rescheduling mcat and need advice PLS :(

[poprox]

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hello all,

i'm currently registered to take the july 29 mcat (3 days, i know). i took my first practice test (AAMC practice test 10) today and did not score anywhere near as high as i wanted to (24). i'm struggling with the decision to postpone the exam until august 13th or august 20th.

i submitted my primary application on july 15 and have a gpa of 3.5. most of my first choice schools i'm applying to have a deadline of november 15 and december 1st.

would rescheduling the date enormously hurt my chances of getting in? and also, does anyone know if you can change the intended date of your mcat on your primary once you've submitted it?

any help would be MUCH appreciated. --thank you thank you thank you

 

[BioeMD]

This is definitely a tough choice. If it were me I would push back the MCAT. I know pretty much all of the schools accept tests taken in August. A score of 24 is a bit low and you've probably started to psych yourself out for the test. I'd suggest not taking the MCAT until you think you are ready and I think it's pretty important to take a few practice tests to get used to the format and study up on stuff you aren't comfortable with. Practice with verbal is especially important in my opinion.

That being said I'm pretty sure you are not going to be able to get the money back for registering for the July date. It might also be difficult to get a test date in August as that is pretty soon.

I would say that you should check to see if test dates are available in August in your area. Also, I would contact the AMCAS people to see whether you can change the predicted MCAT date on your primary and resubmit to schools.

Good luck with whatever you choose. Whenever you take the MCAT just remember to relax and trust in what you know and what you've studied.

 

[poprox]

thank you, bioemd. good to have some other perspective.

 

[smileydoc11]

I definitely say postpone it, especially if you are only just taking your first practice test now. I found the practice tests to be a very accurate measure of how I did on the actual MCAT (36R), and I think actually taking the practice tests is what really helped me do well on the real thing (I took at least 8 practice tests). I would postpone it until you are getting on the practices what you want to get on the real MCAT.

 

[spartan89]

I agree that you should postpone it. My feeling is that you should spend another year preparing before you actually take it. Do you typically do well on standardized tests? If you really worked at it, you could probably improve the score a few points. But applying after an August MCAT significantly reduces your chances, as most schools are rolling admissions. If the rest of your application is strong and you're a good test taker, it might be worth trying to apply this year. I don't know whether submitting primaries and subsequently deciding to reapply in one year would make you a re-applicant.