Overall score is 29, but VR is 6...

[crazydoctorjl]

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My score on the August MCAT was a 29Q, with splits of 12 BS, 11 PS, 6VR. My GPA is 3.7. What is your opinion of the 6 in verbal. It's around 20 percentile... Does it basically eliminate my chances of getting into any US med school? I've been told by my advisor to apply anyway, as I still have a chance, but how good of a chance is this.

If you know of anyone that has had a similar experience as me, please let me know of what happened, or whatever other thoughts you have on my chances. Thanks

(By the way, i am bad at the verbal section. (slow reader who doesn't like to read) In practice exams this was the highest score I ever got, and usually often, hence I expected to get a 6. I usually only get to finish 7 or 8 of the passages, and don't anticipate my verbal score improving with practice.)

 

[doctorJP]

I feel your pain in the VR section, but your marks in BS and PS are quite good.
I don't know how American schools work, but in Canada many of the schools have cutoffs (yes even for the writing sample, either an M or N usually) and a 6 on any section automatically voids your application, whether your an MCAT god on the other sections with a 4.0 GPA. The cutoffs are usually 8's across the boards, schools in ontario require 10's across the board, but you can get a 7 (9 for Ontario) on one section, as long as you make up for it on the other sections.

Back to your situation, 6 is a bad number in this section, 7 is not great but could make a big difference if schools require you to be above the national average, which is obviously scaled each time to be a 24 (8's across the board). If you go to www.mdapplicants.com and type in some search criteria that pertains to you, i.e. the schools you applied to and an MCAT range typical to what you got, you can read some good profiles of people that got accepted.
It might not be to a Tier 1/2 school, but almost everybody gets in somewhere if your stats are decent and you have a good interview.

And remember the MCAT is only a portion of your application, so never give up that hope of going to medical school. And always have a plan B so if you don't get in this year then write the MCAT again following the plethora of tips available from this website.

 

[futurepaedsdoc]

I feel your pain in the VR section, but your marks in BS and PS are quite good.
I don't know how American schools work, but in Canada many of the schools have cutoffs (yes even for the writing sample, either an M or N usually) and a 6 on any section automatically voids your application, whether your an MCAT god on the other sections with a 4.0 GPA. The cutoffs are usually 8's across the boards, schools in ontario require 10's across the board, but you can get a 7 (9 for Ontario) on one section, as long as you make up for it on the other sections.

hey doc JP, are you canadian and have you applied to any Ontario schools?

I got a 29O 🙁 and am planning to retake it again next august. however, before the mcat scores even came out i had already applied to ontario med schools (queen's and u of T both which require the mcat). have you heard of someone who had an 8 in verbal and still got an interview ( i have a 11 physical and 10 B 😡 ...that's the lowest score i've ever gotten!!! and my gpa is 3.83; science gpa is 3.99 and my non-science gpa is 3.65).

would you recomend taking the mcat again or should i wait for the results from the schools first

and on another note, should i get the mcat rescored...has it ever happened that scores dropped because of rescoring?

thanks for all your help.

 

[Gonzo12164]

Well I'm in the low verbal group too, but my total score is a 33M (vr=7, bs=12, ps=14). All my other stats(LOR, EC's, gpa = 3.75 electrical engineering) I think are really strong. I'm going to apply next year and work on strengthening my application. I looked at the MSAR and ALL schools accept people with 7 verbals. Most go as low as 5 and 6. I'd be happy with getting into any school. Although I would prefer to stay in cali, I know my chances are very slim because of that verbal score. Any advice anyone? Thanks!

 

[doctorJP]

Unfortunately that 8 might come back to haunt you in your application process, but if you already applied then there isn't much you can do. That is the great thing about OMSAS and the August MCAT, your application has to be in and fees paid by Oct. 3 and the MCAT scores come out on Oct. 14. In my opinion and from what I have read, Ontario medical schools have some of the highest cutoff for any med school in NA. If you are from Ontario then its a bit better situtation. Take Ottawa and McMaster for example, 90% of interviews are given to Ontario residents and only 10% to OOP students. International student? You can forget about going to med school in Canada, I think there are 1 or 2 places that even accept applications. The following is from the UoT FAQs:

Applicants who fall slightly below the minimum MCAT requirements, but believe their file to be extremely competitive in all other aspects may apply and will have their files assessed. Candidates should be aware that the lower MCAT scores will be a factor in the admissions process.

You are SOL for Queens, they need a 9 on each section and a sum of 32 just to be considered and a cutoff GPA of 3.66. Those are some of the most ridiculous cutoffs I have even seen, most notably the MCAT. They can change the cutoffs from year to year depending on the number of qualified applicants, and from what you can see there are plenty of good applicants if the cutoff MCAT is 32.

I applied to Ottawa, McMaster, and Northern Ontario (I live in a rural community). I want to go to Ottawa and even the cutoff GPA is 3.87 for OOP students. You need a bible sometimes I think to get into these schools or just a really good application. I think the 3 hardest schools to get into are Queens, UoT, and Mcgill in Canada, in no particular order.

 

[futurepaedsdoc]

so are you a canadian resident or from the states because i know the schools are biased toward canadians (i mean we only have 17 med schools up here) and for mcgill i know for a fact are even more generous to quebec residents like myself 🙂 , but i can't apply there until next year since i'm a junior right now.

if you are a canadian resident then could ya answer some of the following questions? sorry for asking so many but i'm just kinda 😕

in the end where did you get in? and did you get any interviews from these canadian schools? and what was your profile (i.e. mcat score and gpa)

 

[doctorJP]

so are you a canadian resident or from the states because i know the schools are biased toward canadians (i mean we only have 17 med schools up here) and for mcgill i know for a fact are even more generous to quebec residents like myself 🙂 , but i can't apply there until next year since i'm a junior right now.

if you are a canadian resident then could ya answer some of the following questions? sorry for asking so many but i'm just kinda 😕

in the end where did you get in? and did you get any interviews from these canadian schools? and what was your profile (i.e. mcat score and gpa)

Ah, bonjour mon Canadien de camarade, comment allez vous faisant? Je ne parle pas français très bien comme vous pouvez voir. Pour répondre à votre question:

I am a Canadian citizen, the BEST country in the world by the way, and I live in the Maritimes. Canada is biased towards Canadian citizens and that is a good thing, we don't have enough doctors up here because they all go down to the states for the $$. They can make twice what they make here if they land the right job. I haven't gotten into medical school yet, I'm still in the process of applying. You will notice I applied to schools that don't require the MCAT and that is for a good reason, my score is in hovering about mid-twenties and I am not happy, got an S on writing though, not that it means crap.

I haven't gotten any interviews yet, its still early in the process. I am finishing my Master of Science right now and then going to med school, so I do not forsee any problems getting in, med schools like people with advanced degrees because it shows maturity and that you will have no problem handling the work load. My GPA is 4.0 and I think everybody should consider doing some sort of Master's degree before med school because it is a very good experience you probably won't get unless you are MD/Phd.

As for your situation, it is simple to me. You are a Quebec resident so you have some great benefits, the least of which is cheap cheap tuition at Mcgill, Laval, Sherbrooke, and Montreal Medical school. You are a shoe in with that MCAT mark and you will notice people outside of Quebec only talk about McGill as a potential school, most people don't even know about the other 3 because they are almost exclusive to Quebec residents. You have to use the advantages you have and run with them if you really want medical school.
Have a read through this document, that guy dueist knows what he is talking about, how could someone go wrong with a physics background and an Msc? Its a bit catered towards American schools but you can get the basics of medical school application process:

http://plaza.ufl.edu/aycock/medshort/medshort.pdf

 

[futurepaedsdoc]

thanks so much for all the info!! 🙂


so i'm guessing that you wouldn't suggest retaking the mcat if i'm planning to go to mcgill then...as for the french schools, yeah they are definitely options but i don't really want to stay in quebec and i think that's what these schools would like.

good luck with the applications 👍

 

[doctorJP]

I was posting alot tonight and I thought your score was 33Q for some reason. 29 is still a great score but Mcgill is adament about having a 30 with no minimum score on each section, so if you want to go to McGill then you should write the MCAT again. You should definitely consider writing the MCAT again in April if you want to attend schools out of Quebec, as I mentioned before the Ontario schools have very high expectations of OOP applications, reserved only for the brightest of students.

If I could chose schools in Canada to attend and I had an MCAT mark that met all required cutoffs, I would definitely attend Mcgill. I've been to Montreal numerous times and I love that place, accepting of me as an anglophone but still able to keep the french culture. And I don't have to talk about French women, they are just great. I would definitely go to Mcgill because I loved the campus when I was there and I think if I ever had to live in a big city in Canada, it would be Montreal (population > 1 million people). Imagine living in Toronto? Yuck. That is the east coast coming out. Good luck and remember to keep that GPA up.

 

[stamina]

My score on the August MCAT was a 29Q, with splits of 12 BS, 11 PS, 6VR. My GPA is 3.7. What is your opinion of the 6 in verbal. It's around 20 percentile... Does it basically eliminate my chances of getting into any US med school? I've been told by my advisor to apply anyway, as I still have a chance, but how good of a chance is this.

If you know of anyone that has had a similar experience as me, please let me know of what happened, or whatever other thoughts you have on my chances. Thanks

(By the way, i am bad at the verbal section. (slow reader who doesn't like to read) In practice exams this was the highest score I ever got, and usually often, hence I expected to get a 6. I usually only get to finish 7 or 8 of the passages, and don't anticipate my verbal score improving with practice.)

Last year when I took the MCATs in August, I had the exact same scores as you: 11PS, 6 V, 12BS. Then, I retook the MCATs this August for the sole purpose of raising my verbal score. Ironically, my verbal score went down to 5, but my PS went up to 14 and BS went down to 10, so I got the same overall score, but in a completely different way. If you take the best scores from both MCAT exams, I have 14PS, 6 V, and 12 BS. I am applying to medical schools this year, so we will find out soon enough whether my high science scores can compensate for my low verbal score.

P.S. I am convinced that out of 35000 applicants, I am the only one with that combination of scores on all 3 sections. I would be interested in knowing if anyone knows of someone with similar scores.

 

[futurepaedsdoc]

I was posting alot tonight and I thought your score was 33Q for some reason. 29 is still a great score but Mcgill is adament about having a 30 with no minimum score on each section, so if you want to go to McGill then you should write the MCAT again.

actually the mcgill admissions committee told me that with a 29O i'm still a competitive applicant. but since i really don't want that it's all because of my mcat i'm not going to get in, i'm retaking the mcat to be on the safe side.

and yeah, montreal is a KICK-ASS city 😎

 

[Labslave]

I hate to be a negative influence on the thread, but here it goes anyway...

Don't apply to US schools with a verbal score of 7 AND a total score below 30. It's not totally impossible to gain acceptance if you're in this situation, but about 70% of those who apply with a 7 on the verbal section do not gain acceptance to any school (and I bet you that many of the people who do get accepted with a 7 VR have total scores over 30 - although it's a controversial source, it might be worth checking out mdapplicants.com to see how those with low verbal scores faired in the admissions process).

Although many people don't like to believe it, adcoms value the verbal section of the MCAT more than either of the science sections (as I'm sure you already know). You don't want the most important section of the MCAT to be a real eye-sore.

Nevertheless, there are some obvious exceptions to what I have stated above. If English is your second language, a lower verbal score is to be expected and it won't hurt you that much. Alternatively, you could be a URM and they might give you a little slack. You could also have incredible ECs and lots of research, including publications and the like. If any of these is the case, go for it. You still have a great shot at gaining acceptance.

Hence, my recommendation would be to retake and make sure you get a higher verbal score before applying (if any of exceptions above aren't the case). It'll make a world of difference in your application.

Best of luck!!!!

 

[Gonzo12164]

I hate to be a negative influence on the thread, but here it goes anyway...

Don't apply to US schools with a verbal score of 7 AND a total score below 30. It's not totally impossible to gain acceptance if you're in this situation, but about 70% of those who apply with a 7 on the verbal section do not gain acceptance to any school (and I bet you that many of the people who do get accepted with a 7 VR have total scores over 30 - although it's a controversial source, it might be worth checking out mdapplicants.com to see how those with low verbal scores faired in the admissions process).

Although many people don't like to believe it, adcoms value the verbal section of the MCAT more than either of the science sections (as I'm sure you already know). You don't want the most important section of the MCAT to be a real eye-sore.

Nevertheless, there are some obvious exceptions to what I have stated above. If English is your second language, a lower verbal score is to be expected and it won't hurt you that much. Alternatively, you could be a URM and they might give you a little slack. You could also have incredible ECs and lots of research, including publications and the like. If any of these is the case, go for it. You still have a great shot at gaining acceptance.

Hence, my recommendation would be to retake and make sure you get a higher verbal score before applying (if any of exceptions above aren't the case). It'll make a world of difference in your application.

Best of luck!!!!

I was checking MSAR and saw that a VERY low percentage of people with a verbal score of 7 got in to medical school. I got a 33M(vr=7,bs=12,ps=14) and I feel I have excellent LOR, leadership EC's, research, and a 3.75cum gpa(3.85 science) in electrical engineering. yes, english is my second language and my parents have a middle school equivalent education. What's my chances with the upper tier schools in the US? Or are most of my opportunities going to be in the lower tier? Also, I do believe I would do very well in interviews. Thanks!

 

[Labslave]

I was checking MSAR and saw that a VERY low percentage of people with a verbal score of 7 got in to medical school. I got a 33M(vr=7,bs=12,ps=14) and I feel I have excellent LOR, leadership EC's, research, and a 3.75cum gpa(3.85 science) in electrical engineering. yes, english is my second language and my parents have a middle school equivalent education. What's my chances with the upper tier schools in the US? Or are most of my opportunities going to be in the lower tier? Also, I do believe I would do very well in interviews. Thanks!

Your score is above a 30 and hence you have a great chance at most US med schools, provided the rest of the information you listed is correct. If you're applying as an international student, I must warn you that it becomes MUCH more difficult.

I would really advise you to do a search on www.mdapplicants.com for applicants with similar stats to yours in order to see how they faired. Good luck.

 

[Will Ferrell]

I was checking MSAR and saw that a VERY low percentage of people with a verbal score of 7 got in to medical school. I got a 33M(vr=7,bs=12,ps=14) and I feel I have excellent LOR, leadership EC's, research, and a 3.75cum gpa(3.85 science) in electrical engineering. yes, english is my second language and my parents have a middle school equivalent education. What's my chances with the upper tier schools in the US? Or are most of my opportunities going to be in the lower tier? Also, I do believe I would do very well in interviews. Thanks!

I'll bet my money you'll get into an MD school or two. Follow labslave's suggestion about a search through mdapplicants.com. You'll be relieved a bit. You should apply to many lower tier schools since that's where you have your best chance. It's still possible to get into a top 30. A 6 on VR is a little iffy (sorry, OP) - you should def. practice with EK verbal if you need to retake the exam.

 

[silverjelly]

I know it's off-topic (sorry!) but who/what is OP? 😕
Please enlighten me . . . 😛

 

[Gonzo12164]

Thanks for the respones. Although people get tired of these "what are my chances" threads, I just want to be realistic. I really want to know if I need to lose another 3 months studying for this exam, including the $200 to take it(money I don't have) and I most certainly do not want to waste the $2000 to apply. I might as well also ask, how should I determine which upper tier schools to apply for? I was trying to do my research and ALL schools accepted people with 7 verbal score, many with 5,6,7 verbal schools. Should I even apply to any of the UC schools or other schools like Harvard? Here's another big question, I am seriously thinking about applying MD,PhD to certain schools (the ones that do research in the field I'm working in right now). Does the 7 verbal score just kill that chance? My LOR's back up my research experience and skills. Thanks again!

 

[NapeSpikes]

I know it's off-topic (sorry!) but who/what is OP? 😕
Please enlighten me . . . 😛

OP= Original Poster

 

[silverjelly]

OP= Original Poster

Ah . . . thanks! 🙂

 

[happydays]

With a score below a 9 on any section, you better get a 14-15 on the other sections.

 

[NCF145]

What about an 8 in verbal and a total of 31? Should I retake the MCAT?

 

[jope]

What about an 8 in verbal and a total of 31? Should I retake the MCAT?

I did, but that's because some of the schools I wanted to apply to had cutoffs of minimum 9 and 10 on all sections.