quick mcat question

[spidermonkey11]

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I have a question. I took the mcat last august and got a 25 which is somewhere near the national average. The scary thing is that I thought I did way better than a 25, and it's now less than amonth until the april test and i dont feel nearly as prepared as i did for the last mcat. So is it better to just apply with a 25 or to retake it and do barely better or even get a lower score? At this point I'm only aiming at my state schools anyway. Should I risk it and take the test in April or just go in with that really crappy score?

 

[X]

Which State? Which school?
What's your GPA?

Most likely you should retake, but first answer the two questions above.

X

 

[spidermonkey11]

3.5 and the 2 jersey state schools. im also taking a year off and working for americorps

 

[BananaSplit]

Are you taking a prep course? If you are, what are your diagnostic tests saying? And if you're not taking a prep course, perhaps you could get a friend to lend you a copy of a test and see how you're scoring compared to next year. Then you'll get a better clue of where you stand compared to last time. ^_^ Good luck!

BananaSplit

 

[BananaSplit]

Err, I meant last year.

 

[Doctor1]

Have you considered taking it in August? If you MUST apply this year, then why not use the summer and take it in August?

 

[UCLAMAN]

Don't apply with a 25 mcat(at least not to md programs). I suggest retaking the test sometime when u feel a lot more prepared and can hit 30. Do not rush applying with borderline or below borderline mcat scores. Its a waste of money IMO. I mean yeah...theres a "chance" you could get in with a 25...but honestly, what are those chances? Theres also a chance that one could win the lottery or get struck with lightning. For every person u hear that got in with a 25 or below...there are probably 50 or a 100 others that didn't get in with those scores.

I think it would be in your best interest to make a concerted effort to just improve your mcat score, then apply. That way you won't be relying so much on slim "chances" and risk just gambling your money away. This will also give you more time to build up your resume. You may have to delay applying for a year...but in the end you will have much better options. Take your time and do things right so you get in the first time. One and done is what your goal should be. Don't leave things up to chance. Why rush to test the waters if the possibility you will fail is much greater than the possibility you will succeed? Just take the time to improve yourself so that it will be more likely that you succeed rather than fail. retaking the mcat is the same way. If you think there is a possibility of not doing well or even worse than the first time then why rush to take it?

As yoda says, "try not. do. or do not. there is no try." Furthermore, don't rush! Patience is a virtue. Take your time and get things done the right way the first time.

just my 2 pennies...good luck!!!! 🙂

 

[vixenell]

I disagree with UCLAMAN (assuming he wasnt being sarcastic). If the rest of your application is strong, you can still be accepted somewhere. However, if you feel that you can't hack it on this test, I'd imagine that you aren't really prepared for med school anyway.

Of course, if you're only depending on the MCAT score to carry your application alone, then even with a 42, you probably wouldn't be a strong applicant. If you feel that the rest of your application balances out the 25 (near 4.0 gpa, lots of volunteer experience, perhaps some research, ECs, and amazing LORs), then I'd say go ahead and apply.

If you truly feel that you can do better by taking it again, then by all means, do it. Between now and then, figure out what you did "wrong" and work on it... don't just expect to show up and score 5 extra points, just because.

UCLAMAN said don't leave anything up to chance. Well, thats what the med school admissions process is: chance. No matter how you look at it. And if you do apply, and don't get in, don't just attribute it to your score.

 

[UCLAMAN]

Originally posted by vixenell
I disagree with UCLAMAN (assuming he wasnt being sarcastic). If the rest of your application is strong, you can still be accepted somewhere. However, if you feel that you can't hack it on this test, I'd imagine that you aren't really prepared for med school anyway.

Of course, if you're only depending on the MCAT score to carry your application alone, then even with a 42, you probably wouldn't be a strong applicant. If you feel that the rest of your application balances out the 25 (near 4.0 gpa, lots of volunteer experience, perhaps some research, ECs, and amazing LORs), then I'd say go ahead and apply.

If you truly feel that you can do better by taking it again, then by all means, do it. Between now and then, figure out what you did "wrong" and work on it... don't just expect to show up and score 5 extra points, just because.

UCLAMAN said don't leave anything up to chance. Well, thats what the med school admissions process is: chance. No matter how you look at it. And if you do apply, and don't get in, don't just attribute it to your score.

Thats exactly what I'm talking about...It is very difficult to "balance out" a 25 mcat score. I'm not being sarcastic, I'm being serious.

I agree that one should retake if they feel they could do better. I'm not saying that the op shouldn't retake. I'm saying the op should retake when s/he feels ready. From the op's original post s/he doesn't sound too confident about even matching the original score of 25.

The medical school admissions process is definitely chance. However, it is a chance to a certain extent. It is a chance in that a qualified applicant is never guaranteed a spot at a certain medical school. So qualified applicants usually end up going wherever they are accepted. HOWEVER, It is NOT a chance that someone makes themselves into a qualified applicant. My point is that an mcat score of 25 does not reflect(at least to most admissions committees) that the op is a qualified applicant. You control that part of the process. My point was not to leave the "turning yourself into a well-qualified applicant" part to chance. the average mcat for matriculants is what? a 29? something like that? the avg for people who take the test is a 24?(8's across the board) You can improve your 25mcat before you apply. Why in the world would you apply with a 25mcat? You know it is below the averages for matriculants...are you willing to take the chance of applying with an mcat score significantly below the matriculation average?

Come on...lets be realistic...thats a long shot...you'd have to be someone pretty unique to overcome a 25 mcat. Is it possible? yes. Could it happen? Yes. Will it happen if you apply? Possibly. My point is...Do not apply if your qualifications as an applicant most likely make you a longshot...rather, spend an extra year improving those qualities, then apply. Thats what I mean by not leaving things to chance. Do not leave it to chance that you may get in with a 25 when you can spend a few months studying hard to make sure you get a 30+. In the long run you will benefit.

No sarcasm...no BS...I am a reapplicant so I'm speaking from hindsight. I got rejected with a weaker resume the first time around. But I had a 28 mcat and 3.81 gpa that first time around. People kept telling me "Well...you'll get in somewhere. Don't worry. You'll get in somewhere." Alas...I did not get in anywhere my first time around. Had I just waited a year to apply I would have had a much stronger application and would've gotten in in one shot.

Don't listen to lip service. MAKE YOURSELF INTO A QUALIFIED APPLICANT IN ALL AREAS BEFORE APPLYING.

If the op feels that s/he is a qualified applicant even with a 25mcat...hey...thats your call. If you feel that your intangibles will compensate...hey...again...your call. I'm not from jersey...I don't know what the profiles of matriculants are at those schools. I am also not the op. I cannot judge what the op feels s/he is capable of. If you feel that you've done the best you possibly can and can't do any better...then apply. I just don't want to say that a 25 is an ok score. Because lets face it...more often than not...a 25 mcat score doesn't cut it. (Yes...there are always exceptions.)

I apologize if I sound harsh...I'm not trying to rip the op down...I just strongly believe in really taking the time to make yourself into a well qualified applicant before applying. Do not leave that aspect up to chance. You WILL be rewarded for your patience and hard work in the end.

Good luck!!!!

 

[lola]

are you a urm? is your gpa close to 4.0? if not, i agree with uclaman. even if your gpa is close to 4.0, i think you should retake the mcat when you're prepared.
as a non-traditional applicant with a fairly high gpa, a master's degree from a very reputable school, several years work experience, and very good extracurriculars, i'm having a really hard time getting in somewhere with my 27 mcat. if i were just out of college and had a 25 mcat, i really really doubt i would have gotten in somewhere, despite my good grades and extracurriculars. i really think you should retake the mcat when you're ready and will do well. that may mean taking another year or two off, but i think it will be worth it. you are much more likely to end up at a school you really want to go to, and the process will be so much less painful/stressful.

 

[PublicHealth]

A 25 MCAT and solid 3.5 GPA, along with extracurriculars and clinical experience will undoubtedly land you some interviews at osteopathic medical schools.

 

[ShaylaFinn]

Spidermonkey, I'm sorry, but I don't see it happening with a 3.5 and a 25MCAT unless you're related to the dean of admissions, gave a HUGE donation to the school and have a library named after you, or are an Olympic Gold medalist. Just kidding about some of this stuff, but you get the gist. There would have to be something really extraordinary and *special* about your profile to outweigh the low MCAT since your GPA is average, and it seems like everyone who applies now has good ECs.

If you take the April MCAT and do the same (or worse) it won't help your app. If you take the Aug MCAT and do only marginally better, then you run the risk of being a "late" applicant with average numbers.

Why not aim for entering class 2005? Plan on studying hard to get a 30+ MCAT on the April 2004 test and build up your EC resume with things like Americorps, research, postbacc coursework, etc., then get your AMCAS and secondaries submitted early in the cycle.

But then again, that MCAT is one quirky test. You could get a test version loaded with stuff you're really good at and really rock it this April. Only you know what's best for you financially, emotionally, and professionally.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[ShaylaFinn]

Lola - can we combine apps to get our "non-traditional" selves into some schools? 😉

I'm running with a low 30s MCAT, a 3.4 undergrad GPA, a 4.0 postbacc GPA and 4 years of clinical research at a top 10 academic med center and it's waitlist city.


Best wishes to you, lola. I'll be looking for a thread congratulating you soon.

 

[OB1🤙]

My $.02...

If I were you, I'd study like mad in the summer, bust the August MCAT, and apply to your state schools. This way you don't have to drop a bunch of money on the application process, but you still open yourself up to a real chance of getting in. Then approach the rest of the year with the mentality that you WON'T get accepted. You're working for Americorps, which is great. Find some clinical experience also. If you happen to get in, sweet- you beat the odds. If you don't, you have the MCAT out of the way, you have EC experience to interview with, and you're ready to shotgun the application process as soon as AMCAS opens its electronic doors. Then let the chips fall where they may.

This is all contingent on kicking the August test square in the ass. If standardized testing is not your cup of tea, get thee to Kaplan! Best of luck!

 

[kissit]

Hi spidermonkey,

YIKES! Please don't underestimate the requirements of NJ state schools. I, too, am a NJ resident, and interviewed at both schools (NJMS and RWJ) during this admissions cycle. They are extremely numbers-conscious. My interviewer at NJMS even stated this outrightly to me. It is really difficult to get an acceptance with a sub-30 score. People from tons of elite undergrad schools with high GPAs, good MCAT scores, and lots of ECs apply because of the decent education and cheap tuition. I thought I'd be a shoe-in at the UMDNJs since I'm a pretty well-rounded candidate but that was not the case. I'm currently waitlisted at both. Luckily, I have acceptances elsewhere. But, I urge you not to to think of the NJ schools as easy schools to get into. You'll find that they are quite the contrary.

Good luck.

 

[ashkan33]

i agree w uclaman and the posters that followed. a 25 mcat will make your chances extremely difficult. however, if you are a urm or have overcome extreme circumstances(economic disadvantages) then i say go ahead an apply but keep in mind your still shooting craps. also, your reluctance to not re-take the mcat in the spring or summer might possibly be perceived as a lack of dedication or persistence-both negative qualities for an applicant. if you feel that a 25 is your max potential, then taking the mcat again and getting another 25 will demonstrate that and a simple explanation of "i didn't think i was gonna do well" WON'T!. sorry if it seems like we're all scolding you but it's better us than the adcoms. good luck on the mcat.

 

[Iffy premed]

Spidermonkey:
The feeling of being less prepared than last year can just be purely nerves. Getting the 25 may have made you less self confident. I went through a similar situation as you. I took my first mcat in april 2002. I thought I broke the 30 mark. However, I got a sub-30 score. I then studied for the aug 2002 test. During the test and afterwards, I felt that the test was hard, and I did worse than in April. So I though that I got a even lower score. However, I got above 30, much to my own surprise. So my point: believe in your self and all the prep you did. MCAT is not only a test of knowledge, but also guts. Don't doubt yourself, otherwise you would do worse.