Poor MCAT Writing Score

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what a nightmare score. you gotta retake. unless you attach a picture of your junk to your application. than i think, by law, they have to accept you.
 
I think medical schools could care less, I went for an interview where the doc didn't know if the scale went up or down the alphabet. I believe it's being removed from the test starting 2015 because its so inconsequential.
 
The scale goes by degrees of approximation to your initials. That is, if your writing sample score doesn't match any of your initials, you're ****ed.
 
OP, its nursing school for you....if you`re lucky..
 
We have the same score (though my breakdown was different, as I had an 11 in Verbal). I only was complete at 4 schools and was rejected from the only top 20 school I applied to, but I am sure it was due to another factor like my average cGPA or small amount of research experience. I'm actually pretty sure my MCAT is the reason I got a scholarship to the school I AM attending. Schools supposedly don't care unless your writing score is at the very bottom of the range, and an O is right in the middle.
 
Disregard all the comments about you being screwed. I have a very similar MCAT score, 40O. I spoke with one of the dean of admissions of one of the schools I applied to about retaking the MCAT to try and round out my score. He flat out told me not to retake it unless I was sure I could score another 40 or higher. He said it wouldn't even be worth a one point drop to bring my writing score way up. So I guess the writing section isn't used very heavily at all.
 
WeasleMD said:
Disregard all the comments about you being screwed. I have a very similar MCAT score, 40O. I spoke with one of the dean of admissions of one of the schools I applied to about retaking the MCAT to try and round out my score. He flat out told me not to retake it unless I was sure I could score another 40 or higher. He said it wouldn't even be worth a one point drop to bring my writing score way up. So I guess the writing section isn't used very heavily at all.
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You were thinking of retaking a 40? You mean, you actually considered it???


....I can't even... *facepalm
 
Ill trade you my 33Q for your 39O, you can even keep 3 or 4 of your MCAT points.
 
Camy99 said:
You were thinking of retaking a 40? You mean, you actually considered it???


....I can't even... *facepalm
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There is a different standard for the MCAT in Canada where I did my undergraduate. There, the writing score is not just a joke section and my score actually meant I didn't meet the base requirements for many medical school. I needed to be thoroughly assured that my writing score would not be a detriment so I asked. Thus I can say with confidence that most admission committees in the US disregard the writing section.
 
WeasleMD said:
There is a different standard for the MCAT in Canada where I did my undergraduate. There, the writing score is not just a joke section and my score actually meant I didn't meet the base requirements for many medical school. I needed to be thoroughly assured that my writing score would not be a detriment so I asked. Thus I can say with confidence that most admission committees in the US disregard the writing section.
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I just got a 38M and have been looking at the threads for affirmation that the writing score doesn't matter. all I can say is thank goodness I'm not applying in Canada. I would die if I had to retake just because of the writing...::coughcough:: that being said, were you looking to apply to Canadian schools?
 
Can make a slight difference to a knowledgeable adcom member if you have a J or T. Otherwise, you've already put enough thought into this..time to move on to bigger worries.
 
gettheleadout said:
omg this.
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Well Weasle said he's Canadian, and things work quite differently over there, especially for Ontario residents. For example, Queen's and UWO (Western Ontario) have writing sample cutoffs of Q or sometimes R, and 10 or 11 cutoffs in the other sections. As long as you hit the cutoffs they don't care what your score was, and some other Canadian schools work on cutoffs as well. So if you didn't hit the Queen's and UWO writing cutoffs, but were certain you would hit the cutoffs in the other sections again, even with a 40 it could make sense to retake.

(No I'm not a fan of the cutoff system, I don't think a 11/11/10Q is worth more than a 14/12/14P)
 
ZtetNb said:
Well Weasle said he's Canadian, and things work quite differently over there, especially for Ontario residents. For example, Queen's and UWO (Western Ontario) have writing sample cutoffs of Q or sometimes R, and 10 or 11 cutoffs in the other sections. As long as you hit the cutoffs they don't care what your score was, and some other Canadian schools work on cutoffs as well. So if you didn't hit the Queen's and UWO writing cutoffs, but were certain you would hit the cutoffs in the other sections again, even with a 40 it could make sense to retake.

(No I'm not a fan of the cutoff system, I don't think a 11/11/10Q is worth more than a 14/12/14P)
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So don't go to school in Canada, and get into a top notch American school with your 40.
 
That assumes that there's room for him, and that he could get a scholarship for out-of-state tuition.

I don't envy the Canadians.
 
gettheleadout said:
So don't go to school in Canada, and get into a top notch American school with your 40.
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I don't think many Canadians are aware that they would participate in the first round of CaRMS as US MD grads though, which otherwise would be problematic if they want to come back to Canada. Plus there's the issue of getting financial aid.
 
Annnd that's all assuming the Canadian would even want to spend years in the US. I had to make the move, and I must say it's quite a legit country they've got up there. I miss it--until I get my snow-less CA winters, then I don't miss it so much 😛 That and this whole MCAT writing score business.
 
Morsetlis said:
That assumes that there's room for him, and that he could get a scholarship for out-of-state tuition.

I don't envy the Canadians.
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ZtetNb said:
I don't think many Canadians are aware that they would participate in the first round of CaRMS as US MD grads though, which otherwise would be problematic if they want to come back to Canada. Plus there's the issue of getting financial aid.
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Camy99 said:
Annnd that's all assuming the Canadian would even want to spend years in the US. I had to make the move, and I must say it's quite a legit country they've got up there. I miss it--until I get my snow-less CA winters, then I don't miss it so much 😛 That and this whole MCAT writing score business.
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While all of that sucks, I'd personally turn my nose up at a school that would screen me out for a 40, regardless of my writing score.
 
You can turn your nose up at any school you want AFTER you get accepted to at least one school. 🙄
 
Morsetlis said:
You can turn your nose up at any school you want AFTER you get accepted to at least one school. 🙄
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Yeah, I get that. My point is were I in that particular situation, with the option of applying to schools that would be overjoyed with that MCAT score as opposed to retaking because a smaller handful of schools would screen me out solely based on my MCAT score on an admittedly dubious section, while my composite was 99th+ percentile, I would rather not deal with schools that I felt had their priorities so misplaced. This, especially considering there are 10 times as many quality schools that would see it much differently.

If you honestly think I meant what I said as arrogance toward admissions in general then I'm sorry you misunderstood me. Were there any American schools that had similar priorities and would screen me out for such a score, again I would not retake for their sake, and simply apply elsewhere, especially considering the much greater majority of schools that would not share the sentiment about the writing section.
 
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