. I was curious with all the non-traditional chatter out there about life experience and maturity, blah blah blah🙂 I wonder if this translate in any way to MCAT scores. Specifically VR section scores. I keep hearing that VR is normally the lowest for students and was curious if that held through to non-trads as well. Also curious about the writing portion. I wonder if all our vast life experiences 😛 help at all on either of these sections. Just curious.

Anyone who is willing, I would love to know how you did on the VR portion, or at least in comparison to the other sections. Also, how you did on the writing portion.

If you look at the AAMC data, the oldest nontrads actually score significantly lower on the MCAT than other age groups, on average. In fact, there's a steady inverse trend where 19-year-olds do the best, while the 30+ crowd does the worst. Again, these are averages, so for those of you who are 30+ and scored well, please do not post indignant anecdotes about how your MCAT score beats the pants off most of the young'uns. 😉

Field of study can be correlated with MCAT scores as well. This may surprise some people, but according to the AAMC data, humanities majors tend to be among the highest scoring groups on the MCAT, along with physical science types. That's not so hard to believe when you consider the kind of reading load that a humanities major has compared to life science majors. It seems reasonable to conclude that reading a lot of literature, philosophy, social sciences, and other dense or abstract material translates to higher MCAT VR scores.

I was a double major in natural sciences and Spanish, so I fell into both of those area of study categories. I continued to study nonscience subjects throughout my time in grad school as well. On the MCAT, my subscores fell within one point of each other on all three sections. The nonscience scores were VR-14 and WS-S, and science scores were PS-14 and BS-15. Fortunately for me, organic was weighted more heavily on the MCAT back then than it is now, because biology was not my forte. Too much memorization.

 

[7starmantis]

If you look at the AAMC data, the oldest nontrads actually score significantly lower on the MCAT than other age groups, on average. In fact, there's a steady inverse trend where 19-year-olds do the best, while the 30+ crowd does the worst. Again, these are averages, so for those of you who are 30+ and scored well, please do not post indignant anecdotes about how your MCAT score beats the pants off most of the young'uns. 😉

Field of study can be correlated with MCAT scores as well. This may surprise some people, but according to the AAMC data, humanities majors tend to be among the highest scoring groups on the MCAT, along with physical science types. That's not so hard to believe when you consider the kind of reading load that a humanities major has compared to life science majors. It seems reasonable to conclude that reading a lot of literature, philosophy, social sciences, and other dense or abstract material translates to higher MCAT VR scores.

I was a double major in natural sciences and Spanish, so I fell into both of those area of study categories. I continued to study nonscience subjects throughout my time in grad school as well. On the MCAT, my subscores fell within one point of each other on all three sections. The nonscience scores were VR-14 and WS-S, and science scores were PS-14 and BS-15. Fortunately for me, organic was weighted more heavily on the MCAT back then than it is now, because biology was not my forte. Too muh memorization.

Yeah, I don't think anyone is trying to be better than the youngin's per se. I'm just curious. If there is such a thing as a non-trad then by definition there would be differences from "trads". 🙂 Of course I guess one could argue there is no real traditional non-trad, but then it just gets uninteresting. lol

I would however love to see that AAMC data, I've never seen it broken down by age, did I just miss it? Not having seen it, I think it sounds a little skewed to me. I mean, the vast majority of people don't make a 45 (or 43 😛) and to do so would mean you would certainly have to nail the VR section. So those who are going to make a 43-45 (or 35 for that matter) are naturally going to do well on the verbal. Those who make average scores are going to be spread throughout the breakdown gradient and thats really what interests me. If you are going to make a 15 in BS and PS you aren't going to make a 6 in VR. (at least most likely not).

If you have a link though, I would love to check it out.
Oh, I'm not really disagreeing with you, don't take this too seriously, I'm just kind of talking my way through it in my head.

The field of study idea is interesting as well. I can certainly see the correlation there.

 

[QofQuimica]

I would however love to see that AAMC data, I've never seen it broken down by age, did I just miss it?

Hmm, apparently you didn't miss it. I don't see a 2009 AAMC table for age versus MCAT score either, but they've definitely published age vs. MCAT tables in previous years. Maybe they'll publish one eventually, but I guess if you're interested enough, you could write to them and ask for the data.

Here is the 2009 MCAT score breakdown by major.

There are lots of other interesting tables also.

If you are going to make a 15 in BS and PS you aren't going to make a 6 in VR. (at least most likely not).

People who score in the teens on the science subsections but then score <8 on VR are often non-native speakers of English, or otherwise have some kind of issue with their language skills. Like you said, many people tend to score more evenly on all three sections, but I've seen several applicants who had really lopsided subscores.

 

[7starmantis]

Thanks for the link, they have more tables than I could have ever thought of myself! It would be nice to see a breakdown by age, but I'm not that curious.🙂

 

[Heidiho]

I think that undergrad, if you're a science major, tends to ****** your reading comprehension skills simply because you don't read as much as you did beforehand.

I know it happened to me,but since I haven't been school, I have more time to read magazines, news, books, etc. which all help me read more closely and improve my comprehension/vocabulary.

So much for college b.s.

I don't think being a science major ******s your reading comprehension skills. It may be that reading comprehension was not your strong suit in the first place??!! which is OK.
But I was a bio major undergrad and a physiology major grad school and my reading comprehension scores were 12 and 14 in my test takes.......

As far as the original question........ I have been out of college for 15 years. My MCAT score immediately following college was a 32, this past year was a 29. I don't think it represents anything other than the fact that now I have a full-time job and 2 kids, so no time to study appropriately. Obviously, your core science classes are fresher immed iately after college, but I don't think that's so much a help. You pretty much have to relearn the equations and such as you are stidying for the test, anyway.

 

[Heidiho]

If you look at the AAMC data, the oldest nontrads actually score significantly lower on the MCAT than other age groups, on average. In fact, there's a steady inverse trend where 19-year-olds do the best, while the 30+ crowd does the worst.


Yes, this was kind of my point though...... the college students in my lab spent two months this summer doing nothing but studying for the MCAT. While I, and most older non-trads, have a full-time job that I can't just ditch and two children to take care of, dinner to cook, laundry to wash, etc.......

You would likely see these differences lessen in medical school, when the older student no longer has to work a full-time job in addition to studying.

 

[7starmantis]

I don't think being a science major ******s your reading comprehension skills. It may be that reading comprehension was not your strong suit in the first place??!! which is OK.
But I was a bio major undergrad and a physiology major grad school and my reading comprehension scores were 12 and 14 in my test takes.......

As far as the original question........ I have been out of college for 15 years. My MCAT score immediately following college was a 32, this past year was a 29. I don't think it represents anything other than the fact that now I have a full-time job and 2 kids, so no time to study appropriately. Obviously, your core science classes are fresher immed iately after college, but I don't think that's so much a help. You pretty much have to relearn the equations and such as you are stidying for the test, anyway.

I agree, but you have VR scores of 12 and 14. That means even 15 years out of college (while your MCAT total score went down) you still had either a 12 or 14 on the VR. I would say that supports my idea that the ";life experiences" of a non-trad tend to help with VR scores. I couldn't tell if you actually increased your VR score after 15 years, but either way a 12 is above average I think.

 

[Ricegrad05]

My VR score (11) was my lowest though I've been out of college for a while, but I think my engineering background and problem solving skills helped me a lot on the PS and BS. I can't really explain my good writing score (S), as I'm not really a good writer. I just followed the EK formula.

 

[akinetopsia]

I haven't taken the MCAT yet, but I think my VR will likely be my highest section. I did well on the LSAT, and I know it's a little like apples and oranges to assume that since I did well on that I should do well on the VR on the MCAT, but a lot of the same skills to do well on the non-logic games on the LSAT presumably should serve me well on the MCAT.

What's going to be weird is taking a computerized standardized test. Every standardized test I've taken in the past has always been pencil & paper. I guess I will just have to become acclimated to it through practice.

 

[sindadel]

VR was my highest score (14). I like to read and always have. PS/BS were both 11, and I'm sure I could have improved them if I had had more time to dedicate to studying. Maybe not though - too short of an attention span for studying useless-to-me stuff.

 

[Dianyla]

This is a very interesting question. I got a 13 for VR, and then PS 11 and BS 10. I do think it's related to being a non-traditional, but not for the reasons that you think. (More below.)

Again, these are averages, so for those of you who are 30+ and scored well, please do not post indignant anecdotes about how your MCAT score beats the pants off most of the young'uns. 😉

Awww, where's the fun in that!? 😛

It seems reasonable to conclude that reading a lot of literature, philosophy, social sciences, and other dense or abstract material translates to higher MCAT VR scores.

I think that reading in general translates to high VR, as long as it's quality written material. (Sorry to disappoint the Twilight fans out there.) I'd be curious to know if there's any data on MCAT VR scores and how many hours per year a person spends reading, whether recreationally or for their education/profession. I work in the IT field and do read a lot of technical manuals, however many of these are atrociously written.

VR was my highest score (14). I like to read and always have. PS/BS were both 11, and I'm sure I could have improved them if I had had more time to dedicate to studying. Maybe not though - too short of an attention span for studying useless-to-me stuff.

This describes my situation exactly, right down to the attention span! *cough* ADHD *cough* 🙄

I think my verbal is high because I read a lot, and also because I got a little lucky. Most of my practice scores were around 12. I do wonder if I would have scored lower on verbal 10 years ago, but I don't know how much difference that would make because I've been a voracious reader my whole life. While you do need to practice for verbal to get the feel for the format, I think most of verbal is based on innate ability/disability.

In contrast, the subject matter scores are a combination of innate ability and actual subject preparation. I think my PS & BS are so much lower because I really only spent about 6 weeks cramming furiously for the MCAT. It's embarrassing to admit that, and for this reason I've been considering spending several months of intense subject prep and then retaking it.

Most nontraditionals I know (myself included) are balancing a very full plate of full-time work, school, family/personal life... and oh yeah MCAT prep.

 

[7starmantis]

It's embarrassing to admit that, and for this reason I've been considering spending several months of intense subject prep and then retaking it.

I think I should probably beat you to death with my shoe for saying something like that.

 

[calimed214]

Not sure if this applies to anyone as well, but I scored lower on my science sections (PS 10, BS 11) because, as a non-trad, I had taken the classes almost 10 years ago. So I relearned everything from scratch over about 5 weeks of cramming while working and going to grad school. The verbal, on the other hand, really takes very little "studying". I didn't study verbal at all (besides testing myself during full length tests) and came out with a 14. I am 100% certain that I could have scored higher on PS/BS if I put in more study time, but the thought of retaking (and relearning all those awful physics equations) makes me sick to my stomach.

 

[specialK32]

My background:

Bachelor's in Chemical Engineering - worked at an oil refinery for 3 years
3.9 GPA (both science and overall)
29Q (12 PS, 10 BS, 7 VR)

9 interview offers
7 interviews
3 acceptances
1 hold
3 TBD

 

[DrSmooth]

There has to be a correlation between VR scores and education/work background. I had a similar breakdown to someone else here, 13VR, 11BS, 10PS. I attribute my VR score to my seminary hermeneutics and preaching classes (if you can understand and teach a book as confusing as the Bible, well...). Also, I knew time spent working on VR would pay off significantly more for me than time say spent on PS. So I got my BS and PS up to an acceptable level, and spent lots of time practicing VR passages using the Exam Krackers big idea strategy.

 

[wholeheartedly]

If you look at the AAMC data, the oldest nontrads actually score significantly lower on the MCAT than other age groups, on average. In fact, there's a steady inverse trend where 19-year-olds do the best, while the 30+ crowd does the worst.

Say Q, wouldn't you say there's a bit of a selection bias issue in this data set? I mean, first off there's probably a smaller number of 19 year olds that take the MCAT and those that do are probaby more likely to be acadmic all stars if they're ready at 19. Most of my pre-med friends didn't take it til they were 21.

 

[QofQuimica]

Say Q, wouldn't you say there's a bit of a selection bias issue in this data set? I mean, first off there's probably a smaller number of 19 year olds that take the MCAT and those that do are probaby more likely to be acadmic all stars if they're ready at 19. Most of my pre-med friends didn't take it til they were 21.

That's kind of the point--the people who take the MCAT at a younger age (even a traditional college age) are more academically "with it" than nontrads are, on average. The older you get, the worse you are predicted to do. As for numbers, I'd be willing to bet you that easily as many 19-year-olds as 31+-year-olds take the MCAT. I see apps from 20-year-olds on a regular basis, and we even get the occasional teenaged applicant. 🙂

 

[7starmantis]

That's kind of the point--the people who take the MCAT at a younger age (even a traditional college age) are more academically "with it" than nontrads are, on average.

Hmm, I dont know that I agree. We are talking about non-trads that are returning to school, leaving careers, families, etc. I dont know that being younger means your any more "academically with it". I would think on average, those younger aged people who take the MCAT are more likely to be unsure of their true career goals than someone who quite their 100K+ job to go to med school. The motivating factors are quite different in these two hypothetical groups.

Maybe non-trads in general fit your statement, but non-trads who are pursuing med school I dont think would fit that categorization.

 

[QofQuimica]

Hmm, I dont know that I agree. We are talking about non-trads that are returning to school, leaving careers, families, etc. I dont know that being younger means your any more "academically with it". I would think on average, those younger aged people who take the MCAT are more likely to be unsure of their true career goals than someone who quite their 100K+ job to go to med school. The motivating factors are quite different in these two hypothetical groups.

Maybe non-trads in general fit your statement, but non-trads who are pursuing med school I dont think would fit that categorization.

You've said nothing that contradicts what I'm saying, and I think our ostensible disagreement is is only because you misunderstood the point I was making in my previous post. I'm not talking about people's motivating factors at all. My reference to being more "with it" in terms of academic performance refers solely to the average differences among people's stats based on age. With regard to the premed academic performance measures (both GPAs and MCAT scores), the average trad beats the pants off the average nontrad.

Just reading through all of the threads on the front page of this forum, it is clear that a large number of our nontrad members--probably even the majority of them--are working to overcome previous GPAs below 3.5 (and not uncommonly below 3.0). Of course, some trads have lower GPAs as well, but again, *on average*, nontrads have worse GPAs than trads do.

The same trend exists for MCAT scores, which is the topic of this thread. Why nontrads do worse on the MCAT is open to debate, and it's certainly plausible that having more outside responsibilities compared to trads (who can more often focus on their studies full time) explains much of that difference. But regardless of reasons, it doesn't change the fact that when we go by the numbers, trads are indisputably more *academically* with it on average than nontrads are--by which I mean only that they have better stats on average.

 

[7starmantis]

I gotcha. It is certainly interesting to me. Your right, many non-trads are working to recover sub-par GPA's. Albeit SDN might not be the most average population.

I think I agree with you, just sort of playing devils advocate for my own thinking procedures. 🙂

 

[Tutmos]

I think VR might be a bit problematic, of course I'd think that with VR being my lowest score 😀, because there are usually,at least on my administration and most of the AAMC samples, a pretty substantial number of questions with two prospective answer choices that are of equal likelihood. These often come down to a matter of luck and guessing between the two then moving on, with intuition perhaps saving some. I scored 2 points lower than my AAMC average, and I did them all. When I saw my score all I could think of was, sheesh I must have guessed wrong on every one of those 50/50 questions.

Of course this might just be how the ignorant explain away their shortcomings. Please note I'm including myself amonst that group. 😱

 

[mooshika]

I gotcha. It is certainly interesting to me. Your right, many non-trads are working to recover sub-par GPA's. Albeit SDN might not be the most average population.

I think I agree with you, just sort of playing devils advocate for my own thinking procedures. 🙂

I found that verbal reasoning was important in the science sections as well, just trying to navigate through the science passages requires very good critical and deductive reading skills. I am a writer, mainly creative but also have done a slew of jobs as a technical writer, read oodles of pharm/medical studies for my job and still only ever scored a 10 in VR, maybe once an 11, but always at least one or two points higher in the science sections.

Who knows why... I'm not sure if there is a connection. If anything, thinking/knowing too much can be a hindrance, IMHO.

 

[siliso]

I think it's maybe true, especially if the reason you are nontrad is that you previously studied liberal arts. VR was not too difficult for me, required the least amount of prep (none really since there is no content knowledge needed), and tied for my top score. I wasn't nontrad because I needed to recover from a poor GPA or anything, though - I just decided later in the game that I definitely wanted to pursue medicine, and my political science degree wasn't going to get me in the door 🙂.
Also having a BA in BSing served me well on the writing sample. T, and I thought what I wrote really stunk.

 

[mooshika]

I think it's maybe true, especially if the reason you are nontrad is that you previously studied liberal arts. VR was not too difficult for me, required the least amount of prep (none really since there is no content knowledge needed), and tied for my top score. I wasn't nontrad because I needed to recover from a poor GPA or anything, though - I just decided later in the game that I definitely wanted to pursue medicine, and my political science degree wasn't going to get me in the door 🙂.
Also having a BA in BSing served me well on the writing sample. T, and I thought what I wrote really stunk.

LOL. Me too, a BA in "BS". True too that I barely prepared for the VR section, and didn't even practice the writing sections, just prepared a standard "outline" to follow when I got in there. I got an "S" in that part and also thought my essays stank... too bad the writing part doesn't matter too much to the med schools - I think it should. But it took a lot of practice for me to be able to train my mind for the science sections, I am a practiced "creative process" type and that means my brain will sort of "add" things without my realizing it so I had to work on that in order to stand out on the MCAT.

I think reading studies has also helped enormously. Fun times.

Unfortunately, I have taken advanced cell biology courses and advanced patho, etc, so my knowledge level in bio sort of exceeded what was necessary for the MCAT. (In some areas) so that is something that can be a hindrance, when you actually understand all the "extraneous" stuff they put in the passages to "distract" you from the basic science they are actually testing you on.

MCAT = clusterf**k!!!!! Glad it's over, and glad I managed to score well. It is gonna save my butt and get me in the door for more interviews where I think us "older" folks can shine due to more experience with people, job interviews and being under pressure in professional situations that the younger, right out of college people really lack.