retake MCAT with a 31R?

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brownie2003

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hi guys!
hope studying is going well 🙂 i have a question - do you think i should retake the MCATs with a 31 MCAT (9, 10, 12, R)? will the 9V deny my access to the top tier schools? i would really like to end up somewhere on the west coast... i have a 4.0, lots of leadership and extracurriculars, pretty good lor. thanks for any advice!
take care
 
It won't help but I have two questions:
-Are you applying now and getting interviewed or are you applying next year?
-Are you trying for UC schools as an out of state res?
If you are getting interviews but not acceptances at schools you like then I wouldn't retake it.
If you are not getting interviews or are appling next year and trying to get into top schools or UCs from out of state then if you know you can do better it would probably be worth it. Either way, best of luck to you!
 
u r ridiculous, a 31R with a 9 is a GREAT score and will in absolutely no way deny you love from the top tier schools. just make sure you apply EARLY!! that is SO key it is not even funny, like that movie Juwanna Man. but Pootie Tang, now that is a funny movie. wait, what was I talking about?
 
hi guys!
hope studying is going well i have a question - do you think i should retake the MCATs with a 31 MCAT (9, 10, 12, R)? will the 9V deny my access to the top tier schools? i would really like to end up somewhere on the west coast... i have a 4.0, lots of leadership and extracurriculars, pretty good lor. thanks for any advice!
Click to expand...


Life is like a game of chess. You're obviously playing checkers. Try again.

Hope that Helps

P 'DungeonMaster' ShankOut
 
for the love of God and all that is holy, go away
 
If you know you could do better then by all means. I think you'll need over 31 to get into a UC from out of state, with some exceptions to certain ethnicities. But if you think you can't get better then don't try it.
 
As we all know, it's a pretty level curve after 30, but it's doable. You should take a look at some of the re-take stats. I think they are available somewhere on the MCAT website. I had a 31O. I too debated whether to retake, my friends thought I was crazy. I did retook and got a 35O. But if I had your stellar GPA, I wouldn't have taken it over. My GPA is actually a bit lower than the average matriculant GPA so I knew my MCAT score had to be better. It is a lot of work and sometimes you will be thinking "Why am I putting myself through this again?" But if you're committed, you can do it. Just know that you have to put in even more effort than you did the first time. And once you make a decision, stick with it. If you decide to retake, don't be wishy-washy from week to week, that will only hurt you. Don't approach it as, "well, if my practice scores don't go up, then i can always not take it" If you have that attitude, you won't work as hard. Hope this helps.

BananaSplit
 
'hi, i'm smart... people love me and sometimes they even tell me the want to mount me. umm... so, if i get a really good score on the mcats, should i take them again? i was just curious because i have this friend jill, and jill got a 39 on her mcats, and then jill interviewed at a couple of places, and then jill didn't get in. so that means i won't get in. so, umm, jill didn't have a boyfriend and now she's getting one... she thinks that a boyfriend will help her get into school. oh, and now she'll only eat raisin bran with one scoop of raisins, not two... because her friend emily said that mike did a study on raisins, and the more raisins you take in, the more likely you are to be denied an acceptance after an interview. well, its complicated really. i think its all based on a poisson distribution of raisins. so, now i'll only have one scoop raisin bran too. oh, emily's little brother dan also told her that if you drive to take your mcat exam you'll do better than if you let someone drive you there.... he says its all about control. i'm going to drive, unless of course jamie wants to drive... she has a convertible volkswagon and we like it. the boys like it too... but, i'm worried that if she drives, i'll only get a 37 and not explore my full potential at a 39.'

come near me and i'll pee on you. you're 31 is great. welcome to SDN.
:laugh:
p
 
hehe - thanks guys for the quick responses. i'm still wavering! cali schools are long shots for out or staters, huh? any of you guys applying top30 with 31 MCATs or below? and actually hearing from them? trying to decide what range to apply to... you guys have a good culture going on here..thanks for the welcome!
 
If you really want to go to a top tier school (especially one on the East cost)... you should retake (assuming you're sure you can do better.) A 9V can keep you out of a lot of top tier schools... unless you go to a top 10 undergrad school. ***PEOPLE, DO NOT GIVE ME "MY FRIEND JOE GOT INTO HARVARD WITH A 7V" STORIES*** We're talking chances here... and AT TOP TIER SCHOOLS you're chances are significantly worse with a 9V than they would be with a 10 or 11V.

Now I don't know you're whole story... maybe if you go to Princeton or you've done Peace Corp for 3 years... the 9V won't matter as much... or maybe you're a URM. However... unless you have something really amazing in your application... top tier schools might not even give you a second look.


Coincidently... I retook with a 31R. My breakdown was different though. I had a 10V 12P 9B. I'm so happy I decided to retake. It was a lot of work but it was so worth it.
 
NNNNNNOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

Are you kidding me????
 
california schools are stat ******. if you can do better (i assume so with a 4.0) then you should take it. 31R is a great score in general, but what matters is context. if you are someone who would usually score in the high 20's, then no don't take it over. if you would usually get something like 36+ then of course take it over.
 
Originally posted by indianboy
Life is like a game of chess. You're obviously playing checkers. Try again.

Hope that Helps

P 'DungeonMaster' ShankOut
Click to expand...

indianboy i love reading some of your posts. they're farkin hilarious. 😀
 
You can justifiably retake if one of the following things is true:

1) Some med school told you your VR was a point of concern on your application (so ASK)

2) The scores have expired for some school to which you're applying (doesn't matter if you would actually go there)

3) You really think your baseline score is >35, and you just had a bad day

4) You are a neurotic, driven pre-med who can't accept anything less than perfection


Be aware that unless you make it clear that you're retaking for reasons 1-3, the assumption will be that it is for reason #4, which is NOT the impression you want to convey.
 
what r u wondering about kid??? a 31??!! ofcourse u should retake....i'm sorry to break it down to you so bluntly, but...its a totally ****ty score!! infact...with a score THAT low...you should start looking for other options.....afterall...you have to end up doing something in your life.....no matter how easy or simple it is! whats wrong with being a male nurse, a life insurance rep, a carpenter or a janitor or any other decent profession??!!

believe me.....with a 31...the adcoms won't just send you a rejection letter....I'm afraid some of them might think you are tryin to insult them...so if you decide to apply...expect the worst when openning your mail....there might be some saliva or feces or whatever in there with the letter.

try asking your premed advisor......if he/she says that you should go ahead and apply....then you are in luck....go ahead call your lawyer and get paid for being so disgustingly misinformed!! at least with the cash you'll get you'll be able to open up a grocery store or a restaurant or something with which you can start your carreer.

I wish you all the best



p.s. there must be a law to legalize bitch-slapping certain individuals in our communities.
 
Originally posted by IOE
what r u wondering about kid??? a 31??!! ofcourse u should retake....i'm sorry to break it down to you so bluntly, but...its a totally ****ty score!! infact...with a score THAT low...you should start looking for other options.....afterall...you have to end up doing something in your life.....no matter how easy or simple it is! whats wrong with being a male nurse, a life insurance rep, a carpenter or a janitor or any other decent profession??!!

believe me.....with a 31...the adcoms won't just send you a rejection letter....I'm afraid some of them might think you are tryin to insult them...so if you decide to apply...expect the worst when openning your mail....there might be some saliva or feces or whatever in there with the letter.

try asking your premed advisor......if he/she says that you should go ahead and apply....then you are in luck....go ahead call your lawyer and get paid for being so disgustingly misinformed!! at least with the cash you'll get you'll be able to open up a grocery store or a restaurant or something with which you can start your carreer.

I wish you all the best



p.s. there must be a law to legalize bitch-slapping certain individuals in our communities.
Click to expand...

it's funny how a simple question gets this much anger. hell, i don't know if he should retake it or not. but i do know that i'm not bitter about him asking.
 
Originally posted by Dr.Tong
it's funny how a simple question gets this much anger. hell, i don't know if he should retake it or not. but i do know that i'm not bitter about him asking.
Click to expand...
Yah, the people who get all angery are "usually" the ones who couldn't score higher then 31 and think it's a great score. This guy has a bomb gpa and wants to go to a bomb A$$ school, if he thinks he can do better then 31 don't hate on him. Take your Ph.D. (Playa hatin Degree) some wheres else. The first time I took it I got 30M (7v,11p,12b), the 7 verbal I got totally ripped off. During the verbal the proctor declared 5 minutes when actuality we had 10 minutes. So when the 5 minutes where up they said opps you still have 5 minutes. By that time I've already bubbled in my guess letter of the day. I got jacked at least 2 whole passages, that I had to guess on. I knew I could do better so I did take it a again. I'm glad I did I got 36N, what a difference a stop watch can make. Maybe this guy/girl knows they could do alot better, so don't hate, congratulate if you can?t participate, or you could always masturbate.
 
your mcat scores are alright. I wouldn't retake them. You have a 4.0 congrats. From what school? a 4.0 from UCSF or UCLA is going to carry a helluva lot more weight than a 4.0 from Tom's Undergraduate Institute.

Your 31 will not serve you well at a top 5 school (though it is possible to get accepted with that score..just not likely). You'd have better luck at a top 20. There is NO reason to retake the mcat with a score over 30. Why take the chance to lower your score!?

If you're applying to University of California schools make sure you have residency status. If not then you're pretty much spinning your wheels since they don't accept that many outta staters.
 
a 4.0 from UCSF
Click to expand...

A 4.0 from UCSF ugrad is like getting AOA at Princeton Med. Both are as plausible as 'geldrop' asking a question that doesn't rob me of millions of braincells.

Hope that Helps

P 'Dying a little every day' ShankOut
 
Originally posted by indianboy
A 4.0 from UCSF ugrad is like getting AOA at Princeton Med. Both are as plausible as 'geldrop' asking a question that doesn't rob me of millions of braincells.

Hope that Helps

P 'Dying a little every day' ShankOut
Click to expand...

Believe it or not I interviewed a guy this year who had a 4.0 from UCSF undergrad.
 
A 31R is fabulous! I would not retake.
 
[QUOTEThe first time I took it I got 30M (7v,11p,12b), the 7 verbal I got totally ripped off. During the verbal the proctor declared 5 minutes when actuality we had 10 minutes. So when the 5 minutes where up they said opps you still have 5 minutes. By that time I've already bubbled in my guess letter of the day. I got jacked at least 2 whole passages, that I had to guess on. I knew I could do better so I did take it a again. I'm glad I did I got 36N, what a difference a stop watch can make. Maybe this guy/girl knows they could do alot better, so don't hate, congratulate if you can?t participate, or you could always masturbate. [/B][/QUOTE]

Hey, the same thing happened to me! Did you take your first MCAT August 2001 in Northern California? I didn't do so bad on the verbal part, I got an 11, but then it threw me off for the rest of day. I guess, that's something I should work on, not letting things like that psych me out for the rest of day. Otherwise, what kind of doctor would I be?
 
I think the choice about retaking the MCAT has to be made reflecting on the totality of your application and which schoosl you hope to be accepted at.

A 31R is a perfectly good score, if the rst of your application is solid and you wish to attend a top 25 school. To the extent that your application is weaker, or you wish to be accepted at a higher ranked school, the more likely you should consider retaking the MCAT.

The most important caveat through...is NEVER retake the MCAT and get a lower score. If you retake, do whatever you have to do, to score at least several points higher.

Best of luck.
 
Originally posted by UCLA2000
Believe it or not I interviewed a guy this year who had a 4.0 from UCSF undergrad.
Click to expand...
hope you didn't believe him. ucsf has only grad programs.
 
Hey brownie,

I don't have any great advice for you, but I'm pretty much in the same boat. I got 32R (10/11/11) when I wrote the mcats nearly two years ago. If I don't get in this year, then I will probably retake. I think the reasons for retaking listed previously on this thread are great, actually. My personal reason is simply that I am confident that I can improve significantly upon a retake. (At that time, I was consistently getting 35+ on AAMC practice tests [including no test with less than 12V!! sigh], hadn't taken organic, and barely studied).

The other factor, though, for me anyways, is in terms of scheduling the rest of my summer. I think that increased MCAT scores will make a big difference, but so will a good research experience to write/talk/get lor about. And studying for the MCAT will definitely kill my summer. So I think it's not just a matter of deciding whether to retake the MCATs, but also considering what you have to give up to retake them, and then balancing those two things together to decide what works best in the context of your life...

canadagirl
 
I was admitted to Hopkins and several other top 10 medical schools with a 31T. I am not a URM, my complexion is pasty white.

Don't retake it. Work on polishing the rest of your application.

doepug
MS III, Johns Hopkins
 
definately waste your time studying for it to take it again. have fun putting in all those extra hours for maybe 1 or 2 more points; or maybe even a lower score!😛
 
Originally posted by sfjohn
hope you didn't believe him. ucsf has only grad programs.
Click to expand...

umm...ucsf=UC Berkeley to many California residents. Yeah technically they're different but it's not a distinction that really needs to be made since as you pointed out...ucsf has no undergrad.

I didn't have to take his word for it. It was on his transcripts.
 
hey guys,
thanks for all the advice. i've decided not to retake it. i've done a lot of thinking and realized that while it would be wonderful to be in a top school, i won't die if i don't get in. medical school is medical school, and if i want to be a doctor, i'm willing to go anywhere. if you really think about it, it's such an honor that we all got here, had the privilege to take the lovely MCATs, pre-med classes, realized that we wanted to help people in such an important aspect of life (and be willing to take all the risks and pain that may come). i'll let you guys know how everything works out! hopefully the rest of my app is okay and i'm so happy that this way i'll have more time to work on my thesis (studying kids and mental illness, interesting topic!). and good luck with medical school. seems like the accepteptances are pouring in for you guys!!
take care guys.
 
I agree with Sweet Tea - I retook the MCAT and the results were bittersweet. I think your scores are solid enough to not throw away another summer buried in the books. 🙂

C.
 
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