Official April 4, 2013 MCAT Thread

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molarseeker

molarseeker

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To help out those still studying, here is a little breakdown of my scores on the AAMCs, all taken this year in the leadup.
(DATE #: PS/VR/BS/TOTAL)

Jan 1 3R: 13/13/13/39
Feb 10 4R: 12/13/12/37
Mar 24 5R: 13/13/12/38
Mar 25 6R: 12/13/13/38
Mar 26 7R: 13/11/13/37
Mar 27 11R: 13/14/13/40
Mar 28 8R: 13/12/13/38
Apr 01 9R: 13/15/13/41
Apr 02 10R: 14/11/12/37
Apr 04 ACTUAL: 12/13/14/39

Yes, I went a bit insane in the last week leading up - grad school was ridiculous in the month leading up so I decided to just backload all the aamcs over spring break. Guess it worked out huh.

I did this lower, upper thing where I predicted my score if I didn't make "silly mistakes", and the averages ended up being betwen 38 and 40, so as you can see my actual test was really close to what was predicted by the aamcs. For reference, I took some Kaplan tests as well and got wildly divergent scores, some 40+, some 35-. Good for content though.

Good luck everyone!
 
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VR 8
PS 12
BS 13

33


Mixed feelings. I was relieved at a 33 until I saw 8 in the VR. Especially since I thought I did the best ever on any verbal section, and all my practice VRs were at least a 10...

Goes to show you should utilize study resources from multiple companies. I relied only on Princeton Review.

Not sure what to do now. Although my science is very satisfying, for some reason I feel like nobody gets into an MD program with less than 10 on VR.
 
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It was a year ago today I got my scores! 2 months from now I'll be starting med school! Congrats to all you who reached your goal, and to those of you who didn't, get back on that horse and give it another shot. It took me 2 tries to get to where I wanted to be, and it takes many others more than that!
 
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thebiochemist said:
VR 8
PS 12
BS 13

33


Mixed feelings. I was relieved at a 33 until I saw 8 in the VR. Especially since I thought I did the best ever on any verbal section, and all my practice VRs were at least a 10...

Goes to show you should utilize study resources from multiple companies. I relied only on Princeton Review.

Not sure what to do now. Although my science is very satisfying, for some reason I feel like nobody gets into an MD program with less than 10 on VR.
Click to expand...

yep i am in the same boat lol

My VR avg for AAMCs were also around 10. Hmm...
 
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retake:/ looks like verbal got the best of me....... and I actually felt good about it after the test

when would you guys say the latest the MCAT should be taken?
 
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11/11/11!!!! I am ECSTATIC!
Listen to these scores
AAMC 5-33
AAMC 9-32
AAMC 10-31
AAMC 11-30

I averaged about 30 on the Kaplan tests.
Who else is freaking pumped right now? Lets go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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Hi! First time posting (although I've been stalking this forum for a month) and I'm going to be the first none awesome score: 29 (11VR, 8PS, 10BS). And now I'm at that point. What do I do? Retake it? My GPA is low (3.1) because I had a horrible sophomore year with the death of my grandmother who raised me. However, it trends upwards from then. I have a ton of extras (shadowing, publications, founded SADD on my undergrad campus, work in a world renowned cancer hospital doing research (should get letters from there), research with a doc in London, EMT in college for four years, etc). I'm just not sure what to do.

I got an email from a medical school and when I called today the diversity coordinator strongly encouraged me to apply (yes, I'm an URM). Idk if I should move forward with this, retake while moving forward or hold off this year and just work on the whole thing.

Thanks!
StClare
 
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StClareE said:
Hi! First time posting (although I've been stalking this forum for a month) and I'm going to be the first none awesome score: 29 (11VR, 8PS, 10BS). And now I'm at that point. What do I do? Retake it? My GPA is low (3.1) because I had a horrible sophomore year with the death of my grandmother who raised me. However, it trends upwards from then. I have a ton of extras (shadowing, publications, founded SADD on my undergrad campus, work in a world renowned cancer hospital doing research (should get letters from there), research with a doc in London, EMT in college for four years, etc). I'm just not sure what to do.

I got an email from a medical school and when I called today the diversity coordinator strongly encouraged me to apply (yes, I'm an URM). Idk if I should move forward with this, retake while moving forward or hold off this year and just work on the whole thing.

Thanks!
StClare
Click to expand...


If your GPA was high, I would've said dont re-take it.
But your GPA is really low.. so you have to compensate for that by getting a high score on MCAT + having good clinical exps..

Try to apply to DO
 
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StClareE said:
Hi! First time posting (although I've been stalking this forum for a month) and I'm going to be the first none awesome score: 29 (11VR, 8PS, 10BS). And now I'm at that point. What do I do? Retake it? My GPA is low (3.1) because I had a horrible sophomore year with the death of my grandmother who raised me. However, it trends upwards from then. I have a ton of extras (shadowing, publications, founded SADD on my undergrad campus, work in a world renowned cancer hospital doing research (should get letters from there), research with a doc in London, EMT in college for four years, etc). I'm just not sure what to do.

I got an email from a medical school and when I called today the diversity coordinator strongly encouraged me to apply (yes, I'm an URM). Idk if I should move forward with this, retake while moving forward or hold off this year and just work on the whole thing.

Thanks!
StClare
Click to expand...

I encourage you to apply. The VR score matters most in a lot of ways, and your VR score is great. It shows that you are a strong critical thinker. You may not get into a top tier school with those stats, but you have a strong chance to get in somewhere! (You should still apply to any dream schools, because you never know!)
 
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I'm breaking up the 30+ streak as well. i have a GPA 3.6 with a 8/9/9 = 26. I will apply DO and in state med schools in which I know people with my score have been accepted. I am an URM and first generation in college. Thoughts?
 
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I need advice, got a 30 mcat and have 3.9 gpa. I want to get in at a UC med school. Should I retake or go for it.
 
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brood910 said:
If your GPA was high, I would've said dont re-take it.
But your GPA is really low.. so you have to compensate for that by getting a high score on MCAT + having good clinical exps..

Try to apply to DO
Click to expand...

I've been taking classes at Harvard Extension since graduation in '11 and I have a 3.5 gpa with seven not previously taken science classes. The idea was to show that I can handle upper level courses. I'm not sure about a DO school since I want to go into clinical research and I've met just one DO here (in radiology). I don't want to waste this year since I have one school enthusiastic about me with my stats, but I think I'll retake while applying. I just need one allopathic US school to say yes...
 
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Not happy with my score at all. Def wasn't my day. Will be retaking this for sure.
For all you guys in this thread that retook. Any advice?
I studied from the TPR books and used EK 101 for verbal as well as all the TPR hyper learning for all the subjects. I took all the aamc practice exams and all the Tpr exams Unfortunetley. So what should I add next time around.

Thanks. And congrats to everyone did well.
 
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AAMC Averages
PS: 13
VR: 6
BS: 12

Actual
PS: 12
VR: 10
BS: 10

Verbal is the most useless section. My minimum was a 5 and max was an 8. No idea how I got the 10.
 
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OffsetPills said:
Not happy with my score at all. Def wasn't my day. Will be retaking this for sure.
For all you guys in this thread that retook. Any advice?
I studied from the TPR books and used EK 101 for verbal as well as all the TPR hyper learning for all the subjects. I took all the aamc practice exams and all the Tpr exams Unfortunetley. So what should I add next time around.

Thanks. And congrats to everyone did well.
Click to expand...

I second this. Any advice? I would love to try to increase all my sub scores now that I'm retaking. What's your secret?
 
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Can someone please tell me about my chances to get into a UC school given my GPA is 3.9 and mcat is 30. I know there are other factors, but going on those two what to do you think?
 
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14/12/14 and I am super happy about it!!!

I was averaging around 33 on AAMC practice tests towards the beginning of my studying and 36 the weekend before the test date, so I am ecstatic to get a 40!
 
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thebiochemist said:
VR 8
PS 12
BS 13

33


Mixed feelings. I was relieved at a 33 until I saw 8 in the VR. Especially since I thought I did the best ever on any verbal section, and all my practice VRs were at least a 10...

Goes to show you should utilize study resources from multiple companies. I relied only on Princeton Review.
Click to expand...

I used PR and EK books, and my opinion is that using the PR verbal strategy alone is a recipe for <12 automatically, and likely worse. You gotta do the passages in order, spend 8 min/passage, and move on if you hit a tricky passage and are approaching the 8 min mark on it. There's no benefit from wasting precious time ranking each passage or classifying questions according to type.

But your science scores are good, so if you decide to retake, those aren't going to be an uphill battle.
 
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StClareE said:
Hi! First time posting (although I've been stalking this forum for a month) and I'm going to be the first none awesome score: 29 (11VR, 8PS, 10BS). And now I'm at that point. What do I do? Retake it? My GPA is low (3.1) because I had a horrible sophomore year with the death of my grandmother who raised me. However, it trends upwards from then. I have a ton of extras (shadowing, publications, founded SADD on my undergrad campus, work in a world renowned cancer hospital doing research (should get letters from there), research with a doc in London, EMT in college for four years, etc). I'm just not sure what to do.

I got an email from a medical school and when I called today the diversity coordinator strongly encouraged me to apply (yes, I'm an URM). Idk if I should move forward with this, retake while moving forward or hold off this year and just work on the whole thing.

Thanks!
StClare
Click to expand...

Sounds like your application is strong in many important ways, and if a med school is encouraging you to apply, that's a good sign. 29 is not going to keep you out of every medical school--probably some, but not all.

In any case, it's not going to be the thing that makes them want to interview you; your experience and URM background is the thing that's going to make them want to interview you, and if they think you're a good fit for their school a 29 won't get in the way.

You could decide whether it's worth the time, money, and effort to retake and try to bring it up. There's still time to retake and apply this year. Look at stats on the MSAR and call more schools that you're interested in to make an informed decision.
 
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biol101 said:
I hit my AAMC average of 35!
PS 13
VR 11
BS 11

Was hoping to cross 36, but I'm not too sad.
Taking it again July 2nd, any one with me? Hoping to hit/cross 37 this time!

Congrats to you all, one step closer to fulfilling our dreams!
Click to expand...

:confused: Why? What do you think you have to gain? Are you fully aware of the downside?
 
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These scores are ahmazing! Whatever you all did to learn from each other or study with each other really worked! I am also happy that I can look at all the old posts and see your study methods and processes you all went through so i can learn from you! talk about RUINING a curve (if there ever was one) lol.

WOW! So many 35, 37, 39 scores !!!! :luck:
 
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StClareE said:
I got an email from a medical school and when I called today the diversity coordinator strongly encouraged me to apply (yes, I'm an URM). Idk if I should move forward with this, retake while moving forward or hold off this year and just work on the whole thing.
Click to expand...

Submit NOW! While also studying and scheduling a retake for the fall. :luck:
 
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I think there are very few liars if any. What is the motivation to lie on an anonymous website? Doesnt make a lot of sense.
 
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Too many high scores. I'm keeping things real.
8/11/11 =30.
Unbalanced score, but with balanced life, so I am happy with it.
Keep in mind I have a wife, 2 young children and Pentagon (active duty) job...and I was taking OChem 2 also.
Used exam krakers audio while sitting in traffic/ riding bicycle; used Chads videos. Great stuff.
/
Right, it's not a 35, but with 14 years of leadership and solid extras/ undergrad GPA, I feel I demonstrate some things that schools desire.
 
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At the end of the day AMCAS gets your real score. BS-ing about your score cannot change that and is pretty much a waste of time.
 
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circulus vitios said:
Factor in the self selection and the liars and you won't feel so bad.
Click to expand...

I dunno I felt pretty good about myself when that PsychDO guy said he got a 3. I'd like to believe that was true.

Plus,
go-on-the-internet-and-tell-lies.jpg
 
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Now that I know how the test turned out, here are my thoughts about the 4/4 exam:

Overall:
I got exactly my average on the last two AAMC practice tests that I took the week before the test. Establishing a system for yourself--for pacing, for what you do on the breaks, for marking questions, etc.--is very important. It makes the test experience feel routine, which helps with anxiety and keeps you from getting distracted. If the MCAT is a disease, you want to have a standard procedure for treating it so that you can spend every last mental resource on the day of the test figuring out the problems.

If you want to gauge your performance on the exam while taking it, I believe that the most accurate method is to see how well you are able to stick with your system; your feelings are not as accurate. If the test goes exactly like the practice tests, you're probably going to get a similar score even if you "know" you missed several questions. If the test throws you off a little bit, but you adapt and stick with your routine, it tells you that the test is harder, but you're still going to fall on the same place on the "curve." When the test is harder, the scale might be a little more generous. That was true on the practice tests and seemed to be true on the real one as well. If your system completely breaks down and you don't get to the end of a section or you start improvising a new strategy, I would suspect that you're not going to do as well as on the practice tests.

PS:
I was thrown off a little by the number of calculations required and probably marked more questions than I should have as a result, preventing me from going back to all of them, but in the end my score was great on this section. The AAMC practice tests were good preparation, even though the real test had plenty of surprises. If you use test prep materials and find that you did better on the practice tests than the real thing, consider this: the prep companies look at the materials AAMC releases to figure out what they should focus on. I came across a number of lessons and questions in my prep material that clearly were inspired by specific questions from AAMC practice tests. So, it's possible that your prep material is preparing you to do well on the practice tests, but it can't prepare you so specifically for the real thing. Still, you need to prepare with something, and everyone is in for the same surprise, so it doesn't matter too much.

VR:
The passages seemed clearer than on the AAMC practice tests, and indeed I did a little better than average for this section. It felt like the AAMC 11 verbal section was written by the same people who wrote the real thing, although I did better on the 11 VR. The trickiest thing about verbal is that the hard questions don't stand out the way the hard science questions do, but I was able to raise my verbal score by a few points from my first few practice tests by working at it and finding a strategy that worked for me.

BS:
I left the test wishing I had taken more higher level bio electives, but in the end my score was great on BS. I got stumped on the very last question of the test and, just as the "you have run out of time" message popped up, I realized what the answer was: it was not the one I had selected. It made no difference in my score, though. I've been haunted by that question for the last month, and I'm glad that I can finally stop thinking about it!

If you're getting ready for the test, keep these things in mind:
- Establish a routine and stick with it! Take all the AAMC practice tests you can, and simulate test conditions as closely as possible--time of day, length and structure of breaks, etc.
- The AAMC says the MCAT tests your mastery of basic knowledge. It's not a trivia test. Every question is testing a basic fact, but it'll be disguised in some weird form, sometimes with some extra detail that is provided in a passage. Don't assume that, because this is the MCAT and it's supposed to be hard, the answer must be found through an extended chain of complex logic. The opposite is true.
- Expanding on that, the MCAT usually wants you to ignore the minor exceptions to the general principles. If you have an answer that seems good, but you can think of one really obscure exception that would rule it out, just pick that answer. We're becoming doctors, not engineers!
- Use the AAMC's MCAT topic lists to check that you've covered everything in your studying. mcat-review.org fills in these topic lists with details, so that is helpful. Just keep in mind that it has errors in it, but that's true of all the big name prep materials.
- Meditation and deep breathing are incredibly useful techniques for dealing with stress on the MCAT and in life.
- Good luck!

If you want to know my scores:
Real thing: 43 (15 PS / 13 VR / 15 BS)
First practice test score: 39
Average practice test score: 41 or 42
Highest practice test score: 45 (on AAMC 11)

Naturally, I am totally stoked about this score! :D It's the result of years of hard work as a student, and a few months of focused MCAT prep. I hope everyone who is truly passionate about this material and is motivated to give everything of themselves (and has the opportunity to do so) can get a great score on this beast!
 
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matt3382 said:
Now that I know how the test turned out, here are my thoughts about the 4/4 exam:

Overall:
I did about a point better than my average on all AAMC practice tests, and got exactly my average on the last two that I took the week before the test. Establishing a system for yourself--for pacing, for what you do on the breaks, for marking questions, etc.--is very important. It makes the test experience feel routine, which helps with anxiety and keeps you from getting distracted. If the MCAT is a disease, you want to have a standard procedure for treating it so that you can spend every last mental resource on the day of the test figuring out the problems.

If you want to gauge your performance on the exam while taking it, I believe that the most accurate method is to see how well you are able to stick with your system; your feelings are not as accurate. If the test goes exactly like the practice tests, you're probably going to get a similar score even if you "know" you missed several questions. If the test throws you off a little bit, but you adapt and stick with your routine, it tells you that the test is harder, but you're still going to fall on the same place on the "curve." When the test is harder, the scale might be a little more generous. That was true on the practice tests and seemed to be true on the real one as well. If your system completely breaks down and you don't get to the end of a section or you start improvising a new strategy, I would suspect that you're not going to do as well as on the practice tests.

PS:
I was thrown off a little by the number of calculations required and probably marked more questions than I should have as a result, preventing me from going back to all of them, but in the end my score was great on this section. The AAMC practice tests were good preparation, even though the real test had plenty of surprises. If you use test prep materials and find that you did better on the practice tests than the real thing, consider this: the prep companies look at the materials AAMC releases to figure out what they should focus on. I came across a number of lessons and questions in my prep material that clearly were inspired by specific questions from AAMC practice tests. So, it's possible that your prep material is preparing you to do well on the practice tests, but it can't prepare you so specifically for the real thing. Still, you need to prepare with something, and everyone is in for the same surprise, so it doesn't matter too much.

VR:
The passages seemed clearer than on the AAMC practice tests, and indeed I did a little better than average for this section. It felt like the AAMC 11 verbal section was written by the same people who wrote the real thing, although I did better on the 11 VR. The trickiest thing about verbal is that the hard questions don't stand out the way the hard science questions do, but I was able to raise my verbal score by a few points from my first few practice tests by working at it and finding a strategy that worked for me.

BS:
I left the test wishing I had taken more higher level bio electives, but in the end my score was great on BS. I got stumped on the very last question of the test and, just as the "you have run out of time" message popped up, I realized what the answer was: it was not the one I had selected. It made no difference in my score, though. I've been haunted by that question for the last month, and I'm glad that I can finally stop thinking about it!

If you're getting ready for the test, keep these things in mind:
- Establish a routine and stick with it! Take all the AAMC practice tests you can, and simulate test conditions as closely as possible--time of day, length and structure of breaks, etc.
- The AAMC says the MCAT tests your mastery of basic knowledge. It's not a trivia test. Every question is testing a basic fact, but it'll be disguised in some weird form, sometimes with some extra detail that is provided in a passage. Don't assume that, because this is the MCAT and it's supposed to be hard, the answer must be found through an extended chain of complex logic. The opposite is true.
- Expanding on that, the MCAT usually wants you to ignore the minor exceptions to the general principles. If you have an answer that seems good, but you can think of one really obscure exception that would rule it out, just pick that answer. We're becoming doctors, not engineers!
- Use the AAMC's MCAT topic lists to check that you've covered everything in your studying. mcat-review.org fills in these topic lists with details, so that is helpful. Just keep in mind that it has errors in it, but that's true of all the big name prep materials.
- Meditation and deep breathing are incredibly useful techniques for dealing with stress on the MCAT and in life.
- Good luck!

If you want to know my scores:
Real thing: 43 (15 PS / 13 VR / 15 BS)
First practice test score: 39
Average practice test score: 41 or 42
Highest practice test score: 45 (on AAMC 11)

Naturally, I am totally stoked about this score! :D It's the result of years of hard work as a student, and a few months of focused MCAT prep. I hope everyone who is truly passionate about this material and is motivated to give everything of themselves (and has the opportunity to do so) can get a great score on this beast!
Click to expand...

Wow! All props to you on that score. Very well done! (and that's an understatement) :D
 
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Hey guys i just wanted to know my chances to get into a california med school. Just got back the mcat, 11/9/10, and have a 3.9 GPA. I know there are other factors, but going on those two do i have a good chance on getting in anywhere? Hopeful!Ok Ecs: Over 100 hours of volunteering at Stanford hospital. Shadowing of a doctor overseas for about 3 months. Currently doing research with a professor at university lab. Currently treasurer for a religious student organization. Was part of my schools student health advisory committee for a year. Volunteer at a international charity organization. Active member in biomedical engineering society. I might be missing one other thing, but those are the main ones.

Ive asked people on WAMCs but no one is responding so please. given all this do you guys think i can get into a UC?
 
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PinknGreenMD said:
Submit NOW! While also studying and scheduling a retake for the fall. :luck:
Click to expand...

Lol I do plan to do just that. Got another school email today from a different school, so I'm not so gloomy. I also spoke to my pre-med advisor in school and he knows all my "deets," including my gpa situation and my new gpa from my classes post-grad. He said I should apply so I'm going to follow the advice of a man who's seen hundreds of applicants (and of course the very helpful members of SDN) and put my best into this cycle. I hope at the end I'll be in a school (any allopathic US school). :love:
 
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Meredith92 said:
I think there are very few liars if any. What is the motivation to lie on an anonymous website? Doesnt make a lot of sense.
Click to expand...
I would hope that it isn't the case, but one "motivation" some may have for lying is to make other people feel bad. It happens and in the pre-med world unfortunately there are those who seem to enjoy making others feel inadequate. It's not necessarily the norm or anything and I am not in any way claiming it is the case on this forum or any other. I am just offering up a hypothesis on why some people might be inclined to lie, even on an anonymous forum. It is the internet after all! Pretty much everyone is allowed on/in so the chances that there is at least one bad apple is pretty high IMO. Think: online dating sites! But, again, just so no one misinterprets me, I am not in any way stating that I think that is the case on this or any other SDN forum! Case in point: matt3382 just submitted a very long detailed post on his MCAT thoughts and finalized it with an exceptionally high score. It would be quite unlikely that he would go to so much trouble and offer helpful suggestions just to make someone feel bad by his excellent score. So, this is an example of someone not very likely to be lying.
 
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matt3382 said:
Now that I know how the test turned out, here are my thoughts about the 4/4 exam:

Overall:
I got exactly my average on the last two AAMC practice tests that I took the week before the test. Establishing a system for yourself--for pacing, for what you do on the breaks, for marking questions, etc.--is very important. It makes the test experience feel routine, which helps with anxiety and keeps you from getting distracted. If the MCAT is a disease, you want to have a standard procedure for treating it so that you can spend every last mental resource on the day of the test figuring out the problems.

If you want to gauge your performance on the exam while taking it, I believe that the most accurate method is to see how well you are able to stick with your system; your feelings are not as accurate. If the test goes exactly like the practice tests, you're probably going to get a similar score even if you "know" you missed several questions. If the test throws you off a little bit, but you adapt and stick with your routine, it tells you that the test is harder, but you're still going to fall on the same place on the "curve." When the test is harder, the scale might be a little more generous. That was true on the practice tests and seemed to be true on the real one as well. If your system completely breaks down and you don't get to the end of a section or you start improvising a new strategy, I would suspect that you're not going to do as well as on the practice tests.

PS:
I was thrown off a little by the number of calculations required and probably marked more questions than I should have as a result, preventing me from going back to all of them, but in the end my score was great on this section. The AAMC practice tests were good preparation, even though the real test had plenty of surprises. If you use test prep materials and find that you did better on the practice tests than the real thing, consider this: the prep companies look at the materials AAMC releases to figure out what they should focus on. I came across a number of lessons and questions in my prep material that clearly were inspired by specific questions from AAMC practice tests. So, it's possible that your prep material is preparing you to do well on the practice tests, but it can't prepare you so specifically for the real thing. Still, you need to prepare with something, and everyone is in for the same surprise, so it doesn't matter too much.

VR:
The passages seemed clearer than on the AAMC practice tests, and indeed I did a little better than average for this section. It felt like the AAMC 11 verbal section was written by the same people who wrote the real thing, although I did better on the 11 VR. The trickiest thing about verbal is that the hard questions don't stand out the way the hard science questions do, but I was able to raise my verbal score by a few points from my first few practice tests by working at it and finding a strategy that worked for me.

BS:
I left the test wishing I had taken more higher level bio electives, but in the end my score was great on BS. I got stumped on the very last question of the test and, just as the "you have run out of time" message popped up, I realized what the answer was: it was not the one I had selected. It made no difference in my score, though. I've been haunted by that question for the last month, and I'm glad that I can finally stop thinking about it!

If you're getting ready for the test, keep these things in mind:
- Establish a routine and stick with it! Take all the AAMC practice tests you can, and simulate test conditions as closely as possible--time of day, length and structure of breaks, etc.
- The AAMC says the MCAT tests your mastery of basic knowledge. It's not a trivia test. Every question is testing a basic fact, but it'll be disguised in some weird form, sometimes with some extra detail that is provided in a passage. Don't assume that, because this is the MCAT and it's supposed to be hard, the answer must be found through an extended chain of complex logic. The opposite is true.
- Expanding on that, the MCAT usually wants you to ignore the minor exceptions to the general principles. If you have an answer that seems good, but you can think of one really obscure exception that would rule it out, just pick that answer. We're becoming doctors, not engineers!
- Use the AAMC's MCAT topic lists to check that you've covered everything in your studying. mcat-review.org fills in these topic lists with details, so that is helpful. Just keep in mind that it has errors in it, but that's true of all the big name prep materials.
- Meditation and deep breathing are incredibly useful techniques for dealing with stress on the MCAT and in life.
- Good luck!

If you want to know my scores:
Real thing: 43 (15 PS / 13 VR / 15 BS)
First practice test score: 39
Average practice test score: 41 or 42
Highest practice test score: 45 (on AAMC 11)

Naturally, I am totally stoked about this score! :D It's the result of years of hard work as a student, and a few months of focused MCAT prep. I hope everyone who is truly passionate about this material and is motivated to give everything of themselves (and has the opportunity to do so) can get a great score on this beast!
Click to expand...

OMG dude that's an awesome score!! Makes my 32 look like crap but I'll take it! Lolz
 
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thebiochemist said:
VR 8
PS 12
BS 13

33


Mixed feelings. I was relieved at a 33 until I saw 8 in the VR. Especially since I thought I did the best ever on any verbal section, and all my practice VRs were at least a 10...

Goes to show you should utilize study resources from multiple companies. I relied only on Princeton Review.

Not sure what to do now. Although my science is very satisfying, for some reason I feel like nobody gets into an MD program with less than 10 on VR.
Click to expand...

I got into 3 med schools with an 8 on the VR and sciences close to your range.
 
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StClareE said:
Hi! First time posting (although I've been stalking this forum for a month) and I'm going to be the first none awesome score: 29 (11VR, 8PS, 10BS). And now I'm at that point. What do I do? Retake it? My GPA is low (3.1) because I had a horrible sophomore year with the death of my grandmother who raised me. However, it trends upwards from then. I have a ton of extras (shadowing, publications, founded SADD on my undergrad campus, work in a world renowned cancer hospital doing research (should get letters from there), research with a doc in London, EMT in college for four years, etc). I'm just not sure what to do.

I got an email from a medical school and when I called today the diversity coordinator strongly encouraged me to apply (yes, I'm an URM). Idk if I should move forward with this, retake while moving forward or hold off this year and just work on the whole thing.

Thanks!
StClare
Click to expand...

URM 3.1/29 you're good. Apply broadly and early. You'll get in if you have strong ecs and lors.
 
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hey guys, i was just wondering if anyone here knows of schools out side of CA that readily take out of state students? MCAT: 30, GPA: 3.9, my ec's are solid trust me, decent letter of recommendations and strong personal statement. I will be applying and hoping to get into a CA school like davis or irvine, but I need some out of state schools (Im a CA resident).

On a side note, as you all realize many of us may end up going to out of state schools, where we will have to deal with the issue of paying the incredibly high prices. Thankfully, my parents said they will support me, but with tuition alone being like 60,000 in some schools, with living expenses make that 80,000 a year it seems like a very daunting task. I know many of you will say loans, but I really do not want to come out of med school with like over 300,000 in debt. Are there programs that allow us to pay this kind of stuff off?
 
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Hey guys!

Just wanted to say congratulations to everyone for finally being done with this beast!

I just wanted to let those who are deciding to retake know that it may suck now and even during the time you are studying again but do not lose hope!

I took the MCAT on 8/23/12 and received a 12PS 7V 12BS....needless to say, I was very upset with the verbal. I decided not to study all Fall Semester and pick things up in early Spring. Mind you the first time I studied I had no classes, so I was worried. When I did begin studying again, I tried to focus mainly on Verbal obviously and I went into it with a positive attitude knowing next time I have to kill it. But taking all that time off resulted in me having to go over the sciences again as well. So I would dedicate whatever time I had available to studying during the semester while working 20+ hours in research, working a job, and leading a volunteer project, and having classes. The way i tackled it was by just doing as many problems as possible for the sciences and as many TIMED passages for verbal as possible. I would dedicate 1 week for 1 passage for verbal, then the next week go to 2, then the following, 3....until I became comfortable enough with 7. Even then, my scores would be inconsistent across different companies...I could not get past an 8 on TPR and I would receive a 10s on EK.....and 7s on Kaplan....and I had already taken all the AAMCS a year ago....retaking those a year later I would receive 10s and 11s on the verbal but my scores were inflated. So what this comes out to is that I believed I would receive an 8-9 on verbal on test day....but I told myself that not matter what the test companies or the AAMC say, I just had to have faith in my abilities and take the test 1 passage at a time and not freak out........I would see progress as my studying continued, but it was more that I could FINISH the passages more comfortably, but if I got the crazy humanities passage I would still be screwed. I eventually took so many that I realized how to calm down when I got those crazy passages....and how I could break them down to sizeable bits......so I am not one of those people who started at a 7 and went to a 9 by a certain time and then to an 11 by test time, but I still had some inconsistencies till the week of test-day.....

As for the sciences, all I literally did was do practice from ALL SORTS of companies...Gold Standard, Kaplan, TPR, Berkeley.....retaking the AAMCs I would get 13PS and 13Bs but those were inflated because I would remember some passages. Ultimately, the test company that really helped me feel extremely comfortable with "WTF" Passages was Gold Standard....their tests were UNNATURALLY calculation-heavy and INSANE and I would not be able to break 30...I kid you not, for me those tests helped me so much to learn how to move on whenever I would encounter crazy questions or passages. And on this past MCAT the first PS passage was a WTF and a couple of the Bio passages felt like they required nothing but Logic sklls and the Gold Standard tests helped me calm down and truly approach novel situations in a systematic way! But all that aside, all I can tell those of you retaking is PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE....unless you got below a 9 on PS/BS, you just need constant practice till it becomes second nature....for those getting an 8 or lower just need to solidify the content....otherwise, review ONLY when you have to!! Get your hands on any and all practice.....MOST IMPORTANTLY, do NOT worry about your scores....that will not help...just DO blindly and work to understand! Do not work for a score anymore! Everything will work itself on the exam if you have been practicing well!

My feelings walking out of the April 4th test was 1)Holy S**** that first PS passage doomed me....a few days after I KNEW I got like 8 wrong.......2)V - passages were more understandable but I struggled on 3-4/7 passages and hoped that all the practice of understanding the passage theme and answering Qs would pay off.....3) Bio threw me off with the intensity of some of the passages and I knew I got like 6 wrong for sure...1 passage maybe entirely wrong...but I had been under a lot of pressure during practice tests with Gold Standard so I hoped my logic and training helped and I had tackled those tough questions the same way as I did Gold Standard..........AND to make things worse, I felt MUCH MUCH worse coming out of this exam compared to my 8/23 exam so I was sure I got anywhere from a 27-30...........I thought I would get an 9-10 on PS, 8-9 on V and an 10-11 on BS............

MCAT Score 4/4/13 : 12PS 10V 12BS = 34

As you can see, I did not go down in my PS and BS but I went from the 37th percentile in Verbal to the 83rd percentile......and it is all about having faith that you know it......

Just keep practicing, stay true to yourself, do not get discouraged by inconsistent scores, and have faith that what you feel after the test is what they want you to feel. As long as you practice to the best of your ability, things will work themselves out.........just go into it with excitement and drive!

Best of luck to those who are applying this cycle and best of luck to all those re-taking! Do not lose hope!
 
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DoctorForLifeMD said:
Hey guys!

Just wanted to say congratulations to everyone for finally being done with this beast!

I just wanted to let those who are deciding to retake know that it may suck now and even during the time you are studying again but do not lose hope!

I took the MCAT on 8/23/12 and received a 12PS 7V 12BS....needless to say, I was very upset with the verbal. I decided not to study all Fall Semester and pick things up in early Spring. Mind you the first time I studied I had no classes, so I was worried. When I did begin studying again, I tried to focus mainly on Verbal obviously and I went into it with a positive attitude knowing next time I have to kill it. But taking all that time off resulted in me having to go over the sciences again as well. So I would dedicate whatever time I had available to studying during the semester while working 20+ hours in research, working a job, and leading a volunteer project, and having classes. The way i tackled it was by just doing as many problems as possible for the sciences and as many TIMED passages for verbal as possible. I would dedicate 1 week for 1 passage for verbal, then the next week go to 2, then the following, 3....until I became comfortable enough with 7. Even then, my scores would be inconsistent across different companies...I could not get past an 8 on TPR and I would receive a 10s on EK.....and 7s on Kaplan....and I had already taken all the AAMCS a year ago....retaking those a year later I would receive 10s and 11s on the verbal but my scores were inflated. So what this comes out to is that I believed I would receive an 8-9 on verbal on test day....but I told myself that not matter what the test companies or the AAMC say, I just had to have faith in my abilities and take the test 1 passage at a time and not freak out........I would see progress as my studying continued, but it was more that I could FINISH the passages more comfortably, but if I got the crazy humanities passage I would still be screwed. I eventually took so many that I realized how to calm down when I got those crazy passages....and how I could break them down to sizeable bits......so I am not one of those people who started at a 7 and went to a 9 by a certain time and then to an 11 by test time, but I still had some inconsistencies till the week of test-day.....

As for the sciences, all I literally did was do practice from ALL SORTS of companies...Gold Standard, Kaplan, TPR, Berkeley.....retaking the AAMCs I would get 13PS and 13Bs but those were inflated because I would remember some passages. Ultimately, the test company that really helped me feel extremely comfortable with "WTF" Passages was Gold Standard....their tests were UNNATURALLY calculation-heavy and INSANE and I would not be able to break 30...I kid you not, for me those tests helped me so much to learn how to move on whenever I would encounter crazy questions or passages. And on this past MCAT the first PS passage was a WTF and a couple of the Bio passages felt like they required nothing but Logic sklls and the Gold Standard tests helped me calm down and truly approach novel situations in a systematic way! But all that aside, all I can tell those of you retaking is PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE....unless you got below a 9 on PS/BS, you just need constant practice till it becomes second nature....for those getting an 8 or lower just need to solidify the content....otherwise, review ONLY when you have to!! Get your hands on any and all practice.....MOST IMPORTANTLY, do NOT worry about your scores....that will not help...just DO blindly and work to understand! Do not work for a score anymore! Everything will work itself on the exam if you have been practicing well!

My feelings walking out of the April 4th test was 1)Holy S**** that first PS passage doomed me....a few days after I KNEW I got like 8 wrong.......2)V - passages were more understandable but I struggled on 3-4/7 passages and hoped that all the practice of understanding the passage theme and answering Qs would pay off.....3) Bio threw me off with the intensity of some of the passages and I knew I got like 6 wrong for sure...1 passage maybe entirely wrong...but I had been under a lot of pressure during practice tests with Gold Standard so I hoped my logic and training helped and I had tackled those tough questions the same way as I did Gold Standard..........AND to make things worse, I felt MUCH MUCH worse coming out of this exam compared to my 8/23 exam so I was sure I got anywhere from a 27-30...........I thought I would get an 9-10 on PS, 8-9 on V and an 10-11 on BS............

MCAT Score 4/4/13 : 12PS 10V 12BS = 34

As you can see, I did not go down in my PS and BS but I went from the 37th percentile in Verbal to the 83rd percentile......and it is all about having faith that you know it......

Just keep practicing, stay true to yourself, do not get discouraged by inconsistent scores, and have faith that what you feel after the test is what they want you to feel. As long as you practice to the best of your ability, things will work themselves out.........just go into it with excitement and drive!

Best of luck to those who are applying this cycle and best of luck to all those re-taking! Do not lose hope!
Click to expand...

I COMPLETELY agree with this. After the exam I thought that I got so many wrong on the bio section and felt like voiding but decided not to. I actually signed up for a retake 2 days after the exam cause I was 90% sure I bombed. But the score that I actually got was basically my AAMC average and I actually wound up with an 11 on the BS. Moral of the story: DON'T rely on your post exam feelings!!!!!!!
 
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Meredith92 said:
I think there are very few liars if any. What is the motivation to lie on an anonymous website? Doesnt make a lot of sense.
Click to expand...

Some people just like to be mean and spiteful just because thats just the way they are. They fib about scores to TRY and make others feel inadequate or like they don't measure up..They just like to bother others or mess with others.. kinda like a bully sort of.. to answer your question :)
 
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PinknGreenMD said:
Some people just like to be mean and spiteful just because thats just the way they are. They fib about scores to TRY and make others feel inadequate or like they don't measure up..They just like to bother others or mess with others.. kinda like a bully sort of.. to answer your question :)
Click to expand...
ick! if that is true, its kinda odd that those are the sorts of people that plan to help others as doctors
 
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