Retake to gain 2 pts?

[davedavedave]

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I'm in a bit of a unique situation. My proctor cut us short on time in the verbal section, as a result i couldnt get to the last passage (8 questions). so i put down b for those last eight. anyway, i think i'll get docked 1 possibly 2 pts because my proctor didn't know to keep track of time. also, i know underperformed on the bio section as well, probably 1 pt lower than expected...
So do u guys think it is worth retaking to gain 2 pts? Is there a huge difference between a 34 and a 31-32 in getting into a top20 school?

 

[climberchick]

Personally I wouldn't retake the MCAT if I got above 30. If the rest of your application is good, you shouldn't have a lot to woory about. If it were me, I'd wait it out, if in an interview it is brought up, then maybe I'd write it again, but only if I thought I could dramatically increase my score. That's my oppinion. Since I haven't written the MCAT yet, or gone through the interview process you can take it with a grain of salt. Best of Luck to you!

 

[PhatGtDmB]

dave,

do you mind me asking what you have been scoring on your practice tests? If you are scoring much higher than your actual mcat score, i would consider taking it again. However, if withing 1-2 points of your practice score i would not take it just for the fact that most mcat retakers score LOWER their second time around (especially if they scored 30+ the first time).

 

[MeowMix]

you don't have your score yet, and you are already devoting time to thinking about retaking based on what you imagine you might have gotten?

For goodness' sake, take September off from worrying about the MCAT - worry about deep issues like world hunger and AIDS and thorny moral issues instead. Watch some depressing European movies or read brooding existentialist novels if you feel you must. Save your energy, or you will be burned out and unable to summon up anything more than a weak apathetic response when it really matters, the day before the scores come out. You want to be at the peak of your mental torment just then.

 

[AlternateSome1]

If the proctor cut you short, did you send a letter into the AAMC? They need to straighten him/her out and they will also send you a signed letter explaining testing errors for you to send to the med schools.

~AS1~

 

[Idiopathic]

Yes, the difference between a 31 and a 34 will matter when getting into a top 20 school. If you have all other ducks in a row (3.7+ GPA, quality letters, good extras), then retake the test...If you have your head on, you should do better (assuming that you have been scoring in that range on your practice exams). what I always tell my students is: If you KNOW that you CAN do better, retake the test. But dont fool yourself into thinking that you underperformed this time but wont do it again...sometimes these tests bring that out in people. A 31-32 is still in the top 15-18% of test takers, which is fine for getting into school. I have yet to meet a legitimate candidate with a 32 who did NOT get in, but not always their first choice.

Bottom line, if you can get a 36, retake it. If not, pad the resume elsewhere.

 

[LauraMac]

well, i would definitely wait til i got my scores before i put any serious thought into it!!!

if you don't do as well as you wanted, and more importantly as well as think you could have done, even if you get a 32, i would retake it. after taking the ACT i felt like i did really badly and wanted to retake it for sure. i ended up with a 33, so it was obviously fine, but i wanted to retake it and do better. everyone told me that i was nuts for saying that, so i never retook it, but i kind of wish i would have. it wouldn't have made any difference with getting into college where i wanted, but i just wanted to know that i could have gotten that 34 or 35.

so my advice: chill for now, but retake it if you end up not doing as well as you wanted.

laura 🙂

 

[sgilani]

geez, i can't believe you're even thinking about this right now. why not wait until october. what makes you so sure it's 2 pts as opposed to 1 or 0?
i think you'll be fine.

 

[davedavedave]

I did send aamc a letter and have not got a response yet...does anyone know approximately how long a response would take?

i'm actually almost certain that i'm not taking it again, even if i dont get the little letter from aamc. studying for the mcats is just too painful.