Nuerotic MCAT-tester: Deciding to retake after 512?

[orangeblue]

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I have been studying on and off with the MCAT goal hovering over me for the past 5 years. Yes, I'm a non trad.

I took May 2014 MCAT and scored a 27
I took the Sept MCAT and scored a 512.(knock on wood!)

Am I done here? I wonder if it's worth to study for a 514-516 in order to allow myself a chance at top tier med schools (since my GPA isn't that strong, etc) or not? I did what I could with what I had, maybe not my VERY VERY VERY best but I just couldn't do it any more. Will be applying to Texas public schools too.


I know it's a decision only I can make, and maybe it's better to hold off and work on other aspects on my application to get ready for May/June application.

Is the MCAT going to get harder in 2016 since more people will be taking it , more materials so more effort will be required to reach a 512-516 than it was this year in 2015?

 

[Lawpy]

1. Don't retake a 512 just to go up by 2-4 points. A 512 is basically a 32, which is a good score. Only retake if a subsection is forbiddingly low (like <125) or you can score 520+ on the 3rd attempt.

2. The MCAT difficulty is mostly unrelated to the access and availability of prep materials. If you look at some of the recent MCAT threads, the MCAT was (very broadly speaking) difficult in some dates and easy for others. Moreover, difficulty is subjective and relative, since it depends on your individual strengths/weaknesses and what you get tested on test day.

3. Sonewhat related to 2, the greater availability of resources and practice tests can lead to a score creep, whereby test takers tend to do better on the MCAT, resulting in higher MCAT averages/medians seen for matriculants at medical schools. But the actual difficulty of the test is essentially independent of the availability of resources.

 

[orangeblue]

Since MCAT is based on percentiles (not on how much questions you got right but how well others did), since 2016 will mean more materials available --> more people doing well/better ---> same level of performance might will get a lower percentile? Isn't that what we are saying with #3?

 

[GrapesofRath]

I have been studying on and off with the MCAT goal hovering over me for the past 5 years. Yes, I'm a non trad.

I took May 2014 MCAT and scored a 27
I took the Sept MCAT and scored a 512.(knock on wood!)

Am I done here? I wonder if it's worth to study for a 514-516 in order to allow myself a chance at top tier med schools (since my GPA isn't that strong, etc) or not? I did what I could with what I had, maybe not my VERY VERY VERY best but I just couldn't do it any more. Will be applying to Texas public schools too.


I know it's a decision only I can make, and maybe it's better to hold off and work on other aspects on my application to get ready for May/June application.

Is the MCAT going to get harder in 2016 since more people will be taking it , more materials so more effort will be required to reach a 512-516 than it was this year in 2015?

No do not re-take a 32. There's no reason to unnecessarily have 3 MCAT attempts on your record at all which in itself starts to become an issue.

 

[orangeblue]

No do not re-take a 32. There's no reason to unnecessarily have 3 MCAT attempts on your record at all which in itself starts to become an issue.

Can you tell me more about the issues with having 3 MCATs on one's record?

 

[GrapesofRath]

Can you tell me more about the issues with having 3 MCATs on one's record?

A number of schools average the scores from multiple MCAT attempts. Continuously re-taking the MCAT starts to open yourself up to interpretation how to view your scores. Beyond that, re-taking a perfectly fine score as ADCOMs will tell you on here often times will be seen as rather questionable judgment and decision making. You were able to obtain a good MCAT score on your second attempt. Just leave it at that. Re-taking to try to improve to the equivalent of a 33 or 34 is just not a smart choice at all.