.

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Status
Not open for further replies.

Napih

New Member
2+ Year Member
Joined
May 18, 2019
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
.

Members don't see this ad.
 
Last edited:
Apply DO. You screwed yourself by taking it twice. Don’t dig the hole deeper than it already is
 
  • Dislike
Reactions: 1 user
Can you tell us about how you prepped for exam 1, and then for exam 2?

509 is merely OK for MD applications and the decline is even more worrisome.
The only one who can answer "Would writing for a third time and bringing my score up help or would it make things even worse?" is YOU.

It really depends on how you strategized your study plan and if that is the key reason, you need to figure out WHAT you can do better in your studying routine. Medical schools will view all MCAT attempts in their consideration and if you want to be competitive for when you do apply, you need to make sure that you really get a SOLID, consistent string of GOOD scores before you take the test. Rushing to re-take is one of the key pitfalls that happens (people panic and retake the test without properly triaging the underlying issue). I've seldom heard of applicants taking it MORE than THREE times.

If you RE-take the MCAT again, it's likely your final real shot so make it count.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Members don't see this ad :)
If you were to retake a 3rd time, anything less than say, a 520, probably will not be in your favor. Your score going down is definitely not a good thing- schools view MCAT scores in confidence intervals, where if you score a 514, your "true" score might be anywhere from 510-518. Scoring a 509 on the retake tells schools your "true" score is on the lower side.

I would recommend against a third retake.

Kevin W, MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors
 
People who have retaken the MCAT and done worse (especially worse on every section) have universally had pretty limited application cycles. I've only known a few people from my school who retook the MCAT in your situation. Those who applied MD universally got no interviews and had to reapply. Those who applied DO were lucky to get one or two interviews, and only a few of those received an acceptance. I don't know what they were asked during the interview, but I'd be shocked if they didn't have to discuss their MCAT score dropping at least once or twice.
 
OP, sorry to hear that. That score drops must sting.

This just goes to show that the exam *might* have poor precision...

My practice exams were a mighty 3 points above my real thing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I would not rewrite. I had your exact breakdown from your first test. As a CA ORM, I was still able to secure 4 II even with the 124 in cars. YMMV. How that new score will affect your app? It’ll probably hurt to point where you’ll have to have a couple DO schools on your list.
 
LOL (to everyone shaming you) for what its worth I was in a similar position such as yours.

took Old MCAT got a 31 (11/9/11) 82th percentile
retook it got 30 (12/8/10) 78th percentile

Retook the NEW MCAT a third time got 513 (129/126/130/128) 90th percentile

Applied to 30 schools all US MD, got 6 interviews and now I'm a third year. I'm not saying you should or should not rewrite just providing my own anecdotal experience.

Not even once been asked about why I took it 3 times nor have been questioned on my MCAT
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top