Please Help with Low mcat grades and application

[medmotivation]

Hello everyone,

This forum has been a major help for me studying for the mcat, and I thought I would ask for some help because I am really having a hard time, I feel like I've hit the bottom and can use any help I can get. I recently graduated this year with a 3.9 with a chemistry degree and took the mcat twice- (23-8/7/8) and then a year later (24-9,6,9). I really tried my hardest and my scores always ranged between a 28-33, I don't know how I scored that low on my second attempt. The first time I was short on time, but the second time I finished sections right on time, and was confident with the verbal but it does not seem so. My average and scores really do not correlate, I truly believe I am just a lousy test taker.

Do I have any chances at D.O schools this year, I feel like my chances are really slim and/or down the drain. Does anyone recommend applying? There are no spots open for the January test as well. I have nobody to talk to and am currently unemployed. I invested three full months of studying for this test and I feel like taking it a third time would be a risk. I used kaplan for prepping. I really want to take it a third time, but how shall I go about this? I am so discouraged and my family is just telling me that I should do something else. If anyone has been a similar situation or can offer advice, please anything is appreciated?
Thanks so much for your time.

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[DoctorSynthesis]

Hello everyone,

This forum has been a major help for me studying for the mcat, and I thought I would ask for some help because I am really having a hard time, I feel like I've hit the bottom and can use any help I can get. I recently graduated this year with a 3.9 with a chemistry degree and took the mcat twice- (23-8/7/8) and then a year later (24-9,6,9). I really tried my hardest and my scores always ranged between a 28-33, I don't know how I scored that low on my second attempt. The first time I was short on time, but the second time I finished sections right on time, and was confident with the verbal but it does not seem so. My average and scores really do not correlate, I truly believe I am just a lousy test taker.

Do I have any chances at D.O schools this year, I feel like my chances are really slim and/or down the drain. Does anyone recommend applying? There are no spots open for the January test as well. I have nobody to talk to and am currently unemployed. I invested three full months of studying for this test and I feel like taking it a third time would be a risk. I used kaplan for prepping. I really want to take it a third time, but how shall I go about this? I am so discouraged and my family is just telling me that I should do something else. If anyone has been a similar situation or can offer advice, please anything is appreciated?
Thanks so much for your time.

Apply smart
Assuming ecs are fine you can get in. Only takes 1

PCOM ga
Vcom (all)
Cusom
RVU
Lmu
Acom

Thats a good start

 

[CUNYguy]

Your GPA is stellar, MCAT as you've noted is less attractive. What a lot of SDNers will most likely tell you to do is (a) retrospectively analyze how you got a low score and beat those weaknesses to a pulp, and/or (b) apply broadly (10-15 schools) and you should be okay.

Another thing that factors in on a lower end is your ECs, LORs, and any other life experience, as well as your interview skills.

I've tried studying from Kaplan books, they're a bit on the easier end. Study with Princeton review, and Examkrakers. They're pretty solid.

Wish you the best!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN Mobile

 

[medmotivation]

Apply smart
Assuming ecs are fine you can get in. Only takes 1

PCOM ga
Vcom (all)
Cusom
RVU
Lmu
Acom

Thats a good start

Thanks for the advice, would you say I still have a shot if I started the application and have it sent in by mid-november the latest? If I am able to sign up for january I will, and would indicate that on my application?

 

[DoctorSynthesis]

Thanks for the advice, would you say I still have a shot if I started the application and have it sent in by mid-november the latest? If I am able to sign up for january I will, and would indicate that on my application?

Send it in as soon as possible.

Make a good list of schools with lower averages

 

[medmotivation]

Your GPA is stellar, MCAT as you've noted is less attractive. What a lot of SDNers will most likely tell you to do is (a) retrospectively analyze how you got a low score and beat those weaknesses to a pulp, and/or (b) apply broadly (10-15 schools) and you should be okay.

Another thing that factors in on a lower end is your ECs, LORs, and any other life experience, as well as your interview skills.

I've tried studying from Kaplan books, they're a bit on the easier end. Study with Princeton review, and Examkrakers. They're pretty solid.

Wish you the best!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN Mobile

Thanks for the advice , I just feel so down when I see these mcat grades and this test requires confidence! I felt like Kaplan inflated the grades and verbal was not helpful. I have the option of retaking the course for half off, or would you suggest signing up for Examkrakers or Princeton course? I have done shadowing and clinical volunteering, I don't know if I should wait another cycle or just apply this cycle broadly

 

[medmotivation]

would anyone recommend taking another year off and taking mcat a third time and applying more broadly or just try my luck this time. I feel like the 6 in verbal and overall low test scores coupled with a prospective late application will deter my chances?

 

[baxt1412]

i don't think you need to retake the MCAT necessarily.


part of me says to suggest waiting until day 1 next cycle though.
the 6 may get you auto-screened by a couple of schools, but shouldn't be a huge deal. but if you haven't even submitted your primary app at this point, you're looking at 5+ weeks i think to get verified. then possibly another 1-2 weeks to receive secondaries, and then potentially up to a month waiting to get an II... or longer.


i think day 1 next cycle would land you many many many II.

 

[medmotivation]

i don't think you need to retake the MCAT necessarily.


part of me says to suggest waiting until day 1 next cycle though.
the 6 may get you auto-screened by a couple of schools, but shouldn't be a huge deal. but if you haven't even submitted your primary app at this point, you're looking at 5+ weeks i think to get verified. then possibly another 1-2 weeks to receive secondaries, and then potentially up to a month waiting to get an II... or longer.


i think day 1 next cycle would land you many many many II.

This is my deep down feeling as well, but then I say there is hope this year. My pre-med council says lower than a 9 in any section will not gain acceptances from schools and they would not be likely to recommend that applicant with confidence, this scares me. Maybe if I apply to low tier very late deadline schools within the next two weeks I will have a chance,but If I get rejected I feel like my chances will be done for for next year if I decide to apply again. I just need to do something during these gap years, I've been thinking and Im not sure if a masters program would be beneficial.

 

[chizledfrmstone]

Were the practice tests from Kaplan or AAMC?

 

[crazy87]

My personal advice would be wait until next cycle. I am a non trad though, and I took my time making sure I had everything as good as I could get it before applying. From what it seems on sdn, it's a huge advantage to apply early.

 

[CUNYguy]

Thanks for the advice , I just feel so down when I see these mcat grades and this test requires confidence! I felt like Kaplan inflated the grades and verbal was not helpful. I have the option of retaking the course for half off, or would you suggest signing up for Examkrakers or Princeton course? I have done shadowing and clinical volunteering, I don't know if I should wait another cycle or just apply this cycle broadly

Kaplan has been said to inflate the grades. For me, I bought the 4 book set (before the MCAT2015 set came out), and I used it to just brush up on my content knowledge. It's like the kick that you need to get your bike moving, but personally, I wouldn't want to use it to keep pedalling. I would suggest trying to get a Princeton course if any course at all (if money isn't a problem). The way that I'm studying at the moment is by SN2ed's guide and just modifying it in a way that it won't (a) obstruct any of my regular studies, and (b) prepare me for MCAT2015 (which I'm taking, I've got 1.5 years before I grad). You should check it out on the MCAT discussions page, it's pretty solid.

This is my deep down feeling as well, but then I say there is hope this year. My pre-med council says lower than a 9 in any section will not gain acceptances from schools and they would not be likely to recommend that applicant with confidence, this scares me. Maybe if I apply to low tier very late deadline schools within the next two weeks I will have a chance,but If I get rejected I feel like my chances will be done for for next year if I decide to apply again. I just need to do something during these gap years, I've been thinking and Im not sure if a masters program would be beneficial.

Don't waste your money. Apply at this point is a bit of a gamble, if I may say so myself. I would just continue taking courses (if you're still in school), or work/volunteer to boost your application. As baxt1412 has said, apply day 1, and you should be good to go.

Education is an investment of both time and money. Don't rush things.

 

[medmotivation]

Were the practice tests from Kaplan or AAMC?

I did both, higher grades were from kaplan but I did not get below a 28 on aamc practice tests. I don't know how I would use these tests again for a third time if I want to take in January, because I know they are best indicators. Do you recommend any other specific courses, Ive heard a lot about gold standard?

 

[medmotivation]

Would anyone say retaking in January would just not help because I cannot be sure of what I will get, my grades are not correlating to the practice? or should I just keep practicing and take new exam, this is what I dreaded. All these recommendations for lower tier schools are great and I am tempted to apply, my transcripts are in but Im guessing they have a bias against non-area students. I am in NY state as well as late applicant status. Touro and some other schools said they would accept January MCAT so maybe there is hope...

 

[medmotivation]

And thank you to everyone replying, I feel like this is my support system and you tell it like it is... I don't have that outside out here! If anyone has any good sources that helped improve verbal scores or practice for the sciences it is appreciated.Going back to content review starting now!

 

[CUNYguy]

Testing Solutions has a pretty on-point verbal set.

TS1 (Testing Solutions, Test 1)
http://www.amazon.com/TS1-Reasoning..._kstore_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=03BE86PM30S2EWMMH4NN

This is just the first one, but there are a few in their series. It runs off Kindle, so I'm not sure if you'll have any problems with that. And per my pre-health advisor, any type of philosophy/pre-law/LSAT books are good, since they're very "read b/w the lines" oriented. Although, LSAT has been known to be a bit difficult, but better more difficult than easier.

 

[medmotivation]

Testing Solutions has a pretty on-point verbal set.

TS1 (Testing Solutions, Test 1)
http://www.amazon.com/TS1-Reasoning..._kstore_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=03BE86PM30S2EWMMH4NN

This is just the first one, but there are a few in their series. It runs off Kindle, so I'm not sure if you'll have any problems with that. And per my pre-health advisor, any type of philosophy/pre-law/LSAT books are good, since they're very "read b/w the lines" oriented. Although, LSAT has been known to be a bit difficult, but better more difficult than easier.

Thank you, it has a lot of good reviews. I will definitely look into this!

 

[user3]

You can still get in somewhere, but won't be able to be picky. Submit ASAP, do not apply to CCOM AZCOM or Touro's.

FWIW- There was a poster here last year, 3.7/22, was not complete until November. 5 interviews.

 

[yankees527]

This is my deep down feeling as well, but then I say there is hope this year. My pre-med council says lower than a 9 in any section will not gain acceptances from schools and they would not be likely to recommend that applicant with confidence, this scares me. Maybe if I apply to low tier very late deadline schools within the next two weeks I will have a chance,but If I get rejected I feel like my chances will be done for for next year if I decide to apply again. I just need to do something during these gap years, I've been thinking and Im not sure if a masters program would be beneficial.

My pre med advisor told me not to apply to any schools, I got 10/7/10 and 10/6/10. I applied anyway, and got 3 acceptances thus far. Take what they say with a grain of salt.

EDIT: BTW F*** verbal.

 

[hallowmann]

Don't get a committee letter if they aren't going to recommend you positively.

would anyone recommend taking another year off and taking mcat a third time and applying more broadly or just try my luck this time. I feel like the 6 in verbal and overall low test scores coupled with a prospective late application will deter my chances?

Its up to you. You could just reapply next year if you don't get in this year. I don't think I can recommend retaking the MCAT. You've taken it twice and essentially gotten the same score (I know you went up by 1 in two sections and down by 1 in one, but that's essentially within a typical margin of error).

Unless you can clearly identify what you did wrong and know that you can fix it, I would not recommend risking another retake that might just further confirm that you reached your peak or worse yet will result in a lower score.

You can still get in somewhere, but won't be able to be picky. Submit ASAP, do not apply to CCOM AZCOM or Touro's.

FWIW- There was a poster here last year, 3.7/22, was not complete until November. 5 interviews.

I agree with this.

 

[medmotivation]

You can still get in somewhere, but won't be able to be picky. Submit ASAP, do not apply to CCOM AZCOM or Touro's.

FWIW- There was a poster here last year, 3.7/22, was not complete until November. 5 interviews.

Ok thanks, good to know. Are there any others to steer clear of with my stats?

My pre med advisor told me not to apply to any schools, I got 10/7/10 and 10/6/10. I applied anyway, and got 3 acceptances thus far. Take what they say with a grain of salt.

EDIT: BTW F*** verbal.

Wow, congrats and your science scores were great and consistent. I guess I shouldn't listen then, except my premed committee letter depends on them. We'll see what happens, I better act fast. Did you by any chance apply late or are your acceptances for this for this cycle if you don't mind me asking? Feelings on verbal totally mutual lol (crying on the inside)!

 

[medmotivation]

Don't get a committee letter if they aren't going to recommend you positively.



Its up to you. You could just reapply next year if you don't get in this year. I don't think I can recommend retaking the MCAT. You've taken it twice and essentially gotten the same score (I know you went up by 1 in two sections and down by 1 in one, but that's essentially within a typical margin of error).

Unless you can clearly identify what you did wrong and know that you can fix it, I would not recommend risking another retake that might just further confirm that you reached your peak or worse yet will result in a lower score.



I agree with this.

Yes, I'm afraid I might have reached the ceiling, which just is beyond me considering my practice scores were consistently above this. I know this is the reality, but I can't give up until I know I have exhausted everything. I might just sit in for another test in january if seats become available and see if my test scores improve until then. Verbal was my lowest during practice, but my lowest was an 8. I did focus mostly on content review and the kaplan method for verbal, maybe I should utilize the ek method...being in a grey area at this point in life is like a mid mid life crisis.

 

[medmotivation]

Yes, I'm going to have to talk to them and see what happens. I'm afraid I might have reached the ceiling, which just is beyond me considering my practice scores were consistently above this. I know this is the reality, but I can't give up until I know I have exhausted everything. I might just sit in for another test in january if seats become available and see if my test scores improve until then. Verbal was my lowest during practice, but my lowest was an 8. I did focus mostly on content review and the kaplan method for verbal, maybe I should utilize the ek method...being in a grey area at this point in life is like a mid mid life crisis.

 

[yankees527]

Ok thanks, good to know. Are there any others to steer clear of with my stats?

Wow, congrats and your science scores were great and consistent. I guess I shouldn't listen then, except my premed committee letter depends on them. We'll see what happens, I better act fast. Did you by any chance apply late or are your acceptances for this for this cycle if you don't mind me asking? Feelings on verbal totally mutual lol (crying on the inside)!

I actually applied in june, so it was pretty early. That probably played a role. But if you have the money submit the apps! Your gpa is fantastic, mine was only 3.6. Assuming you have pretty good lor and ec,I believe in you

 

[yankees527]

I actually applied in june, so it was pretty early. That probably played a role. But if you have the money submit the apps! Your gpa is fantastic, mine was only 3.6. Assuming you have pretty good lor and ec,I believe in you

I should add that i think doing great in english and humanities courses, as well as a humanities LOR helped my case. Definately consider those factors

 

[medmotivation]

I should add that i think doing great in english and humanities courses, as well as a humanities LOR helped my case. Definately consider those factors

I really did enjoy and have strong grades in the humanities and a LOR from professors in these departments, so I really hopes this comes into play in the holistic evaluation of applicants! I think I may give the lower tier schools a try and hope for the best! Again congrats, its awesome knowing and getting one step closer

 

[yankees527]

I really did enjoy and have strong grades in the humanities and a LOR from professors in these departments, so I really hopes this comes into play in the holistic evaluation of applicants! I think I may give the lower tier schools a try and hope for the best! Again congrats, its awesome knowing and getting one step closer

Thats another thing in your favor! Just submit those apps right away!
And thanks again, just got into my first choice yesterday and i wanted to start giving advice and confidence to others who were in my situation.

 

[CUNYguy]

@medmotivation You said that you live in NYS? I'm not sure if it's reasonable for you, but I just got an e-mail from Princeton saying that there might be seats opening up for NYC facilities.

If it's reasonable for you and since you seem committed to working towards taking it x3, then keep an eye on it.

 

[medmotivation]

@medmotivation You said that you live in NYS? I'm not sure if it's reasonable for you, but I just got an e-mail from Princeton saying that there might be seats opening up for NYC facilities.

If it's reasonable for you and since you seem committed to working towards taking it x3, then keep an eye on it.

Thanks for letting me know! I just looked at aamc mcat twitter (what has my social media life come to) and it says they are adding a december 6th date and more seats in NYC, def on the lookout.

 

[PlaqueBuster]

Are you genuinely interested in DO? You GPA is amazing. I think if you pull off that 33 that you were scoring on your practice tests, then hands down you can get an interview at MD schools ( if this is really where you would rather go). I think you have a chance at DO schools since your gpa is high but I would not go into the application wtih high hopes because it is already october. I would recommend that you sit down and study for the new mcat in May and apply next cycle. During this year, get employment, shadow, volunteer. Use Examkracers, The Berkley review and Princeton review to study. Take practice tests monthly from november until April and make sure your scores are improving. You want March and April practice tests to be 30+ if you want MD. Then apply early next year. Submit apps in June 2015, finish secondaries early, and wait.

 

[medmotivation]

Are you genuinely interested in DO? You GPA is amazing. I think if you pull off that 33 that you were scoring on your practice tests, then hands down you can get an interview at MD schools ( if this is really where you would rather go). I think you have a chance at DO schools since your gpa is high but I would not go into the application wtih high hopes because it is already october. I would recommend that you sit down and study for the new mcat in May and apply next cycle. During this year, get employment, shadow, volunteer. Use Examkracers, The Berkley review and Princeton review to study. Take practice tests monthly from november until April and make sure your scores are improving. You want March and April practice tests to be 30+ if you want MD. Then apply early next year. Submit apps in June 2015, finish secondaries early, and wait.

I really think this is what is going to happen. Thanks for the compliment, it seems that gpa is such a small portion of the big picture. I really enjoy the osteopathic philosophy because that is genuinely what I have really wanted, but anything I can get I will take lol! If I ever do get a 33, I would apply to MD as well, but Im just hoping for an increase at this point! Right now, osteo. is the closest I can get to becoming a physician . You do not recommend a January test date at all? I can devote all my time these next couple of months...

Also, I don't know if you might have experience with this but do you recommend taking any post bac or masters programs in nyc for the second gap year, I think it would be a good idea to keep academia fresh on my mind?I was think public health because I could use it in the future if I do become a physician and I think it would help me in the management fields?
Thanks for your reply!

 

[PlaqueBuster]

January is going to push your application for this sycle back a lot. You will get scores back in February and only then will you be reviewed. I mean you can try if you don't mind spending that extra money. I think january is the last old mcat date. Again if your interest is in DO then even if you get 30+ on mcat you dont need to go MD. You can still apply to DO and this time you will have a better shot since your stats are higher. High stats don't automatically mean that MD is the only option and low stats dont mean only DO. Good luck and if you have questions send me a message. I will answer any.

 

[medmotivation]

January is going to push your application for this sycle back a lot. You will get scores back in February and only then will you be reviewed. I mean you can try if you don't mind spending that extra money. I think january is the last old mcat date. Again if your interest is in DO then even if you get 30+ on mcat you dont need to go MD. You can still apply to DO and this time you will have a better shot since your stats are higher. High stats don't automatically mean that MD is the only option and low stats dont mean only DO. Good luck and if you have questions send me a message. I will answer any.

Ok thanks.. yea I think next year is best shot. I just never took any sociology or psychology so I wanted to just focus on the old one, since I have now basically gotten used to everything tested.