Forum Members Official "Should I Retake?" Thread

[QofQuimica]

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EDIT 12/21/18: This thread is being retired, as the majority of posts (>80 pages) pertain to the old MCAT that is no longer relevant to current applicants. You can find the current "Should I Retake" thread here: Forum Members - Should I Retake the MCAT?

For those of you who are trying to figure out whether you should re-take, this is the thread for you. Post your dilemma here if you want advice from other SDN folks. Please note that you should take the opinions you get from SDN as one source of advice; you would be wise to also consult your premed advisor before making this decision. Here is my personal advice for those considering whether to re-take:

Definitely DO retake:

-if you scored below a 24. Some allopathic schools will screen out students with scores lower than 24, which is about the mean score for all test-takers.
-if you had some kind of major problem during the test that affected your performance (ex. you started puking or running a 102 degree temperature)
-if you took the test without completing the four pre-reqs (one year each of biology, chemistry, physics, and organic) and/or without studying for it
-if you left large numbers of questions blank​

Definitely do NOT retake:

-if you scored a 30 or better, especially if all of your individual section scores were an 8 or better
-if your section subscores (the numerical ones) are all good, but you didn't perform well on the writing section (the letter score)

​

Gray area-it's not obvious what to do:

-if you scored 30+ but with one section below an 8
-if you had some minor nuisances (ex. a noisy test room) during the test and you're not sure if it affected your performance
-if you studied thoroughly for the test and you scored within the range of your practice exams, but your score is in the middle range (24-29)​

 

[Terpskins99]

im definately a grey area person! help plz!

should i retake??
my score is a 29Q
7 verbal
11 bio
11 physical

im wondering if my verbal score can be offset by the fact that im an English major at school with an A average in my concentration... (don't point out the obvious irony of my 7 to begin with hah)

How do you think it looks when an english major can't even score the national average (which is determined primarily by science majors) on verbal reasoning?

You should definitely consider re-taking. Unfortunately, a 7 on VR isn't going to get you anywhere. Many programs will simply filter you out for not having a 9 or 10 on VR.

 

[SamuraiPanda]

So I'm in a bit of an awkward situation in my life right now, and I'm seriously running out of time to make a decision. I consider myself an above average student, with a 3.85 GPA and a double major in Behavioral Neuroscience and Japanese Studies. I know I can do very well on the MCAT if I try hard, but for reasons that I'm not going to get into here, I ended up with a very uncharacteristically low score of 32R, with a 9vr/12ps/11bs. I say uncharacteristically low because my lowest score on any of the AAMC practice exams (I completed them all) was a 36.

I have little doubt that I can do better, maybe even significantly so, if I retake the exam... but I don't know if I should. I want to get into a good medical school that I like, an example of which is the University of Michigan's medical school. I'm not sure what the best course of action is, so I figured I'd ask the people here what they thought. I currently have 3 options ahead of me:

1. Ignore the low MCAT score and apply now anyways, hoping that my uniqueness can make up for my inconsistency.
2. Retake the MCAT on September 13th. Estimated (or hopeful) minimum score increase would likely be +4 points, for a 36. Apply to medical schools ASAP and wait for the scores to come in.
3. Take an extra year in undergrad, or perhaps get a masters degree in one year, and simply take it again next summer.

This is a major decision that I need to make soon, so any and all feedback is extremely welcome. Please help me decide my future ^_^''

 

[FSAP]

So I'm in a bit of an awkward situation in my life right now, and I'm seriously running out of time to make a decision. I consider myself an above average student, with a 3.85 GPA and a double major in Behavioral Neuroscience and Japanese Studies. I know I can do very well on the MCAT if I try hard, but for reasons that I'm not going to get into here, I ended up with a very uncharacteristically low score of 32R, with a 9vr/12ps/11bs. I say uncharacteristically low because my lowest score on any of the AAMC practice exams (I completed them all) was a 36.

I have little doubt that I can do better, maybe even significantly so, if I retake the exam... but I don't know if I should. I want to get into a good medical school that I like, an example of which is the University of Michigan's medical school. I'm not sure what the best course of action is, so I figured I'd ask the people here what they thought. I currently have 3 options ahead of me:

1. Ignore the low MCAT score and apply now anyways, hoping that my uniqueness can make up for my inconsistency.
2. Retake the MCAT on September 13th. Estimated (or hopeful) minimum score increase would likely be +4 points, for a 36. Apply to medical schools ASAP and wait for the scores to come in.
3. Take an extra year in undergrad, or perhaps get a masters degree in one year, and simply take it again next summer.

This is a major decision that I need to make soon, so any and all feedback is extremely welcome. Please help me decide my future ^_^''

I am in a similar situation. I got P 13 B 10 V 10 and B was my strongest section with average score of 13. I really thought that I should retake, but most people tell me that my score is good enough to get strong consideration as is. Depends on your GPA though I am guessing.

 

[student1799]

why is it really that schools would hold it against you to take it multiple times?

Because they can.

I'm really quite serious: because there are so many more applicants than places in med school, adcoms will use any excuse they can find to weed people out, and anything about your app that CAN be viewed negatively WILL be (by at least one school). As a hypothetical example, let's say that you got a really low score on the MCAT the first time (sub-30), but you got a 36 the second time. I guarantee that there's at least one ***hole on an admissions committee that will think, "Why should we take you when we have another guy over here who got a 36 the FIRST time?"

But that's a deliberately extreme example. What's more common, but also more deadly, is the scenario where an applicant is struggling to improve a low score, but takes the MCAT multiple times and gets the same so-so score each time. In that situation, adcoms will often look at the additional scores as a negative, because you've supposedly confirmed your mediocrity.

And, finally, it's not unheard of for a student's score to go DOWN if they retake the MCAT, just because of random variation. Most of the time these fluctuations are small (a point or two), but even that can be bad if you're in borderline territory already with your score. And every once in a while, you hear about a dramatic decline the second time. Just last month, I read a post on SDN about a guy who got a 30 on the MCAT the first time, thought he could improve a lot with a retake, but ended up with a 26. 20 of the 22 schools he applied to would NOT give him credit for the 30, because the 26 was his latest score.

Moral: you should only retake if you think you can dramatically improve your score by doing so, because a retake always presents some risk.

 

[student1799]

So I'm in a bit of an awkward situation in my life right now, and I'm seriously running out of time to make a decision. I consider myself an above average student, with a 3.85 GPA and a double major in Behavioral Neuroscience and Japanese Studies. I know I can do very well on the MCAT if I try hard, but for reasons that I'm not going to get into here, I ended up with a very uncharacteristically low score of 32R, with a 9vr/12ps/11bs. I say uncharacteristically low because my lowest score on any of the AAMC practice exams (I completed them all) was a 36.

I have little doubt that I can do better, maybe even significantly so, if I retake the exam... but I don't know if I should. I want to get into a good medical school that I like, an example of which is the University of Michigan's medical school. I'm not sure what the best course of action is, so I figured I'd ask the people here what they thought. I currently have 3 options ahead of me:

1. Ignore the low MCAT score and apply now anyways, hoping that my uniqueness can make up for my inconsistency.
2. Retake the MCAT on September 13th. Estimated (or hopeful) minimum score increase would likely be +4 points, for a 36. Apply to medical schools ASAP and wait for the scores to come in.
3. Take an extra year in undergrad, or perhaps get a masters degree in one year, and simply take it again next summer.

This is a major decision that I need to make soon, so any and all feedback is extremely welcome. Please help me decide my future ^_^''

OP, your post is now 4 days old, so I don't know if you made a decision in the meantime. But I did want to warn you of one very important thing: it's getting dangerously late to submit your AMCAS application for this cycle. For your sake, I hope you've done it already, but if you haven't, do it NOW--I mean it. You don't have any time to lose.

For that same reason, I think a Sep 13 MCAT retake is dangerously late. Many schools will hold up your entire app until the second score is in, which will be mid-Oct, and your chances of getting interviews will be much lower by then.

I personally think you should go ahead and apply, because your grades look strong. (I'm assuming your science GPA is in line with your overall, and that your have good ECs and LORs.) True, you're not going to have the benefit of a killer MCAT score, but that's only part of the picture. If the rest is compelling, I think you have excellent chances of getting into a good school somewhere with the score you have. (BTW, unless you live in MI, I wouldn't bother with U Mich. They really stack the deck against OOS students: I read on another thread that they require a super-high MCAT from OOS, and on top of that they charge OOS students very high tuition of $61K/yr--about 50% more than you'd pay at most PRIVATE med schools anywhere in the US.)

Just make sure you apply broadly, and not to all "reach" schools with median MCAT scores of 36-37. Make sure you include a bunch of mid-tier schools where your grades and MCAT are higher than their average (I'm talking schools with a 3.5 GPA/30 MCAT type average). Your chances are excellent at schools like this; although there's no such thing as a "safety" in med school admissions, by applying to these schools, you're dramatically lowering your chances of ending up with no offers of admission.

Good luck to you.

 

[Ariana85]

So I just got my MCAT score from July 10th - 29M (9VR/9PS/11BS). Not so good 🙁 I already submitted my AMCAS/AACOMAS & I wonder if there is any point in retaking it? I figure it's too late at this point. My GPA is 3.62, so I think I'm ok for osteopathic schools, but I'm not sure if I'll get accepted to any allopathic schools with that MCAT score. Maybe I should just add some more schools to the apps. . . Any advice??

 

[bionda]

So my breakdown is PS: 9 VB: 8 (what!?) BS: 10 Writing :Q 27Q ..horrible considering I was consistently getting a 31 and even got a 36 one time.

I am scheduled to retake on August 26th, I've been attempting to study (sort of) since I took the exam on July 8th because I knew I had screwed up the PS section...I guess my stress from screwing it up seriously affected verbal. My question is what is the deal with composite scores from two exams? Do only some schools take the best results from each section? Is there a list somewhere of schools that do that? Because I cannot find one. My applications are already out and I've gotten some secondaries in but I'm wondering how interested these schools are going to be in my now I have that glaring 27 on my application... I'm nearly positive that I can improve my verbal score...any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[indian555]

I'm so disappointed with my score..THis is my 3rd time taking it, and I got 26O first time, 22M, and now a 26Q

I was scoring on practice tests
PS: 10-12 never below 10
VR: 8 -11 this varied
BS: 8-12 this also varied
Scoring bt 30-33 consistently on last many exams.

Real test - 8am
PS: 9 (really upset bc this was my strength)
VR: 7 (never scored lower than an 8 and I skipped one whole psg and had to guess on it, and on practice tests I usually finished)
BS: 10 (this is the only score I'm happy with)
WR: Q

I'm really disppointed, bc this time I was doing well on the practice tests and I ended up with the same score I took the first time. Does anyone know of schools that take the best sections, bc thats my only chance.

On first test:
PS 8
VR 10
BS 8

And I dont think I can retake the 4th time, and I'm afraid even though I did well on practice exams how am I going to do well on the real deal when I couldnt this time.

I'm in the same boat as you as far as taking the mcats.
3 times:
23M (9PS, 7VR, 7BS) Aug 2005
22M (8PS, 6VR, 8BS)Aug 2006
25M this august 2008 (9PS, 6VR, 10BS).

I'm in my 2nd year for graduate school for chem with a GPA of 3.75. However my undergrad GPA was only 3.0 (3.2 science). My goal is to get into med school no matter what it takes.

1) I'm pretty sure I can improve my score--I'm not sure how dramatically---by taking the august or sept mcat but then it might be too late for the application (which I have not submitted yet). My plan is 2-3 weeks of practice and I hope to hit verbal, which is my weak spot, pretty hard. I'm quite depressed and I don't want to give up the hope for being in medschool. Does anyone feel that I have a chance?

2) My first mcat (aug 2005) will expire this year. Do med-schools still consider it?

3) More than three mcats question- If you improve couple more points (say a 30) versus a huge improvement(34+)--will that make a difference to my profile? Or 30 only shows a steady increase that is not significant enough with respect to my other scores?

Any and all suggestions/advice will be appreciated, thanks.

 

[PupsterDO]

How do you think it looks when an english major can't even score the national average (which is determined primarily by science majors) on verbal reasoning?

You should definitely consider re-taking. Unfortunately, a 7 on VR isn't going to get you anywhere. Many programs will simply filter you out for not having a 9 or 10 on VR.

The national average is not a 10. The national average is the 50th percentile, probably somewhere around a 7 or an 8. You did hit the national average.

 

[bethe1]

deleted

 

[kweekes80]

So I just got my MCAT score from July 10th - 29M (9VR/9PS/11BS). Not so good 🙁 I already submitted my AMCAS/AACOMAS & I wonder if there is any point in retaking it? I figure it's too late at this point. My GPA is 3.62, so I think I'm ok for osteopathic schools, but I'm not sure if I'll get accepted to any allopathic schools with that MCAT score. Maybe I should just add some more schools to the apps. . . Any advice??

i think your score is fine, whats the problem? + your grades are good. I would feel comfortable going with it. Yeah take it again if you want but that score is not bad at all.

 

[fhockey13]

I took the may 31st mcat and scored 27N (PS-10, VS-8, BS-9). I was really disappointed because I had been getting 29-32 on most of my practice tests on kaplan and had been getting at least 29's on aamc.

I got my results back on July 1 and decided to sign up for the July 10th exam which meant I had 9 days to relearn everyting that I had spent a month forgetting. I felt pretty dejected while studying and was pretty nervous that I'd score lower and further screw myself over.

Just got the results back and I got a 31P (PS-11, VS-9, BS-11). Moral of the story; if it doesnt feel like the score you've worked for, it probably isn't. A couple of my peers scored 28/29 and had solid enough GPAs/werent willing to risk doing worse the second time around. It's a personal choice and in the end of the day you just have to go with your gut feeling. Things have a way of working themselves out.

 

[kalia]

I think that's a very inspiring story, fhockey13, thank you for sharing it with us.

 

[thewiseguy]

How do you think it looks when an english major can't even score the national average (which is determined primarily by science majors) on verbal reasoning?

You should definitely consider re-taking. Unfortunately, a 7 on VR isn't going to get you anywhere. Many programs will simply filter you out for not having a 9 or 10 on VR.

That is absolute nonesense.

I recommend for people to go ahead and read the AAMC book on medical school stats that are released every year.

For every school they have the average MCAT score and the lowest and highest scores that got in for every section.

For example there was a verbal score as low as 4 that got in to the Health Sciences at Denver. You can go and look this up.

Same thing for Yale. I believe people with verbal scores below a 7 got in. Heck there were even folks with PS and Bio scores of 7 that got in.

 

[doodlesmcdoodle]

A little advice here...

I took the MCAT in may and did okay. 30-N (10, 10, 10). I knew I could do better. So I retook it in July. Just got the results. I got a 22-S (4 (PS), 9, 9). I knew after I took the exam I did horribly so I actually scheduled to take it again for this Friday. Is that second score gonna screw me? They lost all of our registrations and we ended up starting nearly 2 hours late because of issues with the testing system and things like that. I think I was just really stressed for the first section. Any thoughts?

 

[Ariana85]

Thanx for the input, kweekes 🙂 I just really wanted to get at least a 30... I guess it could be worse. I did notice in MSAR that most schools have accepted students w/scores as low as 6 or 7, but I figured most of those low section scores were paired w/at least 12's in the other sections. It would be nice if they showed the lowest total scores accepted, rather than just individual sections. LoL maybe I'm just overanalyzing!

 

[Ariana85]

A little advice here...

I took the MCAT in may and did okay. 30-N (10, 10, 10). I knew I could do better. So I retook it in July. Just got the results. I got a 22-S (4 (PS), 9, 9). I knew after I took the exam I did horribly so I actually scheduled to take it again for this Friday. Is that second score gonna screw me? They lost all of our registrations and we ended up starting nearly 2 hours late because of issues with the testing system and things like that. I think I was just really stressed for the first section. Any thoughts?

I would definitely retake it because some schools only consider your most recent score 🙁

 

[PornStarPreMed]

First off, thanks for taking the time to read this post. Thank you even more if you respond 😀

BCPM: 3.58
Overall: 3.66
MCAT Total: 28 Q
BS: 11
PS: 9
VR: 8

English was my second language. In practice exams, I was scoring higher in PS, usually a 10 or 11. My VR has fluctuated between 7-9.

What do you think?

Thanks in advance 🙂

 

[Piston95]

PS 8
VR 9
BS 9
WS R
Total: 26R🙁

practice tests were about 30 avg. biggest disappointment was the PS for sure.

I have a 3.78 gpa

Im a TX resident, any chances at TX schools with this score?

 

[kweekes80]

PS 8
VR 9
BS 9
WS R
Total: 26R🙁

practice tests were about 30 avg. biggest disappointment was the PS for sure.

I have a 3.78 gpa

Im a TX resident, any chances at TX schools with this score?

I definitely think you have a chance at your state schools, but I would be much more inclined to re-take and try to hit your practice test average.

 

[Piston95]

I definitely think you have a chance at your state schools, but I would be much more inclined to re-take and try to hit your practice test average.

thanks for the advice man..hopefully i can at least land some interviews with the 1st score

 

[Ryundo]

Well, I just got my scores back.
VR: 10
PS: 8
BS: 10
WS: O
GPA: 3.91
Science GPA: 3.89
I'm applying to a state medical school and am just a little worried about that 8. Since it's already kind of late in the application year, would it be worth running out and taking the next saturday test I could find?

 

[RuSkaya]

I just got my scores back and I messed up on PS... I'm afraid it will hold me back... any thoughts?

VR: 9.0
PS: 8.0
BS: 11
28O

I'm very happy with VR and BS... but PS is scaring me =/ 😕

 

[LJustine1]

So I just finished the MCAT on the 15th but felt like I my BS performance was pretty weak. I scheduled a retake for the 9/3, but am not sure if i should go through with it or not given that i don't have any scores in hand for the first exam. Motivation to retake is obviously the prospect of doing better and also the fact that if i don't retake on 9/3, i'll have to wait until jan 30th for another shot. Motivation against is the prospect of either doing worse or solidifying my status as a mediocre applicant. My scores on the practice exams were pretty inconsistent - anywhere between 24 and 36. Best guess on the real thing is that i scored sub 30. Wondering if anyone has any thoughts or great insights?

 

[kweed22]

29Q

PS10
VR9
BS10
WSQ

I signed up for TPR summer course and took the MCAT on July 18th. I'm from Florida, but live/go to school in Boston. I found out that my father passed away from a long battle with Alzheimer's on May 30, two weeks after the prep course started. 🙁 Even though I'd seen him slowly die my whole life, I was/have been way more upset than I could have possibly imagined. I decided to finish out the prep course and take my test as scheduled before going home to attend his memorial service.

I guess a 29Q isn't extremely horrible, but it's not good enough for me. I think the added emotional stress influenced the score, but I just wanted to see if anyone had other opinions or has been through a similar situation.

I'm planning on studying throughout the next semester and re-taking it on January 31st. My GPA should be around a 3.6 when I graduate from BU (thank you, grade deflation). I'm in a few dance groups, participate in research, and have TA-ed two classes. I also have enough "life experience" to star in my own personal Lifetime movie.


Any thoughts??

 

[YBL]

Total: 27N (10PS 7VR 10BS)
Cum GPA: 3.8 from umich
Sci GPA: 3.7

I'm really bummed about my 7 in verbal- english is my first language- and on my score overall (practice test avg 34) Should I apply anyway? I have good ECs (lots of clinical, year of research, some leadership). I would appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance!

 

[kweekes80]

I just got my scores back and I messed up on PS... I'm afraid it will hold me back... any thoughts?

VR: 9.0
PS: 8.0
BS: 11
28O

I'm very happy with VR and BS... but PS is scaring me =/ 😕

i do not think that score is too bad at all. did you take any of the practice exams and were you scoring better on ps than the 8 you got? if so, if you can bring that up a couple points, i would probably take it again. i found the examkrackers books 1001 questions very helpful for the ps subjects, if you retake i would recommend those.
but, i would not feel ashamed at all in going with that score. you did well in the other sections, and 28 is not too bad. just thinking since you did well on bio and can probbably do similar on phys, and it seems like you had a bad section on ps during your test that a retake would be beneficial overall, since the reward of going up a few points in ps is higher than the risk of going down at all.
good luck with your decision and nice job with your scores.

 

[kweekes80]

Total: 27N (10PS 7VR 10BS)
Cum GPA: 3.8 from umich
Sci GPA: 3.7

I'm really bummed about my 7 in verbal- english is my first language- and on my score overall (practice test avg 34) Should I apply anyway? I have good ECs (lots of clinical, year of research, some leadership). I would appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance!

i would not apply w/ 7 or less on verbal, esp where you are getting 34 on practice

 

[markps]

Just got my scores from the July 18 test, which was my second try:

PS: 9 (no change from first test and I'm *not* thrilled about it)
VR: 11 (+1)
BS: 12 (+3)

First score: 28Q
Second score: 32O

Overall I'm pretty thrilled but should I be worried about that 9 in physical sciences? Or is that doable?

 

[amlo86]

I am a Texas resident applying to all of the med. schools in Texas. I have a 4.0 gpa and took the mcat on july 18th and received a 29M(9PS,8VR,12BS). Do you guys think it looks bad to have a 4.0 and not crack a 30, especially with an unbalanced score? As of now I don't plan on retaking since I didn't score too below my AAMC practice test average of 31. Any advice? Thanks in advance.

 

[RuSkaya]

i do not think that score is too bad at all. did you take any of the practice exams and were you scoring better on ps than the 8 you got? if so, if you can bring that up a couple points, i would probably take it again. i found the examkrackers books 1001 questions very helpful for the ps subjects, if you retake i would recommend those.
but, i would not feel ashamed at all in going with that score. you did well in the other sections, and 28 is not too bad. just thinking since you did well on bio and can probbably do similar on phys, and it seems like you had a bad section on ps during your test that a retake would be beneficial overall, since the reward of going up a few points in ps is higher than the risk of going down at all.
good luck with your decision and nice job with your scores.

Thank you for your advice! For my AAMC practice exams, my average was a 9.5. I scored two 8s, two 9s and a 10 the first 5 exams and two 10s and one 12 on the last three exams.I will apply with these numbers since I'm already in the middle of the application process and if it does not work out I will definitely retake. I did not use examkrackers this first time around so I will definitely use these books next time if I find i have to retake.

 

[lorci]

I took the afternoon August 15th exam. It was my first MCAT. I spent my entire summer either working or studying really hard. I felt confident and prepared going into the exam after completing 9 practice exams in addition to a whole bunch of review material from Kaplan. However, on the actual exam I felt totally awful after Physical Sciences -- I felt rushed, frazzled, and overall, like I did poorly. I'm wondering now if I should retake the exam. The last day that a lot of schools want you to take the MCAT seems to be September 13. However, my score won't be back until Sept 15. I feel like I may not have performed to my fullest potential but then again there is a lot of talk about curves. Advice??

 

[nkhan]

I am a Texas resident applying to all of the med. schools in Texas. I have a 4.0 gpa and took the mcat on july 18th and received a 29M(9PS,8VR,12BS). Do you guys think it looks bad to have a 4.0 and not crack a 30, especially with an unbalanced score? As of now I don't plan on retaking since I didn't score too below my AAMC practice test average of 31. Any advice? Thanks in advance.

The GPA does help, a 29 isnt horrible either, but its not great. It really depends on what schools you are trying to get into on whether you should retake or not. Also if you are unsure if you can score higher or not, it is advised not to retake since if you scored lower it would look bad. Good luck!

 

[amlo86]

Thanks for the input nkhan. I am hoping to get into one of the state schools in Texas, preferably in San Antonio because I will have a place to live rent free. But I am also considering applying to Dallas and Baylor. Does anybody know if these two schools have MCAT score cut-offs? The average MCAT scores of matriculants at those two schools is close to 35, yikes.

 

[nkhan]

Thanks for the input nkhan. I am hoping to get into one of the state schools in Texas, preferably in San Antonio because I will have a place to live rent free. But I am also considering applying to Dallas and Baylor. Does anybody know if these two schools have MCAT score cut-offs? The average MCAT scores of matriculants at those two schools is close to 35, yikes.

Well it depends alot on your EC's also. But Baylor has the highest accepted average numbers of the TX schools. I looked up Dallas and theirs is the second highest. Why not some of the other schools also? There are quite a few with around a 30 MCAT accepted average. Not to mention the average of the matriculants to that school may even be slightly under 30.

In short, if you are dead set on baylor and dallas I would apply there (knowing they will be reaches) but also apply to alot of the other state schools with lower acceptance stats.

Good luck.

 

[Intrest1]

I took the afternoon August 15th exam. It was my first MCAT. I spent my entire summer either working or studying really hard. I felt confident and prepared going into the exam after completing 9 practice exams in addition to a whole bunch of review material from Kaplan. However, on the actual exam I felt totally awful after Physical Sciences -- I felt rushed, frazzled, and overall, like I did poorly. I'm wondering now if I should retake the exam. The last day that a lot of schools want you to take the MCAT seems to be September 13. However, my score won't be back until Sept 15. I feel like I may not have performed to my fullest potential but then again there is a lot of talk about curves. Advice??

There is a curve in the exam score, but you should relay on the SCALED SCORES when you take practice exam. the curved score does not very big much from the scaled score. If the scores were low on AUG 15, then defiantly retake.
Give it about six months of gap, that would help you prepare in my point of view, but upto you if you want to retake it in september.

 

[YBL]

Total: 27N (10PS 7VR 10BS)
Cum GPA: 3.8 from umich
Sci GPA: 3.7

I'm really bummed about my 7 in verbal- english is my first language- and on my score overall (practice test avg 34) Should I apply to some low tier schools anyway since i have my primary in? I have good ECs (lots of clinical, year of research, some leadership). I would appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance!

any more advice? 🙂

 

[nkhan]

I took the afternoon August 15th exam. It was my first MCAT. I spent my entire summer either working or studying really hard. I felt confident and prepared going into the exam after completing 9 practice exams in addition to a whole bunch of review material from Kaplan. However, on the actual exam I felt totally awful after Physical Sciences -- I felt rushed, frazzled, and overall, like I did poorly. I'm wondering now if I should retake the exam. The last day that a lot of schools want you to take the MCAT seems to be September 13. However, my score won't be back until Sept 15. I feel like I may not have performed to my fullest potential but then again there is a lot of talk about curves. Advice??

That's a really hard decision. I would say if you KNOW you did horribly then retake, but I wouldn't just go on a hunch, the curve makes up for alot of it. Most people think they bomb the MCAT and turn out within their practice scores.

Remember if you retake and you do worse it could hurt alot. Did you finish all the questions? Or did you leave large portions blank?

 

[matlabsux]

July 18, 2008 MCAT Scores
ps:13
vr:9
bs:13
WS:Q

I took the MCAT 2x before (28N, 30O) and got a VR score of 10 both times. Do you guys think a drop to a VR score of 9 is a big deal. Percentage score wise there is a big difference 80% v 65% for the 10 and 9 respectively.
gimme some feedback if you can!!! good luck to all you getting scores today

 

[mcant]

July 18, 2008 MCAT Scores
ps:13
vr:9
bs:13
WS:Q

I took the MCAT 2x before (28N, 30O) and got a VR score of 10 both times. Do you guys think a drop to a VR score of 9 is a big deal. Percentage score wise there is a big difference 80% v 65% for the 10 and 9 respectively.
gimme some feedback if you can!!! good luck to all you getting scores today

I think all the re-takes have freaked you out. Enjoy the 35 and your trip to med school! I scored one point lower than you (12/9/13) on the same test and there's no way I'm retaking.

 

[npsa26]

My scores weren't increasing on the practice tests, they were within mid-20s, but I thought it was due to nerves so I tried to focus less on taking, and more relaxing.

Guess it wasn't so much the nerves. I got a 24 M (7 V, 7 PS, 10 BS). Is there hope for me to take it in September and pull off an increase in verbal and PS, or should I try for January?

 

[student1799]

My scores weren't increasing on the practice tests, they were within mid-20s, but I thought it was due to nerves so I tried to focus less on taking, and more relaxing.

Guess it wasn't so much the nerves. I got a 24 M (7 V, 7 PS, 10 BS). Is there hope for me to take it in September and pull off an increase in verbal and PS, or should I try for January?

I think you definitely need to retake because of the low score, but I think 9/13 (the last MCAT of this app cycle) would be too soon. You don't sound like you've applied to med school this cycle, so what's the hurry? Take your time and do it right. There are a number of threads on SDN from students who raised their scores 7-8 points (such as bozz), but it took them months of steady work to do it. Check out this thread about MCAT study habits: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=503250

Good luck.

 

[student1799]

I took the afternoon August 15th exam. It was my first MCAT. I spent my entire summer either working or studying really hard. I felt confident and prepared going into the exam after completing 9 practice exams in addition to a whole bunch of review material from Kaplan. However, on the actual exam I felt totally awful after Physical Sciences -- I felt rushed, frazzled, and overall, like I did poorly. I'm wondering now if I should retake the exam. The last day that a lot of schools want you to take the MCAT seems to be September 13. However, my score won't be back until Sept 15. I feel like I may not have performed to my fullest potential but then again there is a lot of talk about curves. Advice??

My first MCAT experience (7/8 exam) was a lot like yours. But in my case, I had grounds to be worried, because I knew I'd left 8 or 9 questions blank at the end of the PS due to lack of time. I could tell that would put a dent in my score, but I wasn't sure how much (would the curve be better? etc.). But I signed up for the 8/15 MCAT (3 days after my first score would be out) and started studying for it, "just in case."

When I got the score, I was glad I'd done that, because I got a 7 on PS--4 points below my AAMC practice average, which had been very consistent. I know I was nervous, and the test itself was very hard, but the blank questions really killed my score on that section. I retook on 8/15, but the 8 am exam. (BTW, it seemed much easier than 7/8.)

You're in a very tough spot, because your first score won't be out before the last possible retake date. Normally, I'd say it would be extremely dangerous to retake without knowing your first score, but I'd advise the retake IF you know you left a lot of questions blank on any of the sections. That virtually guarantees a low score, because blank questions always count as wrong answers. And don't count on the curve to bail you out; I obviously have no idea what it was on the 7/8 MCAT, but the curves on the AAMC practice exams (real MCATs from the past) never vary by more than 1-2 questions per section.

I would NOT advise a retake if you guessed on a bunch of questions (within reason, i.e. not half the test). This is much better than leaving blanks because you still have a chance to get some of them right, even if your guessing was completely random. Many people who say they guessed extensively on other MCATs said their scores were much higher than they expected.

 

[kweekes80]

July 18, 2008 MCAT Scores
ps:13
vr:9
bs:13
WS:Q

I took the MCAT 2x before (28N, 30O) and got a VR score of 10 both times. Do you guys think a drop to a VR score of 9 is a big deal. Percentage score wise there is a big difference 80% v 65% for the 10 and 9 respectively.
gimme some feedback if you can!!! good luck to all you getting scores today

I totally agree. Do you really think 1 point is going to mean something?! If it does, its not nearly by as much as would warrant doing that whole thing again, especially when you'd jeopardize those sciences. Its not like you got a 7. i would take the score, nice work.

 

[chloe88]

Hello, I feel that I have kind of a complicated situation and would appreciate any advice possible...

I just took the MCAT on 8/22. I studied all summer, and felt good going into the test because I took every aamc practice test online and was averaging 12's on verbal and physical and 11's on bio, and didn't go below 10.

When it came time to take the test, though, I felt very panicky and I believe that I really lost control of the test. My physical sciences section was particularly bad, verbal was fine, but I walked away knowing that I had done a bio section completely backwards. Just based on a mental review of the questions and the answers I gave, I know for sure that I got at least 8 questions wrong on both bio and physical sciences. This doesn't count the questions that I had to rush through or just guess.

I knew that I had not done my best at the end of the test, but did not void because I was unsure whether the last september testing dates would have any free seats, and I am moving to Africa for several months at the end of september to work at a hospital there.

I found a few free seats at testing sites on September 5th. I will not receive the scores from the first MCAT until I am in Africa, far away from any study materials that would help me prepare for a retake in the late spring or summer. I am really torn as to what to do. I have a very strong GPA and was hoping to aim for the top medical schools, but I am feeling at this point like my MCAT can only hurt me.

Please let me know what you think. Thank you!

 

[PornStarPreMed]

BCPM: 3.58
Overall: 3.66
MCAT Total: 28 Q
BS: 11
PS: 9
VR: 8

English was my second language. I

I was scoring higher in PS, usually a 10 or 11.

VR has fluctuated between 7-9.

What do you think? The MDApps profile is also linked, so that should give some more insight into my application.

 

[DJ303]

BCPM: 3.58
Overall: 3.66
MCAT Total: 28 Q
BS: 11
PS: 9
VR: 8

English was my second language. I

I was scoring higher in PS, usually a 10 or 11.

VR has fluctuated between 7-9.

What do you think? The MDApps profile is also linked, so that should give some more insight into my application.

If you have the money why not, but honestly if I had a 28 I would have applied in June, at this late in the game personally I would hold off until next year or retake.

 

[DJ303]

I totally agree. Do you really think 1 point is going to mean something?! If it does, its not nearly by as much as would warrant doing that whole thing again, especially when you'd jeopardize those sciences. Its not like you got a 7. i would take the score, nice work.

I guess this depends on the type of school you are applying to. But some of these posts where people are showing their 33+ scores and debating to retake baffles me. I would die for this score... I would not retake

 

[DJ303]

Hello, I feel that I have kind of a complicated situation and would appreciate any advice possible...

I just took the MCAT on 8/22. I studied all summer, and felt good going into the test because I took every aamc practice test online and was averaging 12's on verbal and physical and 11's on bio, and didn't go below 10.

When it came time to take the test, though, I felt very panicky and I believe that I really lost control of the test. My physical sciences section was particularly bad, verbal was fine, but I walked away knowing that I had done a bio section completely backwards. Just based on a mental review of the questions and the answers I gave, I know for sure that I got at least 8 questions wrong on both bio and physical sciences. This doesn't count the questions that I had to rush through or just guess.

I knew that I had not done my best at the end of the test, but did not void because I was unsure whether the last september testing dates would have any free seats, and I am moving to Africa for several months at the end of september to work at a hospital there.

I found a few free seats at testing sites on September 5th. I will not receive the scores from the first MCAT until I am in Africa, far away from any study materials that would help me prepare for a retake in the late spring or summer. I am really torn as to what to do. I have a very strong GPA and was hoping to aim for the top medical schools, but I am feeling at this point like my MCAT can only hurt me.

Please let me know what you think. Thank you!

This is a tough situation, only you will know truly how well you did. There are people that think that they did terribly and end up doing well, and vice versa. I personally would not retake a test without knowing how well I did. If you really believe that you bombed it, then go ahead and retake, but I hope that you work on why you did so bad the first time before you take it again.

Im assuming your wanting to apply this cycle because of your rush to take it on the the 5th?

 

[oze]

I guess I'll take my turn:

Ivy undergrad, GPAc=3.6, GPAs=3.4
Hispanic URM from California, grew up in Mexico

29Q (8PS, 10BS, 11V)

PS is pretty much what I expected, V was pretty good considering English is my second language, I rocked BS except for orgo, which slaughtered me. Highest practice scores were 10P,13B,14V (37Q), but that was pretty much a fluke probably as my median practice scores hovered around the lower 30s.

My ECs are ok, with research (with multiple publications), volunteer work and shadowing all mixed in. I plan on taking at least a year off after I graduate to take non-degree seeking courses in the sciences and/or get EMT certification.

I'm not shooting for the top, school wise, I'd be estatic if I got into UCDavis, Tufts and the like.

What say ye?