Retake... Should I cancel?

[hope2017]

I also want to get people's opinion on my current situation.

my first MCAT (summer 2016) : 504
Got into SMP program for a year and maintained all A's.
Studied more bio, biochem, physics and now I feel more comfortable in those subjects.
1.5 months MCAT study
First KAPLAN FL test last week: 20 points below than my first MCAT score. Why? frustrating...

1) Should I take the MCAT in 10 days as scheduled, (Then what should I do to make my score better in 10 days?)
2) Or cancel and take on June? (Then my application cannot be submitted on June 2. It will not look good for Medical school, right?)
3) Or should I even consider taking more time for MCAT prep and apply for next cycle?

I am from a top 3 liberal arts school but my GPA is not great. (just little over 3.3).
Thank you for your advice in advance.

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[fldoctorgirl]

Applications are not actually sent out to medical schools until the beginning of July, though. So, if you test in June, you can submit without an MCAT score on June 1st so that you can get verified in the mean time, and then your MCAT score will automatically go into your application.

Now that that's aside...is your GPA a 3.3 even with getting straight A's in your SMP?

Kaplan scores are pretty deflated, but a 484 (you said 20 points less than your first MCAT) still isn't too good. It's kind of hard to judge where you're at without an AAMC practice exam. You should take FL 1 and see how you score so that we can have a better idea of where you stand.

Either way, with a 504, you could have a decent shot at DO schools. Without knowing more details about you (like ECs and what not) it's hard to say for sure, but you should be good. I would take the AAMC full length and see what you get. If you don't score 507+, don't bother retaking and reschedule for a later date. You could definitely apply DO with the 504 in the meantime, though.

 

[NarutoMD]

SMP grades are Graduate grades, so they will not be calculated into the OP's overall GPA. They will fall under the Graduate category. Based on his Kaplan 1 score, I would suggest the OP to reschedule his test. This is because he/she took it just a week ago and is scheduled to take the real one in a week. This leaves too little time for improvement. Even though Kap tests are deflated, the fact that the OP only scored in the 480s tells me he/she lacks in contents. I would save the AAMC FLs for a later date. I agree with the above poster that a 504 may be good enough for some DOs if the OP is open to that.

 

[hope2017]

Thank you NarutoMD and fldoctorgirl.

My FL score went up. Kaplan 510. I didn't take AAMC FL yet.
But I wish I have little more time to practice FL test and then I might increase score a little bit more. Because this is retake, I have a lot of pressure to get best score that I can get.

What if I void my May 19 test and try to register for June 1st test on this Sunday? DO you think all spot (either Virginia or NYC) will fill up? Too risky?

 

[fldoctorgirl]

Thank you NarutoMD and fldoctorgirl.

My FL score went up. Kaplan 510. I didn't take AAMC FL yet.
But I wish I have little more time to practice FL test and then I might increase score a little bit more. Because this is retake, I have a lot of pressure to get best score that I can get.

What if I void my May 19 test and try to register for June 1st test on this Sunday? DO you think all spot (either Virginia or NYC) will fill up? Too risky?

Woah, 510 on Kaplan is amazing. Seriously.

You need to take an AAMC FL before making any further decisions. But seriously, that Kaplan is awesome and unless it was a fluke you definitely should take the exam on the 19th and not void. I think trying to find a spot for June 1st is a little risky, and I'm not sure what an extra week will give you.

 

[mariposas905]

The first day to submit this cycle is June 6th, not June 1st. Applications are not actually sent out to medical schools until the beginning of July, though. So, if you test in June, you can submit without an MCAT score on June 6th so that you can get verified in the mean time, and then your MCAT score will automatically go into your application.

Pretty sure the first day to submit is June 1st this cycle, with apps being sent out to schools starting June 30.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

Pretty sure the first day to submit is June 1st this cycle, with apps being sent out to schools starting June 30.

Yes, you're correct. There was incorrect info floating around on here because the U of Miami website listed the date as June 6th by mistake. I edited my original post to correct for this